For Noah as He Turns 3

Oh my sweet Noah,

I just love May 2nd. This is the day you were born. That's the day you came to us. It is my favorite day of the year. This year's birthday is a real treat because you actually understand what is going on. But this year, it is also a little bittersweet. I feel a little sad...

It makes me so sad to say goodbye to the baby in you. We have relished every minute of your baby days since the moment they wheeled you into our private waiting room at the hospital in Florida. You have been a joy. Just pure joy. And even the less- than - joyous moments have moved us to grins and satisfaction just to be making those memories with you. But your turning 3 years old this coming Saturday marks the end of an era in your life and mine. While you will always be my baby, it is so clear that you are not a baby anymore. You are my little boy. And while I will miss your baby face and walk and talk, I have come to love every day of your development lately and I eagerly anticipate the days that are coming as you awake to the big world around you. Your daddy and I have come to cherish and hang on each and every new word, reaction, preference, and strength you display. You are such a special and pleasing little boy.

Already you are learning and developing in significant ways. You are facing the need to stand up for yourself with your peers sometimes and this causes you to respond in several ways - some good, some not so good. But you are learning the self-control it takes to stop yourself before you pinch, push, or pull hair. You have come alive to learning about Jesus and what he teaches and you are reliable to talk and talk and talk about what you learn. You are sensitive to other people's emotions and you are learning about compassion, sharing, apologies, care-taking, courage, independence, anger, and worry. You are learning about obedience, especially obeying the first time you are told to do something. You are eager to help everyone you can. You are learning to speak kindly and to use a million new words. You are becoming aware of the effect your actions and words have on others. You have made a special friend at school whom you are always so eager to see. Katie makes you laugh and I love that you like that about her. You are naturally practicing fairness and sacrifice and giving to others. You are learning manners and getting braver talking to strangers when they greet you. More than anything, I adore watching you solve problems ... like getting Anna to stop crying, maneuvering your cars, reaching things up high, finding the remote control for me, opening candy wrappers, playing on the computer with Daddy, and experimenting with anything electronic or with buttons. You just branch out and touch and understand so much more every day. As your mommy, I am praying for protection over your mind, your eyes, and your heart as you come into contact with new things, people, and situations every day that I cannot always protect you from. And I am learning with you what I should intervene in and what I should let you handle on your own. It is so hard to fight the urge to make everything easier for you.

Everyday I see more of the quick and strong boy coming out of you as you stretch your curious and courageous wings. You love being outside watching people and cars and bugs, driving your car (with no hands, and eyes closed - Lord help us!) , wearing out the knees in your jeans while you draw with chalk or picking up rocks and sticks or flowers for me. You enjoy throwing anything you can - especially into a pond or stream, and you like running, climbing, swinging, and pushing Anna in her stroller. You love playing chase, planes, and hide-n-seek. And lately you are learning to pedal your tricycle, kick with more strength, and keeping up with the boys next door, Brandon and Baron, whom you are always thrilled to play with. We have not had to go to the emergency room for any serious injury yet for you, but I tremble to know that that day is probably coming.

As all little boys do, you have a silly side. You make us laugh and laugh and laugh. Sometimes it is just your amusement at the gas you create. Other times it is with the fierceness and firm tone you try to take. Many times it is the giggles that come as you attempt to sing a new song, try a new dance move, or get stuck under or on top of whatever you are climbing on. You think it is hysterical to push on our bellies and lately you can't stop making funny faces...even on Anna's face (nevermind that she cries b/c you are pinching her cheeks too hard). Just yesterday when I was driving too fast you warned me to "Show down (slow down), mommy, show down!" You ask us to play hide and seek , but then you tell us where you will be hiding and tell us where to hide, too. You count like this : 2, 9, 7, 8, 9 10. And you do it so matter of factly. And I am sure we will never tire of your enthusiasm for the ritual of "stinky feet".

In other 3 year old news, we just moved you to a booster seat from your high chair that you loved for so long. We also just finally got you to start getting out of your bed on your own. You really fought taking that step, but now it is so clear what a thrill it gives you to be that independent. And your latest obsession is going to the carwash with your Daddy. You talk about it all the time and you remind us how long before the next time. You always say "2 weeks" because you don't really understand time anyway. If you did, you would understand that it is about TIME to wrap up the potty training...but I will be patient with you. I have not forgotten how you have taken your time with all the growing milestones along the way. And really, I don't mind. I know you are growing up faster than I realize. And I try and try and try to capture so many of all these little details of you, to remember my baby boy - just as you are today. Here are some other pieces of trivia about you that I have been saving to describe you as you turn three.

NOAH TURNING THREE:
People still stop us to talk to you and coo over you or your hair
You say a lot of words with a lisp that I hope is just a phase
You JUST started wearing size 2T clothes
You only weigh 30 lbs. so far
You are only in the 5th %ile for height
You possess patience, take turns, wait well for things
You accept being told "no"
You have eagle eyes for spotting odd/ small details
Your favorite place in the world is Monkey Joes
Your favorite color is black...you always color in black
You have a quick memory and logical reasoning
You are learning to use the keyboard and mouse already
You aspire to be like Jesus in all things: a real WWJD enthusiast
At bedtime we watch videos on the computer, brush your teeth, get you into pjs and give you your medicines, read Bible Songs, Bible Storybook, The Goodnight Train, and The Going To Bed Book, wind up your Mickey Mouse snow globe, turn on your nightlight, sound machine, and cd player and turn out the light. And lately you like us to play with your hair, too.
You know each of your meds and remind us to give them to you
You are tender and thoughtful with your sister - you stroke her face, pet her head, kiss her nose, hug her neck, brush her hair, bring her toys, play with her, make her laugh, and even wipe her nose....more than she needs it
You're a little over half potty trained
You like to have your bear Calvin lay down at nap/bedtime
You still loves bubbles as much as when you were 1
You still like to touch and count people's eyes
You are a restless sleeper and you sleeptalk
You still don't say "yes." You say " Awight" instead.
Your favorite shows are Caillou, Caillou, and more Caillou
You are amused to say Daddy's name: Dosh
You are still terribly grumpy after a nap
Your favorite activities: cars, balls, balloons, trains, outside
Your favorite toy: VTECH voice recorder you call "Noah Show"
You do not appreciate it when we laugh at you
The spray water at the hair salon freaks you out
You always get me a blanket when I lay down on the couch
You murmur through books we read to you like you're reading too
You have learned so many new words this year
You wants to do many things yourself, but end up needing help
You think any and all words on signs, shirts, screens are ABCD
You can somewhat sing almost all of the ABC's
You say "Chew Me" (excuse me) when you toot, burp, or need to get around someone
You always expect me to read title pages, copyrights, and dedications in your books
You have begun to get a little sassy in your tone at times
You like for me to tickle your back and arms
You can burp on command...repeatedly
Your laugh is infectious...it's hard not to laugh along with you
You want to see/touch Anna first thing in the morning and after all her naps
You are a wonderful big brother and you entertain Anna better than anyone
Your teachers' names this year were Ms. Jill and Ms. Valerie
We LOVE Ms. Valerie and we wish we could keep her for you
You newest monster truck is called Grave Digger (oh where did my baby boy go?)


Noah, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. Can't wait to take you to the zoo on Saturday! Happy Birthday, Baby!

Did I Just Say That?

Things You Find Yourself Saying When You Are The Mommy

Do not pick up crumbs off the floor and throw them at your sister!

Get your hand out of your diaper!

It makes me so happy when you use the potty!

You need to do the BIG poo poo to get a Kit Kat.

Get your toothbrush out of your ear, please.

That sounds like fake crying to me.

Where did this blood come from?

Your trains are in time out now.

You have to, have to, have to stop the car before you shift gears.

It's still sleepy time. Go back to bed.

How did the TV end up on the Spanish Playboy Channel?!?!? (and no, we don't subscribe to any such channels, although clearly, you can still type in their digits to pull up the channel listing)

No, you can't go to work with Daddy.

Give me hugs. I love you so much.

You are my big boy.

When Noah was 1 Going on 2

My favorite pic of Noah at 12 months.


Noah loved this book and The Good Shepherd, two of the first that we memorized for having read them so much.


He ate a REALLY strict diet for all his food allergies


His breakfast staples every day were cantaloupe, blueberries, and cereal
He desperately needed a bib at all times for all his drooling - I finally got sick of the bibs and just changed his shirt multiple times a day at 18 mos.
His teachers were Ms. Stephanie, Mrs. Liz, and Mrs. Tanya
He often relied on his stuffed monkey, Ah Ah, for comfort
He still slept with a paci
He visited many times with his cousin, Brooklyn



He was fearless with so many firsts: the pool, fireworks, mowers, sliding, petting new animals, flying







His vocabulary consisted of : alright, baby, shoes, Elmo, moo, uh-oh, juice, bubble, mommy, daddy, mimmie, choo train, papa, puppy, be happy, go, tree, ball, pee pee.
Words he was attempting but no one knew but us: book, milk, blue, grandpa, marshmallow, egg, duck, christmas tree, belly button, Emily, help me, drink, hungry, please
He was ga-ga for Choo-Choo Soul on Playhouse Disney
He always wanted to be outside



He would drag our strainers all over the house
He would bonk his head on the floor when he got mad at us
He would head bang in his crib to get to sleep
He was so grumpy after his naps
We frequented the mall play area



He wore his hat so well...never minded having it on


He got sent home from school for pinching so bad.
His favorite toys were balls, the swing, blocks, stuffed toys
He would dance and dance and dance for any sort of music
His love of carousels began


He especially loved the Bumblebee song
He loved dipping food in ketchup and always did it so neatly - never a mess
He drove and drove and drove his Power Wheels


He moved up from the Toddlers to Trekkers nursery class and I was so nervous for him
He would blow kisses at any and everybody and call bye bye, too
He got sick on Halloween and we had to stay home


And it was too bad, b/c he was a precious little Nemo


He tried to have some tantrums but was never real good at it
He became addicted to watching videos of himself on the computer
He got to see his birthmother again


He finally bothered to walk at 16 mos.


He liked to play chase
He continued to marvel at bubbles
We tried and nixed the at-home haircuts


He finally would take his breathing treatments without screaming
He was in his first school play...all his class of 1 yr olds did was sit on stage in their pumpkin outfits for the Thanksgiving show at MDO - but still so cute!


He memorized the way to Mimmie and Papa's house and to school
He would direct us for every turn saying "no way" (that way) and pointing
We tried so many different hair lengths on him






He liked his 2 yr. birthday presents. He did NOT like his birthday hat.

Photo Op

I took Anna to get her 6 month pictures taken today. Yes, I know she is 7 months. For once, in my life, I was late for something. :)

Anyway, she was way too intense to smile much, so that was a bit frustrating. But to be fair, the girl taking her pics was doing next to nothing to get her to smile. And I didn't want to tell her how to do her job, but for crying out loud - when you have said, "Gonna git you!" 60 times and the baby is not grinning, maybe you should try one of the toys you have there for this very purpose. HELLO!? I just let the the photog flop miserably so that it would be easier for me to get out of there with just a picture or two instead of spending more than I wanted to anyway. I have definitely had better photographer experiences at Portrait Innovations. Oh well. You get what you pay for, I am told. (hee, hee - this comment, particularly in reference to Portrait Innovations, always makes me think of you, Mary Ann)

And since I did NOT pay for enough pics to get the CD for free, I have to submit a couple of my own bootleg pics of the pics. Smile or no smile, she was still the prettiest baby in the house, and not just because she was the only baby there, either. :)

When Noah was a Baby

It is times like now that I especially regret not starting blogging sooner in Noah's life. Here he is turning 3 and I have pulled together a great list to record this time of his life, but I have nothing to show for the first two birthdays....at least not in keeping with my new blogging documentation. But, since I have been a list keeper for years and years and years, it is not surprising that I was able to dig up two lists for Noah that I stashed in his Life Book. One for his first year, the other for his second. Now they are nowhere near as detailed as I would have preferred, but they will suffice for playing a bit of listing catch up. This post lists some memories of Noah during his first year of life.

When Noah was a little baby:

He had so many scratches on his face at the hospital


He got hiccups at least 4 times a day
He liked to watch TV
He had the startle reflex really bad
His feet always shaped like they were praying


He grunted
He squealed
He was a noisy sleeper
He made an adorable little o shape with his mouth


His neck was never visible under his stocky head and body
He made this nerve-wrecking choking sound when he yawned
He would open one eye and leave the other closed
He hated diaper changes
He was such a good eater....ate anything we fed him


He liked being swaddled
He used a paci
He was diagnosed with a milk allergy at 3 mos.
He was so laid back in temperment


He was soothed by music at bedtime
He was a hard sleeper
He sort of hummed while he drank his bottles
He had loud burps and he spit up regularly
He tooted all the time
He slept so soundly when he was on Josh's chest


He was perfectly content outside in the heat
His pointer finger would always stick out
He was an easy, easy, easy baby
His first book was Water, Water, Everywhere (I still know it by heart)
He loved his swing and slept in it often




When Noah was a little bit older baby:

He was diagnosed with excema and urticaria
He was prescribed asthma medication but not quite declared asthmatic
He got his first haircut at 9 mos. but needed it way sooner!


He met his birth parents at 7 mos. old


He loved to hear me sing the ABC's
He put himself to sleep really well at night
He snored already
He began using a nebulizer at 9 mos.
He would sleep sitting up


He adored swinging and riding his wagon
He always seemed to be broken out around his mouth
He frequently called out "oooooh, ooooooh"
He loved to bump heads with Mimmie
He first fell in love with bubbles
He loved riding the 4 wheeler with Josh


He would wiggle in the bath from the waist down like a fish
He loved books, books, books
He was always drenched in DROOL, DROOL, DROOL
He used his carseat carrier all the way til his 1st b'day
His first spanking had to come over a little spitting habit
His first words were "dadadadada"


He liked to suck on lemons at restaurants
The sound of Velcro ripping really freaked him out
He first started getting stranger anxiety in the nursery at church
He would strain real hard in the face to show discontent
He would dance and dance at his little play table


He first rolled over at 10 mos.
He first crawled at 11 mos.
He got his first tooth at 12 mos.
He first pulled up to standing at 13 mos.
He was diagnosed with milk, peanut, egg, dog and cat allergies at 13 mos.


He started headbanging in his crib to get to sleep
He would bang his head on the ground when he got mad at us
And as he still does to this day, he loved baths


This post just would not have been complete without a naked baby picture. :)