J and J's Page

Ten months was a big month for this little girl!

2010-07-01T14:51:00.002-07:00

2010-07-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened!

2010-07-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been a while since I posted. We had a lot going on! Jonathan got a job as the Middle School Director for a church in Knoxville TN. We just moved here at the end of June. It is absolutely beautiful! Jonathan found us a great little house that is just perfect for us. We had our first youth event last night at the Lake. Joanna jumped right off the dock into the lake about three feet down. She had a life jacket of course and daddy was there to catch her. She was great! She loved swimming with all the big kids in the lake. The weather here is amazing. Jonathan went mountain biking and said it was so beautiful.
Joanna is growing like a week. She is 11 months now, and running all around. She talks all the time, just jibber jabber, but it is hilarious to listen to. She is such a social little bug and is really enjoying all the new people we are meeting. The church here has been SO wonderful and welcoming, helping us unload and unpack, bringing meals, donating furniture... really it has been amazing. We already feel right at home. We are glad to be closer to friends and family so we look forward to more visits in the near future!

2010-05-14T17:46:00.002-07:00

2010-05-14T17:46:00.001-07:00

9 months and walking!

2010-05-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

This kid is already walking. She is still pretty wobbly but she can make it halfway across a room on her own. It is so fun to watch. At her 9 month appointment she was almost 22 pounds! She is still in the 97th+ percentile for her age in height, and the weight is about in the 80th now. She is very tall and looks a lot older than she is. She looks even older now that she is walking! She has been laughing a lot these days, totally unprovoked. She realizes that things are funny, and that we like to laugh together with her. Since she is so mobile, we have started the beginning days of discipline. She gets very sad, and pooches that bottom lip out when we tell her "no". Those big alligator tears are so heart wrenching! But she is understanding and actually has been very obedient... so far. We are having SO much fun being Joanna's parents. We are VERY BLESSED!!

1st Easter!

2010-04-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter as a family. Jonathan's Dad Rudy came and Spent Good Friday with us as well as Saturday. He helped me all day in the kitchen, preparing for Sunday's lunch. After church, Stephen and Emily joined us for a great meal and a relaxing afternoon where we watched "The Blind Side". A few day's later Doug, Cathy and John David came for a visit during their Spring Break. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and watched people skydive at a local lunch spot. Joanna was so exhausted after everyone left. She is so social, she would rather hang out with people that sleep, or eat or anything!

8 months already!

2010-04-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

So our little baby has turned into a little lady overnight. These past two weeks have come with so many changes. One day I went in to get Joanna after her nap and she was sitting up on her crib. I was so excited that she learned to sit up. The VERY NEXT DAY she was STANDING in her crib! I couldn't believe how quickly she jumped to the next "stage". She is now pulling up on everything she can, standing at the coffee table like a big girl, pulling books of the shelves. It is craziness! And just this week she said her first word.. ."da da" of course. She is clapping her hands and beginning to mimic a few things. She is SO happy all the time. we really are incredible blessed with such a wonderfully natured child. I took her to the pool and dunked her under the water so she would get used to it. I thought for sure she would cry. Nope! She didn't even flinch! We did it over and over, and she never cried! I was so proud. We are enjoying every day with this little munchkin and love watching her learn and grow.

7 months old - No way

2010-03-06T05:42:00.001-08:00

We are shocked that we have a 7 month old now. She is able to do so much now! She eats cheerios like a champ, sits up on her own, giggles and laughs all the time, and continues to come into her little personality. Her hair continues to be the topic of most conversations with everyone she meets or already knows. We joke that she gets "high off people". Wherever we go, she is always smiling and being friendly with everyone. She can skip naps, food or anything, just as long as people are paying attention to her! It makes shopping with her really fun, although it takes me twice as long because everyone stops to talk to her since she is so smiley! She is making all kinds of funny noises and is discovering how to use her mouth and tongue to make us laugh! She is such an incredibly joy!

Wild Hair

2010-02-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Everywhere we go, people stop to comment on the hair. They touch it, blow on it, and tell me it is just static. Funny. It looks like that all the time. Yes, ALL the time. It is so awesome! It is kinda getting a little out of control, with different layers of fuzz, sticking out in all directions. To answer all the questions, no it isn't static, no she didn't stick her finger in a socket, and no it isn't the weather. That is just her hair, and we LOVE it!

Snack time

2010-02-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

Joanna is very excited about trying new foods and eating like a big girl. Her favorite new snack is avocado. I put it in this mesh Popsicle contraption and she goes to town. It is hilarious to watch, and a mess to clean up. But it keeps her entertained for a long time! She is so much fun!

Peaches, Yuck!

2010-02-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

So you see the picture below is her smiling eating spinach. Since we started her on veggies, she eats them all with a smile. So I thought that she would just love fruit since it is so much sweeter. Well, guess not. That is her peaches face. She was not a fan. Me on the other hand, well I could watch her do that all day. It was hilarious. After a few bites with the same reaction, I put the peaches away, and went back to spinach. Then she was happy. What a great kiddo!

Spinach! Yum!

2010-02-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

We started Joanna Grace on food several weeks ago. Broccoli was first, to start her off right! I'm so glad we did, because now nothing phases her. Today she ate straight spinach with a big smile. We don't want her to be picky, and only like unhealthy things so we are trying to get her started off on the right foot. She has done so well!!

"Scared the Snot out of her!"

2010-02-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we have a sick baby and sick mama in the house. Joanna Grace has done really well being sick, and hasn't been to fussy. But tonight she broke down. She was really tired to begin with, and then I was making soup, using the blender. The noise just sent her over the edge. Poor thing was screaming! Guess this is when you can really say "it scared the snot out of her!" I couldn't resist.

Cutie in a hat

2010-02-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

2010-01-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ok well I haven't been as faithful about updating the blog as I promised to be. I guess since most people are on facebook I don't think about it as much. So for everyone who isn't a regular facebooker, here are a few updated:
Joanna Grace is almost 6 months. She has 2 teeth already! Most people told me the teething phase was terrible, but we didn't even know they were coming in until she bit down on Jonathan's finger one day. Then he felt that sharp little thing.
She is starting to move around a lot. Not really a full on crawl, but she can make it all over the floor by rolling and spinning. She can do a full 360 on her tummy in no time, and then add in a couple of rolls and she is half way across the room.
She started eating food about 2 weeks ago. Broccoli first! She is so hard core. We did that and rice cereal. She gagged for a few days until she figured out how to swallow it. She isn't super interested in the food, just in whatever happens to be on the table within her reach. Anything she sees, she grabs for and of course it goes right into the mouth.
She is full of giggles and smiles all the time. We get stopped in public all the time, mainly b/c of her hair. It looks like she stuck her finger in the socket ( don't worry she didn't...yet). Everyone asks, "is that Static?" Nope, all natural, and so cute.
Well hopefully that is a little more news from us these days. Joanna Grace continues to bless us more that we could ever imagine. She is pure joy!

4 and 5 months

2010-01-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

After Nap Time

2009-12-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Daddy's Fresh Breath

2009-11-25T06:18:00.000-08:00

Always Smiling!

2009-11-07T16:35:00.001-08:00

At our Annual Church Picnic

2009-11-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Peanut

2009-11-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

Some Nuts....

2009-11-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

2009-11-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

It's Fall - we think...

2009-11-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

Our baby is 3 months old. Crazy huh? We really can't believe how fast time goes and how fast Joanna grows! There are so many wonderful new things that she does every day. She smiles ALL the time!! We are enjoying every new phase with our child. Our good friends Tim, Maureen and Canaan came to visit us for Halloween. We got the kids dressed up and went to a festival down the street. We took a hayride in the 80 degrees weather. It was so fun to hang out with friends and our adorable children. Joanna was a Peanut, and she was SOOO CUTE! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

2009-10-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

Road Trip!

2009-10-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Joanna Grace had her first major trip. We flew from Orlando to Atlanta, caught a plane to Charlotte, spent 3 days there, then drove to Atlanta spent 4 days there and then flew home. I was completely nervous traveling that much with a 9 week old, but she was such a champ. She barely made a peep on all our flights or the car trip. I was so thankful! We went to see my Meme, her great grandmother. My mom surprised us at the airport (she didn't think she could make it). We went straight to see Meme. She was SO excited. We had such a special visit with her, my Aunts, Uncle, and Cousins. Then we drove to Atlanta to see the rest of our family and friends. My friend from high school, Lauren, came with her daughter Abi and took some amazing pictures of Joanna. My best buddy from SC, Jenny, came down with her girls Caris and Selah to visit us. We met Kerry and her boys at the park and had our first play date. It was so fun! I so wish we lived closer to all our friends and their babies! We stayed at my Dad and Cathy's house and lots of their friends and neighbors came to see Joanna. They had a lot of fun showing her off. John David had a football game on Saturday and we Cathy got the baby all decked out in team spirit. She enjoyed watching her Uncle win the game. We went to my Mom and Mark's house and my sister Tiffany and her boyfriend Todd came over for dinner. Mom cooked a great meal and we had fun hanging out. We flew home after 7 long days away from Jonathan. I so enjoyed the fall weather, and seeing so many special people. I tried to make this short and sweet with all the highlights....It was a GREAT TRIP!

Long and Lean

2009-10-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

Joanna Grace is now two months old, and we can't believe it. As you can see she watched her first FSU game with dad, and was decked out in her cheer leading outfit. She looked super cute and actually really watched the TV. Seeing her sitting with Jonathan just confirmed she looks nothing like me. Although it is October, we went swimming b/c it is still hot here, and she loved it! We went twice, and for 30 minutes or more she didn't make a peep, just kicked her legs and enjoyed the water. So cute! At her two month appointment, she ranked in the 50th percentile for her weight and 90th for height! She is really long and lean. Surprisingly her 0-3 month clothes are still super big on her. Joanna is smiling all the time, cooing, holding her head up without any support now, and standing up holding her own weight. She is really strong! Tomorrow we are traveling to see her great-grandmother (MeMe) in NC and then the rest of the grandparents in ATL. I am nervous to travel with her, since we will have to fly three times and drive 5 hours. She has never done either, and although I think she will be fine, I just hope she doesn't scream on the plane!

Game Day!

2009-09-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

All Smiles

2009-09-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!!

2009-09-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a big one for little Joanna Grace. Her grandparents came for the weekend, she had her first pool party, her Aunt and Uncle came to visit, and she went to the lake! Big stuff for a 5 week old. She did so great with each new adventure, and we were so proud of her. I was really nervous that she would freak out at the lake since she had to wear that huge life vest the whole time, but she just slept through everything and barely made a peep. She is smiling all the time now and sleeping longer stretches at night. We are so blessed to have a baby that goes with the flow of our lives and just fits right in with whatever we are doing. We are all doing well, recovering and excited to be learning with each new step as a family!

5 weeks old

2009-09-08T16:10:00.001-07:00

2009-09-02T09:49:00.001-07:00

3 weeks old

2009-08-28T08:51:00.002-07:00

2009-08-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

2009-08-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

Growing So Fast

2009-08-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Going on three weeks and we are surviving! In fact, we are doing quite well. Life with a baby is so wonderful and not quite as challenging as people told us it would be. Guess we expected the worst, and got a really great baby! She is getting into a great schedule, and letting us sleep rather well at night. It is amazing how much she has changed and grown already! She is very alert and has much more awake time. She makes great eye contact and follows anything! We can't believe how strong she is and how much mobility she has already. Mama is recovering slowly. I got out for about an hour today on my own which was nice. I needed a change of scenery since I have been sitting in my living room for 3 weeks. I got tired quickly, but was glad to get out. Life is good!

We didn't know we were getting an Angel!

2009-08-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little girl is just that - SO SWEET! She has been an amazing baby, sleeping SO much, nursing well, and crying little. She gets prettier every day and we are falling more and more in love with her. Mama is recovering slowly, but glad to be at home recovering. I lost a lot of blood so we are working on getting my iron levels and strength back up. We had our first pediatrician appointment yesterday and Joanna Grace passed everything with flying colors! Looks like she is going to be a big girl! Long body, long arms and legs, long fingers and really long feet! Her foot prints barely fit in the box that they stamp them on! We will try to keep things updated on here, especially with pictures since she changes every day! Thanks for stopping by and looking in on our newest family member! WE LOVE HER! - (Look below for the newest slideshow)

Finally some details and pictures!

2009-08-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Welcoming Joanna Grace Overholser!

2009-08-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well she is finally here - her long expected arrival came at 10:47 am on August 3rd. She weighed 7lb 15 oz and was 21 inches long. Labor and delivery were wonderful, but not without some slight complications. We were so pleased with the birthing center, the staff and their quick response to any issues. It was beyond all our expectations. We have a wonderful happy baby, a recovering mama, and a new super dad! Joanna Grace has adapted to life outside the womb so well, sleeping and feeding great. She is just a precious little blessing and we are loving every moment with her! Jonathan has been amazing doing everything for baby and mama, since I am unable to do much until I can recover more.(I had some trauma and hemorrhaging that will make my recovery longer than usual.) We are so in love with our new little girl and ready to share this blessing with our friends and family! Thank you so much for all your love, support an prayers down this long road.

And we are STILL pregnant.

2009-07-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, techinally today I am 40 weeks and 4 days. We had an appointment today and everything seems perfectly fine. We are glad for a healthy baby and mama, but also very ready to have this baby! Guess she is perfectly content where she is right now. This pregnany lady's patience has about run out. Jonathan has been really great about keeping me distracted with dates, and going out to eat and walking the mall. I sure appreciate anything to keep my mind off the fact that nothing is happening! We go back for an appointment on Thursday for a sonogram to make sure everyone is still healthy, and then back to the midwife on Friday where they will start to try some natural ways to kick start labor. Please pray for patience and a healthy delivery!
(picture was taken on my due date)

Blogging, Here we go!

2009-07-17T15:09:00.001-07:00

So we attempted to start a blog after our amazing Colorado in 2008. We created it, updated it, and never published it. Now, with Baby O on the way we decided to try again. We have enjoyed keeping up with our friends and family through their blogs since we are all so scattered. Now you can sneak a peak into our life as it is about to get turned upside down! We can't promise that we will be on top of it all the time, (or update it with pictures as often as the grandparents may like) but at least we have a blog!
p.s. - For those of your wondering, the due date for Baby O is July 24th!

2009-07-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-17T17:49:00.001-08:00