Happy 9 Month Birthday, Sweet Boy

Joey's nine-month birthday was marked with his doctor appointment.  One of the many reasons we love Dr. Megremis - if you show up at 9am for your 1pm appointment, they'll work you in anyway!!  At nine months, Joey weighs 18 pounds 1.5 oz (14%), measures 28 ¾ (68%).  His head circumference (which I'm not too concerned with) is 45 ¾ cm (64%).  The doctor was pleased with all of his milestones, and everything looked great.  Earlier we had been slightly concerned about a slight bowing in his legs, but now that he is standing & moving, the doctor is pleased with how he's grown out of that. His ears look clear, and he has the go-ahead to eat whatever we eat, within reason.

It's official - nine months goes much faster when the baby is outside of my body.  The time has flown, and we are very blessed to have Joseph Pierce in our lives! 

Random Melanie Update

At 2 years and 10 months, Melanie weighs 25.8 pounds.  She recently changed daycare classes, and she is now in with the 3-year-olds.  She was one of only two kids to transition, due to the fact she's potty-trained (she still wears a pull-up at night).  We had a really rough first week in the new classroom, since she is dropped off and picked up in the gym with bigger kids.  This is the second week in the new room, and now she looks forward to going and talks about her new friends.

Melanie's vocabulary cracks us up on a daily basis.  She never hesitates to let us know what is on her mind, and will repeat it until she is sure you understand.  She is still a finicky eater, but it's more about her mood.  She likes a lot of food, it's just a matter of what she wants that particular meal. 

She loves playing with her friends, playing with Joey (this usually results in Joey's tears, because she will steal his toys or sit on him), bossing us around in her playroom, and putting all of her stuffed animals night-night in random locations throughout our house. 

Another random child update, but I just wanted to get her weight and other information recorded for my memories!

Random Joey Update

At 8.5 months, Joey weighs 18.6 pounds.  He's taking about 4 bottles a day (8 ounces a piece), and eating Level 2 foods and "puffs."  He has his two bottom teeth, wears size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes.

Joey is currently on an antibiotic for a left ear infection.  This is his second diagnosed ear infection, but the only way we've known about them is by his goopy eyes; he hasn't seemed to be in any discomfort from the infections. 

He usually goes to bed around 7pm, and can generally sleep through the night.  He usually gets up around 4 or 5am for a bottle and goes right back to sleep - sometimes he doesn't even need that bottle.

He loves toys that make noise, he chews on anything he can get his hands/teeth on, and he loves bathtime.  He sits in the bathtub unassisted, no more baby tub for him!  He is walking, assisted, and can stand for a split second on his own.  He babbles quite a bit, and "dada" is part of his vocabulary, but I don't think he associates it with anyone just yet.  When I try to get him to say "mama," he just laughs.

This is a random update, but I just wanted to capture some of Joey's milestones for my memories later

Joey's Milestones

"Joey Pierce," as Melanie calls him, is growing up SO fast.  He can use his "walker" to cruise the first floor of our house.  He has his two bottom teeth, can sit in the "real" bathtub by himself, is eating 2-3 times a day (Level 2 foods), while still eating his bottle - 8 ounces about 3.5 times a day. He also got introduced to "puffs" lately - some he eats, some he gums and spits back out.  While at home, he takes a full 8-ounce bottle each time he goes down for his (twice a day) superlong nap, and for bedtime, around 7 or 7:30pm.  He has been getting up around 4am or 5am for a bottle and then sleeping until it's time to go to daycare....but now that he's eating more baby food, he's sleeping longer, and has slept through the night all weekend.  This (sleep) is a work in progress.....I only hope this kid continues being as happy as he has been the last eight months!!!

Happy New Year!

We spent New Year's Eve with a great group of people - it ended up being 8 adults and 7 children, none of whom had met (except meeting us) before walking in our front door!!  We coordinated it all about 48 hours ahead of NY, it was a child-friendly event, and everyone left with the onset of kids' bedtimes.  Mel had a group of friends her age - Chase, Ellie, Sophie:  And Joey had a group of friends his age - Cole & Jonah.  We had friends our age - so it all worked out great!

On New Year's Day, we had the pleasure of having Becky over for the night!!  We had dinner, she got to play with the kids, and Mel has been completely obsessed with her presence since she left Sunday morning! 

Christmas with Grandma & Popaw

The day after Christmas, Grandma & Grandpa (Poppaw?  I can't really figure out how to spell what Mel calls him!!) - came to visit for two nights.  I think the pictures above capture the serenity both the kids feel when Grandpa Worzala holds them.  Melanie is starting to figure out relationships.  So not only are G&G Worzala her grandparents, but they are also Daddy's parents....and so on.  It's a riot to hear her figure out all the relationships.  "Mommy, who is your Mommy?"  "I don't know, you tell me."  "Your mommy is GIGI!!"  She has down who her Mommy & Daddy's parents, brother, and sister are, and also who her cousins are.  Further, while she knows her cousins are Molly, Charlie, and Sammie - she often wants to know more cousins, so she fills in the blanks with Lily, Bella, and Wyatt.  Just recently, she's wanted to know who her Mommy & Daddy's cousins are, too, and luckily, she's been spending time with some of them (Becky, etc).  I love this age....

Merry Christmas!

Melanie woke up and got right to the gift-opening.  We decided that the fact that Joey wasn't up yet wasn't a deterrant.  She got right to it, and seemed to love the gift-opening.  Then Joey got up, and she opened all of HIS gifts.  Then she opened (or tried to) all of the gifts for everyone the rest of the weekend.  And that, my friends, is why Santa was very frugal with my kids this year.  Apparently it's not about what's inside the gift, but just that there IS a gift.  (the rest of the Christmas story will come later, that it's not really about the gift at all.....) 

We went to Frankfort for Christmas day.  We had a great time with my parents, and we also invited our next-door neighbors the Elams.  Our family friends Marshall&Phoebe Smith were also there, and we had a great time!!!  Matt, Julie, and Molly made it for dinner, which made Mel's day!  We had a great Christmas dinner, all prepared seemingly effortlessly by Gigi!!  Thank you Gigi &Poppy!!  Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of the kids with both of their grandparents.  Instead I got several pictures of them with Tom, our next-door neighbor, which are cute too!

Melanie, several times throughout the day, would stop and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Christmas Eve

We had a great Christmas as our new, larger family.  Christmas Eve, all four of us headed to church.  Melanie couldn't quite figure out if she wanted to go to the front to sing carols with the rest of the kids, sit through the service, or leave and come back a few times....  Joey got a prize for being dressed like Santa Claus (Mel was excited by the prize - a candy cane for her!)  We hadn't decorated at all, or even hung stockings, prior to Christmas Eve.  That evening, we baked cupcakes for Jesus' birthday, and we left one out, with a glass of milk "to wash it down," for Santa.  Melanie was thrilled to find out the next morning that Santa had eaten the cupcake, she was even more excited to find out that he came and left while she was sleeping and she didn't have to see him.  He also did some decorating while he was here, and left the living room looking a little more festive than before.   Melanie was very excited to identify all of the characters in the manger scene that Santa apparently put up.  As Poppy observed, "I didn't realize there were this many people at the birth of Jesus."  Thank you G&G Worzala for the nativity scene :)  Pictures above are of my two elves helping make Jesus' birthday cupcakes

Christmas at the Zoo

We did a great job of hitting the zoo right when the Christmas hours started.  We had front-row parking, got in, Melanie & Daddy got a fun Christmas train ride (my camera wasn't working properly!!) - Joe had his first visit with Santa Clause.  The photographer actually did a great job of getting his pose withOUT his terror - so let me know what you think of his face in this one :)  The fun thing about the picture is that Joey is wearing Jeff's sweater from when he was that size.  We assumed Melanie didn't want her picture with Santa - when she got off the train, she begged for it, so we took her back through the line, and then she realized that her original decision was what she would go with....

As we were leaving, the zoo, and Washington Street, were both PACKED - so keep this in mind for next year!!