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. :)