18 weeks

Here is what is going on with Noah this week according to babycenter.com;

Even though crying is still your baby's strongest form of communication, he's also developing his sense of humor during his fifth month. He may start to laugh at pleasant surprises such as your face appearing from underneath a blanket or a toy popping out of a box, provided it isn't too loud or startling. Encourage your baby's laughs, giggles, and smiles with funny faces and lots of general silliness. Babies enjoy hearing a variety of sounds and you don't need special toys or instruments to provide them. Simply click your tongue, whistle, or make animal noises — your baby will love it! Encourage your baby to experiment and play with a variety of objects. Something as simple as a clean cloth diaper might occupy him for several minutes. Watch him suck on it, hold it, and discover what happens when he scrunches it up. Give him a light rattle and see him delight in the sound it makes when he shakes it. An activity center or crib gym is a good choice for this stage, as your baby begins to explore the cause and effect of moving a lever and hearing a bell ring, for instance.

Babies see color from birth, but they have difficulty distinguishing similar tones, such as red and orange. (Babies can tell the difference between very different colors such as red, green, and yellow.) As a result, younger babies often prefer black and white or high-contrast patterns. At your baby's age, color differences become clearer, and your baby has started to distinguish between similar shades. Present him with a variety of colors in books, toys, and clothing.

Not a ton new with Noah this week.  He has been under the weather and had a stuffy nose and been sneezing a whole lot.  A few times a day every day we have been sitting in a hot steamy bathroom to try to clear him out.  He hates me suctioning the snot out of his nose, but he is super stuffy (especially in the morning) so I make him endure it anyway.  No fever or cough as of now, just praying this doesn't get worse as we had a friend whose baby ended up in the ER last week with RSV.

Noah went to his first Mardis Gras parade this weekend and HATED it.  Every time loud bands, floats blasting music, or police sirens went by he would scream and cry.  It was just a lot of noise, people and stimulation for a little baby.  We have another parade in our future with our community group this evening, plus one with our church this weekend, and then probably some family parading on actual Mardis Gras day, so hopefully Noah warms up to the idea a bit... he is a New Orleans baby after all.

Noah is becoming increasingly more aware of everyone and everything around him.  Now more often than not he will not nurse if there is another person in the room while I try to feed him, especially if it is someone that he isn't used to.  He's start eating, and then every time he hears a voice he will let go and turn his head around to see who it is and what is going on.