Nate - 3 Months

Dear Nate-

3 Months!  Another incredible month with you!  You continue to be an amazingly wonderful little guy. 

We have spent many hours "talking" this month.  You have started cooing and blowing little raspberry bubbles.  You also work up a little giggle when I sit you on  my thighs facing me and bounce you while singing.  I love that laugh and seeing your face light up just because mommy is playing with you.

Tummy time has become much easier this month.  Out of nowhere you randomly started lifting your head up and holding it there for long periods of time...and you were happy about it.  Weird, but I'll take it.  You also rolled from belly to back a few times, but it hasn't happened consistently so we will wait to chalk that up as a skill you have learned.

You have discovered your hands and can get them into your mouth.  I forgot how loud a baby can be when sucking on their fists!  You are working on batting objects and can sometimes get them.  You were trying to bat at a ring of toys while on your mat the other day and I went to the kitchen for a minute.  When I came back you had your arm up with your hand around that ring and looked at me like "now what to I do?".  Adorable.

The month of May was pretty quiet for visitors.  Grandma Anne was here for a short visit and I think that is it.  However, we have been out and about a lot with other mommy/baby friends in the area.  The weather has been beautiful and we have also spent a lot of time outside.  My favorite moments are you and I on the porch swing, swinging and singing and enjoying the sweet, simple moments. 

One of my very favorite moments this past month was a random night that Daddy was out late so it was just you, Noelle, and I at home.  You and I were sleeping in my bed (you sleep next to me every night) and there was a very loud crack of thunder that woke your sister.  I went to her room and brought her back in with us and there we all were.  I couldn't sleep because I wasn't comfortable, but laying in between my two babies was the best feeling in the whole world. 

Your sleep pattern has stayed the same - up at 2, then 5, then every hour until we get out of bed (7 or 8).  I'm ready to get more than a 3 hour block of sleep so any time you are ready to go a little longer, that would be great!

Well Buddy, another month has flown by.  I can't wait to see more of that darling personality come to life.  I'm particularly excited for the day that you can play with Noelle because she is so excited to simply be by you, it will be amazing to see you interacting even more.

3 Month Stats:
Wearing 6 month clothing, not sure on weight and height.  Next Dr. appointment is in a month so we shall see!

 
Loves:
Mom, Dad, Noelle, eating, cuddles, faces, kisses, your hands

 

Dislikes:
Eating delays...you go from content to starving in 5 seconds

 

Love you so much-
Mama

 

(you are in a post-eating milk coma in this picture)

 

 

Nate - 2 Months

Dear Nate-

Here were are, already at 2 months old!  Time is flying by and it has all been so very enjoyable.  You are the dream baby I prayed for.  You rarely fuss and are perfectly content hanging out with me in any capacity.  Target?  Sure!  Taking a walk?  Sure!  Swinging on our porch?  Sounds great!  As long as you are fed (which is often) and with me, you are happy. 

On the topic of your eating - you are definitely a good eater.  I have your stats below, but basically, you went from the 30th percentile for weight at birth to the 70th at 2 months.  This is likely the reason I am back in my pre-pregnancy jeans already and hungry all the time!  I love your little leg rolls and your multiple chins.  Your full Buddha belly cracks me up every time I undress you.  Really, is there anything cuter than a chunky baby? 

Your personality is starting to show.  You are such a smiley little guy.  When we wake up in the morning and after you have eaten, there are huge, open-mouth smiles for anyone who looks at you.  You love eye contact and when people touch your cheeks.  Your belly and feet are ticklish and you squirm and smile when I touch them.  But those smiles, they melt me.  You also have a little dimple on your right cheek that occasionally shows itself while you are smiling.  It's elusive and I cannot get it on camera, but it's there.  I hope it stays!  Other things that make you smile - your sister (you LOVE her), a little bunny on this swing thing we put you in, and a book with bold pictures of animals.  Sometimes you just lay down and smile for no reason that I can see. 

You also do an excited kicking and batting of your arms with a deep breath in when you are really happy.  You sound like you are choking yourself, but it is really just a happy sound.  You do this mostly when I am looking directly at you and talking.  It's your conversation back to me :)

You are a good sleeper as well.  Typically you eat around 8 or 9 and then are down until 2, eat again, and sleep until 5, eat again, then you are up every hour or so.  You would love to get up for the day at 5, as you are smiley and ready to go by then, but I just put you next to me in the bed and we can typically stay there and get some additional sleep until 7 AM.  Then we get up to play with Noelle and get her day going.  I'm not sure how all of this will play out when I have to be up and getting ready for work as it is difficult to manage you both and I just have to get Noelle fed and dressed and ready for school so Daddy can take her.  I know we will figure it out though, just like we adjusted when Noelle came along.

 

Since I last posted we have had a few visitors.  We had Auntie Lindsay and Aunt Kellie in town, as well as Gaga, Gigi, Aunt Donna and Grandma.  All of them comment on what a good baby you are.   Please always be my sweet boy with big smiles, OK?

Other things I don't want to forget - how your little mouth feels when you are hungry and you brush against my face, hoping that my nose will miraculously give you milk;  how when you wake in the night that you just fuss around and fight your swaddle but then when I unwrap you - you expect food, stat;   they way you follow Noelle with your eyes whenever you hear her; the way you follow me and will turn your head as far as you can to find me in a room; how you fight me swaddling you when you are tired but then as soon as I get you in there, you are sound asleep (except for the times when I think I have a couple hours of freedom only to look down at you and see your eyes open and that big grin); the softness of you; and your randomly long chunk of hair at the back of your head. 

The past two months have been a dream.  I am so excited to watch you grow and get to know you even more.  You truly have completed our family and we are so lucky to have you. 

2 Month Stats:
12 pounds, 14 ounces (70th percentile); 24 inches (70th percentile); wearing 3 month clothing but moving to 6 in some things!

Loves:
Mom, eating, cuddles, faces, Noelle

Dislikes:
Tummy time, waiting more than 15 seconds to eat

Love you-
Mom

 

PS  - Sorry I missed the 1 month post.  You were much the same as you were at one week.  At the time when I should have been writing this, Noelle was home with a bad cough and a nasty stomach bug that lasted an entire week.  I was holed up with you in a room upstairs, over analyzing every sneeze or deep breath you took, while Daddy took excellent care of Noelle.  You and I made it through with no sickness and Daddy just caught a bit of the cough.  Stressful, indeed, but we made it through with only 38 calls to the pedi (nearly).

1 Week - Nate

One week ago, on February 28th at 2:38 pm, Mr. Nathan Edward made his entrance into this world.  He at 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was 21 inches long.

The delivery was a bit eventful in that his heart rate kept dropping dangerously low with each contraction once I was in very active labor.  I had to move from side to side with each contraction to try to get him back up to a normal rate.  Thankfully, I progressed very quickly and the decision was made that the best option was simply for me to push as hard and as much as I could to get him out of what was turning into a not-so-great environment for him.  After only 40 minutes of pushing, he was out and his cord was wrapped around his neck, which explains the heart-rate issues.  He took a little longer than I would have liked to get out that first cry, but when it came, my heart melted and I relaxed and took in the perfection of my beautiful son. 

Nathan has been a wonderful newborn.  He only cries when he is hungry or during diaper changes.  He nurses very frequently during the day, but sleeps 2-3 hour stretches as night and there are times where I have to wake him to eat.  I'm hoping this trend of sleeping at night continues!  Right now, he is a very easy going little lad.  I have learned from past experience that this could change though so I'm not banking on a sleepy baby for much longer :) 

His awake time is adorable.  He has the brightest eyes and seems to take in everything.  He is particularly responsive to Noelle's voice and movements.  In the womb, I also got the most movement from him when Noelle was talking so I think that bond has already formed for him.  Noelle is pretty smitten with him as well and loves to look at his little feet, hands, ears, etc.  She kisses his head every night and comes to see him as soon as she wakes up. 

Prior to delivery, I had wondered how my heart could possibly love another child as much as I love Noelle.  I knew that it would expand, just as it had when Noelle came into our lives, but I just couldn't imagine it.  Well, it is possible for a heart to love more, and it happened as soon as I saw him.  It feels right having him with us.  It feels right to have Noelle look at him in excitement and talk about her "Baby Nate" to anyone that will listen.  I can't wait to see how our family adjusts and grows with him as he becomes his own little person. 

Cassidy has again been the best support I could have asked for. Since tending to a newborn is not as new and scary for me this time, he has taken on Noelle duty during the night as well as many of the household chores (my mom has also helped a lot with these).  I love seeing him in the role of a new daddy and being so careful and delicate with such a little baby.  He calls Nate his "bud" or "buddy" and I can't wait to see that bond grow between father and son. 

Well, "Baby Nate", (wonder when we will drop the baby in front of Nate??) it's been a great first week.  You have met both grandmas already and they are in love!  We have had some small bumps in the road, but we're still driving and I am excited to see where we go.  Welcome to our crazy little family.  I hope you like it here!

Love you-
Mama

Tomorrow

Dear Baby Boy- Tomorrow is the day that we will finally be able to meet you. I should be sleeping now and resting up for what will be a long and tiring day tomorrow, but I just cannot get myself to relax.

I'm excited and I'm so nervous. I'm not first time mom nervous in that I am terrified of labor or worried about how I can possibly care for an infant, but it's a new nervous. I am nervous about how we can possibly care for an infant AND a two year old. I know people do it all the time, but it is what worries me the most. I worry you won't get the undivided attention Noelle had for the past 27 months and I worry that she will not easily adjust to no longer being the receipient of that undivided attention. Ultimately, I am giving each of you the greatest gift I can think of - a sibling. I always wanted one and I hope the two of you develop a wonderful bond that only becomes stronger over time. Noelle is so very, very excited to have a brother and will tell anyone that will listen that a baby is coming. I hope that enthusiasm continues!

My pregnancy (once conceived) with you was fairly easy. No complications, no red flags, no freak out moments. I had the standard aches and pains, but ultimately just trucked along. Maybe you will be my sweet, calm little boy that gives me no trouble in your infancy - right??

Well, I wanted to go one quick post before you join our family tomorrow. We are all so thrilled to meet you and cannot wait to see how much you do, or don't, resemble your sister. Personally, I think you will be larger than her (I'm voting 8.5 lbs) and about the same length. I don't think you will have as much hair, but I do think it will be dark like hers was. I also think you will have those huge, super-kissable cheeks that Noelle had! Enjoy your last night in utero little buddy - it's going to be a wild ride out here!

Love you-
Mama

1 Year!

Noelle-

You are a year old and you are no longer a little baby. You have blossomed in the last month and that personality of yours is amazing. You are active and adventurous and extremely strong willed. You smile all the time. So much, that daycare calls you Smiley. You laugh the most when daddy is tickling you, but I can sometimes get a giggle as well by making funny faces.

Your favorite places in the house are on the stairs or in the fridge. (To clarify, "in the fridge" means while we have it open to grab something...not hanging out in the fridge by yourself). You would play on the stairs for hours if we would let you. You don't climb them too much anymore. Now they have just become a perch for you to sit. I love watching your little legs wiggle back and forth from pure joy as you sit and play with some random object (shoes and socks still being your favorites).

You still love the baking supplies drawer and have now started "mixing". It's so stinkin' cute to see you with a spoon in a bowl, mixing around all the cookie cutters.

You are communicating much more. No words yet, but you can sign "more" (which means you want to eat, in general) and "all done". You point ALL THE TIME now and we spend much of our day trying to figure out what you are pointing at. Sometimes, I'm not sure you know.

Physically, you are an expert walker. You pretty much run these days and only resort to crawling if you trip and fall. Then I think you do it to show us that you fell on purpose :) You seemed to have hit a plateau in your growth and have stayed at the 22 pound range and measured only a 1/2 taller than you did at nine months. Docs say that you are still plotting very nicely and that this is normal, especially since you are walking now and have very little time for eating.

Speaking of eating, you are exploring with foods a little more. Your three favorite foods are still avocados, cheese, and raspberries. You would also eat puffs and crackers all day long if we would let you. You love the fake chik'n and fake sausage that we give you and have rejected the real thing on several occasions - that's my girl! While I am ok with you eating some meat (poultry, mainly), you are just not interested and we aren't pushing it.
We had Granny Annie, Grandpa Al, and Grandpa Shue come to stay with us for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have us all together as a family and enjoying each other's company. Dinner was wonderful and you again rejected the turkey, but tried some potatoes along with your meal of favorites.

The day after Thanksgiving we did a small birthday celebration for you since we had 3 out of the 6 grandparents present. I made you a cake to try and you were not thrilled about getting your hands dirty at first. Daddy dug in and showed you how it's done, and then you got excited for a little while. You tasted a bit of it, but didn't seem too excited about cake, so we gave you a bath and then did presents.
Your gift from us was a chair of your very own. You LOVED it! You were clapping and bouncing and just so excited about it. I was so happy to see you so happy! It has since remained a favorite item of yours.

Unfortunately, later that night we ended up in the ER. You spiked a fever and would not stop vomiting and it scared us 1/2 to death. They examined you and decided it was just a virus, and then prescribed some anti-nausea meds so we could get you to keep something down. It took about a week, but you did recover. There were a lot of nights that I slept on your floor, just so I could hear you breathing and randomly wake up to reach into your crib and rub your back. It was full circle from your days as a newborn and me reaching out to soothe you while you slept in our room.

Noelle, this year cannot be properly put into words, although I tried. My pictures & videos tell a slightly better story, but they cannot capture what has become of me. I love you more than I thought was possible and some days I feel like my heart will burst from all the joy that fills it. Thank you for picking me as your mom and thank you for loving me as only you can with your silly faces, sideways smiles, and gifts of shoes :)

Love you more than you'll ever know (until you have a child of your own)-
Mama

11 Months

Noelle-

October has been a much better month for us all! The weather was nice, we were all in good health, we had a visit from Auntie Lindsay and another one from Granny Annie and Grandpa Al, we celebrated Halloween and also celebrated a major milestone!

My love of the fall is no small secret. The colors, the smells, the crisp but not yet cold air, and the anticipation of the holidays spent with family make me giddy. Your dad and I also celebrate our wedding anniversary in October. I hope you grow up to love it like I do. With fall and home ownership come leaves, and in our case, lots of them! You had a great time out in the yard, feeling the leaves crushing under your hands, twirling them in your fingers, and, of course, tasting them.

You have been wreaking havoc inside the house this month. You have discovered your ability to open cupboards and drawers and have delighted in playing with all that you find. Your favorite items are the mixing bowls, measuring cups, and cookie cutters. You love to put a bunch of things in a bowl, then dump them out, then put them back...and on and on. The other cabinets are off limits and you liked watching and "helping" daddy put the locks on the doors. The first couple attempts to open doors which now have locks on them were extremely frustrating for you, but you eventually moved on and stick to your two drawers now.

You are babbling a lot now and it sounds like real sentences. The only word that you are saying and using appropriately is "uh-oh". You like to hang your sippy over the side of your high chair, say uh-oh, and THEN drop it. And then smile at us like you are a little angel.

Speaking of smiling at us when you are about to do something that you know is not allowed, you have started to test us much more this month. For example, the fireplace is totally a no-no. So you will go over next to it, look at us, smile, and then touch it. As soon as one of us moves to come get you away from the fireplace, you walk away giggling. It's hard for us not to laugh too, but we are trying to stay consistent. But, you are so, so cute when you do it.

At the end of October, Auntie Lindsay came in for a visit and spent your first Halloween with you. Granny Annie and Grandpa Al also came in to see you in your costume. We all got a very special treat though when, on October 29th, you started officially walking! Those couple steps here and there turned into many steps and continuous attempts to get up and go. We all were so excited and it was exciting that many of us were here to see it happen!


Halloween was fun for us. We went to the pumpkin patch to pick our little family of pumpkins and then came home to carve them. It took you a bit, but eventually you were digging around in the guts of the pumpkin.

You looked adorable in your kitty costume. We didn't head out trick or treating, but we met people in our driveway and handed out candy. You were a hit with the neighbors, who were excited to have a girl in the neighborhood. Seems everyone has boys... seems your dad and I made the right decision in having locks and alarms installed on your bedroom windows :)


Other October notes:

You are eating more and more solids. Your favorites are raspberries, avocado, and cheese. You still eat some jar food when we can't get you to eat anything else. You still get 4-5 bottles a day, along with sippys during meals & snacks.

You are about 21 pounds and 30 inches. You are in some 12 and some 18 month clothes and size 3 or 4 shoes.

You only have your two bottom teeth.

You had your first morning ever without mom or dad getting you out of your crib. Translation: mom and dad had their first night ever away from you together. Auntie Lindsay was here with you and things went wonderfully!

Love you so much-
Mama

10 Months

Noelle-

September was another busy month for us, but unfortunately, not a good busy. I got pretty sick and ended up in the hospital for a few days, then had to go back for surgery. Due to this, I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked and I didn't write down all of the memories that I typically do. I'm sorry about that. I am feeling much better now and promise to do better.

Being away from you for a longer period of time was really difficult. However, I didn't want you to come visit in the hospital due to germs, etc. On my second day in the hospital, the doctor walked in on me crying and she assumed it was sickness. I quickly explained that I was just missing you, as Daddy had just sent me a picture and I was sad that I couldn't be with you. By far the worst part of not feeling well was missing out on some quality time with you.

That being said, we did have some fun during September. We spent a lot of time outside in our yard. You are a very tactile little girl and love touching new textures, items, etc. The grass, leaves, sidewalk, pebbles are all great for holding, patting, and general checking out. You understand the word "no" now, which comes in handy when all the above items go straight to your mouth. You actually listen pretty well when I say "not in your mouth" and you take it out and then shake your little body and your head like you are saying no right back to me! Then you will fake doing putting it near your mouth and go back to shaking your head no. It's ridiculously cute.

Since the weather cooled down a little, we finally put you in a jacket and a pair of shoes. With your foot obsession, the shoes were hilarious. You wanted to play with them, but they were attached to your feet. So you can understand the problems you faced, considering you aren't a well balanced contortionist. Then you didn't want to step with them on and did a little dance. Eventually you got accustomed to them and soonafter, you figured out how to take them off.

Your biggest milestone for the month was standing for longer periods of time on your own and taking a step or two. You don't seem too interested in walking though and quickly move to crawling to get somewhere.

That's all my old brain can muster up from the month of September, but I promise you that we had a great month together and that you were just as charming and entertaining as ever.

I love you so much and can't wait until a better month in October!

-Mama
( I wasn't in a single picture this month so one with Daddy will have to do!)