Noah @ 11 Months

Let's not talk about how late this is getting posted or about how his birthday is in three weeks. (what?!?!?)

NOAH

• learning to take bites instead of just cramming everything into his mouth. Little nibbles are the cutest! (Until every apple in the fridge has a bite taken out of it.)

•standing on tippy toes, CLIMBING, squatting down, steady walker, learned to stand up without using furniture

• started to empty things: dresser drawers, storage baskets, trash cans (gross)

• obsessed with: books!, his doggy, whatever I am doing, the library toys, other kids, pulling books off the shelf

• loves to play peekaboo, be chased around the house, go on walks outside, dig in the fridge

• sort of knows how to blow kisses, will "lay down" if told, likes to kick his shoes off at every opportunity

• goes to look for daddy almost every morning after his wake-up bottle

• notices planes and helicopters now, still loves to watch cars and trucks drive by

• he really is our sweet little boy! he loves to give kisses, sometimes comes up because he wants to be held (which doesn't last long, but hey), and is so willing to share with us. He's good for the soul and we love having him around.

Carnival!

Every year our little town has this cute carnival. We decided to take Noah to see it. He just stared and stared! Pretty sure he didn't blink for the first 5 minutes. 

Glad these two were okay with me dragging them there so I could get my annual cotton candy fix. 

Life with Noah

this is what our life is like these days.

pictures are always blurry

toilet paper is no longer kept on its roll

toys are taking over our living room

books do not stay on the shelf

diapers never stay in the basket

the tv remote has disappeared at least once

kitchen and bedroom drawers have been emptied

post-animal cracker goo is streaked across the bottom cupboards at a certain height. i never want to
wash them away.

doors are shut and opened over and over again

every time the fridge is opened a race begins

"where's noah?" is always met with a happy mini-scream

chasing after him means giggles and being caught means kisses

roughhousing brings the best laughter
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and this boy is our absolute favorite.

Maine!

We are still dealing with a vacation hangover here and wishing we could be back there. We had a wonderful time and took way too many pictures.


Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse!
It was so windy and chilly, but so, so pretty! And it doesn't look like it, but Noah really loved it. He was so glad to get out of the car after a long drive.

We stayed in Maine for one night, then drove up to Quebec City. This was at a small town where we stopped for lunch and a break from the car. So dreamy. 

Noah was so good about giving kisses to everyone!

Noah @ 10 Months

We have been so busy these past few weeks I almost forgot about this.
Also, I feel like this is really long. Feel free to skim. I promise I won't be offended or even know.

NOAH:

• I guess the biggest thing is that he walks now. This started about a week and a half after his 9 month mark, but mostly just teeny Point A to Point B stuff. Like the edge of chair to couch. Now it is ALL OVER.  Within a 3 day period, he suddenly started taking small, steady steps and being able to catch himself before falling. It is crazy how fast things change. It is funny and fun to watch him. 

• He does the cheesiest smile with his eyes closed when he is amused by something or really excited. Sometimes it is even accompanied by a snorty laugh. We got him a stuffed dog that is about as big as he is and this will get a cheesy smile every time. He also will give it kisses if you ask.

• Loves to: drink from the bathtub faucet, play in the shower, go outside, watch cars, say hi/bye to Daddy getting on/off the bus, brush his teeth, open and close doors, look out the window

• He is really into reading books on his own. He likes to pull them down off his shelf and knows to use his thumb to open them and flip pages. You can tell what pages he likes by how long he looks at them.

 

• Has started sucking his thumb. We have no idea why and it is not a comfort thing. It seems like it's just something he does because he can. It might have started when he was pulling his hands to his chest to steady himself while he walked. This happens less often now, so maybe the sucking will stop too. 

• Freaks out excitedly when we offer him fruit – usually bananas and apples. He knows where the fruit bowl is in the fridge since I let him play in there while making dinner occasionally. And sometimes we find fruit that has little baby bites taken out of it.

• Finally finally starting to understand when we tell him no. He doesn’t like it. The other day we told him no about playing in the trash can (which he has heard many many times) and he just stared at us while slowly creeping his little hand back into the can.

• He is really good about going off and playing on his own and getting into things. But every once in awhile he likes to come check and say hi. Which is adorable when he pokes his head around the corner and says hi. So much fun.

• He is definitely starting to get the hang of his hello/goodbye wave but is selective on when he will wave. Sometimes he just randomly waves. He really likes to wave bye to the checkers we always see when we get groceries. 

• Climbing. He knows he can crawl over things (like our legs) but he is now starting to climb ONTO things. Or trying to climb OUT of the tub (not as fun...)

• He can use his spoon pretty well if we hand it to him with stuff on it. He knows to give it back when we ask, even though he won't do it sometimes. He also can drink pretty well from his baby cup. And still hasn't really turned down any food.  We have tried to get him to start sharing and he will do it as long as he has a bite of whatever it is first. If not, he will ignore you. 

• He likes to wave and say "hi baby" to his reflection in the mirror and sometimes to pictures of babies. He likes to see his picture on the phone, and if I ask him to say "hi daddy" he knows it's most likely because I'm sending David a video/picture. He recognizes when we say lots of food words (like banana, apple, cheese...) and if I ask him to go get his blanket or where his doggy is he always starts to turn and walk towards them. It is really fun to hear him imitate sounds that we make. David thinks it is nonsense sometimes, but I really do think he is trying to communicate with us.  Classic parental disagreement. 

• Basically, he is our busy, curious, sweet little guy. I wish you could all see how funny he is and the way he wants to know what is going on and be involved. And while he is still not a snuggler, he definitely has his moments where he needs to be held and loved. 

WE PARENTS:

• loved our vacation. They are probably my favorite thing to do, I'm sure I'll try to blog about what we did. (keyword: try)

• I'm also trying to catch up on learning how to edit photos but I am so so slow and my time is so limited, sometimes I can't justify spending all night sitting at the computer

• David is 3 weeks out from a BIG exam which has claimed all of his spare time. I think he gets maybe 30 minutes to himself each night after hours of studying. We will both be glad when it is over, even if we won't know if he passed for another 8 weeks (sheesh.)

• The end of the year is going to be busy for us and I am excited, but also trying to stay in the moment and appreciate each day instead of immediately counting down to the next big thing on our calendar. 

bonus:

Halloween costume courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. I still laugh whenever I look at these.

Today and all days

The most common thing I find myself wishing for is more. More time, more sleep, more sugar, more strength, more money, more appreciation, more justification. 

I wrote an email last night. I think writing this email was more impactful than anyone reading that email. It made me take a deep breath. A step back. A quiet look around. 

Last night I stopped wishing for more and looked at what I have. That list is long, my friends. Mostly made up of little things. The little things that are so easy to ignore or overlook. These little things are what make my life. 

I want to remember the little things. Not just today. But all days. I want to let acknowledgement and appreciation replace wishing and wanting. Because what I have should be enough. And it is.

Hey Wednesday.

Not exactly the calm morning we have normally......

After an hour of a smoke alarm going off upstairs, 911 was called. 4 trucks, 1 smoky apartment, and many, many firemen later, I had to put Noah down for a late nap--- so I have no idea what caused it!  But everyone/everything is fine.  I also learned our (other) upstairs neighbor has a pet ferret and that my child giggles at and loves to pet ferrets. #gross 

Now I'm re-thinking emergency preparedness plans and renters insurance.

....and going to take a LONG nap.  

Noah @ 9 months

It was so tough to wrangle this kid for pictures. Definitely a two-person job next time. Also, he was SO chatty and moving all the time, it was hard to catch a smile that wasn't crazy blurry. But that about sums him up these days --- a busy blur.

28.75 inches tall - 68%

 21 pounds 5.8 oz - 78%

18.5 inches head circumference - 86%

Definitely not little any more!

NOAH:

• learned how to go from crawling to sitting up at the beginning of the month. I noticed him trying once or twice in his crib. But then BOOM, all.day.every.day. Now mix that with standing. That same day, he also realized he can pull himself to standing in his crib (giggling while he did it). It's pretty much all he does in there now.

• laughs like crazy when he gets tired. So fun hear him laugh uncontrollably. And he will laugh at anything!

• demands whatever we are eating. He will come and beg at your knee if he sees you with something. He also started drinking from a cup and is slowly learning to use a sippy. But he is a pro with his little baby cup. He pushes away his bottle unless he is really hungry in the mornings or after a nap. Really seems to just want more regular food. Which he can eat and eat and eat.

• looooves the computer. If you have it out, that's all he wants to play with and all he cares about. He learned he can crawl out of rooms this month and is now fascinated by everything in the bathroom and kitchen now. He loves to open and close cupboard doors. He's already unrolled a whole roll of toilet paper.

• pulls himself up to standing on almost anything, can cruise around our furniture so quickly, and will even use the walls to walk around to get where he wants to go. He can't stand up on his own but he really only needs a tiny bit of support to go somewhere. He has been pushing off us more and more but still d oesn't have great balance. Except in the bathtub, oddly enough.

• really good about letting me run in the mornings but I'm not fast enough to go as far as I'd like before he wants out. 

• we took him to the playground last week and he learned how to climb stairs. It is always fun to watch him figure things out.

• can clap his hands (he learned that one all on his own!) and will play patti-cake. He will start clapping if he is excited or happy about something too. It's so cute to see. He used to wave hi and bye, but refuses to anymore. Also knows how to high-five and throw his arms up for 'touchdown'.

US PARENTS:
• not much to report here. David is busy studying. I'm busy keeping up with Noah. This summer was really low-key for us. We went to the BYU game vs UCONN and it was great. It was also the first time dropping Noah off at a babysitter's. Kind of weird but it was nice to go on a date. We have a great little routine around here and life is so, so good.

Buying for a baby. (8 months later...)

I didn't realize how much stuff you end up buying for babies. After reading many reviews and considering what we could afford with our budget, this is what worked for us and what we loved.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some. (Baby brain is real, people.)
[not sponsored... just loved.]

1 •••  aden + anais swaddle blankets -- I knew I wanted these and they are by far my favorite blankets. These work well for both cold and hot weather and also as nursing covers. I also heard RAVE reviews of the bamboo ones, so maybe next baby?

2  •••  Burt's Bees bed sheets -- these are super soft and comfy. We also have these from target which are nice to switch out and a lot cooler during the hot summer weather.

3  ••• Ikea crib -- simple, white, affordable. That was all I was looking for and this fit perfectly. Ikea actually released a new line of cribs after Noah was born that I'm loving. But we had a deadline to meet and couldn't wait for those.  We also bought this pack n' play (but from Walmart). It came with a bassinet which was perfect when Noah slept in our room. 

4  ••• Foscam video monitor  [+ baby monitor app] - It's really meant as a security camera. It runs over your wifi, and you can check it on a computer or on your phone if you get an app. It was cheaper/better reviewed than any official "baby monitor" we looked at.   *I love being able to look at my baby. Especially when we decided to sleep train him. Or when I wake up during the night. Or when writing a blog post in the living room.      here is what it looks like on my phone:

5  ••• Overstock chair -- We decided to get this in lieu of a glider, hoping  it will last long enough to be used in a family room. It reclines, rocks, and has cushioned arms - so nice when you hold your baby for long periods of time! I actually slept in it a few times at the end of my pregnancy when sleep becomes so elusive. Not in this chair. We also ended up getting an ottoman to put our feet on. It now holds extra blankets.

6  ••• Ikea shelves (seen in this post) -- we use these for Noah's books! Definitely helps add color to our white renter walls.

7  ••• Blackout curtains (seen in this post) -- we made our own (fabric+blackout material from Joann's). Noah's room faces east so these have been gooooooood for getting to sleep longer in the mornings and getting him to take naps during the day. 

[We skipped the changing table/dresser -- a) no room b) I voted to get a better chair with the money from not getting a dresser c) dollar store baskets, hanging cubbies, and hangers in the closet work just fine.]

8  ••• Solly baby wrap - Real life pictures! I bought this right after we were married, so unfortunately they are a little more pricey now. I loved it! It was fantastic when Noah was a newborn. However, Noah wasn't a fan of being wrapped up so we didn't last super long wearing it. 

9  ••• Ergo Baby Carrier (purchased through ebates from Target) - I'm kind of kicking myself over the Ergo. I love love love it because it has a wider base than some other carriers and you can carry them for a long time (age-wise), but if I had waited just 3 more weeks, I could have had the option of the 360 wrap that lets the baby face any direction. Which Noah would highly prefer because he likes to face out. I know there are some other good carriers that are up-and-coming that have good features too. It would be fun to try those out. 

10 ••• Ingenuity Baby Booster Seat -- works great for our glamorous apartment living. Our kitchen has no space for a high chair. This has been fairly easy to clean and we like that it grows with Noah (we just removed the insert a couple weeks ago! Mostly to have more access to the food he drops haha)

11 ••• Fisher-Price Bouncer -- (gift from a shower) It was FABULOUS. We used it so, so much when Noah wasn't as squirmy and mobile as he is now. I've seen lots of these show up at the consignment store if you're willing to wait for one. 

12 ••• We bought this Snugabunny Fisher-Price swing after multiple nights with almost no sleep. We got desperate. Maybe not our best purchase because it didn't help as much as we thought. Perhaps if we had gotten it sooner? Hopefully some day another baby loves it more than Noah did because it actually is a really nice swing.

13 ••• Turtle Bath Sponge (gift from a shower) -- It worked so well that we wore it out. It was easy, stored well in our apartment, and it was fun to watch Noah grow and to think about how small he was at first. 

14 ••• Cloth diapers as burp cloths ---  We got a lot of handmade blankets with matching cloths, but some of them didn't quite absorb as well as I hoped. Sometimes the liquid would roll off. But these baby cloth diapers -- They are magical and soak up everything.

» I also wish I had gotten a boppy/related item. I think it would have helped with multiple things. But I just never got around to it/didn't want to spend the money whenever I thought about it «

(I never thought I would be the mom that needs THREE strollers with only an 8-month old baby. But I do. They are all useful and handy and great in their own ways.)

15 ••• Snap 'N Go - purchased from a consignment store (I will forever sing the praises of consignment stores and Craig's list for strollers!) We use it almost every time we go anywhere. It stays in our trunk, collapses so easily, is light and compact, and it is super easy to hook/unhook the car seat. Completely worth every penny. We will use this until Noah outgrows his car seat.
16 ••• Chicco Echo -- this has great reviews for being a pretty basic "umbrella" style stroller. Noah liked it right away, it's easy to fold, locks shut, seat adjusts to laying down and sitting up and in between. We got it on sale with a coupon code and already used it a ton. This was our walking stroller until I got the jogging stroller. This will be used way more when we are done with the snap n go. 

17 ••• BOB Revolution - I decided I wanted to be really picky about a jogging stroller. These are pricey, but my trade off was that I was going to find a good used one. This stroller is just great.It had everything I was looking for and I'm so glad I was able to be patient. I searched craigslist for many many weeks and ended up going with a used one that is older for a steal! (2006? 2007?) I cleaned it and we pumped the tires up and it functions SO well.  My motivation to exercise showed up when this stroller did. I really love it.

18 ••• Dohm Sound Machine - You can hear everything in our apartment. And in our upstairs neighbor's. And next-door neighbor's. This machine is our lifesaver. Based on this article, we keep this across the room just to be safe. I kind of want one for me.

19 ••• Crane Cool Mist Humidifier - This really helped Noah when he was stuffed up in the middle of winter and couldn't sleep because he couldn't breathe as well. This had great reviews and we have been happy with it.

Okay, that was longer than I thought. I'm done. Anything you got that you loved? Or hated? 

I'm always open to trying new things. And getting more stuff!

While I was pregnant, I loved these:
••• Vitamins listed from Grace's blog --- these are totally worth the pennies. (mini-backstory: Saved me big bucks.)
••• Books to read (re-read):
   Eat, Sleep, Poop - modern-yet-conservative take on parenting advice from a pediatrician who is also a recent dad.
   Nursing Mother's Companion - this was very informative.
   What to Expect...  (kind of an obvious one, but I really did like it.) I need to start reading the ones about your baby growing up too.