Yes folks we have stranger anxiety!

Well, we had an interesting week this past week. Although nothing completely earth-shattering happened, we did make some breakthroughs in figuring out the wee man...I know, its about darn time. And to boot...the little dude turns 7 months tomorrow! First, on the napping front, I have learned a very valuable lesson...do not underestimate the power of the full belly. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been finding it not only interesting, but slightly distressing that I seem to be the only one that has trouble putting the little dude down for a nap...both Nana Lou and Daddy routinely have no problems (of course some days have longer naps than others). I was just beginning to get insulted when I realized that perhaps breastfeeding had something to do with it...he has been fairly insatiable lately and I frequently produce enough milk for him over the course of the day, but not usually on the large quantity, infrequent feeding schedule that seems to suit Noah best. So, I smartened up! I know, the key to successful parenting is to outsmart your children, but some parents pick up faster than others! I decided I would try giving him a bottle right before I wanted him to take a good long nap and then I would pump the milk after he was asleep. We have SUCCESS...not only did he go down without a fight, but he happily slept for 2 hours! YES!!!! I tried this tactic again the following two days with similar success, so I have broken the Noah code for good napping and have discovered that my son pretty much follows the age old philosophy....the secret to any man's heart (or good napping schedule in this case) is through his stomach...crisis over....Mommy 1, Noah 0! :)

In other news, we have also recently discovered that the wee man is starting with a bit of the stranger anxiety...separation anxiety...whatever you want to call it. I originally thought, no...not my son, he likes people and attention too much....but, apparently the key is that he likes certain people and attention from them A LOT, and is starting to get a bit more discerning with the company he keeps! Case in point, we had a date night planned on Saturday with the hopes of having a few hours to relax sans wee man (not that we don't love him dearly). Our good friend, Kristin, who has looked after Noah multiple times in the past came over and we were just getting ready to feed him some sweet potatoes and prunes (not so yummy, but necessary if you get my drift!). So, the little dude was a bit tired and fairly hungry...not a good combo. He took one look at her as she came to pick him up and burst into shrieks fit for a horror film and started up with what we like to call "real tears" (as opposed to the crocodile variety). She thankfully had been warned and didn't take it personally. So, I fed him, both some food and some milk and got him settled in his swing to hopefully take a cat nap and wake up a better baby. Well, he took a cat nap, but didn't so much wake up until Tim and I got home and peeled him out of the swing. Poor Kristin never saw the whites of his eyeballs, but at least he didn't shriek the whole time we were gone. We'll have to try again in a couple of weeks and perhaps Kristin won't look like such a monster the next time around!

This is a well-rested Noah after our first successful day of no-problem napping! Yeah naps! Yeah happy baby! Yeah Jeeping!


A somewhat still asleep Noah after I peeled him from the swing on date-night. Tim and I went to Margarita's and it was full-moon madness (how convenient). We brought both Noah and Kristin home some smashing little hats. It fits his head surprisingly well and its terribly cute if you ask me. (Please note the expression on his face in this picture...that of a relaxed content baby).


Enter Kristin's lap and the expression changes...you can hear him in his little head..."I'm not so sure about this lady...perhaps I should burst into tears for good measure. That might be going overboard but I should at least be unhappy looking so Mom and Dad get the picture and I can go back and see them." Poor dude, not so relaxed and definitely not contented.


Happy 7-month birthday little dude. Did we mention he is quite mobile in this thing now...so much so that it is DEFINITELY time to baby-proof...Mommy is getting nervous. Before this picture, he was in the kitchen...in the picture he is in the living room...he didn't have any help getting there (well, except for getting over the floor connection between the hardwood and the tile)!!!!! Scary things are in our future.