Four

We celebrated your birthday today. Daddy took the day off of work, and your cousin Blake was in town visiting.  Momma thought long and hard about our agenda for the day.  When school is in session, our days are pretty routine, but since summer break has started, I've started making little picture checklists to help you know what to expect from our day.  Today was a special number 4 checklist. Here is how it went down:

Cupcake House. Our first stop of the day. This is something you love that you do every Saturday morning with Daddy. The ladies behind the counter love you, and Daddy orders you three mini cupcakes (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry) with a purple lollipop on the side. Everyone got a treat for breakfast, and then we headed out the door. As we walked out you waved and said, "bye ladies."

Washing down your cupcake with some delicious milk.

Reviewing the checklist.

Considering you were up at 5:00 AM this morning.  We were more than happy to let you squeeze in a quick nap between locations.

The Castle. Our next stop was the play castle at the mall. You love this place, and I knew you would have a blast.

Lots of running going on here.  Momma was glad to have Daddy and Blake there to chase you around.

Build-A-Bear. It's amazing how easy the checklist made it to transition from activity to activity. We left the play castle and headed to Build-A-Bear. It was Noah's first experience there, and although a little jumpy, I think he liked it. Since they were all out of rainbow bears, Noah settled on a pink bear. Aptly named, pink bear.

Putting in the stuffing.

Giving Pink Bear a quick bath.

Aunt Mo was wondering why you got a pink bear.  Ummm... they were sold out of the rainbow ones. 

Swim Lessons. We squeezed a regular activity into our day.  Again, Momma was very happy to have Daddy there to help you get dressed out and then changed back after lessons.

Lunch. By this time, our crew was pretty hungry, so our next stop was lunch. We opted for some Tex-Mex where you are a fan of the chicken and French fries and the machines/games near the exit.  You left with a bouncy ball. 

Presents. Our final activity on the agenda was opening presents. This year you picked your own gift from a Fisher Price mail order catalog. Camping gear. You were so excited when you tore off the wrapping paper.

What is it?

Roasting hot dogs over your campfire.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! I hope you had a super fun day with Momma, Daddy and Blake.

A Bouncy Birthday Bash

Today we celebrated Noah's 4th birthday with a party at the bounce house.  Same as last year.  Same time.  Same place.  He LOVES that bounce house, and you know what they say, "if it ain't broke, don 't fix it." 

We even had to boys here to celebrate... just like last year.  

Here's the invite.  I ordered it from a cute Etsy shop called SquigglePrints. You know I love me some Etsy.  Check it out here.

Here's the cake.  I ordered it from a local bakery, but I got the cookies from... Etsy and decorated it myself pre-party.  So cute and yummy!  Here's the cookie shop.

Here's Noah loving the bounce house. Notice his super cute party shirt. Not from Etsy, but from my good friend Judi. She makes the cutest custom tees. Check her out here.

Here's a little sliding.

Here's a little running.

Here's our family picture.

Here's Noah listening to all his friends singing "Happy Birthday!"

Thanks to all our everyone who came out today to help Noah celebrate!  What a super fun morning!

A Spongebob Birthday Party?!?

Noah has a birthday coming up, and in my party planning, I decided that this year a theme could easily be chosen.  Dr. Seuss.  He's is really into the books, and we even have a couple of the old school movies that he loves.  I planned way in advance because I had a good idea of how pregnant I would be come party time.  Very. 

So, about a week ago, when I started pumping Noah up on his Dr. Seuss bounce house birthday party, he  informed me that he wanted a Spongebob party.  Really?!?  How does he even know about Spongebob?  Has he even seen an episode?  Well, in an effort to not disappoint the birthday boy, I hijacked his end of year school party with a little bit of SB.  Now, if he'll just stop asking for a Grinch cake.  If I'd only known, but unfortunately he's stuck with a Cat in the Hat cake. 

Cupcakes

Plates, cups and favors

Mmmm... these Spongebob cupcakes are delicious.

Still hungry after the cupcakes, the whole class headed down the hall to pop some popcorn.

Noah and Mrs. F making some popcorn.

Super Why

Noah fusses over bath time (shower-time) every single night.  I think it's more a habit than anything else because once I get him in the shower, he's fine.  I think he must just realize that it's the start of the end of the day, and he wants to prolong it as much as possible.  Since my days of picking him up and carrying him in the bathroom are behind me, I try to come up with creative ways to get him in the shower.  Tonight, I dug up some Superman pajamas with a cape out of the bottom of his drawer.  He doesn't really know who Superman is, so when he saw the cape, it made him think of Super Why, which he loves.  Upstairs in his costume bin, he has a Super Why cape, mask and wand.  Immediately after shower, he refused the Superman pajamas and was quite anxious to find his Super Why gear.  Since, he has no Super Why pajamas, I pulled out a couple shirts from his closet to see if they could pass for a Super Why tee.  No go.  Finally, I pulled out one of his Halloween costume rejects from last year, which he has NEVER put completely on his body.  Well, what a difference a  year makes.

Super Why to the rescue.

He did a good bit of running around.

Stopped for a quick photo-op.  Say cheese!

And, of course watched an episode on DVR.

Finally, he went to bed.  He seriously would not let me take off the mask.  Even asleep, I tried to ease it off his eyes, but he pulled it back down.  And, let me just say, if sleeping in character helps him snooze past 5:30 AM, Momma's going out to buy more costumes tomorrow. 

It's a Great Day to Be Alive

Dean was trying to teach Noah to say his age. He said, "Noah is..." Noah said, "Glad to be alive." Sweet baby boy!




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Up in the Morning

After several mornings of sleeping in until about 6:30 AM, Noah decided to start our Monday off right with a 5:15 AM wake-up call. When he climbed into our bed, I was too tired to make him go back to his room and "wait for the sun." Remember, the night light. So, instead I asked him if the moon was still out, and he said, "yes."

So, I reminded him that he was supposed to stay in his bed until the sun came out. But, he could stay in our bed as long as he has quiet mouth. Well, he didn't keep quiet, so we were all up around 6:00 AM. Seriously, how hard is it to work on consistent parenting that early in the morning?!?

So, when we finally made it back to his room about 6:30 AM, Noah immediately noticed the night light shining like the sun.

He looked at me and said, "It's working!"

Yes, sweet boy, it is. I'm not quite sure he's grasping the concept. Oh well, afternoon naps it is then.



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It Won't Be Long Before His Math Skills Surpass Mine

Five Things Friday 05.20.11 - What's Up With Us

I've been neglecting the blog for no other reason than... I'm tired. Noah has four more days of school, and I have about four more weeks until this baby is born. The long hours on the road are starting to wear on me, and I am looking forward to the break from school. So, what's up with us.

1. What's our current schedule? Monday thru Friday, Noah has school from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM which puts us out the door at around 8:15 AM. After school on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Noah has therapy at 1:00 PM, so after pickup, we usually grab a quick bite for lunch. On Tuesdays, Noah has swim at 1:00 PM. On either Tuesdays or Thursdays in late afternoon, we usually meet up with our friends to play. It's a pretty full week for us, but in a little over a week will get a bit of a summer reprieve.

2. What are we reading? We're still making the rounds through Dr. Seuss books. Right now, Noah loves The Sneetches and The Zax, The Lorax, I Am Not Going to Get Up Today (although I wish he'd take a que from the little boy in the book.  See item 4) and I Can Read With My Eyes Shut. He recites the latter quite often, my favorite is when he says, "what you should do about OWLS on NOSES?

3. What are we listening to? The most played tracks on our iPod is Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here from Schoolhouse Rock Rocks.  The first time Daddy heard Noah singing it, he had no idea what he was saying... something about Lolly in the Atmosphere.  He also loves Old Pajamas from Justin Roberts, Tonight, Tonight from Hot Chelle Rae.  Momma talked him in to that one.  My favorite is when he sings the verse - "And it kinda looks just like you. Mixed with Zach Galifianakis. Uhh."  The Other Day I Met a Bear from Bare Naked Ladies and The Cadence (aka the "Army Mens" song)  from Toy Story Soundtrack.  Each of these songs he will ask for again and again and again and AGAIN.

4. How are we sleeping? Me. Not great. This belly is definitely hindering my nighttime comfort, and as for Noah... Noah has decided to become a poor sleeper. For the past three nights, he's woken up somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30 am. I hope it's a growth spurt and not the resetting of some internal alarm clock. I'm trying out this Good Nite light. Wish me luck that it catches on.

5. How's the weather? The heat of summer is creeping up on us, but we have been lucky enough to have mild enough temps to still enjoy outside a bit. Parks with friends. Backyard in late afternoon. I even managed to remember to take a couple of pictures.

Happy Friday everyone!

The Dentist

It was long overdue. So, I scheduled (or actually rescheduled) Noah an appointment at the dentist. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was going to be a new experience for him, but I'd heard good things about this pediatric dentist, so I wasn't too concerned. Noah was long overdue for the visit, so it was necessary.

Noah chilled in the waiting room for about 5 minutes... long enough for me to grab a quick picture.



Then he ran circles around the waiting room until we were called back. The super friendly hygienist let Noah pick a new toothbrush, a pink princess one. He also got his first taste of fluoride toothpaste. He wasn't super thrilled about the new taste, and immediately asked for water. We were then ushered into the spaceship exam room (cool), and a couple of efficient and really nice hygienists attempted to get Noah to lie down and let them clean his teeth. They failed.

The dentist came in, and she managed to do a quick teeth check. Quick enough to find... A cavity. Ugh. A small one, but still one needing to be filled. We chatted a bit about follow-up xrays and filling the tooth. We left with a "Dora Visits the Dentist" book, a blue balloon and another appointment.

The Dora book was great. We used it for prep before our next appointment. He decided he wanted a purple balloon, and I loaded us up in the car hoping that they actually had purple balloons. I was a bit more nervous than Noah. Firstly, I was worried about the xrays showing more cavities but more concerned about the anesthesia that they were planning to give him. I succeeded at the "5,4,3,2,1, put this entire dropper of medicine in your mouth," unfortunately I failed at the actual "swallow it instead of spitting it out" part. So, the dentist moved onto plan B and gave it to him nasally.

Noah had some time to relax after that to let the medicine take effect. The dentist and I chatted a bit about Noah, and after I mentioned his affinity for pencils. She scrounged up one for her new little patient. Did I mention how great this pediatric dentist office is?

As the medicine started to take affect, we were able to convince Noah to lay down on the exam table and watch some Dora the Explorer from the TV on the ceiling. One of the hygienists covered Noah with a blanket, and he promptly said, " I need a pillow." Cute!

I had to step out for the x-rays, but when I came back into the room, the report was no other cavities (phew), but the one needed to be filled... And they were going to have to restrain him.

Noah actually did not mind being bundled up in the huge velcro wrap, but he did not like the filling part, and he cried the whole time. The hygienists sang him "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and the dentist literally took less than 3 minutes to fill the cavity.

Noah and I headed out the office. I felt like the sedation was definitely at it's strongest at this point. I had to carry him because he couldn't stay on his feet. He had a tight grip on his pencil, and we left the office with a purple balloon and a Diego sticker. The sedation wore off about an hour after we got home, and he was back to his normal self, much to my relief.

I'm pretty sure the sedation gave him limited memory of his time at the dentist, but I will say that he transferred his Diego sticker from shirt to pajamas back to shirt for about three days. I let him because I figured he worked hard for that sticker. Proud of my little guy (and his Momma) for surviving his first cavity filling.

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Swim Lessons

Today was the final day of Noah's two week daily dose of swim lessons.  To say that I was being a bit ambitious tacking on an extra thirty minute activity at the end of our already full day would be a bit of an understatement.  Noah and I came home at the end of each day exhausted.  But, he loved swimming, and I was so happy to see how much he's progressed since his two week course last year. 

So not on my A game, I forgot my camera, so all the pictures come to you courtesy of my trusty IPhone and Instagram app.  On the very first day of swim lessons, Noah got his colored chip and crowded around the door with the other 3:00 swimmers.  Ready to head into the pool, he pushed his way to the front of the line and tried to hold hands with the girl next to him.  The little girl shrugged him off, so undeterred Noah moved onto the next closest kid.  No one wanted to hold his hand.  He was just trying to do what he thought he was supposed to do, and he was so sweet about it.  It made my heart hurt to see my little guy reaching out to other kids and being denied.  True to form, the whole incident didn't seem to bother Noah, and the next day, I told him that when we walked into swim, we didn't hold hands, but instead held our chip high in the air.  He totally got it and did so great walking into the pool area solo and going straight to his teacher in the pool. 

Here is Noah working with Mr. Hector on floating on his back.  The first few times Mr. H put his finger under Noah's chin, Noah moved his hand out from behind his head to prop up his chin with his finger just like Mr. Hector.  It was too cute, and I was so proud of how well he was listening. 

By far Noah's favorite part of class was floating across the pool on the raft and going down the slide.  He was alwasy the very first to jump off the raft and head to the slide.  The big slide, of course. 

Here he goes.

Noah being awarded his certificate by Mr. Hector.  At the end of every class, Mr. Hector sings a little goodbye song to the kids, and then gives each one of them a hug.  Noah stayed long enough for the song to end, and then he was out of the pool in a flash heading to the lollipop bowl.  After a few days of this, I talked to him about waiting for Mr. Hector's hug before getting out of the pool.  That same day, he was the last kid in his class to get out.  Momma is so proud of all your listening and hard work this week Noah.  Great job!!

Finishing it off with a lollipop.  Noah's been having a preference for the blue raspberry ones.  They make his tongue and mouth the most delightful color.  What a great two weeks of swim!

Easter on the Island

My Louisiana family spent the Easter holidays "down at the camp."  I heard it was a great trip, and I can't wait until our family can go down for a visit.  We spent every summer there as a child, and I have so many great memories.  I love this picture of my oldest nephew Blake throwing a cast net off the dock.  My sister captured it with my dad's camera.  Strong work, Mo!

Coming Next Month...

Today is the first of May, which means I can officially say, "I'm having a baby next month." Wow.  I would like to say that this pregnancy has flown by, but I seriously feel like it has gone on forever.  This week my ob appointments have changed from once a month to twice a month.  Just another sign that I am inching closer to the end.  During my last visit, I mentioned to my doctor that when I was scheduling my remaining appointments, I noticed he wasn't in clinic the week of my due date. "Oh," he said, "I'm going on an Alaskan cruise." Hmm... awesome.  I'm sure you are going to have a great trip.  "When are you coming back," I asked. His response was at midnight, two days before my due date, "so let's not have that baby early." Really... he induced me a week early last time.  And, taking that into consideration, plus the fact that he still didn't deliver Noah, I'm honestly not that stressed about it. I mean, what can I do. 

At the same visit, he did suggest another ultrasound just to do a size check. I'm not really measuring that big, which I did with Noah the entire time, but he decided to schedule one anyway. I was able to get it the same day, and as an added bonus a little sneak peek at baby girl's face via 3D ultrasound.  The print out/scan is not the best, so you have to use your imagination a bit.

She looks a little mad. And, I hate to break it to the little miss, if she thinks it's rough in there wait until she sees what's happening on the outside. They did get a size estimate of about 5 pounds, 2 ounces. To paraphrase my doctor... not huge, but not petite either. I also got another "it's a girl" confirmation.

Noah continues to be completely intrigued with my belly, and I am pretty sure my constant pleas of "quiet hands" and "soft to Momma's belly"  are falling on deaf ears.  Funny story.  I am not one of those pregnant woman who has a belly button that pops out.  Instead, it just kind of gets bigger and flatter as my belly grows, which has earned me the label of being a "star belly Sneetch" from Noah.  He, of course, is the plain belly sort.