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!).

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.

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.

life lately.

Today I am having an "on" mom day. It is ridiculously gorgeous outside and Noah and I took this day by storm.

Noah's first "ride", Danny the Dragon. Please excuse the yogurt he flung all over his face!

We had an amazing Easter weekend celebrating Kristina's birthday in Sonoma/Napa. I am loving looking at the pictures from our "real" camera that hasn't been dusted off in months (iPhone/Instagram killed my inner desire to learn to be a better photographer...one day). 

Me and the birthday girl.

These two. Too much!

I am wishing we had a neighborhood pool...a la Bridle Creek...for the summer. 

Come on, this bod is just dying for some pool time!

Sunny/warm weather makes me happy. I liked Colorado...it was pretty much HOT or COLD. I like each of these respectively. But the weird in-betweeny winters here in California are frustrating. I don't like jeans and sweaters...it makes me closterphobic (weird, since I don't mind donning fleeces, hats, mittens and puffy jackets). I like flowy dresses, skirts, shorts, tank tops. I just feel like I can MOVE and it is so refreshing to be getting a glimpse of summer in April.

Skirt blowing in the breeze. Also, Lola...miss her!

I am itching for a getaway. I drove past the airport today and wanted to go in, ask for cheapest flight to anywhere, and hop a plane for a spontaneous adventure. I thought Scott might be a little concerned for my sanity (and the safety of our son), so I kept driving...but I keep watching the sky thinking of our next adventure.

This would do. This would do just fine!

I am also itching for a stay-cation. Ok, a stay-night. There are two ways I could go with this (I'll order both, please). First, a night away with Scott, no baby. Just drinks, dinner, an in room movie, and some sleep in a bed that I don't have to make and a shower in a shower I don't have to clean! Second, me (only me), room service, in room movie, and sleep. Maybe a massage in the morning? One of my favorite parts about traveling for work (in my previous life) was my own little hotel vacation.


   Third (I'm adding one), family weekend in Napa? 

   Fourth...does anyone have any cash laying around they would like to send me for all of the above?

We did get away together for a whole day together, on a weekday! Giants opening day!

Bar Method Challenge. I am not sure I ever wrapped this up on the blog. I finished, I accomplished 20 classes in 28 days, I got my t-shirt & discount, and I crashed. Well, not right away. I kept up a normal routine for another week but then I was burnt out. I took a couple days off to recharge, spend time with my boys, and give my body a rest. It was a good decision. I am now ready to get back to the bar and tuck off the few extra glasses of sauv blanc that squeezed their way in during my rest!

The shirt.

Noah is a wild man. We are still working on managing his throwing and even giving him balls to throw as an appropriate alternative (to food, toys, phones, etc.) is becoming dangerous. He has an arm and zero aim. I can confidently say that he is ALL boy and is one really energetic, happy, and hilarious kid. 

This pretty much sums up my life these days. Love.

I made a decision against the better advisement of the AAP. I turned Noah's car seat forward. He meets the requirements for CA state law so we are going with it. We are both much happier car riders with the new change. 

Hello little face! He was craning his neck to look for trucks.

Ok, enough random information for one day. I need to go outside and catch up on my Vitamin D absorption.

Also, after reading this back, I have two things to add:
1. Sorry for all the caps and italics. Not sure why I got so carried away.
2. I really like my city and home...I feel like I talked a lot about wanting to leave it. Just always enjoy a little getaway!

frequent flyer

This makes me happy:

Yes, Noah now has a frequent flyer account. I am pretty sure his name is no secret but feel like I might as well take some privacy steps around here! 

We are excited to start accumulating some miles with the little guy in his very own seat!

the mom i am.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what "kind" of mom I am. This all started because I was thinking about the neighbor down the street who I would call the "experiential mom"...she know absolutely everything going on around town, all the best parks, and does crafts like she owns pinterest. I told her Noah loves trucks and she said, "you should take him to the walking bridge over 101 and watch all the trucks go by". DUH?! Why didn't I think of that. 

Better yet, I do think of these things occasionally. I think about taking Noah to just sit and watch a construction site while the "shucks" move dirt around. But I don't. I am not 100% sure why, but I am pretty sure it is because that sounds like an amazing idea for all of 5 minutes. And then, let's be honest, I'll start checking Facebook and Instagram while my boy stares at a back ho. 

It's selfish. Sometimes I am a selfish mom. Take today, I am tired from a weekend of self inflicted, wine induced, pain. Sometimes I make promises to be better tomorrow, and sometimes I'm not. 

But sometimes I rock the shit (sorry, mom) out of this parenting thing. Some days we get ourselves put together before 9:30am and hit the road for days of parks, friends, classes, lunches. Some days I literally catapult myself out of a chair at a restaurant because a helicopter is taking off at the hospital across the street and I'll be damned if my boy misses that event. Some days I will leave all the action so that I can read stories and snuggle my little to bed. Some days, I make Scott do it :-). 

Silly guy entertaining us all at Kristina's birthday. More pictures to come soon.

I have blogged about balance before. I am not sure that there is a right answer in this parenting game. There are about a million articles out right now about "mommy guilt" and "doing it all". I have decided that the kind of mom I am is the one who does what works on that particular day. Depending on the day, that might mean watching Noah play in his Little Tikes car from the couch, and some days it might mean having a Little Tikes high speed derby across the house. 

I probably clean too much, and run too many errands when there are bulldozers to watch. But, if I dropped all of that, I would feel off balance and stressed out. So while I read blogs of people making incredible memories and taking their kids on incredible adventures, you might find me scrubbing avocado off the floor because walking by that little green pile even one more time could make me scream (note: I should get a dog...floor cleaning solved). And, let's be honest, these ladies are also ridiculous writers and photographers who can make a trip to the pet store seem like an amusement park.

I might not be present every single moment in Noah's life. I have guilt about this sometimes. About checking my Facebook when I should be giggling with him while he explores the rock pile for the millionth time. But, I'll tell you this, when we hit our stride, we are unstoppable. 

I must have thought about what I was going to put in his Easter basket for two weeks. I wanted it to be perfect.

It is a bit like exercise, this whole parenting thing. On the days where I commit and make a really great day, I get the "mommy high" and have a renewed energy for a repeat. But, when I get in a rut and focus too long on the to-do list and not enough on the smiling little boy at my knees, I feel, well, blah. 

Today I feel blah. I don't feel like a "bad mom". I feel like I need to do better tomorrow, yet I know that Noah is not keeping  score. It is my own personal scoreboard that is haunting me. And, you know what, I actually don't think it is such a bad thing. I like that little reminder that there are days we blow the "blahs" right out of the ballpark and days where they get the best of us. 

The really unfortunate scene at our house at noon today. In all reality, he was really happy in that truck driving around.

I am not really sure of the final message here. Just that I am working on embracing the "mom I am" and trying to infuse a few more "run like there is someone chasing me to see the man change the street lights because he has a really cool bucket truck" moments into it. They make me happy, they make Noah happy. 

Who knows, maybe we'll even find that construction site some day. Maybe. 

more happenings.

Similar to last time, here is what is going on around here:

Bar Method Challenge - I am SO glad that I decided to hold myself accountable for this. It would have been very easy to blow off a class or two, but I stuck with it and showed up. And, guess what? I felt better after going (happens every time, you would think I would learn!). This was specifically true after our whirlwind weekend which landed us back in SF at 11pm on Sunday night after a weekend of celebrating Derek & Sarah. I was spent on Monday but showed up for my level 2 class anyway. I left feeling much more energized and ready to take on dinner and bedtime! I have three more classes to squeeze in this week before this thing is over, but so far, I am happy I am taking the challenge.

I wash about 5 pairs of these a week.

Braces - I got braces! Ok, not real braces...twice was enough metal for me...but Invisalign. Pretty much everyone I have told this to looks at me sideways. My teeth are pretty close to straight and I didn't need to fix them. BUT, my four top front teeth are staging a coup against me and trying to relocate in an overlapping, up & down fashion. It bothers me. I see it in pictures and it makes me frustrated. So, instead of waiting for the problem to get worse, I decided to fix it now, and hopefully quickly! I picked up my shiny new plastic trays yesterday and we are on the path to a straighter smile

Here is my before picture. I actually have my trays in so you can see that they aren't all that noticeable. Watch out front teeth...your overlapping love affair is OVER.

Wedding Fun - As I mentioned, this weekend we traveled back to St. Louis for a wonderful celebration of Derek & Sarah! They tied the knot on Saturday and we had such a great time kicking off their new life together. I love weddings and especially those that are clearly so meant to be!

I mean, cutest date imaginable.

A very close second. Sorry, Scott...Noah has you beat :-)

Not even capable of captioning this.

Family photo. Love.

Kate paid a visit - Remember the good ole days when I was blogging about Kate coming to visit every month. Now I have to settle for a couple times a year (her new job doesn't see it reasonable to send her to SF when she doesn't have clients here...lame!) so we make the best of it! We were lucky enough to have Michelle watch Noah so we could squeeze in some adults only time up in Napa. It was odd not to have my sidekick but a very relaxing day.

Ah, Gloria, how we love you.

Preschool - We enrolled Noah in preschool! He won't start until he turns two, but we found a great school nearby that he will attend twice a week. I think he will love having some new little buddies to play with, plus lots of new activities and experiences. 

Can't believe we are talking about school for this little guy!

Overall, life is pretty much business as usual around here. Noah is as busy as ever and we are working on ways to keep his boredom at bay. Apparently, he is not enthralled by the 3000 toys we have at our house so we have to get out and about to keep him happy. Probably good as I was getting used to laying around in my robe until 11am every day! Now that he has officially dropped his morning nap, it is time to say farewell to leisurely mornings of coffee and the Today Show, and hello to parks and classes. More work for me, but I am sure am happy to have such a curious little guy who loves to see new things!

Hiking with friends. They all looked thrilled!

Color fun. He made those squares all by himself ;-).

I am feeling a little "blah" about blogging lately so I am going to take the pressure out of it and just check in occasionally until I feel like I have more to say. It was really fun to blog our pre-baby adventures, my pregnancy updates, and Noah's first year. I refer back to those posts a lot to grab a recipe or just see what my bump looked like 15 weeks in ;-). But, these days, we are just a toddler chasing family doing what other suburban families do. The blog will remain, and I will visit you all, but just sporadically for the time being. Until next time...