And Now There Are Four: 6 Months Old!

It's amazing how the days and nights blend together; everything is a blur of cuteness and giggles and a limited amount of tears. We are the proud parents of a six month old!

Before I begin this blog, I want to start with something I recently read. I didn't even know I had a baby book until my mom pulled it out on my last visit home. It amazed me to read all of my parents' thoughts, carefully penned, which is equally as amazing because I must admit my handwriting is utter shit right now. I digress. My dad said something that has stuck with me: "The best way I can sum up this experience is Jaimie is pure magic." Well, it must run in the family because Josie is too. Is someone slicing onions around here or what? ~~Totally not crying as I'm writing this.~~ Ahem...back to little Jo.

She's got skills...they're multiplyin'...and she's gaining controllll....

First, Josie sings! Really, it's a string of shrieks but she sure draws a crowd. We were at Target recently and she took off her sock (another skill), was waving it around, and "singing". People kept passing us and giggling, but one person came back and said: "I HAVE to see what little creature is making that noise." We will accept that as a compliment, thank you very much.

Next, Josie giggles! She thinks everything Jonathan does is hilarious. When I repeat the experiment...crickets.

Josie eats! She is diversifying her palette daily, and is more open to trying foods than one of her grandparents (cough, cough GRAMMY!). She's gone from sweet potatoes and apples to so much more. So far, her menu has included the following, ranked in order of preference, as indicated by wide, open mouths or grimaces: Avocado, peaches, apple sauce, bananas, green beans, peas, carrots, mangoes, pears, and boots. She also eats tags! Josie seems to prefer the tags of her stuffed animals to the animals themselves. These days I can't tell if we have a human or goat on our hands, but either way she's a kid. Hehe.

Josie stands! Well, almost. She's rocking supported standing pretty hard right now. I can see that she longs for the physical skill just out of her reach. Before she could sit all by herself, she wanted you to steady her in a seated position. Now, she grunts until you help her stand. I'm sure supported walking is not far off.

Josie babbles! More and more, this little babe is expressing herself and she likes to pontificate on a variety of topics, ranging from politics to foreign policy. I can only assume "bababababa" means "Trump is the ba-ba black sheep of the Republican party."

Josie emails! We just created an email account for her, so you can write to her at: josiemarenyoung@gmail.com This is going to be an amazing surprise for her. I can't wait!!!

Josie has new friends. Jonathan and I have been naming her toys, mostly for our amusement. Felicia, the Firefly (thanks, Auntie Mera!), is the latest creature to join the zoo. Josie enjoys shaking her toys and throwing them to the ground. When she does this to Felicia, we say: "Bye Felicia". Explanation: If this doesn't make you laugh, it's probably because you are the 4 readers of my 8 readers total over 40. This is a silly pop culture reference.

Felicia the Firefly

Josie is asserting herself. She wants to hold her bottle, even if it means it's slightly too heavy for her still and she's not eating as quickly as she would if a slightly larger human would hold it for her. #priorities

Josie joins the girls on trips! For the 3rd annual Girls' Weekend, Josie donned her most stylish outfits and painted the town with my friends from graduate school. This is our 3rd annual trip and the girls were nice enough to visit us here. Next year we're headed to Pittsburgh, the home-to-be of Ariana (pictured in the center). Kadie is on the left and Jenn is on the right. We had so much fun!

Josie reads! I've been wanting one of these books for a while, but I couldn't find one I personally wanted to read and eat and smush until this one. I think it's only fair that everything Josie owns is something I would want too!

Thanks for our book, Grandma! I want hair as pretty as yours one day!

This isn't a major skill or true development, but Josie is currently sick. First major cold-check. Because I carried her for nine months and labored with her for 10 hours, Jonathan is on snot sucker patrol. It's beyond gross but so helpful for her.

Quick specs: Size 3 in diapers, 27 1/4 inches tall, 20.11 lbs, size 9-12 months in clothing

In other news...
Mom and Dad went on vacation! Jonathan got me a trip to the Poconos for the holidays and we were delighted when Grandma Anne stayed with us for the week a) so Jonathan could have a few work days and b) so we could have a couple of relaxation days. Nothing really ever goes according to plan, and I'll save you the Murphy's Law version of our trip, but we did enjoy some much needed getaway time!