where to start??

ok, ok. i know there are only like 2 of you that read this (mom and teresa!)...and you know me personally...so you already know all of this...but hey, i like putting my thoughts down on "paper" just like the rest of you ;)

lets start with christmas...

we had grand plans to have christmas at home with noah this year, then go to both families during the day...well at 11 o'clock christmas eve, our plans were changed when we discovered we were stuck at my in laws!! the driveway was covered in ice and there was no hope for us! my in laws are amazing people..they let jamie, noah, and i take their bedroom, while my poor sister in law had to sleep on the couch...thank you for your sacrifice jessica! :)

christmas morning was so much more fun than last year. noah really got into opening presents...tearing off small pieces of wrapping paper and setting it aside before learning to really dig into the gift :) he was so cute!! the best surprise was finding his Jeep...Aunt Ninny (Jenny) had hid it under the Mickey Mouse playhouse and when he found it he could barely contain himself! he literally shook! it was too funny!! of course he can't make it go by himself yet, but he loves it! we all had a good time watching him go from one toy to the next...and halfway through the morning we looked around the living room and all just began laughing at how many toys were covering the living room!! Noah is such a blessed little boy!

after digging through the ice for about an hour, we were finally able to make it out of greenwood and down to poteau for christmas with my family. noah was so pooped out by that point that he just let everyone else open his presents...he promptly fell asleep at 6:30 and slept through the night, into the morning...until 10 am!!! hahaha!! what a nice "christmas present" for mommy and daddy the next day! we got to sleep in!! :)

ok, now for a noah update!

noah is 14 1/2 months...he is fighting a yucky cough and runny nose right now so we had to go to the doctor today. he weighed 26 lbs (thats +3 lbs in 2 1/2 months) and was around 32 inches (+2 inches!)...he had not gained any weight at his last apt, but none of his clothes fit well right now so i was sure he had grown quite a bit!

doctor put him on albuterol breathing treatments 2x per day, motrin for his fever, and zyrtec to dry up the runny nose...his right ear was quite red, and the doctor was afraid it may turn into an ear infection (YIKES!! we haven't dealt with that yet!!) so she also prescribed an antibiotic (to take if his fever spikes or if he develops other symptoms)...we are strongly praying against an ear infection, and praying that his little body heals quickly.

he threw up for the first time (real, i'm a big kid, throw up!) on friday, due to the yucky drainage...it was way more than this mom was prepared to deal with...esp. with my slight morning sickness and tendency to throw up if i even hear someone puking...i gained my composure though, stuck a kleenex full of vick's up my nose and tackled the yucky, smelly mess!! so i can officially say i have passed a mom milestone and lived to tell about it ;)

what's going on with noah right now:

*he is wearing 18-24 month clothes now...some of his 12 month stuff still fits, but the pants look like capris now! poor kid..he is tall and skinny! hard combo to find clothes that fit!

*he LOVES the Wiggles! and we love them too! jamie and i can sing almost all the songs...that is so sad, so very sad..but its what you do for the ones you love!

*he is "talking" allllll the time...."uuuhhh, ahhh, bahh, nah, vah, fah"...the only real words we've heard so far are still mama and dada...but he mostly says "mom mom" it's so cute the way he says it

*he is a loverboy!! he likes to pat me on the arm or the back and every now and then he will lean in for a hug! you have to catch it quick though or it's gone! and boy is he a flirt!! he will stare a pretty girl down, then play shy when she looks his way! it is hilarious!!

*he has a thing for eyelashes...he likes to try and tug on mine...and today at the doctors he tried to grab hers!! i couldn't help but laugh!

*he likes to sit in his car...he still can't make it go forwards, only backwards. but he just gathers some toys (esp Scout the dog..his fave!) and just sits in it!

* he likes to make faces and stick his tongue out (he doesn't actually stick it out of his mouth, he just pushes it on his bottom teeth so it flares out) he thinks this is funny, and it always makes him laugh!

*he laughs alot! mostly at himself!

*he LOVES to dance!! to anything! a commercial, the music on the Wiggles, the sound of the dryer...it does not matter what it is, if it has a rhythm, he will dance to it!!

*he has developed quite the attitude lately...he will throw a full out fit, falling down on the ground and crying! jamie says the terrible twos came early :( i hope not!! he usually will get out of the mood pretty quickly which is good, and is easily distracted!

*he has become a finicky eater...sometimes! somedays he will eat anything and everything i give him...other days, he will only eat 2, not 3!, 2 kernels of corn and a couple of chips, and some yogurt. i try to offer him all kinds of foods...he loves all fruit! oranges and apples are his favorites right now..but he also loves peaches and pineapples, and bananas most of the time...blueberries are a great treat!! and he is finally learning to chew them and not swallow them whole!! we had problems with that this summer!! whole blueberries do not digest pretty! yuck!

* i constantly find myself saying he is such a strange kid! but he really is just a unique little one! he is so much fun, but such a handful at the same time!! i know he is gonna be a great big brother!! i point to my belly and say, noah, who's in mommy's tummy? i'm thinkin it may be a little while before he understands, but repetition is a good way to learn!

in pregnancy news:

i'm feeling great! 14 weeks today, officially 1 week into the 2nd trimester! starting to get a little more energy now, and still not much morning sickness!! it hits at weird times, esp late at night, but it almost always passes quickly and i haven't thrown up once from it! it was so bad with noah that i lost around 10 pounds!

this baby is already very active! i have been feeling tiny flutters for about 2 weeks now, and the last 2 days i've really started feeling movement! i love it!!

i've heard so many women say that you get bigger faster with your second child, and i'm saying amen to that! none of my jeans will button comfortably, so i'm wearing my first pair of maternity jeans that i bought when i was like 5 months prego with noah! they feel so much better!!

i'm craving SUBWAY!! all the time!! i can't go very long without it! hahaha!! i love the banana peppers and the cucumbers!! and the roasted chicken! mmmm!! making me hungry as i type it!! anyone up for bringing me subway to work tomorrow!!??!!! also, i really, really want a nectarine!! so badly!! please God, grow some nectarines with my name on them!! really hard and crunchy, not too juicy! and sour!!! yummo!! oh man, i could eat about 10 right now!! i woke up the other night wanting marshmallow creme! i've never even eaten that stuff!! hahaha!! so instead, mom and i made rice krispie treats!! those were so good...i say were, because they are all gone!! LOL! i ate at least 4 as soon as they were out of the pot! they are soo good warm and creamy! i do not like them cold!

my next dr. visit is on january 22nd. just a normal checkup. but next month, we will be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl!!! i'm voting girl of course and i already have her name...Audrey Claire Brown...boy names are so much harder for me!! i like southern names, and old fashioned names, and i do not want our kids name to start with the same letter (so no N names)...i'm totally up for suggestions!!

farewell, until next time!