Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Crawling!

Noah's really moving now! He's pulling himself around with his elbows - the "army man" crawl. He can cover a lot of ground, and he moves the fastest to get to the laptop or Emma.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Learning to Crawl Under the Christmas Tree


Noah is very focused on learning how to crawl. He now can do the "army man" crawl, where he drags himself forward with his elbows. He can move about 6 feet across the floor in a matter of moments. He also spends time rocking on his hands and knees. He hasn't figured out how to move forward while he's on his hands and knees yet, but we think it's just a matter of days before he takes off!

Also, we are getting ready to go on Noah's second plane trip. On Friday, we are flying to Arizona to spend Christmas with Grammy and Grandad. We think Noah is practicing hard in order to crawl by Christmas day. He is so proud of himself - he can't contain his enthusiasm for crawling!

Here's some more cute pictures - Noah can sit all by himself on his rocking horse now, and he has learned how to chew on an apple slice. He can suck some juice out of the apple and he leaves little teeth marks, but he can't take any bites yet.
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Noah's First Hanukkah


Noah had a fun first Hanukkah! He liked watching the candles in the menorah. Noah tried to give us heart failure by trying to grab the candles and tip the menorah over! We quickly learned that we need to keep him at a distance - a great distance.
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Friday, December 14, 2007

Day Trip to the Biltmore House


We took a day trip to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. It was Matt's birthday gift to Laura, and we had a great time. Noah absolutely loved the countless Christmas trees, and he didn't mind touring the Biltmore while in the Baby Bjorn. We went on a weekday, and there weren't too many crowds. Here's some more pictures.
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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Christmas Card Photo Outtakes


We've taken countless photos of Noah over the last few weeks in an attempt to capture the perfect Christmas card photo. We did eventually get a few "perfect" shots where Noah wasn't covered in drool or spit up, had a great smile, was looking in the right direction, and the lighting was right. Matt also got to practice his Photoshop skills by erasing big fingernail scratches on Noah's forehead. The "perfect" pictures are good, but looking at all the outtakes is a lot more fun! Here's a bunch to entertain you.
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Thursday, November 29, 2007

A Diamond Thanksgiving


We had a great Thanksgiving in Atlanta with the extended Diamond family! Jim flew in from San Francisco, and the Lanigan family drove from New York. Matt and Jim cooked a delicious Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, and we all went to the Georgia Aquarium on Friday. Noah absolutely loved the non-stop attention he received from everyone. Here's all our pictures from the weekend.
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Friday, November 16, 2007

Bang! Bang! Bang!


Noah has discovered the fun of banging! He has taken after Daddy and Grandpa Larry in his interest in computers, and he loves to bang on the keyboard. He also likes to bang his hand on his crib mattress after he wakes up from a nap - it's like he's calling for service. Noah liked having his own computer in the above picture, but he soon decided that Daddy's computer was much more interesting because it was turned on! Noah's other favorite things around the house are the remote control, cell phones and house phones.

Noah has become a sturdy sitter now, and he is now able to go from sitting to laying on his tummy - it's not graceful, but he can do it. Noah now has his own highchair, and it has made meal times so much easier! Noah likes to be up high where he can see what's going on, and there is no longer any danger of Emma sneaking up and eating his food.
Here's a few pictures from the last two weeks.
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Trick or Treat!


Happy Halloween! Doesn't Noah look cute as a teddy bear? He will help us hand out candy tonight, but he'll have to wait until next year to sample some of the candy. Here's some more Halloween pictures.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

A Boy and His Dog


Noah loves his dog Emma so much! Emma loves Noah too, and as you can tell from these pictures, she lets Noah pet her but still gets a little stressed out.
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Thursday, October 25, 2007

When Do You Know It's Time to Buy a Highchair?


Emma is always tempted by Noah's new foods! She was particularly interested in his carrots yesterday. Noah is currently eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, bananas and carrots. He typically eats in the morning and afternoon, and he's eating more and more everyday. Just yesterday, he finished an entire stage one container of sweet potatoes along with rice cereal in the morning, then ate an entire stage one container of carrots in the afternoon. The stage one containers are small, but they have seemed so large in the past when Noah would only eat a quarter of a serving at a time. Yesterday, Laura thought he might only want a half serving of carrots in the afternoon since he had eaten so much in the morning, but Noah screamed and arched his back, then put his head down on his knees and wept uncontrollably - until she fed him the rest of the carrots. His reaction was incredibly dramatic! Here's a few more pictures.
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Noah Loves Swinging at the Park


We have discovered a new favorite afternoon activity - swinging at Jetton Park! Noah absolutely loves the swing. He swung for 30 minutes the other day and still wasn't ready to leave! It's been rainy here lately (thankfully!), but hopefully it will clear up soon so we can go back to the park.

Noah has become a great sleeper in the last week. We finally decided we were ready to cut out his 3am feedings - Laura needed some uninterrupted sleep. It was a battle for one night, and then Noah woke up the next two nights but was quick to go back to sleep. So, now Noah is going 11 1/2 hours between feedings at night - from 8:00pm to 7:30am. It's wonderful! At the same time, Noah's naps have really improved. He used to nap for 30 minutes at a time, but now he takes two long (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hour) naps a day, in addition to the occasional third short (30 min) nap. All this means he has a lot of time to grow when he's sleeping! Here's some additional pictures.
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Friday, October 19, 2007

Look What Noah Can Do!



Noah has been working very hard on his sitting and crawling skills this week. He can sit unsupported for short amounts of time, but he is still quite tipsy. He is very motivated to start crawling, and he works very hard to get up on his elbows and knees and rock back and forth. That is how we find him in his crib in the morning or after a nap. He is very pleased with himself and his progress! Here's a few more pictures.
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Two Teeth!


Noah is proud to show you his two new teeth! They have both cut through his gums, and they look so big in his little mouth!
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Friday, October 12, 2007

Noah's Trip to Michigan



We have recently returned from Noah's first trip to Michigan. We all had a great time, and it was a time of many "firsts" for Noah. Laura and Noah stayed with Grammy and Grandad Christiansen for 10 nights while Matt traveled back and forth between Michigan and North Carolina to work during the week but spend the consecutive weekends in Michigan. On the first weekend, we all attended an unveiling ceremony for Matt's grandma - Noah's great-grandma. It's a memorial service held approximately one year after a family memeber has passed away. It was a very special service, and it was so nice for many of Matt's family and friends to meet Noah for the first time. On the second weekend, we went to a University of Michigan football game.

Speaking of "firsts," here's a list of Noah's firsts while on the trip:
*First plane ride - he wanted to socialize with the flight attendants on the way to Michigan, but he slept almost the entire flight home to North Carolina.
* First time with all his grandparents together - Noah had two days with Grandma Marilyn, Grammy and Grandad all loving him at the same time!
* First time away from Daddy :-(
* First tooth!! Noah's first tooth came in when he was 5 months and 2 days old. (His second tooth just came through yesterday at 5 months, 9 days)
* First teething pain
* First rice cereal - started on the same day the first tooth came in. Noah loves rice cereal and eats from a spoon like he's been doing it his whole life
* First time sleeping in a different crib - Noah slept in the crib that Uncle Mark, Uncle David and Laura all slept in as babies
* First time to Zingerman's Deli - a very important moment in the life of a child in Ann Arbor, MI
* First time to the Big House - University of Michigan football stadium - UM vs. EMU - Laura and Matt's alma maters. It was too hot for Noah to stay in the stadium, so we went in as the game was ending for some quick pictures.
* First time sitting up - over the course of the week, Noah learned to sit up for about 10 seconds
As you can see, a lot has been going on! We took a lot of pictures during our trip, and here's just a few of them. Noah loved getting spoiled by his grandparents!
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hello Everybody!


The weather has finally started to cool down around here, so we're enjoying our time outside in the backyard, at the park and on long walks. Noah is getting increasingly mobile. Thanks to this great book by Penelope Leach (and thanks to Cindi for getting it for us!), we finally have a word to describe what he's doing - it's called seesawing: he moves head-down-bottom-up and then bottom-down-head-up. He can move 5 or 6 feet across the floor when he's motivated by a toy or the chance to get closer to Emma.

Noah went to his first storytime at the local library this week. Can you believe that they have a special storytime for babies age 3 months to a year? It's about 15 minutes of songs, rhymes and music. Noah really liked it, and he loved looking around at all the other babies. After storytime, there was about 15 more minutes of play time, where the babies played with toys and the moms talked about baby clothes (that's not all new moms talk about, is it?) We had fun and we're looking forward to going back next week. Here's our pictures of the week.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Noah's Trip to Visit Grandma Marilyn


We went on a car trip to Atlanta to visit Grandma Marilyn over Labor Day weekend. It was Noah's first car trip, and he did a great job! The only time Noah got fussy was when traffic was bad and we had to stop for an accident. Otherwise, he has a great time riding in the car - he looks out the window and quickly falls asleep (a great trait that he inherited from Laura). This time, he had some additional entertainment in the back seat with him - his dog Emma. Noah enjoyed his first weekend away from home and had lots of fun time being held and fed by Grandma Marilyn. He is continuing to get more mobile - he has started to do some pre-crawling where he pushes himself forward on his elbows, brings his knees up to his chest then puts his head down and pushes himself forward on his forehead. It's crazy to watch, but he can really move!


Noah had his four month check-up today and he's doing great. He weighs 16 lb. 3 oz. and is 26 inches long. He had his shots and is currently napping. Here's some pictures to enjoy!
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Monday, August 27, 2007

Noah and his Bumbo seat


Noah is a very busy boy these days! He has become quite the roly poly, and he can easily roll two or three times in a row. He is always quite pleased with himself when he ends up on his tummy, propped up on his elbows. Noah really likes his new Bumbo seat - it is a foam seat that a baby can sit upright in as soon as they have good head control. We can tell he really feels like a big boy when he's sitting up! Another thing Noah is currently enjoying is standing up. He loves to stand up when we hold him, and his legs are getting so strong. He is happy and laughing and he even squeals with delight once in a while. Emma the dog is getting increasingly interested in Noah - she has learned that where ever Noah is, that's where the action is. Noah almost always smiles when he sees his dog Emma. They're quite the pair!
Noah participated in his very first 5K on Saturday. Matt ran the race, and Laura did a walk/run and pushed Noah in the jogging stroller. Noah liked watching the trees and other joggers go by as he relaxed in his stroller and eventually fell asleep. Everyone commented that he was the luckiest person in the race!

We had been swaddling Noah during the night to keep his hands out of his mouth and eyes and to help him relax so he wasn't rolling over in his sleep. The swaddling worked for a while, but then Noah figured out how to roll over while swaddled, and that isn't a good combination, so he's back to sleeping un-swaddled. Here's our pictures from the last two weeks.

Noah also had a photo-shoot with is friends Morgan and Maddi - Here they are!
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Saturday, August 11, 2007

Hands and Feet are Fascinating Things!



Noah has been spending a lot of quality time indoors lately because it's so hot in Charlotte! We all have missed our walks around the neighborhood and park. Noah has used these hot days to work on his rolling skills. He now easily rolls both ways (back to tummy and tummy to back), and he is quite proud of himself! Just yesterday he was able to roll on his tummy and them prop himself up on his elbows. It's quite an accomplishment, but he did it when he was supposed to be taking a nap. Laura had swaddled him up tight and he was sound asleep for about 5 minutes. Then the next thing she knew, he was unswaddled, laying on his tummy and propped up on his elbows. He's busy all the time! Another advancement this week is that Noah discovered how fascinating his hands are to look at. He almost always has his hands in his mouth, so he hadn't ever realized he could look at them! He's been fascinated by his feet for weeks, so now he has even more ways to entertain himself. Here's some pictures for you to enjoy!
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Noah's Favorite Activities

Noah is 12 weeks old now, and we want to share some of his favorite activities with you:
* Sucking his fingers, knuckles and hands
* Studying his feet and watching his toes move
* Smiling at everyone
* Cooing - the house is never quiet when Noah is awake! His favorite cooes are "a-goo," "ahh," and "ooh"
* Looking at himself in the mirror - today he saw his feet in the mirror and was very excited!
* Studying the pictures in the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
* Listening to rattles and bells
* Watching his dog Emma
* Going outside in the backyard and looking at the flowers, trees and grass
* Going on daily/nightly walks around the park and neighborhood
* Swinging
* Kicking
* Standing up (when we hold him and he stiffens his legs)
* Sitting in his bouncy feet - one of his favorite places to study his feet
As you can see, Noah is quite a busy boy! He is currently going through a growth spurt, so he is eating a lot and often. The drool is still non-stop. He is now quick to roll over whenever we put him on his tummy. When we put him on his back, he rolls halfway so that he can sleep on his side, but he doesn't seem close to completely rolling over from his back to his tummy. One funny thing that he does when he sleeps is he spins around in his crib. We put him to bed with his head under his mobile, but when he wakes up to eat, his head is on the opposite end of the crib -he spins around 180 degrees! Here's some pictures from the last week. Enjoy!
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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Noah Meets His Cousins


Noah had so much fun getting to know his Uncle Dave, Aunt Stephanie and cousins Travis, Connor and Jacob. They came all the way from Phoenix, AZ to meet Noah and spend some time relaxing in North Carolina. The boys had plenty of time to hold Noah and make him laugh. Sometimes Noah would laugh at them even when they weren't doing something silly! Aunt Stephanie especially enjoyed her baby time, and we loved giving her the chance to rock him to sleep and feed him his nightly bottle. We kept the boys really busy. Highlights of their time here were our trip to the US National Whitewater Rafting Center. Matt, Dave, Travis, Connor and Jacob all went whitewater rafting while Stephanie, Laura and Noah watched from the shoreline. We all had a great time and loved the experience. We were also impressed by the facility - we highly recommend it as something unique to do in the Charlotte area. The boys also had a great time tubing on Lake Norman. And they have a new favorite restaurant in the area - Midtown Sundries! We ate there twice, they liked it so much! Noah is a very blessed boy to be loved so much by his cousins, uncle and aunt! We were sad to see them go, but they had to travel to Florida to see Uncle Mark, Aunt Tanya and cousins Morgan and Colton. We're sure they're having a great time in Florida.

Noah went in for his two month appointment and he continues to be growing at a fast pace. He currently weighs 14 lb. 3 oz, so he gained a little over 2 pounds in the last month. Laura thinks that's the heaviest two pounds she's ever felt! We also learned a new way to describe the many fat folds under Noah's neck - just call it "redundant skin." That sounds so much better than fat folds! With the summer humidity and Noah's constant drooling, it's really hard to keep that "redundant skin" clean and dry, but we're doing our best.

We have a lot of pictures from the last week - here they are!
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Thursday, July 5, 2007

The Busy Life of a 9-Week Old Baby

Noah is 9 weeks old and doing great! He is smiling a lot now. He's predictably going 6 hours between feedings at night, but once in a while he gives us a nice surprise and goes 7 or 8 hours. He really likes riding in the car - as long as there is motion. He doesn't like red lights or the gap in time between when he goes in the car and when the car starts moving. Once the car starts moving he likes to look out the window, then he falls asleep in a few minutes. Laura and Noah have been keeping very busy. We've started going to a morning women's bible study (Noah snored through the whole thing this week), lots of errands, walks around the neighborhood and park, and spending time with friends. Noah seems to have his best naps when we're out and about, so we like to keep on the move when we can.

We had a great fourth of July - Matt ran in the Firecracker 5K, and we had a fun afternoon hanging out with all our friends at a picnic in the park. There were about 44 people there, including kids! Wow! We are all so excited that Laura's brother Dave and family are coming to visit us tomorrow. Noah will meet his Uncle Dave, Aunt Stephanie and cousins Travis, Connor and Jacob. Here's our pictures from the last week.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Smile :-)



Noah is 8 weeks old now - can you believe it? He is growing in front of our eyes! He is smiling quite a bit now and sometimes it even sounds like he's laughing. His favorite time for smiles is when he is laying on the changing table right after his diaper gets changed. A new diaper must be quite a great feeling. We can both get smiles out of him at some point during the day, but we noticed this morning that he is also predictably smiling and laughing at his favorite thing in the house - the ceiling fan! He is so excited to see the fan every morning! Noah also really loves our evening walks around the neighborhood. While we walk he watches our faces, looks at the trees and sky and listens to the birds singing. Our dog Emma really seems to like Noah now. When we came home from errands yesterday, Emma stuck her head in Noah's car seat and sniffed him head to toe while wagging her tail. She was genuinely glad that he was home! Here's a few pictures from the last week.



Another new development is DROOL! Noah has become a drooling machine. We were surprised that he started drooling so early, but we read that babies can start drooling more than two months before they start teething. So, here's to lots of bibs in Noah's future!

We are also excited to report that after taking a much needed rest from rolling over, Noah has started doing it again. We found that if we put him on his tummy under his floor gym, he really wants to roll over so he can see the hanging toys, so he just tucks his arm and flips over so he can get a good look!


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Sunday, June 17, 2007

Grammy and Grandad - look how I've changed!


We just finished a fun week with Laura's parents - here are the pictures! It has been a little more than a month since they have seen Noah, and he has changed so much! He has chubby cheeks and he's so very interested in the world around him. He has definite opinions now - he has certain ways he likes to be held (the football hold is his favorite), and certain things he likes to look at around the house (Laura's photos in the living room are his favorite). Noah has lost most of the hair on the top of his head, and if you look closely you can see a little new fuzz growing up there. We wonder what color his new hair will be - the hair on the side of his head still has a tinge of red to it. His eyes are still blue, but they are starting to look blue-gray on some days. We wonder what color they're going to be in a few months? And as for the rolling over, he hasn't accomplished that feat since May. It seems that it was one of those amazing things that newborns can do, but they lose the ability as they develop, only for it to return again in a few months. Well, we'll keep doing tummy time and see if it happens again!


Here are some pictures of friends that have stopped by to see Noah in the last few weeks. If you're in the neighborhood, come on by!!

Time is flying. We can't believe that Noah will be seven weeks old this week. How could that be? It must be true that time flies when you're having fun. Throw in a heaping helping of sleep deprivation, and time goes even faster!!

Matt had a great birthday and he thanks Laura, Noah, Grammy and Grandad for making it special.

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Friday, June 8, 2007

Welcome New Friends!

Congratulations to Jen and Tim - their baby boy Brennan was born yesterday. Their website is www.timandjenbell.com. And a big congratulations to Kim and Stephen - their twin girls Madilyn and Morgan were born this morning. The girls look adorable! Their website is www.stephenandkim.com. Noah is excited to have three new friends!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Guess how much Noah weighs!!



We just returned from Noah's one-month check-up, and we have some exciting news to report. We know Noah has been growing a lot - he just went through a growth spurt where he ate almost non-stop for two days, and he's getting cute little baby chub on his legs, arms, and chin. We guessed that he might weigh 10 pounds. However, we were so surprised when he weighed in at 12 pounds at the doctor's office this morning! That means he's gained 5 pounds since we were released from the hospital one month ago! Wow! His weight, length and head measurement are all in proportion with each other.



Noah is so much more alert now. He is tracking objects easily, and he has just started imitating some facial movements, like sticking out his tongue. We also get an occasional big smile from him - his eyes light up and he smiles so wide!Here are some pictures from the last few days. Enjoy!


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