Potty success! (Again!!!)

Well, as many of you know we have been working on potty training (for fun really) since around August or so. Well, two nights in a row now Noah has used the potty right before his bath. He has been able to control the stream by starting and stopping it several times. We gave lots of praise yesterday and between flows we would clap together. It is really quite exciting to see the end of the diaper tunnel! I think our next step is going to be adding another potty time during the day. Noah may not be an early talker, but it is looking like he will be potty trained many moons before other kids! For Christmas, he is getting some training pants and "Big Boy" underwear. He needs another little potty seat that fits the big toilet if anyone is still unsure of what to get him...

As for communication, he has been picking up more and more signs. It seems like he only needs to see them once to be able to use them now. He has added cold and hot, shoes and socks, and mommy and daddy to his repertoire. Those are the only new ones I can think of. He has been doing airplane for quite some time now and he also waves when vehicles go by (even if he can only hear them). It is quite cute. Well that is all for now. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas if I don't get the chance to update before then!

Santa

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we went and visited Santa at a local greenhouse. I also purchased some bulbs- tulips, narcissus and crocus, which I put in the ground the day before we had a hard freeze...and needless to say, we have not been out of the 20's yet! The bad part about that is we had freezing rain and the ground is still covered in ice. I hit a patch of ice yesterday and the car started to fish tail, but I managed to keep it on the road and not put it in the ditch.


Matt, Noah, and Dan "horsing" around after Thanksgiving meal

Noah checking out Santa

Picking out the Christmas tree for Pam and Dave's house.

Brrrr!

Well today I woke up and the ground was covered in snow. Then about 9am it started to sleet. Now it is raining. The windows have been frozen over since about 9:30 this morning. They all look like frosted glass. Needless to say, we have been stuck inside the entire day. Our neighbor got stuck in the driveway. It took her 40mins to get home from Clarksville which is about 5 miles from here. Matt worked at the dairy this morning and slid past two different turns to get to our house. I knew the weather would be kinda bad this winter and this is just the start...Will I ever survive?

Some Pics for Fun

I had taken some pictures of Noah that I just think are fun so I thought I would share them with you all.

I think this one makes Noah look so mature!

These are my "strong" Boys!

First snow in Iowa

We had our first winter welcome to Iowa on Novemeber 21st. I snowed most of the day and a little in the night. Most of it melted as the ground was still warm, but we had a little left on Thanksgiving moring when the pictures were taken. I know everyone would want to see some snow so here are a few pictures -Matt

Noah's 18 month check up

Wow. Eighteen months have gone by (plus a little more) since the day Matt and I became parents. We have definately had our parenting views challenged by this little guy in more ways than one. We have really enjoyed our time together being Noah's mommy and daddy.


Today at Noah's appointment (November 16th), he basically just had a physical because we never signed the release to have his records sent up here. We did not want him to be doubly vaccinated for something, so we will take him back in in a few weeks to get his Hep A vaccinations depending on where he is in the series. We are, however, declining to give him the influenza and chicken pox vaccinations. So if anyone knows of any kids with the pox, let me know so I can get Noah exposed ;) He has also been referred to an audiologist to make sure he is fully hearing. The reason for this is because he still does not say any words and that is one of the developmental milestones they look for in an 18mo. The Dr did not seem too concerned because male children do tend to talk later so he wasn't totally out of the curve, but wanted to take preventative measures in case there are some issues. Noah was also referred to a dentist for the chipped teeth he has from falling onto the arm of a friends couch, shorlty after he turned one. The dentist will let us know if there is anything we should do about them. We have both of those appointments on Dec. 4th. Today he weighed 23lbs and was 30 inches tall. Noah also got a haircut yesterday. Although it was not the haircut I wanted him to have, the girl did a good job on it. He looks so handsome!
Noah is helping daddy get a table ready for mommy's scrapbooking corner.

He is throwing a tantrum in this one beacuse the table was being uprighted...



While on our way home from Waterloo, we heard an interesting segment on the Christian radio concerning politics and the church. I thought that this segment was particularly interesting considering the ongoing conversations I have been having with other Christians lately. You can see the transcripts of what Doug Smith had to say at http://knws.nwc.edu/article.php?id=146 I was particularly intriguied by the 12th and 14th. I hope you all care enough about the subject to take a little time and see what a fellow Christian had to say about the subject. You might be challenged, as was I, by what he had to say about the matter.

Halloween and More.

After a 3week growth spurt in which Noah seemed to have grown about 3 inches, he could no longer fit into his Mickey Mouse outfit that was entirely too big for him last year. He ended up being a very darling lion. Pam and I had fun taking him to the Clarksville nursing home and to a few homes of the ladies from her church. Noah also got to go to story hour the Friday before Halloween dressed as a lion.


Enjoying Mom's lasagna


Out in my winter coat and rubber boots. I am ready for some chores!

Potty success!

Yesterday Noah had his first potty success with #2! How exciting that we are starting to see the light at the end of the diaper tunnel. Also, I finally bought a wipe warmer because Noah hates being wiped now and I think it is because the wipes are always so cold up here. Now I am able to use the cloth wipes that I bought about a year ago and they work great!

Another fun thing Noah learned yesterday was the "g" sound. He started doing it so I would say to him, "Get it, get it, get it, get it, got it, got it, good!" He thought it was funny and would try to repeat me. He was so cute!

Also, for those of you who do not know yet, I am now an Independent Consultant for Pampered Chef now. I am so excited that I will have a fun job of my own to get me out of the house once in awhile. If anyone ever needs anything or wants to have a party, just let me know. There are lots of benefits for the host including free and reduced merchandise. I hope to get qualified in the next month so that I can also accept online orders. Thursday, November 1st I am having a cooking show party at my place, so come and join the fun. Everyone is welcome and you should bring a friend, too!

A trip to the Twin Cities

This past weekend, we went on a trip to Minneapolis to visit Matt's uncle Marque and his family Janeen, Tyler and Morgan. Unfortunately Jared was out of town and we did not get to see him. On Friday, we went to see Tyler and his football team play. They were so good that I felt bad for the other team and actually cheered a couple of times out loud for the other team. The team Tyler plays for is in a more affluent neighborhood. The other team came from a lower-end neighbor hood and only had about ten (maybe) fans in the stands. It was really heart-breaking. The kids on the other team probably came from single parent homes where there were two jobs being worked and there was no time to go to their child's game-just my speculation. I think it is sad that both sides were not supported somewhat equally.

Anyway, the next morning we went and looked at where the bridge had collapsed. It was almost all cleaned up and they are about to start construction on a new bridge. Then we went to a Mexican Market. It was really neat and we ate some really good food there. We then crossed the Mississippi to St. Paul to go to the Free Como Zoo. I think Noah enjoyed, as did we. After we finished the zoo, Matt, Morgan and Noah rode the Carousel. Noah did not even cry! Saturday night we hung out and played games.

On Sunday, we went to church and heard an awesome sermon. This was one of the neatest churches I have ever been to. I have never seen a more culturally diverse church in my life and I think that it sad that there are not more churches in America like it. We enjoyed our stay and Janeen's wonderful cooking, and hope to visit again sometime!

By the way, tonight as I was putting Noah to bed, he blew me a kiss! How sweet is that?

A Weekend Away

Well we had a great weekend away in Madison, WI. We saw the show, sampled lots of cheese, picked up lots of freebies, saw good friends, networked with others in the dairy business, bought lots of cheese, watched the gators lose-again :(, got to spend some good time with my mom "Baga."

On our way out to Madison, we stopped in Independence, IA to see Barack Obama speak. He took several questions from the audience including mine! He is such a down to earth guy with a humble background, not a privileged one. He is not accepting PAC or federal money, with most of his private donations being less than 200 dollars, but still the biggest fundraiser as of yet. There were people from all walks of life at this "meet and greet" which is one of the best parts about his campaign. No matter if you are poor or rich, black, white or Latino, young or old, Obama has great ideas and plans to lead us into the future. He is being compared to great presidents of the past like Abe Lincoln and JFK...what an honor! He hopes to restore America's place in the world through diplomacy...what a concept! He is also a very eloquent writer and speaker which is very important, to me at least, if you are the leader of the most prosperous country in the free world- complete sentences including good grammar is usually a plus.



Anyway, I am getting off my soapbox now. Madison was really a nice little vacation. We stayed at a family owned hotel called McGovern's.

The rooms were very clean, but they only had a stand in shower. So we brought a Rubbermaid tub for Noah...he was literally in a "wash tub!"


We were at expo for some of the Holstein show and for the naming of Supreme Champion of both the open and junior shows. The same Guernsey was the champion of both shows followed by a Jersey for reserve. We also went on the ABS tour and saw a lot of bull! They had the best cookies on the tour- Chocolate filled with peanut butter or regular chocolate chip filled with chocolate. They reminded me of Magic Middles, which were made by Keebler when I was a kid and I loved them!


Noah loved all of the equiptment at the Expo and even sat long enough to pose in a huge payloader tire!

A few things stolen from other blogs...

Well I loved the way Katie arranged her links to other blogs, so I rearranged ours like hers to be in family and friends categories...then I got to thinking how much our friends in Gainesville seem so much like family and wondered if I should change it back...?


Another cool thing that happened on a friend's blog was the great comparison of Jen to her son Evan in their baby pictures. So I found the picture that stood out most (in my memory) where Noah and I actually have some resemblance, since all I ever hear is, "He looks just like his dad!" Let me know what you think... Just FYI I posted twice in one day again...

Just pics to share

Hey Everybody! I just wanted to share some pictures I have been taking over the last few months and I think are pretty amusing...

This picture is one of the many faces of Noah and the kind of face you don't often take a picture of...It is definately one of my favorites though. I call it the "I live how far from our Florida friends now?"

I am soooo big!

Noah's newest bathtime mohawk! I think we should color it orange and blue for the game!

This is when Baga came to visit us for the first time when we moved to Iowa...

My Baby Beethoven has done some good as you can see...I'm a Natural!

I decided to show mommy how it's done...getting dirty that is!

This is my new wagon and my new best friend

Milestones

Noah can now point out eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair and belly button. He is also really good at giving hugs and kisses too! We also had our first success with the potty yesterday. If you want a funny story just ask. Also, Noah has now grown out of his 6/9 month footy PJ's! He is getting to be a big boy-hahaha. We went to story hour yesterday and I think I had more fun singing the songs than Noah did;) Kristen, the librarian and one of Matt's classmates, did a great job. Noah has now visited 3 states, not including airport visits, because we went to Minnesota today to watch Uncle James' soccer game. We made our Amish Friendship Bread today with chocolate pudding and chocolate chips. It is yummy! So two posts in one day...Aren't you all so proud of me?

Vacation Much Needed!!!

We have been home for just a few days, but this time it feels more refreshing to be here. We just had a wonderful week in Florida. Our trip started out by surprising my gramma that we were in Florida. That night we celebrated Gramma and Mom's birthdays. We ate a wonderful meal of Chicken Roll-Ups, salad, green beans, and a homemade dark chocolate cake Barby made. It was wonderful. Amy, who is in nursing school now, tried to hear Noah's murmur. I thought it was such a cute picture. The next day we took a picnic to the Withlacoochee River Park and enjoyed the playground, breeze, and all of the butterflies. We had a great time.

Thursday morning we went over to spend time with Mema, Papa, Aunt Leanie, and Dad. That evening we spent some time with Beth and Jordan and ate Chili's take out. Friday morning we packed our stuff and headed to gramma's to spend the day with her. Barby also came back to gramma's, so we got to spend some more time with her too. Around 3:30 we headed out to make it to Jimmy and Katie's before rush hour. We ate stuffed shells Jimmy made for dinner and they were great. That night we played bohnanza, which I won before crashing. Saturday morning we all rose and started to get ready for the party at the Searby's house. What a party! Chris and Renae Nicholich, Matt and Kristy Crowe, Brandi Strode and Kids, Amy and Jon Leftwich, Krystal and Josh Williams, and a few of Joel's co-workers were all there. It was so great seeing everyone. It was definitely the therapy I have been needing:) The highlight of the trip was of course getting to meet Evan, the new addition to the Searby household. Jen is doing such a wonderful job being a mommy. What patience! Noah had fun looking Evan over and tickling his little, but big feet. We went to the pool and Noah got his first sunburn on his chest and back. Later we watched Florida pummel Tennessee59-20. We played "What if?" at the Searby's before going back to Whitlocks.

Sunday morning we went to church and heard a great message from a missionary who serves in Africa. We talked to Bob Gailey a little about the Costa Rica mission trip and then went to David's BBQ and ate with the Birketts, Searbys, and Whitlocks. We headed to the Williams' after that and played a few games, which Mike and Vernine were able to come too also. We finally got to meet Zach and what a pleasure that was. Sweet Dreams was the next stop and it was as delicious as ever! Matt and I had a waffle cones with Mexican coffee and Mayan chocolate. That night we played a game called Beyond Balderdash with Katie and Jimmy. Then the boys and I played a farming game. We finally made the bed around 4:00am! Monday morning Jimmy and Matt went to a boy pow-wow with Joel and Kevin at Starbucks. They all had a great time. When they came home we played a few more games, then had to get on the road. We stopped by the lab, vet school, and rainbow, and a quick stop at the Searby's before heading out of Gainesville back to Tampa. That evening we saw Leigh Anne, David, and Shay Lynn, and finally Dad and Deborah's for spaghetti dinner! Tuesday we hung out with Bran Dee and Barby. My gramma came down to my mom's for dinner and we had a great meal and said our goodbyes. We left the next morning at 4:15. It was hard to leave, but made it easier to come home having seen just about everyone we love and miss in Florida. We can't wait to come back Dec 30-Jan 9! See you all then!