Updates!

Well it has been awhile again since I last posted! March flew by and before I knew it, Nolan turned 5 months! I can't believe how big and mobile he is getting. His personality is really starting to show, which is so much fun!

To start off, Nolan's sleep regression has gotten better. He's not sleeping through the night yet. We'll probably cut off his middle of the night feed when he gets to be 6 months old. We might have to do some sleep training then. Right now Nolan is totally dependent on us to put the pacifier back in. It's a total sleep crutch for him. Jason and I are trying to wait to sleep train until he is able to find it and put it back in himself (which hopefully happens soon!). But for now we're still pretty tired since we have to put the pacifier back in a lot and since I still nurse once a night. But, it is better than his multiple feedings per night that he regressed back to in Feb/March.

Speaking of sleeping habits, Nolan is a tummy sleeper! We put Nolan down on his back, but since he learned how to roll from back to tummy (the day before he turned 4 months), he flips over immediately. I, of course, worry about SIDS, but our pedi and many reputable websites say that when a baby is strong enough to roll over onto their tummy, you don't have to worry and can let them sleep on their tummy. We still always put him down on his back though and let him decide how to sleep.

Now that Nolan is rolling both ways, he can make his way across a room pretty fast! We're definitely going to have to baby-proof our house soon. He will just keep rolling and rolling until he gets to the other side of the room. We're also going to have to vacuum more. Boo.

Something new for Nolan in the last month is breathing fresh air! With this amazing spring we've been having, we were able to get Nolan outside for a walk in early March. He LOVES walks! He coos and squeals while we're out on walks and looks all around. I've figured out how to bring Keegan on our walks with us. Keegan is not the best walker, so I can't hold the leash and walk Nolan. Instead I loop the leash around my waist so I can be hands free with Keegan. Keegan learned pretty quickly to walk next to the stroller. Nolan loves to just stare at Keegan while we walk. Keegan's learned that he gets to go on walks when I get the stroller out!

Nolan has been experimenting with his voice and has learned to squeal/scream! He'll do a cute high pitched mini-scream, kind of like he is talking to you. He'll do this little squeal and grin at you. It's the cutest little noise. However, he definitely has learned to use his lungs and will scream the high pitched scream at the top of his lungs when he wants to. He sometimes does this when he is happy, and he definitely does it when he is mad! His voice has gotten hoarse over this past week because of it.

On April 1 we had Nolan baptized! We chose to baptize Nolan in a Lutheran church. In fact, he was baptized in the church Jason and I were married at, Bethlehem Lutheran Church. My grandma and mom were baptized there as well, so it was really special. The font that they used for Nolan is the same font they used for my grandma and mom, and it was the last time they were going to use it! The church bought a new font and they are going to start using it for all baptisms held after Easter. It was so special that Nolan got to use the same one as my mom and grandma. I am so glad we had him baptized when we did!
Alissa (Jason's sister) and Tommy (my brother) are Nolan's Godparents. They mean a lot to us and we know that they will be good role models for Nolan. Nolan will definitely look up to both of them!

One not so happy thing that is new is Nolan's reflux! The first few months of his life he barely ever spit up. But in the last month or so he has started to spit up a lot. These last few days it has been SO bad! I took him to the doctor yesterday and she said to start cereal immediately (it will help keep the milk down) and she put him on Zantac so the heartburn gets better. I am hoping that both of these will help! I feel so bad for the poor little guy. It seems like he's barely kept anything down these last few days. We started cereal this morning and he seemed to like it! He opened his mouth like a little bird for the spoon and we heard him swallowing. Of course, some (ok a lot) got on his face and bib, but that is to be expected! :)

Nolan's 4 month well visit went well. He was 25.5" long (58%) and 15 lbs, 10 oz (51%). He handled his shots like a pro and just fussed for a minute, but didn't cry. Other than the reflux, he is a healthy little guy!

Here a bunch of pictures since I last posted. We videotaped him eating cereal this morning. I'll take some pictures of him eating soon and post those next time.

Sophie the Giraffe - Best. Teether. Ever. Nolan's (and Mommy's) best friend!

 Nolan and Mommy photo shoot

4 months old!

Showing off his college of choice.

Check out those baby blues.

 Nolan's a Gophers fan!

One of my favorite outfits (from Auntie Laurie, Uncle Nick, and Abigail)

 First time in exersaucer (still a little too small...had to put a blanket in there for him)

 Superman was putting on a brave front and smiling despite receiving his 4 month shots that morning.

 Baptism Photos 4/1/12

 Godparents Alissa and Tommy

 Grandparents

 Great Grandparents (Tara's grandparents, Gloria and Byron)

Great Grandparents (Jason's grandparents, Elaine and Gene)



 5 months old! 4/7/12

 Showing off the Superman/airplane pose (legs and arms lifted off the ground)

Finally posting 3 month pics!

Jason and I bought a fancy new camera and experimented with it last month. We bought a cute outfit for Nolan, a large piece of white cloth we taped to the wall and floor, and snapped away! We are definitely amateurs at photography. It's something we want to get better at. We would like to take a class on photography and then learn how to photoshop/edit. Anyway, here are our 3 month pics (Nolan was about 3.5 months at the time).

We want to photoshop Jason's hand out of this one.

Quick Update

It's hard to believe Nolan will be four months old on Wednesday! Time is flying by. These past few weeks have been a little frustrating sleep-wise. Nolan has entered the dreaded "4 month sleep regression." For the past few weeks he has added 1-2 extra feedings per night. Since he was 6 weeks old he started only needing one motn feeding, but all that went out the window when he hit 15 weeks. I've been trying to read up on it and figure out how to help him sleep better and what we're trying is an earlier bedtime. From what I've read at this age babies' sleep changes from deep baby sleep to a lighter, more adult-like sleep. They also need a solid 11-12 hours of sleep per night. Since Nolan wakes up in the 6:30-7:30 time range every morning, we're going to try to get him to sleep by 7:30 at the lastest. Hopefully this will help him to sleep better at night. Fingers are crossed!

Last weekend Jason and I took a bunch of picturs of Nolan. When we edit them I'll add post them on here.

Other than causing me to be extra sleepy these last few weeks, Nolan has been busy rolling, scooting (he can turn himself around 180 degress, and one time turned 270 degrees!), babbling, giggling, grabbing things and putting them in his mouth, and DROOLING! A TON! We can't tell if he is teething or not, but he constantly wants to put things in his mouth, from his hands to a soft blankie to a teether. He will happily nom nom on your finger if you let him.

I'll put more pictures on my next post. For now, here is Nolan and his buddy Keegan (he watches Keegan and just grins at him).

Rolling Over, Talking and Giggling!

Nolan has been rolling over, giggling, and chatting up a storm recently! He was an early roller - at 10 weeks old! He first rolled over at my mom's house. I thought it was just a fluke, that he somehow rolled over without meaning to. But a few days later he rolled over again. Then a few days after that he really got the hang of it and rolled over 9 times in one morning! I kept putting him back on his tummy and he would just roll right over. He prefers to roll to his left, although he's rolled over to his right a few times. Since then he has been rolling over a lot. This past week he hasn't rolled over much at all. I think he is enjoying tummy time more now that he has good neck control and can push up onto his hands for a longer period of time. Here's a video of the morning he really got the hang of it (not the best video, kinda shakey, but you can see him roll).

Nolan has been talking for quite some time, but this week he turned into a chatterbox! He just talks and talks, especially when he is on the changing table. My mom sent a cute picture text of him talking to Grover while he was on his tummy at her house. Here is a video of Nolan chatting with me while he is on the changing table.

Nolan started giggling! He was 12 weeks old when he started. This week he has been giggling every day. It is the sweetest noise. My cheeks always hurt from smiling so much every time he giggles. I was able to capture it on video. It's really quick; I haven't been able to capture a longer one yet. I'll keep trying. :)

And here is a cute picture I snapped of Nolan while he was doing tummy time last week.

Daycare at Grammie's!

Nolan has been going to daycare at Grammie's (my mom's) for an entire month now. He loves it there! He adores his cousin Abigail and his snuggles with Grammie. By the time I get to my mom's to nurse him after work he is exhausted. He usually falls asleep nursing and then sleeps until 6:30 or 7!

Nolan's typical day at Grammie's includes watching Abigail eat in the highchair, doing tummy time (while watching Abigail dance or walk), lying on his back in the activity gym, "talking" to Grammie, snuggling with Grammie, napping in his cradle, bouncy chair, or Grammie's arms, drinking several bottles, and sitting in his bouncy chair while Abigail tries to pull his socks off. :)

I am so happy that Abigail and Nolan are so interested in each other. I can just imagine what it will be like a year from now when Abgail is talking up a storm and Nolan is walking..they will be trouble! :)

Here are some pictures from Grammie's:

Abigail dancing while Nolan watches

Looking at each other

"Nolan! You're watching me dance, right?!"

"Yes, Abigail. Your dancing is amazing."

"I'm going to watch you from my tummy."

"You better be watching me, Nolan!"

Time to walk!

"Which books should Grammie read to Nolan and me?"

"Abigail! I'm still watching you! I watched you walk all the way to the books!"

Videos!

I finally uploaded the pictures and videos from my Droid onto my computer. Here are some of my favorite pictures and videos of Nolan from my phone:



It's been awhile...

Since I last posted! This past month has been very busy with Nolan, holidays, my birthday and returning back to work. I do intend post more often than once per month. Hopefully now that the chaos is over I'll have more time to post!

Nolan is growing so fast! We had his two month appointment this past Friday. It was so sad to see him get shots. :(  He just cried for a few minutes and then calmed down. He did get a lowgrade fever that night. We can tell that his thighs are still sore from the shots. He isn't liking tummy time as much since his shots. Hopefully the pain from the shots will go away soon for the little guy.

Here are Nolan's two month stats: 24 inches (81st %) and 12 lbs 13 oz (70th %). He's gained almost 6 lbs since birth and has jumped from the 30th% for weight to the 70th%! He is a long baby. He's wearing 3 month clothes now and is almost too long for some of them!

We still swaddle Nolan when he sleeps (the startle reflex that wakes babies up doesn't start to go away until 3 months or so) and his swaddle sleep slack is starting to get too small for him. He sometimes is able to manuever his little arms right out of it! I love the swaddle sleep sack because it has velcro and you can get a really tight swaddle. It doesn't come in a larger size, so hopefully Nolan will outgrow the startle reflex before he outgrows the swaddle sleep sack!

Nolan's sleeping has gotten much better. For the most part he just gets up for one middle of the night feeding. After a busy weekend or when his schedule is thrown off he does have a few off nights, but usually he bounces back. I am hoping and praying that the sleeping keeps getting better! I am definitely feeling more refreshed now and a lot less sleep deprived.

Nolan is still a catnapper during the day. However, Nolan's pediatrician (who is a Gustie, yay!) and Laurie and Nick's (Abigail's) pediatrician have both said that babies are usually catnappers until 4-6 months old. Then they start to take two to three longer naps during the day and you can put them on a schedule/routine. So Nolan's catnapping is to be expected at this age.

Sadly, I am back to work already. But I am so fortunate to have my mom babysit! Nolan already seems to love being at her house. He is happy while he is there and seems to enjoy cuddling with my mom and watching his cousin Abigail practice walking. I am happy to be working part time. It made going back to work much easier knowing it was just for a few days at a time and that Nolan gets to be with his grandma and cousin.

Yesterday was Nolan's fourth (and last!) baby shower! It was held at our house and thrown by my mom and sister, Laurie. It was a beautiful, fun shower!The games that Laurie and my mom came up with were creative and fun, the desserts were yummy and it was great to visit with everyone who came.  My mom, Laurie, and my aunts Kris and Julie (who flew in from Boston and San Fransisco for it!) came early and put up a ton of cute blue baby boy decorations and set up the desserts. Nolan actually went down for a nap right when it started. I expected him to be up within a half hour of going down (like he usually does), but he napped for the entire shower! I finally woke him up after two hours so people could see and hold him. He let people hold him pretty nicely, but then quickly realized he was hungry so I nursed him. Then Colleen (Jason's mom, Nolan's grandma) got to hold him for awhile and Kris and Julie got to hold him again before they left. It was so nice of them to fly here for his shower!

Nolan is doing "push ups" now during tummy time. He's getting really good head control. We've tried putting Nolan in the bumbo seat, but he isn't quite ready for it yet. He's still a bit of a bobblehead in it. :) We'll try again at three months. Nolan is also smiling and talking up a storm. It's fun to pretend that the sounds he makes are actually words. I like to pretend that his favorite musician is Lady Gaga because he makes the "ga" sound a lot.

Nolan's favorite spot is on the changing table. He can be fussy, but the instant you put him down on there he starts grinning and talking. He loves to look at his name on the wall or look at you and chatter away. We've invested in a camcorder and have gotten some good video of him chatting and smiling. It's so fun!

I am sure I am forgetting to mention many things that have happened since I last posted. I am going to make sure I post more often so I don't forget anything! So check back soon. :)

Now for a photo bomb...

Uncle Bob meeting Nolan

And Aunt Ginny meeting him

My smiley guy :)

Nolan the elf at Daddy's work

Our family on Christmas

Grammy, Uncle Tommy, Uncle Jeff and Nolan

Nolan the elf

I love this outfit! Check out the socks.

Snuggling after his nap...Not wanting to nap longer, but not quite ready to wake up.

Testing out the Bumbo...while Keegan licks it.

Happy to be two months old!!!

 So cute!

Grinning at Great Grandma!

Snuggling with Great Grandpa!

Picture with Mommy at her birthday party

I couldn't resist this onesie. :)

Loving the changing table!

So sweet.