6 Month Check-Up

Today we had Nolan's six month check-up, even though he's closer to seven months than he is to six months. We got a little off schedule with his check-ups because his pedi wasn't available for a couple weeks after he turned four months, so we had a late four month appt. Vaccinations need to be two months apart, so his six month appt had to be a few weeks after his six month birthday. Now that we don't need to go back until nine months, we can go the week he turns nine months instead of waiting a few more weeks, since it will be well over two months between vaccinations at that point. Not that it really matters, but it bugged me that we got off track and were going when he was 4.5 months and 6.5 months.

The visit went very well! First, the nurse weighed Nolan. He is now 18 lbs, 10 oz. He's gained 3 lbs in the last couple months! That made me happy because he hadn't gained as much from ages 2-4 months, when his reflux got bad. But ever since we started solids and Prilosec for his reflux, he's been able to hold his food down and is now gaining weight again. Nolan's weight is in the 60th%.
Nolan's height is 27.75", which is the 82%. He is a long and lean guy! He was at the 80th% for his two month visit, but dropped to the 50th% for his four month, and is now back to the 82nd%. The nurse we had today thinks that they probably measured him inaccurately at the four month appt, because while babies and children go through periods of growth spurts and periods of slow growth, it seems extreme to jump from 80th to 50th and back up to the 80th over a period of four months.

Next, the nurse practioner came in. We discussed how much solids Nolan is eating (cereal/oatmeal with a veggie/fruit 2x per day) and how in the last few weeks he is waking up in the middle of the night earlier than usual and is absolutely starving. We all agreed that we think it's time Nolan gets three meals per day. He is going to start eating stage 2 foods now, which are still pureed, but have a combo of foods (eg: apples, bananas, blueberries in one). He also can start pureed meat (yummy, right?!). Nolan also can eat foods such as baby yogurt, cottage cheese, and small, mushed up table food. I'm excited for him to start these! He is showing signs that he is ready to eat these foods. He grabs at his bottle, sippy cup, bowl, spoon, etc. and tries to feed himself. Nolan is a good little eater!

After that, the n.p. looked Nolan over and thought he looked great (which obviously he is :) ). She thinks that over the next few months his reflux should really start to go away, so hopefully by nine months he won't have to be on medication anymore. If he needs it still, that's totally fine. But it would be great if he didn't need to have it.

Finally, the bad part of the check-ups happened...the dreaded SHOTS! For Nolan's first couple of check-ups we had the same nurse, who was a pro at giving shots. It was boom boom done! This nurse seemed rather new and didn't give the two back-to-back. She took a bit of time to prepare and give the second shot, so Nolan screamed for awhile from the first to second shot. But then like the true champ he is, once the shots were given and he was scooped up into our arms he stopped screaming and didn't cry or shed a single tear. Little toughie. He even gave the meanie nurse a half smile as she left the room.

I did have to give Nolan some Tylenol this afternoon and evening. He got a low grade fever from the shots and seemed to be achy from them. :(  The Tylenol seemed to help, thankfully, and he turned back into my happy little man. Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow!

We don't have the professional 6 month photos back, so I can't post those. I'm anxious to get them! Here are some photos from this week of Nolan being cute in this adorable outfit from Target. Gotta love the clearance section!

Mmm, toes!

I'm gonna suck you!

It's normal to sit and hold on to your toes, right?!

Cutie Pie

Love that little butt!

Nolan doesn't like to be idle. Blankets, carpet, he doesn't care what he is rolling or scooting on!

He's getting closer and closer to getting up on all fours!

Pretty blue eyes!

Busy Spring

These past few weeks have been pretty busy; I hope I can remember it all! A few Sundays ago Nolan, his cousin Abigail (my sister Laurie and brother in-law Nick's daughter), and my parents had a photo shoot. It was a Christmas present to my parents from both of our families. The photo shoot went well! We got some excellent shots of the two cousins and of the grandparents with the cousins. Nolan just smiled and gazed at Abigail for most of the photo shoot, which is what he usually does when he's with her. He absolutely adores her! The feeling is reciprocated. Abigail adores him right back. She gives him kisses and has her baby dolls give him kisses, too! It's super cute. Jason and I are trying to narrow down which photos we want to get printed. There are so many good ones to choose from!

The following Friday we took Nolan to Stillwater to have Judd Sather (studio j photography) do his 6 months photos. Nolan was a rockstar for the entire photo shoot! He was SO smiley! We went back to the studio this past Friday to choose some prints. It was SO HARD to choose because there were so many good ones! We somehow managed to make some decisions. I cannot wait to get them printed and framed. When I get the digital prints I will upload them on here.

Last week was my first official Mother's Day and it was wonderful! Jason let me sleep in and took care of Nolan after he woke up and nursed. Then he made me french toast for breakfast. After Nolan's morning nap we went to the MN Zoo, where moms got in for free that weekend. It was fun walking around and having Nolan look at the animals. He is such a people-watcher, so I think he looked at the people more than the animals. But he did watch the monkeys move around. His favorite was to look at the fish and sharks swimming in the huge aquariums. I think we need to get Nolan to Underwater World at the MOA soon! He will absolutely love going through the tunnel and watching fish swim all around. After the zoo we went to my parents' house for dinner. My parents gave me a sweet card and pretty smelling candle and Laurie and Nick gave me beautiful flowers, a card, and a CD of songs from The Voice. I loved it all! Jason gave me gorgeous earrings that have Nolan's birthstone, citrine, with tiny diamonds surrounding it. I love them! I'll post a picture of them soon. Overall it was a fantastic day. 

Last night we took my parents out for dinner as a thank you for watching Nolan while we work and for everything they do for us. We ate at the yummy Urban Eatery. The weather was hot and sunny so we ate outside on the patio. Nolan did so well! Jason and I were nervous because he woke up from his second nap at 2, so he'd been up for awhile. But he smiled, chatted, squealed, and flirted with other patrons and the staff. While we ate dinner he ate some banana out of his mesh feeder. He started to get tired at the end of our meal (it got later than we thought it would) and the weather took a nasty turn. It got dark, cloudy, windy, and started to rain! We quickly took off after that and went home and put Nolan to bed. He was such a good boy though.

Nolan's latest accomplishment is sitting on his own. He sits so well now! He has some toys he likes to play with while he sits. Sometimes he is content chewing on a toy and watching TV. His favorite "toy" right now is water bottles. He loves chewing on them and holding them. He cries when you take it away! Nolan has come very close to getting up on all fours. I can't believe how fast he is growing and learning!

This coming Friday we have Nolan's 6 month doctor appointment. I'm looking forward to finding out how much he weighs and how long he is, but I'm definitely NOT looking forward to his shots. Hopefully he'll handle them like a champ like last time and won't get any bad reactions.

Here are the lastest pictures of our little man:

Happy cousins

Smiley guy

Grandparent/Grandchildren love

Picture by the penguins! Too bad Nolan's about to blink.

No photos, please, I'm trying to read.

Trying the mesh feeder for the first time.

It's a hit!

Nolan's first pair of jeans

Big boy sitting by himself

Oh, hey Momma!

Happy boy at the restaurant!

Happy Half Birthday, Nolan!

Nolan is 6 months old today! Jason and I can't believe how fast these last 6 months have gone. I think it's the fastest life has ever flown by for me. Nolan will be graduating before I know it!! haha

It's as if Nolan woke up and knew he was a little bit older, a little bit wiser. This morning he wanted to hold the bottle while Jason fed him (I was getting ready/pumping), like he usually does. But today Jason let go of the bottle and Nolan was able to hold it up and feed himself for about 10 seconds! Of course then he dropped it, but it was fun that he was able to do it for a little bit!

Then when I was feeding Nolan oatmeal and pears this evening, he grabbed the spoon out of my hand and held it in his mouth. Of course, then he gagged himself a little bit, so I quickly took it back from him. But you can see him starting to want to be a little more independent.

Yesterday Nolan, Abigail, and my parents had a photo shoot. I'll post some of those pictures when we get them. This Friday Nolan has his 6 month photo shoot with the amazing photographer, Judd Sather (studiojphotography). I'll also post some of those pictures when we get them.

Here are pictures Jason and I took tonight of our little man. Happy 6 months, Nolan! Mama and Dada love you sooooooo much!

You can't keep Nolan still! Diaper/clothes changes are impossible.

Kisses for mama.

Loving my little guy. Note: hand grabbing my hair. I'm going to be bald soon because of this!

6 months old!

Sweet smile.

Such a happy guy.

Goodbye, Pacifier!

A few weeks ago Jason and I were completely fed up with the pacifier. Nolan would lose it every one - two hours, requiring Jason or me to go in, retrieve it, and put it back in his mouth. Sometimes whoever put it back in would be back in bed, just about back to sleep, and Nolan would lose it again before he fell into a deep sleep. He was competely dependent on it for sleeping; it had become a total sleep crutch! None of us were getting good sleep. Jason and I decided it was time to ditch the paci and teach Nolan how to fall asleep on his own...

So we took the pacifier away one night and never gave it back! It sounds harsh, but Nolan has found ways to comfort himself (suck on his thumb, fingers, or fist, etc.). We had some crying but he is sleeping much better, and so are we! Naps have been harder (he is currently fighting a nap as I type this), but we have seen improvements with his naps, too. Overall, it was the best decision for all of us!

Here are recent pictures of Nolan:

Nolan's an airplane!

Big push-up

Give me that food!

What's this thing again? A foot?

Sweet baby.

Future Johnny? Jason thinks so! :)

Nolan is no fair-weather fan.

Superman!

Rice Cereal

In my last post I explained that Nolan's reflux has gotten progressively worse. Like to the point where I was worried he was going to lose weight. Well, he has been on Zantac for a week now and rice cereal for almost a week, and things are SO MUCH BETTER! Makes me feel bad, that I should have started him on those things awhile ago. Anyway, Nolan still opens his mouth like a little bird for the cereal. It's so cute! He gets cereal every morning and every night now. Some nights he is too tired for it. He'll put his hands in his mouth, get cereal on them, and then tiredly rub his eyes. He ends up with cereal all over! Those nights I just throw the cereal out and get him ready for bed.

Tomorrow we're going to start him on veggies. Probably something super delicious (yeah, right!) like peas or green beans. We'll work our way through the veggies, introducing a new one every few days - peas, green beans, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. Then we'll introduce yummy fruit. I'm excited to see which foods he likes the best!

Along with the cereal, we've started signing with Nolan. Laurie bought me a great baby sign language book for Christmas. We're starting with about 5-8 signs and then we'll add more. Right now we're signing for hungry, eat, more, all done, mama, and dada. We don't expect Nolan to start signing back for a few months, of course, but it's exciting to think that we'll be able to start understanding his wants and needs more when he starts signing.

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)