4, once more

Noah had his 4 year old doctor visit this week. He was 40 inches tall (3 1/2 feet) and 39 lbs. 
He is still in the upper percentiles for weight which surprised me because he is so skinny these days (as you can see in the pool picture).

At age 4 Noah is very self sufficient. He has very few tantrums any more, he is a happy, thriving little boy. We are working on reading and currently have 4 early reading books that he can do almost on his own.  We are also re-purposing those annoying fridge magnets that Noah always shoved under the refrigerator.  We line them up and spell words and then make sentences with them.  Here is an example from the other day.  Noah can move his name and the right words to make a sentence about himself.  He loves to do this and would do it all the time. 



He is so (overly) loving and has to hug and squeeze every person and child he sees, sometimes to the point of knocking them over!  He is still completely animal focused and continues to collect the Schleich animals which he plays with constantly.  He really doesn't focus on almost anything else in his entire playroom.  Here is an every day picture of how we find random surfaces in our home...animals lined up in order, marching somewhere or in little caves with their animal families.

 

I'm so happy with who Noah is right now.  I always wanted a little boy who would be sensitive and sweet, caring and compassionate. Honestly, I was afraid to have a little boy... afraid that he would be a bully or super rough.  I know Noah is only 4 but his personality right now is exactly how I had hoped it would be!

Maeve, 11 months

NOOO!!!  Don't say that we only have one more month until our baby is a year old!  I am having a hard time believing that!

At 11 months, Maeve has become quite the pudgy little girl!  Despite her tiny beginnings, she is an eating machine.  Whenever Noah has any food at all, Maeve moans until she gets something as well.  We were on a walk and Noah had a lollipop and Maeve was able to continually pull it out of his mouth.  When I took it away from Noah she screamed bloody murder and we had to head home!  She is very demanding and knows exactly what she wants!  She has, however, turned a corner and her demeanor is much happier.  When she went through teeth and a cold over the last few months she was very grumpy and it seemed that it would last a long time.  We are so glad she is happy again.

Maeve is pulling up on everything and cruising (which Paul calls "shimmy-ing") along furniture.  She can stand briefly without help but collapses quickly. 

She is saying MaMa, Dada, Baba, and other variations of this sound.  She is an avid kisser and is constantly puckering her lips, it's sooo cute.  She squeals with delight and babbles a lot.

Her favorite thing right now is shoes.  Wherever you leave your shoes she will quickly come get them and clap them together.  She also enjoys keys and things she can bang together.  

She is in to absolutely everything and especially enjoys taking anything off of any table top or end table top.  She loves Noah's toys and destroys anything she can while looking in his direction with a grin.  It is really rather amusing for us to watch.

We are having so much fun with our little girl.  Her dimpled smile can melt your heart in an instant.  Her joy and love are so evident.  Life is slowly resuming to normal and we are so excited for what the future holds!!!!

They're Here!!!

If you're wondering where we've been, Len and Sandra are here from Iceland.  It's their first trip back to the states since their move.  They are staying right across the street and so we're very busy spending time with them!!

A Rich Day in Heaven

Today Noah, Maeve and I attended my Uncle Stanley's funeral. My uncle was my mother's sister's husband. There is a large age gap between my mom and her sister, so my Uncle Stanley was more like a grandparent than an uncle. When I was young my aunt and uncle would often watch me after school (when I was in Kindergarten) and take me to the park. They did a lot of driving for my grandmother and I was often with her as well so I saw them a lot. My uncle Stanley was an awesome guy. He was so gentle and patient. I was telling Paul that they were a couple that I always thought was madly in love. They held hands until he didn't know what was going on anymore.

Today I trekked up to Reading with the kiddos to attend his memorial. It was at a Catholic Church and I thank God for the crying room! We were able to sit and enjoy the service and be squirmy all at the same time! The kids did really really well. Noah had a bag of animals with him and he set up a funeral with the animals. He wanted to know a lot about how Uncle Stanley died and if I was really sad.

The priest was good and though I'm sure it was a standard sermon, I still liked it. He talked about how after the crucifixion, Jesus' friends were probably telling stories... Remember when Jesus walked on water, Remember when he told us he would save us... and how their hopes were dashed, until the resurrection happened and they realized that their remember when's were not hollow. He encouraged us to remember times with my Uncle Stanley in that same way... looking back and looking forward at the same time. Knowing we cannot hold on to him.

It was incredibly difficult to watch my aunt. She was very strong through most of it and then when it was time to follow the casket out of the church she crumbled. I cannot imagine following the love of your life out of a church at a funeral. The very thought makes me sick to my stomach, despite all that I know and believe, I still think it would be horrific.

Afterward Maeve fell asleep in the car and so I didn't want to get out or turn the car off. The burial was indoors and so I just drove around the cemetery telling Noah about the tombstones. I forgot that some of my family was buried there so I drove around looking for my grandmother and grandfather's tombstones. I found them quickly and my heart just skipped a beat and I started to cry. I loved my grandparents sooo much. I got out of the car and just talked to my grandmother. Noah got out and ran over to the grave and gave it a big hug. He is an amazing little thing. He asked if they were covered in mud since they were in the ground. He was worried that his grandparents would die soon but I assured him that it would be okay. Then he saw a pinwheel on another grave and was distracted.

It was a pretty good day and I was very happy with how well they both did. I do think that Noah has something special in him though... something really divine. He talks to God and about God all the time. Today he wanted to know why Jesus can't come back to earth right now. I just hope I can foster this curiosity and help him to grow and love God and the church. I don't know how to ensure he'll never leave God's side and I know there is no sure way I can insure that, but I wish I could. For now, I'll just keep telling him the stories. Remember when...

Frog Party!!!

Noah had an awesome 4th birthday party!! On Saturday we had a great Frog party!

We prepared 2 different frog cakes, one 2D and one 3D. We also made frog cupcakes. The food was so much fun. We had Pond Water (kool aid!), green fruit and green vegetables, and lots of other great food items.

We decorated everything with lily pads and frogs. There was a frog painting station and a cookie decorating station and a bean bag toss. The kids generally just played on the swing set and ate yummy food!

Everyone who attended was quietly offered an African Drawf Frog (no plastic crap!) to take home in a complete ecosystem. We understood that not everyone would be interested, but it was a GREAT gift!

Noah didn't open many presents while folks were here but he did open gifts from great grandma and great grandpa. In the bag were two animals -- a kangaroo and a giraffe and this gift caused him to retreat into animal world and completely play by himself with his animals... can we say obsession?!


Noah had such a fantastic time and was simply giddy to spend the day with his friends and family!!!

My little prince turns 4 tomorrow and I'm so happy for him!!!!

Almost 4

This is a very hard post for me to write, mostly because it is impossible to capture it all in words and difficult to convey how I really feel.

Last night I came down from putting Noah to bed and just cried.  A lot.

Paul was super worried about me and thought something awful had happened.  Nothing awful happened at all.  It's just that Noah is almost four.

Here's how bedtime went:

Noah put on his footed pajamas himself.  He brushed his teeth himself.  He rinsed out his mouth.  He raced to his bedroom and picked out his current favorite book:  Little Panda.  He picked out the words he knew and we practiced spelling panda over and over.  He said his prayers and picked out people and moments he especially wanted to thank God for.  He said the Lord's prayer.  We sang Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children. 

Then he asked me to tell him about when he was a baby.  I told him lots of stories about how PopPop used to rock him on the porch swing in the winter and how Gwen (our cat) used to snuggle up next to him.  I told him again about his first birthday party and how he smashed the cake in his face.  He asked if we used to tickle him the way we tickle Maeve.

We just laid in bed and talked for an entire hour.

He had just watched a show where an elephant was left out and cried.  He was very worried about Stompy and being left out.  I asked him if he felt left out and he said no.  I told him there were lots of people who loved him very much, but he was worried that someday he would be left out.  I told him that when he understands how much God loves him he will understand that he will never be left out.

He asked what shape it is where God lives.

I answered that it wasn't really a shape, but if I had to say it would be a circle.

He asked if it was big enough for everyone.  I said it was.  He asked if it was big enough for everyone and their houses, too.  I said it probably was big enough for that.

He asked if it was big enough for the people who's houses broke that we saw on TV.  He was remembering the earthquake in Haiti in January!  I was stunned.  He asked if God could fix their houses and make sure that they could all fit in the big circle, so no one would be left out.

I was crying when he was saying this and he asked me why I was crying.  I told him that I used to live with MomMom and PopPop but I don't live there anymore.   I told him that the more he grows that someday he will move out and do new and great things and he won't snuggle with me at night anymore and I will be sad.   I told him I was so happy for him and for how awesome he is and for all that God has in store for him, but that I was sad that he would never be little again.  That I never wanted to imagine a day without him in my home anymore.

After we were done talking he asked me to sleep with him for a little while (he asks this every night).  I said I would sleep for 1 second.  He said Daddy always sleeps for thirty seconds.  I agreed to thirty seconds.

You see, it's not that I don't want him to grow up, because I want him to have a great life, and he will.  It's just that everything is so fleeting.  Every moment is gone so quickly that I don't feel like I get to savor them enough, even when I am really in the moment.  For now, we are still the center of his world.  And while the incessant talking and needing and whining and questioning gets old very quickly, I just know that the burrowing he has done into my heart will slowly become a void each time he decides to go out and do something on his own.

I love who he is right now.  More than I ever thought I could love.  I absolutely love almost 4.  I will probably love what is next too, but it's so hard to let go of this moment.

At least today on the way home from school he said that when he grows really big he will be 10.  I said, you're never going to be 11?  He said, no, 10 is super old, Mom.

10 Terrific Months

Our little girl is 10 months old.  Every passing day is bittersweet to think that she is no longer my tiny little peanut who slept in my arms.  This month has brought some big changes for Maeve.  She is crawling with fierce speed.  She is pulling up on everything. She is starting to climb steps. She wants to stand alone desperately.  That dreaded moment happened where she was standing in her crib.  She now has two teeth.  She is saying dada and some other variations of things like hi, mama, and just some multiple syllable banterines. Bring out the baby gates!


She is still sleeping a lot but is happier when she is awake and can last in public longer.  She still will not sleep anywhere but in her crib (boo).  That should be fun when we go camping next month!  She also still refuses to sleep without being swaddled.  The doctor said she is just likes to be wrapped tightly, just like some adults. 

As for her disposition, she is generally happy.  She likes to chuckle a lot and she can stay content playing with anything for quite a while.  The playroom is her favorite place because there is just so much to look at and touch. She is rarely content with an exersaucer or walker any longer and wants to be on the move all the time.  She is finicky, though, and will not eat certain foods or do certain things if she is not in the mood.  We could be in big trouble later in life!