September 30/Lazy Days of Summer

I feel like writing a quick post that's going to actually be more about me than about Noah. I hope that's okay. I'm sure that all 5 of my blog readers won't mind, just this once.

Today is the last day of September. Where DOES time go? As I think about how fast life seems to be flying by these days, I'd just like to say ... although I can't seem to hold on to the time, life is... good right now. Great, really. I am enjoying this season of my life. I wish that we were EXPERIENCING a little more of the FALL season down here in FL, because I LOVE Fall the most, but that's the trade we make for year round golf weather. It's hard to remember that it is practically October, when the 80 degree weather and rain outside is more reminescent of a summer/July storm. It has rained nearly every day for like 2 weeks. Our yard is almost flooded to the porch. I guess there's a tropical depression or something out there.

It is especially different this fall since I didn't go back to school. School starting is always the wake-up call for me that summer if over and fall is in full swing. Okay, duh, that may sound kind of obvious to you, but see the thing is, without work--let me clarify-- without working a 9-5 type of job, (I can tell you for sure, that being a stay-at-home-mom IS a full time+ job!) without a job that requires me to be showered, make-up on/dressed and out the door by 7:45 a.m., life still seems kind of like...summer to me. I can stay up as late as I want every night, sleep in late, have company on a Tuesday, run down to Miami to go to a Cubs game with my husband on a Thursday night, etc. Most days I don't get a shower until near noon, when Noah lays down for his nap. If I don't have somewhere to go in particular, I often wear very casual clothes, and don't always put makeup on till I'm heading out the door...I have to look at a calendar each day and remind myself what day it is. See, like summer. Those of you who aren't teachers may not understand how this is, but this is what summers are like to me. And this is how I'm experiencing this new season of my life. Every day is a "play day"; I take Noah swimming, on walks and field trips around town; I can pick up and go with Matt out of town if he has a meeting somewhere. It's been very nice. I could really get used to this.

All that being said, there is something inside of me that is telling me I need to begin to get into more of a schedule so that I don't miss out on this time I have at home. I know that it in no way is guaranteed to always be like this, and there are several things I need to do to take advantage of this time while Noah is young and rather "easy" to entertain. I need to take a few online classes for teaching/update my certification, catch up on a few personal things, like scrapbooking, maybe even learn how to do a few things better--like getting our finances in order, and cooking. I actually enjoy making dinner for Matt each evening because I have the time to plan a meal, go shopping, and fix everything in more than just 30 minutes. I am also getting ready to start teaching piano to a girl at church and possibly tutoring. So add these things to my part time work at the church and of course full time Noah's mommy, and my plate is plenty full. But I NEED some amount of discipline and routine in my life, because I am not naturally self-disciplined and without a schedule, I tend to get pretty lazy about certain things. Speaking of lazy days...

I'm excited that the t.v. shows are finally back on with new episodes, even tho I pretty much missed premiere week due to a few things going on here...I'm sure I'll catch up. There are only a few shows I expect to find time to watch this year: The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and...gee, is that it? Matt and I look forward to the new seasons of 24 and we are a tiny bit interested to see how Lost plays out, although we're not as tied to it as before.

It is literally POURING rain outside. Every year I forget JUST HOW RAINY it is here in FL during hurricane season.

Back to the fall thought...I finally put up a few leafy decorations and the ever-so-yummy pumpkin spice candles...so I feel just a little bit more in the mood despite the lack of extracurricular job and greatly missed sweater weather. I'm gonna pick up a new box of apple cider and supplies to bake homemade cookies, buy my plane tickets for Christmas, and put on some good jazz music to round out the season. I hope that all of you in places much cooler than here ENJOY the static charge you get as you pull those sweaters over your head and slip on your boots. I'll just keep enjoying my days with the boy and my flip flops.(sorry about all the runon sentences.)

Noah's September Fun

The month of September has been a big one for Noah. His 6 month, half-year birthday was the 3rd. I took him to the dr. for his appointment on the 5th and he weighed in a healthy 18 lbs, 14 oz. He is eating (and pooping!) solids twice a day now and enjoying everything we've given him so far---rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, applesauce, peaches, pears, and chaquita bananas. The only thing he turned away the first time was peas, and who could blaim them--they smell pretty strong, too. But now he really likes them. He loves meal time and tries so hard to grab the spoon himself and chew on it. Today he wouldn't stay still during his meal until I let him stand up. Once he was standing, he was fine. So he stood, hands propped against my legs, holding himself up, the whole jar. Actually, now that I think of it, it gives him something to do with his hands!

The first 2 weeks of this month Noah reached several "milestones" as they are called--officially moving from a scooter to a crawler, even though it still resembles an inchworm--he can seriously get around! He loves to crawl into the bathroom to follow one of us in there and he LOVES chasing the cat and dog wherever they go. He gets "in trouble" when he crawls to the dog food bowls and splashes in the dog's water. One day last week he crawled to the dog's water bowl 8 times in a row, each time I picked him up and plopped him back in the living room, some 20 feet away. Very persistent, that kiddo. He seems to love to crawl under and through things, like the legs of the chairs and stools around our breakfast bar, and under the microwave counter table.

He is also now pulling himself up to a sitting position and then the same day, into a standing position. Now he pulls himself up ALL the time to stand, as long as he has something to wrap his little fingers around, he can pull himself up. Or if he can roll over onto something, he can PUSH himself up to a standing position, like from a plastic toy walker. We are starting to get pretty nervous for this newly acquired skill, since he lacks the strength and understanding to balance himself--he has already taken a few falls and doesn't realize that WE are catching him when he lets go. Children have no concept of gravity, do they? He has discovered how much noise (a LOT) he can make from banging my roaster and lid on the tile floor and has made a drum out of the roaster and a wooden spoon. He also has learned that he can "jump" over his daddy and me when we're lying on the floor with him--only problem is he does this head first, with no hands.

Here are a few photos from this past weekend, when my sister Carrie was in FL to visit. We took Noah to the REAL beach for the first time and let him "play" in the water.

Today is brought to you by the letter H

Alphabet Soup...the things in my life that bring me fun, happiness, joy, smiles, and laughter that begin with H....

1. Husband--I have a great one. He was definitely made to compliment my strengths/weaknesses and I, his. We are each others' best friends, and we love to spend time together. I don't know what I would ever do without my hubby. Here's a photo of us on our recent 5 year anniversary. What a hottie!

2. Health--mine and that of my family/ies--we have been very lucky to (so far) not be struck with any major illnesses or accidents, for which I am very greatful.

3. Heavenly Hash icecream...some have never heard of it...chocolate icecream with marshmallows and chocolate covered almonds. Pretty heavenly, I must say.

4. Hairspray--the movie/musical ... based on the Broadway show ... based on...? I've only seen the movies, but let me just say that the newly made version that is still out in theaters is FABULOUS. Carrie and I saw it this last weekend and it was very good, as well as HILARIOUS at parts. The girl that plays Tracy is amazing. John Travolta as Tracy's mom, not so good.

5. Helping behind-the-scenes...I really enjoy doing things to help others, but would much rather help in a behind the scenes, unseen job than to have the upfront, speaking in front of others position or part. I love to help Matt with youth group and help serve drinks and food at church dinners, etc. In fact, I always secretly wanted to wait tables for a job, because I think I would do a really good job at it and actually ENJOY it. Those of you who have been a server I'm sure you think I'm crazy...

6. Hot cocoa (or hot chocolate) and Hot Apple Cider....yummmm...can't wait for winter...

7. Homemade cookies...double yummmmmm. I love the way they taste but also the way they make your whole house smell good.

8. Hawaii--love it, can't wait to visit one day (hopefully soon) with Matt. I got the wonderful opportunity to go as a senior in college with my soccer team, and we had so much fun! It is probably the most gorgeous place I have ever been.

9. "Hey Ya!" by Outkast. Of course, the sensored, radio version. Something about this song is just SO catchy. It gets in your head...and now it's in YOUR head... :-) Shake it like a polaroid picture!

That's enough for tonight!

More Confessions

Let's move on to less personally (O.C.D.???) revealing things...

7. I love to color, as in kids coloring books. It's like a stress reliever for me. I prefer using markers over crayons, and crayons over colored pencils. And I won't use anything other than Crayola. Seriously.

8. I say I like to scrapbook, but let's be honest. I haven't scrapbooked in ages. I have loads of scrapbooking materials and even more loads of pictures to use, but I have been overwhelmed, no, paralyzed by the very immensity of the job ahead of me. So really, I like to stock my office shelves of scrapbooking supplies and think that one day, I will actually get back to it.

9. I don't like to share my food.

10. And I can easily and usually do finish my whole plate. No matter how big it started. That's not a good trait. Something that was wrongly instilled in me my whole life.

11. I love icecream. A serving size for me is 3 or 4 scoops. Another Hays thing. that is not good.

12. I, too, still watch Days of our Lives...waiting for the day that Stefano will actually die.

13. I was quite the prankster in college. Until a less than attractive picture of me ended up on the salad bar...then I called it quits. Mostly.

14. I actually LIKE Celine Deon. I got ready on my wedding day to her "A New Day" c.d. And last but probably most embarrasing confession...

15. My iPod shuffle that I have had for a year and 4 months STILL only has like...9 songs on it. And worse than that is the songs I DO have on it. I dowloaded a bunch of random songs a few months after getting an Apple card as a gift, and have never added more. I claim I forgot how to, but that is only partially true because I'm sure I could figure it out if I took the time. This is where the true confession comes in. The ones I remember are: Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, B52s- Love Shack, an En Vogue song, What A Man by Salt and Peppa, Hey Ya by Outkast, Stay by Lisa Loeb, and More than Words by Extreme. Wow. Talk about baring my soul. It feels good to get it all out there...to the random blogging world...be gentle with my confessions, people. Be gentle.

Confessions...

Confessions...

Sherry D. did this a few weeks/months back, and I have had it going through my brain every once in a while since then. I have come up with a few conclusions about myself that I find quite humorous, so I thought I'd put them to pen.

1. I love to organize things. My brain sees things in an organized state of being. Organized = peace.

2. I don't like to clean. I like to organize, but not clean. I like the smell of clean, the feel of clean, but not enough to do it consistently. If I ever won a large amount of money, weekly housekeeping would definitely be something I would splurge on.

3. So would Tide clothes detergent. Apparently, I don't know what I'm missing. Confession #3: I still buy cheap clothes soap.

4. I do, however, like to do laundry. Not so much the washing part of it or the putting away part, but the folding of clean laundry. Especially baby laundry. It takes me forever because I have to have all the corners and folds just right. I ENJOY folding. I even refold towels and sheets when Matt does them "wrong". I don't think he's ever caught me yet. He knows better than to fold my personal laundry.

5. Did I mention I'm cheap? I've come to the conclusion that I am. I don't like to think that I am, but since I'm confessing here, I guess that I am. I'm all about a bargain, a sale, counting the savings. I keep my receipts, count my change, and will waste the gas money to go to the store to use a coupon. I love a good clearance rack and the Dollar spot at Target...

6. I am a packrat/horder of types. I get this from my dad. My closet is FULL of perfectly good clothes, some even from highschool, that I'm sure I'll end up wearing some day (please, Lord, I sure hope not!) ...my attic is full of things for a garage sale I may never have but just can't seem to throw away. My parents still have boxes of awards and papers from my elementary/ junior and highschool days that I need to sort through. (But they're organized!)

I think I'll come back to these a little later...

Noah's a Crawler #2

Noah goes crazy towards a plastic bag...twice...

Noah's a crawler!

Here's a video of our official little crawler/inchworm. So much progress in 1 week!

Month by Month

I've been wanting to put these side by side for some time now, just to see how much Noah's changed over these last 6 months. I don't have the last 2 months printed yet, so I thought I'd try doing it online. Enjoy it with me. Here's Noah on his 6 month "birthday" and on his BIRTH day. Then are pix of him on each month in his chair.
Pix: 6 month old Noah and Noah's first day at the hospital

1 month and 2 months.

3 months and 4 months

5 months and 6 months

Back to the ABCs again...

This week's list was easy for me. Here are the things that light up my life.

G is for ...

1. Golden Bell Camp...the camp I worked during college for 3 summers and the place where I met my husband 9 years ago. I LOVED working at GB, obviously, since I kept going back! I've always wished I could get paid a salary like I make teaching to work there--I'd go back in a heartbeat. And of course, Matt and I both have fond memories of our first summer of forbidden love (just kidding). Fond memories, yes. But it was more like secretive love than forbidden.

2. Girlfriends--I only have a few close gal pals, but they are huge influences in my life and I can't imagine what I would do without them. I have several girlfriends from college who I hardly ever get to see anymore, but I think of them very dearly and still hold them close to my heart. Ahhh, I know.

3. Golfing with my husband. I don't get to do it very often, especially as of late, and I can't say I even enjoy the golfing part all that much. I've only learned how to play in the last 2 or 3 years. But there's just something wonderful about doing something that your HUSBAND loves WITH HIM. It means a lot to me when he asks me to play with him, and I cherish the time we get to spend together.

4. Grover from Sesame Street. Random, I know. But talk about something bringing a smile to my face, I love it when he does his little "Near.......Far.......Near.......Far....." sketch. What a cutie.

5. Grape--probably my favorite flavor of popcicle, Skittle, Jolly Rancher, Mr. Freeze, slushie, snow cone, etc. I also love GRAPES, although the flavor and the fruit are really not all that close in taste. Hmmmph.

And last but not least...

6. Grey's Anatomy. Ok, so I gotta be honest. I really like the show. A little embarrassed to admit it, but it's true. I didn't miss an episode last year and I even rewatched several episodes on Friday. I didn't like or approve of everything that happened, but I still gotta get my grey's in each week. The Nazi's my favorite. She cracks me up.

Half a Year

Noah went for his 6 month well baby check-up today. I thought for sure the dr. would tell me my 6 mo. old kid is over 21 pounds...but actually I was shocked. He only weighs 18 lbs, 14 oz. I say ONLY because I/we/everyone expected much more. So he gained 1 & 1/2 lbs. since the middle of July. This actually dropped him down to the 75% for both weight and height. (He started out in the 90% for weight.) Still, my little one is double his birthweight in 6 months. He's a growin boy. He did pretty well with all the shots, and was a trooper for me today as I ran around all afternoon. Pray for us as we continue to attempt to help him sleep better and longer. It's been rough nights for several weeks now. That being said, I thank God several times a day for a healthy baby. I have a friend who's little 1 year old is undergoing chemo for the 2nd type of cancer in less than a year, and one who's newborn had to have serious, open heart surgery. Kinda puts life in perspective a bit. Every time I feel sorry for myself as I sit up at 3:00 in the a.m. listening to Noah cry, I check out their webpages and get a dose of reality. Life is good. I am so lucky. God is so good to us.
Here's the boy, half way to a year! He sure looks all grown up. I love these new little p.j.s.

Yes, he is standing (leaning) all by himself here.

Dressed for church on Sunday. Matt was gone this weekend so I had to take a pix of baby for him. Just Mama's home portrait gallery--a sheet hanging from the t.v. in the living room.

Alphabet Soup...the Missing...

This last week we took a hiatus from the weekly alphabet soup. The lady that started it also does a "Woman to Woman" writing day that coincided with her weekly word play, so she took a week's break and will be back at it the middle of this week with the letter G. As I've let my mind wonder ahead to the next letter, I've also enjoyed remembering the "LESS than favorites" of the past month that DIDN'T make the list. Sometimes the things I DON'T like are much easier to think of than the good ones. So for fun, I thought I'd let you inside my brain..

Here you have the Alphabet Soup from A-F for the things that make me want to groan, whine, stomp my feet, pull my hair out, maybe even scream...

A is for...
Airport increases--since we live so far from all our family and friends, this especially affects us. At holiday times, we spend nearly as much on airfare as we do on gifts for others. Now that we have a baby, we are going to feel the pain in the pocketbook even more. You better believe that we're going to have him sitting in our lap all the way up to his 2nd birthday!

B is for....
Bugbites..specifically my baby's bugbites...the other night he got so BIT UP as we walked home from church (we live close). In a matter of about 4 minutes, he ended up with a two digit number of bites on his little tubby legs. I guess the squitos especially like that baby blood. I have felt TERRIBLE all week. There's not much you can do to help with baby's bug bites..

C is for....

Customer Service. Isn't it just the worst sometimes!?! Mostly the CSMs from our local Walmart are at the bottom of my list for this, but today a lady from Target actually got a manager to take over my transaction because she got mad at ME for...basically...understanding in full, the Target return policy...I had dragged Matt with me because I have already exceded my "2 returns without a receipt" this year (all the baby items Noah has outgrown). So as Matt stood there, with his driver's license already extended, she literally growled at us...I amazingly enough, did not get annoyed with her, until the manager had to begin the process from the very beginning due to her fleeing the scene. Ugggh.

and I can't overlook--
Cell phone (overage) charges...I'm not even going to go into how much extra money we have spent this last 5 months, between our traveling, calling family about the baby, Matt's extra phone calls due to being DP of Central Florida, etc..and now that Matt has discovered the world of text messaging, without asking me to sign us up for a plan...it's been a nightmare. And the thing is, I know we're not alone, are we?!?! Everyone has had that month of 180$ once or twice!
Right?

D is for....

Dumb people--like the ones who, when hearing I was born in New Mexico, tell me 'yeah, you look Mexican', or "when did that become a state?" and those who felt the need to analyze my weight gain during my pregnancy and comment on it--'girl, you look like you're gonna pop...you're only 6 months pregnant? You look like you should have the baby any day now'-----and now that I'm on the other side, there's the people who tell me my baby "sure is a good eater" and "are you sure he's only 3...or 4...or 5...months?" and then there are the MEN from my church who ask me--"so I hear you're breastfeeding...how's it going?" It's like Alan Jackson says, "Here's your sign." D is for all ya'll.

E is for...

Eggnog. Eggs overeasy...Eggs sunny side up. Any kind of egg that is still runny or undercooked. Yuck. Yes, I know, cookie dough and cake batter have uncooked egg...but they're not ooey gooey egg yolky, that's what grosses me out.

and finally...

F is for Ferber. The guy who says we should methodically train our children to cry themselves to sleep so that one day they will be able to soothe themselves back to sleep with out mommy or daddy's assistance. Of course the hope of getting even a 4-hour block of sleep back is too entising to dismiss. I'm sure that at some point in the future I may be singing his praises, but after my weekend alone with my baby, I would just like to say that if I could, I would probably strangle the guy.

F is also for Fisher Price--the RECALL on Noah's once beloved infant Rainforest Take-Along swing states that the child may "shift his weight to one side and become caught between the swing and the bar, causing an entrapment hazard." Oh really? That is exactly what happened to us, but a good month or two BEFORE the item was recalled. And it was at least another month before I heard about the recall. THANKFULLY, when it happened to us, I had just stepped into the other room and was able to help him before he got hurt. These picture show what we once thought was cute...Noah wiggling around...and of course, he wasn't buckled in when these pix were taken--(we were sitting there with him.) but he WAS buckled in when he got trapped between the bars and had his head banging against the side. They're just lucky I'm not filing a lawsuit. My refund check FINALLY came in the mail a few days ago, after 6 weeks of waiting...for some reason I'm not just rushing out there to by more Fisher Price toys just yet.

So that's my list of Dislikes from A-F....Hope you enjoyed reading my venting as much as I enjoyed doing it. Don't worry, now I'm gearing up for the positive stuff again with G...