Noah is ONE! (our last monthly update)

Our baby boy you are officially a year old. What a big boy. Gone are the "baby" days and here we go entering toddler-hood. This past month has been one for milestones, your really taking off developmentally and your little personality is really blooming. You are such a pleasant boy. You love to laugh, play with the kitty, and to be carried around like a sack of potatoes (upside down). You also like to bang on the piano at grammy and grampy's, dance to music, read books, play peekaboo, open and close doors, and move around on furniture. You aren't walking on your own yet, but you are close! You prefer to crawl because you can get places so much faster. You had your first big boy hair cut this month, celebrated your 1st Thanksgiving and Halloween.

 

You hate waiting for food to be ready, talk about impatient! You also hate getting your face wiped, or when anything is taken away from you (meltdown). You also don't like strange noises. You say Mama, Dada and Cat (well we think you say cat anyway).

 

You started at a home daycare when Mommy went back to work last week. You are adjusting quite well, better than your Mom I think. The biggest thing was your refusal to nap. The first few days you just weren't having it, which led to one very tired boy when I picked you up. You love the other children though, and they are so sweet to you. Heather, your babysitter, is the most amazing lady and I feel so fortunate that we found her. She is one in a million that is for sure!!

 

You weigh 23 pounds and are 30 inches long, so you haven't grown much at all since your 9 month appointment. You got 3 needles this week. and handled them like a champ. You are down to taking one long nap a day (most days). You are taking whole milk really well but still from a bottle. They told us at your needles we need to get rid of the bottle by xmas. You have a morning bottle and a bottle before your afternoon nap. We still nurse at bedtime. You eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks at daycare. You basically eat anything that we eat. Some favorites are waffles, grilled cheese, pizza, blueberries, yogurt, and applesauce.

 

You have 12 teeth, including 4 molars. I hope we have a break from teething for awhile. Most nights you sleep 12-13 hours, going down around 7pm. Some nights you wake up once, most times you play in your crib for a bit and then go back to sleep on your own. Other nights you stand up in your crib and toss your soother over the rail and then wail for it until I get up and go in and give it back to you.

 

You like to watch Bubble Guppies, Toopy and Binoo, and my Big Big Friend on Treehouse. You love to play outside, which you do twice a day at daycare as long as it isn't raining out. The fresh air is great for you, and you love to go in the wagon and swing.

I can't believe it has been a year since we welcomed you into the world. We are so lucky to be your parents, and we are thankful for the joy that you bring to us each and every day.

We love you little man! xoxo

 

Our baby is ONE!!!

Tomorrow my baby boy turns one! 

I sit here reflecting on our past year together, and I get so sappy...

Especially so, because this week I returned to work after my year maternity leave,

and Noah started daycare full-time (tear).

(I'll save all that for another post)

One year ago at exactly this time, I was lying on the couch (my water had broken that afternoon) and I was trying (using this word loosely) to watch Gossip Girl while timing my contractions.

I knew I was having a baby within the next 24 hours,

but I had no idea how much our lives were about to change.

Noah has taken us on the emotional rollercoaster of parenthood.

Our lives have been forever changed, and I can't remember what our life was like before he entered this world.

He has been the best baby (well let's be honest his sleeping habits suck), 

he is such an easy going and playful little man 

who loves to laugh, play peekaboo, 

get carried like a sack of potatoes, 

and chase the kitty. 

He really is the love of our lives.

It has been the best year ever,

and I feel incredibly lucky to have spent every day of the 

past year at home being this boy's Mommy.

Best. Job. Ever.

We love you so much little man! 

Happy 1st Birthday xoxo

Noah's Christmas Wishlist: 2013

Our plan for Noah's 1st Birthday and Christmas this year is to go pretty low key. I mean, the kid loves everything that isn't toys lately (paper, coasters, frames, books, tupperware) so why spend a whole pile of money on things he probably won't even play with. Plus, the next few years we can get away with it because he won't even remember! That being said, we are obviously going to get him one of two things, and family will also be going totally overboard I am sure. So I figured it couldn't hurt to put together a little wishlist for the little man.

1. 3 in 1 Smart Trike - I've been eyeing this up for a few months now, just waiting for it to go on sale. These are pricey!! And this week it it $25 off, so I am heading over to Toys R Us to pick one up. It is great, it grows with your child and eventually turns into their very 1st trike. But this summer I can use it to steer Noah around and it has a sun canopy, brilliant! The tires are also air filled instead of the cheaper versions which are plastic and suck.

2. Wooden Toy Box - Noah's toys are getting a little out of control lately and he hasn't even had his birthday or Christmas yet. I saw an adorable personalized hand-made wooden toybox at a xmas craft fair last year and took the man's business card, and this fall I decided to call and order one for Noah. I can't wait to see it!

3. Pottery Barn Everywhere Chair - Well I just found out from another Mommy-friend that Pottery Barn now ships to Canada...ugh oh!! I always loved these Everywhere Chairs that all the other bloggers I follow have for their kids, but figured we'd never have one as they didn't ship here. Well now I have one sitting in my cart ready to check out...but I am going to wait until Black Friday to be sure I don't miss any sales!

4. Costco Rocking Horse- Friends of ours have this horse for their 3 year old, and he loves it. The tail moves, and the horse makes horsey noises and it is so darn cute. Tim and I both had rocking horses as kids, and we thought it would be fun if sometime down the road Noah had his own as well.

5. Imaginarium Cube - Noah plays with this at one of the playgroups that we attend, and he loves it. So it was on sale a month ago and I snagged one for him at Toys R Us for $40 and have been waiting for his bday/xmas to give it to him.

6. John Deere Tractor - I figure every little boy should own a tractor right? So far, he doesn't have any and he loves the one at his daycare and the one at our friend's house that he plays with.

7. Wooden Sled - Last winter Noah was too tiny to spend any time at all outdoors. This year, I hope we spend lots of time outside and what better way then to cart him around in a sled.

And that is it for the little man's list! Any must-have items we are missing mommies??

What We're Loving Lately: 11/12 Month Edition

Well here we are, just a few days away from Noah's 1st birthday so I figured it was time for a "What We're Loving Lately" post. We are obviously still obsessed with a few items on our 10 Month Favorite List such as our wubanub, aquarium, and Nuby sippy cups but we also have some new favorites lately:

1. Stonz Booties - The weather is getting COLD here lately, and we even had our first snow fall today. Noah started at daycare last week, and they spend alot of time outdoors. I contemplated and did alot of research into what kind of footwear I should buy for Noah for this winter. He isn't walking yet, and may not be for a few months so I didn't want anything bulky and heavy which would make walking even more difficult for the little guy. So I decided to go with the Stonz booties (which I found 2nd hand...score!!) and we love love them! They come with fleece liners for when the weather gets really cool, but for now Noah can leave his Robeez on and just put the outer bootie part on right over his shoes. The strings are great, and get nice and tight over his snow pants to keep drafts and snow out. And they are light as a feather. I really recommend these!

2. Baby Einstein DVD's -  We bought a few of these 2nd hand, and Noah loves to watch them. They are the only thing that we watch on TV that really keeps his attention, and they are educational so Mama doesn't feel quite so bad when he watches them.

3. Summer Reusable Placemat - I ran into the pharmacy a few days ago and came across this item in the baby section and thought GENIUS! We eat out a fair bit, and bring Noah with us. And we always leave a huge mess of food behind us and I always feel so bad. We now normally order Noah his own kids meal and let him pick away at it, but I always think ewww he's eating off the table...would I let myself do that, absolutely not! This thing is the greatest invention, when you are done using it you can easily wipe it down and roll it up to put back in your diaper bag.

4. Oral B Baby Toothbrush -  Noah was 12 teeth, thats right 12! So we are brushing his teeth every day with this little toothbrush and he loves it. As soon as we sit him on the counter he reaches directly for his toothbrush in the holder, he knows the drill! He isn't very good at letting us get the top front teeth, but he is getting the hang of it.

5. Silicon Bib - Now that Noah is feeding himself for most meals, we are constantly picking up large pieces of food from his high chair and from the floor. It was getting really annoying so I found these bibs at Walmart and it works great. It catches all those pieces as they fall, and is so easy to wipe down after each meal.

6. Goldfish - We are kind of out of the mum mum phase now, and Noah's new favorite snack are the original goldfish. He gobbles these up like they are candy. I keep a stash in his daycare bag, the diaper bag, and in the car.

Well that is our new 11/12 Month Favorite List!! Next up, Noah's Holiday Wishlist :)

Weaning: Part 2

Well for the past 2+ weeks I have only been nursing Noah in the morning and at bedtime. Again, I gave myself 2 weeks to cut the middle of the day feeding and I haven't had any issues whatsoever going from 3 daily feedings to 2. My body has adjusted really easily.

We had a week's worth of frozen BM to give Noah in a bottle the 1st week, and the 2nd week we introduced cows milk by combining 50% BM and 50% whole milk for his bottle, which he took no problem.

Since going to solely cows milk before his afternoon nap, he hasn't been a huge fan. He prefers to take it in a bottle instead of a sippy, if he takes any at all. It just depends on the day. He will take a few gulps here and there, and then push the bottle or sippy cup away. I don't push it on him, so after he wakes up i'll offer it to him again and then again with his snack after he wakes. Sometimes he takes a few sips, sometimes he just throws it.

I am going to keep up the morning breastfeeding session until he starts to take more whole milk (hopefully a week or 2), and then i'll gradually drop that feeding as well. He is pretty lazy about that feeding, and is normally done within 2-3 minutes.

He nurses like a champ at bedtime though, and takes him time. That will be the last feed to go, so hopefully by 13 months our plan will be to be completely weaned. In the meantime, I want to be sure he is getting enough milk as our family physician told me today he should still be getting about 16 oz/day. He loves table food and eats almost everything we offer him, so I know he is not going hungry.

I'm excited about Noah being sustained on healthy, whole food. Breastfeeding has been an incredible  experience for us, but I can't wait to through my pump at a tree (ok, not really...but atleast boxing it up!!). I am possibly going to shed a tear or two as our bonding time comes to an end...but that's life!

Enjoying all the cuddles I can get before sending the big guy to daycare next week... :(

Noah's 1st Halloween

We celebrated Noah's 1st Halloween last Thursday, and Mr. Monster was a huge hit. 

We decided to keep it short and sweet, knowing Noah can get kind of cranky by 6pm leading up to bedtime. We visited my sister, my parents, a few neighbors and our friends Sue and Brad. I also took Noah into hubs work to Trick or Treat, he (I mean we..) cleaned up!!

getting ready to head out

I took Noah out while hubs stayed home to give out candy to the little trick or treaters. It would have been nice to go together, but we normally get over 70 trick or treaters so someone had to be home. 

It is so nice when friends and family have extra special treats for little ones. Noah got a few baby books, an outfit, some stuffed animals, lots of goldfish and some mum-mums. People are so sweet!

I would say Noah's first Halloween was a pretty great one!!