Amazing

Kids are really amazing.  I mean truly amazing.  Noah might be a little more amazing than most, but of course I'm just slightly biased. ; )

On almost a daily basis he says or does something that just knocks my socks off and I think to myself, "when did you learn to do that?" or "how did you know that?" or "oh my gosh, how did you remember that?". 

We have a storybook about a mom and her little boy.  The mom sings to her son "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, My baby you'll be."  The book makes it through our nighttime rotation occasionally, but it's not consistent.  At the dinner table and out of the blue, Noah sang the song... completely.  Several weeks ago he started singing the ABCs.  We'd sing it to him, but without any participation on his part and then all of a sudden he can sing the whole song?  Yesterday he counted to fourteen on the way home from school.  He says words like "ambulance" and "quesadilla" out of nowhere and says them very clearly.  I have to ask him to repeat himself not because I don't understand what he's saying, but because I didn't know he knew that word, much less how to pronounce it so well.  His memory often surprises me.  He is an excellent observer even when he's pretending to be occupied elsewhere.  He was playing with his trains in the living room and I was in the kitchen talking about how he sang his ABCs that day.  Without looking up or even a pause in playing, he starts singing his ABCs.  Normally, when we visit the doctor, he would get upset the second they call his name.  He wouldn't stand on the scale, wouldn't let them take his temp, and would be very tentative with the doc as she examined him from my lap.  This week we went to the doc and when they called his name, he got up, walked in the door, and didn't even so much as look back to make sure I was behind him.  He stepped up on the scale (27lbs) all by himself.  He was sitting in his own chair in the exam room and when the doc walked in, he opened his mouth so she could look in without her even asking.  It was a complete 180. 

Noah is changing so much and I had to write these stories down while they're fresh on my mind.  All of this just makes me realize that he's turning into a kid right before my eyes, and a smart kid at that.  I am SO proud of my amazing boy! 

Our Family Pictures

I just realized that we had these awesome pictures taken, and I didn't share them with everybody.  They were taken back in the middle of November and things have been so hectic that I guess I just plain forgot.  So here they are.  Go to Westhart Photography, go to client login, and type in Asher as the password.  I don't know how long she keeps the photos, but they were there as of today.  Amanda did a fantastic job and was kind enough to travel from upstate South Carolina to take our pictures.  We really appreciate what she did and the end product is great!  We are soooo pleased!  And just in case you don't have the time to go through all the pictures, here are a few just to give you a taste!

Another year of 12 on the 12th

1. The view on the monitor of Asher sleeping
2. The new goods for returning to work and making sure Asher has all his meals.
3. Noah loves to be "goofy" these days.
4. Chinese food from a bag. It was actually tasty.
5. Noah avoiding getting ready for day care.
6. Noah's Lightning McQueen cup.
7. Asher's cute grin from his bumbo seat.
8. Dinner time.
9. Gammy and Asher.
10. Noah loves his Thomas the Train set, but he can never keep those plastic pieces together.
11. Asher at bath time.
12. The mail... junk and bills.

Noah and Asher: A Comparison

Sometimes I look down at Asher and get a feeling of déjà vu because something he does makes him look exactly like Noah. Other times, I look down and think that he doesn't look much like Noah at all. I just had to do a side by side comparison. I know how much they change so their similarities might come and go, but I had to do it anyway.

I'm pretty sure you can tell who is who between the two of them but there are definitely some similarities.

Differences: It looks like Asher has more of a round face with those big cheeks while Noah has more of an oval face. Asher looks a little bulkier and has those squishy baby legs. One of the major differences is Asher's dimple in his right cheek. The other big difference is that hair! I guess Noah had nice hair from day one, whereas Asher's hair looks a little more wild. (I wonder if their hair is any indication of their personalities?!?)

Similarities: Their overall appearance is pretty similar. Their eyes and eyebrows seem to look alike. Their noses look alike. But I think what gives me those déjà vu moments is that mouth, especially with their little grins. Even their pouty expression looks the same.

Either way, I love my boys!!!

A Toddler's Tasty Creations

The other night I made a Tex-Mex style dish and I put a dollop of sour cream in my bowl. Noah said his typical "I want that". So I gave him his own dollop and he proceeded to dip his chip in it. I'm pretty sure this was Noah's first taste of sour cream and he didn't like it. His face wrinkled up and had "yuck" written all over it. He loves "dip", usually salsa or cheese dip, so he tried again, but had the same reaction. He ended up finding a substitute much better suited for him.

Who needs sour cream when you have lime yogurt? Yes, my son is dipping his tortilla chips in lime yogurt. Yummy.