As of two weeks ago, Noah is no longer in the infant car seat! He 'graduated' to the the rear-facing convertible car seat. After much research, comparison, and thought, we decided on one of the new Britax seats. So far, Noah seems okay in the new seat, although he still hates to be restrained. He already knows how to plant his heels and throw his hips up when I try to buckle him in. Fun times. Can't wait for him to be bigger and stronger....it's going to be a two person job! But, once he's buckled in, I can usually distract him with a toy and as long as he has his Nuk (what we call pacifiers, although, we don't even use that brand), he's good to go! My only complaint about it now is that it is definitely an adjustment trying to get around with him. I didn't keep him in his infant seat and take him into stores or anything because he never liked his infant seat anyhow. Plus, I wasn't fond of lugging around a 30 lb. accessory. But, the hardest adjustment has been loading up and getting in and out of the car at home. I figured out pretty quickly that this requires a bit more strategic planning when trying to leave the house! :-)
At the end of July, we had Noah's 4 month well check. He was 18 lbs and 26 3/4 inches - both are considered 95th percentile for his age, and his head size is in the 98th percentile. We knew we had a pretty big boy, but yikes! We are regularly stopped in public (because Noah is quite the flirt and loooooooves attention) and it always seems to shock people when they ask how old he is. To me, he's my little man. I know he's not 'small', but he's little to me! :-) Anyhow, Noah got his second round of immunizations at that appointment and handled it very well. We decided to stick with the regular schedule for vaccines after much review, consultation with the pediatrician, research, and prayer. No studies have found a link between autism and vaccines, so while it is a very hyped topic and one that made us stop and wonder for a bit, we ultimately decided that for us, the regular schedule would be best. It's really not easy being a parent sometimes!
Around that same time (early August), Noah cut his first teeth. Now he has two! They are the two bottom front teeth. We had suspicions of teething with some of his behavior - not to mention the endless drooling and gnawing on anything he could get his mouth around - including faces. He especially loved to gnaw on chins. Mama and Nana seemed to have especially tasty chins. Yum! :-) He still likes to attack with his mouth wide open, making a lovely little "Gaaaahhhh!" sound as he comes at you with his open mouth, but no one is really up for being chewed on so our little shark baby has become a big fan of teething rings and soft toys he can mouth.
Speaking of mouthing, Noah has developed quite the taste for...well, tasting! As is normal with his age, Noah puts everything in his mouth. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! He's also become quite dexterous and his hand-eye coordination is really starting to kick in. I bet I don't need to connect those dots for you, but we are learning to think one step ahead of him and get things out of reach sooner than he realizes they are there. At lunch last week, Noah nearly grabbed Nana's mug of iced tea at Islands, and then later, almost got his fingers into the ranch for my fries! He's also fascinated with Mama's or Daddy's water bottle (or any drink we try to sip while holding him). One morning, as I tried to take a sip from my bright green water bottle, while holding Noah in the other arm (as usual), he literally flung himself and both arms across my body in an attempt to reach it. That was a good save by Mama, let me tell you! Yowzers....
Let's see, what else is new? Oh yes, we've had a few accidental roll-overs. We know he will soon figure out that he can do it when he wants to, but for now, he just complains when he can't reach something or when he's "done" with Tummy Time. Although, frustration is a true motivator, so we know our days of a sedentary baby are numbered. Good thing we already have baby gates, outlet covers, and Tot-Locks for the cabinets and drawers. (Note to self: put those on the To-Do list!)
Oh yes, and Noah's latest trick is sitting up! I didn't expect it to work, but one day I sat him up and put his favorite toy (the Mozart Cube) in between his ankles. He leaned forward and started playing with it. I hardly had to help him! Within a day, he was sitting in the Boppy with no problem. His only complaint is when his toy gets out of reach and he leans forward or sideways and ends up face to face with the floor. :-) Live and learn! But, since he is sitting so well now, we have also had a few tries with sitting in a high-chair (so Nana and Mama could eat without Noah's diving into our lunches) and the Aymeric Family sassy-seat! On a side note, I apparently had the same Sassy Seat when I was little, but the one we have now has been passed through all of Joel's cousins, beginning with his sister, and now on to her kids and now Noah. It may be old, but it obviously works if it's been through about 15 kids!
Anyhow, that is a pretty good synopsis of Noah's latest and greatest. I will aim to do more regular updates with "Noah News". I end up sharing a lot via Facebook, but I know a lot of family and friends don't have or check Facebook often enough for that to count. SO! Think of it as my Fall resolution!
Time to go run errands between naps! Here are some of Daddy's latest pictures from the 5 month photoshoot:
Noah in the excersaucer, demonstrating his favorite thing to do...chew on the flower!
Sitting up with his Mozart Cube (and an undercover Boppy):
Like father, like son:
Multitasking with Nana at dinner - gnawing on a finger while grabbing hair and reaching for her face! This is standard practice these days...
The Fam!
VERY beautiful! I cant wait to see you all very soon!
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