May Happenings

This month was quite eventful around the house!  We snapped lots of pictures of Nolan (of course) and got out and did a couple fun things for ourselves, too!

Nolan started the month off by teething realllllly bad, and solved his problem by sucking on his hands. 

The weather started warming up (too hot, too soon!) so Nolan sported his mantank for the weekend.

Nolan learned how to give open mouth kisses and I'm obsessed with stealing them from him.

Nolan wore his mustache onesie and tried out his mustache pacifier to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

We took lots of selfies during the day one afternoon.

Nolan sat up (completely unassisted for more than 30 seconds) for the first time!  He looked surprised that he could do it all by himself!  We obviously had to document this with our handy Milestone cards, but of course he didn't want to sit up by himself at that time.

We had a lazy morning and grabbed our toes, stayed in bed late and snuggled with the puppy.

The boys spoiled me for my my first Mother's Day!

Nolan has started snuggling with his puppy lovey during nap times, and looks so adorable doing so.

Big boy turned four months old!  He visited Dr. Reddy and received more shots for his immunizations.  He wasn't too happy about them this time, and was quite upset at the doctor's office (the hour long wait to get in probably didn't help, either).  He ran a low fever again, just like his 2 month shots, but we waited it out before treating it with any meds and it started going down the next morning, only topping at 100.8 at it's highest.  By the next afternoon he was back to his normal, happy self!

We met with our friends Jess, Scarlett, and Hudson to say Goodbye to Denise and Abbi who were moving to Utah!  We've had lots of playdates with Denise and her baby girl, as her and Nolan are only 2 1/2 months apart.  We spent some time at the park visiting with each other, and snapped some pictures of the two babies.  We will miss hanging out with them!

Nolan helped with laundry one afternoon and enjoyed playing with Dad's underwear.  Good thing they were clean!

One morning, Nolan woke up in a goofy mood and decided to try out a new laugh. 

I've started a bad habit of shopping on small business sites online (Etsy, Instagram shops, etc).  All of these shops are handmade items and it's very easy to become super addicted to all the millions of cute products out there!  I've bought some bibdanas from some shops (our favorite is our Harley one) and most recently, a few pair of moccasins which are super adorable on Nolan!  It's great because they are lightweight enough for the summer and easy to get on and off his squirmy little feet.  These things can get quite pricey since they are super trendy right now, but I found an amazing shop with quality products, cheap prices and excellent customer service from the owner.  Check out the Etsy site for some adorable moccs if you are in need, you won't regret it!

Nolan looked adorable when he fell asleep on the bed one morning.  He looks like a big boy here, but still such a baby.  These pictures just make me feel so peaceful looking at him snoozing away!

I finished a big project I started a couple months ago, and received the finished photo book of my pregnancy journal with Nolan.  It came out better than I could have imagined and I absolutely love making these books for all occasions, even if it takes a lot of time and hard work.  I included every aspect of my whole nine months, from the moment we found out, our weekly bump photos and updates, ultrasound pictures, baby showers, nursery pictures, and finally his arrival!  These books are going to be amazing memories for our family and I love looking through them on a random day! 

Big boy blew out of his diaper one morning, so we stripped off his clothes, hosed him down, and spent some nakey time in bed (which he loves, even though you can't tell in the second picture).

Nolan rocked a faux hawk after his bath one night. 

Our spoiled little man got a new jumper (because he looked bored in his exersaucer one day) and he had a blast in it for the first time!

Chunky cheeks has a new favorite obsession of trying to eat my iPhone.  He's quick!

I cashed in my Mother's Day gift on Memorial Day since Jason had the day off to watch Nolan, plus the Spa at Green Valley Ranch offers a local discount of 30% off on Monday-Thursdays.  So, I made my way down Monday morning and spent 4 hours at the spa!  The last time I was there, I was 39 weeks pregnant, so I decided I should snap a comparison photo, and WHOA!  What a difference.  I enjoyed an 80 minute massage and spent the rest of the time at the pool.  It was so nice to enjoy some alone time, but I still missed my little dude so much and couldn't wait to get back to see him!

Nolan tried his first taste of solids this month!  For weeks, he had been eyeing our food and watching us eat, plus starting to reach for anything we put to our mouths (food, drinks, cups, etc.), so I figured he was showing signs of readiness to start on solids.  We asked Dr. Reddy at our well check and she gave us the go-ahead to start.  We tried rice cereal first, and Nolan was just so excited he laughed and laughed every time we gave him the spoon to try.  He loved it and wanted more since we only gave him a couple teaspoons to start with.  The next few days he wasn't quite as excited or interested, but we will keep it in our routine so he gets the hang of eating from a spoon.  He still needs a little practice!  We will continue with the rice cereal, then move to oatmeal, and finally start to introduce the fun stuff, like veggies and fruits!

Nolan has become quite obsessed with reaching for everything he can get his hands on, including the camera when it comes time to take pictures!  They do make for some really cute candid shots, though!

Nolan was all smiles, giggling it up one afternoon playing!

He started to get better at tummy time, staying on his belly for longer periods of time and getting close to rolling over!  

While eating one afternoon, little man was acting like a craaaaaazy little man, screaming his lungs off and playing with his food (I'm so in for it):

He spent some time bonding with his puppy, Harley and they took a picture together. 

Nolan took his first selfie all by himself this month.  Oh, technology.  This kid is already obsessed with the iPhone!

Next month will be full of more adventures, enjoying the start of summer and our first road trip as a family of three!  Stay tuned!

Nolan's Four Month Update

We're a little behind in our monthly update, but 4 months has come and gone and Nolan continues to do so many new, exciting things and grows so much everyday!  His personality has really developed in the last month and he's quite the happy, giggly character!  He is almost always smiling and is very easy to crack a smile, even with strangers.  We know lots of tricks and goofy things to make him giggle and even get belly laughs from him, and it is possibly the best sound I have ever heard!  I love his little giggle and knowing that whatever crazy thing I am doing is making him smile is the best feeling in the world.

Nolan is healthy and happy; his 4-month well check went well and Dr. Reddy said everything looks great with our guy!  His head is still quite flat, mostly on the right side, so we are waiting it out for one more month to see if more tummy time will round it out a little more.  If it's still a concern in a month, we'll get referred to a specialist and see what they have to say.  We need to get him on his tummy a lot more and thus far, we're doing so successfully... for Nolan's terms.  He will spend up to ten-fifteen minutes on his belly with his head completely lifted, but we have to keep him totally distracted otherwise he will whine to flip over.  We're working on rolling, both belly to back and vice versa.  He can do belly to back by himself sometimes when he really wants off his tummy, as long as he isn't too upset.  Once he gets too frustrated, he gives up, face plants and cries (so sad).  I think if he really concentrated enough he could do it, because we barely nudge him for help and he can do it alone.... He's just lazy (or should I say, smart!  He knows we will help him).  Nolan has definitely started teething, with drool everywhere and everything he can get his hands on goes into his mouth.  He never seems to be in too much pain (yet) with it, so we'll just continue to shovel toys, cool freezer teethers, fingers and mommy's shirts in his mouth to keep him happy!

Here is what else our big 4-month old is up to:

Height, Weight, and Sizes: 
Nolan has gained even more weight this month, although he is slowing down a bit in chunking up (all completely normal).  At his 4 month well check (at 17 weeks, 6 days), he weighed in at 15 pounds, 5 ounces (54th percentile), is 25 inches long (50th percentile), and still has a GIANT head measuring 16 3/4 inches in circumference (81st percentile).  I'm so happy that he has chunked up in his percentiles, since he started out from birth having a hard time gaining weight, going from the 30th percentile when he was one month to the 50th percentile now!  He fits mostly in 6 month clothing (chunk!) and is continually moving up in sizes.  One week a pair of pajamas will fit and the next week, they won't!  Most of his onesies are 6 months, while pants, shorts and PJs are 6-9 months.  He can finally fit into the two-piece snug fit cotton PJs, and when he wears these, I wonder where my baby has gone!  He looks like such a big boy in them.  He is currently blowing out of his diapers almost every morning, which means we get to switch to the next size up: size 3!  

Feeding:

Nolan continues to feed on a 3.5 hour schedule, with the hopes of switching to a 4 hour schedule in the next few weeks (no rush, if it doesn't work).  He is following the same schedule as what we started last month: starting his morning at 6:30AM, with feedings following at 10AM, 1:30PM, 5PM, 7:30PM-8:00PM and a dream feed (top off) at 10:30PM, drinking about 5-6 ounces every time.  This schedule is working out well, but he has not been finishing his bottles through a complete feed (he will drink 3 ounces, take a break for 15-20 minutes, and then finish the rest) which tells me he is ready to try stretching his feedings a little bit longer.  On that note, we will also be starting on solids in the next few weeks now that we've had our 4 month well check and got the go-ahead from Dr. Reddy!  Nolan has been watching us, wide eyed and super curious, while we eat the last couple weeks.  He has started grabbing for our drinks and food while we hold him or he's sitting at the table with us, so I think he will be ready for it when we start!  We will start with rice cereal for a few weeks and if he is ready, move on from there.  Big changes are coming for the little man... hopefully he will like them all!   

Sleeping:
We've pretty much maintained our 3.5 hour E.A.S.Y. schedule and Nolan seems to enjoy taking 2 hour naps both in the later morning and afternoon.  He has improved with his "fussy hour" in the evening, and we've switched it up a little differently from last month to help him out.  His last nap is from 3PM-5PM, with a feeding at 5PM and then some activity time while I get dinner together.  He will join us at the dinner table in his high chair while we eat (which he loves to chat and watch us), and usually we start our bath and bedtime routine around 7:00PM.  He gets a bath first, PJs on, then a bottle around 7:30PM-8:00PM, we read some books and off to sleep he goes!  He's really tired by this point, so once we switch to our 4-hour schedule, he will be going down a littler earlier which I think he will like.  

He is still sleeping through the night with no sleep regression so far (fingers crossed we don't experience that at all)!  He takes all of his naps in his crib, and we move him when we dream feed him at 10:30PM into our room to the Pack N' Play.  This is mommy being a worry wart and wanting my baby to stay close!  I really need to work on getting him to sleep in his room all the time... this is something I need to work on and improve for me rather than for Nolan!  

A new thing Nolan has learned to do this month is move around in his crib/Pack N' Play!  He can scoot 180 degrees, so most times I put him down in one direction and he wakes up in the complete opposite direction!  He sleeps mostly on his side now that he can roll onto it.  Initially, he would roll to his side and couldn't stay, would get frustrated and cry out for us to turn him again.  Now he is pretty solid when he sleeps and can manage to stay completely on his side the whole time or scoot around to different positions until he's comfortable.  He is really good at taking his pacifier out of his mouth and just okay at putting it back in.  Sometimes we still need to run in and put it back in for him if he's really fussing during nap time.  At night, he never cries out for it, so I'll cross my fingers he sticks with that routine!  Because he was moving around so much in his crib, I decided to rid of his blankets to swaddle and try out some new ones (the swaddle blankets with no sleeves that zip up, like a pouch) and he really likes those!  We stocked up when some muslin Aden & Anais blankets at Babie's R Us and some Halo Sleep Sacks at JCPenney went on sale, so we should be good with those for a while... or until he outgrows them!

Firsts & Milestones:
-Sitting up unassisted

-Celebrated his first Easter!

-Teething (full on hands in mouth, chomping on everything or anything he can)

-Open mouth kisses (cutest thing ever!)

-Recognizing his name, turning towards you when you say it

-Grabbing his feet and eating his toes

-Moving/Scooting in his crib and Pack N' Play

-Clutching on while being held

-Developed his "angry" cry

-Celebrated first Mother's Day with Mommy

-Grabs faces and pulls you in close

-Grabbing hair with a crazy grip (and doesn't let go!)

-Takes pacifier out of mouth and sometimes can put back in

-Rolling from both back to belly and vice versa with the help of Mom and Dad

Likes:
-Singing "Nolan's Song" (made this song up... "There was a Nolan who had a puppy and Harley was his name-o.. to the tune of BINGO)

-Sophie the Giraffe (new favorite, we take her everywhere)

-Watching Mommy and Daddy eat, trying to snatch some food for himself

-Taking selfies with Mom on the iPhone

-Playing with and eating his feet (still a favorite)

-Laughing because Mommy is laughing

-Snuggling his puppy lovey to go to sleep

-Orange Oball... watching Mom and Dad throw it in the air always makes him giggle

-"Talking" in his crib or Pack N' Play when he first wakes up

-Putting anything in his mouth!

Dislikes:
-Tipping over from sitting up... we're working on our balance still!

-Getting better at tummy time... but still dislikes being on his tummy

-Sneezes (when Mom and Dad sneeze, it's inevitable that he will cry)

-Being off schedule (disaster melt down status!)

-Any kind of peek-a-boo game... He just blank stares at us like we are crazy!

-Losing pacifier in the crib

-Having the hiccups (he gets frustrated)

-Loud noises (sneezes, the dog barking sometimes, screams, too loud restaurants)

We're so excited to being trying a whole bunch of new things in the next month.. new food, new activities, and maybe even a first road trip!  Here's to the start of summer and until next time!

First Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was especially nice this year because it was my very first to celebrate being a Mommy! Last year at Mother's Day, we had just found out we were expecting, but no one else knew at the time.  This year made it that much more meaningful, knowing we've come full circle and were able to celebrate with our little guy!

Nolan gave me the cutest card that he wrote in himself (maybe Dad helped, a little), and he also treated me with a gift card to the Spa at Green Valley Ranch!  Ever since my prenatal massage there right before my due date, I have been wanting another visit SO bad, but never really thought I would be able to go back.  I'm thankful Jason will let me take a day to enjoy for myself and I am so excited to book this massage, ASAP!

The boys also spoiled me by taking me out for not one, but TWO meals for the day!  We wanted to try a new place for brunch, so we planned on driving across town to DW Bistro.  Online, the website said they would not be taking reservations for Mother's Day.  So we braved the crowds and tried it anyway.  When we got there, they asked if we had a reservation!?  Because we didn't, it was a 2.5 hour wait, so we politely declined.  No place is worth waiting that long for!

We decided to try Bachi HLK, instead.  We frequent Bachi Burger a lot and love it, and had heard they recently opened a new restaurant serving brunch and lunch.  When we got there, there was no wait and we got seated and started right away!  They offered complimentary mimosas for Moms, so I definitely took advantage and enjoyed one, which didn't disappoint.  Our food was amazing and we will definitely be making the trip over there again to visit for brunch.  Jason got the HLK Classic Eggs Benedict, and I got the Almond Brioche French Toast.  It was SO good, the prices were decent, and we highly recommend it!

Nolan was amazing through our morning outing, and spent the half the morning awake and up with us and the other half snoozing for his nap.  Although he's becoming more alert, he can still (mostly) manage to take his naps in his carseat while we are out running around, which I'm thankful for!

We spent the afternoon running a couple errands and then resting at home before going back out to dinner with my mom at Elephant Bar in the District.  Again, Nolan was a good baby and had fun playing with his toys and the menus, as well as snapping a few pictures while we waited for our food.  Once we got our dinner, he took a nap in his carseat and let us eat!  After dinner, we went to one of our favorite dessert places, Sweet Addictions, and got some yummy Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Nolan was over being out so much for the day, and decided he wanted to leave ASAP, so we booked it home and put him to bed.  

Words can't even express how it feels to be Nolan's mom.  Being a mommy is all that I imagined it to be, ten times harder than I thought but a million times more rewarding than I ever could have expected.  I'm so lucky to have this little guy steal my heart four months ago, and I can't even remember what life was like before he came along.  I'm also thankful for having the most supportive husband who works his butt off to allow me to do my dream job and stay at home with our baby!  Being a stay at home mom is HARD, despite what most people think, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I feel so lucky and proud to be the mom of an amazing family!