Mmmmm....tastes like chocolate

Noah found his thumb! He has decided it is his new favorite invention! Kelly and I also set up a savings fund for orthodontics! I sucked my thumb until I was about 8 years old (pathetic, I know!), and I had some sweet bucky teeth to show for it! (Thanks mom and dad for investing in braces, and sparing me the embarassment of a lifetime of looking like I grew up in a trailer park!)

100 Days of Noah

Our sweet little Noah is 100 days old today, and wow has time flown quickly! We are so excited to have a 100 day baby!

Firsts

We have been staying incredibly busy this last week. Noah is growing faster than we can keep up with him, changing every day! He is quite a cheese-ball! He is constantly pulling funny faces, smiles, and laughing! It has been so so much fun to see him grow these last few months, and he has had a load of "firsts".

First bike race: Noah and I went with Nana and Poppa (Kelly was still quarantined with the Swine Flu). The race was at Sugarhouse Park, and it was a lot of fun watching the bikes go around and around! (I failed to get a pic of the actual race, however! I was too busy looking at my cute fam!)

First baseball game: We went to the Bees game last friday. We went with Adrienne, Travis, Ty-Ty, Nana, and Poppa. (Plus Kelly was out of his quarantine by now, so he got to go too! Woohoo! Welcome back Kelly!) There were fireworks after, which Noah slept through!...but I guess that we can consider that a "first" too!




First Concert: Daybreak (the community we live in) has fun little events for residents, (and whomever else wants to come). We went to a concert at the lake, which was really fun! We had a picnic dinner, and listened to the music, which was great.

When we first got to the lake, the sky looked like this, and we weren't sure we were going to stay very long. Infants + rain/lightening does NOT equal fun time!


But, we bundled up sweet little Noah and waited it out.


Within a few minutes, the sky was looking like this, and it turned out to be a perfect night.

From afar, Sam saw a puppy that he was anxious to befriend.

Turns out, it was a plush little pup that this cute little girl was dragging around. Sam didn't seem to care, he just wanted to be friends!

Noah and I danced to the music, and enjoyed our night out as a family.

First birthday party: Uncle Travis turned 28! Happy Birthday T-Rav! We went to The Pie, and back to the Lansings for ice cream cake.



First Horseback Ride: Cowboy Noah "rode" Summer today! Summer is the ONLY horse in this world that I would trust with my 3-month old on her back! Noah kind of thought we were looney for putting him on top of this huge creature, but it made for a cute picture and fun memories! Summer is my horse, that I competed on since I was 8 years old. She is amazing, and I hope she is around for a long time so Noah can learn to ride on her also.

Happy 32 Years!

My parents are celebrating their wedding anniversary today, and 32 years of marriage! Wow! Congratulations mom and dad on 32 years, and many more to come!
I love you!

life inside the box

So I am currently about two days into my quarantine sentence. This means I have like 3 days left. It sounds longer when I say it aloud, I have to be honest. I am just extremely thankful for my family, especially my amazing wife, who has been there to peek her head in and see how I am doing and bring me jamba juice and make me food. This would be a lot harder without her. And, of course, the little man for whom I am hanging out in here to begin with - knowing I am keeping this dreadful illness away form him is well worth it.

Well that being said, the answer to your question is... yes. Oh my heavens, yes. I am bored out of my mind! Which is probably why I have lost it - wouldn't be having this problem if I had just stayed in it. Alas, I digress...

Welcome to the ramblings of isolation and medicinal hallucination.

Actually, it is rather hard to be in here all day - could be so much worse though. On one hand I want to get out and do something and yet on the other I lack motivation and strength. As my body is filled with medicines and allocates numerous resources to the viral battle raging within I find myself weary and unmotivated. However, every ounce of energy remaining in me wants to go run around outside and play like a 8 year old awaiting the bell for recess. It is amazing what conflict your body and mind can be in when working toward the same goal.

I have not been idle though. I have been taking my time to piece together a little photo journal of my fun and exciting day. One day I will blog about something relevant and worthwhile, don't you worry, but that day is not today. Today is about carefully worded nonsense. So far I have enjoyed a rousing day of cinematic entertainment...



And thanks to the modern marvel of television contained on digital video disc I have more than caught up on my Office trivia.



I plugged in some valuable literature time; expanding my knowledge and prowess so that I may converse among the elite high society. (why are you laughing?)





I have certainly performed my share of chemistry experiments...



I enjoyed some of the finer things in life - such as the joy of plucking the ol' six string. Mind you it's been a while and there was less plucking and more mashing. (If any of you watch the Simpsons (Ooo! I know what season series I'll be watching next (Hey! does lack of human contact cause ADD? (Wait! what was I talking about...))) do you remember the episode where Homer tries to get out of going to work by gaining several pounds and filing for disability? There is a part where Homer tries to use the phone but can't dial because his finger are too fat. The operator tells him "If you would like to order a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad now." Wow, did I really just write all that? why? Oh well, too late now I already typed it. Moving on...)





I did what I do often and dabbled in technology. Canon Rebel XSi, MacBook Pro, iPod Classic, iPhone, wireless mouse, all in a day. Did manage to get some work done, though found myself lacking motivation for much of it. Managed to do a blog post - er, umm... doing a blog post.



And finally, I decided what I needed to do most was find someone to talk to. I would like you to meet my little round-headed friend Morty. He is my solitary friend. He is kind of soft spoken and reserved but once you get him out of his shell he is a riot.





Well its time Morty and I got back to whatever it is we do (psst... its nothing. We do nothing! lame.) and bid you all adieu. But, before I do I wanted to mention one more thing I did today. I spent a lot of time thinking. I thought a lot about my family and friends and how valuable and amazing they are. I thought about how much I love them all, and how worthless everything is without them. I thought about what an amazing wife I have and what an adorable and healthy son we have been blessed with. I spend a lot of time thinking about them and every moment I am in here I miss them even more. I realize I am not far away - but I long to hold them both in my arms; God willing that will be sooner than later. I love them both with everything in me. For now I thank God for everything I have in my life.

Solitary Confinement

Do you know of any good books? How about any movies you've seen recently? Any crossword puzzles or word finds, sitting around that you want to donate? I'm pretty sure Kelly will take anything at this point!
Kelly has been quarantined to the guest bedroom. No, this is not some form of spousal punishment by me! He started feeling sick on tuesday. He had a temperature of 101 F, had the chills, sweats, coughing, sneezing, stuffy.....the works. It kept progressively getting worse, so he finally went in to the doctor, telling the staff the reason he was in was for "flu-like symptoms".
A swab was shoved halfway up his brain, and the doctor gave him the profound diagnosis: "You have flu-like symptoms."
It has been confirmed that Kelly has Influenza Type A. He has been hooked up with Tamiflu to help him as he battles his germs. In the meantime, we await results from the state lab to see if he gets to join the group of Swine Flu Statistics from the CDC.
Kelly has avoided us (especially Noah) in hopes of sparing us the sickness. An infant with the flu can be a very scary thing. Please be praying for our little family: That Kelly would overcome the Flu quickly, that Noah and I would stay healthy, and that Kelly's mental state wouldn't decline too much! (There's a reason that solitary confinement also serves as a form of punishment!)

2 Month Update

Our baby is 2 months old! These last 10 weeks have been such a journey, and I am constantly learning and growing as a mom. Noah has already flown by major milestones...he smiles at the sight of Kelly or me, giggles at funny noises that we make, and coos in delight. He is batting at his little toy mobile, and can hold small balls in his hand. What an incredible joy and privelege it is to have this little boy in our lives, and to call him my son. I am so thankful for my new role as a mom. Despite the incredibly exhausting days and nights that accompany parenthood, my soul is completely invested in this little being we call Noah. My heart submits daily to a love that exists purely because he does. There's just nothing else like it.

2 Month Stats:

Weight: 13 lbs. 5 oz. (86th percentile)

Height: 25.7 inches (99th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16.2 inches (86th percentile)

Noah and me on our first Mothers Day!

growing...

Little Noah is growing up, and fast! It's hard to keep up with our little guy as he out grows outfit after outfit, starts to smile and make cute little noises. Noah has already outgrown the newborn category of clothing, only took 6 weeks, ha!

It's been fun to watch as he used to pull his tiny little legs up to his belly like a leaping frog right out of the legs of his pajamas. The poor pajamas were left with nothing but empty limp legs with a little scrunched up Noah inside the torso. Now he stretches out, reaches his arms above his head and nearly tears the same pajamas right in two. 

He's a strong one two! It's become increasingly difficult to dress him as he resists by clenching his fists to his chest in defiance. Little guy can pretty much hold his head up and when I lay on the couch with him on my chest he tries to turn himself in circles like a confused snake.

As exhausting as it can be, what fun it is!

Findin' our groove again

Wow. Time sure flies. I do realize it's been awhile since I've updated on our lives. It's not that I don't have time: it's the fact that pure exhaustion has taken over! I now realize how precious sleep is, and take every opportunity to nap, when (if) possible! I honestly have questioned my sanity at least 20 times in the last month: While driving, I was absolutely positive that I saw a blind man riding his bike. He had his stick in front of him, directing himself where to go. I told Kelly to look over there to see such a miraculous sight just to realize that my sleep-deprived eyes had deceived me, and made Kelly worry about my mental state. Later that week, Kelly happened to find my phone in the toaster....most likely where I had put it. Just today, as I was getting ready for the day, I found myself putting hair gel on my face instead of lotion. Not exactly the best option for my complexion.

I've learned in this last month that although being a mom isn't always pretty, it sure is beautiful! Our family has been down with a yucky cold the past couple of weeks, and sweet Noah has had the gooey green stuff coming out of his nose. I remember when Adrienne would pick Ty's boogers without a tissue, and think to myself, "hmmm....that's pretty gross". I get it now sis! Although using a tissue may be the preferred method, it's not always possible, and sometimes you just have to dig for it sans tissue! I've learned that there is an art to removing those far-up-there boogers with the baby booger bulb, and mustard-colored poo doesn't scare me in the least bit....In fact, bring it on! The satisfaction of such a sweet face makes all of the "gross" stuff seem a little less gross, and I praise God for such a beautiful little person to call my son. This is beautiful!
As I continue to learn about motherhood, I'll continue to laugh at myself and realize this is truly what it's all about!

My dad took these pics when Noah was about a week old. The "unwrapped" blue ribbon corresponds with the "wrapped" belly pics.

Pretty creative, right? Thanks Dad!

Happy 4 Years!

My sis and her hubby Travis are celebrating their 4th year of marriage today! Congratulations to you two! You are both amazing people and I'm so proud to call you fam! Thank you for being such a great example of commitment, love, and dedication for Kelly and I! I can't believe it's already been 4 years! Here's to another 70! I love you guys, and congrats!