Play-dates...

Today Noah and me had a play date with some of our friends. We had so much fun. We ate lunch together and then made clay hand prints. The hand prints did not turn out like I thought they would but they are still too cute! It's a nice way to remember how small he is and how big he has the potential to get.

Some of Noah's friends... Noah, Jay Olin and Hannah Smith.

In this Noah was not a happy camper. He was fussy cause someone just woke up from their nap and was starving! The other 2 were looking at him wondering "why is he crying?!?"

On a side note... the mail lady normally leaves mail such as bills or useless pieces of trash but not today, she left burp cloths in the mailbox! How exciting! We seem to be going through about 2-3 a day now which means I can now do less laundry and have one more extra day!!! Yippee!!!

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! It was the first with our new son and it was a blast. We went to my parents for Christmas Eve dinner and presents and then Jeremy's family on Christmas day for lunch and presents. Noah got his first Bible this year for Christmas. He had a cute face when he opened it. I got Jeremy and him a football also so they could play when he gets older.

Here are a few pictures from Christmas time...

Dad and Noah on Christmas Eve

Trent and Alex Hopper

DeWayne and Amber Moser with Noah

The cousins with their dads, Jay Olin and Noah Belote

Mommy and Noah (he is staring at the fan on the ceiling).

The Family!

Our Christmas Angel!!!

Busted!

Noah and me got BUSTED today doing this....

But let me tell you, that was the best 30 min power nap I've had in a while!

Growing Strong and BIG!

In case you didn't know... Noah's the cutest baby in the world!!!

six weeks old...

Noah is 6 wks old today! How exciting! He is eating like a BEAST and gaining so much weight. I tried to weigh him on our home scale but it doesn't work like the ones in the Drs office. He is waking up more and not sleeping so much during the day now. We still have yet to master sleeping more then 3 hrs during the nighttime. He likes the bottles every 3 hrs for some reason on the dot! It's so much fun to see who is watching, what is he playing with and to watch him grow!

Outings!

This past week since Noah was over a month old, we made a few outings. It was nice to get out of the house a little and to see more then the 4 corners of our walls.

On Thursday, we made a SURPRISE visit to see Jeremy at work. He was so surprised. He had been working several late nights to feed the staff and patients at work he really did not get to see much of Noah when he got home. We got some Hot Chocolate and a muffin and had a wonderful time with dad at work. All of his employees got to see Noah for the first time. They only have had the chance to see pictures and they got to see the little man in person on Thursday. Later in the afternoon, we met dad again for dinner.

Friday, Noah and I wrapped the remainder of the Christmas present. We had so much fun! We finished all the shopping about a week earlier and just needed to get everything wrapped. We also wrapped about 25 present for Jeremy's co-workers. We went through 2 rolls of tape, tons of paper cuts, and the finished product was all the presents are wrapped!

Saturday, my sister and I went to a baby shower for Lindsay (pictured in the middle) and her daughter. Lindsay and her husband Joey recently adopted a beautiful baby girl, Hannah Elizabeth. We grew up with Joey so it's neat to see all the little ones grow up together. From left to right: Morgan & Jay Olin (Jay is 4 months old), Lindsay & Hannah Smith (Hannah is 2 months old), and Me and Noah Belote (Noah is 1 month old). It's going to be so neat to watch these 3 grow up together! We're wondering what kind of trouble they will get into...

"Minor Surgery"

Today Noah had a "minor surgery." It went very well. We got to the Drs office early because he had to feed so we waited for a couple of minutes. The Dr took us back there right away. I know the Dr that did the surgery and for some reason he asked me if I wanted to watch. I thought to myself, "Why would I want to see my dear son scream and cry while you do this to him?" I told him I'd wait. But needless to say I still managed to hear him cry down the hall. Everything went super well! They brought him back to him and he was a happy baby smiling and cooing at me. Must have been some good medicine they gave him before the procedure. Now tonight might be a different story for Noah and mom. We'll keep you posted.

Prior to going to the Drs. appt, I stopped by my work to say hello! I had to post my new schedule for when I go back to work. I can't believe that I've already been out of work for 4 weeks and only have 8 left. It feels just like yesterday that Noah was born. Times flies when you watch the little ones grow up. It was nice to see everyone at work. They all look the same but there have been tons of changes going on there. I'm going to go back to work and have no idea what I'm doing. I've already forgot all my pass-codes for everything! Going to have to start from scratch.

On a side note: Yesterday was Dec 8, 2008. The due date! I cant only imagine how HUGE Noah would have been if I would have went all the way to my due date. It's kinda scary. It's such a blessing that he came early. It has made the Holidays so much fun!!!

What a Weekend!

We had a FABULOUS weekend at our house!!! Friday night we had our annual Sunday School Social. We had a great turn out. We each had to bring a white elephant gift and the unforgettable gift from last year made its way back into the pile... the baby making kit. Needless to say it's a very effective kit and does work in many ways. It's already worked on the couple that got it this year because they are expecting in July! In case you are wondering we have a baby booming Sunday School class. There are tons of babies being born in the 2009 year and we are all so excited. It's going to be fun watching these kids grow up together.

Saturday Morning I went to an ornament exchange party. Jeremy watched Noah while I got out of the house and it was so nice to get some fresh air. I came home from the party with a husband who did 2 loads of laundry and had washed all of Noah's bottles from the night before. He even had given Noah a bath and changed his bed linens (he spit up on them the night before). I'm thinking that my husband wants a super nice Christmas Present this year.

Sunday we took Noah to church for the first time! It was so nice to get back into the swing of things and get back to church. It's been hard getting him out cause it seems everywhere we turn someone has the nasty stomach virus or the flu. But we ventured out today and went to Sunday School and to Worship. We asked Noah when we got into the car if he enjoyed church and he smiled. That's my boy!!! He's already smiling for Jesus!!!

How was your weekend?

Today this sweet little one turned 4 weeks old! I can't believe it. It feels just like yesterday we were on our way to the hospital for him to be born. Time flies when you are having fun with a newborn!

We went for our 1 mth Drs Appt today. Noah is doing fabulous! He is in the 15% for his weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces; he is in the 25% for his height: 20.25 inches tall; and developmentally he is making HUGE milestones. He loves to fly like superman in the air. You would never guess this little guy was born almost 5 wks early. It is amazing to see all the changes he makes just in one day. Next week we go to another Dr to have a "minor surgery." Mom, Dad and Noah are not looking forward to this one. I've got the Tylenol ready and I'm taking plenty of naps to prepare right now for the sleepless night on Tuesday.

So, with Christmas on the way, what do you get a 2 month old?!?! We've hopefully going to visit Santa really soon.

It's December!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go... It's December and one of my favorite times of the year. Christmas is 24 days away and this little guy gets to celebrate it for the first time this year.

"Oh my" he says, "you better get all your shopping done early!"

Thanksgiving Week 2008

The Belote Family had a wonderful Thanksgiving week! Noah and I finished our Christmas shopping and now the wrapping must begin. We put up the remainder of the indoor Christmas decorations and now to the outdoor ones next week. We spent Thanksgiving day at my parents house (sorta hard to travel with a 3 week old). We had a Delicious meal made by mom. We spend the day hanging out with all the family. Good times. So many things to be thankful this time of year...

Noah and dad

Guess who weighs more... Noah or the Turkey?

Of course Noah weighs 6 lbs, 6 ounces and the Turkey weighs 12 pounds

(This little guy still is not supposed to be here yet. Noah is not official due until Dec 8. Can you believe it!!! He was 3 weeks old on Thanksgiving Day.)

The cousins... Next Thanksgiving they are going to get into so much trouble. Oh my!!!

Noah's 1st BabySitters

The Belote Family had a FABULOUS weekend! Since we have been able to let Noah sleep during the nighttime, we have been able to get anywhere from 3.5-4 hrs of sleep. It's been nice. He's been such a good little one sleeping, eating, and sleeping some more. We can't complain.

Jeremy and I were to get out this weekend and go to a couple of events we had arranged before Noah arrived. Grammy and Grandpa kept Noah on Friday and then Saturday night Maw Maw kept Noah. They each said he did super good for them. That's always good news to hear from your babysitter. I'm sure the grandparents did not mind keeping Noah at all. They said they would do it all over again. I'm hoping they will!

Noah wide awake on Sunday staring at the Christmas lights. He is 2 wks and 3 days old in this picture.

Noah gained weight!!!

Today we had another Doctors appt for Noah for a weight check. Well we have fabulous news. As you can see below, we have gained some weight! When he left the hospital he weighed 6 pounds, last Thursday he weight 5 pounds, 12 ounces and today Noah weighs 6 pounds, 6 ounces!!! Mom and Dad are feeding him right. We were so excited to here the good news. At night time now, we are allowed to left him sleep and feed him when he wakes up, but during the daytime we still must feed him ever 3 hours. GREAT NEWS!!!

Wonderful Friends

I've been overwhelmed and thankful for all the wonderful "things" family and friends have done for this little guy pictured above (since he did come 5 weeks early).

What am I thankful for:

1. To our Sunday School class: The dinners are all fabulous!!! All the ladies in the class know how to throw down and cook really good!

2. To my mother: You took this week off of work to be with Noah and me... what more can I say but THANK YOU! It has been so helpful and wonderful to have someone here at the house so I can run errands and get a few things done before Christmas. It's been nice to have someone to talk to and can talk back, someone to do the laundry, wash bottles, and just allow me to rest a little. THANK YOU!

3. To all the many Friends: ya'll have given us so many coupons in the past few weeks for diapers and formula that we've managed to save TONS of $$$. Since Noah is a preemie, he has to be on a higher calorie formula for a while and the price of it can add up.

THANK YOU! to everyone for all the wonderful kindness and generosity you have show to us. Each person has gone above and beyond to make us feel extra special and loved. We are so grateful and we hope to return the favors to each of you in the future.

Our first Trip

This past weekend we finally got out of the house. (When you have been indoors for a week, you begin to go a bit crazy!) The weather was gorgeous... 70's with the sun shining! We decided to make a mini-trip out to lunch and then to the much needed grocery store. Noah was so good both places. He slept the entire time. Of course we made sure we fed him before we left. Then later on Saturday Night we took him to a friends wedding. Once again the little guy slept the entire time. We kept him away from most people all evening but he loved riding in the car and checking out the outdoors. What a good baby we have!

Uncle JoJo

This one is for Uncle Jordan...

Gaining Weight

Normally you don't get excited about gaining weight, but we had to take Noah to the Doctor today for another weight check. And HE GAINED 1 OUNCE!!!!!!! Yippie! That's the best news ever for a mom and dad to hear. We thought he had gained something because he is eating like a little beast. We have a hard time keeping up with his ever changing bottle amounts and never know if he is going to eat 1 ounce or 3 ounces. We are enjoying every minute of it. We go back again next week for another weight check so keep praying that he'll gain some more weight in-between now and then.

Who does Noah look like?

Here's a couple updated pictures (P.S. I LOVE pictures!)

Grandpa and me on my birthday night

Noah dreaming really good (a smile)

Noah loves his Daddy's kisses!

Grammy and Noah chillin before everyone gets to the house.

Who does Noah look like? Mommy's butt-chin and hair; Daddy's nose, hands and long legs.

Not an ordinary day

Monday was not an ordinary day. First off, it was my birthday and I totally forgot all about it. With Noah being here I've tended to focus on more things then myself and just forgot all about it. But others sure did remind me! Thanks to everyone who called and made the birthday wishes so wonderful. I got a couple of cool gifts... a new camera from the husband, a jacket that will official fit, and new shoes. All much appreciated and loved. The family came over for dinner at our house. We had to change all the Birthday plans since Noah made an early appearance on Thursday Morning. We had some awesome steak and fabulous apple pie. Mom left the rest of the apple pie at our house to munch on for the week. I'm loving that!

We went for Noah's first Drs appt today. The Doctor said he was doing AWESOME! He was amazed at Noah's head control for a 4 day old. He said we are doing the right things as parents. Makes ya feel good when they say that. Right now Noah weighs 5 pounds, 10 ounces. He has lost weight since leaving the Hospital but nothing that worries the Doctor. We go back again on Thursday morning for a weight check. For now it's every 3 hour feds and to gain more weight. (Ya really don't hear to gain weight from a Doctor but we'll take it for our little guy!)

More to come...

My first day @ my New House!!!

Today was Noah's first official day at his new house. He sleep pretty good during the night time. Mom and dad got up numerous times to check on Him cause they were so worried about the little guy. Once he did finally go to sleep around 2ish, everyone in the house slept super good!

Here's a couple pictures from the Hospital ride home to this evening...

Daddy and Noah patiently waiting to be Discharged from the Hospital...

Noah is one HAPPY Baby!!!

Noah woke up this evening before his feeding. He really enjoys his hands. They are always in his mouth!

Everyone has been asking what color eyes Noah has... well they are Jeremy's color but you can decide for yourself!

It's been a fun day with tons of visitors. Ready for another good night sleep tonight...

My 2nd Early Birthday Present!!!

I was thinking that yesterday I was going to be posting about going to my Doctors appt and to a baby shower that my work was having but I'm please to announce that at noon on November 6, 2008, Noah David Belote was born!!!!!!!!!!! He weighed 6 lbs even, 19.5 inches long. He is a bit early 4.5 weeks to be exact but they said he is healthy and happy.

It all started at 3am yesterday morning... I thought I had to go to the bathroom but God had a better plan! I screamed out to Jeremy, "Get up my water broke!" Of course he thought I was joking and that a burglar was breaking into the house. But oh no it was the real deal! We went into quick motion and packed all of our bags with the last minute items we needed. About a week earlier I had decided to to get my bags sort of ready and to then write out the other items I would need. We got to the Hospital around 4am and it was confirmed that we were going to have a baby in the next 24 hrs. We got settled into a room around 5ish and they started an antibiotic (because he was premature) and IV make the baby come quick medicine! I was a lucky 1 cm. We allowed some family members to come into the room in the early part and I even to my surprise let my co-workers come in. But by 9:15 the contractions were coming hard and painful. we asked for the epidural and it took about 45 min to an hour to get it going. The Doctor I've been seeing all along was on call for the day and he came in around 10am and said I was 3 cm... so as I wait for the epidural, Dr. Danner pops himself into the rocking chair and talks a ton! After I got the epidural, Jeremy decided to go grab a bit to eat while mom sits in the room with me. All of a sudden, the pressure got worse! Dr. Danner had left the room and the nurse checked again and next thing I know she was calling overhead, "Call Dr. Danner back we are having a baby!"

Oh my: Jeremy is getting a bit to eat at Hawthornes Pizza! Crap! Mom calls him and tells him to run, NOW! Jeremy got back to the room at 11:55am, We started the push process and at 12:08pm our little bundle of joy was born!!!!!!!!!! He came quicker then anyone expected him to. But my name is Megan and I've always been the one to do the unexpected.

The cool part is Noah and me will have our birthday parties close together. My birthday is this coming Monday and honestly, it's the BEST Birthday present a new mommy could ask for!!!

Here's some pictures of my husband little man... Noah David Belote!!!!

Baby Shower Fun!

Today my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws had a baby shower for little Noah and me. We had so much fun and got so many cool items! A bumbo seat, clothes, Clemson Outfits (Jeremy was thrilled), bottles, blankets, Diapers (yippie - need some of those), wipes, the matching lamp for the bedroom, rubberduckie, the cutest overalls you'll ever see, and a handmade blanket! We got tons of super nice stuff that Noah will be able to use for sure. If not mommy will make him use all the stuff.

MawMaw, Me and Grammy

Aunt Amber and Aunt Alex

Grammy and Aunt Morgan

Little Noah will be here before we know it! We're counting down the days till he comes... at least I am... 5 weeks, 2 days!!!

I VOTED EARLY!!!

Today I decided to go vote since I will be unable to on the day of the election. I'll be at work on voting day so it's out of the question for me to make it on time and to wait in line to vote. I get to the voting place with 2 snacks and a drink in hand. 3.5 hours later I'm out of there!!!!! Yes I waited 3 and half hours to vote. I would have to say being almost 35 week pregnant that is pretty awesome that I stood on my feet for that long. By the time I got home I was hungry, had to use the restroom, and just wanted to prop my feet up on the table. This should be an interesting year for the elections. If I waited that long in line to early vote, I'm wondering how long people are going to have to wait the day of?!?! Good luck to everyone on Tuesday.

Almost 35 weeks and little Noah will be here. It's going by faster right now then what I thought. I think the every 2 week and 1 week appointments make the time fly faster. Now if I could only have a job that required me to sit all day I would be set!

Birthing Class

Jeremy and I will be spending this coming weekend at Presbyterian Hospital. Not to deliver a baby but to learn how to do it. Jeremy is very thrilled to take part in the Birthing Class this weekend. Since he knows the hospital all to well I have a feeling he will find a TV very quick to catch up on the college football for the afternoon. It should be a fun class and I'm hoping to learn lots. I don't remember much from my maternity class I took in college nursing so I'm hoping this will be like a re-fresher course that will jump-start some of those brain cells. They have asked us to bring a pillow and blanket so maybe they are going to allow us to take a quick nap during the class. Who knows?!?!

6 weeks, 2 days til baby Noah's due date!! How exciting!!! It's getting closer everyday. Jeremy still has a hard time realizing that we are going to be parents. He said it does not seem real yet. I'm thinking take a peak at this HUGE stomach and feel the football kicks and baseball swings your son is doing in my stomach and then you'll be able to tell how real it is. Jeremy loves to wake Noah up right before I'm going to bed and get him stirred up. Father-Son bonding what can I say!

Have a Happy Weekend everyone!!!

Birthday Weekend

This past weekend we had the chance to get together with both Jeremy and my family for everyone's birthday. There are TONS of family birthdays in the last half of the year. We started out Saturday by celebrating with the Belote Family. I made dinner for everyone: spaghetti, Caesar salad, bread, and chocolate-Carmel cake. I think it tasted good. Everyone ate everything in there plate and there was no leftovers.
Trent's birthday was at the beginning of the month. He was patient to wait for his gift til a couple of weeks after (Trent and his wife Alex, my dear sister in law).

The next birthday was Dewayne. He still has to wait for his birthday to come next weekend but none like the present to celebrate (Dewayne and his wife Amber, my other dear sister in law).

Those were the Saturday night birthday's. Now my Dad celebrates his birthday this coming Wednesday. We went over to my sister's house and had Papa John's Pizza!!! Nothing like some good pizza to say Happy Birthday! And mom made some awesome dessert... banana pudding. As little girls we always loved banana pudding and to this day it's still one of my favorites.

Dad and the birthday card I gave him. We don't have that many pictures of dad cause he is always the one holding the camera so this is a rare shot of dad.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT, DEWAYNE, AND DAD!!! May all you wishes come true on your special day!!!

Early Birthday Present

Thursday evening after I had got home from work, my husband had a big grin on his face. Of course I have no idea why but then he asks would you like "part" of your birthday present early?!?! What girl can not resist getting a present. Of course I said yes and then jumped up and down. He walked into our office and there it was... A BRAND NEW COMPUTER!!!! See my computer was from 2000 that my parents and grandparents had got for me for college. It was running super slow and I could not download pictures from any camera onto the computer. If there was a virus somehow it managed to get the virus along with some other kind of problem to go wrong with it.

On Thursday, the only parts we had to the computer were the monitor, PC and speakers. Basically we could not use it yet. But yesterday the mouse and keyboard came and I'm all set to begin the fun of playing on the computer. I've had fun organizing files, placing pictures different places and just looking at the new features. New gadgets are awesome!!!

7 weeks, 2 days left til baby Noah's due date!!!

Christmas Shopping (early)!

Jeremy had a fabulous idea a couple of weeks ago. He told me to start Christmas shopping soon since little Noah will be coming in December and he knows I'm not going to want to take a newborn baby out to the malls. FABULOUS IDEA! I've got my list and ideas of what to get people and I'm headed to the malls this week to start the shopping process. So if you are a dear family member or just want a little Christmas gift send me your list cause I'm shopping early!

Weekend Fun!

What a wonderful weekend!!! I'm so lucky cause I've got 4 weekends off in a row. I'm not going to know what to do with myself. It's been super nice cause I can hang out with family and friends and not give an explanation of "I've got to work!" We have a Chili Night at our Sunday School teachers house with a great turnout. The food is always awesome and we have so much fun just catching up. The guys played a good game of poker while us ladies talked about pregnancy. It's funny cause when you join out Sunday School class expect to have a baby in a few years. Baby News seems to be the talk every Sunday morning.

A co-worker of mine gave me this awesome exer-saucer. So Morgan and I decided to put Jay into it. Little did we know the kid would go cross-eyed! We had to take him out cause we were afraid his eyes might get stuck. He enjoy it and did not like it when we took him out.

Here's Jay and Morgan. Notice how she's lost ALL of her baby weight. NOT FAIR!

8 more weeks left til Baby Noah!!!