living with royalty

Josiah "sings" now. That really means that he hums sweetly in a very high pitch when a female vocalist is on. He gets a very peculiar look on his face, as if he is straining to match her pitch. He knows how to turn on the cd/dvd player, and most days he turns it on so music will play. Luckily we put some good praise music in there that hasn't gotten old yet.

Yesterday we did earth-breaking stuff. We took Josiah's bike outside for the first time. You would think he was in heaven. The child was so excited that he stood on the pegs and bounced up and down, yelling his praise for his favorite things (family, outside, and the bike) colliding in one adventure. Now that we brought it back inside he climbs on and yells in expectation, wondering why we can't just ride the bike outside all the time. He LOVES the outside...and he loves to run away when he gets out there. Yesterday he started running down the driveway, completely acknowledging my commands of "Stop. Josiah, STOP!" He was chirping, "top! top!" (which he fully comprehends), and then gleefully fleeing. When I caught up with him he thought it was hilarious. I, on the other hand, thought how tired he has made me as of late. The child is too tall, too powerful, and too fast. Well, that is, for my own comfort. He is big enough to reach things and discover things but not old enough to understand why he shouldn't.

He is old enough to understand most of our basic commands, such as "go choose a book," "give me a hug/kiss/high five," etc.

I just had to take an intermission from typing, as Josiah busted on the floor carrying a toy and when I picked him up blood was quickly filling his mouth and his hands that were trying to console the hurting part. Some towel dabs and a distraction later, it seems that what was bleeding was his bottom lip. He still has all 8 teeth, which is a good thing. His lip looks like it has a nice little blood bruise, though. Somehow he survives his dangerous feats and manages this walking. He is content with the consolation prize of a clementine to eat.

That brings me to another fairly new development. I can put a cup of snacks on the floor and he will leave the cup in place, come, take one, and then in a very civilized fashion, return to playing. It is almost too good to be true. I am so used to the plates and bowls being turned upside down. There is a neat little bowl of half clementine slices still sitting neatly on the living room floor. THIS is one way in which this parenting thing has gotten easier.

Jonathan and I get a good kick out of the way Josiah utilizes his toy box. He would never entertain the idea of putting a toy back into the toy box (afterall, they are meant to be tripping hazards all across the house), but if we are looking for something he loves, we know where to look. The keys, remotes, and other various treasured items all end up hoarded in the toy box. It is rather funny. It reminds me of watching a dog bury treats. Other treasures to date have included a calculator, a pair of goggles, a mini tripod, and an unpeeled clementine. It is incredibly funny--especially when one day Jonathan and I traded baby duty and all of the sudden Josiah presented me with a clementine. I was trying to figure out where he got it. Later we talked and I found out that Jonathan had let him play with one, which he must have stowed away in the toy box until he decided he wanted a snack.

Josiah is now fiercely independent, and he can be quite demanding if you try to restrain him. He wants full authority to walk where he pleases, and he isn't scared of anything. I am glad that he has enough self esteem and security that he feels able to explore new environments without hesitation, but, as previously mentioned, this isn't always feasible. Woe to you when it isn't. The protest can be pretty intense. He throws himself backward, taking for granted that someone will surely break his fall. He also gets down on the floor and raises his head about half an inch before banging it on the floor with great calculation, so he can act like it hurt and not really feel as much as a sting. We ignore it as best as possible. It also makes being at home slightly relieving, since it is the safest place for freedom and such tantrums.

I realized that I haven't posted pictures since Christmas, so I am going to just include some random ones we have taken over the last month. Enjoy!