noah | twelve months

Dear Noey, Nano, No No, Squirt, Crush, Nugget, Dude, Little Man, Noah,

It's been a whole year since you joined our family...quiet and hungry if I remember correctly.  In the past year, you continue to be hungry...always...and maybe not so quiet.

At twelve months old, you can almost run, have four teeth, eat almost everything, and yell louder (and in a higher pitch) than any other person in this house. You love to people watch and you love music.  You sing and dance daily...to any song...whether it's on the radio, my phone, the TV, or one of the many toys we own that plays music.  You continue to be a horrible night sleeper, and rarely follow a good napping schedule.  But you are a very happy guy most of the time, even when you are exhausted.

There are, however, a few exceptions to the happy guy we are accustomed to.  Like when you get hungry.  Like seriously HANGRY. And yes, all capitals is necessary.  And no snack will get you past HANGRY.  No, you require a full meal, preferably warm.  I have seen your tiny body consume a plate of scrambled eggs, a slice of toast and at least one sausage, and that's just one breakfast. You're usually ready for "second breakfast" an hour later.  I should also mention you eat at least one banana a day and cannot walk past a banana without screaming to eat it.  You also become ridiculously cranky when you are sick and/or teething.

You are trying to talk and mimic new words everyday.  The ones that come to mind are dada, kitty kitty, nana (banana), WOW, yeah, go, hot (with your hand stretched out) and I once heard you say water.  You reserve the use of mama only for times when you are crying and need to be held.

You are obsessed with your blankets and have been known to drag two around at the same time.  You love to wrestle and also to snuggle.  You give big, wet, open-mouth kisses, sometimes to my nose.  And you give the best neck squeeze hugs ever, just as you have done since you were very tiny and your little arms could barely reach around my neck.

You adore your sisters and are thrilled when they include you in their games.  Mia continues to love you like her own baby, and Laci watches out for you like the good, protective big sister she is. You have grown very close with daddy since he has been off work this month and prefer to have him put you to bed.  It's very sweet to see you two together.

You are crazy athletic and crazy smart.  And maybe I only think those things because I'm your momma, but that's okay.  Don't listen to anyone who would tell you any different.  You seriously amaze me daily. You can almost do a somersault (no kidding), and you climb ev-er-y-thing.  You can ride your new plane toy, and as soon as you can figure out turning, you'll be unstoppable.

A year ago, I could never have predicted what life with a boy would be like.  Now, I can say it is better than anything I could have imagined.  You are the perfect addition to our family.

Love you so very, very much,
Your momma
xoxo

noah | eleven months

Dear Noah,

Today you are eleven months and two weeks old.  I'm not even going to pretend I'm writing this on time.  I tried.  I really did.  And every time I sat to write, I was either interrupted or the words didn't flow.  So, here I am.  Sitting at the kitchen bar with a lukewarm cup of coffee.  You just finished a breakfast of a scrambled egg, half a slice of wheat toast, and a handful of blueberries, and are now walking around the house saying, "Kitty, kitty, kitty" in your highest-pitched voice.

And I just had to take a five minute break to settle an argument between your sisters about who was allowed to sing what and when.  An argument I settled by turning on the Frozen soundtrack.  Again.

And now you are hanging off my legs.

As you can see, writing can be a challenge these days.  A challenge I'd be able to meet uninterrupted if I waited until after you were all asleep, but alas, my brain goes into sleep mode by that time.

Eleven months.  Your goals in the past month have been to walk faster, yell louder, and climb higher. You have succeeded on all counts.  And a newly acquired hop in your quick step tells me you really, really, really want to run.  You have mastered clicking your tongue and clapping.  You are in love with kitties and baby dolls and motorcycles and balls.  You are a people watcher, unafraid to stare at anyone, and almost always willing to give them a smile while doing so. You got your first motorcycle ride this week and you have shown you are unafraid of spiders, frogs, and earwigs.

You have a cold.  A gross, snotty cold that keeps you from breathing properly through your nose.  And as a result, you have completely weaned yourself.  Cold turkey.  I wasn't ready for that.  Really not ready.  You are supposed to be my baby and you repeatedly insist on gaining your independence.  I have tried many times over the past week to change your mind.  I have been unsuccessful.  And so, as of today, I will finally admit that I will never be able to nurse you again. Those were some of my most favorite moments with you every day, especially the quiet ones right before bedtime.  You still like to snuggle a little with me, but it just isn't the same.  I'm not sure if, as a boy, you'll ever recognize how special that time with you was for me, but I loved every minute of it and wish, so very much, that it wasn't over already.

As a consolation, you have started giving me big kisses.  They are often slobbery, but I'll take them.  You give the best hugs with big neck squeezes and patty-pats on my shoulder. And just a few times, you have said, "mamamamama"... finally.

After many, many interruptions for nose wiping and dancing and filling of sippy cups and removing the kitties from the counter too many times, we are at the end of the Frozen soundtrack. You are walking around "singing" Let It Go at the top of your lungs, because whatever your sisters do, you must do too.  And that means I have used up my allotted time for writing.

As always, you are my most very favorite little boy in the whole world.  Those big, green eyes of yours, that show so much love and mischief at the same time, will always be my favorite green eyes.

Love you,
Momma
xoxo

noah | ten months

Dear Noah,

On the day you turned ten months old, we went to my cousin Jackie's wedding. You walked around the dance floor like you owned the place and everyone commented how you look too little to be walking around. I agree, little boy. But! You think you have places to go, people to see, things to climb. And now that you walk pretty good, you're set on learning to run. Oh my!

You have four, very sharp teeth now. You play a mean game of peek-a-boo with your blanket over your head. You thrash wildly during diapers changes. And you think having your clothes on is some kind of torture. 

You will eat anything I let you eat. You love to dance and "sing" with your sisters. You remain the loudest person in our house. And you look like Linus dragging your blanket around when you're tired. 

You're my snuggly guy. Maybe even a momma's boy. But I don't think that's a bad thing at all. You're very sweet. And you're tough too, based on how often you fall and hurt yourself. You probably wouldn't fall so much if you didn't try to climb everything. Seriously, you climb all.  the.  things.  Chairs, tables, couches, window sills.

You love to wrestle and get rolled around.  And you think the couch is a jungle gym. 

I can't believe how big you've grown, but your ten month checkup proves you're still just a little guy.
You weigh 17 lbs 15 oz (5th %)
and are 28" tall (25th %).

And to think, you are a giant compared to your sisters at this age.

Sometimes, when you're sleepy, I can still squish your little body into a squishy ball and snuggle you up like the tiny baby you are. But most of the time, you're ready to run and wiggle and be free. Nursing has turned into a gymnastic event at times. 

Most of all, you're our loving little boy. Animals, your sisters, our family...you love them all. And we love you. 

Xoxo,

Your momma

interview with a five year old

It's quite possible that I forgot I did an interview with Laci last year on her birthday.  I forgot, until I remembered about a week after her birthday.  Oh well.  Such is life these days.  So here is Laci's birthday interview at five years and one week old.  Also, I tried to interview Mia for her birthday which turned into a giant giggling fest without answers.  We will try again next year.  

What day is your birthday? August 18th

How old are you?  Five.

Are you ready to start school?  No.

Why?  Because I'm scared.

What is your favorite color?  Pink, Red, White, and Purple.

What is your favorite animal?  Puppies and Kitties.  Lions, Tigers, and Bird.  Even birds.

What is your favorite food?  Frosted Flakes and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Animal doctor.

Who is your best friend?  Bubs, Evan, and Sydney.

Not Mia?  Well, because she is my sister.  Well...(then she hugs Mia)

What games to you like to play?  Tag, Hide & Seek.

What do you like to do with Mia?  Play and color together.

What is your favorite movie/TV show?  Frozen and Sheriff Callie.

What is your favorite thing to do? Snuggle and play with the kitties.

What is your favorite time of day?  In the afternoon because I get to have afternoon milk.

What are you afraid of?  Lizards, frogs, and snakes.

What makes you happy?  Ice cream, cookies, sprinkles, and cupcakes.  And snuggling with you and having milk.

What is your favorite thing to do with daddy?  Color together.

What do you take to bed with you every night?  Spike and Foxy and my Blankie.

What was your favorite part of your birthday?  Having cupcakes, blowing out candles, and the whole thing.  The whole thing was the best part.

What is your favorite thing to wear?  My Elsa dress and my Frozen shirt.

What do you do really well?  Singing like Elsa.  I color very well, I do art very well, and I make presents very well.  All by myself.


Happy Fifth Birthday Little Lady.  We love you and think you are pretty special!!!

For last year's interview, click here.

noah | nine months

Dear Noah,

The big news this month is you started walking!! A couple days before you turned nine months, you let go and took a couple steps on your own. Quite impressive little guy. And also, sort of crazy. Where did my tiny little baby go??

You still only have two teeth but you'll use those two teeth and your gums to eat anything I'll let you eat, and also stuff you shouldn't eat. Like banana peel and dried up burrs from the yard. You continue to be our loudest child. I really didn't think anyone could be louder than your sisters but your happy morning yelling echoes from one end of the house to the other. And when you're mad, the shrillness of your scream is piercing. And speaking of mad, you have a bit of a temper. No, make that a big temper. And should anyone try to pry something from your grasp against your will...well, you don't make it easy. I do believe you have crazy baby strength.  

You love our new kitties and they are learning to tolerate your tail pulling and eye poking. I have no idea why they don't run from you. I think maybe they just like any attention they can get, even abusive attention. You love your fuzzy blankets when you're tired and give big open mouth kisses (almost) every time I ask. You still don't say momma but are very good at "dadadadada" and "yayayayaya."

You are all boy. Your favorite activities include climbing everything and wrestling on the floor. The rougher we wrestle, the harder you laugh. And you are most thrilled when your sisters play or wrestle with you. Mia continues to be your other mother but informed me recently that you are getting too big for her to hold. I'm a little sad about that. I so loved to watch her cuddle you. But I have no doubt you two will be great buddies in the near future and will probably be more mischevious together than I would like. 

We won't talk about your sleep habits because they are terrible but I will say that snuggling you throughout the night will be something I miss. Someday. If you ever decide to sleep like a normal person. 

You are by far the sweetest, most lovable boy I have ever met. I am such a lucky momma.

Love you to pieces,

Your momma

dear mia...on your third birthday

Dear Mia,

For every day, through July 30th, I called you my "two year old baby." I wanted to keep you little as long as I could. And even though I know three is still little, it feels more like a little girl age, not so much a baby anymore. And the truth is, you are really growing into a little lady.

You are crazy smart. You are beautiful. You are mischevious yet honest. You are brave and strong. You don't believe being small is a limitation on your ability to lift heavy things or climb to high places. You love babies and strongly dislike most animals. You love big and are loud when you're angry. 

I don't feel like words can accurately encompass how big your personality is. You challenge me in ways Laci never dared and yet, I can't help but laugh at you most of the time, even in your worst moments. Your blue eyes mesmerize me and your soft curls are irresistible. 

You talk. All. The. Time. You have many opinions, thoughts, and stories to share. And since you've been talking since forever ago, you bless us with complete sentences and complex words. You also repeat anything you hear so I have been trying really hard to use only my child-appropriate language. For the sometimes frequent slip-ups, we are working on why some words are for grown ups only. 

You are a momma in your heart already. I hope you grow up to have as many babies as you want and I pray they are all healthy little bundles of love. You already take such great care of your dolls... feeding them, changing diapers, "pumping" milk for them. Yes, you parade around with a breast pump sometimes. I find it amusing. You also try to take care of your brother, but as he gets bigger it is becoming less like playing baby and more like wrestling. I think he likes it that way. 

Your big sister is your best friend and you don't even realize it. You play so nice together when you aren't bickering over toys or pinching each other. And you and Harper are becoming friends too. The hot and cold type of friends where you either love each other or hate each other. I'm sure it will even out over time. 

I should probably keep a better record of the hilarious, sometimes shocking, things that come out of your mouth.  After pushing Harper the other day, you very matter-of-factly announced, "She tried to climb in my stroller and I didn't like it, so I pushed her." Something about your sweet voice and blatant honesty makes it hard to be mad at you.  But, we did have a little talk about not pushing people.

I love you you how you say "bannerina" (ballerina) and "punk-ems" (pumpkins).  How everything that happened before today must have happened "yesterday" even if it was months ago, and everything that will happen after today must be happening "tomorrow."

You had a follow up with your hernia surgeon last month, so we talked about the scar on your belly, why it's there and how the doctors fixed it. A few days later, during breakfast, you pulled up your shirt and said to Laci, "One time, yesterday, I had a hole in my belly and the doctor fixed it." And then you finished your cereal and didn't say another word about it for weeks. 

You have potty trained yourself. I mean, I've been helping you, but for the past month it's been your choice to wear undies instead of a diaper. Every few days you would go back to a diaper and I would just go along with it. I'm not really a fan of cleaning up accidents. You are now diaper free, even at night. I'm so very proud of you and I'm proud of me for being patient enough to wait until you were ready. We argue enough as it is, no sense in adding more fuel to the fire. And speaking of arguing, I finally took your bottle away, and after a few weeks of meltdowns and crying, you've stopped asking for it (mostly).

Happy birthday my feisty little angel with the mischievous heart and the wild hair.  I can't express enough how glad we all are to have you with us today.

Love, hugs, and kisses,
Your Momma
xoxoxo

***all photos taken on your last evening as a two year old...some camera, some iPhone***

noah | eight months

Dearest boy of mine,

When you wake up from your naps and I pick you up out of your bed, you wrap your tiny arms around my neck and hug me. Like really hug. A big squeeze.  And you lay your head on my shoulder. And it's the sweetest thing ever. You are never allowed to be too old or too big or too cool to hug me. Ever.

So.  Eight months old now.

You still have just two teeth.
You pull yourself up all the time and cruise along the furniture.
You also let go of the furniture because you think you can walk.
But you can't.
So you fall down and sometimes get hurt and then you cry.
I think you also cry because you are just mad that you can't walk yet.
You only want food you can feed yourself.
We let you gnaw on some corn and French bread the other day.
I'm pretty sure it was the best moment of your whole life.
You love the water.
Like really, really love the water.
When you see the pool, or the tub, or a puddle, you want to be IN it.
You aren't satisfied just floating around either. You get really mad when I put you in the baby floatie. You need to be fully IN the water.
Kicking your legs and splashing and putting your face down in it.
Like almost drowning IN it.
I love it.
You say "da da da da da" while I whisper "ma ma ma ma ma" in your ear.
But I know you love me more.
You are a busy, busy boy.
If your eyes are open, you're moving.  Or wiggling.  Or crawling.  Or pulling up.
Putting you to bed has become a wrestling match I do not enjoy. 

Slow down little man, you will not miss anything by taking your time. 

And oh man, do you think your sisters are awesome.
Their room, their toys, their hair. You can't get enough.
I doubt you'll always be so enamored by them.
But I'll let you in on a secret.
They love you too.
Yes, even Laci who freaks out anytime you get near her "special" stuff and threaten to cover it in slobber.
They love you so much.

I could go on for days about all the cute things you do and how much we love you, but I don't have that kind of time. You're probably trying to eat something off the floor or climb on top of the table at this very moment. 

Love you bunches my boy,

Your momma

Xoxo

PS:  I really should have thought ahead about how I would contain you in a chair for each of these monthly pictures.  No worries, your daddy was just outside of the frame catching you each time you tried to fling yourself out of the chair.

noah | seven months

Dear Noah,

It's time for my monthly check-in with you. What you've been up to. How you're growing. You've been a busy boy. 

In the last month, you cut two bottom teeth. You stopped eating food when they were coming through but you're getting your appetite back. You also pulled yourself up. Twice. Which is two times too many in my book. Since you turned seven months old (it's been a few days, I'm writing this late as usual), you have practiced daily this pulling up thing. The problem is, you think that once you pull yourself up, then you can just walk away. And you let go. And you fall down. Clearly, crawling no longer satisfies your need to move. I'm sure once you master standing, then walking and running will be sure to follow. 

You still wake me up every few hours through the night. I'm okay if you stop doing that now. But you've been better about taking naps. Keep doing that. 

Water. Oh my goodness, you love the water. Pool, bathtub, puddle...it doesn't matter. You splash and flip and wiggle around and I can barely hang onto you, and yes, sometimes it's almost hazardous to your health. 

And you're still loud. Very loud. You like to start "talking" as soon as your eyes open in the morning. And you "talk" while you play and while you eat and while you watch your sisters and while you ride around in the front pack and pretty much all the time. It ranges from grunty growling to the highest pitch squeal I've ever heard from any of my babies. No need to worry if you'll be heard in our house. 

The way you furrow your brows in seriousness at your toys reminds me of Laci. The way you chill easily wherever we take you reminds me of Mia. But you are certainly your own little person, doing things your own way. Please refer to kamikaze baby standing story above. Everyone says boys are different...wilder...reckless even.  And.     Well.     They are right. 

You had a doctor appointment today. Your stats are:

Weight: 17 lbs 1 oz (50th %)

Height:  27" (25th %)

You gave the nurse a giant smile, then she gave you three shots and you cried big alligator tears.  And then you recovered quickly and we went on our way.

I'll end by saying everyone who meets you, loves you. You were a center attraction at Aunty Beth's wedding, aside from the bride and groom of course. But don't let that go to your head. 

Much love to my beautiful green eyed boy,

Momma

Xoxo

may 31

Today was good. Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one. 

Everyday from here to there

Funny things are everywhere. 

- Dr Suess

Almost everyday May has come to a close. 

Now back to our sporadically scheduled program. 

may 29

After several failed attempts at writing something tonight, I'm just going to share a few favorite shots from this week.  Maybe I'll be able to get a clear idea of what I want to say tomorrow. Ya know, after all that sleep I get at night. 

may 28

It took four hours to wash the dishes this morning. It went something like:

Fill the sink with hot, soapy water. 

Feed Noah. 

Wash a few dishes. 

Change a diaper. 

Wash a few dishes. 

Break up arguments. 

Start a load of laundry. 

Fix Laci's hair. 

Wash a few dishes. 

Put Noah down for a nap. 

Two hours after filling the sink, Ryan took Mia to the store with him, Noah was sleeping. It was my chance to finish a few chores. 

But there was Laci. My sweet, sensitive Laci. Always wanting me to play with her and always wishing for more one-on-one time.

So, we painted. And colored. And talked about life. For an hour and a half. She asked me if she is just like me when I was a little girl. I asked her if she was going to be a mommy when she grows up. 

I told her we are a lot alike, but also different. She told me she is never getting married or moving out because she likes this family and wants to live here forever. 

Now, she is asleep. And Noah and Mia, too. There are new dishes to be washed and four loads of laundry that need to be folded and put away. But, for whatever reason, I'm not too worried about any of it. Calm is not a feeling I'm familiar with lately. So I'm embracing it while it's here. 

may 23 (yes, I realize it's may 27, keep reading)

Well, so much for everyday May. It's now more like almost everyday May. Or everyday May for two-thirds of the month, then MIA for a few days. But almost everyday May is simpler to say.

And I'm Okay with almost everyday May. 

So, carrying on. 

...

Friday, we took the kids to the fair. It was super hot and super loud and super expensive. Everything the fair is supposed to be. Laci loved the animals, she probably would have put the rabbit in her pocket if it fit. Mia is still afraid of most of them, including the plastic ones on the carousel. 

She did like this fake cow, though. She called it the "glass cow." I suppose because it's shiny like glass. My favorite part was when she saw the momma pig feeding her babies, and after studying her for a bit, announced to the crowd, "That's where the milk is!"

And Noah, he's a trooper. Sweaty and hot, but mostly happy.

This was the first time Ryan was able to go to the fair with us, he's usually working. It was nice to have him with is instead of texting him pictures of the kids while he's at work.  

...

So, as for the rest of everyday May...maybe I'll continue tomorrow.