I got a notice from my Outlook program this morning, as I do every Thursday morning. It said "blog about something." Most Thursdays, I just dismiss it and move on with the 8,000 other things I need to do while Noelle is in school. I'm in a "getting things done" mood today, though, so here we go!
Currently Evan is talking in his crib. He's supposed to be napping. Soon he will start to cry, and I'll have to go in there and check his diaper, maybe rock him a bit, convince him to give in to sleep. He was up many times last night screaming, we aren't sure why. He's been doing pretty well with sleep lately, so this was unusual, and we are TIRED today.
Evan is into everything. I feel like all I do is divert him from one thing he shouldn't play with to another, on and on all day. Let's get off the table, Evan. It's dangerous to stand on that overturned bin, Evan. We need to keep the cover on the speaker, Evan. You can't fit behind the couch anymore, Evan, you're going to get stuck. Those are daddy's books, Evan. Leave the lamp plugged in. Don't pull the phone off the shelf! How in the world are you pushing that gate in? Be careful, you're going to break that - again! Please don't turn off the tv. You won't be able to open that closet anymore, Evan, we put a hook and eye on top! Leave Noelle alone, she's in time out. Be gentle with Nacho, please!
Noelle seems to be going through another one of her 15 year old phases. Sassy, argumentative, eye rolling, independent, high drama, and more! The other day she started to hit Evan, then Evan hit her, then she gave him a dirty look, and he gave her one back. I told her "if you don't like what Evan is doing, take a look at yourself, because he's learning it from you." I don't want to say that to myself, but I know it's true about Noelle and me also.
I'm going through a Bible Study at church called Gospel Transformation, and it's both killing me and giving me life. You have to realize what a wretch you are to understand how incredible God is. We first learned about the darkness in our hearts, now we are moving on to how God changes us, mostly through repentance. When I think of repentance, I think of embarrassment, defensiveness, excuses, apologizing for the consequences but not for my sinful self. I'm sorry that you were hurt. Not I'm sorry that I am selfish and judgmental, please forgive me and pray with me. Repentance, though, is God's key to change. It is how he has it set up to give us a new heart, and to bless us. Without true repentance, acknowledging and turning away, we will not unleash the Spirit's power to change us.
So I'm sorry that I am sassy, argumentative, eye rolling, independent, high drama, and more! Forgive me, Noelle, let's pray together for God to change mommy's heart.
Just as I predicted, Evan's started the waterworks. Here we go!
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on March 04 2010 at 10:57 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
So I promised some updates after Noelle's check ups, and I'm finally getting around to it. Last Thursday she went to the dentist for the second time, and she did great. She went back all by herself, and the Dentist told me she was so well behaved. She got to pick out a toy, and was thrilled with her new toothbrush and floss. So far, she has no fear of the Dentist, and hopefully it stays that way! Our Dentist names all her tools, like "Mr. Thirsty" for the saliva sucker and "Mr. Counter" for the pointy thing they use to check your gums.Noelle did great at her well visit with the Doctor, also. The picture below was taken as we walked out the door to the appointment. She dressed herself, doesn't she look sassy? She is 43 inches tall, which is 97th percentile for girls her age. Her Doctor told me we can expect her to be at least 5'8", but definitely could be taller. At 4 years old she is wearing size 6 in a lot of things because of her height. She went a little crazy after putting on the paper gown, I think she felt silly. Again she thought that peeing in a cup was really weird, and it was hard to help her with while holding Evan! (Note to self - bring stroller next time)
In honor of her being 4, I thought I'd list 4 things about her that you may or may not know. In no particular order...
1. She makes up her own songs. Sometimes she will be singing something and I'll ask where she heard it, because it sounds like a real song. Many of them have lots of dramatic flair, others are silly. Often she asks me to sing along, when I have to remind her she made it up and I don't yet know it. She also changes out words to known songs on the fly, and her changes totally fit. This summer she was singing the ABC's and I joined in. At the end she sang "Next time let me SING IT BY MYSELF!" and started laughing. Today I was singing Patty Cake to Evan, and on the part where it says "and mark it with a B" she sang "and STAB IT IN THE NECK." That's a hilarious family inside joke, Papa. Which leads me to...2. This child is funny. She gets a lot more than I would think a 4 year old could, and comes out with some really zany stuff. I think she reserves a lot of it for home, because her teachers told me that she doesn't get crazy at school. I was the same way. I asked her why she didn't let them see her be silly at school, and she laughed and shyly said "I don't want them to know!" But we sure do around here. 4 year old humor sometimes makes me roll my eyes, but more often it brings me real joy and laughter. I'm constantly sending Andy IM's with something Noelle said or did.
3. She loves her little brother. They play together so well, at least 95% of the time. She tries to cheer him up when he's sad, loves to make him laugh, and gets genuinely tickled when he does something cute. Tonight in the car we heard the song "Hush Little Baby" and she asked me about the last line, which is "you'll still be the sweetest baby in town." She kind of defensively said "Evan is the sweetest baby in town." I think they are going to be good friends and have a lot of fun together.
4. Noelle and her Daddy watch Iron Chef, Emeril Live, Good Eats, Jamie at Home, or any other cooking show together. She asks tons of questions about what they are making and what the ingredients are. This week they were watching Iron Chef when Noelle took a bathroom break. She came back saying "Let's see what's happening over on Chef Batali's side!"
So there you have it! Love you, little girl.
Thanks for the update on our precious "Honey Girl". I love the little insight into her silly side. Which of course I have seen in full swing 'stab it in the neck Papaw...."! What a kid. Love you Noelle!
Grammy - January 14, 2010 12:49 pmThe picture of Noelle you took, which I'm assuming is the one where she dressed herself...she looks JUST LIKE YOU! Oh my word.
Kelly Garinger - January 14, 2010 01:00 pm
This week we have already:
- Got the kids H1N1 boosters
- Cut Noelle's hair, first ourselves and then professionally (pics below)
- Went to the grocery store with both kids
- Switched our old tv for a new to us one
- Sent Noelle back to school (yay!)
And we still have:
- Library story time with friends
- Church dinner
- Dentist appointments for me and Noelle (unless it snows, because apparently in Nashville even the dentist closes for a snow day)
- Doctor appointments for Noelle's 4 year and Evan's 15 month well checks
- Purge purge purge toys and other miscellaneous items
I'd prefer busy to bored, but hopefully I can also find time to clean off this desk of mine and maybe even take a shower!
Noelle never lets us brush her hair, so I've been threatening for a while to cut it all off. This week, we did! Andy and I tag teamed a home cut, and while it looked "fine", I figured if we are averaging one cut every 2 years, it should be a good one. So, she got her very first professional hair cut yesterday, and she was so great!
We think she looks absolutely adorable, and she really likes it, too. And it's so easy to brush! A win all around.
I'll post about the dentist and doctor visits on Friday afternoon when they are all over!
- Got the kids H1N1 boosters
- Cut Noelle's hair, first ourselves and then professionally (pics below)
- Went to the grocery store with both kids
- Switched our old tv for a new to us one
- Sent Noelle back to school (yay!)
And we still have:
- Library story time with friends
- Church dinner
- Dentist appointments for me and Noelle (unless it snows, because apparently in Nashville even the dentist closes for a snow day)
- Doctor appointments for Noelle's 4 year and Evan's 15 month well checks
- Purge purge purge toys and other miscellaneous items
I'd prefer busy to bored, but hopefully I can also find time to clean off this desk of mine and maybe even take a shower!
Noelle never lets us brush her hair, so I've been threatening for a while to cut it all off. This week, we did! Andy and I tag teamed a home cut, and while it looked "fine", I figured if we are averaging one cut every 2 years, it should be a good one. So, she got her very first professional hair cut yesterday, and she was so great!
We think she looks absolutely adorable, and she really likes it, too. And it's so easy to brush! A win all around.
I'll post about the dentist and doctor visits on Friday afternoon when they are all over!
Looks adorable! I love the easier to brush thing, too. Where did you get it done?
Heather - January 05, 2010 10:52 amGood old Fantastic Sam's. :)
Jaime - January 05, 2010 10:55 ami love it!! She looks so different and of course adorable. That should make getting ready so much easier. Yeah for Fantastic Sam's...tell her that is where Grammy goes too.
Grammy - January 05, 2010 01:22 pm
on January 04 2010 at 11:17 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
Favorites:Cereal - Honey Nut Cheerios
Vegetable - Tomato (she says she likes them now that she is 4)
Fruit - Peach. Plum.
Drink - Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light (I'd still say milk, which is what she chooses 90% of the time)
Toy - the poodle I got for Christmas
TV Show - Wow Wow Wubbzy
Game - Cards
Book - Raindrop Plop
Restaurant - BD's Mongolian Grill
Holiday - Christmas
Animal - giraffe (strange, same as last year and I didn't mention that to her)
If you could change your name, what would you choose?
Japan
What do you love about each person in our family?
Daddy - playing with him
Mommy - playing with her
Evan - running with him when he gets older, walking with him
Where would you like to go on vacation this year?
Grammy's state
What was your favorite thing we did last year?
Going to the zoo
I love the interviews, such a look into a child's thoughts. Next year may be Evan's first ...
Grammy - January 05, 2010 01:24 pm
We had such a great day for Noelle's first friend birthday party! The day started at Hooprama, a local hula hoop fitness center, where we had 10 kids and their parents learn how to hula hoop. Did you know that you aren't supposed to move your hips in a circular motion? I sure didn't. Instead you stand with your feet apart and move your torso side to side. I actually kept the hoop up for a good while! Andy got in on the action, too.
Evan loved the wall of mirrors, crawling all over the hula hoops, and went back and forth through the tunnel they set out.
Noelle tried hooping, but kind of gave up after a while. She got more into it when they set up the obstacle course later on. The kids walked on a balance beam, hopped through hoops on the floor, raced through a row of hoops the parents held up, crawled through a tunnel, then somersaulted, crawled like caterpillars, or rolled on a mat. Then they started it all over again.
After Hooprama, everyone headed back to our house for cake, presents, and lots of little girls changing their clothes over and over again into dress up clothes. The parents enjoyed getting to know one another while the kids ran all over the house having a great time.
I think that hosting is one of Noelle's gifts, she absolutely loves to have people over and show them around her room. She's still working on the sharing part, but based on how many kids I saw coming in and out of her room with her dresses, shopping cart, dolls, dishes, and other toys, I'd say she did a really good job.
Overall, I don't think the party could have gone any better. We're so glad we could give this day to Noelle for her 4th Birthday!
Evan loved the wall of mirrors, crawling all over the hula hoops, and went back and forth through the tunnel they set out.
Noelle tried hooping, but kind of gave up after a while. She got more into it when they set up the obstacle course later on. The kids walked on a balance beam, hopped through hoops on the floor, raced through a row of hoops the parents held up, crawled through a tunnel, then somersaulted, crawled like caterpillars, or rolled on a mat. Then they started it all over again.
After Hooprama, everyone headed back to our house for cake, presents, and lots of little girls changing their clothes over and over again into dress up clothes. The parents enjoyed getting to know one another while the kids ran all over the house having a great time.
I think that hosting is one of Noelle's gifts, she absolutely loves to have people over and show them around her room. She's still working on the sharing part, but based on how many kids I saw coming in and out of her room with her dresses, shopping cart, dolls, dishes, and other toys, I'd say she did a really good job.
Overall, I don't think the party could have gone any better. We're so glad we could give this day to Noelle for her 4th Birthday!
That sounds like a lot of fun! Happy Birthday Noelle!
Amy G - December 19, 2009 08:09 pmWow...now that is great kind of party. I would love to go to a place like that! Looks like everyone had a great time. Thanks for the photos too. See you soon.
carol - December 20, 2009 06:23 pmLooks like so much fun. Jeremiah has started talking about his birthday. Who made the cake? It's super cute.
Mindy - December 20, 2009 07:56 pmRobin made the cake. She's taken some classes, and does a really great job!
Jaime - December 21, 2009 01:36 pm
on December 18 2009 at 12:54 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
I'm getting ready for Noelle's birthday party tomorrow. It's the first friend birthday party she's ever had. We are always in Chicago or Tampa on her actual birthday, so it's just never happened before. Now she is old enough to care, and has been talking about her party for at least 6 months. She has wanted a beach party, a princess party, a dance party, and so many other variations I can't remember. We've decided on a hula hoop party, details will come tomorrow after it's over!
Cleaning is honestly one of my favorite things to do. It gives me a sense of control and accomplishment to have a room look just like I want, to get rid of a big pile of clutter, to wipe down a messy counter. When I was in high school, I remember many parties where I maybe felt slighted by a boy or a friend (most likely a boy) and headed to the host's kitchen and started washing dishes. I'd go around and collect all the plastic cups and empty plates in a trash bag, put away the game pieces in their respective boxes, and start putting food away. That was my way of gaining back some control, bringing order to what I saw as a messy situation.
Maybe it's not good that I use cleaning to override feelings of neglect. I suppose there are probably better ways to deal with those feelings, but I know there are plenty of worse ways, too! I still use this method a lot, but it's much more difficult with kids under foot messing everything up right after you've cleaned it. Which is why yesterday I started with the office to get ready for the party. The kids are never in there to play. So, no one go in there until Saturday afternoon!
Cleaning is honestly one of my favorite things to do. It gives me a sense of control and accomplishment to have a room look just like I want, to get rid of a big pile of clutter, to wipe down a messy counter. When I was in high school, I remember many parties where I maybe felt slighted by a boy or a friend (most likely a boy) and headed to the host's kitchen and started washing dishes. I'd go around and collect all the plastic cups and empty plates in a trash bag, put away the game pieces in their respective boxes, and start putting food away. That was my way of gaining back some control, bringing order to what I saw as a messy situation.
Maybe it's not good that I use cleaning to override feelings of neglect. I suppose there are probably better ways to deal with those feelings, but I know there are plenty of worse ways, too! I still use this method a lot, but it's much more difficult with kids under foot messing everything up right after you've cleaned it. Which is why yesterday I started with the office to get ready for the party. The kids are never in there to play. So, no one go in there until Saturday afternoon!
So does that you were feeling neglected the year you were in Tanpa and started putting our videos in ABC order?? :")
Carol - December 18, 2009 03:57 pm
December 15, 2009
Had lots of things to show us today - a necklace, 2 hair clips, and a spiderman watch?! Very proud to give the gift cards to Ms. Boo and Ms. Jill! You can get hot chocolate, she said - THANKS! She had us show them to the other teachers. One of her jobs is to turn out the lamp when we leave the room to go to snack.
Behavior: Wow! Generous
Uh-oh! Spitting at lunch
***When I asked Noelle why she was spitting, she said it was to make the kids laugh. I reiterated that it wasn't okay, then asked if it did make them laugh and she said yes.
December 17, 2009
Great listening during story - Noelle knew all about the birth of Jesus. Noelle did a fantastic job kneading her bread dough today - would've made more if I had more dough! Showed us a doll, but said it didn't have a name. We sang Jingle Bells - Noelle likes to sing that one, preferably be herself for us!
Had lots of things to show us today - a necklace, 2 hair clips, and a spiderman watch?! Very proud to give the gift cards to Ms. Boo and Ms. Jill! You can get hot chocolate, she said - THANKS! She had us show them to the other teachers. One of her jobs is to turn out the lamp when we leave the room to go to snack.
Behavior: Wow! Generous
Uh-oh! Spitting at lunch
***When I asked Noelle why she was spitting, she said it was to make the kids laugh. I reiterated that it wasn't okay, then asked if it did make them laugh and she said yes.
December 17, 2009
Great listening during story - Noelle knew all about the birth of Jesus. Noelle did a fantastic job kneading her bread dough today - would've made more if I had more dough! Showed us a doll, but said it didn't have a name. We sang Jingle Bells - Noelle likes to sing that one, preferably be herself for us!
on November 13 2009 at 08:47 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Evan Joseph
Very cute!
Grammy - November 13, 2009 09:26 amHi I was looking up my sons name on the internet and found your blog. I had to laugh at the latest post because My son is also named Evan Joseph and is now 17 months. He started climbing tables at a year and has now graduated to book cases. He is also helping with sweeping, laundry and unloading the dishwasher. Have fun with your little ones for they are a blessing from god. You have a beutiful family. Have a safe and happy holiday.
Joy Dyer - December 23, 2009 02:13 pm
You'll notice these reports are about all I can get myself to post on our blog anymore. That's because I didn't write them myself. I'll get back into it eventually, I'm sure.
November 3, 2009
Worked quietly in puzzles. Liked looking at the giant storybooks. Found a mechanical pencil and was mesmerized! Happy to ring the bell indicating time to clean up. Also helped vacuum up the spilled sand - Thanks! Helped another child by opening her applesauce. So helpful!
November 5, 2009
Looked at books, then Ms. Melissa read books to her. Noelle was there to lend a helping hand. Lots of smiles from Noelle today. At nap, the crystal we have in the window made a rainbow right where Noelle's mat was! It was pretty and she was pleased.
November 3, 2009
Worked quietly in puzzles. Liked looking at the giant storybooks. Found a mechanical pencil and was mesmerized! Happy to ring the bell indicating time to clean up. Also helped vacuum up the spilled sand - Thanks! Helped another child by opening her applesauce. So helpful!
November 5, 2009
Looked at books, then Ms. Melissa read books to her. Noelle was there to lend a helping hand. Lots of smiles from Noelle today. At nap, the crystal we have in the window made a rainbow right where Noelle's mat was! It was pretty and she was pleased.
Oops, missed these.
October 6, 2009 Looked at books. She showed us the bracelet she brought to school, then she let Gracyn see it. Played with Gracyn and the cars after Circle Time. Ate a leisurely lunch, chatting with Cole. Outside she was Arielle for a while. Played very nicely with everyone!
Nap: Restless.
Behavior: Wow! Helpful.
October 8, 2009
She talked about seeing a duck race at the fair. Enjoyed playing in the dollhouse. Showed us the bruise on her chin, said she hit her dad's car with her chin. Ouch! Played on the outskirts of the kitchen, looking at books. She loved being in the big kitchen, stirring and mixing. (They made pumpkin bread) Outside she ruled from the top of the playground - the girls had fun being various princesses.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Take charge!
October 6, 2009 Looked at books. She showed us the bracelet she brought to school, then she let Gracyn see it. Played with Gracyn and the cars after Circle Time. Ate a leisurely lunch, chatting with Cole. Outside she was Arielle for a while. Played very nicely with everyone!
Nap: Restless.
Behavior: Wow! Helpful.
October 8, 2009
She talked about seeing a duck race at the fair. Enjoyed playing in the dollhouse. Showed us the bruise on her chin, said she hit her dad's car with her chin. Ouch! Played on the outskirts of the kitchen, looking at books. She loved being in the big kitchen, stirring and mixing. (They made pumpkin bread) Outside she ruled from the top of the playground - the girls had fun being various princesses.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Take charge!
October 13, 2009
Proud of her little pumpkin, which was bigger than the other one we have! Leah read some books to her (Ms. Jill's daughter) - she loved it! After we cut Grey's pumpkin open, Noelle wanted us to cut hers, so we did. We'll roast the seeds to eat on Thursday.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Good manners.
October 15, 2009
Looked at books. Sang the Fish Song at Circle Time. Loved using glue, even though she didn't have permission. She did a good job with it, anyway. All's well. She was great at having her picture taken - smiled and used excellent manners. Glad she was here to show the way for the others.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Leader
Proud of her little pumpkin, which was bigger than the other one we have! Leah read some books to her (Ms. Jill's daughter) - she loved it! After we cut Grey's pumpkin open, Noelle wanted us to cut hers, so we did. We'll roast the seeds to eat on Thursday.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Good manners.
October 15, 2009
Looked at books. Sang the Fish Song at Circle Time. Loved using glue, even though she didn't have permission. She did a good job with it, anyway. All's well. She was great at having her picture taken - smiled and used excellent manners. Glad she was here to show the way for the others.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Leader
September 29, 2009
Didn't join Circle Time - she stayed to herself. :( Perked up and played in the kitchen with Cole & Declan. Line leader today - great job! Noelle and James Patrick had a nice chat at lunch and were hoping to play at each other's houses! Love to see her smile. Responds readily to positive reinforcement.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Sparkling and sweet
October 1, 2009
She liked looking at many buttons in our button jar. Helped Cole look for the pizza in the kitchen. She had fun making her paper bag puppet, It has yellow hair like Noelle. Noelle said she doesn't really like the macaroni in her lunch, but she did like the peas. No problem! Eat those peas!
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Caring friend - When Cole was hurt, Noelle consoled him.
Didn't join Circle Time - she stayed to herself. :( Perked up and played in the kitchen with Cole & Declan. Line leader today - great job! Noelle and James Patrick had a nice chat at lunch and were hoping to play at each other's houses! Love to see her smile. Responds readily to positive reinforcement.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Sparkling and sweet
October 1, 2009
She liked looking at many buttons in our button jar. Helped Cole look for the pizza in the kitchen. She had fun making her paper bag puppet, It has yellow hair like Noelle. Noelle said she doesn't really like the macaroni in her lunch, but she did like the peas. No problem! Eat those peas!
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Caring friend - When Cole was hurt, Noelle consoled him.
Jaime, I love reading these reports!! Noelle cracks me up. It's so fun to read about her day and wonder which traits she gets from Mom and which from Dad. :) What type of preschool program do you have her in? It sounds great! I've been staying home with our girls now for a little more than a month, and honestly, there are days that I think work was easier!
Lexa - October 05, 2009 05:51 pmShe goes to a local church Parent's Day Out, T/Th 9-2. She loves it, and we both do better with some time apart!
Jaime - October 06, 2009 10:49 amI love the positive feedback from this school. What a great way to bolster nself esteem in the children. My favorite comment is "sparkling and sweet".Way to go Noelle! Grammy is proud of you being a caring friend too.!
Grammy - October 08, 2009 12:18 pm
on September 24 2009 at 04:09 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
..alternately titled "In other words, your daughter is a control freak."
September 22, 2009
She spent time at the art table, then it was on to legos. Noelle likes being "in charge" and telling the other kids how things are done. She loves to take charge of a project, like center clean up, and we love to give her that priviledge. Played with Clara and Gracyn outside.
Nap - Rested
Behavior - Wow! leader. Working on it - being kind to her subjects
September 24, 2009
Lots of smiles today! She enjoyed the watermelon at lunch. Also liked the story "The Tale of Peter Rabbit." That rabbit was naughty. Noelle wanted to be "in charge" of the melons at Circle Time - so did everyone! We rolled them from friend to friend and all was well.
Nap - Restless
Behavior - Wow! helpful.
September 22, 2009
She spent time at the art table, then it was on to legos. Noelle likes being "in charge" and telling the other kids how things are done. She loves to take charge of a project, like center clean up, and we love to give her that priviledge. Played with Clara and Gracyn outside.
Nap - Rested
Behavior - Wow! leader. Working on it - being kind to her subjects
September 24, 2009
Lots of smiles today! She enjoyed the watermelon at lunch. Also liked the story "The Tale of Peter Rabbit." That rabbit was naughty. Noelle wanted to be "in charge" of the melons at Circle Time - so did everyone! We rolled them from friend to friend and all was well.
Nap - Restless
Behavior - Wow! helpful.
I love that they are sending home reports! Sounds as if she is quite social and going to be a natural born leader. Tell her Grammy is proud of her.
Gtrammy - September 25, 2009 07:03 am
on September 03 2009 at 06:01 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
September 1:
Busy. Kitchen was her domain. Took care of the babies and cooked. Noa helped. Outside, she had 'pets' (Grey, Daisy, and Liza) who followed her around. She was a Princess. Later, Clara was Belle and Noelle was her dog. All happy and kind to each other.
She accidentally scared a kid while playing monster with some other kids - seemed embarrassed and wouldn't talk about it at first. In a few minutes she did, though. All was well then.
Nap: Restless
Behavior: Wow! Confident.
September 3:
Played with magnetic dress up dolls - Liza joined in. Noelle was hesitant to let her in, but did in the end and they played together. She sang The ABC Song at Circle Time. Loved doing the hula hoop today. Noelle tried very hard, very gently to help Liza learn to go down the slide. Liza wouldn't do it, though. Noelle said, "Come on, sweetie, it'll be okay!" They played mama (Noelle) and baby (Liza) for a while.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Helpful.
Busy. Kitchen was her domain. Took care of the babies and cooked. Noa helped. Outside, she had 'pets' (Grey, Daisy, and Liza) who followed her around. She was a Princess. Later, Clara was Belle and Noelle was her dog. All happy and kind to each other.
She accidentally scared a kid while playing monster with some other kids - seemed embarrassed and wouldn't talk about it at first. In a few minutes she did, though. All was well then.
Nap: Restless
Behavior: Wow! Confident.
September 3:
Played with magnetic dress up dolls - Liza joined in. Noelle was hesitant to let her in, but did in the end and they played together. She sang The ABC Song at Circle Time. Loved doing the hula hoop today. Noelle tried very hard, very gently to help Liza learn to go down the slide. Liza wouldn't do it, though. Noelle said, "Come on, sweetie, it'll be okay!" They played mama (Noelle) and baby (Liza) for a while.
Nap: Rested
Behavior: Wow! Helpful.
I'm looking forward to this coming weekend. Why do you say that Andy? It's because Jaime's going out of town. No no, it's not what you think. Since she's taking Evan with her to see her friend Bethany, it means that I get to spend the whole weekend with Noelle. Just some Daddy / daughter time. I'm starting off the weekend spending time on Friday night with my friend Matt and his kids. Sat is wide open, but I expect we'll go out to breakfast together, then to the Farmer's Market. I'm sure we'll spend some time at the park before coming home and watching a movie together. I might even make some fish with Noelle since Jaime hates the stuff.
What about you other dads out there? What do YOU do with your kids while the wife is out of the house? Games? Movies? Playtime? Spill the beans and share with the rest of us. You never know when you might learn something or, better yet, teach someone else something new.
Daddy daughter time sounds like fun! Enjoy!
Grammy - August 26, 2009 12:28 pmThe centennial mall fountains, the local spray parks, Pied Piper Creamery ice cream for dinner, Zoo date, Adventure science center date, puppet show at the library,movie night with pop-corn for dinner...oh the list is endless! (Not that I'm a dad, but Cora and I go on our share of adventures.) Check out Nashville Parent's website with a list of activities for the week (and weekend!)
Ariana - August 26, 2009 08:20 pmI thought of more things...couch cushion forts, air tent forts, nature walks, fishing in Shelby Park pond, feeding the ducks there too. Oh Yes. I DID say it was endless... :) Have fun!!
Ariana - August 26, 2009 08:22 pm
on August 03 2009 at 11:26 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
I learned of a book called My ABC Bible Verses through a blog I read, and thought it was a great idea to get for Noelle. It has 26 verses, one for each letter of the alphabet, and an application story to go along with each verse. We are doing roughly one verse per week, making sure to go back and repeat previous verses to keep them in Noelle's memory. It really is amazing to hear my child quoting scripture!
Today is our first summer Monday with no school, and we are pretty bored around here. Noelle asked me to watch a movie, Elmo in Grouchland, and I told her I'd rather read her a book. She insisted she'd rather watch a movie, so I made her a deal. I said if she could tell me all her Bible verses A through G, I'd let her watch it.
A soft answer turns away wrath.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
Do all things without complaining or disputing.
Even a child is known by his deeds.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
After Noelle had said them all, I was beaming and told her I was so proud of her. I said that having those verses hidden in her heart will be a big help to her as she is growing up.
She said, "That's nice. Can you turn on Elmo now?"
Today is our first summer Monday with no school, and we are pretty bored around here. Noelle asked me to watch a movie, Elmo in Grouchland, and I told her I'd rather read her a book. She insisted she'd rather watch a movie, so I made her a deal. I said if she could tell me all her Bible verses A through G, I'd let her watch it.
A soft answer turns away wrath.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
Do all things without complaining or disputing.
Even a child is known by his deeds.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
After Noelle had said them all, I was beaming and told her I was so proud of her. I said that having those verses hidden in her heart will be a big help to her as she is growing up.
She said, "That's nice. Can you turn on Elmo now?"
Oout of the mouths of babes... but unknown to her, you can be sure they are hidden in her heart! I love hearing her recite them as well. Good Job Noelle!
grammy - August 04, 2009 01:40 pm
This morning I went in for an appointment with my dentist, and asked about scheduling one for Noelle. Dentists recommend kids start coming in at age 3, so I've been meaning to call for a while. They happened to have an opening at 3:15, and I took it! We've read several books where the characters have gone to the dentist, so she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the idea. I still wasn't sure how she would do, but I was hopeful.
On the car ride over, she asked me if I would be with her at the dentist and I assured her I would be. She was very patient in the waiting room and acted pretty calm. When we walked down the hall toward the room and she saw the big chair, she got a little scared. She did not want to get in the chair. I asked if I could help her get in it, so I picked her up (while also holding Evan) and set her back in the chair. She told me she didn't like it, but was still relatively calm.
After she got her "bib" and "sunglasses" put on, she thought it was kind of funny. They introduced her to "Mr. Thirsty" which was the suction tool, and showed her how the water and air tool worked. Then they used the pick to count and "tickle" her teeth. Periodically she would ask a question, most of the time it was "are we done now?" But overall, she did such a fantastic job!
Her teeth look great, and she got a new toothbrush just like in one of her books, plus a toy. I told her she was very brave, because she was scared but did it anyway. Next time they will try to get the x-rays, but they wanted to be sure that this first time was a "happy visit." I was so proud of her!
I'm bummed that I didn't get any pictures, but our camera batteries are dead. I was going to stop on the way to the dentist to buy batteries, but Noelle insisted she did NOT want me to take pictures. Whatev. :) I'll bring the camera next time!
On the car ride over, she asked me if I would be with her at the dentist and I assured her I would be. She was very patient in the waiting room and acted pretty calm. When we walked down the hall toward the room and she saw the big chair, she got a little scared. She did not want to get in the chair. I asked if I could help her get in it, so I picked her up (while also holding Evan) and set her back in the chair. She told me she didn't like it, but was still relatively calm.
After she got her "bib" and "sunglasses" put on, she thought it was kind of funny. They introduced her to "Mr. Thirsty" which was the suction tool, and showed her how the water and air tool worked. Then they used the pick to count and "tickle" her teeth. Periodically she would ask a question, most of the time it was "are we done now?" But overall, she did such a fantastic job!
Her teeth look great, and she got a new toothbrush just like in one of her books, plus a toy. I told her she was very brave, because she was scared but did it anyway. Next time they will try to get the x-rays, but they wanted to be sure that this first time was a "happy visit." I was so proud of her!
I'm bummed that I didn't get any pictures, but our camera batteries are dead. I was going to stop on the way to the dentist to buy batteries, but Noelle insisted she did NOT want me to take pictures. Whatev. :) I'll bring the camera next time!
Noelle was a very brave girl! Tell her Grammy is proud of her too. You are so smart to start her young so that she won't be scared. You are such a good Mommy! See you soon.
Grammy - June 23, 2009 08:15 am
In our living room we have a huge picture window that goes almost to the floor. Often we get birds or bugs that don't see the window and instead think it is a big open area to access our house. This has resulted in several dead birds on our porch through the years. One time we even had a "bird print" on the window where one totally crashed into it with wings stretched out wide. Ouch.
Today Noelle and I were playing Candy Land and bugs were crashing into the window left and right. She was making up stories about why they wanted in, and what they would do to us once they got here. At one point she saw a little moth-like bug and said "oh, there's a so...somito." I said, "Do you mean mosquito?" She paused and said, "no, his NAME is Somito." Somito the mosquito. Sure, that's what you meant.
Today Noelle and I were playing Candy Land and bugs were crashing into the window left and right. She was making up stories about why they wanted in, and what they would do to us once they got here. At one point she saw a little moth-like bug and said "oh, there's a so...somito." I said, "Do you mean mosquito?" She paused and said, "no, his NAME is Somito." Somito the mosquito. Sure, that's what you meant.
I LOVE that little girl and her stories.
andy matthews - April 27, 2009 09:53 amI love it! She's a very clever girl!
Natalie McLaughlin - April 28, 2009 01:01 pm
39 months old, and Noelle has finally had a haircut! She has grown increasingly more resistant to me doing anything to her hair, sometimes even refusing to let me put one single solitary hairclip in to hold her hair out of her face. Even while eating cereal and having to hold it back with her hand so as not to coat her hair in milk, she says no thanks to a hairclip. She often starts to cry at the mere sight of a brush (and my mom is thinking "haha! you got one just like you!). I told her again last night that unless she started allowing me to at least brush her hair regularly, I was going to have to cut it. So, she said "cut it right now." I gave her a bath first, then got out our haircutting scissors and chopped off about 2 inches. Easier said than done to cut a straight line on a moving target, but I think I did a pretty good job!
Our other first this week is that the little man has an ear infection. Noelle has never had one that I'm aware of, so we weren't sure what to look for. He has been pulling his ears for several weeks off and on, but I knew there were lots of factors that could make him do that. The first being "hey look! I have ears! and I'm playing with them!" Along with teething, being tired, or what I finally concluded, an infection. So we went to the doctor yesterday and sure enough, he has a mild case. A bottle of bubble gum amoxicillin should do the trick. Hopefully after this is past he will get back to his regularly scheduled sleep programming. We're beginning to think Noelle has been talking to him, telling him he's making her look bad and to knock it off with the good sleeper act. He is still a pretty sweet boy most of the time though!
WOW! She sure was decisive about a hair cut! Looks like you did a pretty good job to me. So how did you get that hair clip in this time, sit on her? Andy used to get the ear infections all the time. The ear pulling and runny nose are pretty good indicators to watch for.
Grammy - March 26, 2009 09:10 am
Noelle has never been a good sleeper, but we've managed to push through every phase she has thrown at us and still get her to nap. This time I'm not so sure. It used to be that if we laid down with her during her nap she would absolutely fall asleep, but even that doesn't work every time now. Having the video monitor allowed me to see what she was up to during today's "nap" and be ready with camera in hand when I busted her. She usually stays in her bed because Andy has instilled a fear of imaginary alligators that are waiting to bite her if she gets out of bed. So this was her method of still playing around while not technically getting out of bed, I guess. At least she is entertaining herself!
on March 10 2009 at 08:10 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Evan Joseph
on March 07 2009 at 03:31 PM
by: Andy Matthews
So Jaime's at a women's retreat. I'm glad she's going actually. It'll be good for her. Hang time with other mamas, away from the kids and the stress of being a stay at home mom, and all that. Plus I'm looking forward to seeing just how I fare with two kids and not much experience managing both of them together.
So far they're doing quite well, semi-surprisingly. Evan's eaten twice so far, both times with very little fuss. They've both been asleep for about an hour and Noelle is just now waking up. We're roughly halfway through the weekend and I'm pretty happy so far.
We went to Dragon Park this morning because it was so beautiful. Noelle played around while Evan and I relaxed and watched her. What will the rest of the weekend hold for me and the kids? Not sure but I know I'm glad to make this sacrifice so that Jaime can relax as well.
Hope you're having a great time baby. Be safe.
So far they're doing quite well, semi-surprisingly. Evan's eaten twice so far, both times with very little fuss. They've both been asleep for about an hour and Noelle is just now waking up. We're roughly halfway through the weekend and I'm pretty happy so far.
We went to Dragon Park this morning because it was so beautiful. Noelle played around while Evan and I relaxed and watched her. What will the rest of the weekend hold for me and the kids? Not sure but I know I'm glad to make this sacrifice so that Jaime can relax as well.
Hope you're having a great time baby. Be safe.
This is Andy's favorite picture from the ones I took of Noelle yesterday. He said it looks very dreamy. I have to take about 1,000 pictures of her to get a handful of good ones, because she (like all 3 year olds) is constantly on the move. She'll ask me to take her picture and then be gone. Sometimes you can capture that moment, sometimes it's a blurry mess. This is somewhere in the middle, I think, but I like it.
She looks SO grown up! How did she get so big? I see her at church, but this pic looks like a preview of your beautiful daughter ten years from now. Lovely, lovely!
Shannon - March 03, 2009 08:19 pm
Today was rough. Mondays have never been a favorite of mine, ever since my youngest days at school. Now that I am a stay at home mom, I almost dislike them even more if that's possible. We rarely have anything planned, and wide open days with Noelle and Mommy almost always equal lots of tears and yelling. Looking back, I honestly don't think Noelle made one good choice today, and frankly I didn't either. Days like this leave me feeling pretty crushed, convicted, and sometimes hopeless.
In the midst of all the strife of today, I learned a very important lesson from Noelle. I had just severely yelled at her for something and stormed out of the room, and she came in moments later offering me a pretend cup of blueberry juice. I said to her, "Noelle, why do you even WANT to play with me? All I've been doing is yelling at you all day!" She shrugged her shoulders and said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Because I love you."
Right then God spoke to me, "That is how I feel about you."
My community group has been studying the book of Jonah, and I don't think I had ever truly read his story. I knew Jonah did not want to do what God asked, but I did not understand the lengths he went to to avoid doing so. I didn't understand that his reason for not wanting to go was that he didn't think the people of Nineveh deserved God's mercy, and he did not want God offering it to them, especially not through him. When we started studying Jonah I thought, "wow, there is no one that I hate SO much that I wouldn't even want them to be saved." Today I realized it is about more than salvation.
When someone wrongs me, like I felt Noelle did today, I have a hard time letting it go. It's not so much that I hold a grudge, but I do hold on to the bad feeling for a long time. I talked to Andy during the day about how rough it was, and he suggested going to a place that has a bunch of inflatables to play around on. I said no, Noelle did not deserve to have something like that after the day we'd had. I barely even wanted to talk to her, and basically punished her by ignoring her for the better part of the day. Now I realize that when I am not willing to offer mercy, which can only come from God, I am saying I don't want that person to experience God's mercy.
Jonah did finally obey, albeit reluctantly, but he continued to be angry with God for showing mercy to the people of Nineveh. God desires for us to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8). He wants me to LOVE to offer His mercy to others. He loves to offer mercy to us. Over and over I sin against God, and yet He still desires to be with me. Even as I run from Him, God actively pursues me, as He did Jonah and as Noelle did for me today. "Because I love you."
Lord, help me to more deeply understand your mercy. Thank you for speaking through Noelle today to remind me of the kind of parent you are. You offer mercy even in the midst of blatant disobedience. Your discipline can come in the form of storms and near drowning and hot sun, but it is always given hand in hand with calming of the storm, protection from drowning, and shade from the sun. Help me to remember you when I desire to withhold mercy, so that your mercy spills out of me. None of us deserve your mercy, but it is free to us anyway in spite of our sin. Change my attitude, Lord. I pray that I can become more like my child, offering love even when love hasn't been given. Help me to love your mercy as I see you pour it onto those I might say do not deserve it. I know I am one of those, and I am forever grateful that you are such a good Dad and patient teacher.
In the midst of all the strife of today, I learned a very important lesson from Noelle. I had just severely yelled at her for something and stormed out of the room, and she came in moments later offering me a pretend cup of blueberry juice. I said to her, "Noelle, why do you even WANT to play with me? All I've been doing is yelling at you all day!" She shrugged her shoulders and said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Because I love you."
Right then God spoke to me, "That is how I feel about you."
My community group has been studying the book of Jonah, and I don't think I had ever truly read his story. I knew Jonah did not want to do what God asked, but I did not understand the lengths he went to to avoid doing so. I didn't understand that his reason for not wanting to go was that he didn't think the people of Nineveh deserved God's mercy, and he did not want God offering it to them, especially not through him. When we started studying Jonah I thought, "wow, there is no one that I hate SO much that I wouldn't even want them to be saved." Today I realized it is about more than salvation.
When someone wrongs me, like I felt Noelle did today, I have a hard time letting it go. It's not so much that I hold a grudge, but I do hold on to the bad feeling for a long time. I talked to Andy during the day about how rough it was, and he suggested going to a place that has a bunch of inflatables to play around on. I said no, Noelle did not deserve to have something like that after the day we'd had. I barely even wanted to talk to her, and basically punished her by ignoring her for the better part of the day. Now I realize that when I am not willing to offer mercy, which can only come from God, I am saying I don't want that person to experience God's mercy.
Jonah did finally obey, albeit reluctantly, but he continued to be angry with God for showing mercy to the people of Nineveh. God desires for us to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8). He wants me to LOVE to offer His mercy to others. He loves to offer mercy to us. Over and over I sin against God, and yet He still desires to be with me. Even as I run from Him, God actively pursues me, as He did Jonah and as Noelle did for me today. "Because I love you."
Lord, help me to more deeply understand your mercy. Thank you for speaking through Noelle today to remind me of the kind of parent you are. You offer mercy even in the midst of blatant disobedience. Your discipline can come in the form of storms and near drowning and hot sun, but it is always given hand in hand with calming of the storm, protection from drowning, and shade from the sun. Help me to remember you when I desire to withhold mercy, so that your mercy spills out of me. None of us deserve your mercy, but it is free to us anyway in spite of our sin. Change my attitude, Lord. I pray that I can become more like my child, offering love even when love hasn't been given. Help me to love your mercy as I see you pour it onto those I might say do not deserve it. I know I am one of those, and I am forever grateful that you are such a good Dad and patient teacher.
I seriously appreciate this transparency. Thanks for putting it out there.
Joshua - February 24, 2009 08:20 amIt's funny that I should read this today. My night last night when from me being in a really good mood to me being in a foul mood because I felt like A & B both were disrespectful at bedtime. Looking back, they were pretty small things that set me off, but the way I FELT at the time was that they didn't love me enough to obey or respect me. I was thinking this morning that I don't sin because I don't love God. Now, it might be that I don't respect him like I should or I wouldn't sin. But it helped me to see how I was letting my emotions take over. My daughters do love me, even though they fail me. I think I'm just quick to think they don't because I feel I often don't deserve it.
Shannon - February 24, 2009 09:51 amJaime, what a great story. Thank you for sharing. It is amazing what parenting teaches us about our relationship with God, isn't it?
Heather - February 24, 2009 12:08 pmGreat thoughts, Jaime!
Mindy - February 24, 2009 12:52 pmChildren teach us such basic truths in the simplest ways. I guess that is why God said that we must become like little children. The saying "out of the mouths of babes..." is so very true. Jaime, you have such a way with words!
Carol - February 24, 2009 06:52 pmYou have such a beautiful heart to know God more deeply. I cried when I read this. I hope I'm as willing to be taught!
Ariana - February 25, 2009 07:28 am
I would really like to go to Target to get a few things. Some bins to store outgrown clothes, maybe a new full length mirror to replace the one Noelle broke, some toy storage, a replacement filter for the vaccuum. I've been wanting to go for a while but with two kids there is never really a "good" time. You just have to go. So today both kids took terrible naps and woke up early, and I thought let's just GO!
When Noelle woke up I told her we were going to go to Target. She immediately had a fit, and said she did not want to go. I gave her some time to wake up a bit and mentioned it again. She still did not want to go. She asked to watch a show and I said no, I want you to go to Target with me so I won't turn on a show. (And before anyone thinks it, yes, I know she's 3 and I can make her go anywhere I want, but she's not great company if she doesn't want to go, and sometimes it isn't worth it for me.)
Finally I thought of something that would surely make her want to go with me. I told her if she went to Target I would get her popcorn while we were there. She gasped and acted all excited, and I thought YES! We can get out of the house! I said, "so you'll go with me then?" And she said, "hmmm.....no."
At least she can't be bought.
When Noelle woke up I told her we were going to go to Target. She immediately had a fit, and said she did not want to go. I gave her some time to wake up a bit and mentioned it again. She still did not want to go. She asked to watch a show and I said no, I want you to go to Target with me so I won't turn on a show. (And before anyone thinks it, yes, I know she's 3 and I can make her go anywhere I want, but she's not great company if she doesn't want to go, and sometimes it isn't worth it for me.)
Finally I thought of something that would surely make her want to go with me. I told her if she went to Target I would get her popcorn while we were there. She gasped and acted all excited, and I thought YES! We can get out of the house! I said, "so you'll go with me then?" And she said, "hmmm.....no."
At least she can't be bought.
I was sitting with Noelle at lunch just now and let out a big sigh, just because I'm tired. ('of what?' Noelle inquired when I said as much). After I sighed, Noelle sighed also and said, "It was a loooong day at play group." Rough life for a 3 year old.
This morning I asked Noelle what she wanted for breakfast and she thought for a second and said, "do we have any of those oatmeal cookies?" I said yes, but you can't have one for breakfast. She said "for lunch?" and I said yes, she could have one for lunch. I asked her again what she wanted for breakfast. She said, "lunch."
This morning I asked Noelle what she wanted for breakfast and she thought for a second and said, "do we have any of those oatmeal cookies?" I said yes, but you can't have one for breakfast. She said "for lunch?" and I said yes, she could have one for lunch. I asked her again what she wanted for breakfast. She said, "lunch."
Brilliant deduction for a 3 yr old! My kinda kid! Grammy
carol - February 15, 2009 01:45 pmThat story about the cookie is so funny. I told Chris and even he cracked up. She's such a witty kid!
Tiana - February 17, 2009 09:58 pm
Over Christmas vacation we celebrated Noelle's third birthday. We intended to have a party for her here before we left, but never got around to it. Of course we had one in Illinois, and although she sometime acts timid about it, she loves the attention. I promise we'll have a party with all her friends next year! She got to be with her cousins this birthday, though, and she loves them to pieces.
Today we had Noelle's 3 year check up, and here are her stats:
Weight - 36.5 lbs (90th percentile)
Height - 40.5 inches (off the charts!)
She is the average height of a 4 1/2 year old, her doctor said. The doctor also checked her blood pressure, asked her to jump, and then did the usual checks of her ears, heart, lungs, etc. Noelle also got to pee in a cup for the first time. She was hesitant at first, but then laughed and said "this is funny, mama." She was also supposed to wear a paper gown, but she decided she'd rather just sit around in her underwear. It was a pretty strange gown.
She also ended up having to get a shot, apparently at her last checkup the clinic was out of a shot she was supposed to get, so she was behind. This required a trip to McDonalds after for a reward. She cried and kicked, but overall she did fine. At McDonalds I gave her a dollar and let her order her own ice cream cone. She chose to put the change in the little box for charity at the counter!
So, we have a healthy, super tall little girl! She is becoming more girl and less little every day. Her tantrums serve to remind us that she is still only 3 years old at heart, and I hope that we do our best to let her be 3 all year long.
I stumbled across a neat idea on a blog I read called Let's Explore, interviewing your kids at the beginning of each new year. I thought it would be a lot of fun to start with Noelle this year, as she is old enough now to give her own true answers. I will type up her answers and put them in some kind of notebook to collect year after year. I did it on a whim this year during breakfast, so I just used the same questions from the blog. Here are her answers for January 2009.
Favorites:
Cereal - Blueberry Morning
Vegetable - Carrots. AND snap peas!
Drink - Milk
Toy - baby dolls, Lucy and Josiah
TV Show - Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. (her official answer was "guess!" but she confirmed my guess of Maggie)
Game - "Candylane"
Book - Chicken Licken was her answer, although we've only read it maybe twice
Restaurant - Old MacDonalds or "Meskican" where she gets rice
Holiday - Her birthday
Animal - A giraffe. Two giraffes, one long and one short
If you could change your name, what would you choose?
Noelle.
What do you love about each person in our family?
Daddy - he gives me baths
Mommy - she plays with me
Evan - he laughs at me
Where would you like to go on vacation this year?
The lake to swim
Favorites:
Cereal - Blueberry Morning
Vegetable - Carrots. AND snap peas!
Drink - Milk
Toy - baby dolls, Lucy and Josiah
TV Show - Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. (her official answer was "guess!" but she confirmed my guess of Maggie)
Game - "Candylane"
Book - Chicken Licken was her answer, although we've only read it maybe twice
Restaurant - Old MacDonalds or "Meskican" where she gets rice
Holiday - Her birthday
Animal - A giraffe. Two giraffes, one long and one short
If you could change your name, what would you choose?
Noelle.
What do you love about each person in our family?
Daddy - he gives me baths
Mommy - she plays with me
Evan - he laughs at me
Where would you like to go on vacation this year?
The lake to swim
Before Thanksgiving we implemented a marble jar reward system for Noelle. We know that in general, kids respond better to positive reinforcement than negative, and Noelle is no exception. So the idea is that when she obeys right away, does something kind, or otherwise behaves well, we will reward her with a marble to be put in her jar. When the jar is full, she gets a prize of some kind. This time, it was a My Little Pony. And finally, almost 3 weeks later, she filled up her jar! Here she is proudly holding up her pony. And snacking on green beans. Hopefully she has a better grasp on the marble jar concept now, and fills up her jar much faster this time!
Last night while Andy was getting Noelle ready for bed, he grabbed ahold of her arm to help her up out of her bed and she started screaming. This is not an unusual thing lately, she likes to scream whenever we are asking her to do something she doesn't want to do. Soon, though, we realized it wasn't just her stubbornness making her scream, it was her arm. She hasn't left her bed since, and screams if we so much as try to touch her arm. At first we thought it was probably mostly mental, but as the night went on and she kept waking up screaming, we decided she is truly hurt. She hasn't moved her arm since it happened last night, and that's way too long for a 2 year old to be milking it. Although if any 2 year old could, it would be mine! Right, mom?
So, we are currently waiting to hear from the on call doctor at her pediatrician's office to see if we should take her to the clinic or the ER. You know this girl is hurting when she decided it was too painful to think about getting out of bed to even watch a show! So we improvised and carried her on her stretcher/mattress out to the living room. She's living the high life!
UPDATE: We just got home from the doctor's office, where Noelle was diagnosed with "nursemaid's elbow." Her pediatrician popped it back into place and told us to give her Motrin and monitor it to make sure she starts to use it normally. It's already better, but since it was out of joint all night long she will likely have some pain for at least today. Interestingly enough, the website I just looked up about nursemaid's elbow says it is most likely in girls ages 1-3, and most likely on the left side. Noelle fits right in there! Looks like it might be a Redbox movie day. :)
Poor girl! I hope it's not serious. It really is unusual for any 2 year old to decide they can't get out of bed, even to watch TV!
Tiana - December 08, 2008 08:15 amBekah has had nursemaid's elbow happen a few times - the first time was a Sunday School! She's never cried with it. She just goes very quiet until it is popped back into place. She has a HIGH tolerance for pain! Glad it was something so easily corrected.
Shannon - December 08, 2008 04:33 pmGlad to hear our little Honey Girl is doing better. That is something I have never hear of before. Wonder how the name came to be? Love ya
Grammy - December 10, 2008 10:56 amMy elbow used to do this -all- the time when I was little. The doctor finally showed my mom how to pop it back in herself so we didn't have to live at the doctors office!
mub - December 12, 2008 05:02 am
on November 15 2008 at 10:14 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Evan Joseph
We're 5 weeks into life with two kids at home, and I thought I should write a bit about how it's going. For the most part, my fears of not being able to hack it have proven to be unfounded. Most days we all get along just fine, moving through our day just like Noelle and I did before Evan was with us. I actually find myself playing with Noelle more now than I did before, trying to involve her in all the things I have to do to care for Evan. Yesterday she was feeling a little clingy, and so when I had to change Evan's diaper while she was eating lunch I let her bring her plate into my bedroom so we could still be together. This made her VERY happy.
Evan really really likes being in his bed for naps, which I cannot complain about after all we went through when Noelle was small. However, it does make it a little more difficult that he isn't quite so portable. I usually end up having to get him out of bed to take Noelle to school and pick her up, and he's not a fan of that. As a rule he doesn't tend to fall asleep in the car, so if we want him to sleep in his seat while we are at church or Bible study, we have to rock the carseat. In his bed at home, he will often fall asleep on his own after being swaddled. I was amazed the first time I saw this. Babies can actually do that??
If I can time a feeding right before we go to bed, around 10, he will only wake up once around 3 and then not again until 6:30 or 7. Then he'll go back to sleep again while I eat breakfast and shower! It's an ideal schedule, which I know will probably change tomorrow, since that's what babies do. So I am getting a lot of sleep considering I have a 5 week old, and that makes a big difference in how well I can manage the two kids together. By the way, aren't they adorable?
People always ask me how Noelle is doing as a big sister, and I have to say she is great. She loves her baby brother. If he is crying in the other room she will say, "I'm coming Evan!" and run to his rescue. She sings to him when he is fussy, holds his hand while I change his diaper, and just generally does whatever she can to care for him. She is going through a bit of a rough patch behaviorally right now, but I really don't think it has much to do with Evan at all. She is almost 3 (wow!) and absolutely acts like it. Her friends the same age are going through the same things, so I am confident she'd be acting just as poorly without Evan to blame for it. Andy and I are working on a few things to try and help her through this stage with as little trauma to us all as possible. Our next step is a marble jar reward system, we'll see how it goes!
So, overall, life with two has been pretty good! We love our growing family, and feel confident now that it can handle a few more additions in the future. A friend said the other day that she wasn't sure she could handle the insanity of two vs. one, and I said honestly I don't feel any more insane than I did with just Noelle. She is currently the one giving me the most grief, after all. I know that Noelle and Evan (and their future siblings) will all take turns in that role. Along with their father. :) Being a stay at home mom is not exactly what I thought it would be, and some days I so wish I had a job I could leave the house for, but I really do love my kids and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to have this time with them. It can be a thankless job, but it's a job I am committed to, and the little moments like the one pictured above make it all worth it.
What a great photo and update. It sounds like you all have fallen into th great routine! We can't wait to come up in 10 days and mess it all up!! :") We are soooooo looking forward to our trip. Kiss the babies and hug the daddy for us. LUVU Grammy
Grammy - November 15, 2008 05:53 pmYou mean there is hope for us? Yay! I am worn out and it's only week 3 (almost) She is worth it though. I love that shot of your babies!
Ariana - November 16, 2008 06:50 pm
on November 12 2008 at 01:58 PM
by: Andy Matthews
Just wanted to throw out a quick update on our family...
Jaime, Noelle, and I are finally over our respective sicknesses and feeling better. Evan is back to sleeping better. You might know that for his first three weeks, he was only waking up an average of once a night. Well, Jaime and I earned that once a night from having to deal with Noelle's sleep vagaries for over a year. Problem is that we got used to it, and then he started waking up more than once, and not going back to sleep after eating. After seeing how much he weighed at his last cardiologist appt (11.4 pounds, the chunk) we just attributed it to a growth spurt.
Some of you might know that our entire yard is (was, but I'll get to that in a minute) a disaster area. It was uneven, and bumpy, and full of weeds. We finally worked it into our budget to have the yard redone. Jaime and I hired a local company to kill our grass in both the front and side yards. They then came in with a Bobcat and leveled out the whole thing, as well as cut a spot right by the driveway which can be used as a parking area for visitors. They then seeded the area and layed down straw to help the seeds germinate. Lastly, they tore up our horrible sidewalk and replaced it with fresh, new concrete.
I've been watering it now for over 2 weeks and we're finally starting to get grass coming back in. It's like a beautiful bird who's just gone through the first stages of molting. They look terrible while it's happening, but you just know what it will look like after it's all said and done.
Jaime, Noelle, and I are finally over our respective sicknesses and feeling better. Evan is back to sleeping better. You might know that for his first three weeks, he was only waking up an average of once a night. Well, Jaime and I earned that once a night from having to deal with Noelle's sleep vagaries for over a year. Problem is that we got used to it, and then he started waking up more than once, and not going back to sleep after eating. After seeing how much he weighed at his last cardiologist appt (11.4 pounds, the chunk) we just attributed it to a growth spurt.
Some of you might know that our entire yard is (was, but I'll get to that in a minute) a disaster area. It was uneven, and bumpy, and full of weeds. We finally worked it into our budget to have the yard redone. Jaime and I hired a local company to kill our grass in both the front and side yards. They then came in with a Bobcat and leveled out the whole thing, as well as cut a spot right by the driveway which can be used as a parking area for visitors. They then seeded the area and layed down straw to help the seeds germinate. Lastly, they tore up our horrible sidewalk and replaced it with fresh, new concrete.
I've been watering it now for over 2 weeks and we're finally starting to get grass coming back in. It's like a beautiful bird who's just gone through the first stages of molting. They look terrible while it's happening, but you just know what it will look like after it's all said and done.
Mondays and Fridays are really hard for me, because we have no plans all day. Now that we have Evan, it's that much more challenging to figure out things we can do around the house that will keep Noelle relatively quiet while he is napping, or keep her occupied while I am nursing or taking care of Evan.
Today I transferred all of Noelle's dress up clothes from a box that we had been storing them in to a big plastic bin. She now has too many to fit in the box. Moving them from box to bin apparently made them like brand new to Noelle, she was very excited to play with them again. She wanted me to help her get dressed.
First we put on a pink leotard over her clothes. Then a yellow Belle dress, then a blue Cinderella dress, and then she wanted a green mermaid dress on top of that. At this point she said, "I'm picking out a lot of items!" I kept asking if she needed anything else, and 2 purses and 3 necklaces later there wasn't much left to put on. I asked one more time if there was anything else she needed, and she thought for a second and said, "Someone to dance with." She chose Mr. Teddy Bear and her outfit was complete.
That's a fantastic picture...could her cheese get any bigger?
andy matthews - October 24, 2008 12:31 pmSo much fun. There are times when I absolutely love being the mom of a toddler!
Heather - October 24, 2008 01:49 pmyou should come over on a friday. we have nothing to do that day either. i have a little one that needs to sleep and a big one that just wants to dress up. a perfect match!!!
Poppy Driskell - October 24, 2008 03:50 pmI love it, reminds me of the times I played dress up with my cousin Stephanie!! What a great photo. Hey Noelle, Cowabunga Dude! I love you!
Grammy - October 24, 2008 05:20 pmI'm jealous. I can't get Clara Beth to even put on a tutu. She screams and says "NO TUTU!!"
Tiana - October 26, 2008 08:52 pm
Thanks to Hurricane Ike and panicked Tennessee drivers, we're having a major gas shortage around here. Most stations only have premium fuel available, if any at all. I would guess this is happening in a lot of cities, but I've read a few articles that suggest it is more prevalent in Tennessee because of where we primarily get our fuel from. This is the area where the schools close down for a few snowflakes. Where you'd better leave for work extra early if it's drizzling, because traffic will be terrible. Where everyone hides out at home if there's a thunderstorm warning.
So it shouldn't surprise me that when these people get wind of a gas shortage, they decide to spend an hour or more in line (thereby wasting gas, right??) to fill up their tanks. Because once the stations run out, we'll NEVER GET GAS AGAIN!!! I am glad I got some last night while at Kroger, because today, every station I saw that didn't have bags over all their pumps had cars lined up 30 strong in either direction. Good grief!
As we were trying to make our way down Gallatin Road this afternoon, I said to Noelle "we just can't seem to get around this traffic!" She said "I know how to get us through - with my SUPER. SPECIAL. FINGER. POWER!!" as she held up her index finger like it had magic inside. Right at that moment there was a break in traffic and I started to move forward. She said, "See? It worked!" If only it were that simple! Soon after, I came to a stop again and she said, "Oh. It stopped working." Soon the stations will start getting their shipments of gas again, and we'll all be a-okay, and traffic will get back to normal. At least until it rains again.
So it shouldn't surprise me that when these people get wind of a gas shortage, they decide to spend an hour or more in line (thereby wasting gas, right??) to fill up their tanks. Because once the stations run out, we'll NEVER GET GAS AGAIN!!! I am glad I got some last night while at Kroger, because today, every station I saw that didn't have bags over all their pumps had cars lined up 30 strong in either direction. Good grief!
As we were trying to make our way down Gallatin Road this afternoon, I said to Noelle "we just can't seem to get around this traffic!" She said "I know how to get us through - with my SUPER. SPECIAL. FINGER. POWER!!" as she held up her index finger like it had magic inside. Right at that moment there was a break in traffic and I started to move forward. She said, "See? It worked!" If only it were that simple! Soon after, I came to a stop again and she said, "Oh. It stopped working." Soon the stations will start getting their shipments of gas again, and we'll all be a-okay, and traffic will get back to normal. At least until it rains again.
on September 10 2008 at 10:35 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Andy
Lately Noelle has been exhibiting every signs of turning 3.
- Temperamental and often moody? Check
- Endlessly uses the word no in a defiant manner? Check
- Wants to do her own thing? Check
So Jaime and I have been trying to come up with clever, and innovative ways to get Noelle to do what we want her to, without compromising her independence. I wanted Noelle to go to the store with me tonight, both because we needed a few things (plus I enjoy taking her with me), and to give Jaime a little time alone. Problem is that she didn't want to go.
So I told Noelle a story about Ellen the squirrel-o and how she went with her Daddy to the store to buy some groceries for dinner. Then I asked Noelle if she wanted to go to the store like Ellen and presto..."yes Daddy". I walked in to the kitchen to make a grocery list when Jaime added her two cents with a "why don't you print pictures of the things you need so that Noelle can help you?"
Well, we didn't have time for that, but since there were only a half dozen things on the list, I drew pictures of each of the things while Noelle was watching, then I told her what those things were while I drew them. She picked up on them right away, and after a minute or so was able to recite everything off the list, just by looking at the pictures. So off we went to the grocery store. You can tell she was excited about helping me shop by the picture.
What a clever Daddy you are! Why wasn't I able to come up with that when you were little!! Good job Noelle, Grammy is proud of you!! LUVU Bunches
mom m - September 11, 2008 11:20 amJackson loves having his own "list." Too bad the stress of shopping with them gernerally gives me a massive headache!
Mindy - September 12, 2008 06:51 am
on September 10 2008 at 04:07 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
[15:58] JaimelynB: noelle had some edamame for lunch and said "edamame is my favorite! and edadaddy"
[15:58] mydognacho: shut up...did she really say that???
[15:58] JaimelynB: yes
[15:59] JaimelynB: because she prononces it "edamommy"
[15:59] mydognacho: ba dum bum
[15:58] mydognacho: shut up...did she really say that???
[15:58] JaimelynB: yes
[15:59] JaimelynB: because she prononces it "edamommy"
[15:59] mydognacho: ba dum bum
She is a riot!!
Mom B - September 10, 2008 04:22 pm
on September 05 2008 at 08:05 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
We are just 5 weeks away from "ReagEv's" due date, and at this moment I wish it were today. Well, maybe not today, because Andy is out of town at a conference and he definitely needs to be here. But when I think about another 5 weeks of this baby pushing me around from the inside, making it difficult for me to do the things I need to do, and causing me to sit down on a display of dog food at the store (as happened tonight) because I feel nauseated, it seems like a long time.
On the other hand, when I think we haven't yet pulled the car seat or any of the baby clothes out, we haven't bought any diapers, we haven't washed the bassinet cover, we haven't really done ANYTHING, I am glad we have at least a few more weeks to get ready! And it's not like it's going to be any easier on the other side. I'll just have different aches and pains, and I'll be sitting on the dog food because I'm so dang tired. And as for the things I need to do? My list will be trimmed down to one thing for a while - take care of my kiddos.
I've started thinking about how it will be to have two, and what impact it will have on my relationship with Noelle. We're struggling at times right now, going back and forth between "you're the best Mommy ever" and "I don't want to talk to you." I read an article that said moms and toddlers argue on average 20 times per hour, and as many as 55. No wonder I'm so exhausted! Noelle is already asking us to treat her like a baby in some ways, even as far as asking for the "other part" of her bed, meaning the part that makes it a crib. We were anticipating that possibility after the baby comes, but not before. She is full of surprises.
My hopes for the next 5 weeks are:
- Get our kitchen finished (should be Sept 15)
- Have a maid come out and do a pre-baby full house cleaning
- Obviously get all the baby stuff out and ready
- Get as much sleep as possible
- Make sure Andy packs his bag BEFORE I go into labor, unlike last time
I'm sure I'll think of a lot more, but right now I think I'll focus on that one about sleep...
On the other hand, when I think we haven't yet pulled the car seat or any of the baby clothes out, we haven't bought any diapers, we haven't washed the bassinet cover, we haven't really done ANYTHING, I am glad we have at least a few more weeks to get ready! And it's not like it's going to be any easier on the other side. I'll just have different aches and pains, and I'll be sitting on the dog food because I'm so dang tired. And as for the things I need to do? My list will be trimmed down to one thing for a while - take care of my kiddos.
I've started thinking about how it will be to have two, and what impact it will have on my relationship with Noelle. We're struggling at times right now, going back and forth between "you're the best Mommy ever" and "I don't want to talk to you." I read an article that said moms and toddlers argue on average 20 times per hour, and as many as 55. No wonder I'm so exhausted! Noelle is already asking us to treat her like a baby in some ways, even as far as asking for the "other part" of her bed, meaning the part that makes it a crib. We were anticipating that possibility after the baby comes, but not before. She is full of surprises.
My hopes for the next 5 weeks are:
- Get our kitchen finished (should be Sept 15)
- Have a maid come out and do a pre-baby full house cleaning
- Obviously get all the baby stuff out and ready
- Get as much sleep as possible
- Make sure Andy packs his bag BEFORE I go into labor, unlike last time
I'm sure I'll think of a lot more, but right now I think I'll focus on that one about sleep...
Let me know if you need any help. I'll be glad to help wash clothes or get things clean and ready for the baby (like you can ever really be ready. ha!). Natalie
Natalie - September 05, 2008 07:37 pmI'm here at the conference thinking of you babes. Sorry you're not feeling good.
Andy Matthews - September 06, 2008 09:24 amJackson has been saying things like, "Oh no I'm not" after we warn him about a punishment he will receive if continues a behavior. The other day, I said, "Yes you will and I don't argue with 4 year olds." He said, "Oh yes you do!" ARGH! He also goes from "You're my best mama in the whole wide world" to "YOU'RE NOT MY BEST MAMA AT ALL!!" I just try to tell him that he's my best Jackson even when he drives me crazy : ) Thinking of you and praying for you in these final weeks!
Mindy - September 08, 2008 07:17 pm
It's 5am and all is now quiet in the Matthews house.
For the past week, Noelle has had a pretty bad cough. It usually only shows up when she's lying down, which means bedtime and naptime. We've been dosing her fairly regularly with children's Mucinex which she likes because "it tastes like GRAPE Daddy!". It doesn't seem to be helping much, and in fact I think her cough is getting worse, so Jaime's going to take her to the doctor later today
Which brings me back to "the house is 'NOW' quiet. About 20 minutes ago Jaime and I awoke to the sounds of a really bad coughing fit, and the perfectly audible "I NEED SOME MEDICINE". I went in, gave her some medicine and a kiss, covered her up, then walked towards the door only to hear her start to croak "don't forget to give me a hug".
That's my Noelle Jordan for you.
For the past week, Noelle has had a pretty bad cough. It usually only shows up when she's lying down, which means bedtime and naptime. We've been dosing her fairly regularly with children's Mucinex which she likes because "it tastes like GRAPE Daddy!". It doesn't seem to be helping much, and in fact I think her cough is getting worse, so Jaime's going to take her to the doctor later today
Which brings me back to "the house is 'NOW' quiet. About 20 minutes ago Jaime and I awoke to the sounds of a really bad coughing fit, and the perfectly audible "I NEED SOME MEDICINE". I went in, gave her some medicine and a kiss, covered her up, then walked towards the door only to hear her start to croak "don't forget to give me a hug".
That's my Noelle Jordan for you.
I tried to take Noelle to the Frist Art Museum here in Nashville today, they were having a free admission day. The first thing we did when we got there was try to use the potty, since we're in training. Noelle was refusing to go, and I told her if she didn't go, we'd have to go home. Since I said "tried" in the first sentence, you might guess we didn't get to stay.
So we left, and when we got in the car Noelle asked me for a snack. I told her no, because I remembered that I had not washed her hands after the potty attempt. Gross, I know, I'm a bad mom. So she says "I can wash them!" and proceeds to LICK HER HANDS. So disgusting. Hopefully this little story has made you feel like going to wash your hands right now.
So we left, and when we got in the car Noelle asked me for a snack. I told her no, because I remembered that I had not washed her hands after the potty attempt. Gross, I know, I'm a bad mom. So she says "I can wash them!" and proceeds to LICK HER HANDS. So disgusting. Hopefully this little story has made you feel like going to wash your hands right now.
That's hilarious! She's a clever little one. :)
Tiana - August 07, 2008 06:00 pmDinner last night was a hotdog from Costco ... in the van ... on the way home. I'm a worse mom. Katrina was being awfully quiet, so I looked in the rearview mirror to see her wiping her hotdog on the bottom of her shoe because her shoe was dirty ... and you guessed it, she then popped that piece of hotdog in her mouth. I would have pulled over but we were in rush hour traffic and I likely would have cause a multiple-car crash. I'm expecting her to develop a fever, vomiting, etc. any moment now.
Lexa - August 07, 2008 06:07 pmIf that is the only "gross" thing she ever does you will be lucky! A little dirt never hurt anyone! You certainly have your hands full :")
Carol - August 08, 2008 06:49 amWe were blowing bubbles on the porch yesterday, and Ella wanted to wipe off her hands, so she wiped them on the dirty, sandy ground. Then, she asked for a snack :) Gotta love it!
Heather - August 08, 2008 03:49 pm
Noelle and I got McDonalds today due to our kitchen being completely blocked off while the hardwood floors are redone. In her kids meal she got a Polly Pocket doll that came with a little thing that is pretty hard to open for a kid. She asked me how to open it, and after I explained it to her and showed her she said, "Oh! So if I want to open it, I ask Daddy!"
Why not? She already asks Daddy to do lots of other stuff.
andy matthews - August 04, 2008 12:08 pm
on July 14 2008 at 10:20 AM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Andy
It always amazes me when kids "learn" to be sneaky.
The other night, Noelle was having a rough time going to sleep. She kept calling for me and calling for me with these silly requests. "My blanket is on the floor.", or "I can't find my picnic basket." or my favorite "baby doesn't have her shirt on.".
Anyway, I finally got really fed up with her and told her not to call for me again unless you're scared, or hurt, and to just go to sleep!
Next morning, what do I hear? "Daddy...I scared. I'm scared Daddy" in the happiest, most cheerful voice you've ever heard.
Kidsitellyou!
The other night, Noelle was having a rough time going to sleep. She kept calling for me and calling for me with these silly requests. "My blanket is on the floor.", or "I can't find my picnic basket." or my favorite "baby doesn't have her shirt on.".
Anyway, I finally got really fed up with her and told her not to call for me again unless you're scared, or hurt, and to just go to sleep!
Next morning, what do I hear? "Daddy...I scared. I'm scared Daddy" in the happiest, most cheerful voice you've ever heard.
Kidsitellyou!
I didn't take any pictures today. Deal with it. :)
2:45 AM - Noelle is crying, this is the first time she's woken up since we put her to bed at 7. I go in and she says she needs medicine for her stomach. I take care of her and head back to bed. Not too long after, she starts calling for Daddy and it sounds scarily like her calling for him in the morning. Awake and chipper. I finally go in and tell her Daddy and I are SLEEPING and she needs to go back to sleep. Lots of crying, asking for the hall light to be turned on. I finally turned the light on around 3:30 and she got quiet.
8:00 AM - She wakes up! We were actually starting to get a little worried. We're very impressed, and I'm especially happy because it was my turn to get up with her this morning.
9:30 AM - We leave for church, a little early so we can stop at Target on the way. Noelle enjoys running around looking through the dollar bins.
10:20 AM - We drop Noelle off in her class. She brought the invitation from Sky's birthday party with her to show her friends. She loves it because it has princesses on it.
12:15 PM - Andy picks Noelle up from her class, and she has the run of the church for a while before we head out to go eat lunch. We stop at Las Palmas on the way home to eat some good Mexican food. Noelle orders her own rice.
1:40 PM - Back home, and time to take a nap! She falls asleep right away.
4:30 PM - Wake up - almost 3 hours! Her lack of sleep is finally catching up to her, maybe.
5:00 PM - Our friends the Daugherty's arrive to reclaim their fish we've been watching while they were out of town, and to pick up their share of the CSA veggies. Noelle is very sad to see Nemo go. Sorry, though, we will not be getting a fish of our own.
5:30 PM - Watching Little Bear while Andy and I make dinner.
6:15 PM - We enjoy swiss chard pie and strawberries for dinner, Noelle says, "This is really good!"
7:00 PM - Andy goes through the routine to put her to bed, but then she says she needs to use the potty. He needs to get to work so I offer to take her. It turns out to be a stalling tactic, but I can't deny her trying. I just bought a new pack of diapers today and I'm vowing that they'll be the last ones I will buy for her. She's ready, it's just a matter of biting the bullet and jumping in!
7:30 PM - She's finally in bed, hopefully she'll fall asleep soon.
8:45 PM - Or, you know, she'll keep talking for hours. She just wanted me to make her last "week in the life" post a little bit longer, I guess. I hope you enjoyed it!
2:45 AM - Noelle is crying, this is the first time she's woken up since we put her to bed at 7. I go in and she says she needs medicine for her stomach. I take care of her and head back to bed. Not too long after, she starts calling for Daddy and it sounds scarily like her calling for him in the morning. Awake and chipper. I finally go in and tell her Daddy and I are SLEEPING and she needs to go back to sleep. Lots of crying, asking for the hall light to be turned on. I finally turned the light on around 3:30 and she got quiet.
8:00 AM - She wakes up! We were actually starting to get a little worried. We're very impressed, and I'm especially happy because it was my turn to get up with her this morning.
9:30 AM - We leave for church, a little early so we can stop at Target on the way. Noelle enjoys running around looking through the dollar bins.
10:20 AM - We drop Noelle off in her class. She brought the invitation from Sky's birthday party with her to show her friends. She loves it because it has princesses on it.
12:15 PM - Andy picks Noelle up from her class, and she has the run of the church for a while before we head out to go eat lunch. We stop at Las Palmas on the way home to eat some good Mexican food. Noelle orders her own rice.
1:40 PM - Back home, and time to take a nap! She falls asleep right away.
4:30 PM - Wake up - almost 3 hours! Her lack of sleep is finally catching up to her, maybe.
5:00 PM - Our friends the Daugherty's arrive to reclaim their fish we've been watching while they were out of town, and to pick up their share of the CSA veggies. Noelle is very sad to see Nemo go. Sorry, though, we will not be getting a fish of our own.
5:30 PM - Watching Little Bear while Andy and I make dinner.
6:15 PM - We enjoy swiss chard pie and strawberries for dinner, Noelle says, "This is really good!"
7:00 PM - Andy goes through the routine to put her to bed, but then she says she needs to use the potty. He needs to get to work so I offer to take her. It turns out to be a stalling tactic, but I can't deny her trying. I just bought a new pack of diapers today and I'm vowing that they'll be the last ones I will buy for her. She's ready, it's just a matter of biting the bullet and jumping in!
7:30 PM - She's finally in bed, hopefully she'll fall asleep soon.
8:45 PM - Or, you know, she'll keep talking for hours. She just wanted me to make her last "week in the life" post a little bit longer, I guess. I hope you enjoyed it!
It has been a fun week...thanks for sharing it with us! I'm sure it was a lot of work...but we have loved it...are you sure it's over?!
Mom B - July 06, 2008 09:58 pmUnless you want to come for a visit and do the daily report yourself, it's over. :) I'm tired just reading about all this stuff!
Jaime - July 07, 2008 06:17 amI've vowed "this is my last pack of diapers" for at least 5 packs now. Yes, Jeremiah has been ready since shortly after Christmas! I've just been too lazy to do it with him. However, we only have a couple of diapers left, so this may be the week.
Mindy - July 07, 2008 03:32 pm
Here's the breakdown for today...pics are here
6:10am - "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?" Why on earth does she wake up this early? I know that she CAN sleep in because she used to wake up at 6:45 - 7 every morning so something must have changed. Note to self: Must tape aluminum foil over windows to simulate total darkness.
6:20am - Noelle lets the dogs outside with me every morning. Lately she's been very crabby when she wakes up, see entry above for reason, even though I KNOW she's still got to be tired.
6:25am - Noelle gets stickers as a prize for helping me with the dogs and puts them on paper. She loves everything about stickers; they're some of her favorite things.
6:45am - Noelle eats breakfast while I do laundry. I gave Jaime a "1 week of free laundry" coupon for our anniversary. She decided to cash it in this week.
7:00am - Noelle plays in the living room while I eat breakfast.
7:45 - Noelle asks for "a cat video" while we're in the office. I had already told her she couldn't watch a show because we're getting ready to go visit our "farmer friends". Youtube.com is the greatest invention for entertaining children...within seconds I find thousands of cat videos and we're watching one. 10 minutes later we've watched 2 "funniest cats" videos and one "funniest dogs" video and then it's time to leave.
7:58am - We head out to pick up our CSA produce from our "farmer friends". Lately that's been the Saturday morning routine for Noelle and I. We get up, eat breakfast, and then go pick up our "groceries".
8:20am - Noelle enjoys helping me count our veggies, and weighing them. Cher and Eric (the farmers) have learned our names and greet us as we walk up. As we're leaving, Noelle asks me to roll down the window so that she can say goodbye to them. It's cute.
8:55am - Back at home and Noelle plays in the living room while Jaime gets ready. Kate Truss is coming over at 9:30 for play time so we've got to get ready.
9:30am - Kate gets here and the girls start playing. They get along surprisingly well considering they usually fight over everything.
10:30am - While the girls are playing in Noelle's room, Jaime and I both notice that Noelle is a hidden instigator. Noelle would do, or say, something to Kate. Kate would start whining and Noelle would instantly start "shhh"-ing Kate to keep her from tattling. Instantly thoughts of Noelle doing this to younger siblings spring to mind.
12:30pm - Jason and Shannon Truss come to pick up Kate. We pass some time after they leave by reading, or playing.
1:15pm - Getting ready to head to a pool party for one of Noelle's classmates from Parent's Day Out. Should be fun.
5:15pm - We just got back from the party. We weren't quite sure what to expect but we ended up having a good time. This little girl, Sky, and her family live in a very wealthy part of Nashville and so the party was quite over the top. Gourmet eats and drinks for the adults, along with a real life snack truck in the back yard. An in-ground pool and lots and lots of people. Noelle wanted to swim, but both Jaime and I forgot our swim gear. So at first I sat on the edge of the pool with Noelle and let her play on the steps. Finally she wanted more than just swimming on the edge, so I bit the bullet and jumped in with my shorts. We stayed just long enough to see Sky blow out the candles, eat some cake, and then we left. Noelle was cracking Jaime and I up on the way home because she was so tired she wasn't talking straight. This child is going to bed EARLY tonight for sure.
6pm - Jaime and Noelle have been laying down watching TV, resting. Now they're having smoothies before bathtime.
6:15pm - Bathtime for Noelle...trying to wind down the day and get her drowsy and ready for a LONG sleep. As she's walking into the bathroom, Jaime starts laughing and proceeds to tell me that she shared a straw with Noelle for the last part of their smoothies. Noelle says in a rough whispery voice "don't drink after me mommy...my sick" even though she's not sick...silly billy girl.
6:45pm - Finally it's bedtime and a well-deserved rest for mommy and daddy. Luckily it's my turn to sleep in tomorrow morning.
7:00pm - Noelle's asleep by 7pm for the first time in 4 or 5 months.
WOW! What a full weekend you had. Lots of parties and good stuff to do. That is super!! I'm soaking up the blog for the last couple of days....Thanks Mommy and Daddy for keeping us Grandmas and Grandpas (aunt and uncle included) in the loop for the hour by hour(almost) of your lives. Kisses and Hugs for that!
grammy - July 06, 2008 03:59 pm
Today's pictures here.
6:30 AM - Wake up. I have to get up too, because we have a special morning planned. We eat breakfast, have some playtime, and try to keep Noelle occupied while we pack up our things.
8:20 AM - We all pile in the car, along with a cooler full of snacks and drinks, towels, and a change of clothes.
9:00 AM - We arrive at the Harpeth River for a canoe ride! Rain is in the forecast, but we decide to press on anyway.
9:45 AM - We're finally in the canoe, heading down the river. The sun comes out pretty early into our trip, so at least we don't get rained on. The water was really low today which meant Andy had to get out several times and push the canoe over the rocks. That worked out well, though, because it gave us plenty of opportunities to stop and get snacks out or let Noelle play and watch fish under the water. It was a tiring trip, but we all had a great time.
12:30 PM - Back into our car, we head to Vanderbilt to meet a friend who is letting us borrow a bassinet for the new baby. Noelle has a minor freak out, I'm sure because she was tired and hungry like we all were.
1:30 PM - Lunch at Arby's on the way home from Vandy. Noelle charms the staff there as she often does.
2:15 PM - Home and straight to bed. Noelle puts up a little fight but soon she's out. I take advantage of the time to nap along with her.
4:00 PM - Noelle is up from her nap. I'm still asleep, but she and Andy play and watch a show.
5:30 PM - We're off to a 4th of July party at our friend's house, where we start to worry that Noelle might be getting a little sick. She's mentioned her stomach hurting a few times throughout the day, and she won't eat anything for dinner. She's also not really playing much with the other kids. It's possible that she's just tired, of course. I know I didn't feel much like being social after our long morning.
8:00 PM - We are home again, and straight to bed again. Lots of drama involved in getting her to bed, and I'm sure it's not over because the fireworks are starting soon.
9:30 PM - She cries out that she is scared, there are tons of fireworks going off around us, so lots of booms and bangs that she's not used to hearing after bedtime. Hopefully she'll either get used to it or it will slow down as the night goes on! There's not much you can do about fireworks on the 4th!
Jeremiah was TERRIFIED of the fire works. Although pitiful, it was kind of cute. He would cover his face with Guy and beg to go inside. Eventually, mom ended up inside with him! Overall, we had a great day with perfect weather. You better be careful with this daily report thing... you're going to spoil the grandmas(and the aunt and uncle)!
Mindy - July 05, 2008 10:28 amWe considered taking Noelle to see fireworks, but she was just too tired as it was. I'm sure she would have had a similar reaction! And yes, grandmas, you get two more days of this (Andy is doing today) and we're DONE! :)
Jaime - July 05, 2008 12:20 pm
Today's pictures here.
6:30 AM - Wake up, calling for Daddy. By the time he gets in there, she has turned on her light and has her rain boots on. She goes to play in the living room while Andy lets the dogs out and checks e-mail.
7:00 AM - Bathtime, since she missed it last night. She's in there whining about not liking "that soap." She's been wanting to use our shampoo instead of hers.
7:45 AM - Daddy leaves for work
8:40 AM - We leave for school. They have music class and a flag art project today.
2:50 PM - Mommy AND Daddy pick up Noelle from school - Andy came home early because he wasn't feeling well, so he came with me to school. Noelle was thrilled to see him there. On our way out, she was running on the sidewalk and tripped, hit her mouth against the ground and probably bit her lip. We had to head back inside to clean her up, then went to get a popsicle so we could get some ice on it. Ouch.
3:30 PM - We arrive at the Sprayground, where some of our friends met us to play in the water for a while. Noelle loves the water!
4:50 PM - Home, where we open Noelle's half-birthday present from Uncle Jon and Aunt Mindy. Noelle had a great time playing with her new Aquadoodle and water paint book, and had Andy read her new book about 5 times in a row.
5:30 PM - Dinnertime, we had waffles, eggs, and apples, all of which she tried to eat with her fork. With the apples, this resulted in a little bit of apple in the eye.
6:00 PM - A guy from Sears arrives to give us a quote on finishing out our kitchen. Noelle is supposed to be watching a show, but every few minutes she pops up and tries to talk to Ronnie. She tells him what Dora is doing, tells him about her new toys, asks what he's doing, and just says hi.
6:45 PM - We try to put Noelle to bed. She gets upset because she wants to say goodnight to Ronnie. He is very nice about interacting with her, which we appreciate!
7:45 PM - Noelle calls me in and I see that she has taken the top off her water cup and spilled the water all over her bed, pillow, and animals. I change the sheets, get a new pillow, and remove all the wet toys, and put her back to bed. I think she's finally going to sleep now.
Today's pictures here.
6:30 AM - So much for sleeping in. It's going to be another cranky morning, I think.
7:00 AM - Cereal and strawberries for breakfast, but after Andy brings in his tuna, chips, and cheese (GROSS!) she wants some of his breakfast. She's definitely his daughter in that area. Lots more whining ensues.
7:40 AM - Andy leaves for work, we do the usual watch a show while Mommy showers, have some playtime, etc. At one point she asks me to stop reading my Bible study book and get on the floor to dance with her. I happily oblige.
9:15 AM - Leave for Bible Study. Noelle sees someone in a yard we pass and says he is sneaky. Making conversation I ask if she is sneaky, she says no. "Is Daddy sneaky?" "No, he's a good Daddy. He's a good Andy, too."
12:10 PM - Driving home from church. I heard her say she was ripping a book, so I reached my hand back and demanded she give it to me. I said firmly "We do NOT rip our books." She said "I don't like that attitude. We need to speak kindly to our friends." Ugh. So I told her we have to treat books kindly, too. Also, she thinks we're falling every time we go around a big curve, and today she asked me to tip the car back over, and thanked me when we got past the exit ramp and straightened out.
12:30 PM - Lunchtime. She eats SO SLOW, and I try to hurry her along because I'm tired. She asks if she can play in the grass after her nap. Sure, I say.
1:00 PM - Naptime, I'm hoping for a long one today since she only slept 9 hours instead of 11 last night.
2:55 PM - Waking up. A very respectable nap, but I can always use longer. The first thing she says is "Can I play in the grass now?"
3:10 PM - Playing in the grass. This requires her rain boots, apparently.
3:20 PM - It's too hot to be outside, she decides. We come back in, and she gets to the business of being cranky. I decide to pull down all her books and have some reading time. I read my book, she reads hers. Every minute or so she asks me what a certain character is doing in her book or what a book is called, even though she absolutely knows the answers.
4:00 PM - After the 5th time of her asking to watch a show, I agree. Followed by more reading, playtime, chasing Duncan.
5:35 PM - Daddy is going to be late, I'm going to go insane, so we make some popcorn. Noelle says "I love sharing popcorns with you, Mommy." She wants to eat the unpopped kernels, I tell her they are too hard, she tries anyway then spits it out. She says she can't wait to grow up so she can eat the kernels. We've been talking about baby teeth vs. grown up teeth, maybe that's where she got this idea?
6:15 PM - Andy is finally home, Noelle tells him, "Mommy was waiting for you to get home." Noelle and Andy go to get a pizza, the first place they go is closed so they go somewhere else. They head next door to a grocery store while they wait, Noelle finds a random Jell-O packet and runs around yelling "I have the Jell-O!"
6:40 PM - Dinnertime, finally. Noelle says "I love eating dinner with you." "I'm so glad that we're friends."
7:55 PM - Bedtime. It's supposed to be a bath night, but it's too late for that.
8:45 PM - Noelle calls me in because she can't find her water cup. It's next to her pillow, where it ALWAYS IS. Kids, I tell you.
Oh my word...that girl is unbelieveable!! "I don't like that attitude. We need to speak kindly to our friends."
Mom B - July 02, 2008 08:41 pmI had to giggle about the curve on the exit ramp. Reminded me of Blade when he was 3 - 4 and we lived off Haywood Lane. Never failed getting on and off the exit ramps "going up! going down!" Enjoy the fun...
Ruby - July 02, 2008 11:16 pmYep, she sure is her Daddy's child alright,never stopping for a minute. The "I don't like that attitude..." is priceless. Jaime, this is so much fun reading and seeing how you spend your day.
Grammy - July 03, 2008 11:42 amI forgot to tell you the photos you are taking are awesome! You have a good eye for the great photo opportunities. Keep it up for as long as you can. How about a photo of you and Baby Mattie!?
grammy - July 03, 2008 04:06 pm
See pictures from our day here.
4:20 AM - Noelle wakes up crying because her teeth hurt. She sometimes lies about this specific symptom because she likes Tylenol, but I doubt she'd make it up at this time.
6:10 AM - Wake up time. She woke up crying, obviously not enough sleep. Not enough for Mommy and Daddy either! She's in a crabby mood about pretty much everything Andy tries to do. I get up after a while because she's crying, plus Andy found a tick on Duncan and needed my help to get it out.
7:15 AM - Breakfast is served, Noelle is still having a fit about everything.
7:40 AM - Daddy leaves, I try to turn on a show to go shower but she asks to sit with me. Since this is the first time she's wanted to be sweet all morning, I indulge her and read while she cuddles up with me and watches part of a show, then I quickly go shower. I pack her a lunch for school, go to put it in her bag, and see a note that water play starts today. I hurry to get her swimsuit on and put on sunscreen, label and pack a towel and plastic bag, we're running late!
8:46 AM - As we're walking out the door for school, Noelle reminds me to bring the camera. One day of blogging and she already gets what I'm doing! I forget my purse and forget to take any pictures anyway.
9:05 AM - We arrive at school, where I remind Noelle to listen and obey. Last week her teacher talked to me about Noelle giving one of the other teachers a hard time and having to be taken out of music class because she kept saying she didn't want to sing that song. While she's is at school, I go home and do a bit of cleaning, go to a Midwife appointment (all is still well), get my hair cut, eat lunch, and relax a bit.
2:55 PM - I arrive at school for pickup, she runs to me in the hallway as usual. Her teacher said she had a good day, so that makes me happy! She loved water play time, as I knew she would. I got a note that she had fallen down on the playground and noticed several scratches on her shoulder. Ouch!
3:05 PM - We went to Dragon Park after school, where Noelle enjoyed playing with a new friend she met named Ezra. He was 3, and they had a blast together. He was too cautious to climb any of the ladders, so Noelle would start to climb one and say "meet me up here, Ezra!" and he would run to a ramp or stairs to get up to where she was. It was really cute.
4:50 PM - We're finally home, where I let Noelle watch Dora while I clean up and take a break. Then I clip her nails, which for some reason she actually requested that I do.
5:35 PM - Daddy is home! Playtime/fussing/getting ready to go to our friend's house for dinner.
6:10 PM - We head to the Carter's house for a sort of Community Group reunion. Noelle had a blast playing outside with all the kids, pulling some of the girls around in a wagon, and having a picnic dinner. The Carter's were kind enough to have babysitters there so we could all enjoy ourselves.
8:00 PM - Noelle is not paying attention as she runs through the house, and she crashes face first into a bench. We all hear it and see a bruise forming within seconds. Poor little girl! She cried a silent cry for a bit, then a freaked out cry for a good long while as I held her. After she calmed down, though, it was like nothing had happened. Straight back to running around the house.
9:10 PM - We finally make it home, and it's bedtime! Just a few hours late, but maybe that means she'll sleep better tonight, maybe even sleep in tomorrow! A Mommy can dream.
It wouldn't have been a Brandenstein community group if the kids didn't get all up in the adults business throughout the night, even though we had babysitters.
Andy Matthews - July 02, 2008 10:08 am
I've decided to blog a week in the life of Noelle. Starting today, my goal is to document the week's daily activities in words and pictures to have as a keepsake for us and to give our family and friends a glimpse into our everyday lives. One picture is posted here to the right, the others you can see on our Picasa Web Albums page here. I hope you enjoy it! Mondays are long because we have no planned activities, so sorry for the novel!
6:45 AM - Noelle starts calling for Daddy and won't stop saying his name until he opens her door. She helps Daddy let the dogs outside, they play a while and have breakfast, and Mommy gets to stay in bed until 7:15. I sit with Noelle until she finishes breakfast while Daddy gets ready for work. She can be a slow eater, because the girl talks.
7:40 AM - Daddy leaves for work, lots of "I love you, Daddy!" and "Have a good day, Daddy!" I turn on a show while I get breakfast, and another while I take a shower. This morning's choices were Dora the Explorer and Pinky Dinky Doo. She started watching a show in between that happened to be on TV called Lazy Town, but a few minutes in pronounced that the show was "too grouchy."
9:30 AM - I suggest that we go to the zoo, and she likes that idea so we gather up our things and head out. We went to the zoo's playground first, which is a rare treat because it tires me out to have her run around in there. It's a huge wooden castle style playground, lots of little passageways that are hard for a pregnant woman to get through!
12:15 PM - We left the zoo and I was feeling lazy, so we stopped for lunch at Burger King. She basically orders her own lunch, telling the man she wants milk and chicken nuggets.
1:30 PM - Home for a story and naptime. At 1:45 I hear her light switch on, I go in to put her back in bed. A minute later she keeps calling out "Mommy! Can you hear me?" I go in again, she says her baby doll would like to swing with her after nap. I say okay, she finally goes to sleep.
3:15 PM - I hear baby doll fall out of bed, which wakes up Noelle. Naptime was too short.
3:20 PM - Swinging on the front porch. Sans baby - I guess she changed her mind.
3:30 PM - I decide to try watercolor painting on her little table outside. She's slow to warm up to the idea, but eventually gets very into it, so I decide to strip her down so she can paint her arms, legs, and tummy. This was followed by bathtime, as you might have guessed! I added some bubble bath to help get all the paint off faster. Then another episode of Dora while I clean up from the painting project.
5:20 PM - Daddy gets home, playtime until dinner is ready. I leave at 5:40 for a meeting, so thanks to Daddy for logging the rest of the evening!
5:50 PM - Dinnertime. Noelle gets a time out at the end for playing with her "big girl cup" of milk which led to spilling it. During the time out, Andy hears crying alternating with "Daddy?" from Noelle's room. He goes in to find her arm stuck in her changing table cabinet at the elbow. He semi-sternly scolds her about putting her arm in the cabinet, but when he extracts her arm he hears "thank you daddy". "Thank you." "Daddy, thank you." and can't help but laugh and hug her.
6:15 pm - Noelle finds an invisible bug friend she names "Corty" whom she keeps with her the rest of the night, even taking him to bed with her.
6:45 pm - Andy reads Noelle and Corty a story, then puts her (them?) to bed.
10:00 PM - Crying, but we don't have to go in there!
10:18 PM - Crying again, we do have to go in there. I hope she sleeps the rest of the night!
THANK YOU! This is what I like, it feels like being there with you (and wishing we were). Hugs and kisses to Noelle from Grammy.
Grammy - July 01, 2008 05:08 amMarvelous...even though I read this already, it's even better with the changes you've made. What a great idea, the documenting.
Andy Matthews - July 01, 2008 08:12 amHow fun! Love the pictures! Miss you guys!!
Mom B - July 01, 2008 10:59 am
I have to admit that I get really tired of my child's imagination sometimes. The amount of time I spend speeding up the car because a dragon is behind us, rolling down the window at a stop sign so she can pet a hippo, making up activities me and the monster I'm leading out of her room at naptime are going to do, eating invisible food, and especially being told I'm doing it *the wrong way* is more than I ever thought possible. It is all so real to her, though. This morning she went to get her baby doll a snack in the living room, and when she got out there a song was on tv. She ran back to me in the bedroom and held out her empty hand, saying, "Can you take this for baby? I'm going to go to the living room to dance." I couldn't believe that her imaginary snack had so much importance to her that she had to deliver it before stopping to dance.
Don't get me wrong, I love that she is creative. I guess the imagination itself is not what sometimes wears me thin, it's more that I have to have a role in it. I would love for her to imagine all day long if I didn't have to do it, too. It's just been so long since I imagined. A friend of mine suggested that I use a technique from improv comedy to handle imagination, which is to "accept and further." Accept that what Noelle is saying is true, and take it up one more step to add to the story. That really does work for the most part, if I'm doing it purely for fun and not with an agenda. I guess that most of us just lose that ability to look beyond what is really there and imagine what could be.
I'm in a Bible study going through the book "Strong Women, Soft Hearts" and the chapters we've read so far talk about how we lose our passion and our hearts because of pain and other life experiences. I tend to not try things or put myself out there often because I fear failure or rejection, among other things. Pain is a part of all of our lives, and it is only when we begin to accept it as our companion that we can have true joy and peace. Today in my group we talked about how God pursues our hearts, and how it makes us feel that he cares for us in that way. I shared that I so often try to protect my heart by not letting it carry me away, but although that might help me hold onto every piece of my heart, it's a dead heart that I'm holding. Whether we choose to give our heart away to follow a dream, and risk failure, or we choose to "protect" it by keeping it locked up, we are going to lose heart either way. God desires for us to give Him our heart, and promises that we will be even more wholly ourselves if we do so. He wants us to be fully ourselves and fully alive, the way he created us to be. Only through pouring our heart out to Him can we be our true selves, and do and be what He planned for us.
The author writes that if you follow your tears, what causes you pain or stirs passion inside of you, you will find what is dear to God and how you should live your life. When you are raising children, it can be easy to just put off your dreams until "later." When they go to school, maybe I'll do something for myself. God wants me to realize, though, that my life is now, and he desires for me to live it. Being a stay at home mom is not just a thing to get through. God never gets tired of my imagination, in fact He has dreams that are so much bigger than mine I can't comprehend them. His call for us to be childlike in our faith is something I hope to understand more every day that I spend with Noelle. I hope she never stops imagining.
Dear Jaime, I had been up most of last night "wrestling" with God. I have experienced quite a few major changes in my life in the past year and a half. Your line from the book you are studying about pain robbing us of our passion and our hearts were words from God for me. I have lost my passion for what I am doing and am at a loss as to what passion I do have. It has left me feeling very out of sorts and am seeking counseling to figure out how to get my passion back. I have been praying about it, but know I am not totally surrendering myself to God in this regard. Just wanted to let you know what a God incident that my searching for a music program in Florida somehow brought up your website/blog whatever this is. It is so wonderful that you have created this website as I know it must be a wonderful combination of journaling, creativity and a tool to help you have an attitude of gratitude for the blessings you have received - especially through your daughter. I'm assuming you screen your comments and am just fine that this not be posted for public view. Just wanted to thank you for sharing what you did today. Peace and God's continued blessings to you.
Suzanne - June 26, 2008 07:53 am
on June 16 2008 at 08:57 AM
by: Andy Matthews
So Father's Day was this past weekend and I had a great time. This is only my third one (as a Dad myself) but this was the best one. We had lots of good food, I got to spend lots of time with Noelle and Jaime (and the coming baby), and I even got lots of time to myself. All in all it was a great weekend in general, but even better as Father's Day.
Saturdays are Jaime's day to sleep in, so when Noelle woke up at 6:45 I jumped out of bed and went to get her. She was in a great mood so we talked while I got her dressed. You might recall that the Matthews' have joined a CSA program (think farmer's co-op), which we share with Brad and Heather Daugherty. Sat is the day that Eric and Cher (from Bugtussle farms) are in Nashville, and it was the Matthews' turn to go pick it up.
Noelle and I headed over to pick up the produce, singing and laughing and talking the whole way. When we got there she helped me collect our goods, and even helped me weigh the peas. After we got back in the car, I decided that Jaime hadn't had enough chance to rest, so Noelle and I sacrificed our time and went to eat at Fido's.
All in all, my weekend with Noelle was great. We had so much fun playing and talking and laughing. It's a special blessing to have a child who's so good-natured, and bright, and clever. I'll leave you with this little story about Noelle to tie it all back together. We planned on calling both my dad, and Jaime's on Sunday and so we trained Noelle to yell "Happy Father's Day" on cue. "Okay Noelle, when they pick up the phone what do you say?" "Happy Father's Day!". "That's right Noelle...good job." Right before we called Jaime's dad, Noelle let's out a huge toot. Jaime looks over at her and says "Noelle...what do you say?" to which Noelle responds loudly "Happy Father's Day!!!"
I hope everyone had as good a Father's Day Weekend as I did.
Saturdays are Jaime's day to sleep in, so when Noelle woke up at 6:45 I jumped out of bed and went to get her. She was in a great mood so we talked while I got her dressed. You might recall that the Matthews' have joined a CSA program (think farmer's co-op), which we share with Brad and Heather Daugherty. Sat is the day that Eric and Cher (from Bugtussle farms) are in Nashville, and it was the Matthews' turn to go pick it up.
Noelle and I headed over to pick up the produce, singing and laughing and talking the whole way. When we got there she helped me collect our goods, and even helped me weigh the peas. After we got back in the car, I decided that Jaime hadn't had enough chance to rest, so Noelle and I sacrificed our time and went to eat at Fido's.
All in all, my weekend with Noelle was great. We had so much fun playing and talking and laughing. It's a special blessing to have a child who's so good-natured, and bright, and clever. I'll leave you with this little story about Noelle to tie it all back together. We planned on calling both my dad, and Jaime's on Sunday and so we trained Noelle to yell "Happy Father's Day" on cue. "Okay Noelle, when they pick up the phone what do you say?" "Happy Father's Day!". "That's right Noelle...good job." Right before we called Jaime's dad, Noelle let's out a huge toot. Jaime looks over at her and says "Noelle...what do you say?" to which Noelle responds loudly "Happy Father's Day!!!"
I hope everyone had as good a Father's Day Weekend as I did.
WOW, you packed a lot into a weekend! Sounds like you and Silly Willy Noelle had a great time. I love how you fit perfectly in the role as Father! Hugs and Kisses to all. MOM
Mom M. - June 18, 2008 05:57 am
Noelle loves bugs, she has no fear of them and will stop everything to just watch one walk by. If she has one on her body and it flies away or falls off, she continually asks what happened to it and looks around for it. One day recently she found a ladybug, and the only way I could convince her to put it down and move on was to let her find it a "home." She's definitely not a girly girl when it comes to bugs.
Just now we were out in the pool and a moth fell in and of course was dead. She picked it up, asked all kinds of questions about it, then asked if she could touch the wings. I said sure, and she sweetly said, "Aww, it's gonna be okay buggy" as she pet the wing. Then she said, "Can I rip his arms off?"
Just now we were out in the pool and a moth fell in and of course was dead. She picked it up, asked all kinds of questions about it, then asked if she could touch the wings. I said sure, and she sweetly said, "Aww, it's gonna be okay buggy" as she pet the wing. Then she said, "Can I rip his arms off?"
on April 23 2008 at 08:17 PM
by: Andy Matthews
Jaime and Noelle had a funny moment just now and I thought I'd share it. Noelle was in her room, in bed, while Jaime and I were in the living room. Noelle had pulled out her new underwear and put them on over her diaper, but then asked for "another pair". Jaime went in there to deal with her. As she was getting ready to leave the room, they had this conversational exchange:
Jaime: I'm not coming in here again.
Noelle: Okay, I call to Daddy.
That made Jaime and I both laugh because how smart is that? She realizes that she can at least attempt to play us off each other.
Jaime: I'm not coming in here again.
Noelle: Okay, I call to Daddy.
That made Jaime and I both laugh because how smart is that? She realizes that she can at least attempt to play us off each other.
Ah, yes... and so it begins! Jackson does this quite often these days as well. He likes to ask the same question of both of us, hoping for a different answer from the second. It's amazing how early they figure out how to get what they want! Miss you guys!
Jonathan - April 24, 2008 04:25 amKatrina does this, too! She asked me to open a bag of snacks for her the other day, and when I said no, not now, she replied, "My Daddy open it!" Thankfully Ryan was in earshot and heard the exchange, although that doesn't always happen ... Scary, isn't it, how they learn things we never intentionally teach them?
Lexa Herbert - April 25, 2008 07:40 amBoy did she learn from one of the best, many a times Andy went to Mom to get his way, but I guess that's why we love him so now and even then.
Dad - May 01, 2008 12:10 pm
A few months ago I had the realization that Noelle's Parent's Day Out program does not run through the summer. I at first thought maybe I could handle it - a summer with just me and Noelle, getting together with friends, doing all sorts of fun summery things. Then Spring Break came, and I realized I am not cut out to be with a toddler 24/7 for weeks at a time. I began looking right away for a PDO Noelle could go to for the summer. Surprisingly, there really aren't many around. I'd resigned myself to a hodge podge of possibilities, one of which was acting as a sub at a PDO, hoping that parents would go on lots of vacations and want to sell me their days.
My friend Heather mentioned a school called Belmont Weekday that had a summer program, but said that they had their daughter on a wait list for some time. I decided to contact them anyway, and they actually had a spot for us! We went to check it out on Monday, and we both really liked it. Noelle actually threw a fit when it was time to leave. Later I was talking with her about it and asked if she liked it and wanted to go this summer. She said "yes, can we go?" and practically went to get her shoes on.
The teacher in her room mentioned that this summer they will do a lot of water play with sprinklers and baby pools, lots of outdoor play, and a less structured environment than during the school year. I think it will be a perfect place for Noelle. I only hope that she's willing to go back to her old school when fall comes around!
My friend Heather mentioned a school called Belmont Weekday that had a summer program, but said that they had their daughter on a wait list for some time. I decided to contact them anyway, and they actually had a spot for us! We went to check it out on Monday, and we both really liked it. Noelle actually threw a fit when it was time to leave. Later I was talking with her about it and asked if she liked it and wanted to go this summer. She said "yes, can we go?" and practically went to get her shoes on.
The teacher in her room mentioned that this summer they will do a lot of water play with sprinklers and baby pools, lots of outdoor play, and a less structured environment than during the school year. I think it will be a perfect place for Noelle. I only hope that she's willing to go back to her old school when fall comes around!
I'm really excited about this new program. I think it's gonna be really good for her, and it sounds like Belmont has great activities.
andy matthews - April 15, 2008 02:55 pmHey Jaime! I just found your blog from Jennie Brewer's website. I love blogs! This will be a fun way to hear what's going on with you guys, since we never seem to have time to talk long at church. I'm excited!
Tiana - April 18, 2008 11:57 amGlad you found us Tiana...do you have a blog as well?
andy matthews - April 22, 2008 01:35 pm
We made pizzas tonight...but not just any pizzas...they were tortilla pizzas and they couldn't be easier.
Take a large 10" flour tortilla, spread some spaghetti sauce on it. Sprinkle cheese over the sauce, then add your favorite toppings. We used pepperoni on one, and sliced red peppers and bacon on the other. Sprinkle some dried italian herbs over the toppings, cover with more cheese, and then bake in the oven at 450 for about 12-15 minutes.
If you're lucky, the edges will get nice and crispy but the middle will still be a little soft and chewy. They were very good, and cost maybe $2 apiece.
The best part was that Noelle helped me make them! She stood on her learning tower and helped me sprinkle cheese, and put on pepperoni (ate more than she put on of course), but it was a fun time.
Take a large 10" flour tortilla, spread some spaghetti sauce on it. Sprinkle cheese over the sauce, then add your favorite toppings. We used pepperoni on one, and sliced red peppers and bacon on the other. Sprinkle some dried italian herbs over the toppings, cover with more cheese, and then bake in the oven at 450 for about 12-15 minutes.
If you're lucky, the edges will get nice and crispy but the middle will still be a little soft and chewy. They were very good, and cost maybe $2 apiece.
The best part was that Noelle helped me make them! She stood on her learning tower and helped me sprinkle cheese, and put on pepperoni (ate more than she put on of course), but it was a fun time.
We are into the 12th week now, and we heard our baby's heartbeat at my appointment on Friday! It was quite a relief. It always takes so long to find the heartbeat, I was starting to get worried. After my midwife finally locked onto it, I just couldn't stop crying. She's letting me come back in two weeks to hear it again, which I am very grateful for.
Other than the anxiety, I am feeling pretty good. Not too tired yet, no morning sickness, I have a good appetite. The only thing I'm dealing with is allergies, and I am just coughing a LOT. Noelle always says, "You sure have a bad cough!" Paired with the over-sensitive gag reflex that comes with pregnancy for me, that coughing has led to a little bit of throwing up.
Yesterday morning I ran to the bathroom during a coughing fit and threw up, and of course Noelle followed me. She stood watching for a while, and then she took several steps back and said, "Don't throw up on me, Mommy." Child, if I had a dollar for every time you have thrown up on me, we could all go have a very nice dinner.
For about 15 minutes after that, every time I coughed Noelle tensed up, looked at me with a concerned face, and with a serious voice said, "Are you throw-upping?"
I haven't gained a pound yet, I'd imagine the above events probably play a role in that! Hopefully I can find some kind of remedy for all this coughing soon.
Other than the anxiety, I am feeling pretty good. Not too tired yet, no morning sickness, I have a good appetite. The only thing I'm dealing with is allergies, and I am just coughing a LOT. Noelle always says, "You sure have a bad cough!" Paired with the over-sensitive gag reflex that comes with pregnancy for me, that coughing has led to a little bit of throwing up.
Yesterday morning I ran to the bathroom during a coughing fit and threw up, and of course Noelle followed me. She stood watching for a while, and then she took several steps back and said, "Don't throw up on me, Mommy." Child, if I had a dollar for every time you have thrown up on me, we could all go have a very nice dinner.
For about 15 minutes after that, every time I coughed Noelle tensed up, looked at me with a concerned face, and with a serious voice said, "Are you throw-upping?"
I haven't gained a pound yet, I'd imagine the above events probably play a role in that! Hopefully I can find some kind of remedy for all this coughing soon.
We need to get you fattened up girl!
andy matthews - April 01, 2008 02:28 pm
for the "Cutie-bomber". She is considered cute, hip, and will charm you with her smile and friendliness.
We went to the playground yesterday and Noelle introduced herself to another little girl by saying "This is Noelle." I've heard her say it before, but never realized where she got it from until yesterday. When Jaime and I are with Noelle and we meet someone for the first time, we introduce Noelle by saying "this is Noelle".
Makes perfect sense doesn't it?
I had plans to go to a play place with some friends today, but after a rough morning and late start out the door, then a few wrong turns, I decided it was not going to be worth my time to drive way out there. So, I happened to be near a place called the Adventure Science Center here in Nashville, and although I thought Noelle was probably a bit young for it I decided to give it a try.
I was right, she was too young for it. She wasn't even tall enough to do most of the stuff, and there were places I didn't want to let her go because I was afraid I'd lose track of her. I think she had a good enough time, which she usually does when she's able to run around and touch a bunch of stuff.
After that we came home and I spent 45 minutes trying to get her to sleep. At this point it was 1:45. I had mentioned to Andy earlier the idea of maybe taking her to a movie, but I definitely wanted to go to a matinee (which around here ends at 3) so I told him that it wasn't going to be today unless she woke up at some ridiculous time like 2:30. The last matinee was at 2:55. I laughed, because there's no way she'd only sleep 45 minutes. Right? RIGHT?
Wrong. I kid you not, at PRECISELY 2:30 on the dot, that child woke up. Apparently she wanted to go see a movie. On the drive there, she yawned and said "My tired!" UGH!
I don't remember what my first movie was, but I know I was older than 2! Noelle's first movie in the theater was Horton Hears a Who, and she did really well. At first she sat in my lap, then she sat next to me while I put my foot on the corner of her seat to hold it down. She doesn't weigh enough to keep it from folding back up!
At the beginning of the movie she kept talking loudly, asking "what's he doing? who is that? where is that going?" and she got a little confused by the surround sound. She kept turning her head and looking for where it was coming from. Then about 10 minutes in, she said "I don't like this movie" and I thought I was in trouble. I was already planning the conversation with the ticket booth to see if I could get my money back. But, she settled in, and I pulled out some snacks, and she watched the whole movie. During the summer, there are some local theaters that do free movie mornings, and now I know I can absolutely take her to those! I was pretty proud of my little 2 year old.
I was right, she was too young for it. She wasn't even tall enough to do most of the stuff, and there were places I didn't want to let her go because I was afraid I'd lose track of her. I think she had a good enough time, which she usually does when she's able to run around and touch a bunch of stuff.
After that we came home and I spent 45 minutes trying to get her to sleep. At this point it was 1:45. I had mentioned to Andy earlier the idea of maybe taking her to a movie, but I definitely wanted to go to a matinee (which around here ends at 3) so I told him that it wasn't going to be today unless she woke up at some ridiculous time like 2:30. The last matinee was at 2:55. I laughed, because there's no way she'd only sleep 45 minutes. Right? RIGHT?
Wrong. I kid you not, at PRECISELY 2:30 on the dot, that child woke up. Apparently she wanted to go see a movie. On the drive there, she yawned and said "My tired!" UGH!
I don't remember what my first movie was, but I know I was older than 2! Noelle's first movie in the theater was Horton Hears a Who, and she did really well. At first she sat in my lap, then she sat next to me while I put my foot on the corner of her seat to hold it down. She doesn't weigh enough to keep it from folding back up!
At the beginning of the movie she kept talking loudly, asking "what's he doing? who is that? where is that going?" and she got a little confused by the surround sound. She kept turning her head and looking for where it was coming from. Then about 10 minutes in, she said "I don't like this movie" and I thought I was in trouble. I was already planning the conversation with the ticket booth to see if I could get my money back. But, she settled in, and I pulled out some snacks, and she watched the whole movie. During the summer, there are some local theaters that do free movie mornings, and now I know I can absolutely take her to those! I was pretty proud of my little 2 year old.
How funny! Mindy and I took Jackson and Jeremiah to see Horton yesterday! It was Jeremiah's first movie, also, and he did really well. We had the row to ourselves, so we let him walk the row and peer over the seats to watch the movie when he wanted to... we didn't even have to fight him to make sure he didn't venture into the aisle. The boys loved it (both the movie and the popcorn)! Can't wait for the day when we can do these things together!
Jonathan - March 22, 2008 02:07 pm
Noelle has been in bed for a little over an hour, and I've had to go in there 6 times so far. She is being so unreasonable tonight. She's just overtired - we had a long morning walking around Cheekwood Botanical Garden, and she barely napped at all after. So here are the reasons she has called me in there tonight, in order:
1. I don't like this pillow
2. I need more water
3. My foot hurts, can you rub it? That one doesn't hurt anymore, can you rub the other one?
4. My poopy (which was true)
5. My sock is too hard (to put back on, I discovered. Why was it off I asked? "Because I wanted to see my foot.")
6. Can I have warm water? (child prefers it warm at night)
So my child is officially a weirdo, and I am officially DONE going in there. Of course Andy is at a meeting, so I'm dealing with the irrationality of my toddler solo. Good grief.
Edited to add number 7: I fell out of bed. Not unreasonable, by any means, but WHY? For almost a month after we converted her crib she stayed put night after night, and this past week she's been falling out all. the. time. So I had to go in there again. NO MORE! :)
Edited again to add number 8, at 9:30 PM: I don't like it. "It" turned out to be her socks, they were too tight she says. Then when I was about to leave, she cried again that her throat hurts. That seems to be her current favorite symptom. The fun never ends around here! When is Andy getting home???
1. I don't like this pillow
2. I need more water
3. My foot hurts, can you rub it? That one doesn't hurt anymore, can you rub the other one?
4. My poopy (which was true)
5. My sock is too hard (to put back on, I discovered. Why was it off I asked? "Because I wanted to see my foot.")
6. Can I have warm water? (child prefers it warm at night)
So my child is officially a weirdo, and I am officially DONE going in there. Of course Andy is at a meeting, so I'm dealing with the irrationality of my toddler solo. Good grief.
Edited to add number 7: I fell out of bed. Not unreasonable, by any means, but WHY? For almost a month after we converted her crib she stayed put night after night, and this past week she's been falling out all. the. time. So I had to go in there again. NO MORE! :)
Edited again to add number 8, at 9:30 PM: I don't like it. "It" turned out to be her socks, they were too tight she says. Then when I was about to leave, she cried again that her throat hurts. That seems to be her current favorite symptom. The fun never ends around here! When is Andy getting home???
and you think I should be a parent. aren't you cute?? i love you jaime, and am praying for you (and the fam, and the new addition). Keep your head up!!
*sara* - March 18, 2008 08:36 pmOk...I can't help but laugh...I seem to remember another little girl that cried if the seams on her socks were crooked because "my socks hurt!" I know it's not fun, but she IS adorable!
Mom B - March 19, 2008 07:12 amLOL!! And how many kids do you want? Sounds like she has a new game, "Bedtime 20 Questions".... Hang in there..you WILL look back on this (some day in the future) and laugh too.
Mom M - March 19, 2008 10:09 amAnd I thought Andy was a load, I can't wait till we come up and I have my turn.
Ron - March 20, 2008 04:59 am
I was sitting in the office while Noelle watched a show, and the dogs started freaking out. Then I heard Noelle say, "Enough! It's just the neighbor's dog!" She's definitely heard us say something similar a time or 100. That dog is always out and about, the owners don't seem to care much about him. He chases cars, follows walkers, and is just generally a nuisance. Today he was in the middle of the road right in front of our house, with his face stuck in some kind of fast food bag. And the owner was right there at her mailbox, so she had to have seen him. I know they don't seem to care about him, but really? Letting him eat out of a random trash bag while you watch? So I went out and yelled at him to stop. Argh.
Noelle should be glad she made me laugh this afternoon, because I was certainly not laughing when not an hour into her nap today I heard her playing the harmonica. Awesome.
Noelle should be glad she made me laugh this afternoon, because I was certainly not laughing when not an hour into her nap today I heard her playing the harmonica. Awesome.
It's okay if I let Noelle watch TV for the entire day, right? I mean, we went to Kindermusik this morning and she'll eat lunch and take a nap soon, but the rest of the day? It's just one day, right? Let her watch tv while I try my best to stay awake on the couch?
Yes it's ok! One day of TV won't hurt her...wish I could be there to let you rest without taking care of her!
Mom B - March 07, 2008 12:53 pmSometimes, I get Ella to sit with me on the couch, put my arm around her and fall asleep. Her brain isn't going to rot, so I say, watch away!
Heather - March 07, 2008 02:25 pmOf course, you don't want this to happen ... http://xar.us/gallery2/v/2006/October-2006/Kitchen-Mess/ (what happened when Ryan fell asleep while watching Katrina :) )
Lexa - March 07, 2008 03:40 pmOh no! Well see, that's why we have a gate locking her out of the kitchen. At least it all looked edible!
Jaime - March 07, 2008 03:49 pm
This morning we discovered the possibility that maybe our early waking, sleep hating toddler has actually been being kind to us after all. Relatively, at least. Andy woke up at 6, running late for Men's Fraternity at church. He opened our bedroom door and noticed that Noelle's light was on. (We recently got her a lightswitch extender for this very reason, hoping she'll turn her light on and play a while before starting the "DAAAAADDY!!!! WHERE ARE YOU??? ARE YOU COMING???" calls). He tried to be quiet getting ready, but she still must have heard him and started calling out to us.
When I went in, I asked her how long she had been awake, and she told me 10 hours. Now that's obviously not true (although pretty funny), but it does make me wonder, maybe she wakes up much earlier than we think and entertains herself for a while. One time when my parents were here and sleeping in her room, they said she talked quietly to herself for almost an hour before requesting their attention. So I suppose it could be worse if indeed she is entertaining herself for a while and STILL asking for us before 6:30 every day. I swear, I am going to have the only teenager in the world who doesn't like to sleep. I just can't see it ever changing at this point.
When I went in, I asked her how long she had been awake, and she told me 10 hours. Now that's obviously not true (although pretty funny), but it does make me wonder, maybe she wakes up much earlier than we think and entertains herself for a while. One time when my parents were here and sleeping in her room, they said she talked quietly to herself for almost an hour before requesting their attention. So I suppose it could be worse if indeed she is entertaining herself for a while and STILL asking for us before 6:30 every day. I swear, I am going to have the only teenager in the world who doesn't like to sleep. I just can't see it ever changing at this point.
Andy leaves on Thursdays at 5:45 AM to go to Men's Fraternity at our church, so it's all me those days when Noelle gets up.
This morning I woke up at 5:57 and heard Noelle at her door (the gate was latched) saying cheerfully, "I'm not tired!" Ugh. I reluctantly went and got her, and she said, "I'd LOVE some breakfast!" before I said anything to her. I told her it was still time for sleeping and brought her into bed with me.
I thought it was working, because she was quiet for about 10 minutes, but at 6:11 she whispered, "Mommy, I want Noelle's pillow." When I told her daddy's was fine and to go to sleep, she said, "Do you want some breakfast? Come on! It be fun!" No, my child, mommy thinks sleeping would be fun. I was about to tell her so, when she told me she was poopy. I guess it was time to get up then! What a lovely start to the day. At least she has school today.
This morning I woke up at 5:57 and heard Noelle at her door (the gate was latched) saying cheerfully, "I'm not tired!" Ugh. I reluctantly went and got her, and she said, "I'd LOVE some breakfast!" before I said anything to her. I told her it was still time for sleeping and brought her into bed with me.
I thought it was working, because she was quiet for about 10 minutes, but at 6:11 she whispered, "Mommy, I want Noelle's pillow." When I told her daddy's was fine and to go to sleep, she said, "Do you want some breakfast? Come on! It be fun!" No, my child, mommy thinks sleeping would be fun. I was about to tell her so, when she told me she was poopy. I guess it was time to get up then! What a lovely start to the day. At least she has school today.
Noelle is currently going through some terrible phase (I hope) where she wants one of us to sleep in her room with her for all naps and bedtimes. She's also waking up multiple times a night, not just the one time in the evening that we've come to expect. I've already done this "laying on her bed until she falls asleep" thing once before, when she finally started sleeping through the night at 13 months. I don't want to go back there.
It drives me insane, but it's either lay down with her for 15 minutes until she falls asleep, or put her in the crib and leave, then come back a zillion times because she's crying or has climbed out of the crib or both, THEN lay with her for 15 minutes. And neither is as bad as her not napping at all.
Just now I was laying with her, and she started messing around with her pillow. She would turn it this way and that way, put her head under it, etc., and finally she sat up. The rule is that I will stay with her as long as she's laying down, so I told her to lay back down. But she said, "I don't know what my pillow is doing!!!" So I laughed, went and fixed it, and she was asleep just moments later. Goof.
It drives me insane, but it's either lay down with her for 15 minutes until she falls asleep, or put her in the crib and leave, then come back a zillion times because she's crying or has climbed out of the crib or both, THEN lay with her for 15 minutes. And neither is as bad as her not napping at all.
Just now I was laying with her, and she started messing around with her pillow. She would turn it this way and that way, put her head under it, etc., and finally she sat up. The rule is that I will stay with her as long as she's laying down, so I told her to lay back down. But she said, "I don't know what my pillow is doing!!!" So I laughed, went and fixed it, and she was asleep just moments later. Goof.
Welcome to life with a two-year-old! :( Katrina went through this in July, when she was 26 months (about Noelle's age now, right?). She would try everything to get out of bedtime and naptime, including vomiting. Ugh. A coworker and our babysitter both told me that their kids went through it at two, too, and that it passes in 2 - 3 weeks. And it did! A trick Ryan's mom taught us that really worked for us: take a dining room chair in her room and sit there, but facing away. Read a book, do a crossword puzzle, whatever, just avoid direct eye contact and use a firm but reassuring voice that you are there and that she needs to rest. Good luck! I hope this passes soon.
Lexa - January 30, 2008 05:16 pmThis isn't scripture, but it should be, "And this too shall pass!". That means the good times and the bad, so enjoy each moment even when it means getting up at 5:45 with your two year old. She will be 12 before you know it and you wish these days back again. Kiss her for me and tell her Grammy loves her.
Grammy - January 31, 2008 06:08 am
on January 27 2008 at 07:22 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Charlotte Mae
...to a MONKEY. Within the last few weeks Noelle has learned to climb out of her crib, and does so at least once every pre-nap time and sometimes before falling asleep at night. Last night she got quiet pretty fast after we put her to bed, and Andy commented on how she must have been tired. I said, "Or, she got ou..." and looked toward her room, and there in the hallway was Noelle. As much as she loves climbing, I guess it was just a matter of time before she conquered the crib.
This morning, I woke up at 6:45 to see a little girl standing in my doorway. She insisted that she did NOT climb out of her crib, but evidence suggests otherwise. She told me that, "I was reading a story with Nacho!" Thankfully she didn't wander throughout the rest of the house! I pulled her into bed with us for a few minutes, although she wouldn't really lay down, but it was a sweet glimpse of times to come. I know this is just the first of many times we wake to find her in our room. I think we'll hold it off a little while by latching the gate to her bedroom, though!
So this afternoon we're heading to the store to buy a bed rail for the day bed that's already in Noelle's room. We will give her a few days trial on that before taking down the crib for storage. My mom tells a story of me having a rough night on a big girl bed and her threatening to bring my crib back in, to which I cried, "Okay!" I can't see Noelle having that kind of attachment to the crib, but we'll leave it just in case.
It's very bittersweet to think about taking down the crib. Noelle is getting too big, too fast, for one. Also, that crib was meant to hold Charlotte, and taking it down is just the last piece of that dream for us. But we won't need it for at least 9 months, so it just makes sense. And finally, I'm sure that keeping Noelle in that daybed isn't going to be much of a picnic either. Should be fun! My crazy little monkey is about to get a big girl bed.
This morning, I woke up at 6:45 to see a little girl standing in my doorway. She insisted that she did NOT climb out of her crib, but evidence suggests otherwise. She told me that, "I was reading a story with Nacho!" Thankfully she didn't wander throughout the rest of the house! I pulled her into bed with us for a few minutes, although she wouldn't really lay down, but it was a sweet glimpse of times to come. I know this is just the first of many times we wake to find her in our room. I think we'll hold it off a little while by latching the gate to her bedroom, though!
So this afternoon we're heading to the store to buy a bed rail for the day bed that's already in Noelle's room. We will give her a few days trial on that before taking down the crib for storage. My mom tells a story of me having a rough night on a big girl bed and her threatening to bring my crib back in, to which I cried, "Okay!" I can't see Noelle having that kind of attachment to the crib, but we'll leave it just in case.
It's very bittersweet to think about taking down the crib. Noelle is getting too big, too fast, for one. Also, that crib was meant to hold Charlotte, and taking it down is just the last piece of that dream for us. But we won't need it for at least 9 months, so it just makes sense. And finally, I'm sure that keeping Noelle in that daybed isn't going to be much of a picnic either. Should be fun! My crazy little monkey is about to get a big girl bed.
it was good talking to you today! I am sure that you miss Charlotte every day and taking down the crib will be tough...but know that you're in our prayers...and i'm sure you'll have use for that crib again someday!!
*sara* - January 28, 2008 06:14 pmAh, your little girl is growing up. Be glad that she didn't start this as young as her daddy did. I never thought about what the impact would be on you and Andy putting away the crib & putting away your dreams of/for Charlotte. That such a mundane task should have such a effect is something most of us would not even consider. You will be in our prayers as you prepare to move into this new phase. I will also continue to pray that God will bless you and Andy soon with more children. Love and hugs.
Grammy - January 31, 2008 06:18 am
on January 24 2008 at 08:39 AM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Andy
And hasn't been for quite a while. But just because she can speak well, doesn't mean that she can carry on a conversation. Or at least that's what I thought until I talked with her on the phone last week. I got a call from Jaime early one afternoon, "There's a little girl here who would like to talk to her Daddy."
So Noelle gets the phone and we proceed to have a real conversation...for real. I asked her a few questions bout what she had done that day. "Did you go to school Noelle? Yes. What did you do at school? I saw Lola. Did you eat lunch today? Yes. What did you eat? I had pickles...and...carrots...and hot dog...and pears."
At that point I started laughing, but only to cover up my amazement. I've known that Noelle's verbal skills were far in advance of many other kids her age. but up until that day I had really treated Noelle as more of a talking parrot. I'd ask her to repeat words that I said, I'd ask her basic questions, and I'd try to get her to tell me what things were on flash cards, or in books. But now I realize that my little girl really is growing up. She's not only carrying on conversations, she makes up stuff on her own. She's using logic, she's saying funny things, and she's even lying.
Anyway...I just wanted to brag on my little girl. She might not have as much hair as other kids her age, or even HALF her age, but she can talk circles around them...and she's MUCH cuter.
So Noelle gets the phone and we proceed to have a real conversation...for real. I asked her a few questions bout what she had done that day. "Did you go to school Noelle? Yes. What did you do at school? I saw Lola. Did you eat lunch today? Yes. What did you eat? I had pickles...and...carrots...and hot dog...and pears."
At that point I started laughing, but only to cover up my amazement. I've known that Noelle's verbal skills were far in advance of many other kids her age. but up until that day I had really treated Noelle as more of a talking parrot. I'd ask her to repeat words that I said, I'd ask her basic questions, and I'd try to get her to tell me what things were on flash cards, or in books. But now I realize that my little girl really is growing up. She's not only carrying on conversations, she makes up stuff on her own. She's using logic, she's saying funny things, and she's even lying.
Anyway...I just wanted to brag on my little girl. She might not have as much hair as other kids her age, or even HALF her age, but she can talk circles around them...and she's MUCH cuter.
You know, Noelle is pretty cute, although I think that mine is just as cute. I was thinking that it will be weird when Noelle has a lot of hair and gets ponytails, etc. I can't even picture it! Someday, though....
Heather - January 24, 2008 07:38 pmI can remember a few years back, yes a few year and I can remember that far back, a little boy was doing about the same thing and boy what a proud Dad I was, so I know exactly what you are going through now. I love you all 4.
Pappaw - January 25, 2008 11:56 am
Waking up from her nap today, Noelle and I had this conversation:
N: Can you take me to the playground?
Me: Oh, but it's so COLD outside!
N: Can't we wear our hats?
Little booger. And no, I still didn't take her, but that's because it's 5:00 and getting dark outside. Why is she waking up from a nap at 5 PM? Because she took 2 hours to fall asleep and then slept for 2.
N: Can you take me to the playground?
Me: Oh, but it's so COLD outside!
N: Can't we wear our hats?
Little booger. And no, I still didn't take her, but that's because it's 5:00 and getting dark outside. Why is she waking up from a nap at 5 PM? Because she took 2 hours to fall asleep and then slept for 2.
You are right, she is too smart, you will have to be on your toes every day for that little scooter. LUVU
Mom M. - January 24, 2008 06:12 am
Noelle had her 2 year check up today with her pediatrician, and she's still perfect! And big!
Weight: 30 lbs, 10 oz (80th percentile)
Height: 36 inches (93rd percentile)
Head: 49.5 cm (90th percentile)
They say that a good estimate of adult height is a child's height at age 2 multiplied by 2. That puts my daughter at 6' even. I guess I should start serving her coffee!
I was happy to be able to answer all the questions positively. Does she eat a good variety of foods? Do you limit juice and sweets? Is she putting together at least 2-3 word sentences? Are you brushing her teeth? Noelle helped answer that one by saying "Daddy brush my teeth!"
The only question I didn't have the perfect answer to was "is she sleeping well at night and during naps?", and my answer was yes, for her. We still have to go in about once a night for a blanket check, and her naps are usually good but still hit and miss. But considering where we've come from, I'm okay with that.
Our pediatrician brought in a student that was observing today, and as they walked out, she said to the student, "Did you hear how well she was talking? That's the exception." We already knew that, of course, but it's nice to hear it from a professional! We're very proud of our little girl.
Weight: 30 lbs, 10 oz (80th percentile)
Height: 36 inches (93rd percentile)
Head: 49.5 cm (90th percentile)
They say that a good estimate of adult height is a child's height at age 2 multiplied by 2. That puts my daughter at 6' even. I guess I should start serving her coffee!
I was happy to be able to answer all the questions positively. Does she eat a good variety of foods? Do you limit juice and sweets? Is she putting together at least 2-3 word sentences? Are you brushing her teeth? Noelle helped answer that one by saying "Daddy brush my teeth!"
The only question I didn't have the perfect answer to was "is she sleeping well at night and during naps?", and my answer was yes, for her. We still have to go in about once a night for a blanket check, and her naps are usually good but still hit and miss. But considering where we've come from, I'm okay with that.
Our pediatrician brought in a student that was observing today, and as they walked out, she said to the student, "Did you hear how well she was talking? That's the exception." We already knew that, of course, but it's nice to hear it from a professional! We're very proud of our little girl.
Atta girl Noelle!!! Wow, looks like she will be a girl to look up to!! Oh, wait I have to look to most people!! :")
FL Mom - January 08, 2008 07:05 amYeah, Noelle! We have such big girls. Maybe we'll eventually live close to one another, then they can have someone else tall like they are. It's too bad you and Andy aren't into sports, with Noelle's height, she would make a great basketball or volleyball player :)
Heather - January 08, 2008 08:15 amWe knew she was an exceptional child!! We're very proud of her too!
Mom B - January 08, 2008 11:51 amWhat a wonderful child you have, but then again with two parents like the two of you what else could we expect. Sorry you had such a hard time in traveling up and down from Nashville, but WE both enjoyed having you here. I cann't thank each of you for your sacifice. Dad
Pappaw - January 08, 2008 12:28 pmI don't have a problem encouraging her to play sports...if that's what she wants to do. She could also be a supermodel at that height. She sure is beautiful enough. :)
andy matthews - January 08, 2008 01:01 pm
I've been feeling kind of off this week, not sure why. I feel like spending time alone, and am really interested in cleaning which is something I tend to do a lot of when I'm stressed or feel out of control. Yesterday if I wasn't so busy during the time Noelle was at school, I may have tried pulling down the Christmas decorations from the attic and putting them up by myself. That's just the kind of stuff I feel like doing. And a small part of me would have wanted Andy to feel bad that I did it alone, even though I didn't ask him to help and he couldn't have had any idea that I was doing it. So that's ridiculous. Again, good thing I was too busy for all that.
This morning Noelle was singing Jesus Loves Me, and she sang "There are weeks, but He is strong." I told her that what she sang was probably a better version for me right now than the original. We all have weeks like this, and there won't be an end to them until we get to Heaven. So when we do go through these weeks, we need to hold onto the truth that God is strong, and in control, and He cares about my week.
I did get some "good" news today. I suspected my progesterone levels might be low, too low in fact to support us in getting pregnant, so I went in on Monday for a test. I came in at the low end of "normal" which means that they are going to put me on progesterone for a few months to see if that corrects the issues I've been having. My midwife seems pretty confident that this should do the trick. I sure hope it does.
This morning Noelle was singing Jesus Loves Me, and she sang "There are weeks, but He is strong." I told her that what she sang was probably a better version for me right now than the original. We all have weeks like this, and there won't be an end to them until we get to Heaven. So when we do go through these weeks, we need to hold onto the truth that God is strong, and in control, and He cares about my week.
I did get some "good" news today. I suspected my progesterone levels might be low, too low in fact to support us in getting pregnant, so I went in on Monday for a test. I came in at the low end of "normal" which means that they are going to put me on progesterone for a few months to see if that corrects the issues I've been having. My midwife seems pretty confident that this should do the trick. I sure hope it does.
So glad there is something they can do for you! We'll be praying that the progesterone works!!!
Mom B - December 06, 2007 07:24 am
I hate to totally give away the punchline of this post, but it was too good to pass up using as a title.
Noelle was really tough to put to down for a nap today. She wouldn't stop talking, Jaime had to go in there several times, and finally we thought she was down. But, after about 20 minutes, she started talking again. Every few minutes, she'd talk for a little bit, then quiet down. Finally, Jaime just decided to get her up and we'd just put her to bed early.
As soon as Jaime walked into Noelle's room, I hear her say "Andy, can I get your help in here?" So I walked in to see Noelle standing up in her crib, totally naked. That was bad enough, but she was poopy (even though Jaime had changed her poopy diaper just a half hour earlier). She was standing in it, she had it on the crib rails, and on her hands and fingers. We couldn't help but laugh.
The best part though was when she looked over the rail to the floor and said "I dropped my poop". Jaime and I both looked on the floor and sure enough, there was a big old clump of poop on the floor. We both lost it...laughing and howling, and Noelle just standing there looking proud as pie, and laughing along with us.
What fun kids are eh?
Noelle was really tough to put to down for a nap today. She wouldn't stop talking, Jaime had to go in there several times, and finally we thought she was down. But, after about 20 minutes, she started talking again. Every few minutes, she'd talk for a little bit, then quiet down. Finally, Jaime just decided to get her up and we'd just put her to bed early.
As soon as Jaime walked into Noelle's room, I hear her say "Andy, can I get your help in here?" So I walked in to see Noelle standing up in her crib, totally naked. That was bad enough, but she was poopy (even though Jaime had changed her poopy diaper just a half hour earlier). She was standing in it, she had it on the crib rails, and on her hands and fingers. We couldn't help but laugh.
The best part though was when she looked over the rail to the floor and said "I dropped my poop". Jaime and I both looked on the floor and sure enough, there was a big old clump of poop on the floor. We both lost it...laughing and howling, and Noelle just standing there looking proud as pie, and laughing along with us.
What fun kids are eh?
You guys have got to do something with that kid of yours and her poop :)
Heather - December 02, 2007 03:15 pmSounds like potty training time! Or sew her into her pjs!
Mom B - December 02, 2007 04:25 pm@Heather...no kidding. You can't help but laugh, but it's also really irritating. We'll figure out something quickly (hopefully).
@Nana...Ali suggested getting a pair of footed pajamas, cutting the feet off, then putting them on Noelle backwards. That way she can't get to the zipper.
@Andy...but that wouldn't take care of her doing it at naptime!
Jaime Matthews - December 03, 2007 06:10 pmDo I need to "poop proof" the guest room before you all come down at Christmas??n Something that can be hosed down maybe?? What a comic relief children are! I'm glad you saw the humor in it.
Mom - December 04, 2007 02:53 pm
Noelle's been pretending to talk on the phone for a long time now, but mostly it's just been a quick hello, over and over again, and not much else.
Today in the car she had her cell phone (my old one) and carried on a whole conversation.
Hello?
How a you?
You doin much?
Me too.
Okay.
I call you back.
Bye.
She had several variations of the same basic conversation, and it cracked me up.
Today in the car she had her cell phone (my old one) and carried on a whole conversation.
Hello?
How a you?
You doin much?
Me too.
Okay.
I call you back.
Bye.
She had several variations of the same basic conversation, and it cracked me up.
I love it! Today Ella made hotdog and potato chip soup, but when I tried to "eat" some she said, "No mommy, too hot." I guess that they're listening even if we don't always realize it :)
Heather - November 28, 2007 08:28 pm
What do you do indoors with a toddler that hates all things crafty. I'm sure she'll grow into it, but Noelle hates painting, playdough, coloring, gluing, EVERYTHING CRAFTY. That's a big chunk of my "entertaining a toddler" arsenal. Today I tried to have her lay down on paper so I could trace her body, and she got up and ran off crying, then crawled under her table saying "I want to hide." I'm at a loss, and coming into the colder winter season, I'm not all that excited. Post your ideas, or offers to come take this child for the day, in the comments below.
I don't have kids and I'm not a girl, so my opinion shouldn't matter. That being said, don't little girls like to play with dolls and make believe that they are princesses and stuff? Maybe you can play pretend. I'd offer to watch her, but gratefully I live far away. ;-)
Robbie - November 12, 2007 07:47 pmyeah. i'd offer to watch her, but its pretty far away. does she like puzzles? like the wooden ones with big pieces maybe? or blocks to build things? that's all i've got in my social work arsenal...so good luck!
*sara* - November 12, 2007 10:48 pmIt sounds like she likes hiding. You should play a game of hide and seek, and just take a really long time to find her. I also don't have kids, but after hearing about the book titled "Growing Kids Gods Way" I decided to write a book called "Growing Kids Dogs Way" based on my experiences with Wrigley and Gizmo. Most advice ends with just put them in the cage. So I guess you could try that, but it's not selling very well, and remember I am not a licensed therapist.
Richard - November 13, 2007 08:14 amOk,here are some ideas that worked with her daddy, maybe she will like them too. Build a fort with a bedspread over the table. Crawl under with her and read stories, let her take her dolls undre there and play by herself. Time for the CD's, play them and teach her songs and silly dances. Let her play drums on your pots and pans, oops better ask Daddy first or get her some of her own. Take her to the library for story time. Remember, it isn't necessary to entertain her all the time, allow her to play by herself at times so she will get the idea of creative play.
carol - November 13, 2007 10:41 amWhen do you want to bring her over? How about next week?
Nana - November 13, 2007 04:48 pmSome of my friends said they'd like to start a support group for those of us who don't know what to do with our kids. "My name is Jaime and I don't know how to play with my toddler." She is really good at playing by herself most days, but sometimes she just wants me by her side all the time, all the while acting like she's so bored with me. Yesterday she didn't want to go for a walk, didn't want to go to the playground, didn't want to read, just wanted to freak out. I think getting some new toys for Christmas and birthday will help. I'm asking for a lot of open ended basic toys.
Jaime - November 13, 2007 04:53 pmYes, this is why the boys and I go out somewhere every day if we can. Of course, I have lots of stores within 5-10 minutes, unlike you. Target popcorn and a drink are only $1 and they love looking around! Petco is another favorite. Kohls has toys to look at and nice strollers. We go to the mall and climb on the cars and vido games. At this point, they don't ask for $ to put into the games. Jackson is just now getting into drawing/coloring, so be patient. Jeremiah recently dumped my recipe box... It was one of those moments where I weighed the options. He has entertained himself for so long with that thing, I'm glad I didn't tell him, "No!" He calls the recipes "mail" and also recently has really enjoyed putting money into a bank.
Mindy - November 14, 2007 12:56 pmI talked with a young mother last night at church and she mentioned that little girls like role playing. Maybe getting her a little set of dishes, pans or such or just letting her play with some Tupperware and wooden spoons. She could pretend to be cooking. What about dress up? A trip to the Goodwill for some grown up shoes and dresses might be fun.
Carol - November 15, 2007 06:09 am
on November 07 2007 at 02:50 PM
by: Andy Matthews
Twice every year the United States, and many other countries around the world, perform a ritual dating all the way back to the ancient Romans (that's even older than my parents). This practice, known alternately as Daylight Savings Time (DST) in the US, "summer time" in the United Kingdom, requires us to adjust our clocks forwards or backwards one hour depending on the time of year.
"Spring forward, fall back" has become a common mantra for those of us who have difficulty remembering which way is which. In spring and the summer we get an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, while in the fall and winter months, it gets dark as early as 5pm (here in Nashville at least). While this can be a good thing during the summer months, it really can play havoc with us in the winter. There's a 4X higher incidents of traffic accidents in the fall/winter, farmers have less time in the fields, and my daughter Noelle wakes up one whole hour earlier than normal.
You heard me. We finally got her trained to sleep through the night (only took us 16 months). Then we finally got her to start waking up sometime around 7pm reliably and now the US government perpetrates this on us? She's woken up earlier than 6:30 every morning since DST went into effect. Now mind you, I enjoy spending time with Noelle, especially since she's getting a personality, and I can interact with her. But when you're used to sleeping in until around 7, waking up an hour early is a jarring thing.
Also, in addition to her early rising habits these days, she's learned how to take off her pajamas. That's added an entirely new suite of things that could greet me when I walk into her room in the morning. For example, twice so far this week I've heard her talking to herself saying "my zip, my...zip". This is a bad sign as it means she's managed to unzip her pajamas to some degree or another. Usually she's only gotten the zipper down to her foot, but it seems she's learned how to completely take her pajamas off. What do I see when I walk in but a mostly naked baby with a diaper that's half off. Luckily it was just a wet diaper or I would have started off the day with a bath.
Anyway, just wanted to share with you the joys of parenthood and children who are early risers.
"Spring forward, fall back" has become a common mantra for those of us who have difficulty remembering which way is which. In spring and the summer we get an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, while in the fall and winter months, it gets dark as early as 5pm (here in Nashville at least). While this can be a good thing during the summer months, it really can play havoc with us in the winter. There's a 4X higher incidents of traffic accidents in the fall/winter, farmers have less time in the fields, and my daughter Noelle wakes up one whole hour earlier than normal.
You heard me. We finally got her trained to sleep through the night (only took us 16 months). Then we finally got her to start waking up sometime around 7pm reliably and now the US government perpetrates this on us? She's woken up earlier than 6:30 every morning since DST went into effect. Now mind you, I enjoy spending time with Noelle, especially since she's getting a personality, and I can interact with her. But when you're used to sleeping in until around 7, waking up an hour early is a jarring thing.
Also, in addition to her early rising habits these days, she's learned how to take off her pajamas. That's added an entirely new suite of things that could greet me when I walk into her room in the morning. For example, twice so far this week I've heard her talking to herself saying "my zip, my...zip". This is a bad sign as it means she's managed to unzip her pajamas to some degree or another. Usually she's only gotten the zipper down to her foot, but it seems she's learned how to completely take her pajamas off. What do I see when I walk in but a mostly naked baby with a diaper that's half off. Luckily it was just a wet diaper or I would have started off the day with a bath.
Anyway, just wanted to share with you the joys of parenthood and children who are early risers.
So your little Houdini is now getting out of her PJ's.....At least she hasn't taken her diaper off with the PJ's. I agree about DST...I hate that it is not dark right after I get home, or before.
Mom - November 07, 2007 02:10 pmShe may not have taken the diaper off completely, but the half off she's mastered could do damage as well! Andy neglected to mention what was all over Noelle's hands this morning.
Jaime Matthews - November 07, 2007 03:01 pmYeah...actually decided not to mention it. But Noelle had poop on her hands this morning. She apparently reached down the back of her diaper and got it on her fingers.
Andy - November 07, 2007 03:41 pmYUCK!!! Good luck with that situation. I don't have any words of wisdom on that, hopefully just the smell would discourage her from doing it again.
mom - November 08, 2007 05:44 amI seem to remember that happening with a little girl that lived in my house.
Mom B - November 08, 2007 07:03 amWell, she definitely didn't like it. She was holding her hands away from her like she didn't even want them to be attached to her. But then again, this is the second time she's done that so who knows. She kept saying "look daddy, what IS it?".
Andy - November 08, 2007 07:03 am
on October 28 2007 at 05:45 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
We just got back from the playground, where Noelle experienced one of her first rejections. This was Noelle talking to a little boy at the playground:
Noelle: <waving and smiling> Hi!
Boy: I'm not your friend.
Noelle: <pause> Okay...
She only sounded minorly dejected. Later on, we ran into the boy again climbing a ladder. He saw that Noelle wanted to try and said, "You can't do this!" So I said to him, "She sure can try though." And I wish he were still there when she made it to the top!
I'm sure Noelle will get rejected a lot in life, and I hope that eventually she learns to just shake it off. It's these kind of things that make me realize what a huge job it is to be a parent.
Noelle: <waving and smiling> Hi!
Boy: I'm not your friend.
Noelle: <pause> Okay...
She only sounded minorly dejected. Later on, we ran into the boy again climbing a ladder. He saw that Noelle wanted to try and said, "You can't do this!" So I said to him, "She sure can try though." And I wish he were still there when she made it to the top!
I'm sure Noelle will get rejected a lot in life, and I hope that eventually she learns to just shake it off. It's these kind of things that make me realize what a huge job it is to be a parent.
Let me at that little boy!!
Mom B - October 29, 2007 04:31 pm
on October 23 2007 at 09:45 AM
by: Andy Matthews
A friend of mine, Daniel Isenhower, is moving out of town this week. Some his friends were having a going away party for he and his wife Lindsay. So I decided I wanted to go and wish him well in his journeys. Problem is that I planned my attendance when I thought Jaime and Noelle were going to be out of town. After I picked the two of them up from the airport, I realized that I had Noelle for the rest of the day (this past Sunday), but still wanted to go.
So I packed up Noelle and took off for Two Rivers park over by the Opryland area. When we arrived, there were just a few people hanging around under the park pavilion so I let Noelle down to play. That worked for a little while, but after about a half hour she got bored so we decided to walk over to the playground. The closer we got to the play area, the more excited I got. It looked REALLY cool, big wooden structures, with lots of kids.
Noelle was so eager to get in there, it was really cute. She ran all over the place, to the swings, to talk with other kids, it was great. My favorite parts though were when she started climbing up into the castle. It was full of little passageways, perfect for tiny little bodies. I even got a picture of Noelle peeking through the slats.
Anyway, we had lots of fun and she didn't want to leave. View the rest of the Two Rivers pictures.
So I packed up Noelle and took off for Two Rivers park over by the Opryland area. When we arrived, there were just a few people hanging around under the park pavilion so I let Noelle down to play. That worked for a little while, but after about a half hour she got bored so we decided to walk over to the playground. The closer we got to the play area, the more excited I got. It looked REALLY cool, big wooden structures, with lots of kids.
Noelle was so eager to get in there, it was really cute. She ran all over the place, to the swings, to talk with other kids, it was great. My favorite parts though were when she started climbing up into the castle. It was full of little passageways, perfect for tiny little bodies. I even got a picture of Noelle peeking through the slats.
Anyway, we had lots of fun and she didn't want to leave. View the rest of the Two Rivers pictures.
I love the pictures, especially the one of her looking through the slats....Reminds me of one of you looking through a fence. Sounds like Daddy and Papa need to build her a smaller version in your yard... Hummm!!??
mom - October 23, 2007 02:51 pm
on October 19 2007 at 02:26 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
Jaime and Noelle are out of town this weekend, in Illinois for a wedding to be precise. Apparently, on the flight up this morning, Noelle had a rough time of it. They finally made it to Jaime's parent's house and were able to put Noelle down for a nap.
A few minutes after they had left the room, they heard the door open. Thinking to themselves "Surely she can't reach the door from the crib." they walked down the hallway to check on our little princess only to be met by Noelle proudly walking down the hallway to meet them.
So Noelle can climb out of the pack and play now and none of her toys will ever be safe again. Anyone know if it's considered child abuse to fasten mosquito netting down over the top of her crib?
A few minutes after they had left the room, they heard the door open. Thinking to themselves "Surely she can't reach the door from the crib." they walked down the hallway to check on our little princess only to be met by Noelle proudly walking down the hallway to meet them.
So Noelle can climb out of the pack and play now and none of her toys will ever be safe again. Anyone know if it's considered child abuse to fasten mosquito netting down over the top of her crib?
This doesn't mean she can get out of her crib yet, but when that happens, big girl bed here we come!
Jaime Matthews - October 19, 2007 02:12 pmAHa! NOW you know how we felt when you were crawling out of your crib at 9 months!!! Good Luck, you will have to find what works for you....I wouldn't try our method we used for you, now days you probalby would get arrested! HA! LUVU
Mom - October 19, 2007 02:16 pmAha!, now you know how we felt when you were crawling out of your crib at 9 months!!! I wouldn't suggest you use the method we did, you probably would get arrested! Good luck, you will have to find out what works best for you....fun times ahead. LUVU
Mom - October 19, 2007 02:18 pmSorry about the double posting. It didn't show up the first time so I re-did it. We should have fun at Christmas in Florida at bedtime..
Mom - October 19, 2007 02:21 pm
...like daughter. On the way to school today:
Noelle: Mommy, what a doing?
Me: We're driving to school, Noelle.
Noelle: No go to school. My tummy hurts.
My mom always tells me that I missed practically every Monday of school, or at least wanted to, because I was "feeling sick." I hated school, from the first day of preschool to the last day of high school. I think Noelle likes her Parent's Day Out program, and maybe she really did have a tummy ache today, but I still thought it was pretty funny.
Noelle: Mommy, what a doing?
Me: We're driving to school, Noelle.
Noelle: No go to school. My tummy hurts.
My mom always tells me that I missed practically every Monday of school, or at least wanted to, because I was "feeling sick." I hated school, from the first day of preschool to the last day of high school. I think Noelle likes her Parent's Day Out program, and maybe she really did have a tummy ache today, but I still thought it was pretty funny.
Ahh... mom's prayer worked. You did get have a child just like you... :0)
Jonathan - October 16, 2007 03:21 pmOh...it wasn't a prayer...it was a curse!!!
Mom B - October 18, 2007 02:38 pm
on September 14 2007 at 08:23 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Andy
I'm so out of shape...wait...round is a shape right? It is, but it's not the shape I want for myself. So I've been thinking, and talking, more and more lately about getting in better shape. Mostly for my own good, but a lot for Noelle and Jaime too. I don't want to have a heart attack by age 36 or anything. Not to mention I don't want to end up as one of those guys that gets so fat that his loving wife has to sponge bathe him in bed because he no longer fits through the bedroom door.
But I digress...I've been wanting to get in shape, that's what I was talking about. So I've got a bicycle that's been sitting in the garage since Jaime and I got married. I've also wanted to start riding that more often. I thought it was a good idea to sort of combine those two desires, and add into the mix some time spent with Noelle. So I borrowed a tow-behind baby stroller, more like a rickshaw than anything else, and headed out to our local greenway.
Essentially a path through protected marshland, it's a paved trail that winds it's way through grassland and forests right next to the Cumberland river. All total I think the trail is about 6 or 7 miles long and it's very peaceful. Since this was my first time riding the bike in 4 years or so, I thought it wise to keep the workout to a minimum, and made it to the 1.5 mile marker before turning around.
The entire time Noelle was just talking to herself, talking to me, playing with her helmet, etc. I mostly sweated and panted. I made it back safely though. I'd really like to do this again, especially since it's finally starting to cool down. If I can do it regularly, even if it's only every few days, that'll help me out a lot. Who knows...I might even start to like it.
Hey, I'm glad you don't want to be one of "those guys," but I could have done without the visual image of "I don't want to end up as one of those guys that gets so fat that his loving wife has to sponge bathe him in bed because he no longer fits through the bedroom door." Too funny!
Diana - September 15, 2007 01:11 pmyes... make sure you get between the creases honey..LOL
Dan and Sandy - September 29, 2007 06:17 amI know how you feel about the exercise thing. I need to do that myself. I feel rolly polly at times myself. I bought a bike about 2 years ago and I can say that I have rode it probably 3 times. The rest of the time it has been either sitting in the shed in my grandmothers backyard or now for the past several months been resting in my storage bin. Keep going and don't give up, you will do just fine and will drop the weight in no time. I think it was a great idea to borrow that so that you and your daughter can enjoy some time together, good call.
Tibber - October 04, 2007 08:03 am
on September 14 2007 at 03:41 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
Me: (at the grocery store) Noelle, do you think we got everything we need?
Noelle: No.
Me: What else do we need to get?
Noelle: COKE!
What a goofball. I swear I could write 100 of these kinds of stories every day. I think I just get overwhelmed by her cuteness (and precociousness) and don't write about much of it at all. I know I'll wish I had more of it written down later on, though. Maybe I should start keeping a journal. Kind of like a bl...oh, wait a minute! I have high hopes of using this blog more frequently, but sometimes it just dips down in my priority list.
We have some new pictures up on our Picasa Web Albums page, some from Andy's mom visiting, some from my parents visiting. Two weekends in a row that I don't think I changed a single diaper!
Noelle is in the middle of what looks to be her second failed attempt at a nap today. Earlier, after she had been in the crib a while she started saying "No sleepy, mommy." Then she called out for me to "Check a diaper." At least she can tell me what's going on! One of my favorite things she is doing right now is giving herself a play by play of what's going on. I accidentally left the bathroom door open yesterday, and I heard the toilet lid fall closed, then heard her say "Ouch. Hurt finger." When my parents were here, they slept in her room. They said one morning while it was still dark, she woke up and started talking to herself for a while. She said, "Mommy sleeping. Daddy sleeping. Water cup." Then they heard her drinking from her cup.
Noelle can count to 11 if she's in the right mood, and it's fun to see her get so excited about it. Of course this past weekend I was trying to get her to do all her tricks for my parents, and she sang a few songs including Baa Baa Black Sheep, and then we asked her to count, and she said, "1...2...3 - BAGS FULL!"
She's also started doing some imaginative play, like grabbing an empty bowl and offering me peaches from it, or checking Mickey Mouse's diaper (he is ALWAYS poopy, that one!), and delivering me mail. And even though she is currently fussing her head off in the crib because I dare to ask her to nap, I love her dearly.
Noelle: No.
Me: What else do we need to get?
Noelle: COKE!
What a goofball. I swear I could write 100 of these kinds of stories every day. I think I just get overwhelmed by her cuteness (and precociousness) and don't write about much of it at all. I know I'll wish I had more of it written down later on, though. Maybe I should start keeping a journal. Kind of like a bl...oh, wait a minute! I have high hopes of using this blog more frequently, but sometimes it just dips down in my priority list.
We have some new pictures up on our Picasa Web Albums page, some from Andy's mom visiting, some from my parents visiting. Two weekends in a row that I don't think I changed a single diaper!
Noelle is in the middle of what looks to be her second failed attempt at a nap today. Earlier, after she had been in the crib a while she started saying "No sleepy, mommy." Then she called out for me to "Check a diaper." At least she can tell me what's going on! One of my favorite things she is doing right now is giving herself a play by play of what's going on. I accidentally left the bathroom door open yesterday, and I heard the toilet lid fall closed, then heard her say "Ouch. Hurt finger." When my parents were here, they slept in her room. They said one morning while it was still dark, she woke up and started talking to herself for a while. She said, "Mommy sleeping. Daddy sleeping. Water cup." Then they heard her drinking from her cup.
Noelle can count to 11 if she's in the right mood, and it's fun to see her get so excited about it. Of course this past weekend I was trying to get her to do all her tricks for my parents, and she sang a few songs including Baa Baa Black Sheep, and then we asked her to count, and she said, "1...2...3 - BAGS FULL!"
She's also started doing some imaginative play, like grabbing an empty bowl and offering me peaches from it, or checking Mickey Mouse's diaper (he is ALWAYS poopy, that one!), and delivering me mail. And even though she is currently fussing her head off in the crib because I dare to ask her to nap, I love her dearly.
LOVE that baby. She's such a hoot!
andy matthews - September 14, 2007 07:37 pmI love it! I know exactly what you mean cuteness and precociousness ... I'm amazed at how much we delight in Katrina. The play-by-play/thinking aloud cracks me up, too. The other day, Katrina said to one of the cats, "Hi, Baby! No baby. Kitty. Hi, Kitty!"
Lexa - September 16, 2007 11:02 amI don't know who you lovely people are, but I love reading about the love that you two have for your daughter and how much fun she can be, and taking it all in, good and the bad. She sounds delightful and is cute as button.
Tibber - October 04, 2007 08:08 am
on August 30 2007 at 09:52 AM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
So today is Noelle's first full day of Parent's Day Out. The program actually started last week, but due to the utterly oppressive heatwave we've been having, all Metro schools were running at half days. Unfortunately for Jaime, this also affected Parent's Day Out. So while Noelle went last week, she was only there for 3 hours instead of the full 5.
THIS week, Noelle had a fever Monday night and couldn't go due to their restrictions against allowing plague-y kids to attend. But all is clear for today, and in fact, Jaime has already dropped Noelle off and all appears to be clear.
So let's cross our fingers that the place doesn't lose power, or get flooded and Jaime has to go pick up Noelle early.
UPDATE: She did great! She ate almost all of her lunch, and took a 45 minute nap on her nap mat. She only woke up then because a little boy woke up crying and ended everyone's nap. They sent home a little "report card" telling us how her day went. We're so proud! And, Jaime got a LOT done around the house.
THIS week, Noelle had a fever Monday night and couldn't go due to their restrictions against allowing plague-y kids to attend. But all is clear for today, and in fact, Jaime has already dropped Noelle off and all appears to be clear.
So let's cross our fingers that the place doesn't lose power, or get flooded and Jaime has to go pick up Noelle early.
UPDATE: She did great! She ate almost all of her lunch, and took a 45 minute nap on her nap mat. She only woke up then because a little boy woke up crying and ended everyone's nap. They sent home a little "report card" telling us how her day went. We're so proud! And, Jaime got a LOT done around the house.
Noelle, Such a big girl to be in "school" all day!! Grammy's proud of you! Can't wait to see you on Saturday morning when you wake up. Looking forward to a little voice saying "Grammy, get up!" Love you Grammy
Grammy - August 30, 2007 06:51 pmwow! how did it go? did she go this week?
*sara* - September 07, 2007 10:40 pm
Noelle has been holding steady at 12 teeth for the last 4 months, but Andy noticed this morning that finally another one has poked through the surface! She has been a little irritable and clingy lately, but she goes through that sometimes for no apparent reason. After an early nap for a cranky girl this morning I discovered she had a fever, and then noticed two more teeth coming in on the top. Teething can cause a fever, so I'm hoping that's all it is and not that she's sick. She has been acting pretty pathetic today though. I took some pictures of her, and when I showed her this one she said "sad." Aww. I'd be sad, too, if I had 3 teeth coming in at the same time.
"Why is Noelle sad?" asked Jackson. "She's getting teeth and her mouth hurts," replied Daddy. "Oh... yeah... hm-mmm," remarked Jackson understandingly...
Jackson - August 27, 2007 06:38 pmA follow up: "Daddy, I like Noelle... I miss her," Jackson said sadly...
Jackson - August 27, 2007 06:41 pmAww...she misses Jackson and "Meyer" too. She asks to pray for them a lot of nights.
Jaime Matthews - August 28, 2007 09:40 amYeah...she mostly asks to pray for Jerr-bear though.
Andy Matthews - August 28, 2007 09:45 am
Is there any other phrase on God's green earth which can so easily melt the hearts of Daddys? Noelle doesn't say it all that often, but when she does I feel this shiver run through my body and I receive just the smallest glimpse of what it must be like when we tell God we love him.
Nothing quite like the first time your child says those wonderful words....I Love You. You and Jaime are Blessed!
Grammy - August 26, 2007 04:19 pm
Today was Noelle's first day at the Parent's Day Out program we've enrolled her in for the fall. She will be going there Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2. This week they are having half days because it's so ridiculously hot here, and their AC is needing repair. So, we're doing 9-12 this week. I had been feeling a lot of mixed emotions about sending her to PDO. I knew that I would enjoy the time to get things done and maybe relax a bit (what!?), but I also felt a little bit of guilt because I don't "need" her to go. It's not like I'm working during those hours and need the childcare. However, I know that it will be great for Noelle to meet some new kids (or friends, as she calls them), learn to listen to another adult, and just get out of the house and play with some different toys. So even up to Monday morning I was still feeling somewhat hesitant about sending her away. Then on Monday, Noelle just acted like she did not want to be with me. She didn't want to color, didn't want to swing, didn't want to watch Elmo, didn't want to read books, she was just in a pretty bad mood. And I said thank you Lord for PDO starting tomorrow.
We had pretty much the same kind of day today, with her being pretty irritable when it came to anything I suggested. She's getting big into the "mine" now, only it's really more like, "NO, MIIIIIINE!!!!!!!" She was playing with my makeup brush this morning and when it was time to put it away, she said, "No, MY TURN!" Later when Andy came home, he was outside watering our near dead tree and took the dogs out with him. Noelle and I were talking to him through the window in our bedroom, and Noelle looked at Nacho running around and said, "No, Nacho, MY OUTSIDE!" She apparently owns the entire outdoors. Also today at lunch, I was trying to help Noelle get some peas on her fork and she looked me in the eyes and told me to "let go." Yikes. I just wasn't feeling the love today, and many time outs were had. For both of us.
I think Noelle's playschool teacher has her work cut out for her, with 8 kids probably going through the exact same stage of figuring out what belongs to them and how they are a separate little person with their own needs and wants. Glad it's her and not me!
Of course, that little girl says some amazingly sweet and funny things as well. On our way home today I asked if she was hungry, and she said, "Chicken nuggets please." Whoa! I turned right back around and headed to McDonalds for that one. Also, Andy sneezed yesterday and she said "Bless you." So cute!
We had pretty much the same kind of day today, with her being pretty irritable when it came to anything I suggested. She's getting big into the "mine" now, only it's really more like, "NO, MIIIIIINE!!!!!!!" She was playing with my makeup brush this morning and when it was time to put it away, she said, "No, MY TURN!" Later when Andy came home, he was outside watering our near dead tree and took the dogs out with him. Noelle and I were talking to him through the window in our bedroom, and Noelle looked at Nacho running around and said, "No, Nacho, MY OUTSIDE!" She apparently owns the entire outdoors. Also today at lunch, I was trying to help Noelle get some peas on her fork and she looked me in the eyes and told me to "let go." Yikes. I just wasn't feeling the love today, and many time outs were had. For both of us.
I think Noelle's playschool teacher has her work cut out for her, with 8 kids probably going through the exact same stage of figuring out what belongs to them and how they are a separate little person with their own needs and wants. Glad it's her and not me!
Of course, that little girl says some amazingly sweet and funny things as well. On our way home today I asked if she was hungry, and she said, "Chicken nuggets please." Whoa! I turned right back around and headed to McDonalds for that one. Also, Andy sneezed yesterday and she said "Bless you." So cute!
Jaime has already communicated just how much Noelle loves Sesame Street, but here's an interesting twist. This morning Sesame Street had a segment called "Show & Tell With Ernie" (Ernie being one of Noelle's favorite characters). It featured Ernie talking to a young boy about a drawing that the boy had done.
Ernie introduced his friend "Ben", then proceeded to ask Ben questions about his drawing of a rainbow. Because Ernie was onscreen, I thought it would be cute to hear Noelle say his name, so I asked Noelle "Noelle, who is that on the TV?" To which she promptly replied "Ben!".
What can I say, the child is quick on the uptake.
Ernie introduced his friend "Ben", then proceeded to ask Ben questions about his drawing of a rainbow. Because Ernie was onscreen, I thought it would be cute to hear Noelle say his name, so I asked Noelle "Noelle, who is that on the TV?" To which she promptly replied "Ben!".
What can I say, the child is quick on the uptake.
My child could watch Sesame Street all day long, I think. She usually only watches one episode a day, but then for the rest of the day she periodically asks for "Melmo," which is what she calls the show based on one of the main characters, Elmo. That was pretty much the only character she ever referenced up until this week. Now she also says "Nuffy" for Snuffleupagus, "Uhnie" for Ernie, "But" for Bert, "Cooky Mocker" for Cookie Monster, "Ockser" for Oscar, "Bird" for Big Bird, "Beer" for Baby Bear, and Telly and Zoe.She gets interested in a different character every few days. Today it was Ernie, and every time he'd come on the screen she'd look at me with bright eyes, gasp with pure joy and say "Uhnie!!!" with the biggest smile ever. Today in the car she out of nowhere said "Uhnie. Duckie. Quack Quack." Goofball. I do love the way she sits on her little couch and enjoys the show, though. And sometimes she'll make requests of me, like "Mommy? Bup." which means she wants her cup, or "Mommy? Fishies?" for some crackers. And I of course usually oblige. How could you resist? :)
And a little funny story on the side. Today we were at TJ Maxx and the song "Cold Hearted Snake" came on. I barely even noticed the music, but Noelle apparently heard it and said "Nake. Ssssss."
on July 07 2007 at 07:44 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
I've been getting a little bored lately doing the same old things with Noelle, and wanted to try something new. I thought maybe she's getting old enough to do some artsy stuff without either making a huge mess of everything or eating the supplies. I was right about the first point, but only because she pretty much refused to touch the playdough and fingerpaints I lovingly made for her. On the second point, however, I was totally wrong.She stuck her fingerpainted fingers in her mouth (which only had paint on them because I pushed her hand into the paint) because she started to get upset that I wouldn't let her out. I kept trying to show her how "fun" it is to paint, but she wasn't buying it. And frankly, it wasn't that fun for me either, considering she just sat there with her painted hand held up in the air like it was diseased.
Then, the whole time we were "playing" with the playdough, she kept excitedly saying, "Eat it?!?!? Bite it?!?!" She actually called it a pizza, so I guess I can see why she thought it was for eating. But as you can see in this picture, her attitude was "if it's not for eating, I ain't touchin it." I again tried to point out the fun that could be had squeezing it and making snakes, or using cookie cutters, and I reminded her that it took a good bit of effort on my part to make it for her, but she still wasn't interested.
You can see more pictures from our painting and playdough escapades here, along with a few random pics of Noelle climbing in a suitcase and swinging on our front porch.
on June 29 2007 at 12:06 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
So Noelle was up a good portion of the night vomiting. We went through 4 pairs of pajamas for her, 1 for me, 3 crib sheets, 1 daybed comforter, 1 daybed sheet and mattress pad, and 4 loads of laundry all before 5 AM. Awesome. She didn't seem to feel sick, in fact she wanted to play with her little people and the dogs and run around the house at 4 in the morning. But then there was the vomiting.
This morning she seemed to be feeling better, although she didn't eat much for breakfast. What she did eat, though, came right back out as we drove to the hospital this morning to pick up Charlotte's ashes. As if that wasn't hard enough to do all by itself. The car seat was trashed, I hadn't brought a change of clothes, and all I had to clean her with was kleenex. Thankfully I remembered there was a onesie thrown in the trunk that I could put on her.
So we got back from the hospital, gave Noelle a bath and put her to bed. Now I'm doing more loads of laundry, I took the carseat apart, I'm washing the cover in the machine and took the actual seat outside and hosed it down. Hopefully it dries relatively quickly. And next, I get to head out to the car to clean off the seat, because a good amount of vomit actually dripped down under the seat through the hole where the buckle is. Also I had to throw her vomity clothes on the floor of the car while we went into the hospital, and they left a few marks.
Andy is at a conference and won't be home until tomorrow evening, and we're pretty much stuck inside because I can't take my sick child around other kids. Nor do I want to risk her throwing up all over her carseat again. Good times.
This morning she seemed to be feeling better, although she didn't eat much for breakfast. What she did eat, though, came right back out as we drove to the hospital this morning to pick up Charlotte's ashes. As if that wasn't hard enough to do all by itself. The car seat was trashed, I hadn't brought a change of clothes, and all I had to clean her with was kleenex. Thankfully I remembered there was a onesie thrown in the trunk that I could put on her.
So we got back from the hospital, gave Noelle a bath and put her to bed. Now I'm doing more loads of laundry, I took the carseat apart, I'm washing the cover in the machine and took the actual seat outside and hosed it down. Hopefully it dries relatively quickly. And next, I get to head out to the car to clean off the seat, because a good amount of vomit actually dripped down under the seat through the hole where the buckle is. Also I had to throw her vomity clothes on the floor of the car while we went into the hospital, and they left a few marks.
Andy is at a conference and won't be home until tomorrow evening, and we're pretty much stuck inside because I can't take my sick child around other kids. Nor do I want to risk her throwing up all over her carseat again. Good times.
We had Noelle's 18 month checkup today, with a new doctor. I definitely liked this woman better than our old doctor, but I'm still not sure if it's a perfect fit. I would say "is there ever one?" but I adore both my PNP (doctor) and my midwives, so yes, I think there can be. I just don't know how much time and effort I'm willing to put into finding one here in Nashville when Noelle will barely remember them. And they do a good job, it's more personality and some parenting method advice that I've not been as keen on. Those things I can just ignore and they don't affect my child's health. So, we'll continue with this new doctor a few more times and see how things go.
Noelle absolutely hated being at the doctor's today. I know part of it was that she just wanted to run wild and I had to contain her a little bit, but she was freaking out more than she really ever does. She was crying so hard that no noise was even coming out while they were simply trying to lay her down to see how tall she is. So, we got her new stats, but I'm not sure how accurate some of them are since she was all over the place.
Weight: 28 lbs, 3 oz (80th percentile)
Height: 33 inches (90th perc)
Head: 48.5 cm (90th perc)
The height is the most likely to be wrong, but even as it is, 33 inches is the average height of a 2 year old girl according to our doctor. Noelle's bound to pass me up in height before she's done growing. They say that a good estimate of future height is the child's height at age 2, multiplied by 2. Which means the average 2 year old girl at 33 inches will turn out to be 5'6". Noelle still has 6 months of growing to do before she's 2, so we'll see how tall she is then! Next appointment at 24 months.
Noelle absolutely hated being at the doctor's today. I know part of it was that she just wanted to run wild and I had to contain her a little bit, but she was freaking out more than she really ever does. She was crying so hard that no noise was even coming out while they were simply trying to lay her down to see how tall she is. So, we got her new stats, but I'm not sure how accurate some of them are since she was all over the place.
Weight: 28 lbs, 3 oz (80th percentile)
Height: 33 inches (90th perc)
Head: 48.5 cm (90th perc)
The height is the most likely to be wrong, but even as it is, 33 inches is the average height of a 2 year old girl according to our doctor. Noelle's bound to pass me up in height before she's done growing. They say that a good estimate of future height is the child's height at age 2, multiplied by 2. Which means the average 2 year old girl at 33 inches will turn out to be 5'6". Noelle still has 6 months of growing to do before she's 2, so we'll see how tall she is then! Next appointment at 24 months.
on June 16 2007 at 06:40 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Family
After a pretty long day of entertaining the little girl who tends to run our household these days (at least she thinks so), we decided to venture out to Bicentennial Park where they have fountains that you can run around in as well as a Farmer's Market right next door. Noelle and I had just gone to the fountains this past Thursday morning and she had a blast, so I knew she'd love to go again. I did hope that this time she fell down a lot less, and she managed to stay upright the whole time today. On Thursday, she was bleeding from about four different places by the time I called it a day.Andy was able to come along this time, and we had a great family outing. Playing in the fountains, chasing Noelle all over the park, changing her diaper in a public area (and forgetting the diaper on the bench, going back 45 minutes later to throw it away. oops.), and sharing a fresh pear and a falafel from the Farmer's Market. Noelle even met a little friend during dinner that gave her a picture she colored.
And now, thankfully, she is in bed. She woke up at 5:59 this morning and I've not had but an hour or so of "free" time all day. Such is the life of a mom, and although I get frustrated with days like today when I really felt like spending some time with my grief, I know how blessed I am to have a child to hold and love and care for. And just look at that beautiful girl splashing away in the fountains - how could that not make you smile?
on June 13 2007 at 08:28 AM
by: Jaime Matthews
Yesterday I encountered a series of mishaps that left me feeling frustrated, and laughing at the same time. First, we had received a meal from a friend during Bible Study in the morning, and as I tried to fit it into the refrigerator I knocked over a glass of fruit tea I had saved from the night before. Fruit tea all over everything in my fridge. It took me about 15 minutes to completely clean up the mess I had made, and I couldn't help but think how wrong it was that a meal given to me to free up my time caused this mess that was taking up my free time. Well, the meal and my clumsiness.
Later, after Noelle woke up from her nap, I went to change her diaper and as I pulled off her shorts, poop came flying out onto her changing table and my hand. There was definitely a lot of poop, but the main reason it overflowed is that her diaper apparently got put on a little crooked in the nursery or somehow wiggled around so that it was not completely covering her behind. So I stripped her down, trying not to get anything else dirty. Then as we stood in front of the bathtub while it filled up, Noelle of course being naked, she peed on the bathroom rug and floor.
Then we went to play with some friends at a local sprayground, and while pretty much everything went just fine, Noelle hit the back of her head pretty hard while going down the slide. And after daddy got home, he scraped Noelle's foot against the screen door coming in from the pool, causing many long seconds of a silent cry before an eruption of screaming.
At the end of the day, I went over to a friend's house to pick up some snacks she had made for us, and along with some very yummy treats, she gave me of all things - a pitcher of fruit tea. It's kind of nice how it all comes back around. It's almost providential.
Kind of like how last week, Noelle kept asking me for an apple and I had to tell her we were all out, and that I was sorry. Then maybe 10 minutes later, the doorbell rang and I was being given a basket of fruit and goodies, and all of a sudden I had an apple. I know those things are not that big of a deal, but I also know we have a God that meets the needs of his people. Even the silly ones.
Later, after Noelle woke up from her nap, I went to change her diaper and as I pulled off her shorts, poop came flying out onto her changing table and my hand. There was definitely a lot of poop, but the main reason it overflowed is that her diaper apparently got put on a little crooked in the nursery or somehow wiggled around so that it was not completely covering her behind. So I stripped her down, trying not to get anything else dirty. Then as we stood in front of the bathtub while it filled up, Noelle of course being naked, she peed on the bathroom rug and floor.
Then we went to play with some friends at a local sprayground, and while pretty much everything went just fine, Noelle hit the back of her head pretty hard while going down the slide. And after daddy got home, he scraped Noelle's foot against the screen door coming in from the pool, causing many long seconds of a silent cry before an eruption of screaming.
At the end of the day, I went over to a friend's house to pick up some snacks she had made for us, and along with some very yummy treats, she gave me of all things - a pitcher of fruit tea. It's kind of nice how it all comes back around. It's almost providential.
Kind of like how last week, Noelle kept asking me for an apple and I had to tell her we were all out, and that I was sorry. Then maybe 10 minutes later, the doorbell rang and I was being given a basket of fruit and goodies, and all of a sudden I had an apple. I know those things are not that big of a deal, but I also know we have a God that meets the needs of his people. Even the silly ones.
on June 11 2007 at 10:07 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Charlotte Mae
Church yesterday was hard, as I knew it would be. A lot of people that I hadn't seen since we lost Charlotte who wanted to offer sympathy, a lot of pregnant women, and just being well loved by our church body all contributed to a good number of tears shed. During the opening prayer, the elder was talking about God's power and how he can move mountains and heal his people and bring children into the lives of families. As I sat there listening, I experienced the anger stage of grieving for the first time. That's right, God, you are all powerful, and you can save and heal and bring life. Why didn't you do that for Charlotte? Why wouldn't you do that for me? It passed pretty quickly, but I was very angry during that prayer.
During the service, I just couldn't pay attention, so I started to flip through a book our Children's Pastor gave me called "Losing You Too Soon" by Bernadette Keaggy, wife of Phil Keaggy. They lost three pregnancies in a row in the second trimester, the first being triplets and the second two single children, so a total of 5 children lost before they even had a chance to live. They went on to have two children after those experiences, and she wrote about finding hope after such incredible loss. Three in a row? I feel like I am processing the loss of Charlotte pretty well, but how would I feel if it happened again? And a third time? We want three more children, and now I know first hand that no pregnancy is necessarily safe until the baby has been delivered. And of course after delivery there are even more things that could happen to a child. I have never been the type to get caught up in "what if" and I'm not going to start now, but I do have a larger respect for things that I've just always thought wouldn't happen to me.
After church I went to a Women's Ministry Team meeting, where more tears were shed as the women I serve with prayed over me and allowed me to talk about Charlotte. Then during prayer at the end of the meeting, I prayed over our meals ministry. Being the good southern women we are, we cook and bake our hearts out for those in need, and this ministry helps us do that. Whenever someone is sick, or has a baby or some other need, they can get meals out of the church freezer that is kept well stocked by women that just make an extra casserole or buy an extra bag of rolls or vegetables and bring them in. Then women sign up to bring meals to the family for a week, a few weeks, or even longer depending on the need.
The meals we have received since Charlotte's death have been such a blessing, and as I prayed for that ministry I was overcome by how blessed we are. It is hard to accept such generosity, and harder this time than it was after we had Noelle. Bringing home a new baby, I was willing to admit that I had no time and energy to make meals for my family, and I was thankful for the break. But this time, I do have the time, technically, and usually the energy. But my friends know more than I can easily admit that I just can't handle the daily routine stuff right now. Because of these meals, I don't have to put any time into planning what my family will eat and then doing all the prep and cooking of those meals. With my mind off of cooking, I have been able to do some journaling, praying, connecting with friends, and just plain resting. Grieving is harder work than I would have thought.
Quickly on a much lighter note, today Noelle and I went to the grocery store and she was getting restless in the checkout line. I handed her my credit card to hold while I unloaded our cart, and she held it up near the credit card machine and started swiping it through the air. Someone behind us said, "just one year old and she already knows how to use a credit card!" That's my girl.
During the service, I just couldn't pay attention, so I started to flip through a book our Children's Pastor gave me called "Losing You Too Soon" by Bernadette Keaggy, wife of Phil Keaggy. They lost three pregnancies in a row in the second trimester, the first being triplets and the second two single children, so a total of 5 children lost before they even had a chance to live. They went on to have two children after those experiences, and she wrote about finding hope after such incredible loss. Three in a row? I feel like I am processing the loss of Charlotte pretty well, but how would I feel if it happened again? And a third time? We want three more children, and now I know first hand that no pregnancy is necessarily safe until the baby has been delivered. And of course after delivery there are even more things that could happen to a child. I have never been the type to get caught up in "what if" and I'm not going to start now, but I do have a larger respect for things that I've just always thought wouldn't happen to me.
After church I went to a Women's Ministry Team meeting, where more tears were shed as the women I serve with prayed over me and allowed me to talk about Charlotte. Then during prayer at the end of the meeting, I prayed over our meals ministry. Being the good southern women we are, we cook and bake our hearts out for those in need, and this ministry helps us do that. Whenever someone is sick, or has a baby or some other need, they can get meals out of the church freezer that is kept well stocked by women that just make an extra casserole or buy an extra bag of rolls or vegetables and bring them in. Then women sign up to bring meals to the family for a week, a few weeks, or even longer depending on the need.
The meals we have received since Charlotte's death have been such a blessing, and as I prayed for that ministry I was overcome by how blessed we are. It is hard to accept such generosity, and harder this time than it was after we had Noelle. Bringing home a new baby, I was willing to admit that I had no time and energy to make meals for my family, and I was thankful for the break. But this time, I do have the time, technically, and usually the energy. But my friends know more than I can easily admit that I just can't handle the daily routine stuff right now. Because of these meals, I don't have to put any time into planning what my family will eat and then doing all the prep and cooking of those meals. With my mind off of cooking, I have been able to do some journaling, praying, connecting with friends, and just plain resting. Grieving is harder work than I would have thought.
Quickly on a much lighter note, today Noelle and I went to the grocery store and she was getting restless in the checkout line. I handed her my credit card to hold while I unloaded our cart, and she held it up near the credit card machine and started swiping it through the air. Someone behind us said, "just one year old and she already knows how to use a credit card!" That's my girl.
Noelle recently learned how to climb up onto our couches by herself, which has provided her tons of amusement. And now if I leave her alone in the living room for a minute, I never know where she'll be when I return. Once I came in and she was sitting on the couch reading a magazine that had been stored behind the couch. Today, this is what I came in to see. She must have learned that from her daddy. You'll be happy to know she was watching opera on NPT.
The three of us went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Friday, and we were enjoying the usual chips and salsa while we decided what to order. We put a few chips in front of Noelle that she was happily munching on. Then she started to grunt a bit, which means that she wants something that she doesn't know how to ask for. She took her chip and held it in the air, then made a raking motion with it and held it out toward me, then grunted again. She wanted some salsa! So I happily obliged and dipped her chip then gave it to her to eat. From that point on, she refused to eat a chip without having us first dip it in salsa. I thought it was cute that she caught on to what we were doing.
Saturday, Andy was eating some tuna which he scoops up with a tortilla chip to eat. (And just typing that, I almost gagged. I hate tuna, even moreso when I'm pregnant.) He was giving some to Noelle, and when he finished he put the empty bowl on the side table in the living room. He gave her another chip to eat, and she walked over to the table and scraped it around in the bowl before eating it.
So, we've been trying to let her do some dipping and use her spoon more often, with mixed results. I don't mind letting her get messy for learning purposes, but I'm not quite ready to just let her feed herself full time no matter what she does with her food. (i.e. feed it to the dogs, throw it on the floor, move it back and forth from bowl to tray) All of that is fine in moderation and something she will inevitably do as she is learning, but I'll just let it happen for part of a meal or maybe one meal a day. Especially since she is still willing to let us feed her, I'm going to take advantage of that a little longer. That little baby is growing up!
Saturday, Andy was eating some tuna which he scoops up with a tortilla chip to eat. (And just typing that, I almost gagged. I hate tuna, even moreso when I'm pregnant.) He was giving some to Noelle, and when he finished he put the empty bowl on the side table in the living room. He gave her another chip to eat, and she walked over to the table and scraped it around in the bowl before eating it.
So, we've been trying to let her do some dipping and use her spoon more often, with mixed results. I don't mind letting her get messy for learning purposes, but I'm not quite ready to just let her feed herself full time no matter what she does with her food. (i.e. feed it to the dogs, throw it on the floor, move it back and forth from bowl to tray) All of that is fine in moderation and something she will inevitably do as she is learning, but I'll just let it happen for part of a meal or maybe one meal a day. Especially since she is still willing to let us feed her, I'm going to take advantage of that a little longer. That little baby is growing up!
On March 23rd, Noelle hit the 15 month mark. We had her doctor's appointment this week, and everything is looking good. She weighs 24 lbs, 13 oz and is 32 inches tall. She's in the 75th and 90th percentiles, respectively, making her thin for her height. That thought made Andy laugh because she has such a big belly, but ALL babies do! Of course, with the curse of the women in my family, Noelle's big belly will probably last way into adulthood.
She was even less of a fan of the shots than she normally is. She laid down on the table no problem, but as soon as the first needle hit her she looked SO offended and started wailing. That didn't stop until we left the doctor's office. We got to the car and she was signing that she wanted to eat, so I offered her everything I had but she wanted none of it. So I said okay, we'll just go home then and got in the front seat. That just made her freak out all over again. I offered her a granola bar again and she took it that time, only to freak out again when we got to the last piece. By the time we got moving in the car, though, she was just fine.
This is both a fun and challenging time to be Noelle's mom. Her personality is really developing, which at times just cracks me up. She really is a funny kid. Yesterday she was starting to pull her bib off at lunchtime, but instead of taking it off she held it over her face, then dropped it and said, "Boo!"
The challenging part, and I know each age will have a challenging part, is that she's so verbal that I think I sometimes expect her to know more than she does. Sometime she'll be signing please and I have no idea what she wants, or she'll just grunt and I'll say "use your words!" but although she has a ton of words, she still doesn't know how to express herself all the time. Also, she is very independent and keeping her from wandering everywhere is pretty impossible. I let her wander when I can, but sometimes we just need to go in one direction! And with me feeling sick, I'd much rather walk with her holding my hand than have to carry her. We're working on that.
The other day we went to the park and Andy was walking with Noelle holding his hand while I walked on the other side of her. She reached her little hand up to grab my finger so she could walk holding both of our hands. Moments like that make up for a multitude of frustrations.
Our add a photo technology is not working currently, but you can see new pictures at the links below.
February Pictures
March Pictures
She was even less of a fan of the shots than she normally is. She laid down on the table no problem, but as soon as the first needle hit her she looked SO offended and started wailing. That didn't stop until we left the doctor's office. We got to the car and she was signing that she wanted to eat, so I offered her everything I had but she wanted none of it. So I said okay, we'll just go home then and got in the front seat. That just made her freak out all over again. I offered her a granola bar again and she took it that time, only to freak out again when we got to the last piece. By the time we got moving in the car, though, she was just fine.
This is both a fun and challenging time to be Noelle's mom. Her personality is really developing, which at times just cracks me up. She really is a funny kid. Yesterday she was starting to pull her bib off at lunchtime, but instead of taking it off she held it over her face, then dropped it and said, "Boo!"
The challenging part, and I know each age will have a challenging part, is that she's so verbal that I think I sometimes expect her to know more than she does. Sometime she'll be signing please and I have no idea what she wants, or she'll just grunt and I'll say "use your words!" but although she has a ton of words, she still doesn't know how to express herself all the time. Also, she is very independent and keeping her from wandering everywhere is pretty impossible. I let her wander when I can, but sometimes we just need to go in one direction! And with me feeling sick, I'd much rather walk with her holding my hand than have to carry her. We're working on that.
The other day we went to the park and Andy was walking with Noelle holding his hand while I walked on the other side of her. She reached her little hand up to grab my finger so she could walk holding both of our hands. Moments like that make up for a multitude of frustrations.
Our add a photo technology is not working currently, but you can see new pictures at the links below.
February Pictures
March Pictures
Tomorrow I am going on an overnight Women's Retreat with our church. My first night without Noelle. Ever. Even Andy couldn't believe it, and thought surely I've had at least one night before this, before she was 14 months old. But no. I haven't been without her for more than 12 hours in a row (and that was just once, other than that it's been less than 6) since April 2005 when she was first conceived. To say I'm looking forward to it is an understatement.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my little girl. In fact, part of the reason I'm writing this post is to tell a few cute stories about her. But every mama needs a BREAK every now and then. Plus, I'm excited for Andy to have this concentrated time with Noelle and do the "single parent" thing that I do every day, and have done for a few overnights as well.
So on to the stories. Today I got Noelle up from a nap and brought her out to the living room. The high chair was out there because we bring it out on Monday nights for our Lost party with the Daugherty's, and I hadn't put it back yet. I stood her on top of the tray to be silly, and she worked her way to sitting down in the seat where she promptly said, "naa???" which is the way she says "snack???" And lately, every time she says snack, she begins to slowly nod her head yes right after, as if to try and hypnotize me into agreeing that it is in fact snack time.
Later we were having lunch and in between bites we were practicing some letter sounds. We were working on "t," and although I thought she had finished her bite of applesauce I guess she still had some in her mouth. So when she said "tuh", she spit applesauce all over her tray. She threw her body back in her seat and looked so surprised, and then just giggled uncontrollably. Crack me up. We have a good time together, me and Noelle. Not all the time, but enough to say that we generally enjoy each other's company. I'm sure I'll miss her more than I think tomorrow night.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my little girl. In fact, part of the reason I'm writing this post is to tell a few cute stories about her. But every mama needs a BREAK every now and then. Plus, I'm excited for Andy to have this concentrated time with Noelle and do the "single parent" thing that I do every day, and have done for a few overnights as well.
So on to the stories. Today I got Noelle up from a nap and brought her out to the living room. The high chair was out there because we bring it out on Monday nights for our Lost party with the Daugherty's, and I hadn't put it back yet. I stood her on top of the tray to be silly, and she worked her way to sitting down in the seat where she promptly said, "naa???" which is the way she says "snack???" And lately, every time she says snack, she begins to slowly nod her head yes right after, as if to try and hypnotize me into agreeing that it is in fact snack time.
Later we were having lunch and in between bites we were practicing some letter sounds. We were working on "t," and although I thought she had finished her bite of applesauce I guess she still had some in her mouth. So when she said "tuh", she spit applesauce all over her tray. She threw her body back in her seat and looked so surprised, and then just giggled uncontrollably. Crack me up. We have a good time together, me and Noelle. Not all the time, but enough to say that we generally enjoy each other's company. I'm sure I'll miss her more than I think tomorrow night.
Being a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) isn't all that thrilling sometimes. Today, for instance, time is moving as slowly as it ever has in my entire life. Worse than waiting in line at the DMV, which to me is one of the slowest procedures in the world. It is absolutely beyond me how it is only 4:00 right now. We've played with every toy we own, read most of our books several times, watched a video, played out in the yard, took a bath, went to the grocery store, took a nap, played with the dogs, had several snacks, ate lunch, and many other activities that apparently only take 1 minute each.
It doesn't help that I feel sick and that it's Friday, but seriously, what in the world? Normally we don't take a bath until right before bed, but I thought it'd be a good activity. I thought we had been playing in there FOREVER, and by the time I got us out and dried off, it hadn't even been fifteen minutes! I had to check my watch to make sure it hadn't stopped. Most days I really do enjoy this job, but like any job, there are days that I'd rather be doing anything else. Especially at the age Noelle is, there just aren't a whole lot of activities we can do.
One of our friends just started letting her daughter color, but I'm very sure Noelle would just eat the crayons. Have we mentioned how she has chewed up her crib to oblivion? We did finger painting around Christmas for an art project and Noelle just cried, so I think we should wait a while to do that one again. It's a little too chilly to go for a walk still. She won't sit and watch a video for more than 5 minutes. Pretty much any art or craft project, I'm still afraid she would eat all the supplies. There are only so many times you can go to the store. So what's a mom to do?
Thank goodness it's the weekend and we'll have some daddy help.
It doesn't help that I feel sick and that it's Friday, but seriously, what in the world? Normally we don't take a bath until right before bed, but I thought it'd be a good activity. I thought we had been playing in there FOREVER, and by the time I got us out and dried off, it hadn't even been fifteen minutes! I had to check my watch to make sure it hadn't stopped. Most days I really do enjoy this job, but like any job, there are days that I'd rather be doing anything else. Especially at the age Noelle is, there just aren't a whole lot of activities we can do.
One of our friends just started letting her daughter color, but I'm very sure Noelle would just eat the crayons. Have we mentioned how she has chewed up her crib to oblivion? We did finger painting around Christmas for an art project and Noelle just cried, so I think we should wait a while to do that one again. It's a little too chilly to go for a walk still. She won't sit and watch a video for more than 5 minutes. Pretty much any art or craft project, I'm still afraid she would eat all the supplies. There are only so many times you can go to the store. So what's a mom to do?
Thank goodness it's the weekend and we'll have some daddy help.
on February 27 2007 at 12:13 AM
by: Andy Matthews
Yes yes, it's been quite some time since I posted, but I was washing my hair, or trimming the hedges or some such thing. I promise.
This time I'm coming at you with a touching story about my baby daughter. She's 14 months old now and learning new things every day and I am truly amazed and humbled at this precious gift in our midst. Here's a quick rundown of what she's doing lately, then I'll get to the good stuff.
? walking (that's right...full on walking)
? saying real words (up to about 20 or 30 I believe)
? giving kisses and hugs on request (when she's not distracted by something else)
? drinking out of a straw
? She knows her feet, hair, nose and eyes
Jaime and I were eating dinner with Noelle tonight and Jaime decided to play with Noelle by blowing in her face. She just thought that was the funniest thing and started cracking up. So of course Jaime did it a few more times, then as a joke, told Noelle to do it. Well, we've noticed that Noelle is a really good mimic and this time proved to be no exception. Noelle pursed her lips up and blew right back and Jaime. We both about died laughing, and I thought Jaime was going to spit out her drink. So Noelle can blow now...
The other story is really cute. I was reading her a book tonight called Two Hands, Two Feet. It's the story, in rhyme, of a typical day for two little girls. As you might expect, they talk about hands and feet in this book. Remember earlier how I said Noelle knows her hands and feet? That comes into play soon. As I was reading this book, each time I would get to a word that she recognized ("stamp your feet"), she would move the appropriate part of her body. When the story mentioned dancing, she shook her whole body.
Those of you that don't have children just can't understand the feeling you get when you watch your child walk, or talk, or dance, or laugh. It's the most amazing thing and each time I see it, I still get shivers thinking about the trust that God had in me that he would give me this person to care for. Thanks for letting me share.
This time I'm coming at you with a touching story about my baby daughter. She's 14 months old now and learning new things every day and I am truly amazed and humbled at this precious gift in our midst. Here's a quick rundown of what she's doing lately, then I'll get to the good stuff.
? walking (that's right...full on walking)
? saying real words (up to about 20 or 30 I believe)
? giving kisses and hugs on request (when she's not distracted by something else)
? drinking out of a straw
? She knows her feet, hair, nose and eyes
Jaime and I were eating dinner with Noelle tonight and Jaime decided to play with Noelle by blowing in her face. She just thought that was the funniest thing and started cracking up. So of course Jaime did it a few more times, then as a joke, told Noelle to do it. Well, we've noticed that Noelle is a really good mimic and this time proved to be no exception. Noelle pursed her lips up and blew right back and Jaime. We both about died laughing, and I thought Jaime was going to spit out her drink. So Noelle can blow now...
The other story is really cute. I was reading her a book tonight called Two Hands, Two Feet. It's the story, in rhyme, of a typical day for two little girls. As you might expect, they talk about hands and feet in this book. Remember earlier how I said Noelle knows her hands and feet? That comes into play soon. As I was reading this book, each time I would get to a word that she recognized ("stamp your feet"), she would move the appropriate part of her body. When the story mentioned dancing, she shook her whole body.
Those of you that don't have children just can't understand the feeling you get when you watch your child walk, or talk, or dance, or laugh. It's the most amazing thing and each time I see it, I still get shivers thinking about the trust that God had in me that he would give me this person to care for. Thanks for letting me share.
Noelle is probably about 80% better today, which is great except it means she's well enough to be running around the house (well, crawling) but not quite well enough to take out of the house. So we're both stir crazy from being stuck inside since Saturday, and there's nothing we can do about it.Her sleep has been royally messed up by this illness, which I expected, but she had continued to do well with naps. In fact, she was doing better. The last few days, she would act tired, I'd put her in the crib, and she'd roll over and go to sleep. It was heaven, and I hoped it would last.
Then last night I put her in bed and she just started screaming. Not sure why, wouldn't take anything from us, and finally we picked her up to calm her down and she was fine. This went on through the night. This morning, she did the same thing for her nap. I told her no, your daddy and I went through too much work for you to pull this kind of stuff at naps again. I'll wait you out! And wait I did, through 40 minutes of screaming, at which point she finally gave in and sat down, and promptly saw a book in her crib and started reading it like nothing was wrong. Then she fell asleep.
This afternoon, I thought she was back to "normal" and after 20 minutes of rolling around in the crib I thought she was asleep. So I moved to get up off the bed and make my exit from the room. At that point, Noelle pushed up from the crib and turned toward me, and started shaking her head No. As in, "No, no, silly mama. Did you really think you were going somewhere?" So I settled back in for another 30 minutes of fussy baby before she gave in to sleep again. What a monkey.
6 nights in a row my baby girl slept all the way through the night. We were so proud of her! She was doing so great, but then she got sick yesterday and that abruptly ended her good sleeping streak. She has a stomach bug, seems to be the same one she had back in November. She threw up more times than we care to count yesterday and last night, and her fever got up to 102.9. So, we were up on and off all night giving her more tylenol, cleaning her up, and making her drink Pedialyte.She seems to be a little better today, but she's still a little puny as you can tell from this picture of her laying on daddy this morning. As much as I hate to have her sick, I love love love how cuddly she is. Usually it takes everything in me to get her to sit on my lap for 5 seconds to put her socks on, she just wants to be on the move. But when she's sick, she's happy to sit in my lap for as long as I'll take her.
Hopefully she gets over this quickly and jumps right back into her new sleep schedule. But if not right away, at least we know it's possible, and we'll get it back again!
We're at 4 nights in a row so far, and hopefully still going strong! I think it will probably take me a month to really believe it. When Noelle was about 2 1/2 months old, she slept through the night 4 nights in a row, and then never again until this month, so let's see if she makes it to 5. Then I'll know we're getting somewhere!She has also started really picking up some of the sign language we've been working on for months. Mostly we do the signs for "more" and "all done" so she can communicate with us while we're eating. This morning Andy was feeding her cream of wheat, and she started turning away from it so Andy put down the spoon and read his magazine for a while. Then he noticed that Noelle was making the "more" sign, so he gave her another spoonful and she happily ate it. We are also working on the signs for drink and eat. Once she gets the hang of those we'll work on please and thank you, maybe diaper for when she needs to be changed, etc. But, she is also really good with saying actual words, so she may not need the sign language for long.
It is a happy week for us, and even though Noelle has always been a happy kid, she's got to be feeling better after getting good sleep.
...if I put it in writing that Noelle has slept through the night, ELEVEN HOURS in a row, for the last two nights? Honestly, I am still counting it as a fluke, and probably will until it becomes second nature to us (will that really happen??), but I am grateful for what it is. Two nights where we put her to bed and didn't hear from her again until morning. I was seriously doubting that it would ever happen, so even if these two nights are all we get, I have renewed hope!
I, of course, didn't sleep through the night and probably won't until I can take myself off high alert. But, I did sleep until about 5:30 both nights and fell back asleep proud of my baby girl. She turns 13 months old today, so maybe she just knew it was time. We'll never really know what did it, since we've been throwing so many variables into the mix lately hoping something might stick. Keep her warmer, give her better naps, give her gas drops, give her a bath in chamomile and lavender, feed her more protein for dinner, and the list goes on. Maybe it was none of that and she was just ready. I won't say we've turned a corner just yet, but we can at least see the corner coming over the horizon. And it's about dang time.
I, of course, didn't sleep through the night and probably won't until I can take myself off high alert. But, I did sleep until about 5:30 both nights and fell back asleep proud of my baby girl. She turns 13 months old today, so maybe she just knew it was time. We'll never really know what did it, since we've been throwing so many variables into the mix lately hoping something might stick. Keep her warmer, give her better naps, give her gas drops, give her a bath in chamomile and lavender, feed her more protein for dinner, and the list goes on. Maybe it was none of that and she was just ready. I won't say we've turned a corner just yet, but we can at least see the corner coming over the horizon. And it's about dang time.
on January 12 2007 at 01:22 PM
by: Andy Matthews
So...
Our child doesn't sleep. I know that sounds strange coming from the parents of an almost 13 month old but it's true. She exhibits all of the signs of BEING sleepy, but she just refuses to surrender to the soft embrace of her pillow and blankets. She must get her stubbornness from Jaime.
I would say that it's affecting our relationship with her, and that it's also affecting the relaionship between Jaime and I but that would be an understatement. I'll give her the first 6 months as being a "normal baby" but anything after that is just sheer spite on her part.
We need to do something but we both feel so beat down that it's difficult to bring ourselves to try something new when everything else has failed...and all the while Noelle keeps waking up crying/screaming/sobbing. Did I mention that she woke up 6 times last night from around 8pm to this morning at 6:30am (not counting her morning wakey-wakey)?
To top it all off, we've decided that we're going to have to get a new pediatrician. We've been trying to explain the severity of her sleeplessness to our guy, Doctor Haraf, for the past 5 or 6 months. Each time we do, he basically tells us to give her a pacifier of some sort (bottle, binky or lovey) but she doesn't take any of those. He then offers up a charming story of how his best friend's child was having trouble sleeping.
He explains that his friend's child was not sleeping and how the friend and the friend's wife tried everything. So finally Frank (our doc) and his friend decided to let the child "cry it out". Basically they kicked out the wife and ate pizza, played playstation and let the baby girl cry; several times so long and hard that she vomited. They would then clean her off and start their day. But hey...after only nine days she was "cured". I won't comment on the cry it out method, but I think that if you're letting your child cry so hard that they vomit, MULTIPLE TIMES, then there's a larger issue.
Anyway...that's quite a rant. We don't want to let Noelle cry it out. Partly because we don't agree with that method, partly because we think that she's too stubborn and that it wouldn't work. Hopefully we can find a method that works for us before you see one (or both) of us on the front page of the local paper.
I think this plan is going to be the one, as long as we stay consistent about it. It's from the book "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West, and the method is called "the Sleep Lady Shuffle." Basically you put a chair next to the crib, put the baby down and sit next to them until they fall asleep. You can pat them or talk to them, but can't pick them up. Every few days, you move the chair farther away from the crib until you're sitting in the hallway just comforting them verbally if they need it.
So last night, I put Noelle in the crib at 7:00. She stood up crying for 30 minutes while I sat next to her trying to comfort her, and also tried to keep her from biting the crib rail. That was fun - I put my hand where her mouth was headed and kept moving it, and she kept pacing back and forth trying to find a spot to bite. That made her pretty mad. So after 30 minutes where she wouldn't sit down, I stood up and sat her down. She was more upset for a while, but stayed sitting, then after about 15 minutes started falling asleep sitting up. I was afraid she'd fall asleep and hit her head on the crib, so I intervened and helped her lay down. 15 minutes later, she was asleep and I was able to leave the room.
She slept from 8:00 - 2:50 (longest in a while!) then Andy went in to sit back in the chair, and she barely even cried and he was out of there within 30 minutes. She slept from 3:20 - 6:45. And I didn't have to nurse her! I was very proud of her.
This morning, I put her down for a nap at 8:40, and she was asleep by 9:05, and almost an hour. I think up to this point, the plans we've tried we have either not both been 100% on board with, or they were a little too confusing to be consistent with. So while one night does not a habit make, I feel confident about this method working for us. Yay!
So last night, I put Noelle in the crib at 7:00. She stood up crying for 30 minutes while I sat next to her trying to comfort her, and also tried to keep her from biting the crib rail. That was fun - I put my hand where her mouth was headed and kept moving it, and she kept pacing back and forth trying to find a spot to bite. That made her pretty mad. So after 30 minutes where she wouldn't sit down, I stood up and sat her down. She was more upset for a while, but stayed sitting, then after about 15 minutes started falling asleep sitting up. I was afraid she'd fall asleep and hit her head on the crib, so I intervened and helped her lay down. 15 minutes later, she was asleep and I was able to leave the room.
She slept from 8:00 - 2:50 (longest in a while!) then Andy went in to sit back in the chair, and she barely even cried and he was out of there within 30 minutes. She slept from 3:20 - 6:45. And I didn't have to nurse her! I was very proud of her.
This morning, I put her down for a nap at 8:40, and she was asleep by 9:05, and almost an hour. I think up to this point, the plans we've tried we have either not both been 100% on board with, or they were a little too confusing to be consistent with. So while one night does not a habit make, I feel confident about this method working for us. Yay!
on December 10 2006 at 08:33 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
General,
Noelle Jordan
It's 7:30pm and Noelle is currently in her room crying, and has been for the last 30 minutes or so. The reason? We're out of options and at our wit's end. Those of you that are close to us know that Noelle has never been a good sleeper (surprising when realize just how much Jaime loves to sleep). Since she's been a baby we've fought with her time and time and time again to get her to sleep.
For some other kids, this might not be that big of a deal as you could just throw a pacifier in their mouths, or give them their favorite blanket/toy or even give them a bottle to help them fall asleep. The problem is that Noelle has none of these.
1) She's never taken a bottle
2) She has no favorite toy or blanket despite our best efforts
3) She spits out a pacifier in seconds.
The only thing that really, truly comforts her is nursing, or rocking her to sleep. We take the blame since I'm sure we are at fault for some/all of this. But regardless, it's had a serious effect on our relationship with each other and with Noelle. It's never a good thing to want to bounce your baby off the wall when you've spent the last 20 minutes rocking her to sleep, putting her in her crib ever so gently, walking to the door to close it, only to have her break into an ear-piercing scream the minute your body crosses the threshold from her room.
So, that brings us back to Noelle crying. We've tried so many, many methods to get her to sleep that I can't even remember how many there were. We originally didn't want to let her cry it out. Maybe we're softies, maybe we didn't want her to think that she was alone, maybe we didn't think that was a responsible method, or maybe even we just didn't want to put up with her crying for that long.
We're in this now though. We've decided that we absolutely cannot allow it to continue as Noelle is almost a year old. Jaime says she hasn't gotten a full night's sleep since sometime during her pregnancy. I'm lucky enough that for the first 5 or 6 months of Noelle's life, I was able to sleep through most of her crying, unless Jaime specifically woke me up. No more...
We're trying a method that is supposed to work on 95% of babies within 2 weeks of it's inception. You put them to bed as normal (hopefully asleep) and you sit in a chair next to the crib until they DO go to sleep. That's it...you can sooth them verbally or even physically, but you don't take them out of the crib. Tonight's our first night, and the first three nights are supposed to be the worst. So that baby you thought you heard crying on the wind, might just be Noelle.
So, if you pray, then when you pray, pray for us that Noelle would start sleeping. We desperately need sleep.
PS...it's now 50 minutes after Jaime and Noelle went into her room and she's finally stopped crying. I don't know if she's asleep because if I stuck my head in there and she woke up, Jaime would have my HIDE. I think I'll just want to find out.
For some other kids, this might not be that big of a deal as you could just throw a pacifier in their mouths, or give them their favorite blanket/toy or even give them a bottle to help them fall asleep. The problem is that Noelle has none of these.
1) She's never taken a bottle
2) She has no favorite toy or blanket despite our best efforts
3) She spits out a pacifier in seconds.
The only thing that really, truly comforts her is nursing, or rocking her to sleep. We take the blame since I'm sure we are at fault for some/all of this. But regardless, it's had a serious effect on our relationship with each other and with Noelle. It's never a good thing to want to bounce your baby off the wall when you've spent the last 20 minutes rocking her to sleep, putting her in her crib ever so gently, walking to the door to close it, only to have her break into an ear-piercing scream the minute your body crosses the threshold from her room.
So, that brings us back to Noelle crying. We've tried so many, many methods to get her to sleep that I can't even remember how many there were. We originally didn't want to let her cry it out. Maybe we're softies, maybe we didn't want her to think that she was alone, maybe we didn't think that was a responsible method, or maybe even we just didn't want to put up with her crying for that long.
We're in this now though. We've decided that we absolutely cannot allow it to continue as Noelle is almost a year old. Jaime says she hasn't gotten a full night's sleep since sometime during her pregnancy. I'm lucky enough that for the first 5 or 6 months of Noelle's life, I was able to sleep through most of her crying, unless Jaime specifically woke me up. No more...
We're trying a method that is supposed to work on 95% of babies within 2 weeks of it's inception. You put them to bed as normal (hopefully asleep) and you sit in a chair next to the crib until they DO go to sleep. That's it...you can sooth them verbally or even physically, but you don't take them out of the crib. Tonight's our first night, and the first three nights are supposed to be the worst. So that baby you thought you heard crying on the wind, might just be Noelle.
So, if you pray, then when you pray, pray for us that Noelle would start sleeping. We desperately need sleep.
PS...it's now 50 minutes after Jaime and Noelle went into her room and she's finally stopped crying. I don't know if she's asleep because if I stuck my head in there and she woke up, Jaime would have my HIDE. I think I'll just want to find out.
This week I've been taking care of Noelle's friend Ella a little bit each day, and they've been having a ball. They play together unlike any other 1 year olds (well, almost in Noelle's case) I've seen. For one, they actually play together a lot of the time. They share, they make each other laugh, they chase each other around the house. Heather and I know we've read that most babies their age are more into parallel play, but these girls just really enjoy being together.
This morning I put them both in the pack and play for a few minutes while I dried my hair. They both stood up and held on to the railing, bouncing up and down and laughing hysterically, all the while looking at the other to see their reaction. Crack me up.
on November 16 2006 at 12:32 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
General,
Noelle Jordan
I'm constantly amazed at the innate ability that certain children have to
remain nonchalant in the face of uncomfortable circumstances. Take Noelle
for example...she's got a stomach bug that's causing her to throw up a lot,
have diarrhea and which also prevents her from eating more than a bite of
two of food at a time.
Through this whole ordeal though she's been utterly cheerful, playful and more loving than you could expect. She's even been resting her head on our shoulders when we hold her (which she usually doesn't do). Of course that just makes us love her even more.
She always has a huge smile on her face which amazes everyone, strangers and family alike. It's in fact one of the best things about my day, walking into the living room where she plays and seeing her look at me and smile that "daddy!" smile which I know is just for me. It's times like this I just have to marvel at the resilience of chilren.
I wanted to leave you with this quote from The Choir's "When she sees me"
Through this whole ordeal though she's been utterly cheerful, playful and more loving than you could expect. She's even been resting her head on our shoulders when we hold her (which she usually doesn't do). Of course that just makes us love her even more.
She always has a huge smile on her face which amazes everyone, strangers and family alike. It's in fact one of the best things about my day, walking into the living room where she plays and seeing her look at me and smile that "daddy!" smile which I know is just for me. It's times like this I just have to marvel at the resilience of chilren.
I wanted to leave you with this quote from The Choir's "When she sees me"
She never minds the weather
She likes the flashes of light
I say "Love, beware black skies"
She's not afraid of winter
Or thunderous nights
She follows rainbows in my eyes
Listen how fast my little girl's heart beats
When she sees me
Listen how fast my little girl's heart beats
When she sees me
She has four teeth now. 3 on top, 1 on the bottom. They all came in at pretty much the same time! No more gummy smile, but this one's pretty cute, too.
Happy Halloween from our little monster! We spent Halloween evening with friends eating chili and watching the kids have a good time and eat too much candy. Even Noelle ate a Pez off the floor. Yum! Then we followed the big kids around while they went Trick or Treating on their street. I think Noelle was mostly oblivious to what was going on, but she looked cute! Someone we came across thought I was holding a stuffed animal.
Next year she'll enjoy the festivities more, but it was fun to dress her up!
The weather has been crazy here, going back and forth from the 30's to the 70's. It's hard to figure out how to dress myself, but even more difficult to dress Noelle. Layering a baby isn't always easy to do. Today is pretty chilly and we were heading out to the store, so I bundled her up. She looked so sweet that I had to take a picture. Andy says she looks ready to fight. "You think cold weather is tough? I can take it. I'm a December baby."
Noelle pulled herself up on the windowsill today behind the curtain, and I saw these cute little baby feet sticking out underneath.
on October 07 2006 at 09:03 PM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan,
Andy
Jaime took a great picture of Noelle kneeling against the plate glass window facing the street. The minute I saw this picture I knew I had to have it as a wallpaper for my computer. It was good just as it was, but I wanted to see if I could improve upon her shot. So I took the image into Photoshop and did some trickery and this is what I came up with.
If you'd like to download this picture for YOUR wallpaper, click here. Hope you like it.
Now that she's crawling, Noelle has started getting herself into little predicaments. Like crawling under the side table, or pulling up and cruising around to a place she can't get out of. Or like today, when she made me feel like a bad mommy by getting her fingers caught in a drawer in her bedroom. Ouch! We're off to the store after her nap to buy some safety latches for all the drawers and doors, some outlet covers, and other safety items. We can't protect her from everything, but we might as well try the best we can!
on October 03 2006 at 02:28 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
Well she's not. Sometimes she's downright whiney. We keep wanting to blame teething, but she still has no teeth to speak of! She's been "teething" on and off for the last 4 months.
She's pretty darn cute, though, even if she does have the most pathetic face ever in this picture.
She apparently figured out how to open the canister of puffs that I gave her to use as a makeshift rattle. Let's just say I'm glad it wasn't more full than it was. My favorite part is the ones that stuck to the snot and drool on her face. Oh well, the dogs got a nice apple strawberry treat!
So tomorrow we are planning to take Noelle to a casting call for American Baby Magazine to be held at a local Babies R Us. They will take a picture of her there, which will be entered into the competition. The top prizes are trips to NYC, free stuff, and, of course, your baby in the magazine. Yes, we think she's the most adorable baby on the planet, and she is very photogenic, but we obviously don't have any high expectations other than a fun time out of the house on a Friday morning. She's also never had a professional picture taken, so I'm curious to see how she does.
This past weekend, Andy joked that we should put a safety helmet on Noelle in preparation for this event, especially since she is pulling up now (read: falling down all the time). Looking back, that would have been a GREAT idea.
The child has a bruise on her forehead from a bad tumble onto the wood floor, a scrape next to her right eye, a big scratch under her left eye, and this morning, she had her first blood drawn by accident. It was just the tiniest bit of blood from the corner of her mouth, but still. All of this makes me laugh, because although she is quite obviously still adorable, she's also a little busted up. Lessons in vanity and that beauty is fleeting already at 9 months. Or is this lesson for mama and daddy?
This past weekend, Andy joked that we should put a safety helmet on Noelle in preparation for this event, especially since she is pulling up now (read: falling down all the time). Looking back, that would have been a GREAT idea.
The child has a bruise on her forehead from a bad tumble onto the wood floor, a scrape next to her right eye, a big scratch under her left eye, and this morning, she had her first blood drawn by accident. It was just the tiniest bit of blood from the corner of her mouth, but still. All of this makes me laugh, because although she is quite obviously still adorable, she's also a little busted up. Lessons in vanity and that beauty is fleeting already at 9 months. Or is this lesson for mama and daddy?
Noelle has now officially been alive for longer than the time she spent growing inside me. She hit the 9 month mark this Saturday, and her check up was today. Here are her stats:
Weight: 21 lbs, 8 oz
Height: 29 inches
Percentile: 90th for both
They took some blood from her heel for a few tests, and everything came back looking great. She is a picture of health, and we are grateful for that!
Just in time for her check up, Noelle has learned a few new tricks. She always waits until we start to get the feeling that she will NEVER accomplish a certain task before she finally succeeds. She apparently already enjoys proving her parents wrong. So in the past few weeks, she learned how to get to a sitting position by herself, and how to pull up to standing on any available surface (which she takes the opportunity to practice during her nap time). She has also taken some great strides in crawling on her knees. This past Sunday she got promoted from the "crib" room to the "crawlers" room in the nursery at church! What a big girl.
Here's a video of Noelle and her new tricks
We also have a video we made of Noelle in the swing we bought for her that is hanging on our front porch.
on September 18 2006 at 02:08 PM
by: Jaime Matthews
File under:
Noelle Jordan
So it's really funny to give a lemon wedge to a baby to see the faces they make when they eat it. It's not quite as funny when that baby starts to get sleepy and uses her lemon juice drenched hands to rub her eyes. Lots of crying.
on September 12 2006 at 11:13 AM
by: Andy Matthews
Noelle is officially baptized. For those of you who don't know what infant baptism is, here's what the Presbyterian church believes about the topic along with a brief synopsis.
Both believers and their children are included in God's covenant love. Children of believers are to be baptized without undue delay, but without undue haste. Baptism, whether administered to those who profess their faith or to those presented for Baptism as children, is one and the same Sacrament. The Baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God's love claims people before they are able to respond in faith. (Book of Order W-2.3008)So we baptized Noelle, not so that she's "saved", but so that we declare before God that we want her to be set apart.
Baptism, therefore, usually occurs during infancy, though a person may be baptized at any age. Parents bring their baby to church, where they publicly declare their desire that he or she be baptized. When an infant or child is baptized the church commits itself to nurture the child in faith. When adults are baptized they make a public profession of faith.
Baptism distinguishes children of those who believe in God's redemptive power from children of nonbelievers. The water that is used symbolizes three accounts from the Bible's Old Testament: the waters of creation, the flood described in the story of Noah, and the Hebrews' escape from slavery in Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. All three stories link humanity to God's goodness through water.
Anyway, it went really well, one of the people involved in the ceremony said that she was one of the best babies they'd had on stage in months. Yay Noelle. She was absolutely adorable and even reach out for the Carter Crenshaw (our pastor) several times.
We had a great time with family and friends this past weekend, but we're glad to be back to our normal routine. Thanks to everyone who came to Nashville this weekend and made this such a special occasion for us, and for Noelle.
on September 06 2006 at 03:44 AM
by: Andy Matthews
Greetings! We wanted to let you know about two things happening this coming
weekend that you are invited to be a part of.
First, the annual Greek Festival is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church, 4905 Franklin Pike. We plan on going Saturday night (Sept. 9) around 5 PM. We hope to see you there! Let us know if you plan on going and we'll look for you in the crowd. http://www.holytrinitynashville.org/GreekFestival2006.dsp
Second, Noelle will be baptized this Sunday (Sept. 10) during the second service at West End Community Church. We'd love to have you come sit stage left in the sanctuary during the service.
Hope to see you this weekend!
Jaime, Andy and Noelle
First, the annual Greek Festival is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church, 4905 Franklin Pike. We plan on going Saturday night (Sept. 9) around 5 PM. We hope to see you there! Let us know if you plan on going and we'll look for you in the crowd. http://www.holytrinitynashville.org/GreekFestival2006.dsp
Second, Noelle will be baptized this Sunday (Sept. 10) during the second service at West End Community Church. We'd love to have you come sit stage left in the sanctuary during the service.
Hope to see you this weekend!
Jaime, Andy and Noelle
This is a picture of what can happen when mama is frustrated that her baby won't take a nap. No, I'm not talking about the bruise - that was a play time accident, I swear!! I'm talking about the fact that I rushed into the office and put her in the walker quickly, then got on the computer. A few minutes later I looked at her and realized I had put her in backwards. She didn't seem to care, but I thought maybe I should pay more attention next time!
Finally a moment of rest...and that's pretty much all it was, too, but doesn't she look sweet?
Does anyone know where the auditions for the new Energizer Bunny are being held? Because my daughter is a shoo-in for the role.
After several hours of attempts, she finally fell asleep at 9:45 PM last night. She got just over 6 hours of sleep total through the night, and she's been up since 5 AM (5 hours now) with just a tiny cat nap. Normally I try and wait until she shows signs of being tired to put her down for a nap, but this morning - NONE. No signs. Happy as a clam.
So I thought I'd try anyway, because I sure need a nap (and a shower), but although she did fall asleep briefly, mere seconds later she was eyes wide open, fresh as a daisy. Now she's laying in bed talking to herself. It's no wonder that sleep deprivation is a widely used form of torture.
Tonight we went to a pool party with our community group from church, and Noelle went swimming for the first time. I was really excited to see how she reacted to being in a pool. Plus, I've been wanting to go swimming since I was pregnant!
She started out a little apprehensive, as the water was cooler than the baths she is used to, but before long she was smiling and splashing around like a pro. She was splashing water all over her face and mine and got a total kick of out it. We put her in a pool float as well, and she immediately started kicking her legs and moving around the pool. She and I had a great time.
Daddy stayed out of the pool and took pictures. I hope to take Noelle swimming a lot more in the future! I think she really enjoyed it, and it seemed to tire her out as well. That is always a good thing!
I left her on our bed just 10 minutes ago to take a nap. She was half asleep when I left her, but then she started screeching (her new language) so I went to check on her and this is what I found. When I left her, she was swaddled with both arms wrapped in the blanket, with her head up on the burp cloth. She's starting to move!
on July 07 2006 at 07:42 AM
by: Andy Matthews
File under:
General,
Noelle Jordan
Jaime, Noelle and I were laying in bed this morning when I decided to drape Noelle's burp cloth over her face. I wasn't expecting much from it, other than for me to pull it off and see the expression on her face when I did so. But lo and behold, she pulled it off herself!
So I decided to try again to see what she'd do and each time I did, she pulled the burp cloth off of her face, looking straight at Jaime each time it was removed.
I know for those of you that aren't parents this might sound relatively trite but this is an important step in Noelle's development, the understanding of "space". She now knows that she's not alone in her space. She also knows that something was on her face that didn't belong there.
So yay!
So I decided to try again to see what she'd do and each time I did, she pulled the burp cloth off of her face, looking straight at Jaime each time it was removed.
I know for those of you that aren't parents this might sound relatively trite but this is an important step in Noelle's development, the understanding of "space". She now knows that she's not alone in her space. She also knows that something was on her face that didn't belong there.
So yay!
It's pretty hot around here, so we decided it was time for Noelle to get some shorts. She has tons of dresses that she wears a lot, but sometimes she needs to be more casual. Plus, she's been squealing a TON lately, and daddy contributes that to the dress wearing. She is being a total girl.
Doesn't she look like a little golfer in this outfit? It will make her Papaw proud.
As usual I am laughing inside as you describe what the kids are doing, or not doing as the case might be. But tonight takes the cake, Evan sounds soooo much like his Daddy at that age, I am laughing with you and praying for you. It isn't easy keeping up with a very active and inquisitive little boy. As for the rest of your blog, you always manage to make the most profound statements that make me look at my own thoughts and actions. You do have a way with words my sweet daughter in-law. God bless you as you continue your journey to become the best mom and wife God would have you be.
Carol - March 05, 2010 06:02 pm