one big baby

September 3rd marked Noah's 6 month mark. (Yes, this means I am precisely 8 days behind on my blogging, and 6 months behind on my sleep.) The last month has been one of big milestones and accomplishments. All in one week Noah learned to sit on his own, he sprouted his first tooth, he learned to say "Dadadadadadada", and he became a steam roller, rolling like a rockstar. That makes for two happy parents, one goofy baby, and one dumbfounded dog. (Sam thinks we are the biggest dufuses ever when we cheer at Noah and his ability to roll over. After all, it only took him about a week of training to master the task!)

We took Noah in for his 6 month check-up and here's the stats:

Height: 28 inches (93rd Percentile)

Weight: 18 pounds (61st Percentile....He's thinning out!)

Head Circumference: 17.9 inches (91st Percentile)

Noah is a healthy and happy little man, and we have absolutely loved these past 6 months of watching him grow (albeit a little TOO fast!)

the best remedy

One of my favorite things in this entire world is the laughter of my boy. The last week plus has been extremely difficult filled with setbacks, trials, bad news and poor developments. I'll spare you the details, mostly because they are not the point. But, as I sat on the couch with Noah today laughing and playing I was reminded of how much I love those moments. Despite everything that is not good its so refreshing to have that, even if it is just a moment. 

Noah had been growing fast. He is already five months old, though you would never know it. He sports his 9 month clothing like it were going out of style. Our liitle boy is a very big boy, that why we have affectionately dubbed him Samoa Noah (We have decided that he is albino Samoan - from my side of course). He loves to laugh and play, especially with his little cow that I have dubbed Milford. It seems to be his favorite toy, though he is starting to enjoy some of his other toys too. He is almost rolling over, practically sitting up on his own and is amazingly curious. He is always reaching out for things and investigating everything around him. He is enjoying his Rice cereal though Shelli and I both think it might be time for even more solids as anytime we have something to eat he stares our food down like its high noon at an old western showdown.

I love my little boy. These past few moths have been crazy busy but some of the most amazing of my life. It has been so much fun watching Noah grow and discover the world around him. For right now I owe Noah a bit of gratitude for bringing me some joy when I needed it most this week. I even thought I would share it with you...

Feeding by Osmosis?

Instead of ingesting his rice cereal, we like to smear it across every available square inch of his body. We have a theory that he will receive the nutrients via osmosis. Okay, so maybe not. It's just part of being a baby, and it sure makes for a cute pic!

Top 10 Reasons why we haven't been blogging/Why we're slackers

The month of July has come and gone, and our poor little blog has been ignored. Sorry about the lack of posts, we have definitely been staying busy, playing outside, and enjoying the summertime! Here’s the Top Ten Reasons why we haven't been blogging!

Reason #10
We celebrated the 4th of July at Snowbird Ski Resort. It was beautiful, and we were able to catch up with a lot of friends from college at USU. We sure do miss them!

Reason #9

We’re going to be an aunt and uncle and cousin again! Adrienne is PREGO! They are expecting Baby #2 at the end of February! Be praying for a healthy and happy momma and baby!

Reason #8

Kelly and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary! Wow, how time flies. This year was a little less eventful than last year….(Remember, we found out that I was prego with Noah on our one year anniversary! Surprise!!! No more babies to report this year….that we know of at least! HA!) Kelly and I both took the day off of work, and spent the day with our little family. I had a terrible headache the entire day, so I ended up being a bit of a slug, but we enjoyed ourselves, nevertheless. My parents took Noah for the evening (thanks mom and dad!) and Kelly I headed up to Park City to enjoy dinner together at Zoom. It was delicious, and we really enjoyed some time with each other. Anniversaries (and marriage, for that matter) are definitely different when there’s a baby! We picked up Little Man, got ice cream on the way home, and enjoyed our day of celebrating two years.

Reason #7
We celebrated the 24th of July with my parents and the Lansings…(well, we actually celebrated the 25th of July!....Hooray for the Mormons coming to Utah…..yesterday!) We had fireworks and dinner, and enjoyed my dad’s biannual fireworks dance. Yes, my dad dances. On the 4th and 24th we see his talent for interpretative dance. It is quite spectacular actually. I’m not sure if I enjoy the fireworks or my dad’s pirouettes more!

Reason #6
Kelly went to Denver for a week. He led the Capital Youth Missions team to Colorado for some good times, and to share the love of Jesus! He headed up the team of 11 youth and 3 other leaders. Kelly’s group of 4 youth spent the week serving in an assisted living home. He came back with some fabulous stories of really neat people! (I feel like he should post about his experience, because I can’t do it justice!) Noah and I really missed him, but he gave us a little gift to open each day while he was gone, and prepared a video for us to watch each night before we went to bed. Noah LOVED seeing his daddy! Each night I would feed him, give him his little massage, and then start the video, and he would get so excited to see Kelly!

Reason #5
While Kelly was gone for a week, we stayed super busy! We went to lunch with Kali to say farewell as she heads off to Denver seminary, went to a horse show with Nana, celebrated Poppa’s birthday (Happy 55 DAD!!!), went to Cowabunga Bay water park with Nana, Poppa, Aunt Adrienne, and Ty-Ty, went to dinner with Rachel, and went to a Relay for Life for our little friend Lola. I met Lola at Primary Children’s where she is a patient. She was diagnosed with cancer of her eye (retinoblastoma) when she was merely 7 months old. She had had dozens of chemotherapy treatments, surgeries, and examinations, and has been CANCER FREE for over a year! She is now two years old and full of LIFE! Lola and her family have become really great friends, and we were honored to be a part of her Relay for Life team! This was such a success, and raised so much money for cancer research for the American Cancer Society! If any of you want to get involved with Relay for Life, or would like to donate to the American Cancer Society, let me know! Amazing things are happening here.

My dad with Tyler on my dad's birthday.

Noah and Shelli floating the lazy river at the water park.

Worn out after a wild day at the waterpark.

Fun times at Daybreak pool.

Playing at Kearns pool with AD and Ty.

Shelli & Lola (AKA: Cancer Survivor Extraordinaire!) at Relay for Life.

Reason #4
Kelly came back home, we had just enough time to give him a hug and kiss, and he hit the ground running! He’s so busy with work, and is in overdrive to get videos, graphics, pictures, etc. etc. done. We are happy to have him home though!

Reason #3

I am starting with a new neurologist. My migraines have been absolutely out-of-control, and my friend Trina referred me to this new doctor. Neurology clinics don’t really know what to do with migraine patients, and therefore, we kind of get the run-around when it comes to treatment. My current treatment was obviously not working, so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try a new doctor. He has such a passion for treating migraine patients, and suffers from migraines himself, so he gets it and has an incredible amount of compassion and sympathy for this blasted ailment. Please pray for some relief, and that this new physician would get me on a treatment plan that is more successful.

Reason #2

We just booked tickets to go to Hawaii! We will be going at the beginning of October, and can’t wait to feel the sand between our toes! We will go to Oahu for a few days. (Kelly and I would really like to see Pearl Harbor), and then head to Maui for a week. We are meeting up with my parents, who will be there for my mom’s national dental convention. (What a bummer, huh? Her work sends her to Hawaii for a darn business trip! ) This will be Noah’s first plane ride, and biggest vacation, so far. Maybe he will learn to surf while we’re there! Eh?


Reason #1

Why would I want to be staring at a computer screen, when I could be playing with this cute face instead!?

Phew, I feel justified now!

4 months young!!!

Noah celebrates his 4th month of life today!


Here's his stats from the pediatrician:
Weight: 16.0 pounds (74 percentile)
Height: 27.5 inches (99 percentile)......TALL little man!
Head Circumference: 17.5 (90 percentile)


Likes:
*Mommy and Daddy (of course!!!)
*Laughing and Smiling with daddy
*Cuddling with mommy
*Eating
*Playing with (and eating) his toy cow
*Sitting up in his Bumbo
*Standing (when we try to make him sit he becomes stiff as a board...He insists on standing!)
*Walks in the stroller
*Kicking
*Leg Massages at night time
*Bath time
*Sucking his thumb
*Books
*Being tickled
*Being held
*Hiding small animals in his chins
*Music
*Being naked (that better change before he's a teenager!!!)


Dislikes:
*The car seat
*Taking naps
*Sitting
*Being put down
*The wrong temperature of his milk. We didn't realize an infant could be so picky about food temp!
*Tummy Time (He just growls at us the entire time!)


Still trying to figure out:
*Rice Cereal (pushing all of that food to the back of the mouth and swallowing is hard work!)
*Sammy (also known as annoying furball!). Noah doesn't quite know what to think about him.
*He's trying to figure out his world by putting everything into his mouth! This includes anything from his body parts, to toys, cameras, anything!
*Rolling over

Noah and his cow!

How many chins can you count?

One Great Daddy

Happy First Father's Day to one amazing dad! Noah and I love you SO much and are so grateful for all you do for our little family!

Poo-Splosion Round Two

Many of you may remember "Poo-Splosion" Round One, when Sammy decided to decorate our living room with his intestinal contents. Pretty gross, I know. Prepare my friends, for "Poo-Splosion" Round Two!
Noah has failed to poop since Sunday. Today is Friday. Go ahead, count the days...One, Two, Three, Four Five. Five days of storing up for a blow-out! He's been incredibly grumpy, and even more gassy. (Can you blame him?) Kelly and I were getting a little concerned, so I called his pediatrician who wanted to see him. My wonderful mom took him in yesterday, while Kelly and I were at work. After a half of an hour of swooning the ladies in the waiting room, Noah was finally seen by the doctor. He said to try prune juice to get things moving along. My wonderful parents went to Harmon's and picked up the prune juice (ONLY prune juice), and in turn got some pretty great looks by the checker who obviously knew what prune juice is used for!
I syringe-fed Noah the juice last night because he refused to drink the nasty sauce voluntarily.
And so we wait.........
Much to my dismay, no poops in his morning diaper. Bummer. I lie him on the playmat in the bathroom while I take a shower, and 10 minutes later, I hear the most beautiful sound I could have hoped for! (I'll spare you the "Juicy" details!...no pun intended!)
Success! The diaper was full to the top, wall to wall with glorious (horrifically stinky) poop! I have a much happier baby who also weighs about 3 lbs. less now!
I should probably consider putting a disclaimer on our blog, considering this is probably too much info. However, these are the new joys and excitements of my life! Hooray for Motherhood!

Mmmmm....tastes like chocolate

Noah found his thumb! He has decided it is his new favorite invention! Kelly and I also set up a savings fund for orthodontics! I sucked my thumb until I was about 8 years old (pathetic, I know!), and I had some sweet bucky teeth to show for it! (Thanks mom and dad for investing in braces, and sparing me the embarassment of a lifetime of looking like I grew up in a trailer park!)

100 Days of Noah

Our sweet little Noah is 100 days old today, and wow has time flown quickly! We are so excited to have a 100 day baby!

Firsts

We have been staying incredibly busy this last week. Noah is growing faster than we can keep up with him, changing every day! He is quite a cheese-ball! He is constantly pulling funny faces, smiles, and laughing! It has been so so much fun to see him grow these last few months, and he has had a load of "firsts".

First bike race: Noah and I went with Nana and Poppa (Kelly was still quarantined with the Swine Flu). The race was at Sugarhouse Park, and it was a lot of fun watching the bikes go around and around! (I failed to get a pic of the actual race, however! I was too busy looking at my cute fam!)

First baseball game: We went to the Bees game last friday. We went with Adrienne, Travis, Ty-Ty, Nana, and Poppa. (Plus Kelly was out of his quarantine by now, so he got to go too! Woohoo! Welcome back Kelly!) There were fireworks after, which Noah slept through!...but I guess that we can consider that a "first" too!




First Concert: Daybreak (the community we live in) has fun little events for residents, (and whomever else wants to come). We went to a concert at the lake, which was really fun! We had a picnic dinner, and listened to the music, which was great.

When we first got to the lake, the sky looked like this, and we weren't sure we were going to stay very long. Infants + rain/lightening does NOT equal fun time!


But, we bundled up sweet little Noah and waited it out.


Within a few minutes, the sky was looking like this, and it turned out to be a perfect night.

From afar, Sam saw a puppy that he was anxious to befriend.

Turns out, it was a plush little pup that this cute little girl was dragging around. Sam didn't seem to care, he just wanted to be friends!

Noah and I danced to the music, and enjoyed our night out as a family.

First birthday party: Uncle Travis turned 28! Happy Birthday T-Rav! We went to The Pie, and back to the Lansings for ice cream cake.



First Horseback Ride: Cowboy Noah "rode" Summer today! Summer is the ONLY horse in this world that I would trust with my 3-month old on her back! Noah kind of thought we were looney for putting him on top of this huge creature, but it made for a cute picture and fun memories! Summer is my horse, that I competed on since I was 8 years old. She is amazing, and I hope she is around for a long time so Noah can learn to ride on her also.