Josh is starting to make me 'wonder' ;) His two favorite things to do are streak and sing. I don't know what it is about kids and nudity but it is true. Get Josh's clothes off and he loves to run from one end of the house to the other forever - singing all the while! If he isn't streaking, he is singing either to himself or for everyone and anyone.

Every morning, Josh wakes up and sings for about twenty minutes or so in his crib before he starts to get 'anxious'. Mom and I get to have front row seats every morning listening to Josh make up sweet melodies. Mom and I just sit there smiling, laughing, and listening to Josh work out tunes in his head while we listen on the monitor.

Actually back dating several entries here. Might have missed a few things, but basically I've jotted down a 'to do' list of things to comment on.

So today's item is commenting on how fun it is to make Josh say 'hi' to people and seeing it brighten up their day. We were walking around the mall today and I was making him say hi and bye to people for the fun of it (they didn't know I was egging him on, he'd just say hi as they approached in their mind). He'd say it so damn cute and with so much sincerity and excitement, they can't help but smile and say hi back to him. No matter how grumpy they might have been that day. It will probably be a common theme throughout this journal, but watching Josh do things like this just makes me realize how much I love him. It makes you wonder if your parents loved you as much as you love your child...and if they did, you feel all the more guilty for making them have such a tough time ;) Josh is so fun and pleasing to be around. Everyone loves him and everyone says it :)

Well it has been a bit since my last entry but we have been pretty hectic...hectic with all the 'usuals'. Nothing new, just the day to day events of raising Josh - which are more than entertaining and rewarding. I thought it might be kind of funny to write down all his vocabulary that we can think of...Josh is currently 20 months old and here is what Mom and I could remember off the top of our head that he says.

One side note, his vocab seems to have two gears...either full blown excitement, or a question like tone. It's funny how some words are always 'questions' and others are always 'exclamations'.

• Word: ABC's
• Pronunciation: Dee dee dee dee, dee dee dee
• Description: Josh is becoming quite the little singer lately, almost every morning he starts singing this song to himself in the crib.
• Word: Baa
• Pronunciation: Baa
• Description: When he sees a sheep (or something that resembles a sheep, he excitedly exclaim Baa!)
• Word: Ball
• Pronunciation: Ball
• Description: This was probably his first word, and he still yells it with enthusiasm.
• Word: Beep
• Pronunciation: Beep Beep
• Description: Whenever the car alarm beeps or horn honks, Josh immediately follows it with 'Beep Beep'
• Word: Bob
• Pronunciation: Ba
• Description: Bob Tougas works around our house often, and Josh has become his number one helper, he are always excited to show people our new bathroom when I tell him to show them what Bob has been working on. Josh even recognizes his white truck, when we drive around and are behind a truck, he says in his questioning tone...'Ba?'
• Word: Bottle
• Pronunciation: Body
• Word: Bunny
• Pronunciation: Bunny
• Description: There is a little bunny in storage box in guest bed room, that whenever Josh hears the word bunny, he goes running (high stepping of course) back there to give the bunny a hug.
• Word: Bubbles
• Pronunciation: Bubbo's
• Description: Josh love bubbles, lately he's learned to scoop them up in his hand from the tub and clap so they 'explode' all over. He thinks he is pretty funny when he does that. Josh thinks it is even funnier when he farts in the tub and bubbles come up to the surface.
• Word: Bye
• Pronunciation: Bye, Bya
• Description: When Josh is tired or apathetic, he uses bya, but usually he gives the 'order' BYE! Which is more telling someone to 'leave' than it is giving them a friendly goodbye :) He especially likes to tell Sissy bye after she is finishing baby sitting as he frantically waves both hands up and down.
• Word: Choo Choo
• Pronunciation: Doo doo, ju ju
• Description: Josh loves the train table and set Tom handed down to him and with him saying this word very clearly, we know exactly what he wants to play with.
• Word: Daddy
• Pronunciation: Daddy
• Description: It took Josh much longer to learn to say (or at least use) this word than it did Mama, but it always gives me a good feeling when I hear him calling for me...happy or sad it is just nice to know that he needs me :)
• Word: Doggy
• Pronunciation: Very close to Daddy
• Description: But easy to tell the difference because immediately after yelling this, Josh gives us the 'oof oof' sound to make sure we know he isn't yelling for me.
• Word: Done
• Pronunciation: Nun
• Description: Every time the microwave beeps, Josh exclaims Nun! Just in case we didn't here the beep I guess, on top of that he goes running for the microwave like there is a fire in the house or something. Frantically high stepping towards the kitchen veering left and right, waving his hands for balance as he narrowly misses wall corners by inches.
• Word: Door
• Pronunciation: Doorrrr!
• Description: I'm sure he is the same as all other kids, but Josh loves doors and can't get enough of them. Again, it is nice to be able to communicate with him when we know he justs want to play with opening and closing doors.
• Word: Elmo
• Pronunciation: Melmo
• Description: Josh only watches him in the car, but he has grown to love Elmo almost as much as he loves Mom and I ;)
• Word: Hi
• Pronunciation: Hi, Hiya
• Description: Like Bye, he give the Hiya, when he is tired or disinterested, otherwise almost everytime Josh enters a room, or everytime Mom or I enter your room, Josh yells Hiiiii! Like it is the greatest thing in the world to see us...and to us it is!
• Word: Hello
• Pronunciation: ello?
• Description: Josh uses this, appropriately, when playing with the phone...obviously he hears Mom and I answer that way. But when we want him to talk to someone on the phone, it is about a 5 second conversation..."ello?...[2 second pause]...Byeee!" and he hangs up...we have to intercept the hang up since we still want to talk. But everyone says it is still fun to 'talk' to him for a bit.
• Word: Hot
• Pronunciation: ot?
• Description: Josh has an obsession with this word. Mom says I tell it to him too often, but I only say it when Josh grabs things that are (or can be) hot - iron, hair dryer, skillet, light bulbs (Josh reaches them in bunk bed built ins), and food. It's gotten so bad that when he sees a light, it looks like he is praying for heat...he puts his hands in the air palms up..'ot?'
• Word: Juice
• Pronunciation: Ju, Juice, Duece
• Word: Mail
• Pronunciation: Mayo
• Description: With Mom's obsession with mail it was obvious Josh would pick up on this word fast. But he and I have fun playing in his little 'house' thing where I put the mail in, raise the red flag and he exclaims 'Mayo!' then shoves all the letters out and dies laughing...he thinks it is quite fun.
• Word: Mama
• Pronunciation: Mama
• Description: His one and only :)
• Word: Mary
• Pronunciation: May-yeah
• Description: Aunt Mary
• Word: Meow
• Pronunciation: Me-o
• Description: Josh says this when he sees a cat or when we ask him what a cat says. Josh is a little more 'streamlined' now, but when he first learned this word, when he said it, Josh squinted his eyes, and said a 'dragged out' meeeee-oooo in a high pitched voice. It sounded more like a dying cat (and his expression helped) than a normal cat. It was my favorite animal sound he made, it always made everyone laugh.
• Word: Mole
• Pronunciation: Mole!
• Description: Josh would do a great Austin Powers scene with 'the mole'...he loved pointing to Mom's moles and yelling out 'Mole!'
• Word: Mooo
• Pronunciation: Mooo
• Description: Cow sound.
• Word: Moon
• Pronunciation: Moon
• Description: Josh learned this word pretty early, and I think he forgot it for a while, because he'd never say it but it seems to be coming back.
• Word: Mower
• Pronunciation: Moner, Money
• Description: Josh loves the mower, he would always ride on my back in a backpack when mowing and any time we were in garage, he'd immediately run over to the mower and play with it and try to pull the cord.
• Word: Neigh
• Pronunciation: Kneee!
• Description: Kind of like meow, he would squint his eyes and give a funny look/sound when he made this horse sound.
• Word: Nose
• Pronunciation: Nose, No
• Word: No
• Pronunciation: Nooooooo!
• Description: Funny thing is, Josh doesn't really even know what this word means. He learned it from Elizabeth and he just yells it out to himself periodically. It is funny in the morning when he has the 'yes/no conversation'...'Nooooooo!....yeahhh!....Nooooooo!...yeahhhh!' Sometimes I wonder about him ;)
• Word: Paul
• Pronunciation: Pa
• Description: Paul Hennen is probably the first Uncle/Aunt name he really 'learned'. He knew Mary better but he could say Paul first.
• Word: Pee Pee
• Pronunciation: Pee Pee
• Description: Josh would excitedly say this when pointing to his own pee pee, but when he'd point to mine, he'd tilt his head down, looking up with serious eyes and say in a stern tone, pee pee. Not sure where he got it but it is funny.
• Word: Phone
• Pronunciation: Noooone
• Description: His number one toy far and away. It is funny to watch him with a phone...either sprinting like a mad man when the phone rings to go answer it, to him trying to balance a phone between his cheek and shoulder (holding both arms out straight ahead like a mummy trying to help him balance it), to his 5 second conversations, this is by far his and our favorite thing he plays with.
• Word: Pody
• Pronunciation: Pody
• Description: When talking about the toilet. He gets the concept of a toilet and that you only flush when we are done but I don't think he is even close to toilet training. His latest, I'm not sure where he got this, but if he comes in bathroom when I'm going to bathroom and sit down on toilet to take a poop, Josh gives me this 'pained' look, squinting his eyes, and a concentrated grunt...Mom must have some battles on the toilet, lol ;)
• Word: Pop
• Pronunciation: Pop
• Description: As much Dt. Dew as I drink its not surprising that he knew this word early. "What does Dad need?" "POP!!!"
• Word: Roar
• Pronunciation: Raaaar
• Description: Whenever Josh hears the word Bear or Lion he gives us a big roar that is always sure to bring a smile to our face.
• Word: Roof Roof
• Pronunciation: Oof oof
• Description: Josh's excited 'follow up' whenever he says Doggy (after seeing one). It's the only thing that helps distinguish Doggy and Daddy because his pronunciation of those two words are pretty similar.
• Word: Shoot
• Pronunciation: Doot
• Description: Usually follows 'Uh Oh'...I think he got this from Sissy.
• Word: Thank You
• Pronunciation: De Doh
• Description: Probably the second word he learned. Although Josh has it reversed, he always says Thank You when he should be letting someone else say it and respond with Your Welcome, and Josh usually doesn't say it when he is 'supposed' to, when someone gives him something (although he is getting better at it). But who can complain when 70% of the time Josh is walking around handing people things (b/c he is such a kind, giving boy) and saying Thank You.
• Word: Tweet Tweet
• Pronunciation: Teet teet
• Description: When Josh sees geese fly over, he says that.
• Word: Uh-oh
• Pronunciation: Uh-oh, a-oh
• Description: When Josh really causes an Uh-oh and are serious, you give the almost one syllabol a-oh, but other than that, he'd walk around saying Uh-oh about 100 times a day. 50 of them are pretty funny in combination with what he's done, the look on his face, and his tone. The other 50 are just his drama coming out ;)
• Word: Water
• Pronunciation: wadee
• Description: Still one of his favorite 'toys', as of right now, he likes to wash his own dishes, in fact Josh is quite adimate about it, so we have to get him up there to the sink where he constantly tells us to turn the water on and off...unfortunately he is just a bit short, otherwise he could do this himself.
• Word: Whoa
• Pronunciation: Whoa
• Description: He says this with something 'big' happens :)
• Word: Window
• Pronunciation: Me-no
• Word: Wow
• Pronunciation: Wowwww!
• Description: Josh exclaims this when we take his diaper off...I think I was a bit shell shocked a few too many times with his poops and this word stuck with him. Although even if he is crabby in the morning, if I say this when I take his diaper off (poop or pee) he usually laughes and repeats after me.
• Word: Yes
• Pronunciation: Yaaaaaa!
• Description: Josh is sounding more and more German when he says this word. After first it was just a 'terse' Ya! Now he drags it out longer and longer and gets a more distinct Ah sound at the end. It is pretty funny.

Well, that is all I could think of off the top of my head. Josh obviously comprehends many more words than this but these are just the ones that he was 'saying' right now. Hope he enjoys this list when he gets older!

(Picture isn't right time frame but it's appropriate) Nothing special going on the last day or two. Yesterday Josh and I ran some errands while Mom had a doctors appointment and he was good. Josh was obsessed with the ceiling fans at Floors and More when I was returning my excess tile from the bathroom project. Not sure when he became so interested in those.

I have some of this on camcorder but I missed the funniest session, so I'll describe it. I hooked up an old, old computer for Josh to play with. We were screwing around with it and he would try to open it and then shoot me a look and say 'Uh Oh!', then mess with it some more and say 'Uh Oh!' again. Like I said I got some of that on camera, but there was a sixty second time period where you were going nuts and I wish I could have recorded it and called your movie 'Joshua's Reenactment of HP Technical Support'.

It started out with Josh trying to open it, 'Uh Oh!', then he looked at one side 'Uh Oh!', then he looked at the other side 'Uh Oh!' Josh got up from the table walked around to the back and checked the plug in connection to the laptop, 'Uh Oh!' Then I helped him open the case a bit (the latch is a bit tricky for Josh to figure out right now) then he opened the screen and 'positioned' it. The screen didn't come on of course, 'Uh Oh!' (usually takes 30 seconds or so for it to activate but for some reason it wasn't coming on at all this time - only adding to your 'concern') Then Josh gave the keyboard a couple quick 'smacks', 'Uh Oh!' By this time I was getting a severe case of the giggles but trying to let him continue feigning my concern along with his.

Josh started doing his 'loud clap' to try and 'wake' the computer up, 'Uh Oh!' (he learned this clap at Sissy's with all her gadgets and what not that come alive with noise - i.e. Halloween décor) So he gave his clapping a few more tries to no avail, 'Uh Oh!' Then by chance, my phone got an email and vibrated...'Noooooooonnnnne!' (Phone starting with N instead of Ph) So I handed him the phone and he immediately put it to his ear, 'Ello?'

At about this time is when I realized I wish I was recording this whole thing. Then Josh started trying to hold my little cell phone between his cheek and shoulder so his hands would be free to 'do work', no doubt seeing Mom or I do this with a regular phone, but with my little cell it is impossible. It would fall, 'Uh Oh!', Josh would pick it up and try holding it again and it would of course fall, 'Uh Oh!' He did this 2 or 3 more times then just put the phone to his mouth, 'BYE!' and handed it back to me 'disgusted'.

The laptop's screen finally came on and Josh got excited, 'typed' on the keyboard a bit, then proceeded to close the laptop lid and start all over, lol. I guess he likes the sense of urgency/concern :) Of course, when I tried to record that in a 'scripted' manner he was having none of it.

For some reason Josh has become obsessed with the camcorder and every time I try to turn it on to record him, he climbs up next to me on the couch and has to watch himself in the little LCD. And the last clip I had at this time was with him saying goodbye and waving to the camera, 'Bya.' So every time the clip ended you would say good bye to the clip.

Josh is so much fun and so damn cute right now. I only hope Mom and I continue to do what is 'right' to keep him a considerate, respectful kid. That is what I get nervous about all the time...how Josh will turn out when he gets a bit older. I hope to have a great relationship with him and I hope he loves Mom and I only a fraction of how much we love him and it will all be good. Plus your little sister is only 3 months away, so Josh and I will be spending a bit more time together I think.

Well Josh had a rough couple of days - or at least some rough experiences. Saturday night he spent the night with Val and Sissy while Mom and I went to the Harvest Dinner (Mom's friends putting together a dinner every year). Josh was very sad to be driven away by Val and Sissy but they said he recovered pretty quickly. I guess he was good all the way up to his bath time. Then Jake and Carl ran out to get milk for him and I guess Josh lost it. Not sure why he was so sad when Jake and Carl left but he wouldn't take his bath any more or anything.

Then that night, Josh woke up and Mom was sleeping in the same room as him (Val's house...I was down on the couch so Mom and I could have more room) and he saw her and she let him come to bed with her. I guess they tossed and turned all night long. Both of them were tired the next day. So Sunday we arrived home around 11 AM and played, napped and ate for the rest of the day. Nothing too eventful until bed time. Not sure why Josh was so dramatic but he starting screaming and balling when we put him to bed. I went in there to comfort him and held him for 45 minutes - which was kind of fun ;) Really, it was fun, I love holding him at night. Anyway, Josh was sound asleep but when I put him back in his crib he woke up screaming again. Weird! We decided to just leave him there and 15 minutes later he had tuckered out and fell asleep again.

Finally, the only other eventful thing was this morning, Josh took another 'tumble'. He was ere playing on the step stool/ladder by the light switches and speaker controls. I was making his breakfast, I looked over just in time to see it in slow motion. He started to fall, and was frantically trying to grab on to something as his body weight fell backwards. Unfortunately he didn't get a hold of anything but luckily he missed the wall behind him (the end of the hallway) and fell directly on his back on the carpet floor. When he landed he banged his head back, and of course the screaming/crying followed, but he recovered pretty quickly.

All that was forgotten when Josh brought in an art project to me at work today that he and Mom worked on. I guess he was in charge of putting glue on everything (and Mom said everything!) It was just a little fish/ocean scene where Josh glued the little spongy pieces on. I have it hanging on my wall proudly :) Heading home from work in a bit and can't wait to see Josh and Mom!