First off, Noah is really impressive. He is like a sponge lately with the way he soaks in all these new words and tricks. We watched The Babysitter’s Club together and he started making "shh chh shh" noises to his finger like they do in the movie. Then he started spinning around in circles while he walks, just because it’s fun. He’s imitating our sentences and words and it’s just incredible to watch the concentration on his face as he learns something new. Today, specifically, he learned how to make his pop up toy work (he couldn’t grasp the switch concept before).

And coloring! I really thought, when I handed him his first crayons at Longhorn, that he would just try to eat them. I was completely surprised and proud when he attempted to make marks on the paper in front of him. I was completely blown away even more recently when I bought him a box of crayons and he not only showed interest but seeks out and requests to color. Unfortunately, he likes to color on anything white, which means our fridge and wall, too. *sigh*

I am no longer worried about his hearing. He makes it obvious that he can hear us but he’s deliberately ignoring when we say his name so he can continue doing his thing. His language eruption further cements my idea that there is nothing wrong. I’d still like to take him to an ENT but I don’t think it’s so imperative that we need to drive 4-6 hours both ways. We’d be better off going to Houston! At least that way we’d be able to see an ENT and my family, yes?

I feel like I am more in control of my life again. Not the kind of control where I’m afraid to let God take over but at least to the point where I’m not sure if I’m coming or going or sleeping or awake or going to eat in an hour or five hours…catch my drift? The schedule I have tried to set up for Noah has made a huge difference for me as well. I don’t like to live by the clock but I do like to live in time increments and knowing that I have a certain amount of time allotted for "x" makes it a lot easier to get to "y" and then some. I find that I am sleeping better, even though Noah insists on increasing his nightly nursings (aren’t they supposed to slow down by now?). I even find that my depression has lifted, somewhat, because I am guaranteed to see a bit of sunlight every day.

It also helps that Joshua and I are rock solid lately. That doesn’t mean we don’t fight – we do – but it does mean that I feel secure in the knowledge that he loves me and cares for me and doesn’t need another woman but me. I feel the same towards him. He’s all the man I could ever need (or handle). Besides, why would I give up a man who cooks (amazingly well), cleans, does dishes because he knows I hate to, does laundry because it helps me AND is good in…well, you know what I mean. ;-)

Unfortunately, even though we both clean and take care of Noah and generally share in all the work, I’m finding it difficult to get past where we’re at with some things (being deliberately ambiguous here). It seems like I am constantly maintaining instead of getting better and I’d like to figure out a way around it. Noah’s playdates at his Nana’s house have been a huge help because I can typically do things that Noah won’t let me do (Noah likes my constant attention, which I am more than willing to give, but this interferes with certain chores…parents, you know what I mean). The thing is, these playdates are a little difficult for me because I miss him so much when he’s gone. Once a week is good for my sanity though, it is, and I know his Nana loves having him over. The three of us went there yesterday (even though this will be posted on Sunday, I’m writing this on my "Saturday") and we had a blast. Noah got to play, Nana got Noah-time and I didn’t miss out on my little one. She’ll get tons of him this summer though as I plan for us to go down there and hit the beach pretty often. I even bought a bathing suit (gasp!). I never buy bathing suits, especially not one pieces, but I can’t wear bikinis anymore because the product of a petite woman carrying a not-so-petite baby is, well, stretchmarks. And they ain’t pretty (though I do find them beautiful).

Whoo. Slow down Lynn. Point is, I bought a bathing suit and an Imse Vimse swim diaper for Noah (I’ll let you know how it works out) and we’re going to have tons of fun in the water this summer.

Anyway, my goal for tomorrow is to get the bathroom spotless again. There’s a lot of little things that need to be done (you know what I mean, don’t lie) and then regular maintenance like mopping that I need to get my butt into gear on. I suppose I could go get started right now, since Noah is asleep, but then I couldn’t blog. (Obviously I have my priorities in order.) I’m kind of looking forward to it though. I find a sick pleasure in turning messy areas clean… which is why I really can’t understand why our apartment is so cluttered. Too much stuff, I guess. Too much sentimental stuff, to be specific, so it’s not like I can just chunk it.

I should go do something else. This entry is long enough as it is. *hits publish*

I think he liked it.

Regular blogging to resume when my life is back in order. The bad part about taking a vacation is picking up all the pieces when you get back. ;-)

Since getting back, I have caught up on laundry (though it helped that Sarah had caught up the laundry we left at home – thanks Sarah!) and kept up with dishes and almost completely unpacked. I have made sure to give Noah breakfast and dinner (he’s up to eating two meals a day, plus snacks and breastmilk) which sounds like it should be normal but I’m bad about remembering to eat even when my stomach is growling. We even spent time with Joshua’s family and caught up from the past two weeks.

Speaking (writing?) of which, last night I had the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. Nana made homemade pizza with a delicious wheat crust. She sent me the recipe so I can give it a try because I’ve always wanted to make homemade pizza but I wasn’t sure which dough recipe to use. I watched her make it and it seems so simple it’s almost ridiculous that I haven’t tried it before.

Now, Noah needs a bath so I’m off to get soaked. There’s no way around it now that he’s discovered splashing…maybe he’ll take a nap afterward. Maybe.

Anyway, Joshua and I have been trying new things with our rice. Using chicken broth and water instead of just water, adding butter for flavor, etc. Last night I did 1 ½ cups of dry rice, 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken broth. I did about 2-3 tablespoons of butter and then added in about a tablespoon of Knorr chicken bouillon (a seriously magic ingredient, no lie). After the butter melted some, I stirred the rice and butter/brother mix a bit to get it really soaked in there and then let it do it’s thing.

20 minutes later, out pops a masterpiece. I was even able to eat the leftover rice plain for a midnight snack and breakfast. Last night it was served with mashed potatoes (out of a box because again, I am not Super Mom, but even those can be seasoned pretty good) and lemon pepper chicken which is my current favorite dish (and is also super simple). What, you want me to share that, too?

Well, okay… ;-)

I take about three washed, boneless, chicken breasts (I would do four but when I buy the breasts on sale they come in packs of three) and put them in a small glass pan. I used to use my 9×13 pan but really, why create all that extra work of cleaning? I cut them criss-cross, almost all the way through, but for the most part I leave them intact as breasts. Then I melt about 4-5 spoonfuls of butter (Teaspoon? Tablespoon? I’m really not sure.) in the microwave for 30 seconds, pour over the breasts and make sure every bit of the top is covered. If you need more, do more, but extra is okay. It just pools on the bottom of the pan and gives the bottom of the breast some flavor.

I like to add a bit of lemon juice, just a little bit, and then I liberally shake Great Value brand lemon pepper seasoning all over the top of the breasts. All seasoning is NOT created equal, either – I’m not a fan of 5th Season. We’re cheap so I don’t try any of the other brands but YMMV if you do.

Bake it in the oven at 350 °F somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half. I usually start the rice about an hour in and when it’s done, the chicken is done. Be sure to serve with rice and a third option (some sort of veggie – I would think green beans would be good but I’m not a good greens-eater yet). A relatively easy dinner option for two (and a half)!

Thanks for the rice cooker Mom!

We went over around 4:30 or 5:00 to eat dinner and I made sure to get my Noah snuggles in. I may get frustrated with him and I may wish for a break sometimes but in the end, an hour is too long away from him. He nursed, we played and we ate dinner (a local pizza place that Joshua and I had never tried before – thanks again Nana!). Then…my hair was cut. My hair. My long, long hair that went way past my waist. I don’t regret it in the slightest, either. She (Nana) did a good job and I love it! My head feels lighter, my hair is already more manageable and I was so sick of having long hairs in everything that this should solve my problem. I may not shed less but at least there isn’t as much hair to wrap around everything. (Yuck.)

We ate brownies and ice cream for dessert (my favorite, mmm) and then came home. Thankfully Noah slept all the way…sometimes I wonder if I hate the carseat more than he does. I’m almost guaranteed a fussy baby if I can’t get him to sleep or if he isn’t in one of his rare window-watching moods. =(

Now he’s out like a light right next to me. We were going to watch a movie but I think Joshua and I are tired enough to go to bed soon. It’s just been a long, busy day yet I really enjoyed it… despite missing Noah for so long.

Three weeks until I see my mom. I’m so excited!

Pictures from today: http://joshualynn.com/blog/2009/02/a-little-fresh-air/