First Swim

We put Noah in the pool for the first time today.
He was a little unsure of the whole thing at the beginning. But once he moved into the spa, sat in his boat and had a toy everything was fine. At least we know the perfect combination to swimming happiness now.
Sammie and Olivia had already finished swimming when we arrived, but jumped back in to swim with Noah. These girls are great cousins!
Uncle K.C. kept Noah happy in the pool too. It's so fun having him home and being all together again.
Can't wait to swim again!

Becky's Wedding

Nate's sister Becky got married on Saturday! It was a day of joy, excitement and a whole lot of celebration wrapped up together. We are so happy to have Terry as part of the family now.
Becky wasn't the only one showing off her cuteness. The grandkids were pretty darling as well.
There was such an energy of happiness throughout the whole day.
We've been looking forward to this celebration for a long time!
We pushed Noah to his limits. Lots of people and being passed around, warm weather and no nap left him totally worn out by the end of the day. But he didn't let a little tiredness keep him from laughing and smiling along with the rest of us.
It was truly a perfect day, one that literally ended with the happy couple riding off into a beautiful sunset. We're so happy for Becky and Terry!

He's Home!

Today we gathered at the airport to welcome Nate's youngest brother, K.C., home from his mission!
It hardly seems possible that two years have passed already. Each week we looked forward to an email from K.C. detailing his experiences in Uruguay. He has been such an example to us of diligence, faith and optimism.

We had to wait a little longer than expected, but Noah didn't mind. He was quite content to skip his afternoon nap, and Sophie (and his sweet cousins) kept him company while we waited.

As I watched the sweet, tender reunion of a mother and her son, I couldn't help but wonder what it will be like when, one day, we welcome Noah home like K.C.


K.C.'s first words to Noah were, "What a miracle." And then he proceeded to talk in Spanish to him, without even realizing it. That's what happens when you've spoken another language exclusively for two years.

It's so fun having all of the family together again!
And the fun isn't over. We'll continue to celebrate on Saturday at Becky's wedding. Can't wait!

First Family Trip

Nate had a training in San Jose last week, so Noah and I joined him. We stayed with our friends, Andy and Marissa, in Los Gatos, and it worked out perfectly that Andy was attending the same training as well.

While the Dads were off working, Marissa and I took our little ones to the park for a picnic and just let them hang out together.
Adalyn is two weeks older than Noah and they got along perfectly.
This was really the first time Noah has ever been interested in another baby. They became fast friends and had a good time with each other.
Adalyn's dad, Andy, can make Noah laugh like nobody else.

We also packed up the kids and drove to Santa Cruz for a little time at the beach.
Aside from being extra windy it was a perfect day, and we had a lot of fun.
Noah put his feet in the ocean for the first time and couldn't stop looking around at the beautiful new surroundings.
I was admittedly nervous about taking Noah out of our comfort zone and routine of home. There's a lot of security to be found in predictability. In the end, it turned out to be just what we needed. The first night of sleeping was a complete disaster, but it got better. Naps were great, the drive was fine and it was really good for us to get away from the responsibilities of every day life. Now that the first trip is done, we're ready for another for sure.

A First

We've been spoiled.

Thanks to diapers given at my baby showers and thoughtful friends who have given us their leftovers, we just bought diapers...for the first time since Noah was born.

How lucky are we to have made it six months without buying diapers?

Six Months

Noah is 6 months old!

This guy just gets longer and more solid with each passing day.

Here are the stats to prove it:

Weight: 20 pounds, 14 ounces (93%)

Height: 28.5 inches (96%)
Head: 46.5 centimeters (96%)

He's fitting perfectly into his 12 month clothes.

Great things happened in month #6; most notably that he is finally sleeping through the night!

Sleep training has not been easy or come as quickly as I would have liked, but it has yielded great results, including little or no fussing when being put down for sleep.
Noah sleeps for about 11 hours with a little dream feed around 10:30 p.m. I feel like my brain and body are finally getting to catch up from so many months of interrupted sleep. After months of being stuck at 40 minute naps, Noah has learned how to go back to sleep when he wakes and get the rest he needs. That has been awesome -- for both of us.

I'm just as excited that this kid is now a bottle feeder!
It probably could have happened sooner, but trying was always such a battle. I just wasn't in the mood to force it. This must have been the right time because it was a somewhat smooth transition, and he now only bottle feeds.

Sophie the Giraffe is definitely Noah's first favorite toy.
This girl gets us through just about every boring car ride. And when you're rear facing in a car seat, they're all boring. We don't go anywhere without Sophie. Noah especially loves chewing and biting her legs.

Somewhere at the beginning of the month, Noah found his feet. It's got to be one of the cutest milestones yet to see him rolling on the floor while holding onto those chubby feet.
Noah continues to like food -- in any form. I'm having fun making it and trying different flavor combinations. This month he happily sampled oatmeal, banana, apricot, squash, green beans, carrots, peas and blueberries. From the picture you can see that zebra doesn't taste too bad either.

Every month with Noah just gets better and better. He is happy, funny and so curious about life around him.
This month I had some great moments where I could clearly see that diligent teaching really does yield results. I am reminded every day how dependent on and grateful I am for prayer. I know for sure that God wants me to be a successful mother and that caring for this little family is the most important thing I can do. So if that means providing guidance about how to help my kid nap or transition to a bottle, or any other seemingly simple things, He'll give it. And He has. And it continues to make all the difference.