Week 32

Imagine a world where everyone your come in contact with is grinning ear to ear. A world where all people walking toward you are smiling. Put Nolen Reed in his Baby Bjorn and this is just what you get. He rides along smiling at everyone he meets. I say this all the time, but this kid is SUCH a people person. He loves meeting new people. No matter where we are, who we see, no matter how tired or hungry he is, the second we are around people he is all smiles.

We flew to Baltimore this weekend for some quality time with my sister and her fiance. Flying with an 8 month old is a little more intimidating, then the last time we flew, with a 3 month old. 8 month olds move. 8 month olds don't like sitting still for 3 hour plane rides. This 8 month old entertained every person on the plane. Smiling over our seats, laughing around the side of the seat, he had everyone within a 10 foot radius smiling and laughing. I love this kid.

As we waited for our stroller everyone who walked off the plane had something to say. "Oh my gosh, I'd fly with him anytime." "Oh he is just the cutest little man, and that hair!" "I've never seen a baby make so many friends on a plane before." Even the flight attendants said, "Oh look who's on our flight, we were admiring him at the security check point."

We lucked out with this one folks, I have a feeling the next baby is going to be a doozy. (And no I'm not pregnant.)

On a side note... we had a celebrity siting. Remember Jake from the Bachelor? Jake and Vienna Jake, dancing with the stars Jake?!? Well on our flight home we were in the front row, 1C & 1D. My mom kept insisting that the pilot "looked just like the bachelor." She asked the flight attendant who confirmed, our pilot was Jake. It looks like his days of fame have been traded for flying 'puddle hoppers' for Delta.

Christmas in October

I start planning my Christmas cards months in advance. I wanted to start a tradition when Tim and I got married. I wanted us to ALWAYS have a photo Christmas card. I wanted us ALWAYS to have a professional picture that captured us at that moment. My plan is to save every Christmas card, like a timeline of our lives, done in Christmas cards. Since little man has arrived this is as important as ever!

I actually start looking at cards in July. I check all the usual photo card sites, but always end up coming back to Shutterfly. They never disappoint with their original designs. Come September, I book our photography session. Once I get the family pictures back I start looking for the perfect coordinating design. Next I narrow it down to my favorite 1,000 designs (kidding, kind of.) I try out different pictures, different colors, different wording. I ask for opinions and don't take any of them (opps.) Once November hits it go time. I like to have my cards mailed the day after Thanksgiving which means they need to be ordered, printed and delivered by November 25th.

So here is what made the cut this year...

#1- Merry Berry Stripes

#2- Oh Deer

#3- For Goodness Sake

Opinions please! It's almost November which means this needed to be ordered yesterday!

(can't belive I'm typing...) 8 Months!

8 months pregnant was a lifetime, 8 months with a baby Nolen was a flash. He is still so little but the things he can do seem so big. He knows things, he knows people, he remembers things, he has his own personality. I know I complain about him waking up throughout the night, but secretly I love all those extra cuddles. Like a good wine, he just keeps getting better.

Here is what you've been up to this month:

• You sit like a pro, not wobbly at all. In fact you can do a complete 360 while sitting. Round and round you go (spread the legs, close them, spread the legs, close them.)


• You love eating on most days. 2 meals a day (fruit and veggie,) plus your milk.


• We're STILL nursing (waawhoo, we're getting so close to our 12 month goal!)


• Your favorite game is called "Boo." Someone holds you as we sneak around a corner, wall, etc. The other person the jumps and yells "aahhhh!" You laugh, we do it twenty more times. Belly laughs= good times!


• Your in size 2-3 diapers & 6-12 month clothes. Growing like a weed (an adorable weed.)


• I jinxed it before by not knocking on wood, but I'll try it again. Your sleeping pretty good again these days. Down at 7, up at 4, then up again around 5 or 6. Totally doable for Mommy!


• Current favorite song: The Itsy Bitsy Spider. (hand motions included)


• Current favorite toys: Tv Remote, cup, cardboard box, paper & spoon.


• You are so social. You love being around people, and love getting out of the house. If you stay home too many days you get a little grumpy until we take you somewhere.


• You have 8 teeth and counting.


• Your taking your first trip to Maryland. Maybe we can find some pureed crab meat or UTZ potato chips!


• You get SO much attention everywhere you go. People want to talk to you (and touch you, yuck!) Their reactions usually go something like, "Oh is that red hair?!" No it's purple. "Oh my, are those teeth I see?" No, they're chic-licks.


• Still not crawling, but I think your going to very soon. If you spot something on the other side of the room can roll to it in a matter of seconds. You also love to push off of things with your feet. More so than crawling, I think your trying to walk.

Park day in Pictures

Week 31

I apologize in advance. This post isn't going to be witty, or funny, it's going to be a good ol' fashion complain fest. When I said last week that Nolen was sleeping through the night I must have knocked on particle board instead of wood. It was just a 3 day fluke. I'm still not drinking coffee in the afternoon, and we're still not sleeping. He's waking up 2-3 times a night. I am EXHAUSTED. I came *this close* to throwing in the towel on nursing. I thought if I could just get a break sometime, whether it was a night feeding or just an afternoon one. If I could just have 30 minutes to myself, no students, no baby, nothing.


These sleepless nights are catching up to me. It's the combination of sleepless nights and a full time job. I don't know how people do it, it's wearing me down. The first few months of school I was running on adrenalin, that adrenalin is gone. I go to bed by 9, back up at 2-3am, up again from 4-5am, and up for the day at 6. Leave for work at 7, home by 5. Spend time with Nolen until 7 (play, eat, bath, bed.) Then do it all over again the next day.


I DREAM of the day when I can just stay home and raise my family, the day I can put 100% of me into my family. Unfortunately that's just not in the cards right now. One day...

Ahh...that felt good (thank you for listening)...moving on...

In happier news we took Nolen to his very first pumpkin patch to celebrate his very first Halloween! Not quite sure he understood the whole 'pumpkin patch,' but he did pick out his own pumpkin, a Nolen sized one! Love, love, love!

7 month photo sneak peek!

We had our pictures done a few weeks ago...here's a sneak peek!!!

Thank you so much Haley Lamb we love them!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is a very special day...it's Daddies Birthday!!! Daddy is 28 years old today, which also happens to be his lucky number. 28...it's going to be a good year. We LOVE you to the moon and back!