23 months

Noah, you are 23 three months old - one month away from the BIG T-W-O years old. Little dood, I look at you and I can't believe where we have come from since October 27^th, 2011. You truly are the best miracle and most amazing gift your daddy and I could have ever asked for.

Where do I begin? I guess I'll start with your word bank. In the past couple months. your vocabulary has taken off. You are quite the chatty Kathy and can make 3 to 4 word sentences. You will pretty much talk to anyone who will listen.  You like to make up stories- I'm slightly afraid you might become the boy who cries wolf. For example, you will tell me about the kitties outside and how they cry or jump. Then you will tell me kitty is in the house, and I won't believe you. But sure enough, there is a kitty in your toy house lying in the sink. Who knew?  Some of my favorite words this month are baby powder, naughty, helicopter, hippo, jump, sit, goldfish, park, alligator, forehead, Leeann, chair, outside, inside, bath, chocolate milk, bed, and the list goes on. You can count to seven, know all your colors including silver, gray, black, white, and we are working on your alphabet.

This would be the outfit Noah picked out for the day. I realize it doesn't match. Homeboy has an opnion about his clothes. He wants to wear anything animal related. This shirt has dinosaurs, so he requests it OFTEN.

You make me laugh all the time. This month, you and I have been spending a lot of quality time together. You keep me company and I'm so grateful for you in this busy time of Daddy's life. We go for walks, play at the park, hunt for frogs, watch movies, eat ice cream, go grocery shopping, scare/tickle daddy, and so much more. Is it possible for a 23 month old to be his mommy's best friend? If so, you definitely are.

You sleep 11-13 hours a night and usually take between a 2-3.5 hour nap. There are times where you will skip the afternoon nap, but by 7:30 you are quite fussy. We are working on transitioning you to your big boy bed. It hasn't been totally successful, but I know it will take time. For your birthday, you are getting a truck, plane, car themed bed spread, so I am hoping that inspires you to stay put.

You love to eat. Somebody commented to me that you were a little linebacker. You are thick and sturdy. I wouldn't say you are chubby at all. You just aren't long or lean- more compact and SO CUTE. Some of your favorite foods this month are rice, pasta, apple jacks, chicken with any kind of dipping sauce, oranges, grapes, oatmeal, broccoli, green beans, sweet potatoes, chocolate milk, goldfish, and chewy granola bars.

Some of your favorite things to do this month are going to the park, jumping on and off anything/everything, and playing with kids. You love kids- big, little, small. I am convinced that this winter we need to put you in some kind of Mother's Day Out. You are a huge people person and thrive in situations where you can be social. You are very sweet and affectionate. I've realized that this is your personality and not just a toddler thing. You constantly want to give hugs, pats, and kisses.  I have found two mom groups in Dallas that have been a huge blessing in keeping you socialized. You also still have a very sweet relationship with your buddy Kaleb. You and he are two peas in a pod and double trouble.

You wear size 7 shoe and 2T clothes. Some of your 2T's are getting tight, so we will move you up sizes here slowly. I think you have 13 or 15 teeth. I can see whites but they haven't totally popped through. You front two teeth finally show when you smile sometimes. I think the pacifier was slowing that process down. 

You have some meltdowns but for the most part, you don't like to be naughty and understand that with your poor choices come consequences. I think with being able to communicate more and more- you get less frustrated and we see less temper tantrums.

Your birthday party is next week and I can't wait to celebrate you! You have a lot of friends and family coming from all over to be there, so I pray you feel extra special because you are EXTRA loved!

Happy 23 months Noah Walker!

Noah decided to give the horse a hug after the ride. 

Week 34

This is taken after a run. I am trying to give you  a depiction of me at my not so cleanest. Appreciate it.

Along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size of a cantaloupe. This week the baby weighs a little over 5 pounds and is around 17-20 inches long. The peanut's fingernails have reached his/her fingertips. The baby is putting on more fat every day and the vermix caseosa (coating that protects baby skin) is getting thicker.

 Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Confession- I can't exactly remember where I started at weight wise. I have pregnancy brain horrible this time around. It's so hard for me to remember little details like where I put things or what I was getting up to do. I've either gained 26 or 28 pounds. At this point, I eat when I'm hungry and still enjoy food.

Maternity Clothes:  I wear a mixture of both.

Gender: SURPRISE! The baby's heartbeat was at 178 on Tuesday. That makes me think girl. Matt's guess is still boy. There still hasn't been any decisions on names. We are getting great suggestions from family members and friends.  

Movement: Painful and all the time. I love it. Sometimes my ribs will ache if he/she keeps pushing on the same spot. I've also been noticing a lot of hiccups this week. I LOVE when they get the hiccups.  

Sleep: The insomnia has been bad. I take Benadryl about every 4^th night so that I will have one night of solid sleep. I really have just accepted it and moved on. There is no point in worrying about it. I just use the time to pray or think of baby names (priorities people)!

What I miss: I miss having lots of energy and not feeling like it is a chore to walk around the house, get out of my chair, or roll out of bed. Every day responsibilities are just more difficult.

Cravings: I think sweets and chicken are the two things I consistently crave. I love a good piece of grilled chicken on a salad with cheese, Italian dressing, and veggies. We probably eat this at least 3 times a week right now. I ALSO am obsessed with cookies. Paradise Bakery is my go to place this pregnancy. Luckily my work loves it, so I probably have one every week or other week. Lucky me! They are to die for.

Symptoms: Vertigo, headaches, numbness in my legs if I sit in certain positions for too long, ligament pain, back pain, swollen digits, and always thirsty

Exercise: I am going to officially retire my running shoes next week. Ashley is too, so it works out perfect. I will still try to walk 3 to 4 times a week, but for the most part, I plan on taking it easy. I love to run, but I can just tell that my body is over it and it doesn't feel as natural as it has all pregnancy. I also don't want to push my luck. This belly is large and in charge. I don't want to overdo it.

Best Moment This Week:  We had supper club at the Baker's on Friday night. I love this sweet time getting together with some of my favorite Dallas families. These couples love Jesus and love on Noah, so I really can't ask for anything better. Not to mention, the food is always amazing. Bethany sent me this picture of her husband reading with the boys that night. I really think Noah and Kaleb love supper club more than anyone else. They receive so much attention. My heart melts as I watch the men of this group love on Noah and Kaleb. There really is nothing sweeter. ALSO and most importantly, Alli and Justin brought baby Hannah for us all to meet for the first time. (Baby Hannah was born on August 27th). My oh my! What a beautiful baby! Noah was so interested. It made me excited because he was very in tune with Hannah crying and definitely knew that he had to be sweet around her. 

Dood in the rain pictures from last Friday to come! :) Happy Thursday!

Dood Love

I truly cannot get enough of this boy.

LOVE

THIS

DOOD.

DETERMINATION. CONCENTRATION.

TA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Happy Friday!

Week 33

Along: 33 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size of a pineapple. This week the baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. The peanut is rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his/her skeleton is hardening. How cool is this? The peanut can see the liquid world around him/her; feel sensation when she/he grabs a toe or sucks on a finger; taste the amniotic fluid she's/he's swallowing; and hear my heartbeat, my voice, and the grumble of my stomach.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: My guess would be around 25 pounds. We will know next Tuesday. My doctor told me that the second baby is usually bigger, so I'm wondering if I will be able to keep the weight gain to 30 this time around. We shall see!

Maternity Clothes:  I wear a mixture of both.

Gender: We will know in 5-7 weeks when this little one arrives. Matt's guess is still boy. I would guess girl.  Do we have names? Negative Ghostwriter.

Movement: Very wild. It is to the point where it startles me and can be painful. I love it.  

Sleep: I have some insomnia and wake up quite a bit, but I think some of that is due to the tax deadline and just having trouble shutting my brain down. I am hoping to catch up on some sleep this week.

What I miss: I miss having options in my wardrobe. I also miss having energy. By the end of the night, I'm pooped and just want to sit. I have a sweet little boy who wants "mama play", so there hasn't really been a lot of rest and relaxation. I have totally accepted that down time will be lacking for a while now, and I am trying to soak in these sweet moments of just me and the dood. (Matt is around too, but usually studying- homeboy has hundreds of pages of reading a week- so proud of how hard he is works).

Cravings: Fruit, salad, smoothies, Chick-Fil-A, and ice cream

Symptoms: Feeling thirsty all the time, muscle and nerve twinges, round ligament pain, and body aches.

Exercise: I'm slightly shocked, but I am still able to run/walk about four-five miles 3 times a week. I REALLY enjoy it despite the heat and extra 25 pounds. I feel so good. I think my time of retirement might be coming sooner than later though. If I have to retire tomorrow from running while pregnant, I would be totally fine. I'm proud of myself for making it this long.

Best Moment This Week:  By far, my best moment is completing the September 16^th deadline Monday and not having to bring my computer home! Although home a little later than I'd like, not having to have a computer screen open and getting to watch the season premiere of Bones with Noah and Matt was AMAZING. 

Cracker Loving Jumping Beans

With this crazy deadline, I haven't had much opportunity to watch these two boys play together lately. When Ashley asked me a while back if we could watch Kaleb a couple hours this Sunday, I said YES (hoping I'd have all my work done- which I did- SCORE)! Here are some pictures from this afternoon. These two light up our house- so much joy and love. Noah and Kaleb have the best time together. I think I could sum up these boys in four words- cracker loving jumping beans. I'm pretty sure they could finish off a whole box of crackers together while cheering each other on as they jump off everything possible at least a thousand times. Their relationship melts my heart!

Happy September 15th!

The Dood and His Basket

Love him. Love him. Love him.

On Sunday, Matt and I had a four hour house cleaning session. To say that it felt amazing would be an understatement. I never knew cleaning could be so therapeutic. With the chaos and clutter of my tax deadline, I think putting something back in order just felt right. Sunday was a good day. (We will see how long this whole "clean house" thing lasts with our almost two year old).

Anyways, while cleaning, we were going through our closet and pulled out an empty laundry basket. Oh my! I can't tell you how much fun this little boy has had with the basket. Noah has turned it into a race car, a hideout for him and the bunny, a place to store his snacks, a choo choo train, a mountain to climb, and a box to push.  There have been multiple times this week where we go to look for the dood and he will be in the basket, playing with his toys and reading books to his stuffed animals.

Lose the camera mom!

What a privilege it has been to watch this miracle grow in my tummy, come up fully dependent on his mommy and daddy, and turn into an independent, opinionated, sweet, imaginative and sensitive little boy. I sometimes have to pinch myself that Noah is our responsibility and our blessing for the next 18 years. God knew what he was doing when he knit Noah together in my womb despite our five year plan and everything else going on around us. I could not be more thankful for him and Matt. (I'm all mushy- pregnancy hormones- sorry!)

Sweet, sweet boy!

Happy Thursday to all!

Week 32

Along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size of a spaghetti squash. He/she is around 3.75 pounds and 16.69 inches long. The peanut has finger nails and can turn his/her head side to side. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: My guess is 23-25 pounds.

Maternity Clothes:  I do a mixture.

Gender: Surprise! We still don't have names. Matt and I have made an agreement to take a break from talking about it and reconvene in a couple weeks. (Don't worry- I am making a very long list as we take this break.)

Movement: Yes- SO ACTIVE. I am going to check with the doctor, but I believe the peanut has flipped.

Sleep: Bad. Blah. Not solid. 75% of women struggle with insomnia while pregnant, and I'm definitely in that boat.

What I miss: I miss not being so hot and sweaty all the time. I am ready for the cool weather and to lose all this extra weight!

Cravings: Cottage cheese and fruit are the two things I crave consistently. These past two weeks my cravings have been a lot less. Food doesn't seem as appealing. I think it's because I don't have a lot of room in my stomach and the heat makes most food just so too heavy.

Symptoms: Shin splints. Yes, I overdid it exercising this past week and have had horrible shin splints. I read that they are common in pregnancy. Who knew? I also have the heartburn, headaches, and exhaustion.

Best Moment This Week:  Matt and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary at Max's Wine Dive. It was amazing. We had mac n cheese, fried chicken, and chocolate dessert. I am so blessed to have to him. It has been the best three years of my life, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the next 30 years. Matt is a wonderful leader, gracious friend, adoring husband, and sweet daddy. He is truly my better half, and I am so thankful for him!

What happened to last week's post mama?

I am sorry I missed last week and my 31 week post. I have a big deadline on September 16^th and just didn't get around to doing it. My life is fairly chaotic and will continue to be for a little while. Oh well, this too shall pass!