22 weeks

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

Your baby's getting better at spotting very small objects and tracking moving things. At this point, he may be able to recognize an object after seeing only part of it — like his favorite toy peeking out from under the couch. This will be the basis of little hide-and-seek games you'll be playing in the coming months. He can also follow an object out of his view. Your baby will reach for a block (or another object) on a table if you hold him close to it, and once he's got one, he may just go after a second.

 

Earlier your baby learned to distinguish between similar bold colors. Now, he's beginning to sort out subtle differences in pastels. Reading books about colors or playing with colored blocks is a great way to learn about the color palette.

 

When your baby starts fussing at the supermarket, you may be able to distract him — not for enough time to knock everything off your shopping list, but a few minutes goes a long way these days. Try engaging him with funny faces or a round of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider." Clapping your hands, giving him something to hold and mouth, or pointing out new objects in the aisles might work, too. But, remember: For some sensitive babies, the sights, sounds, smells, and overly friendly folks found in stores can be too much.

 

Your baby's ability to interact with you, others, and his surroundings is growing daily. At this stage, he may start playing little games as he begins to understand that simple actions have results. He may drop objects just to watch you pick them up or to see how and where they fall. Once he understand that letting go of something is as much fun as picking it up, your baby's world will become more interesting — and yours a good deal messier. Tiring as it sounds, you'd better get used to it. In a few weeks, this will be accompanied by your baby's fits of giggles.

Before long, you'll probably notice the noise level increasing, not only because of your baby's babble but also because he'll find out how much fun it is to bang objects together. Banging, shaking, and mouthing are all ways your baby conducts his experiments on the world.

Noah is doing great.  He is getting more and more vocal and now frequently when we are in the car he will be in the back seat talking to himself.  He's also gaining more control of his hands and arms in grabbing and holding onto objects, especially at consciously holding something in his mouth for 5-10 minutes while he sucks on it.  Noah is also getting good at entertaining himself.  Rather than crying when he wakes up we'll hear him in there talking and playing and go in his room to find him grinning up at us.

Curried Rice Salad

Curried Rice Salad

This is very similar to my Curried Couscous recipe, but I think I actually liked this dressing better and will start using it for my couscous also.  This was a great way to use up the brown rice that I had leftover from dinner Sunday night.  In fact, I liked this so much that I'm going to have to make extra brown rice every time I make some so that I can enjoy this the next day.  The best part is that this is super versatile, you could use almonds, cashews or walnuts instead of the pecans, raisins or sliced grapes instead of the dried cranberries, and mint or cilantro instead of the parsley.

-2-3 cups cooked brown rice

-3/4 cup dried cranberries

-3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
-4 scallions, sliced
-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
-1 Tbsp curry powder
-1 tsp salt
-2 Tbsp sugar
-zest and juice of 1 orange
-zest and juice of 1 lemon
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Whisk together curry powder- cayenne.  Toss with rice, cranberries, pecans, scallions and parsley.  Serve at room temperature.

family time

lately we have been loving that it is getting dark late and that we have some daylight time together as a family.  most nights we've been trying to enjoy this by either going for a family walk, or sitting out on the porch together.  we are right in the brief window where the weather is nice here, before it gets too hot and too humid, so we have to take advantage of it.

How do you like to spend your evenings?

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

I made this Thai Honey Peanut Chicken for dinner tonight.  The only things that I changed were that I doubled the sauce (to have extra to pour over rice), and I added broccoli.  In all it was a quick, good, healthful dinner, but honestly there are so many things that I make that are so delicious that I'm not sure if I'll make this again, it was just mediocre.  I do think it would be a great marinade for tofu though, maybe with some fresh ginger, or sesame oil added in.

Sweethearts Necklace

I picked up some metal stamping and jewelry making supplies with my birthday giftcards to Michael's.  Today I finally had the time to play around with them and made this necklace.  The chain, pendants, and findings are all sterling silver, the pearl is fresh water.  This was pretty good for a first attempt, but I haven't fully perfected my abilities yet.  I'm considering selling necklaces like this one (and some other random accessories) on etsy... I just haven't decided if I really have the desire to keep up with an online store.

Baby Name Blocks

I made these blocks as part of a gift for the baby of a friend.  The wood was Jeremy's Grandad's scraps that he cut up for me.  Then I modge podged on some scrapbook papers that I had laying around, stamped on the letters, distressed the edges with a brown stamp pad, and added a final layer of modge podge to seal it all.  Next time I think I'd even go a step further and sand some of the paper away to make the blocks even more distressed.

21 weeks

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

Your baby may be able to hold her own bottle now and it's fine to let her, but never prop the bottle for her and walk away. A propped bottle could cause your baby to overeat or even choke. Also, if your baby falls asleep while sucking on the bottle, milk or formula can pool in her mouth, coating her teeth with sugar, which can lead to tooth decay. Pooled milk can also drip into the tubes that connect the back of the throat with the middle part of the ear, leading to ear infections. Your baby's probably showing more signs that she's ready for solids — from a weaker tongue-thrust reflex (when your baby pushes out her tongue when something is placed on it) to a keener interest in the foods you and others are eating. But don't be in a rush to give your baby solid food. Discuss when to introduce solid food with your baby's healthcare provider. Your baby's digestive system may not be ready for solids, and she might not be able control her chewing and swallowing muscles. (Don't worry: That will all come in a few weeks.) Giving your baby solid foods too early can raise her risk of developing food allergies, too. Common allergies include citrus, egg whites, peanut butter, wheat, shellfish, and cow's milk. Use family mealtime to socialize with your baby. She'll enjoy watching you eat, and she may even eat more herself as a result. In another month or so, she'll be better able to sit up by herself and grasp small objects, too, adding to her dinner table skills.

Your baby may now be able to get into a sitting position from lying on her stomach by pushing up on her arms. If she's sitting independently, stay nearby for support — even if you provide pillows to cushion a possible fall. Your baby may have mastered the sitting skill, but she still might lose interest in being upright and topple over.

Your baby may start showing signs of one of her first major emotional milestones — stranger anxiety. She may become clingy and anxious around new (and even familiar!) people and may cry if a stranger suddenly approaches her. Keep this in mind when you're around people she doesn't know, and try not to be embarrassed when she cries in someone else's arms — just take her back and calm her down by holding her yourself. Tell your friends and family to approach your little one with slow gentle movements. A case of stranger anxiety doesn't mean you have to avoid new faces. Your baby will benefit from getting used to being around people other than you and your partner. Just remember that she needs your patience and understanding to get through this very important stage of development.

 We still can't get Noah to take a bottle, but we are going to try a few ideas that some friends suggested and see if any of them work.  Either way it's not too big of a deal since I'm never away from him for very long.  I think he's starting to get interested in solid food because sometimes I'll catch him watching me eat, and then moving his mouth around like I do when I'm chewing.  I think we are still going to wait until he is close to 6 months before we start giving him any solids though.

Noah is more and more of a boy each week now.  Although recently he does like to snuggle, but only at certain times when he is in the right mood.  The rest of the time he wants to slap, hit, and punch everything he can.  He also loves climbing on me like I'm a jungle gym, and when Jeremy plays with him rough and swings and tosses him around.  He'll roll or dive off of anything.

He loves laying on his back and holding onto each of his feet, and starting this week he loves to stick his feet and toes in his mouth.  He's not sitting up on his own yet.  He's making steps towards crawling, now when he's on his belly he'll kick and push with his legs.

I've been thinking that his gums have been bothering him for a few weeks.  He has been drooling a lot, and gnawing his gums on my fingers or anything he can get in his mouth.  He loves it when I give him cool rings to suck and gnaw on.  He's not quite coordinated enough to hold them up himself yet, but he'll gnaw and lick them as long as someone will hold them up for him.  He'll suck on a pacifier for a few seconds, but then takes it out of his mouth, flips it around, and gnaws on the back or the side of it.  He just doesn't understand that it's supposed to stay in his mouth and be sucked on.

Noah had his 4 month doctor's appointment last week (a couple weeks late) and he is now 26 inches long, and weighs 15 lbs 2 oz.  So he's definitely on the larger side length wise and at a good, healthy weight.  He has cute chubby baby cheeks, and some fat rolls in his thighs, but other than that he's still a fairly long and lean baby.