Noah - Month 10

AT TEN MONTHS YOU ARE:
-Finally cutting your first tooth!
-A future athlete in the making, you can be found holding your basketball or launching things across the room 24/7 and you've got an arm for a 10 month old.
-Drinking from your sippy cup like a pro!
-Very vocal - I can't wait to hear what you have to say when you have the words
-wearing 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers

HEALTH
This past month you've been healthy, a few days of fussiness when you were cutting your first tooth, but other than that you were your happy self.  We have your next week check at ONE year (how is that even possible that you are almost one!) and a check up with the urologist next month as well.     

EAT
You are killing it in the food department.  You eat fruits, veggies, meat, and the list goes on.  You'll try pretty much anything (unlike 2 little girls I know who are the complete opposite!)  Some of your favorite this month have been grapes, string cheese, pineapple, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, chicken, granola bars, and waffles.  The more table food you eat, the less baby food we have to feed you which is so nice.  You are still drinking 3 bottles a day, around 5am when you wake up to eat (luckily you go right back to sleep), before your afternoon nap, and before bed, along with 3 meals a day.  You love your food and I love your rolls, so eat on baby boy, eat on.

SLEEP
We've had a pretty solid month of sleep.  You are still waking up once in the middle of the night to eat and honestly if i put in the effort I could probably break you from that, but right now a quick diaper change and bottle and back to sleep in 5 minutes or less is just easier.  This mama is busy keeping up with you and your sister so crying it out at 5am, ain't nobody got time for that.  Most days you wake up between 7-8am, cat nap in the morning and give me a solid 3 hour nap or so in the afternoon, then you are ready for bed around 7pm.  

LIKES & DISLIKES
Your new favorite toy is your basketball or really any ball you can find.  You also love little music toys, shakers, your drum, xylophone, or piano.  Being outside at the park is your jam and you're a trooper every time your sister wants to bring you down the slide with her...over and over again.  At bed time, you love to hold your little lovey in one hand and an extra pacifier in the other, it's so cute.  The bath tub is your other favorite hang out, I can't wait to see what you think of the beach and pool this summer because I think you're going to love it!  You are not a fan of sitting still to get changed, being hungry, or not getting attention...luckily since you have your sisters smothering you 24/7 you don't usually lack in the attention department :)

PERSONALITY

You continue to be the best baby ever, so calm, flexible, and go with the flow.  Your smile lights up the room and you give the best slobbery open mouth kisses to any one that wants one.  This age is so fun because you are no longer just a spectator wherever we go, you love to partake in whatever activity we are doing and usually with a huge grin on your face and the most adorable slicked back hair.  I know I'm biased but you are the most adorable little guy both on the inside and out.  Your first birthday party is in the works (say what!) and I cannot even believe how fast time has flown by.  

FAVORITE MOMENTS
-Bella has finally learned how to say your name!!! You've graduated from "brother" to Noah and it's so sweet to hear your name come out of her little mouth.
-This month you went to your first Princess Ball (sorry you have 2 older sisters) and stole the show as the cutest little prince, were a champ at your first movie in the movie theater, and made a visit to Carolina Beach and met Chris, Abby, Jake, and Ellie for the first time.
-There was a lot of partying this month, Addie turned four and your Dad turned 36 and you're next!
-We put our house for sale this month and sold it in 2 days!  It makes me a little sad that you won't remember our house on Bulrush, but it hold so many special memories for us, including bringing both you and your sisters home from the hospital for the first time.  When we bought this house 6 years ago it was just your Dad and I, a few months later came Cooper, then Addie, Bella, and finally last but not least you joined our crew.  We started as a newlywed couple and are leaving as a family of 5 plus Coop on to our next adventure.

A letter to my FOUR year old Princess

Dear Addie,

We celebrated your 4th birthday last month and life has been a little crazy since then so I am just now sitting down to write you your letter as I've done every year since you were born.  I hope one day when you are older you sit down and read them as I sit next to you in a puddle of tears about how life once was with my little Addie girl.  It blows my mind that although I have so many wonderful memories from the first 4 years of your life, you will remember so little of them.  Luckily, your yearly letters can give you a little glimpse of what life was like and how even these early years will shape you into who you will become in the future.   I honestly can't even wrap my mind around the fact that you are 4 years old.  I remember bringing you home from the hospital like it was yesterday.  It seems like at 4 years old you are all of a sudden leaving those toddler years behind and entering kid territory, which is so exciting and terrifying all at the same time.

At four years old, you are so smart.  You started your first year of preschool this year and you absolutely love it.  You adore your teachers and have such an excitement about learning.  An excitement that makes this former teacher very happy :)  You've been working on your letters, shapes, and numbers.  You love having classroom jobs and love to reinforce the rules with your sister at home (aka Bella it's my turn to be the line leader, you have to get behind me!)

At four years old, you are a caregiver and the best big sister to Bella and Noah.  You have a heart of gold and you truly take pride in taking care of them.  You kiss boo-boos, fetch pacifiers, and entertain them every chance you get and are the perfect little mommy's helper.  Bella and Noah are so lucky to have such an amazing big sister who will always have their backs and be in their corner, no matter what.

At four years old, you have developed the best little imagination.  I feel like over night your "playing" has taken off and it's so fun to watch what your little mind comes up with.  You are creative and your dad is a champ, happily picking up a Barbie doll and playing fashion show with you the second you ask.  You also love to play with your kitchen, always bringing me a cup of pretend coffee at exactly the right times.  I've loved watching your imagination blossom and I can't wait to continue to see where it goes.

At four years old, you have a million friends and you love every single one of them.  You continue to be a social butterfly, you just love people.  It makes me happy that when we walk into preschool your friends run up and greet you with a hug or when I pick you up from the stay and play at the Y you are surrounded with little friends asking when you will be coming back.  "Other Addy" as you call her is one of your best buds and the two of you are so funny, constantly planning sleep overs and play dates to the mall and at only four years old...I have a feeling it's going to be a challenge keeping up with you and your social life in the years to come.

At four years old, you are a Daddy's girl.  No one makes you happier than your Daddy and it's so sweet to watch.  You miss Daddy from the second he leaves for work until the second he gets home and then you don't leave his side for the rest of the night.  You are constantly counting down the days until the weekend because you know that means he doesn't have to go to work.  The two of you have so much fun together and share such a special bond.

At four years old, you love all things princess.  There's not a day that goes by that you aren't twirling around in your dress up clothes, high heels, tiara, and all.  Belle, Cinderella, and Ariel are your current favorites, but you remind me frequently that all of the princesses are your favorite.  It was only fitting that you had a "Beauty and the Beast" themed birthday party this year and you pretty much lost your mind when Belle walked through the door.  A few weeks later we took you to your first ever "Princess Ball" where you not only got to see Bella, but all the other princess as well.  You had the best day ever dancing and singing with all of your favorite princess, you were star struck and the entire day was magical.

At four years old, you can be a challenge at times.  You are very, very strong willed and you know what you want, when you want it, and how you want it, and boy do you let us know.  You are a determined little stinker too who does not give up until you get it.  You love the power struggle and your dad and I have been tested a time or two (or a hundred) over this past year, but the good thing is we are much older and wiser, so we can outsmart you (most of the time!)  I do know that in the future that you will use these leadership qualities of determination, strength, and confidence to do great things in life and that makes these daily battles so worth it.

At four years old, you love life and you love big.  You are such a happy little girl who has the best personality.  You make me laugh, make me smile, and make me want to pull my hair out on a daily basis and at times even all at once.  I don't think you will truly understand how much your dad and I love you until the day that you become a mom and have your own daughter.  Addie girl, you are special and one of my most favorite people in the whole world.

Happy 4th birthday to my princess, my Addie girl!  I love you to the moon and back :)

Love, Mommy

P.S. At 4 years old you are 41 inches tall (80th percentile) and you weigh 38 pounds (73rd percentile.)

Noah - Month 9

Here are your numbers:

WEIGHT: 20 pounds ( 53rd percentile)

LENGTH:  28 inches (29th percentile)

HEAD:  47 centimeters (93rd percentile)

AT NINE MONTHS YOU ARE:
-Toothless
-using your pincer grasp like a pro!
-Sporting a fresh new do!  You got your first haircut this month :)
-Giving the sweetest, slobbery, mouth wide open kisses and it's adorable
-The best eater in the fam, by far!  You'll try just about any fruit or vegetable that I put in front of you, I wish I could say the same about your sisters.
-wearing 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers

HEALTH
This month started out strong as we were dodging the ever nasty flu that was spreading like wildfire all around us.  Unfortunately, sickness did hit our household - 2 days before we had family coming into town for Addie's 4th birthday party.  Luckily, it was not flu.  You got your first, not single, but double ear infection and it was so sad.  You spiked a fever as high as 105 and you were just pitiful and I felt helpless.  It took 2 trips to the pediatrician, 4-5 solid days and sleepless nights, and a change in antibiotics before you started feeling like yourself again.  I was so happy to see it go and so happy to have my smiling, laughing little boy back.

We also had your 9 month well check.  Dr. Fink is happy with your progress, you are a growing boy and developing right on track.  I would like to focus on your gross motor skills over the next couple of weeks.  I know all babies learn and develop at a different pace, but I am starting to get a little concerned that you are interested in crawling or pulling up yet.  Dr. Fink said not to worry, we will keep an eye on you and hopefully you will be right on track by your 12 month well check.

EAT

Not much has changed, you still have the same feeding schedule as last month.  The development of your pincer grasp has made table food so much easier - now if we can just work on some teeth!  Most days, you drink about 24 oz of formula, 5-6 jars of baby food, and table food/snacks too.  We are still working on the sippy cup, right now you think it's more of a toy than part of your meal.

SLEEP
We've struggled with sleep this past month, mainly because you were sick.  Those couple of nights were ROUGH.  The night before Addie's 4th birthday was the worst, I think I spent more hours rocking and soothing a sick baby than actually sleeping.  Then, ever since then it's like we can't get our rhythm back.  Most nights you are up once (but even the time is all over the board), some nights its 2-3 times, and there has even been a time or two you completely slept through the night (oh how I would love more of those nights!)  I would love some consistency in this area, think you could help me out buddy?

LIKES & DISLIKES

You love being outside and out and about, you are Mr. Social and make a friend every where we go.  You are a happy camper sitting on the floor with your bin of toys.  You think your sisters are hilarious and so entertaining, it's probably part of the reason you aren't mobile yet.  Puffs are another one of your favorite things, you get excited the second you see that yellow container.  You do not like being sick, having a poopy diaper, or sitting still to get dressed.  

PERSONALITY
We are officially 3/4 of the way through your first year and I can't believe it.  You've officially been on the "outside" as long as you were on the "inside" which is just crazy to me.  Time is absolutely FLYING by and I've loved every second of watching you learn and grow these past 9 months.  You are so easy going and happy 99% of the time.  Your toothless smile and baby giggles make my day, every single day.  Life is so much sweeter with you in it and we cannot get enough of you, Noah Ryan.  

FAVORITE MOMENTS

-You got your first haircut this month and you were so cute sitting in Daddy's lap at the barber shop.  I love your new do, it makes me a little sad how big it makes you look though.
-We had so much fun celebrating Addie's 4th birthday.  It was a busy weekend of activities and you were such a trooper given the fact that you were fighting your double ear infection.
-I love your kisses.  You go all out - grab my face, open mouth, and all.  It's a slobbery kiss that I'll never get sick of.
-Love was in the air and we celebrated your first Valentine's Day.  We had a fun play date at our friend's house and on Valentine's Day you had a date at home with me while your Dad took out your sisters.  

Best of 2017

2017 has been an amazing year!  Addie turned 3 in February and continues to keep us on our toes.  She is obsessed with all things princesses, going to Busch Gardens, and hanging out with her buddies.  We grew from a family of 4 to a family of 5 when we welcomed Noah into our crazy crew in May.  We spent our summer loving on our new little guy and soaking up as much sun and sand as possible.  Bella turned 2 in August and though she may be tiny, she is fierce!  She is Addie's little shadow who has also started giving her a run for her money! Bella loves choo-choo trains, dancing, and her baby "brother" as she calls him.  Both girls started their first year of preschool in the fall and they absolutely love it!  Noah turned 6 months old in November and it's been so much fun to watch his little personality shine through and crazy to even imagine our lives without him in it.  This year's Christmas was my favorite one so far, nothing beats watching the Christmas magic through the eyes of your little ones.  Life with 3 kids 3 and under keeps things pretty chaotic for Eric and I, but we wouldn't have it any other way! 

BEST OF 2017, month by month...

JANUARY

2017 was off to a great start when Eric won "Salesman of the Year."  Although we weren't able to make it to the conference this year, the girls and I had fun celebrating with him when he got home.

FEBRUARY

Our Addie girl turned 3 and we celebrated with a fun Pizza & Movie Night birthday party.  Eric and I also spent the most amazing week in Maui on a rewards trip from Jostens turned Babymoon!  We even got to hang out with Brian & Carla while we were there because they were in Hawaii for a wedding.  Towards the end of the month, we took the girls to Great Wolf Lodge for the very first time and it was a blast!

MARCH

We started the month celebrating Eric's 35th birthday.  Addie played soccer for the very first time and was potty trained!  We ended March with a trip to DC to see Pap, Grandma, T, Uncle Brian, & Carla.

APRIL

April was baby prep month!  We had a fun maternity photo shoot with my good friend Sarah, my friends and family through Noah and I an amazing baseball themed baby sprinkle, and the girls took a big siblings class at the hospital.  We had our family in town for Easter and had lots of family adventures including trips to Busch Garden. the zoo, the beach, botanical gardens, and the pool.  

MAY

My absolute favorite memory of the entire year was in May when we welcomed Noah into our family, being a boy mom never felt so right.  From anxiously walking into the hospital with my big ol' belly to laying eyes on our sweet boy for the very first time to having my heart literally beat out of my chest when the girls met him for the very first time, it was by far the best day of the entire year. 

JUNE

June was a time of lots of newborn snuggles, fun in the sun, and adjusting to life as a family of FIVE.  Kristen came to hang out with us for 2 weeks while Eric was busy with graduation season and it definitely was nice to have the extra help.  We started our weekly dinners with our neighbors and it's quickly become something we all looked forward to every week. 

JULY

We kicked off July with a road trip to Pittsburgh to celebrate the 4th, my cousin's graduation, and introduce Noah to his Pittsburgh family.  We also went on our annual family vacation to the Outer Banks, which was another highlight in 2017.

AUGUST

We flamingled our way through August as our Bella bean turned 2.  The Hazelwoods came into town for it and the kids had so much fun hanging out with Uncle Jay.  We also had lots of beach days and evenings, went to Busch Gardens about 100 times, and lots of other fun times with our friends and family as we soaked up every last bit of summer time.

SEPTEMBER

We started September with a little family getaway to the Outer Banks, just the five of us  Addie had her first day of preschool in the Owls class and also started ballet classes. 

OCTOBER

In October, Bella had her first day of preschool in the Bees class.  Eric, Noah, and I escaped for a long weekend in Chicago to visit Kristen, while the girls stayed behind with the sitter.  Then we turned around and we took the whole crew to Pittsburgh for a long weekend.  In between trips, we did all things Halloween - pumpkin patches, pumpkin painting play dates, and parties.  Eric and I ran the Wicked 10K with some friends.  We trick-or-treated as "Lions and tigers and bears..oh my!"

NOVEMBER

November was full of celebrations - Noah was baptized, we held our annual Friendsgiving, had a quiet Thanksgiving at home, and decided that we were going to build our dream home in 2018!

DECEMBER

The most magical time of the year sure was just that this year.  Christmas town became our second home and we loved every second!  We checked off all things Christmas on our to-do list including seeing the big man in red more times than I can count.  The girls put on the sweetest performance at their Holiday show and I surprised Addie with her first Mommy-Daughter date to the Nutcracker.  We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day continuing our traditions, both old and new, followed by an extra long trip to the Burgh.  We ended the year with some exciting news because my brother finally popped the question and Carla said yes!  She will officially be part of the family, let the wedding planning begin!  2017 was the most perfect year and I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for us!