Happy 8 Months Josiah… Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Josiah Steven turns 8-months-old today. Eight months.  Eight months with him in our lives. I already don’t easily recall what life was like without him, and I know that he truly completes our family.  He has brought so much added happiness to our lives, the bond between him and Addisyn is insanely adorable, and he’s such a precious soul. These little ones keep us busy and that’s exactly what we love.  I well remember those feelings of anxiety when waiting on Josiah to make his arrival. I would look at Addisyn and ponder, would she love him? Would she feel like she was being replaced? How could I love someone else as much as I loved her? Months away from being two-years-old at his birth, I knew that she would never recall life without him, but I could never have imagined the sheer love she would have for him.

I watch Addisyn and Josiah together and I am amazed. Truly amazed at their infatuation and love for each other.  He looks for her whenever she is out of the room and he explodes with excitement whenever she is near.  She is never short of affection for him, and has the most gentle nature when interacting with him.  It’s pure magic watching them together, and magical  now knowing just how I can love two little people in such a big, amazing, awestruck way.  I know the days will come when they feel less than each other’s best friend, but I hope they always love each other the way they do right now.  That special bond between siblings is irreplaceable and unbreakable, I’ve personally learned that even death cannot take away that bond. It brings such joy to my heart to see my children love each other so deeply.

At 8 months Josiah is into everything. He isn’t crawling just yet, but he can get to any and everything that he desires by scooting.  He officially has two bottom teeth, laughs and giggles constantly, and loves to “talk” to people now.  He is undeniably communicating through all of his babbling, shrieking, and spitting. Just this past week he has found a love for puffs, and enjoyed several new whole foods including cantaloupe, cornbread, and pancakes in addition to his usual diet of pureed fruits and vegetables and Mommy’s milk. He’s recently decided he enjoys to roll-over constantly for fun and found a love for rolling balls across the floor. His eyes appear to be turning more brown each day, while his hair appears to be lightening from a dark to a light brown, and growing fast! While he has a slight Mommy attachment currently, if Daddy is in the room his eyes go straight to Daddy just waiting for him to pick him up or play with him.  No one can make him smile like Daddy. He laughs and smiles constantly, and thinks singing and funny faces are the absolute best. He has a very different temperament than Addisyn, he is very much impatient when he wants certain things he has no problem making his wants known.  He is a happy, healthy, handsome little guy…and we can’t get enough of him! Happy 8 months, Josiah!

We’ve said goodbye to summer and began reveling in the cooler evening temperatures and less humid days.  We’ve spent lots of time outside recently, taking Josiah on his very first wagon ride with big sis and also installing his very own swing on the playset, he’s official now. Addy has enjoyed evenings crunching the early leaves that have fallen off the trees, riding her tricycle outside, and swinging in the hammock. She has started a new independent ballet class at which she loved her first day, and makes a totally adorable ballerina. She’s reached total big girl status as she got her first pedicure with Mommy this past weekend. The best part about fall arriving has been bug-free outdoor playdates and evening walks, the return of football, and the ability for Mommy to reintroduce the family to pumpkin everything!

Up next on our fall family bucket list is a few day trips, an upcoming vacation, lots of park and zoo trips, football fun with friends, crisp mornings outdoors and late evenings around the fire pit, trips to local farms and Harvest festivals and mainly just sitting back watching these babies grow. How blessed we are.