Noah: Ch Ch Ch Changes!

As promised (and in record time), a post about my favorite three year old! 

This Guy!!!

Three has proved to be a year of changes, and quickly, for Mr. Noah. 

A chilly day in SF but still smiling!

Potty Training: I think I blogged about this before, but it was yet another change after turning 3 so I'll do a quick recap. One weekend we went for it. Said no more diapers, pull ups, etc. and just told him it was time to go on the potty. He had TWO accidents and was trained (one at home, one at school). He even trained himself to sleep through naps dry. He still wears a diaper for bedtime although he will wake up occasionally to go in the night...then again, sometimes he wakes up with a full diaper. We'll get there. It was amazingly easy and it made me so glad that he was ready for the change and didn't have a single issue with it.

I decided to spare his future teenage self of any "on the potty" pictures but this is from the big day! (I prepared for the day by doing absolutely nothing with my hair or make up!)

Rocking his chart and working towards some prizes! Pretty sure he completed the whole thing in two days...joke was on us!

Big Boy Bed: When in St. Louis for Christmas, Cooper got to take over the crib so we were left deciding what to do with Noah for sleep. Ultimately, we decided to get a couple of rails and go ahead and let him try a big boy bed. He did perfectly. He napped and slept through the night like a champ. He called for us to get him out rather than taking it upon himself to just leave the room as he pleased. I don't know that I was surprised, but I was so happy it went well. 

One of his last rests with both paci and his crib.

I just love the way he crashed out the wrong way in our bed. Who can blame him...there is a lot of space for a little guy!

Upon returning home, he was back in his crib but quickly realized that he was able to climb out (he had never done this before) and we were anxious for the conversion kit to make his bed a toddler bed to arrive quickly. Unfortunately, the rail was on back order so after waiting and dealing with him yelling to get out one too many times (and waking Cooper), we just took the side rail off. We pushed his soft little chair up against the side and it has proved to be just the perfect (and free!) solution. He never got out of his bed without permission until...

He is cracking me up with the insistence on wearing my sunglasses lately.

Paci: We have talked about taking Noah's paci away at least once every few month since he was born. I was not willing to mess with anything sleep related so we let him keep it. Then, an opportunity presented itself. Noah told me he wanted a new toy. Since he had just gotten a million toys for Christmas I told him he didn't need anything BUT if he wanted to trade in his paci for said toy, I would take him to the store. He happily obliged. I waited another day, told him countless times that paci would not come home with us and that when it was time to go to bed he would no longer have paci to sleep with. All good. We went, shopped, he flopped paci up on the counter, and away we went. 

On our way to the toy store with our paci money!

Until nap time. The reality that it was gone set in and he was so so sad. It absolutely broke my heart not to go and get it out of the bag (of course I saved it for posterity!) and tell him we would try again a different day. We napped together that day and come bedtime that night he seemed ok with the concept that the paci "went to the bank with all of the other pacis that bought toys". No more tears but we still occasionally hear about paci. Actually, we drove by our bank yesterday and he said, "that's the bank, that's where my paci is"! 

You tell that face he can't have his paci back :-(.

The fall out from paci being gone is that naps are also over. He began getting out of his bed and playing instead of sleeping and while quiet play in his room is ideal, Cooper naps at the same time so we have abandoned the nap time routine. It's not as bad as I anticipated but there are days where I, admittedly, park him in front of a show or movie so I can get some work done around the house. 

Or he helps me work!

SO, there you have it. Some pretty major changes for our big boy. I am really proud of how well he has handled all of the above as he can have a hard time adjusting to change. Add to that the age three is like some kind of mental torture testing for parents and I say we got even luckier. I guess I should elaborate on that sentence...

Most of the time he is happy!

Noah is incredibly good. I realize that we got very lucky in having a boy who is insanely active and athletic but isn't crazy. He is very kind and rarely acts out in an aggressive manner. We don't have to talk about biting, hitting, or kicking others and he gives the absolute best snuggles. That said, three is HARD! I keep saying, whoever said "terrible twos" didn't have a three year old. The amount of talking back, testing limits, insistence on independence after we are halfway through a task, requiring us to start over, is painful at times. I have yelled at Noah and given myself a time out because I just couldn't bring myself to deal with the situation any more! The hardest times are meals and getting dressed for the day/ready for bed. The power struggles that ensue are something for the record books. I have never had to search so deeply for patience and calm in my life. There are times where I can handle his antics and we get through it with zero tears and desired results. There are times where he ends up in hysterics in time out. It's by far the hardest age we have experienced, but according to what I am reading, it should even out in about six months (to be replaced by 4 year old antics shortly after, I'm sure). It does amaze me how much I can be ready to walk out the front door one moment, and be ready to scoop Noah up and keep him in my lap forever the next.

This is the face of a three year old who is melting down because you are trying to take his picture!!!!

And then he'll surprise you and cooperate like he is always obliging!

And then he insists on wearing his goggles so that they pull his lower eye lids down. I tell ya, it's an adventure!!!

At the end of the day, life is good. Noah is an incredible big brother 99% of the time and makes my heart happy each and every day. 

These two...

Teaching Coop how to push the buttons. Oh, and matching PJs are like kryptonite to me. I can't resist!

He truly makes me proud of him and that is something to be remembered in the tough moments. The good far outweighs the bad and this time won't last forever. Might as well roll with all the three has to offer...because most of it is the most amazing boy I could ever imagine.

My guy!

noah turns 3

What an interesting little journey this blog has taken. It started off all about Scott and me, morphed into the Noah show, and is now 99% about Cooper. BUT, today we are going to go back to the days of talking about my first born.

Future Buff? Here's hoping!

My Noah.

This boy has me wrapped around his finger while simultaneously knowing how to push each and every one of my buttons. He is an amazing mix of smart, athletic, focused, silly, and a complete sweet heart!

That smile just melts me!

I can't really recap the entire year or we would be here all day so I will talk about what my three year old is like right this very minute:

School - Noah is still going to school twice a week (Monday & Wednesday) and absolutely loves it. He is completely thriving and it is so fun to hear him just blurt out random things he has learned at school. Mostly it is in the form of songs but occasionally he will tell me something like, "it's fall, Mama" and I realize it is because they talk about it at school. I love to see his enthusiasm to go to school each morning and the excitement that he takes away from the classroom is absolutely magnetic. His teachers tell me he is a "quiet observer" most of the time (this is not surprising...while he can be wild at home he is pretty mellow in bigger social situations) but that he recalls the smallest details and can definitely remind people of rules or exactly how things should be going! My little rule follower/enforcer. Hopefully his healthy fear attention to authority continues into his teens!

He has gotten much more interested in arts and crafts. He will actually focus on a project and enjoys cutting, stickers, painting, and gluing.

Friends - This is also mostly a result of school. Seeing Noah develop real friendships is a really fun thing to watch. I love to see him interact with his little buddies and talk about them long after they have been separated. Mostly he is focused on what toys they have at their house or what sport they played together ("I do fast running with Cole & Reed!") but he gets genuinely excited to see them and definitely has made connections with certain kids all on his own (versus the days of just playing with whoever mom wants to hang out with!).

A few of his buddies at his small party. I had planned a big shin dig but opted to cancel that and just go for a small gathering at home. He tends to get overwhelmed by large crowds right now so we wanted to make sure he was happy and comfortable on his big day. For the record, we weren't allowed to sing happy birthday, clap, and he was more than ok with Cole blowing out his candle!

Potty Training -If there were medals being awarded for potty training, Noah would get a gold...and maybe like 5 of them, just for good measure. We talked up the whole, "when you're three you go in the big boy potty" thing like, to death. So when the weekend rolled around after his birthday and we took the plunge we were met with very little resistance. I won't go into all the details of our method, etc. but he ended up only having one accident Saturday morning (playing outside) and has had zero since then at home. He had a rough first day back at school on Monday (one, and a half...made it to the bathroom but not quite to the potty, accidents) but that was my fault as I rushed him through drop off and didn't really show him the potty set up. Fast forward to Wednesday and he made it through school with zero accidents. We have also done a number of outings and had friends over to play and he is able to tell us, or just go, when he needs to. So, ultimately two accidents thus far. Clearly, I'm a proud mama bear!

Undied for Fundies!

Paci - Noah still has his paci for naps and bedtime. We thought about taking it away but realized that it isn't causing him any more harm (damage is already done from an orthodontic state as long...well, currently...it needs to be gone by 4) so we'll take our time with this one.

We may go round and round from time to time but he makes me the happiest and proudest Mom on the planet!

Bed/Crib - Noah is also still in his crib. We, again, thought about moving him to a big boy bed but decided to hold off. First, he has never climbed out of his crib, or even tried. Second, I am SO not ready to lose any more sleep. I need a few months of solid sleep before I am willing to mess with Noah's night sleep!

The big progress recently was getting a pillow in the bed and ditching the sleep sack in favor of a blanket. Baby steps!

Why? - Oh.my.gosh. This is like Noah's anthem right now. It can be out of true curiosity or just to be a stinker of a three year old. Either way, I hear this about a million times a day.

Someone was happy about his new bike!

Eating - I would say Noah is a typical three year old. He like anything that is starch &cheese plus hotdogs and chicken nuggets. Of course there are the random things he'll eat, like salmon, but mostly it is just a challenge to get veggies in him (we sneak in a lot with smoothies and squeezies though) and he will gobble macaroni like it is the last thing on earth!

The spread at Noah's birthday party. He wanted a train on his cake so I kind of ran with the theme!

Sleeping - Oh my wonderful first born. He is the best. He still naps most days for 2-3 hours (although he can easily skip it if needed and occasionally asks to skip it) and goes to bed every night between 7:30 and 8pm. He wake up to greet the day anywhere from 6-8am. I haven't quite figured out the science on why this moves around so much but when he wakes up, opens his door and turns on his light (all from inside his crib), it is go time! 

"Mom, carry me!"

Noah's Stats: 
Height - 37 inches (39th percentile)
Weight - 29 pounds (21st percentile)
BMI - 14.89 (15th percentile) 

Our old pediatrician had a fun little equation that based on a three year old's height you can calculate what they will likely top out at. Noah came in at 5'9". Obviously, this isn't exact and time will tell but it isn't unlikely based on Scott & my heights.

These two are two peas in a pod. Watching Noah's love for sports grow and his requests to take Scott in the family room and "watch football, Dad" absolutely warms my heart.

The reason he is a string bean...he never.stops.moving!

Fears - I have touched on this before but my guy has some pretty major fears. Far and away, number one is mascots. Or really anyone in costumes. There was a parent dressed up at Olaf at Noah's school on Halloween and we had to make an emergency exit from the premises. It is pretty much a full body reaction to seeing these characters and the fall out can last for a few minutes or days. Luckily, we seem to be making progress on the rest of his fears but our guy is definitely sensitive and you won't be seeing him sitting on Santa's lap this year!

After evacuating the parade where Olaf was.

About an hour later and the terror continued (this was because I wouldn't hold him and expected him to actually walk on the floor in our house...fall out I tell ya).

And about an hour after the above photo!

Sometimes I feel like there are two Noah's...the one at home and around his close friends/family, and the extremely cautious guy that other people tend to encounter. For example, I knew picture day at school was going to be a challenge for him. The whole set up, a stranger asking him to do something, pictures in general, was all just asking for him to melt down. And, sure enough, I got a call from the school that he was having nothing to do with it and they needed me to try and get him to take the picture. A little bribery and we officially got something on film! BUT, that guy is a totally different boy than the silly, rambunctious, chatty, and hilarious boy that runs around our house. He has energy for days, is smart as a whip, and is really the happiest kid on earth. He just clams up a bit when he encounters new people or any authority figures that aren't me and Scott. 

My nervous, shy guy.

And this one! Such a goofball.

Noah's heart is pretty much the biggest ever. In the middle of the whole picture debacle he turned to me and said, "Mama, I just love you". And, in that moment, he could have had anything in the entire world (he got a giant hug and kiss!). He is also the sweetest big brother in the world, well, 98% of the time. He gets really concerned when Cooper cries and rarely gets jealous of the attention Coop needs. Hands down, Noah gives the best snuggles ever and it will break my heart when the day comes that he doesn't want to snuggle up and watch Curious George with me any more. 

Brothers.

I could write forever about Noah. He makes me so incredibly proud every day. He also makes me laugh every day. He also makes me want to pull my hair out at least every other day ;-). Three is proving to be a bit of a doozy...he is quite opinionated and isn't afraid to make that known. BUT, the good and fun far outweighs the challenging and I look forward to seeing him continue to grow into the amazing little boy he is becoming.

Off to year 4!

Cooper: 2 Months

Two Months!

Here we are two months into this second time parenting gig. I might have said it before, but I'll say it again, how was one ever hard? I think about if we just had Coop and how easy life would be. That said, life with two is treating us really well and we are all finding our groove as a family of 4. Let's take this one family member at a time:

Dad: Scott is pretty much the best infant taker-carer-of EVER. He seriously has such a calm presence and really never flusters. Of course, he is equally amazing with Noah. Those two come up with such fun games to play together and the laughter I get to hear coming from outside or the other room makes me smile inside and out. I know Scott gets tired of the constant care taking that is currently going on around here. Having two kids on different schedules, one of which constantly needs something, doesn't exactly lend itself to kicking your feet up after a long day at the office. But, he never complains, steps right in to help, and even sends me off to Bar Method a few times a week. I keep promising him that it is just a few more months until we have our nights back (post 8pm that is!)!!

Coopie's first Giants game!

Mom: I am actually feeling pretty collected in this whole mom of two role. I have a really busy couple of weeks with a bachelorette party and shower I am throwing so I am feeling a little bit stretched in those areas, but as far as being "Mom", life is great. We have settled into a nice routine and despite the fact that I don't get to nap as frequently as I would like (read: almost never) the boys make it all worth it. That, and there's a glass of wine waiting for me after my 6pm feeding every night ;-). Speaking of wine, I can drink a glass of red and be ready to pump within a reasonable amount of time, but if I drink a glass of white, watch out! It pretty much just kicks me right in the rear and sticks with me for hours. Not sure what the difference is, but I'll be sticking to red as dumping milk on a Tuesday just makes me angry.

We really need to get this boy swimming more. He had such a blast in the pool.

Noah: My big boy. First the bad, which is brief. We went through a little bit of a phase of anger/jealousy/frustration? right around 6 weeks. He would try to hit me whenever I was nursing Cooper and it was 100% for attention as he would look right at me, fake a swat, and then make contact if I didn't react. Luckily, it passed quickly and he is back to his charming self. We are dealing with a little bit of whining and some clingyness to his lovey, Bear, but both of those things are manageable and we take those in stride. One thing that is very interesting to me is that he often tells us he is "baby Noah" in a very sing songy, high pitched (i.e.-baby) voice. We just roll with it and call him Baby Noah and about 30 seconds later he states, "I'm not Baby Noah, I'm a baseball player!". He definitely knows that Baby Cooper gets a lot of attention but I also think the attention has evened out a bit lately so things seem to be settling down.

Happy to give him all the snuggles I can to make him feel better!

Overall, Noah is a dream. He loves school, plays so well with other kids (aside from a bit of "mine" and sharing issues...which seems totally age appropriate), and has the biggest heart. He has started giving us the biggest bear hugs before we leave the house or before bedtime and loves to give out kisses. His imagination is so fun to watch as well. He will play for hours with his toys and it is usually about motorcycles (thanks, Grandpa!), baseball, airplanes, or some kind of truck. He is just as physical as ever and the amount of jumping, running, and climbing he does makes me tired just to watch! He is a bit of a scaredy cat these days as well. While he loves things from afar, getting up close and personal with diggers (there was construction going on down the street), street sweepers, trash trucks, etc. makes him completely panic. That, and mascots. The boy is petrified of them and reminds us of this every chance he gets. He also informed me today that he doesn't like the Easter Bunny and doesn't want to sit on him. We will rule out sporting events and Disneyland for awhile ;-). But, come Christmas, he is getting a picture with the Big Guy!

Oh, this face!!

One more random thing about Noah that makes me smile right now is his obsession with mustaches. He tells me whenever he sees one and even pointed out a Pringles can in the grocery store and noted that the cartoon on the box had one. He apparently doesn't like mustaches either, but seems pretty obsessed with calling them out!

Cooper: This baby could not be better. I thought we had it good with Noah, but Cooper is such a laid back guy. He seriously only cries when he is starving and is otherwise happy to kick around on his play mat or snooze. I keep threatening to start Moms on Call to get a good schedule going, but just can't quite find the right time to start that rigid of a schedule (especially with such a flexible baby). Currently we rise for the day around 6:30 or 7, feed at 8ish, and then go with the flow of the day. Around 8:30 Cooper gets his bath and then we give him a bottle sometime around 9 and put him down for the night. He wakes like clockwork at 2:30 and 5 to eat but has figured out that it is time to go right back to sleep so we are only up for 30 minutes usually. His evenings have turned from fussy to seriously happy times. He is typically awake from about 6-9 and will happily sit in a bouncy seat while we fawn over him, cook, eat dinner, get Noah ready for bed, etc. He is becoming so much more alert and gives us such wonderful smiles and coos these days. I would not be surprised if he rolls over early as he loves to throw his weight around while he is playing on his mat.I should clarify that I mean roll over back to front...he mastered front to back at one month and nine days!

Mr. Blue eyes.

Stats:
Height: 23.5" (57%) Same height as Noah.
Weight: 12lbs. 10.5 oz. (46%) 2 pounds heavier than Noah!
Head: 42cm (98%) This could account for those two pounds ;-)
Diapers: Size 1 during the day, Size 2 at night
Clothes: 0-3 month items are hit or miss, 3 month items are a perfect fit! Noah was always behind the curve on clothes so it is a bit odd to have a true-to-size baby!

Cooper on the left, Noah on the right. I say they look like brothers but aren't twinsies!

1 Month Stats & mini update

Seriously belated but I wanted to get them up here for my records. They were actually taken at one month, just haven't blogged them.

My loves.

Length - 21.75in (50 percentile)
Weight - 9lbs. 15.5oz. (44 percentile)
Head - 15.83in. (99 percentile!!!)

Diapers - Size 1 (since day 2 of life!)

Blow Outs - 1. Seriously, 1. And this kid can deliver some serious results in the poo department. I think I owe this to going straight to size 1 diapers. We brought him home from the hospital in them and completely skipped the newborn size. They would have fit, but, the size 1s are doing some great things in the containment department. It's a bit like the night diaper theory...bigger diapers for overnight to contain more. Noah still wears a size up at night!

And just for fun, a very quick update on both boys:

Noah - He is a trooper. His life has been everything but consistent since Cooper came home. My parents come and go, Scott traveled for work, he has a new brother, school is on again/off again with new classmates (camp versus school year), etc. He has rolled with most of the changes and we are doing our best to keep as much "normal" as possible. His jealousy definitely rears its head from time to time, and mostly when I am nursing. I have had to get my expectations for him in check as sometimes I forget that he is 2.5 and that his emotions are extremely volatile and his "job" is to test boundaries regardless of the major life change that just happened. But, I seriously could not ask for a better boy. He is truly a gentle soul and is so loving 99% of the time. He has been amazing at independent play when he needs to and even plays baseball with himself (he plays ALL the positions) sometimes. I wish I could be two places at once but he now has a sibling and we are all getting used to the shared time. 

1+1=2! We have a little trouble getting him to hold up two fingers on the same hand!

Cooper - He is such a good baby. He rarely cries. I really don't think that he has cried unless he is hungry, ever. He is kind of funny in that department as he will go from sleeping peacefully to waking up screaming with hunger. When he realizes it is food time, it is TIME! He really does go with the flow of our family and makes outings with Noah very painless. We are starting to implement something resembling a schedule in the evenings with a nightly bath, bottle, sleep sack, and bed. It seems to be teaching him that night is for sleeping (though he still feeds every 3 hours, he quickly goes back to sleep). He is not a huge fan of the paci which is both a blessing and a curse. It is a learning curve for me as Noah loved (and still does) his. I am actually happy he doesn't require it but I do worry about airplane travel without it...it is great insurance that you'll have a quiet kid on a long flight! Coopie is also a rockstar nurser. Efficient and not interested in just hanging out at the bar, if you know what I mean! Again, a blessing with a 2.5 year old acting out while I am incapacitated. Finally, he rolls from front to back. Tummy time lasts .5 seconds as as soon as I put him down he throws his giant noggin sideways and rolls back on his back! Sneaky little guy!

He has the best blue eyes right now. I can't remember Noah's ever being this blue so I am hoping they stick around!

Overall, life is really really good. We are all settling in and sorting out life as a family of 4. More soon! July is a busy busy month!

Noah News {2 years, 4 months}

It has been quite awhile since I did a post solely on my favorite two year old! While two is dubbed "terrible", Scott and I find ourselves laughing with, and enjoying our little boy constantly. That's not to say that we don't have our fair share of two year old drama, but on the whole, I am loving the 2's! Honestly, the most difficult part is just keeping up with his energy. He is a really good kid 99% of the time and the only truly exhausting part is trying to keep up with whatever sport he is demanding to play or redirecting his zesty energy!

A few funny Noah-isms

"Gad" (sounds exactly like God). He used to call Scott "GaGa" but he has recently made the jump to the more formal, "Gad"

"Fock" We'll spell it like that for the sake of the internets but suffice it to say it sounds exactly like the same word spelled with a "u". He truly is trying to say "fox" and has no idea why Scott and I fall over laughing when he repeats "fock off" (to indicate he would like his fox towel off his head).

Any word ending in -ing. He always adds an extra ending. For example, "hiding" is "hidin-ing".

"Passesgers", aka, passengers. He loves to drive by the train station and see all the people waiting for the train, or even better yet, getting on/off the train. As of late, if there are people walking anywhere in the vicinity of the train station, he squeals with delight that he has spotted a "passesger"! 

Language

This has taken off. I did my best not to worry when we hit two years and he wasn't putting words together yet. Our pediatrician (and every other person on the planet) reassured me that his speaking would catch up and to reevaluate come May if nothing had changed. Well, it changed. Noah is talking up a storm. He is pretty much a parrot for anything we say and watching him concentrate to put sentences together is so cute. While we aren't sitting down for a chat necessarily, he is really getting his point across and there is a lot less frustration on his part now that he can tell us what he wants. Plus, some of the things he comes up with are pure comedy.

"I did it!"

Physicality

Sometimes I wonder if he is 6! I can confidently say that Noah has surpassed all milestones here. This isn't really a surprise given his early walking, but he has just kept going! Sometimes the moves he pulls off are quite impressive. Just the other day he went running across the house, flung himself into the couch, missed the cushion, and somehow managed to roll himself down the couch, back onto his feet and back to running. Not to mention, when he does wipe out, he just jumps up and brushes it off (most of the time).

Running...always running.

Likes

Sports. We try to expose Noah to a lot of different activities yet somehow he always gravitates back to sports. He loves them all and turns just about any object into a golf club, tennis racket, bat, or ball.

Bubbles. Holy obsessed! At least 3 times a day he asks to go outside and play bubbles. He will happily blow bubbles for himself and Nana or grab the bubble gun and go to town. Watching the two of them run around the backyard chasing the bubbles is seriously the best. Pure joy!!

Nana. 98% of the time Nana and Noah are best buddies. As I mentioned, they play bubbles. 

Looking forward to our new soccer class that starts in April!

Independent Play

This has taken off in the past month. He will sit with his trains, planes, or play mats and just work his toys while talking to himself. It is really funny to eavesdrop but if you get caught you get asked to leave and sometimes even have a door closed on you!

Doin' dishes (aka, flooding my kitchen).

Fears

Things that make noises unexpectedly (this could be a toy or a printer), and "bees" which is actually anything that flies (including gnats).

Little boy. Big slide.

Motor Skills

I am not really sure what is appropriate at this age, but he seems pretty adept to me. Obviously his gross motor skills are great, and he will show me the correct way to hold a pen, "hold it down", whenever he draws (Papa taught him this). A funny new trick is that he can now run to the back door, unlock it, open it, and let Nana (or himself) out the dog door. This is great when I need help with Nana, not so great when I don't want him outside. I see a higher door lock being installed sooner than later.

He actually prefers this method of going outside and will opt for the dog door over an open door!!

Challenges

Meal time. My, oh my. One of my goals for the New Year was to get meals confined to the table for Noah (versus a bite here and there while on the go). We are doing really, really well with this. All meals take place at the big table or his little table (there are special occasions but for the most part I am calling it a win). That said, we battle some nights. The amount of 1-2-3s that are counted, desserts threatened to be taken away, ultimatums given about toys, etc. are endless. I try not to force him to eat if he isn't hungry but he also can't eat only macaroni-loni for every meal (seriously, he asks for it for breakfast). So I try to be reasonable while also making sure that he understands that meal times are to be taken seriously and that we sit and eat. It's an ongoing battle but the nights we have argument free dinners are so encouraging!

Other than meals the only time we really battle are when he is hungry or tired. After he gets home from school he is a complete bear. Usually it is because he is hungry AND tired but we go around and around until nap time. Honestly, all pretty typical two-year-old stuff and nothing that a little snooze or snack doesn't correct. 

Because you never know when you might need a helmet and fly swatter on an evening stroll around the neighborhood.

Injuries

Nothing major (i.e.-no urgent care/E.R. visits) other than a quick grab of the stove last week. It was a moment of sheer panic for me when I saw his little hand dart out (after I had warned him 700 times it was hot and to not touch it) and the panic that swept across his face as the pain set in was heart breaking. Luckily, we got cold water and cold compresses on it immediately and after a rough morning of tender fingers he pretty much moved on without a second thought. The silver lining...he definitely learned his lesson and won't be touching the stove again!

My favorite hiking buddy (well, as long as Kristina, my other favorite, is there to push him up all the hills)!

School:

Noah goes to school every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-12. With the exception of a couple of weeks after the holidays he ADORES school. He gives me a hug and a kiss goodbye and doesn't even look back. I hear about "Teacher Mindy", "Oo, Ah, Sean", and his "art" every day when I pick him up. Each of those have stories but I will spare you the details. It is a great break for me to recharge, get a workout in, clean up, run errands, etc. and it is wonderful to know that Noah is learning and having a blast during our time apart. 

I sure do love getting my boy back at noon, though!

 

The big ones: sleep, pacifier, potty training:

Hotel beds are oh so snuggly!

Sleep - Noah is a fantastic sleeper (hopefully this doesn't curse me for Cooper). He takes a 2-3 hour nap every day at about 1:30pm and goes down for the night at 8pm. He wakes for the day anywhere between 6 and 8 depending on the day. I would say 7 is pretty reliable. He is a trooper when we push his bedtime so we can stay out a bit later with friends and will even blow through a day without a nap without being too much of a bear. One day without a nap is about the limit though or we will start to pay for it! He is still in his crib and has never climbed out, nor showed any desire to try. So, we will stay the course until there is some kind of sign that he is ready for a big boy bed. If it ain't broke...don't fix it!

Pacifier - Paci is still kicking around for naps and bedtime. He is extremely attached to paci for sleep and I dread the day we have to take it away. I was told that at 3 it begins to effect their teeth (and have heard reports of dentists saying earlier) but with Cooper's pending arrival it is just not a battle I want to face. My gut says we will ditch paci around his third birthday. 

Potty training - We have had a potty for months and have a few potty books around but we have had zero incidents of any action actually happening on the potty! He is definitely taking an interest in his potty books and it is becoming extremely clear when he is going to the bathroom (he hides in corners and will often tell you "poo poo", or just dismiss you with a "bye, mama"). That said, this is kind of like the crib thing...I don't want to force it. I don't want potty training to be a forced battle and something that we push before he is ready. I, again, see this happening around his birthday.

We always end the day on a happy note and sometimes it is just so hard to lay him in his crib and say goodnight. Those last snuggles after the lights go out are the absolute best.

I have had this post written in bits and pieces for a couple weeks now and I just haven't hit publish because I feel like this is such a small picture of what Noah is up to right now! I want to include every little detail, or, better yet, just bottle him up so that I can always flash back to this time. But, alas, this is what I have come up with. An extremely small glimpse into Noah's world at 2 years and 4 months.