The other day, a friend of mine asked for a funny Noah story to help her get through the work day, and all I could think of were cute stories...I guess most of them are pretty cute, but maybe a few are funny as well.
One recent laugh comes from our experience learning about staying out of the street. Every time Noah touches a foot on the asphalt, I say to him, "no, street, no," remove him and place him on the sidewalk. He was sure to test me several times on several occasions, to see whether I really meant it. On the third time, I would remove him all the way to the porch and say we had to play on the porch instead because he kept going into the street. He still tests me from time to time, but now when he runs down the driveway, I'm about 85 percent sure he won't run into the street (because of the 15 percent, I have to run after him anyway!).
Needless to say, Noah's favorite playmate is Monty. Whenever we go outside, Monty comes with us, follows us around, and does his cat things from time to time. The other day, we were all outside together, and Monty walked into the street. Noah began screaming at him, "Daaah daaai (various baby gibberish in a screeching voice lasting at least a full minute)." I caught on quickly that Noah was teaching Monty not to go into the street, and called out, "Monty, out of the street!!" while chuckling to myself. Luckily, Monty obeyed!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Spring break in Cancun
Here are some scenes from Cancun. They include some of Noah's favorite activities: walking in the ocean, dancing on the tables, watching the birds eat my chips, walking across the sand, climbing up and down the stairs (a favorite regardless of location), knocking over sand-castle walls, dropping sand in the water, and running from the beach to the water.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Obama 2009-2012!
On January 19, 2009, we set out for Washington DC to see the inauguration in person. We took Amtrak from 30th Street Station in Philly (did anyone see us on the local news? I think they were filming Noah). The train was jam-packed with excited passengers. People were talking about what time they should leave in the morning to get to the National Mall, and the answer was apparently 4-5 am.
On Tuesday morning, I got up with Noah at 6:30 am. We were staying with some friends who live near Eastern Market. By 7:30, there was a parade of people passing by the window, on their way to the inauguration. We had breakfast andstarted walking around 9:15 . The excitement in the air was palpable! People were everywhere, all over the streets.
Since some of the roads were closed to pedestrians, the walk was not easy. At one point, we had to squeeze through a very narrow space through bushes and brambles where the equivalent of 25 lanes of traffic were reduced to 3 -- it was tough! The walk was also confusing -- there was no clear information about street closures or the best ways to get through. Lines for people with tickets got confused with lines to get through small spaces. We soon had a view of the Capitol!
We got to the first entrance, at 7th and Independence, and they were not letting people in. They said to continue to 14th street, which is about as far as the Washington Monument. However, along with a few apparently savvy people, we made a byline through a museum entrance at around 10th St, and went into the Sackler Gallery. We had been told the museums would be open to help people keep warm, and figured there must be a way to get through to the Mall.
We walked down 3 flights of stairs, and passed scores of people lining the walls of the hallways, sitting down, or laying down, resting and keeping warm. It was around 11:00 by this point, and yet these people were not on the Mall waiting for inauguration. They must have burned out, and just wanted the warmth. I finally asked one group what time they had arrived, and they said they had gotten to the Mall at 5:00 am! Here's one guy sacked out:
After crossing the museum and fighting our way back up 3 flights of stairs that were lined with people just trying to keep warm (just the last flight of stairs must have taken us 15 minutes!), we finally made it to the Mall! We were jumping with excitement!
The crowd at the mall was fabulous! It was diverse, and I even saw one other infant (most other kids around were at least 5 or so). They booed at Bush; they cheered fanatically when Obama appeared and when he took the oath of office. It was cold -- probably about 26 when the ceremony started, but with all the people around it didn't feel quite as brutal as you might expect. Some people looked well-prepared, others looked cold, and still others had clearly felt compelled to retreat to the museums for warmth. Comforters doubled as coats and Obama ski hats abounded.
We left before Obama's speech was over to beat the crowd on it's way out, since Noah had reached his maximum patience and comfort levels. We made it home by about 1:15 pm. We spent a total 4 hours out in the cold, but had stopped at two buildings on the way there for warmth. When we got back to the house, we were exhausted, but happy! All in all, it was so worth it!
It turns out we were extremely lucky. There were tons of people stranded on the metro, stuck in lines (even ticket-holders), or just could not get there, so ended up missing it, or watching it on TV. Every restaurant we passed on the way (McDonald's, a Mexican restaurant) was packed with people watching it on TV. I heard one person say she watched it at the CVS. One group we met had left at 7 am, and kept going to 14th street, and didn't get back for 8.5 hours.
Noah sleeping on the train back:
Here is a video memory of it all:
On Tuesday morning, I got up with Noah at 6:30 am. We were staying with some friends who live near Eastern Market. By 7:30, there was a parade of people passing by the window, on their way to the inauguration. We had breakfast andstarted walking around 9:15 . The excitement in the air was palpable! People were everywhere, all over the streets.
Since some of the roads were closed to pedestrians, the walk was not easy. At one point, we had to squeeze through a very narrow space through bushes and brambles where the equivalent of 25 lanes of traffic were reduced to 3 -- it was tough! The walk was also confusing -- there was no clear information about street closures or the best ways to get through. Lines for people with tickets got confused with lines to get through small spaces. We soon had a view of the Capitol!
We got to the first entrance, at 7th and Independence, and they were not letting people in. They said to continue to 14th street, which is about as far as the Washington Monument. However, along with a few apparently savvy people, we made a byline through a museum entrance at around 10th St, and went into the Sackler Gallery. We had been told the museums would be open to help people keep warm, and figured there must be a way to get through to the Mall.
We walked down 3 flights of stairs, and passed scores of people lining the walls of the hallways, sitting down, or laying down, resting and keeping warm. It was around 11:00 by this point, and yet these people were not on the Mall waiting for inauguration. They must have burned out, and just wanted the warmth. I finally asked one group what time they had arrived, and they said they had gotten to the Mall at 5:00 am! Here's one guy sacked out:
After crossing the museum and fighting our way back up 3 flights of stairs that were lined with people just trying to keep warm (just the last flight of stairs must have taken us 15 minutes!), we finally made it to the Mall! We were jumping with excitement!
The crowd at the mall was fabulous! It was diverse, and I even saw one other infant (most other kids around were at least 5 or so). They booed at Bush; they cheered fanatically when Obama appeared and when he took the oath of office. It was cold -- probably about 26 when the ceremony started, but with all the people around it didn't feel quite as brutal as you might expect. Some people looked well-prepared, others looked cold, and still others had clearly felt compelled to retreat to the museums for warmth. Comforters doubled as coats and Obama ski hats abounded.
We left before Obama's speech was over to beat the crowd on it's way out, since Noah had reached his maximum patience and comfort levels. We made it home by about 1:15 pm. We spent a total 4 hours out in the cold, but had stopped at two buildings on the way there for warmth. When we got back to the house, we were exhausted, but happy! All in all, it was so worth it!
It turns out we were extremely lucky. There were tons of people stranded on the metro, stuck in lines (even ticket-holders), or just could not get there, so ended up missing it, or watching it on TV. Every restaurant we passed on the way (McDonald's, a Mexican restaurant) was packed with people watching it on TV. I heard one person say she watched it at the CVS. One group we met had left at 7 am, and kept going to 14th street, and didn't get back for 8.5 hours.
Noah sleeping on the train back:
Here is a video memory of it all:
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Dancing Boy
Noah is really communicating with us these days, though it mostly consists of pointing and grunting/screaming. He is really close to saying "palta," which is avocado in Chilean Spanish (he loves it).
The other day I introduced him to swing music, and he loved it! When Nano got home, the two of them were in the living room together while I was in the kitchen. Noah came walking over to me with the remote control to the stereo -- apparently, he wanted to show dad his dance moves! I followed him to the living room with the remote and turned on the music, and he danced for us. Nano said he had been pointing at the speaker, but he didn't know what Noah wanted until he walked over to me. Here he is, in his dancing splendor!
The other day I introduced him to swing music, and he loved it! When Nano got home, the two of them were in the living room together while I was in the kitchen. Noah came walking over to me with the remote control to the stereo -- apparently, he wanted to show dad his dance moves! I followed him to the living room with the remote and turned on the music, and he danced for us. Nano said he had been pointing at the speaker, but he didn't know what Noah wanted until he walked over to me. Here he is, in his dancing splendor!
Friday, January 9, 2009
First birthday, Christmas, New Year's, oh my!
So much has happened since our last postings! First, school picked up the pace, and time was short with final exams, papers etc. In the midst of it all, Noah turned one!! I can't believe it has been a over a year since Noah came into our lives. Our lives have been totally transformed, turned inside out, and we love it. Just one little smile from this little guy makes us melt in a split second. He is busy trying to climb stairs and confront obstacles. He protests loudly if he doesn't get something he wants (no, I really want to walk through the leaf pile, I really want to drink your soda, I really want to carry around your phone and then drop it in the toilet). He still doesn't say any real words, but he is trying really hard -- lots of babbling and bababa's, lots of shrieking. He came close to "airplane" with "ahbah" (he was repeating after me), and he got "Tata" (grandpa) down when we were in Chile, since it was one of his favorite sounds, but doesn't say it much anymore since his Tata isn't in Philadelphia. He can now stand up from sitting down with no help, and loves steps.
We celebrated his first year birthday with a few friends and a huge cake. He had a good time, after warming up to it. He didn't care much for the birthday hat, to say the least, but he enjoyed the music and being on daddy's shoulders.
On December 20, we headed to Chile! The flight was packed, long, and well, uncomfortable. He slept in my arms, but kept waking because he wanted to stretch out and turn over, and then arched his back and cried when he realized he couldn't. On the way back, we had a little more space (one extra seat), but it wasn't too much better.
Noah loved meeting his cousins in Chile, and thrived in the bustling environment of a big family. Catalina and Josefina (9 and 7) made faces and sung to him while he ate and Magdalena (almost 3) played on the baby slide with him. Julian (4) was so excited to show him something, he took him by the hand, "Noah, ven!" and when Noah couldn't keep up and fell, dragged him across the floor. (I did not witness this, but apparently it provoked only laughter from Noah's dad, while Noah's uncle came to the rescue.) Visiting some friends, he figured out from Sebastian Martin (4 and 2) how fun it is to run across the room onto the patio, so he spent a good deal of time practicing that feat. We took him to the beach in Vinia del Mar. At first, he didn't want to step on the sand, but he was soon filtering it through his fingers. On his last beach day, he delighted in running out to meet the incoming surf (with our help, of course!). He loved the water! We had a wonderful time.
Here he is in the sand:
With his cousins:
And here is some cute babbling...
We celebrated his first year birthday with a few friends and a huge cake. He had a good time, after warming up to it. He didn't care much for the birthday hat, to say the least, but he enjoyed the music and being on daddy's shoulders.
On December 20, we headed to Chile! The flight was packed, long, and well, uncomfortable. He slept in my arms, but kept waking because he wanted to stretch out and turn over, and then arched his back and cried when he realized he couldn't. On the way back, we had a little more space (one extra seat), but it wasn't too much better.
Noah loved meeting his cousins in Chile, and thrived in the bustling environment of a big family. Catalina and Josefina (9 and 7) made faces and sung to him while he ate and Magdalena (almost 3) played on the baby slide with him. Julian (4) was so excited to show him something, he took him by the hand, "Noah, ven!" and when Noah couldn't keep up and fell, dragged him across the floor. (I did not witness this, but apparently it provoked only laughter from Noah's dad, while Noah's uncle came to the rescue.) Visiting some friends, he figured out from Sebastian Martin (4 and 2) how fun it is to run across the room onto the patio, so he spent a good deal of time practicing that feat. We took him to the beach in Vinia del Mar. At first, he didn't want to step on the sand, but he was soon filtering it through his fingers. On his last beach day, he delighted in running out to meet the incoming surf (with our help, of course!). He loved the water! We had a wonderful time.
Here he is in the sand:
With his cousins:
And here is some cute babbling...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
First Halloween
Noah enjoyed his first Halloween dressed up as a little bat! We listened to some children's music at the mall, and then posed for some pictures.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Now he's getting around
Last night, my phone rang in the living room while we were both in the family room with Noah. I went to go get it, and he walked right after me! That's the furthest he's gone yet. Here is a video from the morning of October 26th, at 10 months and 1 week (plus a few days).
Friday, October 17, 2008
Our little walker
A few days ago, Noah took his first steps! He has now walked about five feet across the living room. Of course, every time I try to film, his little walks are much shorter, but you can get the picture. He is so excited with this new development! Now we really need to baby proof!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Practice
Noah is getting good at taking steps! This video, from 8 1/2 months, already looks outdated.
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