Happy 10 Months, Noah Arone!

Pretty wild to think that Noah is already 10 months old, and that we met him exactly 5 months ago today. So we have now known him as long as we didn't, and yet it all seems so timeless and though these dates are just interesting numbers and factoids for us, we did reflect today on how amazing it's been, how amazing it is, and how incredible our experiences (the good the bad and the ugly) are these days with Noah around.

He's a riot - he is smiling, giggling, laughing, screaming, whining, crying, crawling, standing, even walking now (he's up to 20 steps before crashing!)...oh, and talking his little words that only he understands...oh, and jumping like a mad man, he freaks all of the ladies out at day care, they can't believe it...oh, and singing! He has started to try to sing along with me when I bust into a little song I wrote called "Nobe, Nobe-No" (his nickname is Nobe) to the tune of "Strangers in the Night"...I have sung it to him since the day we met, and now he is singing along. That's probably my most precious moment of late, and there are many.

Nobe is keeping himself and his mom & dad (and Grandma & Grandpa O and Auntie L who paid him another visit last week) very busy - he's a mover and a shaker. We're just doing our best to keep up!

Think I'll go to Boston...

Heading to Boston on a business trip next week for 3 whole days...not looking forward to my first (and hopefully) last trip away from my boys. I'll try to make the best of it. If any of you are in the area, drop me a line. I'm there Sept 9-11.

Our little man is doing really well...lots of energy so it's nonstop action in our house. And just when we think we couldn't possibly love him more, we do.

Slam Dunk

Noah turned 9 months yesterday, on our 4 year anniversary! Anil was crazy sick all day and night so we are saving the celebration for next week when we are all 100% - but we didn't let the day go by without being grateful for what we have - we've come a long way, baby.

Tonight Noah decided to show off his standing skills for the camera. And then he and dad shot some hoops. The last pic is actually a solo slam dunk by our little man. Dad wasn't there to witness it, but I caught it on film!

BIG NEWS!

If you haven't already, go check out the CELEBRATION going on over at Heather & Chris' camp. We are thrilled for them. Here are a few photos from our little celebration that night. I think it's fair to say from these photos that they are going to be AMAZING parents. Words can't describe how HAPPY we are for our dear friends!!!

ALOHA!

Hawaiian Day this past Friday at the Y...I was so excited because I learned of it on Thursday night (I probably missed the memo) and just happen to have purchased a tropical shirt for Noah Arone from BabyGap a few months back (on sale) which he had only worn one time...now that's luck!

A Real Post

It's been a while since I've posted thoughts, a real post, like I did back in the day, not so long ago that feels like forever ago when we were pushing through all the paperwork, waiting for one thing or another, and ultimately the referral of our incredible little man, Noah Arone. So much has happened since then, our guy has grown. At 8 1/2 months, he's standing now (with the help of any found object), crawling like a mad man, and smiling, giggling, talking (da-da and ba-ba mostly)...he's found his way into our hearts and into the hearts of our extended family and friends. He holds a special place there for all of us, and it's truly something amazing to be a part of.

Anil and I were just discussing how he has a few special lady friends in particular who seem to ask about him all the time. There are the ones we know about - Gaby, my friend Amy's little girl, who goes to the same day care and apparently constantly asks to go see her lil brother, 'baby Noah'...Marlie, Julie's little beauty, who is betrothed to him and asks about him when he pops up on her mom's computer screen, and Arianna, his cousin, who we miss already from this weekend and who always wants to know 'why' baby Noah is doing this or that or the other thing - she's a very curious little lady. Then there are the ones we discover daily, like Lisa's little girl, Eva, who we met this weekend and who apparently talks about him as though they are friends, because his picture is on their refrigerator from a 'thank you' card we sent, and she's never even met him. And finally, there are the little girls that are on their way, our friends Heather & Chris' little girl, whom we should find out about ANY DAY NOW (darnit!), and Natalie & Dominic's cutiepie, who shouldn't be too far behind, and Julie O's little girl, who should arrive soon after, all from Ethiopia. He will have no shortage of girls to teach him how to be a courteous, respectful, real man. It's going to be so fun to see him grow up - but we're not rushing it!

Noah has heard a few times the inevitable 'you sure are a lucky boy' comment. And although I know that when it's said, people mean well, I shiver every time and want to refute back - no, WE are the lucky ones. WE are. We are the ones who have the good fortune of raising this adorable little dude, who has brought an immense amount of joy into our lives. We're the ones who have the privilege of raising this child from the beautiful country of Ethiopia - and all the while being enriched with this deep and rich culture and the amazing people we have met in country and here through our incredible journey. If anyone is lucky, it is us.

But as I'm thinking about it, it may be that 'luck' has very little to do with it, in my eyes. All of this just feels so right, so perfectly in line with what is meant to happen, so natural and organic and unquestionable. It may just be more like fate than luck. So although I do feel like I've just won the lottery every day when I look into little Noah's eyes, I'm not sure it's luck for either of us.

East Coast Style *with Updated Photos

Made it across the country this morning on a redeye to introduce Noah to Anil's side of our incredible family - we are having an absolute blast and he is loving his Grandma, Grandpa, Aunties, Uncles and Cousins, Arianna and Jayan - the three of them make quite a team. And WE are loving Grandma's homecooked Indian food - mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

UPDATED WITH ALL PHOTOS FROM THIS WEEKEND...!