February Fun

Dear Family and Friends,

February was a pretty uneventful month. Jorge stayed busy with grad school and work, I continued on my workout plan and Noah continued to amaze us with how mobile and independent he is getting. He loves playing in his floor gym with his toy piano. This month is inner narcissist came out when he started to get a kick out of looking at himself in the mirror. Looking in the mirror gives him a chance to see his face and Jorge and our faces at the same time. I think that's pretty amazing to him. 

This month we introduced Noah to a few of his stuffed animals. Since he had a Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfit, it was definitely appropriate to snap a picture with him and his two stuffed friends. Even though he was only five months old when we snapped this picture, I think he realized how silly it was. Unfortunately around the time this picture was taken, Noah was in the habit of blowing out his diapers so about an hour after we took this picture he had to be changed. 

This month Jorge really started feeling his workload pile up. He was assigned a couple major assignments in his spring semester class along with having to work on a larger assignment that must be completed in order for him to graduate. On top of that he had to continue with his duties  associated with teaching. Despite all of his work he continues to see the light at the end of the tunnel get a little bit brighter. However, he's realized that he's not quite finished with school. Recently, he has discovered that he has a great interest in working with computers and would like to take a few classes related to programming.  

I haven't really been up to anything new this month. I've just continued to work towards getting my pre-Noah body back (tight abs and all). I have made some progress thanks to the Insanity workout programs (10 lbs down!). With only ten pounds out of fifty left to lose I'm doing pretty good!

As you can see Noah is getting cuter and cuter every day and we're starting to capture pictures of him showing his emotions. I think in that picture he's showing a little bit of mischievousness. 

That's all for now. 

God Bless,

Steph, Jorge, and Noah

January Wrap-Up

Dear Family & Friends,

This month we introduced Noah to his bouncy seat. We saw that his legs were getting very strong and he was able to hold up his head without any support. When we first put him in the seat he didn't quite know what to make of this new type of movement but he got the hang of it very quickly. Whenever he is in the seat, he smiles and does his signature silent laugh. He hasn't quite figured out how to laugh out loud yet but whenever he's happy he opens his mouth as wide as it can go. With Noah occupied in his new toy Jorge and I can get all of our clean up, dinner prep, and prep for the next day done much faster. It's also nice for Jorge because it allows him to simultaneously watch Noah play and work on his graduate school homework. 

Speaking of grad school, Jorge is back in the thick if it. It's no fun to watch him overloaded with his teaching work and homework because I know that he'd much rather be spending time with us. Fortunately this is his last semester of having to juggle both job and school. Along with school work Jorge is also attempting to get back into shape (I'm also attempting to shed the last of my pregnancy weight). In the second half of the month we started the insanity workout program. If you've never heard of it, Google it. This is honestly the hardest workout I have ever done and it requires us to work out insanely (hence the name of the workout) hard for up to an hour six days a week. This is definitely proving difficult for us because by the time we get home from work we are exhausted! But like all things that are tough, the rewards will make it all worth it. Once we complete the program I'll post pictures so you can see how it worked for us. 

Also this month, we had Noah dedicated at church. This was a very special day for us because a large group of family friends came to our church to support us as Jorge and I dedicated ourselves to raising Noah according to God's Word. It's amazing how many people love our little angel. The ceremony went off without a hitch and Noah was well behaved when we had to walk on stage in front of hundreds of a thousand people. We even bought Noah a little suit so that he could be dressed up for the occasion. 

Towards the end of the month we realized that Noah might be ready to take the leap to solid food. He began drinking three seven ounce bottles of milk during day care making it very difficult for me to keep up with him. We do not want to give Noah formula unless it's absolutely necessary so I've had to pump a little bit more in order for him to get the nutrients he needs. Jorge and I decided (well I decided and Jorge went along with it) that we are going to transition to eating primarily organic foods in order to give Noah a pesticide, antibiotic, nitrate, and growth-hormone free diet. It's amazing how many chemicals they put into a lot of the foods we eat and I am trying to avoid introducing these chemicals to Noah this early in his life. Because of this I a going to be making the majority of Noah's foods from scratch (which takes time but its definitely worth it). Our first attempt at solid food was homemade organic rice and it wasn't as easy as I had anticipated but by the third attempt Noah was getting used to the idea of getting his food from a spoon. 

I also introduced Noah to the piano this month. Once he realized he could make noise by banging on the keys his eyes lit up and he began to jam. We try to get him to play around with the piano a few times a week. 

Anyway, that's all for now. You all be blessed!

Love,

Steph, Jorge, and Noah

The Holiday Season - Part II

Dear Friends and Family,

As the holiday season continued, we experienced our first snow of the winter. Fortunately it snowed over the weekend so we could be home to enjoy it. We weren't outside for long because it was a bit chilly but I couldn't resist taking Noah outside. He didn't seem overly enthusiastic about the snow (maybe that will happen next year when he's big enough to run around and play in it). As is the case with most NC snow falls, the snow melted as fast as it arrived so we weren't able to enjoy it as long as I would have liked. Hopefully before winter is up we'll have another big snow so we can enjoy it for a little longer (If it does snow it'd be great if it were over the weekend again so it won't be such a pain to drive to work/school/daycare on slick roads). For those of you in areas used to a lot of snow, you'd laugh at the pace the DOT here moves to clear roads. 

As Jack Frost continued to delight (sarcastic) us with chilly weather we had to find ways to entertain ourselves inside. Fortunately, my Aunt Karen bought us an item that should be a staple in any house with a baby, the Boppy. Noah loves this thing! He likes to be a part of all the action and the Boppy helps him sit up and observe everything going on around him. As you can see in the picture his neck is getting stronger and he is able to prop himself up for several minutes. Soon he'll be able to sit up on his own! Now that he's gotten a little older we have to keep a bib on him at all times because there seems to be a constant stream of saliva dripping out of his mouth. 

As Christmas approached we got caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping for gifts and decorating the house. Jorge had the week  before Christmas off so he spent this time working on his graduate school paper (supposedly). I'm not sure how much work he got done because, if I remember correctly, the XBox got a lot more use during those few days than normal.  

Now I know that they (whoever "they" are) say that once you have a baby everyone should come to you to celebrate the holidays. Well we went against the grain and traveled all around NC and up to PA. We started off in Jacksonville, NC for Christmas Eve to spend time with Jorge' family. On Christmas Eve we headed over to Garner, NC to see more of Jorge's relatives who we hadn't seen in forever so it was great to see them.  

On Christmas morning we opened gifts at our house. I realized that I probably did not need to wrap Noah's gifts since his dexterity wasn't at a level that allowed him to grab onto and pull wrapping paper. He mostly sat in his new seat with a puzzled look on his face. It was really nice to have a peaceful Christmas morning where we could reflect on everything that we have been blessed with and give thanks to the one whose birthday we were celebrating. 

After opening presents relatively quickly, we were on the road again. This time we were headed up to PA to see my family. We were originally planning on leaving the day after Christmas but a big snow storm was headed for NC and we needed to get on the road as soon as possible. If you are ever planning to travel on Christmas day be warned that NOTHING is open accept for Denny's and gas stations. We were very disappointed to find that not a single decent restaurant was open along the I-95 corridor. Fortunately, we came across a gas station that had a Dunkin Donuts in it. 

After the 7 hour drive we finally made it PA where Noah had the pleasure of meeting his great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather for the first time. It was awesome to see so many generations in the same room. It was great to see my family but I think we are all so happy to be out of the car that was getting more and more claustrophobic as the trip progressed. I never realized how much stuff you have to bring with you when traveling with a baby. 

Sadly, we were only able to spend an evening with my grandmother and great-grandfather because they had to head back to NY the next morning to avoid the impending blizzard. It was a good thing they left when they did because that evening NY was hit with almost two feet of snow (which my brother had the misfortune of driving in the next day when he headed back to NY).   We ended up spending almost a week in PA before heading back down to NC for New Years. 

We ended the holiday season by celebrating on New Years day in Greensboro, NC with my family. Although this holiday season was definitely hectic, we were so blessed to have so many wonderful people to share it with!


Until next time, 


Steph, Jorge, and Noah


Ps. Here is a video of Noah dancing during lunch stop on our way back from PA:

The Holiday Season - Part I

Dear Friends and Family,


November was a month spent getting used to new routines and preparing for the holiday season. I (Steph) returned to work on November 1st after six weeks of maternity leave and had to (sadly) drop Noah off at daycare for the first time. After spending every day with him for a month and a half, it was very difficult leaving him in the care of others. The transition was made easier because Noah's classroom has cameras mounted that enable parents to watch remotely. Whenever I found myself missing Noah, I would login to our account and spend a few minutes watching him play and sleep. As hard as it was leaving Noah I was glad to return to work. It was nice having conversations not related to diaper changes, feeding schedules, and bath time. 


Throughout the month Jorge kept trying to push Noah beyond the limits of his size and age (I'm assuming this pretty common for dad's to do with their sons). Jorge is convinced that Noah will be walking sooner than any known baby, but we all know that that's pretty unlikely. It is fun watching Noah stand on his feet. We have definitely noticed his legs getting stronger. 


It seemed every weekend in November was spent running around NC. The weekend before Thanksgiving Noah took his first trip to Jacksonville, NC to visit Jorge's family. Noah met his great-grandparents for the first. It was awesome seeing Noah and his great-grandfather together. It would be nice if we lived closer and make these visits more frequent but not seeing everyone very often makes each visit that much more special. 


Thanksgiving weekend my family (mom, dad, brother, and brother's girlfriend) came down from PA and NY. It was the first time my brother and his girlfriend met Noah and they were very excited to meet the newest member of the family. On thanksgiving, we dressed Noah up in a turkey themed outfit (I think it is absolutely necessary to dress little babies in ridiculously cute holiday themed outfits. Your kids may wince with embarrassment when they are older but its definitely worth it) and traveled to Wilson, NC to chow down and give thanks with my extended family. From Wilson we traveled to Greensboro, NC to enjoy our second dinner and dessert with some more of my family. We couldn't stay out too late though, because we had to get plenty of rest in order to have the energy to battle all of the shoppers out in full force on Black Friday. It was definitely a busy day  but there's nothing more fitting than spending Thanksgiving with so many people that you are thankful to have in your life.

The day after Thanksgiving we took part in the awesome shopping of Black Friday. Jorge and I missed it last year because we were on our cruise. So we were especially looking forward to going out this year. There is just something fun about getting up early to buy things that you can get any other day but for some reason they are more appealing on the day after Thanksgiving. 

Now that Noah is around we couldn't wake up at 4 AM to hit the stores like we usually do but it wasn't that bad getting to the stores around 10. We managed to get to the stores when there was a lull in the major crowds arriving. We tackled the mall and new outlet shops before stopping and refueling with a quick bite to eat. I don't think anybody did too much damage to their bank accounts but we all definitely took advantage of the sales. 

After all the shopping we went home to rest for a bit before heading out to the NC State vs. Fairleigh Dickinson basketball game. Noah wore his Wolfpack onesie and was super excited to be in such a different environment. He was so excited that after being awake for only twenty minutes he needed a nap. I think the big crowd, loud noise, and bright lights may have overstimulated him a bit. Going to this game made us look forward to football season when Noah will get to go his first ACC football game. 


Overall November was another month that left us counting our blessings. In our next entry we will talk about our fun in the snow and the best holiday of the year, Christmas!


Love Always,


Stephanie, Jorge, and Noah

October Wrap Up

Hello Everyone!


We hope the rest of October has been great for all of you. We have had a busy past couple of weeks. Our friends, Erica and Chris, flew down from NYC to spend some time with us and more importantly, to meet Noah.  We all had a great time and although they both loved holding Noah, neither was ready to change one of his stinky diapers! Also in the past couple of weeks, Noah met his Grandpa Willy for the first time. Seeing the two together was very cute but Noah's tiny size made his grandpa a little nervous so Noah spent most of the afternoon in the arms of Grandma Omega. 

Chris and Erica with Noah

In the midst of all of our visits we had some important business to attend to. Noah had a couple of doctors appointments as follow-ups to the ultrasounds we had in which the doctors observed a multi-cystic right kidney. We went to the Duke Children's Hospital where Noah had some tests run. After running the tests, the specialists concluded that Noah was born with only a left kidney. Fortunately, there are no long term implications of having a single kidney and God willing Noah will live a long healthy life.


I (Steph) return to work on November 1. I am happy to return to my colleagues and to regular adult conversation but definitely sad to see the end of spending all my time with Noah. With my return to work, Noah will be starting daycare. We already had a practice run with Noah spending a few hours in daycare last week and he did great! The daycare is about five minutes from my job so I can take time during my lunch break and visit him. 


As with all new babies we are having an ongoing debate over who Noah looks like - me or Jorge. Unfortunately Jorge has no baby pictures so we can't really do an accurate comparison. But after comparing Noah to my pictures I don't think there is much of a need for Jorge's picture. Noah obviously look just like his mother :) In all fairness, I think that Noah has Jorge's nose and chin and he has my eyes and ears. Overall, he is a perfect combination of the two of us. 

Steph as a baby

Noah during bath time

With the end of October comes everyone's favorite day to dress up - Halloween! For Noah's first Halloween he was a lion. He was definitely the cutest little lion that we had ever seen. 

Well that wraps it up for the month of October. Here are a few more cute pictures we snapped of Noah this month.

Noah taking a cat nap in the clothes basket. 

When he's hungry he will suckle on anything you put in front of him. Looks like he'll have a big appetite like his daddy.

Yeah, he's definitely going to have a big appetite!

Thanks for reading and God bless!!!

Love,

Steph and Jorge

Noah Tracking A Toy With His Eyes

Family and Friends,

Here is a video of Noah looking at one of his toys. When we move the toy back and forth Noah follows it with his eyes. We love playing with him and improving his gross motor skills. We even have alphabet flash cards (courtesy of Steph's mom) that we will be using so that he can become familiar with letter recognition as soon as possible. 

The First Weeks

Hi Family and Friends,


Well, we've survived 3 weeks of parenting! Although the shock of becoming parents definitely has not worn off (and we're sure it probably won't wear off until for a long long time). The hardest adjustment has definitely been lack of sleep. It's been rough for me (Steph) adjusting to cat naps whenever Noah sleeps instead of my customary 8-9 hours of sleep a night. So far, Jorge hasn't had to get up in the middle of night since I am nursing and handle all of the feeding. Although, he's been getting minimal sleep trying to balance work, grad school, and spending time with Noah. We're just both super happy that Noah is a pretty quiet baby and isn't up all night crying. 

It's been a little scary for us (mostly me) realizing that we have this little life to take care of but I think we're doing a pretty good job. Noah makes it easy for us since (so far) he has been a really well behaved baby. It's also been really helpful having help for the past few weeks. My mom was here for the past week helping us get adjusted and my Aunt Karen has been coming a few days a week to help with odds and ends around the house. Jorge's mom also stayed for a day to help and see her grandson. Even without their help, it's been really nice having experienced moms ensuring me that I'm doing everything right. 

It's also been fun experiencing all of the things associated with caring for a new baby. We have had some hysterical moments changing Noah's diaper since he seems to like produce projectile poop during diaper changes. Along with spraying pee, which is typical with little boys, Noah likes to spontaneously poop. Our first experience with the projectile poop was totally  unanticipated and Jorge and I were both completely shocked when he pooped and the debris landed a clear foot from the source. Needless to say, we've become much more careful when changing his diaper to avoid making messes in the nursery. We've also come to enjoy bath time with Noah. He really enjoys the warm water sponge baths and now that his umbilical cord has fallen off we can start submerging him in water for a more thorough cleaning (although we're going to have to figure out how to combat projectile poops during bath time).

We actually ventured out with Noah last weekend when we took him to Elon University for his first college campus tour (we're starting early!) Unfortunately, the fresh air soothed him to sleep and he missed most of our walk around the scenic campus. Since it's getting chilly outside we're going to have to choose his outings carefully although his Granny (my mom) was willing to drive an hour to take him on his first trip to the zoo! I know she can't wait for him to get a little bit older and more aware of his surroundings because if she had it her way she would take him around the world. 


As a follow up to prenatal reports about Noah's cystic right kidney, we took Noah to the hospital for an ultrasound. It turns out that Noah's right kidney failed to develop and therefore he must rely on his normal left kidney for fluid filtering. We aren't terribly concerned since he uses the bathroom normally and the doctors have assured us that a person can lead a normal life with a single kidney functioning at 50%. Unfortunately for Noah he won't be able to participate in any contact sports (i.e. football and boxing) but all things considered this is something that both Jorge and I can live with. Despite the positive prognosis please continue to keep us all in your prayers as we continue to grow (us as parents and Noah as a healthy little boy)


God Bless,


Steph and Jorge