Week 25

I finally got it, the Beaba Babycook food maker!!! I have been wanting this forever, seriously forever. I tried to convince Tim to let me put it on our wedding registry at William Sonoma. He was afraid people would get the wrong impression and think I was a knocked up bride. That didn't stop me from admiring it (long before there ever was a Nolen.) I kept admiring it while Nolen was baking, and have still been admiring it since Nolen has been here. Each time I went to buy it, I thought of something better, something more "necessary" that I should be spending $150 on. Well not today folks. I am the proud new owner of a Beaba babycook maker. Tomorrow we'll be buying apples, pears, sweet potatoes and any other organic goodies that look delicious. Tomorrow I'm going to be a steaming, pureeing, baby food making fool! Stay tuned for updates.


I've been mentally preparing myself for my first weekend away from my little man. We're headed to Oklahoma for the FSU game. A WHOLE 3 day weekend. The most I've been away, up to this point, is a day at work (8 hours too long!) I think it's the first vacation that I'm actually dreading a bit. I know once I get there I'll probably have the time of my life, it's just a matter of getting there. I might need a stiff martini (or 3) on the plane. We're going with friends from college, so I'm sure we'll be trying out best to relive our beer pong days. My tolerance is so low these days that I might end up dancing on a table, flipping down my nursing bra after 2 drinks. Sexy. Might get interesting considering we'll have a pregnant momma and a pumping momma included in the shenanigans. Every three hours I'll be busy pumping the alcohol out of my system, can't let that supply drop!

6 months old!

Oh how time flies when your having fun. 6 months ago we were sitting silently on the couch waiting for our 8pm appointment at the hospital to be induced. 6 months ago I was thinking "what should I do on my last day without a baby (I went shopping of course.) We were wondering where we should go for our 'last meal' before the craziness began (we went to Seito.) 6 months ago we headed to Celebration hospital and welcomed our sweet little man into the world. Now here we are with a little man who is a whole 1/2 a year young!

Here what you've been up to this month:

• Teeth, you've grown lots of teeth. 4 tops and 2 bottoms. You look like a baby wearing dentures, so cute!
• You've been busy adjusting to Mommy going back to work. The first few days were rough, but now your having so much fun with MomMom that you don't even notice I'm gone.
• You LOVE swimming. Your pool is set up on the back deck, you could literally spend hours in it. If you see if through the window you scream until you get to go in. If we take you out you scream to go back. You LOVE your pool (almost as much as your bath!)
• Your wearing anywhere from 6- 12 month clothing, size 2 shoes, and size 2 diapers.
• Your sleep is getting better and better. You usually wake up once around 2, and then again at 5. Your up for the day around 5 or 6, ready to play.
• You've finally figured out that your jumpers and exersaucers can jump. Up and down, up and down.
• You eat two meals a day, along with your milk. Fruit for lunch and a veggie for dinner. Green beans are not your friend.
• Your favorite toys are a spatula, a cup, and a spoon.
• You love being outdoors, all day, everyday.
• Your not yet crawling, but you can get to where your going by rolling, and rolling, and rolling...
• You can almost sit up.
  
• Daddy thought it would be funny to teach you how to scream. He thought it was funny until we were sitting down to a nice dinner out. Not so funny.
• You've tried out a cheerio or two, but can seem to figure out the whole chewing thing yet. Mommy had a heart attack. No more cheerios.
• Your stats: 15.9 pounds (20th percentile,) 27 in. (71%,) and head circumference: 17.2 in ( 52%)

Any excuse for cake....yumm!

Week 24 (yes again, not sure how my weeks got off!)

This month we're celebrating week 24 all over again. I'm not sure how my weeks got off, I count up one each week, and suddenly we're off a week. I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation but I'm too tired to figure it out. So we're celebrating week 24 all over again.

I've diagnosed myself with PLE. I've been in denial about it for the past 6 months, but I find it gets a little worse each day instead of better. You see PLE (Pregnant Lady Envy,) is my dirty little secret. I LOVED being pregnant! Don't get me wrong, having an outside baby is amazing, I wouldn't change it for the world, but I still miss being pregnant. I felt so healthy pregnant, so full of life (literally) and secretly loved the way I looked (along with maternity clothes.) I loved having my little guy with me 24/7, on my drive to work, sleeping at night, walking around all day, he was always right there. I wish that I could be pregnant forever (or at least the next few years.) The problem with that is we would end up with 18 kids, and we're not even ready for #2 yet. So I sit here suffering from PLE, admiring all those big beautiful pregnant lady bellies. Talking to every pregnant lady I see. And LOVING every minute with my little -outside- man!

(Look at my 4 top teeth, and my 2 bottoms!)

Business on top, party (legwarmers) on bottom.

Week 24

Not even 6 months yet and we're on the verge of 6 teeth, SIX! The two bottoms came through at 4 months, next were the top sides. Yes, you read that correctly, not the middle, but the sides. I'm thinking it had something to do with the whole "Twilight" fad during my pregnancy, we had a little vampire baby. Not for long though the two middles seem to be making an appearance.

All these teeth could have something to do with his new toy preferences; a plastic cup, spoons, and a mini spatula. $30 stuffed monkey, no thanks, $25 baby laptop, not for me, $20 rubber Giraffe...I'll take my cup. This might be the perfect Christmas to receive boxes, good ol' empty boxes. Our pacifier holder now sports a spatula on the other end. When we get a strange look we say, "What, you've never seen a baby with a spatula before?"

(Please note the Spatula in hand)

It's just another one of those things that "pre-Nolen" I would have been judging other mommies for doing. "I can't believe she'd let her baby walk around, wearing no clothes, covered in peas, and playing with a spatula." You really have no idea until you have one of your own, these little guys rule the roost. It doesn't faze me in the least to walk around Publix making farting noises just to see him laugh.

Our sleep, *KNOCK ON WOOD*, is getting better and better. I committed myself to only feeding him once a night, only after 1am was he allowed to eat, then again at 7. Sounds harsh, but the doctors insist he doesn't need to be eating a lot at night. So any time he wakes before 1, or after eating, it's all Ferber. He wakes, he stirs, he flips, he falls asleep in 2 minutes. I love you Dr. Ferber!!! The past few nights we've gone to bed at 7, woke up to eat at 3, and then up for the day at 6 (sometimes 5, eek!) I can TOTALLY do this once a night thing!

"I love table swimming."

"I'm trying to run...and I can't even crawl yet!"

Week 23

Let me just tell you, this pumping is the pits. I pity the women who had to pump for every feeding. It sucks! I think I've finally established my pumping schedule for the school year. I feed little man before school, pump at the beginning of recess, pump at the beginning of specials time, and then rush home to feed little man his afternoon meal. Everyday I drag that darn pump down the hallway to the employee bathroom, sit on my little folding chair and attach the boob suckers.

"WaaaaWoooWaaaaWooo," even the sound drives me nuts. There are always at least 5 people who knock on the door while I'm in there. "I'm pumping," I yell, but I know they assume I'm taking a major, 15 minute long dooty. Oh well. However, like I said before I'm not going to let a silly little thing like work get in the way of our new goal!

All is well in Nolen land. We grew yet another toofers this week, this makes number 3! He's got the 2 bottoms, and the corner of a top one just popped through! (And yes, he has practiced his biting during feeding time, OWWW!)

We've also been practicing his scooting, because he's so close to moving himself! He reaches and stretches, and then lunges himself forward, but somehow manages to move backward instead. You can see it in his eye, he's dying to take off and start exploring this place! Once this one gets going, we're all in for it! He had an awesome first week home with MomMom. They've sang, and danced, and played for hours a day. MomMom even ventured to Starbucks this week. I really don't think that I could be back at work without her help, she's been our lifesaver! Every time I feel my heartbreaking for not being with my little man, I just think of how much fun he is having with his MomMom.