Noah's First Christmas

Noah's first Christmas was a bit interesting. It kind of stretched out for about 4 days, since mom was sick over the holidays. (Don't get any ideas Noah, Christmas is only a one day affair!) But, it was wonderful. Noah loved to open the gifts, the ribbon being his favorite part! However, once he opened the gift he would start to play with it and then have a hard time moving on to others. So it took a few days to open them all. We had an opportunity to go to Scottsboro to visit the Duke family and celebrate the holidays as well. Noah loved all the paper that was piled on the floor! He got lots of fun gifts including a dump truck, his first tool box and a cool monkey that turns into a pillow and sleeping bag!

Even though we were not able to be near our family Noah was able to open his gifts from both sets of grandparents using skype, which was really special. He got so many wonderful gifts from his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and santa. Some of them include: books, puzzles, a fire truck, shape sorters, a top, Oregon jersey, and stackable rings.

what a wonderful Christmas, thank you to everyone!

Success!

Noah will be one in just 18 days! Wow. So, we have begun the journey of making Mr. Bottle dissapear. So far we are down to 3 a day, which is really good. Today however, Noah was introduced to his Big Boy cup (this is the 3rd one...) and it was a success. Yeah for Nuby! After all the brands this was the winner. He drank his afternoon formula in his big boy cup!

And, Noah was also introduced to his very own fork and spoon during his meals over the past week. What a difference! He now will eat ANYTHING you put on his plate. He loves turkey dogs the most. Go figure. What a big boy we have! *SIGH* ---This is mom's sigh of relief...we are making some great progress kid.

My poor baby

Well, after days of Noah being extra fussy, needy and waking up all night....we have found that not only does he have 4 teeth up top coming in, but he has his first ear infection! Yikes! It always makes a mama's heart hurt when you know that your baby is suffering and there is nothing you can do. I just hope that the medicine works quickly and we can get our happy little man back! Oh, and maybe a little sleep. :)

Happy 11 Months!

Dear Noah,
Today you are 11 months old. It's hard to believe that in just one month you will be a year old. Time really has gone by quickly. We have realized that you are now more a toddler than a baby as we find that you are ever so independent! This past month you have started pulling up on furniture and taking steps. You are well on your way to walking. It is really exciting to see you let go of whatever you are holding on to and just stand by yourself. I never could imagine you doing that when I was holding my 8 pound baby just 11 months ago. And, you are still very quick with crawling...the kitchen cabinets seem to be your favorite when you are helping me cook dinner.
You also love trying on mommy and daddy's glasses. The verdict is out though...which one of us do you look like??
Mom....

Or Dad...

I think you look like Ralphie on "A Christmas Story" with my glasses on!
Besides surviving your first road trip to North Carolina and visiting Santa Clause, you have been getting into the holiday spirits with us. You helped us with our Christmas shopping, and played a wonderful "toy tester" roll. We took you to Toys R Us and you picked out all your own gifts. It will be fun to watch you open them his year!

And finally, you are growing like a weed. You are now wearing 18-24 month clothes, and you are about 27 pounds and very tall. I guess you will be following your daddy on that one. Oh, and you still only have the two bottom teeth, but I am sure you have a couple more coming this month. It doesn't seem to be stopping you from chomping on all those foods you love.

We so enjoyed all the laughs, play times, snuggles and smiles this past month!

Love,

Mom

Let it snow!

The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung...now all we need is a little snow...and that is what we woke up to! Merry Christmas!

Ho, Ho, Ho

Noah met Santa for the first time this week.

Noah's 1st Thanksgiving was a success. We went to North Carolina to visit our friends, the Rulle family. The trip itself went really well and Noah was a trooper. I think it helped that he was able to watch movies and sleep most of the way. Once we got there, he had lots of fun playing with his buddy Cade. As for the meal, he ate like a big boy. He had his own plate of turkey, potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and stuffing that he ate all by himself. It took him a couple of minutes to decided that he was going to try the food, but once he did, he ate every last bite! It was exciting to see him eating food that didn't come out of a jar! And, as usual Thanksgiving tradition, he enjoyed leftovers the next day.

You might be a redneck if...

You use rubber tubs of clothing as a baby gate throughout your house. Yes, folks, that is what you will see in these pictures. Rubber tubs. Of clothing. We thought it might be a nice trend to start.

But really, we wanted to share about Noah's 4th haircut. It seems crazy to me that he has had so many haircuts. But, this time he really needed it. I couldn't believe how big the pile of hair was on the floor. This is his best haircut yet. This time we were actually able to cut the hair shorter and around the ears. He wasn't too thrilled about getting a haircut, but I think he is happier now!

Happy 10 Months!

Dear Bubba,

Whew! What a month you have had! Where do I begin?! Well, I think at this point things are starting to click for you. It has been so much fun watching all of your new tricks. You have accomplished so many new things I am just going to list them for you. This month you....

-Got 2 teeth. (Your 2 front bottom teeth) You didn't cry or fuss much, which was nice. But, you have been chewing, drooling and pooping lots! I actually think you are working on another tooth as I write.

-Wave hello/goodbye. You just started doing this and more often then not, I see you waving at the cats. But, you do like to wave goodbye to daddy in the morning before he goes to work and mommy in the evening before she goes to work. It's very cute.

-Crawling. Need I say more? You crawl everywhere! I had to take tubs full of clothing and make barriers around the house to keep you in the living room. So far, it works perfectly. You like to look over at them and tease the cats as well as play with your toys on them. When you are let free, you crawl so fast it is hard to keep track of you.

-Pull up on everything. Your favorite thing to do is to crawl to the window and pull up on your knees so you can look out.

-Throw. Everything. Especially balls. You love to play catch, even if it is just with yourself. You will throw balls and then chase them. It's darling to watch, though when you are throwing things that aren't meant to be thrown it's a different story!

-Play patty cake. This is a new one. You surprised us the other night. You already love to clap your hands, but now you have the "roll" part. You love to "rolllllllll" and "rolllllll".

-You have 3 words that you now say. 1) daday 2) Kitay 3) mom. The first two you say the most. We are still debating which was truly your first word. I am leaning on Kitay. You also call the kitays by making the K sound. I am still trying to capture these words on tape, but you don't like to perform on command.

-Play with toys. You have finally figured out some of your big boy toys. You love to crawl around and push cars also.

-You have given up your second nap and are now down to one a day. (sad for mommy!) But, you are sleeping through the night and only waking at 4am to eat. (good for mommy!)

-You are eating lots of table food and have gotten the hang of finger foods. You love green beans and avocados as well as yogurt and cheese.

-Battled the 'great diaper rash'. Well, we are still working on this one. But, honestly, you have been a trooper. I feel so bad that your little bum is so sore. I don't think I will forget this one.

Well, I think that sums up this month. You have grown so much my little 25 pounder! Every day I look at you my little miracle and watch in amazement wondering what you are up to next. As we enter the upcoming holiday season I can't wait to see everything through your eyes and discover it all over again.

I love you,

Mom

Trick or Treat

Here are a few pictures of Noah's first Halloween. He was a Cheetah, which was perfect for him, being the speedy little guy that he is. He had a cold so we were not able to go trick or treating as he went to bed early, but we were able to go to our church's Reformation Festival which was fun!

Noah is crawling!

What a busy month for Noah! He has now decided to start crawling and pulling up on our furniture. Guess it is time to start the baby proofing process.

9 Month Stats

As of today, here are his stats:
24lbs 8oz
30.5 inches long
97% is where he is

What a big boy!!!

First tooth appears at 9 months!

Noah's Tooth

My dear sweet boy

you now have a tooth, oh what a joy

A gummy bear you are no longer

with your tooth you look much stronger

No screamin', fever, or much crying

you didn't act like you were dying

It appeared so quickly one day

and now it brings a friend to stay

So toothbrush and toothpaste we will be buying

and more solid foods you will be trying

My dear sweet boy give us a smile

and share that toothy grin for a while!

Poem written by mom

Happy 9 Months!

Dear Noah,

You are now 9 months, which means that you have been in our lives for 18 months! It is amazing to think that I was pregnant with you for 9 months and now you have been with us in this great big world for just that. Oh, how you have changed our lives....and it's been a wonderful experience. I still wonder what I did with all my time before you got here. I use to think I didn't have enough time to sleep in, work, and accomplish my daily living. Now, thanks to you, I can do all that PLUS enjoy every second of my day spending it with you!
You keep us laughing with delight with your little tricks and new discoveries. Right now you love to clap your hands and listen to music. You like to relax to the baby Mozart and rock out with your music player. I love to watch you bob up and down to the beat!
And what a talker you are...no matter what mood you are in you have something to say. You really enjoy watching the cats and trying to talk them into coming close to you so you can pet them. (I don't think they will every fall for that!) Truly, I think the smiles that you flash during your conversations are so adorable. I just love your gummy smile.
You are getting so strong. I saw you crawl for a second the other day at your play date. Since then, you haven't really tried to do it, but I think you know you can now. So, I have started to baby proof the house. There are lots of things to put up for your active lifestyle. But, you are more than welcome to take your time crawling, no hurry. We have plenty of time for that later. I would just assume hold you in my lap and cuddle all day!

Happy birthday bubba, I love you!

Love,
Mom

Noah likes his ABCs

Worlds Best Laugh

Noah laughs at many things, but never as hard as this...

Go Ducks!

We may be miles away, but we have not forgotten what is important....GO Ducks!

8 Month Milestones

(Noah "chewing" on Thomas the train)

Noah is growing like a weed! He has become more independent than ever. He has started pulling himself up on his basket of toys to retreive those that he desires. He has also started clapping his hands and throwing balls. He loves to play catch with anyone who is interested. It is really fun to watch because he has the funniest deep laugh. (video to come this weekend)

We have also broke through the refusing food stage. Noah has figured out how to use his pincher fingers and feed himself. So, even though he STILL doesn't have any teeth he does some serious damage with his gums. His favorite foods are as follows: cucumber, yougurt, pancakes, noodles, bananas, potatoes and gerber puffs. Pretty much we can bribe him to eat anything as long as it is followed by cucumbers or covered in yougurt. He will tolerate some of the gerber foods, but is much more interested in ours.

(Mommy's geek squad)

Great Grandma & Grandpa Parker

We took Noah to visit Great Grandma & Grandpa Parker's grave before we left. We know they would have loved to have known Noah as he would have loved to have known them.

Congratulations Anna and Sean!

Anna and Sean got married Saturday night. It was such an amazing wedding! We are so happy for the two of you and wish you both the best. Here are a few pictures of the beautiful bride and her party...

Happy 8 Months

Dear Noah,

8 months already! Wow, you are becoming such a big boy! You have had an eventful summer visiting both family and close friends and you seemed to have a fun time with all the things you got to do.
This past month has been a busy one for you. Though you still do not have any teeth, you are continuing to drool and chew like crazy! You are also showing interest in crawling too. I believe you could actually do it, but you get stuck on your knees and then get frustrated. (You look cute though!)
You are sleeping through the night and have cut back to two naps a day! You are eating more and more solid foods and are finally warming up to them. I get so excited when you eat a whole jar by yourself!
You have also learned to make a fish face and will do it on command. Grandma Parker taught you to stick your tongue out, and that seems to be your favorite thing to do! You also like to put your hand up to your mouth as you make the awwww sound...sometimes you use toys to your mouth for a change in noise. It is really cute to watch you do it. Reading has become one of your favorite activities. You love to be read to and will sit for a very long time as long as we read new books!
You are still a growing boy. I think over this past month you have done the most growing. I am not sure how much you weigh, but I can guess at least 22lbs. You have jumped from 6-9 month clothing into 12/18 month. Your legs are so long I can't seem to keep you in pants! I have been in awe at how much you have grown. I think you are taking after your dad...

I have enjoyed watching all of your new discoveries and look forward to the next month to come!

Love,
Mom

Newport Beach,OR

We went to the beach with Grandma & Grandpa Parker last week. The weather was beautiful! There was absolutely no wind...poor grandpa couldn't fly his kite! Noah enjoyed the sand and water as you can see below. We also went to the aquirium to see all the fish, which Noah really liked. Thanks again for the wonderful trip Grandma and Grandpa!

Portland Zoo

My Baby Bird

We took Noah to the Portland Zoo today. However, I think that we enjoyed it more than he did. He was more excited about the ceiling fans in the exibts than the animals. We had the opportunity to be right over a giraff and he paid no attention because his friend the ceiling fan was there. All in all, it was a beautiful day with wonderful company!

More pictures from our trip

Noah and cousin Val

Nana, Mom, G-pa, and Noah

Cousin Logan

Great Grandma & Grandpa Schmautz

We just took Noah to Idaho to meet some more family. Noah is the first great grand baby on my mom's side, so it was fun to introduce him. I think he had a fun time with all the new faces and all the attention!

Happy 7 Months!

Dear Noah,

Happy Birthday! You have changed so very much over the past 7 months. I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you about some of your accomplishments this month. You do so many amazing things, I know I won't remember them all when you ask me about them. So, here are some highlights from month 6.
YOU....
-Started drinking from a sippy cup.
-Still love oatmeal (You can eat two bowls each sitting and still want more!)
-Scrunch your nose like a pig and snort. It is so cute.
-Talk a lot and love to show your bottom gums while doing so.
-Tried all veggies and most fruits. You are not a fan of any of them. Each time we try to feed you, you stick your tongue way out and make silly faces for the first few bites. It makes us laugh so hard, I think you do it just for that reason.
-Love animals, any kind. If given the opportunity to pet them, you giggle uncontrollably. It is absolutely contagious.
-Still love to jump, therefore you have very strong legs.
-Have mastered rolling over both ways and either side.
-Cry if something is taken from you.
-Are trying to crawl, which looks like you are swimming on the carpet.
-Reach for things, especially people you know.
-Are very ticklish and love to be tickled. It makes you laugh, a lot.
-Are sitting up and can balance well. You can play with toys and not fall over.
-Get up at least once during the night to eat, but you are such a great sleeper. You sleep about 11 hours at night and 3 naps during the day.
As you can see, you have accomplished so much. What a joy to be along side you and watch you discover all the things that life has to offer. I think the song that I sing to you every night will always describe how I feel about you:
I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be
(This song came from my favorite book as a kid, "I'll love you forever.")
Here's to another adventurous month!

Love,
Mom

First Trip to Eugene

This week Noah and I went to Eugene to visit Grandma and Grandpa Parker. While there Aunt Chrystal brought Carson and Lauren to visit from NJ. We had a lot of fun. We went to visit Grandma at work, swam in the hot tub, and played lots.
Also, while in Eugene, Noah got to meet some of his great aunts and uncles on the Svingen side. He also enjoyed the animals on the farm. He giggled a lot when he would pet them. It was really cute.


Noah and Great Aunts & Uncle

Visiting Grandma at work

Eating breakfast with Grandpa