Airplane Spoons

Everything tastes better with an airplane spoon

Potty Improvement

Noa spent about 15minutes today before I officially "woke up" going poo-poo in the potty all by herself.

She took off her diaper, pooped in her little potty, put it in the big potty... and left it there for me to check out before flushing.

She also wiped successfully (unusual for her at the moment). Her butt was clean and about half a roll of TP was used, part of it was in the toilet like a giant TP mountain, and part of it in the garbage.

She was right to be proud, it was the first time I've seen her do the whole thing by herself and actually not get poop on anything. It was pretty impressive.

The only place there was poop: her shirt. Eeeew. After we took it off she said: "You put this in the laundry and get another pink one that doesn't have poop on it."

Round3: crunch time

Well we are getting closer. This time name rankings were also included for better frame of reference.
Vote here or use the link to the right.

Noa is very excited about her baby sister.

This is a fun place to look at baby name rankings over the past 100 years:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#ms=true&sw=f&exact=false

Round2: Time to share your opinion on baby names for Noa's new sister!

http://kargers.com/baby2/index.php?sid=89298&newtest=Y&lang=en

Thanks everyone for your first votes. Some of the names got as many as 6 or 7 votes! very popular!

Time to share your opinion on baby names for Noa's new sister!

http://kargers.com/baby2/index.php?sid=53559&lang=en

Baby names for Noa's new sister!

(Updated with new names 3/3/2010)
Ok, Noa is going to have to share the blog now, since she will be sharing everything else with her sister.

Here is a list of submitted names so far, thanks everyone for the suggestions. Keep in mind the name 'Noa' was Sarah's sister Becky's suggestion and we couldn't be more pleased. In addition, without any poll manipulation, it was also in the top 5 of the last names picked by everyone.

Sachi
Sampriti
Shaelyn
Shira
Skylar
Courtney
Emma
Gia
Holly
Jewel
Jasmine
Kyla
Phoebe
Sage
Sadie
Tamsen
Tonya
Xena
Rachelle
Rachel
Raia
Reva/Riva
Lyla
Eden
Eve
Sasha
Aviva
Davida
Charlotte
Ninja girl
Ninja
Ninjette
Ramsey
Nathalee (pronounced nath-a-lee)
Eva
Riley
Natasha
Tanya
Indira
Theresa
Ivanka
Abigail
Isabella
Rosetta
Elana
Lada
Vlada
Samara
Eliana
Lea(h)
Abigail
Mira(h),
Adi
Aliya
Elana
Kira
Naava
Talia
Natalia
Zara
Moria
Mora
Conrada
Nadina
Gwen

Voting: Everyone will get a chance to vote the number of names they submit plus 5.
So if Grandpa Dan submit's 5 names, he (they) get 10 votes!

General Update

Picture of Noa and Rae playing. They can see each other inside the cabinets.

Noa is expected to calm down, and say please & thank you for things. We may have to say: "calm, say what you want."

Noa still isnt too picky about foods, but if you open the fridge, she gets overwhelmed and wants anything she sees.

Noa can:

• cleaning up after playing, she is great at it.
• Eating, she makes very little mess even when eating rice, applesauce, or yogurt and can drink from a glass easily. If she is done though, everything turns into a play toy and messes start.
• Peel an orange, including any "yuky" parts inside.
  
• pick out all her clothes in the am, shirt, pants, socks and shoes. She can put on most of them, but may fuss if she has trouble, though she might figure it out still.
• She just started reading books to me, turning the pages and explaining the story sort of like how it actually goes.
• Noa is now saying "what's that" a lot, and getting more complex actions down. Today she asked what the microwave was, and wanted to watch me cook a burrito.
• About a month ago she could put together an abcd puzzle, she could sing her abc's maybe a month or two ago. p,d,b, l, i are more difficult and she seemed to figure it out ok.
• Can technically get out of her crib, but really doesnt have an interest in it anymore, even though she escaped about 5 times in a row a few months ago.
  
• Can get on counters, etc. but generally just doesnt.
  

"Up" -- first movie Noa watched all the way through

With Noa's head on my chest, a cup of apples & bottle of almond milk at our side. We set out to enjoy "Up" together. An hour or so of sluggle-time later, we finished the movie. Time for bed!

Noa's first adult song: "Womanizer"

Noa's first adult song: "Womanizer"
This is after hours of watching us play the wii dance dance game.

Interestingly, she heard the song yesterday, and while we were family snuggling & hanging out... Noa started to sing the "womanizer" tune.

05-15-2009 my how time flies Naomi & Noa

Naomi sharing her cookie and markers.

Noa: "shhhhh, baby aaa is sleeping"

Noa: "shhhhh, baby aaa is sleeping"

"baby aaa" = baby Rae (Kelsey & Cale's baby)
This is in the hallway, up to our room and we wanted baby Rae to stay asleep during her naps.

Nathan said this to her in the hallway, and was surprised to see Noa learn it and say it as well! This to make sure everyone in the house was happy.

London England, visiting Kelsey, Cale, and Rae!

Here is a link to a few of our favorite pictures from our visit with Kelsey, Cale and Rae. Note that there are some videos, though the audio is messed up on them. We have to upload them to youtube probably.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15895460@N07/sets/72157621039409037/detail/

Notables:

• Noa started singing, she now sings all the time. Songs like (to the tune of abc/little star) "daddy mommy, noa noa... baby baby, noa mommy"
• Noa learned "baby aye" which stood for Baby Rae. And it became a part of almost every play conversation she has. She includes "baby" in almost every statement even. This morning she was saying "baby wa wa, mi" which is baby rae, wa wa (drink), milk = which is milk from the fridge in a sippee cup.
• Nathan sported a new haircut
• Kelsey, Cale, Rae, Sarah and Noa all got at least a little sick on the trip.
• Cale introduced Noa to supergirl glasses (goggles). She loved the attention we gave her for them & would say "eyes" and hand them to us & walk around with them on
• Noa learned "dirty" "yuky", and now says "yuki" or "dirty, daddy, dirty". I started focusing on these when she started playing with that thing next used to scrub the toilet bowl, that we leave next to the toilet. We used it after dropping raisins on the floor of the bus... I saw an English woman looking disgusted and staring at Noa on the floor. I looked down & saw her eating raisins from the floor of the bus.
• Nathan created the "UFC club."
  
• Cale, Sarah, Nathan watched UFC 100. Unfortunately Frank Mir lost, but all else was good.
• That is all I can think of for now.

Noa?

youth these days...

Noa's gift for daddy.

Noa's birthday present to dad:

Wake daddy up with crying.

... a Diaper outside of the crib, poo all over the place: inside & outside of the crib, on Boomer, all over Noa.

I have a video for those not easily grossed out. (not yet uploaded).

Noa's first fortune cookie

Noa found 2 fortune cookies on the counter and decided they needed to take a trip to her belly. (and then the diaper)

The fortunes:
1) You have an ambitious nature and may make a name for yourself.
2) You are never selfish with your advice or your help.

#2 is the closest to being true at the moment. She loves to help.

We bought another Noa at the store

My Mom was out shopping and found an open box sale on cute little Noa's. She picked another one up for us. You cant tell the difference, and she is pretty cute too.




















She seemed shocked and happy to see us for the first time. I think she is going to fit in fine.

Noa at school

I went to see Noa today at 345pm.

First she went and joined about 6 other kids to watch to the caretaker reading books. She just looked at the book and stood around.

Then she went looking for a book and found another kid was holding. She tried to grab it, but the caretakers foiled the plan & gave her one of her own. She fussed for about 5 seconds until she saw the replacement book.

She then shouted with glee (yep, it was like pirates after they took over a ship), and waddle-bounded over to the corner of the room & sat down. She opened the book and tried to flip the pages. She still walks by tilting & swaying around like a top that is almost done spinning, and it is hilarious to watch her go anywhere, especially when she tries so quickly.

She stood up, walked around the room, and then returned back to the same spot & did the same thing. It was this corner where they store the highchairs and probably the most secluded spot in the room. I can relate to that feeling for sure.

Then she went to the OTHER side of the room, sat on a slide toy, and played with the book.

When she was done with that, she walked over to a caretaker who was on the floor and gave her the book. Another kid came over too and they both sat down to listen.

All the time I was watching, 3 kids came over to the window & waved, but Noa didnt spot me until then and she just waved and kept listening.

It was pretty dang cute, I loved it.

Night-time with Dad & Noa

Today Noa snuggled up and went to bed while we watched "The Punisher" together.

I somehow doubt Noa will feel so snuggly to movies like that as she gets older, so I am enjoying it for now.

Noa learning curve for words & some pics

Noa is learning interaction at a rapid rate now.

04-10-2009 Noa word count! shoe (shu), eye, light, ball, apple (apow), nose, she can do the sign for milk (mommy's), and help (elp). These are words that she can repeatedly identify. She is able to say other things like "dada", "momma" but for dada she points to herself and "momma" she uses by pointing to anything she wants. She understands very well though and helps all the time.




Picture of Noa & Rae.
We had a great day visiting Mika in the city, and on the way back Kelsey, Rae, and Noa were in the back seat. Noa reached over and held Rae's hand. It made my heart melt.















Learning curve:
With prompting... she helps me change the water in the humidifier, she helps me do bills by throwing away the bad ones, she picks up her toys, uses the shoehorn to help me get my shoes on in the morning, she puts old clothes in the hamper, she gives us hugs, kisses, she knows when we do "say what you want, Noa", she needs to tell us "eat", "milk","up", or "help" (we use this when she gets frustrated with something).



Hanging out in the city:



here is a link to more pictures of Mika & Noa, they were too cute not to post.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15895460@N07/sets/72157616590176286/detail/

FREE AT LAST!!!...?

NOA WENT CRAZY!!!

She was under the illusion that her parents were making sugar readily available, but, alas!, she had happened upon our recycling bin and her hope was dashed. All the sugar had been consumed already.

Noa, My Daughter

Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap. Her little feet stomp in a high-pitched tones and echo making her feel monstrous. We are not in a rush, so we let her walk alongside us like a big girl. Just past 1 years-old, she has grown too tall for the dress I put on her, but I had wanted to see her wear it for one last day before packing it away with all the other hand-me-downs. Her spindly, white legs stick out of the pink dress like a flamingo’s and it still amazes me that she is real, that she is my daughter. The dress is too short and barely covers her little diaper. When she is a teenager, we will fight about dresses this short. In my worst nightmare, the worst version of our future battles together, I picture her sprinting up the stairs, while I pathetically try to catch up. We are both flushed as she slams her bedroom door in my face and screams, “I HATE YOU!”

Noa looks up at me holding her daddy’s pointer finger and smiles, as if to say, “Look what I’m doing mommy. I can keep up with daddy. I’m on the move.” The sun lights up her face and the wind blows wisps of blond hair back, as she giggles. Mostly she is graceful, but every once in a while she holds on tight to Nathan’s finger and sways like a drunken sailor, trying to prevent a forward crash onto the newly paved sidewalk.
I am both proud and jealous of Noa. Her body is still perfectly formed. There are no torn ligaments in her knees or extra weight on her frame. If she develops a body like her dad’s side of the family she will be tall and thin. I watch her move and dream of her unlimited future; I picture her as a runner, developing a strong powerful body, perhaps even winning a scholarship to college.
I want her to push. I want her to continue to move, to be fast and to get stronger. I want her to be tough enough to protect herself against all the dangerous people who are waiting to take advantage and, at the same time, remain an innocent little girl, sweet and unburdened by worry or pain. I want… I want… I want… I can drown in my wants, so instead I take a deep breath, let go of our future, and follow little white shoes as they clomp down the sidewalk.

Noa's Day at daycare

Today I worked from home and checked in on Noa throughout the day. Here is what we found:

10am:
Noa in a highchair and all kids are in chairs in a circle while the caretakers sang them songs with hand signals. I watched from the window but also sang twinkle twinkle little star with hand motions and a few other diddies. Noa saw me in the window & pointed excitedly (ahh nice girl), I was worried for a minute that she would cry, but she didnt.

1130am:
Noa is passed out on her belly in her sleep "bed" that is a plastic tray looking thing. She was an early napper, only 5 kids were sleeping yet. They had just turned the lights off when I got there.

130pm:
The lights are out, and all the kids are sleeping. Noa has her butt sticking in the air so I know she is probably going to wake up soon. Unfortunately for the caretakers, she starts squiggling around, and eventually starts crying. Since I am there, I think they are awkward about getting her back to sleep by cooing her or whatever.
After crying and fussing a little the caretaker brought her out and I held her.
The caretaker shared these insights about Noa:
"Noa doesnt like to share toys, when the other kids take them, she crys like someone hit her."
"Noa gets jealous. When another kid is picked up, she wants to be picked up too."
We'll see how she progresses. She isnt around kids ALL the time, so maybe that explains it? I am not worried at this point.

330pm:
All the kids were in chairs and the caretakers were vacuuming. They were setup like a concert and it was pretty funny looking. I asked them how long before Noa would be able to vacuum. Noa started crying again so they gave her to me. After holding her a little she was ready to start playing with the other kids.

It was fun, Noa and most of the kids were running around with smiles on their faces. They were holding dolls, pointing while caretakers were reading books with them and regular playing.
It was nice just watching her walk around, look at other kids, look at the books.


I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. A day in the life of Noa (as much as I can get while working)

Nathan + Noa + fun

Noa + Louise + snuggles = nice

Noa loving her chair from Howie & Fran

Sarah put the chair Fran & Howie gave us in the bathroom one night. Noa and I went into the bathroom to get ready for our day, the usual routine. When Noa spotted the chair she looked at me in surprised, and exictedly pointed to it, saying "dat dat" and started ran over to play with the blocks on the top that spelled her name "N o a".
After I sat her down on it, she started that grin and dangled her feet. It cracked me up.

Noa, burning up the pavement in her Ducati

Noa riding Rahul's Ducati motorcycle around town. Chillin.

Daycare's Hairdo for Noa - or Antenae (as they like to call it)

Lately Noa's daycare, St. Elizabeth's, has been giving her to us with a new hair do every day. They call it the Antena! Unfortunately, there are some serious hair issues after the rubber band comes out.

Noa + doll

I was putting Noa to sleep for her nap today and discovered that she is in love with a doll now: baby Boomer.

She wanted me to hold her AND Boomer while we sang and I held her. She picked Boomer up 6 times while we sang and got ready for the nap.

I'll post a picture of Boomer soon.

Cale

Kelsey has been telling and retelling Noa stories. She showed me all the pictures. Noa is such a wonderful little person. She has so much love to spread. I'm so excited that these two little girls will grow up together.

[Sarah & I feel very lucky, thanks for being excited with us.]

Noa's first sign

I FINALLY got Noa to say "eat" and sign the motion for food.

This morning while we were waking up and sitting in bed, she did the sign for "eat". We went to the kitchen & she ate 5 small tomatoes, 1 strawberry, and about 30 cheerios.

Eat indeed.

So if you see her signing, give her some food.

PS: Mom, "eat" means she wants more grasshopper pie.
PS: Ronnie, "eat" means she wants more baked ziti

Noa with dressed to the nines with her hair "do" and her faux-mink stole

Kisses to my adoring fans

sweet email from Grandpa Dan H.

Boy that daughter of yours sure is cute. I got to watch her for a while this morning while grandma caught up on a little sleep. We ate, we played, she pooped bigtime, I cleaned her up, she ate some more, watched me eat, watched me brush my teeth, watched me shower, I wiped her nose, she watched me get dressed. We had a great time together. What an inquisitive kid.
Happy to watch her anytime.
Luv U.
Dan

Apples beware!

Apples beware, Noa is on the loose now!

We were just hanging out eating Noa's favorite food. I figured it was time to see if she loved apple as much as I thought she did.

Noa doing something new

Noa Videos

Peekabo with Noa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2WE--nAHg&feature=channel_page

Peekabo with Noa in the crib.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MikJQIogERI&feature=channel_page
I was hanging out with her while I got ready and she started playing peekabo like this. It was hilarious, so I ran & got my camera & she still wanted to keep playing... as you see on the film.


Noa likes Boomer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9OhH2tpgRk&feature=channel_page

Kelsey and Noa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bytJeOjC1s&feature=channel_page

Noa 10 months

The New Little Snook family...

Playing peek-a-boo with a camera case....very creative. There she is!!!!!

Pics - Noa 3-8 months

We finally got our act together and went though at least a thousand pictures to give you the best ones. (All the grandparents haven't even chipped in theirs yet, so there may be more (better ones) yet to come...)

We also showed pictures of everyone else too. This blog will inevitably wind up representing this new little family as a whole, not just little Miss Noa, although she has been the center of everything for Nathan and me ever since even the idea of her existed.

It is all happening too fast to keep track of. She is achieving major accomplishments daily! She zoomed past crawling and now occupies every second finding something to pull up on so that she can stand. She is eating many many foods, still mushed up, and now has four teeth on top and two bottom ones. She babbles up a storm, plays games and indicates she wants to continue playing. Just yesterday she waved good-bye and used the "bye-bye" intonation- not the actual words.

According to the unbiased child development experts, the grandparents, she is well beyond the capabilities of all other babies and is the cutest as well (Howie from Tae Kwon Do concurs).

We recently bought a "cage" for her as she is too fast for her old parents. So far, she is only ok in the cage if we are in there with her (she ain't dumb). The cage takes up all the free space in the living room, so we'll see how it goes...

She is CRAZY about Nathan and cries as soon as he comes home (while he changes out of his work clothes) until he picks her up. He MUST hold her and play with her for 5-10 minutes before putting her down. Every day Nathan and Noa have time in the morning. The eat breakfast, shower together, and walk down the street to the day care, where she is well taken care of.

Julie "springs" her from day care and gives her special time with them. Wednesdays she hangs with my parents and her cousin Naomi, who has already told her that they are best friends.



Wait, Noa wants to say something:

=]'[[=';]p;
='.?i-[l'
?s0p;l/'-

Translation: "When is my other cousin going to get here already?????"- Nathan's sister Kelsey will be having a baby within the next month!!!



Noa is tongue-tied which may effect speech as she grows older and might be somewhat effecting her ability to eat solid foods. She will be having surgery (just a little clip) on the underside of her tongue on Friday the 12th (nice 8 month b-day, huh?). If you feel sorry for her please send $$$ to her college fund... lol. Actually I am mentally suffering at the thought of it all, especially the 6 hours before hand where she can't eat, so I pushed off the job to Nathan and I will be at work. Julie and Dan are going to join him at the hospital to keep her distracted until the surgery. She has NEVER gone hungry for more than 2 minutes, so I don't even want to know what happens.


Anyway, here are the pics...

Noa 3 months

Noa 4 months

Noa 5 months

Noa 6 months

Noa 7 months

Noa loves her bouncer

See if you can hear Noa's giggles.

Baby Noa helps dad study. Result = A

Sarah and I wanted to post things happening with us as well as Noa, so we could remember better. Since Noa helped me study so much for my classes, I wanted to share how well we did.

90 = Midterm 1 = 36/40
92 = Exam 2 = 37/40
100 = Final exam = 50/50 (wow! I was shocked)
95.15 = Term Paper = 95.15/100

I dont get the "official" grade until I do a blood test, but it looks like an A.

Thanks everyone for their support and encouragement. Especially Sarah, she was an awesome study partner. After every class she would ask me what I learned, I loved going over my notes her and explaining things I found exciting. She even suggested studying with me in the car, which I took up many times, including three 2+ hour car trips. Granted, marketing is awesome, but it was generous nevertheless.

Nathan (Dad)

Noa GPS

When it is time for Noa to change her diaper, she can never get to the changing table on her own. We decided to have a "baby GPS" installed into her belly button. It comes with baby languages from all countries. Now that she can find the changing table, Sarah and I no longer waste hours changing diapers. Recommended for all parents.

Noa Milestone.

Noa is now 4 Netflixes big! Yeaaaah!

Guiness Book Record Crushed!

April 22nd, just one day after his birthday, Dan Hoberman breaks the record for "Most time babysat" set by previous grandparents!

For 5 hours Dan sat through drooling, cooing, and giggles.

It is also the first time Noa was babysat while the parents are not in the same room.

When interviewed during the media blitz afterwards, Dan said "I am obviously proud of the accomplishment, but she is cute. I dont think the record will hold for too long."

Nice work Dan!


The previous record was 4 hours, set by Julie and Andrea after Noa was brought home from the hospital and mom & dad needed sleep.

PHOTOS: Noa 6-8 weeks

You'll notice a lot of smiling in this set. Also, Nathan's first feeding of Noa...

Look closely at the photo that has the framed picture of Nathan when he was a newborn. Don't they look a like? Especially when you check out her newborn photos...Ahh, I'm in love...


Click here to see the pictures.

Tax news

Uncle Ron, the accountant relayed some recent tax news:

> Will I get more for my child?
> In many cases, there is a rebate bonus for children.
> But not for all kids.
> The bonus is only for really adorable kids, for them you get up to $5,000,000 back
> For rebate purposes, a qualifying child is one who is younger than 17. That means
> that taxpayers who claim an older college student as a dependent won't
> get the extra money.


Thanks Ron! Finally some really good tax news... my kid is ADORABLE! What am I going to do with all that "up to $5 mil" rebate?

sweet.

PHOTOS-Noa 2-6 weeks

This was an exciting few weeks as she took her first plane flight to visit her Grandpa Maurice and Grandma Jan, Great Grandma and Grandpa Snook, Uncle JC and Aunt Andrea, Uncle James and Aunt Liz, and Uncle Joseph.

JC and Andrea got married so this was also her first wedding. While we were down there, we went to her first movie premier (and mine); JC had collaborated to make a short Star Wars based film.

She is gaining weight. Now she weigh aroud 11 1/2 lbs. So you'll notice some chubby cheeks.

In some of these pictures she has baby acne. Don't worry this has already cleared up. It didn't hurt her at all...

Click here to see the pictures.

Noa, the Fire Pig

Noa, The FIRE PIG daughter

Chinese year: 2007 is the year of the Pig, the Fire Pig in particular
02/18/2007-02/06/2008

This time around, the Year of the Pig follows a "double-spring" lunar year, when newlyweds were believed to accrue twice the blessings. The boar sign's alignment with the fire sign, one of five elements -- metal, wood, water, fire and earth -- that rotate through the Chinese lunar calendar, is what makes this year especially auspicious.
Rumors have circulated that this also is an even rarer "golden pig" year, which occurs every six centuries, though few if any astrologers agree; some even say there's no such thing. Gold piggy banks and other memorabilia are appearing all over Asia.
According to news reports from Asia, some officials are concerned that a baby boom

This is a description from another site, about Fire Pigs:

Active, outgoing and extroverted, Fire Pigs breathe new life into everything they do. These Pigs are vivid, motivated individuals who cannot be deterred from a goal once they have set it. They are emotional and passionate about their loved ones, their occupations and their objectives. They are bold and vivacious, unafraid to take risks despite the consequences. They make great bosses because they do work so hard and because they are so spirited. But don’t doublecross a Fire Pig. They have the ability to be quite abrasive when things don’t turn out as they planned.

PHOTOS- Noa Snook's first week of life

Click here to view more pictures.

More Gushing about Noa

She is delightful. I don't want to speak too soon, but she must be the easiest baby to deal with ever. She only cries with reason and it is easy to calm her. She now is breast feeding beautifully. She has some jaundice from not getting enough initially but it is quickly disappearing. She also has thrush, but we are seeing Alex, our friend and now pediatrician, for an appointment at 10 am today and we will figure out how to handle it. We are so lucky that she is healthy to the max and easy going. It will be a pleasure to take care of her.

Nathan is the best partner I could ever imagine having. He has excellent instincts with her and helps me figure out what might be bothering her on the rare occasions that she cries. He has been working like a dog to make everything easy for me. Getting me water and food, doing laundry, burping and changing her, and in general being so excited about fatherhood, making this family something I am even more proud of to be part of creating.

PHOTOS-Noa Zoe Snook's first hours of life

This is our first installment of photos. We are doing lots of feeding changing and trying to catch up on sleep, but we want to continue to get photos loaded to share with you all.
Click here to see them.

Thoughts about Noa Zoe Snook

Sarah here for the first time since our miracle happened, Noa Zoe Snook, born 1/12/08 at 6:13 pm. Now I know why my parents still get google eyed looking at me and my sister. I can't believe I have a daughter; that she is this amazing combination of me and Nathan(Although I haven't yet seen what she has gotten from me other than having the exact same blood type). I think I will be still in this shock when she is my age. It is unreal to me. What an amazing circle! She is incredible and we will catch up and write a lot of stories about our experiences.

She reminds me of Nathan in so many ways. She has monkey feet like Nathan, long toes that can almost be fingers by themselves. She even will grasp your finger with her toes, does that make her quadri-dextris? She has straight black hair which includes a mullet and an alfalfa all in one hair style, truly fashion forward. She is tall and skinny, 8lbs even, 21 inches, with broader shoulders and slender hips like Nathan, Mika, and Kelsey. Help me out with this one guys because I am sure it will disappear over time, but I think she might have Nathan's uni-brow, which is one of his trademarks that he will defend forever and looks cute on her now, but might not translate so well on the feminine version as she grows older. Most of all though she is cute as hell, no ugly attributes at all, just cuteness. Amazing.

I really feel like she is going to be easy to be with and a delight to learn about and get to know. She made my pregnancy easy. I was happy and for the most part comfortable, beyond a little nausia and swelling in my hands and feet. I also believe that she was on my side during labor, keeping her heart rate up and other vital signs so that the midwives wouldn't get worried and give me a C-section. At one point there was no progress with her and they were concerned and within 2 hours she made so much progress in dropping and helping me dilate that I was suddenly in the clear to still have a normal birth. She came out easily, passed all of her physical exams and other than one day of crying after not getting sleep all night, she has been incredibly calm only crying when there is actually something she needs. Even her crying is cute; she sounds like a little bird or dinosaur...

Just wanted to thank everyone for the support this Snook family has gotten over these 9 months and especially over the past few days. She has an amazing father, Nathan has been the epitome of support, fun and loving throughout. She has a huge set of uncles and aunts who are already involved in her life in so many ways, giving advice and mostly being happy to welcome her. She has three sets of grandparents, all completely devoted to being there for her in a connected way.

Nathan and I would not have made it through the birth without my mom being in that room. She kept family up to date on what our progress was so that they wouldn't worry, she stocked us with food, but mostly she did anything and everything to help Nathan make me comfortable and it was physically intense to do that for 15 hours straight.

Nathan's mom has been with us ever since we got home from the hospital. She had our fridge stocked, the house prepared and cleaned, and most importantly she helped us by watching the baby between feedings so that we could get caught up on sleep after the crazy three days at the hospital.

Becca visited late during hospital visiting hours and helped Nathan with Noa so that I could rest. She also did everything to make sure I had all the baby supplies before giving birth. Of course, as you can see from this blog, she has been actively looking forward to Noa and involved.

Andrea was with us last night, our first night at home. She stayed up with Julie and tag teamed with her to watch the baby. She also coached me on breast feeding since she is a lactation consultant and found some local Hoboken/Jersey City resources so that I don't have to drive out to Morris County to get help. She was ok with a 2 am phone call from me and Nathan when we were having a little panick attack about whether Noa was getting enough food and came early the next morning before work to coach us and just be encouraging.

I feel that there are so many friends and family who have been rooting for us. We can't wait for her to meet everyone!

Baby Noa is here!

January 12th, 6:13pm, 8lb baby Noa was born!

Thank you everyone for your support, we feel so lucky. She is observant, looking around, making cooing sounds and of course a little crying.

We can hardly wait to post pictures and share her with the world.
Nathan, Sarah, and Noa

She is on her way!

Sarah went into labor around 3am Jan 12th. No baby yet, but she is very close. We are very excited.

Winning Baby Names!!!!!

The time is finally here! The winning names have risen
to the top! The top 6:

Zoe and Maya/Mya 9 votes each
Emma and Leah 8 votes each
Amelia and Noa 7 votes each

These names are so good, we trust that it will be
clear which one is her true name when we see her.

For those few brave souls who suggested names: we
thank you. For those generous souls who voted: we thank you.

Baby names are something people hold a little close to
the heart, so it can be difficult getting constructive
feedback. We chose to create a voting game to help
out. It has not only helped, but been immensely fun.
The names we contributed and preferred originally are
not the same ones we love today.

Let the games continue, as our daughter-to-be pops out,
Nathan & Sarah


PS: For those interested, here is the full vote list from the final round:

Name, Number of Votes
Zoe 9
Emma 8
Leah 8
Amelia 7
Noa7
Ellie 6
Kira 6
Maya 6
Alexandra 5
Melanie 5
Morgan 5
Mya 5 (this name got 2 duplicate votes of people who liked both spellings)
Taylor 5
Anna 4
Autumn 4
Rachel 4
Eliya 1
Megan 1

Ready to GO!!!

We are psyched and ready to meet the girl. I am now almost at 40 weeks. Once the baby takes longer than 40 weeks, I will be getting weekly ultrasounds to make sure everything is o.k. My latest possible date would be January 15th. Think good thoughts people, visualize the baby, we want to see her now!!!

I had an ultrasound on Friday. She is completely healthy and in the easiest position for me to PoP! her out. The technician says that she has hair on her head. Who knew that you could tell that from an ultrasound?No known hair color, as I was born blond. Right now she is 7 lbs 9 oz., so she will definitely be under 8 lbs. We also saw the outline of her face and I was told she is a chubby-cheeked baby, so get ready to look at a cutie.

Nathan continues to be the perfect partner in baby growing. He just took me on a date and let me prop my feet up on him throughout the evening. He talks with the baby daily and tells her secrets I can't hear. He takes all heavy or awkward lifting that I normally do around the house, so now he looks like Schwartzeneger.

Keep a lookout on this blog. We will try to bring tech equipment to the hospital, so you may be able to see pictures within hours of her birth...

P.S. December 21st was our 5th anniversary. Nathan survived (my loveliness) so far...cool, huh?

Uncle Ron

Names are getting tossed out like dirty laundry and emotions are high. We aren't the only ones excited.

Ron "Uncle" Karger shares his views on the recently released name list for Round 3. (Most of you know him already, he is Sarah's Uncle)

It was so hilarious I had to share it.

> WHERE'S VERONICA.
> How come you listed Zoe [54 (Zoey) as a
> nick name\
> and you didn't put in Ronni [ 1 (Veronica)
> I want a recount. Put all the names back and
> start again.

Round 3

Round 3 has started. You will notice next to each name is a number, which represents the names ranking in 2006.

Sarah is now full term, so this could be the last round, depending on when the baby chooses to visit.

We are delighted to have everyone's input on the name, so if you have any technical problems voting, please email Nathan.

The baby is moving nicely and continues to entertain her parents.The midwife estimates that the baby is now between 7 lbs and 7lbs 5 oz. She thinks the baby will be under 8 lbs at birth. We still haven't picked a name yet and need some help, so please participate and encourage other people to join in...

The picture is of us waiting for your votes (Thanks to Mika's friend Alexander Porter)

Name list for Round 3

(in no particular order)
Zoe
Leah
Emma
Noa
Ellie
Amelia
Kira
Taylor
Morgan
Maya
Autumn
Mya
Alexandra
Melanie
Rachel
Anna
Megan
Eliya

Jon Stewart, Colbert, and baby

If you look carefully, you can see the baby stick her tiny little arm out of Sarah's belly button, to shake Colbert's hand.

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=118625

She obviously has great taste in comedy.

You may also notice her parents in the video.

Baby Snook names, ROUND2

"Continue to help us pick the Baby's name!"

We made the first cut of the name list, but it is still too long. Help us narrow it down by picking up to 8 of your favorites. Remember, ROUND2 will narrow the name list to 16 names.

All the names we are considering are on the list, so we appreciate your input.

If you have not voted yet, dont cry, you can register here and a voting link will be emailed to you:

http://bsticker.com/natesurvey/index.php?sid=1

[If you didnt get an email with an updated link, please let me know, I might have to reset your entry]

Noa Baby Shower

Dan and Louise share their pictures!

Current Baby Name List (List is now closed, thanks for all the suggestions!)

Current Baby Name List (List is now closed, thanks for all the suggestions!)

(I'll be putting this into a blog topic at some point, it is too long for a sidebar)

Hank
Ryder
Jake

Jade
Smoochie
Hannah
Rachel
Kira
Alice
Aile
Aylen
Apple
Eve
Eugene
(Please consider Eugene...no one ever does...poor Eugene...)
Sasha
Jadyn
Violet
Julia
Laura/Lauren
Amelia
Vegas Snook
Kaitlyn Von Snook
Ellie Taylor Snook
Ilana
Lucy
Charlotte
Bella means beautiful.
Jonah (yes, for a girl)
Noa (yes, for a girl), or
Ayla (which means oak tree, also from Clan of the Cave Bear)
Ayla
Anna
Courtney
Elizabeth (shortened to Lisa, Liz?)
Emma
Jenna (possibly abbreviation of Genevieve?)
Maria
Riley
Rosemary
Ruth
Sarah
Lasee
Makayla
Megan
Morgan
Mackenzie
Mya
Molly
Melanie
Marissa or Marisa
Madeline
Michelle
Amanda
Ashley
Jocelyn
Jada
Jade
Katelyn or Katelin
Kaylee or Kayla
Karson or karsen
Cayla
Sofia or Sophia
Gabriella
Gabreille
Mo'Oz (Naomi suggestion)
Toto/Dorothy (Naomi couldn't choose which)
Beep Beep (Naomi suggestion)
Veronique
Veronica (Ron's favorite)
Caroline
Jane
Emily
Josephine
Amelia
Autumn Rayne

Baby Name Poll

Once you have registered for the baby name poll, you will be sent an e-mail which allows you to enter the site and cast your votes. Some e-mail providers will filter out the e-mail and put it in your Spam Folder, so if you do not recieve the e-mail within 5 minutes, check your Spam Folder.

I think we missed some name suggestions. Luckily we are having several rounds, so we will cheat and add some extra names to Round 2. Since we are already cheating, if you have a name that you really really really love and still have hope in your heart of hearts for, go for it. Add it and Nathan will enter it for the second round.

30 Weeks

Sarah is now 30 Weeks pregnant.

That means if you duct taped a watermelon to her belly, that is what it looks like.

We started preparing for the birth. If anyone has any tricks for popping the baby out no problem, feel free to suggest them. We recently spoke with a 6 Flags nurse about using their rollercoaster method .

Make your vote count

The hottest website in the world is announcing "ROUND 1" of the baby naming contest. To register for the poll go here, and you will be emailed a voting link:
(Nathan created the survey, so your emails will not be used for anything except snook baby spam)

http://bsticker.com/natesurvey/index.php?sid=1

We ask you select your top 10 names by October 20th, when the polls close to get ready for "ROUND 2."

For those curious, here is how the overall competition will go:

Round 1 65 names (pick 10 names)
Round 2 32 names (pick 8)
Round 3 16 names (pick 4)
Round 4 8 names (pick 2)
Round 5 4 names (pick 1)
Round FINAL: 1 Winner

Back From Spain!!

We are back from Spain where aunt Kelsey married uncle Cale in a beach town off of Barcelona, Cadaques. The baby was fine on the trip, still kicking, but mostly mellow. This is our last trip abroad before the baby is born.

The Girl's First Kick!

Today at 8:00 am I was lying in bed reading while Nathan was dressing for work. There was a pulse-like feeling to the left of my belly button. I stayed very still, and Nathan put his ear to my belly and felt it.

Then he was knocked out, I was finally able to resuscitate him with lots of kisses. Our baby is a kicker.

after 20 weeks

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)

A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)

Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

It's a girl!

I have to say I knew the kid would be a girl. I couldnt feel a penis when I touched Sarah's belly.

We need to get 32 names, so everyone start sending in suggestions. We already have about 5 names, and once we get to 32 that is it, no exceptions.

Then the name competition starts. No joke names will be accepted unless they are SUPER SUPER funny.

Boy or Girl or ?

Tomorrow we go for the ultrasound to determine if the baby is a boy, ninja, or girl. I tried to save some time & effort by carefully feeling Sarah's belly to find out.

I determined it was not an elephant, ostrich, or flying fish. Shortly after I made those conclusions, Sarah complained of tickles and kept squiggling so further examination was not possible.

GrandMaster Duk Son Sung vs Smoochie

In an effort to make our lives easier, we decided to enlist some help with the baby's name.

At a recent TKD event, the students were gracious enough to help us out.

Everyone provided their top 3 favorite boy, then girl names. The best of the best, creme de la crop names.

The names were then presented on a poster and everyone had one last chance to pick their top 3 favorites. We tallied up the totals and have our baby's names!

The results:
the best boy name: Grandmaster Duk Son Sung
the best girl name: Smoochie

Needless to say this invaluable naming advice will be taken for our baby boy / girl.

Tips on using this blog

1. to view comments click on the word comments under each entry

2. to comment click on "comments", then type a message and sign with your name. Finally give your email address.

3. Please vote on our polls.

Stay tuned...

We have scheduled the ultrasound which determines the gender of the baby, so make sure to check in around August 9th. We'll tell you as soon as we know.

Then let the games begin...Nathan will be introducing the baby naming contest! Feel free to look at other people's name suggestions and make a case for your own favorite names in the "Name Suggestions" post below. In the mean time weigh in, do you think this is a boy Snook or a girl Snook?

How the Baby's Growing After 15 Weeks

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, the baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. It's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in the lungs.

The baby's legs are growing longer than the arms now, and it can move all the joints and limbs. That means the baby's hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although the eyelids are fused shut, the baby can sense light. If you shine a flashlight, the baby's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for the baby to taste at this point, but it's taste buds are beginning to form.

How the Baby's Growing After 14 Weeks

Head to bottom, the baby's 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. The body's growing faster than the head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, it's arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of the body. (It's legs still have some growing to do, though.)

The baby is starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over the body (called lanugo). The baby's liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and it's spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. It's also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that it'll keep up until birth.

I still can't feel the baby's movements, but the hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, the baby's little facial muscles are getting a workout squinting, frowning, and grimacing. The baby can grasp now, too, and may be able to suck it's thumb.

How the Baby's Growing After 13 weeks

The baby's only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably.

How the Baby's Growing After 12 Weeks

The baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. The baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. The baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

Name Suggestions

Please suggest all names (both girl's names and boy's names) by commenting to this blog. Then we will pray to the gods and do the Tikki Wikki dance to determine the destiny of the baby.

Jeff sent us this article about baby names.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118247444843644288.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

1st Ultrasound

Here is the baby's first ultra sound which determines that the baby has been alive for 11 weeks and 1 day as of June 12th. It was very still and wasn't changing positions for the doctor. The doctor told me to cough and the baby started kicking like crazy till it would float up. As soon as it floated down the kicking would begin again. Mmmmm... maybe we have a "karate kid" on our hands...

Announcement!!!

We are expecting a baby on December 31st 2007.

This site will keep you updated on everything baby-related and give everyone a centralized space to share stories, photos, videos, and sound clips.

It will also serve as a baby book, so feel free to contribute anything the baby will enjoy later on.

Enjoy!!!