What's New...

I feel terrible that I have not been keeping everyone up on what has been going on. I feel even more terrible that I only have time for a few words but no videos or pictures yet.

Noah had a fantastic Halloween. He dressed up as a bee and was absolutely adorable. He had a very, very busy Thanksgiving but missed his Nana immensely. We are currently getting ready for my winter break-3 weeks off! I can't wait!

Noah's new favorite place to be is in our laundry basket. He sits in it and is surrounded by many of his toys. He spends a ton of time in there and is actively moving around his toys deciding which one he likes better-or tastes better. He is at that stage where everything he can grab goes directly in his mouth. He rolls around to get to where he wants to go. He can get up on all four and sways back and fourth but isn't really crawling-at least not forward. He is a pro at crawling backwards. He enjoys talking in babbles. It's weird how a mother really believes she knows what he is saying. At least I believe I know what he is saying.

I promise to try and put up more photos soon!

YouTube Update

Youtube videos are now on this blog. Check out the column on the right of the blog-click on the picture-and POP the video appears. Pretty cool. You can check out more videos by going directly to his videos by going to www.youtube.com/babytube420.

Happy Saturday! :)

Busy on Mama's Day Off

Things have been pretty busy since I went back to work. The worse thing is that I don't really get to spend much time with Noah during the weekdays at all. I usually get home around 4:15/4:30 and Noah usually goes to bed around 7:30/8. Since he is never awake when I leave it means I am only spending approximately 4 hours with Noah everyday. The weekends we try to do nice things together but, honestly, I'm tired...so our quality time isn't always filled with quality. But this week I didn't have to work today (Monday) and since I was able to catch up on the rest I needed on Saturday and Sunday I was truly able to spend the day with Noah and his dad...a day filled with quality acitivites.

First, we went to Rocketship Park and allowed Noah to try a lot of firsts.

In the picture below he was riding down the slide! He looks pretty serious but as soon as he was at the bottom of the slide he had a huge smile on his face!

Noah also rode the swing independently for the first time! He enjoyed it for awhile but if I had to guess he had a better time riding the slides!

After the park we decided to go ahead and take Noah for his first haircut. His dad had found a, First Cut, in the PV mall. It is a salon with awesome orange colored rockships for kids to sit in. The tv was playing some cartoon show and kids tunes were playing on the radio. It was a great environment, especially quiet on a Monday afternoon, and the woman there were kind.

The picture below depicts Noah clearly wondering what we have gotten him into!

But once he saw the shining rocket steering wheel he was very pleasant. He didn't cry at all! The woman work exceptionally quickly, maybe too quickly the lines in the back are a little jagged-but overall we were pleased. Not sure we will go back because they are pretty pricy but I am glad we went there for the first time! We received a certificate and they put a portion of Noah's hair in an envelope as a keepsake!

The finish product is a little more trendy than I thought I would do. I was thinking about giving him to "good conservative" look but I love his little spike!

He is obviously letting everyone know now that they better not mess with him!

I am currently working on uploading the videos to youtube so you can check them out. I am adding a privacy setting so that you will have to put my gmail address in order to see them. As soon as I have completely uploaded them I will let you know!

That's it for now...back to work tomorrow...

More Cereal

Just a little update-Noah made his second attempt at cereal today. I think it went well and that it will fit well in our nightly routine...I guess it will make it the 3 B's and a C. Cereal, Bath, Book, and Bed!

Eating Cereal...sort of.

On September 5th we decided to allow Noah to try eating cereal. This is how it turned out:

Hope you enjoyed the videos as much as I did!

Taking steps

It has been awhile since I have posted anything but I have to say that life with Noah while working is very busy. The days are going by so quickly I can't even catch my breath. Noah is doing wonderful! He is smiling all the time and has begun laughing. He is very precious and we all just love him to death!

In this video (taken Sept. 3rd) Noah is attempting to walk forward...how cool!

I apologize for the video being sideways!

Noah ate it!

SAND! HE ATE SAND! Noah's visit with his Grandpa Lele'a prompted another visit to the beach. We just loved watching Noah enjoy being outside and being in the water so we had to go back again.

This time Noah was a bit more adventurous and ended up with sand everywhere AND he sat in the water!

Two Important Firsts...

Noah has finally placed his feet in the awesome Pacific Ocean! Of course this only happened because of a different first-Noah finally got to spend some quality time with his Grandpa Lele'a!

Time spent with his Grandpa was very special to Noah. It was a packed day of excitement. First his grandpa came to pick us up. As soon as he got here, Noah put him to work demanding a bottle. After Noah finished eating we took off to Hermosa Beach. We found a cozy spot under the pier (an easy and FREE way to keep Noah safe from the sun) and just hung out. After Noah got his feet pretty sandy we decided to rinse them off in the ocean. I truly thought that Noah was going to begin screaming because the water is cold but I was wrong. Noah didn't say a word and when we took him out of the water he arched his body back as if trying to throw himself into the water. Once we got him out of the water he was pooped and ready for a nap and we were ready for a meal. We ate at Scotty's while Noah took a short nap and then made our way to our favorite place to buy baby clothes, Carter's. There Grandpa Lele'a absolutely spoiled Noah with wonderful gifts (this on top of great gifts he already brought with him)! After that we walked around the mall for a little while when he found an adorable Hawaiian two-piece outfit, both of us (Noah's mama and papa) are DYING to put him in it!!! We then went to Columbia Park where Noah was able to chill out at one of his favorite spots-underneath a tree! After spending about an hour and a half in the park we marched over the Cherrystone's for a great dinner and we were lucky enough to have Noah's Auntie Jac, Granny, and Unkie join us. The food was delicious as always but the company was most definitely what made the dinner so wonderful! Lastly, Grandpa Lele'a took us home and came back upstairs to help Noah through his 4 B's. Grandpa gave him a bath, fed him his last bottle, and put him to bed. It was overall an amazingly wonderful day and Noah canNOT wait until he can spend more quality time with his Grandpa Lele'a!

How awesome is your So-Cal Baby??

Just had to share these great pictures that Noah's dad took of him yesterday....
Absolutely too cool!

4 Month Check-Up

Noah had a great visit today with Dr. Savitt! At the doctors office he was excellent-he didn't cry until his 3rd shot and while he was being examined he was a doll! Dr. Savitt was very complimentary of Noah's behavior. However, he warned us that behavior can change when he is 6 months old. ..I don't think so...Noah is my little angel and I bet he stays that way FOREVER!!
In this photo Noah is being weighed...he weighed a whopping 15 pounds and 8 ounces! He is 25 1/4 inches long and has a head circumference of 43 centimeters. His weight, length, and head circumference are all in the 75th percentile. I am very excited about how healthy my little man is! Noah is developmentally ready to digest rice cereal now and Dr. Savitt said we can start feeding it to him when we think it is appropriate. I think we will wait because Noah just doesn't seem hungry enough. They say that when a baby is eating 10 times a day and still seems hungry then it is time to introduce the cereal. Until then I just think it is unnecessary for him...our goal is to keep him healthy and that is just what we will do!

This video is of Noah playing with paper on the exam table while waiting for his turn.

This video is of Noah during his examination...notice how great he is.

The last video of his appointment is of the dreaded immunization shots. He was very brave but at the 4th shot he began screaming and turned red...check it out!

Because Noah was such a wonderful and brave young baby boy we decided to go walk the strand in order to reward him! He seemed to enjoy it the best he could...he was tired and a little groggy from the baby Tylenol that he took after his shots!

Since we were in the neighborhood we also decided to stop by Uncle's house. Noah woke up from his nap with a great big smile!

Last but definitely not least was when Aunt Wendy went to feed Noah, Noah took hold all by himself! Check it out!!!

Trip to Granny's

This weekend Noah was lucky enough to go and visit his Granny and Auntie. Noah loves his trip to see his Granny and Auntie! It helped me too because I had to do some deep cleaning to do at home and I didn't want Noah to be around all those chemicals, luckily Granny and Auntie don't mind watching Noah!! Here are a few great pictures! What's the matter sugar? We were getting ready to go!

He loves the toys at Granny's house!

Hanging on to Granny!!

Mama, I love them!

Jumping for Joy!

Last week Noah was delighted to receive his Jumperoo by Fisher-Price. He seems to really enjoy it! It allows him to sit by himself. The chair rotates 360 degrees and there are activities on all sides of the entertainment set. He isn't tall enough to really bounce up and down and move himself around just yet but he pays close attention to the lights and the lizard that you can spin. This was an excellent buy!

Thinking Reasonable

Noah and I have been talking, okay, mostly I have been talking to Noah about his first birthday party. Things just aren't sitting right with me. I can't stop thinking that this is his first birthday party and he just won't remember it. Albeit he will be able to see the photos, I still just do not believe that this is the birthday to go to extremes. I rather wait until he is older and can really move around, form memories, have friends, etc. to go all out. Somebody else said you should invite a lot of people because it means more gifts for Noah, this is true. But I could save all the money on making an elaborate party and buy those gifts myself.
I have also been doing some reading and a lot of people say to try and keep the party only an hour long because the babies get tired and cranky. They also say that the birthday babies really, really love and enjoy all the attention. So, mama needs to settle down and think what is the best thing for her baby. At this point I am thinking that a small little picnic is the way to go. Perhaps I will still have an extensive guess list but I think I will keep it simple, find a closer park, have some finger foods (prepared at home and brought along) and cupcakes (in lieu of cake because it is easier to distribute and the kids love them-and I will have a cupcake stand for display so we have something to take a picture of!), and a pinata. On the invites I will make the party last 1 and a half hours and if people want to stay longer, it's a park so go ahead! I think this will just make everything a lot less stressful and thus more enjoyable for me and Noah. Because as I am sure you were all thinking anyways, no matter what, as long as Noah is loved (which he is extensively everyday anyways) he is going to be happy. And because now I see how much Noah loves being outside-having it in a park seems essential. Pray for no rain and I am sure all will go well.

Busy, Busy, Baby Boy

In no particular order...here is what Noah has been up to:
Hours of entertainment with his new socks:
Noah now sports sock and wrist rattles. He loves them! He will move and shake them and has now begun holding on to the elephant and monkey that he finds in place of his toes. This was a great purchase because it encourages independent play and helps with hand control!

Making a run for the border

We had to make a quick trip to the border and on the way home we decided to stop for a little free entertainment. We went to Balboa Park and walked around admiring the architecture and looking at various gardens. Noah seemed to enjoy himself but we didn't stay long because it was very HOT!

First trip to the park

We went to Harbor Park and found an ideal space under a big tree. Noah loved being outside, looking around, and relaxing. Since his first trip we have been taking Noah out more to enjoy the tree's, fresh breeze, and warm sunlight.Shedding a few tears

Of course everyday is not a perfect day-he is a baby! But even sadden, Noah is absolutely the most adorable little man I have ever seen!

Practicing being a big boy

I am anxiously awaiting Noah's 4 month appointment. Mostly I am excited to see how much he has grown and to hear Dr. Savitt say, "You can start feeding him cereal." Woo-Hoo! I have been doing some research and to encourage his big boy eating it is suggested that he hold his own silverware and sit with us while we eat. So far, so good. He seems interested in what we are eating and is able to grasp his silverware. I had to take away his baby fork because he almost poked himself in the eye!

B is for Bath

Noah loves his bath! I can't wait until I can introduce him to the pool and the ocean!!

Visit to Granny's

Noah and I trekked over to Granny's house and Noah had a fantastic time. He was able to receive lots of love and tender care from his Granny and Auntie Jac. No pictures because I forgot the camera but next time!

The 4 B's or Magic?

As far as I can tell the 4 B's are a hit. Every night at about 6:30 I start Noah's bath. I wash his hair, his body from the front, let him splash a little, flip him over, wash his back, rinse the back of his hair better, give his feet an extra scrubbing (they sweat a lot during the day), take out the infant anchor and let out some water then let Noah kick around for a little while. I take him out of the tub around 7, dry him off, lather him with baby lotion, dress him, and prop him up. Then it is bottle time. He eats while I read him a story. I brush his gums one more time (they really have me paranoid about babies having decaying teeth because they have a bottle too close to bedtime) and then we are almost done. I pick him up and give him a great big kiss, say "I love you," and put him down. He is out like a light! A light shines down from heaven and angels sing...okay not really but hey, I get pretty excited because it is only 7:30. It is fantastic! I have some pictures from our nightly routine but am a little too tired to break out the camera and upload...I will post them in the next few days. The only downside-he sleeps through the night for 9-10 hours. 9 hours have him waking up at 4, 10 hours at 5. A little too early for me-luckily he usually falls right back to sleep after his bottle. I have thought about trying to keep him up longer but that just isn't his schedule. He seems to be like his mom-I go to bed early and so does he!
My next goal is to get a routine for naps. I don't really have a routine for them and he still seems to heavily rely on my rocking him. I've been doing some research but most of it is directed at bedtime not naps. I will continue my search as I am not sure if I need to let him cry it out again. It is just heart wrenching and I wonder if it can be avoided. I will see...and let you know as soon as I do.

Life without a pacifier...still sucking.

Literally, Noah is still sucking. Check it out! :)

Life without a pacifier is going okay. But since I am also trying to create an appropriate bedtime routine which consists of the 4 B's: Bath, Bottle, Bedtime story, and Bed it seems like I am starting all over again. In the plethora of websites and books I have read it states that a bedtime routine is essential. Most of the resources agree with the basic 4 B's. Unfortunately it is not the 4 B's plus C (cuddling) or plus R (rocking). All my sources state that it is necessary for the baby to learn how to put himself to sleep or else I am looking forward to a terribly difficult and needy toddler. It makes sense. Babies need to learn how to console themselves. As long as I provide structure and do it at an appropriate time (believe it or not you can miss the drowsy time frame-go figure) Noah is supposed to be able to fall asleep by himself. Well, Noah doesn't think so. Even with the 4 B's and a little cheating from me (who can help but cuddle this incredibly adorable person?!?!) as soon as I put my drowsy son down-

WHAM!

the little monster wakes up and is livid! Oh man-you would think I was subjecting him to torture. He screams and cries and screams and cries. Tonight it lasted the entire Jack Johnson Curious George Soundtrack plus at least 20 minutes. Towards the end he would fall asleep and then all of a sudden break out in a yell! Man, I know it was hard on Noah but if possible it was ten times harder on me! All I wanted to do was give extra love to my little man! But I stayed strong-stayed true to the research-and he is out! ::Whew:: I wonder what tomorrow will be like...

New high chair

Noah getting used to his new high chair. Looks like he likes it!

At three months old, Noah is just one month away from being introduced to real food! Ok, well the word "real" I use loosely because it really is a little bit of rice cereal with a lot of formula. Still, it is a huge developmental step and I am very excited! Buying a high chair, however, wasn't very exciting...having a baby is very expensive! Luckily Noah's paternal grandfather gave us a new high chair! It is great, we can adjust the height of the chair, it reclines, and even transforms into a rocker (Noah loves falling asleep in it while rocking). The only bad thing, it's leather. Yikes, not ideal for spilled rice cereal, spaghetti, and all that is to come. That's ok, I have been searching online and there are covers that I can purchase that are much, MUCH, more price friendly!
Woo-Hoo!

Excuse his red eyes-don't have the right picture editing tools!

Finding his Feet

Around June 26th I began to notice Noah observing his feet as if they were the most intriguing thing in the world. But it wasn't until yesterday, July 25th that he actually made contact. His dad and I were organizing our scrapbook supplies and Noah was hanging out with us, suddenly Noah reached down and started playing with his toes! How wonderful!!!

(Yes, Noah was helping with organizing the supplies too thus the stickers all over his body!)

Life without a Pacifier

Since this Friday, Noah has not used his pacifier. At first it was not easy at all! He had become accustomed to using the pacifier to soothe himself when he was upset or when he was going to bed. The first day was very difficult. No matter what we did he cried because he wanted his pacifier. But now, almost 3 full days later, Noah is doing much better. He often falls asleep rocking in his new high chair (will write about later) or in his crib without the pacifier. The hardest place is in the car. Noah does not fall asleep in the car unless he is riding on the freeway. Even then, sometimes he just seems to get antsy and he starts balling! Makes things hard but it is definitely worth it because I don't want Noah to rely on his pacifier! Instead, I hope he will be able to self-soothe.

As an aside, Noah has made contact with his feet...but it's been a long day and I am tired so I will write about that tomorrow...

Noah's First Mass

On July 18, 2008 Noah's paternal great grandfather passed away. On Sunday, July 19, 2009 there was a memorial mass or misa. This was a significant event for many reasons including this was the first time Noah experienced a mass and it was in memorial to the great grandfather whose name we used as Noah's middle name, Apolinar. Noah did a wonderful job. The priest actually went to one of the family members house and performed the ceremony there. This was ideal because there are many new babies in the family.

Babies from left to right: Layne, Noah, Athziry, Clarissa, Natalie, and Elizabeth

The ceremony was in Spanish so I couldn't tell you what was said. But I can tell you that Noah was an all-star. He was awake through the entire mass and was well behaved. He looked incredibly handsome and was able to go to all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins that he hadn't met until yesterday. I didn't know his great grandfather but I couldn't help but get a little teary during a particular part of the mass. In Catholic churches after doing one of the prayers you are to shake the hands of the people near you and wish them peace. During this part the priest came out and shook hands with those in the front row (that is where we were). When he came to me he shook my hand and blessed Noah. I don't know why but it brought tears to my eyes! That's right, Noah had his first blessing-how wonderful!

Layne, Allan, and Noah