Noah News: Week 18

The peanut is 4 months old and apparently tired of that Teddy trying to hog the shot.

Meany Vaccine-y - Noah and his latest shot did not get along. We spent the better part of 48 hours wondering if our happy, smiley, babbling little boy was going to resurface. It was rough on all of us. Guess what? He did and is as cute as ever!

Sophie always helps me feel better!

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going" - Oh how true this is. This past weekend we embarked on sleep training the peanut (with the doctor's ok and note that he does not need food in the middle of the night). I was prepared for the worst and fully expected to be in a midnight war of wills and ready to shed a few tears of my own. Low and behold the mister surprised us. He awoke as we expected at about 2am and started talking/whining/crying in his crib. He cycled through a few waves of crying but never got too upset. After about an hour he went back to sleep. This repeated once more and then at 5am he woke up beyond angry. It was different and both Scott and I knew that this was not one worth fighting. So we got him, I fed him, and he went right back to sleep until 8am. He has pretty much continued this pattern since we started with the AM wake up coming around 6am and typically only one other wake/cry that is shortening in duration. I would go ahead and call our training a success although I know at some point we will have to work to eliminate that early morning feed...all in good time. I am a firm believer in making sure both Scott and I AND Noah are ready for changes we are making to routines/life. Noah was definitely ready to sleep through the night and I found solace in the fact that he didn't become hysterical about missing his nighttime feed. Clearly it had become a soothing mechanism and not a nutritional need which made me feel so much relief. When the early morning develops into the same we will cut that out too. So, in summary, we held our ground even though we wanted to go give him a cuddle and the end result is very worth the challenge!

Dad and Noah having an evening chat.

Holy Guacamole - No, Noah didn't eat guacamole for his first real food, but he did have avocado! We mushed up a smidge of avocado with a little bit of breastmilk (a tip from the lactation consultant) and away we went. The first bite was priceless...he was definitely confused about this new taste in his mouth and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. He was leaning in for more bites though so I will call it a success. With more practice he will be a solid food pro!

Whoa, what was that?!

A day at the spa - Arnold the Pomeranian also had a first this week. He had his first grooming appointment in his almost seven years of life. Poor little mister was all happy about getting out of the house but as soon as we set foot in the groomer he tucked tail and tried to head for the door (I actually think he thought he was at the vet which has not been a pleasant place for my little guy). I reluctantly handed over a shaking puppy and awaited the call to come and get him. The verdict: grooming is worth every penny. He feels so light and airy and didn't seem too angry that we sent him away for a day of torture pampering.

**Picture coming soon...he wasn't interested in posing tonight**

Ferris Bueller's Noah's Day Off - Noah has a hilarious new habit of fake coughing for attention. Sometimes I think he is trying to laugh. Regardless, he regularly makes this fake little coughing sound and once you acknowledge him you get lots of smiles. He also does it when he gets really excited about his toys. Hopefully this isn't a preview of his faking sick skills come school age! 

Who, me?!

Beach bum - Noah had his first trip the beach this week. We set off for Half Moon Bay to show Noah the ocean for the first time. Funnily enough, his sound machine he uses for sleep is waves crashing so I am sure he felt right at home. We enjoyed soaking in the unseasonably beautiful weather, great friends, and a gorgeous backdrop.

Snuggled up during an overcast moment.

Family photo at the beach