I'm Still Standing

So the squat has naturally turned into a full on stand.  I am happy to report that as of today no walking has begun just yet, but she sure is standing tall!  Here are some shots of Em in action.

Oh look... it's one of brothers toys with small pieces.  Let me hurry up and play with it before Momma sees me. 

Down.

And up.

And down.

And up.

Family Fun & Field Day

Friday at school pickup, Noah's teacher waved us off with a "see ya tomorrow?"  "Not tomorrow," I told her.  "It's Saturday."  To which she replied, "It's field day."

Field day.  I knew that, but hadn't really planned on attending.  With all the traveling we do during the week, I tend to want to stay close to home on the weekends.  Did I really feel like making an extra drive to school on the weekend?  Dean was working most of the midday, so I figured we might as well.  And, I'm so glad I did.  Noah had some much fun.  All the boys from his class were there.  I had a chance to chat with the parents while our kids contained in the bounce house.  The weather was beautiful although a bit hot.  Luckily, I was able to find some shade and borrow some sunscreen for Emma.  I completely forgot my camera, but once again, yay for phone cameras!  Daddy even showed up after work to catch a bit of the fun. 

I loved watching Noah play today.  He was so good, and I think it had a lot to do with being around the people he sees everyday and being in a familiar setting.  I really do love his school.  And, I was a really proud Momma watching my little guy play with his friends and navigate the fun day. 

I pumped up field day by telling Noah that we were going to his school, and there would be a bounce house.  He was pretty pumped about it.  This kid loves him some bounce house.  There was a lot of bouncing this afternoon. 

I didn't really see a ton of teachers there, but Noah's teacher was front and center leading the motor activities.  I'm a big fan of Mrs. J.  Noah really wanted to participate in the slightly advanced sack race.  Mrs. J made sure that Noah came out first. 

 
Here is one of our many water breaks. 

There was a balloon man.  Noah and I walked up, and there were two kids in front of us.  I asked him if he wanted to come back later, and he told me that he wanted to wait his turn.  And, he did.  He was so patient.  When he finally made it to the front, he told the man he wanted a red balloon.  The man asked if he wanted a sword, and Noah replied that he wanted an ax.  Obviously, a bit of a challenge for the balloon guy, so he ended up with a sword. 

Emma was so good too and hung out in the carrier the entire time.  Sweet girl!

Time for the cake walk.  Noah chose a bright orange toy story cupcake with a star shaped Woody insert as his treat from the cake walk.  After he finished it off, he said, "now it's time for the hexagon."  He was referring to another toy story cupcake with a hexagon shaped character topper.  Yes, my boy love him some shapes, letters and numbers. 

Noah had so much fun at field day.  All that running and bouncing in the hot sun made for one pooped little guy.  Big snooze on the ride home. 

Phone Purge Friday 03.23.12 - Sweet Emma Lou

My post on our trip home was a bit Noah heavy, so I decided to do a bit of iPhone photo purging just for Emma.

Wearing Pa Pa's sunglasses while watching B play tennis.  I love how you can see his reflection.

 

Chasing a ball into a tunnel at Gymboree.

Momma's arms needed a break.  A little swinging at Noah's park playdate.

Such a big girl helping Momma with the grocery shopping.

Snoozing on a stroll. 

It's a little hard to tell from this angle, but oh yeah, she's standing.

Party In My Tummy

The day we left for Louisiana, Emma was starting day two of her second round of antibiotics to clear up a double ear infection.  She was also starting her new miracale weight gain drug three times a day.  So, I decided yogurt was the perfect food to keep her tummy happy.  She loved it.  You know what else she loved?  Guacamole.  She also loved roast and gravy, which Ma Ma Ellen fixed her over a baked potato.  She worked hard on her eating skills, and by the end of the week, she was very much improved on opening her mouth for the spoon.  She makes me laugh every time she eats because she is so serious about it.  And, she also gained two pounds while we were home.  Amazing!  Ma Ma Ellen was a huge help with feeding.  Thanks Ma for taking over duty most evenings!  You still have the touch. 

Katie B's Birthday Bash

Katie B had her 10th birthday at Grammy and Pa Pa's, and Noah got a chance to reap the benefits of the bounce house/water slide pre-party.  My smart baby boy decided to change back to dry clothes once the water got too cold and too crowded.  "Soaking wet" and cold are not two of Noah's favorite things.  Later as he wsa swinging, he told me, "Momma, this bounce house is so pretti-ful."

What Noah Did on His Spring Break

The kids and I loaded up for Louisiana to enjoy some family time for spring break.  Aside from a couple days of cold and one day of rain, being outside was on the agenda. I may have mentioned this before, but Grammy and Pa Pa have the BEST backyard.  It's actually an empty lot that Pa Pa bought about 15 years ago.  It has so much green.  A huge swing set.  A playhouse.  A pool.  A zip line.  I would like a dollar for every time I heard, "I need to go outside."  What a great trip! 

1. Noah did some major swinging in Grammy's backyard this week. On the flipside, Grammy did some major pushing. This child can not get enough. Thanks Gram.

Noah request for swinging.  "Would you like a push?"  Even Pa Pa got in on the action.

2. The weather was beautiful for the majority of the week which made for one dirty and tired little boy at the end of every day. Photo evidence below.

3. Noah is into drinking water from the tap. I guess he's trying to recreate the whole school water fountain thing at home. This is how I found him in his grandparent's bathroom.

4. Watching Noah play football with Pa Pa. He had the best time running and laughing. Pa Pa would say, "Go long. Go long." Noah would run and turn to wait for the throw. He missed every catch, but he didn't care. I feeling this kid probably better suited for track.

5. I tried to tell Noah a story as he was going to be bed. He said, "No mom. Stop the words."

6. I told Noah that after I put Emma down for a nap, we could go play outside. He told me, "Just in her crib. Not the "c" pillow." He was referring to my boppy pillow and me nursing her before nap.

7. Falling asleep way past his bedtime, Noah yawns and says, "I'm so tired!"

8. You know what makes you feel old? When you pass your nephew driving in the car next to you. The same nephew you used to pick up from kindergarten ever day. We pulled up alongside him, and Noah said, "Look, it's Blake."

9. Seth put Noah to bed. Just call him the baby whisperer.

10. Ma Ma Ellen brushed up on her babysitting skills. After she watched Noah in the backyard for me, she started to head inside. Noah said, "No. It's Ma Ma's turn. Go down the slide. Through the sandbox..." Funny, Noah.

Emma - Nine Months

At nine months, I can officially say that Emma has made it over the fourteen pound hump. Phew. With the addition of a calorie supplement to her diet, there has also been an increase in food. And, this little one is loving food. Real food. She wants whatever is on my plate. So far, she's eaten gumbo broth, guacamole, mashed potatoes, and (with the help of Ma Ma Ellen) baked potato with butter, milk and roast gravy. We had to cut her off after half the potato since we weren't sure how her little tummy would handle it. I am remembering continuing to take fenugreek. Along with increased production, I am smelling like I ate pancakes for breakfast 24/7. So, with nursing, food and supplementing, this little one is starting to fill out. And, I'm sorry to say Emma Lou, I think you take after your momma after all. All that added weight seems to be headed right to her thighs.

She is still on the go and can take a flight of stairs like nobody's business. See below video proof. I believe Daddy is working on the baby gates as we speak.

She still has not cut any teeth although I think I see a few coming in on the top. She is definitely in the mouthing phase and will pick up anything and shove it in her mouth. A close eye is required at all times. If there is a speck to be found, she will palm it and try to gobble it up.

She may or many not need a haircut, but Momma is definitely resisting.  Her hair is a wild mess, and more humid days start to crop up, I'm afraid she's got a bit of a curl going.  I definitely am going to have to start practicing doing girl hair.  She remains a great sleeper and a super happy and social little girl. See for yourself.

Warm and cozy in her stroller

This eating is serious business.  Mmmm... roast, rice and gravy.

This child has incredible balance and strength.  This is her famous squat position.

Happy baby girl.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

About a month ago, Noah watched an episode of Sesame Street where the "word on the street," was GARDEN.  Noah is a huge fan of the "word on the street."  He gets so excited to learn a new words and add to his vocabulary.  So, don't be surprised if he asks you, "what's the word on the street?" 

Have I mentioned that my parents have the best back yard ever?!?  Grammy also has lots of gardens, so I figured our recent visit was the perfect opportunity to grow some flowers.  I picked these up from a local nursery.  I was going for rainbow colors, but Noah really wanted to include some pink. 

And off we go.  Step one.  Get some dirt.  Sand toys make an awesome fill in for gardening tools in a pinch. 

Noah was such an awesome helper.  He carried the bucket of dirt and his shovel all the way from the shed to the playhouse. 

I cleared out all the old dirt and leaves, and Noah poured in all the fresh dirt.  In all honesty, it was both his and my first time planting flowers.  I think we had some awesome teamwork going.

Ready to "grow some flowers."  I did the planting, but of course, there is no photo evidence.  I have to admit... somewhat fun.  Maybe I should attempt this in our own garden. 

Admiring our handiwork.

A "Magic" Shirt

Noah has been dealing with a lot of "jumpies" at school recently. There are several reasons what the cause could be, but whatever the case it's becoming a little distracting. Noah's teacher suggested picking up an Under Armour t-shirt one size too small for Noah to wear. The purpose is to give Noah constant pressure throughout the day to help with sitting still and paying attention. It's like a wearable hug.

Whatever day it was that she asked me was one of our longer days. I texted Dean to stop at Academy on his way home and pick up a shirt for Noah preferably sleeveless in an extra-small or small. True to form daddy came home with several shirts in varying colors sized both small and extra small.

I decided to send the shirt to school the next day and let the teachers decide if he needed to wear it. Apparently, they had some trouble getting him to put it on at school. He wouldn't take off his regular shirt. I can understand. He was wearing his solar system shirt. He really loves his solar system shirt. When I picked him up from school, the Under Armour sleeveless shirt which was a size too small for him was on outside of his clothes. He was not happy.

This morning I decided I would send him to school wearing his shirt. He was a little reluctant to put it on but daddy, being the sweet daddy that he is, ran to the closet and grabbed one of his under armor workout shirts. He put it on under his scrubs and came in the room. He told Noah all about his magic shirt and how it makes him feel strong and makes him smarter. Noah picked a color from choices - the gray short sleeve and was pretty content to wear it without a shirt on top. Thank you Daddy!

Today happened to be rodeo day. So now he was wearing his "magic" shirt with his blue jeans, cowboy boots and a button down shirt. He was really complaining about his button down shirt, so I was worried that he wouldn't want to wear two shirts to school. The problem was he didn't like the button down shirt. He did however love his magic shirt.
Too many changes in one day, Momma. However he was totally rocking the rodeo look for about ummm... five minutes.

PS - He wore his "magic" shirt all day, and he had an amazing day at school. Even Daddy may be a fan of the special under shirts too. He called me mid-day to let me know how much he loved his. Smile.

Double Trouble and a Dose of Good News

The long dreaded GI appointment was today. I've thought about canceling it. With adding a little food (yogurt, fruit) and supplementing 4-6 ounces of formula a day, she was gaining a bit of weight. At least curving at the third percentile.

I took her to the regular pedi yesterday for a weight check. She's definitely been gaining, so I wanted someone to say it was ok to skip the gi appointment, if I wanted to. Instead, Emma left with a script for augmenton and a double ear infection diagnosis. Seriously, we both were feeling a bit crummy last week, but nothing like last time. And, clear snot, people. And, this week no symptoms. Happy. Baby. Sigh.

I decided to keep the GI appointment today, and I am really glad I did. Dr. K was great and didn't run a single test. Phew! He aaked some questions and let me talk. He said he sees this all the time, and 90% of babies just need a little help.

I left with a supplement called Duocal. It's has no taste and no texture. Just calories. He told me to put one teaspoon in her food three times a day. (Insert note to self. Time to feed Emma three times a day.) A teaspoon has 14 calories, so the added calories will be like adding a couple ounces of formula. He was very pro breastfeeding which was nice, and he thought with a bit more food with added supplement, I could get her back up to average in a couple months. Wouldn't that be nice.

I'm so glad I kept the appointment.

Time for Gymboree

I signed up Emma for a trial class at Gymboree. I found a class at the perfect time. Unfortunately, the age started at 10 months. I figured I'd go ahead and sign her up anyway. Mobility should countp for something. Not only was she the youngest, she was also the littlest. She had so much fun. Crawling up to all the kiddos. Playing with the squishy balls. Stopping to clap and wave. Precious. The instructor confirmed that she was in the right class and that she would definitely be a bit bored in the younger class. I'm looking forward to Wednesday mornings with my little girl.

I loved watching her try to push the air log with all the big kids. She totally tried her baby heart out.

I can't wait for our next visit.