This little bud of ours just keeps figuring out life. He regularly surprises us with his understanding of new concepts or use of new phrases, more complex sentences, and different words. He's thoroughly a people person and loves having aunts, uncles, and grandparents around. I realized last night that we've had about three straight months of extended family staying with us--first Justin (with Anna on weekends) and then my family over Christmas. I think Josiah would like it to be this way all the time! Even a car ride with just Mama, Daddy, and the sisters evokes laments from him: "Where Grandma? Where Pa? I lose Pa and Grandma!" (repeated about every five minutes and accompanied by lots of moaning/crying).
Aunt Bobo and Josiah
Josiah loves all outdoor activities.
Yesterday he wailed when I called him inside for naptime, because he wanted to
wear his mask and help haul dead oleanders to the curb with everyone else. He
wants to "help Daddy do work" any chance he gets. He loves pretend
games outside, too. Often he's a farmer hoeing his crops with a stick, or he's
a "worker guy" fixing various implements around the house. I have to
keep an eye on the water heater guage, since he likes to turn it up to the
hottest setting when he walks by. Today he told me his toy lawn mower wasn't
working. "Need new battery, Mama," he said. I didn't know he knew
about batteries (though this lawn mower is run on elbow grease)!
On a trip to Sprouts before Christmas with the aunts and Grandma, Josiah begged for a "taste" from the bulk bins. Apparently someone gave him a corn nut, which Aunt Bobo mistakenly called a "corn nugget." Somehow this morphed into Aunt Bobo calling Josiah a corn nugget. He said, "I'm not a torn nugget. I'm a BOY!" After that the aunts regularly asked him if he was a corn nugget, just to hear his response. He definitely knows he's a BOY!
Grandma and grandson
Early in December Josiah and the girls went to the doctor, the girls for their nine-month check-up, and Josiah for a vaccine visit. Unfortunately Josiah knows enough to be scared of going to the doctor's, and he knew to expect shots. After the traumatic visit, we were home eating lunch. Josiah put a grape near the spot on his thigh where he got his shot and said, "This helps, Mama! This helps!" Since then he's often applied various and sundry remedies to real and imaginary owies, claiming, "This helps!"
Aunt Rach and Josiah
He loves climbing trees!
Josiah's first cousin arrived
December 24th, and we got to skype with Aunt Em, Grandpa, and baby Elias on Christmas eve evening to see the little guy. Josiah thought his name was
"Goliath" initially--and at 8 lb. 6 oz, he was a goliath compared to
my newborns! Josiah evidently understands some of this momentous event, even
though we haven't actually met Elias yet. These days he usually calls him
"my cousin" and asks about him regularly. We can't wait to meet him!
One morning in early December, Abby wanted to be involved in everything Josiah did (a common occurrence), and of course, he didn't want her near. "No, Abby! No!" he'd say and try to push her away. I did the usual mediation thing, and then I told him, "Abby just wants to be with you, Bud. She loves you!" He turned to Abby with a sweeter expression, held out his arms to her, and said, "My wife!" When I told him she wasn't his wife, he reiterated the sentiment but changed the words to "my friend!"
A few weeks ago, I took Josiah and
the girls for a wagon ride around the block. Along the way, Josiah and I were
discussing boys and girls, sisters and brothers. He was figuring out the
concept and mostly had it down. I asked if Lydia and Abby were girls or boys,
and he answered correctly. He also knew they were his sisters. Then he said to
me, "Siah want one brother, Mama!" Since then we've occasionally
heard of this wish for a brother. Yesterday he read Hop on Pop with
Daddy, and he labeled various characters on the pages by name. The four little
guys on the "all small" page he called Josiah, Lydia, Abby, and Brother.
(No, I don't have any announcement to make! I hope for a brother for Josiah sometime,
but I'm not pregnant.)
These days Josiah spontaneously gives hugs and says "I loves you" to us. He's a sweetheart with lots of genuine affection, even if he's also a stinker who can drive me to distraction. I'm so glad he's my boy.
