Random pictures

Nolan and Daddy in their unplanned matching outfits

My sweet boy

He's so serious!

Bath time and Bumbo

We've been trying to let Nolan get a new perspective on things, so we've been propping him up in his boppy with blankets and pillows. We tried the exersaucer last week too, but his head isn't quite that strong yet. So I figured we might as well get him one of those Bumbo seats....that's what they're for! Here he is in his new seat for the first time:




It looks like it's made of hard plastic, but it's actually a kind of soft foam. I tried to get a color that we could use later (much later!) if we have a girl, but they didn't have a lot to choose from, so we ended up with 'aqua'. There's a tray that comes with it, so we put some of his toys on it and he just kind of looked at them. He didn't seem completely thrilled with the whole thing, but it was right before bath time/bedtime, and he must have exhausted!


Speaking of bath time....Nolan loves it! I'm so glad, because I would hate it if he was crying the whole time. He loves splashing his feet and hands in the water. Here's a funny picture from last night - I think in his head he's saying "Why do you people keep talking to me in those weird voices?"











I thought this was a good picture.....too bad Brad's finger is in the way.....haha Nolan always has this really serious look on his face, like he's trying to take everything in and decide if he's cool with it or not. I wonder who he gets that from?















We got a couple of Baby Einstein movies for Nolan over the weekend, so he watched one last night about your first movements. These movies are amazing - they are hardly any words, just music and sounds, but any baby that I've seen watch them is just zoned in the whole time. They have puppets and animals and babies all thrown in the mix. When the babies came on the screen, Nolan would smile really big....it was too cute!


We're headed back to Indiana this weekend for a short trip. Brad won two free airline tickets on the radio last year (he's so lucky!) so we needed to use them before they expired. Our flight leaves right before Nolan usually goes to bed, so hopefully he'll be the same little angel he was last time on the plane!

Watching TV with Daddy

Nolan's learning the ups and downs of Denver Nuggets basketball....and the ups and (mostly) downs of Denver Broncos football!

Creative Beginnings

Nolan started daycare this week since I had to come back to work :( Maybe someday one of us will be able to be a stay-at-home parent!

The daycare facility is called Creative Beginnings and it's in downtown Denver. It's only about a 5-10 minute drive from where Brad and I work, so it will be handy in case of an emergency. I never in a million years thought I would be one of those moms that cried when they dropped their kid off at daycare for the first time....but I did!! I didn't make a scene or anything, but it definitely happened on the way to the car. Of course Nolan was happy as could be when we left and when we picked him up. At least he wasn't crying or screaming when we left - that would have been even harder on me! Everyone told us to call as many times as we needed to that day, but I only called once....and obviously he was fine! The best part was that he slept for 8 1/2 hours that night, the little guy was so exhausted from his big day. Not so much last night though! I know it'll take a little while, but I can't wait to get into a routine!

Being back at work has been good for me too. My flex schedule is working well so far (I know, it's only been 2 days!), and I'm very lucky to have such understanding co-workers! We're a little busy this week which was helpful on Monday to keep my mind off worrying about Nolan so much. I have to actually get dressed every day now, which is a nice change. I made sure to shower every day when I was home with Nolan, but I won't even try to deny the fact that I put on pajamas again right away. Why get dressed if I'm not going anywhere, right?

I got a really cute video of Nolan snoring the other day. He usually falls asleep in his car seat, but once we get home he wakes up. He must have been super tired, we had just taken him to get his 3 month pictures taken at JCPenney. (You may have to turn your volume way up to hear it.)

In other news, we bought a recliner last week. Brad picked it up Saturday afternoon, just in time for playoff football! He pretty much didn't move from that spot all day long. He decided we had to get one after sitting up two nights in a row with Nolan and his congestion while we were in Indiana. My parents have two recliners and they were so comfy, especially for that. Here's Brad in his new favorite spot (trust me - he was a LOT happier than he looks in this picture)!

So far so good on my new year's resolution of writing in my blog at least once a week! Woo hoo!

Nolan's new things

That's right, he's sucking his thumb now! He doesn't do it very often, I've just caught him a few times when he's been really tired. Last night, he woke up around 1am to eat and after I fed him and put him to sleep and got back downstairs, I heard him on the monitor....not sleeping! But he wasn't crying either, so I just let him "play" to see what would happen. Fifteen minutes later, I didn't hear a peep out of him....so I'm guessing he's learned how to self-soothe when no one is there to put his binky back in! Woo hoo!!

This was today when we were at Target during his usual long nap time in the middle of the day. I'm sure I looked ridiculous taking pictures of him in the middle of the aisle, but I couldn't help it!

Nolan is also sleeping in his crib in the nursery now. I wasn't sure how long to keep him in our room, so I just decided that January 1st was a good time to make the move. I'd tried to put him up there for naps before that, but he won't nap up there or in his pack-n-play (which is what he was sleeping in when he was in our room). So I wasn't sure how it would go, but he's been doing great! The night before last he slept for 7 1/2 hours! I woke up in the middle of the night, like I'm sure every new parent does, wondering if he was still up there or not! I resisted the urge to go check on him though, because I'm sure if I start that now, I'll never stop. I read somewhere that the baby and the parents will sleep better when they're in separate rooms....that first night I wasn't so sure! But what did we buy all that furniture for and paint the room for if we're not going to use it, right? Now if I could only get him to take naps up there....but right now, as long as he's sleeping I don't really care if he's in his bouncy seat, on the couch, or where ever!

The extra sleep time may be due to the fact that we started Nolan on formula last week. We did bottles with half breast milk and half formula for about a week to kind of ease him into it. He was super fussy, but I knew I should expect that. So when we switched him to formula only and he was still fussy, I knew it was the formula. We switched from Enfamil to Good Start and things are going much better now! The nighttime feedings are going much faster for me since I don't have to pump anymore. Starting next week when I'm back to work, Brad and I are going to switch off getting up with him at night. Brad said that I'll have to keep track of whose turn it is to get up....I told him not to worry, I will definitely have that under control! I'm lucky that he'll be getting up at night to help - I've heard more than a few times from my mom that was not the case with my dad!

Visit to Daycare - Jan 8

Nolan and I visited his daycare that he'll be starting at next week, Creative Beginnings. That's right, I have to go back to work on Monday! I never thought I would say this, but I could almost see myself staying at home. Ah, wishful thinking!

I met Nolan's main teacher (my mom thinks it's silly that they're called teachers, but it's easier than saying 'caregiver' or 'daycare lady' all the time!) and she's really nice. Erica has six kids of her own, so she's definitely got experience! I had a lot of questions to ask and some paperwork to fill out, and then we stayed and played with a few of the other babies. Nolan seemed a little overwhelmed because when we got there, 3 or 4 babies were all hungry at once and they were letting everyone hear it! I'm excited for Nolan to interact with other kids his age on a regular basis - I really think it will be good for his social development. Let's just hope he doesn't pick up any bad habits from the other kids!

I'll try for a picture next week, but I can't promise anything....I'm sure Nolan and I will both be a little overwhelmed/emotional (okay, I'll probably be emotional!) for the first couple of weeks, trying to get used to our new schedule! But since Brad & I carpool to work, we'll be able to drop him off and pick him up every day together. I'm guessing the morning routine will take a little while to get established, but it will be nice having Brad to help.

So on our last day at home together tomorrow, I'm taking Nolan to get his 3 month pictures taken. Then I'll probably spend all afternoon holding him :)

New Year's Resolution

Nolan says Happy New Year!

My new year's resolution is to update my blog more than once a month!

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2008!

Random pictures

Nolan's first Christmas tree, after we got home from Indiana.

Nolan's new friend Lizzie. Her mom Amber and I are friends from high school. She let me borrow her maternity clothes, so we returned them and visited while we were in Indiana.

Nanny and Nolan taking a Christmas day snooze.

Nolan's first spoon feeding. He gets rice cereal in the morning and the evening.

Nolan's first Colts outfit (thanks, Lisa!). Right after we put it on him, he spit up on it. Coincidence? He's already a Broncos fan....but we both still cheer for Indy when Daddy's not looking!

It had snowed quite a bit the day before we got to Indiana - this is in my parents' back yard. The picture doesn't do it justice....the sun was hitting the ice and snow on the trees just right and it was so pretty.

Papa and Nolan taking a nap by the fire.....Papa's teaching Nolan how to surf the channels!

My parents' cat, Patches.....or as everyone usually calls him, Rat-Cat.

Christmas in Indiana

After our amazingly smooth plane ride, my mom and dad (Nanny & Papa) met us at the airport. I had Nolan attached to me in his carrier since we were using my niece Mackenzie's old car seat and didn't have to bring ours. Nanny almost ripped his legs off trying to get him out of the carrier to hold him! Not that they weren't excited to see me...or so they said! We headed back to Terre Haute so Nolan could meet all of his cousins. They all loved him, of course, but Mackenzie was glued to him our whole trip! She's 17 months old and quite the little mother, making sure he had his binky and his blankie all the time. Here are pictures of Molly (2), Kylie (10), Mackenzie, Collin (3), and Nicolas (6). Collin & Nicolas weren't all that interested in Nolan, but Kylie was a big help. She'll be a great babysitter in a couple of years! Molly was so funny because she kept calling him 'baby girl'...haha

It was so nice to be home for such a long time, that way we didn't have to rush around to see everyone we wanted to see and do everything we wanted to do. Nolan got introduced to the guys at my dad's sawmill, and he got to meet Granny Ruth. She babysat us when we were kids, and I used to babysit for most of her grandkids. She's like my second mom, so it was only fitting that she was the first babysitter Nolan had! We were all out having fun at a party, but Nanny left the party early to go get him so Brad & I could stay out a little later. We had a blast!

Nolan also got to visit some of my old friends and their kids too. We went to Clay City one day to see Meghan and Olivia. Meghan and I grew up together, and Olivia is 3 weeks older than Nolan. She's such a cutie!!

After Brad got to Indianapolis on the 22nd, we went to Martinsville to see my friend Mandy and her husband Randy. Mandy & I went to Franklin College together. Her son Eli is about a year and a half, and he's growing like a weed!! We had a great time visiting, but of course I forgot to take any pictures!

We went to Monrovia later in the week to see my friend Sarabeth and her husband Mike. She & I went to Franklin College together too. She has three kids: Emily (5), Sam (2), and Lucy, who is just one week younger than Nolan. Like Nolan, Lucy looks just like her daddy!

We had a great time catching up with everyone, and I'm always glad when we're able to get together with my friends when we're in Indiana. It's funny how just a few years ago, none of us were married or had kids and now every thing's changed!

Every year we have Christmas with the Buell clan, my mom's side of the family. This year we went to my Uncle Pat & Aunt Jennifer's the Sunday before Christmas. I was so excited for everyone to meet Nolan! He wasn't in the best mood though - the night before he had gotten his first cold. And good thing Nurse Polly was there! I would have had no idea what to do, but we made a quick midnight trip to Wal-Mart, and a dose of Tylenol and decongestant later, and he was doing much better. (I've gotten pretty good at using that little sucky thing to get the snot out of his nose! haha) He did let everyone hold him and pass him around, so I was happy about that. We're still trying to get rid of that 'rattly' sound at nighttime, but it's slowly going away!

On Christmas Eve, we celebrate with my family at my mom and dad's house. The kids are always so much fun, and we always eat way too much. Typical of an infant on his first Christmas, Nolan slept through the entire thing! He got a lot of great stuff - books and clothes mostly, since he doesn't have a clue anyway! After we opened our gifts, we went to Christmas Eve service at my parents' church. The service was really nice, and once again, Nolan slept through the entire thing!

On Christmas day, we always go to Clay City to see what Santa Claus brought for my nieces and nephews. I got to play Legos with Nicolas (which I hope Nolan likes when he gets older, because I had a BLAST with Nic!) and we played a little Wii too. I got to see Guitar Hero for the first time - it's pretty cool!

Up to this point, our trip was wonderful. Then Brad & I got the stomach flu - the night before we were supposed to fly home! It was awful, to say the least! We took turns, in Brad's words, 'tag-teaming' the bathroom. I know, it's not a pretty picture, and trust me, neither were we the next day. We were both dehydrated and couldn't keep anything down, but if there had been any seats open on any other flights it would have cost us an arm and a leg to switch our tickets. By the time we had to leave for the airport, Brad was feeling a little better and I was on my way, just very slowly. The airline gave my mom a temporary boarding pass, so that was a huge help that she could wait with us at the gate. My cousin Lisa had hitched a ride with us to the airport since she was flying to Florida about the same time our plane left, and she was a huge help too....I hope we didn't pass our bug on to her! I've decided that the only thing worse than the stress of flying with an infant is flying with an infant when we're both sick as dogs!! But once again, Nolan was an angel. It was a long and uncomfortable flight, but we made it back. Brad's mom picked us up at the airport and I've never been so happy that we only live 15 minutes from the airport....I hit the bed as soon as we walked in the door and slept for 6 hours. Good thing Grandma Cindy stayed and watched Nolan because Brad crashed out too. And thankfully Nolan never got the flu....I'm not sure if I could handle that yet!

Nolan's first flight - Dec 16

Nolan and I were able to spend two whole weeks in Indiana for Christmas this year since I was on maternity leave. It was wonderful!! Despite the fact that I was completely stressed out about flying with him by myself on the way there (Brad flew out a week after us), everything went smoothly. God was definitely on my side - there were only 15 people on my flight and the airline gave Brad a temporary boarding pass to sit with us at the gate! I can't even tell you how many different scenarios I had run through my head in the weeks before the flight....what if we get delayed, what if Nolan cries the whole time, how I am going to hold it and not use the bathroom for 2 hours, etc. But we had a whole row to ourselves and Nolan didn't make a sound the entire time. He must have some sense of what a stress-ball I am about things, because every time I've expected and/or prepared for the worst, he's been an absolute angel!

Grandma Cindy's Christmas party - Dec 15

Grandma Cindy's Christmas party was the night before we left for Indiana....so we had a busy day of packing before we were able to have fun! It was Nolan's first time at a big party with a lot of people, and he wasn't too thrilled with it....he was pretty overwhelmed, which led to him being pretty fussy. But after awhile he fell asleep, and then let everyone pass him around.

He got to meet his new friend Evan...his mommy Brooke is a friend of Nolan's Aunt Melissa. He's a month older than Nolan, so of course we had to take pictures of them together! And we didn't even plan the sweater vest outfits - aren't they adorable?

Daddy's boy

Nolan definitely takes after Brad!

2 month shots - Dec 10

Nolan got his first round of shots at his 2-month old appointment. He did a really good job - better than Brad & I! The nurses are quick though, and I had some good advice to give him some Tylenol ahead of time. Nolan weighed in at 12 lbs., 8 oz. and 22 inches long. Dr. Zavadil said it's one for the hall of fame - he's gained 4 1/2 lbs. in 2 months! He's in the 55th percentile for weight, but only the 25th percentile for height....not surprising when you look at both of our families! Needless to say, I didn't get too much done once we got home....Nolan was fussy and wanted to be held all day. But I can't say that I minded too much :)

Before the shots:

Christmas brunch - Dec 9

Every year we have Christmas brunch with Brad's dad and stepmom at their country club. They have great food, and the kids get to see Santa and Mrs. Claus and sing Christmas carols. They also have a train ride outside, but it was a little too cold for Nolan to do this year. Something to look forward to next year!

Nolan's first picture with Santa

Mylee, Cambell, & Nolan

Nolan's first Christmas

Grandpa Morey & Grandma Sharon

December 1 - Marsico Christmas party

Brad & I had our first night away from Nolan when we went to the Marsico holiday party. He stayed with Grandma Cindy and had a blast! We got a hotel room to really take advantage of being out on the town for the first time since he was born. The party was a lot of fun and we got some extra sleep, but I think Nolan missed us....more like we missed him!

This us with a few other couples before the party....we all joked that it was like going to prom all over again!