Vacation, or a relocation?

We arrived home yesterday after a week spent with my family at Spirit of the North Resort on Leech Lake in Walker. I think I can confidently say everyone had a good time, despite the early morning wake up calls from any one of the five kids there! The cabin was plenty big, there was room for all of us at the dining room table, and there were plenty of activities for Emma and Lalayna. The beach was super relaxing. I sucessfully reached my goal of coming home with a great tan! My dad was thrilled by the easy access to the lake. He could just hop in his kayak any time he wanted and go float around the lake. Adam made it out on the boat with Eric all but one day, and caught a few really nice walleyes. I think the largest was 25 1/2 inches long! There were swings by the lake, so I was able to watch the sunset almost every night. We also had a bonfire pit in the front yard, and we took full advantage of it all but the first night and the last night. The weather was perfect - about 80-90 degrees and sunny. It rained a little on Tuesday and as we were leaving on Saturday, but otherwise it was sunny every day. The general consensus was that we would go back to the same resort again!

I think the biggest challenge for me and Adam on this trip was the realization that vacation as we have known it no longer exists. Yes it is great to get away and relax, but basically you're just relocating your normal routine with a baby to somewhere else. It was hard to realize that we couldn't just go do something we wanted to do, and that we had to take turns doing things on our own so the other person could take care of Nolan. By the last few days we adjusted to what a new vacation looks like for us. The next time we get away as a family it will be much easier, hopefully!

Nolan did really well throughout the week. On the ride up to the resort he only cried for 20 minutes. He had a tougher ride on the way home, but all in all did well. He slept okay at night, but didn't do as well with his naps. He found his toes last week, which was pretty funny. You could just see the wheels turning in his head as he realized he had not one but two feet! He also started giggling a little. He made his first swim in the indoor pool with Adam. He didn't smile, he didn't cry, but it seemed like he enjoyed it. If you ask either Emma or Lalayna their favorite part of vacation they will tell you the swimming pool! Nolan helped Adam celebrate Father's Day on his 3rd month birthday (June 21st), and we celebrated Adam's 32nd birthday on the 24th. We were able to meet up with our friends Gabe and Amanada and their little boy Ellis in Bemidji on Tuesday. It was amazing to see Ellis, who is only 8 weeks old, next to Nolan. Nolan looked like a tank next to him!

Tomorrow is back to reality for me - my first day back at work. I'm sure it will be fine, but it's a little nerve racking knowing it's been more than 14 weeks since I've been at work. Hopefully everything will come back to me fairly quickly and everyone remembers who I am! The big downer is that I'm going back to work with a lovely summer cold. Seriously, not the best timing in the world. Good thing there are drugs to help with it! Nolan isn't starting daycare until July 6th, so Adam is staying home with him tomorrow, Ellen is watching him on Tuesday, and I'm home with him Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is the July 4th holiday so both Adam and I will be home. We're celebrating the 4th in Albertville at a friend of my sister's house. They have a pool, so as long as there is a little shade Nolan will be swimming again!

Packrat

It's crunch time at our house, as we're 1 day away from leaving on vacation. There is so much stuff to get done! So far I've mowed the lawn, cleaned the house and finished laundry, and yesterday I was able to pack up all the dry food and most of Nolan's stuff. It really is truly amazing to me how much stuff you need to care for a 13 week old! Today I'm going to tackle my packing, and then start getting together all the odds and ends. Jenny and JJ are borrowing us their luggage thing to put on our trailer hitch so we have enough room for everything.

Yesterday I had to take Nolan to the dr. again. I called the nurse line to get his Zantac prescription refilled, and when she asked me how he was doing I mentioned he was spitting up more but didn't think it was a big deal. She seemed to think otherwise and recommended we go in to see our dr. So we did, and as I suspected it wasn't a big deal - Nolan is just a spitter and it probably won't get a whole lot better until we are able to feed him some solid foods. Thank goodness for stain remover! I also asked her about tummy time, and that fact that Nolan just rolls on to his back every time I put him on his tummy. She said that's fine and he's getting good exercise. I just need to keep putting him on his tummy. I was really interested to see how much he weighed - and the scale came in at 12 lbs 12 oz.! He gained 2 lbs since his 2 month check-up. I don't mind that he's beefing up a little bit. His clothes fit him better than they used to! Oh, and I'm pretty sure I heard him giggle on Tuesday afternoon. I haven't heard it since, so I'm hoping he will bust it out again soon!

Adam had to go to the employee health clinic at work today. He got really sick on Wednesday and suspected it was a sinus infection. Well, he was right and is on the 10 day antibiotics again. I'm sure glad he went in before we left for the week. Hopefully he'll start feeling better again soon. His softball team plays at 8:30 tonight in the woodbat softball tournament. I'm not sure if Nolan and I will make it to the game. We'll try to get to one tomorrow, though. We need to take advantage of the weather before we get in the car and drive for 4 1/2 hours!

I'm looking forward to getting some sun and reading a few good books next week. I need to enjoy it before I head back to work!

Picture perfect?

Sunday was such a beautiful day! We started off the day at church, and then went right to Nolan's picture appointment. The appointment went as well as can be expected. I'm sure it's pretty scary for a baby to be plopped in front of a stranger and bright lights and be expected to smile and have fun! Overall he did fine - especially once we figured out he wasn't very smiley do to the fact he was pooping the whole time and we didn't realize it! We'll get the pictures back after vacation. We weren't particularly fond of the photographer we had. You could just tell she didn't want to be at work. I was also a little surprised at how rushed everything was. We went to JC Penney, but next time we're going to try either Target or Sears. After we got home we played outside in the front yard for quite a while. Nolan loves being outdoors! Adam was able to get a bunch of yard work done, and even found time to wash and vaccuum my car. It really needed a good cleaning, because Adam forgot to close the windows and sunroof and there was cotton in it everywhere! We also stopped over to our neighbor's house to help their little guy Luke celebrate his 5th birthday.

Yesterday Nolan had another chiropractor appointment. He did much better, and while he still cried it was nothing like last week. We're still seeing huge improvements in tummy time, so that makes me think it's working.

It's time to start thinking about going back to work, which I'm pretty excited about. I love being home with Nolan (most days!), but I also really like my job and the people I work with. I hope they're as excited to have me back as I am to come back! My first 2 days back at work are June 29th and 30th, and then I'll be off the rest of that week. My first full week back is July 6th. I'm sure there will be an adjustment period for both me and Nolan, but it will be good for him to be around other kids and for me to be around adults! We stopped over to see "Daycare Julie" earlier today and he goes right to her. Plus all the kids seem to like them, although the 20 month old twins would rather him not be there - they want Julie to themselves!

Tomorrow we have another chiropractor appointment, and then it's time to start packing for vacation. We leave on Saturday after Adam's done playing in the woodbat softball tournament. Hopefully there's room in the truck for all our stuff!

A week of adjustments

I'm not sure where this past week went, but it flew by! I can't believe it's Saturday already. We had another busy week, with less sleep than I'm used to these days!

Last Sunday was Lola's baptism in Mankato. Adam and I, along with Brian's brother Mike, are the godparents. It was an honor to stand up there with her as she was baptised! We had a great afternoon hanging out at Christianne and Brian's house. I think it was a precursor to what the family vacation is going to be like - loud! But that's okay. All the kids are so funny to watch! Lola slept most of the day, which was a nice break for her parents. Nolan got lots of attention, too, which he loved. Paulette and Ryan brought Adam home Sunday evening and I stayed in Mankato with Nolan so I could help Christianne on Monday. It's amazing what a little time for yourself will do - showering without having to rush, eating lunch without getting interrupted. Christianne really enjoyed it! I was lucky, because Nolan slept through the night, from 7 until 6:30. He even slept through all the thunderstorms! Monday night through Wednesday night were a different story, though. I've gotten used to him sleeping through the night, so when he decides to wake up at 4:30, 4 and 3:15 a.m. to play for a few hours I really have a hard time finding the fun in it! I got a bit of a break on Friday morning because Adam got up with him at 5:45, and this morning Adam got him settled down between 4:45 and 5:30. He got up a few times between 5:30 and 7 but did sleep until 7! I went to workout this morning and now Adam is off fishing with our friends Mike and Nikki and their son, Owen. It's Owen's first time fishing (he's 28 months old), so I'm sure it will be fun!

Not only did Nolan not sleep real well this week, but he also went to the chiropractor twice. Our chiropractor, Dr. Amiot, told us Nolan doesn't have full range of motion on the left side of his neck, which we were already aware of. He likes to cheat and move his whole body when he turns his head to the left. The dr. adjusted his neck and back the first time, and just focused on his neck on Friday. We also had another dr. (Dr. Spinner) examine his head on Friday to make sure he wasn't getting a flat head. She looked at the alignment of his eyes and ears, and checked his skull. The back of his head on the right side is very slightly more flat than the left, but she said it's not a cause for concern, because everything aligns like it's supposed to. We just really need to work the neck muscles and it should take care of itself. Nolan doesn't like the adjustment very well (in fact he screams the whole time), but we've seen a huge improvement in tummy time. He can hold his head up for about 5 minutes now and not get upset, and he even smiles while doing it! Dr. Amiot is great with him, and I feel really good about our decision to take him in. We have 2 more appointments next week, and then we'll see how he's doing before we schedule any others. Oh, and I had to call our pediatrician to find out what the next doseage for his Zantac should be. Last week we noticed he was spitting up more, so she upped it to .8. It's been a lot better this week.

Nolan is talking and screaming more and more, and is starting to really enjoy rolling on to his side to stare at himself in a mirror. I don't think it will be too much longer before he rolls from his back to tummy. He has really discovered his hands in the last week, and sucks on them whenever he can. He likes to rub his head while sucking on his hands, and figured out how to pull his hair. The problem is he doesn't know how to stop pulling his hair, so he starts crying because it hurts! He's also drooling quite a bit, which I guess is normal and doesn't stop for a long time. He still loves bath time and has figured out how to splash the water with his arms and legs, but gets quite upset when we have to put his pj's on. He loves being naked!

I had to start going through his 0-3 month clothes this week and start weeding through what doesn't fit him anymore. He's outgrown about half of the 0-3 month clothes and all of his pj's. Tomorrow we have his 3 month pictures scheduled at 11:10 (hard to believe he's 12 weeks old today!) and after that we need to go buy him some pj's. We only have 2 pairs of 3-6 month sleepers, and that's just not enough!

Last night Adam and I enjoyed our third date night since Nolan arrived. Ellen and Greg came over to watch him, so we took the opportunity to go out to eat at Lola's on Lake Waconia, and then see the movie The Hangover. If you have a chance and like the movies Old School and Superbad, you will love The Hangover. We haven't laughed that hard in a long time! I think the best part about last night is that we were able to go to dinner and enjoy great conversation that didn't revolve around Nolan. It's nice to know we still have lots to talk about after 4 years together!

The weather is beautiful today, so hopefully we can get out for a walk later today. Wish us luck at his picture appointment tomorrow. I hope he's in a good mood!

Wacky Wednesday and Rollover Thursday

Yesterday was probably one of the most interesting days I've had since I've been home on maternity leave. It started out great - Nolan slept through the night! Adam and I have started using some of the Baby Whisperer technics, and they actually work! The "dream feed" is what's getting us through. He slept from 8:15 PM - 6:15 AM yesterday, with a dream feed at 10:45. I fed him his first bottle when he woke up, and then he played until 8. Right after I put him down for his nap the power went out, and didn't come back on until 9:40. Good thing Nolan napped from 8 - 8:40!During tummy time again he rolled over from his tummy to his back again. Hopefully this will start to be a more regular occurance! I fed him again around 9:30, and we started out on our walk at 10:30. As I opened up our garage door I noticed a police car in front of our house, near the mailbox. It's not that odd for us to see a Mound police car in our neighborhood, because our next door neighbor Todd works for the police department. However, this was a police woman, and I heard our neighbor Kurt from down the street saying he smelled smoke and heard the alarms going off. He was pointing at our neighboor Julie's house, across the street. Just then the fire truck pulled up. They had to knock the door in, and when Nolan and I left the firemen were bringing a fan in to the house and opening all the windows. When we got back from our walk an hour later everyone was gone, so things must be okay. I didn't want to disturb Julie last night with questions, but hopefully I'll see her tonight to find out what happened! Ahh, the life of a stay at home mom! After the walk Nolan and I were looking out our back windows when all of a sudden this stupid yellow bird with fast wings started flying in to the windows. And when I mean windows I mean all 5 of them, repeatedly. Very strange. I fed Nolan again around noon, and then one of the best parts about yesterday - Nolan napped for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon! That gave me plenty of time to finish laundry and get caught up on the Deadliest Catch and Say Yes to the Dress! To finish our day we made it to Adam's softball game last night. They won 29-9! Although Adam didn't hit 2 homeruns like he did last week, it was still super fun to be there to cheer him on. Oh, and how could I forget that Adam opened up an early birthday present from Nolan -a new motorcycle helmet.

This morning Nolan started making noise at 5:15, so I had to use the "ssh pat" method a couple of times to get him to fall back asleep. Luckly it worked, and he slept until 6:40! We've had a good day, and he seems to be mastering the art of rolling over. I'm excited to be able to show everyone his new skills! He almost rolled over from his back to tummy today, too, but I think it will be a while before he gets that new trick down. I've been a little surprised at how much Nolan is drooling already. I totally thought that was something that started when the teeth start coming!

9 hours of uninterrupted sleep!

That's right, folks. While Adam may have suffered a little during his one night up with Nolan, I slept for 9 hours straight and woke up Sunday morning feeling like a champ! It was weird waking up and not having Nolan and Adam home, but I'm not going to lie - sleeping was fantastic! I was also able to sit out on the deck for a little while and read and catch some rays. It wasn't all relaxing, though. I made sure I mowed the lawn before Adam and Nolan arrived home from the farm!

Saturday I spent the day celebrating my good friend Melissa's bridal shower and bachelorette party. It was a great day! It's so fun to see the excitement in the face of a bride-to-be. I'm really looking forward to being a part of her special day on August 8th!

Nolan has been working really hard at turning his head more to the left, and I think it's working. I need to call our dr. on Thursday this week to report his progress. Hopefully it's enough that he won't need therapy to strengthen his neck muscles! I'm also happy to report that while he still doesn't love tummy time, he's tolerating it enough to at least keep his head up for more than a few seconds. In fact, he rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time today! I was so proud of him. The first thing I did is called Adam to let him know the big news! Oh, the other big news is that Nolan is finally able to keep his thumb in his mouth for a more extended period of time - 15 seconds or more! He is a much happier baby when his thumb finds its way to his mouth.

Nolan and I have already been out on our walk today. It is beautiful outside! Nolan made it half way through the walk in the Baby Bjorn, and the other half sleeping in his stroller. Walking isn't quite cutting it for me to lose my last stubborn 6 pounds of baby weight, thought, so I'm still attending my aerobics classes 3 or 4 days a week. I keep telling myself I'm not losing the weight because I'm getting more muscular! Tonight I have the tri-fit class, tomorrow is yoga, and Thursday and Saturday morning is total body conditioning. I'm always a little tired and sore after class, but overall it feels really good to be active!

It's hard to believe but in 3 weeks we'll be on vacation with my family at a resort on Leech Lake in Walker. We're renting a 5 bedroom cabin on the lake, which will be interesting as we now have 10 adults and 5 kids in the family.. I better get caught up on my sleep at home, because I don't know how much any of us are going to sleep with Nolan and Lola around!