D-Day

Today is the end. D-day is tomorrow. I think I can hear the executioner's drum. Dum, dum, d-d-d-dum. Dum, dum, d-d-d-dum. I can't hide from him any longer.

OK-I may be exaggerating. But it still feels like this. Tomorrow I go back to work. I will be leaving Nolan with a babysitter for the first time. He has only ever been left with family, and only for a couple of hours. The longest I left him was 4 hours. It will be almost 9 hours tomorrow, and then everyday until June. Can you tell that I am struggling with this?

There are so many positive things I keep thinking. I really am SOOOOO fortunate. I have a GREAT job with good, supportive friends that have very young children they don't want to leave, either. My schedule is not too demanding, and I will have plenty of energy to come home and be with Nolan. I have a total of 43 days left as a teacher. That is less than 9 weeks. And then I am completely done. I don't have to go back in the fall. I couldn't be luckier! Some women have to leave 6-week-old babies, and not have an end in sight. Nolan's babysitter is a good friend who has 3 children of her own. She is so kind, patient, and easy going. Nolan will be so well taken care of. He is young enough that he won't even realize that I am gone as long as his tummy is full, his diaper is clean, and he gets a good nap. He will probably have a blast watching the other 3 children. I know he is going to be fine.

With all those great things, I still can't help feeling overwhelmed. My emotions are going crazy! I think I might be having some separation anxiety. Mentally, I know everything will be just fine. I just can't get that through my heart.

Let the countdown begin! It will go by so quick, and I will better appreciate my time home with Nolan after I am finished. I am going to go cuddle my sweetheart and enjoy every moment I have.

Pool Party

We just got back from our first swimming experience. Nolan LOVED it! From the moment his toe touched the water, he was smiling and cooing. We were "swimming" for almost 40 minutes. He kicked his little legs and even splashed a little. He didn't even make an about-to-cry face. He was so happy the entire time! The first cry we had was when he had to get buckled into his car seat.

A little known fact about Ted: he is an amazing swimmer. He swam all through high school and placed at State. He then went on to swim for his college. His event-DISTANCE! Whew! I can't compete with Ted's times, or his impressive record, but I did my fare share of water activities. We spent so much of our summers growing up at lakes or at the cabin. I remember teaching myself to swim by keeping my hands on the sand and kicking my legs. Bit by bit I would pick my hands up and try to paddle while kicking. Eventually, I did it! I don't remember how many times my siblings and I would be swimming and be forced to get out to eat dinner. The Minnesota cold didn't even bother us, because of the toasty sauna (pronounced sow- as in cow, na). I also swam on my jr. high swim team, but didn't go on to high school. Nolan may have gotten some of the swimming gene passed on from both of us!

My friend Andrea got the swimming pictures on her camera, seeing that it is impossible to maneuver a baby and a camera, so we will have to wait until they are emailed to us, but here is Nolan in his first swim trunks!

Nolan Eating His First Cereal

Yesterday we had our 4 month check-up. What an improvement! Nolan has gained 2lbs. 5oz. in 11 days! Yipee for supplementing. He now weighs 13lbs. 8oz. and is at the 23%! What a relief. He is 25.25 inches long, which is the 65%. His head is 41.5cm which is the 31%. What a happy, healthy boy!

We were also told to start cereal. Nolan started out quite confused, but by the end, he was opening his mouth for the spoon. Maybe next time he will swallow some! I know the picture is black, so just click on the arrow to watch the video.

He enjoyed his first feeding.

This morning we are heading out to a preschool time at a fun kiddie pool with our friends Melika and Andrea with their children Cohen and Lauren. We can't wait!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone. The easter bunny visited Nolan last night, and he really loved his stuff!

This afternoon, I made my first holiday meal. It was only Ted, his sister Josie, Nolan (who didn't eat much) and me. I made a ham, potatoes, asparagus, and the relishes. I had to take pictures to prove it. Have a great holiday!

4 Months Old

Happy 4 months, Nolan!

What, me?

Oh yeah. 4 months. Should I be happy? Don't you love my chubby face?

Our Happy Family

Cool Dude

We have been doing some super fun things this "spring break" with my friend Melika and her son Cohen. We have been shopping, shopping, more shopping, and eating. We found these great sun glasses, but they are supposed to be in Nolan's Easter basket. Oh well...we had a sunny day today and his eyes needed protection on our walk, right? Or do I just like to have a cute little dude?

Nolan's Laughs

Enjoy Nolan watching our ceiling fan.

Nolan's first owie

We were clipping his fingernails tonight, and we accidentally snipped a small piece of skin. It was horrible. He bled for a little while, and I think Ted and I felt much worse than he did. We put some neosporin on his wound and wrapped band-aids around it. Then we didn't want him sucking on it, so we put a sock over his little hand. He is now sleeping soundly. It is not fun to see your child hurting. To make up for the hurting, I have a few really cute pictures to post!

This is a cute outfit from Uncle Nate and Aunt Alli. He wore it to Girls on the Run practice. It was fitting!

Since we have been supplementing with formula, Nolan has grown quite a bit. I couldn't resist this cute little body. Note the little tummy!

Nolan turns 4 months on Saturday and goes to the pediatrician on Monday, the 24. I can't wait to see how much he has grown.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 3rd anniversary. It is strange how much has happened in these 3 years. Marriage truly is an amazing experience.



10 things I like about Ted:

• He is dedicated to everything that is important to him
• He has a great smile
• He is a good cook (he always makes PERFECT eggs for breakfast!)
• He loves spending time with Nolan and me
• He is a wonderful father
• He cares about things that are important to me and always supports me
• He is intelligent (I can admit it...sometimes)
• He is really good at playing Guitar Hero
• He is a hottie
• He is just an excellent husband

Happy anniversary, sweetheart. I love you!

Fun with Toys

We have been trying to find out what to do to satisfy Nolan's voracious appetite. Nursing alone just wasn't cutting it. We were going for an hour, and feeding every 1.5 hours. That left about 30 minutes in between to do other things. Then he STILL wasn't full! So, we went to the doctor and she suggested supplementing with formula. So, now we only nurse for 20 minutes total and then top off with 4-6 ounces of formula. This kid has really started filling in since then! He has chubby cheeks, chubby legs, and a little tummy. I can't wait for our 4 month appointment to see how much he has gained!

Nolan can now sit up in his Bumbo seat! He loves to grab the toy and try to get it in his mouth.

We put Nolan in the booster seat for the first time. I kept moving his left leg to the side, but he would immediately put it back. Pretty cute!

Corn Salsa

Last night's dinner was Qdoba inspired burritos. I found a yummy recipe for this corn salsa-tastes just like the stuff from the restaurant!

2 cups frozen corn-thawed
1/3 cup purple onion, diced
1 small pepper (I like orange, but red was suggested)
2 Tbsp jalepeno pepper
Cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper

Mix everything in a big bowl and chill for 2-4 hours. Enjoy with chips or any way you like it!

March...Lion or Lamb?

Welcome March! Living in St. Louis, March is a great time of year. We usually get warm weather, the flowers start blooming, and spring really begins. But this year, I can't decide if March came in like a lion, or like a lamb. On Sunday, it was 76 degrees outside, our daffodils started coming up, and we took Nolan for his first walk in the stroller without using the carseat. We went for 2 and a half hours! He loved it. The little green blanket is his favorite frog toy. He smiles when we give it to him, then he grabs it and shoves it in his mouth. It is great!

Now today, we are having a snow storm. There are at least 10 inches at our house. I have NEVER seen this much snow here! I went downstairs to get my boots, when I found something even better!I haven't worn these since living in Alaska! I walked around our cul-de-sac, and I am sure the neighbors all thought I was crazy. Maybe I need to get outside more often. Here is our house in the snow.This weekend we also bought a rug for our living room. Finally, Nolan and I can play on the floor! We also got this tv stand for a great deal at Target. You would think that living here for a year and a half, that my house would be complete and decorated, right? Nope-still a LONG way to go! Oh well, slow and steady.