Noah the grumpy-teething-cookie-crazed-monkey-ostrich...May 25, 2007

Let me explain! Noah has been all of these things lately. He is, hopefully, going through the last round of teething that he'll have to endure for some time. He's been pretty grumpy the past few days. He's getting his incisors on the top, and other than the incisors on his bottom, he has all of his childhood teeth except for his two year old molars.

He has also discovered something that will forever change his life: cookies! Between batches that we made for Mother's Day presents, what seemed like 20 dozen that we helped make for my sister Linda's freezer a few days ago (I guess her kids are cookie-crazed too!), and the teddy grahams I bought for him at the store the other day, Noah is hooked. I have to admit, since he hasn't been feeling well, I've been indulging him. He's learned that we keep the cookies in the pantry and he will stand in front of the door, crying, begging, pleading, and frantically doing the sign for "please" on his chest. (How can I turn down a "please" from a hurting child?) So, he's been getting a lot of cookies lately. I guess like my mom, I inherited the love of cookies. If I can choose a treat, a perfect cookie is at the top of my list- just like my mom. And I guess Noah has inherited that from me. (Ha, ha.)

Another thing he is learning to love, but me not so much, is climbing. My little monkey is fast learning how to pull out chairs and stools, how to climb up on them, and then how useful they are at that point to help get him on top of tables and desks. Ugh...The time of zero clutter is coming, I can feel it. Nothing is going to be safe anymore! I remember when I would leave piles of books or a magazine here or there on the floor and they were safe. Then Noah started to crawl and we moved our scriptures, books, and magazines to a safe place on a sofa cushion. Then he learned to pull up onto things like that, which led to walking, which led to us putting those things on tables. So, now that he's climbing and will be able to reach everything, I guess it's time for me to find "a home" for those things. (That's a phrase my mom always used when I was growing up when it was time to put something away. I can here her sing-song voice when I say it now. "Find a home for that!" I guess that proves it: I am officially a mother. Now I say the things I never thought I'd say.)

Noah has also been fascinated lately with viewing the world as if he were an ostrich. He will plant his feet, bend over, put his head on the ground, and stick his tiny bum up in the air - like an ostrich burring his head in the sand. He will stay in that position for as long as his attention span will allow. He's done it at least half a dozen times today. We must look funny upside down or something. It's really cute.

Anyway, I find myself running faster and faster after him all day long. It's so much fun, and so much work. And at the end of the day, we've shared some really sweet moments;  like the one I had with him tonight. He was grumpy and tired, so I decided it was time for a little cookie break. We sat down together on the kitchen floor, him facing me on my lap leaning back against my legs, and we took turns feeding each other teddy grahams. These are the moments I looked forward to for all those long years, and now that they are here, they really are as sweet as I hoped they would be. I love you Noah!

P.S. This is a picture of Noah getting into mischief.  He thought it was a good idea to try to back into the pond at Red Butte Garden. Good thing Daddy was right there to catch him! He keeps us on our toes...