Noelle Goes North

On May 21st, Will and I took Noelle on her first flight. We headed to Syracuse, New York to visit Will's parents, then headed to Albany for a few days of rest and relaxation. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

The Flight to Buffalo

Luckily, Noelle loved flying - just like her dad. For the most part, she did great on all three legs into Buffalo. While she got a little "gassy" during the descent into Baltimore, once we got a burp out of her, she was back to her happy self.

The gratuitous shot with dad in the cockpit.




Another shot in the cockpit - this time with mommy and daddy!



Visiting Gramma

Noelle loved spending time with Gramma! Gramma lost no time in giving Noelle her bottle and getting in some good bonding time.





Noelle got plenty of hugs and love from Gramma! Gramma also gave her some wonderful books, since Noelle loves to be read to.




Visiting Grandpa

Noelle got to meet her Grandpa for the first time.



Noelle loved the fresh air on her Grandpa's farm - she slept like a rock every night. And there were tons of new fun things to see, like Grandpa's big red tractor.


And the beautiful lilacs.



And for the first time, Mommy and Daddy were actually able to catch Noelle smiling on camera! When Noelle gives a big smile, her ears actually pull down. This has led to one of our nicknames for her - Gizmo.


Gramma and Grandpa, thank you for a wonderful time! We'll be back soon!

Daddy's Girl

I've come to the conclusion that Noelle is completely, hopelessly, wonderfully ... a daddy's girl. There are few times when she's more content then when she's sitting in daddy's lap.



Noelle usually wakes around 5:00 in the morning for her first feeding of the day. If Will has the day off, he'll bring her into bed with us after her feeding, and she'll happily sleep another few hours snuggled up beside one of us. If I have to leave for work, then she's right next to dad in bed, snoozing away.

The hardest thing in the world is to leave this beautiful sight to go to work:




When I took this picture, I wanted so badly to crawl back in bed with them!

Noelle on her Baby Gym

Noelle at Play

At about 6 weeks of age, Noelle discovered her hands.

At about 11 weeks, she discovered that those same hands could bat and grab at objects. And at about the same time, her vision seemed to snap into focus, allowing her to see things that must have been blurry before. In the space of a week, it seemed like a whole new world opened up to her. Whereas in the past, she just laid on her "baby gym" and stared at the objects hovering over her head, she now focuses on them intently. She grabs and swats at them, coos to them, and occasionally howls in frustration when one isn't within reach.

So I give you some pictures of our baby Noelle at play.

Focusing intently on those shapes above her head.

Almost ...

Got it!

Got it again!

I'm a pro at this!

I want that lion!

So close ...