Where did everyone go?

I am constantly amazed at what your little mind is learning.  So many things I took for granted with the other three kids!  Today, we were all down the basement and since I was going back upstairs, I brought you back upstairs with me.  I set you down in the kitchen and began working on something.  Next thing I know, I look over at you and you crawled right over to the basement door.  You flatten yourself, laying on your belly and try to look under the basement door.  Then you yell/babble something to your siblings downstairs.  They don't hear you, so you crawl over to the closed laundry room door and lay flat and yell again under the door...no response.  So you crawl back over to the basement door.  This time you get distracted by the pile of shoes, but eventually you lay flat and do the same thing, calling for your siblings, "AHHH,,uh, eh, baBA."  I just keep watching and smiling seeing you try to call out, "Abby, David, Jeremiah, Where did you go?  Won't you play with me?"

Then all is stopped short when the kids come sprinting up the stairs and whack you in to face when they open door.  But you are tough, you didn't cry.  Such is the life of a 4th child.  No matter how often I drill into them, "Open doors slowly!!!"  A bump on the head is bound to happen, so you get a little beat up sometimes...but at least your playmates were back upstairs.  You are happy about that!

17 months!

Joshua - you are getting so big and strong!  You are consistently letting go of furniture to hold onto an item.  You bravely take 2-3 steps quite often before you fall to your knees to crawl.  You have grown an inch and gained 2 lbs this month!  28.75 inches and 19.5 lbs unofficially this morning.  You have 8 teeth now!   You are babbling more and more and you get quite loud because you have to compete with your siblings.  You want to be heard!  You said "mama" for the first time in context today!  Your 2nd word!  A joy to my heart.  I was sitting on the couch on the computer and you cruised over to me and said "mama" to get my attention!  I swooped you up off your feet and gave you a big kiss and said another "Thank you" to our Lord!  It is hard to believe you are 17 months old!

Happy 17 months!

We got some snow this week and you
enjoyed watching the kids "shovel" the deck
and play in the backyard.

No place like home!

I woke up this morning all sentimental, thinking back one year ago when I woke up in utter disbelief and praise that discharge day was finally here!  And today I am praising the Lord again for a year at home with my little boy!  At times the pains of the NICU are so raw it is hard to believe that it has been almost 18 months since this journey began.  Then there are times that I look back in disbelief like it was all a dream.  How could we have done that?  Daily trips to the hospital, walking that medical journey, learning as much medical jargon as to be mistaken for an RN or MD.  But then reality hits when Joshua gets a cold this week and the concerns of his sick lungs are still very real.   Joshua is a gross, snotty, drooling, mucussy mess with a cough that makes me very concerned.  With my other babies there was no real medical concern with having a cold.  It was just a nuisance.  But with Joshua, I am constantly putting my ear to his back listening to his lungs, checking his finger tips or toes, checking his chest for retracting, for signs of respiratory distress.

Thankfully, on this anniversary of his homecoming we are not making a trip back to NCH.  We got to celebrate at home.  Chickfila and a DQ style!

You didn't like the cold icecream...
at least for the first couple bites.

First steps!

You are getting close to walking!  While cleaning the basement we found an empty popcorn tin that was going to go to the trash can UNTIL you started pushing it around!  It is the perfect height and it pushes easily on our kitchen floor.  So the popcorn tin is going to stick around for a little while!

You took your first steps earlier this week!  It was funny - Abby and I were trying David's old soft soled shoes on you and it was like you knew that you were supposed to walk in shoes.  When the shoes were on your feet you took two steps toward the dresser!  You were very proud!  Then Daddy saw you take two steps last night!  You still have to work on getting more steady, but you are making good progress!

Bulking up!

Today a home nurse came to give Joshua his monthly shot for RSV and she did her normal routine weighing him and checking him over.  He weighed 9.05Kg which is 19lb 14oz!!!  Last month she weighed him at 17lb 14oz!!!  That is TWO POUNDS in ONE MONTH!!!  That is CRAZY!

There were several days when he woke up this month and I thought "WOW, I think you grew!"  And I guess it was really true!  I am almost in disbelief, wondering if her scale was calibrated correctly, so I guess I'll believe it a little more next time he gets weighed.  But we've been feeding Joshua a lot more table food this month and we started giving him more protein - meat and beans.  He's learned to chew a lot better and not mash food on the roof of his mouth.  BPD said he can't come off formula (to cow milk) until he eats more protein, so we've been working on it.

Such a big boy you are, Joshua!  You must be working on catching up!!!

Go Buckeyes!

Buckeyes are playing for the National Championship tonight!  Good Luck Buckeyes!

You are studying the camera with your sideways stare.

Abby suggested we draw Brutus for homeschool art today!
I was so happy with how they ALL turned out!  Especially the boys!
Top row: Mommy, David  Bottom row: Jeremiah, Abby

*Update* - OSU WON the National Championship!!!

Christmas part 2 till NYE

Later on Christmas Day, Grandma and Grandpa Weide came to open more presents and have Christmas dinner with us.

Even before Christmas was over, she had a potholder
 finished on her new loom!

Merry Christmas!

Looking at the moon with her new telescope!

Happy New Year!  Cousin Noelle was here to celebrate!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! (and Happy New year too!)  What a joy it was to be with you - Joshua - this Christmas.  To have our family all together...all HOME!!!

I finally ordered a 'home' sign that I had been wanting since November 2013.  After I filmed the holiday commercial when I said, "he has two brothers and a sister waiting for him at home" home became a very special word.  But home was a lofty achievement for you at that point.  It was so far out in the distance that it didn't seem realistic to talk about, but I wanted it so badly.  My heart ached for our family to be together.  Home brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes whenever I spoke the word.  Then as late January approached and discussion of "going to the zoo" (NCH NICU lingo for going home) began - Home became a realistic goal, but it made me so anxious too.  I wasn't scared to bring you home, but I was just sad to leave the people we had grown to love.  Then Home became a praise to God, a joyful achievement! A graduation status.  And it brought tears of joy.  This Christmas, HOME is a blessing, a joy, a miracle and I'm so glad you humored me and took some photos with my "home" sign.  It may not be your first Christmas, but your first Christmas at home is  a HUGE celebration!  We are all together and I can hug you and kiss you and snuggle you and cry tears of joy...all because you are HOME!  Thank you Lord!

On Christmas Eve it was just our family.  A normal day, followed by a nice dinner, lots of photos, and church and more photos.  Everyone got to open one gift after church this year...my little Popper's penguins!!!

I love this!  Jeremiah is so affectionate!

Captain Cook and Nelson

All dressed and ready for bed!

Christmas morning we opened lots of gifts and had pancakes.

You love your new touch and feel book!

After 3 years of asking...she finally gets one!

You love your new car ramp.
You figured out how to put the cars
on and you love it!  I'm amazed!
I thought you'd have to get a little older
to appreciate it.

Daddy loves his photo calendar for work.

Disney Cars and Planes were the big
hit for the boys this year.

There is nothing like a "new" toy
that we found in the closet, put some
new batteries in and wrapped up for you!
You loved it!

Daddy is protecting himself in the background.

A popular gift for you this year...puffs.
Everyone knows you well!
You love them!

A photo book of our Disney trip!  Abby loved it!

My penguins!

More home photos...just because I'm so happy you are with us!