Noah is walking!!!

On Thu., Feb. 7 our almost 13 month old started walking!!  He took 4 steps after being lured by his favorite food - Puffs.  It was so cute to see him slowly step away from holding onto something.  You could tell he was a little unsure but those Puffs are so delicious. 
The funny thing is that we always remark that Joshua and Noah are so different in almost everything they do but when I was watching Noah walk for the first time, I had flashbacks of Joshua at that milestone.  They both had that same Frankenstein walk.  Joshua was excited to see Noah walking too.  It was as if Joshua recognized that it was a big moment for Noah as we videotaped and cheered him on. 
Noah is trying real hard to say and imitate whatever you say.  He can already say "Dada", but now he also says "Hi"  and his favorite word is "Cookie" although it comes out as "Gigi."  Apparently Mom and Dad have a book with a cookie in it that he really likes.
Noah also loves music as much as Joshua and he loves to rock back and forth on his knees and clap his hands while Joshua and I dance to music everyday.  Noah will also try to sing along to Joshua's favorite Thomas song.

We've had a busy past month.  We had our cousins Ashley, Susan and their child, Aiden come visit us on Jan.19 and then they went with Steve and Joshua to the circus the next day.  Aiden is 17 months old so they all played around each other.  :) 

On Feb. 1, we finally went to Houston and met baby Teagan for the first time.  She is precious and we had a wonderful time bonding with her.  On Sat., Dave and Steve played golf and later we all went tolunch at Lupe's and walked around the Woodlands Townsquare.  On Sun., we went to the Houston Zoo while they went to church.  It was a beautiful day to go and Joshua had the best time looking at all the animals and feeding the giraffe.  We ran out of time so we promised Joshua we'd come back to ride the train.

Joshua is still in basketball on Tue. and soccer on Sat.  He has in the past two months gotten back into playing golf and now goes to the range with Dad when the weather cooperates.

                                                                     Aiden and Noah
                                                                     

Why we love Austin

On Rainey St. - Bangers Sausage House

 

Joshua is sticking his tongue out too!

                                                                   Cute little Teagan

Happy Birthday Noah bear!  It's been one year already!  It feels like this past year has gone by so fast.  I can still remember every detail about my Noah's birth.  He has brought us so much joy and laughter and we are looking forward to much more laughs in the upcoming year.

We celebrated Noah's Bday in Dallas on New Years weekend - two weeks prior to his Bday so that Subin could celebrate with us.  We went down to Dallas on Fri Dec. 28.  We walked around Stonebriar Mall with Subin on Sat. and also hung decorations around the house.  That evening we went to Laji pappan's house for dinner.
On Sun., we went to Party City and Costco to get ready for the party that evening.  We had our close family for Noah's 1st Bday party and it was much more intimate than Joshua's 1st.  Mom and Dad came from Austin which we all appreciated.  Dickey's BBQ with all the sides and lots of snacks, fruit and punch was served.  Julie made a beautiful personalized banner with Noah's Ark on it.  It was very creative!  Sunil and Julie also got Noah his cake and I will say that Noah thoroughly enjoyed it.  We all had an enjoyable time.

Monday we took Joshua to Northpark Mall to see the trains.  He loved looking at all the miniature trains and we were in that exhibit for about an hour.  It was well worth the 45 min. it took to get there.  We left to go back to Austin around 3:30.  The boys slept for most of the trip which was nice.

Noah has been pretty sick for the past 5 days with a severe cough, congestion, and runny nose.  Thankfully Joshua hasn't picked it up yet.  We signed Joshua up for basketball last week and Dad takes him on Tues.  I had to get an overide since he's not 3 yet; I explained that he's pretty advanced for his age :)  Steve also signed him up for indoor soccer which starts this weekend.

For Noah's B-day we got him some cupcakes and we let him lick some icing.  We must have sang him "Happy B-day" 10 times today. 

                                                                        Noah's 1st B-day  (1/15/13)

Christmas and baby news

We had a great Christmas weekend with Subin, Sunil, and Julie coming to see us on Sat. Dec. 22.  Subin flew into Dallas on the 16th for a 2 week vacation before he heads back to Germany.  Joshua and Noah got lots of presents from his uncles and aunt.  Joshua got a lighted car, Thomas trains, and clothes while Noah got a teether, a fluffy dog, and some clothes.  Steve and I received an iPad, iTunes gift cards, iphone cover.  We were a little flustered with all of our gifts esp, the iPad.  After all, we just got our iphones last month. 

Sunil and Julie broke some exciting news to us through their wedding album.  I was flipping through each picture and as I got to the end, Julie asked me a question.  I didn't even notice what I was looking at as I answered her question.  I closed the album and after a long couple of seconds realized I had just seen their baby's ultrasound pic!  Julie was 3 months pregnant!!  How exciting and blessed we all are!  Can't believe Sunil is going to be a daddy!  We are definitely going to have some fun times ahead!

Sat. night we had Mom and Dad over and we picked up BBQ.  On Sun. we went to church and that evening we dropped the kids off and met Subin, Sunil, and Julie at Jack Allen's kitchen.  We tried to take Joshua to the Holiday Light Tour in Round Rock but the line was too long.

On Mon., Steve and I had to go to work while my brothers and Julie headed back to Dallas.  We both got off work early so we could make it to the 5:00 Christmas Eve service.  Joshua liked the music and I had to stroll Noah back and forth in the corridor but I was still in the sanctuary.  I wrapped presents till about 11:00 that night.

On Christmas, we read the Bible to Joshua and Noah after breakfast and then we started to open presents.  We all took turns opening presents.  Joshua sure got a lot of Thomas stuff and Noah got mostly "used" presents (Joshua's old toys that were in the attic) 

We went over to Mom and Dad's at lunch and had roasted chicken with sides and pecan pie.  Steve and I took turns taking naps.  We went back home around 4 pm.

We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family - immediate and extended.  Joshua and Noah are the light of our lives and they are such a delight to be around.  They keep us constantly entertained and on our toes and we thank God everyday for them.  I wish we could just slow our lives down so we could thoroughly enjoy every moment.    Thank you God for all your blessings and help me appreciate them everyday.

                                          Dec. 23 - Joshua and Noah opening Uncle Subin, Uncle Sunil and     
                                                           Aunty Julie's presents     

                                                           Christmas Eve morn.

                                                                       Christmas Day

 

Thanksgiving and more

On Thu. Nov. 22, we went to Dallas to celebrate Thanksgiving.  We usually go on Thu since the traffic is usually nonexistent.  That was not the case this Thanksgiving.  We did leave at 10:00 and thankfully, Noah slept for an hour.  We also had to stop at McDonalds for lunch (Joshua repeatedly said "I'm hungry")  At 2:30, we arrived in Frisco.  An hour longer but when you have 2 kids, seems like an eternity.

Thanksgiving dinner was at Sunil and Julie's house (their first Thanksgiving as a married couple) and they had already put up the Christmas tree.  There was so much food that I wasn't able to taste everything.  Two turkeys, ham, all the sides, and lots of dessert.  Most of the family were there - unfortunately, we had to leave early.  Joshua vomited after eating something and he kept having stomach cramps.  Unusual for him since I can't remember when he's ever vomited.  We left at 8:30 :(  but at least Joshua felt better by the end of the night.

We had fun on Friday going to Target and the mall for Black Friday sales.  Noah spent a lot of time with Mom and Dad while we took Joshua to the stores.  Later that afternoon, we went to the Jacobs house and spent time with them, Priya, and their extended family.  Sunil and Julie came over later in the evening.  We decided to leave back to Austin on Sat. evening so we could beat the Sun. traffic and it was a great decision.  We got home with both boys sleeping most of the way home.

On Dec. 8 we took our family Christmas pics at Brushy Creek Park.  It was unusually warm and we all had sweaters on and I had black pumps.  What a mistake!  By the time we got done I felt like I had done a 5 mile hike and we were all sweating profusely.  We put up the Christmas tree and the lights on Sunday and Joshua absolutely had the best time.  For an hour and a half, he stood beside me and handed me each branch and was so excited about the multi colored lights.  He kept saying how beautiful it was.  My challenge will be to see if I can keep Noah from tearing the tree down.

Noah turned 11 months today.  I should be happy that he's growing but I mostly feel sad.  I'm just being honest but I have always loved the baby stage and it is almost over.  Noah was the absolute easiest baby and I cannot believe my one year with him is slowly coming to an end.  I have so much to look forward to!  This past month he has done a lot of new things.  I was so nervous that he was slow to eat solids but he has just blossomed recently.  He is mashing and chewing anything that I give him.  I gave him chicken, brocolli, tilapia and peas this past week.  He loves banana and bread.  He clings on to me if I'm eating anything hoping I'll give him something.  He has been drinking a little here and there from his sippy cup.  He still has one tooth and I think another bottom one is coming in.  This past week I have started to give him a bath in the tub instead of his infant tub. 
He still loves to be a little rascal - he tries to unplug any cord from the outlet, chews on wires if he can, rummages through all the cabinets, puts everything in his mouth including lotion bottles, hair dryers, etc.  I literally cannot take my eyes off him.
He likes for us to take his hands and walk with him.  He can stand alone for about 2 seconds before he lowers himself down.  Noah will take Joshua's tricycle and push it across the room.  He likes to walk with the alligator walker.
He can imitate the words "mama," "dada", and "uh oh."  He is definitely a smiley happy baby and laughs at everything.  He only gets upset if he's tired, hungry, or if his big brother is pushing him around, literally. 

Halloween and more

We had a great night on Halloween with Joshua being Thomas the Tank Engine and Noah being his conductor.  Daylight savings time happened the weekend before so it started to get dark by 6:00 and most of our neigbors were out by then.  Both boys were completely better from their illnesses from the week before.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  Not cold and not too warm - 80s.  I held Noah in my arms and followed Joshua and Steve as they went around trick or treating. 

Noah's first tooth came in Nov. 2  and his second tooth is coming soon.  Joshua's first tooth didn't come in till he was 13 months old and Noah got his at 9 1/2 months!  Noah still is not able to take solid food though, he has a hard time with anything chunky like 3rd stage baby food.  Even small pieces of soft bread or Puffs he starts to gag.  Oh well, I'm going to have to step up my efforts because we have about 2 months before he's 1 years old!  Can't believe it!

Last weekend,  Joshua and Noah had 2 birthday parties on Sat., though Noah sat out on the 1st with me and watched the maids clean our house.  This week, Steve had a work class and came home around 9:15 so I was exhausted by the time he came home.  Its always hard putting Joshua to bed because Noah wants to also be held at that time. 
Today, we went to the new HEB Lakeline store that we've been patiently waiting on.  Joshua had also slowly watched the construction and it was fun to tell him we were finally going to shop there.  This evening we all went to eat at Contigo in east Austin, a fun outdoor tapas restaurant.   I interrupted a taping of a new HGTV show there while trying to park Noah's stroller. LOL!

Here are some pics of Halloween:

                                                 Didn't realize it was a girl's shirt till afterwards - Shhh!

 

                                                                                Classic

 

 

 

 

Joshua held on tight to Steve's hand

 

A hard night's work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a hard week

It's been over a month since I've written on this blog.  Its funny how much can happen in a month.
Noah turned 9 months 2 weeks ago and he's now a little over 18 pounds.  He also got his first ear infection last week and he caught a virus from Joshua resulting in mouth sores.  He had trouble drinking and eating this weekend due to the pain.  Despite that, he is bouncing back slowly and returning to his usual, happy self.
 He is my little adventurous guy - he pulls himself to stand into every closet, drawer, fridge and tries to pull everything down.  He is the opposite of Joshua in that he will pull at cords and put anything he can into his mouth.  He is a very happy baby and is adaptable to change.

Joshua had his second febrile seizure on Mon. night.  His first was on Easter Sunday.  Though I suspected it was coming, it is so hard to watch your child go through that.  You feel helpless and utterly useless.  I'm hoping that the next time he has a fever I will be more prepared to fight it.

On a lighter note, I will try to summarize some of the things we've done in the past month:
This past weekend Joshua and I went to Target and Walmart and Steve took him to the "mad scientist" party at our amenity center on Sat.  On Sun., we weren't able to go to church since Noah was still recovering but Joshua and Steve went to the Halloween party at the Little Gym.

On Oct. 19th weekend:  State Fair in Dallas with the Jacobs and the Mathews, Austin's 3rd B-day party, Grapevine Mills Mall, lunch at Trufire with Uncle Sunil and Aunty Julie, and Mom's B-day celebration with Joshua singing to Mom :)

Oct. 6th weekend:  Zilker Park with Joshua riding the Zilker Zephyr train

Sept. 22nd weekend:  Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccanneers with Sunil and Julie

Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain, rain, go away!

A phrase no one uttered this weekend though it rained all day today and off and on for the past couple of days.  We really needed the rain here in Austin, though it grounded us for most of the day.  We did manage to make it to church and Steve and Joshua went to Costco later.  Otherwise, we had a fun weekend with Joshua making two new friends on Fri.  Joshua loved playing with the twins and stayed up late at their house watching Thomas videos.  We were treated to several homemade pizzas and wine.  On Sat. Steve went to celebrate a friend's B-day with ziplining and later both of us joined everyone at Uncle Billy's for dinner while Mom babysat. 

Noah turned 8 months on Sat. and he does not sit still anymore.  He's able to sit and play without support, roll from back to stomach and stomach to back, come up to sitting, and now he's trying to pull up to stand.  Too fast!  He crawls to the nearest cord, doorstop, remote control, or anything else he shouldn't have.  I think we'll have to actually babyproof the house now since we never had to do it with Joshua.  Noah got his first cold/allergies last week.  He's still not recovered, though you'd never know it with him since he smiles and laughs all the time.  He is getting a tad bit needy; I have to be holding him or near him most of the time or he starts to cry.  I'm not sure, but I think I've spoiled him.  He's still on 2nd Stage Foods, I need to start Puffs or something else with him.  I'm also thinking of a sippy cup soon.

Joshua will be turning 2 1/2 tomorrow and he's a funny little boy.  He is doing well with potty training; we have the potty seat over the toilet and that works well.  He will tell us when he has to go, but he is leery of doing #2 in the potty so he waits till he gets a diaper on.  He rides his tricycle nonstop around the house and he's into Tball  more than any other sport.  Believe it or not, he's not even interested in golf now.  Go figure.   He rarely takes a nap which I'm trying to find a way for him to even do quiet time.  He's still a picky eater but I'm not as worried anymore.  He loves to make you laugh.  His favorite things now:  Thomas the Train, Sid the Sciene Kid, Word World.

Here are some pics:

                                                          Daddy being funny!

                                                              Noah's 1st time in the high chair 9/15

Joshua painted a cat on his face and wanted a pic taken

 

9/15 - 8 months old