The medicine Nolan was on for his double ear infection really did wonders for him - except for the fact it didn't actually get rid of the ear infection:( I took him in for a re-check today, just to make sure the infection had cleared up before we hop on a plane to Florida on Saturday. Sure enough, it's not completely gone. We now have another prescription for him, and some children's benedryl to hopefully help him sleep on the plane! I just feel so bad for him. I've been battling a cold too, and I know how my ears have felt! When the nurse put Nolan on the scale today I just about fell over. When we were at the dr. on Feb. 12th he weighed 21 lbs, 14 oz. Today he tipped the scales at 23 lbs, 6 oz! What a difference feeling better has made for him - he's actually eating, and apparantly it's sticking to his bones just fine. Oh, and he is getting 2 more teeth on top, which explains why his hands are constantly in his mouth, and maybe why he's taken to chewing on his crib on a regular basis!

Nolan has been busy, busy, busy lately! His new favorite thing to do at daycare is to headbutt the cats. One of them just lays there and takes it, but the other one tries to get away. Nolan is a fast crawler, so that poor cat literally has to jump on the couch to get out of the way! Nolan has also figured out the joys of walking behind toys with wheels, which is new this week. It's so funny to watch him toddle across the floor. I think he likes his new found freedom. He's also saying a few more words on occasion, like ball and light. Bath time has become very interesting lately, as all he wants to do is crawl around and try and stand up. He loves to splash, so we're usually covered in water, and he loves to try and pull up the drain plug. He isn't quite strong enough to get it all the way up yet, but he sure tries hard!

Last weekend was an exciting weekend for us, as we finally got to tell our friends and family that another baby Bleck is on its way! Yup, we're expecting (and yes, it was planned) on September 4, 2010. Nolan will be 18 months old when the new baby is born. All that means for us is that we're going to be busy, busy, busy! The new baby will go in Nolan's current room, and he's getting moved next door to what is now the office, but will be his big kid room. We're not buying another crib, so he's going to move right in to a toddler bed, probably sometime in August. It's so fun to think about, but then I start to make a mental list of everything we need to get done before August - and then I just get tired! Just as it did before Nolan was born, everything will get done.

As I mentioned earlier, we're heading off to Fort Myers with Adam's family on Saturday for a week. I'm really looking forward to watching the Twin's practice during spring training, and to go to the first spring training game - Twin's vs. Red Sox. The warmer weather will be super nice, too!

Doctor, doctor, give me the news

Nolan's got a bad case of a . . . double ear infection! Thursday night with Nolan didn't go well, either. He woke up coughing at 11:20 p.m. and proceeded to throw up, again, all over himself and his crib. It was so sad! I called the nurse line and gave the nurse a run down of his symptoms, and she recommended we bring him in to the dr. again for a check up. Low and behold, after checking one year and then the other, the diagnosis was a double ear infection. Talk about feeling like a horrible parent. I remember asking my sister a few years ago, "how can you not know your kid has a double ear infection?" I guess now I know! He's on an antibiotic for 10 days. The great thing about this antibiotic is that it will make him feel better. The bad things are: upset stomach (true), diarrhea (true), and dehydration (true). Today is the first day in a long time that he's actually acting like himself!

Yesterday we were supposed to go to swimming lessons, but with his ears and the fact that he had a tough morning, we decided to forgo them this week. He took a good morning nap, which prepped him for the big day - his first haircut! We took him to Kids Clipz in Chanhassen, and he did so well. The sat him in a bumbo on the styling chair, put a cape on him, and played a Baby Einstein DVD - and Nolan was a little rock star! As usual, he didn't smile, laugh or cry. He looks like a grown up little boy, which we think is a good look for him! His hair was so uneven. We probably should have taken him in a month or more ago to get it evened out. After his haircut we made a trip to the mall to buy him his first real pair of shoes. He had such a big day yesterday! A babysitter came over at 4, and then we left for the evening to celebrate our friend Kate's 30th birthday at Chino Latino and Comedy Sportz. We always have so much fun hanging out with our friends, and it's especially relaxing to know we don't have to worry about Nolan.

Today has been a great day. First of all, it's Valentine's Day. Nolan was nice enough to get both me and Adam a card from him! We stuck close to home and watched the Olympics from last night, played with Nolan inside and outside in the snow, made angel food cake and are preparing to make homemade pizza in a little bit. What a great end to our weekend!

The initiation

It's official - we've been initiated! Nolan has been coughing up a storm, and he finally figured out a way to get all the gunk out of his system - by throwing up all over Adam! I wasn't feeling well last night, so Adam had Nolan duty. When I picked up Nolan from daycare, Julie said he was a little out of sorts, coughing a lot, and tired. He wouldn't eat anything for dinner - not even yogurt or cheese! About a 1/2 hour later Adam took Nolan to get ready for bed, Nolan started coughing, and then all I hear is Adam saying "ewwww" and "gross". He then runs in to the kitchen with Nolan, and is asking "for a little help here!" It was absolutely disgusting. Adam and I figure that we (more Adam than me) have finally been initiated as parents! I find it pretty impressive that we made it 10 1/2 months without getting thrown up on.

Adam is at a work event tonight, so it was just me and Nolan. Nolan decided that tonight was the night that he was going to start walking along the furniture! It was so funny watching him figure out how to do it. The thing that motivated him downstairs were the remotes for the t.v. Once he saw those on the end table at the other end of the couch he was off and walking. After that he climbed the steps again, and then he tired out. He still gets tired super early in the evening (around 6). I gave him a bath and needed to keep him for another 20 minutes. I thought I could get him to play a little longer, but that was not the case - all he wanted to do is cuddle! He was in bed and sleeping at 6:35. The only change we've had to make to his bedtime routine is with his bottle. We've been noticing for a few weeks that he just doesn't seem all that in to drinking a bottle before bed. It's almost like he's wheening himself off the bottle before we do if for him. Now if only he would start eating dinner better by himself!

Like a fish to water

Nolan has taken quite a liking to swimming. He’s been dunked 3 times now, and hasn’t cried yet. He sort of knows how to scoop the water with his hands, and LOVES to splash! We’re working on teaching him to kick his legs in the water, too. Hopefully we’ll be able to go to the lake with him this summer so he can practice his new skills!


Nolan is still sick. I feel like it’s never going to end! His cough is starting to get a little better, although when he does cough he cries because it hurts his chest. This weekend we made it through 3 days of a super bad runny nose. I never thought I’d have to put a box of tissue in each room of the house! I think the saddest part of all is that his voice has been affected by this cold, so he sounds hoarse and really congested. Poor kid doesn’t even sound like himself! Hopefully he’s on the fast track to recovery. I really don’t want him to be sick when we’re on a vacation in a few weeks!

Last weekend Nolan and I were super excited to be invited to Jackson’s 1st birthday party in Moose Lake. We left after swimming lessons Saturday morning, and made it up there in time for lunch. Jackson had a great time at his party, and Nolan loved playing with all his cool toys – although the 2 of them have a very similar collection of toys at this point! Watching Jackson eat his birthday cake was the highlight for me. He took a few bites of it, but preferred to smash it with his hands, and then throw it over the side of his booster chair – right on to the beige carpet! Chris and Adam are going to be installing laminate wood flooring in the dining room sooner rather than later!

Poor baby!

Nolan has been sick since Saturday night at 11:30, and we feel so bad for him! I should clarify that he seems to be feeling better, and his fever is gone, which is a relief. He woke up at 11:30 on Saturday night crying, and when I went to check on him he was a little hot box. After he woke up again at 2:30 and he felt even warmer I gave him some Tylenol, and then he woke up again at 3:30, and then for good at 6:15. He was running a high temp of 102, so all day Sunday I gave him Tylenol and Motrin. He slept for 6 hours on Sunday! When he was awake he only wanted to be held and cuddled. It’s so sad to see your kid like that! We sent him to daycare yesterday because he didn’t have a fever in the morning, but got a call from Julie at 10:30 that his fever had spiked again to 102. I finished up a few things at work and picked him up at noon. I was able to get some work done while he napped. I took him to the dr. at 2, and his fever was down to 99.7, thanks to the Tylenol Julie had given him before I picked him up. He’s also been dealing with this chest/throat congestion off and on since December. The dr. listened to his lungs and heard a crackling in the left lung, so she ordered some x-rays. Luckily they didn’t find anything. They did give him a neb treatment, which really seemed to clear him out. He resisted the mask right away, but the longer I held him and sang to him the more he calmed down, and at the end of the treatment he was pretty relaxed. When the dr. listened to his lungs after the treatment the crackling was gone. The best they can figure is that whatever he has is viral and will run its course. As a parent you just want to make it better for him, which I guess isn’t always possible. Hopefully he’s on the road to recovery. Adam and I weren’t aware that Nolan couldn’t go to daycare until he was fever free for 24 hours, so Adam worked at home today. Based on the no temp status it looks like he’ll be able to go to daycare again tomorrow.

The rest of the weekend was jam packed. Adam was gone ice fishing in Deerwood this weekend, so it was just me and the little man. On Friday after work I picked up Nolan and Jackson (Chris and Sasha’s 1-year old) from daycare. I fed both of them (at the same time, I might add!) and got Jackson ready for Emily (Adam’s cousin) to pick him up. Emily got to our house around 6. Jackson was in his pj’s and ready to go, but I had to install the car seat in Emily’s car first – which took me a bit longer than it should have! While I was installing the car seat Emily was nice enough to keep the car running for me. After I was done Emily packed all of Jackson’s supplies in her car, and came back in to get him. When she got back out to her car and it had turned off (automatic car starter) and had locked her out – with her keys inside! Adam and I have AAA, so I called and they sent s tow truck out to see if it could be unlocked. 45 minutes after the guy arrived Emily was back in her car and leaving with Jackson in tow. During all of this Gina, Emma and Allie showed up, but couldn’t get in our driveway because the tow truck was blocking it. I saw a little space I could squeeze her minivan through, so after she waited in the car with the girls for about 15 minutes I got them inside the house. On Saturday morning I took Nolan to swimming, where he had a great time splashing in the water. I also dunked him for the first time. I was a little scared to do it, but he knows what to do and hasn’t cried yet! Gina and the girls were gone all day Saturday, but I was able to spend time with them on Sunday - despite the fact Nolan was sick. Hopefully the girls didn't pick it up from him! Oh, and a quick side note - Nolan, 10 months, weighs more than little Allie - who turned 2 in October!