Noah

Musing Of A Three-Year-Old

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 3 Comments

This weekend marked a moment in Noah’s life.  He had two birthday parties to attend for his friends.  These parties were not the first he has been to but they are the first where he really understood what was happening.  On Saturday, we went to the Magic House to celebrate the the birthday of one of his future classmates.  We have already been invited to another party for another one of his future classmates and school hasn’t even started yet.  Crazy.  The other party was for his “best” friend who lives next door.  They hang out all of the time and really really like playing together.

So, he got to pick out what to buy for his friends–

Me: Noah where should we go shopping for birthday presents?

Noah: Target.

M: Okay, sounds good.

N:  I have an idea Mom.

M: What?

N:  I could by my birthday present and you could keep it for me until my birthday.

M: Noah–you know your birthday is really far away.  Like in March–which is 8 months away.

N:  But I really want an Ironman and Batman for my birthday and you could keep it.

M:  Well, that is a good idea.  But we are going to buy presents for Dayton and for Elizabeth.  Not for Noah.

N:  But you could keep it until my birthday.

Yeah, I so know how that would work.

At Target.

M:  Okay, Noah so what do you want to get for E and D?

N: Spiderman.  I think they would like Spiderman.

M:  Maybe.  But let’s try something else.

N:  Batman?

M:  Well, another good idea.  But E and D are both girls what do you think we should get them?

After thinking–which includes putting his index finger on his cheek and say “mmmm”

N:  I know.  Princess stuff.

M:  Excellent idea.

He finally decides on a tinkerbell something for E and for a Snow White Tea set for Dayton–because “maybe Dayton and I cam play tea party together.”

After successfully shopping for the birthday party presents.  Noah manages to navigate me down the Car aisle.  He looks at some of the Cars action figures (if you can call them figures) from the movie.

N:  Mom, I don’t have these.

M:  Noah, we aren’t shopping for you.  You don’t have any  money.

N:  But Mom, I have been sleeping in my bed all night and the sleep fairy hasn’t been leaving me money.  If the fairy left me money, I’d have some to buy this.

M:  Yes you would.

N:  How come the fairy stopped leaving me money?

M:  So, this is what you want to get?

I hate it when the 3-year-old wins.

41-Months-Old and Three Years Ours

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment


Dear Noah,

It was three years ago today that the Ethiopian courts officially added you to our family as Hojawaka William Finley.  It was certainly one of the best days of my life.  A few days ago you turned 41-months-old.  It is so hard for me to believe how fast you are growing and changing.  You are amazing and hilarious and you certainly make me laugh more than you make me mad–so that’s a good thing.

DSC_0045

You are now officially a boy–you are all about Spider-man, Batman and Ironman now and anything that has to do with being a boy.  It is cute and funny.  You saved up your sleep fairy money and managed to buy yourself a Batman Helicopter and are convinced that Batman, Spiderman and Ironman are bad guys.  I try over and over again to tell you that they are good guys who fight the bad guys but you are insistent in your view of the world and that they are bad guys.  But you like them anyway because they shoot webs and fly.  You have informed me that you can’t do those things but that you like to pretend to shoot webs and fly and that someday you will be big and strong like them and will be able to do all that they do.  Well, it is good to have goals little man.

DSC_0550

You can now ride your trike and drive your car around the block without any help from me or dad in terms of steering.  We just tell you to keep in on the road and you correct us that “its not a road mom it’s a sidewalk.”  It’s quite funny.  You can pedal your trike the whole way around the block and you are so proud of yourself when you do it.  I’m pretty sure you would do it all the time if I was at home and we would let you.

DSC_0331

Being your mom is a real pleasure and I have loved every minute of it.  You continue to grow and blossom and this month you got to spend some great time with your Grannie Sue and cousins and had a blast. You have met you fellow classmates from Big Boy school and are excited about going.  You learned all the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and you sign the contantly (I’ll post the video of it soon).  You love to play games and are in love w/Dayton your next door neighbor.  The two of you cry and scream if you can’t play together because it is dark, or dinner time, or 6:30 in the morning.  It is so sweet.  You continue to be an awesome big brother and  you love your sister so much.  You play so nice with her and give her lots of hugs and kisses and you teach her how to share–You take what she has and when I tell you to give it back you say, “But I want to share with her.”  It is cute how the 3-year-old mind works.  But it is only sharing if you take turns not take it from her.

DSC_0625

I am proud to be your mama.  I am proud you are my son.  Keep growing and playing and laughing.

I love you baby,

Mom–(as you have stopped calling me mommy)

Reclaiming Our Bed–Thank You Sleep Fairy

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

We have reclaimed our bed.  Well, we are in the process of reclaiming it and we are pretty close to claming success.  But I have learned to not claim success too soon.  That can really backfire on you.  The whole bed sharing thing started off innocent enough out of our utter laziness.  Noah would wake up and come down to our bed in the middle of the night and being two people who love sleep and have gotten use to sleeping through the night would let him climb up and sleep with us.  Well, this laziness quickly snowballed into him just going to sleep in our bed and that has been going on for a few weeks or more.  We also were making the mistake of allowing him to stay up to late.  He had always been a good kid and would tell us when he wanted to go to bed.  But now that he is older (if you can call 3 older) he wants to push the limits of bedtime and we let him.  It was easier.  I know bad parenting–but I am gone 2-3 nights a week between school and working and daddy is a bit of a softy.  So, we had a family bed and we didn’t really want one.

So, I had decided that after our vacation we would begin putting Noah to sleep in his own bed.  Then I got an issue of Parenting the Early Years and in there was an article titled “Reclaim Your Bed.”  I couldn’t believe my luck.  The article couldn’t come at a better time.  I read some of it with Noah and told him over and over that when we got back from vaction he was going to start sleeping in his own bed because he was a big boy and it was time.  He didn’t like that but agreed to think about it.  He’s a bit of a character our little Noah.

So, we came home from vacation and he got to have a few more nights with mom and dad–we arrived home from our trip late and he had been such a good traveler–and I was going to be gone the next two nights and hubby wanted us to both be home when we started the training.  We prepped him again and again that this would be the last night.  I easily handled the “Why Mommy?  I really love sleeping with you and daddy.”  I explained to him again that he was a big boy and it was time for him to start sleeping in his bed, etc.  I know there are plenty of people out there who think that sleeping in a family bed is great and I applaud you.  But I wanted my bed back and I wanted Noah to begin adjusting to sleeping in his own bed.

The first night was okay–we figured out that the bedtime window for Noah is 8:15-8:45.  Any later than that and he gets a second wind.  So, I took him up to bed and we laid in bed and read a few stories and I laid with him until he fell asleep–I told him I would stay until  he fell asleep and then I would be going back down to my own room.  I didn’t want him to wake up and wonder where I was.  He woke up at 2:30 and came down to our bed asking/pleading/begging to sleep with us.  I said no and marched him right back up to his room.  He cried for 40 minutes or so, but fell back asleep until about 6:30. He was surprised and happy to find money under his pillow from the Sleep Fairy.

Night two and three–he prolonged bed time  w/dad and then I got home and read him a story and he fell asleep pretty well.  He was up at both 12:30 and 3–but we marched him back to his room and he went to sleep eventually–w/quite a bit of screaming and crying.

Night 4–went to bed okay (we are still laying down with him until he falls asleep)–he was up at 11:30.  I took him up to his bed.  He was crying/screaming and it was not good.  I was up with him for close to an hour trying to calm him down and get him back to sleep.  It finally worked and fell asleep and was up again at 4.  He cried quite a bit but fell back asleep.

Night 5–didn’t go to bed as good.  He would fall asleep and hubby would leave the room and he would cry–that went on for about 30 minutes.  But he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep and drumroll please…slept in his bed all night.  WHO HOO

He didn’t get money from the sleep fairy on the nights he was up twice.  We told him she probably came but he wasn’t in his bed so she couldn’t leave the money.  He was sad about that, but he was really proud today that he slept in his bed all night and that the sleep fairy saw him sleeping in his bed. He has his money in a pink purse–he loves the purse.  Bill has offered him a wallet on several occassions but he loves the purse.  He is saving up for a batman car/motorcyle–he can’t decide.

40-Months-Old

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

Dear Noah,

You are now 40-months-old.  I know that means nothing to you–because you’re 3 and that’s a cool age.  I think back to when you came home (not quite 3 years ago) and I am amazed at how you have flourished and grown.  You and your sister have made me so happy to be a mom–so much so that I am having baby feelings as I love parenting you two so much, I can’t imagine not having more kids.  You’d like a brother but you have made it clear that you don’t want a baby brother.  You want on you can play with–so Dad and I will stick with our original plan of getting you and Bo-Bo siblings when you’re a little older.

dsc_0090

I just want to congratulate you on being completely potty-trained.  It is so awesome.  I love not having to change your diaper–maybe even more than you love not having ot have your diaper changed.  You are a pro at the potty and it’s like you have always just gone on the potty.  It frickin’ rocks.  You are saving us a ton of money on diapers–thank you for that.  Now, I might be able to get the iPhone 3Gs.  Just maybe.  We do have private school to pay for and even though I am gone a lot—none of my jobs pay me much money.  It’s funny now that you are potty trained fully–you often wake up with a slightly wet pull-up where as before you were potty-trained your pull-up was usually completely dry in the mornings–very bizzare.  But he we got time for night-time potty training later.  Your pricy private school doesn’t care if you pee in a diaper at night.

img_0312

School…I can’t believe that you are just two shorts months away from starting school.  You are excited about the prospect of going to big-boy school and getting to hang out with other kids your age and making new friends.  It’s exciting but it hits your mom a little hard in the heart that you actually old enough to go to school.  It seems crazy to me, but I do often forget how young you really are–as you carry yourself well and your conversational skills are pretty great.  You talk a lot about your ideas–“Mom, I have a good idea…” or “I was thinking mom and I have an idea…” etc.  You are full of ideas and plans and it will take you far in life my little man. When I asked you what to get your daddy for his birthday you were pretty sure that he would want a race track and some cars or a badminton set.  When asked if those things were for daddy or Noah-you simply replied, “Noah–but I will share them with daddy and he can play with me.”  Ah, the ideas.

dsc_0036

Now, there is something that we need to address–your new love/desire for sleeping in our bed.  I know you are at the age where your imagination runs wild. all. the. time.  But you will need to start sleeping in your bed.  Your dad and I have come to the conclusion/understanding that you don’t like sleeping in your room by yourself.  Your room is upstairs–far away from mommy and daddy, but you were sleeping in your bed fine.  I know we took your binky away months ago and that has been great but this whole refusal to sleep in your room in your own bed is getting a little old–although I do love it when you snuggle up against me.  I am torn.

dsc_0080

You have discovered a love for badminton–thanks Uncles Jay and Curt–and have become quite the baseball player.  You have been in your first kayak on Lake Michigan–while you didn’t go far–you loved every minute of it.  The love you have for your sister is amazingly strong and you attempt to be patient with her as she attempts to play with you.  You are an amazing big brother.  You are an amazing son.  Your are amazing.

Love you tons,

Mommy

38-and 19-Months Old

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

Dear Noah and Zoë,

I have failed miserably in keeping up with your monthly letters.  I love the idea of doing it and I love having these little memories captured…but I am busy w/school, work, teaching, parenting, exercising, parenting, and wifing.  There just isn’t enough time in the day.  I will try to do a better job, but from now on–I will write one letter.  I know that seems kind of harsh and unfair–but in my own defense your milestone days each month are only 4 days apart and its tough, so you’ll just have to share with each other.  Deal with it and discuss it behind my back later…

068

So much has happened and changed and I am amazed at how much you both have grown.  Noah you have done such a great job at getting potty trained.  You still are wearing pull-ups most days to daycare but you never go in them and it’s awesome.  I have to tell you how much I appreciate not having to change your diaper.  You have made a new best friend in your neighbor Dayton.  The two of you have spent the last two weekends playing together all day in both her yard and ours.  You run around naked together–enjoy it while you can as that will have to change someday–and play in the kiddie pools and in the sand box and last weekend the two of you laid naked–bare butts up–in the sun on white towels–I have a picture but won’t post it here–looking so precious and cute.  Your vocabulary just keeps expanding and I am forever pleased and surprised by you ability to use language so very correctly and in ways that are beyond your age. 

078

Zoë have also grown and changed so much.  I have a hard time believing you haven’t even been home for a year yet (it’s coming up soon) because I really have a hard time remember what life was like without you.  You fit so seamlessly into our family and with Noah that it just feels as though you have always been part of our lives.  You are developing into a fireball of opinion, wants and needs with all of those things getting confused together.  You are talking and have words for many of the things that you want and if you don’t have a word for it you scream a little until I follow you and you can show me what it is.  You have become fascinated with Yo Gabba Gabba and you carry your little Foofa (so have no idea how to spell that) doll and ask to watch-“gagga gagga.” Its cute and you sit in your little arm chair with your hand down your pants and watch and you then get up and dance.  You make me smile and laugh everyday and for that I am eternally blessed.

 

444

The two of you together are a force to be reckoned with.  Zoë does everything you do Noah and it is so cute–sometimes a little dangerous but cute and you love the attention she pays to you and you, Zoë, love the attention that Noah gives you.  You hold each others hands when you walk, you hug each other frequently and hit each other less.  The bond you are forming is so special, I hope you can forge it strong and continue to build it forever. 

Love you,

Mommy