California Scheming

Some Noah updates:

- he can now stand on his own

- he can walk while holding onto something

- he is getting four teeth

- he babbles constantly and says words that sound like “Mama” and “Dada”

- he’s become a little comedian!!

Noah has developed an amazing sense of humor (his babysitter calls him “little Seinfeld”). He’s funny and he knows it. He mimics us…and the dog. One of his funniest moves is that he’ll look at you and growl and go, “ROAR!” Well, I guess it’s a mix between an impersonation of Jake and a lion. And he makes the most hilarious facial expressions.

Sometimes he tries to break free from the prison that is his crib:

And sometimes he’s just stinkin’ cute:

Thanks for the hat Aunt Stephanie (Michigan Stephanie, that is)

I got approval from work to go part-time starting in April!!! AND we still get to keep full benefits! I’m so relieved. I was getting very tense about the idea of leaving Noah with a nanny/sitter for more than 40 hours each week. Now I’ll only be working Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and will get a nice long weekend with him. Phew that makes this a little easier.

I miss my son SO much. I feel like I never see him anymore. By the time that I get home from work and we have dinner, I have about an hour with him before it’s time for bed. This blows! He’s going to forget who I am!

The good news is that he’s getting to spend a lot of time with his grandparents now and they’re taking great care of him. AND I think I’ve found a nanny for when they head back to Michigan. I’ve had a few nerve-wracking interviews, but we finally found someone who seems to be a good fit. And she lives across the street from us! He’ll start staying with her in April.

Anyway, here are some Noah pictures…

Since I’ve become a mother, I frequently find myself suffering from an overwhelming sense of guilt. For example, during the recent slumber party, I felt SO terrible about leaving my son on his own for a night. And, by “on his own”, I mean safely at home with his father. And did I mention that the slumber party was held in my same condo complex and was, therefore, literally a minute away and that I was able to excuse myself and run home to hang out with him? Nonetheless, I was quietly judging myself as the worst mother in the world for not being home with him. AND I swear that when I came home the next morning he was angry with me and looked at me with eyes that screamed, “Et tu, Mommy? Et tu?”

Also, I now look at my bad habits and worry that he’s going to start picking up on them. He already eats as if food were going out of fashion and I fear that he got his insatiable appetite from his heifer of a mother. In a few years, will he also be inhaling heaping plates of nachos and fries doused in ranch dressing??? Oy – I’ve got to start eating better! I’ll look like a total hypocrite if I tell him he can’t have that food and then promptly shove it into my face.

And the cursing!!! I love to curse. Four-letter words are some of my favorite words in the English language – well, those along with conundrum, awesome, dude, intense, insane, and sweet. But it’s got to stop before Noah’s first sentence is, “That’s f****** awesome dude!” I mean I know that I sound totally cool when I talk like that (right???), but coming from a little kid it might not be quite so glamorous.

Basically I need to start being more conscious of all of my bad habits, because now I’m influencing another little person and I don’t want him to necessarily be quite as “quirky” as his dear old mom. I guess this means letting go of some of my less than stellar habits. It’s completely worth it, but it’ll be an adjustment. So get ready for Melissa-lite everyone!

My current favorite outfit for Noah is a onesie that says, “I LOVE MOMMY.” Granted he does actually have similar onesies that say things like, “I’m Nuts for Grandpa,”I Heart Daddy,” and “Grandma is Great,” but I KNOW that the Mommy one is the one that he actually feels the strongest about. A mother just knows these things.

The warm and fuzzies that I feel from seeing him in this outfit got me to thinking…what if I could dress my family and friends in similar outfits? For example, how great would it be to dress my parents in “My Daughter is NEVER Disappointing” t-shirts or to have my friends wear “Melissa is SO Awesome” hats or, best of all, to make Shawn wear a dress-shirt to work everyday proclaiming that “My Wife is the Most Amazing Woman in the World…All You Other B****** Better Recognize!”

Wait…you don’t think they’ll go for it??? Dammit! I guess I’ll just stick to dressing my kid up in ego boosting outfits then. He’ll be fine with that until he’s like 16 or 17, right?

Yesterday was Noah’s two month doctor’s appointment and that means that he had to get his first round of immunizations. He bled quite a bit with one of the shots and he was such a sad little dude last night. He’s usually the Zen master, so it was hard to see him cry so much. He’s doing better today, but he’s still not himself. Hopefully tomorrow he’ll be back to being his usual happy self. Here’s a picture of him during happier times.

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas over at my parent’s place. For those of you who don’t know, they’re spending their winters out here in an RV in the Santa Ana Mountains. It’s in the Cleveland National Forest and it’s GORGEOUS out there. I’ll have to do a photo shoot soon and post the pictures.

Anyway, we had a great Christmas and I’m so happy that my parents got to be here for Noah’s first one. My parents totally spoiled us and baby Noah. They got him some toys (including a Thomas the Train set that my mom swears he’ll be crazy about in a couple of years), some bathing stuff, and books. I’m trying to build up his library so this was perfect! Here’s what they hooked us up with:

1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

2. Company’s Coming: A Passover Lift-the-Flap Book by Joan Holub

3. Noah’s Bed by Lis and Jim Coplestone

4. On Noah’s Ark by Jan Brett

I love that they included some Jewish stuff (the Passover book) and books that include his name. Very adorable. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

We spent the afternoon eating a delicious vegan meal that my mom made especially for Shawn, opening presents, playing Trivial Pursuit (a gift from my parents to us), and lavishing attention on the baby. It was great!

We just wrapped up Noah’s first Hanukkah. We didn’t do a whole lot for it…For the first night we had my parents and grandma, a neighbor, and some of Shawn’s friends over to light candles and have some food. For the rest of the week we lit candles every night and I got him a little stuffed gorilla. He has so much and is too young to really care, so we kept it low-key. We’ll have to be more festive next year, I suppose. I did decorate the house a little bit though, so that’s an improvement over the last couple of years.

We’re going to do Christmas with my family this week. I have to admit that I’m a fan of Christmas over Hanukkah – not for any religous reasons, just because I like the whole Christmas tree, Santa Claus, elves, and reindeer thing. I keep telling Shawn that Hanukkah would be a lot cooler if it had better marketing and a fat man to break into your house with presents for little kids…in a totally non-creepy kind of way. Offensive? Perhaps. I’m sure he thanks G-d that he married a shiksa EVERY SINGLE day of his life.

Anyway, I’m really glad that my parents are out here to celebrate the holidays with this year. AND my dad is starting to hate being forced to spend his winters in Southern California less. So that’s truly a Hanukkah/Christmas miracle!

I wish that we could spend the holidays with the rest of my family too. Maybe one day. But at least this year I’m not feeling all depressed and homesick!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone! We miss you!

Pinto (aka Noah) is doing great! Like his mom, he’s a huge eater and has quickly been putting on weight (he’s over 8 pounds now). He’s still a night owl, preferring to sleep all day and keep mommy awake all night. I’m hoping to break him of this habit soon. He also thinks he’s Zoolander and has been coming up with some hilarious faces lately. Seriously – I could keep myself entertained for hours just watching the array of facial expressions my son has in his arsenal. He’s learned to smile and it’s so damn precious.

He also makes the most adorable noises – little squeaks and groans and laughing sounds. I love listening to him. But, hell, I even think it’s adorable when he farts so I may be biased.

AND it’s his one month birthday tomorrow! Happy Birthday Pinto!!!