Friday, May 24, 2013

noah: 18 months

Let's start with some stats. Unfortunately, we had some scheduling mishaps and we haven't made it to Noah's 18 month appt. but we did get a quick weight when I took him in for his non-ear infection though:

Weight: 22.4 lbs. (Nana outweighs him by 4 lbs!) - 10th percentile (he was actually up to 22.8 lbs. at this appt, almost 19 months old)
Height: 32.25 in. - 50th percentile
Haircuts: at least 6!
He is such a happy little guy.

Randoms:

  • When we went to the doctor about a possible ear infection, the doctor noted Noah might be suffering from allergies (I was dying this spring). After a dose of Children's Zyrtec, he was a new kid. Poor guy though, a lifetime of itchy eyes awaits...


  • Noah's fine motor skills have taken off! He is getting so much better at using his utensils and I walked in to see a giant tower he had stacked out of not-so-giant blocks. Proud mama for sure!

  • Oh my little boy has become such a love. He gives unsolicited hugs and snuggles and loves to give kisses (especially to his little girlfriend, Stella). While I know not everyone appreciates his open mouth slobbering signs of affection, it melts me every time! Also, he is such an incredible sharer. He is always concerned about his friends having the toys they want and will gladly give up what he is playing with to take turns. Hopefully this is not a phase and this is just his nature.

Nana even gets in on the love.

Eating. Boy oh boy, what can change in three months. At 15 months I was patting myself on the back for a boy who sits at the table and eats. These days, meals are more like drive thrus for Noah. If he is
really hungry and we all sit down, he will maybe hang out for a handful of bites. The high chair is long gone as I feared for his safety based on the writhing he did. Most of the time he just stands in his seat and tests our limits with knees/belly/feet on the table.

One thing I have found is that making meals different and interesting helps. Not so much the food, but the location and utensils. Sometimes he gets to stand in his chair at the kitchen counter, sometimes we use kid forks/spoons, sometimes toothpicks, and on a really fun day, adult silverware. 


Actually, last night was a big night as he made his first ever meal request. I said, "Are you ready for dinner?" and he said, "gaga(dada), hot dog." I am not sure why Scott is associated with this particular meal, but he gobbled up the entire thing! 


Eating out is particularly adventurous with his new dining demands as well. So far, we are managing by opting for booths and letting him have a little truck watching time in a pinch. 

I haven't even touched on foods he likes/dislikes! I'll spare you! Clearly, food is a big topic around here right now. 

I love having lunch dates with this little guy.


Teeth. Eight in front, 4 molars in back. I think some more might be working on making an appearance but, luckily, they aren't coming with any mean side effects.

Sleep. One glorious nap a day. Noah is up for the day at 6:30am (I would love to make this 7am...those 30 minutes really make a difference) and takes a 2-3 hour nap around 12 or 1pm. Bedtime routine kicks off with bath at 7:30pm, then two books and bed at 8.
My snuggler after nap.
Talking.I got a bit freaked out at some point over the past couple months that he wasn't talking enough. So I started a list of all his words. Then I crumbled it up and threw it away. Noah has A LOT more words than I realized and while I might be the only one who has a clue what he is saying, he is really learning to communicate and is a sponge for new information. A few personal favorites: gross, poo poo (he notifies me every time Nana goes), papa (grandpa, he came up with it on his own), uh oh, one more. He also holds his nose whenever we get to the page with skunk on it. Not really talking, but a definite understand that skunks elicit the reaction PU! (ps-we read this book twice daily...he won't be satisfied otherwise).

Noah notifying me of "a poo poooo". He will not rest until it is cleaned up.
Activities. We are still nutty for gymnastics. Watching Noah's comfort level and ability level change has been really incredible. He is much more daring and loves activities (i.e.-the parachute) that he used to be a bit nervous about. We also began swimming. Like mother, like son?! He is a fish. We are in an amazing swimming program that uses a lot of theory and logic to teach, versus nursery rhymes and dunking. I literally leave each week on cloud 9 with his progression, love for the water, and quality of the class. 
First ride all by himself!!
We are so in love with our curious little boy. I swear each day gets more and more fun! Clearly from the amount of updating I just did, we are really proud of him and can't wait to see what the next three months, and beyond, bring (I was shocked looking back at his 15 month post how much had changed!).

Sunday, May 12, 2013

mom.

I did not deliver on Mother's Day this year. I bought a card weeks ago, my mom was here and I failed to give it to her, and then I didn't get it in the mail early enough for it to arrive in advance of today. There is no amazing package coming right behind it with a fabulous gift included either. I popped into plenty of boutiques and found all kinds of cute crap. I could have spent the money and sent it on it's way, but it wouldn't really mean anything because it was random stuff to put on a shelf. So, instead of coming up with something better, I just failed. Rather than getting something that might not be perfect, I got nothing. I failed. 
Can you tell where Noah gets his eyes?
This is not sitting well with me. My mom is absolutely the best. She is an incredible role model, friend, and person. I truly feel like the luckiest daughter in the world to have her as my mom. 
What is wrong with my head? I am really glad that sorted itself out.
She has been an incredible mom to me, teaching me to believe in myself, strive to be my best, seek happiness, challenging me when I need to be challenged, supporting me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, understanding me, loving me unconditionally. This list is a very small representation of all that she has given me. But if there is one thing about her that I truly admire, maybe above everything else, it is her commitment to others. There is nothing that she displays truer than that. Whether it is me and my dad, or a distant relative in a different state, she is always exemplifying what it means to be there. She cares deeply, celebrates enthusiastically, and focuses her attention where it needs to be. She can make an ordinary day extraordinary with the care and love she puts in. Plus, she can make an incredible bow for any occasion ;-). 
We should travel together more. This trip was unforgettable.

If you have ever had the pleasure of spending a day with my mom, you know what a wonderful woman she is. If you have ever spent an Oscar night with her, you know she can create the most phenomenal theme party. If you have ever received a gift from her, you know how much thought and energy she puts into it. If you have ever been at our home on a Thursday night, you know that she makes family her #1 priority always. She listens and encourages, and takes all the flack my dad and I throw at her for her less than uplifting work stories (which, yes, make us incredibly grateful for our life!).

My mom taught (and continues to teach me) how to be a mom and the values I want to instill in my own family. I cherish every night we spent around the dinner table as a family with a home cooked meal. I love that she was there for every.single.moment that she should have been growing up (there are some serious only child perks). I love that she will hop on a plane and fly out to help me while Scott is out of town. I love how much she loves my little boy. I love how much she loves me.

This post barely scratches the surface of all that my mom is and has given to me. If you know her, consider yourself lucky, if you don't, trust me that she is a true testament to what a mother should be.

Mom, you are kinder than you have to be. Each and every day. I love you. Happy Mother's Day.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

a tale of two toddlers.

Let's catch up:

We got a puppy.
Meet Nana (and watch Peter Pan if you are unclear on why we named her this)

My mom came to visit. All rules went out the window.
Case in point.
I now have an 18 month old boy and a second, furry, toddler. 
Partners in crime.
I am currently drinking a beer. It is 2pm in the afternoon, and I am alone.

Ok, I believe we are up to date.

Yes, the boy part of the above sentence is very important to the story I am about to tell you. Noah is a rough and tumble kind of kid. He is very physical (should have seen this coming at 8.5 months when he was walking) and has little to no regard for his own safety (i.e.-free falling off furniture is nothing new around here...he just climbs back up).
Horseshoes are not light, but Noah insisted on playing like DaDa.
Today was a great day. Noah and I started our morning off at Happy Hollow, he rode a ride alone for the very first time, and then we went and met Scott for a delicious lunch. I was feeling very high on my mom horse, echoing kisses back and forth with Noah as we drove home. 
First ride...ringing the bell.
I came home to my sweet puppy and praised her for having zero accidents in the kitchen while we were in bliss-ville. Then, I looked closer. Somehow, my sweet fur toddler figured out how to strategically pee under the washer and dryer. So, I sent the kids packing outside and proceeded to begin moving the very large and heavy appliances across the kitchen so I could mop up the giant yellow puddle. They were playing nicely together for once, Noah looking cute sitting on the edge of the fire pit (it requires a key and lighter to turn it on, so it is not a baby hazard while off) while Nana sniffed around him. Fast forward two minutes. I had absorbed the ridiculous amount of liquid that my 12 week old puppy left behind and went to say hi to the kids. Noah started running. Friends, when your 18 month old sees you and high tails it from the scene, it means he is up to no good. The scene? Fire pit rocks (think little tiny bits of lava) were everywhere, Nana was licking them up like an afternoon snack, and Noah wouldn't open his mouth. I opted to deal with the toddler first...he had an entire mouthful of rocks, meanwhile, Nana was still shoveling more in. After ridding mouth #2 of rocks, I headed for the broom. Big mistake. Noah wanted to help and Nana wanted to eat it. Within seconds, one was crying and the other one was trying to eat the broom while I tried to clean up the mess they had made. Ultimately, I hauled Noah inside, locked him out of the kitchen (the washer/dryer were still in the middle with floor cleaner everywhere), I went outside to tend to Nana who still hadn't peed outside so she couldn't be trusted inside. Now Noah is crying inside (did I mention we are an hour overdue for a nap?) and Nana is trying to eat my leg while I finish piling up rocks so she won't eat them while I put my boy down for a nap. Pretty much, I had a house prison, and a yard prison, and I was the looniest one in lock up.

And now, Noah is down, pee is finally cleaned and kitchen put back together (my floors looks great, thanks Nana), and Nana has been allowed inside under strict parental supervision. And here I am with my beer telling you this ridiculous story. What a return to the blog, eh?! 

I will say that life in puppy land has been really great at times and really trying at others (don't tell Scott I admitted that). She really is a sweetheart but she is also a 22lb puppy competing with a 22lb toddler for attention. My little boy is mischievous and hilarious and keeps me moving nonstop. My friend Jessi said it best, "it isn't a visit with Noah unless I get hit by something he threw". Yep, that's my boy. Yesterday I even took him to the pediatrician convinced he had an ear infection based on his melodramatic behavior. Turns out, I just have a busy, opinionated, toddler who is unable to really tell me what he wants (aside from "Nana treat"; this dog will be fat).

A small glimpse into my current life:
Noah running for the corner. His most favorite afternoon activity. We added a challenge factor with a puppy in tow. Also, those pants are size 6 months...I just can't give them up.
My kids helping me clean the cottage shower for Grandma's visit.
Noah refuses to ride in the cart anymore. He much prefers pushing it; and please don't try to help.

This outfit. Could you die?!
But there are also about 10000000 sweet moments a day that make it all worth it!
Future plans...puppy class and a "parenting a toddler" class. Until these two are manageable, you will find me in my backyard, by my tarp covered fire pit (thanks Amazon Prime), with a glass of wine. And guess what, I couldn't be happier.

*I feel quite paranoid in the world of the internet so I include this disclaimer. Please know that the glass Noah has above was empty before he every so naughtily climbed on the table and took it for his own! As for the baby on the table...blame Grandma.