Noah's Room

I slacked off on my blog tour of our house after I posted the dining room. But everything is done now, so I have no more excuses! I was just waiting on this one for my parents to visit us and hang Noah's quilt on the wall. And I had to remove the room-darkening panels to let some light in for the photos! :)

Spring Break '10

Whew! This is gonna be a long one with, I believe, 24 pictures!



My parents flew up for a visit over my mom's spring break and we had a busy time exploring! We picked them up in Charleston, WV on Saturday, March 19.

A little boy glad to see his Mimi and Papa.

So proud. Sitting on his new little trike, which is part of his birthday gifts from Mimi and Papa. That's about all he can do is sit with close supervision at this point. :)
Contemplative.

While they were in town, I entertained by taking my parents to visit the North House Museum and Civil War Cemetery in downtown Lewisburg. My mom really loves old stuff.

This is me checking out the angel headstone in the cemetery. It has a creepy story that goes along with it and everything. So many cool, old ghost stories around here.

Noah even said his first (understandable) word while Mimi and Papa were here. The word is "piggy" but it actually comes out "iggy." Unfortunately we have not been able to get him to say it on camera. This got started because they gave him a barnyard book that makes animal noises when you push the buttons.

Here is Noah reading his book and telling Papa about the "iggy."

Mom and I went out one afternoon and she took many pictures of the many old houses in Lewisburg.

We found a church where a cannonball went through the wall during the Battle of Lewisburg during the Civil War.

Then while Noah stayed with the babysitter on Thursday morning, we drove to Hot Springs, VA to check out the Homestead Resort. I absolutely loved it. Maybe even more than the Greenbrier.

The front entrance.

The Presidents' Lounge. Me checking out some recent POTUS's to visit the hotel.


Dad and I basking on the front porch.

This place was built before the Revolutionary War. Technically it belonged to the Brits at one time. It's that old. OK, maybe I am a tiny history buff myself. Very tiny.

The drive between Covington and Hot Springs was very winding and incredibly beautiful. Check out the waterfall!

Another afternoon, Jeremy left work early so we could go check out the Lost World Caverns, a really neat cave right here under our town.

A little bat still in hibernation.

We even caught a glimpse of Air Force One making some practice runs on the way back. (They do this somewhat often. Something about training in the wind currents between mountains here.)

I sat Noah down in the grass for the first time in a long time. He really wasn't sure that he wanted his feet touching the grass, as you'll see from his dangling feet.

Not sure that I want to try crawling in this, Mom. Finally, a place I can sit him and expect him to sit still!

Posing with Mimi and Papa at a restaurant we tried to eat at, but found it was closed.

If you are still with me, you are a trooper! Or maybe you just have some time on your hands. Either way, thanks. We enjoyed our visit very much. Noah popped out his 3rd tooth (top front)on Saturday, March 20th, the day after my parents left and has another one getting ready to spring forth right next to it. He had not gotten anymore teeth since the last time my parents visited, at Christmas! Almost 3 months was a long wait. He decided he didn't want to take morning naps while they were here and I was afraid he was dropping the morning nap a little too early! Not so, we are getting his sleep schedule back on track. Apparently we just can't have company or travel and think that he will be well-rested and on track. It didn't help that they arrived along with Daylight Savings and his fourth cold of the season. Anyway, we are planning an exciting return trip for June already!

11 Months Old

Here we are. On the verge of being one year old. Oh my goodness.

Plans for the big bash are in motion. Sort of. At least I have booked flights to Texas, made arrangements to stay at my cousin's house, convinced my aunt that having a first birthday party at her house will be spectacular, and ordered the invitations. I've still got to mail those out as soon as they arrive, order all the supplies and ship them to my parents' house, get cakes decided and ordered, get his pictures made here, etc. Oh boy.

In the midst of that, I have finally ordered the safety gates for the stairs, am shopping for the new car seat, getting ready for the painter to start the kitchen cabinets this afternoon, and planning for my parents upcoming visit. They arrive Saturday, March 13 and are staying until Friday, the 19th. Yay! Maybe I can finally get a break and let someone else chase Noah for a while! Oh, and I also need to order a new spring/summer wardrobe and finally get some shoes for the kid! I hear that clothes make great birthday gifts. ;)

The boy has been keeping his mama on her toes lately! He is constantly on the move and into something. I can't wait to get those safety gates in so we can set up a nice, safe playroom upstairs for him. Not sure how that will go, however, since he sits by the baby corral in the living room and cries as though we have seriously wounded his spirit. I had no idea that between 9 and 12 months it is normal for babies to start waking up at night again and crying, but we seem to have gotten past that now. Noah is crawling, pulling to a standing position, saying the "m" and "n" sounds, and eating everything we give him, including asparagus, beets, and tilapia! He hates it when I give him a sippy cup, not real sure how to get him going on that. He takes a sip or two, then gets mad and pushes it away. I'm scared of being that mom I saw in the airport whose 3-year-old was still drinking from a bottle, so I wanted to get him used to it! No luck yet. He is almost ready to switch to whole milk, which will be much nicer to buy than formula! I have been educated by a friend about the dangers of forward-facing car seats, so Noah unfortunately will not be turning around to view the world until he is two. She made me watch terrible video clips about toddlers with spinal cord injuries that brought tears to my eyes. ;)

Little man is getting into throwing the fits already. Independence is such a beautiful thing, right? :) As my mother would say, he throws a "wall-eyed fit" everytime we change his diaper. What happened to the docile baby who patiently waited for me to clean him up and change his clothes? Unfortunately, not sure how to correct that at this age. I guess it's just frustrating not being able to communicate or do what you want to do.


So what if I have banana on my chin?


Handsome devil.

A new friend, William, came to visit this morning with his mommy and the boys had a lovely time. Will is a very laid-back little guy and did not mind when Noah yanked toys away from him. (Sharing...hmm.) That must mean the start of a beautiful friendship. :)

I had a terrible time getting a non-blurry photo of the two chums.

New Stuff

I have a lot of shopping to do for Noah! And I need some advice...I am looking for safety gates to go at the top and bottom of the stairs and a convertible car seat. Any suggestions??