Slowly learning to walk

This past week Joshua took 2 steps many times - the first time was when Steve was holding his baby Bible book and he just stood up and took 2 steps towards him.

Today, he took 5 steps in the kitchen and we can tell he's about to start walking soon!  Hopefully, we won't have to worry about more knee holes in his pants!

Dave and Siji came to see us this past Memorial Day weekend  and we had fun mostly hanging out and relaxing.  There was some outlet shopping and golfing accomplished - (you can guess who did what :)  We also went to Sam's Boat for dinner on Sat. where we sat on the patio.  The breeze was perfect and Joshua seemed to enjoy eating gumbo and fries.

Joshua didn't do so well on his 2nd visit to the church nursery on Sun.  When we came to pick him up, someone was holding him and he had his pacifier in his mouth.  Apparently, he hung out by the door crying and waiting for us to come back.  He doesn't realize that he'll have to do this every Sunday!

14 months and growing!

Joshua turned 14 months old last week and he had a big milestone on that day:  he took his first step.  We were outside by the playscape encouraging him to come to us and he took that step.  We were very excited and of course he thought it was funny that we were making such a big deal of it.  Since then, he's repeated it a couple of times but now when I'm encouraging him to walk, he just laughs at me, drops to his knees, and starts crawling.  My coworkers keep telling me to leave him alone and he'll start walking.   He' so close - he will stand from sitting without holding anything and just stand there for about 5  to 10 seconds.  But as of now, just the one step.

Joshua also went to his first Round Rock Express baseball game on Friday.  It was Family Day at Steve's work and his coworkers hadn't seen Joshua since October.   Joshua loved the playscape, though I had to pull him under the covered pavillion because it rained several times.  Amanda, Steve's coworker, was able to hold and play with Joshua for a while as we ate our burgers and hotdogs.  Joshua also enjoyed a little bit of hotdog.  We later sat on the burn and watched the game until about 8:20 when our little one started rubbing his eyes.

On Saturday, Joshua got his 2nd professional haircut and I have to say he looks so cute.  Of course, he fussed and cried throughout the whole cut.   I felt bad for the stylist though it was the same lady so she is now used to him.
Later that evening, we went to Torchy's Tacos.  Can't believe it took us six years to make it to this place.  Hands down the best tacos I've had in a long time.  I think we'll be going every week till we finally get tired of it.  It was a tight squeeze with Joshua so maybe we'll sit outside or do the drive-thru next time.

On Sunday, we dropped him off at the church nursery - another first.  We haven't sat inside the sanctuary  in a long time so it was nice to try to listen to the service.  I'll admit that I had trouble concentrating because all I could think of was my baby Joshua with a bunch of strangers.  I kept looking at my watch to see how much longer we had in the service.
When we went to pick him up, he was sitting in a chair at the table and apparently sat there most of the time.  (I think because he didn't know how to get down from the chair.)  They said he didn't cry, just sat and played with whatever toys they put in front of him.
Later that day, our friend Kavi and her fiance Subin came to see us from Dallas.  Joshua had a great time playing with them and his new keyboard. 

Florida without Joshua

This post is a week late but we needed a week to recover from Florida :)  We left Joshua with Grandma and Grandpa last weekend to fly to Florida to attend Madhu's wedding.  Initially, I was sad to leave but I knew I had nothing to worry about.

After you've traveled with an infant, you really appreciate traveling without one.  We had gone on so many trips before Joshua was born but this one I felt like we really appreciated.  Every moment was relished from getting through security to attending the reception without having to worry about the next bottle or nap time. 

We got to Florida around 3:00 on Friday and Jason and Shawn took us straight to Beach Place where I got an island mojito (not that great) and then went to Casablanca Cafe where we had a great dinner.  We walked out on the beach afterwards and got some good pics.  We then relaxed at the Jacobs where Vinod, Daison and Anita came later to hang out.  I did not feel well that night from whatever we had to eat but I weathered through.
Though we went to bed around 1:00 - I let everyone know I just wanted 8 hours of sleep since Joshua hasn't been sleeping well lately.

The next morning, after a great night of sleep, we had chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and muffins.  Shawn and I took forever to schedule our hair appt.   We then went to eat these glorified hot dogs at a gas station that the Jacobs and Vinod swore by and yes they really were from a gas station.  But the hot dogs had bacon bits, cheese, potato chips, jalapenos and some kind of chimichurri sauce.  I had to admit they were pretty good.

We then got our hair done and then went to the Marriot hotel where we were checked in for the night.  Steve and Jason had funny stories about dodging the wedding party.  We then got ready for the reception which was in about 2 hours.  We met everyone downstairs in the courtyard where the cocktail hour had begun.  It was just a beautiful area with the beach closeby and the courtyard surrounded by palm trees.  They had great appetizers and we had fun socializing.  We met Hannah, Gavin, and Peyton for the first time and Hannah even let me hold her.
I was able to also meet Gibi, Madhu's wife and they were able to spend some time talking to us at the reception.  Since I wore high heels, by midnight, I was ready to go upstairs to the room.
Shawn joined me 15 minutes later and the guys came up around 2:00.  We all slept in the next day.  We made our calls to our moms on Mothers Day and I could not wait for my baby to give me a kiss later that day. 

We went to breakfast at a place that reminded me of Hula Hut in Austin and the Jacobs left to go pick up Lincoln and Austin.  Steve and I relaxed on the beach under a cabana for an hour and then got ready to check out at 1:00.  We finally saw Austin and took a stop for some gelatto before heading to the airport.
Had a great trip in Florida but I was so ready to see my Joshua.  We got back and he crawled right to me which made me feel so much better.  For Mother's Day I got what Joshua knew I wanted for a long time - Pajama Jeans!!!    Thanks Joshua for the privilege of being your mother!

Fun with grandparents!

Mom and Dad come down this past Monday and spent a couple of days playing with Joshua.  They had a great time interacting with him and he just loved having them at his beck and call.  There's no telling how many times Ammachi pushed him around in his "coche" and how many times he got to go to the outdoor playscape.  I know he was sad when they left.

He is definitely becoming more verbal these days.  One of his favorite words is "uck" for truck.  He loves to watch all kinds of vehicles drive past Grandma and Grandpa's house and is now able to identify "ucks."  He's also beginning to say "ca"  but I'm not sure if he understands the word car. 

He still likes to clap your hands but not his own and he loves to high five your hand if you put it in front of him.  He really is such a sweet boy; he never fusses or cries unless he accidentally hits his head :)  We are so lucky to have such a laid back little boy.  He is able to play around other kids and doesn't whine or take things from them.  I'm sure it will change soon but we are enjoying having such a good boy.  I really am going to miss him so much when we leave for Florida next weekend.  Our first trip without him!  Thank God its only just a weekend.

Easter weekend!

We went to Houston for Easter weekend and had an enjoyable time with our friends and family.  Joshua loved playing with Aunty Siji and Unca Dave.  We arrived Friday night and Joshua had a little trouble falling asleep but not to worry since he ended up in bed with us by midnight :) 

On Saturday Siji and I enjoyed our facials and then Steve, Joshua, and I visited Ashley, Susan, and Shirley in Pearland.  Susan looked great at 5 months pregnant and she still managed to make us fabulous Thai food and a rich custard dessert.  Aunty Shirley finally met Joshua and he just loved exploring around such a big house.  Joshua did his best to help Uncle Ash who was clearly uncomfortable holding a baby.  He'll get plenty of lessons soon!

We then went to Shormi's house and met her daughter Asiya.  Joshua and Asiya tried to play together but Asiya was more interested in pinching and pulling hair so we had to separate them for most of the time.  We did manage to get some cute pics.  It was so nice to visit with a childhood friend that I hadn't seen in years.

On Easter, we started the day giving thanks for the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus so that we may have eternal life.  Joshua tried to sit still as we prayed but he soon squirmed out of our arms.
We went to a beautiful Easter service at Dave and Siji's church and then went to brunch at America's.  Of course, we ate too much and had to really resist taking a nap afterwards.
We had a wonderful weekend!

Joshua's 1st real haircut

Joshua had his 1st real haircut at the Pigtails and Crewcuts salon on Sat.  Just as he didn't like when Daddy cut his hair, he didn't like the stranger lady using scissors on his hair.  Though his pictures look otherwise, he was not happy.  He kept trying to dodge her, so Steve and I spent most of the time trying to distract him by playing peek a boo and using toys to get his attention. 
We also went to Hannah's B-day party in the park, which was great because it was outdoors.  He loved watching everybody and walking around the park.
He also sprang his first tooth about a week ago, but it is now visible when he smiles.  It seems like he'll be getting another one pretty soon.  He finally got the first tooth - after his 1st b-day!!

Here are some before and after pics of his 1st cut :

The Jacobs visit Austin

The Jacobs came to visit us this past weekend with Austin making his first trip to his namesake.  Austin is now 17 months and had grown a lot since we last saw him at his one year B-day party.  At that time he had just learned to pull up to stand and this weekend we saw him running around the house and climbing on top of toys.  Joshua warmed up to Austin quickly which we knew he would.  But what did surprise us was how quickly he became comfortable with Jason and Shawn.  He usually cries for about 10 minutes when he encounters new people but he seemed to really enjoy being around them and playing with Austin.
Friday night we met up with Sunita and Anu at Daily Grill in the Domain.  Joshua had a little trouble falling asleep especially since we brought the umbrella stroller.  We had a great dinner and caught up with good friends.
On Saturday we went to Lady Bird Lake trail (Town Lake) after the kids had their nap.  We took some nice pictures and walked the trail for a while since the weather was perfect.  Afterwards we went to Mozart's where we switched seats several times due to furry caterpillars.  Its also where Steve and Shawn had the best latte they ever had :)
That night we met Tony and Pressy at Roaring Fork and had a nice dinner on the patio.  The guys fought over the last two short rib tacos with Jason and Tony winning out.   Late night since we got home after 11:00.  Joshua slept  better in his infant stroller at the restaurant.
On Sunday we relaxed at the house and the Jacobs went to visit their friends in the afternoon.  We stayed up that night talking like we had most nights mostly about the possibility of them relocating to Dallas by early next year.  Exciting because we would definitely see more of each other and Joshua and Austin would get to play together more often.
Monday morning we made pancakes and hash browns and I dropped them off at the airport by 11:30.   So glad they were able to visit and so blessed to have such good friends!  What a great weekend!