noah update (16 months)

I haven't done a general update on Noah in a few months, so I thought that would be fun. Probably not for you, but I love being able to record all of the little things and how he's progressing. Feel free to ignore this post...it is mostly just for me:)

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Noah will be 17 months old on February 16. He is about 33 inches tall and weighs about 31 pounds. He comfortably wears 2T clothes and a sizes 6-7 in shoes. His growth has really slowed down compared to how he used to be, but he is still progressing as he should. I think at his last well visit he was in 97 percentile for everything, which is a big fall from the consistently well over 99 percentile for many, many months!

Winter has not been kind to Noah. He has been sick quite a bit this season, which was a new experience! He has always been extremely healthy, but has had 3 ear infections, croup, and a nearly continuous cough/runny nose all winter. Noah has stayed his spunky, silly little self throughout it all. Still, we will all be VERY glad when spring arrives!

Cloth diapering has sadly been put on hold. After the latest round of sickness, in combination with our move, Noah developed a nasty rash that just wouldn't go away. After trying everything I could think of to treat the rash/fix the diapers, I ended up switching to Seventh Generation diapers just to see if it would make a difference. The rash cleared up in a day, which makes me think the cloth diapers were mostly the culprit. So (for the time being hopefully) Noah is in the "healthiest" disposables I can find.

**But just in case any CDing mamas are reading this, do you have any suggestions for getting Noah back into cloth?

Noah is probably the best toddler-age eater I've ever seen! It scares me to think of how he'll be as a teenager...he already about eats us out of house and home! He very rarely doesn't like something, and has many favorite things but I won't list them all because there are so many. Here is a sample of a typical day's meals:

Breakfast: breakfast grains and yogurt

Morning Snack: cheerios

Lunch: pasta wee-one, half a banana or cup of applesauce

Afternoon Snack: pretzel sticks and hummus

Dinner: small portions of whatever we're eating (usually some meat/chicken, two veggies, and a grain)

As you can see, I'm a BIG fan of the website Weelicious! The recipes there are healthy, easy, and great for the whole family. I cook quite a bit from there, and have only found one or two things we all haven't loved. I highly recommend it:)

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On to Noah's development...

Noah's language development is great! He is just beginning to really mimic things after we say them ("parrot" talk), but his vocabulary impresses me already! Here is a running list:

Words he says consistently

Hey/hi/hello

Bye (with a wave)

No no no! (with a finger wag!)

Oh yeah!

Uh oh

Yum-yum

Good (guh)

Yuck

Milk (mik)

Drink (dink)

Bite

Book

Dada

Mama

Granny (a-nee)

Patch (atch)

Pete (eete)

Train (rain)

Mickey Mouse (me-ee)

Mine

I read

Look!

Football (foo-ba)

Words he says on occasion

Papa

Mimi

Hug

Done

Ball

Booger (boooooooooger..SO funny to hear this one!)

Go go go!

Truck (ruck)

Broom

Blue (boo)

Green (geen)

Red (reh)

Even though Noah's has a large vocabulary for children his age, the majority of his non-stop talking is grunting and pointing. I'm really working on getting him to say what he wants the first time rather than having to drag the words out of him. I know it will come in time though. But, Noah understands language amazingly well. He is very good at following even complicated directions when using words he is familiar with.

Gross motor skills are progressing nicely for Noah. He is getting much more coordinated in running and climbing, which are two of his favorite things to do. In fine motor skills, he amazes me. He demonstrates so much skill in doing tot school activities that incorporate these.

Noah's "knowledge" (for lack of a better word) is growing by leaps and bounds! He seems to know several colors pretty well (red, green, and blue) and really enjoys color activities. Noah is very interested in numbers, and loves to read number books, but doesn't "know" them yet. He does do number correspondence well on occasion, so I think he at least understands the concept of numbers. He hasn't shown any interest in letters and very little interest in shapes. But I know all of this will come in time:)

In practical life skills Noah is very proficient at using a spoon and fork (and LOVES to use them). He loves to make choices, particularly with his cups and utensils. He is beginning to show interest in making choices in clothing now as well, but he doesn't seem too interested in independently dressing himself. He does help a lot to get himself dressed though.

Tot school continues to go VERY well! I absolutely love doing these activities with Noah each week, and he really seems to love them too. He knows where the activities for the week are kept, and often asks to complete his favorites. Usually, I try to spend at least 15-20 minutes a day on the activities I have planned for the week; we don't tend to do these daily...4 days a week is about the average. Really Noah does tot school type activities all throughout everyday, but I try to spend this focused time on those things I have specifically in mind for that particular week.

Some of Noah's favorite tot school activities include pouring, small spaces activities, spooning/transferring, and art projects/crafts. He usually does very well with matching, and also loves to stack and nest things. He also does well with drawing/scribbling, though these aren't a favorite activity....he far prefers to use paint over markers or crayons.

I have seen so much progress in Noah in doing these things with him consistently, and am so proud of all he has accomplished in such a short amount of time!

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On to some of Noah's favorite things...

His favorite shows/videos are Thomas the Train and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. At this point, the two are actually pretty evenly matched. He will occasionally watch other Playhouse Disney shows, and has other learning videos he enjoys, but Thomas and Mickey are really the only two that he will sit and watch all the way through without losing interest.

Noah loves to mess in the kitchen drawers. He has a strange affinity towards kitchen utensils and loves to carry them around for hours on end. It is not unusual at all to find a random spatula in the bathroom at the end of the day!

Noah loves to be affectionate! He gives BIG bear hugs and open-mouth, sloppy, spity kisses...much to our delight:)

Noah still loves his paci. We are beginning to lose the paci during the day as much as possible. I'm okay with it at night for a while longer, but I definitely think it needs to go whenever he is awake! I think this contributes to his tendency to grunt/point first rather than use words to communicate. We'll see how it goes though...I think Noah will rebel on this one!

Noah doesn't really have a "lovie" like a bear or blanket. Noah's lovie is my hair. Though he can and often does go to sleep on his own, he goes to sleep best whenever he is snuggled up to me and can rub my hair.

Noah LOVES to talk on the phone. Anything and everything even remotely resembling a telephone in the house becomes one for him to babble on. He also loves to wear his daddy's phone belt clip....Noah thinks he is very big when daddy lets him borrow it:)

Noah loves to help us clean. He makes a beeline for brooms whenever he sees them and will happily sweep until you direct him otherwise.

Noah (unfortunately!) loves to throw a tantrum. Okay, so he doesn't really throw them that often....but when he does, watch out! He is a screamer. Enough said. He has most definitely inherited his daddy's temper and my lack of patience, so I think we'll be in for a long road with tantrums. . But he is usually easy to calm down. I just hope he'll stay that way!

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Noah is such a precious and sweet little boy:) His little personality is absolutely infectious and immediately commands attention whenever he enters a room. He captures hearts wherever he goes, and is going to be a heartbreak someday! And even though he can try my patience at times, I am so proud of his independence, knowledge, and abilities!

I feel so incredibly blessed to have this special little man in my life!!

12 months update

Better late than never, I guess, huh? I think you all know Noah turned ONE two weeks ago. And I still can't believe it! He does new things literally everyday, and I am just amazed at how "toddler-esque" he has suddenly become. It is bittersweet for sure:)

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Noah's personality has really blossomed in the last month. While he still most definitely has that infamously-inherited temper, he has become so incredibly sweet and loving. He loves to give out hugs and kisses almost as much as I love receiving them:) He is also very affectionate to other close family members (like my mom and dad), our dog, and pictures of loved ones. He can often be found picking up pictures of various members of our family and giving each person kisses....so sweet!

Noah also remains INCREDIBLY active. He goes and goes and goes until he literally crashes for a nap or at bedtime. Often, a car ride or a walk through the neighborhood is the only way to get him to settle down enough for sleep. And while this is usually okay, sometimes his overflowing energy gets the best of him, making for a cranky little man! I actually mentioned this at his one-year wellness visit, and the nurse practitoner very cautiously thew out that this could be a very early sign of ADHD. But of course, it is WAY to early to make even any assumptions about something like that...and the NP assured me that him being active is a good thing. And I know that, and am beyond thankful and blessed....I just get tired sometimes:)

Speaking of his wellness visit...Noah's weight was 27 lbs 13 oz, length was 33 in, and head circumference was 50 cm, putting him above 98% for length and head circumference and at 97% for weight. So yup...he is still a very big boy, but seems to be stabilizing a little in physical growth:) He is wearing 18-24m or 2T in clothing depending on the brand, and I actually think these will last through the season (a first)!

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Noah remains to be a really great eater, and eats three good meals with several snacks each day. He is trying new things all the time and very rarely finds something he doesn't like. He doesn't each much "baby" food either, meaning the packaged fingerfoods and such. I try to feed him fresh foods as much as possible, but with our hectic schedule, that unfortunately isn't always possible. But I'm doing my best:) Some of his favorite things to eat right now include:

-chicken, salmon, steak (very small pieces)

-mac-n-cheese, spaghetti

-bananas, strawberries, plums, blueberries, raisins, dried cranberries, apples, pears

-steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn, zucchini, peas, etc), avocados, potatoes

-bread/sandwiches, oatmeal, crackers, waffles

-yogurt, cheese, homemade smoothies

-MILK (he LOVES whole milk...he drinks around 4-5 cups per day!) and water

Noah also really loves the recipes on Weelicious...I love that they are quick and easy (because I am NOT a good cook!). I've tried several of their recipes for Noah, and he has loved them all. But his favorite from them are veggie pancakes...I try to make a batch (which lasts a couple of days) about every 2 weeks. I'd do them more often, but I don't want him to get burned out on them.

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If you read my tot school post from last week, you know that Noah took his first steps this past weekend! But oddly enough, he hasn't done much walking since....he walked the entire length of the hallway unassisted at my mom's house several times on Saturday night, but now won't take more than 4-5 steps at a time. And it is like pulling teeth to get him to do that! I think he just prefers crawling because he is so speedy! He was reluctant to crawl at first too, actually, even though he was more than capable of doing it, so I'm sure that he'll be up and moving more in no time:)

In other motor skills, Noah is doing well too. He loves to climb, and can make it up the whole stairway at my mom's house without stopping. He also likes to reach for things, and given his height, this gets him into trouble sometimes...especially when he's reaching for the stove or television! He also still LOVES to dance, and continues to do so any time he hears music. He has particularly become fond of dancing in the car, and I can often look back and see him feet kicking and hands clapping along to the beat:)

He is also doing very well with fine motor skills. He loves activities like putting objects through holes (like straws in a parmasean cheese container) and has long been skilled at feeding himself fingerfoods. A funny, but related little "quirk" Noah has is finding little specks of fuzz and such on the floor. He loves to collect these and bring his findings to me or Jimmy. So not only is this a great display of his fine motor abilities, but he is also helping me clean! I'm teaching him well:) ha!

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Noah's language has exploded in the past month! He has consistently (more than once on more than one occasion) said a total of 13 words so far, which the NP at his wellness visit was very impressed with. His vocabulary so far consists of:

Hey/Hi/Hello, Bye-bye, Momma, Daddy, Papa (my dad), Pete (our dog), dog, book, yeah, no, hug

And he is otherwise very proficient at communicating his wants/needs through pointing. I am so proud of his language/communication skills! I know without a doubt he is going to be a big talker:)

Still, I must confess I have not been as diligent as I intended on teaching him sign language, but I'm hoping to pick back up on it in the immediate future! I don't want that whole year of ASL I took in college to go to waste!

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Like I mentioned before, Noah's personality has really begun to shine lately! While he remains the super silly little man that loves to make you laugh with an impromptu dance or sneaky tickle, he has also become the most loving little guy, always ready to give out a hug and a kiss:)

I am amazed daily at how fast he is growing, learning, and becoming a "real" toddler! But no matter how big he gets, he will always be mine and Jimmy's little "bubba bear" (you're welcome for the future embarrassment, Noah! ha!) and we love him more than anything:)

11 months update

We're on the fast track to a birthday around here...

Wait....WHAT?!? Seriously?! All I can say is wow. Really...just wow.

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Now that I've caught my breath, let's get to it:)

If you were around for the 10 months update, you remember that Noah had some attitude issues going on. He just stayed kind of cranky and out of sorts for some time. Well, I'm very happy to report that Noah is back to his lovable, silly, happy-go-lucky self....most of the time:) But that stubbornness and temper are most certainly still lurking under the surface! Generally these rear their ugly heads when Noah isn't given his way. He is becoming quite independent in terms of choosing activities, and is learning to point to what he wants otherwise (food, drink, person, etc). And I'm sure you can imagine that once that toothy grin is flashed, Noah is hard to resist:)

I still don't have an accurate weight/length since his last wellness visit at 9 months, but suppose he's around 28 pounds/32 inches? The 12-18m clothes have been packed away, and the remaining 18-24m summer things are getting snug and short. We've bought several outfits for fall now, and we're sticking with 24m or 2T. Actually, he's been wearing a few of his new 2T pajamas and they fit perfectly. I'm sure that when he does go for his 1 year wellness visit in a few weeks that he'll shock and amaze everyone with his size, as usual:)

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Noah remains a very healthy eater with a big appetite! Here is a picture of a typical lunch (or maybe dinner) for him..

Sweet potatoes with cinnamon, steamed broccoli, steamed cauliflower, banana mishmash (fruit puree by plum organics), cheese crackers (by earth's best), and water

No more baby food for this kid! Noah is totally on regular table food now...and he is doing very well! Considering the mouthful of teeth (8 in total) he has, he has no trouble chewing solids, as long as they're not too hard. And he still isn't picky...thank goodness! Here are the things he eats regularly, with those that are starred being a favorite:

*Yo-baby yogurt

String cheese

Oatmeal

*Whole grain waffles

Whole wheat bread slices

*Bread in restaurants

*Raisins

Craisins (dried cranberries)

Bananas

*Strawberries

Apples

Applesauce

Blueberries

*Sweet potatoes

*Baked potatoes

*Green beans

*Steamed broccoli

*Steamed cauliflower

Corn

Avocados

Mac-n-cheese

Chicken

Rice (especially the cheesy Rice-a-roni!)

Gerber Lil Entrees (pasta stars & meat sauce; mashed potato & roasted chicken; turkey & rice)

*Gerber Puffs (all varieties)

*Gerber Lil' Crunchies (especially zesty tomato and veggie dip)

Gerber Veggie Crackers

Plum Organics Fiddlesticks (especially apple & carrot)

*Plum Organics Fingerfuls (all varieties)

*Plum Organics Mishmash (all varieties)

*Earth's Best Sesame Street Snacks (smiley snacks, crunchin' crackers, etc)

Multigrain Cheerios

Noah is also basically off of a bottle completely. He only takes around 16 ounces of formula a day now, and usually drinks these from his sippy cup. I think he'll make the transition to regular milk well! He also still hates juice and loves water. So no complaints in the nutrition department:)

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Noah is doing great with motor skills too! Still no independent walking, but he does really well when holding onto things..

He will be taking those first steps soon though! He is very steady and confident when holding your hands and walking, and is standing for longer and longer on his own. I think he may be moving by his birthday, but we'll see:)

Noah also loves climbing, thanks to this early birthday present..

And finally in motor skills, Noah is a dancing machine! He just started this this past week, and it is the cutest thing I think I've ever seen! I wish I could get a video..

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In the language department, Noah sure can say a lot without saying anything at all:) haha! He hasn't really added any new words to his vocabulary, unless "Ooooo" counts, which he says a lot while pointing. But he did say "bubble" today! He repeated it while reading a story. We'll see if that was just a fluke or not. Another word he seems to be working on is "puppy." He LOVES terroriz..I mean playing:) with Petey & Patch when we visit my mom.

Something he has gotten very proficient at is communicating his mood/feelings/wants/etc. He doesn't just babble to be doing it; Noah really can make whatever he is trying to say known, even without the actual words. One thing is for certain, though, Noah is definitely going to be a talker!

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I am amazed at how much Noah's personality has come out in the last month. He is quite the social little man! He is playing well with other children (no more biting incidents, thankfully!), and loves to be the center of attention. Always a ham, he never misses an opportunity to let his silliness run wild and make you laugh and smile:)

I am so proud of my Noah and all he is becoming! And I know that as we enter *toddlerhood,* things are just beginning to get fun:)

10 months update

Where has the time gone??? My little man is fast approaching his first birthday...whoa! Just two months to go now:)

Noah has been quite...umm...testy the past couple of weeks (which is one of the reasons for my lack of posting - I've had my hands full!). He seems to be working on developing a new routine for the day in addition to transitioning from bottles to sippys, jar food to "real" food, and adding even more teeth to that mouth full he already has! His personality is beginning to real shine through, too...and it is quite obvious that Noah has inherited a bit of a temper and lack of patience (from who I'll never tell!!) :) But all in all, Noah can still flash that mischievous little grin and melt our heart!

On to the more specifics...

I do not have an exact weight and length since he hasn't been to the doctor for a wellness visit in the last month. He seems to be about the same, though (roughly 27 pounds, 31ish inches). But he is fast outgrowing his summer wardrobe, which is generally 12-18m in size. Though the 12-18m still fits relatively well in bottoms, 18-24m in tops and one-piece outfits fit less snugly and look better. We have all been very reluctant to buy any fall/winter pieces for fear of guessing his size, but I think he'll be into 24m and 2T by the time cooler weather comes around.

As I mentioned before, Noah is transitioning into toddlerhood with his diet. He is eating less and less jar baby food, and we are working on losing bottles all together (though he still refuses to hold the sippy himself...any tips on that?). Some of his favorite foods at the moment are oatmeal, steamed veggies (especially broccoli and cauliflower), mac-n-cheese, bananas, raisins, cut up string cheese, whole wheat bread slices, and any and every flavor of yogurt. He still eats stage 3 jar food on a regular basis too...he is particularly fond of the Earth's Best First Soups. And he also continues to love all of the Gerber finger food things too - puffs, lil' crunchies, crackers, yogurt melts, etc. We have also tried some of the Gerber lil' entrees and sides, and he will usually clean out the tray or cup. His drink of choice still remains water, and hates juice. Overall, his appetite is still very healthy on most days:)

Noah loves his oatmeal:)

Developmentally, Noah is right on track! He still hasn't clapped, but I think that's just a stubbornness thing...he doesn't really like it when I try to make him do it, so I think he's refusing to spite me:) But he loves to pat things, like his high-chair tray, and can repeat a pattern back to me most of the time, so I'm not concerned with the clapping thing.

He has also learned how to throw things to you...

...but he hasn't gotten the hang of throwing it in the right direction just yet! This time the ball landed on the coffee table...gettin' closer every time:)

In other motor skills, he has learned to point this week. Not just in response to a question, but as "look at that" or "I want that" kind of fashion. He loves to wave, and does so often..to anyone and everyone he passes by! He is also gaining more confidence with standing unassisted (he can stand alone for several seconds at a time now) and walking with our help. I know it is only a matter of time before I'll be chasing him around on his feet everywhere rather than on his belly!

Speech wise, Noah's vocabulary still consists of mostly "momma" and "dada," but has also added "hey/hi" and "bye-bye" in addition to the many sounds and noises. He has also, unfortunately, learned how to yell when he doesn't get his way. We're working through this...but his temper gets the best of him often!

In fact, Noah's temper earned him another little milestone this week...he got "in trouble" for the first time. During our church's bible school this past week, Noah stayed in the nursery class while I was the designated photographer for the 200+ nightly sized group. He has been staying in the nursery during church now for several weeks, but he is usually the only baby there for the particular service we attend right now; also, Noah is not around other babies much, so it took him a bit to warm up to the others in his class. By the end of the week, however, he was happily playing alongside the others....but a bit too much apparently! The last night of bible school, I found out Noah bit another boy on the arm. Thankfully, he didn't break the skin, but it left a bruise. I felt terrible! At least we are pretty close with that family...they just laughed it off as they have three children under the age of 5 (that sort of thing happens a lot apparently!).

I think the source of the biting episode has been Noah's relentless teething! He has acquired him fourth tooth on the bottom, and is currently working on his two top front teeth. I, along with everyone else it seems, is amazed at his mouthfull! But whatever the cause, I hope that biting will not be a habit...

I think that's about everything that's been going on with Noah in the last month. And I really cannot believe that we've only got two months to go before he is "officially" a toddler!! Thank you, as always, for your sweet comments and such. Blogging is such a wonderful way to record and share all of our little moments and memories:)

9 months + BEACH:)

I really didn't think this week would ever get here. But here I am...soakin' up the sun at the beach! Ahh...and for a whole week! I had a super good helper last week getting things ready for our trip. He was especially helpful with laundry:)

Really quickly, I wanted to throw out a quick 9 months update. His doctor's appointment last Tuesday went wonderfully! I am SO happy that we made the decision to switch pediatricians...I was beyond impressed with every aspect of our new office. And he didn't even see the actual doctors! He was seen by a peds nurse practitioner...and I was blown away by how good she was!

On to the Noah update..he weighed in at 26 pounds 10 ounces, and was 31 inches long. Ha..that felt like I was announcing a boxing match or something:) Anyway..she didn't give me the percentages, but I know they'll be way up there at least for a while. He has slowed growth wise in the last couple of months, though, so I think he'll probably start leveling out..especially when he starts walking.

The PNP was very happy with Noah overall...he had completed all of the developmental tasks she asked about except for independently clapping, but that's okay. We're working on it:) He was a little ahead on some other categories, so it all evens out in the end.

Food wise, we're all about trying new things right now. He had his first Oreo cookie this week..well half of one anyway. Not my idea, let me tell you, but a waitress we had brought it to him and I felt bad because she kept asking about it. Let's just say Noah was a little wired that evening! Haha! Anyway...finger foods are well-loved by Noah. He still loves all of the Gerber puffs, crunchies, and yogurt melts. He also likes Earth's Best smiley snacks. As far as fresh and cooked foods go, he loves quartere banana pieces, bread (especially plain whole wheat sandwich bread), semolini pasta, and any kind of yogurt. We're working on finding a cheese that he likes (cheddar was apparently NOT a good first choice!). He also continues to eat about two jars of 3rd foods Earth's Best food a day. He typically takes 3 bottles, and drinks around 4 ounces of water. He always drinks the water from a sippy cup, and we're working on transitioning his milk into the sippy too. We've been doing his mid-day bottle in the sippy, although he usually won't hold the cup himself. But I still think he's doing great for his age.

His favorite toy of the moment is probably his ride-on Mater. I think he likes the independence of being able to move where he wants. Puzzles and books remain staples, and his various other small toys (alphabet spinner, linking letters, ring stacker, blocks/shape sorter, etc) are still well-loved. We recently have allowed Noah to play with his small Thomas trains, and I can already tell that will be a big thing for him. That definitely is still his favorite movie/show to watch! But he also likes Cars, PraiseBaby videos, and occasionally other shows on tv. Finally, I think its time to put the Exersaucer away. He's really too big for it, and mostly likes to use it to pull up now. Speaking of pulling up..Noah will do so on anything in sight! He's even just beginning to let go for short bits, so I think its only a matter of time before our little man is toddling around:)

Noah has still only said "mama" and "dada" at this point, but he is learning lots of new sounds every day. "Ba" and "ga" are his favorites it seems...I think perhaps "bye-bye" will be his next word. He has really gotten good at waving for now, at least! He is also very good at expressing his emotions right now...meaning that screaming and such have become all too familiar. Unfortunately. He truly has inherited his Daddy's temper, and isn't afraid to show it!

Still...Noah is hard to stay upset with, no matter how loud he just screamed in your ear:) He flashes his toothy little grin, and your heart just melts! His teeth have really come in, by the way, with three on the bottom and his two secondary teeth on top(I hope you know which I mean). Without his two front teeth in there, he looks like a little vampire or something:) I surely think we will all miss this look once those front teeth come in!

Well..that's about it for that. I'll leave you with some pictures from earlier today, at the pool and the small playground area next to it...

This is going to be a fun week:)

8 months update

Noah turned 8 months old yesterday, and I thought it would be fun to give a little overview of him at this point in his life:)

Eating

Here is a sampling of Noah's daily menu (what he ate yesterday):

• Breakfast: 1 jar bananas & strawberries (3rd foods), Gerber peach puffs
  
• Lunch: 1 jar winter squash (2nd foods), HappyBaby apple puffs
  
• Dinner: 1/2 jar chicken & stars (3rd foods), 1 individual cup YoBaby blueberry yogurt, Gerber sweet potato puffs, Gerber banana puffs
  
• Other: four 8-oz bottles of formula (in between meals and one before bed), about 3-4oz water in his sippy cup
  

Sleeping

• Usually 2 naps per day, ranging in length from 45 minutes-1.5 hours.
• He goes to bed around 10:00 or 10:30pm
• He wakes up around 9:00am
• He generally sleeps through the night, but lately has been waking up around 4:00am. We just give him his first bottle at this time and he goes right back to sleep.

Development

What he can do really well:

• Sit upright - on the floor, chairs, couches, etc
• Change positions
• Roll
• Scoot around
• Explore toys (pushing buttons, turning knobs, etc)
• Find hidden objects
• Say "mama" and "dada"
• Identify other common people/things (Granny, Papa, our dogs, etc)

What he is currently working on:

• Crawling without stomach on the ground
• Pulling up to stand
• Clapping
• Identifying objects by name (objects in pictures, puzzle pieces, etc)
• Following simple commands (handing me something specific, putting blocks in containers, etc)

General Favorites

• Toys: Thomas the Tank Engine-themed wood blocks, shape sorters (here and here), Melissa & Doug knob puzzles, alphabet spinner, learning puppy, exersaucer (though he is QUICKLY outgrowing it!), ride-on Mater, books, push-along Thomas, plastic spoons/pots & lids/other noise-making kitchen items, our dogs & his 4-year-old cousin Abby :o)
• Shows/Movies: Thomas the Tank Engine, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Backyardigans, Cars, Finding Nemo (I consider these favorites because he will watch them for 15+ minutes, or will return to watching them if still on while playing)
• Books: any of the Priddy Books (especially the soft ones like Squishy Turtle and Friends), lift-the-flap books (like Peter Rabbit - Peekaboo!), Get Dressed With Elmo, and really anything else I give him
• Other Activities: bath time & playing in his baby pool (fun with water), going for walks, sitting in rocking chairs
• Comfort Items: Murphy the monkey (plush animal), Oats the horse(blanket animal), my hair & a paci & a song from me :o)

Music Favorites

For fun:

• Songs with movements (like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It")
• Songs from Thomas the Tank Engine (especially "Little Engines" and "Down By the Docks")...we love this cd!
• Most any praise music (like Chris Tomlin) and rock music (like Aerosmith)..what a combo! LOL

For sleep:

• Old standbys like "Jesus Loves Me" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
• New praise music like "Center" by Charlie Hall, "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin, "Better Is One Day" from the Passion concerts

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I am absolutely amazed by my son. All he can do, all he has developed...and in just 8 months! He has such a wonderful, friendly personality...and rarely meets a stranger as long as Mama is by his side :o) Thank you for being a part of his life up until this point, and I so look forward to sharing more!!