The last 2 months have been full of new adventures! We traveled to Hilton Head, SC in early May to visit with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Kerry. We experienced our second trip on a plane and had our first introduction to swimming, the beach, the Atlantic Ocean and ofcourse, JD had a fun time showing off all his latest tricks to his adoring fan base. :)
Less than two weeks later, we hopped on another plane to travel to Washington, DC over Memorial Day weekend. This was our first family vacation (just the three of us :) ) in celebration of our 6th Wedding Anniversary. This time, Daddy was already in DC for business so Mommy and JD flew solo.....I admit I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, but it turned out just fine. Actually, having now taken 3 trips via airplane (and a total of 8 flights total) I feel like we are becoming pros at this "traveling with baby" thing. In fact, when we were going through Security at MSP to head to Hilton Head, the guy behind me said...."whoa...you guys are experts at this...you're faster than most people who don't have a baby with them!" That was quite the compliment. Traveling also reminds me how many people in the world love babies. Oh, we have our fair share of a glare or two from people on the plane who see JD in our arms ....but overall, most people smile at us and at him and just seem quite pleased to see a small human being. Most of them tend to be grandparents who are missing their respective grandchildren. "How old is he? Oh, I have a granddaughter his age," as they look longingly at JD and start smiling and waving like lunatics. Thank goodness for all the grandparents in the world. :)
So what is new with our little 8 month old boy?
JD is expanding his repetoire of foods....beginning to take nibbles of new and different foods to try. Yesterday was a big day as he really began picking up the cheerios and puffs off his tray and feeding himself. I looked over while I was preparing his cereal and there he was...eating by himself. I was so proud. He was pretty proud of himself, too...smiling ear to ear....
All in all, ALL his movements are so much more precise and methodical. A couple weeks ago, I was taken aback when all of a sudden he reached up and took my glasses off my face. Not in a hurried "oh what is this" kind of movement, but rather a decisive, "oh, I would like to have those, thank you very much" movement. It is just wild.
JD's primary mode of mobility is still rolling....and scooting backwards on his tummy. He has not really figured out how to crawl or move forward, but truthfully, I am ok with that. I know there is a limited amount of time remaining when we can put him down in one place and know that he will stay there until we return. :) Although yesterday he discovered that if he holds onto the side of the table off my lap, he can actually stand by himself...for a few seconds anyway. :) He has other modes of travel....a few days ago I decided to plop JD inside the laundry basket and drag him around, like a wagon without wheels, which got a lot of smiles and laughs.
His favorite toys are blocks....he loves banging blocks and other objects together to see if they make noises. He loves shaking any object to see if it makes a noise. He loves books...and flipping through pages of his board books is quite fun. He loves to kick his little legs like crazy...so much so that his teacher asked if Joseph or I were soccer players? Funny she should ask because JD and I do play ball...I roll the ball or toss the ball onto his lap and he will roll or kick it back to me. He also loves his huge hippo and crocodile stuffed animal friends in his crib. He loves to wrestle around with them and especially loves it when his daddy and mommy sit him up in his crib so he can fall backwards on top of them. Super fun!
Lately, we especially love the way he looks for us if we leave the room. Now when I leave him seated on the floor by the couch while I go into the kitchen area, I look over and I see this little head bop over the side of the table to see where I am - just two little eyes peaking over - reminds me of a meerkat. So I smile and wave and he smiles back. He also loves being hoisted onto our shoulders and love going for walks and runs in the stroller...he just loves to take it all in.
JD loves digital clocks. There is a clock by his chair in his bedroom and when we sit there he loves to look at the numbers change. Just this week, he discovered the digital clock on the microwave. Very exciting ! As for his personality....JD seems to be a nice mix of Daddy and Mommy. :) He is very determined and focused (like Daddy) but his teacher says he gets very upset (cries even) when his friends start to cry. She said he seems to be very empathetic (like Mommy :))
Our little boy keeps growing and changing and I keep having to put away more clothes because they no longer fit. :( Little Joseph now has his two bottom teeth and his two top incisors are coming in...before his two front teeth. They kind of look like two fangs. Good thing vampires are so in vogue these days.
What more can I say? Except to say that I am glad I have just written this all down - albeit in blog form - before I forget it all. These months are flying by so fast...but we are loving every minute with our little boy. He is very much a bundle of complete joy. :)
I have a video to post, but I am having technical difficulty. So, here are some favorite recent pics instead. 
