Noah’s First Haircut

With family pictures on the horizon, Dave and I agreed that it was time for a “real” haircut for Noah. The past year or so we’ve strung together some good (and some bad) trims by yours truly to keep the hair out of Noah’s eyes and his “hockey hair” to a minimum. But it was getting too unruly, so with a coupon in hand, we hit up Snip-Its a kids-themed salon/barber-shop. He was a little shy and very serious at first, but he sat still the whole time and finally cracked a smile at the end. I know a certain Grandma in NY who is probably thrilled that he got a haircut… even if it was just cleaned up a bit. I requested… “not too short please, I like his long hair.”

One Month

One month down for sweet Grace. She is growing like a champ and weighed in a 9 lbs., 5 oz. at her one month appointment — two pounds over her birth weight. I wasn’t too surprised given how much she likes to eat. During the day she eats every 2-3 hours and even closer together in the evenings. During the night she is up every three hours ON THE DOT — you could set a clock by it. We experienced one four and a half hour stretch a few nights ago and it was glorious! The great news is that she is sleeping in her crib at night. Most nights she goes right down around 9 pm … we all agree it’s much better than sharing our bed with her! During the day she takes a couple of long naps in the swing … and once we get Noah down, her and I usually take a cat nap on the couch together.

Grace is turing into a bit of a spit-up queen. I don’t think it’s quite as severe as Noah’s spit-up was though… Maybe I’m just more used to it this time. But I don’t seem to be changing my clothes or hers quite as much this time around. Grace loves to be outside and go for rides in the stroller, usually finding it quite relaxing. She rides up top, while Noah rides in the “special-big-brother seat” on our neighborhood walks and many trips to the bakery and grocery store.

Noah is a super big brother, bringing Grace her blanket or a diaper when he thinks she needs them. We still need to remind him to be gentle and he gets a bit frustrated when he can’t have exactly what he needs or all the attention he is used to, but in general he is very sweet to “baby.”

p.s. We’re keeping the tradition of the monthly pics alive with Jules the Bernese Mountain Dog. 

 

Welcome Grace Edna

Baby Grace Edna is here! She arrived on March 24, 2014 at 7:24 am and weighed in at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 inches long. We are blessed with a healthy baby girl!

The birth experience could not have been more different than with Noah. I walked into the operating room just after 7 am, got my spinal and Grace was born soon after. No painful labor, non-working epidural, emergency c-section, and panicky parents and doctors. Everything went very smooth, we were thrilled (and I was shocked) when they said, “it’s a girl” and she was handed to Dave. Dave and Grace were able to be with me in the recovery room for a couple of hours, which was another nice change from last time. I fed her right away and we sent pictures around to our friends and family.

The pain was definitely there after the c-section, but was more manageable than last time. We took advantage of the nurses and sent Grace to the nursery at night so we could get some extra shut-eye before coming home. She had/has some slight jaundice so was super sleepy and I had to rouse her to eat and keep her awake during feedings.

Grandma and Grandpa H. took amazing care of Noah while we were in the hospital … taking him on all of his activities and bringing him to the hospital in the afternoons for visits. Noah is a bit young to understand the birth of his sister and how to be gentle with a baby. But we will get there.  He says “baby, baby, baby” all the time and is learning to touch her feet very softly.

Right now Grace is basically just sleeping and eating, except not sleeping on her back, especially at night. She likes to sleep on my chest which definitely hinders my sleep at night, but it won’t last forever. Soon, we will have to kick her out of our room for her stint in the playroom/guest room, before her and Noah bunk up together for a few years.

And now on to some photos!

A few minutes before we left for the hospital. WAY smaller than I was with Noah.

At home… Grace slept for 5 minutes in the pack n play. Noah likes to check her out.

With Grandma and Grandpa H. … And Cheerios.

The new Hartter Family

Another family pic.

On my birthday … Grace is the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten! And she looks SO tiny in this pic.

The Very Best Dog

Our extremely lovable buddy Greylock passed away suddenly just yesterday. It all happened very quickly and I think we are still in a little bit of shock, although we have a lot of memories to help sustain us and nearly eight fun years to look back on.

Just a few days ago Greylock started acting lethargic and bumping into furniture here and there. We took him in to the vet and they diagnosed him with an eye infection and sent us home with some antibiotics. By the next day he had gotten worse, but was still walking around and eating, by that evening Dave had taken him to a specialty vet so an opthamologist could look at him and they decided he should spend the night. We got a call at 4:30 in the morning that he was not doing well and that he really needed to see a neurologist, so Dave went to pick him up. When he got there, Greylock would not even walk and had to be wheeled out to our car on a cart, covered in blankets. We were both in shock to see him in this state. After meeting with a neurologist and discussing the possibility of a brain tumor, we had a CT scan done in the hopes that the tumor would be operable. It was not meant to be. The tumor was on top of his skull and was extensive and would have very likely returned in a short time. We agreed to give him some anti-inflammatory drugs to hopefully get him back up and walking, eating and make him more comfortable; and left the vet’s office around 11 am. We had hopes of a few more days with him and maybe some neighborhood walks. The vet called me around 4 pm to let me know that he was not breathing on his own. They had put him on a ventilator and said if we wanted to say good-bye, we better hurry. We rushed there to say good-bye and give our last hugs and pets. We hope he knows that we were there.

The vet told us that the bone tumor had likely been developing for months but just in the last few days it was putting too much pressure on his brain, so his vision and balance were impacted. In a way, I’m glad it was quick and hopefully painless for Greylock. But it gave us no time to prepare and definitely increased the “shock” factor.

There are too many wonderful memories of Greylock to record them all. Thinking back to when we first got him… it was definitely Dave who wanted Greylock, but I quickly fell in love with him. Dave only had to tell me one “little fib” to get me to agree to getting a Bernese Mountain Dog. I believe the words were, “Chris, they only shed two times a year.” I quickly learned that Greylock would shed constantly, and two times a year the shedding would be beyond excessive. But we got a super-expensive vacuum and moved on with many, many adventures with our buddy.

Some of our favorite memories include:

• The time he ran onto a farm and went nose-to-nose with a bull that probably weighed almost 2,000 pounds. Greylock just sniffed him and then walked away. Later that same day a cardboard box fell a few feet in front of him, he was scared and ran away. A CARDBOARD BOX is scarier than a bull I guess.
• In Blacksburg, he loved our neighbors and their dog, Carmel. When Greylock went out one morning, he snuck into their house through an open door and when our neighbor left for work, he got stuck in there.
• Although it’s not very common for Bernese Mountain Dogs to swim, Greylock learned to and loved the water. But, I think if he had a choice he would just sit in a cold, shallow creek all day rather than use extra energy swimming in deep water.
• When Dave left the front door open and I didn’t realize it for at least 30 minutes, Greylock could have gone anywhere… he just sat on the front porch.
• Lately when Dave would travel for work, he would often sleep in the hallway between  our room and Noah’s room. He had a fierce bark, so I never felt worried with him in the house.
• Greylock was beyond tolerable of Noah and all the antics of a toddler and they even formed a little bond. One of Noah’s first words was “lock” and he would often point to Greylock and say “there’s Greylock.” Every morning Noah would go to the pantry and get Greylock’s medicine or a treat and want to give it to him. A little friendship that didn’t have time to develop.

I’m so thankful that we will have a very special occasion to celebrate in about a week. We need something else to focus on, but Greylock will always be in our hearts. He really was the best dog in the world.

It’s true what they say, Bernese Mountain Dogs are the cutest puppies.

Greylock loved the snow.

Lately

Just two weeks (or less, but hopefully not less) to go until Baby H #2 makes his or her appearance. We are staying busy with house projects … especially Dave. Getting the basement renovation done, lots of painting, landscaping, etc. Spring has sprung in Charlotte (for now at least) and we are enjoying lots of 60 degree days outside. On to some pictures…

Noah learned to take a “selfie” and was cracking up.

On a recent rainy day, Dave took Noah to Lowe’s after dinner to walk around and get some energy out. He especially likes to knock on all the doors.

Noah loves to “drive.” He begs to get in the car and has a great time pressing buttons.

 

Snowy Snow

Earlier this month the Charlotte-area was hit by about eight inches of snow and ice — a rare snowstorm for the southeast and the most snow Charlotte’s gotten in about 10 years. While this storm would not have caused anyone much concern in the Berkshires, it was major news and shut down the city, schools and businesses for three days. We survived and enjoyed the snow… but the two of us trying to work from home, combined with a very active little boy and ALL activities, museums and libraries closed led to a chaotic week.

Each morning after about an hour of indoor playtime, Noah would bring us our shoes, along with his and say his favorite word … “outside.” Over and over. We had a lot of fun with our neighbors out in the cul-de-sac and Noah indulged in his first sugar cookies at a Valentine cookie decorating party our neighbors hosted — which was a nice break and got all of the kids together inside. Noah always enjoys checking out other kid’s toys and slamming other people’s doors, drawers and baby gates closed … so a new house to visit was quite a treat. 

On to some pics of the “monumental snow” … 

Noah had to park his car in the cul-de-sac, like everyone else. (Everyone as a hilly driveway!)

One of the few kids in Charlotte with a proper puffy coat thanks to the hand-me-downs!

The neighborhood.

 

Snowy cul-de-sac. View from our house.

 

This guy LOVED the snow.

 

Pushing the stroller through the slush up to East Blvd, which surprisingly had been plowed.

 

And just a few days later… PUDDLES!

 

Noah picked out his own outfit on Valentine’s Day. He was really into boots for a few days.

 

Acting like a boss at the playground after the snow was mostly melted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tubes-day

Last Friday was Tubes-day for Noah. After nearly a year of dealing with ear infections (6 or 7) and antibiotics we kicked off the New Year with a set of tubes and an adenoidectomy for Noah. The doc assured us that all went well and it was likely the adenoids that were causing most of his problems… they were inflamed and preventing fluid from draining. He also commented that even though Noah has been on antibiotics for 30 days, there was a lot of thick fluid built up behind the ear drum, which was surely hindering his hearing.

He did great and I’m sure if he could provide one piece of feedback on the event it would be, “Don’t ever make me skip breakfast again.” After a big lunch and a nap, he was nearly back to his old self. Here’s hoping those tubes stay in place and do their job for the next year!

Pre-op: Just hanging out in the baby hospital gown.

Post-op: Feed me!

 

The Ultimate Catch-Up Post

As you can see, the blog got away from me at the end of the year. We juggled a very busy toddler, a few weeks of morning/all-day sickness, and my work level being back up to pre-Noah levels…but all the activity left little room for blogging. I absolutely love looking back at the blog and reading about Noah’s milestones and our family adventures, so hopefully I can be better about regular updates in 2014.

So what have we been up to since August?

• Noah’s going to be a big brother! Baby H #2 is due March 28. Due to some of the complications I had with Noah and him being delivered via C-section, we are hoping to plan this C-section for the week of March 21. I’m convinced it will be another boy, Dave is thinking girl. Early on I had about three weeks of wicked “morning” sickness that lasted all day, but since then I’ve been feeling pretty good.
  

  Baby H #2 at 18 weeks.

• We took a mini-vacation to our favorite beach town, Charleston. Noah had a great time exploring the sand and waves, and in the evenings we enjoyed our favorite southern foods in Charleston… all before being back to our hotel by 7:30 for bedtime. Vacationing with kids just isn’t the same. 🙂
  

  Dave and Noah at Folly beach.

  

  Noah and me checking out the waves.

• Both sets of Grandparents visited Charlotte in October. We had a great time showing them around our new neighborhood and they had a great time keeping up with Noah and his trips to the park, Discovery Place, Nature Museum, another park, Cabo Fish Taco, etc.
  
  

  Steve and Cynthia with Noah at our house.

  

  

  I think I finally gave Noah’s hair a little trim shortly after seeing this photo.

  

  A park that we like to go to in uptown Charlotte. Beautiful city views.

  

  

  Noah learns to give his bear a hug.

  

  We dressed him for Oktoberfest instead of Halloween.

   

• We flew up to NY twice. First for my Grandma’s funeral and then for Thanksgiving. Both were great visits, although the occasion was sad for our first visit. It was wonderful to spend time with family and celebrate my Grandma’s 98 years!
  

  Love this one of my Grandma, me, my mom and Noah when he was about 6 weeks old.

• Dave and I learned the secret to successful flying with Noah is bringing enough food for the entire plane. After the first flight, I learned my lesson. And for the next three, Noah ate no less than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, travel containers of cheese cubes and grapes (cut in 1/8ths, just like he likes them), a ridiculous amount of cheddar bunnies, an entire packet of yogurt melts, a muffin and 1-2 apple sauce packets … on each flight.   I had a near panic moment on the last flight when we were out of yogurt melts with 15 minutes left to go.
• The travel was the start of Noah’s ear infections again. Poor kid just isn’t the same when he is battling fluid in the ears and infections. We’ve been on 30 days of antibiotics to kick it out of his system and he’s taking after his Uncles Danny and Michael and getting tubes Jan. 3. We couldn’t be happier to be moving in this direction with a doctor we really trust. See ya later ear infections, don’t come back!
• We had a great time celebrating Noah’s second Christmas at home. Even though I displayed his presents underneath the tree… he blew right past them on Christmas morning and grabbed my Tums off the coffee table. He started shaking them and dancing like it was an instrument. No more toys for Noah… just Tums!
  

  Swimming on Christmas eve morning.

  

  Practicing his climbing skills a few days before Christmas.

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  Dave and Noah in their Christmas jammies.

  

  All four of us. The little Hartter is about 27 weeks along here.

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family. We miss living near our families but really love our community here in Charlotte. Come visit anytime… It’s been in the low 50’s most of December! 🙂

Walkin’

Noah has officially taken his first steps. He’s been cruising around the furniture for a few months, but recently decided to let go and give balancing and walking a try. As with most things… he’s a total goofball about walking. Typically he lets go of the couch or window sill, gets his balance, takes a few steps, starts cracking up, and falls to the floor. I’m sure he could walk a lot further if he didn’t crack himself up and lose concentration/balance. He goes all-out with his walking and usually works up a sweat. I captured this quick video.

Another favorite activity is standing and climbing on furniture.
This is what we call “Naughty Noah.”

Let’s Ride Bikes

Noah has some very generous Grandparents! Thanks to their birthday gifts to Noah, Dave was able to buy a new bike!  Wait? What?  🙂

We’ve been itching to get Noah out on a bike for sometime and finally purchased a baby/toddler seat and a bike to tote him around town. He loves riding and smiles and claps throughout the rides. He likes to go fast… just ask Dave. So far we’ve ridden to the park and around the neighborhood with a couple of longer trips to uptown Charlotte.

Setting off on our first family ride.

Riding to uptown Charlotte. This is the perfect ride for a Sunday… there is no one on the roads, but you get to enjoy the city.

On our way to the children’s museum.

Just for fun… Yummy!