The Power of No

Sorry for the absence. Little man has been keeping me very busy!! So, for the last 2 months or so, Nolan has been shaking his head no. This might be one of the cutest things he does right now because they went from random head shakes to meaningful and purposeful "no's". Fortunately one of our friends told us a long time ago to not be alarmed when he started doing this because when her little girl started shaking her head she was scared to death that she was having a seizure. Therefore we were well warned. It all started one day while he was in his high chair and I was talking to him (imagine that) and he just began to shake his head no (I wish I could take a picture of this, but maybe I can get a little video clip and post it for all to see). However, recently he is consistently telling us no in response to questions and of course when we tell him no (for some strange reason he loves all things he shouldn't, i.e., computer cords, trash cans, dog toys, shoes, etc. :) just lovely!!).
Now we have been working on nodding yes because usually if his answer is yes to something then he sits very still and just looks at you very intently with those beautiful blue eyes. I'll keep you posted on our progress!

My First Mother's Day Weekend

What a fabulous first Mother's Day Weekend!! Everyone was able to be together to celebrate the wonderful mama's in our family. The weekend began with Nolan's 10 month birthday on Friday. Bill and I went to lunch with him to our favorite local Chinese restaurant to celebrate his special day. Nana and Papa were able to come in town Friday evening to see him just in time before his bath and bed time. Then on Saturday we took a family trek to one of our favorite places to play, Jetton Park. Nolan was surrounded by those who love him the most, mommy, daddy, Nana, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa. After the park we HAD to go eat the yummiest pizza in the whole wide world at Brooklyn South Pizza. Nolan loves to eat the pizza crust and he absolutely screams (no exaggeration) if you take the crust away from him. Fortunately we had an endless supply of pizza crust so no major screaming outbursts. Nana and Papa happily agreed to babysit Nolan so that Bill and I could go and have a date night. Before we left for dinner, Bill surprised me with my Mother's Day gift, a beautiful eternity necklace. I was completely shocked and I think he got the reaction he was going for!! We had a fabulous dinner at one of our favorite celebration places, Mickey and Mooch. We had a fantastic time getting to relax and enjoy each other's company over a romantic dinner. Finally on Sunday after church we went home to try out the timer on our new camera and then we all went over to Nana and Papa's North Carolina house to have a yummy lunch (we really enjoy eating in this family if you can't tell) and spend some time together celebrating Mother's Day.
What a wonderful weekend!

Each and every day I feel so blessed to be Nolan's mommy and nothing is better than a big sugar from my "Roo". So, I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

10 Months Old Today!!

Today is Nolan's 10 month birthday!!! Amazing how happy and sad I can be all at the same time. Happy because he has survived in our care for 10 months and is a happy, healthy, handsome little boy. Sad because my little boy is steadily creeping toward the 1 year old status and will be a toddler. Can that possibly be true? It sounds so weird to refer to him as a toddler!! Oh well, life must go on and I am looking forward to many more adventures with my sweet little man. So, Happy 10 month birthday Nolan!!

First 9 Month Life Lessons

Inspired by one of Anna's previous lists, I decided to share my mommy insight from the first 9 months of Nolan's sweet life. So here it goes, my 21 items of "wisdom" (I use this term very loosely):

1. Every child is truly a blessing from God.
2. I feel complete now that Nolan is a part of the family.
3. These 9 months went by much faster than the 9 months of pregnancy (but it was all worth it).
4. I would do the whole pregnancy and delivery over in a heartbeat!!
5. I don't require as much sleep as I previously thought.
6. No matter how much literature you read, every baby is different and you have to do what works for your baby and your family.
7. Lots of mommies have concerns after bringing home their little ones, but you are definitely not alone. Most likely everyone else has had the same questions, problems, and/or concerns (i.e., mine was nursing!!).
8. Shout Advance gel gets out every laundry stain to date!
9. Don't try to do everything yourself (us type A personalities like to do this and we just have to let go of the control sometimes) :)
10. My way isn't always the right way or the best way to do something.
11. It's harder than you think to get a baby to look at the camera and smile.
12. There is nothing better than a belly laugh and a smile.
13. Teething is a long and difficult process.
14. No matter how many toys a child has they will always want to play with things that they shouldn't.
15. You know you will love your baby, but you just don't know how much until he/she arrives and you hold them in your arms.
16. It is absolute music to my ears to hear Nolan's little voice say "mama" and "dada" (even though as a speech therapist I know these aren't his first true words, I still smile every time I hear them).
17. I have never appreciated my mom more than I do now.
18. I fall in love with my hubby again every time I see him playing/snuggling with Nolan.
19. Just when I think I have discovered my favorite stage with Nolan, I love the next stage just as much. That being said the itty bitty stage could last a little longer~ babies just grow and change much too quickly.
20. Parenting is all about trial and error~ as soon as you think you have things under control everything changes.
21. There is absolutely NOTHING better than being a mommy!!