Momma's Boy

Noah has no shame in being a Momma's boy:

Noah's starting to be on the move more; he's tried to go forward, but most often he just scoots back.

He's also been considering a future as a musician. I think he has great potential.

**If you haven't read my RECIPES post below, make sure you check it out**

Recipes

If you're anything like me, you love getting recipes of meals or desserts that are tried and true, and don't take all day to prepare. I have a new favorite cooking website and I wanted to share it with the rest of you! My friend posted a link to it on her blog, and I'm so glad she did; I love it! It's so great because not only does it give you a list of the ingredients you'll need and step by step instructions on how to prepare the meal, it gives pictures too!! Step by step pictures!! I love that. Have you ever read a recipe and wondered what exactly they meant with a certain direction? Like, how brown should you brown something or how heaping should the tablespoon of baking soda be? Well, she has pictures...you'll never have to guess. The recipes look DELICIOUSSSSSS and her writing is hilarious. I think you'll enjoy reading her recipes as much as you'll enjoy cooking and eating them (well, maybe not as much as eating them :)) I plan on making the Cinnamon Rolls this week for my mom's group at church. What recipe will you make??

Hi Mom!

Yesterday afternoon I left Noah with some of his toys so that I could go to the bathroom, when I came back I found him like this:
It was so funny. He had made his way from the toys to my "everything I need so that I don't have to go to the nursery and get it" basket. He's not crawling, but he is definitely getting from point A to point B. This wasn't a big deal (he didn't have the diaper cream or lotion all over himself) but it did make me think about what it might be like in a couple months. He was actually chewing on a diaper when I first saw him, but he had stopped by the time I got the camera. This is such a fun journey!

What's wrong with this??

Ok, so living in Southern California you'd think that we'd spend much of our time basking in the sun at the beach...or even enjoying a cooler day by the water than in the hot, hot valleys. Well, this year has not really been that way for us. In fact, I avoided the beach (and anything that required a bathing suit) at all costs this summer (unless, of course, it was at my parent's house in the backyard). I'm sure you can imagine why I wouldn't have wanted (and most definitely still do not want) to be seen in public with Lycra plastered on my postpartum body. Anyway, we have taken Noah to the beach two times. Here's a picture from Noah's first beach trip:

Noah was still so small that we couldn't have him out in the direct sun (even in the sun it was chilly). Under our ezee-up it was FREEZING!!! I had to bundle him up and cover him in blankets...it was pretty miserable. Now picture #2:

Yup, that's right...pants, coat and even a hat (the mittens came on a couple mins later). It was a beautiful, but very chilly day. Now, I know we'll have many more opportunities to go to the beach with our son, but I just thought it was kinda funny that the two times he's been to the beach, it's been freezing. Go figure.

Viewer Discretion Advised: Poopy Pictures

Ok, so today Hylke's parents (Oma and Opa) were visiting. While we were eating dinner, we noticed Noah was filling his diaper. I commented that he seemed to have a lot of poop (usually he grunts and makes his poop face and then he's done...this time it happened like 3 different times!!). When I figured he was done, I got up to change him....OH MY GOODNESS!!! He had poop (and we're not talking that newborn baby poop) all the way up his back...thick poop....up to his neck!!! After I started wiping him down I realized that this was a Kodak moment...our little boy naked, in the sink with poop up his back!! Enjoy these shots. :) I know this is gross, but check out his shirt to the left in the picture...can it be saved??

We wiped him down and then gave him a nice bath. Here's a cute picture of Noah and his Oma

Tub Time

One thing that has remained the same for Noah since he was able to take "real baths": he LOVES them!! Now that he's sitting up, and much more active, bath time has become so much fun, for all of us! Last night I snapped a few pics, and a couple videos of our bathtime fun. The first video is of Hylke getting him ready for the bath (it's a really dark video, so you'll have to imagine what it looked like and just listen. :)) He loves playing with his daddy...he was laughing so much with Hylke. The other pics and video are pretty self explanitory. Enjoy our little water loving boy!!

***For those of you who have not read about Nathan and Tricia and they journey they are on, please take time to read my previous 2 posts. ***

Update

For those of you who have checked out the links from my previous post, (read "Pray") I thought I'd update you incase you haven't read Nathan's updates. I'm just going to copy and paste some from Nathan's blog...he obviously words it much better than I could. Please continue to pray for this family...the Lord is already doing great things, and I know he isn't done! I can't wait until Nathan posts that Tricia is fully awake and doing well. I really can't wait until he posts that they are all going home!!

**The following is all taken from Nathan's blog.**

Gwyneth: Gwyneth is doing well. New pic line in today with no problems, and they'll be extubating and placing her on a CPAP Machine. Please, pray that she can "remember" to breathe and will not have to be intubated again. This all means great progress!

Tricia: I just arrived at the hospital, and Tricia seems to be very anxious this morning (not in a good way). She was asking for me when I arrived, and she asked me for her mom, who is on her way. I can't imagine what's going on in her mind and heart. A week of hazy sleep that must all feel like one long dream, not knowing for sure what happened to her or her baby.Please, pray with me this morning that God will allow her to fully wake soon and that, in the meantime, the peace of God that passes all understanding will invade her mind and heart.I asked if they could give her some meds for the anxiety, which they can, but I'm sure it will slow the waking process down a little.

So, tomorrow (today) marks one week that Gwyneth has been awake and Tricia has been asleep. They both have an incredibly long way to go, and especially for Tricia, I'm afraid the worst is before her (with the recovery and transplant).

Pray

It's not everyday that a "faith story" grabs me the way that this story has. My friend Julie blogged about a couple, Nathan and Tricia, and the journey they are on. Please join me in praying for this couple. Tricia is 25 and battling Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening lung disease. While waiting for a double lung transplant she found out she was pregnant. Last night, in an emergency C-section, her precious daughter, Gwyneth Rose, was born at 24 weeks. 1 lb. 6 oz. Both survived the delivery, but both are in critical condition. Check out Nathan's blog, as he posts frequent updates on their conditions. If you get a chance, check out Tricia's story and read about her awesome faith in Christ, even in the midst of such difficult times. How great to be able to lift her up in prayer all around the world!

8 Things

I've been tagged by Julie to spill 8 things that drive me crazy...just 8??

1. Dishes that don't make it IN the dishwasher when the dishwasher is dirty
2. Forgetting things...pregnancy/motherhood does a number on your mind
3. Gifts without a gift receipt (only because it's impossible to return or even exchange a product without one)
4. Rude People
5. The fat/calorie content in Dove Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars :)
6. The rising price of gasoline
7. The endless amount of my hair...EVERYWHERE
8. My husband playing his guitar and singing jack johnson's "Must I always be waiting, waiting on you" while I'm getting ready. :) Other than that, I love it when he plays guitar.

These are a few of my favorite things....

I was thinking today about some of the things that I just love. I thought I would make a list of my favorite things. These range from food to gadgets to fun baby gear. I'd love to know some of YOUR favorite things. Do you have something (in any category) that you think others ought to know about? Let me know! Some of my favorites were someone elses favorites first.

1. My "Bebe Au Lait" or "Hooter Hider" I just love this nursing cover
2. My KozyPal Cart Cover
3. My Kitchenaid mixer
4. Huggies Lavender Baby Wash and Lotion :)
5. Pampers Cruisers (I can't believe he's not in swaddlers anymore)
6. My new Charter Club soft, cozy robe
7. Sweet Tea (the real stuff)
8. French Vanilla (or Hazelnut) Coffee Creamer
9. Wendy Bellissimo Designs
10. My Baby Bjorn
11. Tri-Tip
12. Karen Kingsbury Novels
13. Lava Flows
14. My pampered chef Corn Butterer
15. My pampered chef Quick Stir Pitcher (and I'm sure I'll love the chopper too :))
16. Stampin Up products
17. The Body Shop Grapeseed Line
18. Dove Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
19. Hagelslag (It's Dutch)
20. Crystal Light Fruit Punch
21. Gold Canyon Candles (!!!)
22. Fresh Strawberry Crepes (The Original Pancake House)
23. Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
24. Mashed Potatoes
25. Blueberries
26. White Peaches
27. Noah's "Tiny Love" Playgym
28. My Friday Morning Mom's group
29. Wood Ranch Restaurant
30. Carter's Baby Clothes

Ok, I know this list is so random...but those are some of the things that make me happy. Some of these are products that I just LOVE; others are tried and true (and very useful) and some are just tastes that make me happy. Please share some of your favorite things with me...I'm already thinking of more...like my Apple peeler, corer, slicer....