Battle Scars

We are going to have to teach this kid how to fight back! Poor Nolan was attacked today at daycare...the first of many I am sure. He got a scratch above his eye and on his cheek. I had to repeat to myself "he is okay" "he is okay" "at least it's not a bite"!

Come to Mama!

A few days ago, Brad and I decided to break out the walker! Nolan loves being in it! Until today, he only knew how to go backwards. Kinda funny to watch because he would get this excited look on his face like he wanted to come to you, but he would go the opposite direction. Well, not anymore! Tonight after dinner, Nolan started moving forward. He was so proud of himself. I know I say it all the time these days, but he is just growing sooooo fast! Every week he is doing something new. Ohh, and don't make fun of the walker. Brad says it looks like it came from the Dollar Store. I actually got this one for a reason. For one, it collapses to fit under the bed or couch. Second, its light and not bulky. Third, it doesn't have all that crap on it. If I wanted him to sit in something and play, I would put him in is jumper! The walker is to make them WALK! :)

Another Sign He is Getting Older..........

The Sippy Cup!

Kinda confused.........

Getting the hang of it...........

Figured out what those thingys on the side are for...........

Excited to drink something else besides formula...even if it was just water!

Happy Half Birthday!

Nolan is 6 months old today! Can you believe it??? Time has gone by in a flash, and we have loved every minute of it! Today, is his half birthday. I never did the half birthday thing growing up, and don't really intend on making a big deal out of his. However, if the stars align and his half birthday falls on President's Day (a day which typically means we are out of school unless we are taken over by China) again, we might have to make an exception :) Thought it might be fun to look back. Here are the pictures we had made a the hospital. Such a beautiful baby boy! Yes, this is the old school way of sharing a picture, but we did not spring for the $7,000 package that came with the CD :)


I was so happy that the photographer photo shopped out his baby acne...it was BAD!!! He also had scratches allllll over his face. I was beyond mad at the nursery when I went to get him that morning. I needed to get some sleep, so he stayed in there all night. They must have let him DIG at his face because when we picked him up he looked like he had been in a bar fight!

Now that Nolan is 6 months old he is:

~Rolling over from back to front and vise versa. No more leaving him alone in a room. He rolls anywhere he wants to be. We may have a roller, not a crawler :)

~Sitting up on his own...sorta. He can do about 30 seconds at a time, but he is getting better at it each day.

~Eating stage 2 foods. He is eating one jar in the morning and one veggie and half of a fruit in the evening. He began to boycott rice cereal and oatmeal, so I started to buy the jars of fruit with the grains mixed in and he seems to love that. Not sure what the difference is...all I can say is BRAT!

~Peeing out of his diaper at night. This is a fun one. Nothing like changing my clothes and Nolan's clothes at 3a.m.

~Yes I said my clothes. Nolan is still sleeping with me for most of the night. Starts out in his crib and then screams until I come and get him around 12. Yes, this is my fault....yada yada yada.

~Wearing 9 month everything! Unless it is Gymboree then it is 6-12 for those of you thinking about purchasing!

~He loves to be talked to. OMG this kid craves attention. He plays by himself when he wants to, but when he is done he will let you know!

~Still does not mind daycare. Really, I think he prefers it. He likes to look at everyone and observe. I visit everyday, and he could care less when I leave. In fact, when I come to love on him he will give me a big cuddle then look around for Kellye. As if he is saying " nice to see ya, but where is that other lady?"

~Still LOVES Eebee.

Today, as a half birthday gift, I gave Nolan some fruit! Real fruit. We have a neat little mesh thing that you put food in so that the baby can suck and chew on it with out getting choked. Genius! On today's menu : Pear and Banana

Excited about his new gadget!


I showed him what to do with it, and he took it out and smiled at it!



Getting the hang of it

Full on gnawing. He loved the banana!!

VSD..aka..Hole in the Heart

Monday, I took Nolan to the doctor to check his ears. As you may know, we have had two ear infections in a month and a half. Dr. Ladd checked his ears and gave us the green light. Told me that Nolan was no longer sick, so it was now time to let him cry it out in his crib..again. I love that guy...he is a straight talker! As he was checking his lungs to be sure the bronchiloitis had cleared up, I thought to myself "man he is spending more time doing that than the last time we were here". He asked me if Nolan had a paci because he needed him to be really quiet. At that point, I knew something was not right. He sat down and reassured me that his ears and lungs were perfect, but we needed to talk about his heart. Talk about your stomach hitting the floor. From that point on he might as well have been the teacher from Charlie Brown. His mouth was moving, but I really was not paying attention. I heard murmur, swooshing sound, pediatric cardiologist, and we will call you tomorrow for an appointment. Everything else might as well have been German. He was very calm, gave me a big pat on the back, and told me that if he thought it was too serious he would be driving me to Vandy himself. Have I mentioned that we love Nolan's doctor? I did a pretty good job of keeping cool. I did not google...something I am very proud of. I tend to google all medical conditions and scare the crap out of myself. The next day a nurse called and said she got us an appointment for the very next day. Yay! This meant I didn't have to sit a stew about this for very long. The stars all aligned and I even had a snow day on the day of his appointment :) Now, remember when I said I was "keeping cool"?? Well, that all went to hell in a hand basket as I drove around Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I was so confused. I gave my self a half hour to find a spot and get to his appointment. Plenty of time in a typical situation, but this was not typical. I was taking my sweet little man to a hospital where sick kids go...not kids with a cold, ear infection, or crazy rashes. This is a hospital for SICK kids, and I had a hard time putting Nolan in that category. I drove around trying to figure out where I was suppose to go, where I was suppose to park, how was I suppose to find my husband in a parking garage with no cell service. I had to stop my car and have a good cry. I think I held all my worry in the past 48 hours, and it needed to come out. I think Brad thought I was having a nervous breakdown when he found me. He is so good at calming me down, and we were able to get inside on time :) I am sure I looked like a hot mess, but we made it! As we sat in the waiting room, I looked at the other kids and wondered what was going on with them. This was the cardiology floor after all. They looked like normal, healthy, thriving children and that made me feel a little better. All but one. A little girl was there waiting to see her doctor and she looked sick. Tired, pale, and just looked like she needed to go home a lie on the couch. I am guessing her little heart was having a hard time, and I stopped my thoughts right there and said a little prayer for her. We finally went back to see the doctor...we thought. First we had a heart eco...Nolan was perfect. Second, we had a EKG...Nolan was perfect. Third, he had his blood pressure taken twice on all four limbs...Nolan began to have enough. After an hour or more of tests we were finally taken to an exam room. We waited and waited and waited until finally a nurse came in a listened to his heart and said the doctor was looking at his results...she would be right in. 30 minutes later in pops the doctor. 3o minutes?????????? Ohhh I was fuming. Not only was Nolan needing a nap, he was just tired of being there and so was I. 3o minutes was just long enough for me to sit and think about what might be wrong. Who needs that much time to look at a heart eco? There is either a hole or there isn't!! When the doctor came in, she was very nice and reassuring. Nolan does have a hole, but it is small. She said that it should close on it's own by the time he is three, and if not they would not touch it unless it was causing problems with his blood pressure. Ohhhh the relief that came over my body. I was so happy!!! I knew that it would be more than likely a minor issue, but as a parent you can help but worry. As we left the hospital, I could not help but think to myself "Thank you God for my baby's hole in his heart". We saw so many children there that were obviously battling much bigger conditions. I got in my car, buckled up, and put her in reverse. I had a moment of panic because I really was not sure I how I got in the parking garage, and really didn't know how to get out :) Eventually figured it out and then laughed at myself for having such a meltdown :) Here are a few pictures of my sweet, loud, snugly, hard headed, smiley, impatient chunk of love. Also, I tried to break this up in to paragraphs to make it easier to read, but blogger is being dorky. Sorry :)


He is getting better about sitting up...30 seconds or so before falling over :)


He is now acepting of tummy time. If he doesn't want to do it anymore, he just rolls over...concept ;)

If you click the pic to make it bigger, you can see his hair sticking straight up. Cracks me up because Brad's hair does the exact same thing when it is too long.

And this is mid fall :)

All Grown Up!

My kid can hold his own bottle. Granted, it's only for about 30 seconds, but it's a start. The point is that he knows how to do it...I will keep you updated on his progress :)

Random

Last week I put Nolan in his high chair for the first time. His Great Grandmommy bought him this from an Amish furniture maker. I love it! There are no metal locks on it to mash his fingers. I knew I wanted a wooden high chair...the new fangled ones just don't suit my taste. After working in a daycare for a few years, I quickly made the decision to not get one of those hard to clean food collectors :) Just a note: He has yet to eat in it, he just is not sitting up well enough yet...in time!




I had to include this random picture................

I can see this exact face in about 5 years as he is throwing himself on the floor of Target. "BUT MOM YOU SAID!!!!" Can't you see it????????????

Expert Roller...kinda :)