I Love 4 Years Old!

Joy does not accurately describe the feelings of my heart when Noah was born. For I was so happy not to be pregnant anymore! I got very big and the last 6 weeks before I delivered was so difficult; but he was well worth the suffering. I have never seen David so happy; his baby boy, his son. When he was born, David took him in his arms, looked into his eyes and named him on the spot. Noah was not a name that we had discussed. He was going to be Hyrum James Kriser.

The date of his birth was bittersweet. You see that was the date (6/19/91) my father died 13 years earlier. It had always been a sad day in my life. A day I remembered and felt the pain of not having my father on this earth anymore. Now it was a joyous and happy day. Perhaps it was his grandfather that sent him on that day as a message for me to not be so sad?
David continued to be enamored by him. They were buds from day one. Noah loved to sleep on David's chest and snuggle with him. Having Noah was better than David could have every imagined. My heart swelled with love for both of them when I saw them together. David would hold Noah on his forearm facing outward and Noah would go right to sleep.
He was a fairly easy baby. I got to know his different cries quickly, could translate what he wanted and soothe him easily. No real complications, although he did develop thrush, which made nursing very painful!
Believe it or not, this is Noah at 4 weeks. He changed so much!
Noah was instantly independent and oh so active! He began crawling at 6 months. (I’m not talking army crawling or scooting but hands and knees crawling.) From then, he never stopped. I was a bit taken back by how busy he was; always discovering. Lacey was much more passive and less curious. Noah was ALL boy. I could not stay a step ahead of him; I was unable to predict what his next move would be . . . David would have to explain to me that that was what boys did. At 8 months, he was pulling himself up to the bathtub and flipping into it. He loved the bath and always wanted to get in it. I really had to watch him on this one.
He potty trained at 2 years and 7 months, because I was yet again pregnant (with Ammon) and nauseas; changing diapers for both Noah AND Jacob was too much! I literally wore a medical mask over my nose and mouth because it made me so sick. In an attempt to brib him to go #2 in the potty I asked him what he wanted; donuts, candy, money .... his response was "A Birthday Party!" We had several birthday parties with balloons, cake and candles before he got the hang of it! :) Whatever works!
Noah began walking at 10 months and by that time I was pretty pregnant with Jacob so carrying him was difficult. No problem, cuz he mastered walking and enjoyed the even greater freedom he had because of it.

By age 2 he was lots and lots of work; out to discover life to the fullest. He taught me so many things I never learned from Lacey; like locks and necessity to baby proof. If I told Lacey not to touch something she didn’t. If I told Noah not to touch something he thought that meant just not to touch it while I was looking.
Jacob was born when Noah was 14 months old. Noah loved him instantly and tolerated the fact that he required so much of his mommy. Good thing Noah loved his daddy so much because David had to do lots more to help; because my hands were full!

Birthday Fun, the boy loves to party!
Animals are so exciting to Noah; all animals, any animals – especially elephants. He is fasinated by sharks and crocodiles. He loves playing with trains and riding his big boy bike.
Christmas 2006
In our ultrasound of Noah when I was pregnant, he was sucking his thumb and shortly after birth he found it again. For a few weeks I made attempts to take it out of his mouth and try to prevent him from sucking it, but he would find it in at night and suck away. By 2 months (8 weeks) he was a regular thumb sucker when he was tired or needed comfort. It was soooooooooooo cute. (He successfully stopped sucking his thumb with the aid of a thumb guard in February '08.)

He is a picky eater and hates vegetables (anything green)! He is in love with "his" Grandma Kriser and can't go more than a week without spending time with her. He is her "Grand Darling."
Noah has the BEST excited reactions to things. It doesn't take much for him to screech in delight about something he finds exciting. He is grateful and easy to please!
He is learning the importance of telling the truth, which is difficult because "Jacob did it!" is so automatic! Thanks to the Leap Frog Letter Factory movie, Noah recognizes almost all of his letters and knows theirs sound.
Snuggling with his daddy!

Noah likes to sleep in our bed … ever since I told him the story of Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears, his bed is "too hard," Jacob’s bed is "too soft" and our bed is “just right!” Needless to say, he starts out in his room and usually ends up on our floor before morning. When David leaves for work, he is quick to sneak into bed with me.

He is truly a JOY!

Happy 4th Birthday Day Noah!