Toy Explosion!

Anthony's Grandma and Grandpa Lantau have arrived, bringing with them the contents of a small toy store and promises of more to come once Christmas arrives and the gifts they transported from Illinois from Grandma and Grandpa Schaffer and Aunt Kerry are no longer "off-limits." Here's the little guy on toy overload:

And if you think there's something different about our handsome young man, you're right -- dad gave Anthony his first hair cut.

Anthony's locks were unruly from the get-go, and they'd been getting out of control. It's amazing how it makes him look more like a little boy. Check out the before and after pictures below, with Anthony proudly sporting his "Seattle grunge circa 1991" look in the bottom shot.

Anthony also enjoyed his first Thanksgiving at Ben, Amanda and Harper's house. Harper generously shared his toys, and Amanda gave Anthony his own seat (high chair) at the table, place setting (sippy cup and bib) and mashed yams. It was a great to spend the day with such good friends, and Anthony was pretty well-behaved on his first major holiday, although he did time his only major fit for right when we were sitting down for turkey and stuffing. He seems to do this around meal time...maybe he's trying to tell me something.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know there's something I'm extra thankful for this year...

I just can't remember what it is...

Maybe I'll ask Brandon if he can remember...

I still can't seem to put my finger on it...

Well, I'm sure it'll come to me at some point.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and enjoy those things you're thankful for!

And, as Anthony would say, if he could talk, "Let's Eat!!"

Our Little Trooper

Anthony has fought off his share of little colds as a daycare-going young man, but this past week he endured his first real illness -- a case of, well, we're not quite sure what.

Tuesday night was a rough one, with the little guy waking every couple hours and having a hard time calming down. As much as I complain about Anthony's sleep habits, that is unusual for him. So, we took his temperature first thing Wednesday morning, and found it to be over 100. His nose seemed stuffy, too, so we kept him home from school, assuming he was battling a cold.

Things didn't improve Wednesday night. This time the fever went up to 103 (why do such things only happen at 2 in the morning?) and we resolved to take him to the doctor the next day.

Mom and Anthony arrived at the pediatrician's office at 8:20. It opens at 9. Neurotic, yes, but we were the first ones to be seen. Not that it really made much of a difference...

The doctor couldn't find any signs of upper respiratory ailments or ear infection, so he ordered blood work and a urine test. When he first suggested the urine test, he told me something to the effect of, "You're going to have to collect a urine sample." I had a moment of panic as I envisioned myself sitting in the bathroom with a naked baby, eagerly holding a little cup in anticipation of Anthony relieving himself. Luckily, a sure-handed nurse came in with a little bag designed for this very situation (OK, I guess it makes sense that the medical world would be prepared for all this, as my baby can't possibly be the first to ever need a urine test). Still, it's not exactly easy to make a five-month-old pee on command -- the whole "think of a dripping faucet" thing doesn't work too well -- so let's just say we enjoyed a long morning in the doctor's office as we waited for the little guy to do his business.

Anyway, it was all for naught, as the urine and blood tests proved inconclusive. We returned to the pediatrician Thursday for a re-run of both. This time the urine test was no problem, but the blood test was another story (see our brave little solider above, with his dual elbow band-aids). The day before, Anthony had smiled happily through the tying of the rubber band, swabbing of the alcohol and insertion of the tiny needle. Thursday, I guess he knew what was coming, and he started screaming as soon as the nurse began to bind his little upper arm. As distressing as it was to watch, the nurse said it means he's smart, as he apparently knew what was about to happen based on the prior day's events. Or he just takes after his wimpy mom.

Well, to make a long story short (Brandon criticizes my long blog posts to no end), Thursday's tests were again inconclusive, and we were told to "wait it out." As frustrating as that is, it looks like it's turning out to be good advice, as Anthony stared perking up last night and appears to be feeling pretty good today, with a temp no higher than 99 or so. We'll keep watching him, but we have our fingers crossed that he's weathered his little mystery illness.

On a side note, I learned two "mom" lessons from this:

One, that you really can tell the difference between your baby's fussy cry and his "I'm in pain cry," and the difference breaks your heart. And two, that there truly is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain and not being able to do anything about it.

Anthony is five months old today!

Look at the big five month old! Happily, Anthony woke up just once last night (an immediate end to the four month wakeful period, perhaps? One can only hope...) and he timed it so I could celebrate his five-month birthday with him at exactly 1:46 a.m.!

<--- Our little angel a month ago. How time flies! I would say this past month, more than any other, has really gone by fast.

Still, in his fifth month of life, little Anthony has managed to pack in a number of new experiences.

Here's a sampling:

...starting solid foods, with such delicacies as rice cereal and peas. I think bananas or squash will be his next palate-pleaser. I would do beets, but (not to get too graphic) I have read they result in bright red poop and I just don’t think I can handle that. I know Aunt Kerry will be distressed by the news of AJ's beet-free lifestyle, as she is the brains (and apparently iron stomach) behind an innovative casserole that involves beets (un-skinned, no less!), feta cheese, egg noodles and more ... but red poop really would traumatize me. Unlike Aunt Kerry’s casserole, of course! :)

...riding in his stroller big-boy style. It’s much more fun for Anthony, as he can now enjoy the view of scenic North Miami, but it does make stroller rides a less reliable nap-inducer.

...expanding his "vocabulary" with some "goos" and "gaas." I guess I finally get why people say "goo-goo, gaa-gaa" when they’re making baby talk.

...welcoming a new cousin. We love you, Ellen, Justin, Bradley and baby Matthew!

...getting his first class picture taken. Anthony’s daycare did Christmas pics this week. Here’s what the little guy wore – I’ll share the professional photos when I get them.

(Side note: immediately upon arriving at daycare, the lil’ stinker showed his impeccable timing by having a leaky diaper of the No. 2 variety, rendering his darling little khakis somewhat less-than-ready for their closeup. I thought Anthony’s Christmas photos would be from the waist-up only, but luckily his teacher -- who is clearly more with-it than Anthony's mom in terms of being prepared for anything a baby could throw one's way -- had an extra pair of khaki shorts in the classroom, which she kindly allowed Anthony to borrow. Also, little Paulina let AJ wear her tiny Santa hat for a couple shots...I can't wait to see them!)

It has obviously been a busy month in Anthony’s world. I can’t wait to see what milestones the next few months will bring. I don’t know what I’m looking forward to most – the crawling, the sleeping through the night, the first Thanksgiving and Christmas, the sleeping through the night, the sitting unassisted, the sleeping through the night, the babbling, the sleeping through the night, the standing up, the sleeping through the night, those first few steps or the sleeping through the night. As you can tell, I honestly don’t know what to be most excited about!

Welcom kuzin Mathyu

Sence Brandon and Kelly both thaut thay shuld powst an intry awn mye nuw kuzin, i desided to make mye own intry. I kant wate two meat u kuzin Mathyu

Luv
Havyer

Welcome Matthew!

My brother Justin and his wife Ellen re-joined the baby fun when Ellen gave birth to Matthew David on Sunday, November 9. He weighed 8 lb. 2oz. Matthew, his mom and dad, and Bradley are all doing great. And of course my parents are thrilled at having tripled their grandchildren ouput in less than 5 months.

New Kid on the Block

Congratulations to Justin, Ellen and Bradley on the newest member of the Josephsen family! Little Matthew David was born Sunday, November 9, and he is adorable!

We can't wait to see the little guy, and for Anthony to meet both his big cousin Bradley and little cousin Matthew. Three little Josephsen boys...those are going to be some LOUD Christmases in the years to come!

For pictures of the happy family, visit www.josephsen.org -- I think everyone will agree Ellen looks way too good for someone who just gave birth!

Congratulations, and we miss you guys!!!!!!

Feet

There isn't too much in this world cuter than a baby's tiny feet, and Anthony has really started to discover his these past couple weeks! He's been lifting them up in the air, staring at them and grabbing at them all the time. Perhaps in honor of Joe Biden's election as Vice President, he has even learned to put his foot in his mouth!

Unfortunately, with such fascinating new things to play with, Anthony is having trouble sleeping at night. He does a great job getting to bed -- I hope I'm not jinxing his one nighttime positive by saying this, but the kid usually falls asleep at 7 pretty much without a fight -- but he's having a heck of a time staying there.

A friend told me about something called the "four month wakeful period," in which babies of that age become more aware of the world around them, and therefore start to want playtime to extend into the overnight hours.

Four months is about when Anthony's problems really began, so maybe that's what's going on. Unfortunately, in Anthony's case, the phenomenon shows every sign of turning into the "five month wakeful period," as his five-week birthday is less than a week away.

Birthday Wishes

Anthony would like to wish his Aunt Kerry a happy birthday! Aunt Kerry celebrated her birthday Sunday. Anthony can't wait to see his aunt at Christmas time. He hopes she'll tell him all about the cool places she's been (New Zealand, Tibet, Peru and more, with Egypt coming up soon!) and introduce him to the finer points of Lord of the Rings. (Mom looks forward to this, too, as Lord of the Rings put her fast asleep after 15 minutes. If that's hereditary, we have a new bedtime routine on our hands! Just kidding, Kerry!) In any case, Anthony is also going to hit up his Aunt, an engineer, for future help with math homework, as he knows mom and dad will be worthless in that capacity!

Along with celebrating Aunt Kerry's big day Sunday, Anthony made his entry into the world of solid foods! Offering further proof that no one in our family will turn down a meal, no matter how it's offered, he took to the experience with gusto. By the third bite, he was opening his little mouth in anticipation, smiling as a line of milky rice cereal ran down his chin.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quite ready for a piece of birthday cake, but maybe by Thanksgiving he'll be able to join the family for some mashed yams!