we've already made it to half a year! this time last year we had barely found out we were pregnant, had announced the news to only our closest family and friends and had begun to settle back in after moving back to texas at the beginning of the month. my, how things have changed! the 16th marked my 1 year anniversary at children's, the 27th marks my 1 year at AKUC, and little noah has been here for a full 6 months as of the 24th....only 6 more months until he reaches a whole year and then college! oh, wait...it just feels like that sometimes ;)
in the past month noah has continued to show his budding personality. he has become more and more perceptive of the daily goings-on around here and thrives on any interaction he gets...including lexi! this month he has really started to notice our "first child" as we jokingly call her and *loves* to be close enough to her to pet her or let her lick his hands (don't worry, i keep antibacterial hand gel nearby). one of his favorite games to play is "chase lexi" where matt or i carry him around the back yard in pursuit of our favorite yellow lab, while she dashes about. this is always sure to get an eruption of giggles and super-sweet belly laughs. i'm not sure who enjoys the game more: noah or lexi....and i'm not sure who is more worn out at the end: lexi or the parent carrying noah. he also really enjoys being held while i do squats, and being lifted over my head a-la tricep curls. so this has become my new workout routine...although i'm still trying to figure out how to work my abs while entertaining him ;) i was also lucky enough to find a like-new jogging stroller at the consignment shop (for a mere $70!) so when the weather improves (read: finally drops below the scorching 100+ degree days) noah and i will take up jogging, too. and in weather news, i am a bit sad to say that while noah has endured one of the hottest summers on record, he will not be able to boast that it was the hottest summer in DFW. we were mere days away from breaking the record when a cool front moved through and literally rained on our record-breaking parade. now we've just endured a ton of heat while only being able to say it was the second hottest summer on record...sorry, son! he probably won't remember it either way, so i'm sure he's not too upset about it.
as far as other developments, noah has been getting better and better about sitting on his own. he's still a little wobbly, but he can now sit for several seconds before doing a slow lean-and-crash to the floor. fortunately, these little tumbles don't seem to phase him too much as long as he gets the toy he was reaching for/looking at. what a trooper :)
our little man is a happy guy, and loves to find fun things to do. i'm starting to see a little bit of mischief, though, and i'm a little fearful of what's in store for me in the years to come. last week noah decided one night he wasn't all that fond of sleeping, but instead wanted to play. i left him playing and talking in his crib until he finally wore himself out, but when i would go to check on him i would find him looking up at me with a big silly grin as if to say, "you know i'm cute, pick me up and play with me! who cares if it's 3am?!" i was determined not to let him think it was playtime, but it took an awful lot of effort not to play with that sweet little boy at that moment!
also this past week noah discovered the art of splashing in the bathtub. oh, what joy for a baby!! at first it was just a short period of waving his hands in the water, but the other night he was full-on swimming! he lays on his back and kicks his feet and waves his arms all over the place, splashing the tub (and even me!) in the process. of course, the whole time he's got a *huge* grin on his face and is laughing at this new way to play. i think he's ready for the pool!
and what would his little personality be without some of his dislikes? we've recently discovered that noah does not care for the ice dispenser on the fridge. for some reason, the sound seems to bother him, and every time i use it he gets a huge frown then starts to cry :( it's the only loud sound that really seems to make him cry -- even lexi's barking doesn't bother him. the other sound that always startles him, though, is lexi shaking. when she gets up from sleeping for an extended period she will shake vigorously and it never fails to make noah jump --and if he's really tired -- cry. poor thing!
and finally in firsts, noah got to enjoy his first few cowboys games! we celebrated (just the two of us because daddy was at work) decked out in our cowboys gear (thanks, papa king!) and noah got to watch the first 15 minutes of each game. lucky for him, this meant his missed the loss during the second game :(
he also got to celebrate his cousin
maddie's second birthday. it's absolutely crazy to think that one day my little man will be the one celebrating that milestone (and many more!), but before i get too far ahead of myself i guess i start working on halloween preparations!
