Halfway to the First Birthday

Noah turned six months old on August 22, and the sixth month was non-stop and full of firsts. First, we have to get through the bad news: Noah had thrush at the beginning of the month. It lasted long enough that he needed blood work. Thankfully, the thrush is gone and the blood work results were good. Holding him down for the blood work was no fun at all. It was pretty funny, however, to see him having a purple tongue when he got treated for the thrush.

We all went to Scovill Zoo in early August. Noah enjoyed listening to all of the animals, although he mostly enjoyed looking at the plant life in the zoo. It was a fun new experience for him. Angie used to work at Scovill, and it’s a nice place to visit. Later in the month, Noah took his first trip to the Decatur Public Library. Angie has been taking him there, and checking out CDs of kids’ songs every couple of weeks. Noah enjoys listening to the music.

August also included Noah’s first swim. We went out to his Grandpa and Grandma Austin’s pool. He was pretty unsure of himself when he first went in, but eventually got used to it. He liked to chew on the front of his flotation device. He looked pretty funny in his big swim trunks.

At Noah’s six-month checkup, he came in at 19 pounds and 28 3/4 inches. He’s a tall boy. That is already over the length limit for his 9-month pajamas, which we just started using. Most of his 9-month clothing still fits, but we’ve discovered that some of his 12-month clothing is now fitting him as well.

One more thing about his checkup – the doctor told us that most six-month-olds don’t push back when he’s examining them, but Noah sure did, so we could already be in for a fun adventure with this one.

I can’t begin to list all of the new sounds that he has discovered. Our favorite one right now is the sound that he makes when he rolls his tongue. He just learned to roll his tongue, and it makes a suction sound when he does it. He also is doing a lot more squealing, and he’s finding his voice.

New foods discovered since last month include peas, peaches, and carrots. He still likes all of his foods, even the green ones.

Noah also can sit up now. He can’t sit himself up yet, but if we sit him down, he’ll stay that way for a while. Eventually, he ends up rolling over. He is rolling over a lot more than he used to.
Another of Noah’s new hobbies is drumming. He especially likes to bang his hand on the Culligan dispenser. He’s not afraid to reach for anything. He likes playing with toys, and each toy has the same purpose – to be put in his mouth. No matter how big a toy is, he always ends up picking it up and putting it in his mouth.

As you can see, the sixth month was jam-packed. We expect more of the same in the next month.

My 2008

2008 was something else for Angie and I. Here's the year in review.


Angie and I both changed jobs this year (which I can't say was planned in either case). Angie took a break from her full-time position working with the blind and visually impaired. Now, she teaches part-time in the resource room and English at Meridian High School. I left my teaching job at ISU (and the commute that comes with it) to teach at Richland Community College.

We dialed it down a bit this year when it comes to traveling. Our longest vacation of the year was a five-day trip to Carbondale in June for a church conference. Even though it was brutally hot outside, we enjoyed being in Southern Illinois for a few days. In July, we spent a weekend with Angie's mom and dad, along with her sister Sherry's family, in Wisconsin Dells. In late September, we went to St. Louis to see one of Angie's high school friends get married. Finally, we went back to Carbondale in early November to visit the Staleys (read my earlier blogs for pictures of that trip).

Over the summer, I used the time between full-time jobs to work for my father at the M.E. Barber Company. Angie worked at Scovill Zoo, acting as a liaison between the teachers and the animals for the Zoo Crew kids' program. For an animal lover like Angie, it was a pretty fun experience.

And of course, there's the biggest news of all: In June, we found out that we'd be expecting our first child! We're expecting a baby boy in late February. Honestly, I can't wait for him to come. Seeing him move in Angie's belly is so exciting. He is such a blessing already. Pictures of the nursery will be posted very shortly, so stay tuned.

As 2008 has come to an end, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have spent the last couple of days thinking about this year, and all that happened. Sure, there were a few things that Angie and I wish hadn't happened. However, I feel like there were enough good things to be thankful for this year. And most of all, I thank God for providing for us all year and being there for us all the time, as always. I feel like I grew personally this year through both the good and the bad in 2008, and I praise God for the opportunities He has given me to grow.

I don't know what will happen in 2009, other than the fact that our lives are going to change forever when our little guy comes along. I do plan to write down some goals for the year, and I hope that I can be writing again in this blog on December 31, 2009, detailing the successes of the year.

I plan to keep up with the blog throughout the year. Also, Angie and I now are each on Facebook, so check it out. We wish you all the best in 2009.