By Request...

I have had several requests for pics of Noah's first Christmas... so here are a few!

Hanging with Uncle Nick while Daddy plays Guitar Hero!

Wearing my cute duds before Christmas eve services

This Christmas thing really makes me tired!

The littlest Santa!  (Courtesy of one of Grandpa's graduate students!)

Hanging with Aunt Beth!

4 months old!

Good News!

We got a message from the pediatrician's office today... Noah's EEG was NORMAL!!  Praise God!  Thank you all for your prayers!

EEG

e·lec·tro·en·ceph·a·lo·gram
n. Abbr. EEG
A graphic record of the electrical activity of the brain as recorded by an electroencephalograph. Also called encephalogram

What?

As some of you know, Noah has a "crazy eye trick" (as we affectionately refer to it) that he does sometimes after you lay him down on his back or his stomach.  The trick only lasts 5-10 seconds and doesn't seem to cause him any distress... which is more than I can say for myself when it happens!  We consulted with our pediatrician and, because it has similarities with a seizure, she sent us to get an EEG to check things out.

Today was the big day.  Our doctor wanted an EEG for Noah while he was asleep and awake...in order to guarantee that Noah would, in fact, sleep, we had to cut short his normal overnight sleep time by 3-4 hours.  Needless to say, Noah was not the only one sleep-deprived.

Our sweet little guy had to have electrodes glued all over his head... then fall asleep for 30min, wake up, and have strobe lights flashed in his eyes.  He only fussed a little during the gluing on process and fell asleep right on cue.  He even performed his crazy eye trick while hooked up to the machine and on video ... which was an answered prayer as some abnormalities don't show up on EEGs unless the episode happens while being monitored.  

The results will be evaluated by a pediatric neurologist and then passed to our pediatrician.  So now it is a waiting game to find out if anything is going on... we certainly would appreciate prayers for a healthy report!  We'll post an update once we have it...

 

Noah's tribute to "A Christmas Story"

When it comes to holiday movies, "A Christmas Story" is truly a classic.  So many hysterical scenes... Ralphie's pink bunny costume, "you're gonna shoot you eye out," Flick's tongue getting stuck to the flag pole after the TRIPLE dog dare, the leg lamp...

Here is Noah's tribute to the film, imitating Ralphie's little brother Randy stuffed into his snowsuit:

Observations of a new mom...6

1.  The dirtiest places on a baby are NOT where you would expect.

2.  There is no such thing as a Saturday for a stay-at-home mom.

The leaning tower of Noah

Our Thanksgiving in pictures

A glutton for volleyball

Leave it to us to find a volleyball match to go to over Thanksgiving.  The original plan had been to go to the Michigan State/Indiana match on Saturday night until Josh discovered that Michigan was playing Penn State at the same time.  Ann Arbor is only about an hour from my parents and Josh is a huge Penn State fan.  Penn State also happened to be ranked number one in the country so we knew we would see some good volleyball.

Noah fell asleep in the car and managed to sleep through most of the match to the amazement of those around us.  I reminded everyone of how much time I spent at LOUD volleyball matches while I was pregnant... Noah probably felt like he was back in the womb!  Anyway, I took this short video to document the outing... sorry it is sideways, I forget that I can't rotate the video after I take it.   

Giving Thanks for Family...Part II

My visiting family members left Michigan on Saturday but Josh and I decided to stay until Monday. This gave my mom some additional time to love on Noah -- she hadn't seen him in person since he was about 3 weeks old.
We were also able to accompany my parents to the tree farm to pick out their Christmas tree.  My dad had told me that there was a reindeer at the farm and I thought it would make a great picture for our Christmas card to have me, Josh, and Noah with the reindeer.  The sedate, antler-less reindeer you see in the picture below was not exactly what I had imagined and it was simply too cold to take Noah out of his car seat.  Oh well.

 

Giving Thanks for Family...Part I

We ventured to my (Deb's) parents for Thanksgiving... Noah's longest road trip yet!  It is about an 8-hour drive without a baby and more like 9.5-hours with one!  The drive was complicated by rain and eventually snow... we finally made it to Okemos, Michigan around 1:00am on Thanksgiving day.

My brother was there with two of his boys, Stuart and Sam, as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins David and Will. Definitely a full house.  It was so good to see everyone and introduce them to Noah.

Josh had fun playing Mario Kart with my cousins and our nephews.

In spite of Noah's penchant for fussiness, David took the opportunity to hold 2nd cousin.  Noah cooperated and enjoyed hanging out on his lap.  

A puzzle is always a family Thanksgiving tradition... here my mom, dad, brother and uncle work diligently to find spots for the remaining pieces while my aunt reads in the background.

Boxing Day

I am still learning how to use the video feature on my digital camera and how to upload video to the blog and our gallery... here is a first attempt.  I have been trying to get Noah to bat at objects as this is supposed to aid in developing his eye-hand coordination.  This turned into a mini boxing session the other day with his overhead gym...

On a roll...

One day last week Noah quietly rolled from his stomach to his back!  He hasn't repeated the feat since then, but I think it is only a matter of time.  His newest trick is to roll from his back on to his side... he did this last night and then again during his afternoon nap today when I snapped this picture.  I put him down on his back with both arms swaddled at his side -- as you can tell, he managed to get one of his arms out and twisted on to his side.  This is actually a great position for him to sleep in as we are trying to correct the flat spot he has developed on the right side/back of his head!

Oh Mylanta!

Noah is officially a candidate for gastro-esophageal reflux disorder (GERD)... just like his momma.  We visited the pediatrician on Tuesday and were told that his antics during feeding time and his spitting up are classic symptoms of reflux issues.  So, for the next 3-5 days, we are testing this theory by giving him a miniature dose of Mylanta before his feedings... the idea being that the Mylanta will coat any sores in his esophagus making the eating experience more pleasant for all involved.  If he shows improvement, then he will likely be put on meds like Nexium or Zantac to control the acid production in his stomach.  

Ironically, visiting the doctor to talk about Noah's fussiness during feeding resulted in the discovery of a new problem... torticollis or wry neck.  What I thought was Noah's cute tendency to tilt his head when he looks at me turns out to be a fairly serious issue... with no real explanation of cause (Dr. Baer implied it had something to do with his position in the womb or possibly his delivery).  So in addition to coating his sweet little throat with a chalky substance (that he takes like a champ), we have to exercise his neck 3 times a day (which he hates passionately).  

Parenthood is CRAZY!

Feeding frustrations

Around the same time that Noah got his cold, he developed a very frustrating feeding habit.

For those of you who don't know... I gave breastfeeding the old college try but, unfortunately, I did not produce enough milk to satisfy Noah's appetite. I tried everything to improve my milk supply, to no avail. So, for the last month, we have been solely formula feeding. All bottle, all the time.

That being said, Noah has become enemies with his bottle over the last week or so. He starts out sucking like a champ but often pulls away from it after only a couple of ounces crying like a banshee. Or he starts turning his head from side to side like a wrestling alligator. Many have suggested that it could be a result of his congestion... when you can't breathe through your nose, it is difficult to suck out of a bottle. I thought it might be because he was frustrated with how slowly the formula was coming out of the hole, so I tried the next level of nipple. Nothing has really solved the problem yet. Interestingly, he doesn't seem to get hungry more often in spite of the fact that he is eating significantly less than before he got his cold.

These are the things that make me wish babies came with an instruction manual...

Tricks not treats...

With Noah not even 3 months old yet, we did not have big plans for Halloween. I couldn't bring myself to spend money on a costume that no one would really see him in ... we usually have a grand total of 2 trick-or-treaters and I thought Noah was a little young for the Harvest Party at church. I had planned, however, to take him up to see the skits/raps that Josh's volleyball team was performing that afternoon and to go to dinner with team. My mom had sent an adorable giraffe outfit that resembled a costume that Noah was going to wear...

Turns out that Halloween had more tricks that treats in store for us... Noah developed a cough the day before and early in the morning of Halloween he got very sick. After a call to the pediatrician's exchange and a trip to Walgreens at 2am, all settled back down in the Lauer house. But Noah and I were too exhausted the next day to make it up to UMSL. The closest he got to dressing up was to put on this cute sleeper that one of Josh's club players gave us... if you can't read the front, it says, "I want my Mummy."

As a side note, when I returned from Walgreens at 2am (Josh stayed with the baby), I saw something interesting. I pulled into the driveway and saw a gigantic owl perched on the peak of our roof. I could only see its silhouette, but it was pretty amazing. As I walked up to the front door, it swooped down across the yard to the opposite side of the street. It's wingspan was impressive. Just a little eerie the morning of Halloween!

Does it get any cuter?

Noah's first trip to the zoo!

Noah took his first trip to the St. Louis Zoo today! It was a beautiful day -- sunny and 65 degrees and I had to get out of the house. I get tired of walking circles on the streets around the house so decided to trek over to the Zoo and walk there instead...and we are fortunate enough in St. Louis to have a zoo that is free!

While I enjoyed the animals and the wonderful weather,
Noah decided it was the perfect opportunity for a nap...
he was awake when I put him in the car seat but then was down for the count!

Noah sleeping next to a big cat...

Noah sleeping next to the chimpanzees...

Noah sleeping next to the elephants...

Noah sleeping next to the grizzly bear...

Thoughts to chew on...

I stumbled across a blog known as "The Rabbit Room" managed by one of my favorite musicians, Andrew Peterson. The original Rabbit Room existed in an pub in England and was used by the Inklings (CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Charles Williams, etc.) as a gathering spot to discuss their writings. The online version of the room serves as conversation spot for artists and thinkers who "get the feeling that there's more truth and beauty around us in the world than this world can contain." Check it out here: RABBIT ROOM

Intrigued and challenged by the following quote in one of Andrew Peterson's recent post, I thought it was worth sharing:

"We may want something harmless, but if it’s out of place, if it comes before the right thing, what’s benign becomes malignant. We want the wrong thing. So boil it all down. Chop off the fat. Get rid of the pet monkey you’re feeding, because you can’t afford to take care of it anyway. Wrench your heart away from all the things you think you need for your supposed financial security, your social status; set fire to your expectations, your rights, and even your dreams. When all that is gone, it will be clear that the only thing you ever really had was this wild and holy Spirit that whirls about inside you, urging you to follow where its wind blows. If you can put aside your worry long enough to feel that wind and to walk with it at your back, it will lead you to a good land. It will remind you that righteousness is more than pious obedience, but is letting a strong, humble mercy mark your path, even when–especially when–you don’t know where it’s taking you."

The secrets of sleep...

Ahhh... sleep. It has always been a valued commodity to us but it has become even more precious since Noah has been born. We know its worth, but are in the process of trying to convince Noah to view it in the same way that we do.

There are varying philosophies on how to teach babies to sleep through the night... the most infamous of which is probably BabyWise. I have perused this book and others, but generally I have been letting Noah dictate his schedule. And, lo and behold, Noah decided to sleep through the night all on his own one night last week. Ever since then we have been trying to replicate the experience!

The major hurdle in this endeavor is getting enough food into Noah's little body before putting him to bed so he doesn't wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Some days this is no challenge at all, but lately, especially in the evening, Noah has been getting fiesty with his bottle. He wrestles with the nipple and sometime screams after only a few ounces. The reason for this is a mystery...but hopefully it will be a passing phase.

All I know is that Noah is sleeping peacefully right now...so I should be, too!

Look how strong I am!

A smile to melt your heart...

I love Target

I can't help it. This red and white bullseye makes me exceedingly happy. I could wander around in Target for hours and spend amazing amounts of money. It takes me forever on my Target shopping trips because there is so much I want, I have to have an internal debate about what I should buy in practically every aisle. To add to the temptation, the Target at Hampton and Chippewa has a Starbucks in the entryway... um, heaven on Earth? Okay, not really. But close.

Today the dilemma was towels. The cool, blue, incredibly soft Thomas O'Brien towels were on sale. Do I need new towels in my bathroom? Not necessarily. Would they look spiffy? Absolutely. In the end, after at least 5 minutes of pondering in the middle of the towel section, I resisted. It probably would have taken longer to make the decision except Noah noticed the cart wasn't moving anymore and began to protest.

My willpower failed, however, when I got to the potholder section. I mean, doesn't a girl deserve new potholders every 4 years?

I wish Star Wars was real...

I mean, how handy would the Force be???

I can't tell you how often I find myself on the sofa feeding Noah or with him asleep in my arms and need something that is out of arms reach...the phone, the remote control, my laptop.

If I had the Force, I could move objects at will. Lazy, you say? Maybe. But it would be awesome.

The many faces of Noah

Noah meets the Dankels!

Our small group from church has seen many changes over the past few years... most frequently that change has meant good friends moving away from St. Louis. First, the Leuchters abandoned us for the windy environs of Chicago. Then the Lockes decided to return to their roots in Texas and moved back to Dallas (after developing a healthy appreciation for basements). Finally, the Dankels heard the call of exotic Columbia, MO, and left us as well. Whenever any of these couples returns to St. Louis it is cause for great celebration...well, at least lunch out with the gang.

The Dankels joined us yesterday and met the newest small group babies...our Noah and the Cobb's Micah. We had lot of fun catching up and laughing. More than anything, we were reminded of how much we miss Scott and Gina!

Look how far we've come...

My friend, Dena, is having a baby in January and I was able to attend her baby shower this weekend. Dena and her husband, Scott, were in a Bible study with me and Josh and two other couples before they moved to Chicago...and before any of us had kids! Here we are at the shower -- me with Noah, Dena with baby to be, and Nicole with AJ and another bun in the oven! How far we've come from our "just married" days!

When Daddy's away...

Josh has been out of town for the last few days for a few volleyball matches and I have been suffering from a cold. The combination of those two factors resulted in this chaotic appearance of our bed this morning... fortunately for me, Noah didn't seem to mind as we snuggled in bed this morning!

Foot washing

Josh's parents have two Scottie dogs...Tavish and Brody (pictured in earlier posts). They haven't quite figured out what to do with Noah yet...although Brody came up with a new idea last time we were at there. Noah was in his car seat on the floor and Brody came over, nudged the burp cloth off of Noah's feet with his nose and began licking Noah's toes! I managed to catch it in film -- if you look closely, you can see Brody's pink tongue... Noah didn't seem to mind the foot washing at all!
Josh and I have long thought that Noah has an amazing ability to hold up his head at a very early age... here he is in action with a pretty cute expression on his face:

A Milestone (of sorts)

This is one post that will NOT include a picture... trust me, you will thank me.

Noah had his first public poop explosion yesterday. Josh and I took him watch a SLU volleyball match to see some of Josh's former club girls play. We were chatting with one of the girl's parents when I shifted Noah's position on my lap and suddenly became aware of wetness on my leg and on my hand. I looked down and discovered I was a victim of a poop leak in Noah's diaper! Beautiful shades of yellow and green all over my pants!

We managed to get him cleaned up and then me cleaned up and even stuck around til the end of the match. Fortunately, no one else was sitting near us, so only Josh had to deal with the lingering smell emanating from my pants. Clearly I need to add a change of clothes for me to the diaper bag!

Hangin' with Uncle Nate...

UMSL volleyball matches have become a family affair--last night at the match against University of Indianapolis, both Josh's parents and brother were in attendance (in addition to me and Noah, of course). Nate hasn't had much time to hang with Noah, so I snapped this pic to document the occasion!

Our little man...

Noah and I visited the pediatrician again yesterday for his 6-week check up. It was an eventful visit for all involved as Noah pooped three times while we were there (!), spit up twice, and got five shots! We found out that Noah is now a whopping 10.5 pounds (50th percentile) and 23.75 inches long (55th percentile)! He is developing more and more of a personality every day and gets the cutest expressions on his face...like the one pictured below...
Dr. Baer was impressed with how well Noah sleeps at night but declared him a "wakeful baby" because of his habit of only taking catnaps during the day. Apparently some babies Noah's age sleep 22 hours out of 24!!! Not this child! Here he is during one of those catnaps -- isn't he just the picture of peace??

Louisville slugger...

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to watch Josh's volleyball team play (both UMSL and club). Now that Noah has joined us, I was faced with a decision -- do I only go to home matches or do I pack him up and continue to travel with the team from time to time?? Come on... is there really a choice?

I did resist the temptation of going to Kansas City to watch the UMSL team when Noah was 2 weeks old -- although I did seriously think about it. But this past weekend, Noah went on his first road trip to Louisville, KY, so his volleyball crazy Mama could watch the UMSL team play. Our son proved to be a road warrior and made it through the weekend with flying colors...although he did give a security guard at Kentucky State a scare with a VERY poopy diaper.

Here are a few pics documenting our adventure...

Here is Noah checking out the king-size bed in the hotel room

The Kentucky State gym was cold so Grammy and Mom
had to get creative in finding ways to keep Noah warm!

While the team was getting ready to play Bellamine,
we went to the Louisville Slugger factory.

Here's me and Noah in front of the giant Louisville Slugger bat.

Noah is a hit with the girls on the team...
they passed him around at the restaurant before we headed back to St. Louis.

Crazy fungus amongus!

I just had to post this picture of a crazy mushroom growing in our backyard! There was a smaller one nearby it that I poked at with a stick... seriously nasty.