Eat, Sleep,CARS...Repeat

This probably does not come as a shock to anyone that has been around Noah lately, but he has a little obsession/fascination with the Disney Movie CARS. At Noah's age we typically go through a phase of intensly liking  one thing , but then we soon move on to something else. For example, Toy story and Buzz Lightyear  was all the rage for a short time. CARS is a different story, I have never seen anything capture his fascination and interest thus far the way CARS has. Noah sleeps in a Lightning McQueen race car bed while clutching a tiny McQueen in his hand.

Noah the CARS Fanatic

Disney has definitely made a ton of money off of the millions of merchandise items available. From Kroger to Target to All-State Commercials CARS is everywhere. Aaron and I can't seem to escape it. Noah has even got up in the morning with the first question out of his mouth is"Where is McQueen?" We have at least 6 Lightning McQueen toy cars. McQueen is by far Noah's favorite-no question about it.

Lightning McQueen Overload

A Corner of Noah's room

Noah's room is all CARS. His bed, his toy bin, his curtains, his wall decals. You name it-if it is CARS, it can be found in our home. We even "rock out' to a CARS CD in the car.
The other day there was a tow truck in front of me in traffic, Noah swore it was Mater based solely on the fact that it was a tow truck.
Naturally, we took Noah to see CARS 2. He was all smiles as we walked in to the theater. He sat through the entire movie, only taking one bathroom break. He was disappointed when the  movie concluded and wanted to see it again. At least when CARS 2 is out on video, I will have a new movie to watch over and over again and new lines to memorize. Noah can recite the entire CARS movie.

CARS Hygiene 

Just some of the things in our Pantry

A Present from Aunt Jennifer during Noah's Hospital stay

Noah @ CARS 2

                                                         

Noah had a CARS themed Birthday Party last year for his Second Birthday. This year he has requested another CARS themed party. We can't disappoint him, so CARS party it is! My Sanity is further diminished by hours of researching CARS party supplies and CARS themed parties. Now I know how my mom felt when I had a N.K.O.T.B  (New Kids On The Block for those not down with the lingo) obsession, and had to everything New Kids.
I suppose I should enjoy my little boy while he is just that-little. When he is in to girls, I will wish he was in to CARS...

Last Years Birthday Cake

CARS Birthday Boy(with Gracie)

A Sunday Afternoon with Charley

What a great way to spend my Sunday Afternoon than with a newborn. Newlywed Lindsay and I ventured to visit Sweet Charley and New Mom Blair. Meet Charley, she is 7 weeks old and absolutely adorable. This was the first meeting for both Lindsay and I with Charley and we were ecstatic and could not wait to get our hands on her. 

Sweet Baby Charlie

Charley looked so peaceful in her swing. She would wake up, Eat and then go back to sleep. The typical newborn schedule .At one point, Charley thought that I could offer her something to eat-which made  for a good laugh, I had  to hand her over to Blair to take care of that! Blair is so natural and you can tell that Blair and Charley are so in love with one another. I could also see during our visit that Charley is going to be a Daddy's girl. Her Father Josh is also madly in love with his new baby girl-whom looks just like him! I asked Josh how he liked being a Dad, to which he replied "It's  hard to imagine life without her."

Let's not forget about Charley's Dog Lucy. She is a cutie, and spoiled as well. She was sure to get in her bonding time with Blair every chance she got.

Blair, Charley & Lucy

Charley's nursery is decorated with the most adorable decor.When you walk in to the room, you know that Blair though out every single detail. The room is filled with rustic items and old family heirlooms.
Charley is so wide eyed and "smart", she is already soaking up all of her surroundings. Blair and Josh-watch out, she will keep you on your toes!

Nursery

Charley's Grandfathers Shoes

Lindsay and I  truly enjoyed our afternoon with Charley (Blair, Josh and Lucy). They are an amazing family, and we can't wait to visit again and watch Charley grow.

Why would anyone have just one child?

I was all ready to blog this week about Noah's CARS obsession until I ran across an article by NY times Guest Blogger Nataly Kogan titled "What's Wrong With One Child?".Aaron and I talked about children prior to  our Engagement and Marriage, the consensus was three children, if our finances allowed but we definitely  wanted at least two. When it came down to it,  what we had discussed did not matter, it was God's will for us to have just one child ,our precious Noah. Due to a life threatening complication (Placenta Accreta) during my Labor and Delivery with Noah, I am unable to physically have another child. We were lucky to have a good team of Doctors, with out which  I would not be here to enjoy my Son.

July 2008

Now that you have the background and reasoning for my blog topic, you can imagine this is a subject matter that  I have spent a good bit of time pondering  and sometimes agonizing over for the past three years. The author of the NY Times Blog Post, writes about how she and her husband have thus far only chosen to  have "just" one child  and how some people are very judgmental of their decision. The author  herself being an only child, would know better than anyone else the impact of her decision. 

As I read the comments to the blog,I was appalled by some of the rude things readers were writing. Many people commented that her decision was selfish and that they owed it to their children to produce a sibling. 

You owe it to your children to be a good parent and provide the best life possible, not to "produce" a sibling.the older Noah gets the more likely we are to get the dreaded question from people that are not aware of our situation "So, when are you guys going to have another one?" This is a very awkward question when asked. It is no fault of the person inquiring, just a very awkward moment for all. There are times when explaining is very simple and others where I would rather not.

Aaron and I have discussed adoption and I have even researched surrogacy. At this point, our family of three seems just perfect for us. So, you see the name of my blog "Dlugos 3" was not presumptive just reality.

I'm constantly thinking of the pros and cons of having one child. The cons are my fears. They include, visions of Aaron and I as an Older couple sitting alone at  the dinner table at holidays if Noah can't make it home, leaving Noah alone with no sibling comfort, and the "spoiled brat" or "weird" label that many only children get stuck with. The worst is that I would ever lose my only child. When Noah was diagnosed with a tumor on the base of his brain, it was the worst feeling in the world. It would be for any parent, especially the parent of an only child. I also wonder what to say when Noah asked why he has no siblings or asks for one for his birthday. The  pro's comfort my fears. The Pro's include, being able to provide more for one child, being able to spend more time with Noah and not missing any events he may be in where some families with multiple children may have to divide their time between their children's events. 

All parents cherish special moments with their children such as first birthdays, first words, first steps etc...For Aaron and I these moments are especially precious since we already know we only have one set of firsts. Some of you may read my FB posts and wonder why I seem to constantly be talking about my child, well now you have a better ideas as to why.

Catching Noah's first Steps on Camera

Society in the past seemed to look down on parents who had only one child. Who would ever do such a thing? I have heard negative things said about one child families. I think one child families are becoming more accepting, mainly due to the economy. The bottom line is everyone has their reasoning for having just one child. It may be due to their own choice or through no choice of their own at all. Happiness is not measured by the number of times you give birth or by the number of children that you raise. Every time I see a huge smile on Noah's face I know that we were blessed with ONE fantastic child who brings so much joy to our lives and vice versa.

Do I have "bad" days when I wish to have more children-of course, I am human and no one loves babies more than I,  but the good days with out a doubt outweigh the bad. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that God makes no mistakes. We have one child for a reason...