Happy Birthday, Noah!

So, let me start out this post by saying that I had been slowly working on and saving adjustments to this post over the last week. I had been learning how to put things in a more creative format, etc. Of course when I went to post it yesterday (on Noah's birthday) - I somehow lost it all. I don't have the patience to re-create it again the way it was before, but I hope you enjoy it anyhow. I really enjoyed thinking about the last couple of years as we celebrated our sweet little Noah's birthday. Here you go...

(One week old)

Then - This was our first photo as a family of three.
Now - We are a family of four.

Then - He weighed 7 & 1/2 pounds.
Now - He weighs 28 & 1/2 pounds.

(One month)

Then - He slept in a cradle next to our bed.

Now - He sleeps in his own room in a toddler bed.

Then - Had chubby cheeks.

Now - Has chubby cheeks.

(8 weeks)

Then - Had lots of black hair.

Now - Has light brown hair.

Then - Had lived in Nevada and Iowa.

Now - Has also lived in Utah; plus he's visited California, Massachusetts, Idaho, Arizona, New York, Oregon, and Colorado...and has put his toes in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

(4 months)

Then - We just fed him bottles.

Now - He feeds himself all sorts of food...but still loves his milk.

(5 months)

Then - Wore clothing several sizes large for his age.

Now - Wears clothing for his age or sometimes a little smaller.

Then - Had two teeth.

Now - Has all his teeth (just got his 2 year molars!).

(6 months)

Then - He was the sole focus of all our adoration and attention.

Now - He's still adored just as much, but shares some of the attention with his little brother now.

Then - Would smile, interact & play with anyone without reservations.

Now - Has a shy streak and sometimes takes a while to warm up to new people.

(9 months)

Then - Spikey hair

Now - Combed flat "big boy" hair

Then - Crawled.

Now - Runs.

(One year old)

Then - Still had blue eyes.

Now - Has hazel eyes - a greenish/brownish/amber color.

Then - Used sign language to communicate and could only say the word "Josh" (his uncle).

Now - Uses signs now more just for emphasis or clarification, and can verbalize new words each day.

(18 months old)

Then - Obsessed over all power tools, trucks, and helping dad with yardwork.

Now - Obsesses over all things cowboy (horses, hats, boots), Cars (on his bedding), Toy Story, Nemo (he pretends to be a turtle & calls the bath faucet cover a shark), and animals (particularly elephants).

So, our little guy is two years old now. We love you so much, Noah. You were the perfect answer to all of our dreams and prayers of becoming parents. We are so grateful to have you in our family, and we just adore your sweet, creative, spunky little personality. We're looking forward to this next year and to watching all the new ways that you'll learn and grow!