The Tooth Fairy

...that's the name of the dentist's office, where we first met Doctor Lee. Noah was running on the hardwood, about three weeks ago, and BAM- totally face planted. I comforted him but when he smiled I saw that he cracked his front tooth in half- it was pointy on the end, like a fang! So I looked up a pediatric dentist. Noah hadn't been to the dentist yet, so I had no idea where to go. When we arrived at the Tooth Fairy, it was ADORABLE. Noah felt right at home- writing on the chalkboard, playing with the toys, looking at the huge Poo mural, so when they called his name to go into the office, he was happy-go-lucky. When the dentist started rebuilding his tooth, not so much. He screamed from the second it started, to the second it ended. Nevertheless, Dr. Lee did an amazing job, and we were out of there in no time. I personally HATE the dentist- I'm terrified. I don't think I've been in three years! I didn't want Noah to have the same kind of fear, so I made it a special day for him; took him to the mall and had lunch, rode the carousel AND the choo choo, and threw all mommy's pennies into the fountain. Three weeks went by, and Noah's healing process was good. The Doctor had given him antibiotics to prevent infection, and he handled it fine!

In the midst of this healing process, we went to my mom's house to see her brother and his family. They have 4 kids- two teenage girls, and two 12 year old boys (twins). Noah absolutely ADORED the twins, Simon and Matthew. They were so sweet to him. They let him play with them with everything they were doing! He wanted to eat what they ate, play what they played, and do what they did! A few of the nights we were there, Simon and Matthew were the only reason I could get Noah to go to bed and to brush his teeth! I had to put a time out on his afternoon play to change a dirty diaper, and Noah carried on like the world would end. My dad came in to pick him up and comfort him, and he said to Noah, "what's wrong??" Noah said "I want my boys!"

Anyway...back to the Tooth Fairy Story. Four weeks after the tooth incident, Noah jumped into a pile of pillows and chipped his tooth AGAIN! I guess this time it was technically the molding that broke, but either way, we had to go back and have the tooth re-built. Noah again enjoyed the play room and chalk board, but when Dr. Lee walked in to greet us, Noah ran to me, and said "hold you me, hold you me! I don't want him to fix my tooth!" Poor kid....so we went through the same ordeal again, Noah screamed again, and when it was over, Noah sat up and clinging to me said "I don't like the water Mommy!". Part of me was grateful he thought it was all water, and didn't know there was a drill involved :) We had a special lunch after that, and I think he's mentally fine now...I guess when we go for his first cleaning we will find out.

Last night, Keith and Noah were running around, playing, and Noah says to Keith, "Daddy! Your tooth fell out!!!". So Keith says "oh no! Are you going to fix it?" Noah says "Ok!", runs into his play room, and comes back with his tool set. A hammer, a screwdriver, and a wrench. :) He told Keith to lay down and open his mouth. Noah sat over him, a very serious expression on his face, and said "Don't worry Daddy. I'm going to fix it", and proceeds to put his screwdriver in Keith's mouth. I was giggling as Keith was expressing each time that Noah triggered his gag reflex with that screwdriver, only to follow it with "don't cry daddy, I've got you". After about ten minutes of tooth-fixing, Keith was done. He sat up and said "ok my turn to fix your tooth!", and took the screwdriver from him. Noah said "NO DADDY! You can't take my Dr. Lee!!!"

It's amazing all the things that impact our children. They soak up external stimuli like a sponge, and while you know it, you never know the full extent to which it impacts them until it comes back from their mouth! Noah's favorite show, Caillou, taught him the oh-so-annoying phrases "I don't have to", "I don't want to", "i don't like it", and my favorite: "it's not fair!". So we decided to flag Caillou and tell Noah he was no longer on TV. I've decided to feed his mind with Veggie Tales instead, so at least he's learning something good and wholesome!

That's about all for now! Better get my work done while Noah is sleeping!

Funny Noah-isms

This isn't going to be a long post- I just had to share a few stories that cracked us up!

The other night we were out to dinner with my dad. Dad and Keith both got soup, and gave Noah the crackers that came with it. Noah ate the crackers, and we proceeded with dinner. Twenty minutes or so passed, and Noah dropped his binkie on the floor. Threw it actually. And I told him that because he threw it, he wouldn't get it back. So a few minutes after that, he put his arm around Keith's neck, and then around dad's, and said "thank you very much for the crackers. I really appreciate it". We were dying...but once the laughter settled, he said "I need my binkie please". :) He's learning manipulation early.

Here in Newtown, where we just moved, there is a town center, and there's little shops and whatnot. One of the features is a town hall that's been converted into a theatre. They only show one movie at a time and you can see the movie for $2 a person! We've been wanting to take Noah to a movie just for something fun to do, and when the Chipmunks were featured, we took the opportunity! He sat on his booster, and ate popcorn- was THRILLED when the red curtain moved back. Through the movie, he danced to the music and reacted verbally to what was going on, on-screen. After the movie, we put him in his carseat and Keith said "did you have fun at the movie??" Noah said "YEAH! I enjoyed it!" ...enjoyed...too stinking cute and grown up!

We have done away with bottles. But he doesn't know it. I got two cups that have bottle-ish spouts, and we call them his 'big boy bottles'. He loves them-- so excited for the change! Putting the bottles AWAY!!!!!!!!! I'm hoping to slip a regular cup in front of him one day without him knowing.

My little boy is growing up! :(

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

I can't believe my last blog post was a YEAR ago!

I'm such a posting slacker.

Noah is TWO years old, and obviously has developed WAY past the walking stage of life. He has a little sassy but adorable personality now. Soon after walking, he took to parades. My dad has a song he whistles and lots of fun 'parade batons' in his kitchen cabinets that he a noah wave in the air as the walk and sing. When noah gets into it, he recruits anyone who is in the room to come parade with him. I have a priceless video of this from Thanksgiving...if only I can figure out how to post it!

For the past few months, Noah has been attending a parent/toddler class with my mom. They sang songs, played with lots of toys, and at the end of each class, got a hand stamp. The teacher was Miss Yvonne. Noah quickly became the teacher's pet, and though he was clingy and bored with the singing part of the class, he loved the activity portion. He took countless trips down the slide, rolled down the wedge-shaped mats, and begged to play basketball if the net wasn't already out. He came out of his shell after a few classes and began to participate in full, and proudly displayed his stamps if you asked to see them. He no longer attends, however, since Keith's promotion with Lincoln moved us to Newtown, Connecticut. I did take him to a gymnastics class last week, however, and after crying for the first 20 minutes, he warmed up and loved it. Poor guy, I can't tell if his cry-before-i-try attitude is because of the transition and move adjustments, or just him being two, and somewhat introverted. He went down a huge inflatable slide over and over again-eventually without me assisting him and cheering/coaxing him on, and at the end of class, I threw him into the foam pit. He was reluctant to try it and i knew he would love it but knew we didn't have time to do the back and forth of adjusting. So we conquered that one head on. He loved it, didn't want to leave, and wanted to play with every piece of gym equipment on the way out. Needless to say we're enrolling him in that one. :) When we were going out for groceries yesterday, he asked where the 'big big house' was. I realized that he meant the gym, and I told him the big big house was gymnastics class, and we would go back very soon.

Noah was the cutest pengin ever for Halloween this year. At first he didn't want anything to do with the costume. Then, some trick-or-treaters came to our door. We handed out the candy, and pointed out the costumes to Noah, and after that he ran over to his costume and said "put on! Go with kids!" He wanted to trick or treat too! :) He was so darn cute. I have to get pictures from my dad. Nick dressed up into a head-to-toe-sequin costume of a patriot (left over from dad's mummer days), and came with us. He was so funny...walking from door to do by himself, wanting to ring all the bells, and choosing his candy. We left with tons of lolly pops :) He was so excited that Uncle Nick came with us too! At one point after Nick left, he turned around after climbing someone's front steps and said "where'd uncle nickie go?? Oh no!". The day after halloween, we were making animal noises. I asked him what a cow says: "moo". I asked him what a dog says: "ruff" . I asked him what a penguin says, to which he responded, "trick or treat!!!"

He's such a little squirt, wanting to do everything that mommy and daddy do. His favorite toys are either things he can't have or toy replicas thereof. He loves his toy kitchen he got for chrismas, and loves reading books in his tent! He's very good at verbally expressing himself. We went to the gaylord hotel in DC, just before Christmas, to participate in the ICE exhibit and christmas festivities there, and after a long day of playing, swimming, listening to Christmas music, and trekking through snow, we were lying in bed together. He looked at me and said "mommy, are you happy?" i said "yes Noah, I'm happy". He said "daddy, are you happy?" (but daddy didn't answer because he was sleeping). I said "Noah, are you happy?" he said "I'm happy". and with that, he went to sleep. One day we were riding in the car, and he played with my necklace and said "I like this mommy". Another day, I was fixing my hair in the mirror and he said "mommy you look nice". He just melts me! Keith has been hanging window treatments and whatnot, over the last few days. Now, Noah wants to climb on the ladder, so I help him. When he reaches the top, he says "i need a screwdriver". I try to distract him from that by helping him "jump off' into mommy's arms.

The endless sleep battle has finally come to an end! We decided it was time for a fresh perspective on the bed, so we turned his crib into a big boy bed. He took to it right away, which has made it easy to put him to sleep in his bed. we just lay together and read a book, then stay there with him til he falls asleep. I was worried that the pattern wouldn't hold while we vacationed in canada, but things worked out just fine! He went into the beds to lay down when he was tired.

Tons of transitions going on right now so we haven't stuck to the bedtime routine, which I know I"ll kick myself for, but I worry for him. I want him to feel safe and comfortable, and I don't want him to be traumatized by all the change. That said, I'm going to save my binky and bottle battles for later. I know the bottle is more of a comfort thing than a need because he asks for them and then just holds them- doesn't drink them. We will cross that bridge when he gets a bit more comfy here.

That's all I'm going to ramble about for now- had to break the one year stint! Here are a few christmas pictures.

Ready, Set, WALK!

YAY! At 13.5 months, Noah is WALKING!!!!! :) We are so excited! He has taken two and three...up to six steps here and there, but never got excited about it. Tonight, while my mom and I were sitting on the floor across from one another, he began his journey. He walked to one of us, gave us a hug, then walked to the other. Ofcourse we were screaming and praising him, so he was getting excited. After a few turns back and forth, he walked toward mom and just continued past her! On through the kitchen and down the hall, into the entry way and to Pop-Pop's office he went! He hasn't stopped since! Holding a stuffed animal in front of him gave him confidence, but after a bit of practice, he's realized he can walk without holding it too! It's such an incredible feeling to see him learn new things like this- to reach these milestones! I blogged this entry with the intent to post a video I took of his first steps, but realized I don't have the connection cables. I will post it as soon as I get home!

Upon trying to upload the initial vid, I noticed the one I shot at mom's was really dark so we went outside today to shoot some more of him walking. So here are both. :) Enjoy!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! :)

First Birthday and First Snow

We're ONE! :)

It's been a crazy-busy month, with Keith's birthday, Noah's birthday, and the Christmas holiday. It has absolutely FLOWN but Noah is a year old! Since we had a big dedication party, we only had a small gathering for his birthday-- pizza and family at our house. He had a great time opening his gifts, and would get so excited about the gift that he would ignore the rest of the wrapping paper remaining and start to play through the package. He didn't take any interest in his cake but did suck the icing off his candle. In fairness, he didn't feel well that day, due to 3 more teeth breaking through. We'll have to try the cake thing again soon, while he's feeling well. I did take pictures both of Noah's party and Christmas, but haven't yet uploaded them. I figured I would blog before I forgot all the fun little details about how he has changed.

Every day, my little baby transitions into toddlerhood in some way. He's eating anything he can get his hands on (except veggies ofcourse), and doing so with only 4 teeth on top, and two on the bottom. Chicken is his favorite. In fact, on his actual birthday (on a wednesday) we took him to Chick-fil-a to have nuggets and play on the indoor playset. He had a BALL! He was double-fisting the nuggets and loving the apple juice. In fact, that was the night he first drank from a straw! He now can't get enough of straws, and will drink even if he isn't thirsty, if a straw is available. After dinner, he played on the playset, with the toys that he could reach, and even climbed a little on the slide. He would've gone up the stairs alone, if we'd let him, but we knew it couldn't support our weight, should he get stuck.

He's not walking yet, although he totally could. He flys on his hands and knees-- he's definitely mastered crawling. And he's becoming more independent and confident when it comes to cruising. He's been using furniture to get around much more than crawling, these days. And every day, the distance he's willing to stretch to get from piece to piece grows larger. He will even take tiny half-steps with hands on nothing, in transit to his next furniture destination. Yesterday he stood for a good 20/30 seconds on his own, until he realized he was standing. Then he fell to his knees. He also took one step to get to Ashley! His first step! The other first that happened yesterday was him saying "Pop Pop". He said it two or three times and then got distracted.

Noah's communication skills are rapidly growing! He now nods and shakes his head no in response to our questions. Sometimes I think he understands, sometimes I don't think he does, but he wants to communicate anyway. If there is something he wants to try to tell us, he will do so with fervent grunts, groans, sounds, and pointing. If we don't get it, he gets extremely frustrated and will not relent until he gets his point across. He says "Ma Ma" and "Da da" and "uh oh" quite regularly now. He's also been giving kisses. He makes the kissy noise with pursed lips, when we say "give me a kiss". But when he actually kisses you he plants his open mouth over yours, then pulls away. He gave me a hug and kiss one morning to wake me....it was so sweet! Right now, his hug is either pulling your face to his, really hard, or laying his head on your chest. He's such a tender heart, my boy! Hugs and kisses are given out all the time, and Keith and I can't get enough. :)

He's become quite the little adventurer in the bathtub as well! Now Noah LOVES to lay down in the tub. You have to keep an eye on him because without warning, he will thrust himself backwards to lay down. He isn't cautious about it-- he expects your hand to be there. And once lying, he'll stay until he feels like it, and then will turn over. It's so funny to watch!

Mimicking has been the latest thing. He mimicks so many of our actions: mom-mom picking lint off of the stairs, daddy putting his tools away, dance moves, sounds. The other day we were watching TV and my parents' and a hair loss commercial came on. It was an info-mercial so it was quite extensive. After the commercial Noah crawled down from my lap and onto Poppy's lap, ran a hand through his hair, and pointed to the TV. :) We all got a good laugh out of that one! My dad and Uncle Bill have been trying to teach Noah how to play with balls, and he gets SO excited when he 'throws' the ball (drops it over his shoulder after drawing his hand backward). He makes a big fuss and waits to do it again. And our little dancer is expanding his dance horizons! Any time there is even a hint of music on, he's moving. LOVES to dance, and LOVES music!!

Christmas was fun, too. He enjoyed opening the packages and playing with the toys before they were even fully unwrapped. Poppy got him a bouncing zebra toy that he has learned to climb onto and off of, by himself. He also got him a radio flyer trike, which we look forward to putting together this spring, when the weather is nice. The holidays were crazy because of being out every night...Noah was on no real schedule and up late each night. But looking back at my childhood, I have such special memories from holidays, being allowed to be up late and play with my cousins and whatnot. I'd hate to take that away from him.

My three cousins (Kristi, Lindsay, and Ashley) love to dote on Noah! If we go to a family party and they are there, he is almost instantly taken away and then passed between the three of them. He LOVES their attention, too. I always hear some kind of squeal or giggle from whatever room they are playing in. It's nice to have the break. I love being with Noah, so much, but he's a handfull! Especially now that he knows (and loves) climbing stairs (both up and down).

It's getting late- time to wrap this up. I will post pictures once they are uploaded. Noah's changing so quickly that I suspect I'll be blogging more frequently now! Love to all of you! Happy New Year!

Noah is 11 months and two weeks old! AAAAAAAAH! Thanksgiving is just around the corner…I remember being big and pregnant with him last Thanksgiving. I can’t believe we’re here again. I already have his Turkey Day PJ’s packed and ready to go (you better believe you’ll see pictures!) and his cute little sweaters for the weekend. We’re packing up and going to Grand Maman and Poppy’s house. Noah LOVES eating whatever we eat now, so he will enjoy the Thanksgiving feast!! I’m really looking forward to sharing the day with him!

Noah’s two teeth have turned into four (possibly five, I think). He’s been chewing solid food up without any problems, regardless! I didn’t get teeth until I was a year old, which may be why he is taking longer. My how he’s changed! His little personality is just blossoming…he tends to be really laid back like his daddy—not at all high strung. He likes to observe the action, if there are lots of other kids around. If it is just he and I, or he and one or two other people, he does get more vocal and more goofy. He is easily excited by seeing people he knows and loves. When Grand-maman, Poppy, and Daddy come into the room, it’s as though everything is right with the world, and his heart couldn’t be more content!

He loves to play with toys. His favorites are his touch-and-feel books, his push toys, and anything that plays music that he can dance to. He had his first fever about 3 weeks ago…had a virus. He was as sick as a dog, and even then, he danced while I held him. He had zero energy or spunk, but couldn’t resist the urge. His favorite game of late has been the “let’s crawl around on the floor together” game. He just laughs hysterically and squeals when you manage to catch up to him and make your most ferocious monster sounds!

Mimicking us has become more frequent, lately. He used to shake his head “no” as a dance move, but now he has correlated it with the word “no”…and also with the word “yes” because when he shakes his head, I’ve also tried to teach him to nod. When I cuddle with him, I hum to him and tell him I love him. He’s started to make the same humming noise whenever we hold him close, and also one occasion while he was enjoying a cookie which was apparently really good. He has mimicked words like “uh oh”, “da da”, and “woof”. He hasn’t caught on to waving yet. I’ve tried to hold his hand up to show him but he can’t be bothered. He loves to clap, but doesn’t try it himself…only when I’m clapping with him, holding his hands. We sing while we clap, so he realizes it’s a musical instrument.

We’re getting to the stage where he tests me. If he touches something he shouldn’t, I say “don’t touch that” or “touché pa” (French) and he usually draws back. But sometimes he only hesitates, looks at me to see if I’m serious, and then reaches again. At this point, he has his hand slapped, and yet another “touché pa”. If he tries for a third, he gets another slap, and is removed from the situation. His Aunt Dawn has been supportive of the bilingual instructions, and has been enforcing them with him, as well. She definitely loves him, that’s for sure!

Almost a year and he’s not quite walking. He totally could….he just seems to be content with his current modes of transportation! I’m sure one day his curiosity will get the best o him and he’ll take the leap. I’m not in any hurry. Either way he will be mobile, and when he walks, he’ll be taller and slightly more wreckless!

We’re FINALLY using the stinking sippie cup! I’ve had to train him in it. He loves his bottles but wanted nothing to do with the cup. Since we will be weaning at the one year mark, except for night bottles, I’ve been giving him his daytime bottles in the cup, and his night bottle in a bottle. So far, so good!

We’ve gone from hating baths in infancy to LOVING baths now. If I turn on the water, he will hold to the edge of the tub and help me to undress him….lift his legs for sock and pant removal, and pull out his arms from his sleeves. He then jumps up and down and eagerly hums until I finally put him in. He then plays with the water coming from the spout, tries to pull off the tub grips, plays with toys, and chases the bar of soap under water.

Oh, my time is up—Noah is awake. I will write more later. Prob. Much later. Quickly in summary, though, with the changing economy, Keith still has a job, and God has been faithfully providing for our needs. We are grateful and very, very blessed!
Pictures to follow!