Noah's 15 Month Update
Noah Bear,
You’ve grown up so much in these past three months and it is both exciting to watch, but sad to see how fast the time is going. You continue to be the happiest and smiliest baby we’ve ever met. Every single time we go out in public with you, someone comments on how cute / relaxed / happy you are. I fully believe that you are (and will be) living up to the meaning of your name, which means rest. You provide rest for everyone you come into contact with.
You started going to the nursery at church and started daycare on August 8th. Both have been going really well! We are taking you to the same daycare that Sophia used to go to and it is so fun seeing Sophia’s old teachers. When Sophia attended, she had a classmate named Noah and around the same time you were born they had a baby girl and named her Sophia. Now, that little Sophia is in your class. I guess Sophia and Noah are good baby names. ;)
You’ve gotten to “color (eat crayons)” for the first time, make art projects, and play with lots of other friends. Apparently you have a little buddy that you like to share your lunch with. We attended their annual end-of-summer BBQ and got to meet some of your classmates and their parents. You and Sophia both loved playing in the bounce house.
Daycare only offers one nap, so we’ve half way made the transition from two naps to one. On non-daycare days, you’ll usually get two naps in, but some days you’ll take a short car nap in the morning, which makes it so you’re able to stay awake until the 12:30 PM nap. You’re generally unable to make it to 8 PM, so we put you to bed a bit earlier.
A few weeks before starting daycare, I weaned you from the daytime feedings. We switched to feeding only in the morning and right before bed. At almost 14 months, you’ve been shortening, and sometimes refusing, your nighttime feeding, so I think we are slowly coming to the end. I’m not quite ready, but I’ll let you lead the way.
At 13 months you’ve stood unsupported a few times and can balance on one leg Supported. At 14.5 months, you took your first side step (10/3) and forward step (10/6), without holding onto anything. You’ll be walking before we know it! Your favorite game right now is to crawl on and off Sophia’s bed, by yourself. You look so proud sitting there. You received a walker as a birthday gift, which you love, but you’re happy to push anything around the house: the diaper pale, the toy container, a chair, etc. Whatever you can find you’ll move all around the house.
You are starting to point at things and babble. Specifically, you recognize airplanes and birds in the sky. You love pointing to our nose and then sticking your finger inside. 9/28/2023 - You can now say “hi,” “quack quack,” “night night,” and “car.” Whenever you see Jericho, you either say “cat” or “meow.” It’s my favorite!
Playing peek-a-boo yourself by covering your own eyes and then uncovering them and blowing us kisses are two of the newest things you’ve learned. You became interested in using a spoon/fork for your food. You are so persistent! With anything, you don’t easily get frustrated, you’ll keep trying and trying. Toy cars are your favorite toy right now; you love pushing them across the floor and placing them on top of your activity cube.
We celebrated your first birthday with a family party in Utah and a friend party in Oregon. Your favorite part was swimming in the kiddie pool. You probaby splashed around in there for a good 30 minutes. You are so very loved!
For Sophia’s one week of summer break, we spent a few days exploring Seattle, WA. It was your first family vacation that wasn’t to Utah. We kickstarted our trip by going to Oaks Bottom Amusement Park. Although you couldn’t ride most of the rides, you did get to enjoy the large slide, the train, and the carousal. From there, we drove to Seattle , checked in at our hotel, and then drove to dinner. You captured the attention of everybody we came into contact with.
On our first full day in Seattle, we walked to a coffee shop and then played at the Artists at Play playground. After some takeout lunch, you and Sophia had a quick nap, and then we rented a rowboat and spent some time on Lake Union. It was so fun watching the sea planes take off and land and also a lot of work rowing the boat against the current.
The main thing I wanted to do on our vacation was swim at the hotel pool. You and Sophia both had a blast. You loved kicking around in the water, which was expected, as you do the same in the bath tub. Sophia was introduced to the hot-tub for the first time and loved it. She kept going back and forth between the pool and the hot-tub.
The next morning, we got coffee (again), played at a park (again), checked out of our hotel and drove to our Aunt Sue and Uncle Doug’s house on our way home. You got to meet them and your cousin Wendy for the first time and see cousin Heidi and her kids for the second time.
You and Sophia woke up and were playing quietly on Labor Day morning, so we let you guys play for a while. An hour later, Daddy went in and found that Sophia had colored all over her pillowcase, her clothes, yours and her crib, and…your face (haha!). Contrary to what the picture shoes, you weren’t upset about her artistic efforts.
Grandpa Jim came for his annual visit and although it was fairly uneventful, we all still had a good time. I ended up getting some kind of bug on Saturday and couldn’t do much of anything. We still made time to go out to eat one night and out to ice cream another night.
We got to attend Sophia’s first Portland Christian Jog-A-Thon. When she started at PCS, last year, we had missed the event, so I was especially excited that she got to participate this year. It was so special getting to watch her run laps to earn money for her school. Daddy ran most of the laps with her, but you and I participated for a few laps and wow, it’s hard to run with a baby strapped to my chest. At least there were donuts and coffee as a reward. ;)
After having Charlie and her family over for a playdate brunch, we packed up the car and drove an hour to The Gorge White House in Hood River, OR. I was hoping to pick some apples, but was pleasantly surprised that they also had strawberries, raspberries, and a few blackberries. Oddly, no apples were actually picked. You LOVE berries and get so upset if we tell you we’re all done. The following weekend, went took Tio Max to the annual LRS (daddy's work) sponsored fall event at the Donkey Sanctuary. With our (free) pumpkins, you and Sophia washed them in the kiddie pool. You gave it 100% and thoroughly enjoyed eating the soap bubbles. We love all the different fall activities!
As I mentioned in the beginning of this letter, you are the happiest and smiliest baby we’ve ever met and this photo below is the perfectly representation of who you are; what a joy!
Love, Mom & Dad!
