Feb 1, 2010
This was a LONG week! We have been trapped in the house now for 4 days, without Daddy, because we are completely snowed (and iced) in. Noah and I are pretty much getting tired of each other, but we are having lots of fun! We've played with blocks, rings, drums, the piano, and pretty much every other toy in this house a million times. I've been trying to get him in the walker some but he still can't really figure it out. He likes to sit in it and scoot backwards a little but that's about it so far. This is his favorite activity in the walker:
Don't ask me where he learned this. We NEVER give Zoe food from the table...
I started doing a juice and cracker time after the 3:30 nursing time and he really loves it! He does great with his bottle now and really loves his crackers. Although, I now know he shares them with Zoe. I'm guessing he's done this a lot but this was the first time I caught him in the act.
I have to admit...I spent a lot of time over these past four days trying to teach him words/actions and he just isn't getting it yet. I'm a little disappointed. :) I also do colors with him and he's a little better at that. He grabs the right color of block if I point to it first. I cheat a little but I figured it helps him learn. Maybe 7 1/2 months is a little young for that...
He really great at a tons of other things though. He's discovered his hands or something because he will be waving his arms around trying to grab stuff and all of the sudden he sees one of his hands and stops everything, holds it out in front of him, and stares intently at it. He does the same thing with his tongue. He likes to grab his or mine all the time. He's VERY good at babbling and does it pretty much nonstop. I knew from the beginning that we would have a talker on our hands. He's always been a loud baby. If I say ba, ba, ba to him he repeats me and goes on and on. He says, "ba, ba, ah, (spit), ba, ba, (spit)" all the time. It's really funny! It's like his tongue gets in the way when he's trying to talk and he spits everywhere. He's very serious when he talks though, no goofing around! He means business!
No official crawling yet but we're getting close. He has also started pulling up on me and pretty much anything else close by. It's really hard to change his diaper now because he tries to pull up on my arm the entire time. Also, no top teeth yet but I can now feel the little edge of one of the top front ones. This week he officially started having stranger anxiety...one of the little girls next door to us was holding him for a couple of minutes on Wednesday and he looked at her calmly for about 30 seconds, then he figured out he didn't know her. His face slowly crumpled up and then came the wail and looking around for mommy. I know that will probably get worse before it gets better.
I haven't reported on the state of Noah's hair for awhile because it's been pretty much the same. It's getting to be time for his first haircut though. It's pretty long on the sides and front, and starting to look a little ragged. He still has one really long piece on top that never fell out. I don't want to cut it off but it's about time. The bald spot in the back from his laying around days is almost completely gone FINALLY! Hopefully we will have cute pics of his first haircut soon and he won't look so shaggy.
January 25, 2010
Hello all! Time for my weekly Noah update. He had a couple of big firsts this week that I'm excited to report. He is now able to get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth very easily. He does it constantly! Here's the proof (you can tell by his expression that he's still not sure what to do next):
I know crawling is now a matter of weeks away if not sooner. The first time I saw him do it was in his crib Monday night. Since then he's gradually been doing it more and more. Now every time I put him on his stomach he immediately gets into this position. It's so exciting but I'm nervous about having a mobile baby. He is very active so this is going to be hard. I also saw him (on the monitor) get into a sitting position on his own during his naptime on Friday during his morning nap. This is also a big first for him. Time to move the mattress down a few notches! I'm convinced that the first time I will see him crawl is on the monitor while he is supposed to be sleeping. He's VERY active in the crib when he's going down to sleep.
Speaking of sleeping....
He's doing great with the crib transition still. He goes down for bed at night (around 8:30) very easily and doesn't cry at all. He rolls over a couple of times and is out. He sleeps until about 7:30 the next morning. He's pretty consistant and does the same thing every night. Naps are a little more difficult though. He still cries at every nap for about 30 mins. It's not screaming crying just whining and talking to himself. We don't rock him to sleep at all anymore and he is completely off the pacifier and swaddle. No more sleep props! Yea! I know so many people that struggle with getting their kids off these things and I'm so thankful that we didn't have to deal with that. I didn't really do anything special. I just watched him closely and I could tell when he was ready to drop something. Actually, I probably stuck with things longer than he really needed or wanted it but it's hard sometimes to let those things go. Like rocking...or having them sleep in your room. I'm glad to say that we toughed it out and Noah is doing great! He does get into some strange sleeping positions though. Here's his favorite:
I don't like it but he does. I check on him a million times to make sure he can still breathe and I try to scoot him out of the corner but he just scoots right back. Oh well...he's fine I guess.
He's also starting to understand a lot more of what I say to him. He knows hi, bye, bite, drink, Max, Zoe, mama, and daddy. I know this only because he does the same thing everytime I say these words to him. Like I say "bite" and he opens his mouth. "Drink" the same. "Max, Zoe, and Daddy" and he looks around for them. "Mama" and he smiles at me. It's really fun to commuicate with him. He still babbles constantly but no real words yet. He does yell, "Ma!" when he's mad or I try to wipe his face off (which he hates) but I'm not sure if he really knows what he is saying or if it's just an accident. I like to think that he knows exactly what he's saying. I have a feeling that he's going to be one of those kids whose constantly yelling, "Mom!" He also really knows his name now and whips his head around to look whenever he hears it. He also responds to Stinker so he may think that's his name...oops!
This was a fun week since we actually had some nice weather. We dusted off the stroller and took Noah for a few outside walks. He loves being outside so he really enjoyed getting some fresh air. It's also time for me to pack up all the 3-6 month clothes. He can't wear any of them anymore. Even some of his 6-9 month stuff is already too small. This is also hard for me. I don't like packing up his old stuff, especially the really cute stuff that he wore all the time. I'm not good with the growing up so fast! I miss the little baby! He is such a goof ball now though so we do have a lot of fun together. He has such a big personality already. He loves to laugh and laughs at absolutely anything and everything. I love Friends and I was thinking about this episode where Joey is talking about Emma laughing for an hour at this Elmo cup and that is totally Noah! He just laughs at everything! He likes to doing something he thinks is funny, like sticking out his tongue and spitting everywhere, then crack up. He does it over and over. He also laughs when he toots really loud! He really LOVES to play tug of war with me and totally cracks up. He likes it when I try to take stuff away from him and say, "give me that!". He latches onto it and starts laughing. He's actually pretty strong and can usually pull it right back from me. The rougher we play the more he likes it. Typical boy!
Other things he's really into this week are screaming at the top of his lungs when he doesn't get his way, chewing on his fingers like crazy (still no top teeth but I can see them), and getting more attached to me. He cries pretty much everytime I'm out of his sight. It's not a long cry, just a little temper tantrum then he's over it. So it's better if I stay out of his sight if he's doing something like playing with daddy. He has a ball until he sees me, then the crying starts. He just wants my attention constantly. I like it but then again I don't like it. I want to be able to leave him and know that he's having fun, but I like that he wants me.
Standing up all by himself -- such a big boy!
Rosy Cheeks!
January 18, 2010
Well, I thought I'd devote this blog to just how much Noah has grown and changed over the past 7 + months. One of the pictures above was taken a few hours after he was born and the second was taken on his 7 month birthday with the same hat. I forget how tiny he was until I see pictures like this. It's just unreal that he is already that different. Baby time is so fast!! It's hard to keep up! I loved him so much the first time I ever saw him and, if possible, I love him more each day. He is an absolute joy to be around and has brought so much happiness to our lives. I don't know what we ever did without him!
I've been experimenting with taking Noah to the nursery at church since he's SO loud during the service. He's done really great so far. I think he really likes having other babies to play with for a little bit. It's the first time he's really stayed with anyone besides family. He still LOVES everyone so it's a good time to start him in the nursery. He is starting to have a little separation anxiety with his mommy though. He's really attached to me and cries (fake cries) when he can't see me, so I have to show him that I'm still there (he laughs) then I walk away again (cries). I'm trying not to let him think he can cry and I'll come running, but I want him to feel reassured that I'm still there. Hopefully it won't get too bad before he gets over that. He still flirts and smiles at everyone everywhere we go and people just eat it up, so no stranger anxiety yet. He's pretty much the center of attention everywhere we go. He already really likes to smile at girls! Oh no!
He's really into games now so we play I'm gonna get you, patty cake, peek-a-boo, and growling at each other like monsters. He totally cracks up and likes to play over and over. I've noticed that he likes me to do EXACTLY the same thing over and over and if I try to change it up a bit he loses interest. I'm not sure what that is, but I've learned babies don't like change. They get really excited when the know what's going to happen next and then it happens. He also likes to watch the same video over and over and doesn't get as excited if I change it up too much. I thought he would get bored but he likes the repetition much better. It's like seeing a friend I guess. Something recognizable.
He is also now on the verge of crawling. Since he's been sleeping in the crib, he has a lot more time to roll around and push up on his knees. He's getting pretty good at it so I'm pretty sure he'll be all over the place here in a few weeks. He can get up on his hands and feet and also on his forearms and knees, but he hasn't figured out how to go anywhere yet. He gets really mad when a toy is out of reach because he wants to go get it so bad. He can do it very slowly, but he gets really frustrated. He can also now take steps while you hold his hands and support him. He walked all the way around the living room holding my hands today, then stood at the coffee table on his own for a few minutes and played. He's getting very strong but I don't want him too mobile yet.
Other things... He is just about to get his top two front teeth in. I can see them but they haven't poked through yet. He is drooling like crazy but he isn't fussing anymore so I'm guessing they'll be here in a couple of days. He also drank an entire bottle full of water with a little apple juice today. That was a BIG first for him. I've been forcing the bottle on him because he needed a little more water than he was getting and finally he took it. Yea! 
January 11, 2010
While I was waiting for my pictures to upload, I was trying to think of a new way to start my blog. I thought of, "I can't believe how big"...wait, nope I already did that, or "noah is officially 7 months"...nope already did that too, several times. So, I just went with the all-natural thought process paragraph. Honesty is always the best policy right...when you can't think of anything new to say, just say "I can't think of anything new to say." ANYWAY...we digress...
Noah is doing tons of new stuff, as usual. Most of it revolves around food, eating, and drinking (hence the pictures). As far as food goes, he now gets to eat pretty much what we eat but I have to grind it up in the magic bullet (which I LOVE). And, I've been letting him munch on some rice crackers, bananas, apples, and carrot sticks. He really likes it but I have to watch him pretty close. He did really good with the crackers the first time he had one. He just sucked on it and nibbled a little but got it down without an incident. BUT the second one he had it all figured out. He bit down hard and got several big chunks in his mouth before I even knew what he was doing. Then he gagged, so I panicked and dug it all out in a split second. He was fine but we're taking it easy on the crackers for now. He really likes carrot sticks to chew on, and they work for me cause he can't bite through them, though he does try. You're probably wondering why I even bother giving him these things. It's because he's very, umm, determined. He REALLY wants to eat what I'm eating and everytime I eat he crys for something. So, I thought something to chew on would help. He does the same thing with drinking. He absolutely REFUSES to drink anything out of a bottle, sippy cup, and anything that resembles something that a baby should drink out of, and, instead, he wants to drink out of my cup. Everytime I take a drink in front of him he screams for a drink. He will actually drink quite a bit out of my glass. He grabs all my glasses out of my hands and I can barely control him anymore. I now know the true meaning of "you can't take your eyes off them for a second." Sometimes he does things so quickly that I'm covered in food or a drink before I even realize that he's reached for it.
He is still nursing but not that interested in it anymore. Although, I'm scared to stop anytime soon because he won't drink out of anything else. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't figure something out. He's still doing great so I guess I won't worry about it too much yet. I just don't want to be nursing a 15 month old because he won't drink.
He's doing great on sleeping at night and his naps. He takes 3 naps a day now at 9:30, 1:00, and 5:30. Then, goes to bed around 8:30. He sleeps until 7:30 the next morning then we start over. It's great being able to just put him in his crib for naps now. No more 3 ring circus trying to get him to sleep! It's SO much easier! He's still not easy but much better. Sometimes he still cries for up to 30 min at naptime but he's getting the hang of it.
His favorite things to do right now are chewing on everything, playing with Max and Zoe, pulling my glasses off my face, reading books, grabbing everything he sees whether he can reach it or not, watching baby einstein DVD's, and playing piano. Yes, I've already started him on the piano and so far he loves it! Yea!
Munching on rice crackers
Feeding himself (he cries when I feed him unless he has a spoon to play with) 
Munching on apples (it's in his fist) 
January 6, 2009
Noah is now nearly 7 months old and time is flying! He is doing so many new things now that I had to start keeping a list on the fridge so I wouldn't forget stuff for the blog updates. So here is my grocery list of Noah's latest tricks...
Finding and playing with tags/zippers/strings on everything he gets his hands on
Turning things upside down as soon as he gets it to inspect the bottom
Drinking out of an adult cup (he's not a fan of sippy's and only wants what I have)
Transitioning to a big boy carseat
He's starting waving and clapping (although it's still hard to tell what he is doing unless you know him)
Immediately pulls off his hats, bibs, and diaper as soon as I get them on him
Spitting up WAY less (thank goodness!)
Growls
Babbles (mostly when he's mad at me)
Pulling his knees up when he's on his stomach and trying to scoot
Smacks at me when he sees me eating and wants my food (we've tried a few things but he mostly gags)
Learning that different toys are played with different ways
I'd like to expand on the last one, because it's the most impressive I think. He has this drum that he got for Christmas and up till now he mostly just grabs everything and puts it in his mouth. BUT, last night he was playing with his drum and he starting banging on it very purposefully. He knew! I got a video but I'll have to post it later. It was AMAZING! Now I've noticed him doing all sorts of different things with all his toys. Wow! Their little brains are so mind-blowing!
Now, the next big thing he's done this week. He has finally started sleeping in his own room. Yea! He had been sleeping terrible at night for about the last month which is very unusual for him. He has always been a great sleeper at night. So, finally it occurred to me that he is probably ready to move to his own room because I was waking him up by moving around and what not. I was prepared for about a week of crying and fighting but I'm glad to report that he has done wonderful since we moved him. The first night I put him in his crib around 8:30 and he cried for about 30 min then fell asleep and didn't get up until 7am. Then the next night about the same but he only cried for about 15 min or so. He is definitely getting the hang of it and puts himself to sleep almost immediately. I have been trying to do the same with his naps and he is doing great with that too. A little more crying during the day but only about 10 to 15 min. Not too bad. It's a huge relief to know that I can just put him in his crib and he will go to sleep on his own. No more fighting with him hopefully! Last night he did wake up at about 3am and I was like, "Oh, great! Here we go again!" But, when I looked at the monitor I discovered that he had rolled over on his stomach and his head was wedged against the side of the crib. I went in and flipped him over, and he went back to sleep almost immediately. Success!
Trying to take off his diaper
New ambulance from Daddy
First time at the Library 
