Saturday, May 26, 2012

Farm Yard Pals

Introducing the cast of our show....

The cow that jumped over the moon
Ducky Lucky as seen in Chicken Little
Red Rooster from Mother Goose
One of the Three Little Pigs

The star of the show.....Joshua Marshall! It is quite entertaining watching Joshua interact with these little animals. He places them all over the house, talks with them as if he has created dialogue, and tries to carry all four at once!
Here I come animals!!

Mom we are rehearsing!

Everybody out of the barn!

Cow and pig playing

Ducky and friends


There's a rumor going on =)

Now its time for intermission....time to go to the park and then eat some lunch! Thanks for stopping by, much love from Team Altman!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Now we really have a walker!

Well after a few days of "figuring it out" Joshua is up and moving. We went out to dinner last night with some friends, and Joshua was walking all over the restaurant...getting in the way a lot but no one minded. He actually does better with shoes and he loves wearing them, and biting them =)

It made me a little sad because he used to want help walking so I would hold his hand, now he wants to do it all by himself, no help from mommy. I guess that is just a first of many. Much love from Team Altman!


Monday, May 21, 2012

18 Months

Joshua had his 18 month visit last week and weighed in at 23 pounds (13 percentile) and 33 1/2 inches (81 percentile)....long and lean as the doctor put it.

Joshua lost a little bit of weight since the last doctors visit, but his growth is fantastic overall. He walks all around the house with his fire truck, and this past week started walking all by himself! And not just two or three steps like ten steps! The hardest part for him is getting the courage to let go, but once he does he is off! Walking was his last real delay for his age group, and now we are happy to say he is all caught up on everything!

I uploaded two videos, the first is of Joshua maneuvering around the house with his fire truck and the second is of Joshua starting to walk solo. Enjoy!







Sunday, May 6, 2012

How Preemie Moms are Chosen...

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen 
by Erma Bombeck

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
 

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
 

"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. 
 Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.
Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
 

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie." 

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
 

"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
 

"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
 

"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair.  Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
 

"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
 

God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect She has just the right amount of selfishness."
 

The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
 

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see-- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice-- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." 

"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
 

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."


 Thank you God for having faith in me. This picture reminds me of one of the best days of my life, when I got the chance to hold Joshua for the very fist time. A preemie mother's heart could never forget this moment. What an amazing God he is!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A little Sailor Fun!

If we were in California, I would say today feels like a lazy beach day, but instead we opted for some fun inside so Joshua got dressed up in his almost too small sailor outfit and I had a mini photo shoot in his room. Here are some of the highlights...
Joshua what would you like to play with?

everything!

So many options to choose from...
Mommy can you read me a book?

How about a ride on the horse!

Giddy up Horse
Woah

I think Ill make a mess with my clothes

I love my firehouse!
I think Ill stack all the firemen on the roof...



Time for a puzzle... this is a hard one!

I like to hide the puzzle pieces!

My room is so much fun!