Noah 10 Months

                  January 6, 2013

Don't leave me behind!!! You want to do what everyone else is doing. At.all.times.

You love to play and giggle and have the best laugh. You are a little jokester my boy and will crack up uncontrollably. You and Logan together are the cutest little trouble makers. You adore your big brother and he adores you. It's so fun now that you two can actually play together and I know it will only get better. Nap times can be rough because you guys team up and I have found Logan in your crib with you laughing and playing. It isn't all wonderful and you fight like brothers, and little dude, you can totally hold your own and tackle and pin like a pro. And if all else fails, you scream. I'd think the world was ending many times a day based off your cry. 😀

This  month you have hit a clingy stage and whine and only want momma and hate to sleep. :-/ you also endured another ER visit complete with an overnight stay in the hospital one week before Christmas. You sure know how to scare your parents! Although you and Logan played the cute card and got Popsicles and homemade Teddy's and the hearts of all the nurses. :-)

 

Mr. Violent with his club arm (IV) so you don't hurt anyone...

Sleep is your least favorite activity and you will scream and scream. Was really hoping for your two front teeth for Christmas, but here we are 2 weeks later and they still haven't cut through! I did get you an amber teething necklace and that seems to help with your teething pain. (1.10.14 and finally cutting through)

You are a silly baby and instead of being afraid of the vacuum you think it's fun and will chase after me and sit in my way and 'pet' the vacuum so I can't move on unless I move you. 

You're mostly in 12 month clothing, and were still going strong with the cloth diapers, but you would be a size 3 if we used disposables.

You will be getting your 6 month shots on Monday so we will see how big you are, but based off your 9 month stats I'm guessing just under 18lbs and close to 27.5 inches long. You're a little guy in the 5-10% but you don't look it. I've had plenty of people ask me if you're big lol. 

I'd love to get you out of your infant carrier because its just too heavy to carry, but we've had super cold temps lately (Highs in the single digits and wind chills in the negative) but it's too convenient to bundle you up before we go out and just snap you in in a second. Having one kid to juggle putting a big coat on and off and standing out in the cold to buckle in is too much. Again, a van is looking nicer and nicer. 

You love to eat anything we are and get super mad when we don't share are sweets. Fruits and carbs are your fave. Any and every. You hate purées, but I have a bunch, so I guess I have to use them to flavor oatmeal and yogurt. 

You still nurse about 5-6 times a day, although you just(!!) stopped your night feeds, so we'll see if that drops. 

Hammer in hand, ready for any big bro attacks. 

You had your 1st Christmas and did awesome! You got tons of Little People and some cars and balls you love. A plastic drum stick is your favorite toy right now, I think because its easy to chew on.  Although I could see you as a drummer because you love to hit and bang on things. 

You also had your first real snowfall that you got to play in (unlike the snow we were suppose to get on your birth day). Lets just say you weren't a fan. 

Oh and you seem to favor your left hand, so we'll see what happens :-)

Noah 9 Months

December 6, 2013

You my love are 100% mobile and now mr. Trouble. While you started crawling right before you turned 8 months, you were still caution and contained. Now you crawl and climb and won't let anything stop you.

Getting into the kitty food and water is your favorite, and when I put up the baby hate to stop you, you threw a fit! When you get mad, you get mad! You tried to climb the gate, and when that didn't work you tried sliding your/Logan's chair over and use that! I'm telling you kid, your definitely resourceful. (And I thought your brother was/is trouble! You 2 together are going to give me grey hair!) 

Since you got quarantined to the living room  you speed crawl over to the TV stand and climb up on the DVD player and try to unplug stuff. You know your name, and you know the word 'no'. :-) Logan is a great big brother and helps redirect you. His 'no baby' and 'no Narnar' are the cutest. 

All your moving around creates a huge appetite. You are a bottomless pit. Anything and everything gets shoveled in, and you like to do it yourself. About 2 weeks ago you decided that big people good actually is good and will gobble it up. Perfect timing for your first Thanksgiving. You ate a little of everything...turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, bread etc. 

Your 9 month check up had to be rescheduled thanks to a crazy snowstorm... The second of three in a week span. 

When we finally made it (after a brief overnight hospital stay that I'll talk about in the 10 month post) you weighed in at 17lbs 9oz and just over 27 inches. You're a little peanut in the 4%!!! I don't think of you being that small, but stats don't lie. 

You're still right on the same size path as your big bro, but while I was packing up 3-6 months for him you're rocking 12 months! 

Noah 7 months

This month has been so fun!

October 6, 2013

I'm a little annoyed because I wrote everything out and it didn't save :-/

You can sit completely unsupported for however long you feel, and you're getting so close to crawling. You get so upset when you can't reach something and end up moving backwards. You know how to spin yourself around to grab something on the side of you. 

Speaking of grabbing you have great pincher skills and can feed yourself Cheerios. We are doing some baby led weaning and you do great and love when I let you feed yourself. You do bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes and baby carrots. Since we started a program this month where we get free baby food you've been eating jarred meats (which surprisingly taste exactly like it should) and some fruits and veggies that I thicken with baby cereal. If you still want to feed yourself so if I make them thick enough ill plop it on your tray so you can shovel it in yourself. It's messy but fun. You my man are a little piggy and in purée terms you eat about 8oz of fruits/veggies and 2-3oz of meat and then Cheerios! That's on top of nursing at least every 3 hours still. 

Home measurements 27 inches and 16+ lbs and you wear 6-9, 9 month and 6-12 month clothing. If you wore disposables you'd be in size 3 but in your  cloth you're on the middle setting with 4 buttons in the middle.

You got to experience some of our Fall favorites this month going to my home town fair and to Linvilla Pumpkinland (which your brother and daddy are rocking their home page!) 

Sleep is something we need to work on buddy. You hit a wall at 7pm on the dot if you aren't in bed. You've slept till 530 on a few occasions but chose not to on a normal basis. 4-430 is your favorite wake up time (and momma's least fave since Dada gets up around 515 aka just as I start to drift back to sleep). But this month we have seen 1,2,and 3 quite often. I'm banking in those teeth cutting through soon or else I don't know why you keep waking unless you just miss me. :-) You take 2 naps a day, the first around 9-930 and the second around 2-230. Although, if we have days when we're busy you just take a series of catnaps.

You love your brother and crack up at him all the time and want to do what he does. He loves you, and tries to play momma to you by constantly telling you "no" and taking stuff away. You also love the kitties and like to pet them. You are a total snuggle bear and I'll take it! You have cheeks that I could munch on all day long and a killer smile to say that you love when I do. You love your attention and will give anyone who wants one a killer grin. Bath time is another new favorite. You can sit and play with your toys and have more fun by yourself then when Logan grabs your toys, but sorry kid, its easier for momma to wash you both at once. 

Noah, you are the sweetest, smiley little guy I know! You may be small but you're my little chunkster. You can brighten anyone's day with that whole face grin that you rock. I love you little guy!

Noah Thomas 6 months

Another month gone! You are now half a year old! Your hospital time is less than 1/3 of your life, so much better than when it was the majority of your life!

I feel like you're a big boy and we get comments on how big you are all the time, but you're actually really small (???) according to percentages at the doctor. 
You are 15lbs 2.5oz and almost 25.79 inches long! Which puts you at 10% for weight and 13% for height! The funny thing is that you are only 1oz and less than a tenth of an inch bigger than Logan at this age! 

Come here monkey

Mmm monkey taste yummy (or at least feels good on the gums)

I will wrestle you monkey

Love you Mr. Smiles!

Potty Training 1.0

We are officially embarking on the journey of potty training today, August 1st!

We have been experimenting with it for a few weeks now, but haven't really tried. We talked about (and have for over a year now) and had him sit on the potty, and he has even ASKED to sit on the potty, but it's normaly only for a few seconds and then he says he's all done and hops down.

Well a few nights ago in the bath he started freaking out that he needed a change because he had to poop, so we plopped him on the potty until he went! A few times since he has said that he has to go and for one reason or another never did it again. Although we were at my parents two days ago and had him naked outside playing in the water and he hopped out and ran over to a corner in the grass to pee.

So he has the concept, and knows when he has to go, (he yells for a change right after he goes in his diaper) it's just a matter of setting aside a day or 2 and just doing it.

Que today. It's raining. Like really raining. So we aren't going anywhere. I took his diaper off this morning when we made it downstairs (around 730) and he hasn't had one on since. Yay for less wash for momma on diaper washing day.

We turned on PBS Kids and he has been on and off the potty all morning. Well Noah cried all through his morning nap so I ran upstairs to feed him and told Logan to let me know if he has to go. (My luck he would pee all over the floor while I'm not with him) About 5 minutes later Logan comes running into the room saying "pee!!! peee!!!" So I walk out half expecting an accident at the top of the stairs. Instead I see his potty at the top of the stairs! I laugh and he points at it still saying pee. So I look, and wouldn't you know that there is pee in the potty!!! Silly boy wanted to be upstairs so he brought his potty with him and then had to go, so he went! All by himself!!!

Needless to say, I'm a proud momma over here!

I also realize that this only happened once and doesn't mean much, but it is encouraging.

Wish us luck these next few days!

*Update: As of nap time he has gone in the potty twice and had thunder scare him into an accident once.

Noah Thomas 4 Months

July 6, 2013

Well mister big boy, you're another month older and bigger!

You had you're follow up with ENT finally and they said you look great! There is a less than 5% narrowing in your throat! Yay! I stopped all your meds a little before that because we were both d.o.n.e. with them. Once all those steroids were out of your system man have you grown!!! We don't have your appointment till Thursday but I'm guessing your about 25+ inches long and around 15 pounds. ( 14lbs 6.7oz and 24.51 inches) It's funny because that's what Logan was a 6 months! I'm not used to lugging such a big baby around! 

At least you are strong too. You still love standing and started using your exersaucer this month with a pillow under your feet since you can juuust barely touch the ground. I think you like the freedom. You also rolled from your tummy to your back once. You hate your tummy and while we don't put you on it a lot, you spend your time trying to crawl, not rolling. You're getting there, I find you spinning yourself around and  in a different than I laid you. While you never rolled back to belly (in guessing because you hate being on your belly) you can control your movements extremely well and will purposefully roll to your side to hang out before deciding to roll back. 

You hate to be alone. You love being in your Baby Hawk being carried around by momma. (Actually Dada put it on once too)

You are all smiles and have the best giggle ever! You love your big brother and can't wait to play with him.

You rock at grabbing thing and pull your binky in and out of your mouth all the time. You also talk a lot.

The monthly shots:

Photobomb Brother

Compare Logan at 4 months here

Noah's Ark 2nd Birthday Party

For Logan's 2nd birthday we decided to do a Noah's Ark theme. He was turning 2, we were going to be a family of 2 kids, and we were hoping the new would be a boy and he would be named Noah (it's a meet the baby party as well).

The Friday before, both our moms and Kev's sister came to help with the 2 boys and making decorations and setting up.

In the dining room we hung clouds cut out of poster board with rain drops falling, an ark with animals traced on butcher paper, burlap banners for both boys (that are now in their room) and photos from his second year of life spelling out T-W-O. They are on foam board covered in burlap so we can use them again and they weren't too heavy to hang on the wall.

We had the food and drink tables in the dining room.

Rain water (blue gaterade)

"Sea foam" aka whipped jello, "Be fruitful and multiple" fruit salad

Animal feed aka veggies and dip

"Son of Ham salad"

"Ark bark" aka peanut brittle and zebra preztels

Animal cookies in an ark

Rainbow cupcakes "God's promise cake"

Rainbow candies

The rain clouds and rainbow in the living room.

"rain clouds" in all the corners of the living room

And of course cake time

The birthday boy sneaking treats

Add caption

No hesitation this year

Do I have something on my face mom?

I wish I had more photos from the party, but that was the night we took Noah to the ER for the first time (before our 16 day stay at CHOP) so I was a bit preoccupied.

One of Those Days

*Please note that I'm not complaining. Just freezing time for me to look back and say while I miss the time the boys were young, I don't miss the crazy. Or compare to the teen years and wish these times back :-) *

Today is one if those days where it's raining all day. One would think it would be perfect for sleeping in but with a toddler and 3 month old that doesn't happen. 

After a 330am feed and a 5am binky call Noah was up and ready to eat and play by 630. Before he finished eating I hear Logan calling for momma. 

Once downstairs its the normal juggle of getting breakfast, changing the boys, feeding the kitties... Logan has figured out how to turn on both the TV and Wii and switch the input so he can watch Choo-Choo, Mickey, cars, or bob. I fight with him that he isn't watching TV before breakfast. Then while I'm sitting on the floor with Noah, he keeps shoving different books literally in my face. While I'm trying to read it to him I'm distracted with trying to calm the baby. He hits me. Time out #1. 

I feed the baby Logan hits again and gets another timeout. Noah falls asleep and before I stand up from the floor Logan jumps on my legs crushing my bad ankle into the floor. I tell him "no", and 2 seconds later he's jumping on my shin. Another timeout. 

With the baby sleeping I do what any parent who wants to keep their sanity does and turned on Mickey for him so I could get some cleaning done. 

I get the floors all swept and mopped before the baby is awake and hungry again. (3 month growth spurt anyone?) of course Logan doesn't like that and hits the baby so I take him upstairs and stick him in the crib so I only have to hear him cry but don't have to worry about him. 

Well oops, I forgot to put his side back up from when I changed his sheets and he figures out how to climb out. 

Oh I forgot to mention that somewhere in this I thought I'd be fun mom and build him a tent in the living room. After explains a few time we play under not on it, he throws something on it and dives after it, falling to the floor, bringing the tent down with him. He decides the clothes pins are more fun and proceeds to break all 8 of them. 

Both boys need a change, and Noah needs a new outfit. After what seems like forever I finally get my normally happy baby to calm down. Logan takes that ad his cue to jump down and kick the baby in the head. 

I don't have to say anything, just stand up and Logan is running up the stairs and climbing into his crib. I put the side back up and he loses it. Now I have one crying upstairs and downstairs. I get Noah back to being my happy, smiley baby and I go talk with Logan. 

He's super cute and when I ask him why I put him in his crib he said "kick. I kick baby". At least he knows what he did. 

It's been such a long morning already and I forget when it was that he kept unplugging my phone from the charge, it was when I was feeding baby at some point. And then he took my iTouch and when I caught him proceeded to throw it across the room. 

Oy. 

And now it's lunch and there is only one piece of bread left and its crust, hopefully he won't notice. Oh, he just took the tongs out if the drawer and did something to Noah with them. Time to calm a baby and stick a toddler in a time out....again. 

PS did I mention the glass of water he found and it a spoon and his arm in and spilt on the couch and then all over the kitchen floor? Or the cup that the fat cat knocked over? My floors all got a double scrubbing today :-)

But moments like this 30 second snuggle makes it all worth it 

Failed tent... And the tongs

Cell... At least he plugged it back in

I didn't pee my pants...a little someone did it for me :-)

Noah 3 Months

Killer eyes

And a killer grin

My baby's 3 months already! And for the first time we get to do the at home monthly photo shoot. Both 1 and 2 months were done quick on the iPhone in the hospital.

I know I have lots of catching up to do, like his birth story, and hospital saga and Logan's 2nd birthday! (How is he 2 already!?!??!)

Noah,

You are such a bright-eyed, happy baby! You rarely fuss, and when you do it's a 90% chance it was something your brother did. The other 10% is because I didn't feed you soon enough :-)

You are still eating about every 2 hours but at least once a day stretch in a 3 hour. At night you are finally up to a 6-7 hour stretch, which is so nice!

You've been going to sleep between 830-930 and if it's on the earlier side of the 8 o'clock hour I'll wake you to feed around 10 when I go to bed. Then you wake up around 4am, eat and go right back to sleep till 5ish when you start to stir with Dada, and I give you your binky and you are back out until 6 when you eat again and then are up for the morning. Logan is normally up around 6-630 as well, so we have an early start to our day around here. You are still in your bassinet in the pack and play in our room. Brother refuses to move out of the crib into the big boy bed. I'm thinking you are ready for your own room soon though, as soon as you drop your 4 am feed.

When you were born I thought you were going to be an awesome sleeper because that's all you wanted to do, now, not so much. You go down for your 1st nap around 930 and depending what we are doing it might only be 1/2 hour long. You love your little cat naps and will take many throughout the day. Long naps are typically only when we are out and about. Most of your naps are spent in your bouncy seat so you can be outside since that's were brother wants to be 24/7 now. If we are inside it'll be in the swing, or occassionally on your play mat.

You have been awesome at tummy time. Even though you didn't get much of it your first 6 weeks of life, you are rocking it like no other. You have yet to roll, yet I will find you in a completely new position then how I laid you. You look like your trying to crawl, and your feet can push, but you haven't figured out the arm thing yet. You have a few more months to figure that out :-)

You can also sit and stand like whoa if momma or someone helps stabilize you. We just broke out the Bumbo seat today and I think you like the freedom. Just like your brother, you like to be facing out and seeing what's going on. Very nosy.

You aren't a fan of bath time, although now that you lay in your little tub it's a bit better that a sponge bath, but as soon as I start to wash you start to scream. Logan loves to help, and Kobe loves to watch.

You babble all the time and laugh too. I really think you understand us sometimes. You have an awesome sense of humor and your facial expressions kill us. You are very animated. One time I told you "no yogurt" because your brother was pitching a fit for yogurt and you immediately went from a happy baby to crying, just like he was. Then the other day we were laying in the yard on the blanket and L was playing with a ballball on you and lost it and blamed you. We didn't see it until later when I went to move you and asked if hid it from him and the smirk on your face told it all.

You love being in your Moby wrap, nice and close to momma and it puts you to sleep everytime. That's how we go shopping just the 3 of us. Logan gets the cart and you get the wrap.

You are just about out of 0-3 and 3 month clothes and have been wearing 3-6 and 6 month no problem. I'm sad to put the away yet since you didn't get to wear them much. You have been in cloth diapers about a month now and still wear size 1 in disposables, but really should be in a 2, but we have a bunch that need to get used up before that happens.

No clue how big you really are, we'll find out in a week when we go back to CHOP for hopefully your last check. I'm guessing around 13 pounds and close to 23 inchs.


And if you want to compare, here's Logan at 3 months.
(Which reminds me that you are a crazy drooler as well, and love YOUR fist!)

And photos :-)