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!

Four Teeth

As Nolan continues to get more interactive I think I can speak for both Tricia and I in that it's become more and more fun to get home from work and spend the weekend time with him. Nolan now pulls himself up on anything with a enough grip for his little (but chunky) hands around. He pulled himself up next to the bed by pulling on the quilt-for a 10-month old he's got some pipes! We continue to take Nolan to swimming lessons on Saturdays and last weekend he surprised us with a splashing extravaganza that left anyone in a three foot radius of his flailing arms soaking wet. The two instructors couldn't get over his change in one week-I think it may have had something to do with the fact he slept in until 7:45 and he wasn't ready to fall asleep this time!

Another advancement is Nolan's ability to copy and repeat what we're saying, and when we say it. The other night while we were video taping his first experience eating baked beans (which he seems to enjoy), Tricia told him to say "good-bye" to the camera-so he stopped eating, looked up at the camera, and said "Bye Bye Daty" like it was nothing. Then, with Tricia and I in shock he continued eating the rest of his supper like it was nothing-needless to say we're going to record him a little more, I think! This last week at daycare we also found out that Nolan, while crawling around in Julie's kitchen, stopped when he saw the stove and said "Hot." Is this kid a genius or what?

Finally, our little guy was giggling before his bath last night (after climbing the stairs from the basement-with a watchful set of parents) which gave us a chance to take a peek at the top of his mouth where low and behold the two teeth that had been sticking out and receding back into his gums look like they're going to finally stay. So, everyone be aware - sticking your finger in his mouth from here on out might not be the best idea! Again, it's hard to imagine that 10 short months ago we were looking at the little guy with skinny little arms and frog legs, and after a doctor visit the other day our little guy is up to 22.2 pounds! His cheeks are still rosy and his hair (which has yet to be trimmed) continues to get more and more curl! The new sound of the week is the letter "f"...I just hope it's awhile before he says all the words that start with it! Other than that, we're looking forward to more excitement as Nolan continues to stretch his legs and get some of the inevitable bumps and bruises along the way!

Climbing a mountain

Last weekend we kept Nolan hopping with different events, and he kept up with us pretty well. On Friday night we met up with Erica and Dave at Ruby Tuesday’s in Chaska. It was Nolan’s first time sitting in a high chair at a restaurant. He looked like such a grown up! He loved looking around at all the people, but mostly enjoyed the Cheerios he got to eat at the table! We ordered him a kids meal of chicken and mashed potatoes, but he wasn’t all that interested in eating it. Oh well – I knew he wouldn’t like the ribs I ordered! After we got done eating we stopped at Kohl’s to get him some new pj’s. He’s getting so long that he’s outgrown all the other ones we had for him. On Saturday at 9 AM we took him to his first parent/child swim class. As usual he didn’t laugh and he didn’t cry. In fact, while we were bobbing in the pool with him his eyes kept getting heavier and heavier – it was his nap time! He toughed it out, though. The class is for 8 weeks, and our goal this week is to dunk him under the water. I was too nervous last week! He took a really long nap when we got home, so it gave Adam and I time to get ready for the day. We left the house around 1:15 and drove to Foley to visit my grandma. There was also a celebration/dinner/dance in memory of my cousin Jake, who was killed last year in a car accident. It was really nice to see all the relatives since we didn’t get to see them at Christmas. Plus, it was the first time most of them got to meet Nolan. We heard a lot about his chubby cheeks and rosebud lips! Nolan lasted until about 8 at the dance, and then got really antsy because he wanted to sleep. No sooner than getting him strapped in his car seat he fell asleep! Sunday morning started out fantastic – Nolan slept until 7:45! We made it to the 8:30 service at church, and were there until 10 counting collection. I went back on my own for the 2nd service collection counting, as Nolan was napping. I got home at noon, and we packed up again and headed over to Brant and Stacy’s to watch the Vikings win their game against the Cowboy’s. When we left at 3:15 or so Nolan was ready for a nap. Instead of driving home right away we decided to just keep on driving so Nolan could sleep. We got home at 4:45, and Nolan was in bed by 6:45. Whew! I had to take some time on Sunday evening to clean out his closet of clothes that don’t fit him anymore, and add in his 12 month clothes. He doesn’t quite fit in the 12 month stuff yet, but he doesn’t really fit in his 9 month stuff, either.

On Tuesday when I picked up Nolan from daycare he was practicing his walking skills with Julie. She has a big lego truck on wheels that he likes to play with, so he was standing behind it and she was slowly moving it forward – and he was slowly walking! Earlier this week I also had Nolan standing, and when I let go of him he stood there by himself for a few seconds. It wasn’t long, but it’s a start! My prediction is he’ll be walking before his birthday. I guess we’ll see in a few months if I’m right or not!

Last night Nolan decided enough was enough, and climbed up all the steps - from the basement to the main level. It was pretty amazing watching him figure it out. It was a little difficult for him to make the curve in our stairs, because he couldn't reach the step in front of him to pull himself up. But, he continued on, and with a little help made it all the way to the top! You could tell how proud he was of himself. He is so busy, pulling himself up and standing on everything. His new favorite thing to do is to pull himself up and stand, holding on to the handles of the lower kitchen cabinets. Then he opens and closes them really fast, making a really loud noise - over, and over, and over, and over. While it's fun to watch him learn new things, I could do without all the noise:)

Today Nolan turned 10 months old. Seriously, where does the time go? I'm beginning to notice that going forward it isn't going to be as easy to take pictures of him. Every time I pull out the camera to take a few pics he stops what he's doing and crawls over to me to see what I'm doing! Such curiosity . . .

Heart strings

Today was the first day since Nolan was born that I felt a twinge of guilt for being away from him for the day. It all started at 5:40 this morning – he started talking in his crib. Since he wasn’t crying I let him talk, and after about 15 minutes it got quiet again – so I thought he had fallen back asleep. Around 6:20 he started making noise again so I went to check on him. He was sitting in his crib, just chillin. I picked him up and snuggled him up, and then handed him over to Adam so I could get to work. While Adam was holding him I said “bye bye Nolan”. He looked at me and said something that sounded exactly like “buh bye mama” – and he repeated it a couple of times – all the while waving bye bye at me! Then he leaned over from Adam to give me a hug. I know, sappy as this sounds it made me want to cuddle him up and stay home with him!

His first day back at daycare went well. Julie couldn’t believe how much he changed since she last saw him! Apparently he’s testing out another new skills – climbing on the dishwasher! Nolan was in the kitchen with Julie, and she had the dishwasher drawer down. He likes to pull himself up in to a standing position on it, which isn’t a big deal. She turned her back for a second to take something out of the microwave, and when she turned back around he was sitting on the dishwasher, laughing his fake laugh at her! We seriously have to keep an eye on him at all times. I guess he’s going to be a little monkey – just like George!

The next dancing sensation

Nolan loves to "dance" - by shaking his head back and forth!