3 weeks old

Ahhh...I guess I should be cherishing these moments now. In a year or so they will probably be hitting and wrestling each other over some toy.

Let's compare! This is Noah at about 3 weeks old...

And this is Ethan at about 2 weeks. I think they look a lot a like. What do you think?

Proud Uncle Jeffrey

I was in the middle of getting all of the Christmas stuff down from the attic and I found that Noah had climbed up on all of the boxes. I don't know why we even bother buying all of these toys because he ends up playing with everything else in the house.

Snuggling up with Daddy.

Noni

Popi

Baby's 1st Thanksgiving

Meeting Noni & Popi

My lil' turkey

Ethan after his 1st bath (which he wasn't too crazy about).

BIG BROTHER

Noah is doing really well accepting Ethan into the family.

He's already trying to help out by bringing him blankets and pacis.

Giving him kisses. How sweet is that?

I think he likes him.

Grampa took Noah outside to play and he kept running up to the door to say hi to me.

Ethan was doing a little sunbathing since he has jaundice.

It's not often that he's wide eyed. He just sleeps so much.

The growing LaFave family.

My sweet boys.

BRINGING BABY HOME

Granma

Granpa watching Noah try to put a sock on Ethan.

Daddy bringing him home for the first time.

Snug as a bug in his car seat.

Oma and her grand babies.

2 DAYS OLD

So snugly. This is what he does 24/7. Hopefully this is a good sign of what his personality is going to be like. I could use a nice calm baby while having a very energetic toddler.

ONE DAY OLD

He sleeps a lot!

Wide eyed and bushy tailed for a little while.

He doesn't know what to think just yet.

Oma meeting Ethan.

Noah checking out his new brother.

My 3 favorite boys.

INTRODUCING ETHAN ALEXANDER

Ethan has finally arrived safely and is very healthy. The c-section went as well as could be expected and now we are just resting. Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes.

About to head to the hospital. 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

Big brother has no clue what's about to happen to his world.

Waiting to go to the O.R.

Daddy in his scrubs.

Welcome to the world lil' guy.

Dr. Schlechter hard at work.

Clean up

Ethan weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz and is 20 in long.

INTRODUCING ETHAN ALEXANDER

Family photo

My sweet lil' peanut.

Proud daddy

Getting his first bath.

NOAH'S SCHOOL PICTURES

I think I cried the first time I saw this picture. He just looks so grown up and like a little man. The time just flies by.

JUST THE 2 OF US

I am trying to do some special things with Noah since we only have a couple of days left of being just the two of us. So I took out to the park and just let him be a boy. He loved it! It's kind of hard to imagine having another little baby to love and share my time with. Noah has been my "baby" for the past 20 months and has had my undivided attention. I know I will love Ethan just as much, but there is something special about your first born. He will always be my "baby", even when he's grown and married.

He's such a big boy now.

Peek-a-boo!

ETHAN'S ROOM

MORE MONKEY PICTURES.

Doin' a lil' monkey dance or something.

CHURCH FALL FESTIVAL

He loves the bounce house.

And he's done.

THE CUTEST MONKEY EVER!

Noah's halloween costume

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard as I did when I put this on him. It was just so funny to watch him moving around in it and going about his business like nothing was different.

When I went to get the monkey costume of course I couldn't find it, so the only thing I could find in his size was the duck. It was cute too, but I really wanted the monkey. I went to several different Targets before I finally found it.

WALDEN FARM PUMPKIN PATCH

I apologize for being such a slacker lately. I realize it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but hopefully this will make up for it. Today we made it to the pumpkin patch and it was a perfect fall day for it. The Walden Farm is really popular around Nashville. They have all kinds of things like a petting farm, corn mazes for kids and adults, hayrides and all kinds of food. Noah was a bit crabby for awhile, but then he really seemed to enjoy it.

And he's off! Mr. Independent.

And now he's not happy. A good nap makes a world of difference.

Noah wasn't really cooperating at this point.

Oooo...lots of tractors! He actually tried to sneak off with one.

Checking out the calf...

...the sheep...

...the bunny...

...the pig...

...and the goat.

Oh boy! Look at the size of this wheel.

He was even making the sounds as he was steering.

Group photo with Mike and Tristan.

Checking out the corn maze.

Old time water pumps.

Going on his first hay ride.

Warning: Do not leave child unattended!

I had just finished shredding up a bunch of papers and dumped it in the trash. I left Noah alone for a few minutes and could hear him getting into something. I followed the sound of trouble and found confetti all over my kitchen.

The lil' stinker thought it was hillarious.

I couldn't even get on to him. I just laughed and ran to get the camera.

Play Date at Monkey's Treehouse

Shoveling some tire bits into his wheel barrel. He did this for awhile and then starting shoveling the stuff outside of the sand box all over the carpet.

He and Benny loved the ball pit.

My friend Amanda (Benny's mom) spinning them round and round.

Apparently he likes to grocery shop. He played with the buggy for the majority of the time.

Support for a great ministry

Recently my girls Bible study group hosted a "baby shower" for the Hope Clinic here in Nashville. We all brought gifts to donate to the clinic and the CEO came to the shower to tell us all about their ministry. They help pregnant women who feel they have no where else to turn to. I was really impressed with their program and the way they help them. It's a lot of counseling of course, but they offer a variety of classes for the mothers like basic parenting skills and even Bible studies.

Our Sunday school really wants to get involved with them by volunteering at the clinic and raising money for them. They are hosting a 5k Run for Life race on September 26th. Our Sunday school has put a team together to represent our church and Josh is going to be participating. I would really like to be a part of it as well, but don't think that is best considering my condition.

So if you feel led to contribute towards this ministry then you can sponsor Josh in this race. All you have to do is click on the link below and it will take you directly to Josh's page. Simply click on "Sponsor Me Now" and you can donate online. We appreciate it. http://www.firstgiving.com/joshualafave

Oh boy!

Every Sunday after church service is over, Noah immediately heads for the stage and all the instruments. He particularly likes the drums. Uncle Jeffrey you would be so proud. He looks like a pro already.

I think I have the world's pickiest eater as my child. It has been so frustrating trying to transition from baby food to toddler food. I have found very little that he will actually eat. Forget the fruits and veggies. Apparently he has texture issues. Anything wet and slimy he won't eat, he just plays with or throws it across the room. Although, we did have a break through yesterday. He ate several blueberries!! Yay!! Anyways, I tried a new one with him today. Pasta pick-ups. Ravioli or something. He started off pretty good and I got all excited. I left the room for a few minutes and came back to see what kind of progress he had made. At first I saw that his tray was cleared off and thought he ate every last bite, then I looked in his lap and saw the mess.

If anyone has any advice on how to get him to eat healthy things like fruits and veggies, let me have it.

Sweet Vacation

Josh and I just got back from our first trip to Destin, FL. We decided to take one last trip by ourselves before Ethan comes along and things get really hectic. We had such a great time and absolutely loved Destin. It's a great family beach with lots of things for kids to do. Noah stayed home with Oma and Aunt Ashli (Josh's mom and sister) and I don't think he really missed us all that much. I know I missed him terribly. Every little boy I would see I would be like "Ahhh...I miss by baby". We hope to make it a regular family trip from now on. I think Noah would love it.

We definitely got spoiled with all of the amazing food and even had great weather. It was only in the mid-high 80's and very little humidity. Not normal for FL. It was hardly crowded and we had a lot of beach area all to ourselves. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

Me and my big o belly at 26 weeks.

Ahhhh.....doing absolutely nothing!

Josh dug a hole in the sand for my belly so I could lay on my stomach.

It was quite comfy.

HarborWalk Village. I love this place. Lots of great restaurants, shops and live music right on the bay.

Harry T's. Great food and great atmosphere.

While having dinner at Harry T's, some old World War II planes put on a show followed by fireworks off the bay area. We could watch all of this from our table.

These are fried green tomatoes with crab meat and creole sauce on top. They were oh so good.

Our last night at Pat O'Brien's restaurant. It was a Louisiana style restaurant with Beignets (a famous New Orleans dessert) and gumbo and everything else.

Looking down HarborWalk Village from our table.

My Baby Is Graduating

Today was Noah's last day in the babies class at our Mother's Day Out and will be moving up with 4 of his friends to the 1yr old class. He started out in the babies at 3 months old. I can't believe he's a big boy now. This is one of his girlfriends Maddie. She is a total instigator and going to get Noah in so much trouble I'm sure.

4 of 5 of them. Evan, Lilly, Noah and Maddie. Their new teachers are in for it with these guys. They're trouble together.

This is Noah's 1st love, Lilly. As you can see he is a flirt. His teachers use to tell me stories about how they were in love. They would take stroller rides together and share the same seat. One day they decided to go steady because they traded pacis.

Lilly is such a sweet heart. I think I'm okay if he wanted to marry her.

He played so hard and didn't take a nap all day until we got in the car.

Monday nights are boys night so I can go to a girls bible study. I guess Josh was getting Noah ready for bed and this is what happened.

He was watching some neighborhood kids playing outside.

Shoe Fetish

Lately Noah has been obsessed with putting our shoes on and trying to walk around the house in them. Don't worry he doesn't just go for the girl shoes, he puts daddy's on too. Mine are just smaller and not as heavy.

A day at the zoo.

Watching the giraffes from afar.

He liked the meerkats.

Our attempt to get a picture of Noah, Emma and Benny.

Close enough.

The lazy cougar.

Petting a few goats.

Noah chasing Benny.

Noah and Benny playing peek-a-boo with the shade on the stroller.

22 Weeks and Growing Fast

At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, our baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside the womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

My Baby Bump

20 Weeks. Half way there!

Our trip to TX for the 4th of July

Here are just a few photos from our time in TX. We had a great time with family and eating lots of great food. Noah got all kinds of attention and got to meet lots of aunts, uncles and cousins.

Mom and I went to the mall to do a little shopping and they had a huge playground that we had to try out with Noah. He had a blast climbing up and down and through things. He always seems to make friends everywhere he goes because a couple of little girls and boys kept following him around. I finally had to tell them to stop touching him and to back off. Who knows what kind of germs he picked up.

Noni

Hanging out with Popi at the airport before we went back home.

Pool Time

Dad, Josh and Jeff having water gun wars.

He could float all by himself.

My dad has the Caddy Shack gofer that sings and dances. Noah absolutely loved it.

Noah got to meet cousins Abby & Carter.

And some more cousins Ally, Emma & Aiden.

Fireworks at the Woodlands

A rare family photo of the 3 of us.

Uncle Jeffrey, Popi & Noni

Not quite sure what to think about the fireworks yet.

Oooooh....

Yeah, I like 'em.

Happy 4th of July!!!

My lil' patriotic boy!

Not only was it 4th of July but also his 16 mo. b-day.

Watching Noni put up some festive decorations.