Dr. says

One of the most frustrating things about being a parent is that while you know your kid isn't feeling well, the dr. does the check up and determines that it's not bad enough for medicine - yet. Last Friday we took Nolan in for what we thought was an ear infection. His left ear had fluid in it and was red, but it wasn't an infection. Today Adam took him to another appointment for the same thing. Nolan has been digging in both of his ears, and Jane (new daycare) really noticed it today after I dropped him off. Sure enough, 5 days later he now has a double ear infection. Poor kid! He's on a 10 day prescription that will hopefully take care of it. I completely understand they can't give out medicine for an "almost" ear infection, but it's tough to swallow when such a short time lapsed between the 2 visits. I was so thankful Adam was able to take Nolan to the appointment this afternoon so I didn't have to miss work. I guess all we can hope for is that the medicine kicks in and works asap - we have a busy weekend ahead of us! We'll be in Browerville through Sunday and at the farm until Monday.

Adam, Nolan and I have survived the first week at his new daycare. Actually, the transition has exceeded our expectations! Jane is wonderful, and very patient. And, she has taken time out of her day to call one of us every day to let us know how Nolan is doing, or tell us a funny story about him. We feel so comfortable with her already. Here's what we've learned so far this week:
Monday: He cried when Adam dropped him off, and had a rough first hour. After that he was a little shy around the kids, until one of them started leading him around by his hand! We already knew this, but when he is told "no", "stop" or "don't do that", he gets angry, to the point where he stops breathing and starts to turn an interesting shade of purple! We're used to it (we blow in his face when that happens), but we forgot to tell Jane. When he turned off the tv the first morning she told him no, and went in to that mode. Luckily she knew what to do! He took 2 good naps, played in the sandbox and learned to wipe the sand off his hands.
Tuesday: Didn't cry when we dropped him off. Didn't do as well as napping, but had a great day. Didn't like to meet the new moms, but loves to see the new dads, and Jane's husband. He picked up a few new dance moves, too. He woke up every 2 hours after we put him to bed crying, which is really unusual for him. He was able to calm himself down, but somethings going on (probably teething).
Wednesday: My first day dropping him off. He holds on to my leg and doesn't want me to leave. Luckily, Jane distracts him with the cats. Yes, there are cats, and they are super cuddly. They like to cuddle with him on the couch! He loves, loves, loves to play in the sandbox! I need to get used to the fact that he is going to get dirty, and in a quick hurry. I love Jane's theory (a kid hasn't had a good day until he/she is dirty), but as a self proclaimed "clean kid", it's easier said than done for me! He started getting a cold and I can tell he's starting to not feel well.
Thursday: He clings to me and is crying as I drop him off. Jane has to kind of pry him off me. He had a good day, but Jane could tell he wasn't feeling well. I think it's an ear infection, so I made an appointment for him for Friday a.m. Overall, he had a great day.
Friday: Nolan turns 14 months old today! I took him to the dr. Luckily, no ear infection (just fluid in his left ear that isn't an infection - yet). When they put him on the scale it was about what I expected - 25 lbs, 3 oz.! He is getting really tall, but he won't be measured until next month at his 15th month check-up. He was just fine when I dropped him off with Jane. All the other kids were there already, and they were super excited to see Nolan! He had a great day. He spent about 15 minutes dancing with and imitating Jane. It was so fun for Jane that she called Adam to tell him how much fun she was having with Nolan!

After making it through our first week at new daycare, it was time for me to switch in to party planning mode again, this time for Paulette's bachelorette party. My sister's came on Friay night. Yesterday we left the house around 11:30 or so, had lunch, got pedicures/manicures, stopped at the mall, and made it to our hotel in Minneapolis by 4. We had a lot of fun, eating at the Loop and singing along (and people watching) at the Shout House. Paulette said it was exactly what she wanted, so it turned out well! I didn't get to bed until 2:30 a.m., which is really, really, really late for me. I think my bed is calling my name for a nap! Also, I think my allergies are acting up, or I'm picking up Nolan's cold.

We had a baby appointment last Monday, and I'm measuring right on for our due date. It was a little shocking to step on the scale, but our NP told us it's normal to have a spike during the 6th month. I'm happy to report I passed the gestational diabetes test with flying colors, so hopefully we'll have continued smooth sailing for the next 15 weeks!

Nolan's "real" walking debut

Here it is - 3 weeks late, but that's okay. He's only improved since then!



Nolan and Adam bonded so much a few weekends ago when I was out of town that Adam now gets the best greeting in the world when he comes home from work. Last night Nolan heard the door open - didn't even see or hear Adam, just heard the door open. He yelled out "hi dad!" and started doing his little walk/run in to the kitchen, where he proceeded to give Adam the biggest hug and cuddle ever. Adam gets so excited to come home every night - and I would, too, if I got that kind of greeting! Nolan hugs me up good every night, but it's not quite the same as Adam. Like father, like son!

He was runnin' . . .

Yup, that's right. Nolan is still figuring out the nuances of walking; however, he has decided that when worse comes to worse he should just start walking a little faster - almost like a run! It's so funny to watch him. He sticks his belly out, bends his arms at his sides, and takes off - struttin' all he's got! We were in Mankato last weekend for Lola's first birthday party, and Nolan put on quite a show for everyone. He really loves his Grandpa Tom, and would try and chase him down with his new moves. Nolan is going through a bit of a growth spurt now and has outgrown a few pairs of pj's. Unfortunately I didn't catch that until he was waddling around Saturday night, with his belly hanging out and his pants almost a little too short. It made his walking even funnier!

Lola's party was fun, despite the fact that on Monday Christianne took her to the dr. to find out she had a double ear infection! She wasn't really acting herself all weekend, but she put on a pretty good show for all us.

Besides the walking Nolan isn't doing anything else real exciting. We can tell he's trying to figure out how to talk. He has an awful lot of things to tell us, but we can't quite understand what they are yet. Maybe his new daycare will help boost his vocabulary. We are so excited to have found daycare for Nolan and his soon-to-be sibling. Her name is Jane, and she lives about 2 miles from us. Nolan starts with her next Monday. I know I said this before, but I'm pretty sure I'll have a tough time for a few days next week. Hopefully Nolan will adjust fine, because I'm not sure Adam wants to deal with both of us being "in a mood" at the same time!

There isn't a whole lot of baby news at this point, except for the fact I'll be 6 months along next week! Our next appointment is on Monday. I have a feeling this baby is going to like to have a good time, based on the party it has in my belly throughout the entire day!


Mother's Day was a fairly relaxing day. Both Adam and I got to see our mom's, and I got to spend the day with the little man. Adam made sure I had a few special gifts waiting at home - a coupon for a pedicure, and another one for a little shopping excursion (both with a note that said the outings would have childcare provided!). We got home on Sunday evening around 5:30, and it was just in time for Adam to mow the lawn. We've gotten quite a bit of rain in the last few weeks, so our grass is growing super fast. We use a fertilizer program each year for our lawn, and it has really made a difference!

Our little monkey

Julie (daycare) couldn't wait to tell me what Nolan did today when I picked him up. She was in the kitchen, and Reese (5 yrs old) and Nolan were in the living room playing. Nolan was playing with an empty laundry basket - walking around and carrying it. He figured out how to flip it upside down, move it in front of the couch, and then climb on top of it to climb on to the couch! Julie went in to the living room when Reese said "Julie, you better get in here!" I guess since he's mastered walking, why shouldn't he start climbing on things right away?

Some of Nolan's new skills include saying "all done" when he's done eating, using a spoon to feed himself out of a bowl (check out the video - it's a bit messy!) and of course walking everywhere. He and Adam spent last weekend together so I could host a bridal shower and attend a bridal shower for Paulette. Nolan has always been cuddly, but he's super cuddly with Adam right now. Oh, another thing he's doing is hitting. Yep, I guess we're at that stage. Apparantly he didn't like the fact I was gone all weekend, so when I got home and tried to hold him he hit me in the face. It wasn't like he hit me really hard or anything, but it's not very nice behavior. I didn't feel so bad, though, because when Adam took Nolan, Nolan hit Adam, too. The time has come for either more re-directing or discipline! This comes on top of the fact he bit our good friend Jackie while she was babysitting him a few weeks ago. He is teething, but that's not a good excuse to bite someone!

Adam and I have been very busy since last Friday. Julie gave us a 2-week notice to find new daycare for Nolan. It doesn't seem like much time, but it was in the paperwork she gave us when we decided to go with her. Nolan is very happy there, so I'm sure he's going to have a bit of an adjustment going somewhere new (or maybe it will just be me that's going to have the hard time). I've probably spoken with 15-20different in-home daycares, and of those only 3 have a spot for Nolan right now and a baby in December or January, and 1 has a temporary spot for Nolan until the end of the year. So far we've met with 2 different women, and we were very impressed with both of them! A different neighbor 2 houses down our street has also offered up her daycare services for us, but not until next fall or winter sometime. We need to make a decision by next Monday, because Nolan's last day at Julie's is May 14th. As I said earlier, I think I'm going to have the most difficult time with Nolan going to a new daycare. I'd be happy with him going to either place we've visited so far, but he's really comfortable at Julie's and has never cried when we've left him there. It is going to break my heart to see him sad! I know kids are resiliant, but it's gotta be a little scary for them.

Wouldn't you know, softball season started tonight, and it's cold, windy and a little rainy. Seriously - it's been above average temps since March and now we get the spring we missed? Bad timing! I was going to take Nolan to the game, but let's be honest - I don't like cold, wet weather, so why would he? Plus, it was bath tonight and he went to bed at 6:25. His new walking skill really tires him out!