We Love Ya, Stevie

A few of Noah's latest discoveries:

- Double-fisting It - He can now palm a block in each hand and knock them together.

- The Stevie Wonder - Noah smiles, looks up toward the sky, sways right to left, and wags his head. It's the most adorable expression of delight - and a hilarious imitation of the great entertainer.

- Na-Na-Ba-Ba-Ra-Da-Da-Da-Ma-Ra-Ma-Ma - That's right! He's saying my name! Amidst a few other syllables, of course...

- Spin the Wheel - Noah can walk his hands toward whatever he wants within an arm-length radius. He can't quite drag his whole body, so his torso becomes the hub of the wheel as he spins around with his arms in the lead. He can also roll toward anything within about 3 feet. So he's still containable, but not quite trustworthy on a sofa or bed.

Happy Mother's Day

Since Noah was born, I have found that I...

- Listen to Moody Radio
- Attend weekday Bible study
- Wear more t-shirts than "blouses"
- Sing hymns, especially "Great is Thy Faithfulness"
- Call Noah my "little lamb"
- Solve the world's problems on the phone with friends
- Clip coupons
- Cook easy casseroles
- Have a sore back (Noah's not getting any lighter)
- Conserve, re-use, recycle
- Eat peanut butter almost every day
- Work to make sure Josh know he's not forgotten
- Pray, pray, pray

In short, I'm becoming my mother. And fortunately for me, that's a very good thing.

Thanks Mom. I love you.

Lucky

I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. I haven't written much about Noah's sweet disposition because somehow it felt like bragging. And I think I'm not the only one. I've noticed lately that sometimes when I compliment other babies or toddlers, the moms contradict me.

ME: "She's so sweet tempered!"
MOM: "Oh you should have seen her last night - she knows how to throw a fit."

ME: "He's so polite."
MOM: "Well - that's just 'cause he wants something."

It sounds terrible -- disparaging their own children, in front of their children. Yet it's surprisingly easy to do. It feels self-deprecating, as if our children were merely extensions of us (their moms) rather than independent people worthy of encouragement (and sensitive to discouragement - especially from Mom).

So in an effort to make sure I don't fall into this trap, I've decided to rave a bit. If it sounds like bragging, so be it. There couldn't be a better reason.

For the last week, Noah has been a little under the weather - a low fever last Thursday and then a cough ever since. He's a little clingier and fussier, but not crying a lot, still sleeping through the night, still content when running errands with me, still smiling at people and easily entertained. In short, he's still been sweeter and easier to have around than I would expect of a healthy baby. And, it turns out, he has an ear infection.

Last night, I had to take him with me to Publix just before bedtime to get his antibiotic. He was hungry, tired, coughing, had an ear ache, and is cutting a tooth. And by the time we left Publix, I think everyone in the store had said something about how sweet and cute he is. A few toys to suck on, a few words of encouragement, and a round of "Old MacDonald had a farm" were enough to keep him happy. Naturally, he has moments of crankiness, and as he grows, he's learning how to express his desires and displeasure (especially at bedtime). Yet I am still amazed that he is so patient and sweet-tempered.

And it's fun to see how his personality plays out as he develops. For example, he's always been social and fairly verbal - smiling and babbling up a storm. He's also been such a content baby, that he doesn't show much interest in rolling or crawling. I have a hunch that he'll be talking early and walking late. But it could be the opposite - I just love that we get to find out. That we get to know him, study him, and encourage him to keep going, trying new things, and expressing himself in respectful ways.

And I thank God that our first baby is such a happy baby. There's enough uncertainty and fear and ignorance wrapped up in being a first-time parent; I'm so glad it wasn't overlaid with a sensitive or colicky kid. Which brings me back to my first thought: maybe I am the luckiest mom in the world.

Spring Resolutions

Now that I'm home full-time, I'm rediscovering the subtle science behind planning my own week. Even in my old job, I loved being busy with urgent needs. In the rare moment when all was quiet, I had to intentionally dig into a long-term project or I would start to feel...bored, despite the stack of non-urgent projects sitting in my inbox. The urgent essentially planned my weeks for me. Without that, discipline (i.e. anti-procrastination) had to kick in.

At home, the same applies. Caring for Noah, preparing for weekend plans, attending weekday activities, working on freelance work, running errands - various urgent tasks often eat up my weekdays. But then there are days when the urgent subsides and I see a blank slate in front of me. There are piles of projects all around, but none calling to me. Sometimes it's a relief, other times it's disconcerting. For those other times, I've decided to create a list of goals to help structure my free time:

-- Babyproof our kitchen and bathrooms
-- Clean out the garage (including pressure-washing the floor)
-- Get involved in a service project (with Noah)
-- Organize our library (currently scattered across the house)
-- Get in shape (which may involve a YMCA membership)
-- Read the Bible every day
-- Read book club selections (Having a Mary Heart is next)
-- Decorate our great room (part of prepping the house for resale)
-- Brighten someone else's day at least 1/week
-- Organize my grocery shopping (when, coupons, etc)
-- Create a weekly routine

It would be easy to overcommit in an effort to fill my time with urgency, but as you can see, the non-urgent projects are worthwhile if I just allow room for them in my schedule.

If you have suggestions for ways you handle free time or set priorities, I'd love to hear them! And I'll let you know how this goes once I've actually tried to put it into practice.

Noah and a friend enjoying some non-urgent time under a tree
(Courtesy of Southern Photo)

My torso is made of plastic!

After a weekend spent with lots of friends and their many boy babies, Noah had a welcome visitor this morning - A GIRL! Granted, Mommy is also a girl, but they don't count when they're almost 3 times your size.

Then this afternoon, Noah made a startling discovery: there's a diaper down there! Soft, durable, and readily accesible for tug-of-war, it turns out the diaper is right near his other favorite toys: his feet. Now his changing-table toy (a stuffed bee) is even more important to distract him from interfering in diaper changes. Unfortunately, this new development also gave me a glimpse into the future. I can already see the day he discovers that unlike his feet, the diaper is removeable... (cringe)

Breakthrough!

This morning, I stuck my finger in Noah's mouth (don't worry - I don't do that with most people) and felt something new! We had a little party at 7am.

The only challenge was figuring out how to capture such a triumph. Mommy held Noah while Daddy took pictures, adjusted lighting, and finally held open Noah's lower lip. As a result of all that effort, perhaps you can see what's barely visible in person...

Where's Noah?

Ok, so maybe he's not too hard to find. I have noticed that my photography has a certain theme to it these days. While I like to think our house is not child-centered, it seems our camera is. Ah well - at least there are other family members in the shots...