10 Months Old

I caught him pulling up on the toy basket, trying to get his toys out of it, like he was a big boy or something. He still doesn't do a "traditional" crawl but drags himself across the floor with amazing agility and speed. :) He is now able to pull himself up on his knees and can go from laying on his tummy to a sitting position all by himself. He did all of this all at once and it makes him seem so old. Can't I just keep him like this?


His feet got stuck in this position and he had to cry for a little help getting down from Mommy.



He is a pretty good sleeper now. So long as we avoid the dreaded cold viruses, he generally sleeps all night without a problem and naps well.


Motherhood has been fun lately! Minus the cold bugs and snowstorms, we try to get out everyday to visit the gym, run errands, go to the babysitter, etc. Noah did great in the child care at the gym. I am planning to start Kindermusik, if we ever stop having snow on class days! As much as this kid loves music, it ought to be fun.

And there was this monumental event: the first haircut! He did very well, with some help from a toy and his Baby Mum Mum crackers.

The finished product: a real ladies' man.

Just in time for a little trip to Portrait Innovations!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I Was Awarded

Lo and behold, I was making the rounds through my favorite blogs today, and found this lovely award from not one, but TWO of my dear blogger pals, Alli and T-Flo. :) You are supposed to write 7 things about yourself. One of my friends had 7 little known facts and the other just had general things, so I'll go with a combo of the two maybe. Here goes.

1. My darling husband and I met, became engaged 6 months later, and married after only 11 months of knowing one another. We met on e-harmony. I knew he was the one after I learned that we shared the same birthday and he was exactly 3 years older than me. My parents share the same birthday and my dad is exactly 3 years older than my mom. Jeremy is the lid to my pot. And the black on my kettle. Or something like that.

2. My beautiful son Noah's middle name is Timothy. We debated for most of my pregnancy about the middle name because I just couldn't settle on anything and decided at the last minute that he should be named after my dad. It just felt like what I was supposed to do. And there is no more honorable man in the world. His first name is Noah because that is what God told me his name would be, back before I met Jeremy. We really have much less control over destiny than we imagine. :)

3. I have a heavenly Father who is infinitely huge, eternal, gracious, loving, and glorious. I miss The Village Church terribly. I'm afraid I have become a bit of a Calvinist in my spiritual ideology. How smart does that sound? :)

4. I have been abundantly blessed and have made it my mission to bless as many people as I can touch. I know there is purpose in God bringing us to "West-freakin' Virginia" as we fondly call it.

5. I got my bachelor's in social work at Hardin-Simmons University, the place where I found myself. (And also found my Soul Sista, Carolee. OMG, I miss you!) Then I immediately went and got my master's in social work at The University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!) and fell into the world of foster care. That three years of social workin' the Okies nearly did me in. My most recent social work gig was as a casemanager to parenting teenagers in Lewisville ISD. I am not sure where or when social work might take me again. For now, I am enjoying my time at home with Noah and am very happy to be able to say that! Truth be told, I'd like to write a book. Easier said than done. Social Work Forever, Carolee!

6. I grew up in Paris, TX. Some people think that is a bad thing, including me at 18. Paris feels homey and comforting to me now when I visit. It's only bad if you don't get out, at least for a while. That place can be a black hole of sorts. My parents still live in the house they brought me home from the hospital to. There is something to be said for stability in a child's life and there is something to be said about fear of change. I have moved 11 times in the last 10 years, I believe. :)

7. My girls are the best! Once I have a close friend, I feel that our hearts are eternally bonded, despite where my moving van may take me. :) Even if I am horrible about calling people. (I, too, despise the phone, T.) There is Kristi, who has been my dear friend since diapers, literally! (If you are reading this, I'm sorry it's been so long! Call me!) Jessica, BFF since 4th grade! One of the few people who really gets me and tells me that it's okay anyway! And I am very blessed to have found Khristina and my other "Housewives of Greenbrier County" out here in WV.

OK, I am passing this award to Sarah, Carolee, Stacie, Wendy, Kerry, Natalie, and Lisa! Go Girls!

A Snowy, Snowy Weekend

I've got some blogging to catch up on! I am still waiting on some pictures from the Nutt's so I can blog about our visit with them. And so I can share their exciting news! Ahem. Are you reading this, Stace? :)


Anywho, we expected to have a draggy, boring weekend last week because of the mass of snow. Quite the opposite! Saturday, we mostly just hung out, and did a little housework. Jeremy and I watched a movie while Noah took a nice, long afternoon nap. So nice to just snuggle up on the couch together and relax. :)


Sunday, we did not make another church attempt but will get back at it soon. Instead we had a little pancake breakfast and then headed over to Diane and Carlton's house for lunch with everyone. We had some great chili and a blast sledding down their driveway. Noah even got in on the fun!


That night, Diane, Carlton, Rob, and Khristina came over for a little Superbowl gathering. We had lots of good food but I didn't take any pictures. I was a little concerned that Noah might have his first ear infection but he woke up very cheerfully on Monday morning and seems to be doing okay. These darn colds just take forever to go away with babies!! I will officially swear by Zicam! I think I started getting his cold so I began taking the Zicam religiously and I assure you that it was a quick and pretty mild cold for me. That's my plug.

Enjoying his first pancake. Healthy recipe with blueberries. :)

Mommy & Daddy like to sled too!

That's Jeremy and I taking off in the background.

Trudging back up that hill is hard work!

Rob & Khristina getting ready to take off. Expectant mommies like to sled too! :)

Diane giving Carlton a nice little nudge.

Don't you wish you were here?? Well, at least the snow was fun for a little while. ;)

S.O.S

Mayday, Mayday! Jeremy will be leaving Noah and I by ourselves for 3 nights in the near future for a business trip! I'm not good at staying by myself and have never done it with Noah. Not looking forward to it. Does anyone want to come baby-sit us??

Snow Play

At least one person ought to have some fun in the fresh 7 or 8 inches we just got! Here is Noah trying out his new baby sled.



It was a hit I think.

Don't know why I decided to add this picture, I think because he looks so old to me. It could be the shaggy bangs. Yes, I know he needs that first haircut. We'll do it soon.

Noah's First Playdate

Laura and Elijah Lee came to visit us today for lunch! Noah has never had a friend his age come over before, so I was excited to see his reaction.

Here is the first meeting. Noah was excited and wanted to touch Elijah.


Look, Mom!

Elijah checking out Noah's mouth.

And my camera.

In fact, it was all fun and games until Elijah decided to speak. He let out some yells and Noah was absolutely terrified. I mean, sad face, need my mommy, big crocodile tears, scared. He is so rarely is scared by anything (other than his Cowboys football and really loud noises) that I was surprised. And he loves other kids. I don't know what happened. Other than that, we had a great time!