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Feliz Cumpleanos Primero en Tejas

Whew! I did not take a single picture the whole weekend but luckily everyone else took a bunch for me! And they are a bear to upload so many on here. Gonna be a long one... :)



So we headed back to Texas to commemorate the momentous first anniversary of Noah's birth. This means two long days of travel. Here he is waiting for our first delayed flight out of Roanoke. Quite the happy camper. :)

Fun on the airplane.

We stayed with my cousin Allison and her family over the weekend. They have lots of space and are all set up for babies, of course, so it worked out just perfectly. The Chamblees were very sweet to have us! Jake even shared his swing for a few minutes. :)

It was fun being moms with Allison for the weekend, probably because we spent so much time playing "moms" while we were growing up together.

Here are the kiddos at breakfast. They got a little time to spend together, even though the Barclays rushed around from one stop to the next all weekend.

My aunt, Patti, was kind enough to host the big bash at her house. Noah drew the quite the crowd! There had to be at least 30 people there. Here is Allison with sweet Aubrey, my cousin Kent's daughter.

Laughing with Aunt Mandi.

Saying hello to Scott and Madison.

Noah's own personal cake.

The big cake with party favors for the kids.

Having a little lunch.

Noah and his adoring fans. The paparazzi were insane at this event.

This is absolutely my favorite face that he makes, and it only happens every once in a while. Someone was fortunate enough to catch it!

What? Do I have something on my face?

Noah was a bit puzzled by the masses singing a song to him.

I long to have a camera as good as Allison's...and her to teach me how to work it. :)

My dear friends, Carolee and Chris, and daughter Caroline, were so sweet to make a trip in from West Texas and drop by the party. I had not seen Carolee literally since my wedding day, and burst into tears as soon as I laid eyes on her and the sweetest little girl ever. Hormones or something, right? ;)

Somehow, I don't have a picture of the Nutt's, but they are there, taking lots and lots of pictures for me! Here is one of many pics of Noah "opening presents." He hasn't quite got the hang of that yet, but that's ok. He got so many nice things!

We had dinner at Mandi's on Saturday night and got to see Mamaw and Papaw, Dominick and Sophia, and Jeremy's aunt and uncle, Brenda and Tony, who came in from Arkansas. They prepared some delightful Pei Wei dishes for us, which we have missed out here in the mountains. :)

Isn't the best picture of a grandmother and all of her grandchildren?

On Sunday, we had dinner at my brother's and Pop was able to join us too.

Enjoying Mimi's cooking.

We had such a great time back home in Texas! The visit was way too short and exhausting, but worth every bit of it. I have been missing it ever since. Jeremy and I remarked at how easily you take having everything you could possibly want, and a plethera to choose from, for granted when you live in Dallas!

Thank you to everyone who traveled far, helped us out, and worked so hard to pull everything together and make Noah's first birthday so special! We love and miss you all!

A Sweet New Ride

We drove 5 hours to Baltimore over the weekend to pick up my new ride! We got a really great deal on this 2010 Highlander with 1023 miles on it. We got 2.9% APR, the 7 year/100,000 mile warranty that only comes with used vehicles, and they gave us more for my CRV than it was worth! This time we will not be leasing, and I intend to drive this car for many years to come.

Baltimore was a really cool city, from what we saw on our fast and furious trip. Unfortunately, Jeremy lefy his camera in the CRV (the kind sales woman is mailing it to us), so we didn't get any pics of the cool Inner Harbor area where we ate crab cakes. Noah did pretty well with the car ride, thanks to his new portable DVD player! :)

So now I really feel like a soccer mom, going down the road with my baby in the backseat watching Sesame Street and my 3rd row. :) It's a really nice family car for us. Thanks, honey!

On the Mend

Two days has helped a lot. We are fever free, no longer taking Benadryl and Motrin every 6 hours, and his appetite is much improved! Tomorrow he will finish off his steroid and will continue the antibiotic for several more days. Love you guys!

One Year Old!

We have arrived at that point where we begin counting his life in years, rather than those first months, or weeks in utero. In a way, the first 12 months has gone by quickly but somehow the day of his birth seems ages ago to me. Perhaps it is because life has changed so much. Maybe it's because we get less sleep than we used to. I do know that the last 6 months has gone much faster than the first 6 months did. :)

Stats from the 12 month checkup on April 13, 2010:

Weight: 19 pounds, 5 ounces (5%)

Length: 29 inches (25%)

Head: 45 centimeters (10%)

So, he's just a little peanut! Jeremy thinks we need to give him Instant Breakfast to pack the weight on, like his cousin Mallory gets. Dr. Ryan assured me that Noah is fine and does not need to add any width to his height. He also said that Jeremy might need to get used to the idea of having a safety or kicker in the family, not a linebacker! Fine with Mommy. :)

Up until the last few weeks, Noah has always been a good eater, but lately he has been asserting his independence by choosing not to eat things he normally likes. He usually will not turn down fruit or bread, however. On his birthday, he had his first taste of whole milk and, so far, is not crazy about it. He still refuses any sippy cup that does not have a soft spout and we are still using bottles some. Noah can stand for a few seconds at a time without holding on and is beginning to cruise the furniture a bit. He says "dee dee!" for dog and I think sometimes for bye-bye. He waves bye-bye at cars driving by or people he sees. He loves to be outside.

Noah, you have taught us, challenged us, shaped us, and grown us. And I know you will continue to do so. I love you in a way that is unique from the way I have ever loved or will love anyone else. It is the kind of love that would send a person running into a burning building, knowing they would never reach you in time, but would go anyway. You are beautiful, spirited, energetic, sweet, charming, determined, strong, and loving. Every night before bed I pray with you that you will sleep well, be healthy, and that you will follow God always. I know He has big plans for you. I love you. Mommy.

Noah, you have meant a lot to both of us during your first year. After all of the wakening hours, being peed and pooped on, spit ups and all else that comes with parenthood - it has been worth it all to see you smile and laugh. I love it when you smile with all that you have and laugh from deep down. You have such a great spirit about you and everyone notices it. You have been so patient with us as we have moved from Texas to West Virginia and all of the traveling. I remember the first time you laughed while we were giving you a bath in Texas and I still think about how happy you were to be on the sled in the snow. I look forward to more smiling and laughing with you because you make me feel so good when you do. I love you very much and want for you more than I want for myself. Daddy.

Sleepin' in the King Bed

I know that I am way overdue for updating the blog with the multitude of birthday pics but, I promise, I am working on it. We just hit a little bump in the road the past few days.

For all the g-parents who want the play-by-play....

Yesterday I hauled Noah to the doctor after a night filled with temperatures ranging from 103 to 104. He was diagnosed with double ear infections. Took him home and loaded him up with Amoxicillin (I used to love that bubble gum pink goo as a kid!) and put him down for the nap that he never took. He would only sleep if I rocked him persistently. After we gave him his bath and got him ready to go to bed early, we noticed that his skin was a bit splotchy and his color looked a little strange. I started giving him dose number two of Amoxicillin, and he responded by throwing up and sounding as though something was caught in his windpipe. As I was starting to panic a little about his purple lips, Jeremy told me to call the after-hours service for his pediatrician. The Doc on call instructed us to give him a dose of Benadryl and head to the ER because he might be having an allergic reaction. We flew. Hazard lights and all.

Everyone at the hospital noticed how bad his color was and kept remarking about how "dusky" he looked. His oxygen levels were fine but his fever shot up over 103 as soon as we arrived. To make a long story shorter, we went through a nice cocktail of drugs (more Benadryl, Tylenol suppository, Motrin, new antibiotic), a steroid shot, chest x-rays, and a breathing treatment, all while Noah howled and wanted desparately to go to bed and have people stop poking and prodding him! (We were spared the IV and blood draw, thank you Lord!) His color returned soon after we arrived and our pediatrician (who insisted he wouldn't have been able to sleep if he didn't come to the hospital and lay eyes on Noah) gave us the option of spending the night for observation or going home and checking on Noah every one to two hours through the night. We opted to have him sleep with us, and were once again thankful for our king-sized bed. The thought that your child might stop breathing during the night is unsettling, to say the least.

Thankfully, we were only in the ER for about 2 hours and were able to go to sleep with Noah around 11:00. He slept like a rock, although I think I caught him snuggling with Daddy just a little bit during the night. I am still giving him Benadryl every 6 hours, even while sleeping, plus antibiotic, steroids, and Tylenol/Motrin as needed. Poor guy is getting pretty resistant to the medicine syringe! We re-visited his pediatrician this morning and the general consensus is, I believe, possible allergy to penicillin. Or some related type of reasction. But we won't know for sure anytime soon, seeing as we won't be giving him anymore of that stuff for a while!

So, now we really know the blood, sweat, and tears of parenthood. Brian & Stacie, couldn't help thinking about you guys and how you'll soon be joining us on this heart-wrenching journey! :)

Thanks for your prayers, thoughts, and well wishes! Good thing Daddy opened up that brand spankin' new ER a few weeks ago! He wanted to wager on long it would be before Noah was admitted and I am glad we did not bet anything on that one. ;)

Sunny Days...Chasing the Clouds Away...

A few recent pics I took from our recent "unseasonably warm" temps. Just a few.

Must get back to packing. Texas and birthday partying here we come!

Happy Easter!

Had a hard time choosing just a few! ;)

Remember this basket? Last year, he was 2 days old and we took pictures of him sleeping in it!

Hope everyone had a beautiful Easter!