Noah's First Christmas

My sweet Noah:
This year was your first Christmas, and it turned out to be a great one! The whole week leading up to Christmas morning was a good one for you. It started out by you meeting the Flood family (my dad's side of the family) for the first time:) They all enjoyed meeting you, and thought you were the cutest thing ever!! Of course your mommy (me) had to dress you in all the cute baby's first Christmas outfits all week at daycare to help spread some of the Christmas cheer. As you can tell... this is your mommy's favorite time of the year! You have been very excited all week long for the big day! You thought it would never get here, but it finally did.












On Christmas morning the first thing we did was wish Jesus a Happy Birthday when you woke up. Once daddy set up the video camera, then we took you downstairs to see all the presents that Santa had brought you this year. Your Elf on the Shelf must have reported some very good things about you to Santa this year, because you got lots of good presents! I must say that you were more excited to play with the bows this year, but I'm sure that will change next year:) Once we opened all the gifts from Santa, then you opened the ones from mommy, daddy, mamaw, and papaw. You were one blessed little boy, and your mommy and daddy are even more blessed!











Christmas day we went over to your great mamaw's house for Christmas dinner. It is always a good time going over there, because you get lots and lots of lovin' from the family! You got even more gifts over there that you loved! One of the gifts your mommy liked the best that you got, was a pair of Chuck Taylor's that are blue and white with UK on them!! You always will be our "Little Wildcat"!! Don't get me wrong... I loved all your gifts, and I know you do to because you have been playing with them all ever since we brought them home.






























My sweet Noah, I hope you had a great first Christmas! Mommy and daddy tried to make it the best one possible for you. You have been such a good boy this year! Your elf has gone back to the North Pole until next year, but I'm sure he will be back the day after Thanksgiving just like he was this year to watch after you for Santa. Thank you for being such a good boy for mommy and daddy this year! I love you sweet baby, more than words can describe. Even though we are going to put all our Christmas decorations up for another year.... this will be a Christmas your mommy will never forget! Thank you for making this the best Christmas your daddy and I have ever had:) I love you!

Love,

The luckiest mommy in the world!

Here are some of the things that have happened since our last post...





1. Jennifer took Noah to the doctor for a slight cold and asked about teeth, the doctor said no teeth, yet a week later we felt two teeth already through on the bottom! (No pics yet because as soon as we try to look he puts his tongue over the teeth)





2. Noah had his first vegetables - carrots

3. Noah has added about 1500 new sounds to his "vocabulary."

4. Noah will grab anything you try to hand to him.

5. He is already like Daddy when he gets his hands on the remote control, pushing buttons incessantly.

6. We celebrated Jesus' birthday and Noah had a ton of fun with the family and bows (not to mention the many gifts)!

7. Curtis somehow appreciates Jennifer even more!!!

8. Noah met Santa, no tears!

9. Noah has yet to see the Wildcats lose a basketball game.

10. Noah met all of the Flood family (Jen's Dad's side of the family) for the first time.

First meal

Noah held out until we got home from the Thanksgiving holiday. He is now eating some rice... here is his FIRST MEAL. This is in Quicktime format if you can not see it.

Goodbye Goldie

All I really wanted was a vehicle to get me from point A to point B. But, somewhere along the way I bonded with my truck "Goldie." A wonderfully running 2000 Ford F-150 who has been with me for some big life moments. I was merely dating Jennifer when I bought her on my way home from Spring Break of 2003. The first day I had her, Hannah (our dog) gnawed on the stick shift (yes she has a manual transmissions). When Jennifer and I went to Virginia Beach on some "Army business" she got us there. The many trips to my old Army Unit and Jennifer's house in Bowling Green when she was still at WKU were taken in Goldie. She was the first vehicle I purchased and now she is going to work for a handyman.
But alas, she is not the safest vehicle for Noah to travel in. When the opportunity for this van came up, we had to take it. It is safer for Noah and Jennifer and I can easily trade the vehicles so the van follows Noah. This Honda Odyssey is great!!! While the truck did come in handy, every now and then, the van is much more practical. It is already growing on me and I am ready to name it. Please leave a reply if you have any ideas for the van's name!

Ear Trouble?

Jennifer was a great Mommy today. She stayed at home with Noah because his nose had been running and he slept a lot yesterday evening. Both of these are pretty rare, which tipped Mama off that something was wrong. The sick look in his eyes was a dead giveaway he needed to stay home for a day or two. The diagnosis after the doctor (she is great) saw Noah... an ear infection.

I grew up with bad ears, eight tubes in my right ear, and I hope that Noah doesn't have to go through that. I know it is too early to really know if all that is down the road, but we all want the best for our kiddos right?

He will stay home tomorrow with his wonderful Mommy half the day and Mamaw the other half. Interestingly, he was all smiles at the Doctor's office and hasn't really been crying a lot. He has been more fussy and very tired, but pretty smiley when he is up. God has truly blessed us with a GREAT son. The not crying much has me a little perterbed as that usually lets us know something is wrong.

Happy 1st Halloween, Noah!

Today was Noah's first Halloween, and he had a great time! We didn't take him trick or treating, but he did get to dress up and play with mommy and daddy:) He dressed up as Bambi this year and he was the most adorable little deer ever! He got all kinds of treats this year since it was his first Halloween. He got a new book that makes all kinds of sounds and reads a little story to him about shapes and colors (he loves it), and a DVD that was Clifford the Big Red Dog's Big Halloween. No, we aren't going to be the type of parents that let Noah watch t.v. all the time, but we will let him watch t.v./movies for a little while during the day when he gets older. Those gifts were from mommy and daddy, but he also got a Winnie the Pooh dressed up as Tigger from his mamaw and papaw, and his costume. His Nana and Pop sent him a box full of goodies for him to enjoy this Halloween, which included an outfit, and a bag full of little toys for him to enjoy! Noah was one very happy little baby getting to celebrate his first Halloween.

Another "first" Noah got to experience today was tasting his first sucker! Since it was Halloween we let him taste a cherry dum dum sucker for a few minutes, and he loved it! Don't worry it didn't hurt him and we only let him suck on it for a few minutes, which ended up mostly on his costume and didn't even amount to anything:) This was also a one time only thing until he gets older. I think we all had a good Halloween even though we didn't go out anywhere. The best times are the ones spent with family, and that was the how the Moss family spent their halloween this year.

We hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween this year!

Sleepy Days

Today has been a sleepy day here at the Moss home for Noah. Yesterday he started getting a little bit of a runny nose, but he seemed to feel ok because he was still very active and happy. Today is a different story...he woke up still his cheerful little self, but still having his runny nose:( I have noticed that he is sleeping a lot more than usual today and is wanting to be held more than usual. Thankfully he is not running a fever at all, so I think it is just a common cold. I am so worried all the time that he is going to catch the flu that is the headline on t.v. every time I finally get a chance to watch it (they make you paranoid with the way the media focuses in on it)! I have already decided that if he isn't feeling any better tomorrow morning when we wake up that I will be calling to make an appointment at the Doctor's office, because I don't want to take the chance of my sweet baby getting more sick.

Other than him having an off day today, Noah has been doing very well (as you can tell by the picture I took Friday). I know that we don't get to write on the blog as often anymore, but it is very hard to find time since he is getting more active everyday:) As you can tell in the picture above, he loves to play in his ExerSaucer and have everyone watch him! He is a little ham (I don't know where he could get that from?:) If we aren't able to post anything else this week, I promise to post one on Saturday since it will be Noah's first Halloween!! He is dressing up as Bambi, because that looked like a comfortable cute little costume for him. No, we will not be going trick or treating this year because he can't eat candy yet and most likely we will be taking him to our Church festival in the years to come instead of taking him trick or treating anyway. This will allow him to trick or treat there and have fun around all of his friends at the same time!I will post pictures of him, so check back in on Sunday! If there are any post done throughout the week they will probably be by Curtis, so check back in for those also:)

I also wanted to let everyone know that this picture was taken Friday when he turned 5 months old!!! I know it's crazy that my little baby is already 5 months old, but it's true:)

I hope everyone has a great week and hopefully I will be back on here sometime soon! I have to get off here to get some things done around the house since Noah is taking a nap:)

Here is our little smiling boy. He smiles like this all the time. When he is awake at @ 2AM or when you walk through the door. He lights up for his daddy and ESPECIALLY his beautiful Mommy. He's not always so sure about all the flashing on the camera, but this day he decided to pose for us.

Pro pics

Here is one of Noah's 3-month pictures, since we now have the rights to them. Sorry we have been out of the blogging loop, but this cutie has been too much fun! He absolutely loves his Exer-Saucer... any new mommies check these out! Noah can regularly turn himself onto his back and is one SMILEY :) baby!!!

Sunday was Noah's first trip to church. He did well and was asleep when Daddy picked him up. Everyone in the class seemed to be happy to see and meet Noah.

4 Months and cuter than ever!

Yesterday Noah turned 4 months old (I know, I can't believe it either), so sadly today we had to take him for his 4 month shots. He was such a happy baby while Dr. Lyons was examining him, but that quickly changed when the nurses came in to give him the shots. He did really good given the circumstances. I held his little tiny hands while they gave him the shots as he cried at the top of his lungs:( It brought tears to my eyes seeing my baby in pain and not being able to do anything for him. I just kept telling him it was going to be ok and giving him little kisses on his head. As soon as they were over I picked him up to calm him down, and he stopped crying right away. He is such a good baby! He has been asleep every since we got home (as you can see in the picture above) and hasn't ran a fever so far, so I'm hoping with giving him the Tylenol that he won't get one at all.

I'm going to tell you a little bit about his check up now. Noah now weighs 15 pounds and 9 ounces, and is 24 inches long. His checkup went very well and the Doctor said he is a healthy boy, and is growing at the rate he should at this age. We are still feeding him formula only since Noah seems satisfied and has been going longer stretches between feedings. The Doctor said she would like for him to stay on formula only until he comes back for his 6 month checkup/shots if possible. She said if they can hold off on eating cereal/baby food until they are 6 months it cuts down on them getting food allergies. We plan on waiting until the 6 month mark to feed him food, but if he starts acting hungry before that mark for something other than formula, then we will do what we have to so he is happy:)

I was very happy that Curtis came home this morning (he is on Army Duty again this week at Fort Knox) to go to the Doctor with us. I am always very nervous on shot day, so it helps put me more at ease when he is here for support. I know Noah always likes his daddy being here with us also! While his daddy was home this morning I also gave him pictures of Noah to put in his wallet to show off to everyone! I went to go pick up his 3 month pictures yesterday, and I love them:) I will be mailing them off to the Moss family tomorrow at work, so be looking for them in the mail. Well I'm going to go take care of some things around the house while he continues to nap. I took the day off work so he could just stay home and be comfortable after his rough morning. I hope he has a peaceful and restful day at home with mommy and Hannah.

Noah's day at home with mommy

Today Noah got to spend the day with me (mommy) and we have had a blast! I know everyone is probably wondering how he got to spend the day with mommy when she works, so I will tell you. Sadly, the woman who watches Noah at daycare, her Great Uncle died over the weekend. She had to take off today to go to the funeral, so our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. Noah will be going back to daycare tomorrow,but we are enjoying our day together.

We have played all day long, so he is down for his nap right now. I love the picture I have posted from today because he is giving his sweet smile for me! I'm sorry that there is a little spit up on his shirt, but he did that right before I clicked the picture. Being at home with him today has made me wish so badly that I could be a stay at home mom. I am so scared I'm going to miss out on a lot of firsts in his life while I'm at work. I will go on doing what I have to do to give Noah the life he deserves, but my heart will always be with him throught the days. Well I'm going to get off here & continue enjoying my day at home with my precious baby!

Picture Perfect

Not only was yesterday my 30th birthday, but it was also the day I took Noah to get his first set of pictures taken. I was nervous the entire drive to JcPenney's studio because I didn't know what type of mood he would be in once we got there. It turned out that there was no reason for me to be nervous, because Noah did great! He had his belly full and took a little nap on the drive there, so he was his smiling little self when it was time to get his picture taken. I was very proud of my adorable baby! The hardest part was having to pick from all of those good pictures once the photo session was over. Thankfully I had a coupon or I would've been in trouble. It is also a touch decision deciding who gets what pictures, but I also sat down and took care of that last night before I went to bed. I will most likely end up ordering a few more later, but we are good for now. I can't wait to go back on September 23rd to go pick up the pictures!!

Good morning sweet baby of mine!

Last night was another first in the life of Noah Timothy Moss. My sweet baby slept through the entire night without waking up once! He went off in a deep sleep last night in his crib around 10:30 p.m., and he didn't wake up until 6:00 a.m. this morning. Of course the first thing I did was grab the camera to take a picture of him before I picked him up out of his crib to begin a new day. He is doing so good with sleeping in his crib, and that makes me very happy:) I have to admit that I did get a little nervous last night when he didn't wake up, but he kept making little grunts in his sleep to let me know he was ok. I am so proud of him that he is doing so well with sleeping at night now that he is a little older. I remember when I was pregnant with him and how he used to start kicking me, punching me, and moving all around whenever I would lay down to go to sleep at night. I took this as a sign that when he was born he was definately going to have his days and nights mixed up, and he did for a while like most babies do. I'm just blessed and very thankful that he has finally figured them out now at 3 months old. I hope that we have many more nights like last night to come.

Now that I have bragged about my son for the day, I would like to get serious for a moment. I would like to take the time to remember that today is the anniversary of the horrible September 11th tragedy. May God be with all the family and friends who lost someone on that day. I also pray that God is with all of the soldiers that have/are/or will fight for our Country.

Noah's Big Weekend!

Noah had a very big Holiday weekend! It all started on Saturday afternoon when he got to go to his very first Birthday party. His cousin Bella had her 4th birthday party that Noah couldn't wait to go to. He had a good time, but his little nose got very runny and he was sneezing a lot all day long. He did enjoy seeing everyone in the family since he doesn't get to see them very often.

After the party was over we left to go home to meet up with the Moss family that came into town to visit. Noah had never met his aunt Connie, and two cousins Austin and Autumn until this past weekend. The picture above shows his aunt Connie feeding him while his cousin Autumn watched. They enjoyed getting to meet Noah for the first time and couldn't believe how big he is getting already. I hate that Noah wasn't feeling good while they were here, but hopefully next time we see them he will feel better.

Sunday was another big day for Noah and his mommy! Curtis and my mom threw me a 30th birthday party, and it was great. The food was awesome, all my family was there, the Moss family came in for the party, and I got great gifts from everyone. Curtis had me go on a scavenger hunt for his gifts, and it was well worth it and fun at the same time! I got money to buy some much needed new clothes for me, and a video camera/regular camera, and tripod. I love the gift and can't wait to start video taping my baby!! I was wanting a video camera so we can capture all of the exciting moments in Noah's life throughout the years.

I just want to say thank you to everyone for all your lovely gifts, and for just taking the time out of your busy schedules to celebrate my birthday with me. I also want to say a big thank you to Curtis for the gifts and for helping throw my party for me. Last but not least, I want to thank my mom once again. She always goes above and beyond my expectations on everything she does. She was working so hard all weekend to prepare for my party, and I greatly appreciate it. God has blessed me by giving me such a sweet, loving and giving family.

This week Curtis has been on Army duty again at Fort Knox, so we are toughing it out here at home without him. We miss him and look forward to him getting back home Sunday afternoon. I wish he could be here with me Saturday on my actual birthday, but I understand.that he can't. I know he will be thinking of me and wishes he could be here, and that is all that matters. Well Noah is waking up from his evening nap, so I have to go for now.

One proud Papa and Husband

Look at that concentration as he picked up his toy while Jennifer was taking pictures. He is also sitting up on his own for moments at a time. However, I must say I saw him do more crunches today than I did...

I want to take this evening, while Jen is rocking Noah upstairs, to make a public statement about my wife Jennifer "the Magnificent." While I was out gallivanting around playing a concert in Corydon, Indiana with the active duty band at Fort Knox and filling in for a tuba player they had on emergency leave, she was at home doing her best with Noah. I must say she and her mother, Anita "the Great" make a great team when it comes to Noah!

I never knew how much more in love I could be with Jennifer and how happy I can be in one instant with a couple smiles. The greatest is seeing her smile at him smiling, almost like a picture from the side of people posing for a picture. While this blog is usually about Noah, I want to take some time to express the change in our marriage. I must say it is stronger than ever and God blessing us with Noah has certainly helped us see each other through those lovey-dovey eyes now and again.

May your journey let you see someone special from a different point-of-view today.

Look At Me Daddy!

Since Curtis is gone away on Army duty this week, Noah wanted to dress to impress his daddy. While I was picking out his outfit all I could think of was the song "I'm in the Lord's Army" and it put a smile on my face. Noah had another good night last night, and he had a good day at day care, so we are very happy in the Moss house! He fell asleep in the car on the way home today from Day Care and took a little nap, but he was ready to play when he woke up at 5:30. He loves to sit in his bouncers! We just got him a new one a couple of weeks ago that is a bouncer/rocker that he was sitting in when I took the picture above. We use it as a bouncer for him now, but when he gets older he can use it as a rocker:)

I know this blog was short tonight, but it's bath time for Noah. Curtis, I hope you like his outfit because I was thinking of you while I was dressing him this morning. We miss you and I will give Noah extra hugs and kisses from you!

Thank God For Mom's!

This week Curtis is on Army duty at Fort Knox, and to save on gas he has been staying at my parents house in Louisville at night. Since he is gone at night my mom has been staying with me and Noah here at our house to help me out while Curtis is gone. This has been a true blessing and it makes me realize even more how lucky I am to have a mom that cares about me so much and would do anything for me. She didn't hesitate for a second to disrupt her life for a week just to help me out, and that makes me one very lucky daughter:) It is very helpful that she is staying with me, because it allows me to keep Noah on the schedule he is used to when we are getting ready in the mornings to go to day care. I dropped him off at day care today for the first time and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm so thankful that Curtis normally does the dropping off and picking him up job daily, because it's a lot harder to say bye to him when I'm leaving him with someone other than his daddy in the mornings. I do love walking through the door to pick him up in the evenings and seeing his little face light up when he sees his mommy! He was in a very good mood today when we got home as you can tell by the picture. We played for a long time before he got tired and then he took about an hour nap for me so we could rest together. Mamaw is holding him now and he is taking another cat nap since he just got finished eating. He will be waking up here soon and I will give him his nightly bath and put him down to sleep for the night. I will make sure that I give him extra hugs and kisses from his daddy who is missing him like crazy!

Mom's are Angels sent from God to take care of us throughout our lives.

3 Months & Counting

Yesterday was exactly 3 months from the day our little blessing arrived in this crazy world we live in, and blessed his mommy and daddy's lives forever! Time is flying by and our little baby is beginning to turn into our not so little baby:) I was going to put a new outfit on Noah this weekend that was a size 3-6 month, but it was actually very big on him. I have to admit that it made me smile & warmed my heart that he hasn't grown that much yet, because I want him to stay little as long as he can ( I hope that isn't me being selfish). Noah is finally getting over his cold that he has had for a couple of weeks now, so that is making Curtis and I very happy!! I know every mom out there will understand when I say that there isn't a worse feeling then knowing your baby/child is sick and there isn't anything that you can do but wait it out with them. All I wanted to do was pull all of the sickness out of him and put it in me so he wouldn't have to suffer. Today is the first day that he has acted like the Noah we all missed (the well one).

Yesterday was my first day back to Sunday School since I delivered Noah, and it felt so good to be back:) We all had a shower for one of the couples in our class and it was a good time. It made me think back of when they gave Curtis and I a shower for Noah. I love being a part of this class because everyone is so giving and you can always count on everyone to be there for you no matter what. The special thing about our class is that Noah was the 17th boy in a row to be born! There are 2 more couples that are having boys, 1 is due in September & 1 in October. We will then have a total of 19 boys:) We also just found out that 2 more couples are pregnant so we will wait to hear if we will have more boys, or if we will finally get some little girls. We all know it doesn't matter as long as they are healthy, but it will be interesting to find out:) We pray that all the couples will have or continue to have healthy and smooth pregnancies. There is nothing more special in life than God's little blessings.

We hope that everyone stops and takes a little time to thank God for the little blessings in your life.

Here is Noah acting shy... as if! He has not been feeling well lately so we took him to the doctor to try and get some help for him. Jennifer was the super mommy who argued with the doctor that something was wrong and took him back the next day (his throat and stuffiness were undeniable). She said his tiny little airway was irritated and inflamed. This was causing some problems, so we got a prescription for some steroids to be given in the form of drops to take down some of the inflammation. He is slowly recovering and Jennifer has the pleasure of sucking snot with the super sucker ball. However, he is only waking up once in the middle of the night for a diaper change and feeding. He has been doing this consistently for a week now and we hope it continues!!! At the end of the day there is nothing better than just laying him on our chest and letting him take a nap. Even though it is only about 5 minutes from Mrs. Lorrie's to our house he is usually out like a light by the time Curtis gets him home. Then Jennifer takes him when she gets home and he is back out until he wakes to be fed. Then we have our family time after Daddy does his workout for the evening. To know he feels completely safe and has complete faith in his Mommy and Daddy is a great feeling!

May you find unfailing faith on your journey today.

Getting bigger and coordinated?

Here is Noah dreaming of going to see Calipari and his boys in Lexington (notice the pacifier?).

Noah is trying to grab things now and again. It is great to look at the stern look of concentration as he guides his hand to the object before him. When his hand finally lands near the target he latches for a few fleeting seconds. Also, we swear he gets bigger every day between the time he is dropped off at Mrs. Lorrie's and he gets picked up.

May you appreciate something small on your journey today.

Small insignificant Victory

Nana and Pop (Curtis' Mom and Dad) headed eastward this weekend. It is always great to see the grandparents, but it NEVER seems long enough. The help was greatly appreciated. It is a strange feeling when you don't "have" to depend on your parents. Don't get me wrong, we love the help! But, we also know we can make it in this world. That must be a proud moment for a parent. You are helping because you want to, not because your child needs it or may get hurt etc... To have witnessed your life from the time you were the size of Noah to the point where you have one that size. I swear we caught glimpses of parental pride in Nana and Pop's eyes aimed at both of us. It was such fun to see that the parents still look at us the way we look at Noah sometimes, in awe of how this all happened.

Now to the story of the weekend that will fade into nothingness, but could have been the story of the century!!! OK, not really, but since I am a legend in my own mind I think you will find it amusing DISCLAIMER: Golf story to follow -

Curtis has never beat his Dad in golf. We are talking about a guy who, for as long as he can remember, a 75 (3 over par) not that great of a day. Not only that, but his buddies he used to play with, were the same. So I grew up thinking 80 ( 8 over) was a bad score. Perhaps this was a part of his frustration as a young lad. So when Pop said he was bringing his clubs this weekend, Curtis was ready. A trip to Henry County Country Club was filled with excitement as Curtis drove the ball just off the fairway 50 yards past his dad, then something happened. After 3 holes Curtis was down 5 strokes!!! Knowing he was dead in the water, he stopped worrying about it. All of a sudden the front nine was over and Pop was up 7 strokes (his 36 to Curtis' 44). Having never beaten Pop in even 9 holes of play (lost by 1 stroke once before) he hit the reset button. We were tied ( even for the back nine teeing off on hole 16) Suddenly Curtis hit a birdie putt and Pop parred. I was up one for the back nine, then the next hole the same thing happened. Now Curtis was 2 strokes up, not to mention 2 under par for the back nine, with one hole to go. We tied on the 18th hole and I lost by 5 strokes in total... but the small insignificant victory was the back nine. Although Curtis lost the war, he won a small victory. Now the bad news for Curtis is Pop will be retiring soon, which means more than his usual round per day. With Noah here, Curtis won't be playing more, but rest assured he will practice when he can.

But he will take never beating his father if it means more family time with Jennifer and Noah.

Noah's Big Day

Jen- Today was Noah's first day in day care. Curtis and I are still trying to find a routine for us in the morning, but we will figure it out soon enough with more practice. I have to admit that it was very hard on me this morning. I was able to hold it together until I saw Curtis pulling out of the driveway with Noah asleep in the back, and then I lost it. I had to get a good cry out for about 10 minutes and then I dried my eyes and started getting ready for work. It felt good to start back to work today, but all I did was think about Noah all day! Of course I had to call around 10:00 a.m. to check on my baby to see how he was doing, and when Lori (the woman who runs the day care) answered the phone I could hear Noah crying in the background. My heart sank when I heard him crying and I couldn't be there to hold him and console him. She told me he was doing good and he had just started to cry when I called, so I let her go so she could get back to work. I did good and I didn't call back, but I have to admit that I was worried about him all day. When I got home from work he was asleep in his daddy's arms and it warmed my heart and made me feel so much better seeing he was OK. I don't know how to describe the feeling I had this morning having to give our baby over to someone that isn't family besides that it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I trust Lori or of course or we wouldn't have chosen her to watch Noah, but it is still very very hard. I'm a mommy what can I say?! I have spent as much time as I can with Noah tonight, but it still isn't that time that we are used to having so it is going to take some getting used to. I only hope that one day Noah will understand that if I could stay home with him I would, but mommy and daddy are trying to give him the best life possible.

I survived today and hopefully it will get a little easier everyday even though it will never be ok with me to have to leave him. I would like to say thank you to Curtis for trying to make my first day back to work a little better today, because he sent me some beautiful flowers for my office with a very sweet card. I am a very lucky girl and he makes me realize that (along with Noah) everyday when I wake up. I will go to sleep tonight praying that Noah has a good day again tomorrow!

Here in the Real World

Well, it all ends tomorrow. Jennifer will be back at E&H, and while Curtis has been working at the school in Eminence kids come tomorrow. Noah gets to spend his days with Mrs. Prewiit in Shelbyville and Daddy will drop him off and pick him up as her house is on his way to Eminence. Mommy is in charge of a 10 o'clock phone call to make sure all is going well.

We have found there is a strange circle that has developed in the "wheel of concern" of the Moss family. Please keep in mind we both trust the people caring for Noah, but there is an uneasiness. Jennifer gets "the feeling" because Noah is not with her, Curtis gets "the feeling" because Jennifer has "the feeling". We would like to say we are sure this will go away, but that is probably not true. However, we have good people and faith on our side and trust that it will be OK.

Faith is a strange thing. To have complete trust and "unknowingly know" someone is trustworthy is a strange feeling. I am sure there are going to be a few shed tears between us, but I know the hardest is going to be the stage when they think you're never coming back and the crying comes in the morning. Thank goodness Noah is not there yet!

May you find something to find faith in today!

First Day at School

Today was Noah Timothy's first day visiting Eminence Independent Schools. Jennifer brought him up to spend lunch with Daddy and see all the teachers. He received the gushes, squeals of excitement, compliments, and knowing how lucky he is to look like his Mommy! It is hard to believe that Monday we will be dealing with the daycare/ babysitter situation and I will be teaching students the joy of music and Jennifer will be back in her office that is so dependent upon her. It has been a great summer, but now we must get a new schedule going in our lives and upsetting the order to which Noah has grown accustomed. However, I figure it is best it will all happen at one time. Increments rarely work in life, it seems like a sudden change is always easier to deal with than know a next step is coming soon. Please pray for Jennifer and I as we experience a little separation anxiety and slight trust issues. I am sure it will fade to a situation we become comfortable with, but I have a great Army weekend to think it over. However, this gives Jennifer and her parents a couple days to spoil, love, and smother him with hugs and kisses.

We all have the choice to make a change in our lives, may you make it happen all at once and continue on your journey of hope and change.

I can't believe Noah is 9 weeks old!!

It is so hard for me (Jen) to believe that my baby is already 9 weeks old! The tiny baby that I used to hold in my arms for hours at a time is getting so big that my arm falls asleep after holding him for about 30 minutes now. I am very thankful for the Boppy Pillow that you see in the picture, because it allows me to hold him but takes the pressure off my arm. I use this pillow to feed him and sit him on the couch next to me while I'm playing with him, and it works great! This week is the last week that I get to stay home with my precious boy because I will be going back to work next Monday. Tomorrow is when Curtis starts back to work, so I will be on my own with Noah. I have to admit that I'm going to miss my sleep time when Curtis usually takes over and watches Noah for me, but we will make it work like we always do!

Every since Noah turned 2 months old it seems like he is growing some everyday. We had to buy him new onesies (size 3-6 month)this weekend because the 0-3 month size was getting to be snug on him. In his clothes he can wear sizes 0-3 month and some 3 month, but most of them are still very loose on him. He is staying awake a little more each day, and he wants you to play with him now, which is a lot of fun for us. As you can see in the picture, he loves when daddy and mommy act silly! Noah is starting to wake up from his afternoon nap now, so I'm going to spend some more time with the biggest blessing in my life, my family!

Shots and Smiles

Noah got his shots today. But, we'll get to that in a minute. His check-up went well, he is almost 12 pounds now and is 22.5 inches long. Do they not call it tall until you can stand? Everything was great and Dr. Lyons was happy with everything. When Noah got stuck he did let out a little cry. As soon as all three sticks were over and Mama picked him up, he stopped and looked around as if to say that was it? As you can see in the picture, he has been all smiles. He smiles when Jennifer or I talk to him for a minute and get him to. Also, since I was gone to South Carolina for Army duty, he has started really using his hands and grasping things very well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank any and all of you who checked in with Jennifer while I was gone to S.C. I had already done my mandatory two-week stint knowing that Noah was going to be coming this summer. However, in the future, I will be going for two weeks to different places and knowing Jennifer has a local support system and her parents really puts my mind at ease as I am gone.

May your love be rekindled and reaffirmed without you having to leave home!

Lots of Love

Today was another big day for Noah! We went to visit his aunt nana (Amanda) again today to get out of the house and he got a suprise while we were there. I asked Amanda to watch Noah for me while I ran up to the store to get some grocery shopping done, and she was very nice to do this for me. While I was gone, Noah got a visit from his aunt Allison and cousins Saylor and Bella. He had a great visit with them, and it helped him get his mind off of missing his daddy! He stayed awake for a little while for them, so the girls were able to see his pretty blue eyes. As you can see in the picture he had so much fun that he is wore out! I would like to say thank you once again to Amanda and Allison for watching Noah for me while I was gone, because I greatly appreciated it. It makes me so happy to see both of them with him and to know that I have someone to depend on if I need them! They have and always will be like my sisters so that is why I will have Noah call them his Aunts. Allison's two daughters (Saylor and Bella) are my nieces in my heart and they always will be. Noah can't wait until he gets to see you all again.

Tomorrow is the day Curtis comes home to us, and we can't wait! Noah and I will go and pick him up at the airport and I can't wait to see him walking down the escalator to us, because I know Noah will put a big smile on his face. Even though I have been telling Noah every night that his daddy loves and misses him, it isn't the same as when he is here in person. Noah and mommy misses his time with daddy in the mornings. We had an ok night again last night, but I will love when I have your help again. We miss you, love you, and we hope you have sweet dreams.

Dressing Like Daddy

Today was a big day for Noah because he got to dress up like his daddy for the first time. He was wearing his new carpenter jeans, tennis shoes, and a golf shirt just like his daddy wears all the time (as you can see in the picture). He looks so big in his outfit that it brought a tear to my eyes, but put a huge smile on my face! Once I got Noah ready this afternoon, we went to visit his great mamaw. He actually woke up for a while this time, so she got to see his eyes in person and not just in pictures. It is always special to me when I see my mamaw holding Noah and talking to him. She also had fixed dinner for us when we got there so that was very sweet of her, and it was delicious as always. Anyone who has ate my mamaw's fried chicken will agree with me! We don't get her home cooking very often anymore so when we do it is greatly appreciated. Yes, Curtis I was thinking of you while I was eating it because I know you love it also.

I would like to take this moment to thank everyone that reads our blog, and to tell you all that we hope you enjoy it. We also love when you leave us comments and helpful hints to raising Noah! We hope that one day Noah will look back on these posts and enjoy reading them and not be too embarrassed. We just want him to know how much we love him, and that we are doing our best on raising him.

Curtis, we missed you even more today than yesterday. Last night was ok, but it's never the same without you here with us. I have been giving Noah your love, and I will continue to do so until you return. I always give him a kiss and hug especially from you. We love you, miss you, and we hope you have sweet dreams like always.

8 Weeks Old

Today Noah turned 8 weeks old! It seems like just yesterday Curtis was bending down telling me that he had a head full of dark hair while we were in the delivery room, and meeting Noah for the first time. He is such a good baby, and we are truly blessed. It amazes me how much he has changed just in 8 weeks! Today was a big day for him because not only did he turn 8 weeks old, but he also graduated into a size 1 diaper. It makes me laugh when I remember all the times my doctor would tell me that he thought Noah was going to be a bigger baby, but instead it took him 8 weeks to out grow Newborn size diapers. Noah goes to the doctor on Thursday to get his 2 month old shots, so I'm not looking forward to that even though I know it is for his own good. I am looking forward to seeing how much he weighs and how much he has grown since he was born at 6lbs., 15 oz. and 19" long. I will let you know how that goes, so keep checking in with us.

Noah also had his first trip to the mall with mommy and mamaw today. I had to go buy me some new clothes for when I go back to work the first of August. I was worried that Noah might get restless, but he did really good for us! He cried once and that was when we first got there because he was hungry. My mom fed him while I went to find some clothes, and then she met back up with me while I tried them on. Noah slept the rest of the time, so it worked out perfectly. He is becoming a little pro on our little outings we do together. I also bought Noah a few new outfits since he is starting to outgrow his newborn outfits. We have outfits that we got for gifts at different baby showers, but he needed some more to hold him over until he grows into them. I can't wait to see him in them, because like always he is going to be adorable.

Curtis, we missed you a lot last night. We hope you are enjoying your trip as much as possible. Noah slept very good throughout the night in his craddle, so I'm hoping he does the same tonight. He only got up twice during the night and it was only for a diaper change and to be fed both times. I did miss having you here to wake up and make the bottles for me, but we did ok. We have had a big day today, so we are starting to wind down for the night. We miss you, love you, and we hope you have sweet dreams again tonight. I will give Noah a kiss and hug from you!

Goodbye Until Tuesday

Well today was the day that Curtis left for South Carolina until next Tuesday evening. Noah and I dropped him off at the airport this afternoon. It was so different this time when I dropped him off compared to all the other times I have ever taken him. All I kept thinking was how hard it would be for me to leave Noah for even a day, so I couldn't imagine how he was going to do it until next Tuesday. I admire him for leaving us as hard as it is to help our family. I promised Curtis that I would write on the blog everyday while he was gone so that he can see pictures of Noah, and so that he doesn't miss out on his day. I took this picture today while I was holding him in my arms telling him about how much his daddy was going to miss him while he was gone. As you can tell by the picture, he was listening to every word I was saying. Trust me.... he knows his daddy loves him and misses him already! After we dropped Curtis off at the airport we went and spent the afternoon with his aunt Nana (Amanda). Noah slept most of the time, but he did wake up and swing for a little bit while we were there. Noah loves spending time with her, so we are going to go back so we can stay a little longer on Monday. This is good for mommy too, because it gives me a chance to get out of the house.

Curtis just called and he has arrived in South Carolina safetly! (Thank you God for answering my prayers once again) Curtis, I know that Noah and I aren't there with you physically, but please know we are there with you in your heart. We have been spending a lot of time together lately, which can be a little stressful every once in a while even though we love each other with all our hearts. This being said, I am still missing you already, and I wish you were here! I just keep telling myself that the time apart will only make our marriage stronger. I will give Noah a kiss and hug for you tonight when I put him down to sleep, and I will tell him that you love him. We miss you, love you, and we hope you have sweet dreams tonight!

So Many Emotions

Jen- I have been experiencing a lot of different emotions lately, and it makes me wonder if this is part of being a mom, or if it is just me? I love being at home with Noah and would not give up this time with him for anything, but I have also been going crazy being at home so much! We take Noah to visit family about once a week, but I still don't like taking him out too much because he is so young. As the weeks go on we will begin to get out more and more. Even though I love being a mommy full time, I still need some time to myself every once in a while so I can keep my sanity. I feel horrible saying that, because it makes me feel like a bad mommy. Are these feelings normal I wonder? I had to go into work this morning for a couple of hours to attend a mandatory meeting, so Noah got to spend some alone time with daddy. I am not looking forward to going back to work full time, but it did feel good to get out of the house for a couple of hours. Even though I enjoyed the time to myself, I was thinking about Noah the entire time I was gone and couldn't wait to get back to him! I know I'm confusing. I hope that everyone knows that I am trying my hardest to be the best mommy I can be for Noah and in order to do that I need some just "Jennifer" time every once in a while. Just getting that couple of hours today did wonders for me. As soon as I walked through the door to see my adorable little bundle of joy I went back in mommy mode, which is perfect for me! I gave Noah a bath, and then we played a little before we took a 2 hour nap together because we were both so wore out. This picture was taken before our nap while I was playing with him.

On a different note, Noah and I would like to wish safe traveling to Curtis and his Army Unit tomorrow. Curtis will be going to South Carolina until Tuesday evening for another Army job, so we will miss him a lot. I know he will miss us too, but hopefully he will be able to check the blog daily while he is gone to see his adorable son to brighten his day. We love you Curtis and will miss you!

Cute As Can Be

These pictures were taken at my (Jen's) cousin Samuel's wedding shower 3 weeks ago. This was Noah's first family event, so it was special to us. Like true Noah fashion, he slept the entire time, except when he woke up to eat. The girls holding him (with a little help from their mom) in the pictures above are his cousins Saylor (the oldest), and Bella (the youngest). They are both very adorable little girls and we love them more than words can say! I'm sure Noah will be very protective over them when he gets older. You will be seeing them in more pictures with Noah throughout the years to come. Noah is very blessed to have so many people love him. Just wait until you see all of his cousins on his daddy's side of the family! We will have a lot of those pictures when his daddy is on fall break if not sooner.

I would also like to say congratulations to my husband for passing that big 6 hour test he took back in June! He scored 1 point above average, which is great!! Noah and I are very proud of him. We know there are big and bright things in store for him in the future. God continues to bless our family everyday, and we are very thankful!

Some of the Fam

As you can tell by the picture Noah is wore out. Uncle Chris (Curtis' bro), Aunt Tracie, cousin Clayton and Kelsey came to visit from Illinois. Although it took them a little longer to get here than they thought, we had a great Friday night and Saturday. Noah got all the lovin', kissin, and holdin' he could handle! He slept through the night and only woke up once, hungry and wet. Afterward he went off to LaLa Land, letting Mommy and Daddy get some more sleep.

Hannah (our dog in case you don't know) had a great time at Bob and Beth Keiser's house hanging out with their dog's Blue and Jake. I went to pick her up and she let me know she had a great time, but was ready to get back home to Noah, Mommy, and Daddy. She was also wore out and immediately lay down for a quick nap.

May your journey lead you to make that extra phone call or visit today!

Happy Days!

I am a very excited mommy, because Noah is starting to share his little personality with us! If you look at the adorable picture to the left, you will see one very happy baby. I (Jen)took this picture this morning while I was playing with him to get him ready for bath time. Today it is a mommy and Noah day, because we are here by ourselves. Even though we miss Curtis today, it has been a good bonding time for us. Curtis is at Fort Knox today, and he will be there most of the day tomorrow completing a job. Noah and I both know that he does everything for us, and we love him for that!

Thankfully Noah is starting to stay up a lot more throughout the day, and he is sleeping in his craddle a lot better at night! Today we have played while he sat in his bouncer, had story time, played while he rested on his Boppy pillow (in picture above), mommy rocked him while singing to him (he likes this), and mommy gave him a bath! Noah is beginning to smile while you play with him, and it makes me smile too!! He is a very happy baby, so that makes me think that Curtis and I are doing ok at this parenting thing! As big as Noah is smiling in this picture, his mommy and daddy are smiling even bigger.

We hope you all find something in your lives that bring you Happy Days!

Rearranging the Garage

A few weeks ago Jen said she wanted to park on the other side of the garage. I finally got around to this task today. Since I had some time I went through the boxes and diluted some clutter and made a little trip to Goodwill. Going through some of this, I ran across an old love note to Jennifer from me. Generally, I can remember where these came from. However, this one was typed and in a small envelope... the best i can come up with is it came with some flowers or something. While trying to wrack my brain of where this little ray of sunshine to my wife's day (who knows when) came from, I trotted down memory lane as I swept the garage (as long as I am moving stuff might as well do my best). I reminisced about our Dillard's days and how calm we both were at the wedding. Jennifer is usually very nervous, but she was cool as a cucumber that day. I had zero doubts as we stood waiting for the right music to begin.

May you reminisce about old times and enhance the present on your journey today.

Here is a new picture of Noah! We know why you keep coming back!

Happy 4th of July

Curtis - I spent my 4th at Cumberland Gap National Park in Middlesboro, KY. Since joining the Army Reserves in 1998 I have not had duty of some sort for two of them. It always seems, to celebrate America's freedom many places need military personnel. It seems every job has had some memorable moments, from trying to get the soldiers in Basic Training to go to sleep and stop watching the fireworks (I was a drill sergeant at the time and that was my night to stay up all night to make sure no soldier ran away, hurt themselves/ someone else, and make sure all was well in all areas) to the hotel I had the "pleasure" of staying at Friday. It was better than staying out in the field, but not what we were used to. Most of us just hung out in the parking lot sharing stories and talking. It actually ended up being an enjoyable evening with comrades. I must also say I love when I head east into the mountains, while this area has plenty of problems, the beauty of the mountains is one of God's greatest blessings on Earth. If you can't stop and appreciate the beauty of the mountains, are you human?

However, this was my first night away from Noah, and I missed him. Of course, I always miss Jennifer when I have to go away. This is evident in the fact that I refuse a "free" (to me) hotel room to come back in the evenings to stay with Jen (and also Noah now). If i am a complete dork to those in my unit, but a hero at home I feel I have done my job as a husband.

While many people thank me for my service, etc... (never have figured out what to say to this) I have to thank Jennifer. She is willing to know I am going to go away for two weeks every year, and knows I always go away more than that! She knows I will be gone one weekend of every month, at a minimum. All the while knowing if I am needed somewhere as a tank commander, drill sergeant, or Army bandsman I can be pulled with little notice. I chose this for myself in 1998, she has had to deal with it since she met me! To know this situation and simply accept it has been difficult at times, but I GREATLY appreciate the support and love she shows me all the time.

May you enjoy your family on today's journey and stop to think of those families who are apart on the 4th.

Thank You!

Noah asked me to make a special post today saying thank you to his Uncle JC and his Aunt Nana (Amanda)! They both came out today just to spend some time with Noah, and that meant a lot to him. Not only did they spend the day with him, but his Uncle JC also helped out by hanging the letters that spell his name in his room. (Please see the picture above on the right to see what a great job he did!) It was very sweet of him and it meant a lot to Noah, and his mommy and daddy since daddy was away on an Army job. His Aunt Nana played with him a lot and even fed him a bottle while she was here, so he was loving every minute of her visit! The picture you see to the left is Noah laying on his Planet Animal gym set, and his Uncle JC bending down to give him a little kiss on his cheek.

Noah had a great day of playing and is wore out now (this makes mommy happy, because this means she gets some sleep tonight!). Thank you once again Jason and Amanda, and we hope you come back to visit soon!

Nana and Pop gifts

This picture is of some of the things from Nana and Pop (my, Curtis, Mom and Dad). Noah is their fifth grandchild and you would have thought it was their first. They have made the 4 1/2 hour trip twice in the last six weeks. Mom's help for a week was greatly appreciated and Pop's help and stress relief (golf) really helped me... of course how could anything be bad with Noah to come home to? Look at that picture, he is already looking at Mommy and saying "huh, what did you say"? Just like his Daddy!

First Grandchild

Jen-Today is the last day of sharing the quilts/afgan pictures. The picture that you see today is Noah showing you all the adorable animal quilt that his mamaw gave him. I am the only child, so of course Noah is my parents first grandchild! I must say they are loving every minute of being grandparents! My mom wanted a gift to give him that was special, and just from her. She asked my aunt Regina to help her make this quilt for him. This quilt matches the baby animal theme of his nursery that he loves to look around at daily. I'm sure that Noah will cherish this blanket along with all of the other ones we have written about this week!

Noah is a very blessed little boy that so many people "covered" him with love! I'm sure that his mamaw will give him plenty of other gifts throughout his life, but this one will always be one he remembers.