It was a great summer and of course I have pictures to proove it. Too many to post on the blog so I'm posting links to all of the albums in hopes that you will look at our pictures. The kids are really cute I promise!
June
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4170534009/a=33714566_33714566/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
July
http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4794158009/a=33714566_33714566/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Nadine's Wedding
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4776250009/a=33714566_33714566/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Ashley's Wedding Week
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4794515009/a=33714566_33714566/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
August
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4793912009/a=33714566_33714566/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Our Party of Five...
Friday, September 3, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Summer 2010
Well the summer has completely flown by without me having a chance to update my blog at all! So much has happened and I was too busy living life to stop and record all the happenings. This continues to be one of my major Mommy-guilt issues--You should see the boy's baby books (or lack there of!). I am hoping that with the new school year will come some time for me to catch up on these things (who am I kidding right?!)
Some of the highlights of the summer include:
Nick's 3rd birthday complete with cousins Trip and Mady spending the weekend to help celebrate! It was so much fun having that time with Trip and Mady! I can't believe Nicholas is 3 years old! Where did the time go?? Nolan also turned 6 months that same week. Happy 1/2 birthday baby!! When I took the boys to the doctor for their checkups, both had gained 4 pounds and grew 2 inches. Nicholas did that in one year, and Nolan did that in 2 months! My tiny baby is not so tiny anymore!
Nicholas took swim lessons for four weeks and did great. For some reason he had a little bit of separation anxiety at the start of each one as I sat off to the side but once he got over that he did great. The lessons have really helped and he's really improving with his swimming. He's putting his head under now and even swimming to us a short way without his swimmies on!
July 4th weekend was spent up at Grandad and Kaki's house with lots of family. Nicholas and Trip stayed for the weekend and had a great time.
The weekend of July 10th was my dear friend Nadine's wedding weekend. We spent the weekend down in Vinings (our old home as newlyweds) and Nick went to Aunt Lauby and Uncle TJ's and Nolan went to Mimi and PopPop's. It was wonderful to have that time with just Graham and our close friends--what a beautiful and fun wedding it was! But I sure did miss my boys, especially Nolan as it was my first time away from him. And of course he had a little cold too!
Before we knew it, it was time for Ashley and Jay's wedding! We started the week with a tribute to Papa on Sunday. A motorcycle group called Warrior's Watch Riders came and paid tribute to him and his service in the war. It was a surprise to Papa and many of his family and friends came out to support him. It was wonderful to see and Nick of course loved the motorcycles! The wedding events were so much fun and it was wonderful to be with all of our family. I think the weekend was perfect and the wedding itself could not have been more beautiful. Ashley was stunning of course in her dress and it was so amazing to be there to support Ashley and Jay as they begin their life together! I was so pleased that the boys didn't ruin the wedding and actually did very well. Nicholas did great walking down the aisle (without shoes on!) and both boys were quiet during the ceremony. At the reception, Nicholas was on the dance floor the ENTIRE night! We are going to be in BIG trouble with our little party animal in the future! Once I got over my nerves from the ceremony and then my Matron of Honor toast, I was actually able to have a great time. Just wish I hadn't made myself sick with worry beforehand! We could not be happier for the new Mr. and Mrs. Yarbrough! And I finally have a brother--yippee!
We ended the weekend by going to the aquairium with Kaki, Lauren, Trip, Mady and cousin Kristin. That was a great time and Nick loved it of course! Sadly after that we had to say goodbye to Kristin and Cece :(
That week Nicholas got to attend Dinosaur Camp at his school for the week. He LOVED being back at school and I loved having a little bit of free time with just Nolan. It's amazing how it seems so easy to go back to just one child!
Then this last week we went to Hilton Head for the whole week! It was an amazing vacation and I am so thankful for it. It was almost like we had two vacations in one. Mimi, PopPop, and Papa were there with us in the beginning from Saturday til Wednesday. We crammed as much into those days as we could with lots of beach and pool time and then our evenings we went out to our favorite seafood restaurants and shopping spots at Harbour Town, Hudson's and fireworks at Shelter Cove. We rented a bike with a kiddie cart trailer in the back to haul the boys around Shipyard. We loved riding our bikes to and from the beach. Nicholas loved the beach and so did Nolan. His favorite thing was eating the sand--I could not get him to stop! Nick had a great time swimming in the pool too. Graham and I even got to have a date and go to a movie one night. Then on Wednesday Mimi, PopPop and Papa had to leave to get back for work so it was then just our family of 4 left to enjoy the "beachhouse" as Nick called it. We took Nick to play putt putt golf for the first time which he LOVED and was pretty good at too! Graham played with Nolan strapped to him in the baby bjorn and he still won! We spent lots more time at the beach and pool and time at Shelter Cove watching the boats, shopping, and having a great dinner. It was a terrific family vacation and we are so thankful for the opportunity!
Nolan will be 8 months old in two days! I can't believe how fast this time has gone. He started sitting up on his own about 2 weeks ago. He is incredibly chubby and is already not fitting into some of the 12 month clothes!! He's still not crawling and doesn't have any teeth yet. I'm actually pretty thankful that he's taking his time on these things. I find myself so much more enjoying the baby time and do not want him to grow up fast at all! Whenever I think about how we are only 4 months away from him turning one, or the time when he's too big for me to wear him in the bjorn or sling, or too old for the bottle...all of these thoughts bring tears to my eyes! I am so in love with my baby and his giant smile and beautiful bright eyes. He is such an angel and has added so much joy to our family. With Nicholas I couldn't wait for him to reach each of the milestones and grow into the next phase and I feel I wished away his babyhood. I am enjoying every moment with Nolan and don't want it to end! One of the sweetest blessings has been watching my boys as brothers and the love they have for each other and the giggles that they share with each other. Nicholas is still a terrific big brother and does a great job of taking care of Nolan. What a gift they are to each other and to Graham and me! God is so good!
I will try and post some pictures from our summer soon!
Some of the highlights of the summer include:
Nick's 3rd birthday complete with cousins Trip and Mady spending the weekend to help celebrate! It was so much fun having that time with Trip and Mady! I can't believe Nicholas is 3 years old! Where did the time go?? Nolan also turned 6 months that same week. Happy 1/2 birthday baby!! When I took the boys to the doctor for their checkups, both had gained 4 pounds and grew 2 inches. Nicholas did that in one year, and Nolan did that in 2 months! My tiny baby is not so tiny anymore!
Nicholas took swim lessons for four weeks and did great. For some reason he had a little bit of separation anxiety at the start of each one as I sat off to the side but once he got over that he did great. The lessons have really helped and he's really improving with his swimming. He's putting his head under now and even swimming to us a short way without his swimmies on!
July 4th weekend was spent up at Grandad and Kaki's house with lots of family. Nicholas and Trip stayed for the weekend and had a great time.
The weekend of July 10th was my dear friend Nadine's wedding weekend. We spent the weekend down in Vinings (our old home as newlyweds) and Nick went to Aunt Lauby and Uncle TJ's and Nolan went to Mimi and PopPop's. It was wonderful to have that time with just Graham and our close friends--what a beautiful and fun wedding it was! But I sure did miss my boys, especially Nolan as it was my first time away from him. And of course he had a little cold too!
Before we knew it, it was time for Ashley and Jay's wedding! We started the week with a tribute to Papa on Sunday. A motorcycle group called Warrior's Watch Riders came and paid tribute to him and his service in the war. It was a surprise to Papa and many of his family and friends came out to support him. It was wonderful to see and Nick of course loved the motorcycles! The wedding events were so much fun and it was wonderful to be with all of our family. I think the weekend was perfect and the wedding itself could not have been more beautiful. Ashley was stunning of course in her dress and it was so amazing to be there to support Ashley and Jay as they begin their life together! I was so pleased that the boys didn't ruin the wedding and actually did very well. Nicholas did great walking down the aisle (without shoes on!) and both boys were quiet during the ceremony. At the reception, Nicholas was on the dance floor the ENTIRE night! We are going to be in BIG trouble with our little party animal in the future! Once I got over my nerves from the ceremony and then my Matron of Honor toast, I was actually able to have a great time. Just wish I hadn't made myself sick with worry beforehand! We could not be happier for the new Mr. and Mrs. Yarbrough! And I finally have a brother--yippee!
We ended the weekend by going to the aquairium with Kaki, Lauren, Trip, Mady and cousin Kristin. That was a great time and Nick loved it of course! Sadly after that we had to say goodbye to Kristin and Cece :(
That week Nicholas got to attend Dinosaur Camp at his school for the week. He LOVED being back at school and I loved having a little bit of free time with just Nolan. It's amazing how it seems so easy to go back to just one child!
Then this last week we went to Hilton Head for the whole week! It was an amazing vacation and I am so thankful for it. It was almost like we had two vacations in one. Mimi, PopPop, and Papa were there with us in the beginning from Saturday til Wednesday. We crammed as much into those days as we could with lots of beach and pool time and then our evenings we went out to our favorite seafood restaurants and shopping spots at Harbour Town, Hudson's and fireworks at Shelter Cove. We rented a bike with a kiddie cart trailer in the back to haul the boys around Shipyard. We loved riding our bikes to and from the beach. Nicholas loved the beach and so did Nolan. His favorite thing was eating the sand--I could not get him to stop! Nick had a great time swimming in the pool too. Graham and I even got to have a date and go to a movie one night. Then on Wednesday Mimi, PopPop and Papa had to leave to get back for work so it was then just our family of 4 left to enjoy the "beachhouse" as Nick called it. We took Nick to play putt putt golf for the first time which he LOVED and was pretty good at too! Graham played with Nolan strapped to him in the baby bjorn and he still won! We spent lots more time at the beach and pool and time at Shelter Cove watching the boats, shopping, and having a great dinner. It was a terrific family vacation and we are so thankful for the opportunity!
Nolan will be 8 months old in two days! I can't believe how fast this time has gone. He started sitting up on his own about 2 weeks ago. He is incredibly chubby and is already not fitting into some of the 12 month clothes!! He's still not crawling and doesn't have any teeth yet. I'm actually pretty thankful that he's taking his time on these things. I find myself so much more enjoying the baby time and do not want him to grow up fast at all! Whenever I think about how we are only 4 months away from him turning one, or the time when he's too big for me to wear him in the bjorn or sling, or too old for the bottle...all of these thoughts bring tears to my eyes! I am so in love with my baby and his giant smile and beautiful bright eyes. He is such an angel and has added so much joy to our family. With Nicholas I couldn't wait for him to reach each of the milestones and grow into the next phase and I feel I wished away his babyhood. I am enjoying every moment with Nolan and don't want it to end! One of the sweetest blessings has been watching my boys as brothers and the love they have for each other and the giggles that they share with each other. Nicholas is still a terrific big brother and does a great job of taking care of Nolan. What a gift they are to each other and to Graham and me! God is so good!
I will try and post some pictures from our summer soon!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer fun
It's quite sad that it takes me so long to get back to my blog and update it. I finally got on sometime last week and was able to write the following and then Nolan woke up and I was interrupted and never got to finish. It's now a week later and I'm just now getting back! So hear is my post from last week:
We've had a great start to our summer so far! Nicholas finished up school with a wonderful end of the year program. He did a great job singing--I could definitely hear his voice above the rest! He knew all of the words and motions for all of the songs! His teachers have remarked, and we have recognized for a while now, how he has a great ear for music and learns and recognizes songs so quickly. Now his singing voice leaves a little to be desired but it's still beautiful music to me! :) Mimi, Papa, Nolan, and myself came to see his program and I think it was very exciting for him. My favorite part was as soon as they finished singing, Nicholas yelled "There's my Mommy!" about 3 times just as everyone went silent! He had such a wonderful first year of school and had two wonderful teachers, Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Sheri. I am so grateful that his first year was such a success! He learned so much and grew up to be such a big boy!
We've spent the past two weekends going up to Grandad and Kaki's home. With the new pool and playground it is absolutely gorgeous up there and we can't stay away. They might have to start putting restrictions on us! This weekend we'll be heading back up for a Birthday pool party for Mady and Nicholas! Update: We had a great birthday pool party! Nicholas had so much fun playing with his cousins in the pool and with his new toys. By the end of the pool time he was swimming around on his own in the pool with his floaties on! The kids decorated cupcakes and had a blast eating all of the candy toppings.
We've also been spending tons of time playing outside with neighbors and enjoying not having a school schedule. Yesterday (a week ago) we went to the sprayground (water playground) and played in the water, had a picnic, and played on the playground. Then I stopped at a produce stand on the way home and got lots of fresh fruits and veggies for us and for Nolan as I'm starting to make him his first foods!
Nolan is getting so big these days! He's so much fun and loves to laugh and bounce and jump and roll. His jumperoo is his favorite thing! He's been eating rice cereal with some applesauce for over 2 weeks now. He's just worked up to having it 3 times a day. Tomorrow I plan to introduce sweet potatoes. (Update: He loves sweet potatoes and summer squash too!) Unfortunately, we are in the process of weaning from breastfeeding. This has been so sad for me but I'm losing my milk supply and after 3 months of struggling, I just can't fight it anymore. It's very odd for me to be giving him formula but it makes him happy because he was so hungry with just the breastmilk. So if my baby is happy, then I am too. At this point I'm still nursing him in the mornings and then as the day goes on I have to give him more bottles as my milk dwindles. I suspect that in a few more days my milk will be totally gone. (Update: Still hanging on with a couple of feedings a day.) But despite this, Nolan has managed to put on quite a bit of weight it seems and he's getting so big! He's got super chunky thighs and a round face now. His hair is long and wavy (almost curly) but only on top which makes it look a little funky but I love it. It's also really lightening up. His eyes are still blue but almost have a little green in them. He's super ticklish and loves to giggle! Unfortunately he's still not a good sleeper. He slept through the night 2 nights last week but those are the only times that has happened. Each night I hold out hope though.
And lastly I just have to share this hilariously adorable picture of Nicholas going potty. I know, how awful of me, but I just can't resist. I am convinced that it is ingrained in men to read while going to the bathroom as he demands a book every time he is using the potty even though we never suggested a book to begin with. So funny!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Catching up...
Well, it has been quite a while since I've posted. My blog has been so very neglected recently. I will try to catch up on all of the events and pictures I have missed in the last month.
Butch's Birthday
On April 16th we went down to Peachtree City to celebrate Butch's birthday. We started out the morning by watching Trip's Tball game. It was so adorable to watch him play ball--and he was great at it too! Nicholas of course loved it and wanted to join in the game but enjoyed playing catch with Daddy and Grandad instead. Afterwards we went back to Aunt Lauren's house for pizza, cake and presents. It was a very special birthday celebration for a very special man. After such a difficult year, it was such a joyous occasion to celebrate Grandad's birthday.
Nolan's Baptism
On April 25th, Nolan was baptized at church. It was a wonderful day and celebration! It was amazing the difference between the baptisms of our two boys. First for Nicholas, he screamed throughout the entire time he was in the sanctuary. Then as we stepped up to the front of the altar, he broke my beautiful blue beaded necklace and beads flew everywhere. While my family was on their hands and knees picking up beads, I stood there panicking with a screaming baby. Then when Pastor Steve held him up and told him he was a beautiful child of God, Nicholas puked all over him! As soon as I had Nicholas back in my arms I ran out of the sanctuary! I was out the door while Pastor Steve was still talking about Nicholas!
Nolan's experience couldn't have been more different. He was an absolute angel. He sat peacefully in my arms and Aunt Ashley's arms during worship beforehand and enjoyed the music. He never cried once and Pastor Steve even held him up and gave him a chance to follow in his big brother's footsteps and puke on him, but he never did. He then lasted the entire rest of the service, even during the sermon, without making a peep!! Nicholas has never done that in his life and yet we are able to bring Nolan into church with us every week. What a difference two brothers can be! After the church service we all went back to Mom and Dad's house for a lunch and it was wonderful! The food was delicious and it was wonderful to have all of the family and special friends there to celebrate God's gift of our precious baby. He even did great during the party too! He received some very special gifts as well. It was a blessed day!
Mother's Day
This was an incredible mother's day thanks so much to my wonderful husband. On Friday, Graham took me out for a surprise Mother's Day date. He planned everything and I had no clue what we were doing! He took me to the Forum and we had reservations at Grace 17:20, an amazingly delicious restaurant. It was such a nice evening and we sat outside, enjoyed terrific food, wine, music, and each other's company. It's amazing how having an uninterrupted conversation is such a luxury these days! After dinner Graham handed me some cash and told me to go on a shopping spree!!! I couldn't believe it! I spent my entire spree in one store and bought 2 dresses, a necklace and earrings. It was SO nice to try on clothes and actually buy something for me! Afterwards we came home and watched Avatar. On Sunday, I got some really sweet cards from the boys and opened Nick's gift that he made at school--a precious flower pot decorated by him with seeds to plant in it. We went to church and Sunday School and then over to Mom and Dad's house for lunch and to celebrate Mimi. What an amazing mom I have! I'm so thankful for her everyday! I am also so blessed with Kathy as my mother-in-law. I couldn't have it better. Two amazing moms to learn from and strive to be like!
Friday, April 16, 2010
A day in the life of Mommy
12:02 am. Reading proofs and I can't keep my eyes open anymore. Decide to go to sleep and set alarm for 6:00 am. to finish proofing before Graham leaves for work.
3:55 am. Wake to Nolan crying. Reswaddle him, check for diaper leaks, give him his pacifier and stumble back to bed.
4:25 am. Nolan crying again. Go in and calm him again and head back to bed.
6:45 am. Wake to Nicholas over the monitor "Mommyanddaaaaddddddyyyyy". Wonder how I managed to not hear the 6:00am alarm. Go get Nick up, put him on the potty, then head for the kitchen to make his cup and breakfast.
6:55 am. Realize I am leaking milk all over my t-shirt and I am not wearing breat pads.
7:00 am. Pump 8 ounces!! My most ever!
7:25 am. Nolan wakes up, nurse. Give him his vitamin, reflux meds, and constipation meds. Grab a cup of coffee and quick bagel.
7:45 am. Ask Nicholas multiple times if he has to go potty. He adamently says no. Nicholas stays in the living room while I bring Nolan into the bathroom with me (in the infant seat) while I shower.
7:55 am. I'm enjoying a wonderful, hot shower with shampoo in my hair and soap all over when I hear Nick run into the bathroom saying, "I need to go potty Mommy! I'm ready now Mommy! Oh, Mommy, I'm going potty now Mommy!" Covered in suds I run out of the shower and put him on the potty (despite his protests of going on the big potty rather than the small potty that is out in the living room).
8:00 am. I quickly finish with my shower as Nolan has now begun to get fussy. Fussiness quickly escalates to hysterical screaming as if in pain. Worry that he is in pain due to constipation (he is on meds due to not going for 2 whole weeks and now it's been 3 days without while on meds). Give him a supository (fun!) He continues screaming and nothing is consoling him. Walk laps around the house with him in my arms while he cries until he suddenly falls asleep (way before naptime) and I put him in his crib.
8:45 am. Break up a "fight" between Nicholas and Baxter over their spots on the couch.
9:00 am. Spill my powdered blush all over myself and the carpet. Vacuum up makeup.
9:30 am. Nicholas has to potty again but is too late. Put him on the potty. Finish getting myself and Nicholas dressed and ready, bags packed.
9:45 am. Wrap birthday gifts--realize I have no birthday wrapping paper and reuse some gift bags.
10:00 am. Wake Nolan, get him dressed and packed up and boys loaded into the car for the 40 minute drive to Kennedy and Maddie's birthday party that started at
9:30 am. Half way thru the drive it occurs to me that I forgot to put on breast pads and any moment my breasts will let down and leak all thru the only shirt I have. If I wait to get to Courtney's house, I'm pretty sure I'll arrive with 2 large wet circles on my chest. I find a CVS and stop to buy pads, dragging a whining Nicholas and thankfully a quiet Nolan in to the store. By some miracle, I manage to get the pads without incident. (Five minutes later, I feel the let down.) We arrive at the party 1 hour and 30 minutes late!
11:00 am. During the party, I must put Nick in time out 3 times for various tantrums. At one point he starts crying and says he is sick and his tummy hurts. He turns pale as a ghost and we rush to the bathroom thinking he's going to throw up. Thankfully nothing happens though and in a little while he is back to playing.
12:30 pm. Head to Chick-fil-a with Courtney, Kennedy, and Maddie. Things go surprisingly well despite Nolan not sleeping and being a little fussy. Spill lemonade all over diaper bag as I'm getting back in the car. Worry some more that Nolan has not gone to the bathroom despite supository given at 8:30 am. Call doctor.
2:30 pm. Arrive home, put Nick to bed, nurse Nolan. Receive call from Doctor saying I need to take Nolan for x-ray to see if he has a blockage in his colon. Call Mom to have her come over and stay with Nick while he sleeps.
4:00 pm. Arrive at Children's for x-ray. Pray. Wait in waiting room for 1 hour. Hold a screaming Nolan still for x-rays. Pray.
6:00 pm. Get good news from doctor that the x-ray was normal. Make dinner for family. Deal with Nick's 3 poopy accidents in his pants (or rather, watch as Graham deals with it as I hold Nolan).
7:30 pm. Get both boys in bed and breathe a sigh of relief.
8:30 pm. Go to grocery store. Eat ice cream :)
10:00 pm. Update blog, pump, and hopefully go to bed soon for it to all start again...
Sometimes you just have to laugh (and pray) through the crazy joys of motherhood!
3:55 am. Wake to Nolan crying. Reswaddle him, check for diaper leaks, give him his pacifier and stumble back to bed.
4:25 am. Nolan crying again. Go in and calm him again and head back to bed.
6:45 am. Wake to Nicholas over the monitor "Mommyanddaaaaddddddyyyyy". Wonder how I managed to not hear the 6:00am alarm. Go get Nick up, put him on the potty, then head for the kitchen to make his cup and breakfast.
6:55 am. Realize I am leaking milk all over my t-shirt and I am not wearing breat pads.
7:00 am. Pump 8 ounces!! My most ever!
7:25 am. Nolan wakes up, nurse. Give him his vitamin, reflux meds, and constipation meds. Grab a cup of coffee and quick bagel.
7:45 am. Ask Nicholas multiple times if he has to go potty. He adamently says no. Nicholas stays in the living room while I bring Nolan into the bathroom with me (in the infant seat) while I shower.
7:55 am. I'm enjoying a wonderful, hot shower with shampoo in my hair and soap all over when I hear Nick run into the bathroom saying, "I need to go potty Mommy! I'm ready now Mommy! Oh, Mommy, I'm going potty now Mommy!" Covered in suds I run out of the shower and put him on the potty (despite his protests of going on the big potty rather than the small potty that is out in the living room).
8:00 am. I quickly finish with my shower as Nolan has now begun to get fussy. Fussiness quickly escalates to hysterical screaming as if in pain. Worry that he is in pain due to constipation (he is on meds due to not going for 2 whole weeks and now it's been 3 days without while on meds). Give him a supository (fun!) He continues screaming and nothing is consoling him. Walk laps around the house with him in my arms while he cries until he suddenly falls asleep (way before naptime) and I put him in his crib.
8:45 am. Break up a "fight" between Nicholas and Baxter over their spots on the couch.
9:00 am. Spill my powdered blush all over myself and the carpet. Vacuum up makeup.
9:30 am. Nicholas has to potty again but is too late. Put him on the potty. Finish getting myself and Nicholas dressed and ready, bags packed.
9:45 am. Wrap birthday gifts--realize I have no birthday wrapping paper and reuse some gift bags.
10:00 am. Wake Nolan, get him dressed and packed up and boys loaded into the car for the 40 minute drive to Kennedy and Maddie's birthday party that started at
9:30 am. Half way thru the drive it occurs to me that I forgot to put on breast pads and any moment my breasts will let down and leak all thru the only shirt I have. If I wait to get to Courtney's house, I'm pretty sure I'll arrive with 2 large wet circles on my chest. I find a CVS and stop to buy pads, dragging a whining Nicholas and thankfully a quiet Nolan in to the store. By some miracle, I manage to get the pads without incident. (Five minutes later, I feel the let down.) We arrive at the party 1 hour and 30 minutes late!
11:00 am. During the party, I must put Nick in time out 3 times for various tantrums. At one point he starts crying and says he is sick and his tummy hurts. He turns pale as a ghost and we rush to the bathroom thinking he's going to throw up. Thankfully nothing happens though and in a little while he is back to playing.
12:30 pm. Head to Chick-fil-a with Courtney, Kennedy, and Maddie. Things go surprisingly well despite Nolan not sleeping and being a little fussy. Spill lemonade all over diaper bag as I'm getting back in the car. Worry some more that Nolan has not gone to the bathroom despite supository given at 8:30 am. Call doctor.
2:30 pm. Arrive home, put Nick to bed, nurse Nolan. Receive call from Doctor saying I need to take Nolan for x-ray to see if he has a blockage in his colon. Call Mom to have her come over and stay with Nick while he sleeps.
4:00 pm. Arrive at Children's for x-ray. Pray. Wait in waiting room for 1 hour. Hold a screaming Nolan still for x-rays. Pray.
6:00 pm. Get good news from doctor that the x-ray was normal. Make dinner for family. Deal with Nick's 3 poopy accidents in his pants (or rather, watch as Graham deals with it as I hold Nolan).
7:30 pm. Get both boys in bed and breathe a sigh of relief.
8:30 pm. Go to grocery store. Eat ice cream :)
10:00 pm. Update blog, pump, and hopefully go to bed soon for it to all start again...
Sometimes you just have to laugh (and pray) through the crazy joys of motherhood!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Potty training pro
Just want to update on my pottying pro! Nicholas is doing awesome with the potty! Yesterday Kaki came to visit and I decided to venture out for the first time. We went to the library and sat for storytime. Nicholas went potty there at the library and kept his pants dry the rest of the time, even when we went to lunch afterwards! Today was a real test as we met his friend Eli at the Burger King playground. I thought for sure there would be difficulties as he'd have to stop playing to come potty, he'd get stuck up in a tunnel when he needed to go, or he'd get mad when I'd try and make him go. But he did great! He came and told me 3 times while he was playing that he had to go!! He's a superstar!
I've also discovered that Nolan is quite picky when it comes to pacifiers. He has a certain kind of nipple that he prefers--the NUK kind, and he sure gets upset if you offer him another kind. I'm adding to my to do list to stock up on that brand as these many others that I have are worthless for him. He's also taken to a certain soft blankie as his lovie. It is so adorable! When he's awake and in the swing or the car seat, he loves to put it over his face and suck on the silky part. He literally does a little sigh of relief when you give the blankie to him. And then when he's sleeping since he is swaddled and can't use his hands to cuddle with it, I just lay it to the side of his head and he rubs the side of his face into it and nuzzles up close, again sighing with comfort. It is the cutest thing! Thankfully, this blankie is a lot nicer to look at than "Puppy" and holds up well in the wash. I'm sure it'll be sticking around for a while--we'll have to come up with a good name for it!
I've also discovered that Nolan is quite picky when it comes to pacifiers. He has a certain kind of nipple that he prefers--the NUK kind, and he sure gets upset if you offer him another kind. I'm adding to my to do list to stock up on that brand as these many others that I have are worthless for him. He's also taken to a certain soft blankie as his lovie. It is so adorable! When he's awake and in the swing or the car seat, he loves to put it over his face and suck on the silky part. He literally does a little sigh of relief when you give the blankie to him. And then when he's sleeping since he is swaddled and can't use his hands to cuddle with it, I just lay it to the side of his head and he rubs the side of his face into it and nuzzles up close, again sighing with comfort. It is the cutest thing! Thankfully, this blankie is a lot nicer to look at than "Puppy" and holds up well in the wash. I'm sure it'll be sticking around for a while--we'll have to come up with a good name for it!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
While I wasn't sleeping...
You may be wondering where I've been this last month. Well this certainly has been such a challenging month and unfortunately I don't feel I have handled it well. The last two posts shared some of those beginning challenges and things just got worse from there. I started having suspicions on Tuesday the 16th when the family was over for Gami's dinner, that my milk supply might be low. Nolan was having real difficulty nursing. By Thursday night I realized how seriously low my milk supply was and that poor Nolan was starving. Just when we had started to make some possible progress on the sleep training, I had to start nursing on a 2 hour schedule and pump around the clock too. Plus I had to feed him in the middle of the night again until my milk came in. It finally started to improve slightly that Sunday, however it still wasn't a great supply of milk and we struggled through all of the feedings. I typically had to give him a bottle after feeding him as he wasn't satisfied and was just so upset. The waking in the night seemed to get worse too and he was up all the time, sometimes every hour. Naps weren't happening either and I was a mess. Basically he screamed during feedings and whenever he was supposed to be sleeping!! Finally after 2 weeks of this not improving (Friday 3/26) I called the doctor and explained the problems we were having. He told me that everything that I was describing was reflux and to put him on Prevacid. Well then Nolan threw me for a loop and that evening suddenly the feedings went perfectly, it felt like my milk had finally come in and was satisfying him and he did great Friday evening and all Saturday. He then slept through the night on Saturday night (an Anniversary gift to his Mommy and Daddy!) until 5:30am! So I started thinking that maybe he didn't have reflux. Then things started getting bad again and by Tuesday we decided to try the Prevacid to see if it would help. Another change that we made this month was to give Nolan a bottle at the last feeding at 11pm in order to make sure he goes to bed with a full tummy. With both the medicine to help his reflux pain and the full bottle, he has finally started sleeping at night!! Friday morning he slept till 5:30, Saturday 6:30, and on Sunday morning he slept until 7:30 without even crying once!! What a happy Easter gift! Sunday night he woke up twice because our little Houidini got out of the swaddle. But overall he's doing so much better and after a few nights of sleep, I finally feel like I'm starting to come out of my fog as well. Maybe I'll be able to manage my life again! I have literally had to put everything on hold this month. I really felt God telling me that I need to prioritize my family first and my other responsibilities need to come second. I apologize if I have neglected friendships, thank you notes, Bible studies, email, phone calls, bridesmaid responsibilities, etc. Here's hoping things will get better and stay that way!
Things that I've missed blogging about this month:
Graham and I had a wonderful 6th anniversary! We started the day with a family breakfast at our favorite local spot--Loren's Cafe and then had a fun shopping outing at the mall. By the way, Nicholas is so cute now about weddings and getting married ever since Kristin's wedding. That morning at breakfast I told him that 6 years ago Mommy and Daddy got married. He looked at me and pointed to himself and said with great excitement "Mommy, I want Nicholas to get married too!" Now whenever he sees me dressed up wearing a dress or even just a nice outfit, he'll look at up at me and say "Mommy, are you getting married?" That night Graham and I celebrated by having a wonderful dinner at The Village Tavern and then shopping at the Christian Bookstore and Target for the boys' Easter baskets (yes we are very much parents!). Then I had a great 29th birthday (my Golden birthday--29 on the 29th). Mom and Nolan and I went shopping while Nick was at school and that was lots of fun because Mom bought me some really cute dresses and a sweater. That night the family went to dinner at Sugo's. Papa was so sweet and he treated me to a lobster dinner!!
Easter festivities were wonderful too. Nicholas really got into Easter this year. On Wednesday we colored eggs with Mimi--Nick LOVED coloring the eggs. Then Thursday, he got to go to school for a makeup snow day and they had an easter egg hunt. On Saturday we got together with our Sunday School class and had a picnic and another egg hunt. On Sunday he woke to find his and Nolan's baskets and the Easter Bunny had also left a "Happy Easter" message with little bunnies and carrots on the glass door. Church was a wonderful celebration of our Lord's Resurrection and then we went to Mimi and PopPop's for more egg hunts (both inside and outside) and a delicious Easter dinner!
If we didn't have enough on our plate, I decided to potty train Nicholas this week while on Spring Break (talk about a wild and crazy Spring Break 2010!!). I borrowed a book called "Toilet Training in Less than a Day". I studied for my final exam and stocked up on all of the supplies I needed. Monday came upon me quickly and I was so nervous that it was going to go awfully and be a disaster. We started out with a potty training doll and Nicholas first taught the doll how to potty, thus learning himself. He had three accidents in the very beginning while we were still in the process of teaching the doll, but once he got on the potty himself and had his first success, he did wonderfully! On Monday he peed 12 or more times in the potty and had 2 BMs in the potty with only one accident (while he and Daddy were outside playing). Today was day two and again he did great! I'm so proud of him and he too is so proud of himself. I wonder how we will ever leave the house though as he seems to have to go every 15 minutes! But I can't even express how wonderful it is to not change his diapers.
Sweet Nolan is all smiles and has the best laugh these days. It's so much fun to make him laugh. Oh, and I got a surprise photo shoot for his 3 month pictures. Can't wait to share those when we get them! (Hopefully I'll post Easter pictures soon too)
Things that I've missed blogging about this month:
Graham and I had a wonderful 6th anniversary! We started the day with a family breakfast at our favorite local spot--Loren's Cafe and then had a fun shopping outing at the mall. By the way, Nicholas is so cute now about weddings and getting married ever since Kristin's wedding. That morning at breakfast I told him that 6 years ago Mommy and Daddy got married. He looked at me and pointed to himself and said with great excitement "Mommy, I want Nicholas to get married too!" Now whenever he sees me dressed up wearing a dress or even just a nice outfit, he'll look at up at me and say "Mommy, are you getting married?" That night Graham and I celebrated by having a wonderful dinner at The Village Tavern and then shopping at the Christian Bookstore and Target for the boys' Easter baskets (yes we are very much parents!). Then I had a great 29th birthday (my Golden birthday--29 on the 29th). Mom and Nolan and I went shopping while Nick was at school and that was lots of fun because Mom bought me some really cute dresses and a sweater. That night the family went to dinner at Sugo's. Papa was so sweet and he treated me to a lobster dinner!!
Easter festivities were wonderful too. Nicholas really got into Easter this year. On Wednesday we colored eggs with Mimi--Nick LOVED coloring the eggs. Then Thursday, he got to go to school for a makeup snow day and they had an easter egg hunt. On Saturday we got together with our Sunday School class and had a picnic and another egg hunt. On Sunday he woke to find his and Nolan's baskets and the Easter Bunny had also left a "Happy Easter" message with little bunnies and carrots on the glass door. Church was a wonderful celebration of our Lord's Resurrection and then we went to Mimi and PopPop's for more egg hunts (both inside and outside) and a delicious Easter dinner!
If we didn't have enough on our plate, I decided to potty train Nicholas this week while on Spring Break (talk about a wild and crazy Spring Break 2010!!). I borrowed a book called "Toilet Training in Less than a Day". I studied for my final exam and stocked up on all of the supplies I needed. Monday came upon me quickly and I was so nervous that it was going to go awfully and be a disaster. We started out with a potty training doll and Nicholas first taught the doll how to potty, thus learning himself. He had three accidents in the very beginning while we were still in the process of teaching the doll, but once he got on the potty himself and had his first success, he did wonderfully! On Monday he peed 12 or more times in the potty and had 2 BMs in the potty with only one accident (while he and Daddy were outside playing). Today was day two and again he did great! I'm so proud of him and he too is so proud of himself. I wonder how we will ever leave the house though as he seems to have to go every 15 minutes! But I can't even express how wonderful it is to not change his diapers.
Sweet Nolan is all smiles and has the best laugh these days. It's so much fun to make him laugh. Oh, and I got a surprise photo shoot for his 3 month pictures. Can't wait to share those when we get them! (Hopefully I'll post Easter pictures soon too)
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