Kim

Noah was sick this week. Nothing to show for it, other than just a really high fever. He wanted to just lay in my bed and watch Shrek and Nemo. At one particular point in the day he started acting kind of sad after I had given him some tylenol. I started giving him different ideas that he usually jumps at..."Do you want to take a warm bubble bath?" his response was "No." "Do you want to go downstairs and play vroom?" Again, "No." At this point, I realized how bad he must be feeling and wanted to give him a hug, so I asked "Do you want to give Mommy hugs?" For the first time ever, his answer to this question was "Yeah." He leaned over and just hugged me for a long time. It made me feel so bad that he was feeling sick, but the upside was finding out that what he wanted to feel better was a hug from me. It's weird being parent and realizing your kids depend on you in so many ways and you feel like you give it you

Noah adores his Dad. When we found out I was a pregnant with a boy, I could sense the excitement in Scott. I knew he would love to have his own son to cart around and do things with him and Scott has adjusted to being a Dad much more easily than I thought. He is like a grown kid himself, which works out well for both Noah and me. Scott includes Noah in almost all of his hobbies, and Noah loves it. It seems like he came programmed 100% boy. Every toy Scott chooses is an instant favorite, he has loved anything to do with a ball since he was little, he'll even watch an entire football game with Scott. Their latest interest includes RC planes. I wonder if my daughter will be anything like Noah. Some people say I'll be surprised how alike they are, others say it's night and day raising boys vs. girls. I have to admit, I have enjoyed having a baby boy more than I thought possible. He's brought so much energy and love into my life.

We had Kale and Rylee over lately to have some fun since I don't like to go anywhere with Noah potty training. First Kale and Noah had to give the cars a bubble bath in my bathroom sinks (we lost one shake-n-go Hudson Hornet in the process), which eventually led to their own bath in the tub. Then we made Valentines cards with Q-tips and paint to send to their cousins Hayes and Olivia in California who they've been missing since Christmas. We actually ran into the mail man when trying to send them, so they felt extra cool giving their letters to him. Pipe cleaners were next, making bugs, flowers, wands and glasses. I realized very quickly how much my life will change with another kid around the house. I'm glad I won't be as bored this time. With Noah as a newborn, there was no one to talk to. This time I'll have Noah to entertain at the same time. Even though I'm sure it's going to be a lot harder and more work, I am looking forward to a fuller house.

We've started project "Big Boy." At first he didn't get the idea of peeing in the toilet. We had Kale come over for the day, knowing that Noah would copy whatever he did. Worked like a charm. I put a goldfish cracker in the toilet to serve as our target and let them "shoot" Nemo. This really got him excited about the potty and eventually produced his first pee spout. I thought the hardest part would be getting him to sit there for long periods of time. Sticker books were the solution. Noah actually cries when I try to take him off. It's been tedious, but he is catching on really quickly. He gets candy for peeping and a hot wheels toy every time he does a big boy poop in the potty. His favorite underwear is his McQueen and Buzz kind, he's not so excited about Thomas the Train. His bum looks so little in underwear and he seems so young to be sitting on the toilet but I'm hoping by starting now we can get through the worst of it before the

Well I'm trying to start blogging because I realize Noah has no record of the past two event filled years of his life and I'm hoping this forces me to take more video and photos of our family, knowing I will be needing to post about something. A popular thing among photographers is to do a Project 365 where they force themselves to take picture every day for one year. Well, since I started this ten days late, we'll be calling it Project 355. I'm going to try to post a photo or video once a day with a short recap of what we've done. Since I didn't start this until after you went to bed Noah, I can't take a picture of you but I will post a current video I took of you and Kale jumping on your trampoline. Best purchase ever! You and Kale are the best of buddies and you do anything he does. Luckily, your cousin is super nice to you and let's you be the "baby" and get away with all your spoiled and viscious ways. We're lucky to have him ar