Old McDonald's Farm

Tonight during bath time, Noah kept saying, "Want Old McDonald."  Want Old McDonald."  A little background - He wasn't really asking for the song to be sung, but more like the game on my IPhone to be played which he has requested over 150 times today.  I've created a monster.  So, since IPhones and bathtime don't really mix, he had to make do with singing only.  So, off I went...

Me: "Old McDonald had a farm"

Noah: "EIEIO"

Me: "And on this farm he had a "

Noah: "A what?"

Me: "A what?"

Noah: "A what? A what?"

Me: "A what?"

(Sometimes this goes on a bit longer, but I'll spare you the redundancy.)

Noah: "A red wolf."

Me (smiling): "EIEIO.  With a"

Noah: "Ruff, ruff here. And a ruff, ruff there."

You get the gist.  I love that he thinks wolves say ruff ruff because they look like dogs.  I am happy to report that the other animals that Noah envisioned on Old McDonald's farm were sea lions that went "ROAR," parrots that went "parrot, parrot, parrot," crawfish that went "pinch, pinch," and a turtle that says nothing.  Aside from the crawfish, pretty sure that is one farm I don't want to visit.

The Easter Bunny 2010

Noah loved looking at old pictures him and the Easter Bunny, so I asked him if he wanted to go see him, and Noah said, "uhhhh huuh."  So, off we went to the mall, and we before could get in line to wait our turn with EB, Noah was already saying, "unhh unhh, unhh unhh."  So, suffice it to say, there will be no Easter Bunny picture for 2010.  Despite Noah's wishy washy feelings toward the EB, the bunny still showed Noah some love on Easter morning.  And, he must have been paying close attention lately because Noah's Easter basket was filled with a ton of his favorite things.  Jelly beans, Easter eggs filled with chocolate, a Woody doll from Toy Story, some new ELMO pajamas and a bathing suit (don't know if Noah was too psyched about this one, but I hope he will be when swimming lessons start in a couple weeks).

Toy Story 2 is a hit in our house, and Noah loved his Woody doll from the EB.

Opening every egg to see what goodies are inside.

Yay, Easter!

Our Backyard Just Got Super Fun

I was included on a random, mass email from a lady in one of my mom's group who was looking to get rid of a backyard swing set as soon as possible.  I emailed her back, "we'll take it."  And, sent Dean to pick it up yesterday afternoon from the nice couple standing in their backyard staring at a large pile of wood that would soon be their new, bigger, and better play set.  Dean arrived home late afternoon with cast off after giving it a quick run through the car wash.  Noah was super excited.

Noah couldn't wait for Daddy to put it together.  He sort of got in the way during the assembly process, so I had to corral him in the house.

And, Daddy luckily got it together in time for a quick test run just before dark.

Today, despite the so-so weather, Noah spent a lot of time outside breaking in his new play set.  Here it is.

And, if these faces are any indication, I think my impulse to give this play set a new home where spot on.

Even Daddy said that all the hard work getting this thing in our backyard was so worth it.

Easter's On Its Way

This morning I got Noah all dressed in his new Easter shirt for his school Easter party.  He looked so cute that I had to get a picture, so I grabbed my camera, but the battery was dead.  Bummer.  Left to rely on my trusty IPhone, I knew that I had only one shot to get it right.  We walked out the front door, and I told Noah to sit right on the C on the doormat.  He did, and then in my best Luciano Pavarotti voice, I gave him a "La, La, Laaaa!"  This is what I got.  And, I love it... ritz cracker teeth and all.  Wishing everyone a Happy Easter weekend!

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.