Sorry it's been awhile; I know that Noah's adoring fans are clamoring for new photos, and I hope that the ones posted here won't disappoint.
Here's a quick update:
Noah has started school--it's a really good daycare at a local church. Not the one that we go to (they're completely full right now; Noah will go there this summer, though), but one that a friend goes to, and all her children have been at this daycare and I have visited the daycare with her, met some of the people, and Patrick and I had an Official Visit with Noah, and we all got a good feeling from them. It's a structured day--they have story time, play time, learning time--and I think that it'll be good for him. Has not been easy for us, though--it's something new, with people and places that aren't familiar, and he's had a bit of a time adjusting. It breaks my heart when I hear him crying through the closed door & down the hallway! But, it is getting better--on Monday, they said he stopped crying 1/2 hour after I left, and was great the rest of the day. I know it'll take some time, and it's good for both of us. It allows me to have my day, and he gets some socialization, gets to be more independent, and is able to charm the pants off of most everyone he meets. He is scheduled to go Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and if there's a holiday or school closing (they follow Greenville County--when school is not in session, neither are they!), I can switch a day--which is great to have that flexibility. For example, he's home today (more on that below), so he'll go on Thursday since he's not there today. Monday was the beginning of his 2nd week, and I'm sure in no time, he'll be running towards the building (rather than pointing at the building and crying, as he did on Friday when I met my friend there to go over some Real Estate issues! Talk about twisting that knife into your heart!).
This past weekend, we thought Noah had a cold--nothing major, but some stuffiness, and because of his eye issues early on (blocked tear duct, surgery, etc.) we were prepared for some excess eye goop when he's got a cold, and there was, but seemed like it cleared up by Monday morning. So, we drop Noah off at school (I say "we" because Patrick caught whatever cold Noah had....and for some reason, the little guy gets a cold, and he's still running at 110 miles per hour, but he passes it on to us, and it's SO not pretty!) and I get a call around noon (he goes to school from 9-1) that he has eye goop, they cleaned it, and it's back--and I need to pick him up, and he can't come back until the doctor says it's not contagious (i.e., like pink eye). So, I pick him up, explain about the early eye issues, we all agree that it's probably due to the cold & his teething (apparently teething brings about excess mucus, too), but that it's good to have it checked out.
We get an appointment that afternoon, and the doctor says that it's bacterial conjunctivitis (i.e., pink eye) and because it's bacterial, is quite contagious. Great. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. We obtained eye drops, and it's amazing what antibiotics can do! He is still running around at 110 miles per hour, and he is home today, but can go back to school tomorrow. And, since we pay for him to go to school three days per week, we're switching today for Thursday, which may be fun for Noah--they're having a Valentine's Day party on Thursday, and now he'll get to go. Not that I wanted my boy to have pink eye so that he can have pizza & get Valentines, but I am excited that he's going to have his first Valentine's Day party! We even got Valentines for his classmates and I can't wait to pass them out!
Patrick isn't doing so well; I'm trying to avoid him and his cooties. Like I said--when Noah gets a cold, it's a minor inconvenience; when he passes it to us, it's like we've been blindsided by a Mack truck. I have no idea why...
Noah is really growing; he's saying more & more words (I like to think that part of that is due to school), and is just getting to be such a big boy. The other day he was trying to put pants on (what made it difficult is that he already had pants on...) and he's started taking off his socks & putting them on his arms. Not sure why, but I'm sure these pictures will serve their purpose by embarrassing him when he's 16.
We really miss having Mom and Dad here; and I know that they miss being here. More specifically, they miss NOAH. I just feel that their house (or at least the acre next to the house that's for sale as well) will sell quickly, and it is easier with them being there to keep everything show-ready. And, if I do say so myself, it really is a great place. Such a warm, inviting home, and in a very peaceful setting. Just keep all fingers and toes crossed that they get an offer soon, so they can come back to their grandson!
We went to Lowe's to replace our kitchen faucet (it was getting challenging moving the handle to various positions so it would stop leaking; we finally decided it would be easier to just replace the thing) and they had all the Backyardigans room decor on clearance! I picked up the wall appliqués, the night light, the switch plate covers and the light switch plate! I put some pictures here, but keep in mind that you can see patches on the wall that need to be finished and the walls need to be painted...but I was just so excited to get Noah's room decorated that I couldn't wait. They're peel-stick-and-repeel-and-restick, so taking them off the wall again and again isn't an issue (like giant Backyardigans-themed post-it notes)--which is great, because the first time, I put them down low so that they were eye-level with Noah, but then when we found carnage (sorry, Tasha!) we decided that having them a bit higher than Noah's reach was really better for all involved. But, it's a work-in-progress, but I'm pretty excited!
Enjoy the pictures!
Happy Birthday, Dad. I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me--especially the hard stuff, the stuff that made me mad and upset when I was younger. I don't pretend to know how truly hard it must have been to say "no"--but I'm beginning to understand. But I know that saying "no" is the not-so-fun part of being a parent, the part where you want your child to grow up strong and independent. 
