Josiah's First Haircut

This morning I finally relented and decided Josiah could have his first haircut.  He has been called a little girl a little too much lately (although if he were a girl, I already knew the perfect place to put a little bow in his hair!).  Originally, I had said he had to walk before I would cut his hair, but at 15 months he still isn't walking.  Any tips from my readers about how to motivate a child to walk?  He will walk if we hold his hands, but he really just wants to crawl.  Since he is 23 pounds now, I'm really hoping he walks soon. 

We took him to the sweet girl who cuts my hair and Thomas' hair.  He sat on my lap because we knew he would be squirmy.  Turns out he wasn't as squirmy as he was upset.  He cried through most of the haircut!  Thomas has such a laid back personality and when we cut his hair at 13 months, he sat perfectly still without me holding him.  However, Josiah has a completely different personality than his brother and while we knew he wouldn't sit still, we didn't expect him to cry.  Below are some pictures that tell the story. 



This was his move throughout the haircut!

Looking to Daddy and Thomas to save him!

Still not happy, but looking like a big boy *sniff, sniff*



Amy let him touch the "peanut" that she was about to use around his ears.



Josiah's reaction to the "peanut."

All done, but still not happy!





Music & Mama

I thought I would give a quick update on the latest things happening with the boys.  Thomas will be three next month and I honestly can't believe it!  He is getting so big (and he tells me all the time, "Mama, I'm getting tall.").  When I tell him that he is still my baby, he says, "Mama, I not your baby.  I'm a boy."  *sniff, sniff*

Anyway, on to what this post is really about!  In the last couple of months we have really noticed his love for music.  As I type this, he is playing with a book that plays classical music.  Thomas enjoys all kinds of music and even loves to sing now.  He knows all the songs to Josiah's toys and has picked up many of the children's songs we have taught him as well as some hymns.  Currently, we are working on "Holy, Holy, Holy."  I need to record him singing it, because it is so precious.  Josh found an old book of nursery rhymes at his parents house (with sheet music) and plays it often.  Thomas loves to sit with him at the piano and sing along.  On a side note, he also likes to dance to music now and I think that has much to do with his friend Savannah - she has demonstrated some moves to him! 

Josiah also loves music and as soon as he hears it, he begins to move his head.  Of course he can't sing along yet, but he looks so cute bobbing his little head to the beat! 

The biggest difference with Josiah is his recent attachment to me.  Yes, he has always been attached, but now he is going through a hard phase of separation anxiety.  Anytime I leave him in the nursery now, he cries.  And it is a sad, hold your breath, kind of cry.  They tell me that he stops crying after a few minutes, but it is still hard to leave him.  Even when I worked in the nursery a couple of weeks ago, he would not let me put him down.  Therefore, I was of no help to any other child, because I was busy holding my baby.  Thomas never really cried after me and he preferred Josh and I equally, whereas Josiah really prefers me over Josh.  Maybe it is the difference in being the second born?  I don't feel like I treat Josiah any different than Thomas, although I do have to comfort him a bit more when Thomas pushes, pulls, or hits him (that is another blog post!). 

Our hope is that Thomas & Josiah both will continue to love music and they will desire to play the piano like their daddy one day!

Josiah's One Year Picture

We went a couple of weeks ago and had Josiah's picture made.  And of course, they turned out wonderful!  One of the many things I like about our photographer is how he can take the mosquito bites and the runny noses out of the pictures! 

The photographer took us to the same spot where we took Thomas' one year picture. It is neat to compare their pictures and to see their similarities and their differences.  Thomas looks so much like Josh (and everyone tells me how much), while I think Josiah favors my side of the family more.  Josiah also is a little more plump than Thomas was at this age; I'm sure it has to do with Josiah eating everything that is put before him while Thomas is such a picky eater. 

Here are the pictures of my precious baby! 

A Wedding & Vacation

Our family just got back from a week long vacation and it was wonderful!  There weren't too many activities planned and we were able to relax most of the week.  We went to Treasure Island, FL, and while we normally don't travel that far (the trip took around 12 hrs!), this year we had a wedding to attend.  One of Josh's cousins got married and Josh's parents, his niece and another cousin, and our family decided to attend the wedding and then make a vacation out of it.  We found a great house to rent with plenty of room on Treasure Island and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  If you are ever vacationing on the FL coast, let me know and I will give you the info for the house. 

The FL coast was also beautiful.  The Gulf's water was really pretty and thankfully, the oil has not moved that far down.  Thomas really liked playing in the sand, but wasn't crazy about the waves.  He liked being in the ocean, but not on the shore.  We didn't put Josiah in the ocean, but he did get in the pool and loved it.  He instinctively knew to kick his legs and looked like a little tadpole in the water! 

Josh and I had heard a few months ago that Busch Gardens had just opened a Sesame Street mini-park within the park and we thought it would be fun for Thomas.  In hindsight, we should have taken into account that the heat index would be over 100 and having two small children who both still need naps.  We were also very worried about Josiah because he was so red and hot.  We were constantly blowing a fan on him and spraying him down with water.  Thomas did have a good time, but we spent a few hours riding a train around the park and trying to see an Elmo movie in 3D (it was canceled several times).  We should have spent the day in Elmo land, because that is what Thomas enjoyed the most.  He rode the rides and played in the water. 

We had a great time learning to play poker at the house where we stayed.  They had a poker table complete with cards and chips.  Josh's dad knew how to play, so Josh joked that "the Baptist deacon taught the Baptist preacher and his wife, as well as two underage girls how to play poker!"  We played poker almost every night after the boys were in bed and while I didn't win very many games, I still enjoyed it! 

I'll admit this vacation was hard to leave.  The only time we truly ever get away is when we are on vacation.  Because we do live right by the church, Josh never truly gets away from work.  He heard a pastor say a few months ago that when he and his family moved out of the parsonage into their own house, that their family's stress level decreased remarkably.  We aren't moving anytime soon, and I'm very thankful for our home, and will continue to strive for relaxing vacations! 

Mr. & Mrs. Culbertson at the wedding. 

Josh and his dad kayaking in the inlet.  We all had a lot of fun in the kayak with our experienced guide, Josh's dad!

Thomas riding a hippo at Busch Gardens...he loved it!

Our sweet baby at Busch Gardens. 

Josh's wonderful parents!

The girls and Thomas.  He had a great time "playing" with them all week. 

My wonderful friend, Elizabeth, came to visit!  She lives only an hour and a half away from where we stayed and it was wonderful to have a day to catch up with her.  We have been friends since our freshman year of college.  A true and sweeter friend you will not find!

First Birthday!

We celebrated Josiah's first birthday on Saturday, a day early.  Originally we had planned the party outside at our house, but it was so hot we moved into the church (benefit of living next door to the church).  We invited family and some close friends to help us celebrate his big day.  Josiah was oblivious to it all, but he sure did enjoy his cupcake!  He tried to put the whole thing in his mouth at once!  When we opened gifts, he got a little upset.  I'm not sure if it was all the people and the noise, or Thomas eagerly putting every gift in his face - maybe a combination of all of it! 

At one year, Josiah still only has 2 bottom teeth.  He is not deterred by only two teeth because he eats anything we give him.  Now I mainly feed him table food: peas, green beans, lima beans, corn, potatoes, squash, carrots, etc.  Thomas has always been such a picky eater and it is so nice to have a baby that will eat anything.  In fact, we have to stop giving him food because he will eat as long as food is there. 

Josiah finally mastered crawling the week before his birthday!  He has rocked on his knees for months now and scooted backwards, but the kitty inspired him to crawl.  He finally found something he really wanted!  Now he follows me from room to room and it is so cute!  He's not pulling up yet, but I'm sure that will be soon! 

Here are some highlights from the party:

First taste of cupcake

Putting the whole thing in his mouth!

A very happy baby!

Love this picture!

This is when he was happy opening gifts....

And this is when he is not!

Thomas takes over while Josiah rests on mama.

I love that sweet boy!

9 Months of Fun

My little Josiah is 9 months today. It really does seem like that I was pregnant just a mere 2 months ago and now he is nearing the end of his first year. My time with him has gone much faster than time with Thomas or it just seems that way. Since it was just Thomas I could concentrate all my time and attention on him, but Josiah has the added blessing of a sibling to interact with everyday. There are definitely wonderful things about being the firstborn (not sharing parents), but also wonderful things for younger children (the joy of having a sibling).

What Josiah is doing at 9 months:

• Still sleeping great. He has dropped his 3rd nap (I'm glad!) and just has a morning and afternoon nap. Sometimes I'm able to squeeze an errand in between he and Thomas' afternoon nap.
• Scooting backwards. He isn't crawling yet, although he has been on all fours a few times, but he does scoot backwards. I'm in no hurry for the crawling. Thomas didn't crawl until 11 months. My boys are content where you put them!
• Babbling all the time. Around 8 months he began saying "da-da, ba-ba," and sometimes "ma-ma." When he wakes from his naps, he often lays in his crib babbling until I get him - so cute!
• Loves big brother more each day. He gets so excited at everything Thomas does. His whole face lights up and he squeals with delight - I love it!
• Reaching for everything. I have learned not to put things within his grasp or it will be gone! He has spilt food recently because he grabbed a spoon or container before I knew what was happening.
• No teeth. Not even signs of teething. I know some babies don't teeth until late, but Thomas was 6.5 months when he got his first tooth and had 8 by his first birthday. I really thought siblings would teeth around the same time. Guess I was wrong!
• Loves to eat! He can eat a whole banana (mashed of course, see above comment!) after he has had 3 cubes of peas/squash/sweet potato/mixed veggies. He really likes to eat and I'm trying to teach him to sign "more" because he gets really impatient when the food doesn't come fast enough or if I don't have the next thing ready.

Josiah really is a joy to be around. Life is just a big party for him. This week we were in the car and we heard him in the backseat laughing and squealing and clapping just because. Thanking the Lord today for 9 months with my sweet "Jo-boy."

He has a cold in the picture (see his poor nose) and you can't see it here, but his hair is really blonde now!

Brotherly Love

Since today is Valentine's Day and my valentine is sick in bed, I thought I would post some pictures of my two little sweethearts. It is so fun to watch Thomas and Josiah interact with each other. Right now it is fun ... ask me again in a year and I'll probably tell you how it is fun and challenging, but right now it is great!

In the past couple of months, Josiah has become very aware of Thomas and he watches everything that Thomas does and loves to "play" with Thomas. In return, Thomas loves being the center of attention. Josiah laughs at almost anything Thomas does and Thomas tells me all the time, "Mama, I funny." Well, to Josiah he is a regular comedian!

Thomas has also realized that this little person isn't just for mama, but he is a playmate and that is exciting! He likes to "teach" Josiah how to play with his toys or "read" to him. It is fun to watch him take care of Josiah and love on him. Of course, Josiah thinks that Thomas hangs the moon!

Josh and I both look forward to watching them grow up together and to have a close relationship. Both of our siblings are over a decade apart from us (Josh's brother is 12 yrs older; my brother is 13 yrs younger) so we both grew up as essentially only children because our siblings weren't around as we were growing up. Sometimes it makes me sad not to have a brother or sister close in age, as many of my friends do, because those sibling relationships are so close and unique.

Here are a few pictures of our sweet boys together, who we pray will one day be the best of friends!

Same or Different?

People who know our family in person think that Josiah looks so much like Thomas as a baby. I decided I would let my blog audience give me your opinion. Below is a picture of Thomas the day he turned 7 months and a picture of Josiah on his 7 month birthday last week. What do you think?
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6 Months of Sweetness

My title is exactly how I would describe the last 6 months with Josiah. He really is such a sweet and happy baby. I love going to get him in the mornings, because as soon I walk in the room his whole face lights up! The only time he fusses is if he is hungry or he is overtired (which happens frequently on Sundays).

We took him to the pediatrician yesterday for his 6 month well check and he is doing great! He is in the 80% for height, but only the 33% for weight. Those cheeks sure do fool everyone! Developmentally, he is right on track. He is rolling over constantly and is sitting up well assisted, and can sit up briefly unassisted. Josiah has recently started to giggle and it is the cutest thing in the world!

Josiah has started to eat some food as well. I was very eager with Thomas to start solids, but I waited with Josiah because I learned how much extra work is involved with solids. My goal is to make most of his baby food, and so far I have been able to do it. He has to have prunes everyday, and I am going to attempt to puree prunes this week. If anyone has any tips on the best way to puree prunes, let me know! A book that has been very helpful in making baby food is Super Baby Food.

Six months is also a little bittersweet for me too, because it means soon he won't sit still in my lap or want me to be held as much. These last six months have went by so quickly, and I know it will only be a blink of an eye and we will be celebrating his first birthday. I am mindful of how quickly the time goes and I'm trying to be purposeful in enjoying all these precious moments with my baby.

Here are some recent pictures of our sweet baby:

Josiah with Jim, my step-dad, at our Christmas celebration.

Adorable little face!
Brothers holding hands!

Looking so big in his high chair!

Adorable

If this little face doesn't make your heart melt, then nothing will! How thankful I am for my sweet baby Josiah.

Learning & Growing

I realized that I haven't given any updates on my boys lately. So here goes...

Thomas - His vocabulary has exploded over the past two months. I really wasn't worried that he wasn't talking in complete sentences because everyone I have talked to said, "Wait until he is two and he will surprise you." He definitely has surprised us at the things he is able to say now. I love how he says some words such as "football." It sounds more like "futeball." I'm always amazed at how observant he is when he sees an object and knows the word. For example, Josiah has lots of bibs and outfits with a football somewhere on the outfit and Thomas immediately say, "Mama, Jo has a football!" He gets so excited about it and it is so cute!

We are also in the midst of potty training and it is going surprisingly well. I really think bribery in the key. Here is an example of our conversation:

Thomas: "Mama, I have to pee-pee."

Mama: "Okay, let's go to the potty."

Thomas: "More candy! More candy!"

Yes, he has it figured out that when he goes to the potty candy follows. He also tried to use this the other night at dinner. He didn't eat much dinner, but of course he wanted a cookie. We told him he had to eat more dinner to get a cookie. It was only a moment later he told us he needed to go the bathroom - coincidence? I think not!

---------

Josiah - My sweet baby boy is now 5 months old! He is so sweet and smiley and just a joy to be around. He is regularly rolling over and reaching and grabbing things. Josiah loves his big brother and if Thomas is in the room, he is watching him.

We just went to a four hour schedule because he is such a great napper and sleeper. Most of his naps are between two and two and a half hours. He is sleeping around 12 hrs at night and this mama is so happy to be in bed by 10pm every night!

For now, he is still fully swaddled for naps. I honestly thought he would not need or want to be swaddled by 5 months, but he really likes it. At night, I put him in a sleep sack and because he sleeps sounder at night he doesn't have to be swaddled.

Here he is a couple of weeks ago napping:

Yes, he is as sweet as he looks. I'm so blessed!

Professional Pictures

We had Thomas and Josiah's pictures made last month. Josh and I both love pictures and we enjoy taking the kids for professional pictures every so often. Actually, I have a "schedule" of when I want their pictures taken:

3 months
6 months
12 months
18 months
2 years (and every year following)

Since we plan on homeschooling, we will have to take the initiative of having professional pictures every year since they won't have the infamous school pictures (maybe that is a good thing considering how some of mine and Josh's turned out!).

Without further ado, here is Thomas' 2 year photo, Josiah's three month, and a picture of them together. For some reason they turned out a little fuzzy when I scanned them. If anyone knows how to fix that, let me know!

This is the only decent picture we got of them together and this came after much bribery with candy. We don't normally parent with bribery, but when you are in a hurry, you do what you have to do to get a picture!

3 Months!

Josiah turned three months on the 13th and is no longer officially a "newborn." And you know what? I'm not sad about it. To be really honest, the newborn stage is the hardest for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my babies at every age, but when they are newborns everyone is still adjusting to a new baby, and he is adjusting to life outside the womb. At three months, I understand him more and can adequately (most of the time) distinguish between the "I'm just really fussy" cry and "I have a dirty diaper and you need to change me NOW" cry.

Here are some other things I love about this age:

• Awake longer. Newborns are SO sleepy, but now Josiah is happy and content for about an hour. Usually, at the hour mark he begins to fuss and that is my cue to lay him down.
• Smiles and "talks" to us. I LOVE interacting with my children and Josiah is such a happy and "chatty" baby. He loves it when we talk to him and usually gets very excited. Seeing his sweet smiles make my heart melt.
• Great naps! Around 10 weeks, he began to take great naps. I would lay him in his bed and he began going right to sleep with no fussing. He normally takes 4 naps a day for around 2 hrs.
• Sleeps through the night! Around 9 weeks he began sleeping about 7 to 8 hrs, but between 10.5 to 12 weeks he hit his 3 month growth spurt and was sleeping around 6 hrs (I'm certainly not complaining about 6 hrs!). Thomas ate more during the day and continued to sleep all night, while Josiah ate the same during the day, but couldn't last as long at night. Right at 12 weeks, he began sleeping 8 hrs again and now is consistently sleeping from 10:30pm to around 7:30am. I'm beginning to move that 10:30pm feeding back and eventually would like his last feeding to be around 8pm. It will happen sometime in the next couple of months; I'm not in a big hurry.

I honestly think that Josiah does so well because we are on a routine. Our basic schedule is eat-awake-sleep or the acronym EASY. It has worked great with both of my boys and I really think it helps to regulate their metabolism. I do what the ole' wives tale says not to do: Wake a sleeping baby. Why? Because I want him to eat during the day and sleep at night! The only time I woke him during the night was when he was tiny and I wanted to make sure he was getting enough.

Well, it is time to go wake my sleeping baby. I'll post some new pictures soon of our sweet three month old boy!

Brotherly Love

The picture above is the highest example of brotherly love at our house. Yes, I know the picture is only of Josiah holding a stuffed animal, but that isn't just any ole' stuffed animal. That stuffed animal is Thomas' beloved puppy, or better known around here at "Vu-vu." If any of you have ever met Thomas, more than likely you have met vu-vu. It is a rare occasion that Thomas isn't holding him or at least has him within sight. Not only was Josiah holding puppy, but Thomas wasn't even in the room! Yes, Thomas even placed him in that position after seeing Josh do it earlier.

I think Thomas is going to be a great big brother :-) Although, I do wonder what his response will be when puppy isn't freely given, but taken by his younger brother...we shall see!

2 Months & Growing!

Josiah is now two months old and growing like a little weed. When Josh came home from his mission trip he was surprised at how big Josiah is now. I remember how quickly the time passed with Thomas, and I am trying to enjoy and capture these precious moments.

Yesterday, he had his 2 month well check and he is now 13lbs 2oz and 23 1/4". The pediatrician said he looked great and he was very happy for most of the visit. We both cried when he had his shots. I know the vaccinations are good for him (yes, some of you may disagree with me), but to watch him cry in pain makes me cry too. He slept more yesterday and today because of the shots, but seems to feel okay. Thomas never had an adverse reaction to vaccines, and I'm hoping the same for Josiah.

What I have noticed most about Josiah's personality is how active he is. Even now at two months, I have to keep him completely swaddled to sleep. Last week, I tried letting him nap without the swaddle and it was an awful nap; he only slept 15 minutes. He still doesn't have great control over his arms and legs. However, even though he is completely swaddled he will move from the top of his bed in a vertical position to the bottom of his bed in a horizontal position by the end of the night (about 6.5 hours). I usually find him stuck in the corner of his bed and he is upset because he can't wiggle anymore! He was very active in the womb and that hasn't changed one bit. I think I better enjoy this time while he is immobile, because he is going to keep me busy once he starts crawling!

Here are some recent pictures of our baby boy:

This picture needs some explanation: My great-grandmother, who died 3 weeks after Thomas was born, made this bonnet and sweater for Thomas and any baby boys I had (I already have one for a girl...hopefully!). It is now tradition that our babies have a picture taken wearing the outfit. Thomas was only a couple of days old when we took his picture, but Josiah took a little longer. He wasn't too happy about it, and this was the best picture I had!

Josiah's Birth Story

On Saturday morning, June 13, I woke up about 1:30am with some mild contractions. Since I had false contractions three times before, I didn't think this was "it." I actually had Braxton Hicks contractions exactly a week before at the same time. By 4:30am I was no longer comfortable lying in bed, so I got up and decided to surf the Internet until they stopped (I still didn't believe this was real labor). I tried going back to bed around 5:30am, but I couldn't get comfortable and told Josh at 6:00am that I was going to walk our driveway to see if it would get better or worse. After 20 minutes of walking I knew that I was in real labor. Josh & I both took showers and then called our parents. My in-laws came around 7:45am to get Thomas and Josh and I left for the hospital!

We arrived at the hospital at 8:45am and after the nurse checked me she said I was 4cm dilated and they were going to admit me. Josh was thrilled that Josiah finally was coming and while I was excited, I was in a little bit of pain!

I had decided that I was not going to have an epidural unless the pain was unbearable or I needed it for some reason. Even though the contractions were intense at times, I breathed through them fine and held Josh's hand or he rubbed my back. The doctor and the nurse were surprised at how calm I was with no medication, but I have a high tolerance for pain and the pain wasn't constant - thank goodness! I asked the nurse to check me around 12pm and she said I had dilated 6cm and thought my water would break soon. However, when she checked me again at 3pm, I was still at 6cm and my water had not broken. The nurse told me my doctor would not break my water as long as I wanted a "natural" birth because the pain would intensify greatly. At this point, I wanted my baby and felt like my labor had stalled, so I told her I wanted the epidural and for the doctor to break my water.

The anesthesiologist arrived around 3:15pm and gave me the epidural. I was having really strong contractions in the midst of receiving the epidural and when the doctor came to break my water about 15 minutes later, I was at 8cm. He was sure that Josiah would be born in the next couple of hours.

About 45 mins after getting the epidural, my ears started ringing and I was feeling really nauseous. Josh said he was going to call the nurse, but I told him not to bother her that it would go away soon. Thankfully, he didn't listen to me and immediately called the nurse. Sometimes the epidural can cause your blood pressure to drop too low, but it usually happens within minutes of receiving the epidural (and I didn't experience this with Thomas). When the nurse checked my blood pressure it was 64/40 - no wonder I didn't feel well! They put something into my IV and changed some things and I was okay. After I was feeling normal again, they told me that I was pasty white when they first came in the room and knew something was wrong!

The doctor came in again around 5pm and I was still at 8cm. He told the nurse to give me some pitocin to help the contractions along because they weren't as regular as he wanted. The doctor came back at 5:30pm and I was at 9cm, so he thought it would be real soon. One thing that concerned the doctor and the nurse was every time I had a strong contraction, Josiah's heart rate was going too low. I had to wear an oxygen mask to keep his heart rate up.

Finally, the doctor came back around 6:30pm and I was still at 9cm. He told me it was time to have a baby and even though I wasn't at 10cm yet, he wanted me to push one time and see what happened. When I pushed, the doctor saw the top of Josiah's head and said, "Okay, let's get her ready." My mom and step-mom wanted to be in the room, so I told Josh to get them quick! By the time they got me and the room ready, it was around 6:45pm and after 3 pushes, Josiah was born! I remember the nurses telling me on the last push to open my eyes to see him come out and it was amazing! The first thing I heard was, "He's a big boy!" He was beautiful and I cried tears of joy that our baby boy was finally here! Josiah cried too because he was finally here - I think he didn't want to leave the womb!

Josiah is a joy to us and we are so thankful that God gave us a healthy baby boy. It is hard to believe that he will be 6 weeks on Saturday. I'm trying to cherish each day with him, because I know it will go so quickly. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

A New Normal

We are alive and well! I know that I haven't posted this first month, even though I have thought about it several times. The little free time I have these days is spent cooking, doing laundry, cleaning a little bit, or most importantly, sleeping!

Josiah is doing what all babies do at this age - eating and sleeping. He still isn't awake too long, but we enjoy the time we can talk to him and cuddle him. I am beginning to see the differences between him and Thomas. The biggest difference is that Thomas loved to sleep and Josiah fights sleep. Thankfully, he is sleeping at night about 3.5 hrs at a time, but during the day he doesn't want to sleep even when I lay him in the bed VERY drowsy. I think he senses that I'm not holding him and he protests loudly!

Thomas has adjusted very well to Josiah. He has not acted jealous or even acted as if Josiah is a stranger. I think he knows that Josiah belongs to us and he is happy to have him in our family. When you ask Thomas, "Who is your brother?" his response is, "Ohh." It is so cute! We think he gets the "Ohh" from hearing people say, "Oh isn't he so cute," or something like that. Everything of Josiah's is labeled "Ohh's." For instance, he calls Josiah's carseat, "Bye bye Oh."

Josh and I are adjusting to being parents of two. We had forgotten how exhausting newborns are and even more so with a toddler in tow. Thankfully, we have begun to find a "new normal" and are beginning to get a little more rest. We are so grateful for the help we have received from family, friends, and our church family. The meals we have received as well as the laundry cleaned and dishes washed have been such a blessing to us. The Lord has been so good to us in giving us such sweet family and friends.

Without further ado, here are some pictures of our family from the past month.

First morning home from the hospital.

Thomas wanted to be swaddled too, so we put them in Josiah's bed together - aren't they adorable?!

Josiah at 3 weeks. He is a very alert baby.

Sweet picture of Daddy and Josiah

Family picture on July 4th - Thomas looks unhappy and I look tired!

Thomas "holding" Josiah