First Christmas in Pictures

Best toy= boxes & bubble wrap

GrovePark Inn, Asheville NC

Christmas fun with MomMom, PopPop & Aunt Shannon

Christmas fun with Uncle Eric, Jojo & Papa

Christmas Eve with both families

First Christmas Morning....magical

First Xmas was a white one! First snow

10 months old!

In two short months my little baby boy will be a little toddler boy. OH how time flies when your having fun. With the holidays in full swing I couldn't help but remember Christmas just one year ago. How does one go from being big and pregnant to having a little man who already knows so much. Simply amazing...

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

• You're O' so close to walking, just barely holding on to things as you run through the house. Any day now we're expecting you to let go and take off running!


• You are 28 inches long and 18 pounds...long and skinny.


• You are getting better and better at eat ting. Mommy was starting to think that she'd have to feed you purees until you were 20. Fortunately you can now eat baby puffs, avocado, cottage cheese and even baby Cheetos.


• Your talking! You can say Momma, MomMomMomMom, Dada, Baba, Bye (in a southern accent,) hi, hello...


• You celebrated your first Christmas with both grandparents and boy did you get spoiled...toys everywhere! (Isn't that what 1st Christmas's are all about.)


• You crawl with perfection, can go to sitting on your own, and have just learned to pull yourself to standing.


• Your favorite toys are your Radio Flyer walker wagon, you Wooden food cutting board, wooden spoon, Tupperware, you puzzle with doors that open, your Jeep, and your new Elmo movie.


• Changing your diaper has become insane. You insist on moving, and standing, and dancing...we're lucky we get a diaper on you.


• When we say "dance" you start bobbing up and down.
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• We're STILL nursing...I can see the end in sight...2 more months!


• When we say "how big is Nolen?" you throw your arms in the air as we say "So big!"


• You received you first passport for our Italy trip this summer. It's good for 5 years, but will still have your baby picture!

We love you SO much! As sad as it is to see you grow so fast, it's equally as awesome. Daddy and I can't remember what we did before you, there must have been so much wasted time. We love you SO much little man!

Week 39

(Please excuse the drool...but notice the necklace)


I am a complete sucker for baby products. The first time I walked into a BuyBuy baby I had a slight panic attack, good anxiety, just on overload. I was in shock that there were hundreds, thousands of baby items that I had no clue I needed. Medicine dispensers in the form of a paci, organic baby massage oil, teethers that vibrate, toothbrushes shaped like bananas, food that squirts right out of the container... ahh... so much I never knew I needed (I use the term needed very loosely.) I have a really hard time walking out of BuyBuy Baby without a cartload of goodies. I'm always looking for the next thing to get to bring a smile to our little man's face.

This week was tough because we're teething again. Those molars are pushing their way into his teeny, tiny mouth. One has broke through, and 3 more are right behind. This week I was on a mission to find some relief for him. Baby Oragel doesn't work because he just likes to eat it. Teethers would be nice, but can't reach those molars. I did a little research and found baby necklaces made from Amber. The amber stones are suppose to release something when they are warmed by the skin. Whatever they release is suppose to help ease the pain of teething! Now there's no way to prove this, but all I know is as soon as we put his necklace on he was back to his old self again! (Not to mention it looks SO cute, like a little surfer baby.)

ziplocks

I sat down to pump at work this morning and realized I was missing a key factor, BOTTLES! Slight panic, talked to boss, told her if I was going to try and make it through the day, but may look like Dolly Pardon by 3:00. Tried, oh-so-hard, to make it but I couldn't. Things were getting a little large and out of control by 1:00. That's when my great idea hit me, zip locks & rubber bands! Ahhh, relief. Now it's strange enough to have to put my milk in the staff refrigerator, even more embarrassing when it's a milk in a zip lock contraption!

While I'm on pumping stories (aren't I always?!?) I'll indulge you in another. A few weeks ago I was coming out of the employee bathroom, aka my pumping station. When I came out, our maintenance man (he's maybe 20) was sitting at the lunch table. He glanced at me, then at the bottles. He did a double take. I could just see the wheels turning in this poor kids head, "how did she, what did she, what, how..." For a brief second I thought about explaining. Instead I just smiled and waved hello. Now anytime I see him he doesn't make eye contact, poor kid!

Santa Baby

The Many Looks of Nolen part II.

1. Business Nolen: Driving to Work.

2. Snowbunny Nolen: burrrr....

3. Cowboy Nolen: YeeeHaw

4. ChipnDale Dancer Nolen: Checking out his tips

5. Skater Nolen: Complete w/ Skinny cords and Vans

Gifts

A few posts ago I mentioned how everyone, literally everyone is pregnant these days. Such exciting times, lots of gifts to buy.

Now I love shopping, but I really love baby gift shopping! Who doesn't?!? Everything is so little, so innocent, so cute. Now the question comes in, what to buy? Do you go practical (think registry); diapers, bottles, diaper genie, boogie sucker (literally,) bath tub... you could, but that's so not cute or fun. Or do you go practical & cute; stylish nursing cover, monogrammed baby blanket... yes, but what if Mommy and Daddy have different taste then your Monogrammed Minky green blanket. Or do you go sentimental; silver baby spoon, personalized baby book, jewelery (think keepsake)... Oh, the choices!

As a new mommy my gut says to be practical and buy these first time mommies the necessities they are going to need. Yes, all the boring stuff. The stuff you won't appreciate until you've become a Mommy yourself and realized, "So that's why I can't put my dirty diapers in the trash can. PeeeEwww! Then there's the other side of me that says, "If Aunt Megan doesn't buy him/her their first pair of True Religion jeans then who will?"

I go through phases with gifts. I'll pick a theme and that's what everyone gets, just a slight variation depending on each person. For Christmas one year it was gift cards, the next it was wedding photos, this year...(ha, you thought I was going to spill the beans didn't you!) You'll just have to wait and see what you get this year! I'm also excited to see what little man might get for for Christmas this year. My Mothers day gifts were so good, I can only imagine what he'll come up with for Christmas. (hint, hint, wink, wink)

Back to the babies, for this round of baby gifts I think I'm going cute & sentimental, perhaps useful too. Ideas???

Found it!

Ok...after hours of searching online I think I've come up with the perfect baby gifts. I was trying to think of things, sentimental things that I would still hold close to my heart at age 28. Baby David Yurman jewellery! Great thought, only I don’t think they make that yet (and if they did it would be an expensive gift.) Next best thing, that little blue box! Think Tiffany's' jewellery shrunk down to baby size! It's genius. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for money purposes) it's not really Tiffany's, but it does have the same appearance. Honestly, these little ladies won't know they’re missing a special blue box until at least age two.

The site is by a designer named ‘The Molly Brown Collection.’ Her jewelry is all made of precious metals (aka, will hold up,) gemstones and pearls. Keepsakes! One that they might still be trying to rock at age 28. Now what baby girl doesn’t need jewellery! Added bonus, everything from this site comes gift wrapped beautifully, cha-ching…one less thing to do!

They have miniature pearl bracelets, Sterling silver bean necklaces, my favorite,"Tiffany inspired" charm bracelets that can be personalized, earring, necklaces, you name it they have it. Aunt Megan is going to start these little bitties jewellery collection off right with baby jewellery. Now I only wish they had grown-up jewellery.

Check it out!

So excited... I am going to be writing posts for Magical Vacation Homes blog! My first one went up today, and it's all about shopping (oh course!)

Check it out, let me know what you think. Become a follower so you can read all about Orlando adventures. To kick things off we'll be doing a give-a-way in a few weeks (a really, really good give-a-way) stay tuned!

Magical Vacation Homes Blog

Week 38

Penises should come with a manual. Let me rephrase that...baby penises should come with an owners manual for their mommies. Nolen had his 9 month check up today. It turns out we were suppose to be pulling something back on something, I don't know. What I do know is that the little guy had to have his manhood pulled and yanked, causing him to cry bloody murder. This is one time that I was happy to be a working Mommy, leaving this up to Daddy and MomMom! I don't think anyone ever told me, or did they, in that whirlwind of a hospital visit. Sigh. All I know is that these things should come with a manual! Below is Nolen thinking about his doctors appointment today :(

While there, were also checking for an ear infection. I was convinced he had one. He had all the symptoms. Tugging at ear, irritable, waking more then usually, no smiles ever...all signs pointed toward ears. Wrong! Turns out the ear tugging, cranky days, sleepless nights and unusual eating are not ear related at all, in fact it's teething, more teeth! I wasn't sure we could fit any more teeth in that little mouth but we are, the doctor found 2 molars that are coming through. If there's one thing we're good at it's teeth! Little man, you are making it very, very intimidating for mommy to continue nursing. I was just beginning to feel better about 8 teeth, now 10!

To top off his day he got 2 shots, broke a snow globe and cut his finger, and took a face dive into his walker. Oh little man, tomorrow can only get better!

Current stats:

Weight: 18 pounds 4 ounces (15%)

Height: 28.75" (70%)

Head: 18" (70%)

Kindermusic

Notice anything different in this picture? Notice the only guy there, that's my wonderful hubby & Nolen. Kindermusic is one of those 'stay at home' mommy things, it's on Monday morning at 10 a.m. Luckily Daddy has off on Monday's and doesn't mind hanging with a bunch of ladies and babies. (Secretly I think he likes singing and dancing.) Nolen LOVES his Kindermusic!

Don't cry over...

Whoever made the saying, "Don't cry over spilled milk" must not have been sitting in a bathroom for 30 minutes a day pumping, only to spill 6 golden ounces of milk all over the floor. Sigh.