Like, OMaGawd!!!

I am amused. As of today, the Cult of Joshua has now extended into the frozen North-east, and the not-nearly frozen enough West Coast (You know, if you were really our friends, you'd be taking a few more of these cold fronts off our hands :P ). Hello, Chelsea in Maine!!! Hello, Mike and Eden in Cali!!! Thanks for checking in. Actually, big ol' hugs all around -- To Suz and those wild Kehoe gals in Indy, to Den (who's taste in care packages is simply "wunnerful" --THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!), To the Denizens of O-HI (Mom and the COSHO Ya-Ya's, Norma, Kathy, Joe, Eric, and all of the rest), and those silly people in Missouri -- Care, you truly are a life saver...you've kept me focused when falling apart was so much simpler. If Jon and Josh and I have made it this far, it's due in large, enormous, gargantuan part to your love and support, and we just wanted you to know how much we appreciate all of you. I don't know of any other newly-parented folk with this kind of amazing and unheard of safety net.

******
I started writing this post at a quarter 'til five this morning -- Josh was up at 3:45, and we both woke up at the same time. I was able to get him fed and changed without so much as a single fussy cry. Yay, Me!!!

I do not know if it's Josh's backstory, or it this is the natural reaction of any group of people around a new, little one -- but I am noticing that an awful lot of people are taking credit for for our son...It's pretty darned funny, actually. I'm not saying that you guys can't preen a bit on his behalf (with all the help you've given us, you earned that right)...it's other folks...for example:

Rob, the pharmacist at work, came up to us the other day, patted Josh on the head and
said, "There's my baby." To which I had to reply, "Ah, so you're the one responsible for his hair."
Rob touched his hair, smiled wryly and said, "Yeah, he's got a receeding hairline, too."
"No, Rob." I laughed. "I was talking about the color." We are still trying to figure out where that red hair came from (Jon still blames the milk man -- but we don't HAVE a milk man), although with each bath, it does seem to be going blond.



Like any baby, Josh draws draws a crowd...but in his case, I'm not wholly convinced it's due to his baby-ness, and not due to the fact that (as I have often felt) his story has proceeded him, and he's sort of a Ripley's exhibit -- the Mascot Baby of the Weird, you might say. I think that many fully expect Josh to be sprouting antennae after an entrance like that (WHAT A SHOWMAN!!! For his next trick, Joshua Chamberlain will drive his parents completely crazy -- Oh, yeah, too late). Or maybe, he should just sprout antennae because Jon and I are his parents. On one of my first visits to Wallyworld after his birth --the day before Josh left the hospital, I made the near-fatal mistake of not bringing the brand-new newborn in with me. To the inevitable question, "WHERE'S THE BABY?!!!!" I would reply that once he realized who his parents were, he had committed himself to the Fourth Floor of Bethesda . Many people have rolled their eyes at us since this whole parenting process began and many people have permanently sprained themselves in the process. (For example, I was asked just yesterday how Jon and I were adapting to the parenting-thingy. I of course responded that we now viewed Joshua as a funny-looking cat, and that we intended to teach him to use the litter box, and that we'd leave a bowl of cream out for him from time to time. Instant eye-sprain.)

And it doesn't just stop on the outside. Witness Exhibit A:
This picture looks innocent enough. OR IS IT?!!! By rights, there should be bullet time and lightening effects, and Hanza swords in this shot. The Great-Great Aunt vs. the Great-Great Grandma...two sisters...normally sweet tempered little bird women who between them MAYBE weigh-in at 90 lbs. And yet, it's hard to tell which of these two are the more possessive of Josh, and their time with him. There is no doubt in my mind that both of them adore Josh within an inch of his life. My only question is...do they adore him within an inch of each others'? I direct your attention to the look of triumph on Irene's face (right) and the GLARE OF DEATH coming from the direction of the left side of the couch. Glare of Death, I kid you not. Not only does each refer to Josh as "My Boy" (meaning "Their Boy"), but Irene is actually encouraging Josh to punch and pound upon his poor, innocent father -- perhaps in the hopes of eliminating a middle man.

But I am Mommy...and Josh was my toy first. This parenting experience has been a fascinating experiment in sharing...either that or a feeding frenzy on the Discovery Channel's Shark Week *Wink*
I confess to a deep curiousity to just put all of them in a steel cage match...and see who would come out on top. Personally, my current bet's on the G.G. Aunt. Helen, who will work the prim and proper angle to the hilt, but I think she could give Chuck Norris a run for his chaps if he got between her and our little alien baby. *Smile* Of course, now I am picturing all of them in wrestling outfits. I know, I should stop this tangent...(because now all of you have these pictures in your head, too) but I can't help it. I know that the attention isn't directed at me, and that I am merely the person who happens to bring Josh to the party, and that the party starts when Josh gets there. I hope those of you mentioned in this post aren't unhappy with my conjectures, but I just can't help but to be vastly amused by the whole thing. I have truly never seen so many adult-type people get so silly and frothy before. As long as I can watch in utter fascination from the sidelines, I find the whole thing incredibly
...comforting. (Josh and I -->)



Jon and I had many reasons for not planning on children. One of the biggest was that we had seen so many other little ones come into this world, and just be utterly forgotten or neglected by those people who were SUPPOSED to be looking out for them. We weren't ready for this, you know that -- but we very much want to do the right thing here. What is so absolutely wonderful is that every one of you -- and everyone else who has heard about Josh -- began adoring Josh from the first, without question. It was vastly reassuring to us, and gave us a little bit of a cushion, as we began to learn to love him too. We have a lot of questions. We have a lot of uncertainty. Yet, because of your faith in us, and your constant concern for him, ALL of you kind of "spotted us some points" in this parent-thing...you gave Jon and I a chance to catch our breath and see what would happen next. Mom's always taught me that angels show up when you need them most...I just never expected so many at once. I truly hope that all of you know exactly what you have contributed to our lives...to Josh's life.

There are so many times that we still feel so overwhelmed by Josh, and everything he represents in our lives. For now, we are starting to get the hang of it...for tomorrow, we'll see. Again, you have our deepest thanks...