Meet Brody

Here are a few pictures, the first right after he was born. The next meeting his big brother for the first time. And the last, taken on his 1 week birthday.

We found "Nemo"

Most of you have probably heard by now, that "Nemo" - who is now officially known as Brody Alan - found his way in to the world on October 13 at 8:44 am. Here is his birth story:

Oct 12 - All day I just didn't feel good. I didn't have pains until later in th evening, but I just felt awful. Like it took everything I had to get up out of the chair and make lunch.

7:30-ish that night - I got the first of what I thought could be a "pain". I told Walt and we started to watch the clock. By 11:30 they were about 20 minutes apart. We had no idea how fast they'd get closer together, so we decided to call my parents to come over and get Noah.

1:30am (Oct 13) - By this point, I was SURE it was labor and the pains were coming about 5 minutes apart, so we called the doctor and she told me to come on in.

2:30 am - We arrived at Magee...and what a difference driving in the middle of the night makes. I think we made it there in 18 minutes.

3:45 am - I waited in Triage for over an hour for a doctor to check me. When she did, she informed me I was at 6cm and they were going to move me to a Labor & Delivery suite. The nurse was surprised, the monitor wasn't showing my contractions were that strong and they didn't even think I was in labor. Guess that's why I waited over an hour. On the way out, the doctor asked if I wanted an epidural. I said "yes please" and I started to cry to Walt. I told him that since I was already at 6cm and it takes HOURS to get an epidural (I didn't know this! I just wanted it then!) I would surely die.

4:30am - I arrived in the L&D room and we waited. And waited, and waited....all the while the pain got worse and worse.

6:30am - Finally sweet relief! I guess there was an emergency in surgery and all of the other patients got backed up. But, finally I had my epidural and I got that warm, fuzzy feeling instead of all of that pain. The doctor came to check me shortly after I received my epidural and I was at 8cm! I have brought up the fact that I was only 2 cm away from a completely natural delivery to Walt about 10,000 times in the past 2 weeks. ;)

7:30am - They told me it was time to push! I couldn't believe it was happening this fast. It seemed like it took forever with Noah.

8:44am - After a little more than an hour of pushing, and me crying to them that I couldn't do it...I DID do it - and Brody was born. He weighed in at 7lbs, 80z and is completely and totally perfect.

I will add here, that I feel like I was cheated out of my epidural goodness. I only had it for 2 hours - and I would have taken it a week before he was born! Walt gave me a lovely gift in the delivery room, a necklace with Noah's, Brody's and my birthstones. I told him it isn't a "push present", it's an "8cm present". :)

Soccer and The Olive Garden

It's been a while...I know I've been saying that a lot lately. But, now that things at work have slowed down and I'm going to be on maternity leave any day now, (Hear that "Nemo"?...ANY DAY NOW!! ) so I'm going to try to be a better blogger.

Noah started playing soccer in late August. I can't even tell you how cute a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds running around chasing a ball in their shin guards is. They all crowd around the ball and just run and kick - it's awesome. I do see some improvement each week, and last week, Noah even scored a goal. Of course, it was in the OTHER team's goal, but still!

There he is putting on his best "pirate" face. And another just taking a "water break". He says that's his favorite part.

And, I will end with a conversation that he had with my parents. They were out to eat together...I will call my parents "Ma & Pa" because that is what he calls them. (Don't ask!)

Pa: Oh, don't forget I have that Olive Garden gift card to use.

Noah: Oh!! I want to go there! Tell Momma and we can all go there for dinner tomorrow!

Ma: Well, we're out to eat tonight, we can't eat out two nights in a row.

Noah: But, I REALLY want to go to Olive Garden!

Pa: And what would you get to eat at Olive Garden?

Noah: (with that "duh" look already perfected at the age of 4) Black Olives!

Somehow I think he'll be quite disappointed when we go to the Olive Garden and it's not just a giant olive buffet. :P (If you can't tell black olives are one of his favorite foods)

A few videos

The first one is Noah playing in some waves. The second is the feeding of the seagulls. Enjoy!

A long overdue beach review

It's been almost a month since we've returned from our trip to the beach...and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. My excuse is that this is our busiest time of year at work -- we have a class finish and a class start in the same week. I worked over 50 hours last week, which is no fun for a woman who is almost 8 months pregnant. I am still recovering, I think!

Anyway, enough about me and my complaining, right? You want to hear about Noah at the beach. He had the time of his life. I think that first picture says it all -- it was pure bliss from the moment he stepped foot in the sand. This picture was shortly after we arrived and had unpacked the Jeep. We walked down (Walt & I still in our clothes) just to take a walk. I did put Noah in a swimsuit - just in case. I will chalk one up to a good parenting decision there. Of course, a 4 year old isn't going to want to just take a walk. He's going to want to dive right in. He was soaked within seconds, and Walt finally gave up, unloaded his pockets, left me on the sand and dove right in with Noah.

We were busy every day and luckily the weather was perfect beach weather. We managed to fit in some mini golf, nights on the boardwalk and lots of good food. The highlight for Noah though was feeding the seagulls. The gulls ate really good the week we were there - we saved food from dinner for them (fries, shrimp tails, rolls), fed them a half a box of Cheerios, and even bought several bags of popcorn to feed them. I'm surprised they didn't follow us home. Noah would actually cry when he ran out of food, and make all of us tell the gulls goodbye and we'll see them later.

The weird thing about seagulls is that they can hover over you while catching food in mid-air. There were a few times that we were surrounded by our feet and over our heads. And miraculously somehow none of us were pooped on. If you're ever looking for the best thing to feed a seagull (the most fun that is, I don't think they care what they eat) - Ritz Crackers. You can throw them like a frisbee and the seagulls catch them out of mid-air. :)

I will end with our funniest beach story - the one night at dinner, we start saving up things to take with us to feed the gulls. We then noticed that on the table next to us there was a package of Ritz crackers left there. So we asked the bus boy if we could have them. At the end of the meal, the waitress brings us a box and we pack up all kinds of leftovers in it (even a roll that fell on the floor). As we're walking out of the restaurant, Walt drops the box all over the floor. Of course, seagulls don't care if their food has been on a dirty floor, right? So we scooped it all up and leave. Walt was laughing hysterically, thinking about everyone in the restaurant watching us steal food from other tables and the floor - then dropping ALL of it on the floor and packing it back up. Perhaps there's a blog somewhere out there telling the tale of the "poor" family who had to take so much food and even ate it after it was on the floor. ;)

One Liners

Here are a few of the short funny things Noah's said lately:

1) He asked Walt if they're going to dig the baby out of my belly with a shovel. (Dear Lord I hope not!)

2) I was drinking a Diet Coke the other day and he asked for a drink. He was also talking like a baby. I said "No, especially because you're talking like a baby and babies can't drink Coke". He looked at me and said "Well, YOUR baby is drinking Coke when you drink it". Touche. I guess he had me there. :P

3) My aunt is watching him while his daycare is closed for vacation. He was helping her and he put some Kleenex on my cousin's dresser for her. He swiped his fingers across her dresser and said to my aunt "Boy, she sure does need to dust in here!"

The surgery

It's been almost 2 weeks since the surgery and I'm happy to say that I think Noah is back to his old self again! And he's eating like a horse. Walt even joked yesterday that he's going to tell any other parents of "non-eaters" that the solution is to have their tonsils removed. (For example on Friday for dinner he ate: pasta, blackberries, applesauce, 1/2 jelly sandwich, fruit cup and a popsicle! This is almost a week's worth of dinner for the "old" Noah!)

Anyway, everyone at Children's Hospital was so awesome! We arrived at 10:30 on the day of his surgery - and were quickly called to the pre-op room. We met with some nurses and then the anesthesiologist came in. He was so wonderful and even did some magic tricks with Noah. Noah was totally at ease with him. They also allowed one of us to accompany him to the OR, where we could stay with him while they put the sleepy gas on him, so he wouldn't have to see us leave. I didn't think I'd be able to hold it together, so Walt went with him. The doctor let Noah have a choice of walking down or being wheeled in his bed -- and he walked. So it was like a parade through the halls - a couple of doctors, Walt, Noah and me. We got to a set of double doors and one of the doctors held back and told me that this is where I exit the parade to head to the waiting room. It was so hard to leave him...but it helped that he wasn't scared or upset. It was also hard not to cry my eyes out as I checked in with the people in the waiting room. But, I must say I did pretty well! Walt arrived about 10 minutes after me and said that Noah was sound asleep when he left.

Then we waited. And while it was only about 30 minutes, it seemed to last forever. In walks his doctor (a shout out to Dr. Chi -- he was really awesome!), he comes over to us in the waiting room and asks us to follow him to a little private room. Now, when you watch as much tv as I do, you know that on medical dramas, they only take the people to a private room for BAD news. This was probably the longest (20 foot) walk of my entire life. But, my nervousness was quickly washed away when the doctor informed us that everything went perfectly -- in fact, so perfectly that he was breathing without any problems and we would NOT be admitted to the ICU. I could have hugged him, seriously! He said as soon as he woke up we could go back to recovery. And in this few minute conversation, he must have said 3 or 4 times just how LARGE his tonsils really were.

We waited again, but this time, the waiting wasn't as bad. In fact, Walt & I downed zebra cakes and pretzels (it's the lunch of champions, don't you know) - because we hadn't eaten since early that day and it was now after 1pm. We ate breakfast early before Noah got up since he wasn't allowed to eat -- I would have felt awful eating in front of him. When we walked in to recovery, he was sitting up, eating a popsicle. The poor little girl in the bed next to him had the same surgery and was crying to the point of making herself sick -- it was awful to hear that.

They came to take us to his room, which was very nice. He ended up eating 2 packages of Jello and since he did well with that, they approved him having a soft dinner. He had a rough night that night - and fought us like crazy to take the tylenol with codeine. But all in all - I think he did great. We're slowly introducing more food within the past few days and he's doing great. He has a follow up on July 22.

And while I hope to NEVER have to return to Children's Hospital again, I will say that the commercials are definitely true. If you have children, be glad you have Children's. It was a wonderful experience, I honestly can't say enough good things about it.

Sleep Studies, Tonsils and Adenoids...Oh My!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Noah needed to see an ENT about his tonsils. At the first appointment, it was determined that he does have extra large adenoids that block his nose and that those would definitely have to come out -- he wanted us to go for a sleep study to determine if his tonsils would come out as well.

Last Thursday, we headed out to Wexford for the study. The Tech had us put in a movie that we brought and then she came in with her cart full of wires. She glued 8 electrodes to his head, several on his face, a few on his chest/belly, two on each leg - plus he had to wear this thing that went between his lip and under his nose and one of those oxygen tubes (like where the two prongs go up your nose). My poor baby looked like a robot! I have no idea how he even slept - but he fell alseep right away. And he really took it all in stride -- I think I'd have cried if they wanted to hook me all up like that. They told us it would take 2-3 weeks for results.

On Monday morning, the ENT's office called us and informed us that he does have sleep apnea and they wanted us to come in for our follow up appointment on Tuesday morning. Wow! Already, they were fast! As it turns out, the doctor that reviewed the study was so concerned about Noah, that she emailed his doctor over the weekend. He stops breathing 19 times per hour.

At the appointment, he advised us that of course because his tonsils are obstructing his breathing and causing the apnea, he wants them out ASAP. Like within a week. He also ordered an EKG because the stopping breathing can cause heart problems - which was probably one of the scariest things that has ever been said to me. So we schedule the surgery (for Tues, June 30), head for pre-op bloodwork and an EKG. And here I thought we'd be in and out just like the last appointment! (I am happy to report that his EKG did come back normal, thank God!)

Typically, they do the tonsils/adenoids surgery as outpatient. But, because of him having the apnea, they want him to stay overnight, in the ICU. Again, I know it's just precautionary and because there will be a doctor there at all times...but hearing that my child has to be in the ICU scared me so much. And of course, they have to tell you the worst case scenario, which most likely won't happen (he could get fluid in his lungs as his body learns to breathe without obstruction), but it's still a lot to take in.

So if you have some prayers or good thoughts to offer to Noah on Tuesday, we would appreciate them. I will be happy when all of this is over - I haven't slept well since we found out, I must check on him (to make sure he's breathing) a hundred times a night.

The 4 year old animal activist

I think if you're one of the readers of our blog, you know by now that Noah likes animals. A lot. In fact, I have learned more about some wild animals in the past 2 years than the rest of my life. I've also learned all kinds of new and obscure animals. (Can you pick out an Okapi or a Tapir?) This is a story about how no matter how big or small (or even if it has vertebrae), Noah loves them all. It's a story about worms.

Walt is a big fisherman. And of course, he wants to share his hobby with Noah. He got him his own pole last year and they've been practicing casting. (Noah is actually really good - much better than me....but I only ever went with Walt when we were dating...you know, because that's the kind of thing girlfriends do. And wives say "eh, I'll stay home and read!") A few weeks ago, Walt planned to take Noah fishing one sunny afternoon. A few days before he had gone out on his own to the river, and had bought worms. He took the leftover worms with them fishing.

They get to the pond and Walt proceeds to get out a worm, cut it in half, and put it on the hook. Much to Noah's horror! He said to Walt "SHAME on you, Daddy!!!" He was appalled that not only did Walt kill the worm, make him bloody, but he was also going to feed him to the trout. He made Walt promise that this would be the last worm that went to a watery grave, and instead they brought them home and set them free in our garden. It was the first thing he told me when they got home! (All about Walt, the worm killer!)

I figure at this rate, he'll be vegetarian by the time he's 5...and he'll be throwing cans of red paint on fur coats at the ripe old age of 7.

The Par-Tay

A few days after his real birthday, Noah had what he likes to call his "fake" birthday. (AKA a party that is NOT on your actual birthday). We had a party at the park near our house. It's the perfect spot because 1) there is plenty of room for everyone 2) there is a playground for all of the kids to keep busy on 3) I have no mess at my house. (And guess which one is my #1 motivator to have the party at the park??) The playground. What were you thinking? ;)

The theme for this year's party was Scooby Doo. He has a major crush on Daphne from the show. He's always telling us how he buys her makeup. And he also told us the reason he likes Daphne and not Velma is that he only likes girls who wear make-up. Yes, he is 4. (He must have a thing for red heads because "Jane the wife" from The Jetsons is also one of his "girls". ) Anyway, here is the cake that my cousin Holly made for him. She always does such a fantastic job...and the cakes taste good too!

He had a few friends at the party and one of the big hits was the pinata. They all took turns taking a whack at poor Scooby. He held together pretty well, until finally we let my 14 year old cousin take a turn, and he knocked his head clean off. Then it was a kid swarm on the candy and treats we stuffed him with!

He got a lot of nice presents - and had fun running around with his pals. So I'd say his "fake" birthday was a success!

Fabulous Fours

I'm a bit behind...but a few weeks ago, Noah turned 4! Since his birthday was in the middle of the week, I convinced Walt to take one of his 500 vacation days and we headed to the zoo. Here he is with his present from us - a classic Big Wheel!(Yes, he is wearing Christmas pj's...but they fit and they're the perfect weight for this weather!)

We had an excellent day at the zoo, even though it was field trip day for what seemed like 57 schools. The highlight of this zoo trip were the baby beavers. Have you seen them? If not, you should. They are unbelievably cute. The momma beaver would tuck them in to the nest...and the second she turned her back to continue moving a big stick to where she wanted it...they would escape the nest and go for a swim. Here's momma carrying one of her pesky babies back to the nest.

After the zoo, he took some time to ride his Big Wheel, then we went to Red Robin for free birthday burgers! (Walt's birthday is the day before Noah's - so they each had a free burger coming). They sang to him and gave him a free icecream, which he thought was awesome. We ended the night by letting him stay up past his bedtime to watch the TV show, Wipeout. He gets a kick out of seeing all the people doing the dumb stunts. His party was the following Saturday and that post will come soon!

All about Tonsils

Everybody's got them (well, unless YOU had them removed), but they're not really a part of the body that we think about much. They just hang around in the back of our mouths and do whatever it is that tonsils are supposed to do. But, lately, Noah's tonsils have been the subject of many conversations at our house.

A few years ago I talked to his pediatrician about his snoring. Basically, my concern was that someday no one would want to be his college roommate because of his horrible snoring! He checked them, said there were large, but a lot of times they do shrink.

Fast forward to a month ago when we took him in for a bad cold. The doctor looked at his throat and his tonsils were so huge (they actually touch each other when he opens his mouth) that she thought he might have strep. He didn't have strep, but she said to have them rechecked at his 4 year well visit, but her thinking was that they're too big and they'll need to be removed. Last week, he had an ear infection and the pediatrician he saw this time, said that we need to get him to a ENT doctor ASAP to have them looked at. Her personal opinion is that they're going to have to come out.

They also told us to pay attention to how he sleeps - to see if he gasps and/or startles during his sleep -- which he does. (In between loud snores). This could be sleep apnea and if left untreated could mean some problems down the road. So that's where we are. We'll see what the specialist has to say, but from the people that I've talked to, my non-professional opinion is that they're going to need to come out. So it will be 2 weeks worth of popsicles and Jell-O for Noah.

A Day at the Museum

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* Hello out there! It's been a while. And I'd like to have a good excuse, but the truth is, I've just been lazy. Anyway, I'm going to try to be better about blogging the Noah-isms from now on. Really, I am. REALLY! :)

Anyway, a few weeks ago we spent the day at the museum. All of a sudden, Noah's really in to dinosaurs. (I think it's a boy thing). And he can point out many dinosaurs and says the names better than me! Here he is posing with a stegosaurus. (One of the few I know). He wouldn't smile...I guess making a tough face is better when posing with a giant lizard.

I was afraid that he thought that he'd see actual dinosaurs, and I kept preparing him that we were only going to see "bones"...but he didn't seem to mind. And he wasn't one bit disappointed. The museum has done a wonderful job with restoring the dinos and making the new area really cool.

Here is he with my dad posing in front of the very imposing T.Rex. Noah thinks that it is awesome that my dad's name is Rex...lately instead of referring to him as Pa, he calls him "T. Rex"! We all agreed though, that back in the day when the T. Rex was standing on his hind legs and you could see him from the 2nd story, he seemed to be much bigger. Or maybe that was because we were little kids at the time? (And you can all call that lady that just walked in to my picture a bad name, okay?)

Anyway, Noah enjoyed the "stuffed" animals part just as much as the dinosaur part. And of course, he can name even the most obscure of animals. He called my dad over to a "rhinocerous hornbill" -- it's a bird -- we saw one at the aviary and it's been a favorite of theirs ever since. (And for those of you that have been to the Carnegie Museum, remember that scene with the guy on the camel and the saber toothed tiger is attacking them? It's still cool 30 years later!)

They also have a new section where little kids can "dig" for dinosaurs. Here's Noah digging away. HE didn't want to leave because he hadn't dug up his bone yet! All in all, it was a great day. I think Noah really enjoyed himself.

One Liners

Here are a few one liners that Noah has thrown out over the past few weeks:

1) The other day he was doing something that he wasn't supposed to be doing. When I gave him a look, he came over to me, put his hands on my cheeks and said "Don't be mad, sweetheart!" Of course, I got over whatever it was that had made me mad, and gave him a big hug.

2) I was watching Grease 2 on tv over the weekend (no comments, please! HA!) and Noah looked at the tv and said "that man looks like John Bryson!" Walt and I said in unison "Who is John Bryson??" Noah replied "Oh, I'm just kidding! I made that name up!"

3) We were counting and saying "on Noah's next birthday he'll be 4"...then 5, 6, you get the idea. When we got to 10, I said "I'll be sad when you're 10, you won't be my baby anymore!" Noah says "Don't be sad, momma, I'll still be your son!" He also promised me that he will still let me kiss him (and he will kiss me) and hug him. However, he said that when he's 10, he wont' ask me to feed him anymore. :P (I just hope he keeps those promises!)

The Zoo!

I've been a bad blogger lately...I will blame it on the winter blahs. I've just been unmotivated.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we had one of those crazy warm days that tease us during the winter. Since it was close to 70 degrees that day, Noah and I decided to spend the afternoon at the zoo. It was one of the best trips we've had so far, because we practically had the joint to ourselves! There were maybe 30 other cars in the lot that day.



So we really got to see so many animals that day and linger as long as we wanted. Some highlights were:


The lions were both standing on the rock, looking at all of us like they wanted to have us for dinner, and daddy lion was roaring. 99.9% of the time, daddy lion is passed out on his heated rock, so it was really cool to see him awake AND to hear his mighty roar!

Luckily by the time we made it to the polar bear tunnel, one of them had jumped in. We were in the tunnel with 3 other people. So we all just plopped down and hung out, watching him play and swim. Usually the tunnel gets jammed, esp if the bears are in the water. People won't keep moving, and it is no fun at all.





We also had the corridors in the aquarium to ourselves for about 10 minutes. Again, it is sometimes so crowded in there (esp by the penguins), that it's just no fun.

So, the next unseasonably warm day (probably a week day is better, I think everyone will have my idea on a weekend), if you're not busy, hop in the car and go to the zoo. I think you'll see it in a whole new light! And to leave you, here's Noah, pretending to be a flamingo! (Sorry for the crazy spacing in this post...I can't fix it!)

The Social Life of a 3 year old

I knew there would come a day where Noah had a busier social calendar than I do. You know, high school football games, sports, taking girls on dates (oy!). But, what I didnt' know was that his social calendar would start to get busy way earlier than high school. He's invited to more parties than we are. (So if you're having a party soon, take pity on me and invite me!)

This is what his week looks like:
Sunday - my parents took him to a movie and lunch at Cookie Park. (You may know it as Eat N Park)

Friday (tonight) - classmate's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese

Saturday - friend at daycare's birthday party at a bowling alley

Sunday - Walt & I are taking him to a movie.

I'm glad he could at least find time this weekend to squeeze us in! :)

Barack Obama is a Tiger

Do these guys look like twins or what? The other night we were watching some TV and a commercial for something (maybe a video game) starring Tiger Woods was on. Noah watched Tiger sink a ball in to a hole and we had this conversation:

Noah: He won!

Walt: Yep, do you know who that is?

Me: His name is Tiger! Cool, huh? (You know because of Noah's animal obsession)

Noah: No, momma! That's Barack Obama!

Walt: (Laughing) No, that's Tiger Woods! He's a golfer.

Noah: Nope, it's Barack Obama!

I guess they do have a slight resemblance. Although, I think Noah just likes to say Barack Obama. It is pretty fun to say!

First goose egg

Well, Noah has made it 3.5 years without having a goosegg on his egg. Sure, he's had bumps and bruises and scrapes and cuts every where on his body...but this weekend was the first giant lump on his noggin. On Friday night/Saturday morning, Walt and I were jolted awake when we heard a giant THUD! Noah had fallen out of bed. Walt ran upstairs and Noah was crying and so upset. We finally calmed him down, figured out he was okay and went back to sleep. But, by morning, he'd grown a giant lump right above his eye, and it's a lovely shade of blue/purple.

You may be wondering why we don't have bedrails, but of course we do! He somehow managed to fall out of the bottom of the bed! I think he was dreaming because he hasn't given the same answer as to how he actually fell out of bed. I told him from now on, if he wants to get up, to please call me and I'll come and get him.

I was going to try to take a picture, but I am not sure if it would show up or not. I'll wait until it's that great shade of yellow/green, I'm sure it will show up in a picture then.

Christmas Morning!

The longest night of the year (Christmas Eve) was finally over. At 5:45 am, I heard Noah rustling in his bed, and caught him as he started to climb down the stairs. First, we checked out the kitchen, and Santa had been there! He left all kinds of cookie crumbs on the plate and drank his nice warm coffee.

See the amazement on his face? Santa came! And he left tons of wonderful presents. Noah got an mp3 player, some toy horses, play doh, a remote control truck and some board games. The most favorite toy from Santa were the horses. Santa could have saved himself a lot of time and money, and just gone for the horses. But, he's a generous guy!

Mommy and Daddy must have been good this year, too...because they got a Wii! Santa doesn't wrap the gifts that he leaves for Noah, (he's too busy for wrapping!) but he did wrap Guitar Hero that he left for all of us. Walt is now a Guitar Hero addict...me, I'm getting better, but don't know if I'll ever graduate from the "easy" setting! We also got Big Brain Academy (Walt is ahead of me by a measly 75 points...I will beat him!), Wii Fit (I love it, even though it insults me and tells me in so many words that I'm fat), and Raymon's Raving Rabbids (so far, I think I'm too old to figure out how to play this one!).

Later in the day, after we played with all of the toys, we headed to Walt's parents' house for more ham and presents. It was a whirlwind couple of weeks, but I think it may be one of my most memorable Christmases ever.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season, and I'm wishing you many good things to come in 2009!

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas was really excting and fun this year. Noah could hardly contain himself, especially as the big day drew closer. He has an advent calendar that he gets to untie (and eat!) a piece of candy every day. (We used Smarties) He knew that when he untied the last piece of candy and got to the bell, it meant it was Christmas. The day before Christmas Eve (I guess that's Christmas Eve eve), he kept saying "One more day! One more day!" He knew that the next day, when he took off the smarties, that was it! Christmas had arrived. And he was bouncing off of the walls!

We hosted my parents, brother, aunt and cousins for Christmas Eve. We all went to church while my brother stayed at my house to put our side dishes in the oven and take the ham out. What a great brother he is! Our dinner was ready when we came home - and the feasting began. Afterwards we open presents. It's Noah's favorite part!

Also on Christmas Eve, Santa comes around our 'hood on a fire truck. (I guess he gives those reindeer a rest at the athelic association??) Noah was so excited when he saw the fire truck coming up the street, that he started talking in gibberish. He's pretty well spoken for a 3 year old, but I guess the sight of Old Saint Nick just was too much. After he got a hug and a candy cane from Santa, we hurried inside, put on his jamas and left cookies and coffee (because it's cold...who wants all that milk when it's cold??) for Santa and carrots and reindeer food for the reindeer.

The Chistmas Play

It's been a while! I took a long break over Christmas time...but now I have so much to catch you all up on. So, we'll just start at the beginning!

Noah's school has an annual school play. They do the Nativity Scene - the 4 year olds (aka "the big kids") are the people in the nativity, the 3 year olds (Noah's class) are the animals. Which as you all know, an animal was the perfect part for Noah to play.

For weeks before the play, we'd ask Noah which animal he was playing. He would never give us a straight answer -- an arctic fox was the most popular answer he'd give, but sometimes he'd tell us a skunk and once, he told my mother he was going to be a werewolf. Can you imagine a werewolf at the nativity scene? Makes it a whole new story! Turns out...he was a donkey! Our pictures didn't turn out that great - but here he is. He even shook his head and moved his ears around like a real donkey. I see a future in acting!

After the big kids put on the little nativity scene, they all joined in a big sing along. Noah didn't do a whole lot of singing. Walt thought maybe it's because Noah only goes to school 2 days a week and didn't learn the songs. But, most of them were traditional Christmas songs, that I know he knows...and the other we heard him belting out a few days later. He told me he was too nervous up there to sing. I guess considering that I'm his mother (and if you remember, I was nervous in the hot tub on vacation, thinking a crazed maniac was going to come out of the woods to get me)...I guess it's a good possibility. It is funny to hear a 3 year old say he's nervous though!

There's the group shot. I do have to say that a few times, I choked up. Seeing my baby in his first school play. I can only imagine next year when he's IN the play and playing a person...I don't think I'll be able to hold back the tears!