Dear Noah,
Right now, it’s 5:15 am on February 10. A year ago, we were at the hospital, trying to encourage you to join us out here in this crazy beautiful world.
You were still pretty skeptical. My water broke around 4:30 am on February 9, and we got to the hospital around 7 am. Then we had to wait for your friend Cole to finish being born before the midwife could come see us.
I didn’t know it at 5:15 am on February 10, but you were nowhere near ready to arrive yet. You stayed snuggled up with your foot under my rib cage until Dr V and Midwife J decided it was time to go in and get you, whether you wanted out or not. They brought you out at 3:37 pm.
It is amazing to think that in the last one year, you’ve gone from being a 9 lb, 7 oz “tiny” flailing mass, very good at sucking and howling, but not much else, to being a 27 lb boy who knows words, can crawl and dance walk, and who recently started singing!
*later*
Your favorite song to sing is “Barbara Ann” by the Beach Boys. Minutes after your mommies have stopped singing, we’ll hear you loudly begin, “Ba Ba Ba” in an entirely different tone than your normal conversational “bababababa.”
Your vocabulary exploded in the last month! Most animals still seem to be “woof woof,” but you also recognizably say:
- bye-bye
- book
- mama
- good
- baby
- baboo (nurse)
- play
- mm-mmm
- turtle (there are turtles painted next to where we change your diapers), and the ever popular
- ohhhhh and uh-oh
You probably say a lot more that we still have trouble translating into grown-up English.
You also combine some of these sounds, like “baby turtle.” This morning, after you were done nursing, you looked at me and said, “Play with baby” (well, “paaaywif bay-bee”) before climbing down from the sofa to the floor where all the toys are.
You kept making my head explode all morning, taking 5 or 6 steps at a time, no hands, and being very good and happy at your very first big boy haircut.
I’m sure I’ll have more to say later, after we feed you cake and take pictures of you with frosting in your nice short hair. But for now, I’ll leave it at Happy Birthday, sweetie. I love you more than I ever imagined.
*BAH*
Crying now!
Unbelievable.
Happy, happy, happy birthday Noah. What a wonderful year it’s been–and wonderful year awaits!
Happy birthday, Noah!
Liza, I am just amazed at his vocabulary. WOW. What an incredibly smart boy you have there.
Happy Birthday Noah! Uncle Jason and I love you very much.
We loved seeing the Flickr pictures of you inspecting the wrapping paper of our gift. I thought yoou might like it as much as the gift its self!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH!!!!!!!!
I cant believe our boys are getting all growed up!!
*sniffle*
Happy Birthday! J says he’s HUGE! We are sad we missed it.
Liza, people here recognized me from my blog! Can you believe it! I’m SO not anonymous.
P.S. Isn’t it amazing how they look like they have MORE hair after that first haircut? SOoooooooo cute. We have pics of Jr. in that same chair!
Happy Birthday Noah!!
So sad that we don’t get to play together right now, since I am so, so far away….but I like watching your blog, and I’m wishing you happy birthday all the way from Albania!
Levi
(ps…you even weigh one pound more than I weighed on my first birthday! My mommies say that your mommies better watch out…we only keep getting heavier and heavier and taller and taller…I can reach EVERYTHING now!)
You hear that sound, Noah? That’s the sound of all of your mommies’ DC friends singing Happy Birthday to you! (we’re not great singers, but at least we’re enthusiastic)
Happy Birthday, Noah! Woo Hoo!
Wow! Happy birthday Noah! I remember reading along thru all the eggplant parmesan trips hopping labour would start soon. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year already!
I’m so sorry I missed the big day, but big hugs to you Noah and Happy 1st birthday!
Thanks, Everybody! We had a great, if overwhelming, birthday weekend. We just wish we could have celebrated with more of you.
Um. Levi was *smaller* than this at his birthday? OK, um, we’re frightened.
And Happy Birthday Dave!
Noah is very lucky to have a mother like you! Your awesome love shows through in your writing.
happy birthday noah!
i can’t believe it’s been a year either.
Already? Holy cow! Happy one year old big man!
Happy Birthday Noah! I remember that day too, wondering where you were and why it was all taking so long. Your birth is what finally pushed me into the e-world of blogs. And your cute face has kept me here. Enjoy year number 2!