Josh

Poor Josh seems to have fallen into second place in the blog race lately.  So here's a post all about our firstborn's recent antics.  (The photos above are from when he was a year old.  We've had fun looking at his old pictures to see similarities and differences with Ben.)

Terrible Two's.  If you've had kids, you know what we're going through right now.  I've been told it goes into the terrifying three's and then the fearsome four's.  That really doesn't make me feel better.  Josh has been working with a speech therapist for over a year now and while we see progress, it's very slow and Josh is still below "normal."  We got very excited this weekend because Josh said 'milk' for the first time and Sunday morning he said "cookies, juice, cheese, okay?" when we were getting breakfast ready.  (I love his idea of a well-balanced breakfast.)  My excitement was tempered by the fact that this is something most kids his age have been doing for a long time.  I know I shouldn't judge him according to what other kids his age can do, but a year ago his old therapist and his pediatrician both told me that they were sure that Josh would be caught up to other kids by the time he was two.  That didn't happen.  Now of course the worrywart mother part of me is thinking about what if he's not up to par by the time he's five and going to school?

There is one thing though that Josh excels in: the alphabet.  For whatever reason, Josh LOVES letters and knows the entire alphabet.  The word "thankful" was on the TV and he spelled out the entire thing.  He can spell mom, baby, Roxie (grandparent's dog) and daddy and he knows exactly what he is spelling.  He'll say all the letters on your shirt, or signs that he sees.  I know it seems shallow, but I am so happy I finally have something that I can brag about.  This is the first thing Josh can do that every other kid hasn't done for months.

Josh also continues to be a very affectionate kid.  He warms up to people very fast, which is handy in church when other people help to entertain him.  Josh has a wonderful smile and laughs at pretty much anything.  There's no sass in him either, which I am starting to appreciate now.  He might not be able to say "I love you" yet, but the way his little face lights up and he shrieks "Mom!" when he sees me tells me that he loves me louder than words could ever express.  I love you too, little buddy.