About Joe

I pulled out Joe's baby book yesterday, and was embarrassed to find that I hadn't really written anything in it for the past 8 or 9 months. I need to scan back in the blog to see how much 'baby book' material is in it. Joe will be two on Sunday, and that has made me think of all the things that I've meant to document, but haven't gotten around to writing down. So, in lieu of taking the time to write, I'll blog. (It is so much easier....)

Joe is almost two. (I've said that.) He calls me 'Ma-mom.' Finley is 'Binley,' and Reanna, 'Re-nana.' He says 'Daddy' just fine. He is a great growler, and manages to get a deep throaty growl out that would dupe any bear.

He wakes up happy in the mornings (which is a nice balance to the grumpier Finley), and meets the day with enthusiasm. He still uses a pacifier at night, which I recently started pinning to his jammies. I was tired of waking up to his sweet little voice wondering "Wherdit go?" and having to run upstairs in the night to search through blankets (usually forgetting my glasses) for his lost pacifier. It has worked like a charm. We keep thinking about weaning him from it, but are dreading the hysteria (on his part) and resulting lack of sleep (on our part).

He loves cars. He loves balls. Recently, on Easter, when the kids were let out into the yard for the egg hunt, Joe made a bee-line for a football that was lying in the grass, and Chris had a hard time getting him to look for any eggs. He has a fairly good arm, and likes to throw things. We are pretty sure he is a lefty (like Finley, Nana, and Grampa Nicholas), and although he tries to throw with both hands, he is much better with his left.

What has been really fun is seeing Joe's personality emerge. I didn't think much about Finley's personality when she was a baby, since I was too busy figuring out what to do with babies, and when she started really expressing herself, it was pretty obvious. By the time Joe came around, I think I was a little confused with what I saw as a lack of personality. He didn't seem to really smile or laugh at much as an infant, and only wanted to hang limply on his mama's arm most of the time. Reanna was the one that finally figured out what could make him laugh. I guess Joe just took his time figuring out the world around him before he really started involving himself in it. Now, I really enjoy watching the way he asserts himself as an individual in the world.

Did I mention that he likes to throw things? A few days ago, he was 'eating' a graham cracker, when Reanna noticed he was just breaking off pieces and throwing them (at Finley, I think). Reanna brought it to my attention, and when I approached him with my hands on my hips, looked at him sternly, and said (sternly), "Joe." He looked up at my face, then shot that stern look right back at me. Reanna and I lost it.

He isn't very afraid to be disobedient. If I am kneeling on the floor and ask him to 'come here,' he usually keeps right on with whatever it is he's doing until I start to get up... then he comes running in order to avoid getting into trouble.

Another great thing about him, is that he usually comes to tell me immediately when he is 'poopie.' So most of the time, it doesn't get mashed all over his hind end.

He is good at spitting things out of his mouth. The other night, Finley was refusing to eat her supper, and told us she didn't want to eat it (sitr fry and rice) but wanted ice cream instead. Upon hearing the words 'ice cream,' Joe immediately spit out all the food he was chewing.

He is also good at putting things in his mouth. He still tries to eat crayons and Play-Doh (But then he ends up spitting them out. I'd rather he swallow than make me clean up after him). Yesterday, when Finley didn't finish her Cheerios, I found Joe picking them out of the trash and eating them.

Anyway, there is more I want to write about the boy while he naps, but need to focus my attention elsewhere. (Did I mention that Finley quit napping last summer?)

To be continued...