Noah's 8 Month Update!

It's hard to believe its been 8 Months already!! Noah is crawling and on the move constantly! Our sitting still on the floor days are over :) he is very active and VERY happy! I do still get my night time snuggles though before bed which thrills me to no end! After I give him his bottle I let him sleep on me for a little while :) I don't want that to ever stop although I know one day it will...He says Mama aaalll the time now so of course I am constantly a puddle on the floor because it makes me melt! Every morning when he wakes up I hear him call for me on the monitor and I LOVE it! Best alarm clock ever!!

He is learning to clap his hands and loves to mimic me! It's so funny because he will make a fish face on command now because he knows if he does it he will get a big reaction :). It's so amazing to watch how their little minds work!

Noah has started this new thing where of you aren't careful he will bite you! It sounds mean but he isn't doing it to be mean he just wants to chew on EVERYTHING! If your leg happens to be in sight watch out because he has 6 teeth that will chomp you! I mean he literally will put anything in front of him in his mouth no matter what it is or how big it is! 

I feel like he has drastically changed so much this month and is becoming more of a little boy rather than a tiny baby.  He will ALWAYS be my baby but his independence has really blossomed and he is learning so much. It's bittersweet :). 

We have done quite a few fun activities this past month but I will let the pictures tell you about that :)

8 Months Old!! I can't believe it!!

Noah had a fun play date with all his little ladies Caroline, Lucie, & Emmeline!

GO CATS!! Ready for our comeback season! :)

We had such a fun family day at the Zoo!!! Noah LOVED all the animals!!

Noah LOVES dogs!! Especially Reece and Hannah!!



Best Day EVER!! All my BFF's kiddos finally together (Minus little Taplin :( :( :( )



Fun Play Date with Mommy at the Park!!

Noah's 6 AND 7 Month Update!!

So I can say that I have been a major slacker or I can blame it on our crazy busy lives and not having time but I totally missed Noah's 6 month update so these past 2 months will just have to be combined :). At Noah's 6 month appointment he weighed 18 lbs 14 oz!!!! That explains the double chin! I have no idea how much he weighs this month but he gets heavier every week so my guess is around 21 lbs. He was 90% for height at 28 3/4 inches and 75% for weight. The boy loves to eat!

We are now feeding him meats which he devours but he isn't a fan of ham and chicken is his favorite (he is my son!). I tried to introduce the sippy cup but he has absolutely no interest. Still a bottle boy and I am fine with that :). I never thought I would pump as long as I have but have been contemplating stopping for the past couple of weeks so we will see. It's pretty exhausting keeping up with it at work but I am taking each day separately and seeing how long I will make it!

These past two months Noah has learned so many new things and this momma has had lots of proud moments and lots of bittersweet moments as I realize he is becoming more and more independent not needing or even wanting my help for that matter :(. For example, he actually pushes my hand away now so he can hold his bottle himself! Since when did he become such a big boy?!?! These past two weeks he has started sitting up on his own and CRAWLING! It's an army crawl but I was told that's crawling ;). Can someone make time slow down please!?

Noah has started saying "dada" on a daily basis but I can't get a "mama" out of him yet! Can't wait to hear those sweet words come out of his mouth. I do melt like butter though when he says dada too :). He has starting hugging me too which gets me every time. My favorite is when he does it when I pick him up after work. It makes getting through the work day worth it to hear his shriek of joy when I walk through the door and pick him up and then him squeezing my neck! Did I mention how much I love that boy?! ;) He is so content and always such a joy to have around! He is such a good boy so we love taking him out to eat with us!

We have officially taken the paci away! It wasn't something we really planned it just kind of happened. Noah LOVES the newborn pacis and those were the only ones he would take. We tried to give him the older ones but he wanted nothing to do with them. I think he likes how the newborn ones are soft. So since he didn't like the older ones we decided now is the time to take it away and we haven't looked back. The first night was REALLY rough but after day 2 it was like they never existed. Since taking it away and enduring the one brutal night with him wanting it he has actually started sleeping 10-11 hours straight!! We have had issues with him sleeping through the night and I think it was because he always wanted that paci in his mouth!! I'm very proud of the way he has handled giving up something he loved so much! One bad night is nothing to complain about and now he is sleeping better than ever! Who would have thought! Ha!

Each day is new and exciting for him which puts so much in to perspective for Aaron and I that we need to appreciate the smaller things in life. It's so neat that you not only are teaching your children but at the same time you have so much to learn from them! Aside from my salvation and my wonderful husband, Noah has truly been one of our greatest gifts in life and I am so honored to be his momma!

Forgive me for picture overload its been two months ;)

6 Months Old!!

Holding that Bottle like a BIG boy!

Noah LOVES going to Trader Joe's!

Park date with The Rulketters!

First time at the KY State Fair! He loved it!

Play date with Whitney and little Miss Caroline!

This boy loves his turkey!

Sitting up on his own!

7 Months Old! He is so excited about it!!

Just chillin!

Love him!

Trying to escape :)

Eating lunch with mommy and daddy at Toast on Market to celebrate them being together 12 years on August 18th!

Makes my heart melt!

Noah's 5 Month Update!

Well Noah has grown by leaps and bounds this month! He gained two pounds and grew an inch and a half! At his 5 month appointment he was 16 lb. 4 oz and 27 inches long!! He is in the 90th percentile for height and the 55 percentile for weight! Just like his daddy! I can't get over how long he is. His little personality has become a contagious joy to be around and he is always happy unless hungry or tired of  course. I love hearing his giggle when he wakes up in the morning :) His new discovery is that his feet can actually make it in to his mouth so that has been his new position when laying down and its ssssooo funny! Sometimes he growls at his feet like he is attacking them or something and then laughs at himself :). He loves loves loves being held which I am hoping isn't becoming a problem for my sister who is chasing around 2 other little ones while watching Noah. Being the only baby at our house he is spoiled in that regard, especially on the weekends, but he is quickly brought back to reality on Monday mornings haha! The best seat in the house now is his bouncing swing that hangs in the doorway so I am sure my sister will be taking full advantage of that thing! The joy on his face when he jumps in it is priceless!! The mirror is a great entertainer in our house as well as Noah will just stare at his reflection and talk to himself...love how his face lights up when he sees me come in to the mirror too (melts this momma's heart!)

It has been so much fun introducing new fruits and veggies to him! He has tried apples, pears, bananas, apricots, plums, yellow squash, and carrots. He isn't too much of a fan of carrots but all the other stuff he has gobbled right up! I mix some fruit in with the carrots though and he never knows haha! This week we are trying Butternut squash!! Bananas and plums are his all time favorite. This boy LOVES to eat!!

He has become so engaged with everything now a days and grabs anything he can get his hands on and straight in to his mouth! Unfortunately his favorite thing to grab is my hair! Ouch! Even if I have it up he still manages to get a hand full! He has mastered rolling from tummy to back and has almost gotten the rolling over from back to tummy so it won't be too long before he is rolling all over the place. Reading his Jesus storybook Bible with Daddy is one of his favorite things to do as he gets really excited when he sees all the bright pictures! He has also had some firsts this month which sadly I didn't get to be there for (wrecks my heart every time I miss the "firsts") but he had so much fun doing it! He went to the pool a couple times and got in the water for the first time! Hoping to be able to take him for my first time this weekend!

I have had some proud mommy moments this past week! I used to rock him to sleep every night because 1. I love it and 2. That's our little time together but this has developed some bad habits of wanting to be held throughout the night so I stopped rocking him to bed :(. Sad day for me but I am super proud of him because he has adjusted to the change very well. Now I feed him and lay him down awake and he puts himself to sleep in about 10 minutes after talking to himself for a bit hehe. I feel like he is growing up so so fast! I know he is only 5 months but when he started to put himself to sleep it gave me that inner feeling of what it will be like when he doesn't need me at all to put him to bed...I embrace every moment I can with him cause people are right when they say it happens in a blink of an eye! I love this little boy to no end and can't imagine life without him! He is one of my greatest gifts in life and I feel so blessed to be his momma!

Started off sitting up and watch how he slowly starts to sink down ;) such a wiggly little guy! I couldn't get him to sit still haha!

A little lower...

A little lower...

And....we're done! :)

At the pool with Laura the babysitter

At the pool with my sister Katie!

Worn out from his first time playing in the pool!

Reading time with Daddy!

Reading with his cousin David! They are buddies!

He sleeps now with his butt up in the air and his ankles crossed! The cutest part is watching him get situated when he does this!

Loves those feet!

 Chilling in his bouncy swing watching Praise Baby while mommy makes his baby food! (Ha! Don't judge that I am letting my 5 month old watch TV ;)- this is literally the first time I have let him do this!) 

Making homemade baby food!

4 Month Update & THE BEACH!!

So I am only two weeks late on this update! Not bad haha! We were out of town for Noah's 4 month birthday so I am just now catching up! This is going to be a combination of whats going on with him at 4 months as well as our beach trip!

On May 31st I took Noah for his 4 month check up and he weighed 14 lb 4 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long! My tall boy :). He had to get four shots which broke this momma's heart because he always gives me the look of "how dare you let them do this to me!" After his appointment that day we were off to the beach in Ocean Isle Beach, NC with Aaron's family and I was ssssooo excited!! We made it to about 9 PM on the road and then Noah had the biggest meltdown of his life where he then proceeded to projectile vomit all over himself and the carseat as well as my car! It was a nightmare to say the least because we were stuck in construction traffic and Noah had to sit in that for 7 more hours but we made it and all was well in the world.

Noah has become quite the little ham! He is constantly babbling away with Aaron and I and always has something to say. He has started to mimic my facial expressions too when he looks at me which cracks me up! Every time he sees himself in the mirror he cracks up laughing. It is the funniest thing EVER!! He is such a happy baby and brings us so much joy. He is also VERY ticklish! Every time I change his clothes he laughs and laughs and laughs because it tickles his belly :) Rolling from tummy to back is a constant activity for him now but he has yet to master back to tummy. He doesn't really care to much to lay on the floor and play anymore because he always wants to be sitting up so he can see where all the action is. The bumbo has become the best seat in the house! His most favorite toy is Sophie the giraffe which we lost for about a week at Mimi's house but found it yesterday so yay!! Aaron and I have been reading Noah's "Jesus Story Bible" to him every night and its so neat to see how infatuated he is with all the pictures! He actually sits there and listens very intently to Aaron as he reads which is SO CUTE!!! It's amazing to watch their little minds at work even though he is only 4 months old!

While at the beach we introduced him to cereal and he absolutely LOVED it!! When I put the bib on him now he knows whats coming and shreaks in excitement! Sometimes he laughs hysterically if I put the spoon in his mouth and make smacking sounds with my lips! He laughs and spits his food all over the place because he can't hold it in from laughter. Warms my heart to see the joy on his face! My pediatrician suggested starting him on it since he was still getting up every 2-3 hours at night to eat. At the beach he slept like a CHAMP going 8-10 hours but once we came home its been a whole different story! Not so sure what's going on there but we will figure it out. I think the salt air helped with that a bit too :). Last night he was up 4 times (wasn't hungry just wanted to play)...hoping this changes soon. It does make it easier though when I go in to his room at 3:00 am and he shreaks with joy when he sees me and starts to babble and laugh :) Melts my heart every time even when I'm half asleep!

It was so nice to spend a whole week with Noah which made it EXTRA hard to come back to work. It was like coming back from maternity leave all over again in regards to my emotions. Our beach vacation didn't go as I would have hoped with a visit to the ER at 3:00 am because I had a severe allergic reaction and was covered in itchy hives making me have to stay inside for the second half the trip. There was also a tropical storm that made us leave early but I was super grateful for the 24/7 time I got to spend with Aaron and Noah. Noah loved the beach and the ocean and took such great naps on the beach! He was my cute little beach bum! It was so neat to think that this time last year when I was at the beach he was in my belly :) Can't wait until next year when he will be running around in the sand!

                                                            He's got his daddy's sweet smile!

The sticker is now moved to the blanket because he wants to take it off the pillow and eat it :)

PRAISE GOD he finally fell asleep on the car ride down! Just needed to hold Momma's hand to make it all better :)

He took the best naps in his beach pod! The ocean is the greatest sound machine ever!

Cutest Beach Bum there is! I love how his belly hangs out of his shirt!

Love those CHEEKS!!!

First time eating cereal :) We had to take his clothes off cause it was a messy fun process :)

My little PBK baby :) The sun was in his eyes a bit :)

Fingers of choice now!

Date night with my man at our favorite restaurant in Ocean Isle called Roberto's and Calabash Creamery! What a blessing to have Nana take care of Noah so we could have a night out just the two of us!



A Thought for Mother's Day

It's hard to believe a year went by so fast. Looking back to last year the weekend of Mother's Day my heart reflects on what I was feeling and thinking that day. I look back on my post Mother's Day Thoughts... and I clearly remember it was a day filled with lots of mixed emotions and a church service I will never forget as Pastor Chad reflected on Mary mother of Jesus and what she must have gone through when losing her son.  I sit here now holding my son and can only thank God for His Grace, love, and provision of allowing me to be Noah's mother. Noah is a gift to me and a testimony of God's grace in my life. I can't help but feel burdened and heavy hearted for those women who are experiencing the same pain I felt last year after losing my first baby just 2 months prior to Mother's Day. Although I have my son now I was a mother before Noah came in to my life but never got to experience the earthly relationship with that precious little one. As I fully embrace what I have been given now with so much gratitude and joy, I will always look forward to the day when I will meet that little one in heaven :). My cup is overflowing this year and I am forever thankful.

Mother's Day is a day to celebrate Moms for their sacrificial love, guidance, teaching, etc. they give to their children each day, but it should also be a day to love and encourage those women who have lost, are struggling with infertility, trying to adopt but are having problems, etc. I know last year my dear friend Katie Rulketter did just that for me and it was one of the most touching things anyone has ever done for me. Yes, be joyous and celebrate your motherhood on this day as you fully deserve it for all you do for your children but remember and pray for those who may not get to do the same and love and encourage those you know who have lost those they love or are deeply longing for a little one to call them mom.

Thank you Katie R. for reminding me last year and today of what the beautiful gospel looks like! :) I love you sweet friend and praise God for your precious little one who was so graciously given to you in your times of trial. Your compassionate heart  serves as a gracious reminder for everyone else to always put others needs and emotions first and I am grateful for that! Happy Mother's Day!

Hebrews 11:1- "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Noah's 3 Month Update!

Time is just FLYING by!! I rarely have time to get on my computer so I am writing this at 3:30 in the morning as I feed him haha! Multi-tasking has become an art of mine! Noah is 3 months old as of May 1st and has really become quite the little ham! :) He is constantly giggling and trust me I will make a fool of myself to hear that precious sound come out of him because it just makes my day! He weighed 12 pounds 14 ounces at his appointment but I am sure he is 13 pounds now :). He is 24 1/2 inches long! I think he is going to be tall like his daddy.

His little personality has just blossomed and there is rarely a time when he isn't smiling. He loves to play peek-a-boo and be sung to and thinks that whistling is the funniest thing ever. Any time you sing to him he smiles from ear to ear. He is such a happy baby and so so good! He has gotten to the point now where he always likes to be sitting up so he can see all the action around him. He is always so curious and doesn't want to miss anything! He will talk your ear off if you get him going which is so cute! I love his little cooing voice he has and he will sometimes scream with joy if he gets really excited! Mornings are the best because when I go in to wake him up he is smiling from ear to ear! It's a great way to start my work day :)!

A new game we have started playing is having him lay on my legs and then I say "are you ready" and he lifts his head up and pushes himself up on his feet while I hold his hands. It amazes me how strong he is for a 3 month old and how great his neck control is whenever he is sitting or standing up! I don't even have to support his head anymore because he holds it as stiff as a board! The dr. said he has motor skills of a 4 month old :) so I was a pretty proud momma! :) He also likes having something in his mouth ALL the time so I gave him Sophie the giraffe last week and he LOVED it! Mainly he has his hands in his mouth 24/7 and is trying to master his entire fist fitting in there! He has been working on that for days ;). He just discovered his feet but has yet to try and fit those in his mouth.

His sleeping patterns have been so back and forth lately. There is absolutely no consistency right now but its okay. He used to cry in the middle of the night when he was hungry but now when he wakes up he just lays there and talks to himself for 10 minutes or so. I have tried letting him go back to sleep on his own but after 10 minutes of talking and then realizing I am not coming he starts to cry. It's pretty cute though to hear him talking on the monitor :). Usually he only wakes up once in the middle of the night but right now I think he may be going through a growth spurt. I have tried the paci, letting him lay there for a while, rocking him back to sleep, etc. etc. etc. but I truly think he just wants to eat because these past couple of days it has been every 2-3 hours throughout the night which isn't normal! After feeding him though he goes right back to bed so its never an issue of being up for hours trying to get him back to sleep. I know everyone has their method and who knows if I am doing any of the right things haha but he is growing and is healthy so thats all I care about! He is so good about going to bed though! I usually lay him down awake every night around 8:15 and he just puts himself to sleep. I couldn't ask for a better baby and I am truly blessed by how good he is :)! I absolutely love being his mommy so lack of sleep doesn't bother me because its just precious moments I get with him at night :). We have also stopped swaddling him completely because those little legs of his get going and he busts out of it every time! I thought the transition may be a little difficult for him to go from being completely swaddled to nothing at all but he hasn't seemed to mind it one bit!

Noah has settled in well to the routine of going to my sister's house every day and to the babysitter's house on Friday. His little cousins just LOVE him to no end and on Fridays they just don't really understand or get why Noah isn't at their house. It's so cute! I am truly blessed by my childcare situation and couldn't have asked for anything better! Everyone tells me being a full time working mom will get easier each day...still waiting for that to be true but I am blessed to have a great job and wonderful family so I can't complain. I absolutely embrace every moment of my weekends and time at night with Noah and it has made the time I do have with him so much more special! I try not to have an envious heart towards stay at home moms and try to focus on the positive. I am happy for mommy's that get to stay home with their little ones and hope one day that will be a reality for me but right now it isn't and thats okay because the Lord knows what I need :)!

I used to put the number on his shirt but he wanted to eat it so for now on it will go on the pillow :) sorry these pics are so blurry!

 Love that little smirk!

 Total Aaron face!!

 First time in the Bumbo seat! He absolutely LOVES it!

 Leslie getting some snuggles :) I can't WAIT to snuggle her little Hadley due in August!!

His first outing to the zoo with Laura...he slept the entire time!

He loves his Sophie :)

He has really big hands! Ha!

Couldn't make it through dinner...sleepy boy!