monthly updates » The Adventures of Noah

23 months…

Everyday life, monthly updates, Noah 1 Response »

Feb 022012

(i promised him I’d get this out before he turned 2….we’re getting close though!)

Well, you finally did it. You climbed over your crib rail and let yourself out of bed. We’ve spent the last few weeks trying various things to keep you in. A sleep sack worked for one night and then you figured that out too. Now it’s hit or miss on if you’ll get out or not. The gate is up so you can’t wander but we need to find a better solution soon, i’m nervous about you getting in and out by yourself.

You always tell us it’s “cold outside” in reference to anything cold or outside but not always necessarily together. Like, you’ll grab daddy’s face after he comes in from outside and say “cold outside” or you’ll grab your milk and say “cold outside”…doesn’t matter. Any reference to cold is appended with “outside”. I love it!

You’re asserting your independence more and more. Most days you have to pick out your own clothes. You strip off everything I pick out and insist on doing yourself so I’ve kind of given up. You even wore PJ’s to school today because it wasn’t worth the fight. Dinner time is much of the same. You have to do it yourself or ask for help. If I offer or try to do it for you all hell breaks loose. It’s so cute when you ask for help though…you look up and say “hep mommy” and then I melt.

I plopped you on the scale the other day (after you brought it out to me) and you were 28 lbs. Then I managed to get you to stand still long enough to get a height. 34 inches…almost a full yard!!! We’ll find out at your dr’s appt next month where that puts you. I’ve moved you over to 24/2T clothes for the most part although you still wear some of your 18mo PJ’s.

Lastly, your temper has arrived. I’m attributing it to the early arrivals of the terrible 2′s or possibly the sleep issues we’ve been fighting but man – you can be sweet as pie one second and the next a raging ball of anger hitting and throwing and just yelling like some’s stole your favorite toy. There’s no rhyme or reason most times. Sometimes it’s because I did something that you wanted to do yourself (like open your yougurt) or we had to take a non-permitted object out of your hands (like the screwdriver or the sharpie marker that I really need to remember to take out of the drawer you can reach). Sometimes it’s becuase Macie looks at you cross eyed…or uses her jedi mind tricks to make you think she’s going to steal a toy. I don’t know why most times and often times a modified time out is the only fix (or a bottle of milk, which seems to cure alot). Your MeeMa would say that it’s payback for all the tantrums I threw as a kid (apparently I could throw a fit with the best of them) and perhaps she’s right. Wow, I can totally feel her pain now.

In any case, you always make it better you saying “sorry mommy” (or whatever object you threw) and petting my face (or the object you tossed:) ). Being your mommy is challenging alot of the time but so incredibly worth it.

(and since I’ve been seriously slacking on the photos, here’s a video of Noah’s new trick. I have no idea who taught him this).

22 Months….

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Jan 132012

so many weeks late!

He’s just a huge bag of tricks these days (and feels like a huge sack of bricks when you pick him up…).
– He’s talking more, stringing two words together (sometimes three). I love hearing “I love you mommy” or “mommy daddy I you”…
– He’s climbing all over everything and is much more confident on the stairs. Most days he goes up with out holding on to anything and can go down a few steps without help as well.
– He can jump off the ground and both feet clear. He’s getting more and more height as the month wears on. He loves to jump jump jump…
– I stuck him on the scale this AM and it said he was 28lbs so he seems to be holding stead (although it doesnt feel like it).
– I still can’t/haven’t nailed him down to get a height. I guess we’ll just have to wait until his two year appt next month.
– Gosh, this is what I get for not doing these on time…i’m merging this month and last month:) oh well..

I’ve already started thinking about his 2 year party. I swore to myself we’d keep it family and close friends but as I assemble the guest list it just keeps growing. I can’t help myself. I just need a theme now…Thomas is so over done but he loves it so much…

21 months!

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Nov 272011

and just like that we’re another month closer to being a 2 year old (and weeks late on his update). The terrible twos have started to rear their ugly head as Noah tries to assert his independence with “no” or “noah” when he wants to do it himself. Most of the time it’s cute…others? Not so much. Timeout is slowly gaining popularity in our house.

It’s been a busy month with hikes, trips to park, driving to see friends. You name it and we’ve probably done it or thought about doing it this month. In all the craziness and driving we’ve found that stickers can keep a babe occupied for hours as will my phone with either movies of him on it or toddler lock…

Stats for this month:
- 26ish lbs (he won’t stand still)
- 32ish inches (again, this standing still thing is an issue)
- lots of words and babbling. He’s starting to string two or three together…like bye bye doggie, what’s that? etc… He’s constantly babbling and more and more I’m hearing real words in his babbling.

This kid is non stop! From the time he wakes up until he naps he’s just one big ball of motion. It’s exhausting but so amazing. I just love his sweet little smile or the way he says “mama” when he wants something (followed usually by “peese” or “now!”)…

There’s no movement on the potty front, he still likes to sit on it but nothing has happened yet (well, there was one fluke that we made a big deal of but he was so confused…it hasnt happened since:)). It’s still early and I’m letting him lead for now we go with it as he shows interest.

Anywho…I’d promise more posts but life has been crazy lately. Perhaps I’ll find some time to queue a few up:)

19 Months

monthly updates, Noah 1 Response »

Oct 012011

So I’m a few weeks late on this. If it means anything I created the post on the 23rd…it just took till now to fill it out:)

He’s growing by leaps and bounds, with each passing day I see more comprehension and more communication from him. He’s 26lbs and 34 inches tall and he looks like a tall skinny little boy it’s so crazy! I’ve noticed that while he’s really verbal, he doesn’t really say much. Just lots of babbling with occasional comprehensible word thrown in. He can usually get his point across. I’m not worried mostly because his spatial and reason comprehension is very good. You just watch as the little wheels turn in his head as he figures out how to undo the buckles or latches on the toys he has or works thru the puzzle to put the pieces in the right spots.

Coloring is a favorite past time as is pushing things over to whatever he can’t reach and then climbing up. He knows his animal sounds and most of his body parts and can point out most of the objects in his 100 words book when you ask what things are. I can even get him to participate in the “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” song which is soo much fun.

He’s a hugger and a kisser (but only when he feels like it) and he’s spontaneously affectionate (melts my heart when he runs over and hugs my leg and says i wuv oooo!). His mood is almost always happy except on the days where he gets up on the wrong side of the bed, then it’s just miserable all day. I never look forward to nap and bed time more than those days.

This past month we spent a week a the beach (as you’ll see in upcoming posts if I ever get to write them) and after a quick introduction to sand he was all about walking around and digging. I think he favorite part was the bike rides. He loves that little trailer.

Anywho…I can’t believe we’re in the last few months before he turns 2! Where does the time fly!

18 Months….

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Aug 232011

Holy moly…He’s a year and a half old now. And to celebrate the occasion, he cut a new tooth, contracted croup and survived an earthquake. Boy knows how to do it right!!

Stats
26lbs (they weighed him on the big boy scale today!)
? inches tall. I can’t get him to stand still long enough.

Language
He’s got too many words to type out. He’ll mimic everything you ask him too and he’s started to pair up sounds with animals and objects. He’ll ask to color with crayons, for you to sit next to him, and he’s good with answering with an affirmative yes or adamant NO!. He babbles and has full conversations with himself and i swear I hear him singing some times.

Motor Skills:
Running is his preferred mode of transportation, climbing is the next (although that’s not necessarily transportation, just havoc causing). He stacks blocks like a champ now and has mastered most of his toys. You’ll find him dancing when there’s music and spinning circles till he’s dizzy (soo funny). Hand him a wooden spoon and a pot lid and you have hours of entertainment. Loud entertainment but entertainment none the less.

Potty Dealings:
He’s interested in the potty and all that is involved and will sit on the seat but doesn’t quite get what to do when he’s up there. I put him on in the evenings before his bath just to get him used to it.

Sleeping/Eating:
He sleeps pretty well when he’s not cutting a tooth or has croup:) Still 7/7:30 – 6:30-7am. They still give him a 2.5 hr nap at daycare and that seems to work out really well. Eating on the other hand is hit or miss. You can always convince him to eat a waffle or a banana but outside of that we just have to try until something sticks. I know he won’t starve but sometimes I worry.

Anywho…enough blabbing, on to the pics. This shoot was harder than I thought it would be. I really needed someone else to help wrangle him while I got the shot ready. My keys helped some but in the end it was a pretty quick shoot.

17 months….

monthly updates, Noah, photography 1 Response »

Jul 302011

Just a few days late here:) It’s been super busy.

I just love this age with Noah because he’s such a little person with his own wants/needs and opinions. If he has a choice he’s outside, he wants to sit at the big table, he wants to feed himself etc. He’s understanding more and more and follows simple directions pretty well. He’ll mimic what we ask him to say and has been associating things more and more.

The other day I got a real “mama” from him in reference to me! Now he does it all the time and it love love love it! Such a sweet sound from him little mouth.

Eating is still a challenge. One day he’ll eat something the next he won’t so you never know. We have found a few tricks that work most of the time:
1. give him a fork – he loves to fork his own food
2. saddle him up to the table like a big boy – I took the tray off his high chair so now he can sit at the table or the counter like the rest of us and that seems to make him happy.
3. watch it with the snacks – I noticed that he was snacking alot. He’d grab his snack trap or ask for something and we’d just give it to him. Now I’m watching more closely and he’s eating normal meals better because he’s actually hungry when I make things.

Words:
in addition to last months we’ve added car, lellow (yellow), hat, Gabo (friend at school), lala (another friend at school), bano (potty in spanish), please, noooooo!, color, bye, backyard, and lots of affirmative grunts (typical boy) Plus he’ll mimic just about anything you ask him to.

fine motor:
- climbing! OMG this kid climbs now.
- running full steam ahead
- This kids grasp on cause and effect is amazing. He knows that you need to turn the hose on for water, that if he pushes that button something happens etc.

Favorites:
- balls
- blankie
- bottles
- water (if it’s a dirty mud puddle even better!)

He’s 25lbs or so and I’m not sure how tall (next month is his dr’s appt). He’s solidly in 18 mo clothes and wears size 5 shoe (although i can only get sandals on him since his little feet are so fat).

I can’t believe he’s going to be a whole year and a half old next month!

16 Months!

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Jun 232011

Well, the parrot phase has started! He’ll repeat most of what you say, or at least try. He’s added a few more words to his arsenal and a few more tricks to his bag. Ever the performer he waves and says hi to just about everyone and everything and still blows kisses to the world.

He’s at a point where you can see the little wheels of his brain turning and you can generally show him something once and he can repeat. I asked him to put the tupperware away in the drawer and he complied (i even did it in english). The best trick was when he opened the snack drawer, took out some mangos and closed the drawer (and proceeded to walk around the house with them for a while). I asked him to put them back and he walks over to the drawer, opens the one below it (where the pots are), realizes that it’s not the right drawer and closes it. Then he opens the right drawer, finds an empty spot to put his mangos down and closes the drawer. I just stood there in amazement.

He’s around 25 lbs and we just finished our umpteenth round of antibiotics for an ear infection. Summer can’t come fast enough, I want a month free of ear infections or pneumonia! I have to try to get him to stand still long enough to get his height, that’s easier said than done. All this kid does is move and if he’s not outside he’s mad as a hornet (rain or shine).

In addition to the words from last month he’s added mama (in reference to me), nana (banana), da-do (in reference to Macie), I’ve heard agua over and over again, and quack quack (duck). He says bottle and thank you pretty clearly now too.

Best part of my day is when he sees me when DH brings him home. Sometimes they beat me home and he comes running, other times I’m in side already and he come hunting me with a big ole smile on his face.

15 months

monthly updates, Noah, Uncategorized 2 Responses »

May 302011

So we’re already to 15 months! He seems more and more like a little boy every day, it’s disturbing! My baby is disappearing before my eyes:( He’s independent and curious but still likes to check in periodically when he’s playing, just to make sure we’re still there (I secretly love that part, she snuggles in real quick to show that he still needs me).

He follows directions very well and even crawls up the stairs at daycare and gets his shoes for us. He likes to grab them and then sit in your lap to let you put them on. All the while chanting “shooooos…shoooooos” (which sounds like his “joooce” or Juice in Noah speak). He’ll put things away when you ask and hand stuff over when he knows he’s not allowed to have it (the channel changers for example).

We’ve been sick on and off unfortunately and I’m very much looking forward to the end of cold and flu season. I’m tired of this two weeks on/two weeks off game. We’re on antibiotics for something or other at least half the month. Last time it was pneumonia and now we’re fighting an ear infection (number 4 or 5 i think).

He’s has 10 or 12 words (shoes, juice, cheese, papa, daddy, mama, uhoh, ball, bubbles, book, hello/hi, thank you, more/mas) and I swear I heard doggie the other day. Daycare says he also says water and milk in Spanish as well as cracker although I’ve never heard them myself. Oh, and just this morning I heard “poopy”…lovely!

He can tell you where is belly, head, feet and tongue are as well as “shush” you when you’re loud. He signs “more”, “doggie”, and “all done” pretty consistently and I’m working on others (help and hurt).

He’s sleeping from 7ish to 7ish pretty consistently now. Sometimes he’ll pop up around 5am but I usually hand him a small bottle with water in it and he’s back to sleep (this kid drinks a TON!). At his last dr’s appt he was 75/50/50 for height, weight, head circ although i didn’t get the actual numbers since I didn’t go (hubs did and he doesnt remember). I think he’s like 24lbs or so.

I did a quick photoshoot with him the other day to try out a new chair (well, old chair from my great uncle’s farm) and we only lasted a little bit (it was towards nap time) but we got a few nice pics out of it!

Time is flying and I keep thinking back to where we were last year at this time. I wonder if I’ll ever stop doing that.

14 Months…

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May 032011

14 months already! He’s turning into such a big boy, I can’t believe it!!

He’s really starting to develop a personality. He’s hilarious and he knows it:) He gets a real kick out of trying to get us to laugh. It’s such a beautiful sound! We had a few rough nights here and there as his 4 molars made their way thru his gums. They’re still coming but it looks like they’re most of the way broken thru. I’m not sure how much he weighs – probably 23.5lbs or 24lbs. I’ll have to check to see how tall he is next month. Not much else has changed – he’s eating solids all the time. Still gets at least a night time bottle and sometimes just a bottle of water in the AM (he seems to get thirsty around 4:30am…I hand him a bottle and he’s back to sleep right after he finishes it).

Anyways, this is all from memory:) Next month will be more detailed if I remember to do it:)

13 Months…

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May 022011

I realize that I’ve completely skipped the monthly updates for Noah. No reason other than life moving on I suppose. His milestones are stretching out some so there’s nothing new to report. Although, it’s fun to share pics so…I’m going ot play catch up and post 13 and 14 today and tomorrow and then try to resume for 15 and so forth…

I don’t have Picky Sticky’s for these months so we’ll just find a few pics from the month and share:)

From a milestone stand point:
- he’s a full time walker – well, runner!
- Solids are no problem although we’re sticking with finger food. We tried once with a spoon but all it resulted in was a very frustrated baby and a mess and a half. Maybe next month.
- He’s 23.5 lbs or so… still 31 inches I think.
- We’re mixing in some 18 month clothes but for the most part he’s still in 12 mo stuff.
- He’s down to two bottles a day – morning and evening and we’re on cows milk full time after finishing up the formula we had left.
- He’s on the toddler schedule at day care! That means he gets regular meals with the kids, circle time, craft time etc..
- He’s still on two naps a day. Generally a 45 min in the AM and then a longer one int he evening.
- He’s not “talking” per say. Just babbling. Lots of gah gah gah go…he’s got “daddy” down but he uses it for everyone:)

I think that’s it for now…as always, i’m sure i’m missing something:)