Noell is ONE!

Well, it is the eve of Noell's first birthday.  For the majority of the day today, I kept thinking about what was happening at this time last year....my contractions started at 10am in church.  I was at a movie with the family in complete denial that it was baby time.  My water broke at 6:15pm right before the Packers started playing Sunday night football.  At 9:30pm Mike got home from work and we left for the hospital.  And so on and so on.  It is really hard to believe how wonderful our lives changed at 6:38am on November 26.  Each day with our little Noell is a true blessing.  It is just amazing how she has changed in the last year, and how she will continue to change.

Over the last month or so, Noell has learned and done some many new things...

1. Will clap her hands when you sing patty cake.
2. Says "get down" a lot!!!  (we think she picked it up from hearing us say it to our dog, Katie.
3. She is OBSESSED with lights and pointing at every light she sees.  So, Christmas should be extremely fun this year!
4. When she is not with Momma, she prefers to drink breastmilk from a sippy cup...hopefully will make the transition to regular milk at the end of this week easier!
5. In addition to saying ball (ba), book (bo), mo, Noell says Dad when she sees her dad and occasionally says love.
6. Our little peanut is still NOT interested in walking!  I guess it might be a while...little stinker!

As for momma....I'm full of mixed emotions.  I love watching our little girl grown and learn, but I am very sad that time is going so quickly.  I am excited that I am DONE pumping at work as of today, but I am sad that I am close to being done nursing Noell at night.  It has been great bonding with her, but I am sure we will be able to find other times to snuggle.  I am proud of myself for making it until a year...what an accomplishment!

I will have more updates from Noell's first birthday (in a matter of hours) and her first birthday party.  We are excited to celebrate with family and friends on Saturday!  She also has her doctor appointment on Wednesday...so it will be interesting to see how much this little thing weighs!

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!  Enjoy the time with your families and remember those who cannot be with their families during this holiday season.

*Fall* in LoVe

Here I am again a month and a half later already.  It is officially fall which I absolutely love.  Fall has always been my favorite season because I love the cool crisp air, sweatshirt and jeans, changing leaves, leaf piles, volleyball, Packer and Badger football, and all the smells that fall brings.

It was a year ago that our house renovations were mostly complete and Mike and I finally got to move in to our home sweet home.  It was also a year ago that we had our baby shower where we found out we were having a little girl.  My heart and mind were so full of emotions awaiting the arrival of that sweet baby.  I keep thinking of what I was doing last year...preparing the nursery, reading books, doing my hypnobabies, spending hours alone while Mike was in school and working, and just waiting, waiting, waiting until I went into labor!  I cannot believe how amazing our miracle is.  Each day she surprises with something new that she learned, makes us smile and laugh at  her silliness,  and fills our hearts with love as we watch her grow.  I can't imagine my life without her.  Its funny to look back at life without a child and wonder how I thought I was so busy back then...and what did I do with all of my free time?  Haha...I'm sure after we have two kids, I will wonder what I did with all of my free time only having one child!

Noell is now 10 1/2 months old....only two months away from the big birthday!  Noell continues to crawl all over the place.  We try to get her walking while holding her hands or with the walking toys but she has NO interest at all.  She will plop down on her butt and crawl instead.  I'm not worried...its just funny that she was so quick to roll and crawl and now with walking its like, whatever...I'll do it when I feel like it :)

10 Month Picture from 9/26/13

She loves playing peek-a-boo, and will even lift the blankets up to cover her own face while we play!

She signed "more" while eating breakfast one day (the real way)...and then was a little lazy with it for a couple weeks and now has been signing more and saying "mo" when eating.

Noell is a lover.  She loves to blow kisses and give kisses.  I can ask her for a kiss and she will give me one...what can I say...I'm in love with my daughter...she is the best!

Noell still loves books and reading and will pick up a book in the middle of the floor instead of a toy...melts my heart (daughter of a teacher...what can I say)!  She loves reading to us....she talks and talks and talks!

Daddy and Noell reading!

Noell is up to six teeth; four on the top and two on the bottom!  One night a few weeks ago she was crying off and on starting at 2:30am and finally at 4:30 am she was screaming.  So we got her up and gave her some Tylenol, and then I nursed her.  While nursing her she will still screaming...so I thought maybe she had a tummy ache.  She eventually stopped and so we put her back to bed and she fell asleep!  When we got her up the next morning, I notice that another tooth had popped through on the top...I guess that is why she was so upset...poor girl!  Other than that one night...she has done well with getting new teeth!

This past week, Noell has been fighting some sort of bug.  She had a fever for almost a week and then broke out in a rash.  It was the first time that she has ever been sick, so finally after she got the rash, I figured I better bring her in just to make sure that it wasn't anything serious.  Thank goodness that it wasn't and we should expect the rash to clear up on its own over the next few days.
Noell 1 Urgent Care 0...that-a girl :)




A day at Furgeson's Apple Orchard in Eau Claire.  A beautiful day with family, apples, hay ride, and animals!

We had our Godson, Ryder's, second birthday at the Eau Claire Children's Museum yesterday.  Noell had fun playing in the toddler area.  It is also fun to watch her around other children.  Two weeks ago we were at Noell's godmother's baby shower and Noell saw some blocks from across the room, so she crawled by herself over there and was just entertaining herself.  It was hard for this momma to watch and not interact or bring her back over by me.  I had to be reminded to let her explore and be independent!  I am proud of Noell!

Crawling through the log!

Cousins playing together!

Noell waving to me saying, "Mom, I'm okay!"

Miss Independent

Grandmas, and cousins, and scarves, OH MY!

We carved a pumpkin last week for pictures and after we cut the top off I stood Noell up to look inside and she got a little scared and started crying...after a few minutes to watch what Mommy was pulling out she got brave enough to feel the guts and seeds.  Here are a couple pictures from carving and the final product!  Thanks to Carol Hanson for the huge pumpkin that she saved for us....it worked great!

Digging out the guts!

Being brave....lol.

My cute little pumpkin!

The final product of the carved pumpkin!

Well Mike has been busy transitioning into working on furnaces versus air conditioners!  He has been super busy.  Since he has started working at Sampson, he has received many raises.  His last raise was because so many customers have been calling in to tell his boss how well he did or they will send notes in with their bill.  I am so proud of my hubby and how hard he works and how much drive and heart he puts into his job to make his customers happy and WARM!

My volleyball season with my c-team girls came to an end last week.  They had a great season and worked really hard.  I am very proud of how far these girls have come.  I can't wait to coach them again next season...too bad they are stuck with me for a third year in a row ;)  It is going to be crazy to pick Noell up after school everyday and spend a few extra hours with her each night.  Mike did a great job of being a "Stay at home evening dad" over the majority of the fall...he even brought her to some of our games!

Well...hopefully I will post again before Noell's birthday....but it just might be after her birthday and Thanksgiving.  So, until next time stay well and stay blessed.  Enjoy the rest of fall because winter will come all too soon!

Finally...its been a while!

I know it has been a long time since my last post but we've been busy!  Here are two months worth of updates!!!!

MONTH 8--I actually had this typed a while ago but have been waiting to publish it b/c of the information it shares!  So, I decided not to make changes because when I go back and read this someday I want to remember those details!

Well month 6 was a big milestone month and now month 8 has proven to be another big milestone month for Little Miss Noell....where to begin....

I know you have seen this picture before, but can you notice anything new/added???

Two things about this photo:

1.  We put the flag on our kitchen table so it never touched the floor.  Actually Noell did better on the table...so we might have to take the next four like this!

2.  Yes, you read right.  Chad is HOME!  He got home to El Paso a while ago but was waiting to surprise a friend whose wedding he is in.  Please check below to see pictures of Noell finally getting to meet her uncle!

1.  Noell finally got her first toother!  Her bottom left tooth.  The only reason I noticed was because I saw it when I was brushing her gums.  I was hopeful that all her teeth would come in this nice....but I was wrong immediately.  Just a couple days ago, when I was nursing Noell she was done and put her head back and had a huge smile and there it was another tooth...this was her top left tooth.  So as of now she has two teeth....both her top/middle left and bottom/middle left teeth....so right on top of each other.  I hope she gets at least one more before they grow too big so it doesn't look so silly...ha!

2.  Noell FINALLY crawled on all fours.  She has been so close for a couple months now but never got the courage to actually move.  She was on the blanket up at Lake Wissota to celebrate cousin Brooke's birthday and cousin Jamie was trying to talk with Noell while holding a treat in her hand.  Noell wanted the treat and she was already up on all fours, and then all of a sudden she was moving towards the treat!!!!!  Then when I brought out the camera she stopped, got down on her belly, and did her usual army scoot.  She has done it more and more in the past few days and is mostly choosing to crawl this way!

3.  Noell can get herself to SITTING and STANDING position all by herself.  She is such a strong girl and is very determined to move and figure things out.  Climbing on anything (mommy, daddy, pillows, piles of cloths, blankets, end tables, etc) has really helped her build those muscles to accomplish sitting and standing!  Our next goal will be standing by self with no support!

4.  Noell loves baby food and real food.  She gets two servings of baby food a day (morning and night).  She also will snack off of whatever mom and dad are eating as well.  She loves everything (except she still cannot tolerate dairy)....our little garbage can!

5.  Noell has started waving (technically after she was 8 months but close enough).  It is fun to watch her look at her hand/arm and figure it out.  Such a smarty already!

6.  This isn't a milestone but a thought I had.  I leave the bumbo seat on the bathroom counter because Noell loves to brush her gums/teeth when mommy brushes hers, and its great for her to play while I get ready.  She especially loves giving herself high fives in the mirror...so cute.  Anyway, I started doing her hair there as well...so much easier.  I got teary-eyed the other day when I was putting her hair in a ponytail and was thinking that someday we will be looking in the same mirror when I am helping her with her hair and make up and telling her how beautiful she is when she is getting ready for prom or a date.  I know that I am jumping way ahead but I am sure that time will be here in a blink of an eye...and that is why I cherish every moment, take a lot of pictures and videos, and write a blog...I want to remember it all :)

7.  Noell is spending her first night alone with just Daddy.  She has spent hours with him before but never a full night.  Momma is going camping with the girls for the night (very much needed) so Daddy and Noell can get some good bonding time in!




MONTH 9

We had Noell's 9 month appointment last week and she only gained one pound in three months and is up to 16 pounds which puts her in the 6th percentile for weight.  She is about 26 inches long and is in the 7th percentile.  Her doctor says she is growing just fine and that she is not worried b/c she is a busy baby!!!  Noell didn't have to get shots this time....thank the Lord.  But for her 1 year appointment she gets three shots and possibly four if we have her get the flu shot.  Poor baby.


Well like I mentioned before Noell finally got to meet her Uncle Chad this past weekend when he was home.  We are so proud of him and Erica and all service men and women for their sacrifices!

Her onesie says, "I love a man in uniform."  Thank you Amanda Vesta....it worked perfectly for when they met!

Giving high fives!

Noell with her furry cousins, Yuri and Maya!

Thanks Uncle Chad for the cool gifts!!!

Noell also got to meet her cousin Elissa and her three kiddos, Liam, Ella, and Aidan!

Great- Grandma Mary and her four Great- Grandchildren.... Aiden, Liam, G-G Mary, Noell, Ella

Noell was at Great Grandma and Papa Guse's for a week and by the end of the week she was raising her arms for "so big" and clapping!  She loves to stretch as high as she can when someone asks her how big she is.  She is also getting her wave down.  She loves waving to herself as soon as we walk into the bathroom and she can see herself!

So Big!!!  Sometimes its one arm up and sometimes it two!

My little baby had four teeth until today when another top tooth popped through.  This tooth has given her a little trouble but I still can't complain b/c she is eating and sleeping normal!  She loves to use her new teeth to take bites of food...it is so fun to watch her learn how to use them.  Speaking of biting food....she LOVES to eat anything.  She eats breakfast and supper with mom and dad and whatever we are eating.  She will eat some baby food and some real/finger food at Liza's during the day.  Her nursing has gone down a lot...she is only drinking 3oz bottles....and sometimes will only drink 2oz.....it makes momma sad knowing that this stage is almost over.  Although, I will NOT miss having to pump when I'm away from my baby.

Noell is all over the place with her crawling and standing.  She stood today with no support for 2 seconds....I know thats not a lot but its a start and everyone has to start somewhere!  I cannot believe that in within a few months I will have a walker and a toddler....WOW!

Noell and I finished our second 5K together!  Noell of course fell asleep again!

Noell, Daddy, and Katie love to play together...blankets make sweet tents and are fun to play Peek-a-boo!!!!1

Kelly & Mike

Well, school is back in full swing and my kiddos have me on my toes.  It is definitely going to be a fun, interesting, challenging, exciting school year....but what year isn't!  I just love working with young kids...they have so much energy and are so eager to learn!

I am definitely keeping busy this fall with also coaching c-team volleyball and taking grad classes.  I started grad classes my first year out of college as it was a requirement for my first teaching job and thats when I got my 4th-6th grade certification.  I continued to take some classes while I taught a year in Wittenberg.  I only have four years left to complete my masters so I am just taking one class this semester and hopefully two classes in the spring....if I continue this cycle I will hopefully finish in three years!

Mike is enjoying work!  He has definitely been busy during these hot summer days working on people's air conditioners, but that will quickly turn to working on furnaces....we all know how Wisconsin weather can be!

Mike has been the one picking Noell up from Liza's since I have volleyball.  He loves getting to spend time with his little "pumpkin."  He is excited to take her to the gym to watch mommy coach volleyball.

Sorry for such a long post but you chose to read it ;)  Haha.  Have a great weekend!

AND GOOOOOOOO BUKCY and PACKERS!!!!



cfddxfghggyiguguy...... Noell says, "Good Bye"

Sweet Summertime

Well the summer is going super fast....as usual.  The forth of July has already come and gone, and now we are in the final weeks before school starts.  It is definitely hard to believe since the weather didn't start to get nice until the middle/end of June.  Although it is going fast, I am enjoying my time with my little princess, husband, family and friends.

We enjoyed our first family vacation in Bayfield, Wisconsin for Mike's cousin's wedding (Kirk and Alex).  Noell stayed in her first hotel.  The first night she got to sleep in the same bed as mommy (I think it was a treat for both of us).  The second night she stayed in her pack-n-play in Grandma Rachel and Grandpa Todd's room so mom and dad could enjoy the reception and dance!  Noell also went swimming for the first time in the hotel pool.  It was a beautiful wedding and amazing weather for all of the festivities.

Noell swimming at the hotel with daddy.

 

Noell swimming with mommy.

Family picture by Lake Superior in Bayfield, Wi.

Giving some love to cousin Ryder.

Noell saw her first fireworks on the 4th.  My dad shoots off fireworks in Knapp and Mike has helped the past two years.  So Noell supervised them as they were setting up and then attempted to watch them.  We were sitting closer since Mike and my dad were shooting them...so she just watched them shoot out of the tube, but didn't follow or look at them in the sky.  For the lower ones she usually closed her eyes because they were bright.  She was very relaxed laying in my lap....wasn't scared but wasn't in awe.  Maybe next year and if we sit a little further away it will be a more exciting experience!

Noell supervising dad and grandpa!

Happy Independence Day!

We have made it out to Lake Wazee in Black River Falls a couple times, and we made it out on the pontoon over the 4th on Lake Wassota.  Noell LOVES the water and the sand.  She likes to lay and sit and pick up the sand with her hands as well as kicking and splashing in the water.  Here are just a couple pictures of the fun we have!

Lake Wazee

Lake Wazee



Noell and Eva!  Cousins and BFF's!

Swimming fun with family!

Noell's first pontoon ride with the Michel's family!

We attended another wedding this past weekend in the cities celebrating Shelly and Ben.  Noell stayed with Grandma and Grandpa again so mom and dad could enjoy the festivities alone/with other adults.  It was great catching up with my best friends and their husbands.  Since both the bride and groom are teachers they had a teacher theme.  Some of the centerpieces were clear vases with apples, they had pencils as the wedding favors, and sweet glasses and flashcards for some funny pictures and great memories.  I also got to hold my friend's two month old, Cooper, and he is such a handsome little guy.  He is about the same size that Noell was at two months and it is so crazy that she used to be that small...time just goes by too fast.  I also chatted a lot with Cooper's mommy, Jess.  Sometimes, it is so nice to talk with other new moms since babies are your whole life...you can relate to each other and ask questions!!!

Me and the hubby!

We are soooo smart!!!  haha

Noell is still just army crawling all over the place, but wow she can move fast.  She continues to get up on her hands and knees and has moved a very small amount, but prefers to scoot around.  I think she might skip regular crawling since she still hasn't "figured" it out because she gets up on her hands and feet and really tries to push off.  I am fine with whatever our little girl tries to do....at least she is mobile and can get to where she wants to go and can get a toy or object that she is interested in!  While on her hands and knees Noell has just learned how to get herself into a sitting position all by herself.  I set her down on her tummy and the next time I looked she was sitting...I was confused at first...haha.  Since the first time she has done it a couple more times.  She has also learned how to balance.  She will be on her hands and knees and pick up an object or reach for something with her opposite hand...and she doesn't tip over!  She also loves to crawl through, under, and now climbs on top of things (couch cushions, mom, dad, pillows, clothes that mom folded, small stairs, and more).  She has even started to attempt to climb up the side of her crib...so I guess it is almost time to lower her crib!  I made a tunnel for her to crawl through with chairs and blankets....she loved it!

Tunnel fun!

Another fun milestone for us at the Giedd house is that Noell is starting to give kisses.  It is the best.  She will pull our faces in and give us an open mouthed, slobbery kiss.  She has also started giving herself kisses in her little mirror book....so sweet.

Noell getting ready to give herself a big smooch!

Noell LOVES her swing and will usually only nap in there for Mike and I.  For anyone else, she will nap in the pack-n-play or crib.  So, I was thinking to myself the other day, what will I do when she is too big to fit in that??  So, last week I started having her attempt to take one nap in her crib and it worked for the three days that I tried it...hopefully it continues!!!  I will add that she has always done fine sleeping through the night in her crib so it is funny that she won't nap in there!

So sweet!

Well I think that is about it for now.  I am sure we will have more updates soon with Mike's birthday, our 2nd anniversary, and Noell's 8th month birthday coming up!  As for now I will leave you with a fun fact...haha

1.  Only 5% of Americans wash their hands correctly.  (You are supposed to wash your hands for 30seconds in order for this to count).  I know I teach my students to sing their ABC's while washing their hands to make sure they are doing it long enough, but I know most of the time I don't do it for 30seconds.  So, lately I have been making sure I wash my hands correctly and I encourage you all to try!

Our life with a 7 month old

Well another month has past and our peanut is now seven months old.  She continues to grow and amaze us more and more everyday.

This month Noell has been working on her crawling skills.  She continues to "scoot/army crawl" across the floor.  She gets up on her hands and knees, rocks back and forth, and then plops back down to scoot.  Also, in preparation to crawling, Noell has mastered some yoga poses such as the plank and downward dog.  She is a strong little lady.  Our little mover scoots herself all over now and is getting quicker.  She enjoys crawling to the hardwood in our dining room and banging her hands on the floor...she likes the sounds it makes.  She also enjoys crawling over to Katie's toy basket and play with her toys instead of her own.  She also found the entertainment center and touches the playstation and the wires to her swing.  We quickly go over and say, "No" and move her to a new spot.  We also purchased a gate for our stairway.  She hasn't made it over there yet, but it would only be a matter of time and we want to be safe!

Working on crawling.

Downward Dog

Baby Plank

As for eating, Noell enjoys trying new foods.  Her main diet is still breastmilk and will be until she is one.  She gets one "meal" a day.  It is usually a mix between rice cereal, breastmilk, and a pureed fruit or vegetable.  Her favorite so far has been sweet potatoes (and prunes--which she needs...poor girl).  I also read an article on baby led weaning which is where you put non pureed food in front of her and she chooses what she wants to eat and how much.  I have tried this with some different foods such as peas, watermelon, crackers, and noodles.  She has gotten better and chomping down with her gums and the swallowing process (less gagging).  Once she finally gets teeth that will help her with some of those foods as well.

Noell has had some fun firsts this month.  She made it up to Lake Wissota on Father's day and got her toes in the sand and the water.  The water was still cold so she wasn't a fan right away.  Noell also went swimming in our little pool that we got for her.  We are hoping to get some swimming in this weekend on our first family vacation to Bayfield, Wisconsin for Kirk and Alex's wedding.

 

Another first for Noell was spending the night away from mommy and daddy.  She stayed with Grandpa Todd and Grandma Rachel while Mike and I went to Milwaukee for the Brewer game.  She did awesome for grandma and gramps and of course they loved having her as well.  My mom and dad were very good about sending picture updates!  The Brewer game was so fun.  We went with our friends, Krista and Heath.  We had Gold parking so we were just a couple rows away from Miller Park and our seats were 16 rows up behind home plate looking down the 3rd base line.  It was finally the first Brewer's game I had been to that the roof was open.  They did have to shut it towards the end of the game...but it was still a beautiful night.  We drove home from Milwaukee that night and right outside of Milwaukee we drove into a storm.  I was in the middle lane and I could barely see anything so I finally made it to the right lane where I had a straight, solid line to follow.  I was going about 20miles per hour.  There was a guy on a motorcycle that passed me...crazy man!!!  Thank the Lord we got through that because it was not fun.

This past Sunday we met my sister-in-law, Erica, and her parents, Mike and Deb, out for supper at the Stout Ale House in Menomonie.  She was home for a week for a friend's wedding, and I'm so excited that it worked out to see and visit with her!  Noell has grown a lot since she saw her last!  Now Noell just cannot wait to meet Uncle Chad (in person).....the time is getting closer!  We have been very fortunate to face time with my brother on Sunday afternoons.  It is great to see him and hear his voice AND know that he is okay!

I am excited to be spending the summer with my little precious girl.  The first week of "vacation" I organized and cleaned some rooms in our house.  Then last week I helped with the little girls volleyball camp...so this week is our first week home together!  Our summer will be short as I accepted the high school C-Team volleyball coach position this year.  So, practices start in mid August and then teacher inservice will start the week after. I am excited to be coaching the girls I coached last year as 8th graders.

There will be a new blog post soon I'm sure!  Have a great end of June and beginning of July!