BabyWolfe

1,2 & 3

2012-01-07T08:36:00.030-05:00

1 Month

~9lbs 9oz (50th)

~20 1/2 in long (25th)

~14 1/2in head circumference (50th)

Went to visit the incredible doctor who delivered me in this adorable outfit

Mommy's work sent me a FedEx newborn giftset, too cute

My big brother loves me

Siblings

Silly smile

First time at church...snoozefest...Daddy was preaching

First Bath in the big tub -- my brother has a strikingly similar picture

All better!

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2 months

~11lbs 6oz (75th)

~21 1/2in long (25th)

~15in head circumference (50th)

Bumbo fun

Pretty Girl smiles

Love my pink robe

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3 years

~36.8lbs

~38in tall (75th!!)

~19 3/4 in head circumference

Answered Prayer...

2011-11-11T11:29:00.008-05:00

McKenna Dawn Wolfe

Born 11/2/11 @ 4:54pm

7lbs 1oz 19 3/4in long

Thank you to all who joined with me in prayer, the Lord heard and He answered, and now she's in our arms! Safe and sound and adorable as EVER!!

And so we wait...

2011-10-31T19:14:00.005-04:00

40 week belly

So, I'm a goal-oriented person, and when a goal I had in mind has come and gone with no results, I'm left to wonder what to do next. I have been so focused on getting to October 30th that now that it has passed and I'm left still pregnant and unsure, coping with the next week or so seems like an impossible task.

I'm frustrated that my body isn't responding yet to the fact that it's time to be in labor, and I'm feeling like God is trying to teach me a lesson. I'm no go at relinquishing control and so I am sincerely hoping that this is His gentle way of reminding me who is in charge but that He has full intentions of creating a happy ending out of what has now become a stressful time for us.

Admittedly, after meeting with the Doctor today, I'm feeling about as hopeless and helpless about this delivery as if I had just received yet another negative pregnancy test. I feel like he was preparing me for the fact that something isn't right and something will go wrong and it isn't going to end on a happy note like it did with my first labor and delivery. Now, whether I'm reading into his words or not, I guess who really knows, but what I heard was not what I wanted to hear and I'm left feeling sad. I have chosen to go ahead and start my maternity leave, in hopes that I can spend the next few days focusing on what really matters and more on the situation at hand as we look expectantly toward the end of our time as a family of three and become a family of four.

I guess I will have to go on faith, which I don't have a great deal of most days, that everything is going to turn out fine. I will stop walking, and eating spicy foods, and making Tony massage my ankles and feet and give up all of the measures that are fun to joke about but not really practical for sending me into labor...and I will just have to become diligent about praying specifically for what I want for my baby girl. Other than that, I'm at a loss...we are both feeling at a complete loss and are desperate for some good news...

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Dear Lord,

I pray that someway, somehow, despite what modern medicine says is possible, that my body begins to respond sometime in the next few days and goes into active labor on its own. I pray that I would not have to have a c-section and that I would not be faced with the possibility of McKenna not being born alive and healthy and thriving. I also pray that my labor would be short and easy inasmuch as it was with Noah. I give you full control because it's pretty apparent I'm not able to do anything to influence the situation any differently, but you can, and I just have to have faith that you will. I thank you that you have her perfect arrival date and time in mind and I thank you in advance for that promise to be carried through. We just want to hold her and know she is whole and here safe in our arms. You have given me a successful, full-term pregnancy, and some mommies I know that were due right around when I was did not end up with healthy babies to hold and snuggle and love on, and so I thank you for protecting our little one thusfar. I feel like we are not out of the woods yet and there are still risks to come between now and delivery time, and I ask that Your hand be over those possibilities and that they would be taken away.

Please guide the Dr's heart and mind that I see this Thursday so that some better answers and more encouraging news might be present at the appointment that puts me back in a better frame of mind. Please continue to watch over our Baby Girl, McKenna Dawn, we want her here safe and sound so badly.

In Jesus' Name I Pray,

Amen

Halloween Pumpkins & Belly Pics

2011-10-27T07:51:00.012-04:00

We carved pumpkins with Noah this past weekend, he wasn't really into the messy insides of the pumpkin like I thought he would be, but he still had a great time and Tony roasted up some pretty tasty pumpkin seeds afterward!

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38 & 39 week Belly Pics -- McKenna

Full Term, Yeah, Baby!

2011-10-09T20:36:00.003-04:00

35 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

Family Photos

2011-10-06T09:52:00.000-04:00

Create a photo album

34 Weeks & What's New with Noahman?!

2011-09-19T10:15:00.004-04:00

6 weeks and counting...I really do feel like this pregnancy is lasting much longer than my first. I'm a little more uncomfortable this time, bigger at this point than I was last time, and yet trying not to wish away the time I still have left being a Mommy of one. My 34 week check was good, baby's heart beat was about 145, my belly is measuring right on time and no major complaints! I go back in 2 1/2 weeks for my 36 week check and it's every week after that. I'm a numbers person, so I keep looking at the calendar thinking, less than 1 1/2 months to go, or 4 more Dr. appointments at the most or what if I'm sitting on the porch watching Noah trick-or-treat on October 30th and she's still in there?! I could be the biggest "pumkin" on the block by then I'm pretty sure! I'm hoping maybe she wants to be born about 3 days early, but until then, she can stay in there in marinate all she wants. Still enjoying multiple daily rounds of hiccups, wriggling around and a jabbing hand or foot when she gets to groovin'. Love this time when I have my babies all to myself! But we are getting anxious to meet her, I keep imagining how cute and cuddly she will be and we are over the moon excited!

Noah has provided us with so much joy and laughter lately. Watching him make sense of and interact with his little World in new ways everyday is beyond amazing. It seems every time Tony and I get a chance to catch up on life we always have "Funny Noah Moments of the Day" to share, and they just too cute! He is certainly a little man with a big opinion, I see him becoming a leader someday (or at least a bossy older brother...ha!). He has no time for anything we suggest that he isn't on board with, he cries if I turn the opposite direction he wanted us to go in the car, and doesn't hesitate to tell me when he something tastes gross or yucky at the dinner table. He thinks the phrase "one more time" can be used an infinite amount of times, especially when it comes to a favorite cartoon or enjoy a sweet treat. He loves to have us kiss his boo-boo's because it makes them "Much better" in his words. He jumped in the bathtub fully clothed the other day because I was trying to quick-wash my hair over the side...twenty minutes later my hair was finally washed and apparently so was he! So much for a quick-wash! He also somehow chipped one of his front teeth that neither of us can pinpoint when or how it happened, but he obviously hasn't been too phased by it. Good thing this set of teeth isn't permanent! He is really starting to listen and respond to directions much more, which means I could have myself a little helper once McKenna arrives! And even though he acts so big and grown up these days, we still have binky and chewie at bedtime and the random hugs and "I wuv you's" to remind us what a sweet, little baby boy we have!

Go Leopards!

2011-08-28T18:39:00.003-04:00

He looks so big in this picture! Love his Leopard Pride!

McKenna was ready for the game too!

Love my boys in blue!

Mommy & Noah!

HOF Parade & 30 weeks

2011-08-21T13:18:00.015-04:00

We took Noah to the HOF Parade again this year, he hasn't missed one since before he was born! I was hoping he would have forgotten his fear of the big balloons, but it turns out he hadn't. I know these pictures are going to look repetitive, but his expressions were so much more entertaining than actually watching the Parade at times, I tried to capture them all!

Breakfast before the Parade kicked off

Just chillin' with my Grandma

Hi, Mr. Inductee to the Football HOF, congratulations!

Yay, more Marching Bands! I love the drums!

Whoa, look at that big float!

I see Ronald McDonald coming

Daddy will save me from the big, scary balloons!

Okay, I'm covering my eyes, but I'm still peaking out of curiousity...

Ah, these shades make everything look better, including me! What a Stud!

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Here is my belly when I was pregnant with Noah at 30 weeks:

And here is my belly with McKenna at 30 weeks:

10 weeks to go!

3rd Trimester

2011-08-07T08:45:00.004-04:00

Mommy is feeling great, McKenna is moving like a wild woman, and we are having so much fun getting her room ready a little at a time. It's slowly coming together!

What a blessed summer we have had so far as a family of three...and I find myself longing a little more each day to finally have the opportunity to hold my baby girl in my arms. So excited to be a family of four! Even Noah has started to give my belly lots of big brother kisses, pats, and hugs. And he even played Doctor the other day and checked out her heartbeat with a toy stethescope..."Buboom, Buboom, Buboom" he said...sounds perfect to me!

God has truly blessed us and we are so grateful!

Oak Island 2011

2011-07-21T09:01:00.001-04:00

This free digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Ultrasounds, Puggles & Summertime Fun

2011-06-18T07:34:00.045-04:00

McKenna Love!

We had our 20 week tummy check and ultrasound just about a week ago and it felt like the longest month ever leading up to that appointment! We were all so anxious to see if our baby was healthy and growing at a good pace. I was nervous since my thyroid levels had been so drastically off the first part of this pregnancy and the Dr. said it could really effect the baby's ability to grow properly. As it turns out, the baby was measuring right on for most of the measurements (especially around the head) and was measuring about 3-4 days behind everywhere else. Baby weighed in at 11oz and the heartrate was 152 bpm.

Noah went with us to that ultrasound along with the grandmas, all of us hoping to find out the big news...girl or boy?!?! He was so well-behaved, he was looking up at the monitor on the wall with his little mouth hanging open as he sat on Daddy's lap and said, "I see baby." "I see heartbeat...buboom, buboom, buboom." "Baby so cute!" Luckily, once he was bored of that scene, Grandma Wolfe has brought along grapes and Scooby snacks and Noah was content to munch and sporadically count my toes while I was up on the table. But he did really well and we were so glad he was able to be a part of that experience and see images of his little sibling for the first time.

Everything looked great on the ultrasound, and with a LOT of pushing and prodding at my stomach, most of which made me more nervous that my bladder was going to empty itself on the exam table more than disturbing the little one growing inside of me...baby finally uncrossed it's legs...and there was no denying it...IT'S A GIRL!!!!! McKenna Dawn Wolfe is on her way and growing perfectly! We feel so blessed to complete our family with a beautiful baby girl. And we could not be more excited for her big brother who is already one amazing kid. Both of our angels from Heaven! Praise be to God, we are eternally grateful!

The Dr. met with me afterward for my regular tummy check and all was well there as well. It turns out my placenta is a little too close to my cervix so I will get another ultrasound at 3o weeks to ensure everything has moved up at least 1 cm. If not, the Dr. said there could be talk of a c-section but I'm nowhere close to actually having placenta previa and they aren't labeling it as such. He said there's about a 99.99% chance everything will move up into place so no need to worry. And considering how very quietly and smoothly this pregnancy has gone compared to Noah's, despite some early insomnia and lots and lots of nausea for 15 weeks, I have every reason to believe everything is going to be just fine! I go back again at 24 weeks for a tummy check, 28 weeks for my glucose test, and 30 weeks for the next ultrasound.

I have been really bad about taking belly pics and journaling this pregnancy, but I finally did get a baby book filled in for Miss McKenna and I have some belly pics as well. I will have to post those next time because our scanner has decided to stop working once again..no fun! I know every Mommy of more than one child has told me the second pregnancy is different, and I echo that truth whole-heartedly. Although I have to say, in some ways it is an amazing experience. Because I have much less time to read the week-by-week pregnancy books and am just trusting the process God put into motion. I have every faith McKenna is going to be a beautiful, healthy baby girl and this time is able to be devoted to Mr. Noahman and soaking up these last months of just one kiddo to snuggle, so we can have twice the snuggles come this fall! Watching our baby boy grow up into such a great kid just makes us so much more excited to hold McKenna and watch her grow into her own as well. Little miracles!

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On another note, and I hesitate to document this experience only because I have terribly mixed emotions about it...it is still a part of our family journey and it's something to look back on from time to time. Through no real pressure or desire of any of ours, it has worked out circumstancially that we have given Spencer to a new home. We picked up Spencer at 7 lbs and all curly-tailed and puppy breath adorable in the Spring of 2006, when he was just 8 weeks old. He has been a part of our family for the past 5 years and we have shared many family experiences with him and have come to know his personality undeniably well. He truly became just the dog after Noah was born, but he and Noah interacted great together and we have lots of video and pictures of those experiences that we will definitely cherish. It turned out my Aunt was looking for a dog and had had two really bad experiences trying to find a good fit for her home. She and Spencer have always been buddies and the timing worked out perfectly for both of us, as we were all headed out of town for a week. So we took Spencer to my Aunt's house last Saturday along with all of his belongings and boy, they have created quite the bond already. I am really sad that I know he is getting more attention than he had with us and is probably, in some ways, much better suited for a kid-free, and judging by his personality, other doggy-free environment with 100% one-on-one attention. I guess the maternal part of me is sad I didn't try harder to give that to him, but I'm also excited for him and my Aunt to really love each other and enjoy each other's company. And we will have another dog someday...way down the road when our kids are older, but we just felt this was best for everyone involved. If he hadn't gone to family we would have never considered giving him up to anyone else, and this way, we know where he is and can still visit him from time to time. So, Spencer James, Pencies, Puggly, Doodle, Noodle, Doodle James...we love you, Noodle-head and we really miss you like crazy and hope we did the best thing for you.

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We also had the opportunity to visit my sister, brother-in-law and niece for a week while Tony was away on a mission trip with the youth group. Our days were filled with walks, shopping, a visit to a local rescue zoo with the CUTEST baby goat and baby bear ever, art projects, lots of messy meals, the "Ah!" game between the two kiddos...let's just say it got loud...and lots of snuggles, hugs and great memories!

I had a glimpse of our not-so-distant future with two carseats in the backseat of my car!

Baby Billy Goats

At the zoo!

Art Projects for Father's Day...and yes, my son is painting his foot!

We even had a Seester night out thanks to her amazing hubby, so fun and refreshing for us both!

Noah's Home Videos

2011-05-27T09:32:00.016-04:00

Capturing some of Noah's most typical and hilarious moments...enjoy!!!

Chasing the dog...or being chased by the dog...we are never really sure, is a favorite game of Noah's. Especially right before bedtime when he gets his last big burst of energy! You can also hear him calling roll call for his favorite Thomas characters if you listen closely...too funny!

(Sorry for the poor lighting -- taken from my phone -- they are running laps around the coffee table)

Normally when the toddler is quiet he is doing something he should not be doing. And sometimes that is the case, don't be fooled by the red-headed, blue-eyed angel who could sprout wings at any second. However, more often than not, we find Noah in this very location doing the very same activity for about an hour at a time...zooming a car back and forth in the windowsill. Wonder what the neighbors think?!

This video is pretty self-explanatory...but in case he ever makes American Idol someday, this would be great footage to show on the big screen!

12 Weeks

2011-04-15T19:12:00.012-04:00

Today, I am grateful that our second little one was hiding out and the Dr. was forced to give us an ultrasound. I'm even more grateful that everything is okay, because it was definitely scary to not hear the heartbeat through the doppler. I thought for sure it would be easy by twelve weeks, so I was more than surprised and caught off guard. But God has an amazing way of making small worries turn into big rewards...because this was the coolest ultrasound!

The ultrasound tech was even excited to get me on the table because she said no one ever gets a twelve week ultrasound and they are by far the coolest. You can see EVERY feature of that little life and they still have lots of room to wiggle and move like crazy so it's completely entertaining! Our little one is so, so very active, it took quite awhile for her to "catch" the baby long enough to capture the heartbeat, and as it was, she only got a partial image across the screen before baby was off and moving again. But we did see it and got to hear it and the heart was beating at a fast and strong 175! WOW!

It was so awesome to see all the little human features...head, torso, spine, heart, legs, arms, facial structure, fingers, and toes. So very tiny! If any Mom ever thinks there's not a little life in there at this stage, I have news for them, that baby is alive and well...a tiny little angel! I was so in love with the image we saw on the screen today, just amazing!! Baby waved a couple times at us and flexed it's little legs about. So precious!

When the tech went in for the heartbeat, the baby started crawling and reaching for the top of my uterus, obviously trying to run away from the crazy weapon that was trying to push is out of its comfy place....and to be honest, I don't blame baby, I'm not real fond of that thing either! HA

But, at any rate, it was an awesome, awesome experience I got to share with my Mom. The images we have below are so great, although they don't do justice to watching the movements, for twelve weeks, they are beyond amazing!

Baby Wolfe measuring 12w3d...5 days ahead of schedule!

Head, Left arm, fingers, and little piggies!

What a little Stud!

2011-04-10T17:29:00.004-04:00

Noah was the cutest little ring bearer in the Kiko wedding this past weekend. He and another little boy (who was a little older and much better behaved -- he walked down the aisle with dignity and poise -- Noah's experience, however, is noted below) were asked to be a part of the couple's big day and we felt so blessed to have him share in their joyous occasion! And he looked like the most handsome little guy in the World! After seeing him in his little tux, I have to say, two boys sounds pretty good, I was very proud of both my boys this weekend as Tony was the officiating minister as well, it was a celebration to remember!

Hanging out with Aaron right after arriving at the church

Smiling for the camera!

Precious little angel

Calming down with Grandma before the ceremony began

One last burst of energy! Noah continued this trend when he came down the aisle full blast yelling something about a racecar, I think. He actually chased the last bridesmaid about halfway down the aisle, but she played it off really well. There was no stopping him! And when he reached the end of the aisle runner at the bottom of the first step, he set the pillow on the ground with authority, turned around and looked at the audience, and just sighed and grinned a huge grin. It was hilarious! He was about to take off back up the aisle when he saw me coming for him since he clearly was enjoying his moment in the spotlight. I was forced to do a lunging Mommy-snag and grab him by the suitcoat to keep him and I from both running back up the center aisle. Everyone laughed, it was just what the couple was hoping for, a little something to break the ice, and it definitely did!

Ornery Grin!

My boys!

Family!

Reception Time!!!

Another Little Baby Wolfe to Love!!!

2011-03-28T09:45:00.012-04:00

I think the journey to conceiving our second bundle of joy seemed much more up and down than the journey we took to conceive Noah...and this time, ironically, was much shorter. With Noah, we waited about a year and a half and our new little bundle only took about six months...but I think when you already know the joy of having one, the anticipation of two times the love is just harder to wait for...and we don't have to wait any longer!! I knew a few days before I actually got brave enough to take a test, or three, that I was actually pregnant, but there's just always that nagging though in the back of your mind that you could just be making it all up. Knowing for about 5 weeks before the news went public was so difficult, I don't know how people wait until the end of their first trimester to share the good news. I admire them.

Plus, the end of week 5 began my journey of nausea and more nausea, so it was especially hard to keep quiet at work...I'm sure I looked (and still look) like a complete zombie. This sickness is more constant and relentless than with Noah but I really feel like I am much more prepared to manage it, and as long as I eat every hour or two, I'm okay and I haven't actually gotten "sick" yet. The problem is, working second shift and having a toddler, means short nights and more snacking than ever before. I feel like all I do these days is eat, and to top it off, this pregnancy also did not come with the utter exhaustion I had with Noah. Nope, this time, I'm an insomniac, never sleeping more than about 3-4 hours at a time, which means every time I wake up, the nausea hits me hard, and I'm eating all night as well as all day! I'm honestly at the point that I'm running out of foods I want to eat and really, I'm just tired of eating in general, but I can't really do much about it...so eat, it is!

I've also discovered that I only sleep comfortably on the couch, which is sad because I miss my bed! I'm sure Tony's living it up and hogging all of the sheets, and the couch isn't bad, but I'm really hoping once this first trimester is over, I can move back in...move over Tony, you didn't get rid of me forever!

The only other new-ness I can think of so far with this pregnancy is...I had to go to the dentist during week 6 of my pregnancy because of this searing pain I was having whenever I tried to brush my teeth. I mean, I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and if I even touched my tooth with my toothbrush it was immediately nauseating, goose-bumps head to toe, doubled-over PAIN! It was the weirdest thing...the verdict...I have pregnancy-induced gum trauma...really?! So, I switched to Sensodyne and am working on my Vitamin C and Calcium intake. Oh, and I had to swish warm salt water 4-5 times a day, try that when you are nauseous...gross!

And finally, after a VERY long prenatal appointment, which I was thrilled Tony could tag along for, it was our date "day" for the month of March...how romantic...the other new news we received is that this baby has given me a "pretty loud" (in the words of the NP) heart murmur. I guess this is common in pregnancy, although I never had it with Noah, and they are sending me to a cardiologist at Aultman Hospital for further testing/monitoring. Always something interesting with my pregnancies, but it's nothing we can't handle!

Well, I mostly needed to write all of this out so I wouldn't forget the significant parts of my first trimester with this little one...although there's still more time left of this part of the pregnancy, which is fine, I'm not wishing any of it away. Being our last, I'm determined to enjoy every second of it, even if it means I'm as big as a house by the time I deliver because all I can do is eat for the next nine months.

We will definitely find out if it's a boy or a girl, we can find out sometime mid-June, and I honestly up to this point don't "feel" like it's one or the other, but, admittedly, we are both really hoping for a girl. I know everyone says it's much more economical to have a boy, and from a clothes/toys/experience viewpoint, we totally agree. But given the fact that our only remaining empty room has pink walls and even pinker carpet, it sure will cost a lot more to recarpet than it will to buy some cute pink clothes and barettes! And I've always dreamed of having a little Princess that would be protected by her big brother. But hey, if we have two boys, then I get to be the Princess, so that's not such a bad deal either!

As far as the boys go, Tony is over-the-moon excited and although I chose one of the worst days to be due -- youth Sunday -- in perfect youth minister's wife fashion -- he already can't wait to cuddle with our new little bundle and see what he/she looks like! And Noah...well, although he's too young to understand yet, is not real happy about the news. Whenever we try to get him to understand there is a baby in Mommy's belly, he scrunches up his eyebrows, points emphatically and declares, "No, Mommy, Not!" And he hits my belly when he gets mad at me...but at least we have awhile before he really needs to be on board with the whole concept. I mean, he will have had us all to himself for almost 3 years and 9 months by the time this little one comes along...can you blame him?! But it's really cute when he says, "Big Brother" and he did smile at the ultrasound picture on Friday when we brought it home, so that's progress!

Our family of three is about to be a family of four and we are so grateful God chose to hear our prayers and give us the desire of our hearts. Praise be to God!!!

Just Me and My Chewie

2011-03-22T10:06:00.003-04:00

This is me with my favorite Pal in the whole World...my Chewie! I've had him since the day I was born and we are best snuggle buddies. I'm really only supposed to have him in my bed, but Mommy let me have Chewie AND my binkie during morning cartoons...just this once, so we had to capture it!

This is me and Chewie saying our best, "CHEESE!" for the camera!

And this is just Me being little adorable Me!!

Poor Little Bug

2011-02-25T07:53:00.003-05:00

I know most of you probably knew what was going on with Mister Mister from my Facebook updates, but our Poor Little Bug has had a rough couple of weeks and definitely kept us learning new things! He hasn't really been a sick kid, he's had one ear infection since he was born and...well, that's about it.

He was not himself and pretty cranky for about two weeks, which I attributed to teething since he wasn't running a fever or pulling on his ear much. And, for that time, I was right! Thank goodness, or I would have definitely lost Mommy of the year award.

Then, two Sundays ago, we were out enjoying pizza with Aunt Stacey, JackJack, and Miss Molly and he was flinching when I tried to touch his left ear. So, we ventured to Dr. Motz the next day and sure enough, it was infected...which was actually kind of a relief to me, because after the previous two weeks, which finally resulted in his final 2yr molar cutting through, and then this new crankyness, I was starting to think it was just the terrible two's and the Dr. was going to pat me on the head, welcome me to the world of a toddler and send me on my way! And for having a kid who can take a picture and instantly look like he could sprout angel wings at any second, this was going to be bad news for us! But I digress...so with prescription in hand, bubble gum medicine here we come!! Who doesn't love the pink stuff??

And luckily, he LOVED his medicine, he wanted to get it out of the bottle himself, he would stand at the fridge and whine for his medicine...LOVED IT! Well, about 9 days into the 10 days of antibiotic that was prescribed Noah wakes up in a full-body rash...and it looks ouchy!

Sidebar -- this was also the morning I went in to get him out of his crib and he was pulling relentlessly on the foot of his sleeper, grunting with all his might, and saying, "Mommy, I stuck, I stuck!" So precious!!!

Anyway, we headed into the Dr's office to see Mary the NP, and she said he was in fact allergic to Amoxicillin. Really?! I've never really had allergies so I was just surprised, it never even crossed my mind as a possibility. I realize it's not the end of the world, but for a kid with a pretty uneventful chart at the Dr's office, this was interesting news...aren't we exciting people?!

So, now he's going on about 24 hours of around-the-clock Benadryl...talk about a drowsy baby! Yikes!! I would set him down because I wanted to do something and he would just stand there and whine like he didn't know how to put one foot in front of the other or he would just flop over on the ground and lay there. Although it was also really fun to snuggle with him!!!

Amidst all of the snuggles and lazyness, I was still trying to be productive, so I was changing the sheets on his bed and had taken all of his night-night stuff out and put it on the rocking chair, and he proceeded to take it all and make up a "bed" for himself under the crib...take a look...

I finally finished changing his sheets and snuggle him up in my bed...much more comfy than the floor! Look at his glazed-over little eyes...praying he wakes up rash-free this morning so we don't have to do anymore Benadryl. We are ready for Hurricane Noah to race through the house once again!!

Bathy Time Fun

2011-02-06T21:15:00.004-05:00

[Insert Babbling Toddler-esque type conversation between a fish and a turtle here!]

"Snow-ah" Fun & Winter 2011

2011-01-28T10:38:00.008-05:00

"Snow-ah" Fun!!!

And other indoor Winter fun...

Not the traditional use of an end table...

Or a play table...

LOVE my new train track...Choo Choo!

I like to drive my train, truck, bulldozer and Tonka truck. I have lots of vehicles to choose from and I drive them to the dinner table before each meal and to the bottom of the stairs before naptime and bedtime.

I'm not always the best driver...yikes!

Mommy and Daddy decided to put away my highchair and move me up to the biggie boy table in my booster seat! It's been an adjustment but I feel all grown up now!

Anything tastes good if you dip it in ketchup...

Checking my email...

Playing computer games with my little 'cuz!

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Some of my new favorite sentences include: "What are you doing, Mommy?" "Where did Daddy go?" "Daddy's workin'?" "Oh no, where did [insert here: Binkie, Elmo, Chewie] go?" "Oh, I see it, I get it!" In the bathtub I lay on my back and Daddy poors water on my belly. If he stops, I hand him my Noah mug and say, "Do Daddy, Do Daddy!" And when Mommy is the one giving me a bath I say, "Do DaddyMommy, Do DaddyMommy!" I am really good at spelling words I see around the house and on Word World and I'm learning my colors and how to count lots and lots.

Thanks for visting my blog, this is Noah, signing off!

Christmas 2010 and New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-31T08:48:00.003-05:00

Christmas was a blast this year! Noah was enthralled with a hanger that his Christmas jammies were hanging on for most of Christmas morning. He grabbed it out of his room when he woke up, it wasn't even part of a present! Then at my Mom's house he zoomed a car he had received on his 2nd birthday around the perimeter of a card table for most of the afternoon. And at Wolfe Christmas he played with his cousin's Little Drummer Boy nativity set instead of opening his own gifts and was thoroughly jealous of Jack and Molly's new wagon. Grandma Wolfe did some great laps running Noah and Jack around the gym "faster!" in that wagon, way to go, Grandma! Then we had a Christmas brunch with my sister and her family in which Noah played the jealous cousin while his Mommy cuddled and eventually bounced his little cousin to sleep...I still have the touch! He also wasn't too happy I was playing peek-a-boo and making her laugh once she woke up either. But Abby and I sure had a blast anyway!

I think Noah really had a fantastic Christmas, besides the funny highlights above which are typical for any two year old...he got spoiled with new gifts and tries to use them all at once. He sits at his new coloring table, with a train in one hand and a puzzle piece in the other, with his LeapPad Laptop sitting in front of him on the table, while watching his new DVDs. Talk about a little multi-tasker!

I wish I had pictures to share, but my Christmas present was a new camera which was without an SD card, so I wasn't exactly able to capture Christmas this year. I'm hoping for some pictures from my Mom so I will post them as soon as I can!

So, as we look to the New Year, the year of 2011, I am anxious to see how God uses us to bless others and how He will bless us this year. Here is how our resolutions are shaping up so far...

Tony:
- Run a full marathon
- Lose a little weight in the marathon process
- Get more into the Word

Jen:
- Read through the Bible in a year (This is NOT the first time this has been on the list, but I have a new tool to help me out this year, so I'm really optomistic that this will be the year!)
- Read at least 6 other books this year (Does not seem like much for all of you readers out there, but that would be a big accomplishment for me.)
- Run 2-3 miles at least 3 times a week. I'm hoping to train for another 1/2 marathon eventually, but the race in May is all about Tony running the full and my sister and her hubby running the half, so I agreed to be the babysitter! But stay tuned for a summer/fall race for me!

Noah:
- Move to a biggie boy bed
- Encounter a visit from the binkie fairy who is going to take his binkies away and give them to a child who needs them more than he does.
- Potty train!!!

Praying for a great year in 2011, and if that isn't God's Will, then bring on the rain...we will just have to put on our raincoats and rainboots and learn how to dance in it! Last January I started the year with no expectations...and that month I lost both my Grandpa Ring and my Grandma Yost. It was a rough month for both sides of my family and I learned that there is little in this World I can control and that I need to make the most of what I can control..and that is myself and my ability to be prepared for God's plan despite my own. He always has the final say in the end and it is always a better plan than my tunnel-vision faith could have ever seen. I may get there kicking and screaming, but somehow, Praise the Lord, I get there. I pray my Grandparent's legacies contines to live on and that every moment of our fragile lives is cherished and not taken for granted! Happy 2011 everyone!!! Lamentations 3:22-23

"I Two!"

2010-12-01T12:30:00.010-05:00

Noah's 2 year stats:

29.8 lbs (75th percentile)

33 1/4" tall (25th percentile)

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Party Pictures!!!

And here is a glimpse as to why it took over an hours to open his gifts...he is distracted and meticulous! Too funny!!!

More Pictures!

2010-11-13T20:37:00.009-05:00

Who am I?!?!?!?!

Best seat in the house...

Leaves!

Off to the train show with Grandma & Grandpa RStarr!

Silly Boy

I see you!!! (Those are toddler-size legos -- but apparently they make good binoculars as well. Although the funny thing is, he was saying "CHEESE!" while holding them so I think he was using them as a camera.) What an imagination...

We do clean up nicely!

Family!!!

Random Noah Sillies!!!

2010-11-03T18:58:00.012-04:00

Showing off on the slide at Price Park!

Happy Bathy Time

Climbing into the pulpit during Sunday morning worship practice...now if only we could have gotten him to stay there until Rick came up to preach...

Wearing Mommy's headband and making scribbles!

Little Artist

Just lounging around...hilarious!

Sooooo happy!!!

CHEESE!!!

Zoned out on Sesame Street...too cute!

HALLOWEEN!!!

This was a few days before trick-or-treat...Mommy wanted to make sure the costume still fit and see him in it since I was gone for Halloween.

Happy Little Dragon!!!

Do you LOVE the tail on his costume, he looks so cute and little in this picture...I can't stand it!!

First Family Vacation, Haircut Take Two & Tantrums

2010-09-10T09:39:00.038-04:00

Enjoying our packed lunch at the outdoor seating of a McDonald's!

(Mommy bought a Diet Coke so we were legit customers)

The three of us packed up the car, dropped off the dog, and headed down to Cincinnati, OH on Saturday morning, September 4th...and we had a blast!!! We actually drove straight to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky first and only ended up spending about an hour there. Labor Day weekend had attracted some big crowds and you weren't allowed to have strollers in the aquarium until after 4pm, so we had to take turns wrestling the fully-energized Noahman. But, nevertheless, we saw some pretty amazing things there, take a look...

These froggies were a life saver since we couldn't have the stroller, finally, something Noah was allowed to climb on!

Check out the cool pictures below - he definitely was not supposed to be standing in the little observation bubble, but there were some pretty neat sea creatures swimming around him!

This is a shark petting area, that's the shark right below Noah, his little arms were too short to reach, but he splashed in the water and almost got us all in bigger trouble!

We had a great setup in our room, it was a suite, so Noah slept in the pack 'n play in the "living room", we were able to create a barrier with the closet and bathroom door from noise/light, and then the bedroom was in the back. This was especially good news for me, who is a night-owl, and wanted to be able to watch tv after 8pm. He slept like an angel both nights at the hotel and we were right next to lots of restaurants where we could order in and just enjoy being together!

On Sunday we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo, what a beautiful day it was for walking around outside. Again, the crowds were definitely apparent, but once everyone got through the gates and spread out, it really wasn't that bad. We packed our lunches and after playing all morning and enjoying a yummy lunch, Noah fell fast asleep in the stroller so Mommy & Daddy could walk around for awhile longer and enjoy the atmosphere! It was so fun to just be on our own time schedule and not have any obligations. Although I will take a sidebar here to mention that, although vacation was in full swing, so was training for the half marathon. We were actually able to figure out a 2-mile route around our hotel-area for me to run and I did manage to complete 9.5 miles after returning from the zoo that day!

Mommy got sunscreen in Noah's eyes...or wait, it really was more like, Mommy tried to put sunscreen on Noah, he wanted to help rub in onto his arms, and then he decided to rub his eyes, it was fairly tragic for about 30 minutes. This picture is after turning him upsidedown so we could rinse his eyes out with a water bottle.

Check out our fearless navigator...Binky and all!

PIGS!!! Or, at least, in Noah's World they were...

Hi Elephant, Hi Zebra, Hi Giraffe, Hi Tiger! Not sure which animal we were observing, but he waved at them all and said "HI!"

Watching the lions sleep...Zzzz...

Out little Monkey, isn't his angel face just precious?

The Zoo is exhausting...he fell asleep right as we got to the barn animals and petting area, which was kind of disappointing, but it was still a great visit to the Zoo!

We ordered in again that evening and went for a swim in the pool, then Noah took a splashy in the tub while Tony ventured across the parking lot to Graeter's to get us some yummy ice cream, and then it was lights out for Noah and ice cream for us!

Running down the hallway, ready to jump in the pool!

Patiently waiting for the elevator to take us to the pool...

Yep, he's in a flower floaty, we borrowed his little cousin's floaty, he was happy in it for a little bit, but he really just wanted to splash!

So, he did!!!

So much fun swimming with Daddy!

Catch me...1...2...3...jump!

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Noah also discovered a new talent while at the hotel...

Oh, my!

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He also enjoyed his Sunday morning cartoons in the luxury of our King-size bed!

On Monday, we hit the road toward Eaton, OH to visit my sister, Dave, and Baby Abbers Cadabbers! We had so much fun just chillin' at their place, enjoying the kiddos, and helping out with meals and Abby cuddle time! Our visits with them are always way to short, but Wednesday morning came quickly, and it was time to head home. Tony and I had completed a couple other training runs while at my sister's house and decided it was time to invest in new running shoes.

So precious!

Out little lefty...coloring away! He LOVES coloring!!

We came straight up to Second Sole from Eaton, OH on Wednesday and were fitted for shoes...our official last spoiling of the trip!

Noah & I picked up the crazy Puggle the next day, and we are all back under one roof again. We were all definitely ready to get back home and sleep in our own beds, but vacation was a blast and we feel so blessed to have been able to enjoy that time together just the three of us, it's good to touch base and be reminded of the things that matter most in life.

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Haircut take TWO!!! Look at how adorable his little boy cut is...his hair has really filled in, although it is still curly and unruly, especially around that double cowlick of his!!!

I couldn't keep his hand out of his mouth...apparently teething is serious business!

It looks so cute in the front and on the sides, the back is a little mangled from the ride home, but I love it!

Check out that crazy red hair, those big, beautiful blue eyes and adorable, pinchable cheekers! Priceless!!!

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Tantrum Time!!!

Just imagine these pictures as a film strip...and yes, I took pictures of my child's entire tantrum...you have to capture these moments!

Enough said...

Why not?!?!

2010-08-29T16:37:00.010-04:00

If you can fit in it, why not sit in it?!

Silly Noahman!!!

PS -- He was watching cartoons if you are wondering what the far-off-glazed-over look in his eye is all about -- he's focused!

Summertime through the Eyes of a Toddler...

2010-08-08T20:27:00.011-04:00

Yeah, it's pretty much the same as the rest of the year to a toddler, except you get to play outside more and wear cute shorts outfits that show off what is left of your little baby fat rolls!

It's not that Noah hasn't done anything worth blogging about lately, it's just that it's hard to sit still and write it all down when he is constantly on the move, meaning you have to be constantly on the move!

So here is what Noah has to say about what he has been up to over the past couple of months...

- I say "All done", "Hi, Momma", "READY!", "OKAY!", "More", "I see you", "Oh, no!", "A-Pa" (which really means Pa-Pa minus the 'P' aka: Grandpa), "Outside", "Elmo", "Barney", "Me juice", I count objects around the house, I recognize a handful of letters, I am getting the hang of fitting puzzle pieces into their right place, I love to look at books, and I also make all of my animal noises still along with recognizing them by name, and doing the motions to lots and lots of children's songs.

- I sleep lots and eat more!!! I'm venturing out in my food choices and have taken to BBQ chicken, grapes, raisins, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe -- (catching a theme here, lots of fruit these days!), and even cucumber! Mommy hasn't let me try peanut butter yet but I'm wearing her down slowly...

- I don't cry as much anymore when my Mommy drops me off at the church nursery, but Mommy still has a hard time leaving me in there, even for just 1 hour. It must be because I'm so cute and snuggly!

- I have stinky feet, love to play in the dirt, drool everywhere because I am trying to cut my two year molars, and Mommy has given up on cutting my hair...after two cuts she has decided to let it grow since it is so unruly and now it is just red curls EVERYWHERE!!! Check these out...

- I now have a piano in my house and love to play it everytime I walk by...I can even play and sing at the same time...and Daddy also gave me a harmonica to play and I strum his guitar strings when it is out and slam on the drum Uncle Andy leaves at our house.

- I just went to the HOF parade a couple of weekends ago where I was terrified of the big huge balloons that came down the street, especially when they spun...maybe next year!

- I just graduated from my first swimming class, Mommy calls me her little Guppy because I LOVE being in the water. We sing songs, splash, blow bubbles, jump off the side, paddle our arms and kick our legs, and do underwater swims...that's my favorite part!

- I can sing along with the Elmo's World theme song, I celebrate everytime Super Why saves the day, and I know how to sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (much clearer than before, which was more like "Yie-Yo" instead of "E-I-E-I-O") with my Daddy, although all the animals in the song Moo no matter what animal it is, and I also song "If all the Raindrops were Lemon Drop & Gumdrops" with my Mommy, but I only know the "Ah Ah Ah Ah" part with my mouth open wide!

Well, I think that's all for now, I'm coming up on 21 months already, so I'm getting close to being 2 years old and maybe by then Mommy will stop typing for me and let me start speaking for myself on this blog!!! So for now, this is Guppyman via Mommy...signing off! Until next time...

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What a little angel baby he is...love this babyface!!!

Roughhousing Before Night-Night

2010-06-05T21:13:00.002-04:00

18 Months

2010-05-31T20:14:00.019-04:00

Noahman is 1 1/2 already, does time ever slow down?! He just had his 18 month check-up, during which we learned that he is deathly afraid of the scale for some unknown reason and is able to break a tongue depressor with his clinched teeth, Dr. Motz sure did earn his money that 10 minutes! Noah is measuring in the 50th percentile for his head circumference and his weight, he's back at 25 lbs 2 oz. and is still in the 10th precentile for his height, he grew 1 inch in three months...hey, forward progress is forward progress.

He successfully dropped his nighttime bottle, as you probably recall, the 15-month attempt to drop the bottle was traumatic for both Noah and his Mommy. And I am actually really stoked to get them all washed and out of my cupboards/dishwasher, it was time. He also dropped his morning nap with not too much of a fuss, there were a few hairy days while he was adjusting, but overall, I don't think we ruined our good sleeper and it lets Mommy spend much more time with her Littleman in the mornings before work now!

Noah knows even more animal sounds than we can keep track of, including snake and rooster, he does the Hokey Pokey (so he can officially attend weddings this summer!) and he has taken to feeding himself with a spoon really well. He knows how to have a phone conversation, it goes something like..."Hi, How u? HA, HA HA, HA HA HA, Oh, ok, k, bu-bye!" He then hangs up the phone and starts all over again...He loves to draw, it appears he is going to be left-handed, he prefers it when drawing and feeding himself with a spoon. He also loves to dance, watch Elmo's World, if very loosely translated, he counts to 5 with help, and he has learned how to blow on things to cool them off, says "Weeeeee" while he is swinging or when he wants to swing, and he apparently knows what a Kleenex is for...Mommy just learned he knows that, seriously where do kids learn these things? I never taught him that! He also loves to give hugs and kisses and is quite the little snugglebug when his busy agenda allows for it.

He recently discovered that our cordless phone could go for a swim in the toilet, luckily, Daddy was able to revive it. He also tries to shampoo and brush his hair all by himself. And he LOVES brushing his teeth...sometimes he accidentally uses Daddy's tooth brush instead, gross!

He LOVES outside and throws royal tantrums when he has to come in, to the point that sometimes I just deposit him back out onto the back deck so I don't have to listen to him any longer.

We are on the verge of introducing time-out, Noah's big personality comes with some big opinions which lead to even bigger tantrums and we are learning that we want to be consistent parents, not over-use the time-out option, and we are in the process of learning how to balance all of that while keeping in mind that we have many, many years of parenting ahead of us.

Noah is undoubtedly the brightest part of our lives and we love out little Noahman more than we ever thought possible!!!

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This is Noah being like Daddy...relaxed, enjoying life, not a care in the World...

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And this is Noah being like Mommy...separating, categorizing, organizing...okay, okay, so he was just dumping out the canister of rubber bands and pens, but he seriously does organize and I am proud of that!

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Cousins playing together!!! Aren't they adorable?!?!

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And this is a video of Noah doing a fairly decent job feeding himself a bowl of applesauce...notice which hand he is using...

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MEMORIAL DAY FUN IN THE POOL!

It was Noah's first time swimming and he had a blast!!!

He LOVED splashing around with his cousins, even thought the current littlest cousin wasn't at Grandma's house yet, she was stinkin' cute in her swimsuit too!!!

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MEMORIAL DAY FUN IN THE POOL!!!

Dizzy, Dancing, and Refrigerator Raids

2010-05-05T07:39:00.018-04:00

DIZZY!!!

DANCING!!!

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REFRIGERATOR RAID!!!

NOM! NOM! NOM!

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STROLLER RIDE...SO RELAXING!

"HE-WO? DIS IS NOAH!"

WATCHING SID

Keep-Away and Sleepy Head

2010-04-26T20:22:00.008-04:00

Just a cute video of Noah playing keep-away from the dog...

And I had the unfortunate task of waking Noah up from his afternoon nap the other day because he was just sleeping away and we had places to be...but in the process I realized you should never pass up an opportunity to catch the sweet little priceless innocence of an almost 1 1/2 year old sleeping peacefully.

Easter and New Discoveries

2010-04-08T23:13:00.011-04:00

Easter was an absolute BLAST this year, from our Easter Egg hunt at Mama & Papa Craddocks to our Sunday morning church breakfast and service, and finally, to a wonderful Sunday afternoon at Grandma Donna's, not to mention some amazing food! It was such a relaxing and enjoyable weekend spent with family and rejoicing in our risen Savior! Unfortunately, a 16 month old does not stand still for pictures of any kind, there are WAY more important things on Noah's to-do list. So we had to capture his adorable Easter outfit in some rather unconventional ways.

Noah seriously has a full agenda on his mind when he gets up in the morning...run across the house as fast as I can, up and down the steps again and again, and where will Mommy's baking dishes end up, the world may never know! What an amazingly fun age we are in with Noah right now. I felt like everyone kept saying what a terrible time we would have once Noah started walking/running, but I have to say, I adore watching him become more and more involved in the world around him and make new discoveries, it's beyond words the joy and love you can have for such a little life! He is hilarious in the morning now, babbles a mile a minute through his bedtime binkie, pulls the blankets over his head, and literally fights you not to get him out of his crib, he loves being lazy in the morning, but only for about twenty minutes, then it's off to the races! He knows what a sheep, cow, and kitty says and points to and identifies several objects in his Baby Einstein book. He asks you to put Sid the Science Kid on television, he has officially graduated to the biggie boy bathtub, LOVES brushing his teeth, attempts to brush his hair...and Mommy's...so funny, and of course, he has learned the joy of playing outside and getting dirt under his fingernails in true boyish fashion!

He also has created quite a bond with the dog...and as much as I hate the dog these days, I have to admit, it is really, really cute!!!

What a happy and healthy baby boy you are Noahman. We never can help but thoroughly enjoy all of your giggles and cheezy smiles. Daddy and I love watching you play and grow and discover more and more and become your own little person with little opinions and objections along the way. It all adds up to one incredible you...and we ADORE you!

Hi, Camera, it's, me, NOAH!!!

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This is the video of Noah's first Easter Egg Hunt...SOOOO CUTE!!!

Biggie Boy Haircut

2010-03-12T09:04:00.007-05:00

Noah was brave and experienced his first haircut this past Wednesday evening. The pictures are kind of like watching a film strip...sat in the booster with the cape on...cried...sat on Mommy's lap with the cape off...still cried...sat on the cutting station table and made phone calls on the salon phone...whined a little...ended up with a handsome guy hair cut and now Mommy has officially lost her baby boy...look at how grown up I am! Thanks, Joni, you are the best!!!

Let's face it, Noah will always be my little baby boy!

2010-03-05T09:25:00.017-05:00

So, I guess we can disregard the need to change to a new blog, at least for now. Because, according to Noah's 15 month checkup, he is holding strong and still remaining UNDER 30" in height. He is officially 29 3/4", which Dr. Motz was quite surprised at the lack of a growth spurt, he was fully expecting it by now. Noah weighs 25 lbs. 2 oz., which is the 50th percentile for his age, but because of his height, they are concerned and having us cut out his "nite nite" bottle (which makes Mommy extremely sad) as well as his milk at lunchtime...water it is! We will probably look back and laugh someday when he towers over 6 feet tall, you never know!

But enough of the statistical updates on Noahman, check out all of the fun our 15 month old is having!!!

Me sitting on my Daddy's lap on the couch

Don't I look so charming...no, not Daddy...me, the little guy!

We aren't the best at taking our own pictures, but we tried!

I finally gave up posing and just drank out of my brand

new sippy while Mommy took the picture.

Showing my cousin the ropes of my Exersaucer, I

spent lots of time in there when I was her age, she loves it too!

I got the coolest CAVS Littleman rocking chair from Aaron & Christina, they spoil me rotten and I love it! Christina is my favorite person to see at church every Sunday!

Here is a brighter picture, but I'm busy concentrating on SID the Science Kid so no looking at the camera to show how much I love my new rocker! But I do, so much that I even push it around the room with me all day.

AND...I got to play in the SNOW for the first time!!! Daddy calls me his little "Snow-a Man"

The backs of my little thighs got extremely cold within about 3 minutes and I was begging to go back inside! If only I could have some hot chocolate...maybe warm chocolate would be safer.

Spencer was helping me play as I made a Noah-sized print in the snow!

YEAH SNOW!!!

My favorite thing to eat for breakfast are "toast-bites"...it's just a regular piece of toast cut up into Noah bite-size pieces, but it sounds cooler to call them "toast-bites!

Hope I don't lose my toast-bites from being in this position!

Me and my Daddy upsidedown!

I like to rearrange Mommy's tupperware cupboards while she cooks, and I thought this one belonged on my head! Don't worry, Mommy, I still have the right lid to go with it too!

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More to come because............drumroll...........I get my first biggie boy haircut this week!!! Mommy is sad and Daddy is excited because he said my curls were starting to make me look like a girl. Should be an experience to remember!

It's Definitely Been Awhile...

2010-01-27T21:24:00.004-05:00

Hi, Blogger Friends, it's me, Noah, sorry it's been awhile, but I can assure you, my life has been anything but boring over the past two months. Yep, I have learned how to steady myself, take a step, take two steps, toddle, and eventually, WALK! I walk everywhere, everywhere I can, with no destination, for no reason, without any regard for what may be in my path, I just walk...and walk and walk and walk...because I can!

This is how my Christmas ended after two exciting days of family, fun, and lots of presents...

Between Christmas and my birthday, I have a full playroom of toys to keep me busy, unless of course the remote is anywhere within reach, then I don't want anything to do with my toys...

And sometimes I just like to knock over my train and use it as a recliner instead...

I have also discovered how fun it is to climb up onto the couches and sit on the end table...

The month of January has been a sad month for my Mommy...she lost two of her grandparents, but I am so glad I got to meet both my Great-Grandpa Ring and my Great- Grandma Yost and make them smile with my cheesy-Noah-grin!!! I know she is grateful to have Me and Daddy beside her through it all, and we love her so much! And I actually got to meet my Grandpa Ring, whom I hadn't met yet, when our families were in town for the services...

Oh, and my Mommy wants me to let everyone know that they should stay tuned for what's to come of my blog or if it will continue at all. Since I'm not a "little baby" anymore, maybe it's time to start a new blog seeing as I'm such a biggie boy now...

But until then, thanks for reading up on my life! I'm 14 months old, repeat virtually EVERYTHING my Mommy says in some form, and am really learning how to communicate and make my own way in this great big world!!! It's exciting!

Happy First Birthday, Noahman!!!

2009-12-14T08:30:00.045-05:00

It's pronounced..."BA-OON!!!"

Noah got to enjoy a double birthday celebration, and therefore, was extra-experienced when it came to smash-cake #2! Enjoy the birthday pictures below, and once again, the media-impaired Wolfe household cannot figure out how to successfully get the cake-smashing videos off of the camera, so you will just have to believe me when I say, they are priceless!!!

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The cake...4 9x13 cakes (which includes 1 dozen eggs and 3 hours of work), 5 batches of icing (which includes 20 sticks of butter, 2 bags of powdered sugar, and 5 hours of work)...the outcome...priceless!!! Tony and I seriously had a blast making this cake for Noah.

Love the football smash-cake!!!

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And the birthday boy who got to smash cake #1...

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And cake #2...

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Noah Anthony Wolfe born on November 27, 2008 at 3:17am

6lbs. 10oz. 19in. long

Noah Anthony Wolfe 1 year old on November 27, 2009
23lbs. 14oz. 28 1/4in. long

We don't remember our lives before you, we would never want to imagine our lives without you, what a blessing you have been since God brought you, little you, one of his most precious angels, into our lives. We love you, Noahman, you are one amazing son! And as I sit here giggling, watching you toddle around the room pushing your little toy truck, I realize how truly precious life is, thank you for being wonderful, adventurous, talkative, smiley, stinky-faced, rasberry-blowing, Chewy-snuggling, slobbery-kiss-giving, banana-smashing, milk-flinging, dancing-clapping-bouncing, unbelievable, you...

The Cutest Little Pumpkin

2009-11-21T17:51:00.007-05:00

It's a little late, but before the birthday pictures take over the blog, I wanted to show off our little Pumpkin!

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words...

2009-11-11T20:22:00.008-05:00

So, it's a beautiful Wednesday morning, we all slept in until about 8am, the sun is shining, it's our day off together with Noahman, we have just had an amazing breakfast of pancakes and eggs, we are cleaned up and dressed up, Noah would catch his morning nap in the car, and we are all ready to smile big for Noah's 1 year pictures and our first family photo shoot...and that's where the story begins.

We arrive at JC Penney's at 11:20 for our appointment. We are greeted happily, get Noah's outfit all situated and are taken back into the photography area. After the first two poses it is clear that 1) this is not going to end happily and 2) Noah is having nothing to do with this photographer. Tony's head had half been cut out of the first picture and Noah is not looking anywhere near the camera or smiling, which is definitely not his fault, he is an excellent judge of character at such a young age and she was clearly not impressing him with her meager attempts to get his attention. We take a few with just Noah where he is crawling away from the backdrop, picking his nose, and doing anything but smiling for the camera...and the photographer thinks these are great pictures!!! It didn't help that she was holding the camera and so it wasn't focused or ready to snap the picture in an instant, which is a must when taking baby pictures we have discovered during this little adventure so endearingly known as "picture day". So by the time she would get Noah to smile, which was quite a frightening escapade involving a little purple ball and a very obnoxiously sqeaky thing that very closely resembled one of those mute, wirey-haired-looking puppets from Sesame Street, she would completely lose his attention. C'mon, seriously, everyone knows that if you do get a 1 year old to laugh at something, after about 3-5 times, the moment is clearly over, so snap the picture faster before the moment is lost!!!

So, we sit down for a few more family shots and a couple more of Noah, now with the help of a co-worker who is all but jumping out of her skin to try and get Noah to recover from his previously traumatic experience with the Sesame Street character and give her a decent smile...and suddenly, it's over. She's done taking pictures! So, me holding back tears, and Noah having a complete meltdown in Tony's arms, we make our way over to the console to order our favorites...are you kidding me?! She proceeds to put some of them into a composite and whatnot and then tells us we are welcome to take a look and order the poses we would like. I look at her and tell her that we are really not happy with any of the poses and that there aren't even any individual pictures of Noah with him looking at the camera or smiling. She looks at us dumbfounded, tells us we have until tomorrow to order, and we pack up our stuff and leave.

Not wanting to lose this opportunity with us already dressed up and ready to go, we decide to call Baby Faces...closed on Wednesdays, go figure. So, we then decide to try Kiddie Kandids, who can get us in for an appointment in 35 minutes. So we rush to Belden, Noah catches another little snoozer in the car as we try to think of a fast food restaurant at which Noah can eat, and end up at Chick-fil-A where he can have chicken noodle soup and milk...and wouldn't it figure, Chick-fil-A is the most popular lunching spot in Belden Village on a Wednesday afternoon. So we order, Tony inhales his while I attempt to feed Noah, all the while spilling milk all over him because Mommy isn't smart enough to pack an empty sippy in case of an emergency (aka: a terrible photographer that costs us a lunch out that we hadn't budgeted for so that we have to spend more money at another studio we weren't planning on, turning a 1 hour outting into a 6 hour excursion...you know, that kind of an emergency...aren't those common?!) and his only option is to drink out of a Chug bottle because he can't use a straw. Mommy's lunch gets thrown in a bag and into the backseat of the car, drink tossed out, and we are 10 minutes late to Kiddie Kandids.

When we arrive, she asks how we are today to which I answer, "extremely frustrated" to which she replies, "You must be my JC Penney's Girl"...what are the chances, a reputation already and we just arrived. She was a wonderful photographer, took about 8 poses of us and Noah and he smiled like a champ! Mommy was all frazzled by now, surprise, surprise, because on top of the crazinesses of this day, the wind was blowing so her hair wasn't how she wanted it, and during all of Noah's meltdowns he had rubbed his face on Daddy's scruffy cheek and developed a rash!!! In the end, we ordered all of the pictures we were looking for, for about double the price we were going to spend at JC Penney's, and they were ready on the spot and are safely tucked away at our house until the holidays!!!

But that's not all...not wanting to miss out on the good deal that started this whole experience (there's a catch with every great coupon isn't there...new rule in our lives after today: If it seems too good to be true, RUN, run far, far away!!!), there were 3 poses we were pretty happy with from our JC Penney's photo nightmare and so we figured we should take advantage of the coupon since the damage was already done and it was a good deal. So, with Noah catching yet another nap in the car, we headed back to Canton Centre for me to order the remaining photos of the day. I walk up to the studio and the chick that finally was able to intervene and get Noah to smile for a couple shots earlier greets me by first name and says, "Are you actually back to order some photos?!" To which I answer yes and she proceeds to tell me to pick what I would like and leads me to the console. I make my selections and she comes back over to help me checkout. She tells me that as soon as we left the studio this morning she fired the other photographer and we are getting all of these pictures for free!!!!!!! Yikes, fired?! I mean, she definitely wasn't cut out for a career in photography, and I'm not gonna lie, when I arrived the second time and didn't see her, I actually thought to myself, wouldn't it be crazy if they fired her?! But I wasn't really serious...and they did...yikes!!!

So, 6 hours later, we are back home, Noah napped in the crib for a little (and hopefully got at least a couple good REM cycles in for the first time today), inhaled a huge dinner with lots of milk straight out of his favorite sippy, and is now comfy in his jam-jams and rearranging Mommy's cupboards once again...and all is right with the world!

I'm sure this story won't be interesting to most of you, but I needed to get it off my chest...and, whew, do I feel better now...these pictures were worth WAY more than 1,000 words!!! And you probably thought I was going to share the pictures at the end of this too, didn't you?! Sorry, y'all have to wait until Christmas to see them, you will just have to enjoy this story until then...

11 Months Old

2009-11-03T06:54:00.011-05:00

We are less than one month away from celebrating Noah's first birthday! He is such a handsome little man, just growing up so fast and making new discoveries eveyday. Here are some of Noah's favorite things to do these days:

Wear all 18 month clothing, didn't I have a 6lb. 10oz. baby...and as of 2 weeks ago when he got his flu shot he was 23lbs. 4oz. He's well on his way to quadrupuling his weight within the first year. Oh, my...
Eats all tablefood now, there is the ocassional babyfood jar still in the mix, but maybe every couple of days, if that, and we are not sad to see those jars go. No more half-eaten jars in the fridge that you don't remember when they were opened and I have lots more cupboard space all of a sudden too!
Lick the sliding glass door.
Play inside the dishwasher.
Reorganize Mommy's kitchen cupboards.
Flirt with waitresses at restaurants.
Throw temper-tantrums, I know, I know, it is only the beginning, but he flopped himself down on the floor pretty emphatically the other day when I told him 'No'. Yikes!
Climb up the steps (thanks to Daddy's encouragement and much to Mommy's dismay, but I let him, he loves it and is clearly proud of his new endeavor.) We just stay one step behind him because once he realizes how far up he is, he quickly surveys the scene and has no idea how to get down. It's pretty cute.
Turn the light switches on and off everytime we leave the room, he can't reach, obviously, but he reaches for them almost to the point of jumping out of our arms if we don't hold him close enough that he can control the lights, which he still calls "Ba-Ba" by the way...we are still trying to sort out everything that means "Ba-Ba" in Noah's world...but lights is definitely one of them.
When he does successfully turn the light on or off, whichever the case may be, we emphatically exclaim, in a very high-pitched voice, "You did it!" And he attempts to mimic, when usually sounds like a very high-pitched "Did it!" But pretty accurate, especially on the pitch, what a little mockingbird he is!
He has definitely associated "Da-Da" with Tony, but he is also trying to learn how to say "Doggy" and "All Done" (which just equals "Done" in Noah's world) and so everything starts to sound like "Da-Da" while he is trying to put sounds together, but he is good at repeating at least the first syllables we say.
Give kisses, so stinkin' cute!!! And sometimes a little slobbery...and sometimes you get licked...
Cruise along every piece of furniture within arm's length, but forget standing on his own, he is not on board with that yet, and Mommy and Daddy are A-ok with that for now!
Crawl behind the couch when Mommy and Daddy aren't looking, that's a fairly new discovery.

We are still working on "Bye-Bye" and waving but he definitely know when to say "Uh-Oh" and it is pretty hilarious. It's usually in conjunction with food or a sippy cup being thrown from his highchair, which the dog has learned is his cue to eat whatever has made it's way to the floor, what a circus we have at our house. But sometimes he says it if I set him down on the floor (as if I dropped him and need to pick him up) and it's his new words of choice when he wakes up in the morning, silly baby!

I was counting and he hasn't gotten any new teeth for about 3 months now, I do think he's working on his 1 yr molars, but it could still be a long process before those puppies finally poke through his little swollen gums.

Enjoy the latest pictures of our not-so-little Noahman!

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Look at Noah and Molly's beautiful blue eyes,

aren't they just the cutest little cousins?!

He must take after his Daddy...

2009-10-15T21:03:00.000-04:00

How Big is Noah?!

2009-10-06T20:07:00.003-04:00

Road Trip, 10 Months Old, & A Sleepless Night

2009-09-27T19:43:00.033-04:00

Noah and I took a road trip down to Eaton, OH this weekend to visit my sister Deb and her husband Dave. We had an absolute blast!!! Check out all the fun we had...

XBox fun!!!

CHEESE!!!

Aunt Debbie ran a 5K in 26min 40sec...we are so proud of you!

Noah discovered the little peep-hole through the top of his stroller while we were at the race...funny!

Hi, Guinea Pigs

Fun with Jack

"Good Night, Moon"

Aw!!!

Yummy dinner in my Booster seat...I am finally starting to like Stage 3 babyfood!

Mommy and her Little Man

Dinner Saturday night, yummy Italian Cuisine

Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker's Man...

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10 Month Old Cutie...

Check me out after eating my first Biter Biscuit...ew!

Such a Little Guy

This picture was taken moments before I got a big GASH on my nose...coffee table - 1 Noah - 0!

Look at me standing!!!

At the Constitution Parade

Happy Baby Boy

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The second evening in Eaton went a little something like this...

Noah went to bed at his usual time, about 8:00pm and fell asleep fairly quickly. The three of us stayed up and watched part of a movie and Debbie and I looked up birthday cake designs on the internet and laughed uncontrollably...what we do best...don't ask. Anyway, then we all went to bed at 11:30pm. I have been blessed with the gift of worrying, which I realize is terribly disappointing to God, but it is my vice in life and so there I lay, at 12:30am, still awake...and Noah starts to cry...and cry, and cry, and cry harder, and cry louder. And so began my flashback to the days of having a newborn. I rocked him, changed him, fed him a bottle, read him his bedtime book again, said more prayers with him, laid him back down, lullabies on then lullabies off, light on then light off...he was inconsolable, poor baby. He then seemed to get over all of it and just wanted to play, cue the videos below. They are both dark, keep in mind, we were SUPPOSED to be sleeping...anyway, so the top video was taken from my cell phone as I laid there in my bed listening to him babble his baby babble and the video below is of him standing himself up while still babbling...he was up and down several times as he continued to stay awake and play until 3:30am. At which point he finally zonked out and so did mommy, only to be awoken by him bright and early at 6:45am. Luckily, the 4 1/2 hour drive home was much easier than I thought, really thought I was going to struggle to stay awake. Praying for a quiet, peaceful, restful night tonight and thankful for the reminder that I am not quite ready to return to the days of a newborn yet. And somehow he is STILL the most adorable baby in the entire Universe, despite the frustration I felt last night, he's a charmer for sure!!

Everything Noah sees is a "ba ba"...no one knows why...

The clicking noise you hear is him clicking his tongue and watch carefully, he pops up a little over halfway through the video and at least that time he didn't throw his binky across the room!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-10T07:52:00.015-04:00

Just wanted to post some pictures of our events from this past Labor Day weekend. Lots of time well spent with lots and lots of family, how blessed we are to be surrounded by so much love!!!

Mr. & Mrs. David Craddock

My Seeeeeester & her Bookie

The Red Heads minus Noahman

Look at us all dressed up

Little Miss Molly's baptism day, just relaxing with Grandpa Wolfe

JackJack with Mommy

Biggie Boy in the carseat

Look, Mommy, I stood myself up...now what do I do?!

Mommy and her little Noahman

Just cause he's so stinkin' adorable!!!

Go, Noah, Go!

2009-09-05T07:18:00.010-04:00

It's true, he's on the move, and it's so stinkin' cute...although exhausting, and I'm sure that only gets more true as he will be graduating from crawling, to walking, to running all too soon! But for today, Noah is an expert crawler, which also makes him an expert crumbs-on-the-floor-finder-and-picker-upper-and-put-in-mouth-taste-tester. A 9 month old can sure give a mommy a wake-up call as to just how clean the house really is in a hurry and needless to say, vacuuming and sweeping are now on the daily task list. But it's all worth it!

As a new mommy, I feel like I repeat myself a lot, telling the same stories and showing the same pictures over and over again, but maybe that's just the world of being a mommy. Noah's 9 month checkup was the same report, he's perfect, of course!! Anyone can look at that cute little face and know that! He weighed in at 22lbs 1oz, biggie boy, that's the 75th percentile and yet he still can't seem to break through that 10th percentile for height, measuring in at 27in. Grow, baby, grow!! The doctor gave us the green light to start transitioning Noah to milk, leaving at least 1 bottle of formula in his daily diet until he turns 1 year old. This is going to be a very slow transition as it makes me a little nervous, but, I have to say, Noah is a champ at the sippy cup now and really loves drinking his milk out of it. It's funny when the most exciting event in your day is your little one learning how to nourish himself, seriously, what did we talk about before we had a baby?! So, fun!!

Each day seems to bring something new, this is such an exciting age and Tony and I are truly enjoying every minute of this little man, he just amazes us with how much he is learning and becoming more intentional in what he "says" and does and how crazy-smart 9 month olds are! I think my two favorite things right now are going in to get Noah up from sleeping and he's sitting up holding his little "Chewie" (aka: the little rag with a head on it) and he has his binky in his mouth. He immediately smiles and pulls out his binky and knows it stays in his crib and now he can get up! Those little blue eyes pearing over the bumper in his crib melt my heart everytime. The other thing is when he goes to bed at night, he gets a bottle in the rocker in his room and then we read "Goodnight Moon". Well, he has learned that taking the time to burp is not something he wants to do, and so he will emphatically throw himself back down against my arm because he knows that is how I hold him when we read "Goodnight Moon". It's precious!!

I'll leave you with some pictures of this little man, but really only videos do him justice these days because he's so entertaining and he moves so much, all the pictures are blurry.

Oh, and Noah wanted me to let everyone know that he now has 6 teeth and a 7th ready to make it's entrance anyday now. He's very proud of his ability to cut teeth!

Check me out!

Biggie Boy in the Bathy-tub!

I know this one is dark, but what a cutie! That little face is absolutely priceless!!

First Attempt at Crawling

2009-08-11T20:07:00.021-04:00

Here's Noah's first attempt at biggie boy crawling, he did manage to get up on his knees a couple of times in the video (again, it's another cell phone video so don't mind the quality). We figure a good week of this and he will be off to the races and there's no stopping him from there!!

Noahman also had some other "firsts" since the last post, namely attending the Hall of Fame parade, learning how to drink water out of a sippy cup, and tooth #5! He's also learned to growl, which is pretty hilarious, and to squeal, which sounds like what I envision a baby Pterodactyl to sound like, it's a happy squeal and really, really cute!

Hey look, I can actually WATCH the parade this year instead of just HEAR it from inside Mommy's belly!

Mommy, I just saw Sid the Science Kid!

You guys got me up WAY too early for this silly parade!

Sippy Cup & Puffs!!!

8 Month Pictures

2009-08-04T20:39:00.007-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Wolfe kept Noah overnight the first day VBS started at our church and were wonderful enough to take Noah for his 8 month photo shoot. What an undertaking! It was a beach theme in honor of his first visit to the ocean...check him out!!!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, you are the best and we greatly appreciate it! The pictures are absolutely adorable!! You are hired for the 12 month photo shoot...so don't say we didn't warn you.

Oak Island

2009-07-25T14:11:00.024-04:00

Sorry it's taken so long to get pictures posted, it really doesn't feel like we even went on vacation because of how hectic life has been since we returned from the Island. We had our church lot party the day after we got home and then I directed our VBS program at church this past week, which tied up our camera as well. Both were successful events, it just left us wondering if we were even at the beach...such is life! This post was a good reminder to me that, yes, whether we feel rested or not, we were at the beach, there are lots of pictures and a video to prove it!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves, but first...don't be deceived, we actually spent very LITTLE time actually on the ocean with Noah, so we had to take them while we could. Noah was not a fan of the wind, but by the last day, he had learned to love the water. So we spent our days walking him in the stroller out to the pier and back, or just down the road, because whether I was in the water or not, I wanted to soak up that sunshine! Plus, we had lots of help with us, so Tony and I still managed to catch some waves. We shared lots of good meals, Euchre games and LAUGHTER with everyone, good memories!!! We couldn't have asked for a better trip down and back, Noah was a complete angel to travel with, stayed right on his schedule and never cried once about being stuck in his carseat for 12 1/2 hours one way. All in all, it was a fantastic trip, looking forward to next year already...

So happy to be at the beach!!

Just hanging out with my Grandpa RStarr

Mommy, get me out of this crazy, windy place

I guess I can enjoy it for a minute, daddy will make me smile despite the wind

Sitting in the beach chair all by myself! I'd rather be eating the sand, though...

I can always count on my grandma to keep the wind out of my ears

Do I like the ocean, cause I don't think I really do, Daddy

Look at the setup Noah had at the beach house, his own seat (aka exersaucer) in the living room and a pack n' play to keep him entertained. So glad we brought both!

Daniel and Amy just chillin'

Look at what a beach stud Noah is!

Aw!

Just Mommy and her little man

Being silly with Daddy

Noah started feeding himself his own bottles while we were vacationing!

Sleepy boy, that ocean air zaps your energy fast!

Night, Night Oak Island, until next time...

Pictures of a June to Remember By: Noah Wolfe

2009-06-29T19:28:00.032-04:00

My Aunt Amanda came to visit from CA and I had SO much fun spending time with her.

Aunt Amanda got to hear me say "ma ma" and "ba ba" A LOT! I also loved showing her how I can shake my head "no" and stick my tongue out at the same time.

Mommy dressed me up like Gilligan to go to the Hall of Fame pool...what was she thinking?!

I had my sandals and hat off not ten seconds after this picture was taken!

When we got to the pool Mommy put sunscreen on me and before she could wipe it off my hands I rubbed my eyes, threw a fit because it burned, and then fell asleep for about 45 minutes...apparently I was tired as well as traumatized from the sunscreen mishap.

When I woke up I was much happier so mommy let me splash in the kiddie pool, which was way too cold and just made me more unhappy when the bigger kids started splashing too much. So much for my first visit to the swimming pool.

I also got to swing in my new swing Daddy hooked up outside for me. I LOVE it, it tickles my tummy and makes me giggle.

After Aunt Amanda left to go back home Mommy and I spent the rest of the week just the two of us because Daddy was at ALIVE getting drenched! We were happy when he finally came home from camping, he missed me the MOST!!!

I love to sit up and play with my Zoo, it sings silly songs. Most of the time I'm really just interested in chewing on it...along with everything else I can get my hands on. I am loving playing on my tummy as well and can manage to scoot myself backward and get stuck under things like the coffee table, the end table, my pack 'n play...so sometimes I just roll to get where I need to go, it's easier.

I'm growing so much hair lately Mommy calls me her little Chia Pet. She thought it would be funny to stand my hair up in a mohawk...and there it stayed for the rest of the day.

This is me and my Daddy celebrating his first Father's Day...he wouldn't have had anything to celebrate without me!!!

The month of June brought in my first three teeth!! And the fourth should be in within the next week or so...until then, keep the Orajel and Infant Tylenol coming and bring on the teething rings, or duckies, or stars...I have lots of teething toys!

I now eat three meals a day and am growing, growing, growing...just not lengthwise yet! I went to the doctor today for a checkup from my last ear infection and found out I weigh 20 lbs!!! I think it's time for Mommy and Daddy to think about moving me into a biggie boy carseat. Mommy says she never thought I would still be in it at 7 months so it's probably time to graduate to the convertible carseat...but I think Mommy really just doesn't want me to grow up so quickly.

Whew, what an eventful month June has been!!! For now, you are up-to-date on all of the new news in my little World and I am exhausted, so here's to a good night's sleep...Zzzzz....

The Babblings of a Six Month Old

2009-06-17T10:28:00.004-04:00

So, the resolution is a little crazy because this is a video from my phone and I realize he's not talking TO me...but it still warms my heart. Check out this amazing video of our smart little man!!!

He SO loves his Mama more than his Dada!

One Tooth, Three Parties, Five Weeks and Thirty Years

2009-06-08T20:16:00.027-04:00

One is the number of new teeth Noah has...three is the number of birthday parties Tony enjoyed...five is the number of weeks we have left until Oak Island, NC...and thirty is the age my hubby turned this past Saturday!!!

It seems that our lives have turned into quite the whirlwind of events over the past month or so, which has been exciting, exhausting and much treasured. It's been amazing to see how we continue to find our groove as a family of three with every new discovery Noah makes and every change of his routine we make and each day's uncharted territory of parenthood becomes old hat so quickly. God really sent us a great baby to learn how to be parents with, he's so laid back, smiley, patient and just such a joy each and every day. Especially when he gets his first ear infection and never once complains about it! So Noah is experiencing his first ever round of antibiotics and he's back on Albuterol for his wheezing. Everything from congestion, to coughing to an ear infection all happened within the same timeframe of him cutting his first tooth, so it's hard to know what started what, but he's happy and healthy as usual and his second tooth is going to make it's grand appearance anyday now!

We celebrated Tony's 30th birthday this past weekend with three parties, starting with a wonderful family dinner at Bravo. It was fun to get both sides of the family together to celebrate such a milestone for Tony, what an old man he is! Then he had a guy's night at the house with all the food you could eat and all the Poker you could ask for! This party was equally fun for Noah and me because we got to have a sleepover at Grandma R*'s house...he is a noisy roomie though, I don't envy his future college roommate. Noah's rolling over consists of snorts and snarfs and moaning and groaning and he is sure to use every last inch of his crib at some point throughout the night. But it was funny to wake up in the morning and see him propped up on his belly just beaming from ear to ear that it was morning time and I was right there in the room to greet him. The third party was thrown by the youth group, each kid brought Tony a qty. of 30 of a creative item. He got everything from green olives, to bandaids to squares of toilet paper. It was a fun event for the kids and the cupcakes and presents marked the official end to Tony's 30th birthday celebrations!!

So we are five weeks from vacation at Oak Island and I just have to throw that in here because I cannot wait to have time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just breathe. I'm planning on spending as much time playing with Noah as possible, napping often, reading all my mom's People magazines and soaking up the sun!!! Ah, Oak Island...

But getting back to reality for a second...my sister is flying in from SoCAL tomorrow and is staying with us for a week! I am so excited, I haven't seen her since our wedding, and she was thirteen then, so we have lots and lots of catching up to do. I think we may even squeeze in a day at Cedar Point and try to get to the pool, fun!

And then I get to try out my skills of being a single parent for a week while Tony is camping at Alive with his youth group. I'm really looking forward to having Noah all to myself, besides the fact that I have to work every day. But I'm envisioning lots of early-to-bed nights for me as May and June have been exhausting months and July doesn't hold the promise of being much quieter, besides the week at Oak Island!

So, to make a long story even longer, all is as it should be in our little world. I guess it's just amazing to me how life brings you so many blessings and good times with those you love the most and being able to share all of these moments with our new little man, even though he will not remember them in the future, means the WORLD to us! It's the little things...it really is. It's about doing everyday life with those you love the most, and he's at the top of the list! I'll finish with this moment I had the other night with Baby Noah...

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A few nights ago Noah was having a terrible time falling asleep. He would cry because he couldn't breathe, then his crying would cause him to become more congested, then he would cry harder, which would make him cough, then he would cry even harder and I just knew he was miserable. He's never been sick before and although he never had a fever or grabbed his ear, I was sure it was hurting as the antibiotic hadn't had enough time to take effect yet. So, despite all that I've read and all that I've been told and all that I know to be true, I went into his room, shut the door, picked him up, wiped off his face and sat down in the rocking chair with him. I started singing "Prince of Peace" just like I always sang to him when he was crying in the first few weeks after coming home from the hospital, and he started to calm down. I laid back in the rocker with my feet propped up and laid him face up down the front of me. He wiggle and scootched and finally got comfy with his head laying on my arm, his little body positioned right down the front of me and his chubby feet sprawled out across my thighs...and he drifted off to sleep, so peacefully. I watched his little face in the dim nightlight as I rocked him back and forth. His face so innocent, his plump, round cheeks were so precious, his little mouth was making a sucking motion as if he was dreaming of his pacifier and every once in a while he'd take in a quickened, staggered breath remant of his crying as if to say, 'I'm okay now, my mommy's here with me, there's no need to cry any longer'. Never have I felt a greater sense of love and fulfillment than I did in that moment. Words cannot describe how I felt knowing that that little baby face was sent straight from Heaven to us with such promises and distinct purpose already evident in his first few months of life, and a few tears quietly trickled down my cheeks as I thought to myself, Jen, you need to never take for granted the little human being God has entrusted to you. Noah won't be six months old forever and stopping time just for a minute, throwing the rulebook out the window and trusting my mommy instict gave me the opportunity to really look at this little man and take him in and know he truly, truly is a gift. Sometimes a baby just needs his mommy. I love you, little man!

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Hi, World, I'm Noah!

Daddy's comfy

Yummy! More peas please...

Seriously, give them to me...

I guess I will just have to go after them, then!

Yes, I stalk my child while he's sleeping...

Priceless!!!

Lots to Celebrate

2009-05-27T21:01:00.016-04:00

First of all, Tony and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on the 22nd with a trip to Niagara Falls. It was our first overnight trip away from Noah and I think I can say with much confidence that Noah had just as much fun with his grandparents as we did at the Falls. He spent the first night with Grandma & Grandpa Wolfe and they spent lots of time outside on the swing and cuddled with him. Then he went to Grandma & Grandpa R*'s house (that translates 'R Starr') and got to help lay 10 yards of mulch!! All the while, Tony and I were having a blast walking around parks and cute villages, eating at the Rainforest Cafe and a cool BBQ joint and watching fireworks over the Falls. Walking from the USA to Canada and back was awesome, it seems funny to walk from one country to the other but we did it and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It's was a FANTASTIC getaway.

Horseshoe Falls/Canadian Falls

American Falls

Happy 5 Years!!!

Second of all, we had a Memorial Day cookout at Meatball & H's new house and it was, again, beautiful weather and fantastic food! It was so nice to relax as a family and just get to spend time together. We were talking about how this time last year, Jackson was just 1 month old, and now we have Jackson, Noah, Molly and cousin #4 on the way soon! Exciting times!!! Noah got to test out Baby Wolfe-on-the-way's new jungle bouncer and although his feet didn't quite touch the ground yet, Jackson made sure Noah bounced up and down the way it was supposed to work. It was so cute to see them play together! Thanks, Cuz!!

Molly would have been playing too, but she was napping, sweet baby girl!

Noah & Grandma Wolfe

Third of all, Noah turned 6 months old today!! Seriously, 6 months old! I cannot believe it's been a half of a year already, it is amazing to see how much he has changed and grown and learned in the past 6 months. He had his checkup at the dr today and he is just the perfect little man. He is 18lbs 10oz and 25 in long. Still short and chubby...but again, who can resist those chipmunk cheeks?! We have been blessed with such a good baby, what an abundance of blessings he has brought into our household. And check out Noah's latest accomplishment below...it's certainly not perfected yet, but luckily, he's got some extra padding for when he topples over and he's getting stronger and stronger everyday!!!

Dedication Day

2009-05-17T20:36:00.037-04:00

This is our pulpit minister, Rick Brown, peforming the infant dedication of Noah

Aw, yeah family!!!

Noah was dedicated at church this morning, which basically is the parents' way of dedicating themselves to raise their child in the ways of Christ, setting a Godly example for him to follow and ensuring he receives an upbringing pleasing to the Lord. This also allowed us the opportunity to share a special time in Noah's little life with those closest to us. We hosted both sides of our families as well as the elders and their families and the pastor and his wife from our church for a wonderful lunch and great time of fellowship in our home. It is just amazing to me how one little life can bring so many together in love and support of his future and all he has to offer to the world around him. We love you Noah!!!

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In recent Noah happenings, there isn't anything too major to report. He rolls all ways a baby can roll now, so it's always a surprise as to where and how you will find him every morning. He has also started eating some green veggies, much to his dismay. He's growing like crazy...I'm very interested to see what his length and weight are at the doctor in a week and a half when we go for his six month...that's right...his SIX month check up...seriously, where does the time go? Wasn't it just Thanksgiving yesterday?! Well, all I know is, no matter how fast he grows, he just keeps getting cuter and cuter everyday...enjoy these pictures of our little man!!!

Look at how talented I am!

Sweet potatoes make me sleepy...Zzzz

So happy in my Exersaucer

Tell me that little face doesn't melt your heart!

Snuggling with my Chewy fast asleep in my carseat

I go down for my nap like this...

I wake up from my nap like this!

TOES!!!

Yes, despite my chubbiness, I CAN get my foot in my mouth!

This is the life!

Can a 5 Month Old have Allergies?

2009-04-27T20:35:00.017-04:00

So comfy in my jam jams

Poor baby Noah seems to have the springtime sniffles...and the sniffly, sneezy, coughing, wheezy, watery, itchy eyes so you can get a good night's sleep medicine just can't be taken by a 5 month old! So instead we do the drill of Noah cries throughout the night, mommy and daddy go in and sucker out his nose, tilt his mattress for drainage purposes, administer "Little Noses" drops, fill the humidifier yet again, soothe and comfort Noah and wait to do it all over again the next time he awakens. He is one cute little sniffly baby boy...

Mommy listened to my last blog and has even

added carrots to my daily food menu...

But mommy, you do realize that carrots come out

the same color they went in, don't you?!

...such a boy!!!

Recent Happenings in the World of Noah

2009-04-16T19:54:00.009-04:00

I have learned how to "officially and unassisted-ly (that's not even a word)" roll over...which mommy was going to post a video of, but daddy can't get the camera to give up the footage, so, you'll just have to trust me...I'm a rockin' and a rollin'.

I have also started eating in my brand new high chair and feel like such a biggie boy!!! I'm up to 2 TBSP of cereal at dinner and I've been begging mommy to give me some along with my morning bottle, hopefully she'll listen to me soon! I'm a growing boy you know...

In other news, I have discovered my feet, which has led to me almost removing my socks a few times. But much more importantly, has led me to start 'helping' when it's time to change my diaper...which mommy says will inadvertantly lead to more new discoveries...but I'm not sure what she's talking about just yet.

I have also learned that I LOVE to hear my voice through the monitor when I talk into mommy's microphone during Praise Team practice...American Idol, Season 24, starring Noah Wolfe!!!

And finally, I just celebrated my very first Easter! I didn't get an Easter basket, there was no giant bunny that visited me and I didn't even get any chocolate. It was pretty much like any other day, except I was dressed like a stud and I got to enjoy an afternoon visiting my family. What kind of parents don't get their kid an Easter basket on their first Easter...seriously?!

Happy Easter!!!

Me getting smarter as I watch Baby Einstein

while mommy gets ready for work.

Ah, happy nappy time is the best...

Who's 4 Months Old?!

2009-03-30T20:24:00.015-04:00

Noah's 4 months old!!! Noah turned 4 months this past Friday and is just the sweetest little baby boy on the planet. He babbles non-stop about who knows what, smiles ALL the time and is sleeping through the night like a champ. He had his 4 month check-up today and he is growing wonderfully. He weighs 15 lbs. 3 oz. (50th percentile) and his height, bless his heart, is 23 in. (10th percentile). So, he's a little chub-u-bub for sure...with cheeks for days! It's part of his charm!!

He started cereal just a few days ago and was loving it until tonight. I'm guessing it is more because of the 4 vaccinations he received today than anything. He just wanted the comfort of his bottle and not all the work of eating off of a spoon. He LOVES it though, I've never seen such a smile emerge on his face until he tasted his first bite of rice cereal. Priceless.

In other news, he has started to get the hang of rolling over; as long as his arms are tucked under he has no problem rolling from his belly to his back. That's just been in the last day or so and seems to be pretty sporadic, but he's getting it! Yeah, Noah!!

There is still nothing sweeter than

a sleeping baby...

Trying out the Exersaucer for the first time

Rough nap apparently...ha ha

Check me out in all my cuteness!

Just me and my changing table!

Bouncy, Bouncy Baby!

2009-03-17T21:41:00.005-04:00

Such a cute video of Noah's first real laughter...although it is a little hard to hear because we were all laughing right along with him! What joy our little man has brought into our household!!

3 Months Old

2009-03-02T18:06:00.020-05:00

Noah's 3 Months Old and so cute!!! Our camera is still dead and has not yet been replaced. So the best I could do were some blurry pictures taken from our video camera. Thus, why there are a lot of the same little outfits in these, but it's better than nothing! Enjoy!!

Our Chunky Monkey Man

Little Stud

So happy!!!

Future Little Leopard

May have to lose the binky before then...

Look, he is SMILING in the bathtub!!

All ready for a ride in the car...of

course not before getting buckled in...but

there aren't many smiles after that!

Giraffe is Noah's favorite little buddy, he tells him

everything!

All tuckered out after telling Giraffe

all about his exciting day!

So I get this email at work on Friday...

2009-02-15T09:06:00.015-05:00

And the subject is "Urgent" with a link inside that says, "Watch this video asap" with a link... and it's from my husband. Upon finding a computer to play the video, I see this adorable footage of my 12 week old son holding...okay, propping up, a sign while he is propped up against the couch that says, "There is a surprise waiting for you in your glove box. Love, Noah and Daddy".

I leave work that afternoon and look in my glove box...which leads me to an envelope holding lots of puzzle pieces. I put the pieces together and it is a cute Valentine's Day poem Noah and Daddy wrote for me stating they had planned, on our limited budget, an evening consisting of a formal dinner and then we would get comfy, cozy and play games and just enjoy being a family on our first Valentine's Day. I was so excited I couldn't get home fast enough...

I get home, open the door to the house and there they are, the two most important men in my life, sitting on the couch all dressed in their best. So, so, so cute!! Tony was even wearing a tie and Noah was sporting his best church clothes, complete with dress shoes. There were candles lit, the table was set and all the games we owned were sitting out on the coffee table, ready for an evening of fun!

Our "formal" dinner was leftovers from the night before, so romantic. Nothing says "I love you" like yesterday's dinner straight from the microwave! Then I opened a card from Tony, which used to be my favorite cards to open until Noah came along. Noah's Valentine's Day card to me was the cutest! The outside said, "Mommy, want to know how long you have been my special Valentine..." and the inside said, "Just as long as you've been my mommy!" And Tony had actually painted his little hands and had him sign my card with his little hand prints...boy, does he know how to make mommy's heart melt!

So then we all three put on our comfiest clothes and it was game time...Noah and Daddy had created a "Wolfe Family" Crossword and Word Find for me to play, and even Spencer was included in the fun!! One of the crossword clues led me to a present Noah had gotten me for Valentine's Day, which was David Achuleta's CD. So, we listened to David while Noah went down for a nap and Tony proceeded to take the night both in Scrabble and Mancala...it was NOT my night for games! But I didn't care, it was the BEST Valentine's Day I have EVER had!!

The celebration continued into breakfast the next morning, where Tony made me pancakes and hot tea and proceeded to say, "Okay, this is seriously the end of the your Valentine's Day present."

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In other news...

--> Noah is now a formula baby much to mommy's dismay. Apparently two month olds are smart enough to realize that meals are better and easier to eat through a bottle...and so it begins. My little boy is growing up!

--> Still working on that thumb sucking daily...

--> We believe he has discovered his hands as he focuses on them and proceeds to go cross-eyed drawing them into his face as close as he can. Funny!

--> Noah has conquered the task of completely soaking through his diaper, onsie, sleeper, crib sheet and matress cover overnight...for the past three or four nights. So, every morning now consists of "pee" laundry, sometimes bath time and a complete strip down before breakfast.

--> He is quickly acqiring the nicknames of "BooBoo" and "Bug a Boo" because it seems every morning we go in to get him out of his crib he has a new scratch on his face, baby fingernails are the worst!

--> We don't get to go to the doctor for a checkup this month, but Noah has to be tipping the scales between 12-13 lbs these days. He is wearing all 3-6 month clothes now. My little chunky monkey man!

Note: Our camera died so we are working on putting together some video clips until the camera situation gets remedied...stay tuned!!!

2 Months Old

2009-02-02T07:41:00.022-05:00

Back to work...hard to believe maternity leave is behind me and it's back to work already. Last week was my first week back and it went very, very well! There was a part of me that was looking forward to brushing my hair, putting on something other than fleece pants and being amongst the adult world again. And on the flip side, Tony is thoroughly enjoying his time at home alone with Noah. It's been nice to be away for a little during the day and then come home and spend the evening with my baby...I'm always ready to get home and snuggle with him!

Noah had his two month check up at the doctor, and in no uncertain terms, he is definitely a thriving baby. He is now 11 lbs 6 oz and 22 in. long. He had his first round of immunizations, which hurt me more than it hurt him I'm pretty sure. He was fussy for about a day or so and looked so pathetic with his little Dora band-aids on both his little thighs, broke my heart!

Noah's new mission is to suck his thumb, which he has been attempting before, but now, he means business! It is seriously all he does during his awake times, so cute! He just isn't quite coordinated enough yet, but it will come with time, he is determined...I think he may get that characteristic from his mommy...

So, it's Monday and back to the grind...my life now has an added component to its predictable routine of Noah eating, playing and sleeping...now we eat, play, sleep, mommy goes to work, only to come back home to eating, playing and sleeping again, just like I never left. Sprinkled with the neverending task of making bottles, bottles and more bottles of course...ah, the rhythm of parenthood.

I'm all smiles!! Aunt Debbie made me this onesie for Christmas!

All tuckered out after a long fifteen minutes of playing...

There's no one snugglier than my daddy!

Look at me all dressed up in my church clothes...what a stud I am!

It's "Trial" Week at the Wolfe residence...

2009-01-20T20:44:00.011-05:00

So, laugh and call me crazy, but we are having a this-is-what-life-will-look-like-once-mommy-goes-back-to-work week. We are fixing bottles, planning meals and working our schedules as if I am back at work to see if I, in fact, can keep up with the bottle-making and that Tony is prepared to have Noah all to himself for an entire day. I have been sure to stay out of the way and not hover as Tony and Noah learn their daily routine. It has been a fun learning experience for us all...and Tony is doing a FANTASTIC job!! What a great daddy he is!

Tony and I went to dinner the other night, our first time both being away from Noah. It was definitely strange to be without a baby, even just for two hours. And I was ready to get back to him soon after dinner was over, no dessert for us! But it was good to have time to reconnect and talk about life with the baby and all the new dynamics taking place around our house. I feel so grown up...and yet kind of like we are just kids having kids...it was a wonderful evening!

Noah has been going through a major growth spurt, I'm interested to see what the doctor says at his two month appt next Thursday. I have had to pray for extra patience to make it through the past week or two, but I do think we are coming out of it, gradually, and are settling back into a somewhat regular routine.

Although it has been a challenging time, we are seeing SO many smiles from Noah, hearing LOTS more coo's and A-goo's...A-ghee is his favorite sound to make. And he has started laughing, just a little, but it's happened a few times now so we don't just think it's a fluke anymore. He has also made several attempts a day to suck his thumb...new discoveries everyday!!

Check out our biggie boy!!!

Six Weeks Old and Smiling

2009-01-08T14:45:00.013-05:00

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Cutest little Buckeyes fan!!! Even

though they didn't pull off a victory...

My not-so-happy bathy time...

1 Month Old, Holidays & Dr. Appts

2009-01-03T16:01:00.012-05:00

So, it's been awhile...everyday seems to slip away as we follow our daily pattern of eating, playing, sleeping and messing diapers. I really thought that being home on maternity leave would mean the blog would stay updated, the dishes would always be clean and all of my holiday decor would actually make it out of its boxes this year...not the case. It's amazing that you can spend SO much time in your house and get none of those things accomplished! But its all for something much more rewarding and that's all that matters!

I'm down to having a little over three weeks left before I return to work and I am hoping to start getting Noah on somewhat of a routine by that time. Although he has gotten pretty good about letting me get 2-3 hours of sleep a couple of times throughout the night, which is more than I could say a few weeks ago!

His 1 month checkup at the doctor went well. Noah weighs 9 lbs 1 oz and is now 20 inches long. Biggie boy!! He's got the cutest smile ever and Tony and I have discovered his favorite place to be in the whole wide world is laying on the changing table. Silly boy! Everyday is a new adventure as Noah is becoming more alert and beginning to discover the world around him!

My First Christmas!!!

Daddy put me in the laundry basket!

Check me out!!

Sleepy Boy

See...I'm happy on my changing table, plus, it

was happy bathy time!!

What a stud!

New Mommy Fog...

2008-12-10T17:00:00.009-05:00

Sleepy Baby...Zzzzz...

Look how peaceful...this is pretty much what

Noah did his first week home when he wasn't eating.

Noah - One week old!!

The boys all piled on the couch...I'm so outnumbered...

So, tomorrow will be the official two week mark into parenthood for Tony and I, and I am definitely living in the "new mommy fog". Where time is all relative, there is no night and day, I live in a constant cycle of feeding, changing, rocking, feeding, changing, rocking...and wonder how I ever used to find the time to brush my teeth!

Noah has been nothing but a blessing to us over these past two weeks, he's such a little cutie and we just love him to pieces! And someday, I'll look back at these first few months or so and forget how icky I feel and want to do it all over again...someday...far, far from today. For now, one little bundle of joy is keeping us on our toes and learning new parenting strategies everyday!

Noah Anthony Wolfe has arrived!!!

2008-11-30T08:44:00.005-05:00

Noah Anthony Wolfe

Born: 11/27/08 @ 3:17am

6lbs. 10 oz. 19 in. long

The most handsome baby boy in the World!!!

2008-11-22T16:20:00.016-05:00

**39 week belly**

We are less than a week from our due date now!!! It's kind of surreal to be at this point in the pregnancy, seems like everyday is a waiting game now. The doctor said they won't let me go more than a week past my due date so at least we are sure some way or another, this little man should be here by December 5th!

Tony and I are enjoying what could be our last weekend as just the two of us...oh, and the dog, too...I don't give him enough attention these days. We are headed to the Wolfe family Thanksgiving tomorrow and into a three day work week, which should be my last working days before Maternity Leave begins. But if Noah's not making any progress, I'll be back to the grind Monday, December 1st. I'll work until he's ready to make his appearance into the world! Our next appt is Wednesday and we should be given a pretty good indication as to whether or not I have made any progress down the road of labor and delivery yet or not. This week was an interesting report, having lost 2 more lbs. But at least Noah is holding steady at 37 cm (and according to the doctor, is completely dropped in position) and his heartbeat was good at about 130 bpm.

Keep us in your prayers as the day get closer and closer...more updates to come...

WHOA Belly!!!

2008-11-15T16:00:00.034-05:00

38 week belly!!

Just when you think you can't possibly get any bigger...

We are under the two week mark now and still feeling fantastic! Dr. says everything looks great, Noah measures good and his heartbeat was a strong 140bpm. Daddy hadn't come with us in quite a few appt's so he was super excited to hear his son's heartbeat! It really could be any day now, and it's funny how the nurses all give you that, "we may not see you next week" look before you leave the office, but so far, no major signs of labor so I'm still soaking up every minute of being pregnant. Now...if this is still the same story a week into December, I may be singing a different tune...but so far, still feeling wonderful!

Though I must admit, we are getting more and more anxious everyday to finally get the opportunity to lay eyes on this little guy we've been dreaming about for the past nine months and start our lives as parents!!

Look how adorable!!!

All coordinated and ready for Noah's arrival!

So cozy!!

37 Weeks

2008-11-10T07:41:00.002-05:00

Noah is officially considered full term as of this past Friday and we're still doing wonderfully!! Last update at the doctor's office was that all growth was good (on his behalf and mine...ha ha) and we should just continue to relax and wait for labor to begin...

Tony & I took our last getaway this weekend to good 'ol Cleveland, Ohio and we had such a wonderful time. We checked into the hotel and enjoyed having the swimming pool all to ourselves...well, Tony spent more time in the hottub so I really got the pool to myself, which felt wonderful on my back. Then we went to the Cleveland Zoo on Saturday and ate dinner in Legacy Village before heading home. It was so relaxing to be away from the house where there isn't the temptation to clean or organize something for the 100th time!

And we officially have the best youth group in the entire universe!!! They threw us (along with the planning of the mom's of course) the CUTEST baby shower last night at youth group. It was just the perfect way to spend these last few weeks celebrating this new little life that is to come. We played the funniest games, had some amazing food and got tons of adorable toys/gifts for Noah to enjoy as he grows!

I've said this before, but boy does this little guy have a lot of anxious people ready to meet him and love all over him...Tony and I can't wait either!! 18 more days....

I could be an Expectant Mother for Halloween...

2008-10-31T08:16:00.005-04:00

And I wouldn't even have to go buy a costume!! Okay, lame idea, but I couldn't think of anything more creative and it is kind of funny to think about what you wouldn't want to be for Halloween being this pregnant...cheerleader...Disney Princess...Pippi Longstocking (that was my favorite costume growing up)...it just doesn't portray that cute Halloween image really!

So, the Open House was a completely PERFECT event, everything was wonderful, it was so great to gather friends and family together at once, and we have not stopped rearranging the nursery since that day as you can imagine. Pictures to come...

I am nesting this weekend because Tony is away at the National Youth Workers Convention and it's time to get Noah's laundry clean and put away and think about packing some hospital bags...we are officially at 28 days to Noah's due date as of today and I really don't think the reality has sunk in yet. Plus, he really hasn't started dropping much so I am not feeling uncomfortable yet in the least...and am certainly not complaining about!

We are seeing the doctor on a weekly basis and we received our little "this is how you will know you are in labor" card this past week because if he come anytime now, there's no stopping him! His heatbeart was good and luckily, this appt he did grow even though I have still not gained a pound. We had to get an ultrasound last appt because he wasn't showing growth, so this news was better. (After performing the ultrasound, it turned out he was in fact growing, but was conveniently snuggled up under my rib cage, which was why my measurements were off.) But I have now been given strict orders that it's either gain 1 lb a week from here on out or they will think about bedrest or induction, neither of which are options I am hoping for. We are still praying for that crucial November 12th day, please say prayers with us, because that will be my year anniversary with DHL and solidify that my maternity leave will in fact be available for me to take in full.

So, Happy Halloween to everyone, and may your costume choices be more abundant than mine are this year!! I'd opt to be the pregnant one any year, it's the best!!!

Baby Noah's Nursery

2008-10-09T16:33:00.010-04:00

So, we always talk about mommy and what's going on with me and the baby...that's why Noah and I decided to dedicate this blog entry to daddy!!! Daddy has done a phenomenal job getting the nursery ready for Noah and we wanted to show off some pictures of his meticulous artistry and handiwork. Every inch of this room has been hand-painted by daddy with love along with the installation of the new ceiling fan/light fixture. It looks a little bare, but don't worry, babies have a way of filling up space with all of their cute accessories, diapers and clothes very quickly!

Doesn't it look so cozy?!?!

I guess we know which one of us is going to

spoil this little guy the most...

Every intricate detail painted with love!

An empty dresser...for the moment!

Ready for Noah to move in!

Watching Tony go through these childbirth classes and learn comfort measures and breathing techniques and see video upon video of precious (and not so precious) moments of pregnancy, childbirth and newborns has been an amazing journey. Just the transformation of the expression on his face as it transitions from fear and apprehension to excitement and anticipation is priceless. After watching the last dvd in class on Tuesday, he looks at me and says, "Are you ready for our lives to change forever...because ready or not, it's going to happen!" If you ask him, he'll tell you, "I can't WAIT to meet my son!!" And I can't wait for them to meet either, he's tired of me keeping him all to myself.

I was just kind of taking it all in the other day as I sat in the rocker in the nursery; and I thought to myself...God is so excited about the mansions he is preparing for each of us, as His children, to come to our eternal home and enjoy forever. And I can't help but think that Tony feels a little piece of that same love and joy as he prepares the nursery for Noah's homecoming. What a great reflection of God parenthood can be!!

Glucose Tests, Baby Showers & Childbirth Classes

2008-09-19T18:16:00.013-04:00

Family Photo from Pabor Day...are there three

basketballs in this picture??

Lots of different topics to update on, so here we go...

I officially passed my glucose test...huge sigh of relief! And Noah and I just had our 30 week checkup this past Wednesday and he is measuring right on for his due date, his heart rate was 140 and all is well! I seem to be going through a "having trouble catching my breath" stage again, but nothing I wasn't anticipating. Just makes life more interesting, I guess! Noah is moving like crazy, he's had lots of hiccups and I think I am starting to get better at telling what position he is in or exactly what is jabbing me in the ribs, so much fun!!!

I was given the best shower by the ladies group at Louisville Christian Church. We received so many gifts; outfits, bottles, booster seats and everything in between! It was such a wonderful event, we couldn't feel more blessed with all of the love and support our church family gives us.

Tony and I attended our first child birth class this past Tuesday evening. All the couples in our class are first-time parents, which I'm assuming is usually the case, and the couple we were paired with for the "get to know you" part of class were super nice. She is due 5 days before me, and to my surprise, half the class isn't due until around New Years. I definitely thought we would be on the later end of the due dates attending classes now. I didn't really feel I learned anything new this first session, probably because the instructor presented out of a book we had been given when we found out we were expecting and I have already read it cover to cover twice. But Tony said he found it really helpful. The classes to come over the next month are definitely going to get more interesting and interactive so we'll see what is to come!

We are officially at the 10 week countdown to baby time!!! It seems crazy that 30 weeks are behind us and so few are still ahead of us. Besides being a little more winded, I still feel great and am loving pregnancy. Praying all continues to go well as we look forward to our Baby Open House in October and then finishing up our preparations for Noah's arrival at the end of November...stay tuned for nursery progress updates/pictures, daddy has been working hard and it's almost ready!

30 Week Belly!

3rd Trimester

2008-09-03T20:09:00.006-04:00

27 week belly!!!

Another milestone! We have officially crossed over into the third trimester...and I'm still feeling wonderful. Although I KNOW I will continue to feel more uncomfortable, kicking will become less exciting and labor ultimately prevails in the end, I still feel fantastic right now so I'm making the most of it!!

We went to the doctor today and it was all good news! My blood pressure was good and actually relatively low compared to normal. I haven't gained anymore weight which they were okay with since Noah is measuring right on for week 28. And I took the glucose test...ya know what, the orange stuff wasn't half bad. The worst part was when the mean vampire-lady drew lots of blood, we don't like the lady who draws blood...but it's a necessary evil. And she's really not mean at all...

According to my trusty books, Noah is a little over 2 pounds now and about 9.5 inches long from crown to rump. I would have to agree with one of the books when it said there is always a point during pregnancy that the mom is convinced she is carrying an octopus because there's definintely a flurry of activity happening and it makes you wonder if there really are just two arms and two legs! I was telling the nurse today that I was concerned about how his movements have changed in the past couple of days, it felt like he was lying really low and I wasn't getting any good kicks. She decided to hook me up to a fetal monitor for about 20 minutes since they were waiting for the magic glucose potion to do its thing before drawing blood anyway...so, I got to spend time watching Noah's little heart rate and fetal movement get tracked on a maching that looked much like the Seismograph used to record earthquakes. It was neat!

I also read that he will open his eyes sometime between this week and next...how exciting!!!

I've moved up to visiting the doctor every two weeks now instead of three so it feels like time is starting to snowball upon us very quickly!

In other updates...the Louisville Christian Church ladies group is throwing me a baby shower tomorrow night...the nursery walls are looking cuter and cuter everyday...and we start child birth classes a week from Monday!

And my belly button is not so much an "inny" or an "outty" anymore...it is really more of a "flatty" at the moment...and it's getting harder for me to see everyday...so are my toes!

Why I'm Excited to be a Mom...

2008-08-18T21:14:00.008-04:00

First, I'll get to experience the feeling all moms talk about but can never fully explain...actually holding your very own child that you carried for 9 months...getting to finally see his little hands and feet for the first time, hear his coo's and look into his eyes...

Getting to know that little one, with all the different cries, expressions and preferences better than anyone else...

Dreaming of what my son will grow up to be, his interests, talents and passions...

Providing for, caring for, loving, admiring and praying for him every moment of every day as he grows and grows...

Watching Tony become a daddy!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

My registry is complete and the nursery is underway. Tony is SO excited to unleash his creativity and paint Noah's room, it is going to look phenomenal! Today was probably the most active Noah has been so far, growth spurt or energy increase, I'm not sure, but it is still the most amazing thing! I love it!! We are a little less than two weeks away from my third trimester and God has just continued to bless Noah's growth and my health beyond belief. We are so grateful to be approaching the next milestone in my pregnancy.

My last Dr.'s appt had all good things to report...Noah has a strong heartbeat, everything measures right on, we won't talk about the scale, thyroid levels are perfect and I go for my glucose test the first week of September!

And the most amazing news of all...my belly button remains an "inny", not by much, though. I so thought I was joining the "outty" club like a month ago...he's a growing boy!!!

All is as it should be...

2008-08-06T18:32:00.002-04:00

Not much to update on at the moment...all is well and Noah is growing like crazy!! I think I have said that a lot since I started this blog, but I mean it more and more everytime I say it. Experts say he is now about 8 or so inches long and a little over a pound in weight. His kicking is less of a random thumping now and more of actual limbs jabbing at me from inside. It's the greatest feeling!

I am going to register this Saturday morning with my mom and Tony's mom, so that will be lots of fun. Tony has officially banned me from the Babies R Us & Target websites because it's becoming my new obsession to be ready for baby registry day!! And despite the countless hours I have spent researching and shopping, and, of course, making a checklist, there are still many decisions left to be made. And the best part is, I actually had a dream two nights ago that Babies R Us just let me spend the night in the store because I still had so many decisions to make...pretty pathetic...

We also received our first big gift, only because there was free shipping, but my mom & Randy officially bought us our Travel System! It is so awesome, we love it! I just stared into the carrier once we had it all together and tried to imagine my little guy all snug in the car seat...the reality of a baby coming into our family gets more real with every passing day!!

Random Updates...

2008-07-26T20:33:00.008-04:00

We had our 21 week ultrasound this past week and the grandma's came along to see their little grandson wiggle around...no, it didn't fall off...it's really still a boy!! He was very active during the ultrasound, I think he knew we were watching. It was truly adorable. His heartbeat was 143, he is weighing in at 15 oz. and everything seems A-OK and right on target. Praise the Lord!

I was afraid I was never going to be able to fully recognize his kicking...boy was I wrong. There is no mistaking those little baby movements, and Tony has had the opportunity to feel a few...he just has to be patient and wait until Noah is ready to play. But he is getting more and more active everyday...it's still cute, not painful yet.

Tony and I enjoyed a night our at the Carousel Dinner Theater the other night, which was a lot of fun! And we just got done with Vacation Bible School, marking the end of our summer craziness. That means it is on to nursery remodeling, baby registries, childbirth classes, baby shower and preparing for Noah's arrival! I'm excited but definitely enjoying every minute of being pregnant...what an absolute blessing!!!

Here is our latest family photo...

Mommy & her Noah Bump

Future Place Kicker for the Louisville Leopards

2008-07-17T22:06:00.003-04:00

20 Week Belly!!!

We've made it, we are officially halfway through the pregnancy and feeling good!! Noah gave me his first good kick yesterday while I was sitting at my desk at work, it tickled and I laughed out loud. It was so cute. It felt like he was turning back flips and using my stomach to propel himself around, I definitely got tears in my eyes. But then again, I got tears in my eyes the other day because of a commercial with a baby elephant giving itself a bath that I thought was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Gotta love pregnancy hormones!

We go for our 21 week ultrasound this coming Tuesday, hopefully we will get some more good pictures to post and I'm hoping he still measures at a due date of November 28th because I feel like he's getting big very quickly these days...and labor is inevitable so, yikes! We'll see!

I feel like such the mommy today, we received confirmation for our childbirth classes and I registered Noah with his pediatrician. Everyday it is becoming more real that very soon I will be holding my son in my arms...how amazing!!

Ultrasound Pictures

2008-07-06T20:47:00.005-04:00

Here are just a few ultrasound pictures, none of which show a full body view, but they are still pretty neat.

Noah's hand

Noah's foot

Noah's feet...he actually had his little ankles crossed

in this picture.

It's a BOY!!!

2008-07-06T20:26:00.009-04:00

So after spending 5 very long hours in the Aultman Hospital emergency room this past Monday evening, I've decided I'm going to enjoy every second between now and the delivery of my son...that was the newest traumatic experience of my short life! I've never had the opportunity to be poked and prodded so many times within a single visit to the doctor...but one thing I am sure of...they did a thorough examination, and, in the doctor's words, "Everything is perfect!"

I decided my second episode of bleeding unexpectedly, which was what sent us to the ER, was God's way of preparing me for what labor will be like...besides the fact that I was not contracting. Although I'm fairly certain contractions should distract me from any other unwanted poking or prodding pretty easily.

Needless to say, we are diligently praying that this was the LAST of the scary episodes with our little one and that pregnancy will be smooth sailing from here on out...

We had a follow-up appointment this past Wednesday and his little heartbeat was 158 and all is well. We will still have our 21 week ultrasound, even though we already know what we are having, just to make sure the delivery date still matches and the baby is still developing normally.

And, yes, you read the title right, Tony is PROUD to let everyone know that he successfully gave us a SON!! So, there was good news that came out of our recent unexpected trips to the doctor. He gave a resounding, "YES!!!" when the ultrasound tech announced what we were having...so I guess we know how he really feels about that! We couldn't be more excited, it's so great to be able to call our little one by name, to know we are having a son and...for mommy, who likes to plan, to be able to pick out nursery themes/colors finally!!

So, for now...mommy waits anxiously for the first good kick from Noah Anthony...should be any day now!!!

BabyWolfe

1,2 & 3

Answered Prayer...

And so we wait...

Halloween Pumpkins & Belly Pics

Full Term, Yeah, Baby!

Family Photos

34 Weeks & What's New with Noahman?!

Go Leopards!

HOF Parade & 30 weeks

3rd Trimester

Oak Island 2011

Ultrasounds, Puggles & Summertime Fun

Noah's Home Videos

12 Weeks

What a little Stud!

Another Little Baby Wolfe to Love!!!

Just Me and My Chewie

Poor Little Bug

Bathy Time Fun

"Snow-ah" Fun & Winter 2011

Christmas 2010 and New Year's Resolutions

"I Two!"

More Pictures!

Random Noah Sillies!!!

First Family Vacation, Haircut Take Two & Tantrums

Why not?!?!

Summertime through the Eyes of a Toddler...

Roughhousing Before Night-Night

18 Months

Dizzy, Dancing, and Refrigerator Raids

Keep-Away and Sleepy Head

Easter and New Discoveries

Biggie Boy Haircut

Let's face it, Noah will always be my little baby boy!

It's Definitely Been Awhile...

Happy First Birthday, Noahman!!!

The Cutest Little Pumpkin

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words...

11 Months Old

He must take after his Daddy...

How Big is Noah?!

Road Trip, 10 Months Old, & A Sleepless Night

Labor Day Weekend

Go, Noah, Go!

First Attempt at Crawling

8 Month Pictures

Oak Island

Pictures of a June to Remember By: Noah Wolfe

The Babblings of a Six Month Old

One Tooth, Three Parties, Five Weeks and Thirty Years

Lots to Celebrate

Dedication Day

Can a 5 Month Old have Allergies?

Recent Happenings in the World of Noah

Who's 4 Months Old?!

Bouncy, Bouncy Baby!

3 Months Old

So I get this email at work on Friday...

2 Months Old

It's "Trial" Week at the Wolfe residence...

Six Weeks Old and Smiling

1 Month Old, Holidays & Dr. Appts

New Mommy Fog...

Noah Anthony Wolfe has arrived!!!

WHOA Belly!!!

37 Weeks

I could be an Expectant Mother for Halloween...

Baby Noah's Nursery

Glucose Tests, Baby Showers & Childbirth Classes

***3rd Trimester***

Why I'm Excited to be a Mom...

All is as it should be...

Random Updates...

Future Place Kicker for the Louisville Leopards

Ultrasound Pictures

It's a BOY!!!

3rd Trimester