Home Sweet Sweet Home.

After two weeks of visiting great grandparents and grandparents, great aunts and uncles and a plethora of cousins on the east coast, Noah and I are nestling back into our southern California rhythm.

The visit was eventful and enjoyable and while we were gone, Noah made several developmental leaps and bounds--he can now reach for, grab, hold and pull things to his mouth and has expanded his squeaks, squeals and squawks sound library. A lonely daddy and pair of kitty cats called several times a day while we were gone and greeted us eagerly at the airport after a long but delightful flight with flowers, kisses and smiles--and since our plane landed, we have hit the pavement running.

Saturday, we trekked out to the high desert to visit Annaliisa, Drew and Owen at her parent's place in Acton. We hadn't seen baby Owen for several months and it was incredible to see how much he had grown. Noah and his first little friend posed for pictures, held hands, pooped and nursed the visit away.

Yesterday, our friend Sara urged us to take some baby gear off of her hands until she had a need for it again. Due to our own case of baby gadget overload, we at first resisted . . . that is until we spied a bouncer seat similar to one Owen had that Noah enjoyed during our visit. After Noah took it for a sucessful test spin, we quickly threw decorative caution to the wind and greedily agreed to temporary ownership of the seat in anticipation of several moments of arm-free-of-baby bliss. We've recently learned, anyway, that baby happiness equals parental unit happiness, therefore, a successful hushing toy trumps aesthetics. The more tacky, okay that's not nice, garish, alright that's a little harsh too--flashy?--a toy is, the more junior likes it. So welcome little rainbow colored, blue light flashing, monkey moving rain forest chair, welcome.

Cordless In Carolina.

Greetings Fans, Followers and Readers,

I remembered the camera. I remembered the camera charger. I forgot the cord that connects the camera to the computer needed to transfer pictures to Flickr--and the camera's full of fun snap shots that poor Daddy back home in sunny socal is dying to see.

I think we're going to buy one while we're here. So fear not, all of the pictures of family and Finn that you can simply stand will be posted . . . well, in a few days I'm sure.

Noah's Growing Arc.

If you were planning to give step stools and seat belt extenders to Noah Finn for his three month birthday, you better have kept your receipt. Today was his two month check up and according to Dr. Zabari, he is perfectly proportional and just where he should be on the growth charts. Noah's latest stats at 11 weeks old: 11.14 lbs., 25 inches.

My how fast they grow. Little babies truly are amazingly mind-blowing--in the best possible way. They grow and change simply before your eyes. Dean and I swear that Noah has sprouted an inch and gained several ounces every time he wakes from a nap. It's true that they poop a lot, burp a lot, cost a lot and cry from time to time, but these seemingly pesky qualities really aren't so bad, after all--because they fall in among all of the incredible millions of other little things that go along with caring for a baby that are just simply amazing. Like . . . grasping and holding a toy, laughing, giggling, gooing and cooing, rolling over, studying a bird in a nearby tree or the nose on daddy's face, kicking and splashing in the bathtub, responding to mommy's voice . . . and doing them all for the very first time. You can see the little wheels of his young mind turning and churning, working hard to move his fist towards his mouth for a suck-fest, straining to create the look of utter concentration he wears when pooping and the glow of relief when it's successfully been dumped in the diaper.

Grandma and Grandpa Nelson just caught a glimpse of it all while visiting us for the last week and a half and the rest of our families at home in North Carolina will be able to relish in the sweet and rapid changes in our little Noah Finn beginning this Wednesday through the end of March. During that time, I am not sure how much blogging we'll be doing, but you can bet we'll still be regularly posting pictures to our flickr photo album.