Quotes of the day...

Yesterday, AJ threw a ball at Jason & it almost hit him in the spot where guys don't like to be hit. AJ laughed and said, "Right in the cannolis!" I thought it was funny because just the other night we were treated to special meal and the dessert was a cannoli. (In case you don't know what it is, it's a deep fried tube of pastry with a sweet filling inside.) Jason then explained to AJ, I think you mean "cahones". (I think that's a spanish slang word...?) We all had quite the laugh, and Jason's dad scolded us for making him laugh too hard because it still hurts his chest.

Another good one...We were standing around talking and Teresa comes popping into the room (from the bathroom) and states, "Is that a bar of soap with Chewbacca in it?" Not only is that phrase just funny in itself, but it was how she said it and the fact that we all knew what she was talking about. Yes, it was a little homemade-looking bar of soap with a little tiny Chewy inside. We joked that it was maybe a way to get little boys to wash their hands & use soap.

Maybe you just had to be there...or maybe this will make you chuckle.

After a busy day of making Christmas cookies with the cousins, we came home and Ian was so tired he passed out in the middle of the living room floor. Although, he wasn't the only tired one.

Month-in-review

Well, actually it's 3-weeks-in-review, but who's counting? It certainly has gone by quickly for us! So it's time that I finally catch up. We're finally getting on a "routine" and finding a somewhat new normal. Noah's morning goes much better when he gets to nap in the comfort of a sling and Ian is occupied with his new morning "babysitter", who also goes by the name of Dora the Explorer. So I am finding this the best time to get things done before I get too tired myself.

So our first month with a new family member has been a blur, but here are a few highlights:

-Baby Noah's baptism and official welcoming into the Church and as a part of the Body of Christ. He did well and shared his special day with 2 other babies from the community. Unfortunately Father Jeremy was sick and wasn't able to be there, so Father Paul from Marshall did it.

-I have had some moments again of getting peed, pooped and puked on. Nothing like getting used to that again! It's not so much the actual deed, but it's trying to clean up when you have a bunch of others making a fuss as well. Good thing they have cute moments too!

Are you seeing the cheeks grow??

-This had to be, by far, one of my favorite moments! Noah was able to be a part of this year's Christmas program at St. Ed's School, as none other than "The Perfect Gift", Baby Jesus. He slept for the entire time on stage and barely moved. When I got him back, some of the kids watching the program said, "That was a real baby?" My other favorite moment was when I first arrived. Mrs. Spanton, the music teacher, came up to me and said with a smile, "Well, you're not Mary, but you are the mother of Jesus." (At least for that short amount of time I was.)

The girls all dressed up for the concert

The cheeks are still growing!!

"Cooked to perfection"

I have had many people use that phrase when they lay eyes on baby Noah. Knowing how long it felt to have him finally here and if you think of him as a "bun in the oven", who can argue looking at his plump little tan face. At only 6 days, he's already back to his birth weight, which I was told takes many babies almost 2 weeks to accomplish. It certainly is hard to not want to "eat him up" every time we hold him!

It's a...

...BOY!! Noah Thomas was born on November 17th at 1:19pm. He weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce and measured 21 inches long. Other than having to wait a long time to finally get to meet him, the delivery went well & we are at home resting comfortably.

Announcement

On Sunday at the end of Mass, our sister-in-law Teresa was reading the one final announcement, "The Knights of Columbus will be having a sausage and pancake breakfast next Sunday from 9 to noon." Right as she paused, and when the church was silent, Ian threw his fist into the air in excitement and yelled, "Yeah!" Everyone in our pew and the few rows behind us had a hard time not laughing to the point of being disruptive. I think even Teresa was thrown off by his loud excitement.

I guess he's excited about pancakes.

Exhaustion

After a few days of busy schedules and fighting naps, this is how I found Ian one day this week when I came to get him for lunch. I should have known something was up when he wasn't singing to his favorite movie. (Notice he doesn't go far without some sort of a ball in hand.)


As a "belated" birthday present, the girls were promised "feather" things in their hair (just like Auntie Dawn). They were also able to finally get their ears pierced when we went to Sioux Falls to visit Grandpa Jim in the hospital. (He's recovering well but sore. Hope to have him home soon.)

Updates

As of right now, no, there is no baby yet, but we have other news to share that involves our family. On Monday, Jason's dad went in for an angiogram to try to get an answer for continued shortness of breath. They admitted him & scheduled him for bypass surgery the next morning. On Tuesday morning, he had triple bypass surgery. There was no damage to the heart and they used a vein from his leg to replace the blocked vessels on his heart. His surgery went very well and he is recovering with family nearby. We are hoping to visit him soon, but we have been told that he will be very tired and will be very sore for the next couple of days, so he really needs his rest and visits will be limited. Since we are almost 2 hours away and this baby is going to be here anytime, we are going to see what happens the next couple of days.

We are grateful that he didn't suffer a heart attack, which is how most people end up having bypass surgery, and that there was no emergency or damage to his heart. Hopefully that will speed his recovery. He will be off of work for at least 6 weeks, but at least harvest is done and he won't need to worry about that. We are looking forward to having him home and thank God for watching over him. We thank everyone who has been praying for him and Mary and continued thanks for the support for them as he continues on his road to recovery.