Christmas Recap

I was not expecting this to be the face of Christmas:

Or this.

Thankfully there was also some of this:
Christmas last year is such a blur since Noah was only 2 weeks old. It felt like this was his first one, and we were really looking forward to the excitement of it all.
But it became apparent that after maybe 2 or 3 days of finally feeling good (after being sick on his birthday), Noah was coming down with something...just in time for Christmas.

Look at this kid. He's a mess! I'm wishing Photoshop had a de-rashing filter.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family, had dinner and opened a few presents. Noah was still in pretty good spirits.
Christmas morning he seemed a little worn out,
but we opened presents with my family and then headed off to church.
Things kind of went down hill for a while at that point. Really grumpy, really tired, really coughing, and a rash that was getting progressively worse since the night before. Off to urgent care we went -- on Christmas.
He was checked for strep (negative - yeah!) and we left being diagnosed with a bad virus. That was good news to us. And, surprisingly, we also left with a boy in a better mood. I guess he was relieved that it was just a virus too.
So, off we went to spend the evening with Nate's family. They saved us some dinner, we opened presents, and had a great time together.
I'm a little bummed that pictures didn't take priority during the day, because there were a lot of sweet moments with our families that should have been captured.
Despite the unexpected events of the day, it was a great Christmas. Just spending time with our families was so much fun. We had my grandma here from Utah, and Nate's brother is home from BYU. And we can't wait for the rest of his siblings to show up this week.
Here's to hoping for a healthy Christmas next year!

Merry Christmas!

Celebrating One

Noah's birthday last week started out a little bit like last year: at the hospital.

After hours of screaming, none of us could take it anymore, and we headed off to the ER a little before 3 a.m. We knew he had an ear infection, which the doctor confirmed. After only an hour later we were back home, and things were much more calm. It was a sweet moment when my little boy, who has never been a 'rock me to sleep' baby, fell asleep in my arms right at about the exact time he was born the previous year. Despite the exhaustion, it was a sweet, tender gift.

I am so lucky to be his mom.

We gathered our families together on Saturday to celebrate being one.

I kept things pretty simple, but I think it all came together nicely, even the cake.

Which I did photograph outside because it was too dark inside. Go here for details about the cake.

We took a family picture before the partying began,
the camera caught us giving Noah a 'kiss sandwich,'
and, as you can see, he didn't like that at all.

Noah was the perfect cake eater. After a few pokes at the frosting, he dug right in.
I was surprised how clean he kept his face.
He is, after all, the kid who uses his hair for a napkin, remember?
He definitely loves cake and making a mess.
Toys, books and clothes all made for perfect gifts. This little guy sure is spoiled.
I made a ravioli pasta bake for dinner, since ravioli are a Noah favorite.
Noah spent the rest of the evening playing with one family member after another and trying out his new toys. He's a big fan of the tunnel.

12 Months

Noah is one year old!

And after a year, that chair is finally just his size.

Take a look at how he's grown month by month:

So much growing and changing in just one year!

Here are the 12 month stats:

Height: 32 inches (96%)

Weight 25: pounds, 9 ounces (85%)
Head: 48.5 centimeters (95%)

'Da da' is still by far the most common sound we hear from Noah. He loves looking out the window and usually starts talking about Daddy while he's there.

Another perk to being at the window is the pulls on the blinds. This month they became the new favorite chew toy, even though we don't leave them within reach very often.

This kid has some amazing bed head.
Even after a nap it's a little wild.
While Noah is eating we often hear, "Num, num, num," throughout the meal. He started taking the sacrament at church and has expressed his satisfaction with the bread using the same sounds. It's still a little early, but I'm predicting that Noah will be the third lefty in this family of three. He definitely favors his left hand for eating.

It was great being with family at Thanksgiving. Noah's cousin Sammie invited him to his first tea party. He was a polite guest and didn't destroy everything right away.

Noah loves to explore, but, thankfully, isn't naughty at all...yet.
He has been great with the Christmas tree, stopping occasionally to check out an ornament or two.

Noah's favorite game, by far, is chase. He prefers to be in the lead, but will do the chasing too. Most of the time he's up on his knees now, but he's still amazingly fast as an army crawler. After a few strides to get away, Noah always checks behind to make sure we're still coming after him.

What an amazing year for growing, changing and learning...for ALL of us!

One Year Pictures

A few days ago Noah woke up from his nap and was already dressed cute, so we spontaneously headed down to Sutter Street before the sun went down to take some pictures.

He was such a good sport, especially since we made him stand almost the entire time, and he's no where close to walking.
I love how expressive he is with his eyebrows.
This will definitely be a favorite picture spot in the fall for years to come.

How old are you?

One, of course!

Noah takes his tricks very seriously.

One year ago...

Dear Noah,

It was about this exact time last year that Daddy and I were heading to the hospital. My water broke at home, and it seemed like the longest ride of my life.

Earlier that day I was at the salon getting a haircut and color when I just started to feel uncomfortable. I didn't say much, but once I got home I started to keep track of what I thought might be contractions. I did not want to be sent home for false labor so I wanted some real proof if we ended up going to the hospital. That proof turned into 6 hours of documented contractions while I paid bills, cleaned up the house and waited for Daddy to come home from work.
Looking back, I think it's how I dealt with the pain and uncertainty of it. I just stayed focused on the time and when the next one was coming.
Eventually we ended up at the hospital. I labored through the night, and you were born in the early hours of December 8th.
I think I've told you at least a few hundred times in the past year that you are a miracle. I know, every baby is, but you are my miracle. After three years of trying to conceive and three pregnancies, becoming a mom seemed just out of reach for quite a while. You changed all of that.

And while becoming a mom was a dream come true, it was probably the most difficult transition I've gone through. I had been a teacher for ten years, and it was only after leaving that job that I realized how much it had defined me. I was so grateful that I was the one caring for you each day, and yet I longed for those daily successes and accolades that I became accustomed to.

Every day I am reminded in some way that I have found my great work: being your mom.

I've joked that we prayed for a miracle, but I should have been more specific and prayed for a mild-mannered miracle. You were so unhappy for the first few months. Neither of us slept much, and I think we both cried more that we want to admit. :-)
But look at us now. Every day goes by too fast. I feel like I just can't get enough of you, and, despite being worn out, I miss you once you're asleep. Being your mommy is a demanding, sweet job, and being paid in smiles, love and laughter is just fine by me.
We are buddies. You have brought such energy and happiness into our family. We are amazed by you in every way: your silliness, energy, sociability, excitement, and ability to learn new things literally every day.

Oh, and your cuteness is just about more than I can take sometimes.

I'm so glad that love and attention are not limited quantities in our family. You surely get a lot of both, and that's just the way all of us like it.
I don't know what the future holds for the size of our family. Hopefully there will be other little ones. But I'm amazed at how content I am with you.

Just you.

To go from a reality where there might be none, to having an amazing ONE like you is awesome, wonderful and a miracle all wrapped up together. I am the luckiest.
Happy birthday, little man.

I love you.