2 months

Noah is 2 months old today! I took both boys in for their check-ups this morning. Noah weighs 12 pounds, 10 ounces (73rd percentile) and is 22 inches long (17th percentile). I'd say he's pretty short and stubby!

Noah is interacting more everyday. He loves to lay on a blanket (or his play gym), just kicking and flailing his arms. He HATES tummy time and screams the entire time. I have to break up the recommended 15 minutes a day into shorter 5-minute segments because I just can't stand the screaming for 15 minutes! He has started smiling more and more. He loves to eat...especially this week. He normally is true to the meaning of his name--Noah means "peaceful". He just started becoming interested in what his big brother is doing and likes to watch him during the day. He prefers to be held, especially when he sleeps. We have been trying to adapt Babywise to fit our family (which we used with Caleb), but it is definitely harder to stay super-consistent having a 2-year old and a baby. We were pleasantly surprised one morning last week when we awoke at 7:00 in the morning without hearing from our little guy since 9:30 the night before. Unfortunately, that was a one-night "tease" and he is back to waking up once, sometimes even twice. We'll get there soon enough, though, and we are enjoying every new milestone with our little guy!

Caleb is TWO!!!

To Caleb:

Two years have gone by so fast,

Leaving me dreaming of and remembering our past.

The first time I held you in my arms so tight,

And getting up with you during the night.

The way your first smiles lit up your face,

And seeing you crawl all over the place.

Your first precious coos that turned into words,

And the way you sweetly imitate the singing birds.

Your first steps that have now turned into runs,

Saying "I love you", giving kisses and hugs.

Your enthusiasm for life is oh so sweet,

In terms of personality no one's got you beat!

This year has brought us so much fun,

Like going to Disney World and playing in the sun.

In North Carolina we played in the sand,

And walked along the beach hand-in-hand.

You've grown so tall and learned a lot,

You're talking in sentences, believe it or not.

You love to read books and play with your train,

And you want to go outside, in the sun or the rain.

Another big change--you became a big brother!

You now get to share your life with another.

You give Noah tons of affection and love,

Both of our boys have been sent from above.

This past year I have learned so much from you,

Like how to celebrate life--like a child who's two.

To greet each person with a smile on your face,

And love unconditionally no matter the case.

If only I could have the faith of my child,

Running around with his blonde hair so wild.

Loving on every single person he meets,

Singing a song in the house or the street.

Trusting in the good of each woman and man,

Trying in everything the best that he can.

Bringing so much joy to all those around,

Singing "Jesus loves me" with a look that's so proud.

You are a blessing, my sweet little boy,

Always continue to fill others with joy.

For this is the gift God has given to you,

You'll make a difference in whatever you do.

I look at you and my heart leaps for joy,

Knowing and loving this sweet little boy.

You are a gift from our God up above,

A precious, innocent package just oozing with love.

So even though it is your day that we celebrate,

For me it marks a sacred time and place.

My heart grew 100 times bigger with love,
For my sweet, precious boy who was sent from above.

I love you more than you can imagine! Happy Birthday!

Love, Mommy

smiles

Noah has been pretty skimpy with his smiles up until this week. Now, he is smiling all the time! It is so fun to see a little bit more of his personality emerge every day!

"Shut duh doe"

We are officially in the throws of potty training...not necessarily by choice. I was planning on waiting a while, until the stress of adjusting to having a newborn and very active toddler had subsided considerably. But late last week, Caleb began consistently telling me when he needed to go to the bathroom and he was so excited when he went...I mean REALLY excited. We didn't want to put a damper on his enthusiasm, so we went with it and started putting him in underwear. He has done amazingly well and we have only had a handful of accidents. He likes his privacy, though, and will say "shut duh doe" when he is going potty. I'm sure this new adventure will have its shares of ups and downs and he may even lose interest all together for a while and we'll be back in diapers, but we are enjoying his enthusiasm even if it takes more time and effort. :)

affection

Today when we put Caleb down for his nap, he kept repeating, "I want to cuddle". He is the most affectionate kid I know...always giving us hugs and kisses. At the library story time on Monday, he walked up to a little girl he had never met and tried to hug her over and over again. I think it kind of freaked this little girl out...I guess we might need to talk a bit about personal boundaries. :)

He is absolutely in love with his baby brother. He loves to kiss, hug, and lay by Noah. He even loves to share his favorite toys, books, and his coveted "bissie" and "addie" (translation: blanket and giraffe). Yesterday he even shared a mini M&M with Noah and just about gave me a heart attack. Noah was in his swing and I was dumping the potty from the potty chair into the toilet. I came back to the living room and saw Noah's mouth covered in red. I think that Caleb just put it on his mouth and then ate it himself because it wasn't in his mouth when I did the finger sweep...but who knows. It was hard to get too upset with him because he was just trying to be sweet and share, but I tried to tell him that we can't share food with Noah. Oh dear...life with 2 under the age of 2 is certainly eventful!

Brotherly love

Caleb "shared" all of his favorite things (at the moment) by laying them all around Noah...he was trying to cheer him up since Noah hates tummy time. :)