I'm 30 Weeks Old!

To celebrate 30 weeks, Noah has been working on sitting upright. He really enjoys it now! He eventually topples, but he's much sturdier now. Dave had a great idea & put the papasan cushion on the floor - Noah loves it!


After putting Noah to bed, we noticed that Mars had disappeared. Guess where we found him? He's certain that we put the cushion down for him: a soft, huge Marley bed!

I Still Can't Believe It

Dave called me at work yesterday to report the unexpected: Noah was bouncing away in his jumper while Dave was working, and all of a sudden Dave noticed that it was quiet. He turned the corner to discover that Noah had fallen asleep in his jumper! By the time Dave could grab the camera, Noah woke himself up & started jumping again. He seemed quite relieved when Dave took him upstairs to his crib for a nap. Go figure!

More Cute Outfits

Noah has SO many cute clothes, and he's growing out of them so quickly...so you'll have to excuse the occasional fashion show as I try to keep a record of his sweet little threads!

Pudges

It is becoming increasingly evident that once Noah starts crawling/walking, he will go, go, go! Many have told me this will mean that the absolutely adorable little fat rolls on his thighs will quickly disappear. I love his little "pudges", so I did my best the other day to capture them on film (and his cute little onesie - thanks, Uncle Buck!)

Hallelujah!

Not that we think this will happen all the time...but Noah took a THREE-HOUR NAP this afternoon IN HIS CRIB!

We started the crib transition again today - we tried awhile ago with no success, but have recently been forced to try again because he is just about to bust out of the bassinet! He took a 45-min. nap this morning, and we put him down this afternoon at 3. At 5, we actually checked to make sure he was breathing. Yippeee! Here's hoping the night goes well...

6 Month Appointment Stats

Noah had his 6 month check-up & immunizations on January 28. Here are his updates:

Weight: 18 lbs (59th percentile)
Length: 26.5 in (53rd percentile)
Head circumference: 17 in (89th percentile)

He's doing really well!

Happy Valentine's Day, Mr. Johnny Jump Up!

Dave's been saying for awhile that Noah might like a jumper, and he wasn't joking! We borrowed one from our friends & he liked it so much that we decided to invest in a newer one of our own (complete with a very necessary tray that keeps him from throwing himself into the sides of the doorway).

He loves it! He spends quite a bit of time in it now - he especially likes being in the bathroom door watching Barney & Teletubbies (I know, I know...but he loves them!) or in the kitchen pantry door while we cook. And boy, we sure are liking this, too! We joke that it was a Valentine's Day gift to all of us.

Time to Eat in the Big Boy Seat!

On Feb. 11, Noah sat at the table with us for the first time in his big-boy high chair. On the menu: carrots!

And up 'til now, I've thought that Noah pretty much looks like Dave all the time. But I really can see me in these - the top L is the spittin' image of one of my baby pictures!

Guess Who's Teething?

Noah's first tooth started cutting through on January 23, and the second started not long after that. You can barely see them at this point - but judging from his drool, bouts of fussiness & constant knawing on everything, we know they're there!

Cool Boy Outfit

Another adorable outfit...does it get much cuter than this?! (And he's sitting up on his own even more now!)

Playing

Noah and Marley love to play together! Noah has great control of his feet & hands, so he can kick Mars & then pull away quickly. Sometimes they'll play for a good half hour!

We Love Marley

2 weeks ago (Feb. 4), Mars had a seizure in the early morning. Unfortunately, he had a series of 6 of them over the course of 24 hours. We had to take him to the pet ER, and then later to our vet. The prognosis: he has epilepsy. The vet gave him some medicine which seemed to make it stop & he doesn't have to be on meds all the time (thank goodness!) He hasn't had one since... But it sure was scary & made us thankful that he is still with us!

Smile!

Noah smiles for the camera now! I got the camera out, and he scrunched up his little nose & grinned at me. This was his first time ever doing it (usually he just stares at it with his deer-in-the-headlights look).

And we had to pop his collar up - to be like his friend Wesley Hanks in DC!

The Adorable Puppy Outfit

(February 6, 28 weeks old) Noah is growing out of clothes so quickly, so the other day I had to get his picture in a few things before they get too small. I love this little puppy outfit, complete with a hat with ears!

And I love how Noah can smile with his pacifier in his mouth! He has also started sucking on his lower lip - it seems to help relieve his teething pain a bit.

6 Months Old & Whirled Peas

For his Half Birthday, Noah got a lovely treat: peas! He really enjoyed them (and Marley is starting to like Noah even more, now that he's eating solid food...)

25 Weeks!

25 weeks old on January 17, just chillin' in the playpen for the first time...

Solid Foods, Here I Come!

On January 14, Noah started eating solid foods (for about a week previous, he had been intently watching us eat and even started grabbing at our food). We started with rice cereal - and he went nuts! He loved it (and the bowl, too)!

Just Like Grandpa

My dad gave Noah his first set of golf clubs for Christmas, so Noah had to try them out. He has pretty good form for a little guy!

Miss Eva

Our friends Aaron & Carrie recently had a beautiful baby girl - so Noah went to visit his girlfriend Eva for the first time on January 12. She's so beautiful!

Sitting Up!

(January 12) An attempt to capture the first days of Noah sitting on his own - granted, he needed assistance from the Boppy (and me to keep him from biting it a few times) - but he was starting to get the balance a bit.

The Little Prince

My mom & dad gave Noah the cutest "little star" outfit - a sleeper with stars all over it, and a hat with points like a star (but it actually looks like a little crown)! (This isn't the best picture since the burp cloth is hiding the outfit a bit...)

Noah & His Swing

(January 11 - 24 weeks old)
When we started putting Noah in his swing, we made fun of the little straps that you're supposed to use to keep him in (he was so little that he wouldn't move anyway). We recently found out why the straps are so necessary...

One day after we put Noah in his swing, we noticed that he started to wiggle himself down to the end so his legs were hanging over. The next day when we were in the kitchen & Noah was in the other room, we heard him start to fuss and took a bit of time to go get him (he often starts fussing when he is ready to be picked up). We felt pretty bad when we rounded the corner & saw his little feet sticking out from under the swing - his hands were trying to keep it from hitting him in the head! So we use the straps now...

Mars & His Muscle Shirt

Someone gave Marley a shirt for Christmas, but it was a bit too small...

Snow Day!

On January 8 (which just happens to be Elvis' bday, but who's counting), we had a snowstorm! We got about 6 inches in the matter of a few hours, so Dave didn't have to go to work. He and Mars had a great time playing soccer while Noah & I stayed toasty & watched from inside. (And then he had to go shovel the driveway.) Fun!

New Year's Bath!

Here's Noah, getting all clean on New Year's Day. He even censored the picture for me!

Happy New Year!

Since we were all dressed up (and nowadays, that takes quite a bit of effort!) we took some family photos at the wedding...

Uncle Buck & Aunt Jessica are Married!

Noah's Uncle Buck (RC) got married on December 30 in Chicago. Dave was the Best Man & Noah was the Ring Baby, and it was a gorgeous wedding. We had a great time being with all of Dave's family, and his aunts/uncles/cousins from out of town really enjoyed meeting Noah for the first time. (Noah was just 5 months old.)

Here are some pics from the blessed event!

(RC in fabulous clothes for his bachelor party @ a Bulls game; Noah with cousin Mark; wedding pics!)

Chicago

We traveled to Chicago 2 days after Christmas for Dave's brother's wedding - what an adventure! Noah did SO well on the plane - he entertained us & many other people (he loved smiling at all of the ladies sitting nearby!) And he had a great time playing with his Daddy on the bed at the hotel. At 22 weeks, he is considerably bigger than he was the last time we had him at a hotel - at only 3 weeks old!


We stayed with Dave's folks & sister Jess in downtown Chicago (right off the lake) for the first night, and then headed out to Palatine where the wedding was. (And we stayed at Hotel Indigo for the rest of the trip - what a fabulous little hotel!) The first full day we were there, we decided to walk to see RC's workplace - in a driving snowstorm. (You'll notice our fancy cover over Noah's stroller - yes, it's a trash bag that we got from the nice folks at Dunkin Donuts!) We eventually turned back & decided to drive instead. :-)

And...We're Back!

Sorry for such a long absence...we have so many updates and so many pictures, and crazy life has kept us from getting them to you. But we're back! So here goes...