Big Bites and Big Feet

Yesterday morning, Noah and I met up with some friends at the splash park. Noah was having a blast as usual. We got run off just before lunchtime by a busload of summer camp 10-year-olds and a swarm of mosquitoes. It wasn't until this morning that I realized we hadn't heard the last of those pesky mosquitoes. Noah woke up running a temp of about 101.5 and covered in with 20+ red whelps on his neck, face, hands, and feet. A quick call to his pedi sent us off to the pharmacy for hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl and Cheese-Its because really doesn't a box of Cheese-Its make everything better. Noah is down for a nap, and hopefully, he will feel better this afternoon. Ouch!

Speaking of the pediatrician, I forgot to mention that Noah had his 2-year well baby check up last month. Noah measured in the 90th percentile for height and the 90th percentile for weight. And, if shoe size was something kept on medical record, I am pretty sure he'd be in the 90th percentile for that too. Last check, he was 9.5XW. Although it's been about a month since that measurement and all he wants to wear these days are crocs.

Yesterday, I decided it's time to toss the crocs and go cold turkey on some summer sandals. I am all about a clean break. Ripping off the band-aid. I headed to Stride Rite yesterday evening loaded down with Cheese-Its (seriously, he loves these things), fruit snacks and a sip of juice. I was ready to stick to my guns and get him some real shoes. It turns out the first pair I managed to get on him was a winner, and after realizing I was pushing my luck to get him to try on a second option, I committed to the purchase. He walked out of the store with the new shoes on his feet, and I promptly threw the crocs in the nearest trash can in the new shoe box. (I'm not crazy. I am expecting a daily fight on this.) We have only put the new shoes on once today to head over to the pharmacy, and after three fruit snacks, I was able to convince him to sit still. They went on with only minimal fuss and only a couple kicks. Hoping the crocs will be a thing of the past and who knows maybe by fall, he will be ok with a pair of sneakers.

A Rainy Day in Florida

Did you know that during the summer in Miami it rains every single day! It's true. And, it usually happens in the afternoon. We are done with therapy and naps and ready to play, and all we get is rain. One day this week we went over to our friends Kasey and Luke's house for some play. They have a cute little patio off the living room. The rain had died down to only a drizzle, and Luke was demanding outside. He did say please.

Who could resist a please from this sweet face? So, outside they went. Noah kept saying rain, rain, rain, and turning his head up to the sky to drink the drops. He is one thirsty boy. Then, Noah got it into his head to start a shouting match.

Noah, what are you doing? Can I play too?

Sure, Luke. You're up. This is so much fun.

Alright buddy, now give it to me with some feeling?

Woo Hoo! That's what I'm talking about.

5 Things Friday 7.3.09

Noah has had some trouble sleeping this week. I remember hearing someone say or reading somewhere that when kids have trouble sleeping, it means some sort of growth spurt. I am not sure where I got this little nugget of information, and I am really not sure how true it is, but it has stuck with me. In Noah's case, I am having a feeling some growing pains are indeed happening. He was such a chatterbox today. He did lots of talking, lots of great interaction and even some repeating. Here are five things that Noah said today.

1. Squish (sscuuu-wish): said while playing with Play-doh this afternoon.

2. Caroline (cur-liii-n): said while looking through pictures on my iPhone. He was referring to our little friend Caroline.

3. ZZZZ (snort-shhhh, snort-shhh): mimicking me while pretending to take a nap on the floor.

4. Push/Bye (puuuu-uush/bye): said while pushing me with his finger through the bars of his crib. He was trying to tell me to go and get him some milk.

5. Seven (seb-in): sandwiched in between 1,2,3,4,5,6 and followed by 8,9,10,11,12,13. Oh yes, Noah can count. Seven is by far my favorite number, and the way he says it, it almost sounds like two numbers.

I guess it would be much more fun and exciting if I actually had some video accompaniment, but I don't. Happy Independence Day!

D-O-N-E

This week Dean completed his fellowship. I think when you finally get to your third graduation from some sort of level of higher education, the whole event tends to be somewhat anti-climatic. So, the final day came and went accompanied with a huge sigh of relief and some well wishes from friends expressing the sentiment, welcome to the rest of your life/your life begins/congratulations on finally having a real life.

We are staying in Miami for an extra month. Dean will be working at the same hospital, but now with the title of staff. It's a much better title with much better hours. And, after 365 days of never having him home before 9:00PM (or most nights 11:00pm), having him walk in the door at 7:00PM last night was a really nice change... something that I could get used to. Just now, I am not used to it. I am used to having several hours to myself in the evening, and last night, Noah was still awake, the kitchen needed to be cleaned, dinner wasn't started, and the pre-move closet cleanup was not close to completion. Dean was ready to relax, and I still had stuff to do. Hmmm... looks like I might need to prioritize my days, but it will be worth it to have him home.

Congratulations Dean on completing the most difficult year of training so far. Noah and I are so proud of you for all your accomplishments. We love you!

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Noah spent the weekend with Daddy. I made him promise to take pictures, and true to his word, I got this...

Hanging out at the pool with his special milk sippy cup in hand. I am pretty sure this one was taken during the witching hour, sometime between 3:00 and 5:00. Hence, the special milk sippy cup. It was sent with the text message, "don't judge me." It made me laugh, since I have so been there.

And this one. Noah enjoying the spaghetti that I cooked just before taking off to my trip. Daddy informed that Noah loved the spaghetti. So much so, that when Dean wasn't feeding him fast enough, he started shoveling it in himself.

And this one, which Dean didn't actually take. I took it yesterday when I got home, but it was too cute not to share. Thanks Dean for watching Noah this weekend, so I could relax, recharge and just be a girl.

A Weekend With the Girls

In a celebration of forging ahead into her thirties, my good friend Caroline declared, "No gifts this year. I want a girls weekend with my two Sarahs." So, we set a date, picked a destination, checked our hubbies schedules and planned for some fun. And, what fun we had.

We went to the beach, spent an entire afternoon at the mall, got manicures and pedicures, talked about old times, talked about our little ones (Sarah's little boy Drew is only 3 days younger than Noah), shared a yummy meal at a fancy seafood restaurant, imbibed some adult beverages, sang along to the hotel bar one-man band (while sweating the stage with our iPhone Zippo lighters), and swore we were sleeping in, but woke up bright and early out of habit. The best part? We laughed and laughed and laughed.

I can't wait to do it again. Thanks Sarah and Care for a great weekend!

Wings Schmings

Last night, a group of people from Dean's work were getting together for wings. Since moving to Miami, the nights I actually leave the house after dark are few and far between. So, I decided that Noah and I were actually going to go. The way our day was scheduled it looked like Noah was going to take a late nap, so he wouldn't be totally exhausted. Well, wouldn't you know it, he totally denied me a nap. Finally, I needed to shower because hey, a night out deserves a blow dry and makeup. So, I put Noah in his crib about 4:45 PM, and... he fell asleep. Sigh. I had a bad feeling. He woke up crying from his abbreviated nap, and I should have just given up and cancelled, but I forged ahead with my fresh blown hair and pre-pregnancy jeans (finally).

Noah and I picked up Dean at the hospital and headed to the restaurant. I use the word restaurant loosely since it was more like a bar/wings joint. We walked in and the crew was amassed among two picnic tables. The place was dark and crowded and loud, and the tables where everyone was sitting were way in the back. Noah immediately went into sensory overload. I knew within about two seconds this outing was a bad idea, but Dean said we couldn't just walk out, so onward we marched. I tried my best to follow the rule of don't let him down, but he's weighing in at about 34 pounds, and sometimes it's easier said than done.

So, after attempting to sit, act calm and collected, meet people, and join in some small talk, I gave up. Noah definitely had something in mind. He took off running back towards the entrance. En route he managed to wedge between the legs of a group posing for a picture and then got stuck between a couple hugging. I tried to push the amorous pair apart, but apparently they were lacking feeling below the waist because despite my pushing, Noah had to wait out the hug and then ended up on his butt on the floor. Undeterred, he jumped up and continued on his merry way to the arcade games in the front which I had overlooked, but eagle eye Noah must have spotted right off. We stood there for a bit while Noah got his fill of V8 vigilante, and then I bribed him with cheese-its and begged a waitress for a high chair.

A sippy cup of apple juice got him to get in the high chair, a refill of milk, some applesauce, half a pb&j, and an episode of Bunnytown on my iPhone afforded us a little conversation, an order of wings, and a beer in a frosty mug (aaahh). By that time, I decided it was time to put us and Noah out of our misery. As we struggled to get an overtired and overstimulated little boy into his carseat, I wondered if it was worth the effort. I am thinking not. First on the agenda on our move to Texas, a babysitter.