Nothing Like a Little Mid-Week Randomness

-- There is a book that Noah and I read called Quiet Loud.  Nanny Aunt Mo gave it to Noah, and Noah and I have a great time reading it.  It is of course about all things quiet and loud.  It says things like turtles are quiet, which I say in a teeny tiny whisper in Noah's ear.  The next page will say monkeys are loud which I shout in a loud voice.  Noah always laughs.  So, this Sunday in church, he was being extremely chatty, so I leaned over and said, "shhh... church is quiet."  Whereas Noah responded, "singing is loud!"  Touché, little man.  Touché.

-- Monday night for dinner, Noah was way more interested in goldfish crackers than his noodles.  I decided to enact the five bites rule.  It took about 15 minutes, but I was finally able to successfully get bite number five in his mouth.  Right after he swallowed it down, he gagged and threw up five bites of unchewed noodles right into my hand.  Noah 1, Momma 0. 

-- On another food related note, today Noah and I had lunch between therapy sessions.  I decided to introduce Noah to one of my favorites spots, Pei Wei.  He ate sweet and sour chicken and about 10 bites of fried rice. What a sense of Momma accomplishment when I can get him to try something new. Plus, really excited about bring able to satisfy my hot and sour soup craving during the week.  For those keeping score, that makes us tied in food wars. 

-- The word "want" has finally sunk in, and I think I can mark it on the books that Noah finally consistently using some language functionally.  Want goldfish.  Want cracker.  Want stroller.  Want Little Einsteins.  Want music.  Want M&Ms.  Want Momma (reported from Daddy).  So proud of you Noah and all your progress!

-- Noah is still having trouble transitioning to school in the mornings.  Sigh.  I am not sure why, but I'm wondering if he's the only kid who realizes halfway through the school year that Momma is going to leave him there.  I mean seriously, he never even fussed from day one, and now the last three weeks have been a fight when we pull in the parking lot.  I hate it, but I am happy to say that the teachers take it all in stride.  And, I got a little tidbit of how much the teachers "get" Noah this week when I went to pick him up.  Mrs. K told me that as soon as I left, she took him over to the bulletin board and started teaching him his colors in Spanish.  He immediately quieted down and started to listen.  Because, here's the thing about Noah, he likes to learn things, and he is a really good memorizer.  So, you may not realize it with all the movement, but he is totally paying attention.  I am happy that the teacher was able to quickly calm him down by tapping into something he likes.

Fish Tales

According to the weatherman, today should have had all the makings of a rainy and cold day.  But by sunrise, all the rain had gone away.  It turned out to be a gorgeous day, and the perfect opportunity to be outside.  So, outside we went, to a park in town where we met up with our old friend Claire.

 Here's a little refresher on our Miss Claire Bear.  She's one month older than Noah, and during Noah's pre-walking days, they were regular play pals.  She is an awesome climber, has great hair and has the BEST imagination.

 It didn't take Noah long to get tired of the playground equipment and find a big stick... and some evidence of last night's storm.

 Claire ran over to see what exactly Noah was up to.

Claire loved this new game.  "Look I'm fishing.  I caught a rainbow (I think) fish."

 "Whoa... it's a lot of fish."

You are so cute, Claire!  Thanks for such a fun afternoon.

Brought To You By the Letter "S"

In our early days of dating, circa 1996, Dean and I had lots of getting to know you conversations.  Childhood stories.  Battle scars.  Likes and dislikes.  I distinctly remember one conversation where Dean insisted that all his favorite things started with the letter "S."  Sleep.  Spaghetti.  Showers.  And, Sarah.  How romantic to be lumped into that category. 

Well, Noah is well on his way to loving all things "S" just like his Daddy.  Aside from the everyday staples of hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, spaghetti is about the only home-cooked meal that Noah consistently eats.  Sleep, well, since Noah still can manage a 12-hour night after a 3-hour nap during they day, I would say sleep is also something he enjoys.  And, of course, he loves me, but the thing that he is really starting to love is...  showers.

And while he sometimes balks at bathtime, he is always game for a shower.

A Tisket, A Tasket

My mom's group hosted an Easter egg hunt today at a neighborhood park. The weather turned out to be absolutely beautiful, and Noah had a great time playing. It has been quite a while since we've actually hunted for eggs, and I wasn't sure how interested Noah would be.

He loved hunting for eggs.

And, he got pretty particular about what eggs he was going to pick up. Not too sure what his criteria was, but I think he could tell with a shake which ones held chocolate.

Did I mention I forgot to bring a basket? Noah didn't seem to mind. He's pretty good at holding multiple items at the same time.

Besides, he also had Momma around to help out.

Say Cheese!

I have been  meaning to sit down and blog some pictures from our fun weekends with our friends from Mississippi, but it is spring break this week.  And, let me be the first to say that spring break was way more fun in my 20s.  And, while I am seriously enjoying all this spring weather, I am left to wonder where exactly is my break.

Anyway, this weekend we had a great visit from our good friends Chuck, Jodie and Caroline.  Caroline and Noah really enjoyed playing together.  Caroline is still as cute as ever, but BUSY.  She keeps her Momma hopping.  She is so cute and is starting to lose that little baby look.  And, if it is at all possible, her hair has gotten redder and curlier and cuter than the last time I saw her.

See what I mean.  C-U-T-E!

Now one of the things I learned about Caroline this weekend is that she is an excellent picture subject. 

See Exhibit A. 

What a great opportunity, I thought, to get a picture of Noah and Caroline together.  I coerce Noah over to his big blue chair.  Think again Momma.

 

See Exhibit B. 

Noah could learn a thing or two about photo ops from little Miss Caroline. 

So, I tried again before bedtime. 

 Nope.

And, once more before they were leaving to head home... and I got it!  Unfortunately, little Carline got an elbow to the nose in the process. C'est la vie.  Better luck next time.

Love

Today, while outside enjoying the gorgeous weather, Noah walked up to me, put his hand to my mouth, looked me in the eyes, and said, "I love you."


My heart is full.


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Happy Birthday Katie B.

Happy birthday wishes to my sweet niece Katie

Who, once upon a time, loved tinkerbell

And the color pink

But now has a little too much of her Daddy in her.

And spends way too much time on serious cheering for all those little girl things.

Plus, she can do things like this.

And this. Can you say awesome?!?

Happy Birthday Katie B.  We love you and hope you rocked your cheer competition today!

Everybody's Doing It

Most of my friends with kiddos around Noah's age have already reached this milestone. Some as early as 18 months, but not us. Oh no... Noah doesn't climb out of his crib, I smugly tell them. He likes it in there. Well, yesterday... not so much. 

It happened just before naptime, and he was having trouble falling asleep.  Quick side note, I think I left you hanging on the no nap situation, but it seems that I put it out there and the universe threw me a bone. Naps are back on, but they don't always run smoothly... like yesterday. 

Maybe I am naive, but I am pretty sure he didn't really want to climb out, but must of fallen out while trying to make a statement like "Momma come get me out now or I'll jump," but I wasn't in there to see it.  He hasn't tried again, but he may be waiting to recover from the carpet burns on his nose and forehead. 

I wish I had more to say on the matter, but I have big boy bed online shopping to do. At least someone finds humor in the situation.

Mazel Tov

Today, I went to a wedding.  And, I love weddings. But, I especially loved this wedding.  Because of this girl right here.

My sweet friend Jenny.  Can you say personality?

 And, obviously style.  Her dress was amazing! 

She married a nice Jewish boy with all the pomp and circumstance of a nice Jewish wedding.

Including this... which I though was so awesome!

I cried.  And, I never cry at weddings.  But, this one was such a happy day for one of the best girls I know, that I just had to tear up.  And, since I didn't completely project my toast at the rehearsal dinner enough through the tears for everyone to hear, I will just tell you...

Jenny is one of the sweetest, smartest, and bravest girls I know.  I am so happy that her parents ended up in some small town in South Louisiana, and we got to grow up together.  I am pretty sure that Jon knows how lucky he is to have a girl like Jenny.  I am so proud to stand in her wedding and be her friend.

Congratulations Jon and Jenny!  XOXO