Joshua at 18 Months

It's been a while!! This post says 18 months, but it's more like 20 months!

Joshua turned 18 months on August 24th. I've been meaning to write this post, but we had a visit planned to see his pediatric endocrinologist in Hong Kong in October, and I wanted to wait for his official growth stats.

Joshua is doing really well with daily growth hormone shots. We give him a shot every night, alternating location between his arms, legs, and bottom. He rarely cries and takes it like a champ. He's been on the hormone injections for about 9 months now. I feel like he's doing great and growing really well. I can tell a huge difference, especially in his clothes.

But the doctor expected more growth at this point. He has increased his dosage and we go back next month to see how he's progressing. Joshua still on the growth chart yet for height or weight, but he's getting close!

Playing with cars in his sister's room

Joshua is such an easy going baby. I say baby because I still refuse to believe he's a toddler yet. He can throw a fit like the rest of them, but overall he's pretty happy and easy going. My sister just came for a visit, and said "Joshua is so cute! Don't you wish he was a twin and you had two of him?" Joshua is adorable and I love him to pieces, but one is enough. :)

Joshua's favorite things are to play with cars, trains, and anything that has wheels. He loves anything Thomas the Train, and his favorite book is Little Blue Truck. He will play with cars and trains all day long. He mostly likes to play with them on the couch and line them up in rows. He also loves to climb on everything. A few months ago he managed to climb up to a high windowsill a few times and nearly gave me a heart attack.

20 Month Stats:

Weight: 9 kg or 20 lbs

Height: 77.7 cm or 30 1/2 inches

Size Diaper: He is still in cloth size medium and wears medium disposables at night

Size Clothes: 12-18 months

Size Shoes: 4-4 1/2

Teeth: 16, i think? I know he has everything but his 2 year molars. 

Words: Joshua was a much later talker than Paige. Joshua can understand and follow directions, but doesn't talk a lot. He can repeat or try to at least, almost everything we ask him to. He says mama, dada, sister, Jiejie (chinese for older sister), tag tag (his favorite blankie), snack, poo poo, car, more, hi, bye, and a few others. He can make a lot of animal noises too. 

Sleep: He is a great sleeper!! He sleeps from about 7:15-6:45/7 most days. He naps from about 1-3, sometimes longer. He goes down really easy. We even took his pacifier away in August and he adjusted really well. He does have to sleep with his taggie. It's his comfort item. We sing him Jesus Loves Me before he goes to bed. 

Sleeping on the way home from vacation

Food: Joshua is a pretty good eater overall. His favorite things are goldfish, broccoli, oatmeal, ice cream, carrots, and mostly anything sweet. He is wary of trying new foods, but we are working on it. He eats fruits and vegetables pretty well though. He loves Chinese food! I've given him juice a few times, and he doesn't seem to like it, which is fine with me. He eats oatmeal for breakfast most mornings. He LOVES homemade granola bars and yogurt. He usually only drinks milk at breakfast and before bedtime. 

Here are some of his firsts from the last few months:

- First haircut

- First trip to the mountains and went to 9000 feet in elevation

- Had tube surgery

- First trip to the beach and first real vacation

That's our little cheeseball at 20 months! 

Joshua at 7 Months

Joshua turned 7 months on the 24th! I'm so proud of myself for getting this post up BEFORE he turns 8 months!

This little man is doing really well! He has been teething for what feels like forever. Forever. He got his first tooth this week, but that will technically go under his 8 month post. He is still drooling nonstop, so we certainly aren't done with it.

For the most part he's been an okay teether. He doesn't get too fussy, but he really prefers to be chewing on something. He's still pretty easy going-he does fuss if he gets really tired though.

We started solids this past month. He seems to be enjoying it. So far he's had cereal, pumpkin, peaches, prunes, green beans, carrots, and apple. I make all my own baby food, so I try to make what is easiest right now. With Paige, I had tons of time to be in the kitchen and make a lot of food, but these days it's hard to find the time.

He's sitting up so good now! I put a pillow behind him half the time, mostly as a just in case if Paige is around. He will reach forward for toys, but he hates to be on his tummy, so he isn't scooting or trying to crawl at all. He does roll all over the place though.

Now that he's sitting up, we are done with the baby tub. It's weird to be putting away some baby items already.

I'm not sure on the stats, but he seems bigger to me!

7 Months Stats:

Weight: 14 lbs??

Length: 25 inches??

Size Diaper: He's still comfortably wearing size Small cloth diapers, and Medium disposables at night

Size Clothes: 6 months!!! Finally!! He still wears some 3 month pants, but he is mostly in 6 months, which makes me SO happy!

Sleep: grrrr. I will say it has gotten better this past week, but overall before this week he has been waking up at about 5:45-6:15 every morning. We try to give him the paci-sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He's in the middle of transitioning into the 4 hour schedule and back and forth with needing a cat nap. He usually will have a good morning nap and then the other 2 are short. But we go out in the mornings a lot, so on those days he just takes a long afternoon nap. 

Feedings: He nurses at about 6:30, 10:30, 3, and 7. Sometimes a 5th feeding if he doesn't nap well or needs it.  

Teeth: Not at 7 months (currently he has 1)

I can't get over how cute this little boy is! Love him!!

This past month Joshua cheered for his favorite team, the Packers!!! Sometimes we can watch the game online. It's pretty exciting when it happens. 

He loves his big sister Paige! If she's in the room, he is usually content to just watch her. I love both these kiddos so much! I know I'll turn around one day and have teenagers, but I am trying to soak up all the time I have with them. I love being their mama!

Joshua at 5 & 6 Months

Well.....that was quite the little blogging break! I always want to blog, but with Instagram, it's just so much easier to post pics and updates there. BUT, I love looking back at remembering what we were doing, so I want to at least keep up with Joshua's monthly posts.

(he's now almost 7 months, so I'll try to get that post up soon-I feel like this last month has been a big one!)

Since it's been 2 months a lot has happened and I have a lot of pictures!

First...Stats! Joshua is about the same size at 6 months that he was at 5. We even flew to Hong Kong to see a growth specialist. But all the doctor's we've seen think he's okay, he will just be small.

(4, 5, and 6 months)

6 Month Stats:

Weight: 5.9 kilos or 13 lbs (-2%)

Length: 61.5 cm or 24 inches

Size Diaper: Small cloth diapers and Pampers Mediums 

Size Clothes: STILL 3 months.....I am so ready for him to be able to wear the next size up
(*he's just started wearing 6 month clothes, but now he's almost 7 months)

Sleep: Eh.......we've stopped swaddling and for the last few weeks he's been waking up at least once a night. Most of the time we can just give him the paci and he goes right back to sleep. I cherish the nights that he sleep the whole night through! He usually wakes up between 6:30-7:30, just depends on the day. 

He usually naps great-2 long naps and then a short one. 

Feedings: Again, I feel like i'm trying to figure everything all over again.Sometimes he has 4 feedings a day at 7, 11, 3, and 7. But most days he eats every 3-3 1/2 hours. 

Teeth: None yet, but I think we are really close.

We went swimming a few times this summer. Joshua loves his baths, but he wasn't too sure about the pool. I think it may be because the water was always a little cool. 

Because Joshua's growth hasn't been too great, we went to Hong Kong for a few days to see a specialist. They didn't do any tests, but the conclusion seems to be that he's just small.  He's in the negative 2-3%. He is the size Paige was at 3 months.

I love my little travel buddy-he does so great with it all!

This is Paige (left) and Joshua (right) in the same toy at about the same age. You can kind of tell-but they both have the nose scrunch!

Joshua, or Baby Josh as we call him, has never really loved tummy time. This is one rare time that he was smiling instead of fussing during it. Now, he rolls so much that as soon as we put him on his tummy he rolls to his back. But he does sleep on his tummy now most of the time. 

Even though he hasn't gained much weight in the last few months, I still feel like he is changing so fast!

5 Months:

6 Months:

I feel like he literally started sitting up all on his own overnight. Sometimes he does lunge for a toy in front of him and falls, but he'll get the hang of it :)

It won't be too long before he has a plate of little foods in front of him!

Joshua really is the best baby. I thought Paige was an easy baby, but Joshua gives her some competition. He rarely fusses or cries, unless he's really tired. He is very easy going and has the best smile! I love him to pieces! 

Joshua at 4 Months

Joshua turned 4 months last Wednesday! He is the happiest baby!

Last month we traveled to Taiwan, and this month we went to Hong Kong. It was just me and the little peanut-and we flew there and came back in the same day. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be-he actually did really good in the carrier. 

It was a tiring day, but he did really good!

Besides going to Hong Kong for the first time, he also rolled over from his back to his tummy this month. Another change is that he is out of the swaddle for all his daytime naps! He transitioned really well to it. We still swaddle at night, but will probably unswaddle soon. He does sleep in a sleepsack though for all his naps.

Paige continues to be really sweet (ha!) with Joshua. She wants to hold him, play with him, and gives him little kisses on his head. She loves to do tummy time with him! You can tell he is thrilled.

Joshua has changed so much! Sometimes I think he looks like Paige (who looks like me) and some days I can see a lot of Daniel in him. 

4 Month Stats:

Weight: Almost 12 lbs, he's a little fella. More on that later. 

Length: Almost 24 inches

Size Diaper: He's in Small cloth diapers during the day and Pampers smalls or mediums

Size Clothes: 3 Months

Sleep: He's a rockstar! This past month he officially he started sleeping through the whole night! He sleeps 7:30-7:30, and sometimes even later. His first nap is about 2 hours long, and then his next two naps are about 1-1/2 hours. 

Feedings: He nurses at 7:30am, 10:30/11, 2ish, 5pm, and 7pm. I do a dreamfeed at about 10pm each night. 

Teeth: None yet, but I'm pretty sure he's teething.

So he's always been a little guy. But I took him in for his 4 month check up and he's fallen a little bit on the growth chart. The little man is not quite 12 lbs, and Paige was over 12 lbs at 2 months! So I met with a lactation consultant this week just to check on how he was feeding and my milk supply. But everything checked out fine-there's milk and he's eating great, so there's no need to worry right now (which I was dong PLENTY of!). We are going to watch his weight, but I think he is okay. He did go up in height on the growth chart, so he's growing, just only one direction, ha!

That's Joshie at 4 months!

Joshua at 3 Months

Joshua turned 3 months last week. I will say that time goes by much faster with your second child than it did the first. With Paige I didn't know how long each phase would last-when would she sleep through the night, how long before she takes regular naps, etc..... But with Joshua, I know it will happen eventually and each phase is so short in the big picture.

He looks so much bigger to me this month! His little legs are even starting to get some little rolls!

We haven't done anything too exciting this past month. We've stayed in town and I've tried to get Joshua used to his routine. I was taking Paige out most mornings and he would cat nap in the stroller. But his first nap is his best and longest nap, so now I take her out after the first nap or in the
afternoon.

Three Month Stats:

Weight: No idea.....10-11 lbs??
Height: 22 inches?
Size Diaper: We started cloth diapers this month, he wears FuzziBunz Small, and Pampers Small at night. (i've always used disposables at night)
Size Clothes: 0-3 months, but I think we'll be moving to 3-6 soon. He's growing so fast!
Sleep: He's amazing. He goes to bed between 7:30-8pm, I dreamfeed at 10, then he sleep till almost 8 the next morning. His first nap is about 2-21/2 hrs long. His next few naps aren't always consistent as far as time. Sometimes 2 1/2 hrs, sometimes just barely an hour.
Feedings: He eats about every 3 hours. He has just started to go about every 3-4 though. He is a great nurser-he can eat in less than 10 minutes.

Joshua is the most smiley baby! Our friends give us a hard time because he never cries. And honestly-he really doesn't. He will fuss sometimes right before he eats or if he is really tired. But overall he's a very easy baby. I don't say that to be braggy- because I know it is isn't anything we're doing or not doing. I'm just so thankful that he's as happy and laid back as he is. 

Right now Joshua still doesn't do too much. He sits in his bouncer and chews on his giraffe, plays on his activity mat, and has just started sitting in the bumbo. He used to like tummy time, but he's not the biggest fan right now.

Paige was already sucking her thumb at this point, but Joshua hasn't found it yet or just isn't interested. He does take a paci every time he goes to sleep. He doesn't really take it when he's just awake and playing though.

Paige calls Joshua "Baby Josh." It's so cute! I think she still likes Joshua, but we do have to remind her (often) to be gentle!

Joshua at 2 Months

Joshua turned 2 months on April 24th. Of course, I didn't realize that. For some reason, I thought he was 2 months on the 21st. So all day I was taking pictures of him, talking about him being two months and even posted on Instagram and Facebook about it. It wasn't until a few days later when I was looking at my calendar did I realize I was wrong. What can I say, I'm tired.

He had a really big month! He took his first international airplane ride-this little guy already has a couple stamps in his passport! He did so great on the plane-it's much easier to travel with them the younger they are. 

His umbilical FINALLY fell off the day before he turned 2 months. I can't believe it stayed on that long. So he had his first official bath! We think he likes bath time, he doesn't fuss at all when we give him one.

This little man gets out a lot-mostly riding in the stroller, but sometimes the occasional taxi. Car seats are rare here, and are never available in taxis, so we are the human car seat.

Paige has been a great big sister to Joshua. She will read to him, ask to hold him, or try to bring him a toy to play with. 

Joshua had his 2 month check up and did pretty good with the vaccines. All the locals ask how old he is and then comment how little he is. I guess because he was so tiny when he was first born he seems huge to me now.

Two Month Stats:

Weight: 9 lbs, 11 oz (10%)
Height: 21.4 inches (10%)
Size Diaper: Pampers Newborn, we just started using size Small. They are a little big on him. We used cloth for a few days, but they are too big, so we will wait a little bit longer.
Size Clothes: He is out of newborn! He wears all 0-3 months now, which makes me very happy to have more choices when picking out his clothes.
Sleep: He's not on a great nap schedule yet....well he's on a schedule but he doesn't always sleep as long as I'd like. His morning nap is usually his best-about two hours, then the next 2 are a little up in the air. Sometimes he really gets stuck at 45 minutes and can't go back to sleep. His last feeding is between 9-10, then he sleeps about 7 hours. He is sleeping in his crib now-hallelujah!
Feedings: He pretty much wakes himself up at around 7:30 each morning, and feeds about every 3 hours, sometimes less sometimes more. I feed him once at night, about 4 in the morning.He definitely had his 2 month growth spurt where he ate nonstop. I'm just glad I was prepared for it this time.

This little guy makes me so happy-he is so cute and loveable!

 Joshua had another visitor this past month-Auntie Sarah! She helped us out so much and it was wonderful to have my sister here for a week! Seriously, don't take having family live nearby for granted.

Sometimes I can't believe we have two children. I'm going to be honest though-it's difficult having a newborn and entering the terrible two's. This past week especially has had been hard. I know everyone goes through this and they won't always be this little-so I'm trying to enjoy it and remember I will look back and wish they would be small again.