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!!

Weekend Madness

So even though I have the best of intentions of posting a message everyday, somehow life justs gets in the way and there just aren't enough hours in the day :) We have had wonderful, but very busy weekends lately. Two weeks ago my dear friend Maureen (aka "Aunt MoMo") came for a visit to the "country" (remember we live in a burb of Charlotte) to see us. My parents also came in to see little "Roo". They were great babysitters and excellent chefs!! It was so great to see Maureen and have girl time (even though Nolan didn't seem to care that mommy stayed up way past her normal bedtime because he was up bright and early at 6 am). I haven't seen Maureen since her beautiful wedding in VA when Nolan was just 6 weeks old. FYI: very interesting to travel to the DC area (7 hours away) when you have a 6 week old baby. Anyway, Bill and I had to take Nolan to his future residence (i.e., the White House). Bill was so excited~ totally checks out doesn't it??

This past weekend we made the journey over the mountain into TN (we have been slackers about visiting mom and dad because they usually come to see us and stay in their NC house). Anyway, I think Nolan has trouble with the pressure in his ears going over the mountains because he always screams (and I do mean screams) from Asheville to Elizabethton. However, after our arrival all was well. Nolan loves his Nana and Papa and we all had a great time in TN. He even slept through the night and took really good naps despite being in a different environment and sleeping in his pack and play. We also helped my efforts to become more technologically savvy and we finally bought a new laptop and camera (So, I promise I will post some pics of little man very soon!!) All in all we have had fabulous weekends lately and are always excited about our weekend madness!

Naps? Who Needs 'em!!

Sorry for the absence~there has been a shortage of naps in the Kearney house. Nolan has been going on all engines full speed ahead all week. All of this is probably happening for several reasons: 1. complete change of routine 2. teething 3. a major case of separation anxiety and last but not least 4. construction on our basement (for some reason the quiet sounds of a jack hammer making footers in concrete is not a desired lullaby). Anyway, hopefully we can figure out something because 20 minute power naps in the car are not sufficient for my little man. Even though his pediatrician assures me that babies sleep in 20 minute cycles and that he is getting enough sleep, I'm not buying it!! He is even waking up in the middle of the night again which hasn't happened in a long time. Hopefully this is just another one of those crazy stages of being a baby. I keep telling myself that this too shall pass and I try to enjoy our late night snuggles because I know one day he will not need me like he does now.

Speaking of separation anxiety. Being a mommy is such a "catch 22". You look forward to date nights or shopping dates, but you miss your little one as soon as you pull out of the driveway. The same thing with separation anxiety. Most times I am thinking you are with a grandparent or daddy and you will be okay, but a part of me is thrilled that he loves and needs his mommy so much. Strange I know, but he has grown and changed so quickly and I love that sometimes only mommy can make it better. Just like the other night, he and Bill were sitting on the floor playing and eating a snack while I was cooking dinner (yes, he is just like his daddy and "grazes" before dinner). All of a sudden I hear a loud thump followed by wails and lots of tears. Nolan had his first major run in with the hard wood floors and only mommy could make it better. I had to control my own tears to console this first "boo boo" which left a red mark and a little bitty bruise for the next day. I had to keep telling myself that he was okay and this was just the first of many "boo boos" in his future, especially as a curious little boy. And so we begin the adventure of boyhood~ I can't wait!!

Watch Out World: Nolan is on the Move!!

So a new adventure begins. First there was the stage of rolling everywhere he wanted to go and then came the ever adorable army crawling to all of our favorite objects (i.e., everything but our toys, including shoes, dog toys, etc.) Then over the weekend Nolan decided he was finished with the army crawling he has been doing since around 8 months old and he is now moving and grooving around everywhere~ much to the amazement of Riley. He keeps circling Nolan and giving him "drive-by" kisses. I think Riley is probably the least enthused about Nolan's new adventurous stage; however they are quickly becoming the bestest buddies as Nolan looks for Riley when he is in his high chair and drops him an endless supply of cheerios and puffs.

Even though I have worked with children my entire professional career, I am constantly amazed at Nolan's developmental stages. Everyone tells you things are completely different when you have a child of your own and I used to hate hearing that saying, but it is absolutely true!! He grows and changes so much each and every day, and I feel truly blessed to be able to see him through each and every new change. So here's to each new adventure with little "Roo"!!