Nolan is 1!

Yup, the big day has come and gone - and Nolan had a great day celebrating! He took 2 really good naps, ate everything we gave him (which is unusual, as he's a very picky eater, especially with foods he determines "feel funny") and entertained our families with his smiling and clapping. It was a lot of work getting ready for his party, but he had so much fun, and I think our guests did, too! Nolan was very spoiled by everyone and has lots of fun, new toys to play with! I even went to the effort of baking and decorating his cake, which I wasn't sure I could do. It turned out better than I thought it would! Our little house was crowded and loud, but isn't that what makes a great party?

The big news this week is that Nolan had his last bottle Sunday night before bed. It's kind of a sad transition when your baby stops drinking out of a bottle. I think it's the realization he's not going to rely on us so much anymore that's hard! But, knowing another baby is on the way makes it a little easier to take! He's transitioning to whole milk ok. We were mixing it with a little formula at the beginning of the week, but have stopped doing that. If he's really thirsty he'll drink, so he's adapting.

He's getting better and better at standing on his own. It's funny - he lets go of what he's holding on to, hangs out for a while, and then realizes what he's doing and sits down. He received a couple of walk behind/ride on toys for his birthday, and he does a really good job of walking behind them. Someday he'll be brave enough to take his first steps!

I had to leave work early today to take Nolan to an appointment. I picked him up from daycare at 3:35, and he was fine - had just gotten up from a nap. Julie said he had a great day - ate well and took 2 good naps. Literally 2 miles in to our drive he started coughing, which is odd because he doesn't have a cough. From there it turned in to this awful gagging sound, and then he started having trouble breathing. I pulled the car over to the side of the road, got out of the car and got in to the back seat, and saw he was throwing up everywhere. Poor kid! I felt so bad for him - and me, too! I've never really been thrown up on before, so that was new. I cleaned his face off as best I could, then turned around and drove home (with the windows rolled down). I undressed him in the garage, gave him a bath, put some warm clothes on him, and then took him outside with me so I could clean the car seat. It was one of the top 5 most disgusting things I've ever had to do, but I bucked up and did it. Nolan was fine playing outside, and didn't have another incident until we tried to get him to eat bread or cheerios, and then he drank too much water. Both Adam and I took a hit that time! He played well after that, so hopefully it's something that will resolve itself quickly. He went to bed at 6:30, and we're hoping he makes it through the night without any issues. His 1 year check up is tomorrow, so we'll see how he's doing then. The bad part is he can't go to daycare, so I think I'll take a half day, and Adam will take the other half. Ah, the joys of parenting . . . but neither of us would trade it!

We had our 16 week check up today for the new baby, and everything is progressing nicely. At my last appointment the dr. was concerned because I lost some weight - which didn't surprise me, as I wasn't eating as much as I was around the holidays, and I wasn't drinking beer! I gained weight at this appointment, so everyone was happy. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and it's nice and strong. It's always such a relief to hear it! The cool thing is I thought I felt the baby moving a few different days last week, but wrote it off as nothing because I thought it was too early. I know I felt it Monday night, which is about 2 weeks earlier than when I was prego with Nolan. It feels a lot more real now!

Week minus 1

One week from today our little Nolan turns 1. Hard to believe a whole year has passed since we brought him home from the hospital! He's as busy as ever. On Wednesday when I picked him up from daycare he said Julie's name as we were leaving -3 different times! Both Julie and I were so excited. His vocabulary is getting to be quite extensive - or as extensive as it can be for an almost 1 year old! He doesn't say these things all the time, but he has said them, and knows that they mean: light, ceiling fan, woof (what does a puppy say?), buh bye, and hi. He also started standing on his own this week for the first time. He's fine for a short time, and then he starts to panic and sits down. My guess is he'll be taking some steps on his own by the end of April. Julie also told us that she took Nolan for a walk on one of the nice days last week. Nolan LOVES to be outside, and when she got him back to the house and tried to bring him inside he got upset. I look at that as a good sign, especially with spring and summer right around the corner!

Nolan and I went to church this morning, and he was such a good boy. He sat next to me in the pew for the first 10 minutes, quietly sitting and looking around. After that he enjoyed dancing and singing with the choir, walking along the pew, eating cheerios, and visiting and playing peek a boo with one of the ushers (who thinks Nolan is a handsome little boy!).

Suprisingly Nolan didn't have any issues with daylight savings time. I remember in the fall it was a difficult adjustment for him. He didn't get up until almost 8, and didn't even take a morning nap - a first for him! He did go down early for his afternoon nap, at 11:45, but went to bed at his normal time of 6:45. There are quite a few changes that happen when a kid turns 1 - no more bottles, switching to whole milk, facing forward in a car seat, and the dreaded only 1 nap a day. I've gotten kinda used to that fact Nolan typically naps between 3 and 5 hours a day. With only 1 nap a day I'm sure that will change!

Yesterday Nolan and I ran errands, trying to find some decorations for the cake I want to make for his birthday. I had no idea it would be so difficult to find Curious George decorations! I found something on-line last night and ordered it. Now I have to wait and see if it will show up on time! I feel a little better about his party, as I made the menu and my list of things to buy for it last night. I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with all the party planning I need to do in the next 2 months - Nolan's birthday, and Paulette's bridal shower and bachelorette party. Paulette's parties will just need to wait until after next Sunday!

I love the fact the snow is melting and the sun is shining! Adam and I took Nolan for a walk this afternoon, and to the playground for the very first time. He loved being in the swing, and even took a trip down the slide with Adam. The snow on the ground in the pictures is deceiving - it was 64 degrees and really warm! When we got home from our walk Nolan played with the truck he got from Grandma and Grandpa Bleck for Christmas. He thought it was really fun to honk the horn! We also sat on the front step so we could all enjoy a snack. We wanted to spend as much time outside as possible! Nolan and I finally went inside when Adam spotted the first gardner snake of the season, and needed to "take care of it". We thought that was as good a time as any to move indoors!

A royal flush

When I picked up Nolan from daycare today, Julie asked me who taught Nolan how to flush a toilet. Seriously? Apparantly Julie was brushing her teeth, and Nolan was in the bathroom with her. He looked at her, did his fake laugh, and then reached over from the cabinet to flush the toilet. She said it scared him a little, and then he thought it was funny. He is in to everything!

His other new skill is to say "moo" when I ask him what a cow says. It's fun to watch him learn new things all the time!

Family vacation fun

We are back from our week long vacation to Fort Myers Beach, and I can happily say Nolan did pretty good the entire week. He slept 3 hours on the flight down (thanks to the help of a little Children's Benedryl)! When we landed in Florida it was chilly - only in the 50's. Good thing we had Nolan's winter hat with us! The weather didn't warm up a whole lot - lows in the 40's and highs between 60 and 70. But it was warmer than MN! The house we stayed at was nice. Each family had their own bedroom and bathroom. Nolan spend a lot of time in the bedroom due to his sleep schedule! We were able to spend a few days laying out in the sun. Even in that short amount of time I got a little sunburnt - especially on the part of my hair! We were able to use the pool in the afternoon a few times, too, and Nolan loved that. It's like a big bath tub to him! The highlight of the trip was going to spring training practice and having Tony Olivia stop and talk to me and Nolan. I had no idea who he was, but he stopped to ask me if I had a future ball player on my hands. I told him I hoped so, and then he started digging in his pocket. He pulled out a baseball and told me that Joe Mauer hit this ball. I said thanks and he walked off. As I looked at the ball I realized it was signed by Tony Oliva! The best part of that whole experience was after Tony talked to us, all the old people around us started taking pictures of Nolan in his stroller holding the signed baseball. We didn't even get a picture of him! A few of the people who come must go to spring training often said it's pretty cool we got the baseball, because apparantly Tony Oliva doesn't do stuff like that very often! We weren't at practice early enough to get any other autographs, but as players and coaches walked between practice fields they would smile and wave. It was a really fun atmosphere! The Twin's game on Friday vs. the Red Sox was fun, too. The game was sold out - there were over 8,000 people in attendance! We had really good seats - 7 rows up along the 3rd baseline. I was glad we were in the sun most of the game - the wind was a bit chilly. We went out to eat a few times throughout the week, but because Nolan is still taking 2 naps a day and going to bed between 6:30 and 7 we stayed pretty close to the house. Ellen and Greg were nice enough to watch him a few evenings for us so we could go out. Fort Myers Beach is a funny little area. It's super busy during the day, with people coming in and off the island to hang out at the beach - but at night it just dies. The population is a little older, so they eat out earlier, and therefore all the restaurants close earlier than what we're used to. We were at one restaurant having a few beverages one night and our server literally had his coat on when he handed us our check - and it was 9:45! Adam, Nolan and I took the trolly from the house to downtown Fort Myers Beach to do some window shopping, too. The trolly was a fun experience, and Nolan loved looking out the windows. He also liked people watching. Hopefully that's a sign that he'll be a good shopping buddy! Nolan slept for 2 hours on the plane on the way home on Saturday. The first hour was a little dicey, but once he finally fell asleep it was a lot better! Adam and I didn't have a window seat on the way back, but the woman who did have the window seat was nice enough to let us have it. It's so much easier sitting there with Nolan. He had the window to look out, and his favorite thing to do was pull the window shade up and down! We got back home around 5 on Saturday night, and Nolan was so excited to play with all of his toys! Good thing he's a pretty adaptable kid. Yesterday he went back to daycare, and thankfully he didn't have any issues readjusting. Now if we could only get him to eat protein and veggies better . . .

While we were on our trip Nolan started teething pretty bad. He's getting 2 more teeth - one on each side of his 2 front teeth. His hand is constantly in his mouth, and you can tell it makes him uncomfortable. Hopefully they'll pop through sooner rather than later! Nolan also seemed to get a lot busier last week. He was on the move quite a bit, walking around the furniture, throwing balls around, and playing with his toys. We thought he might be walking before his birthday, but I don't think that will happen. Every once in a while he stands on his own, but as soon as he realizes he's doing it he falls down. I'm most excited for him to walk so I don't have to carry him over to daycare. He's getting so heavy! My prediction is that he'll be almost 25 lbs at his 1-year appointment!

I need to put on my party planning hat this week to start preparations for Nolan's 1st birthday party. I'm not sure where this last year went! We're having a small get together for his b-day, with our immediate families - which is almost 30 people! Hopefully the weather will be nice so the kids can play outside a little bit.

Nolan takes a stand

We haven't posted a video in a while, so I thought we should - even if it isn't all that crazy!

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!