Nine

Nine, you are a bit early for your reservations. I am going to need you to wait outside until I can get ready for you. My word.

What a whirlwind... Eight has been a crazy busy month around this casa:

• Camp started... enough said.
• The Giusti boys came and stayed a week for day camp.
• Noah went to Dollywood for the first time, and likely last time for a while. Thanks, Dolly, for the books you send us each month, but your place of leisure is exhausting for baby and mama. See you in a couple of years.
• My grandmother and great aunt came with my folks and spent a few days. Loved having them in my home...
• We've decided to buy a cow. And eat locally.
• I started planning Krystal's bridal shower for this month... this will be my first go at anything girly. Wish me luck.
• Chris and I went on our first "date" sans baby while leaving him with a gaggle of summer staff. Oh Borders, how we've missed you so.
• Noah and Chris celebrated their first Father's Day together, complete with an opening day of camp and trip to Target.
• Abbie is here with us now for a week being "Mommy's Helper".

And we haven't even gotten to all the stellar new tricks littleford has come up with... So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride:

1. Noah likes periodicals. And by like I mean that he enjoys rearranging them in the bathroom...which if you can tell by the angle of the photo is pertinent in keeping regular for some folks around here. If you know what I mean...

2. Noah is learning how to con-finger his hands into a point. I think he has picked this up from when he insists on stopping at the framed collage of Noah's first week of life that hangs in the hallway on the way to his room. We point and name the various people who were here with us when we brought him home. He doesn't point at anything in particular, though I think he points "out" of his room after naps...

3. I think we may have the beginnings of a pack rat on our hands. He will find any and everything and carry it around with him. For hours. This could be a toy, a leaf, or something out of the recycling bin. He's not picky, as long as he can get it from point A to point B. I give you the apple juice bottle.

4. Noah is part fish. I am convinced. He can't get enough of the splashing, kicking, and zooming around in his little float. You can take a baby's parents out of Florida, but you can't take the Florida out of the baby.

5. He has figured out what getting dressed is all about. Though his face says otherwise in the following photo, he has become quite the little helper when putting clothes on. I am not sure I am ready for these big changes...they are big neon lights that he is getting bigger. Not so cool.

6. Noah is proving to be quite the little Casanova. He's got killer blue eyes and a smile that will melt your heart. Watch out, ladies... he knows how to use them. Just ask the women he's been collecting.

7. Noah is his own biggest fan. He loves Baby Noah in the mirror and the one at the top of this blog. He may or may not be a little full of himself. But, with this face, come on. Can you really blame him?

8. Much to my chagrin, the little dude's first word? Da-da. Yep. I would like a ma-ma every now and then but I think I may just be "mmmmmm" or "boob"... either one. But the smitten grin that comes across my husband's face is plenty satisfying when the little one mutters those precious "da-das".

9. And now for Noah's nine month official stats and a little show of the muscles:

• Height: 28 inches
• Weight: 18lbs10oz
• Head: Above average (we are advanced here in the Ford family)

Alright, Ten, consider yourself warned. Don't you come around here like a bat out of you-know-where. 

Or I'll, I'll... hang my head and cry. 

Because I know you're coming.

Gone to Carolina in My Mind

...Or for real.

Not a lot of time to give details, mostly photos. But I will provide you with a humorous conversation, slightly edited, that I was a small part of:

Mom: (asking my sister about Zane, my youngest nephew) How does he like to be held?

Heather: Up on top of your boobs.

Grace (Heather's grandma): Put his tummy right in the middle of your big boobs.

Mom: Well, your boobs are bigger than mine, Grace.

Grace: You are working with a pretty big set yourself... just not as old and saggy.

and later...

Grace: (to me this time) Well...you've got a nice set, not as big as me and your moms, but it's okay. And when you get my age you might just have to get some of that sticky tape to keep 'em up.

Bahahahahahaha...

Oh yes.

And now for the photos:

Hiking through the neighbor's yard to the creek... the neighbor was there for the first time ever at the same time I've been there.

Hey there, blue eyes.

It's all their fault for that blue-eyed boy.

Well, half their fault.

Old car that ran off an old logging road.

Chris and I stole the headlight casing to it a couple of years ago.

He owns the juice cup. Legit.

With four teeth you have to work with what you've got.

That's all for now.

And the "boob talk"? Still happening...

Bathing Beauty

It's been a whirlwind around here for our pseudo family o'five this week... worth every less minute of sleep, speck (read: chunk) of dirt on the floor (which may or may not have been there before this week started), a potentially broken shusher, extra dirty underwear strewn about the house (extra as in "in addition to" not "extremely"), puddles of spilled milk on the table, and anything else that comes our way. I might not be able to stand up, sit down, or toot at the end of it, but I am so thankful that Chris and I live and work at a place where our nephews and nieces can come and experience things they never have before, learn something cool and fun that blows their little brains, and hopefully fall more in love with this wonderful thing called summer camp. It's in our blood, they might as well go on and love it...or at least pretend.

Day two and three: Cheese, fuzzy "daddy" caterpillars, nature center, naps, lightning bugs, blue jello, water galore.

.Dos Giusti Boys at Camp John Knox, waiting for the dinner bell.

Have you ever seen anything cuter?Now you have...Hmm... looks like he could be up to something down at the waterfront... Well-balanced meals: three food groups: cheese, cheese crackers, & jello.

He had water to drink?

At the end of the day, full of sugar and out of energy.

Or full of energy and out of sugar?
Oh well.
Success.

Eight.

Alright, Seven, I have a bone to pick with you. You went by far too quickly, ushering in the heat and summer rains as you scurried through. But, I should say that you've redeemed yourself, bringing these amazingly cute and fun things for my boy at eight...and Eight, you better behave yourself or you're next (how does my mama voice sound? Good?):

1. "buh buh puh puh": these are Noah's first "words". I think the "buhs" are his attempt at "ball" as he will find the ball in the room as he says it and someone else repeats it. His "talking" (not squealing) is also done in this faint whisper, like he's really thinking hard about it because he doesn't want to mess up what he's saying. Very cute...
2. Littleford has two new chompers. Well, more like one and a half... but still. They are so darn cute up there on his top row...kind of big and bucky like his mama's. Poor guy. Should we start saving for braces now?
And he likes taking them for a test drive--on my shoulder, finger, cheek, and most other fleshy parts he can get his grubby little paws on. Ahem, except for two in particular, thank goodness. For those, he will be cut off, thank you very much. For now, he knows where his bread is buttered.
3. He plays with the things in his crib by himself after he wakes up now. I listened to him for forty-five minutes talking to his teddybear that his Aunt KD gave him and his pillow buddies. When I scooped him out of his bed he was just sitting there, talking to them contently. Maybe he was being bossy and telling them what to do, who knows? I know that I love that he loves his bed... makes my life very easy.

4. Standing on his own isn't too far away. He's started to take his hands off of whatever he's holding onto while he is standing, briefly letting go before realizing he's not touching anyone or anything. He then either grabs ahold again or sits down. We thought we were in for it when he started crawling--bumps, bruises, mischief? Oh man, it's only just beginning. And I still hate the tile floors...

5. Papa Bo taught him a new game--it's called "You Squeal and I Will Echo as Loud as I Possibly Can". Very funny to watch. I think he relates it specifically to Papa though because when I started playing the other day after his nap, he was looking around for the person squealing as I hid behind the door. Once he realized it was me, he continued to look for someone else. Funny boy.
6. Independence is already becoming important to him. He doesn't want you to put the food in his mouth if he knows he can pick it up...like puffs, fruit, bread. He wants to do it and lets you know that he does not approve if you attempt to do otherwise. These are the peculiar type things that each kid does differently, which makes it interesting to watch other people try to live in his world. I know he's quirky, he's my kid, but I think he expects other people to know the "rules", too.
7. He's experienced grass for the first time. I know, I know, probably shocking that the girl that wears a magical crystal and wants to buy her own cow hasn't had her boy in the grass until now, but you see, our yard isn't really a kid-friendly yard. It's slopey and rocky and full of things that he wants to eat. Not to mention, there is no grass to speak of. But alas, he's gotten to feel the tickle of the blades on his little feet down at the waterfront and then again in Florida... though I am not convinced he likes it.

8. We may have a pompous one on our hands. He got it from his daddy... Noah loves to look at pictures of himself, specifically the one at the top of the blog. He grins real big and makes this "eh-uh" noise, as if to say, "what's that?"... and I tell him that it is Baby Noah and he gets all bashful. If I close the window or look at a different page (not that I would ever want to look at anything other than my own blog) he continues to make the noise until I put it back on that picture. Silly guy. He will also grab at the frames in the hallway, specifically the one that is mostly of him, and wants me to tell him all about the photos. Same with "the baby in the mirror"... it's okay, he can love his own face. I sure do... Love his little face I mean.

There are dozens of other new and fun things that he is doing and continues to learn that I could go on and on about, but alas, they will have to wait until Nine. I will say, though, that as he continues to develop his own personality and (sometimes) sassy-ness (can't imagine where that came from), I am finding it more difficult to leave him with other people or let other people help me with him. Not in a "you can't take care of my child way", more in a "but if he makes this noise or that face you couldn't possibly decipher what that means" sort of way. I have been learning him and getting to know him for almost seventeen months now and it's tough to let other people into our little world...especially living in the 'docks where we are mostly on our own the majority of the time. It will take baby steps for me (no pun intended) but really what I have to remind myself is that more than likely he is fine, it's only me who feels the anxiety. And granted, it's usually unwarranted, but nonetheless it's there. And as long as I can figure this out now, which I am, hopefully my moodiness and anxiety won't transfer to him or get to a point where he notices. I'm not a headcase, yet, but I don't want to get to that point.

Anyway.

The Giusti Two (Mason and Walker) are coming to stay with us for a week of camp. We are super pumped and looking forward to a fun-filled week of craziness. This may help us to decide the number of kiddos we can handle...some people are blessed with large families and do a beautiful job at being big, like my sisters. Others, on the other hand, are fine and dandy a tad smaller. We shall see... chaos can be addicting.

And if they are all this cute, who could resist:
I mean, really.

The Face I Love to Live For

And live to love for.

Captain Noah Greenbeard.
He doesn't really like avocados, but he sure does make them look good.

The Other Side of the Lens: Part 2

"Here, mama. Let me help you clean that thing you're always sticking in my face."
"No. Not those..."

"There. All better."
See. I told ya'll he likes to clean.

Chore Time

Apparently we are raising up a good one.
He loves chores...at seven months old!
Okay, maybe he just loves the appliance itself. One can hope.
And I am going to continue to hope because...confession: I abhor cleaning, housework, chores, and anything that resembles them. I don't like it. I don't find pleasure in it. It doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Relief from the clutter- maybe - but not the warm and fuzzies.
Simply, I am not good at it. And I don't like doing things that I am not good at (check back later for a post all about mediocrity). In the words of a friend, "I am not good at things I am not good at". Can I get an amen?
Let's all keep our fingers crossed that he gets his cleanliness gene from the other side of the family... or that it skips a generation.

Six (Already?)

Recap: I decided a couple of months ago that I would write and share new, fun, sweet things our baby boy is doing on each of his monthly birthdays, the number of months deciding the number of things I would share. I have been somewhat anxious and emotional for the past two weeks milling over his six month post...overwhelmed with a bucket full of thoughts. This may take some time and editing...between the emotional breakdowns.

I can't believe he is half a year old. In the same amount of time since he was born, he will be a year old.
Crap. That's so fast.
Too fast.
Yet, he's so fun and learning new things every single day that I can hardly stand it.

I am torn. I want him to stay little and cuddle-able but I am excited to help him learn to walk and talk and have a decipherable conversation with me. (Well, he already promised that he would cuddle with his mama until he's 17, so I have a few more years to get used to the idea of his independence.) It's tough to grasp how we got here so fast.

New mamas and papas are warned about the sleepless nights and hours of crying, diaper rashes and mounds of laundry, spit up and poop explosions, do-this-so-they-are-the-smartest-kid-ever-but-not-this-or-they-might-be-different (heaven forbid)-from-other-kids, buy-this-so-your-house-would-bounce-if-dropped-from-outerspace, and so on. Sure, we can definitely say we've experienced some of that to a small - very small - degree. Not that I am comparing, but if there was some sort of "rate your baby" scale, ours would definitely be at the top (of course, all parents say that). I am not referring to how cute or precious he is, all babies win that award in my opinion, this is more about how easily manageable he has been and continues to be. I can honestly say that I have never heard him cry for more than 10 minutes, and that's usually only when he's so tired he can't fall asleep. At the beginning our nights were somewhat sleepless just because he needed to eat...but once he ate, he would go right back down, no fuss about it. He really is a good baby, like, he is good at being a good baby.

We should stop while we're ahead. Why mess with perfection, right?

I am beginning to understand the whole "your baby is like a sponge" metaphor in a way that I never have known before. It's not just limited to when you drop a four-letter-word (you know the ones), he is quite curious about most things we say and do. And with that in mind, our six month list (everyone, pray I will get through it in one sitting):

1. He has this hilarious fake cough. It's like he knows that his voice can do all sorts of things and he's just trying it all out, and for some reason the cough is his favorite. So funny. And it seems he really enjoys communicating with his PapaBo like this.

They don't really like each other much.

2. I love to see him wrap his chubby little hands around objects that are too big for him to hold. It's like a whole new world of discovery for him, like he's saying, "Look at what I can hold, mama."

Chubby fingers playing on the floor at GiuGiu's house...where he learned to scoot backwards!

3. Well, somehow the day he was born we started calling him 'Bubba'...no rhyme or reason, it just happened. Poor kid isn't going to know his name when he goes off to preschool. So, naturally, the first sound that he is experimenting with.."buh buh buh buh buh"...often times sounding more like a motorboat. Cute, nonetheless.

This is his "buh buh buh" face...cute as the rest.

4. It's time to baby-proof the house, Scootie McScooterpants is taking off! But I already shared that, so this one doesn't count for my six.

"What did you say, GiuGiu?"

4(again). We can finally learn what this kids feet and knees look like! It is "shorts weather" here in East Tennessee and we are taking FULL advantage of it. We've been out in the yard every day this past week and plan to be out much more. Noah likes to see all the new shapes and colors that he can't see confined in the four walls of our house. Goodbye winter... see you next year!

  

Look, his knees and his feet!

 5. Noah hasn't really cared one way or the other about his paci...he still mostly doesn't. We usually put him down at night with it, but of course it falls out once he's asleep. So when he wakes up in the morning he looks for it, "swimming" laps from one end of the crib to the other. Once he finally finds it, sometimes it ends up not-so-right-side-up, like this:

 Uh oh...wrong way.

It doesn't seem to bother him.
Also, as a parent note, we started him with four pacis, two of two different types. And proudly, we have kept up with all four of them. ALL of them...if you know us, you should be proud, too, this is quite the feat. But, sadly, as part of growing up, bigger boys need bigger things so we had to give him two new ones for his little mouth. Check back in six months to see if we still have them, a red and a white.

6. And finally, to melt your heart... Noah has started laying his head on my shoulder when he's sleepy. He has been all about wanting to be in his own bed when he's the least bit tired, but the past few days he has pulled himself close by grabbing my shirt and lays his head down on my shoulder. Today he fell asleep on my hip while I was walking around the yard watching my mama dig a new flower bed. So sweet. I hope he still does that when he's twelve.
Ok, maybe not twelve.
Eleven and a half.

And not to give the impression that mamahood doesn't have it's not-so-cute moments, here are a couple of things that I could live without, that I'm sure I will eventually miss...maybe:

1. He bites. He still breastfeeds. You do the math.

Let the sun shine...let the sun shine in...

 2. You can't really blame him because he didn't stand much of a chance, but the kid doesn't have the best patience. He wants food and he wants it NOW. He wants the (insert bright shiny object here) and he wants it NOW.

This is his growling face...still cute.

We will be working on this.

And before I get off my emotional rollercoaster for the day, a few family photos:

Then...

And now:

Whew. I'm spent.
Enjoy.
Happy six month birthday, bubba.
Please slow down just a hair.
Thanks.

Whew.

Someone decided that it would be okay for Noah to sprint through a few "milestones" all at once. I am going to need to speak with them. Pronto.

Assuming the position...time to baby proof the house. Oi.

 Look at my new teeth...

And this is just too darn cute to not share.

Last night I was changing his diaper on the floor at the Smeltzer's house when he performed some impressive acrobatics. He was on his back as I was taking his diaper off when he flipped over to his belly and pushed up on all fours all in the same fluid motion. There he was in all his glory, on his hands and knees, with his bare hiney in the air and a big silly grin on his face. Oh, how I wish I would have had my camera. Of course, I called everyone over to look. For some reason, they weren't as amused as me.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One

Bath time is a rarity around our house, unfortunately. For all residents. Noah takes after his pops and "showers" every other day or so...I mean, he's a baby and we wipe his nether-regions several times a day...how dirty can he be, right? We haven't figured out if he likes his bath or just likes to be naked so he tolerates his bath time. Nevertheless, it makes for some pretty cute photos:

He will not think this was such a great idea in the future.  
"Butt" that's a cute fanny.

 

He finds the cleaning of his "parts" rather interesting/entertaining.

I'm speechless. Mesmerized by those baby blues. 

It's legit, no editing, folks.

Snug as a bug.

Attention K-Mart Shoppers

Clean up on baby aisle.Not really, but in case you thought I was exaggerating in the post Four, I was not. Noah's new obsession is shiny objects with lights, quiet noises, or beeps (i.e. phones, remote controls, monitors, etc.) and he will stop at nothing to make it his.
Whatever it is, whatever it takes.

This is how I found him waking up from his nap this morning:

 

So there you have it. Wake up on Aisle 4.

And who could resist those baby blues anyway?