The Past Year

I cannot believe how much Noah has changed over this past year!

One Month

Two Months

Three Months
Four Months
Five MonthsSix Months
Seven Months
Eight Months
Nine Months
Ten Months
Eleven Months
Twelve Months

Twelve Months

Noah is exactly twelve months old today. That's one year, people! One year! When I think back to all that my little man has lived through, experienced and accomplished I am truly in awe of God's faithfulness and love. There have been several moments when I didn't think we would see this day, but here it is. Noah's current stats are:

Weight: 26 pounds
Height: 31 inches

Noah loves cruising around and is working VERY hard at crawling. He thinks all toys should either be thrown across the room or pounded on the table to see how much noise he can make. Noah is a happy little guy and Kc and I thank God every day for the opportunity to be his parents.

Happy First Birthday Little Man! May you be blessed with many more to come!
The adorable pirate shirt was made by our good friend Lisa for Noah's pirate themed birthday party on Saturday.

Firsts

As Noah is getting closer and closer to his first birthday {WOW! I can't believe I'm actually saying that}, Kc and I have been reminiscing all of his firsts.

There were, of course, all of his firsts in the hospital...first surgery, first time he pulled a tube out, first bottle, first diaper change, first colostomy bag being emptied, first time being suctioned, etc. Then, of course, there was his first night at home, first Easter, first road trip, first smile, first visit to the pediatricians, and so on, and so on, and so on.

During the first year of life, a child (and his parents) experiences so many firsts. Whether it be a holiday, an experience or an ability. It has been making me quite sad this week thinking about all the firsts that are gone and how there are fewer firsts to look forward too in the years to come. I know, I know, there are many more firsts in a child's life, but I guess I am just mourning the loss of those first firsts.

I thought that the last first Noah was going to experience this week was his First Birthday, but alas, he was blessed with one more first ...his first stomach flu. We were hit on Thursday afternoon with a grumpy, tired, pukie little boy. Because Noah still wretches and vomits so much, it took us a while to identify the nasty little bug in his tummy. After several days of Tylenol and Motrin, lots of sleep, and plenty of cuddling time with EVERYONE, I am happy to say our little man is feeling a bit better.

He promises to be feeling G-R-E-A-T at his party on Saturday.

Three Grandsons...again

I was uploading some pictures off my old camera - I got a new one for Christmas - and found this...

On Christmas Day, Cousin Hunter was sitting with Nana eating a persimmon that they had picked earlier. Noah decided to join in the fun...well, at least the fun of watching Hunter eat, not actually eating himself. Uncle Drew thought Jonah should enjoy as well, and thus a cute picture of Nana with her three grandsons was born.

Bump

Ever since Noah has moved into his crib (which he just LOVES), he has developed the most unusual bedtime routine. Once I lay him down to sleep, attach his apnea monitor and plug in his feeding tube, Noah raises himself up on one arm to peek over the bumper and see if I'm still there. Then he rolls from side to side a few times and eventually wiggles himself towards the back of the crib and onto his right side. Once there, he wraps his arms around his bumper (AKA Bump), gives it a good squeeze, and proceeds to fall asleep. Some children sleep with blankets and others stuffed animals, but not Noah. No, he cuddles with his Bump.

R-E-A-C-H

Now that Noah is cruising all around the coffee table and throwing all his toys on the floor, the next logical step would be for him to pick them up off the floor. In just the past few days, Noah has mastered the art of bending his knees, reaching down with one arm, holding onto the coffee table with the other arms, and grabbing the toy off the floor. He is SO proud of himself when he comes back up with the toy...then he throws it down and starts all over again.

Happy Birthday, Daddy-O

On Thursday, Kc turned 36 and he and I were able to go out to a nice steak dinner to celebrate. Nana, Papa and Great-Grandma (we're so fortunate that she'll be at my parents until the middle of February) watched Noah that evening. Before we went out, however, we just had to celebrate a bit with Noah. Kimberly, AKA Cousin Jonah's Mimi, made Kc the most delicious carrot cake, which just so happens to be one of his favorites. Noah enjoyed looking at the candles and thought it was funny that we were lighting them. He even helped Daddy-O blow them out. When we put his finger in the cream cheese frosting, however, he was quite offended and DID NOT think it should be anywhere but on the cake and away from his mouth. All in all, it was a wonderful way to celebrate an awesome man!

Cruising

Noah is now cruising around. He can walk all around the coffee table and can go back and forth between the sofa and coffee table. He thinks he is the coolest thing!

Inchworm

We have been working quite a bit on Noah's crawling these past few weeks. Although he is still not crawling, he has learned that he can move while on his tummy in order to get toys. He wiggles his body like an inchworm and is able to grab things in front of him. Crawling...here we come!

New Year's Eve

The Jackson family celebrated New Year's Eve at my parent's house with my Grandmother and Aunt Louise and Uncle David. We ate our way through the evening with baked brie, 10 year-old cheddar cheese, Canlis Salad, and Dungeness Crab. At midnight, we watched the ball drop and then quickly headed off to bed. What a great way to ring in 2010!My two handsome guys!

Back of the Sofa

Noah has recently discovered the joy of throwing objects on the floor. He loves the noise they make when they fall and finds it amusing when you pick it up for him. His favorite place to throw things is from the back of the sofa. He will cruise along the sofa and throw toys over the back onto the hardwood floor. Too much fun!Where did all the toys go?
Oh, there they are. Mama, go get them for me.

Top Two Teefers

All Christmas long, Noah kept singing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth. My two front teeth, my two front teeth." Although they did not break through in time for Christmas, they did come in a few days later. Noah now has three teeth on the bottom and two on the top. Such a cute little smile Mr. Man has.

The Cousins

Nana and Papa got the three grandsons matching jammies for Christmas. It was quite the feat to snap a picture of three little guys...all sitting still...all facing the same camera...all smiling. Here are a few that Kc captured...

{Jonah (6 months), Noah (11 months), and Hunter (20 months)}

{All three boys clapping}

{Hunter giving Noah a kiss}

{Noah returning the favor}

{Jonah and Noah trying to figure our how Hunter moved so quickly}

{Hey Cuz, where'd you get your cool jammies?}

The Jackson's Christmas - Part 2

The day after Christmas, the Jackson family packed up and headed north to celebrate with Kc's parents in Rocklin. We got to spend some great time with Grandma and Grandpa Jackson and Uncle Scott (Kc's older brother).Once again, our little guy was spoiled rotten by his Grandparents (isn't that their job?!?) and he enjoyed opening gifts and playing with the paper.The short trip was filled with love, good food, great conversations, a bit of Wii Rock Band, and plenty of hugs and kisses from Grandpa.

The Jackson's Christmas - Part 1

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the Jacksons were blessed to spend time at my parent's house with both of my brothers and their families. It was a gloriously chaotic time filled with laughter, a few tears, screaming, eating, singing, running, wiggling and generally just having fun.

Here's my youngest brother, Andrew, and his six month old son, Jonah.Opening presents on Christmas morning. Noah got some great books from Auntie Vanessa and Uncle Drew.
Uncle Adam, Auntie Mel and Cousin Hunter opening their presents.Nana having a bit of a giggle with Mr. Man.
My 94 year-old grandmother from Wisconsin is spending a few months with my parents and it has been so great to watch her with her three great-grandsons. Here's a picture of Nana, Great-Grandma, Myself and Noah...four generations. How awesome!