The Latest Hughes Installment

Meet the newest member of our family.  I am 8 1/2 weeks pregnant and had my first doctor's appointment today.  Everything looked great.  

Va-ca-tion!

Last week we went to Destin, FL for a week of fun and sun.  I was a little apprehensive because last year we went to the beach when Noah was around 4 months old.  It was fun being with my family, but it was not the easiest of trips with feeding  and pumping and sleeping (or lack there of), and I am pretty sure that Noah was miserable.  This year was very different...He Loved It!  He had one day where he was cranky and generally unhappy most of the day due to teething, diarrhea, and an awful diaper rash, but other than that he was pretty happy.  Every morning we got up, ate breakfast, spent what seemed like 5 hours putting on sun screen, and then headed to the beach.  Noah wasn't a huge fan of the brightness and kept rubbing his eyes.  It took us a few tries to realize that it was better to put him in the sun in the wet sand than under the umbrella in the dry sand.  It didn't get in his eyes nearly as easily.  We played for a while on the beach, then went to the pool for a bit, and then headed in for some lunch.  After lunch, Noah took a nap while Brian and I had our own little vacation.  He would sleep about three hours so we just hung out on the beach and would periodically check on him.  After his nap, we went back out to the beach for a little bit before dinner.  This was by far his favorite time of the day.  It wasn't nearly as bright, and with less people and umbrellas, he had a lot more room to run around.  Then dinner, a walk on the beach and bed.  Overall, it was a great vacation!  The lighting isn't the greatest on some of the pictures, but you get the idea.

First day.  Ready to go!

Running away from the waves

Sand in the eyes

Noah's least favorite time of day... the clean-up

He loved the little pools/puddles near the water.  
And rolling in the sand

We went to The Back Porch one night.  The girl at the outdoor bar offered to take our picture and this is what we got... Thanks for nothing! :)  At least it proves that I was there too.

Again running from the waves.

No oil in sight.
One day we left him a little too long during nap time.  He was quite upset when we got him.  He got to keep his paci and eat his snack in front of the TV while watching a Sesame Street video that Brian found at the condo movie rental place.  We felt really bad.  He loved Sesame Street.
I think this picture is hilarious.  He just looks so proud.

This one makes me laugh every time.  It looks like we stumbled upon some lifeless doll lying on the beach.
Brian's shot of the storm rolling in.  He is a much more artistic photographer than me.
Happy boy... until he got all that sand washed off. :)
His facial expression cracks me up.  
He somehow always managed to find a stick to play with.
His favorite time of day was the early evening when it wasn't quite so bright and all the umbrellas and chairs were gone.  He would run all over the beach.  His favorite game is chase, especially when Brian is the one chasing.
Sweet boy!

Picture with the alligators at Fudpuckers.  I tried to take a picture of him petting a real alligator, but they wouldn't let me since they sell pictures.  But he, as usual,  was fearless and pet the alligator with no problem.  

From our patio after a morning on the beach.

We met some ladies from Atlanta who were kind enough to take pictures for us.  I think they did a little bit better job than the girl from The Back Porch.

It was a great time and we miss it already!  If only all of life were a vacation! :)

15 Month Visit

Weight:  26lbs 12oz, (75th %)

Height: 2ft 8.87in, (90th %)

HC: (75th%)

He's gets his height from his dad. :)

In this picture, I had laid the lens cap on the table.  Noah grabbed it and kept saying "Uh-oh" while trying to hand it to me to put it back on the camera.

I finally had to take the cap back so I could get a picture.

15 Months- My New Favorite Age

He has actually been 15 months for 11 days now, but as usual I am a little late on things.  I LOVE this age.  He is so much fun.  Before I had a child of my own, when I would see patients, the four-month-old visit was always my favorite.  I always thought it was my favorite age.  Since I had Noah, every new age is my favorite.  With every month, he can do more and more things, but yet he is still so sweet (For the most part).  This all may change when two comes around, but for now, I am loving each new stage.  Here are his latest feats...

-  He says 'Daddy,' 'doggy' and 'Rudy' (or 'Doody') and they all sound very similar.  He also says 'bubble,' 'bird,' and 'ball' -- at least I think that is what he is saying.  

-  His favorite word is Uh-Oh which he usually says after doing something very destructive.  We know it wasn't an accident Buddy.  He also uses Uh-Oh to let us know when things are not as they should be- like when Rudy's food and water are on the floor where he can get them instead of on the table or when the bathroom door is left open and the toilet is free game.  He is so good at policing himself sometimes.  

-  He STILL does not say Mommy.  I think he is capable of saying it, he just doesn't see the need in it.  I try not to let it bother me.  Actually I find it quite humorous.

-  He loves to play with sticks and dirt.  Just today, we went to the park with my sister-in-law and nieces and nephews.  She asked me where I wanted to go, and my response was "Wherever, they all have sticks and rocks and mulch."  When he plays in the backyard, he ALWAYS carries a stick around.  Rudy ALWAYS takes them from him.  I think if anyone else took them, he would get upset, but when it's Rudy he doesn't mind.  He just finds another one.  Which brings me to...

-  He LOVES Rudy!  Every morning when I go in his room to get him up, he looks up at me, sort of smiles, and then carries on with whatever he was doing.  When Rudy walks in the room, he immediately throws down whatever he is playing with and starts jumping up and down, saying "Doody, doody, doody."  Again, I try not to let it bother me. :)

-  Every day when Brian comes home from work, he runs to the garage door saying "Daddy, Daddy" and waits for him.  After Brian comes in and gives him a hug, he runs to the pantry and starts banging on the door.  Brian, after washing his hands of course, then opens the pantry door, pulls out the Goldfish and they enjoy a snack together.  Most of Noah's Goldfish are thrown to Rudy.  He is so good about sharing with him. :)

-  Every night, he gets a bath, we brush his teeth, and then read his Tiny Bear Bible, a kids Bible that has a furry bear for a cover that Brian's grandparents gave Noah.  He sits in the recliner with Brian and listens so intently.  He loves it all...except for Daniel and the Lion's Den.  For some reason, EVERY night when we get to Daniel, he immediately turns the page.  He sits through every other story, except Daniel and the Lion's Den which he has NEVER listened to.  It is hilarious!  I just wish he could tell us what it is about ol' Dan that he is so against.  I am so curious.  

-  He hates getting his diaper changed.  He would rather sit in poop forever and get a horrible rash than stop playing for five minutes to get his diaper changed.

-  He is learning to eat using a spoon/fork.  He usually makes a few good attempts and then decides he is much more efficient with his hands.

-  His current favorite toy is a ginormous train table that some good friends gave us.  He loves it.  One of his favorite things to do with it, is rip up all the track and bring you pieces saying "uh-oh".  It makes me laugh every single time.  I don't think I will ever get tired of it.  

-  His other favorite toys are his Little People animals, firetruck, popper, balls, and the beads on wire toys. 

-  He just recently started liking a couple of stuffed animals.  Since day one, I have tried to get him to want a stuffed animal or a blanket, but he never has.  Just in the last couple weeks, he has started wanting to sleep with and carry around a stuffed dog that Brian gave me when we were dating and as of yesterday, a stuffed polar bear that we somehow got from National Geographic a few years ago.  

-  He knows two animal sounds... They are elephant and dog.  For elephant, he raises one arm and spits everywhere.  For dog, he leans forward, squats down, puts both arms back as if he is about to jump and grunts.  It is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.  We have not been able to capture the dog on video yet.  Hopefully we can before it changes to 'woof.'

-  He has still been taking two naps, but the past few days when I have put him down in the morning, I think he has just been playing the entire time.  There was a lot of squeeling going on.

-  He has four and a half teeth right now, but is currently cutting about 4-5 new ones.  Ouch!

-  He is a biter.  He will walk up to you and bury his head in your legs like he is going to give you a hug and then, crunch!  It is so painful.  He usually bites Brian in the chest when they are wrestling and will sometimes bite me on the back of my thigh while I am cooking and have no hands to fight him off.  So watch out everyone, he is not always trying to be sweet.  

-  His hair is very fine and blonde and sticks straight up.  I keep thinking that as it gets longer it will lay down, but so far it just sticks farther up.  It is the source of many comments at the grocery store.

-  On St. Patrick's Day, the Riverdancers performed on the Today Show. He loved it, so I rewound the tv and recorded it so that I could show it to Brian.  To this day, he is mesmerized by them.  I usually try to save it for when I need to cut his fingernails.  That is the only thing that will keep him still and distracted long enough.

   I have been laughing and smiling the entire time I have been typing this.  I feel like I could go on and on, but I guess that is a pretty good list.  He is not all kicks and giggles.  Sometimes he drives me crazy when he won't eat his vegetables and throws them on the floor and spits in my face or when he rams his fire truck into my shins at full speed sending me to the floor or when I am cleaning up Rudy's water bowl that has been spilled all over the floor despite me telling him "No" a thousand times, but for the most part it, I couldn't be happier.  I love being with him all day and am so glad that I have the chance to do it and a husband that supports that.  

When he was little, the days would drag on and I would count down the hours until Brian came home feeling guilty that I didn't always want to be there with him and wondering if I wasn't really cut out for this and should just go get a job.  Those days are over!  Sure I can't wait for Brian to get home at night, but the days tend to go by more quickly now.  And, yes, I often miss working and think about getting a part-time job often, but now I view it as a job would pull me away from my primary responsibility of him, not him pulling me away from a job.  At the end of the day, when we put him to bed I tell him "Good-night" and "I'll see you in the morning" and it makes me very happy knowing that tomorrow is just another day I get to spend with our little boy, even if he is thinking "I can't wait to see Rudy in the morning."  I love you so much Noah and I am so grateful that God has given us this time together. 

Last week, we had some very steamy days.  Noah and I were playing in the backyard one afternoon and I was thinking about how sweltering it was and how I wanted to go inside when I noticed the sprinkler sitting out there.  I hooked it up and Noah had his first encounter with a sprinkler. I think he had fun.

And yes, the grass has been cut since then.  

Noah's New Love

That's right.  It is a pair of hand-me-down blue fish sandals.  He thinks they are pretty much the coolest thing in the world.  Every morning when he wakes up, the first thing he does is find the sandals and bring them to me to put on him.  

He tends to bring them one at a time.

He wears them all day long except for during naps when I take them off of him.  But after he wakes up, they go back on.  

Finally last night we had to wash them because they were starting to smell.  I don't know what it is about them that he loves so much.  I think it is a combination of wearing shoes that he can still see his toes in and the fact that they have fish on them.  

I guess his cousin Solomon likes them too.

Whatever it is, I think they are here for the rest of the summer.  

Animals, Sticks, and Eggs

A couple weeks ago, we went to the zoo with several of my friends and their kids.  I wasn't sure how Noah would do.  He loves playing with animals at home, but I didn't know if that would translate over to those at the zoo.  He loved it!  There were times that he was fussy due to fatigue and not understanding why he couldn't always be out of his stroller running amongst the people and animals, but for the most part he did great and loved all the animals.  

Watching one of the elephants bowl.

The trainers brought them over to the fence and let us pet them.  It was so cool.  They are much rougher than I expected.

Pretty proud of himself after petting the elephant.

The crew, minus one adult and two children.

Exchanging pacifiers.  They are about five weeks apart.  It was so funny to see them interacting together.
Trying to pet the furry little donkey things through the fence.  This was one of his favorites.
Watching the ducks and turtles.  

Sadly, I did not get a picture of him looking at the giraffes.  They have always been his favorite animal at home and they did not disappoint in real life.  He was very excited.

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Last weekend was a great weekend.  It was our first Easter together as a family- Brian was gone last year- and we enjoyed every moment of it.  Saturday morning we went to the park for a little bit, came home, Noah napped, and then went to our church's Easter egg hunt.  I am not sure what I expected of Noah, but I figured maybe he would get at least a couple of eggs... Yeah right.  He started off well, walked a few feet, and then found a stick.  

There was no chance for egg hunting after the stick was found.  Notice the asphalt- that is where he started.  He made it FAR!

He finally ditched the stick and we felt sure he go for the brightly colored eggs full of candy on the ground.  He made it a few more steps and found a cup.  

By the time he finished playing with the cup, all the eggs were gone.  Oh well.  Brian took pity on him and gave him an egg, which he loved.  If only he had discovered how cool they were just a little bit earlier. 

Noah, still holding the egg, and his cousin Solomon.

Overall, the egg hunt was a huge success.  It was such a pretty day and all the kids had fun and got a lot of candy.

Sadly I didn't get very many pictures of Eater day.  I got a few of him looking at his Easter basket, but had a hard time getting him to stand still long enough to get a good picture of him in his clothes.  I think overall the basket was a hit.  

The only time I could get him still long enough to take a picture before church was when he was trying to play with Rudy.  The two of them are so funny together.  

I didn't even think to get a family picture on Sunday.  Maybe on his third Easter we will all be together and actually think to take a picture of it.