Thursday, December 29, 2011

What Noah Has Been Up To...

In addition to getting his hair cut off :( :( :(, Noah has been keeping busy this month:

1.  Trying rice cereal.

At first, the excitement of eating something solid tricked him into thinking he liked rice cereal (hence the look of glee), but then he realized that it is incredibly bland and boring (hence the look of disgust).  He's never willing to eat more than a bite or two.  We are going to try some other foods soon.  Any suggestions?




2.  Sitting up on his own.

This is his newest trick.  I think it is so cute to see him sitting on his own, wobbling a little and bending forward to maintain balance.  He especially loves sitting in front of a mirror and admiring himself. :)




3. Preparing for his first Christmas

Noah loved staring at the little Christmas tree in our apartment in the weeks leading up to Christmas.




4.  Going for runs with his mom.


For some insane reason, I signed up to run a half marathon in March.  I am in the worst shape of my life, but I am doing my best to get ready for the race, and I figure I can walk a lot of it if I need to.  Every day, I bundle Noah up (see the socks on his hands?), and we go for a jog.  During the first training run that we took together, I couldn't figure out why Noah was smiling and laughing so much. I eventually realized that he thought it was funny that I was panting and gasping for air.  He thought I was playing with him.  I kept saying to him, "Mommy's gonna die, Noah.  Mommy's gonna die."  He just laughed.

I must admit, seeing his cute little smiling face does make the runs much more enjoyable.  It's fun to get some fresh air together every day.


5.  Hanging out with his favorite cousin, Callum


We've been staying at my dad's house this week (all of the family is in town, and we don't want to miss out on the action!), and Noah has loved hanging out with Callum.  They are so cute together.

6.  Smiling and laughing and being an angel for his mother


I haven't admitted on this blog just how difficult Noah was for the first 4.5 months of his life.  I have mentioned his fussiness a few times, but I tried not to dwell on it because I didn't want anyone to think I wasn't grateful for him.  But he was HARD.  So hard.  He had colic and cried and fussed all day long.  I was exhausted and discouraged, and there were several times that I held my bawling baby and just bawled myself.  I wondered how people possibly have more than one child.  My friends kept telling me that the colic would end any day, but it was hard to believe in the midst of it.  Thank goodness my family was nearby to help me and to give me breaks, and many thanks to the friends who called and checked on me and offered so much good advice about how to soothe him.

I am grateful to report that about two weeks ago, my baby woke up happy...and he hasn't looked back.  For the most part, he has become a very content baby, and it is heaven.  HEAVEN.  He was worth every second of the crying.  I want to squeeze his happy little face every day.

Life is good.  Ryan and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last night, and as we talked about the year that has passed, we couldn't believe how much has changed in our little family.  I think 2012 is going to seem like a very dull year compared to 2011!  We are grateful and happy.

12 comments:

  1. Did you really ask a child-related question on your blog? You know everyone's just chomping at the bit to tell you their experiences and what you HAVE to do yourself. Ha ha ha! We're feeding Naomi pureeed (seriously, 3 e's in that word?!) carrots. She's a fan.
    One thing we've found fun is a little toy thingie. It looks a bit like a rattle or a pacifier, but with a small mesh bag attached to it. We put apples, watermelon, cooked carrots, or rice in the bag, and Naomi sucks on it, happy as a clam! I've seen someone do it with an Oreo cookie.... I'm not one to tell you "you have to go get this." We actually had a couple with Penny and only used them occasionally. But if it sounds like you'll use them, I'd recommend picking some up if you see them.

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  2. Happy 6 year anniversary! That's great your training for a 1/2! Noah is as cute as ever! A baby is so hard, I couldn't imagine a fussy fussy baby. That's great he woke up happy!

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  3. Rosalind hated all the grain cereals. I would go with squash or carrots, yummy. Are you making your own or buying jars? Applesause is also really good, but I try to do a veggie then a fruit.
    Love the socks on hands! Way better than any baby gloves.
    Glad that the colic is over. That is hard.
    Glad you guys are all happy and healthy.
    Happy New Years!

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  4. He is just too cute. He was meant to be yours :) I am so glad to hear that the colic is running for the hills! It is hard. . . so don't feel bad for not liking it and bawling right along with him! I have been there. . . I am sure a many other moms have too :)
    Love you Rachie! Here, here to 2012! I am just like you. . . could use an uneventful year! ;)
    Happy six years! I love you both!!!

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  5. No, life will never be dull again now that you have Noah! I'm so glad he's at a fun stage, finally! And I'm sorry you guys had to go through all that. So hard. We are entering the terrible toddler tantrums and it is pretty awesome, let me tell you. Luckily there is still plenty of good to go along with the not-so-good!

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  6. Love Love LOVE all his new adventures!!! And congratulations on your wedding anniversary! Mike and I celebrated 12 this year. Amazing how quickly time passes!!!

    Charlie probably won't start solids for a month or so (going to try to stretch him to six months, but MAN he likes the looks of my food already!), but Ada HATED rice cereal - big fan of oatmeal. And I agree with sweet potatoes! And you can always buy a ripe avocado and puree it. Kids LOVE it and it's wicked healthy!!!

    Happy New Year! xoxoxox

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  7. avocados have been a fav in my house... lots of good fat!

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  8. So glad the colic ended! And happy, happy anniversary! Can't believe T and I will celebrate five years this April.

    The doctor told us to start J on peas with a little water and other green vegetables (zucchini with cereal mixed in--it gets watery), then move to orange ones. Ditto on the sweet potatoes! After veggies we tried applesauce and pears. He's liked everything but butternut squash, and I think I might've just not pureed it enough. We make almost everything: A hand-blender and ice cube trays with lids help a LOT! One question--what do you mix the cereal with? J didn't like it with water but liked it with milk.

    Your first commenter was right--prepare for all of us to give our two cents! He's a darling little guy, Rach.

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  9. Oliver was the same way! One of my friends said her husband asked if they could take their baby back to the hospital and exchange him for another. Whenever Oliver cried I just thought of that and had to laugh!

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  10. Yeah! So glad he hasn't been so fussy! Maybe put something in with the rice cereal to disguise the taste a little bit.

    I am so proud of you for signing up for a half marathon. Wish I could train with you!

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  11. Munchkin makes what is called a Fresh Food Feeder --http://www.munchkin.com/fresh-food-feeder It is awesome because you can choose any fresh fruit that you want to give him, cut it up and let him suck on it. It is also great for teething because you can freeze fruit like apples and let him suck on it to help his little gums feel better!

    Those first several months are so hard! II think many women feel the same way you did. So glad it is starting to get better.

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