Tuesday, November 15, 2011

November 15, 2010

Dear Nolan,

One year and 3 days ago, you had been growing in mommy's belly for about 11 weeks.  Only a few people knew about you, but Mommy and Daddy were so excited to begin to tell people about you soon.  We were especially excited to tell your great grandparents because they had been waiting (and asking!) when we would have a baby for quite some time.

One year and three days ago all that changed.  This is the day that mommy found out that your Great Grandma P (GGP) had a stroke and was in the hospital.  We prayed that she would get better but one year ago today God decided it was time for her to come be with him.  Although Mommy never did get to tell GGP about you, Grandpa was able to sit down with her before she died and told her that you were coming.  We all think that she understood him and fought a little harder to get better so that she'd get a chance to meet you.

I'm writing this to you today so that you can get to know your GGP and your Great Grandpa P through stories about them.  Your GGPs were so loving and special to your mommy and the rest of your family.  You would have been their first great grandson and they would have been so proud of you.  You would have been part of the new big-four and they would have taken you on surprise trips to the Please Touch Museum and The Franklin Institute after camping in the dining room.  They would have made you pancakes on Saturday mornings and given you quarters to put in the offering plate on Sunday mornings.  They would have made sure the jar on the coffee table was always filled with peanut M&Ms and both GGP and mommy would teach you the proper order to eat those M&Ms (I learned later in life that your GGP and I shared a need to put our candy in order...I wonder if you inherited that bizarre trait from us?).  But most of all, they would have loved you more than any GGPs could ever love their grandson.  I have no doubt that GGP had a big smile on the inside when your grandpa told her about you and that her and Great Grandpa P smile down from heaven every day at you.

I will do my best to tell you lots of stories about them over the years so that you can get to know what wonderful people they were.  For now, I'll continue to sing Teddy Bear's Picnic to you every night while we get ready for bed and think of your GGP each and every time.

Love you,
Mommy


*On a side note, I need to stop taking trips to states that I will move to in the future!  My grandpa died while I was in Utah and we moved there two years later.  My grandma died while we were in Oregon for Bryan's job interview.  No more moving...I only have two grandparents left :)
 

Monday, November 14, 2011

Sick day and another must-have

As a stay at home mom, I don't get sick days.  I definitely should have taken advantage of my sick days more when I was working outside the home!  Unfortunately both the little guy and I have colds...his first :( Nolan is handling his like a champ and with the exception of a cough and lots of boogies, you wouldn't know he's sick.  Momma on the other hand is desperate for some Sudafed but unfortunately that's on the no-no list while breast feeding.  Apparently it dries up more than just your sinuses and we don't need a sick AND hungry baby!  So we are laying low and enjoying some extra cuddles.

         Not a bad way to spend a sick day!                                                      "I'll help you blow your nose mom!"


Even when he's sick, this kid doesn't stop smiling!


And with Nolan's cold, I have a new favorite thing to share with you.  Now this one is kind of gross, but I swear all new mom's need this!  Its called the Nose Frida and it is quite possibly the best snot sucker out there!  Yes, you use your mouth to suck out the snots.  No, you don't get any boogies in your mouth!  There is lots of tubing and a filter to prevent this from happening.  Why is this so much better than the traditional bulb aspirator?  Because you control the sucking, you get continuous suction to get out the snot.  With the bulb, you get the boogies half way out but then have to pull the bulb away to depress it and inevitably the baby sucks the boogie right back in.  I'm telling you, the Nose Frida with a little saline solution first and you'll be amazed at what you can get out of that little nose!

Friday, November 11, 2011

The Little Things

You know how there are certain things in life that are fairly trivial to most people but for some reason just make you happy.  The little things that go unnoticed by most but put a smile on your face.  I have three of these things that I want to share with you.

First is opening a fresh can of whole coffee beans.  Something about peeling back the lid and allowing the smell of the beans to escape for the first time.  The shiny coffee beans just waiting to be brewed.  No matter how early in the morning it is or how rough my night was, I get surprisingly happy if I get to open a new can.

Second is the sound of leaves crunching under my feet while I run.  This is why I love running this time of year because there are thousands of leaves to crunch.  I play a little game with the leaves where I pick one that looks extra crunchy in front of me and I'll alter my stride just so I can crunch down on top of it.

Third is the first day I get to use a new compact of face powder or tube of mascara.  I'm not sure what it is about this act, but I think its the clean new brush or wand that I get to take the first perfect swipe in the powder or tube.  Maybe I just watch too many Cover Girl commercials but this always makes me happy and sometimes I buy new makeup even when the old one isn't fully finished yet. (Don't tell Bryan!)

Now that I have a child, there are many other little things I'm learning to cherish.  But I'm also having fun sharing my little things with Nolan.  Although I don't think he will ever be excited by mascara, I have shared the other two with him.  Now I know he's too young to drink the coffee, but I want him to experience that new can feeling with me.  He probably doesn't appreciate it the way I do, but I like exposing him to the smell of the beans and the smile it puts on my face.

We can also crunch leaves together while on our runs.  Instead of using my feet, we target an extra crunchy leaf and crunch it with the tires of the running stroller.  The best is when there is a whole pile of leaves on the path and we crunch right through them all!  This makes both of us smile.



While developmental milestones and other big firsts that Nolan experiences are important and fun, I'm finding that sharing the little things in life with my little guy are just as amazing.  I look forward to the day when Nolan discovers his little things and hopefully shares them with me.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Bipolar Parenting

The past week has taught me one thing...having a baby makes you biopolar!  I didn't think it was possible to feel so high one moment and not even 5 minutes later to feel so low.  Let me back up and explain...

Since getting back from my uncle's wedding in Phoenix last weekend, I've been really working on Nolan's naps.  He's gotten pretty good at putting himself to sleep at night without any sleep associations (pacifier, rocking, the boob) but naps have been more difficult.  I had this whole little shuffle that included the pacifier, lots of bouncing, patting, and gently trying to put him in his crib only to have him wake up 30 minutes on the dot later.  This wasn't terrible except for two things:  1) Nolan's getting heavy and my back was killing me and 2) I was the only one that could put him down because no one else could do this shuffle.  The other option which produced longer naps was to hold him the entire time...great for catching up on my DVR, but not so great for getting things done, like showering!

So I decided he needed to learn to put himself to sleep for naps too.  Here's where the bipolar part comes in.  The first two days, things went pretty well.  We had about 10-15 minutes of fussing at each nap time and then he'd fall asleep.  We got a couple 40-45 minutes naps too!  I was starting to feel pretty good about things.  The second two days went even better.  Less than 10 minutes of crying and then a 2 hour nap!!  We did have one skipped nap because he wouldn't go down, but let's just say I was dancing around the house thinking we had finally turned a nap corner.

And then the weekend hit...not only were the two hour naps gone but ALL naps were gone.  On Sunday morning he went 6 hours without sleeping at all.  We'd put him down like normal and he would fuss and cry for 30-60 minutes.  He was so obviously overtired but just would. not. sleep.  He cried, I cried...the high I was feeling the previous two days was gone.  Long gone.

Now its Monday morning.  He's gone down for two naps so far today with less than 5 minutes of fussing.  The second nap is currently at 1 hour and 15 minutes and still going!  Seriously kid?  What's is up with you???  Either way, I want week day napping Nolan to stick around!

Hopefully this weekend was an isolated event.  A slight regression in the nap training process maybe?  Also, Nolan has also been obsessed with his daddy lately.  He smiles whenever he sees Bryan and will follow him with his eyes all over the room.  It seriously melts my heart...just not at nap time.  We are wondering if he knew that daddy was home over the weekend and didn't want to waste time sleeping. Or maybe its the phase of the moon!

Whatever it is, I'm not going to spend too much time trying to figure it out because it will just drive me crazy.  I'm already bipolar so I don't need any more crazy in me!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

Happy Halloween from my little guy!


Its a bird....its a plane....no, its SUPERMAN!!



Superman's first trip to the pumpkin patch

Hope you all had a great halloween!!