Follow-up Pediatric Surgery Visit

Today we went to see the surgeon about Noah's missing testicle. We waited forever to hear nothing new really. The latest ultrasound showed what we knew from the last one, which is, there is something that appears to be a testicle and it's up fairly high. He said they'll need to go in and "explore" to determine that it's a viable testicle. IF it isn't then they'll remove it and he'll only have one. IF it's good they'll see if they can bring it down and stitch it in place. If the muscle or tissue that lets it descend isn't stretchy enough to allow them to bring it down they'll need to go in through the belly. I asked how he "explored", he said surgery. So, that was a little weird to me. I thought they would know BEFORE the surgery which way they would deal with it. Sounds like they go in through the groin to do it all and if need be they also go in through the belly. I thought it was an either/or thing. I didn't think it was both. Based on the ultrasound the doctor believes that in Noah's case he will also have to go in through the belly because the testicle is up so high. Going in through the belly more than likely means an overnight stay and longer recovery.

Noah will have surgery sometime in January. We're waiting to hear from the surgeon's office to schedule something so we don't know when yet. Needless to say I walked out of there with my baby in my arms and cried and cried and cried. All I could picture was him laying in a hospital bed. :(

Another Ultrasound

Today's ultrasound was absolutely horrible and not at all what I expected based on last year's ultrasound. Noah was completely traumatized by everything--the dark room, the equipment and even the technician. He screamed and cried and freaked out for about 45 minutes straight while we held him down. Poor little guy just couldn't deal with it. We tried everything. We took turns holding him, we let him watch movies with cute little animals and eventually we even tried a new technician. The only way we were eventually able to get a decent image was by dipping his pacifier into sugar water. For a few brief seconds he would sit still while he sucked on the sugar. Jeremy and I both left feeling exhausted and stressed to the max. I can't even explain how horrible it was and how horrible I felt. We went straight out for margaritas after wards. We follow up with the doctor next week to find out what the course of action will be.

Kisses!

I've been trying to get Noah to kiss me, but the stubborn little child won't do it. I say, "Momma wants a kiss" and then I kiss him all over his face. He usually turns away. I show him my lips, show him his lips and how to pucker. As I sit there with big fish lips he looks at me like I'm crazy.

Last week we started showing him to blow kisses instead. He grasped that one pretty quickly although he seems to forget where his lips are so he smacks his hand to the side of his head. Okay, kid whatever. I'll take whatever little kiss I can get.

Tonight he was playing with Daddy loudly in the living room so I went up there to see what all the commotion was about. Noah picked up his "K" book that has the word "kiss" and a drawing of mommy and baby kissing. He opened it to the word kiss and walked right up to me and kissed me on the mouth. My jaw must have hit the floor because Jeremy just laughed and said, "Ya, he just started doing it tonight."

Aww...the joys of Motherhood.

Brushing his Teeth

Noah's usual bedtime routine consists of a bath, "spa time" (getting lotioned up and hair brushed), getting dressed, sometimes a story and always special nursing time with Mommy. Brushing of the teeth has been mostly hit or miss. He usually just sucks on the brush and drools all over his clean jammies. He has yet to grasp the idea that you actually move the brush against your teeth--it's basically a bristly teething toy.

Tonight after getting him ready for bed he went to grab a book on the letter "T". It's a tiny little board book with only three pages. (He has one for each letter of the alphabet.) He opened it up to the Toothbrush page, pointed to it and the accompanying image and started brushing his teeth with his hand. I was sort of stupefied and grabbed him and the book and made a bee-line to the bathroom where we happily brushed our teeth. He even moved the brush back and forth!

Pediatric Surgery at Children's Hospital

We took Noah to Children's Hospital today to meet with the doctor regarding Noah's missing testicle. It seems as though some kind of outpatient surgery is inevitable. The doctor described the procedure and it doesn't sound terrible but it does mean general anesthesia, which sucks. We have to bring Noah back for another ultrasound. I'm not sure why they had us do one 11 months ago if they have to look at it again.

Twinkle Little Star Means Goodnight

For quite some time now "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" has been the song we sing Noah when it's bedtime. He knows the hand motions and does them along with us while we sing.

Tonight we were sitting on the couch and Noah started opening and closing both of his hands. I'd seen him to do this one other night but thought he was waving because it was with just one hand. At the time I said, "ya, that's right baby! Wave." But tonight, seeing him do it with both hands struck me like a ton of bricks..."Ohhhh! You're not waving, you're doing 'Twinkle, Twinkle'." So, I got up and carried him to bed, laid him down, pulled the covers up and turned off the light. And that was it. He slept.

Boy, did I feel stupid. :)

Doctor Visit (12 months)

His stats:
Height: 31.25 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 21 pounds 9 ounces (48th percentile)
Head circumference: 47 cm (75th percentile)

Unfortunately since Noah's second testicle hasn't shown up we now have to follow-up with Pediatric Surgery at Children's Hospital.

The Littlest Gourmet

Kenny came over for dinner and made crostini appetizers with Gorgonzola cheese and caramelized onions. Noah immediately eyed them and decided to help himself to one. We watched figuring he would spit it out since Gorgonzola can be kind of an intense flavor...especially for a baby. Noah chewed it up and then helped himself to a second one. Since when do babies like gorgonzola and caramelized onion crostinis?

Twinkle, Twinkle...

Noah and I were waiting for our plane to Oklahoma City in the St. Louis airport. Noah was tired, but unwilling to admit it so I had him in the Ergo carrier. As I stood swaying back and forth I decided to sing him his favorite bed time song, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". Usually I do the accompanying hand gestures, but since we were in public and he was in the carrier I just whispered the song in his ear. After getting through the first line he lifted his head and looked up at me and took both hands and opened and closed them just like I always do when I sing him the song. It was so darling that it was all I could do to not start telling strangers, call Jeremy or even just cry. Instead I gave him the biggest hug, told him he was right and sang the song with the hand gestures.

Unusual Playmates: Noah and Charlie

Even though Charlie weighs 8x more than Noah they seem to like each others company. Noah thinks Charlie is funny while Charlie clearly isn't sure what to think of Noah. They do, however, share a love of balls.



Noah eventually figured out that he could sit on Booboo's lap and throw the ball and Charlie would quickly scoop it up in his mouth. Noah thought this was hysterical. This isn't the best video of their shenanigans, but at least it captures the fun.

Laugh Attack!

Apparently there's nothing funnier than Mommy sneaking up you! Noah loses it as I crawl towards him on the floor.

Tryin to Stand in the Pool

Apparently standing in the pool while holding a blade of grass and shouting is rather difficult. At least he looks cute while trying. :)

Clicking Sound

At the tail end of our trip we made one last roadside pit stop for a diaper change. Noah suddenly began making this new clicking sound with his tongue. He was quite proud of it and did it most of the way home.

He Walks!

While hanging out at Great Booboo and Zadi's house Noah took his first several steps all by himself.

It was a day of great celebration because Great Booboo had just come from the doctor where she got the all clear regarding her latest biopsies.

Swimming at Glenwood Springs

We made a pit stop at Glenwood Springs mineral baths in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. They have the largest outdoor mineral baths in North America or something like that. Glenwood Springs is where Noah's Zadi and family vacationed when he was growing up so it was special to be there.

Noah was hesitant at first which made us worry a bit that he was suddenly afraid of the water. He loved his first pool experience at Harbin Hot Springs so we were confused. We figured it must have been all the kids jumping and splashing around that scared him. However, an hour later he was running and jumping off the edge (with Daddy's help).

First Attempts at Walking

We set up our new tent in the backyard to check it out before our road trip. Noah hung out with us and decided to try walking while holding onto only one hand. Perhaps it was the soft grass that gave him the confidence.

Doctor Visit (9 months)

Noah is 9 months old today...and to celebrate we went to the doctor. :)

His stats:
Height: 30.25 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds 3 ounces (48th percentile)
Head circumference: 46 cm (75th percentile)

Since his last visit he has 4 teeth--two on the bottom and two on the top.

He got a Polio shot today.

From today on he is no longer vegan so we can introduce full fat plain yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese and egg yolks. He can also have turkey and chicken, but since we're making all his food we're not too keen on mushy meat so we'll stick with beens, lentils and egg yolks for awhile.

He Stands and Stands and Stands and Stands...

The day after he crawled he began to easily pull himself up to the ottoman. He has spent more time standing around the ottoman than actually crawling anywhere. And now since he's gotten a taste of the standing life he seems very determined to get walking. Sometimes he'll stand so long that he'll forget that he can't walk and turn very quickly and just fall to the ground. As his confidence has grown he's let go of the ottoman more and more. Today I looked over and he was just standing there not leaning on anything, holding my juice bottle and laughing. I fear the walking is just around the corner.

The Daddy Ride

More Cheerio's

Today at breakfast I put some Cheerio's in one of Noah's bowls. I thought perhaps that he didn't think they were edible yesterday because they weren't in a bowl. While he enjoyed playing with them, he still wouldn't eat them with his hands. Like yesterday I had to place each one on a spoon and feed them to him individually. I was beginning to think that finger foods was something he wasn't going to be into.

This afternoon I was munching on some pretzels and he was just looking at me and literally salivating. So, I picked him up and placed him in his activity center with a handful of Cheerio's on the tray. I showed him how to eat one and within minutes he was happily munching away on them.

Dinner Entertainment

For whatever reason Noah decided there was no better time to get shirtless than right after dinner.

Cheerio's

I read in one of our baby books that Noah was the perfect age for some Cheerio's. I thought he was too young for them because they're hard and he only has two teeth. Babies chew with their gums so it's not a problem and while Cheerio's are "hard" they do dissolve quickly.

I put him in his highchair and dropped a few on his placemat and he literally spent 15 minutes carefully picking them up and examining them. I thought they would go straight into his mouth, but not once did he do that. I showed him the sign for "eat" and he just stared at me. I modeled how to eat it by carefully putting one in my mouth. I opened my mouth so he could see and chewed it up. He just laughed. I tried to feed him one by putting it in his mouth. He pursed his lips and refused. Finally I decided to put one on his spoon and feed it to him. It worked. He happily took a bite. (Apparently he thinks eating with your hands is unacceptable and he needs the spoon?!)

Once the taste of Cheerio hit him he made a face and looked at me like I was crazy. Huge amounts of saliva began to pour out of his mouth. When he finally swallowed he actually shuddered. Mmm...I guess this whole Cheerio's eating thing takes some time.

Noah's First Baseball Game

We decided to take Noah to his first A's baseball game today. A group of us got there nice and early to enjoy some tailgating. Noah had fun hanging out in the parking lot and eventually passed out.

For the most part Noah seemed to really like it. He loved the people watching and the constant parade of kids that walked by. He flirted and smiled to everyone, especially the people behind us. All was well until the crowd erupted into screams...and then Noah would just lose it. It was like this every single time:

1. The crowd would scream.
2. His eyes would get huge.
3. His lower lip would stick out in the biggest pout ever.
4. His mouth would open and nothing would come out until...1001, 1002, 1003
   ...WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

And then we'd calm him down and it'd be back to fun and giggling until the next loud eruption. As we got into the 8th inning the screams became more and more frequent. Finally I had to take him to the car. As soon as we left the stadium he was back to his happy little ways. Mmm...maybe he doesn't like baseball?

He Crawls!

Noah had been showing signs of crawling for months now, but just didn't seem motivated. Besides that he discovered that he could get around just fine by rolling everywhere. He loves standing so much and moving around in his walker that I was beginning to wonder if he was just going to skip out on this whole crawling thing.

Today we were at Teresa's house (a Mom from our Wednesday Mommies Group) and Noah just started crawling as if he'd been doing it forever. He wasn't even excited about his new found capability. He just got up and did it. I was chatterboxing away when Teresa looked over and said, "whoa, does he do that?" and I looked over and just started laughing. "Umm, no, that's a first". We went home and I set up little towers everywhere with toy blocks for him to crawl to and destroy and he had a blast.

I guess he just had to wait until he was good and ready. Or perhaps it was Gymboree today that inspired him. It was full on baby crawling mayhem. I think he knew he had to start crawling soon to get what he wants.

Spitting is Messy Business

Noah discovers the fine art of spitting while doing his best Sean Penn impression.

What the...?

Noah gives his noisy horse a once-over.

Noah's First Time in the Pool

After camping we went to a barbecue at Lisa's house in Moraga. It was pretty hot over there so we got in the pool. Unfortunately we don't yet have a swimsuit for Noah so he couldn't get in all the way. Instead, we just stripped him down to a onesie and let him splash around. He seemed to enjoy that.

Bounce and Scream

Mashed Potato Face

As we rushed out the door to take Uncle Kevin to the airport I grabbed some food for Noah in case we went out on the way home.

We'd given him potato before but always mixed with something--more as a filler than an actual base of flavor. Without thinking I grabbed two cubes of potato and two of zucchini. When we sat down at the restaurant I took his luke warm food and gave it a quick stir before giving him a bite. I only wish I would've had a camera because his expression was priceless. He literally squished up his face, wrinkled his nose, put his chin to his chest, shuddered and spit. Jeremy and I were shocked. We tried 4 or 5 times to give him some more and each time we were met with the same response. It was hysterical.

Jeremy claimed my combo choice was questionable. I thought perhaps it was because it wasn't warm. Regardless, I was speechless because mashed potato is my all time favorite! Of course, that's mixed with milk and loaded with butter. I guess I wouldn't be so fond of it served room temp with no seasoning either. :(

Mama?!

A whole group of us (me, Jeremy, Noah, Shannon, Jill, Kevin, Josh, Mia, Melissa and Tobey) were having lunch at Tony's in Tomales Bay today. Noah was sitting on Jeremy's lap when I went to pick him up so he could sit on my lap. As I reached for him he put out his arms and said, "Mmmma ma". I quickly looked at Jeremy and asked, "Did you hear that?!" He did. Now, I just have to wait and see if he can repeat it and if he was really referencing me and not just making a noise.

Chihuly Excitement

Today Noah and I went to San Francisco to go check out the Chihuly exhibit at the De Young museum with Booboo, Uncle Josh, Mia, Melissa and Lisa. Because of the nature of the exhibit (glass) and the crowds we weren't permitted to bring in the stroller so we took turns carrying Noah. I thought he would probably like the colors, but I didn't know just how much. Each room was an intense display of color and form against a black backdrop. Often there were mirrors underneath so when you got close you saw a neverending reflection of beautiful glass. Each room held his attention, but when Booboo took him into the room of chandeliers he just lost it. His body shook and he began to kick with excitement. You could just feel his energy explode. The exhibit ended just in time--one more room would've been sensory overload.

We got the stroller from coat check and wandered around an exhibit of African masks. The room was quiet with very low light. As I pushed him around he sang to himself and only fell asleep after I pushed him in monotonous cirlces.

Noah's First Spice, Spinach and More Crawling Adventures

Grandma came over last night to watch Noah while Jeremy and I took a CPR class so she spent the night. For breakfast I decided to treat Noah to a something a little extra special for breakfast since he had an audience. I made him a breakfast of pears and apples with cinnamon (his first spice!). It was so amazingly yummy. His yummy noises and crazy hand movements were in full effect. At one point when I was feeding him I looked away with the spoonful in midair. He grabbed my hand and pulled it towards his mouth. He was NOT going to wait for me. From then on I held the bowl as lose to his mouth as possible and just shoveled it in.

For dinner I made him Spinach. I was so convinced that there was no way he would like it so I didn't make any to freeze. This is the first time I've ever made enough for only one meal. And, of course, I was wrong. He ate it right up.

Milestone:
Noah moved from sitting to a crawl position. He did this several times and then moved back to sitting because he couldn't get over his chubby leg. Finally he was able to propel himself a little harder to get over the leg. Of course, then he didn't know what to do so he just fell flat on his belly.

Singing Himself to Sleep

When Noah is sleepy he "sings". He'll sing in the car, the stroller, or just laying around. Sometimes it gets a little loud and if we're out and about people will stare and ask if he's okay.

Our response is usually something like, "Yup, he's just singing. He thinks its pretty." And we always know that when it gets louder he's almost out.

In this video he's got his pacifier in his mouth, but when he sings without it he'll get such a look of concentration as if he's trying to hit a certain note.

Pears!!

Okay, I think I've found Noah's favorite food--Pears! I chopped up a pear, heated it with water and then pureed. The sounds of excitement reached an all time high. He could barely contain himself. I tried it and it was pretty outstanding. The kids got good taste.

Bouncing Baby

We've been wanting to get a bouncer forever and for some reason just didn't do it. I finally decided it was now or never since most are only good up to 25 pounds and Noah is about 20 pounds. This is his first time in the bouncer. Looks like he likes it.

Blueberries

Today Noah tried blueberries. I heated them up with some water until they burst and then blended them into a nice puree. He seemed to especially like them. I know he's loved everything we've given him so far, but blueberries made him smile and giggle. Perhaps it was the color--so different than anything else he has eaten so far.

Milestone:
He crawled forward on one leg, but collapsed before he could move the other one.

Level II Gymboree

Jeremy worked at home so he joined us at Gymboree. Today was a big day because it was Noah's first Level II class. Level I is pretty mellow--lots of singing and tactile play as we sit in a circle on the mat. Level II is a whole new world. We moved all over the room and played with all kinds of big things--boats, slides, and see saws. There's loud music playing, hip hip hooraying and just a lot of movement in general. Poor Noah seemed overwhelmed and cried through most of the activities while everyone else seemed so happy and excited. I was surprised that he even cried when we played baby soccer. We had just played at home and he loved it. Of course, I wasn't picking him up and swinging his body towards the ball as we stood in a circle with a bunch of other screaming babies. Afterwards several Moms and the teacher made a point of telling us that he did really well. The first class is overwhelming and very different than their Level I experience so it takes a class or two to get used to everything.

Milestones:
I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but as we were singing the "bye bye" song in Gymboree today Noah waved his right arm. Jeremy and I were surprised.

While playing at home I was holding Noah by the arms when he bent over to pick up toy. He bent over, picked it up and stood right back up. He's getting stronger and stronger every day.

Jeremy's First Father's Day

We had a nice Father's Day celebration today. Booboo and Zadi (Gary and Tobey) were in town, Uncle Josh came over from the city and Grandma Linda and Uncle Mark drove up from Sonoma County. We fixed a big brunch and ate outside on the deck. Noah and I gave Jeremy a Phil & Ted's hiking backpack.

After brunch Noah showed some natural soccer skills as he kicked the ball back and forth to Uncle Josh.

First Words

I don't remember the date but about a month ago Noah clearly said "Dada" at least three times in one day. We didn't really count it as his "first word" because it seemed like just a sound and he wasn't actually referring to his Daddy.

But yesterday he clearly said "Nana" while I was feeding him a banana. He's been eating a lot of bananas lately and each time I feed him I say, "Banana" in a silly high pitched sing song voice that makes him giggle. Today he said it again twice so I'm thinking that "nana" is his first official first word (first uttered on 6/10).

First Full Night in the Crib

Last night was the first full night Noah slept in his crib. He awoke once for a feeding and instead of bringing him back to the co-sleeper for the remainder of the night I decided to try putting him back down in the crib. He fell back to sleep right away. We were so surprised to wake up and hear him on the monitor happily playing away. Such a big milestone for him and an even bigger one for Mommy and Daddy. :)

Peach

I forgot to get more apples and bananas when I was out yesterday so I decided to let Noah try one of my super delicious organic white peaches for breakfast. Truth be told I wasn't so keen on sharing these little gems, but he is awfully cute so I caved. :)

After a quick peel and chop I blended it to a nice puree and served it up with some rice cereal. He absolutely loved it and made the most intense yummy noises while eating. He sounded like The Incredible Hulk. About two-thirds of the way through I had to add more rice cereal to stretch it out. All in all he ended up eating an entire peach and about a half a cup of rice cereal. He's gotta be packin' on the pounds now!

Cauliflower

The cauliflower ended up being a very smooth puree that I thought was a little bland. I served it up warm and Noah couldn't get enough. The little piggy scarfed up two bowl fulls and wanted more!

Time to Sleep in the Crib!

I've known for awhile now that it was time for Noah to start sleeping in his own room. I mean, he is almost 7 months old!! Not only that, but he barely fits in his co-sleeper now. I've loved having him sleep next to us. It's fun to wake up to a smiley baby reaching out for you. Not only that but its been a dream for middle of the night feedings. Our intention was to move him into his room awhile ago, but things kept happening and it kept getting pushed off. Plus, when it came right down to it, I wasn't ready yet. :) He's been napping in his room for the past few weeks and we do play in there every day, so it's not as if its unfamiliar.

Last night I decided it was time so I put him in his crib after he passed out. At 11:30 he awoke...screaming. He was not happy. I took him out, comforted and fed him and once he was asleep I tried to place him back in the crib. He awoke with a start and began to scream. I tried three times and each time he was not happy about it so we went back to Mommy and Daddy's room where he promptly passed out in my arms. A few minutes later I placed him in the co-sleeper. Suddenly he was wide awake and looking around. He reached up for me in the dark and pat my arm. I could see that he was smiling. I lifted him up and laid him on my belly. He put his hand on my face and then he reached out for Daddy. He gave Daddy a pat and then laid down and fell asleep on my belly. This time around I just let him sleep with us. :)

Mommy & Daddy Go Out!

I can't believe it, but tonight was the first night that we left Noah. We went to see The Cure in San Jose. We've gone out plenty and have enjoyed our lives as parents, but it's always been WITH our baby. But tonight, just the two of us went out for the first time in 7+ months! (Crazy how fast the time has just whizzed on by.) Heather and Jon were kind enough to step up and act as our "First Babysitters". Thankfully I was very rushed and couldn't really think about any details other than the fact that I completely trusted them and knew that no matter what it would all be okay. I left Noah smiling and laughing in Heather's arms and I managed to be gone for 6 and a half hours without a panicked phone call home! (It was so good to get home though and see him sweetly sleeping away.)

More Green Veggies: Peas

Frozen organic peas from Whole Foods were introduced today. Noah loved them. I'm beginning to think this child will eat anything.

Doctor Visit (6.5 months)

It was an unusual day at the doctor's office because we had to wait for quite awhile. I was holding Noah and showing him the view from the 12th floor when he caught the eye of a nurse. She was a funny older woman with bright red glasses. She started waving at Noah frantically and doing this big exaggerated laugh which he thought was hysterical so he started giggling which set her off even more. They entertained each other over the receptionist's head for quite some time before she came out and asked if she could take him for a little bit. I agreed and off they went. For the next ten minutes I could hear beyond the closed door all kinds of adults laughing and carrying on. Finally the nurse returned, handed him back and proceeded to rave about his happiness, his general demeanor, and his giggles. She told me repeatedly how lucky I was to have such a happy little baby. It was definitely nice to hear such praise from a woman who meets so many different babies.

Once in the room, Noah proceeded to wreak havoc by tearing the paper tissue that covers the bench. It wasn't just tearing, but tearing spastically while throwing it everywhere. By the time the doctor came in the room looked like a tornado had hit. The lesson I learned was who needs a bunch of plastic toys when you've got a roll of paper. :)

Since his last visit he grew one inch and gained two pounds. His stats are:
Height: 28.25 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 17 pounds 10 ounces (50th percentile)
Head circumference: 44.5 cm (60th percentile)

He's still tall and skinny. Maybe if he'd quit growing in height he could actually start getting chubby. :)

The doctor said his teeth are right at the gum line. They could come in any day now.

He got his DTap shot and his Rotovirus vile.

Summer Squash

Went to the Farmer's Market today in search for new and exciting organic veggies for Noah to try. We ended up with a selection of summer squash. Although I thought they were yummy I wasn't sure if they would have enough flavor for Noah, but he loved them...of course.

Apple

We gave Noah some Golden Delicious apples today. He loved them warm, but wasn't so big on them when they were cold. They actually made him shudder.

Avocado

While camping in Yosemite Noah got to try his first avocado. Ya, the poor boy has a rough life.

Bananas Lead to Giggles

I'm not sure there is a direct correlation or not, but he did just eat bananas, and well, they made him bananas.

Broccoli

Today we gave Noah broccoli. I was pretty sure he wouldn't like it since it didn't have any sweetness to it like the carrots, sweet potato and bananas he's been enjoying up until now. But, surprise, surprise he loved it. Good thing because Mommy and Daddy LOVE broccoli!

Gimme more!!

Noah tells Mommy he wants more.

The Uncertainty of Bananas

Banana was a little funky at first--maybe too slimy? We cut it with a little rice cereal and it seemed to be a little more bearable. :)

First Time at the Beach

After spending some time at Jeremy's company picnic in Golden Gate park (where Noah spent most of the time devouring his shoes) we headed down to Santa Cruz for the weekend. Since Melanie and Tony were still at work and it was absolutely gorgeous out we headed to the beach. We weren't really prepared, we just took off our shoes and plopped ourselves down. Noah was immediately mesmerized by the way the sand felt on his toes. I was getting ready to head back to the car for a blanket for him to sit on when he fell over, face first, in the sand. We quickly picked him up and once we were sure he was okay and not crying we burst into laughter. The poor little guy had sand all over his face, in his nose and mouth. It was everywhere. He didn't seem to mind at all and just let us brush him off. We were picking sand out of his crevices all night long.

Developing a Personality & Eating a New Veggie

Noah's schedule was all out of whack today for some reason. He ended up napping when it was time to head out the door for Gymboree. I know I shouldn't have woken him but I didn't want to miss it. Truth be told, I didn't want to miss it either. He was out of sorts and on the verge of tears for most of the class. At the end of class I gave a quick feeding. When he was done he was all smiles and giggling. He eagerly looked around as if it was time to start class. One of the mothers looked over at him and said, "there's the Noah I know!" I thought it was cool that the little man has enough of a personality for others to notice when he is out of whack.

Tonight we tried a new veggie--sweet potato--and he loved it.

Tickles

This one is a little dark, but it's cute. Daddy tickles Noah as he lays on the couch.

Sweet potato!

Sweet potatoes are clearly delicious, but notice Noah's impression of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow--the hands are just so expressive.

The First Veggie: Carrots

Today Noah tried his first vegetable! We bought some organic carrots and tried our hand at making baby food. It was a piece of cake and they tasted amazing without any seasoning! Noah loved them.

Yummy first bites

Eating rice cereal is a messy affair, but apparently very delicious.

It's Time for Solids!

We thought we'd wait until Noah hit his 6 month birthday before we gave him solids, but the doctor said he was more than ready. Not only was he carefully watching everything we ate but he was opening his mouth in anticipation too. But, the biggest change was his sudden need to eat every hour and a half during the day and every three hours during the night. For the first time I felt the pain of other parents that complained of sleep deprivation. It was no fun! So, today we introduced some rice cereal to Noah...and he loved it!

The plan is to give him one tablespoon of rice cereal in the morning for one week. Then we'll add another serving in the evening. Once he's fine with that we'll introduce a vegetable. We can add something new every three days. The doctor suggested that we start with several veggies before introducing fruit. Because fruit is so sweet many babies may not be so inclined to eat veggies after trying the sweet stuff. That makes sense to me!

Noah's First Wedding!

Mike and Jenny got married today, coincidentally (and conveniently) just down the street from our house. I was excited about dressing him up in his cute little Kenneth Cole blazer, but it was uncharacteristically hot and the wedding was outside so we went with just the polo shirt. :(

During the ceremony I was nervous that he would cry or make a lot of noise, but he was a perfect gentlemen and remained very quiet. The heat seemed to make him lethargic and he began to dose, but at the end of the ceremony everyone began to clap and make noise which startled him. Actually, it scared him to death and he erupted into a load scream. Thankfully you couldn't hear him over everyone else. :) He napped for a long time during the reception and then was happily passed around. He's such a social butterfly.

More Gymboree

Today was our second level I Gymboree class. I noticed immediately that he didn't freak out when the other babies got fussy which is great.

The neon scarf he loved last week now makes him blink spastically. It's almost like he's afraid it will touch his little eyeballs. He still really, really, really loves that dumb clown. It's by far his favorite. He just squeals with delight when he sees Gymbo. He also seems to be a fan of the whiffle balls.

Doctor Visit (5 months)

Height: 27.25 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 15 pounds 6 ounces (46th percentile)
Head circumference: 43.5 cm (70th percentile)

He got his PC and HIB shot today.

Floor Time is Fun

We went to our first "Mommy and Me" fitness class at Gymboree. It was a 45 minute yoga inspired class; more for Mommy than baby. Noah seemed to really like it, especially when I did the cat pose above him. He just laughed and screamed. Maybe he thought it was cool that mommy was rolling around on the floor too.

When we got home he spent a fair amount of time trying to crawl. It was a pretty entertaining sight. He kept lifting himself off the ground with his arms and then moving one leg forward as he screamed in excitement. At one point he got his little butt high in the air.

Gymboree

Today I decided to check out a Level I Gymboree class. Level I is for babies 0 - 6 months. In the class we sat in a circle with our babies and subjected them to silly songs and lots of tactile stimulation.

Initially Noah seemed more interested in the other babies and spent a fair amount of time fussing and pouting--especially if one of them started to cry. Eventually he did calm down enough to enjoy playing peek a boo with a sheer neon scarf. He also liked the bubbles (who doesn't like bubbles?!), the parachute (lifted high and low over him), and the Gymboree mascot--a clown named Gymbo. Actually, much to my dismay, he LOVED Gymbo. Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of clowns.

I thought it was a little expensive, but I decided to join anyway. Overall, he had a lot of fun and I think the socialization is good for him.

First Movie Watched

We went and saw Juno at "Baby Brigade" tonight. Noah was passed out when we got there, but awoke a few minutes into the film with a look of total confusion. His eyes literally popped open and began to dart all around in the dark as if he was thinking, "Where the heck am I now!?!" He spent the rest of the movie on Jeremy's lap actively watching the screen. It was hard to not watch him instead of the film because he looked so funny. He literally moved his little head all around, back and forth, to see the entire screen--kind of like he was watching a tennis match.

Sitting on His Own

Jeremy and some friends were hanging out at the house this afternoon before taking off for a basketball game (a belated birthday celebration). We were all outside sitting on the grass when I put Noah down. He sat on his own for several seconds before falling over. It wasn't long, but he did it!

Doctor Visit (4 months)

Height: 26.5 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 13 pounds 14 ounces (48th percentile)
Head circumference: 43 cm (75th percentile)

He got his DTap shot and his Rotovirus vile.

The Roll - Back to Front

After mastering the front to back roll Noah finally rolled from his back to his tummy today.

The Rolling Machine

Mike and Jenny came over for a visit so Noah decided to flirt and show off his new rolling skills. We'd lay him down on his belly and he'd roll over. We'd push him back and he'd roll over, again and again and again and again... At last count he rolled over 14 times in a row.

Eye/Hand Control

Jeremy and I took advantage of some spring like conditions and did some weeding in the front yard. We parked Noah outside in his glider so he could keep us company. Usually he'll wildly bat at the bunny and bear that hang from the mobile, but today he eyed them and very purposefully reached up to grab them. It's crazy how hand control is seemingly learned overnight.

Doctor Visit (3 months)

Height: 26 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 12 pounds 11 ounces (45th percentile)
Head circumference: 40.5 cm (25th percentile)

He's tall and skinny with a little head and great big eyes. I call him my little English Cucumber. :)

He got his HIB and PCV shots today.

Strengthening Core

Today Noah sat up from a reclined position. He was laying back on me and decided it was time to move so he just leaned forward and sat himself up. It was neat to feel his little body exerting such strength. It's such a little milestone, but so important.

The Roll - Front to Back

Today Noah rolled over from his tummy to his back. He was very confused about what had just happened and of course he couldn't do it again.

Dapper Noah

Noah models his new corduroy newspaper boy hat that his Great Auntie Sheila bought him.

Noah's Surgery is Scheduled

Noah's surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 10th at 10am. We'll have a pre-op appt on February 3rd to get more details and answer questions.

Milestones

I don't know the specific dates because I forgot to write them down, but this was a week of two very important milestones in little Noah's life.

1) Head held high. Our fragile little baby seemed way less so this week as he suddenly became capable of holding his head on his own. Who knew he had a neck. :)

2) Giggles. Perhaps the stronger neck meant he could support his giggling because this week out of nowhere he began to giggle instead of just smile at our silliness. The sound is pure bliss--music to my ears.

Testicular Ultrasound

Noah has a renegade testicle. It's M.I.A. He had two when he was born and then one just disappeared. The doctor hasn't been too worried because, apparently it's commonplace for the little devils to scoot on up out of view. Who knew?! Just to be on the safe side she ordered a testicular ultrasound to be done at Children's Hospital. The hope is that we'll find that it's there, but just hiding. If it is hiding it should drop by the time he's one...if not, they'll need to do a little outpatient surgery to retrieve it.

The ultrasound went well. Noah had to lay very, very still for a long time on a big table in the dark. Just like the ultrasounds I endured while pregnant he was lathered in cold goo while the ultrasound was moved around. It didn't seem to bother him too much and he laid still for about 15 minutes, mesmerized by the Winnie the Pooh cartoon that was playing. Luckily by then the nurse was fairly confident that she found the missing testicle and actually captured a photo of it. Now, we just have to wait for it to drop.

Doctor Visit (2 months)

Height: 24.75 inches (98th percentile)
Weight: 10 pounds 14 ounces (45th percentile)