Random Thoughts

Noah is napping, I am surfing the internet and letting my mind wander. Here are just a few things that are bouncing around in there (seriously, these are random)...

Why do they make baby pants with real pockets? Unless Apple comes out with an infant iPhone (you know, so they can set up their own play dates) it seems a little silly and a lot bulky!

Nothing like getting the technology in early!

I wish it was easier to unfriend people on Facebook. I have had a few instances lately where a friend's post shows up on my Newsfeed and I actually say, "who is that?!". Probably time to clean out the list! 

I quit Bar Method. It was a pretty tough break up after being together for two years but it was no longer working for my current needs. I am looking for child care, more classes, and a cancellation policy that doesn't involve 2 HOURS notice. 

I ordered a Bob Stroller. This is my current solution to the "I need an exercise plan" debacle. Hopefully Noah likes it as much as his Orbit.

Coming soon to a sidewalk near ME!

I seriously don't know what I would do without my Ergo. Evening walks with the poms have become a part of our every day routine and it is such a nice time killer activity.

He still won't ride on the front but I am a-ok with our backpack trips :-)

Speaking of evenings; I love our neighborhood between about 6:30 and 7:30pm. There are lots of families out with their kids all doing the same thing...killing those few extra minutes and I'm sure extra energy (we walk to keep Noah awake right now) before bedtime routine starts. 

I really enjoy sleeping on the floor. Or, really, just being on the floor in general. Whenever I go back to St. Louis I find myself on the kitchen floor for some reason or another (I usually start just to say hello to Belle). Lately I have been curling up on the floor next to Noah's crib for morning nap (we both catch some zzzz's). For some reason I like it better than my tempurpedic bed at that time. Strange? I think so. Don't worry Scott, I won't be trading our bed for the floor any time soon. 

Noah went through 5 outfits yesterday. 5!

Back to exercise. I took a week off and feel half good and half terrible about it. I am pretty consistent so I am thinking it is nice to give the ole bod a break, BUT I also feel like a smushy lazy person. I guess that means two weeks off won't be an option ;-). 

I want to revamp my diet but I am overwhelmed/intimidated/lazy. I really want to incorporate more whole grains, lean protein, and veggies but I don't really know where to start. I think the answer is I need a personal chef (HA!). I love healthy meals but I gravitate towards preparing cheesy, carb laden alternatives. Maybe I'll overhaul Sunday Supper and make this about adding a new super healthy recipe. One a week I think I can commit to. And, for the record, kale is going to have to stay at the grocery. I just can't bring myself to love it even though it is the "it" ingredient for health nuts right now.

Probably not as good as real risotto but probably a good swap!

Sometimes I feel like I should be on Teen Mom. I swear people in the Bay Area don't have kids in their 20s. I went to music class yesterday and felt like the teenage babysitter instead of the mom. I guess my Midwest reproductive clock is just ahead of these Westerners!

And, just in case you were hoping for a picture of Noah...

my peanut!

First Family Vacation

Howdy!

As I am sure you have noticed, we set off on our first family vacation last week. We packed our bags (4 checked and about 25 carry ons...seriously, 5 months old require a lot of stuff) and set off for our third annual Scottsdale trip. We go every year and meet my parents and Dennis & Derry. The ladies play while the men golf and then we all get to enjoy good food, company, and drinks in the evening. 

Noah enjoying some peas in AZ.

This year the trip had definitely evolved. I mentioned in my last post that Scott and I often feel like two ships performing our parental duties and this trip was no different.

Year 1: Engaged.

Year 2: Married and about 10 weeks pregnant.

Year 3: A family of 3.

The Good:

• The weather was ah-ma-zing. It was unseasonably warm which was fine by me!

Noah trying to cool down with Grandma's tea. He wants everything that people have in their hands.

• Noah and I got in some quality Grandma time. We both miss her tons and it was so nice to let her get in lots of snuggles.

Out at one of our many delicious lunches.

• Scott got to golf for four days straight. 

Future golfing star.

• Noah fell in love for the first time. He had such an adorable crush on Derry! (Derry doesn't like to be photographed so Noah will just have to remember her in his dreams!)

• Noah went swimming for the first time. He seemed to enjoy it and was more concerned when Scott went under water than when his little face got submerged (it was actually an accident but turned out to be a happy one).

My little swimmer. If there is one thing this kid will know how to do it is swim!

Learning to float.

• Noah is a great flyer. He was a perfect little guy on the plane once again.

I know I am biased but this is one good looking kid!

The Bad:

• Noah was having nothing to do with sleeping. Pack n Plays are officially not the answer for our little guy. In the end we pretty much co-slept with him to help him back to sleep during his frequent wakings. 

Pondering his previous evening.

• Scott and I felt like we barely had any time together. By the time we got up and got through morning routine it was time for Scott to head to the golf course. When he arrived home we traded off taking showers and then it was time for dinner prep, cooking, bedtime routine, etc... By the end of the day we were both beat and so the trip kind of turned out to be more of us just passing by one another. Next year we both decided a day or two less of golf would be ideal so we can have more family fun.

Playing on vacation kind of rocks. Nothing like bare legs and feet!

The Facts:

• I had intended to read a book with pages (versus e-reader) and sit by the pool at least one full day. I ended up reading zero pages of any kind of book and getting my rays by taking walks daily. While it wasn't the original plan, the walks were very relaxing and I intend to make long walks a part of Noah and I's routine a bit more.

Maybe no pool but we had some amazing lunches with gorgeous scenery.

• Nothing changes on vacation. The pump comes along, Noah still needs to breastfeed, there is no sleeping in, bath and bedtime are still the same...you get the idea. Parental responsibilities are still there even though having extra loving hands around does make things easier.

Dado and me.

• When we got home on Sunday we popped an '07 Nickel Cab and snuggled up on the couch. Noah was happily asleep in his crib and I think we both finally relaxed. 
• I got a long awaited margarita. It was perfect.

My treat at the Spotted Donkey.

Noah News Weeks 23 & 24

We're back! Let's jump right in...

Baby Boom - Anyone else love that movie with Diane Keaton where she moves to the sticks and makes her own baby food? Well, I started off strong on the baby food making train; avocado & sweet potato were easy! Then we went for pears. I bought them but threw in a jar just as back up. Guess what? The pears rotted and the jar got used. I am not sure I am cut out for stage 1 baby food making. The amount of time it takes to plan and make the food is just not quite working with my other SSAHM (that's super stay at home mom) jobs. I am hoping to do some baby led weaning so hopefully we won't be on purees for an extremely long time and I definitely intend to make him well balanced meals as he grows. I also might get a little more interested when we get to meats...something about canned, pureed, turkey dinner gives me the willies.

Noah investigating his apple wedge. It was a tasty little teething buddy for an afternoon.

1-2-3 strikes you're out - Yep, I was not at the ole ball game on Giants opening day this year. Since I have moved to SF, Scott has been kind enough to let me crash his opening day tradition with his friends. This year, I had to miss it. We tried to figure out how I could make it and came up with two options:

1. Bring along Noah - Pro: no need to find a babysitter and no need to pump (see #2). Con: I wouldn't be able to imbibe and I don't think Noah would find the opening day ruckus very fun.
2. Get a babysitter for Noah - Pro: I could go and have fun without concern for the well being of the littlest Retchless. Con: I would have to pump at least twice while there.

In the end I realized that pumping at a bar and baseball stadium were really not for me, and bringing Noah wasn't going to lead to anyone truly enjoying themselves (least of all the Peanut). SO, I sat on the bench. It was disappointing, but, as I told Scott, if there is a reason to miss out, Noah is a damn good one.

We played with our cousins Tanner and Kayla which was much more our speed!

It's a Date - Scott and I put a date on the calendar about a month ago to truly go out for a date night. This involved handing over bedtime routine, getting dressed up, and going to San Francisco for a nice, leisurely meal. 

Out in public without spit up on me (I have peas and spit on my back as I type this so it is kind of a big deal)!

Let's break it down:

• Getting ready when you have a puker means wearing a robe until you are one second from being out the door. Good news when you have a tendency to change 25 times as there is no time for that.
• The amount of time it takes to get back into "mom" mode when you return is about 1.1 seconds. I kicked off my heels, threw on my robe and had my boy in my arms in about 1 minute (more on why shortly).
• Actually looking at my husband was wonderful. Being on baby duty means we are often just passing off Noah or tasks without truly engaging. It was nice to sit across the table from one another and just talk and take each other in.
• Food is good. We both say the #1 thing we miss about living in SF is the food. We used to try a new restaurant every weekend and could pick up and head to our favorites without a second thought. Now it requires a lot  more planning but it was SO worth it. We went to Cotogna and enjoyed our food and wine without interruption (unless you count the guy sitting 6 inches away at the next table...I have no idea how the people dining with him didn't walk out).
• Pretty much nothing went as planned. And guess what, Noah was ok! I am a control freak. Like, it is a pretty big problem. I like to have things go smoothly, and my way, so leaving Noah's bedtime routine to someone else gave me heart palpitations. BUT, I know it is good for him, Scott AND me, so I left a lovely instruction manual and headed out the door. Well, the instructions got lost, Noah didn't take his bottle, he slept on top of his sleep sack, and so on and so forth. When we got home he was a pretty pissed off baby but no worse for wear. I gave him a bottle, got in a few wonderful snuggles, and took my drunk (seriously, when is my tolerance coming back?) self to bed. This was an important lesson for me. Things might not go as planned, but he is in wonderful hands and I know they would never let anything truly go wrong!
• Overall, it was a wonderful evening and as soon as we got up the highway a bit I was able to relax and not worry about Noah. We didn't even call to check in! I am already looking forward to our next one.

We selected the Titolo mainly for the description (the wine ended up being very tasty). I like that it was a "labor of love - the one and only wine that she makes" since Scott is my one and only!

Sit and Be Fit - Noah is making some serious sitting progress. His friend, Max, from our new parent group is an excellent sitter and one day I sat Noah down next to him and it was like he had been doing it forever. He definitely can't be left alone to sit yet, but he is getting stronger by the day!

Peek a Boo - I am not sure if I have blogged about Noah's obsession with playing peek-a-boo. He is the initiator and is the one covering his face (have I mentioned my child is a prodigy?). Noah loves to put every possible fabric item on his head (blankets, burp cloths, clothes). If he is playing, he will put it on his head, put his arms out to the side, and act like he can't get it off. Then when you pull it off he gives a huge smile and repeats. If you ignore him long enough he takes it off himself which is why I am so impressed at the little game he has created for himself.

Where's Noah?!

There he is!

Vacation - I am going to do a separate post on our vacation because this post is already really long and I have equally as much to say about our first family vacation.  Let's just say that it had the good, the bad, and the ugly all mixed in.

Playing at the airport before take off (his new favorite toy is my wallet).

Delay of Service

Hello, blog world. Unfortunately we are having an interruption in Noah News this week. I was hoping to be able to get a post out before we headed on VACATION(!!!) but packing a 5 month old used up all my brain cells. I will combine this past week and the following week when we return. And, don't worry, Lola & Arnold have the best babysitter in the world coming to hang with them while we're away :-) (although Lola looks less than thrilled with the suitcases hanging out in our living room).

A sneak peek at what is to come:

• Sitting progress
• A real date (which will also include notes on the first time we left bedtime routine for someone other than us)
• My thoughts on baby food
• Giants opening day thoughts
• Vacation recap (I might be a little excited to be on our first family vacation!)

I know, I know, it is going to be hard to wait for such exciting stuff! I leave you with a couple pictures...

This is the face of a kid who got left behind while Dad attended opening day :-(.

This is what morning play time in the desert looks like!

5 months

Noah hit the 5 month mark on Monday! In some ways it feels like time is flying, but in others it seems we like have never ever lived a moment without him. It has been the most wonderful 5 months and every day gets better and better with our little peanut. 

I'm not really sure that you can even tell he is growing but I promise he is! He is up to 14lbs. 6oz. and 26" (from 7lbs. 10oz. and 20" at birth).

Noah News: Week 22

Easter Sunday Funday - While the Easter bunny only brought a few measly pacifiers for Noah (much to Scott's dismay), we did get out and enjoy the beautiful day that we were blessed with. We were also fortunate to be included in Cortney's family's Easter celebration. We had a wonderful time visiting, eating, and watching the Master's. It was a low key, wonderful Easter. Next year, the decorating, Easter Bunny visiting, and Easter basket building will be in full swing!!

Taking Christmas lights down counts as "enjoying" the weather, right?! Oh, and yes, we are those neighbors that took until April to take down our lights. At least we stopped turning them on every night in February!

My Easter boys...Not Noah's more photogenic moment (he refused to nap) but look at those shoes!!

Mommy and Noah.

Just give me a sip of that champagne and I'll be fine!

Cruisin' together - Yep, another picture of my man riding in the Ergo. He is surprisingly tolerant of his sunglasses...

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin' - To ring in 5 months, Noah learned how to roll from back to front. He had been so close and Scott and I kept holding our breath each time he would try and, then, voila! He just pushed on over Monday morning. The real rolling fun began on Monday night, though. At 3am I heard crying screaming through the monitor. As you know, we are fans of CIO but my "mommy instinct" told me this was not the time to have a battle of wills and I headed down the hall to find my little guy on his tummy side way in his crib with his head jammed up against his crib rails. No wonder he was pissed! He is slowly learning how to sleep on his stomach and I am hoping it only gets better with time. I also think his insistence to get onto his stomach is kind of comical since he hates tummy time so much....

Yay, I'm on my tummy!

Oh no, where do I lay my head?

HELP! Why didn't you tell me what a bad idea this was?!

This is pretty much how the last 48 hours of my life has gone...and, yes, he does know how to roll back over...he just doesn't do it. I am pretty sure he would like to crawl so I see a few frustrated weeks/months ahead until he gets stronger.

The Family Bed - We have started some interesting sleep habits around the house this past week. While we are all tough in the middle of the night, we become big softies around 5:30am! We have started letting Noah snuggle in with us from this waking until we all get up for the day (between 7:30 and 8). I know this doesn't really qualify as the family bed or co-sleeping but it is a habit we have started that we all really like. Lola even gave him a snuggle the other day so I think she is on board too! I figure he can come in every morning until he goes to college for all I care...there is nothing better than waking up to those big eyes and a cute smile! 

Seriously, wouldn't you want to wake up to that little head?!

I mentioned sleep habitS...this is my other bad habit. If we are having a rough nap, Noah gets to sleep on Mommy for a bit.

I just can't get enough of these snuggles!

Handy Man - Noah is pretty much a genius when it comes to his hand coordination. He can manipulate his books and toys so just the right spot makes it to his mouth. So what if he has red marks on his head from flailing toys into his noggin...the fine motor skill excellence surely places him into the "exceptionally advanced" category, right?! Of course, I am kidding, but his motor skill development impresses me each day as he gets more skilled at getting what he wants, when and how he wants it.

Trying to drink some milk from my pump parts. Apparently I needed to feed him :-).

Noah News: Week 21

How sweet it is - potatoes that is! Noah had his first sweet potato this week and it was a hit. Apparently breast milk is sweet and so I think the transition was good for him. He opens up for more bites and I consider it a "favorite" food so far.

Yay sweet potatoes!

Backpackin' - Remember in High School when you just had to have the Jansport book bag with the pen/pencil holder on the outside with the velcro flap that covered it? No? I was the only one who had a weird obsession with bags (ok, I still do)? Well, my latest "backpack" is not of the book toting variety. It is much more functional for my current life since it totes an adorable, big eyed, little boy! Noah will NOT ride in the ergo when it is on my chest (he will cruise in the Bjorn though) but he is a huge fan of hopping on my back and going for a stroll through Safeway or around the neighborhood. He just relaxes and takes in all his surroundings. 

Sorry, the self portrait was a bit hard to capture.

Too cool for school -Noah says that backpacks are so 1999 and he is wayyyy too cool for that!

Ready for Arizona...I'll have "my people" carry my bags for me.

It's a bird, it's a plane... - It's NOAH! We have discovered that we can now give Noah airplane rides on our shins. I am not sure he is 100% psyched about it yet but I'm sure in time we will be asking for "more, more, more"!

Yep, I'm flying, but not really sure why.

Workin' for the weekend - We have put Noah to work. He manages an unruly bunch of plastic rings, pacifiers, blocks, and crinkle toys while I do my morning emails.

This was before he began throwing the rings off the tray onto the table.

Watch out below! - Or anywhere in a two foot vicinity of Noah at all times. I briefly mentioned this last week, but, this kid is a spitter puker! And not just a little dribble here or there, we are talking major quantities without warning. We go through at least 2-3 burp rags a day and at least as many outfits. Of course, he manages to christen my outfit at least once daily (well, many more actually, but I usually can wipe off most of them) with his little surprises so needless to say the washing machine is working overtime.Not to worry, we have asked the pediatrician and it isn't anything to be worried about as he is gaining plenty of weight and it doesn't cause him pain. It is just a pain in the you-know-what for us! We did learn that it should start to settle a bit around 6 months. Can't wait!

Noah's first time in a high chair. He looks so grown up!

**A random PSA for those reading who are nearby and might be willing to get puked on...I am not one to impose my baby on people so you will not often here me saying, "do you want to hold him?". That said, I have no problem sharing all of his adorableness with anyone who wants a turn so you just have to ask, or better yet, just pick him up. 

***resolution for next week, get out the real camera!