Just Like My Pops

The Johnson blood carries some strong family resemblances. Annie remembers being shocked at the first Johnson family event she attended to find about 20 kids outside playing basketball almost all looking like miniature versions of JP and his sister, Sherrilyn.

For the most part, Annie, JP and their respective families don't see a strong likeness to any one side of the family in particular. However, some recent snapshots are bringing to light Bobcat's similarities to her father. It should be noted that Annie's friend, Phet, immediately proclaimed that Josie was the spitting image of JP when she was less than a week old. Clever girl, that Phet!

Perhaps Josie's resemblance to JP has been masked by her perpetual smile.

The beginnings of her father's classic half grin

This is a quintessential JP expression

New Things

This Saturday Josie will be ten months old and is inching ever closer to that first birthday. She is now properly keeping her parents on their toes since she learned to crawl this past week. Still working on perfecting her method, she alternates between hands and knees, hands and feet, and army crawl throwing in the odd pilates move here or there.

Other updates:

• Babble is spoken fluently here. Josie loves to hear the sound of her own voice.
  
• Although shaking her head "no" is quite popular for drawing laughs, she does occasionally nod her head "yes."
• Josie is an avid waver and clapper.
  
• Bobcat is forever trying to get the attention of her feline brethren. She taps the floor like her mom taps her leg to try to tempt them closer.
• The little detective uses reflective surfaces to check out what is happening behind her.
  
• After months of rarely putting items in her mouth, Josie can now self feed -- kinda. She's much more likely to stick larger items (banana, bread stick) in her mouth than smaller bits (cheerios). Strangely this rule does not apply to non-food items. She'll shove big toys in her mouth as well as tiny shreds of cardboard from the cat scratchers.
  
• Speaking of food, Josie eats all kinds of stuff! She even eats dishes that, with a little salt, her parents might even get into. Last night she had lentils with quinoa and kale. Just don't try to feed her when she's tired.
  
• JP still does not get kisses from Bobcat the way Annie does, but he gets lots of Eskimo kisses.
• Josie loves music and wiggling to the beat, but has put the kibosh on the nighttime music.
  
• Annie hates to discuss sleep on the blog because she usually jinxes Josie's success. But, after a long time coming, Josie is pretty much a sleep champ. She sleeps 11 hours at night and takes two long naps during the day. Her parents love peeking in on her to see if she's crashed out on her back, curled on her side, or "butts up."
  

Despite many changes, Josie still loves when her parents read aloud to her. Sometimes she sits quietly; other times she babbles along pointing out various pictures and checking the front cover repeatedly. Bobcat has several books that feature cats ("The Very Busy Spider", "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", "Are You My Mother"), and JP has noticed that Josie shows extra excitement upon seeing these familiar beasts. Josie loves pulling her small books out of her book basket while playing on the floor. Her absolute favorite floor book is "Peek a Who?" because the last page has a mirror.

Peek a YOU!

Bobcat still likes to hit the town and howl now and again. Last weekend we met up with some friends at The Station for gab and grub.

Hitting the town in her skull sneaks

"You've demonstrated how to use the chalk. Now let me draw on my mouth!"

Lilla feeding Bobcat a puff

On Sunday the family took a trip to the beach. Annie went for a run in Torrey Pines while Bobcat and JP got set up on the shore after finishing a nap in the car. This was not Bobcat's first trip to the beach, but it was the first one in which her parents struggled to keep one step ahead of her. The kid loves sand. She loves to throw it. She loves to eat it. She loves to rub it in her eyes.

"Dad, you're not supposed to let me play in the sun without my hat on!"

Enjoying some lunch on the beach

"Hmm... some sand might make a tasty dessert!"

"If this is wrong, I don't want to be right!"

Sand goatee

After the family beach outing a few friends and neighbors popped over for a swill from the new kegerator. One of Josie's biggest fans, Jenna, has started a photography business and is working on some portraits of Bobcat and her entourage. She took some great photos at our small gathering. If you live in San Diego and want some fun, casual family pictures, Jenna is your gal.

In Snottiness and in Health

It seems like you could pretty much set your watch to getting sick after riding on an airplane! After being bug-free for several months, the Johansen Johnson family's immune system was due for a workout. Bobcat has suffered through colds before, but this one is a real humdinger.

While she had many "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" moments, Josie has remained surprisingly vivacious throughout her illness. This was very surprising to Annie who suffered similar symptoms and was utterly grouchified as a result. Josie's parents would have felt cruel trying to take pictures of those pulsating snot bubbles and the itchy sinus snarl, but here a few snaps of her many high-spirited moments.

102 degree fever? More like Disco Fever!

Favorite toy of the week

"I've got what running out of my nose?"

Needs no identifier

Ferocious Cute

The authors of Bobcat's Tracks are stuck. They would rather flip through Josie's pictures again and again than devise a coherent post. She's like a black hole of cuteness. Only light can escape.

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."

Making mashed taters

Sabotaging her baby monitor

Exuberance lives at the crossroads of Jumperoo and Musical Maraca.

"Strawberries are OK. You should see me unhinge my jaw for some broccoli or squash."

Loving all the attention while visiting Orlando with Grandpa Bob and Grammy

Can you believe this was the least ridiculous infant hat available at the Magic Kingdom?

Jungle Cruisin'

"Should I eat this bread or drop it on the ground? How about I eat it, drop it on the ground, and then eat it again?"

Spinning Her Wheels

Bobcat passed the nine month mark last week and reached a couple important milestones. After her worst night on record Sunday night, Josie began sleeping through the night on Monday. Her parents don't believe much in magic numbers, but often hear that babies sleep through the night when they double their birth weight. Coincidentally, Josie finally passed 14 pounds 10 ounces this week. It's hard work holding up the bottom of the weight chart!

Bobcat is not yet crawling or pulling up, (no one is complaining here!) but she has the run of the family room floor. Her favorite floor activities include sitting up, meowing at the cats, lying on her back and shaking things, spinning around on her belly, and doing push-ups.

Discovering how to open up the wipes container

Eating lightning, crapping thunder

Scooting backwards, under the recliner

Turning up the volume on Word World

"Stare into my baby blues. Never mind the widening puddle!"

Last Saturday San Diego saw some heavy downpours. The family spent the afternoon lounging on the pull-out couch and watching movies. That evening Josie and her parents set out for Shakespeare Pub to meet up with some friends.

Dad's pot of gold outside Shakespeare

Presidents' Day-o-rama

Josie's first Presidents' Day was quite the action-packed day! After some breakfast and a morning nap, the family drove down to the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. The Tijuana Slough, located in the continental United States' most southwesterly city of Imperial Beach, is a great birding destination and Southern California's largest saltwater marsh. Besides that, you can see Mexico without the hassles of border traffic.

The weather in San Diego has been quite warm and clear. So, slathered in sunscreen and bedecked with a shady hat, Bobcat was ready to search out the Light-Footed Clapper Rail. Oh wait. Nope. Josie's latest mission in life is to remove whatever article she may find atop her head, shake it, and throw it on the ground. This could be an extension of "Peek-a-boo" so perhaps her parents brought this on themselves.

Bright light! Bright light!

JP is looking annoyed and has resorted to holding her hat down.

"I'll throw it on the ground!!! I'm not a part of your system!"

When the family made it back home, the house was roasty toasty (also known as "Jamaica Mon") from all that direct sunlight. Josie was therefore granted Naked Time. Such a literal little tyke! She weaseled her way right out of her diaper. Naturally, the first thing mom did was grab the camera.

"Turn your back again and I'll pee!"

With Josie safely back in her diaper and with a few strategic staples added for good measure, Annie decided to relive last week's "Bananarama." Bananas are definitely not Josie's favorite food, but she is starting to tolerate them. It seems she doesn't understand why anyone would eat them when they could be rubbed into one's hair and highchair.

Are bananas from Dad different than Mom's bananas?

Shaking her head "NO!" Not sure if she might be signing something with her right hand.

Signing "please"

Josie doesn't have much hair, and the stuff she's got is mostly invisible. For that reason, Annie was quite surprised at how difficult it was to remove the bananas Josie had rubbed around her head. Nevertheless, Bananarama is here to stay.

JP, hating Bananarama

Eight Months Old

On February 3, 2010 Josie Hayden entered her ninth month of life with a celebratory visit from her Grammy and Grandpa Bob. She continues to get cuter each day and is transitioning from baby to little girl. She is getting better at communicating her needs and wants by gesturing and has begun to catch on with signing. Some of Bobcat's favorite things are grabbing, swinging, dancing, petting the cats, and babble-singing. She now takes two or three substantial naps -- a big improvement from the 15-minute micronaps a few months ago. Josie usually wakes every three or four hours throughout the night (again, a big improvement), but occasionally impresses us with an eight-hour stretch. Mealtimes seem to be the highlight of her day. She now eats cereal, puffs, broccoli, asparagus, avocados, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, peas, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, peaches, mangos, apples, and pears. Josie is still nursing despite keeping Annie on her toes with her two sharp teeth. Much to her mother's delight, Bobcat is not crawling. She loves to be in a standing position and probably thinks she could run away if only those pesky adults would let go. Babies seem to love pilates and Josie has added the plank pose to her repertoire. Both of her parents walked before effectively crawling, so maybe she will follow in their tracks.

Grabbing a straw at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market

Pulling at those tempting DVDs

Signing please

"Please, oh, please! Gimme that food!"

Showing off her two teeth with a big smile