Noah: 7 and a Half Months

Dearest Noah,

You are as cute as you are cuddly!  Your chubby little thighs and cheeks are the perfect amount of squishable!  You always find something to smile about and you’re great at sharing this philosophy with others! 

 

You love to watch your puppy race back and forth in the house and you especially love to feel his soft fur, but we have to keep a watchful eye on your curious grabby fists since you can grasp quite a bit of hair on him!  You also like to sit on your own and play with toys that we set in front of you like your stack-a-rings and your Baby Einstein piano, and the Elmo’s Home Run bath book.  

 

You have discovered your tongue!  You are constantly sticking it out of your mouth and curling it up on your lip.  You try to talk while it’s sticking out of your mouth, and it’s rare these days that we catch a picture of you without your faithful tongue sidekick.

 

You’re a pro at rolling over and you even get up on your knees now with your tummy off the floor.  You can scoot backwards from this position, which we know is the first sign of crawling!  I’ll be doing constant scans of the living room to make sure that the toys your brother plays with, but that you’re not old enough for, are a safe distance away.

 

Because of your milk protein allergy, you are more susceptible to having food allergies.  Therefore, we had to try out each new flavor of baby food for 5 days as opposed to 2 days like we did when your brother was first starting to eat.  So, after working our way through the yellow veggies and the green veggies, we are finally at fruit! You have not scoffed once at any flavor of baby food (although you don’t prefer your green veggies cold from the fridge, but who does?).  The first fruit we are trying out is baby food bananas—the personal favorite of your truly, and Grandpa Mike.  You like it, but you are not over the moon about it like I thought you’d be. We’ll see if we come across a true favorite as we try apples next, and then peaches, pears, and prunes (although not necessarily in that order).

 

You win the award for “Great Sleeper Baby”!  You are an awesome sleeper.  You go to bed between 6:30 and 7:00pm.  You wake once around 4:45 or 5:15 for a 4oz bottle, and then you go right back to sleep.  Recently, you’ve woken up around midnight and you’ll chat yourself back to sleep.  I’ll have to teach you how to whisper, though.  J  If we hear you cry earlier in the night, we can pretty much guarantee that you are having teething pains.  We just KNOW that a tooth will pop through soon!
 

You are wearing size 3 diapers and size 4 Overnight diapers.  You wear some 6 month onesies still, but you mainly hang out in 9 month to 12 month clothes.  We’ve tried putting one of Michael’s pairs of tiny baby shoes on you, but your feet were too big.  We tried putting a baby sized tennis shoe on you, but your feet weren’t quite big enough.  It’s a good thing you don’t need to wear shoes.  It would crimp your style anyway since you love to put your bare toes in your mouth. J

 

Your pretty blue eyes always collect compliments as we’re out and about.  I have an inkling that your hair will come in wavy and light brown.  It’ll be the cutest.  Just the cutest.

 

 

You are such a joy, my dear one.  You’re the perfect addition to our family and I know you’ll grow into a silly boy who loves to dance and giggle.  Those days will be fun, but I’m also treasuring the days we have now.

 

I love you forever, sweet boy.  Love, Mommy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael: 23 Months

Dearest Michael,

 

You are 23 months old!  Actually, I’m a few days late in writing this, so that means you’ll be 2 years old at the end of this very month!  I’ve gone ahead and adopted the phrase for your age and I tell people that you’re 2 when they ask how old you are.

 

You are far more vocal than I realized and every day you surprise us all with a new phrase!  Your Grandma Chips just texted me to tell me that your phrase of the day is “me do.”  At the end of last week, you started asking to hold Noah.  This weekend, anytime your Daddy or I had Noah in our laps, you would get up on the couch beside either of us and say “hold! Hold!” and you would pretend to grunt as you wrapped your arms around Noah to “hold” him.  Of course, your daddy and I never really let go of Noah but you were thrilled to think you were holding him. 

 

You are highly enjoying being a big brother and you love to give affection to your little brother.  On Saturday morning, you went into Noah’s room and began the day by talking to him.  He thought it was great.  I didn’t mind at all since I knew he was awake at the same time as you and entertaining himself by babbling in his crib.  On Sunday afternoon, you decided that when I got up from my rest, that you must be allowed then to wake Noah from his nap.  Noah didn’t mind.  And I only minded for about 3 seconds. J You two are so sweet together.  This is what I have been looking forward to—the bud of your friendship together. 

 

You are way too silly with your facial expressions and I find myself cracking up each day at the new things you do.  You are highly stubborn and I’m guessing that you are taking after your daddy.  You also know exactly where the line to cross is, and you put your tippy toes over it.  Daily. 

 

But, just as much as you can be stubborn, you can as easily be the sweetest boy ever who loves to cuddle.  On Friday night, after bath time and pajama time, you made it your mission to go back and forth between me and your Daddy and give us each kisses.  You probably did this for 10 or 15 minutes.  It was the sweetest thing. 

 

Last night after bath time and pajama time, you entertained yourself by tossing up your spoon into the air, grabbing it from the floor, and repeating the process about 100 times.   

 

You love stories and you especially love it when your Daddy does animal voice impressions during a current favorite book “Oink! Moo! How do you do?”

 

You also love your little brother’s book “Goodnight, Owl” and your book “Toes are for Tickling.”  We keep “Goodnight, Owl” in the living room so that we can read it any time of day!

If I ask you to sing me a song or tell me a story, it always involves the word “ball” over and over and over.  J  Your toddler voice is so sweet and cute that I don’t care how many times you want to sing or tell about a ball.  I’ll listen whole heartedly every time.

 

I am so very proud of you—you ate exactly what your Daddy and I ate for dinner starting at the middle of last week, and you ate exactly what we did for dinner and lunch all weekend long!  We had Hamburger Helper one night and you ate that as your supper (after an appetizer of blueberries and shredded cheese).  One day for lunch we had pizza rolls and you ate those too.  You had a hot dog on a bun (cut-up appropriately of course), then you had a hot dog without a bun.  You had rotini pasta and meat balls.  And you had grilled chicken thighs and mashed potatoes.  And each mealtime, you did the sign language for “more” and asked in words for “more.”  You’ve also started saying “please” which comes out as “plus.”  It’s truly fun to ask you a question and hear a legitimate response from you! 

 

You are still wearing size 5 diapers and size 2T and 3T clothes.  You sleep in your toddler bed now and you are doing fantastically!  You still like to sleep with and carry around 5 to 6 “mommy blankies” with you.  I don’t mind. 

 

 

 

 

You are so fun, energetic, rambunctious, carefree, sweet, lovable, loving, and kind.  You are a toddler to a “T” and I love every second of it.  I love you forever, dear one.  Love, Mommy

Noah: 6 Months

*I started writing this post on Wednesday July 9, 2014 when Noah turned 6 months old.  I finished writing the 2^nd half of this post on Tuesday, July 15, 2014—the day following Noah’s 6 month check-up.

 

 

Dear Little Noah,

 

Today you are 6 months old!  You are just the most adorable, chubby baby with the sweetest, warmest gummy smile!  I love you to pieces!  Just absolute pieces!

 

You bring such joy to our lives.  We are more complete as a family because of you and we love you deeply.  You add that extra touch of silliness and the reminder that there’s always something to smile about!

 

You are very tall and cannot easily fit into footie-pajamas—even 9-month size ones.  I prefer to dress you in footless PJs so you can have some wiggle room.  At bedtime, we put you in PJs and an overnight diapers and we zip up your sleep sack.  On most nights, you go to bed fairly easily and last night you went to bed at 6:30!  Usually, we end up putting you in bed around 8:00.  It just depends on the day and how awake you are at that time of evening.  You have done a stellar job with practicing sleeping through the night.  You have had SEVERAL nights when you’ve slept through the entire night, and that is such a blessing and accomplishment! 

 

You have tried out rice cereal now a couple nights in a row at dinnertime.  The first night, your Daddy and I fed you about 6 bites (complete with grossed out facial expressions) before you knocked over your entire bowl of cereal right into your lap.  What a mess!  J  Last night, you really started to get the hang of it and actually swallowed more bites than you spit out.   You did a really great job!  You still offered up facial expressions of disgust at the taste of the cereal, and I informed you that veggies and fruits will taste much better.  J  You are going to be a great eater—I can just tell.

 

You’re the master of rolling over now and you can do it so quickly!  When we put you in your crib now, you like to sleep on your side or roll onto your tummy.  You can swiftly roll yourself over onto your back if you choose to do so, and we always lay you in your crib on your back and let you decide what position you’d like to sleep in.  You are very much like your brother in that you like to have something pressing up against your head when you sleep.  Your brother would scoot himself towards an end in his crib until the crib slat was just touching his head.  We are seeing you do the same.

 

You LOVE holding burp cloths or hand towels right up to your cheeks.  I’m guessing it’s that extra bit of comfort and security that you feel that reminds you of being in my tummy.  You are the greatest snuggler and I hope you do not outgrow this.  When I pick you up and smile at you, you bury your face into my shoulder and it’s the funniest thing.  You exhibit this behavior to others when they look at you—you’ll catch their eye, smile a huge grin, and then proceed to bury your face in my shoulder as if you are shy.  As if.  Because we all know that you are not a shy baby.  You will be our social butterfly.

 

 

 

Yesterday, I took you to the doctor for your 6 month check up.  The nurse asked me how much I thought you weighed.  I thought back to how much your brother weighed at 6 months (19lbs 6 oz) and I didn’t think you weighed quite that much.  So I said “18 pounds.”  And guess what??? You weighed 18 pounds on the dot!   You are 26 inches tall.  You did fantastically with your vaccinations and only cried for nearly 4 seconds before I asked “Do you want to look outside?” I carried you to the window, and you instantly stopped crying.  The nurse whips around and says “Well, that was fast.”  J

 

You are such a joy.  Just pure joy and I love every single minute of being your mom.  I am so excited for what the future holds and I am extremely blessed to be able to witness your life.  I know God has great plans for you, Noah Scott.  All we have to do is let Him lead.  I pray that you will seek Him earnestly and always, Dear One. For He is the author and perfector of our faith.  He knows the number of days of our lives and has a purpose for each of us.  I know that His purpose for you is a fantastic one. 

 

I love you dearly, Sweet Noah.  Thank you for reminding us that there’s always something to smile about! 

 

I love you love you love you!

Love, Mommy

 

 



Michael: 2 Months from Two

On Saturday, Michael became 2 months away from his 2nd birthday. Excuse me, but where did the time go? Wasn't it just last week that I was having a baby shower and day dreaming of what life would be like with a baby?!? And now, I am the mother of a near-two-year-old and an almost-6-month-old and boy, has it been one crazy (but fun) ride!

Michael, you are a dream! I love every single minute with you. When I'm at work, I ache to be at home with you and your brother and your daddy and puppy. I love you all. You are at such a fun age! You say new things and do new things every day and I'm in love with all of it. I totally wish my brain could remember all of your cute antics. I think often of how I'll feel when I look at you and you're 20 and I'll think back on these days when you're still so little and learning.

You crack me up everyday. You are definitely opinionated and you can be ornery at times. But you know what? I'm totally fine with it. You're precious regardless and you are learning and processing and going through things so I don't mind the tantrums and mood swings. (And I hope you don't mind mine--ha).

There will be times that you are spinning in circles in the kitchen & I'll spin too only to be greeted with a loud "ehhh!" and you run and hide because you didn't want me to dance with you. Or to have you say "mama?" and I respond with eye contact and "yes?" and you in turn go "ehhh!" and look away. I smile anyways because I know it's a mood and I'll never let a mood ever stop me from answering you when you call my name.

And, by the way, I LOVE to hear you call my name. When I get to be the one to go into your room on the weekends when you wake, or every week day when I come home from work, my heart is extra full when I hear you say "Hi, Mama!" I love it. I absolutely love it. And I seriously don't mind when you say it 20 times in the span of an hour or when you wave and say it after I've gotten on to you for something you shouldn't have done. It's priceless to me to hear you say my name and I consider "Hi, Mama" a sentence which is a milestone in itself.

You are also fond of saying "Mama, or Dada" or "Dada, or Mama." I love the "or" part! So sweet!

You are also grasping the true meaning of "yeah!" and "no." Last week I asked you if you slept good and you said "no" so it wasn't clear if you meant to actually say "yes". You actually didn't start saying "yeah!" until this week. You would say "mmm-hmmm" if you were agreeing with something but you said "no" to mean yes and no. This week, however, you started saying "yeah!" and yes I do really put an exclamation mark when I write it because that's how you say it-- with enthusiasm every time. Today you were standing by the kitchen entrance and I asked "do you want some lunch?" You said "yeah!" And I asked "are you hungry?" And you replied "yeah!" So when I walked over to open the baby gate for you, you laughed and laughed as if to say "she gets it! She knows what I meant!" It was really the cutest thing.

I think if I were to write down all the sweet and cute things you have done or said, this post would be pages upon pages long. I absolutely love you and will write this all down for you in a special place so neither one of us forgets and so we can reminisce together when you're 20 and we both have a hard time remembering these days when you were little and learning.


Here are some photos from the past month:

This is how I was greeted one Sunday morning:

Blowing bubbles in Mommy's cup:

Found some baseballs:

Keeping some baseballs:

Ashley comes to visit!

Brotherly Love:

Mommy and Michael:

Screen shot of "cool glasses dude!"

Such great brothers:

I love you so, Michael dear. You and your brother are my joy. I praise God that He chose me to be your mommy. I pray that you seek Him earnestly and always.

I just can't say it enough-- I love you. Forever, dear one, forever. Love, Mama

Noah: 5 Months

 

Dear Little Noah,

Good grief, it seems like yesterday I was writing your letter for turning 4 months old. And now here we are-- we blinked and you're 5 months old! No matter what we do, I guess we just can't stop time though, can we?

Tomorrow, you and I will head to Birmingham to visit a pediatric ophthalmologist. Your left eye doesn't quite move as much as your right eye and your pediatrician suggested that we get you checked out by an ophthalmologist. Your Grandma Dana will be accompanying us since she knows the Birmingham area far better than I do.

You are such a sweet and smiley baby! You are just now learning to make a "hmm" sound and you'll make it over and over again. You especially like it if someone else makes the sound too. :)

We just started really doing a consistent bedtime routine with you this past week. We let you sit with your grandpa R while we do out work out. Then we give you a bath, dress you in an Overnight diaper and clean PJs, put you in your sleep sack and mittens, feed you, read a story, and sing some songs. The first night, we had to make a couple trips into your room to remind you that we were still around. The next two nights were a breeze! So we totally know that you can do it because-- hey!-- you've done it!

We've put the baby food on pause for now. You don't really need the added calories until you are 6 months old, so we paused that area of your life right now to relieve some pressure on you and me! When we tried some baby food at the beginning of last month, you kind of got the hang of it but you would scream in between each bite. It was nearly impossible for me to be able to put a bite of my own food in my mouth in between each bite I was feeding to you. You were so frantic while you were eating that I just decided to put it on hold for a while until you are closer to six months old. Now at dinner times after I have nursed you, you will happily sit/stand in your exersaucer in the dining room while we eat. I'm usually able to finish almost all of my food before you make a fuss to be picked up. Then I just set you in my lap while I finish eating. I definitely think you will be ready for baby food again at 6 months old.

Another reason why I put the baby food feeding on hold was for a potential allergy you had. You have had cradle cap from about one month old til now. At your 4 month check up I asked the dr if there was any other treatment we could do because we had been diligent about scrubbing your head with a soft scrubby brush at bath time, as well as putting baby oil or lotion on your head. I also told the doctor that you would dig into your head and scratch it up so terribly even when we would cut your nails short. I told how you would spit up some or most of your milk within 30 minutes of eating. And I told her how you were so unpredictably fussy to the point that I actually didn't really like driving anywhere with you because you would get so worked up. She said you probably had a milk protein allergy! She told us to change the brand of formula that we had been using-- she suggested a brand that had easier to digest proteins. It's also cheaper (score!) She also told me to limit my intake of milk proteins to one small glass of milk daily and one piece of cheese-- no other milk proteins. Yep, that's right mister, no yogurt and no ice cream. But I totally love you, so it's no big deal. She gave us a prescription for an eczema gel to put on your head. And son, within 24 hrs of making these changes, your head was SO much better! The cradle cap is nearly gone today.

You are very interested in everything that your brother does. You just can't wait until you're big enough to play with him! The other day, he threw two Hot Wheels cars into a bucket of you dinosaurs and you laughed and gave him a HUGE smile! I tried to recreate the same reaction by throwing the cars again, but no such luck. Your daddy tried also to generate a reaction by doing the same thing-- but no reaction from you was given. It was funny only when Michael did it. I found this so interesting! I know you two will be best buds.

You simply love to be outside! Your Grandma Chips takes you and your brother outside once every morning and again in the later afternoon if its not too hot. You will happily sit in your stroller and watch your brother play at the sand table or with his toy golf set in the grass. Sometimes, you will lay on a blanket under the tree and wiggle your toes in the breeze! If you are fussy, we will hold you and walk out onto the screened porch. You instantly settle down nearly every time. I can tell that you will love going to the beach cottage and sleeping on the screened in front porch. :)

You are such a joy, little one! We love you so much and you're developing the sweetest personality. You are a people person and you still love to find that next face to focus on. You're quick to share your smiles. I'm sure you will be a social butterfly but I also have a mummy's intuition that you will love to read books-- there's just something about you that tells me so.

Here are some of your precious smiley faces:



 

 

 

 

 

Know that we love you deeply and are excited everyday to be your parents. We CAN wait to see you grow up-- we love enjoying you in the moments we have now! Never stop being sweet. I love you! Love, Mommy

Michael: A Summer Away from Two

*I wrote this blog post on Wednesday May 28, 2014


Dearest Michael,

Today you are only 3 months away from your second birthday! Time sure does fly. You become more of a boy and less of a baby every single day.

You fill our lives with joy and laughter and you keep us on our toes while we try to determine the best way to handle your toddler habits. You are such fun to be around! You are becoming a super big brother and I know that you and Noah will be best friends.

You are so sneaky and I hear that your daddy was the same way when he was your age. You definitely know when our eyes are on you and you'll try to act innocent until you think we're no longer watching- at which point you'll go for your targeted item. We have to keep our "toddler mindset" thinking caps on as we parent you-- it's hard to stay one step ahead. Usually I am a quarter second faster than disaster. I've grabbed items just in the nick of time before you were able to carry out your plan.

Yesterday, I stood up to get the remote and I left my phone on the couch cushion. I got almost all the way to the kitchen when I turned and saw you lock eyes on the phone. Then you looked up at me and we both knew it was a race! We went running toward the phone but I got there first by a half second! A burst of laughter escaped from both of us! You are such fun and you keep me quite busy!

Eating is still a little bit of a struggle these days. We know you well enough to know when you will definitely like the meal we are having-- like spaghetti and meat balls with garlic bread. You LOVE meatballs (cut up in a bowl with spaghetti sauce). You're not too fond of noodles though. You are definitely a carb-a-holic and would eat bread for every meal if you could. We try to hide the bread from your line of sight until you've eaten a good portion of the other items on your plate. If you see the bread first, you will want nothing to do with anything else on your plate. For breakfast you consistently like French toaster sticks (by E'ggo) or oatmeal (Quaker Fruit and Cream variety). You're an "ok" milk drinker at breakfast. It's been a little difficult to get you to finish your sippy of milk these past couple of weeks. Peach cups, applesauce, goldfish crackers and Auntie Anne's bunnies crackers remain favorite snack foods and lunch staples. You also like to indulge in a banana Popsicle (chopped up and put in a bowl) for afternoon snack after you've played outside. You also enjoy sharing dad's Mott's freezer fruit bar.

Unfortunately, I've shared my recent cough/cold with you and your brother. It's pitiful to hear you cry as you try to go to sleep; it's not easy to suck your thumb, breath through your nose, and have a runny or stuffed up nose all at the same time. Bedtime has been a struggle because of this but we've been giving you medicine to help clear up your congestion and it seems to be working.

You are so wonderful and I love you to pieces. Your new favorite word is "shoes!" and you walk around pointing at all shoes and saying "shoes!" in a high pitched voice. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. Your new favorite phrase is "hi ball!" which you say to all balls, pictures of balls, or whenever we say ball. You also love to say "hi!" to random inanimate objects like your applesauce, peach cup, table, Noah's baby monitor (which you also kiss).


Here you are sitting on Grandma's counter while she makes a cake.  You were quite interested in the lemon:

 



Here you are in the kiddie pool.  You really enjoyed wearing your swimsuit and rash-guard. 

 

 

Here's a selfie:

 

 

Here is Daddy reading a story to you and Noah before bed:

 

 



Michael, you are truly a joy and we are so blessed to be your parents. We love every second with you. You're a wonderful little boy and we are so excited to see how you continue to develop and grow. We love your personality and couldn't ask for a better firstborn son. We love you, dear one. We truly do. Love, Mommy

Noah: 4 Months

*Noah turned 4 Months old on Friday May 9th.  I wrote this post on Saturday the 10th, and Tuesday May 13th.*

Dearest Noah,

Yesterday, you turned 4 months old! Time has really slipped by us. I remember that I used to think it would take forever for your brother to turn 4 months old and get to try baby food. But you turned 4 months old in a flash!

We bypassed the rice cereal route for you and just started you on baby food squash. You weren't sure what to think at first, but you liked it more as we went on. You probably had about 15 bites of it. We will try it again tonight and tomorrow night before moving on to carrots and then sweet potatoes.

You are quite the talker these days! You blab to yourself in your crib. Pretty soon, you and your brother will be having gibberish conversations through the bedroom walls! The other day, you woke up from your nap early and started (loudly) talking to yourself. I went into your room and put your paci back in and you instantly fell asleep! It was the funniest thing. You can talk to yourself for a good half hour in the mornings before you start to fuss.

You love tummy time! You do so well when we put you on your tummy on the floor! Sometimes I'll put a toy plush turtle in front of you and you have a staring contest with it. :) You can raise your shoulders off the ground and lift your head up quite far and you smile when doing it! I know you'll be crawling before I know it. If you are doing tummy time and placing your face close to the ground, your hips and legs raise up like a little puppy dog's legs when the pup is eating food from a dog bowl. :) It's seriously cute.

We celebrated Mother's Day this weekend. It was your first, and we did a baby dedication at church! You were very amiable and oh so cute in your light blue bubble suit. Pictures to come soon. You received a certificate of dedication. Your daddy and I promised to raise you up in Christ and the church congregation along with family members present agreed to hold us accountable in doing so, and agreed to shine the light of Jesus in your life as well. You are blessed, Noah Scott. Truly blessed.

You are just like your brother in that you love to be outside! When you are fussy, all we have to do is step onto the back porch and you settle right down. You totally love sitting in your stroller and watching your brother play with the sand table or on the slide. I have a feeling you'll be an early crawler and an early walker. Michael looks like he's having too much fun and you don't want to miss out!

As long as you are swaddled, you are a stellar sleeper--once you get to sleep. I'm sure it won't be long until sleeping through the night is a consistent occurrence. You've slept through the night about 4 nights during the past week. You didn't sleep through the night on Friday night or Saturday night but I didn't care because it was the weekend and I didn't have to get up early to go to work. :) As I'm writing this, you are working on falling asleep in my arms.
You are swaddled and paci'd but you'd still rather gaze at the TV where Paw Patrol is playing. So we stand up and sway a bit, but your eyes stay open and you begin looking all around. Oh well, we'll try naptime again in a bit.

You're in size 3 diapers during the day and now we put you in a size 4 Pampers Extra Protection overnight diaper for nighttime. You are totally not big enough to wear size 4 diapers during the day, but we had these leftover from when your brother graduated into size 5 diapers. So, you get to wear these remaining diapers until they run out and, at that time, we'll buy you the Huggies Overnight brand (which we totally like better).

You can still fit into size 3 clothes, which amazes me. Of course it depends on the size of each particular onesie. You're definitely comfortable in the size 3-6 month clothes. I can't believe I'll already have to start pulling out the rest of your size "3-6 month" clothes and size "6 month" clothes, and put away your size "3 month" clothes. Time is just going by too quickly!

So Content to be outside and watch Michael play:

 

 

Loves tummy time on his "I-Spy" quilt:

 

 

Trying baby food-- doesn't quite like it:

 

 

After baby-food-- quite calm:

 

 

Outside again to watch brother play:

 

 

 

Noah, dear, you are such a smiley joy. I love you to absolute pieces. You make up a third of my heart beat. I am always eager to get home and love on you and your brother. I'm ever so grateful that God put you into our family. I'm blessed to be your mommy. I totally forever love you. Love, Mommy