Noah Hunts Nectar

Although Noah is cutting his bottom two teeth, I think he's been remarkably happy considering. He'll have boughts of a different cry here and there but it never lasts more than a few minutes, just enough to tell me that he's mildly annoyed. Noah has also enjoyed the wind today, he has a fascination with trees and leaves. He loves to just watch the trees blow in the wind. It's very peaceful for him, he watches with such awe like the trees are whispering to him and he's listening to every word. I love to watch him learn about life. There really is something to watching the world through a child's eyes. He's brought my attention back to things I wouldn't ordinarily pay any attention to. The way a bee dances around a flower before gently buzzing in delight, or watching an ant work so very hard to carry off an oversized leaf, or even a drip of morning dew on a blade of grass and how it clings so ever tight. Things I notice only because he brings my attention to them.

Today Noah had physical therapy with his therapist Beth. He loves the platform swing so very much. I think it has to be his all time favorite thing to do. We're still hopeful that we'll be able to get a platform swing for Noah with some help from the organization called two angels. It's two parents who founded the organization after the loss of their two precious daughters Allyson and Rachel both at the age of five from a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy called Nemaline Myopathy. My therapist warned me about the emotional effect that their brochure would have on me, but I don't think I really prepared myself for how much it hit my heart. I cried gently not to wake Noah or to allow Chris to notice one evening while reading it. The idea of preparing yourself for the loss of your child is horrendous. And it made me remember all too well the thought of us having to make a decision to let Noah go and trying to decide on a day when I thought I strong enough to say this is the day when I'd give up and let God take him home.

I don't know yet whether two angels will be able to help us, when I wrote them they indicated that their funding for the year had almost run out, but I'm hopeful that maybe if they cannot help us this year that they will keep our application on file for next year. It would be so wonderful to have that swing for Noah and I know it would help him tremendously at home.

Noah and I went on a nectar search today. His occupational therapist said we needed to find nectar for Noah's first go with the Nuby cup because it is thicker than juice. I didn't quite have the success I was hoping for. Sunflower carries organic nectar in jars, but when you shake the bottle it seems the same consistency as juice to me. I tried Safeway who carries Kern nectar in cans, but when you shake them it seems no thicker really than juice as well, not to mention it has a lot of added things I'm not sure Noah should be consuming just yet, if at all. Safeway does have Apricot nectar in a large can and when I shook it I think it sounded thicker than juice. And Noah has had apricots already and although it's not organic everything in the Safeway brand seems to be something he could have. I also considered the Naked drinks they have a mango drink that might work that is the consistency of a smoothie which I think is what we are after. I also found agave nectar but I think agave may be too similar to honey and I know you're not suppose to give babies honey until a certain age, although I don't know what age that is. To say the least I was overwhelmingly confused with trying to make the best choice so we came home with no nectar of any kind. I just don't know what to do or what would be best for Noah.

Noah has also learned to rollover voluntarily on a soft surface like the bed or the couch. He finally is willing to explore going from back to tummy. He gets stuck sometimes but he can get his arm up from underneath himself without help. He cannot do this on the floor however, maybe because the surface is too hard and doesn't allow him the give he needs to push through the movement. Nonetheless, I'm amazed that he can do it at all. Or even wants to try. He's been avoiding tummy time for a long while, to see him making efforts again is wonderful.

Tomorrow is Noah's 9 month well-being baby check-up. I'm hoping he weighs at least 16 lbs. He's so long, but still looks pretty lean. And of course I always feel like I'm going to the house of germs. Even though they have a well and sick side, it's still the same room. And we're fast approaching the season where I'm going to have to pick and chose the safe places for Noah to be in public to avoid big illnesses for him.

Please continue to keep all those special children in your thoughts and prayers.

Love,
Stacy, Chris & Noah