Noah stuff

Noah has been having a bit of a rough time lately.
He's realized that he's 3. It took a while, but he's finally having normal fits and meltdowns. They're still really mild compared to most kids (his OT actually laughs at them, because they're just so... cute).
He also got some sort of weird virus on Friday night. He would randomly break down crying over the silliest things, or over nothing at all. He wouldn't eat anything all day. On Saturday, he finally drank some water and proceeded to throw it all back up. After that happened two more times, he then ate half a bag of tortilla chips and was totally fine. So weird.

But the cranky mood hasn't completely left. Yesterday, he got wimpery as we came up to the McDonalds (at a red light). I figured, what the heck. So I went to get him some ice cream. Except? He didn't want it. And when we pulled out of the parking lot, he proceeded to have an epic (for Noah) meltdown and threw the ice cream cone at me from the back seat. I didn't get on him too much, because I know he's not himself right now. Plus, I had a hard time not laughing.

I just feel so bad for him. He's now understanding more and has opinions and wants, but he can't express them. When he felt bad over the weekend, I didn't know why. We were guessing everything from ear infections to a stomach ache. It's just sad. So while I'll never accept ugly behavior, I also know I have to extend a little grace to him. He's just now becoming more aware... of his surroundings, other people, himself. He expects us to just know his thoughts, and it must be so frustrating when we don't get it. It's like having a newborn in a toddler form sometimes.

***

Yesterday, he had a little bit of a rough time at his OT. She knew he wasn't quite himself when he would just randomly sob at things they always do.
After it was over, we walked out of the little side room. Noah quickly walked into a different room (the lights were off), grabbed a very specific toy, walked into a different room, sat on the floor, and proceeded to play with it for the next 20 minutes. See the door to the left of the slide? Obviously, this vintage Fisher Price cash register had caught his attention when he was sliding.

His therapist felt terrible. He probably thought she was being mean by not letting him play with it. She had no idea that's what he wanted. She even said she would've grabbed it to help him transition had she known. Whoops!
At one point, I asked him if he was ready to leave, and he politely stuck his hand out for me to back off (it's his way of saying, "no thanks").
So being that this is the ONLY thing he's gone crazy over lately, I immediately did a frantic online search for one of these things. I found one on ebay for like $20 (including shipping), which was the cheapest option. After I bought it, I realized I didn't check to make sure it came with coins. Sure enough, it does not. So I searched for the right coins for that particular model.

Then it dawned on me to check craigslist. There's a mom nearby selling theirs (WITH coins) for $10. WHY did I not think of that BEFORE purchasing the non-refundable one?? I've already emailed the guy and asked for him to cancel it (it had only been an hour or so, and yes, I was totally that mom and mentioned "my autistic son who wanted this for Christmas with the coins").
Now I'm just praying he taps into the spirit of Christmas and gives me my money back. Otherwise, I'll just save it and give it as a gift later on down the road. And don't think I'm above calling him a Scrooge if he makes me keep it. lol. I'll just make sure to cook an extra awesome Christmas dinner for Brad to smooth over the fact that I've bought two of the same toy.

***

The owner of the OT company plopped down on the floor with us to chat yesterday (they're all so cool), and she asked how Noah's sleep was going. She then asked if we were using a weighted blanket. I told her that they're just too expensive, and we don't want to spend that kind of money (we're talking at least over $100) on something he'll just throw on the floor.
She then tells me that someone donated one recently, and I was more than welcome to take it home and try it out for a couple of weeks. How awesome is that?!

I hope we never move. These people have been so amazing for Noah.

***

His OT is beginning food therapy with him now, to help him expand his palate a little. She told me about this new technique called "food jagging" that seems to be working well.
Basically, you offer them three kinds of simple foods, one of which you know they will eat. Everyone at the table gets the same thing. There's an empty plate in the middle of the table, where unwanted food can be discarded. She also suggested putting Noah in a contained seat at the table (not a high chair) and placing something on the floor that he can rest his feet on. This gives them added stability when eating, instead of that wiggly, dangly-feet feeling.
So I used his old travel chair last night and put a big speaker we weren't using underneath his feet (perfect height!). He ended up sitting there for 30 minutes, eating everything on his plate. He never does that. He even ate his lima beans with his fork... so exciting!

There were a couple of times where he pushed on the table, like he was ready to get down. But then it was like something in his head clicked, and he was all, "Oh wait, I'm still hungry...".

***

I'm not sure if I'll be back blogging before Christmas. I hope so, because I have plenty to document. But honestly, I'd rather be soaking up this time with my little family. If not, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!! :)

happy things

(from our butterfly bush. and yes, I added this up top not only because it makes me happy, but because I didn't want the next picture to be what showed up in everyone's feed)

Home improvements.
It only took us a little over 3 months, but we finally finished. Our kitchen was #1 on my home improvement list. When we bought it, it had brown, builder-grade cabinets and boring white walls. It has now been totally repainted, including the cabinets. We also added knobs and pulls, since they didn't have any before. So it went from this:

(picture from before we moved in, obviously)

To this:

We still have a little touching up to do, but I love it. I actually really enjoy my kitchen now; I feel like it reflects my style a little more. I find myself just hanging out in it at night... I light a candle or two and suddenly doing the dishes doesn't seem so terrible anymore. :)


Being outside again.
The weather has been great lately. Still a little hot during the day, but once the sun starts making its way westward, it feels perfect out. Which means we get to stop hiding from the heat!
And a certain little boy has been loving it.

Last weekend, we picked up my little sister (who'd had a particularly rough day of Driver's Ed. I won't go into it... lol) and headed for our favorite splash pad. Since it was a Friday night, they had a band playing and jugglers performing. Noah had a blast.

(Noah thought the fire juggling was pretty cool)

Surprise gifts.
Noah got a present in the mail from his Uncle Ben (Brad's brother), Aunt Sara, and family. Sara said she saw it and immediately thought of him.
Wonder why? ;)

And you would've thought Noah totally knew how to read. Because as soon as I put this on him? He went underneath the stairs outside and started digging in the dirt.

We also met up with Lori yesterday. She wasn't able to come to Noah's party, so she insisted we meet up. This way she could give Noah his gift, and we had a great excuse to chat for a little bit. I brought Brad along with me, because I wanted to be able to actually sit and talk. And without Brad, that definitely wouldn't have happened. :)
Knowing how much Noah loves to bake with me, she gave him a Play-doh baking set. Thank you, Lori! He loves it!

On Monday, I did a post over at the Poop Whisperer on Southern Style Slowcooker BBQ and mentioned our favorite BBQ sauce, Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet. I ended up getting a comment from them, thanking me for recommending them, and they're mailing me a free thing of BBQ sauce! How cool is that?!

Small improvements.
Noah has been doing so well lately following directions and playing with toys appropriately. If we're playing with his wooden train set, he finds pieces and puts them together. If I suggest a different piece, he grabs it to use. He's fallen in love with more complex (24 piece jigsaw) puzzles. He got a Thomas one for his birthday, and he wants to put it together every single day.
If we show him how to do something, he tries to follow our directions. The other day he repeated the word "Up" after I said it (twice!), and yesterday it was the word "kiss". Last night, he signed "Momma" after I did, and then said "Da-da" while signing it. Words and signs still aren't consistent, but I'm hoping he's starting to make lots of progress.
His OT has seen improvements as well, and she has to remind us (mostly Brad, lol) that the smallest signs of progress are worth so much.

Did your parents or teachers ever get on you about trying to climb up the slides? Well, this Momma isn't telling this kid not to try. Not at all. In fact, when I see him attempt big kid type things, I encourage it. The fact that he's low tone makes certain activities a challenge. So when he puts in that extra effort despite the difficulty? I'm celebrating it.

Sneaky, Sneaky.
I pride myself in finding a way to sneak fruits and veggies into Noah's diet. It's turning into a game for me. He'll down a whole bag of those Veggie Straws in a day. He loves them.

Little splurges.
Every once in a while, it's nice to splurge on small things that just brighten your day. Brad was out of town last weekend for work (in Myrtle Beach of all places... jealous wife right here), so I thought it'd be fun to buy something special for myself. Something small that I've been wanting for a while now but never bought, because I couldn't justify the purchase in my mind. I adore the smell, and the fact that it's green? Even more perfect. The Honeysuckle scent is divine. Makes me happy every time I wash my hands. :)

The pups.
Oh my goodness, these two.
Some days they drive me crazy. But I'm so happy we have them. They're the perfect dogs to have for Noah.

As soon as we walk outside, they run and give him gentle kisses. These two do a great job of never knocking him down, and it melts my heart to know that they love Noah so much. Even if he doesn't always appreciate their affection. :)

I wasn't the only one that got something fun. I went ahead and splurged on them too. They get bored in the back yard sometimes, especially if we're not out there to play with them. So I got them each their own toy. It was a hit... as you can see by the tufts of fluff in our yard.

And... it's Friday!!

We've got a busy weekend ahead of us, but all good stuff! 

Hope yours is full of good stuff too! :)

swag.

Okay, so I found out my SIL isn't coming until Saturday.
I'm actually looking forward to it. She's fun, and unlike Brad, she will be easier to corner in a room and force her to play board games with me. Y'know, with the cast on her foot and all.

Anyway, tonight we all headed out to Target for a little bit of family shopping. Target is my "happy place", so to have us all there together makes it that much better.

While there, I wanted to look at some puzzles for Noah (because he's really into puzzles right now). Upon entering the aisle, I told Brad that there's a certain toy I want him to look at, but do NOT under any circumstances touch it, pick it up, or draw attention to it in any way. It was a big Thomas the Tank Engine toy that says all the cute little sayings when you push it... but it's like $20. I had been considering it as an Easter gift, but I wanted an okay from Brad first. So Noah and I are checking out a puzzle when I hear, "Bust my buffers!" Noah whips his head around and proceeds to reach for Thomas.
I gave Brad a look.
We let Noah play with it for a few minutes. Turns out, even though he liked it, he was really interested in the little car-type Thomas toys instead. When we put everything back, guess what Noah did.... nothing. Not one peep. Just accepted that we put it back and that was it.
And oh my GOSH. We are such pushovers. It made us want to buy him one even more, just for being such an incredible kid. Plus, he's been through a lot with the ants and stuff. (I swear, I counted at least 52 ant bites on his right hand. umm... overcompensate much?). So yeah. Little man now has a cool Percy engine. At least that one was only $6 instead of $20.


So then we mosey on over to the cute toddler clothes section to look at Easter outfit ideas.
Of course, I head straight for the gingham clip-on ties and little newsboy hats. I may not have a girl to dress in all the frills and hair-bows, but we boy-moms get to have our fun too. The problem with Noah and hats? His head is off the charts. Actually, Noah and I have the same size head. No joke.
So we went to the little kid section and had some fun.
(sorry for the crappy cell pics)

 [see Percy on the right? :)]


Then I found this one:

I suddenly had visions of Noah struttin' along the hallways in church wearing a fedora. Brad then got another look. A very different look. A "please please let our kid look awesome??!!" look.
Yeah.
Noah is now the coolest kid I've ever seen. I mean, he was before, but this just
Dude's got swag.

And in case you didn't believe me when I told you Noah and I have the same size head:

Yep. Combine my small head with Noah's abnormally large Kemper head, and I have a hat buddy! :)

**Update on Noah's hands**
They're getting a little better. But this was what they looked like yesterday.
Poor baby.

weekend fun.

Even though I was totally swept off my feet by the dehumidifier gift (#sarcasmfont), Brad decided to spoil me even further this weekend. He took almost full Noah-duty all weekend. Friday night, we had a little Valentine's Day party for the girls' Bible study. The convenient part is that Brad's parents are right around the corner, so they take his mom out for dinner while I'm with the girls. Works out perfectly.
Before I left, I decided to snap a couple of quick pics of my latest anthropologie purchase. Remember those gift cards I got for Christmas? Well, I'd been watching a couple of tops for the last couple of months, just waiting for them to hit the sale rack. I saw online that the one I really wanted was on sale, so I raced over there. Lo and behold, another top I'd been eyeing was also in the sale section! Score!

 I think I wore it just about every day this weekend.

Saturday evening, Brad watched Noah while I hung out with my friend and her family, working on wedding decorations. She's getting married next month, so everyone got cozy in their sweat shop sun room and made bouquets. I adore her family.

(the bride)

We made her little sister (who is also getting married this year!) try one out with the dress. I think they look great! Especially considering half of us don't sew. Here's hoping they don't fall apart while we're walking down the aisle...

While I was gone, Brad put together an incredibly delicious dinner for me, in honor of Valentine's Day. He had to work on the actual day, so we postponed it until this weekend.
Doesn't this look amazing??

And check out the presentation!

*sigh*

He does love me.

All it took was some good food to convince me.

And of course, the dehumidifier.

Sunday night, we celebrated my stepsister's birthday at my dad's. On the drive up there (they live like 25 minutes away) , we were totally shocked to see ice and snow falling! It wasn't cold enough to stick, but it sure was gorgeous coming down.
My dad built us a cozy fire, and we just kept things relaxed.

Noah had fallen asleep on the way up there, so he was a tad bit of a party pooper at first. But Brad turned on a Thomas episode on his phone, and we were good.
And y'all aren't going to believe this. But look:

Brad took a picture of me with Noah... and I'm not blurry!

Look! There's more than one!

I'm just a little excited about it.

Anyways, that was our weekend! :)

Rainy Days

This week has been one sopping wet mess.

Since it's been so nasty out, this week included several trips to the mall and a trip to the children's museum. Thankfully, Brad had a couple days off this week, so he got to be a part of our mall trips.

But first, the kids' museum.

I've written a few times about DPK, so by now, it's probably old news to most of y'all. However, this little guy is still all about this place. He made the usual rounds... airplane, fire truck, tractor, submarine.

Noah really gets a kick out of everything there. The best part is that if you go on a weekday, even if it's raining, it's pretty empty. So Little Man gets to run around to different exhibits without fighting for a chance to play.

I think this is the first decent submarine shot I've gotten. It's just so dark in there!

But Noah loves all of the switches and lights.

Wednesday evening, we headed on over to one of our favorite malls.

Noah is an absolute angel walking around. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his mom. He doesn't fight to get away, and he's content just watching everyone and everything. He holds on to our hands, and even though we have to walk at a snail's pace, it's so darn cute. Most of the time, we don't even have to bring a stroller, but since this is a bigger mall, we decided to anyway.

 

While we were there, we hit the Stride Rite store, just to see if they had any great sales. We ended up getting these cute sneakers for $20! Oh, and my baby is officially a size 9W. I'm thinking he'll be six feet tall by the time he's eight.

Check out the new kicks:

 

And of course, no mall trip is complete without a ride on the escalator.

Noah's eyes literally search the mall until we find one.

While we were there, we saw Brad from the future. Yep, 85 year old Brad was wandering the mall.

(my husband's a huge Steelers fan)

 

While we were there, we got a pre-dinner snack.

If you haven't tried yoforia, you don't know what you're missing.

And yes, it's much much better than TBCY or any of the other ones (in my opinion).

The fruit is fresh, not frozen mush.

It's our favorite, so every time we hit this mall, it's a given that we're getting some frozen yogurt.

 

And because we're all kinds of responsible, we let our kid get rid of some energy by running around the fountain. But he's a good kid. He never veered off his pre-approved race track.

In fact, he and Brad made a game out of it. It was pretty hysterical, and the kiosk people were getting a kick out of watching them. On a boring, rainy day, I think they were happy to finally get some entertainment.

To top the night off, we ended it with some dinner at Panera's.

Noah looks like he's having a blast, doesn't he?

(sorry about the blurry baby. Brad's still figuring out the camera...)

Actually, Noah loves Panera.

That boy can seriously put away some kettle chips.

So that's how we solve the rainy day blues.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxo