March Post on Noah

Both pics from Zoo day

Creative Title, I know. That's how I'm feeling this morning. . . Just get things done!

Where have my Sundays gone? (My regular weekly blog time)

It has been nearly a month since I blogged last. 4 weeks exactly! I don't know if that's a record for me lately, but I think it is. I have meant to get on several times in the last few weeks, but not sure quite what to say or where to start. So be prepared, I have a plan in mind, but this might get random.

First, we'll start with the best things. So that those of you faint at heart can quit half way thru.

My last blog entry was the 3rd, Noah's birthday. We are already nearly a month into his 3rd year of life! If I had to give this time period a title, it would sound boring, but appropriately be called Language Development--and not boring at all! It has been soooo fun to hear and see the progress he is making in language in the last several months. When we left FL, it was still mostly names, and 50 or so simple words-mostly nouns. We were feeling like he was quite behind other kids his age, boys as well as the obvious girls. It was mostly Mama, Dadda, Do(g), Up, baw(bottle, or ball) and some occasional animal noises. By the mid of Jan. I started to lose track of all the words I heard him attempt to say, but some favorites were "Agaaaain!", "Ewwwww", "kite", and all the food he likes to ask for, like "cake", "cook-cook", "can(dy)" "pop(tart, popcicle, or popcorn)". The last two months, he has really grasped the repeating thing, and can repeat any 1 syllable word he hears. And he makes a good attempt on the 2 syllable ones. Now there is no point in counting anymore. We are hearing him put together 3 or 4 words back to back, only lacking the linking verbs and prepositional phrases to make them whole sentences. Like he'll say, "Dadda, Pey-ton (very clear sounding now), outside!!! (I ask why?) "Peyton, poopoo!" (Oh really?) "Poopoo, Baaaad..Dadda, bag" which means Dadda has to put the poopoo in a doggie bag. AND he says "Mama, wat(ch), No-uh, dunk! (which sounds great, but actually means Jump instead of dunk!).

Some of my favorite things he's been doing lately:

1) Of course, a huge favorite is hearing him say his own name. This has been so hard for him to learn! But now he's got it, and EVERYTHING is "No-uh (do by himself)."

2) Matt taught him that red light means STOP! and Green Light means GO! So now as we drive around town, Noah tells me from the back seat, "Mama, RED! STOP!" Or "Greeeee, go, go, Mamaaaa!" I'm sure Matt would say it's just paybacks, one backseat driver to another...Also, as we were driving around looking at houses a week or two ago, our realtor jokingly told Matt (quietly) that you can tell the kids that you can *blow out* the lights to make them change colors, which Noah of course heard perfectly, so now, (thank you, Michael) every time we come up to a light, Noah says, "Mama, Light! BLOW! NOOOO, No-uh, No-uh", which means HE wants to do it by himself, with no help (fine by me) and then when he blows too early and it doesn't work, he'll say, "Mama, blow!" so I'll *try*, and it won't work either, so I'll say, "Noah, help Mama, together," and we'll count, "one, two, two" (he doesn't really know three yet but he knows there's 3 numbers) and then this time, of course it works, because we've been sitting there so long, and so we BLOOOOOWWWW and the light miraculously changes, and NOAH's FACE LIGHTS UP like we were at the rodeo fair again, and he gets so excited and gives me a high five. And then we drive down 2 blocks, get stuck at the next light, and do it all over again...."No, NOOO-uh, No-uh" (do by himself)...

3) Last night he dumped all his coins from his broken piggie bank in between the cushions of the couch, pulled the cushions off (maybe first time he's discovered they come off) and jumped up and down on the base of the couch, like a trampoline with the coins bouncing all over....for like 15 min.

4) He gets a REALLY good "Sorry" look going and says "Sawr, Sawr" and rubs his hand over his chest (sign language for Sorry) when he gets in trouble or plays too rough and hurts you. He keeps it up until you tell him it's okay.

5) Then he gives you a "BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG Hug" "Biiiiiiiiiig hug, mama", "Biiiiiiiiiig Hug, Dadda!"

Who doesn't need a BIIIIIG Hug from such a cutie!

6)And last, some days, when I'm really lucky and Noah is in a good mood in the morning, after we get him ready for school in the morning, he carries his little lunch box and a toy to the door and says "Rea(dy), Byeeeeeee" to Mama, like this morning. What a good start to the day.

Things we've done this month:

The Houston Zoo, with Aunt Carrie visiting and Chuck E. Cheese's for Noah's birthday party

The Children's Museum, again when Aunt Carrie was visiting for her Spring Break. Noah loooved the Motion Commotion room, with all the golf balls and ramps and stuff.

The Houston Rodeo: Noah, Mommy and Daddy. We watched the real Rodeo and then Noah got to go on a few rides...like this one! "AGAIN, AGAIN!" he said.

Pump It Up-- an inflatable park for Preschool/Mother's Morning.

Here's just a few of the pics. You can see many more on my facebook account of flickr account.
And I'll come back for the rest of the Hawkins family news. That's quite enough for one blog post.