Noah's New Bed!

Though this is not a recent development, we thought we would share with you some major milestones taking place in our home. A month ago, we finally moved Noah out of our bed--kinda sorta--but today we're going to focus on the progress that we have made and celebrate Noah's graduation into the world of independent sleeping arrangement. Again, kinda-sorta-independent sleeping arrangement.

As you can see, he's 'technically' out of the bed...but in rather close proximity and often will climb back into bed during the night. Unfortunately, David acts as entry and exit point for these nocturnal events and has served to become the machinery behind raising and lowering Noah on and off the bed.

Clearly, sleep is important. This is Noah after his first night sleeping in his own bed.

Noah Says "David"!

Count Your Blessings...

There is a tiny little Asian man making a spectacle of himself.

And It appears to be very deliberate.

Unfortunately, I am positive that he is not getting the effect he was going for.

He wants attention, that much is clear.

I am tempted to ask if 'Yuck' is what he's aiming for.

Three thoughts come to mind as I watch and observe this schmuck (I rarely use this word, but pleasantly surprised and amused with the opportunity this little man has afforded me to use this silly word):

1. Yuck.
2. I'm so glad I'm married to David and he's not a big dork.
3. Where do all the freaks go at night?

He's wearing a slightly tight firetruck red Marlboro Man Cowboy shirt that reads "Wild West Country". Frankly, at 4'9" with a funny crew cut and big mouth (metaphorically speaking), cowboy is the last thing I would associate him with. Maybe a jackass?

His eyes follow the backside of every female that rushes by in the lunch room and when a particularly attractive one happens by he raises his voice and talks about how much muscle mass he is putting on at 145. Do you think he means pounds? The numerical value he refers to puzzles and confuses me.

I'm beginning to feel anxious at the sight of him. A multitude of feelings are starting to overwhelm me: Yuck. It's painful to watch him. He is starting to make me feel embarrassed to be a fellow Asian. Is the good, right and honorable thing to do to give him advice? What would David do? What would the good Samaritan do? I'm so glad that I'm married and David's not a dork. Is Gina ok? I hope she doesn't have to deal with too many schmucks. He definitely is not 145lbs...maybe 125-130?

I find this to be the perfect opportunity to sing praises about my lovely husband. For some strange reason the sight of this creature fills me with a sense of tremendous relief and gratitude for my dear husband.

Dear David,

I'm thankful that you're tall and handsome and socially presentable.
I'm thankful that you don't don't wear Marlboro Man t-shirts.
I'm thankful that you're not underweight.
I'm thankful that you're gentle spirited and not some gregarious little troll-like creature.
Thank you for being dignified. I never feel embarrassed when I'm with you.
And if I were a man, and you a woman, I'd wear you on my arm like a trophy-wife everywhere we go.

Love Always,
Thankful Wife.

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Noah has a tendency to wake up around 4:30/5:00 am in the morning looking for a bottle. For a while I tried to wean him from this feeding...but given that he is a little underweight we haven't pushed it too much and continue to give him a bottle in the early morning.

Now, usually David is already up around this time and watching the market, so when Noah is up and shoving his Nuby Sippy Cup in my face I usually call out for my hero: "DAVID...DAVID! We need a bottle!"

Then a bottle magically appears and Noah falls back asleep and I no longer have Noah sitting atop my chest with a bottle to my face like a mugger on the streets of New York.

Well...Monkey See. Monkey Do.

Noah has eliminated the middle man and has gone straight to the source. Now in the mornings he calls out into the dark for his Hero. His Deliverer. His Milkman..."DAY-MID! DAY-MID!"

First time he did it, it just cracked me up. Now, it's become a bit of an issue and sometimes David has to re-educate the little man and tell him to call him "Dada".

How much information is too much information?

So, David hasn't mentioned anything yet...but he hasn't checked the blog recently. I was thinking to myself...David, being the very proper and dignified human being that he is, will not appreciate my use of his name and 'toilet plunger' in the same sentence.

And it got me thinking...how much information is too much information. I tried to put myself in his shoe, but frankly I have never been very successful at this exercise in empathetic transference. Certain infractions never seem as bad when I am the perpetrator.

So, Dear Reader, I seek your guidance in this ethical dilemma.

~*~

Unbearable Cuteness of Being

How do I get through one night without you
If I had to live without you
What kind of life would that be
Oh I, I need you in my arms
Need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
~~~
Without you, there'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
And I, oh Baby, I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you

I cannot find the words to describe how deeply in love I am with my child. There is nothing quite like the feeling and there are so many moments when I am overwhelmed with this new found love. Noah is now 14 months old and each and every day he gets cuter and cuter. I find myself falling hopelessly in love with him as I watch his personality emerge.

It is a fascinating experience.

All of it.

Changing me from the inside out.

I remember people asking me how I felt about becoming a mother when I was pregnant with Noah; I never knew that this was what it would be like. I never knew what to expect and so didn't have a response to the question. Certainly, there are challenges--and the sheer physical exhaustion leaves you a fraction of a functional human being!

Oh...but what Joy :)!

I often am surprised by the depth and magnitude of love that continues to evolve inside me as I build a relationship with Noah. I see this in David, as well, as I watch him partake in the joys and responsibilities of fatherhood. I can actually see the love between Noah and David growing with each passing day as they develop a deeper relationship and attachment to one another. The two are inseparable and Noah follows his father around like a eager young pup. I love watching the two of them together and I hope that Noah grows up to be as wonderful a man as his father.

Now...my blog would not be complete without a funny story about Dave, now would it?

I was lying in bed with Noah, watching him in his peaceful slumber. Every now and then his eyes would flutter ever so slightly and I would nuzzle the soft down of hair on the crown of his head. Babies smell so sweet.

It was a beautiful and precious moment. The radio was playing in the background, and you could hear LeAnn crooning in the far distance "How do I live without you...How do I breathe without you...". I laid there in the half dark just watching my beautiful baby. It seemed as though we were frozen in time. In my mind's eye I could see Noah growing up and the years just rushing by. The reality of the shortness and brevity of life filled me with heart ache and a sense of urgency to do more with Noah, to be a better mother, to cook him better food, to read to him more, to play with him more, to sing to him more...

Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open and the hallway light poured into the room like floodlights on a prison tower.

Enter Dave.

I sit up, shocked by the intrusion and David walks into the master bathroom muttering under his breath that he needs something. I can feel Noah stirring out of his sleep.

He emerges with toilet plunger in hand and quickly passes me an apologetic look. Normally I would get mad but he looks so funny--standing there with evidence of his compromised situation. No need to pour salt on open wounds. He quietly left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

I could hear a flush somewhere behind the doors and walls that separate us.

All is well with the world.

Smörgåsbord [ˌsmœrɡɔsˈbuːɖ]

Smörgåsbord [ˌsmœrɡɔsˈbuːɖ] is a Swedish word which refers to a type of Scandinavian meal served buffet-style in Swedish cuisine.

Allow me serve you a smörgåsbord, a chronological buffet of noteworthy events (atleast, by my standards) that have been keeping our family busy these past couple months.

JULY:
* Family vacation to Portland, OR/Seattle, WA
* Noah's First Birthday
* Dave's Softball Tournament (Big Daddy Dave came home with Best Offense...or maybe it was defense?)
* Giants - still hopeful chance for playoffs.

AUGUST:
* I got a really bad sunburn at the Google Picnic. David made us stand in line for two hours to get some Google teddy bears for Noah. That's where my sunburn came from.
* Went to Outside Lands Music Festival and watched Jack Johnson LIVE in concert.
* Julie and Andre came a visited with us.
* My sister moved down south to start her PhD program.
* Another softball tournament
* Trip to Argentina
* Giants - dismal prospect for chance for playoffs.

SEPTEMBER:
* Had a TERRIBLE ant infestation. Which, I'd like to add, I decimated, destroyed, obliterated with my homemade ant bait.
* I made homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time from scratch. I should add that it wasn't the most successful attempt.
* I made homemade veggie/fruit wash.
* Finally installed shelved in the laundry closet.
* Babyproofed the house.
* 22 weeks pregnant. Me. Not Dave.
* Giants - maybe next season.

If I forgot to tell you that I'm pregnant--well, now you know :)

So that gut that you keep staring at...it's a baby.