Noe News is Good News

Easter Pics

I think Joselyn's favorite part of Easter was having Easter Eggs dumped on her by her cousin Melanie.

It was fun searching for eggs too and finding them

More pics coming soon of the kids in their Easter outfits with their baskets!

Amazing Landen Standing

NO JOKE. He can lean up against the couch for at least 10 seconds! Adam discovered this somehow or another... it had us laughing like crazy! (click on picture for larger view)

OK, so I'm sure all 3 month-olds learning to use their leg muscles could do this if given the chance... we just thought it was so funny :) Oh- and of course Adam was close at hand to catch him in case he DID fall over.

And OH HOW I LOVE HIS CHUBBY LITTLE LEGS! If only I could begin to tell you just how much I love them.

Crying it out.

I wish Landen's instruction manual wouldn't have been lost in the hospital. Funny thing is, Joselyn's got lost there too. We're bad about losing things like that. And since we haven't been able to find replacements, we have been left on our own to figure the babies out- what makes them happy, how to comfort them, what their cries mean, all of that. It would have been a different story, too, had they been exactly the same because then we could have used what we learned with Joselyn on Landen. But we are finding out more and more each day just how different they are. We can't always fall back on "what worked with Joselyn" when it comes to taking care of Landen. That is one of the reasons why I never follow parenting books to the T- every baby is different and to claim something is going to work for EVERY BABY is just ridiculous in my opinion. But I use them as references since I am new to this parenting gig and I would at least like to know what to TRY.

One of my favorite books is called "Baby Wise". The basic theory of this book from what I understand is that parents should provide a loving home and structure to a baby's life. In doing so, babies become more independant and competant. Part of this includes a pretty set schedule of eat-wake-sleep. It also includes letting babies "cry-it-out". The book claims that if you follow what it says, your baby will be sleeping through the night by 8 weeks old.

When we found out I was pregnant with Joselyn, I read Baby Wise after is was recommended by a friend. I decided my baby was going to sleep through the night by the time she was 8 weeks old and my life would be just perfect if I followed the book exactly. Well, it wasn't so easy. When Joselyn came along we found it very hard to let her cry it out. She is, always has been, one stubborn little girl. All she ever wanted was a little cuddle. It took us a while to figure out that if we just held her for a few minutes, she would go to sleep on her own just fine in her crib. And since we had been giving her a pacifier, we would have to get up in the middle of the night to put it back in. We got so used to that we gave up on her sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. In fact, she didn't sleep through the night until she was about 9 months old. We lived through it just fine and now Joselyn is a pretty easy baby. I concluded that Baby Wise wasn't for EVERY baby and that using some of it's tips here and there combined with other things I've learned would be best.

Well, Landen comes along just as different as can be. We tried holding him before putting him to bed thinking he would also just go right to sleep like Joselyn did but we were SO wrong. He got so addicted to it that it just wasn't helping and he wouldn't sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time (with maybe a 3 hour stretch at night). So I came back to the Baby Wise book, read it once again, found a blog about it, and decided to give it a good try with Landen - and that included letting him cry it out. In the process I have learned that Landen is a quick learner. The first night we let him cry it out was a little heart breaking... but Adam and I were both so sleep deprived at this point that it was easier to drown out the crying and sleep- even with him right there in the room with us. We would get up occasionally, pat him on the stomach and let him know we loved him. He cried for about 2 hours straight. Yeah, it was sad but we were sure he knew we still loved him. He slept a while then would cry again but we wouldn't pick him up (unless he needed to eat). The next morning when he took his first nap he cried a lot again. But then something magical happened. Every nap after that he fell asleep as soon as I put him down- it didn't matter where it was- crib, swing, or car seat. Hardly any crying, if any. And then he slept for 7 hours straight last night, and only woke up once to eat. It was amazing. I don't want to jinx myself or anything, but I think he just really needed to teach himself how to go to sleep on his own. And he learned FAST! (1 day!) I'm so proud of him and things are MUCH easier now. And he's not waking up in 45 minute intervals anymore. YAY! I am so happy I can't contain myself. (just pray that he continues to cooperate!)

Landen the brave

This morning Landen had to go to the pediatrician for two more shots. They had split up his 2 month immunizations between his 2nd and 3rd month, and well, Landen is now 3 months. The apppointment was at 9, so I got the babies ready and headed out the door. I thought Adam was right behind me so that he could help out with Joselyn.

We got in the office pretty quick... but as soon as Joselyn saw the nurse Angie (who is actually super sweet) she started screaming at the top of her lungs. This is the first time she has shown me that she remembers the pediactrician's office and it was not good. I had left her blanket in the car thinking she would just run around the room while Landen got his shots but, no. She screamed for her blanket the whole time and got even LOUDER the moment I put her down to be there for Landen when he got his shots. The whole time I'm thinking... where is Adam when I need him?

I try to calm Joselyn down by telling her that it was LANDEN getting the shots, not her. HE was the one getting hurt not her. In my most cheerful voice I was pretty much saying for her to watch Landen get hurt so she could be happy that it wasn't her. How sad is that?

Landen is a brave little fella. Didn't cry until Angie poked him in each leg and didn't fight a bit. He let out a long breathless cry but stopped as soon as I picked him up and was coo-ing and agoo-ing in no time. Didn't even cry as I put his little Jeans back on. Angie went and got Joselyn a little sucker and the tears finally stopped. Why didn't we think of that first?

As we got ready to head out guess who finally shows up?? Oh well, it's not like he didn't try. Our Pediatricians office is just really good at getting us in and out quick! And even though Jos screamed the whole time, it wasn't that bad... each time I go out with the kids by myself I get a little more confident.

Landen didn't even make a Peep on the way home. He was out pretty much the minute I got him in the car. It still amazes me how different my children are from each other. It will be interesting to see how that continues to unveil throughout these coming months.

Landen- 3 months old!

Woah. It almost passed me by! Landen turned 3 months old on St. Patricks Day. We are so lucky to have little Landen in our family. He brings a lot of smiles into the Noe household and I must say we think he's pretty handsome!

Our little Landen is almost as big as Joselyn it seems. She can't get enough of him and I almost think she thinks he is HER baby sometimes. I sat him on her lap this morning for a picture and she wouln't let him go- even after he started crying. He still has his red hair and when he flashes his smile it's almost as if he's flirting... such a sweet little smile he has.

He HATES tummy time. I don't know a baby who likes it?? But anyway, he is able to hold his head up pretty well, but not for long. He's been a pretty easy going baby. He can sit in his carrier watching Jos and I play and be content doing just that for quite some time. On the other hand he sure has one fiery temper. It must be his red hair; when he gets mad he is MAD.

I still feel like I am getting to know him... he's been a tough one to figure out. But one thing is for sure. We love him like crazy!

Utah Trip Day 3

On Friday morning, Joselyn woke me up at 5am Utah time (which is 7am KY time, the normal time Jos wakes up) and we played. She really took off with her walking and she enjoyed exploring all the neat things my grandparents had around the house. Everyone else got to sleep in, which was fine with me cause as soon as she showed a sign of tiredness, I went right back to sleep. When we all woke up again around 9am, my Grandma was upstairs starting a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit. She amazes me!! We seriously felt like royalty with the table all set nicely. We're not used to eating like that very often... usually we survive on bowls of cold cereal or qucikly scrambled eggs.

We enjoyed a lazy morning and then headed downtown to Salt Lake City to take in some of what it has to offer. We first stopped at Babies R Us to purchase the afore mentioned orange stroller. I was really wanting the gray one, but all they had was orange. We decided it was fitting for the season. We found a great (FREE) parking spot behind the conference center and started walking!

While I was in Thailand, Adam took a raod trip to Utah with one of his friends and he couldn't wait to show me all the things they had discovered while they were there - things that WEREN'T there when I was going to BYU, such as this amazing outdoor mall called the Gateway. He had tried to explain it to me, but I just don't think I got it until I actually saw it. I think I want to live there someday.

We grabbed some late lunch and walked around just a little bit before heading back down South. On the way back, we found a Sunglasses Ad that had a model strangely resembling Adam. We all had to do a double take. What do you think??

I also took the opportunity to catch some photos of Joselyn's cheerfulness and smiles. How fun she is!

Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay there as long as we would have wanted. I had a Thailand missionary reunion to get to! I was so excited to some familiar faces that I knew and eat some yummy Thai food. Traffic on the way back was terrible and we ended up arriving to the reunion 30 minutes late. Joselyn was SOOOO tired... it was WAY past her bed time. I was also dissappointed that I hardly knew anyone there! I guess I am getting old and all the people I know were now on with their lives all over the country. I had talked to a missionary companion of mine earlier on in the day and was for SURE I would see her there, but she was no where to be found... besides Presidents Slater, Hansen and their wives, I only knew 3 people... 2 of which I barely knew. Sad, huh? I got a few pics with with the mission Presidents and their wives (which turned out terrible... I guess I was tired too?) as well as the quilt that Sister Hansen had made.  Before us missionaries left Thailand, we wrote our names and a message on a piece of our clothing/ties which they made into a huge quilt.

It took us a while, but Adam and I found my little piece!

Finally, Joselyn just couldn't take it any longer. She needed her sleep... so we left after about an hour. I was so bummed that I didn't get to see any of my companions from the mission. I sure do miss them!! About 10 minutes after we left, I got a call from Juu, one of my companions, wondering where I was. She had JUST arrived... and apparently so had another companion of mine, Liz. My eyes brimmed with tears... I couldn't believe I had just missed them, and I really had to put aside my selfishness for wanting to go back so I could get Joselyn to sleep. Since Liz currently lives in CA and just had a baby, she was the LAST person I expected to see there... but her parents live in SLC and she had come down for conference weekend to visit. I was able to get a hold of her and set up a time to meet up with her before she had to head back to CA with her baby.

I think these following pictures show just how tired Jos was at the reunion... I know I look terrible in these pics, but how could I not post them??

Me, Adam and Jos with President and Sister Slater

Me, Adam and Jos with President and Sister Hansen

Poor little Joselyn and her VERY VERY tired face... do you blame us for leaving early?? (she is rarely seen without a big smile on her cute face)

Falling asleep sitting and other stuff

Got this cute picture of Adam changing Joselyn's diaper yesterday...

And this next one is priceless to me... was at a baby shower and Joselyn fell asleep sitting on my lap

This is how Joselyn moves around

One of Joselyn's Favorite Toys...

... is a little butterfly you can twist and bend to make noises. It makes silly noises such as
"Whoopsie!"
"Wee ooo!"
"wee-kah-poo-kah-tee-oo!"
Just to name a few.

No More Burrito Baby :(

I am a big believer in swaddling. Ever since we read "Happiest Baby on the Block" we have been swaddling her and it helped us in so many ways... it would soothe her, help her go to sleep fast AND stay asleep. So you can imagine my disappointment last night when she did NOT want to be swaddled. She squirmed, she screamed and just wouldn't have it. And guess what? I had NO IDEA what to do. I stayed next to her crib (hidden from her view) as she struggled to fall asleep, occasionally getting up to comfort her and let her know I loved her. I tried giving her her pacifier even but it wouldn't stay in her mouth. She would play, then she would cry, but would NOT fall asleep all the while acting VERY tired. After an hour, she was so tired and worn out I gave up and swaddled her anyway. At this point she was so tired she fell right asleep. Tonight was the same ordeal... except Adam and I looked up all we could on the internet for help. After an hour and a half this time, she was so worn out and just so tired and cried out that swaddling her just put her right to sleep again. My heart is broken because it seems she isn't happy with or without swaddling and I don't know any middle ground... and so she just cries and cries. It makes me almost doubt my decision to swaddle her because I think  maybe she would be used to sleeping without it if we had done that from the beginning. Parenting is so confusing sometimes!

On the other hand, her recent "growing up" has made things a lot more fun around the Noe household. Adam and I can't get enough of our little Joselyn. She is so smiley and just so dang cute!

A lot of people (including my mom) have asked if I part Joselyn's hair down the middle... (I bring this up because it kind of looks that way in this picture) but the answer is no. In fact, I have tried to make it NOT look that way. She has a little cowlick! So funny, huh? I think so :) I love it though.