Ye Old Right Leg

Nolan and his right leg/foot have been battling it out over the summer, with the leg winning on a consistent basis. It once again won last week, which resulted in another trip to Urgent Care on Thursday evening. He was fine at daycare all day (other than refusing to eat because he wanted cereal), and when I got him home he was a little cranky and hungry, but nothing out of the ordinary. I fed him first, and then made dinner for myself. Half way through my chicken enchilada I looked a little more closely at his bare feet – and his right foot was swollen and double the size of this left foot! There was a little bite mark of some kind where his foot meets his ankle and it was oozing, so I made the decision to just take him in to urgent care. After the big weigh in (26 lbs 15oz!!!), the nurse and dr. checked him over. The dr. determined it was a bite of some kind that he wasn’t able to identify, and that Nolan had an allergic reaction to it. We are treating him with an antibiotic for the infection, and using a topical solution for his foot. Luckily the swelling went down, and he was finally able to put a shoe on his foot on Saturday. Poor kid. Good thing he won’t remember any of this!

Friday night I was able to sneak away for the evening with a few girlfriends and spend 5 hours at the state fair. I always like to think I’m going to try some new fair food, but I stick with what I know and like – corn dog, gyro, cheese curds, deep fat fried pickles and mini donuts. The fair was crowded, but we managed to make our way through just fine. The highlight was listening to the crowd respond to the group performing at the free stage – Boys to Men! I had no idea there were still so many fans out there, and of so many ages! Saturday morning Adam and I spent some quality time with Nolan, taking a long walk and playing with his new outside toys (you can see how excited he was in the above pics!). We thought he would take a long nap, but he surprised us with a short 2 hour nap. We spent the later afternoon/evening at our friend's house in Eden Prairie for a get together/bean bag tourney. Nolan hung in there like a champ and lasted until about 7:45. He was super tired and fell asleep almost immediately on the way home! Sunday morning we had plans to make it to the 8:30 church service, but Nolan surprised us once again and slept until 8:30! Adam spent the day at a fantasy football draft, and I took Nolan with me to the MN Zoo, where we met up with Christianne, Brian and the girls. We had a fantastic time, and Nolan did really well. He hung out in his stroller most of the time, just chillin with his blanket, some treats and his water.

Today was our 39 week baby appointment, and we were told there is a little progress at this point - which got Adam excited, and led me to explain to him that I could stay that way for another 2 weeks! The baby is active, and I think the longer it stays in there, the better. One thing I have noticed lately is that I think my body is trying to tell me to slow down, but I'm not doing a very good job of listening to it (just ask Adam!). This week I've decided I'm going to tone it down a bit and relax a little more. There's not much time left!

What did he say?

Well, Nolan has yet again surprised Tricia and I with his ever-expanding vocabulary. The other night it was him saying "Elephant" when I turned the page in his book...then he followed it up with the "whewwwww" sound we make when we read it to him! Crazy! He's learning his animals and colors at daycare, so we are consistently surprised with what he talks about. This past week he said strawberry and bunny, too. He is rapidly becoming a little stinker and now enjoys running around the house whenever we ask him to "come here." It’s a great game, let me tell you. He is also realizing the impact of us saying “no” or “naughty” to him. As soon as we say it he starts to cry because he’s not getting his way. Do the terrible 2’s start early at 17 months?

Last week Jane introduced Nolan to the new baby who will be starting at daycare in September. Erica happened to pick up Nolan that day because Tricia and I were at the Twin’s game, and apparently he was not happy with this little baby being the center of attention...Oh boy, will he be in for a shock when his first sibling shows up! Jane recommended we think about buying a baby doll to carry around the house to break him in a little and get used to the idea of a baby being around, so Tricia went out and bought one. So far he hasn’t been too impressed, although he has started giving it kisses when we hold it. It feels a little weird, but we’ll try anything to make the transition a little easier for him! Tricia had her 38 week check-up on Monday, and as of right now there's nothing happening to suggest we'll be needing to bolt to the maternity ward anytime soon. There really haven’t been any contractions since last week, so we’re pretty sure the baby is happy and content being in the belly!

Last weekend was busy for us. On Friday night we watched Chris and Sasha’s little boy Jackson so they could go to the Twin’s game. They dropped off Jackson with Tricia at work and she brought him to our house, and I picked up Nolan. It was pretty funny watching them play together. At one point they were both sitting at the little table, pounding their little hands and laughing! Dinner was also pretty hilarious. We fed them pork chops, green beans and mashed potatoes. The meal was a pretty big hit, because every time one of them took a bite he would say “mmmmm”, and the other one would take a bite and say “mmmmm”. I looked at Tricia at one point and commented that I never thought our Friday nights would be spent like this! By the time we bathed the boys and got them both in bed (which was surprisingly easy - they both went right down!) we were exhausted. How do people with twins have any energy? On Saturday I helped my buddy Jared celebrate his bachelor party, and Tricia spent the afternoon with his better half, LeAnna, celebrating her bachelorette party. It was a little nerve racking being 2 hours away from home this close to the due date, but it all worked out – no baby yet! I got home around noon on Sunday, and noticed pretty quickly that Nolan was ready for a nap. I asked him if he was ready, and instead of answering he walked in to this bedroom, climbed in his bed and grabbed his blanket. Hopefully this will become a routine! This was even after he slept from 7 pm Saturday night to 7:45 Sunday morning! On Sunday afternoon Tricia and I took Nolan to the local beach in hopes of enjoying the heat for awhile. Nolan (and me too) enjoyed digging in the sand and blowing bubbles in the water. Nolan also took a liking to kicking his legs and getting bobbed up and down in the water. I think next summer we'll be spending a lot more time there!

On Monday night we celebrated my sister Erica's birthday out in Waconia at Lola's. Other than having to get food a little before everyone else (as Nolan's teeth seem to be coming in again) we had a nice meal. The highlight was getting to take Nolan and Claire out to the deck on the lake and feed the blue gills pieces of bread and french fries. (I think I got as big of a kick out of it as they both did!)

There will be more to come soon, with Nolan continuing to grow and expand his lungs along with the addition of another member to the family! We've got the names picked out (we think) and bags partially packed. I think the baby will come early, but Tricia is convinced it won’t show up until after September 9th. Anyone else want to place a bet?

37 weeks and camping?

Yes, that's right. Adam, Nolan and I slept in our tent on Saturday night. The weather was awesome, and we all slept great! We were in Albertville on Saturday for a repeat of our 4th of July party - except it was Pool Party 2.0. We had a great day hanging out with family and friends, and enjoying the pool.

Nolan has been pretty funny over the last week. This morning Adam was talking to him and said "right?" at the end of a sentence. Nolan looked at him and said "right". Who knew? He is still struggling a little being left alone in his new bed, but it's getting better - thanks to a little tough love by mom! He's settling in to his new routine weel - he picks out 3 or 4 books to read, scoots himself back in to his little red chair and we read to him while he holds his blanket. After his books we turn on his music and turn off the light, and then say our prayers. After a little cuddling we put him in bed. After a kiss goodnight I spend 2 - 3 minutes in the room with him, and then sneak out. I've been letting him cry it out, and each night it's gotten better - 6 minutes Sunday night, 4 minutes on Monday, and about 5 minutes tonight. Oddly enough, tonight he actually crawled in to his bed and layed down on his own, which we thought was a good sign. But, he still cried - probably because he isn't feeling good (teething and allergies at the same time!).

On Tuesday morning we saw a fawn and 2 does in our front yard. If that wasn't enough, as I was leaving for work Adam stopped me and said "shhhh". I looked up, and just on the other side of our garbage can there was a 6 point buck. A few seconds later a doe and then a fawn joined him in our yard. It was the first time I've ever seen a "family" of deer at the same time! Who says you need to live in the country to see wildlife?

Today we had our 37 week appointment. There is a little progress to report, but not enough to make us think we'll go before our due date. Last night, however, we were questioning it. I had contractions for about an hour and half. I knew they were false, but the really strong ones did make me question it a little! That little episode motivated us to check off a few more things on our baby list. I guess that's not a bad thing!

Nolan had another follow-up visit to the dr. on Tuesday. He is done with the walking cast, and we're just going to monitor his walking, particularly his right foot, to see how he improves. He gets a little stiff legged by the end of the night, and his right foot is angled out a little more than before the break. If it's not better in a month then we'll take him back in. Please, please be better - it's at about the same time as when new baby will arrive!

The bedtime routine is still going well, except the whole "he needs us to be in the room until he falls asleep" thing. I'm much stronger than Adam and can let him cry it out, to a point. The poor kid starts coughing after a while, and he has been known to hold his breath until he starts to turn purple. The longest I've let him cry is about 6 minutes. I'm not sure what we're going to do about this, but we need some resolution soon! Oh, and I took him in for a haircut that same day. He did great - because he had his blanket in his lap and part of a breakfast cereal bar in each hand!

Nolan is talking quite a bit more, and he's actually saying more words we can understand. Tonight Adam asked Nolan if he was ready to put his pj's on, and Nolan looked at him and said "no". So funny to hear that come out of his mouth! Over the last week he's said "I'm stuck" after he shut our bedroom door and couldn't get it open, kitty, blanket, inside (when he was outside with Adam on one of the many hot days we've had recently) and milk. He's really, really good at shaking his head yes and no, and doing it exactly when he's supposed to do it! He's very adament about showing us what he needs, usually by pointing and then getting frusterated (screaming and/or hitting himself usually follow). We can tell he's trying to be more independent, which is good and bad!

Last night I took Nolan to Adam's last regular season softball game. I really don't mind the heat, but the humidity these days is awful (pregnant or not). Poor Nolan sweats more than any kid I've ever seen! His hair was pretty wet from sweat (and quite curly), he had sweat beaded up on his face, and his clothes were even getting wet! We really need to watch him to make sure he's drinking enough water. The game was well past his bedtime, and in a fit of anger (because I wouldn't let him walk by a mud puddle) Nolan hit me, but instead of really hitting me a fingernail on his right hand marked up my chin and neck. I have a very red, and pretty long scratch mark on the front of my neck, and 2 little ones on my chin. Nothing feels better than having to tell people you got "hit" by your 16 month old, to the point where it leaves a visible mark!

Baby planning and prep is going great. The list has been a lifesaver! We finalized the Nolan duty plans yesterday for when we're at the hospital. He'll be in daycare during the day - we don't want to mess up his routine too much. We had our 36 week appointment on Monday. Baby is good, and there is nothing to report as far as progress. I don't get my hopes up - I didn't really have any progress with Nolan, either! I also picked up a girl outfit and boy outfit to take to the hospital with us. Now I just need to wash it!

Last weekend Nolan and I spent Saturday in Mankato, celebrating Lalayna's 4th birthday. He did pretty well, but always seems a little overwhelmed by the older 3 girls. Paulette was kind enough to keep him overnight down there so Adam and I could enjoy his 15 year class reunion. It was awesome to have a night out, and to be able to sleep in until 10 on Sunday morning! This weekend we're headed up to Albertville for Pool Party 2.0 - at the same place we were at over the 4th of July. We are very much looking forward to it, and will be camping out in their backyard Saturday night so we don't have to drive home. It's not supposed to be as hot or humid, so Adam and I are both excited to test out this whole camping thing with Nolan.

Adaptability

I am so proud to share that Nolan has had 2 successful nights in his new bed, and is on his way to a 3rd! I really didn't see this transition going as smoothly as it has gone - what a great surprise! The only adjustment to his bedtime routine we've had to make is that he wants us to sit next to him while he falls asleep, which takes somewhere between 5 and 20 minutes. We're going to roll with that for probably another week, and then start to let him figure it out on his own. He hasn't woken up in the middle of the night since Sunday, and we've had to wake him up the last 2 mornings to get him to daycare! We really are quite proud parent's to have such an adaptable kid.

Today was Nolan's first day at daycare without a cast or walking brace. The highlight of his day was walking outside with Jane this morning, and realizing he was walking over to play in the sandbox. He LOVES the sandbox, and hasn't been able to play in it for 3 weeks. Jane told me that they got about half way there and he started giggling and getting really excited. She said he smiled and played for an hour and half!

The getting ready for new baby plan is in full force. I picked up diapers at Target today. What a strange feeling it was to pick up diapers for Nolan and the teeny little newborn diapers for baby - talk about a reality check! Tonight I'm going to weed through all of Nolan's clothes and pack away what doesn't fit him. His clothes and anything else of his in the nursery are being moved over to his new room this weekend. Slowly but surely we'll get everything accomplished in the next few weeks!

The new bed

Estimated timeline of Nolan’s first night in his big boy bed (twin mattress on the floor in his new room, our former office):

6:25 – start the bedtime process in his new room
6:40 – after reading 3 books and saying prayers, Adam puts Nolan in bed
6:40:05 – Nolan starts crying
6:40:06 – Adam stays in the room so Nolan stops crying and falls asleep
7:10 – Adam makes it out of Nolan’s room after 3 tries. Nolan is sleeping.
7:20 – Adam is heading out the door to mow, and Nolan wakes up crying. I try and let him cry it out, but he won’t stop. I peek my head in the hallway and there Nolan lays on the carpet, half way in his room and half way in the hallway, wimpering.
7:23 – Put Nolan back in bed. Spend about 20 minutes sitting on the floor next to him, waiting for him to fall asleep.
9:10 – Peek in on Nolan and discover he’s sleeping on the floor next to his bed – apparently he fell out and we didn’t hear him.
9:10:10 – I go downstairs to ask Adam if I should leave him on the floor or put him back in bed. The decision is made to put him back in bed.
9:13 – I try and open the door to put Nolan back in bed, but in the 3 minutes I was downstairs he rolled himself in front of the door to his room and I can no longer open it. I call for reinforcements.
9:13:30 – Adam comes upstairs and we decide to leave him until he moves away from the door.
9:40 – I peek on him one last time before going to bed and he is now head first in the corner of this bed, next to the door, with his butt in the air. I have just enough room to open the door. I pick him up and put him in bed, and he starts crying.
9:41 – Spend the next 15 minutes watching him fall asleep so he doesn’t cry. Mission accomplished – I’m off to bed.
10:20 – Adam checks on Nolan before coming to bed. Nolan is sound asleep, so Adam puts the gate in front of the bedroom door, in case he wakes up and thinks it’s okay to walk around in the middle of the night.
11:10 – Nolan wakes up crying. Adam doesn’t hear him, so I get up and rub his back. 5 minutes later I’m back in bed.
11:23 – Nolan wakes up crying, again. I nudge Adam and he goes in the room. Nolan has fallen out of bed again. Adam tries to sneak out 3 times, but Nolan wakes up and cries every time. Taps me on the shoulder to take a turn.
11:40 – I head in to try and get him to sleep. I sit on the floor next to him and put my hand on his back.
11:48 – He appears to be sleeping, so I walk out. He starts crying as soon as I get in our room, so I turn around and head back (walking over the gate each time). I bring my pillows so I can lay on the floor. I don’t know how long I’ll be in there.
11:57 – He appears to be sleeping, so I leave. Not so fast – he’s crying again. I throw my pillows over the gate and put my hand on his back, again. I contemplate putting him back in his crib so I can sleep, but decide against it. I need to be strong.
12:14 – I did it! Nolan is sleeping and I can go back to bed.
6:10 – Nolan lets us know he’s up by talking up a storm.
6:20 – I go to get him and he’s actually laying on his bed! For the first time in his new room, it didn’t go too badly.

Adam went to Once Upon a Child at lunch today and bought a bed rail to put next to the mattress. Hopefully it will keep Nolan from falling out of bed! Tonight I did his bedtime routine with him, and put him in bed at 6:40. I sat on the floor next to him for 3 or 4 minutes and tried to make my way out of the room. He started crying, so I sat back down. By 6:50 he was sound asleep and he’s been sleeping ever since. It can only get better!

We had a great time in Moose Lake this weekend. Jackson and Nolan had fun together at the park, in the swimming pool in the backyard, and in the house, playing with toys. Oh, and we also went on 2 long walks with the boys. We are so lucky to have such relaxed kids!

Adam and I also had a wonderful time hanging out with Chris and Sasha. We played a mean game of Skipbo on Saturday night - until almost midnight! Adam and I had planned to keep Nolan in his walking boot over the weekend, but we felt so bad for Nolan that we didn’t put it on him like we should have. [SIDEBAR: Nolan’s cast came off last Wednesday, and he was given a walking boot to wear on his right leg for 1 week for sure, 2 if he needed it. He can’t really walk on it, so it makes things especially difficult – for both him and us!] At the end of the evening he was limping a little, but his walking improved so much from Saturday to Sunday. We can tell he needs to build up muscle in his leg again, but that will comes with time. He sure is enjoying the freedom of walking again!

Yesterday when we got home we went outside for a little bit, and only a little bit because it was (and still is) super muggy outside. I don’t mind the heat, but like most Minnesotan’s, I hate the real heavy humidity. Nolan finally got to sit at his new picnic table and check out his new playhouse. He was impressed with both!

This week we have plans to finalize our list of things to do/buy before new baby arrives. I started to panic a little last night, about the exact same stuff I did with Nolan – the bottles aren’t clean and ready to go, we don’t have diapers in the house, we still need to move the rest of Nolan’s stuff out of the nursery and in to his new room, I don’t have my list ready at work. I know it will all get done, but what if for some reason I go in to labor early? I’m a planner, and I need things to be planned!