Lots of Catching Up

It's been quite a while since I've posted, but that's mainly because we've been out of town so much these last few weeks!

On Friday June 18th, I packed the three of us up in preparation for our week long trip to Phoenix. Thanks to Southwest's no fee policy for checked bags, we pulled out the big suitcase this time - which had plenty of room for all of Joseph's clothes and related gear, plus him!

Lisa brought her cameras out, and as the budding photographer, captured most of the week's events for us, so I don't have too many pictures to post and will defer to her blog. We spent all day Saturday at Grammy's house, playing in her pool and letting the little guys alternate naps all day long. It was Joseph's 2nd time in a pool, and although he wasn't in it much, he seemed to enjoy it again.

Sunday we went to church where Gary blessed Joseph. We had planned our impromptu trip to LA to visit with Grandpa Jack, Grandma Carla, along with Jimmy, Maria, Kyle and Taylor, who were visiting from Indiana. The trip out Sunday afternoon/evening was a little stressful, with 6 adults, 4 kids (3 under the age of 2!) and a dog all piled into a 15 passenger van. We got in rather late, and went our separate ways at the hotel to crash for the night.

(Ruthie getting ready for church... notice the one shoe on? :))

Monday morning we woke up a little later than the rest of the group. Joseph still did great with his sleep schedule, as much as he could. The events didn't really allow for a baby who normally naps 2-3 hours in the morning and afternoon, and gets 12 hours of sleep at night. Joe took everyone over to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and then came back for us.

We spent much of the day enjoying the nice weather outside and just visiting with family. Joe got his Jamba Juice fix, and Lisa was able to enjoy some frozen yogurt (which apparently isn't available in NY... random!) We managed to get back to the hotel early enough to get Lisa and Linda's kids to bed closer to their normal bedtime, and with plenty of time to give Joseph a bath... good thing this little guy doesn't get too dirty, and he didn't get very many baths on the trip!

He had a blast bathing in the hotel sink, and stood up to splash around after he was done.

On Tuesday we spent the morning visiting at Grandpa Jack's again, and decided we didn't need to set up the pack and plays, our traveling group of 3 cribs. Joseph really needed to go down for a morning nap, so Joe just grabbed an empty laundry basket, and towel and voila! a quick crib for napping. Joe left him on a table in the back room so no one would trip over him... and next to the old organ that Ruthie and Ethan liked playing on. He managed to sleep right through all the noise!

Uncle Jimmy got his workout in, playing with the little kids. They each took turns on his shoulders, ringing the bells and windchimes along the front porch.

Tuesday afternoon we said our goodbyes and left LA around 1:30pm, assuming we'd have plenty of time to make the trip back to Phoenix before bedtime. Except a semi carrying pesticides overturned on the interstate, shutting it down for a number of hours. We sat in the traffic jam for about 3 1/2 hours before finally getting past and continuing on our way.

Wednesday was Joe's last day in Phoenix, and because Jill had to work, we spent the day mainly lounging around her house and letting the kids catch up on some much needed sleep. James really took to Joseph, and had fun playing with Sophie with him.

Lisa also graciously agreed to practice her photography skills with Joseph, and did a session with him. I took a quick video of the event, b/c Joe was doing his best to entertain Joseph and keep him smiling and laughing, which was really cute. Lisa probably has thousands of pictures to get through to edit, but we are really excited to see how they turned out. She showed us a few on her camera, and they looked great! She's really turning into an excellent photographer.

Wednesday evening we said goodbye to Joe, and got ready to go to the circus! The kids all did great, and enjoyed intermission (and the related treats that came along with the break!) James got a really cool snowcone and lightsword!

Here's proof that I was actually on the trip!

And what did Joseph think of the circus? Mmmm, hands! :)

This video isn't terribly exiciting, but it's amazing how loud it was inside the arena. The circus didn't start until 7pm, and ended around 9:30, well after Joseph's normal bedtime. Around 9 he had had enough, and with the loud noise and flashing colors, simply couldn't fall asleep. I took him out to the hallways and just walked around, wearing him in the Baby Bjorn, and that seemed to calm him down. He quickly fell asleep for the ride home.

Thursday morning Lisa headed to Utah for a reunion with her friends and roommates from college, and Jill had to work, so Gary and I got to babysit James, Ruthie and Joseph. We attempted to coordinate a trip to a local swimming pool with Linda and Ethan, and managed to get there in the early afternoon, after all of the little guys woke up from their naps. They had a great time, and we lasted about 2 hours, even though it was officially the hottest day of the year in Phoenix!

We returned to the house with just enough time for me to shower and Joseph to get a little nap in before the two of us headed off to dinner with my Aunt Sharon and her boyfriend, who coincidentally live just down the road from Jill and Gary. They have a beautiful home and treated us (well, ok, me) to a delicious dinner. It was great being able to catch up with them, and now all of Joseph's great aunts and uncles on my side have met him - not bad for a 4 month old!

Friday was our last day in Phoenix, and Jill took the day off. Linda and Ethan also came over to play with Joseph one last time. We stopped by Jill's office on the way to the airport, so that she could show off her newest grandson to everyone. I had my hands really full for the plane, so Jill was really sweet and helped me get the bags checked and us up to security. I'm glad I've gone through the "flying with a baby" a few times, especially before trying to do it by myself.

We didn't buy a ticket for Joseph, as babies under 2 can ride for free on a lap, and if the airline has any extra seats at boarding, they will let you bring a carseat on as well. I was hoping to get lucky.... nope. The flight was completely full, so the best I got was a window seat over the wing. Joseph was really hungry and tired when we boarded, so I started feeding him as we pulled away from the gate. He passed out before we even took off, and stayed asleep for about the first 30 minutes of the flight - the pressure changes didn't seem to bother him at all! I'm sure the girl next to me was happy that he had stopped fussing and was totally quiet... until he woke up. Then he realized that he hadn't finished eating and was still hungry, so I took care of that problem. We hit some turbulence, so the fasten seatbelt sign came on, just in time for the pooping. Of course. And did it stay in his diaper? Of course not! We hadn't had any issues all week, so I was praying it wouldn't be a problem on the flight, to no avail. So I just pulled down the tray table and attempted to change him right there. It was quite possibly the messiest diaper he's had in weeks, and poop got everywhere - on his back, clothes, the table, my shirt, the burb cloth, even the travel pillow I brought along! Once I got that all resolved, cleaned up and the baby back to sleep, I figured I could do anything.

And I learned my lesson - I don't think I'll ever travel alone with a lap child again!

Mmmm, toes

A few cute pictures from a week or two ago.  He was hanging out while I made dinner. Such a cutie!

Well, Joseph has definitely found his toes in the past week. Now, if he's not sucking on his hands, he's munching away on his toes. Sometimes he tries to get both feet, or a hand and foot at the same time, and is quite frustrated that they both don't fit.

He also managed to roll from his back to his belly last week while he was napping. It happened on Friday June 11th (so I don't forget!), while we were at my parents' house at the lake. We forgot the pack and play, so he was napping on a blanket Nana made for him, which gave him more space than his crib and bumpers. He woke up fussing, which is unusual for him, so I went to check and there he was, on his belly, looking around! After that we've spent much more time working on the belly to back roll, so he can hopefully figure that out if and when he does it again while sleeping. Yesterday he rolled two more times from belly to back. I just don't think he has much interest in rolling - he'd rather be on his back or standing up!

He also has become much more aware and nosey about everything! He follows the dogs, and will reach out to them when they come near to see what's going on. Molly was excited about getting a chance to "play" and finished their few minutes of exploring time by laying her head on his legs. It was so cute.

Pictures he's gonna hate in 18 years... :)

Ok, I know I'm biased, but naked baby pictures are always cute, and how could I pass up posting these??

He loves to be standing so much that when Joe flipped him around to wash his backside, he immediately popped up and started standing, instead of laying across Joe's arm like he usually does. Such a big boy!

These pictures were taken in the last couple of weeks. Part of our sleeping success with Joseph was de-swaddling him, one arm at a time. Once he slept longer with both arms out of the swaddle than in, we gave it up for good. His new found freedom has also led to lots of movement in the crib. As you can kind of see in this picture, we have a sheet saver (a tie-on pad that catches spit up, so you only swap that out and not the whole sheet) at the end of the crib. That's where Joseph's head goes when we put him to sleep... until he flips himself around in the crib!

This is his other very typical position - legs stuck up on the bumper. Notice the thumb in his mouth? That left thumb is our new best friend - when he's sleepy, he'll start sucking on that thumb, and it instantly calms him, more than the pacifier. He hardly needs the pacifier to sleep anymore, which is really nice.

The little squirmer still hasn't flipped from him back to his belly yet, but he gets really close. I'm dreading that day, since he hates being on his belly and would rather wail than flip himself back over. For now, he continues to impress us with his moves all over the crib.

Swimming, swimming, in my swimming pool...

Friday afternoon Joe called around 4:15 to let me know that he was on his way home from work a little early so that we could take Joseph to the swimming pool! Luckily, Joseph had just gotten up from a nap, eaten and was in a good mood, so I quickly changed him into his baby rashguard and swim shorts, grabbed a few towels, and we waited for Joe to get home. We made it to the pool by 4:45 and headed to the baby pool to try it out.

Joseph loved it! At first he was a little reserved, but as Joe sat him in the water, he started splashing and kicking a little. He mainly stared at the water, trying to figure out how to stick it in his mouth.

Joseph really likes to "stand" and has gotten very good at supporting himself with just a little help from us.

After spending a bit in the baby pool, we took him over to the bigger pool and played with him there for a while. We ended up spending about 45 minutes in the pool before Joseph got fussy and it was time to get him home for a nap. It was such a fun experience; we can't wait to take him back!

Playing with his toes and his daddy

Joseph seems to have noticed his feet on our trip, and while I was getting ready one morning, glanced over and watched him trying to chew on the feet of his pajamas. I took this 30 second clip to capture Joseph's first attempts at sticking his feet in his mouth, before he noticed I was watching him.



We like to try and get videos of Joseph and Joe playing at each month interval. Now that Joseph is capable of some really hearty laughing, they are getting more and more fun to capture. He loves being bounced, and I swear Joe isn't shaking him as hard as it looks in this video! :) You'll want to have the sound on for this one!

First Family Vacation

This past weekend we had a whirlwind trip to St. Louis for one more kayak demo, and then flew to Los Angeles for the remainder of Memorial Day weekend. My friend Jill (from college) was getting married on Monday of the holiday weekend, and we decided to turn it into a mini vacation. Joseph's first flight went quite well. We had a direct flight, and he ate and napped for most of the 4 hour trip. He only fussed for about 15 minutes when it was naptime, so we couldn't complain.

Once we landed and rented our car, we headed to La Mirada, a suburb of LA, to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Chaddick. Fortunately, Jill and Gary were also in town for the holiday so we had a chance to visit with them for a few hours as well! Joseph had a lot of fun being a giggly little boy for everyone, and then took a nice long nap in the middle of the visit. Oh well!

Hanging out with Grandpa Jack.

Grandpa Jack, Daddy and Joseph.

Visiting with Grandma Carla before it was time to leave.

We had to say goodbye around 5pm so that we could make it back to Santa Monica, check into our hotel and have a few minutes before meeting my cousins Peter and Kim. We weren't sure how Joseph would handle the two hour time change, but it didn't seem to make much difference to him... he ended up getting an extra nap in while the four of us ate dinner on the veranda of our hotel, and when it was time to say goodbye, Joseph was ready for a bedtime bottle before his first night in the hotel crib.

Remarkably, Joseph's bedtime schedule didn't change at all while we were traveling. Although his crib was right next to our bed, he managed to fall asleep quickly each night, and slept for 10-11 hours straight through! This made for a very happy little boy each day, and he adjusted to napping mainly in his carseat each day quite well.

While on this trip, Joseph seemed to start to notice his feet. I caught him playing with his pajama legs, and trying to stick them in his mouth. It's only a matter of time before his toes are constantly wet from saliva, as his fingers are most of the time now!

He also has lots of fun playing the flying game. Hard to tell who's having more fun from this picture, but he giggles quite a bit (before chewing on those fingers!0

Bouncing with Daddy on the bed and laughing hysterically.

Chilling on the bed after our first night at the hotel. As part of a great deal my cousin Peter got us at the hotel, we had complimentary breakfast each morning. We would wait for Joseph to wake up and feed him, then head downstairs for breakfast on the veranda. The veranda overlooks Ocean Ave and has views of the ocean and Santa Monica pier, and was a great spot to sit, relax and people watch. Joseph typically napped either while we were eating, or would wait until we got back up to the hotel room, and nap while we showered and got ready for the day.

Our second morning in LA, (Monday) we walked over to the Santa Monica pier... and Joseph fell asleep as soon as we hit the bumpy planks of the pier. So we strolled up and down the pier, and then spent the next hour walking along Ocean Ave, before stopping for a slice of pizza on the Third Street Promenade. Joseph napped for all of the two hours we were outside!

Then it was time to get ready for Jill's wedding, which was at 2pm. Joe and the baby came along to the wedding, but we decided it would be better for everyone if I went to the reception by myself and let Joe hang out with the baby at the hotel for the evening. This situation ended up working out well, as they got to bond and I felt like my old, non-mommy self for the first time in months (except for needing to pump during the middle of the reception, but hey, it was a fun time dancing, drinking wine and having fun with old friends nonetheless!)

The family in front of the hotel after the wedding before it was time for me to go to the reception.

Tuesday Jill hosted a brunch for the out of town guests at her house before she and Chris left for their honeymoon. Joseph did well with all of the new people - at this point, there were new faces just about every time he opened his eyes, and luckily he participates in "pass the baby" quite agreeably. We decided to head back over to the Santa Monica pier once again, hoping to take Joseph on the ferris wheel. Someone had rented the rides out for the afternoon for a private event, so we were out of luck. We ended up once again with a sleepy baby, so Joe and I shared a mediocre appetizer for lunch at a restaurant on the pier and enjoyed the view. We headed back to the hotel for a drink before leaving for Playa del Rey, where we were meeting Joe's uncle Mike, Nairi and their kids for the evening. Joe's cousin Laura also joined us for the delicious dinner of Armenian barbeque Nairi prepared. She and I chatted while Joe's cousin Hunter beat him senseless at a variety of Wii games.

Wednesday morning we enjoyed our last breakfast and decided to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport, return the car, check the luggage and get to the gate. Although traffic was light, every other part of the return to KC was extremely slow, and although we thought we were being silly leaving the hotel 3 1/2 hours before our flight, we ended up with only having to wait 20 minutes at the gate before boarding. Joseph was absolutely perfect on the two flights back to KC - ate as we took off, played for 20ish minutes, and then napped until we landed each time. No fussing at all! I'm definitely less nervous about our trip to Phoenix in two weeks after seeing how smoothly things went this time.

It's hard to see, but our hotel is the turquoise blue building to the left of the larger white building at the right side of the picture. We're on the Santa Monica pier.

Our first family vacation was really fun - I look forward to many more in the years to come!