14 Weeks: Fat Boy Slim

Our little Nolan is growing up way too fast! He is getting so chubby and cute and I've taken to calling him "Fat Boy." I hope that doesn't hurt his little psyche. However, he's still in most of his 0-3 months clothes (and a handful of 3 months), so I guess he can't be that chubby. I keep folding sleepers to put away but Jason will inevitably grab one out of that pile and they are still usable. When he stretches all the way out, they're on the brink of being too small, but they're otherwise okay. While I keep lamenting his fast growth into an infant instead of a newborn, we have some super cute 3-6 months stuff, so I hope we get to wear some of it before it gets too warm.

This week, he started really trying to reach for things, specifically the parts of my face that I'm pointing to. I'll pat my nose and say, "Nolan, touch my nose. Touch my nose. Touch my nose." It takes awhile, and is accompanied by quite a bit of amusement throughout the process, but he will eventually TRY to steady his hand to reach for it. Sometimes, he's too jerky and ends up hitting himself....it's so sad and cute at the same time because he puckers up like he's going to cry and gives me that little look like I hurt him. But, then his upset turns back into amusement in a matter of seconds. Funny how kids are....

After weeks of trying to use the sling (I so wanted to be like the Hollywood moms of today, busying themselves with grocery shopping and whatnot with their tiny baby resting deep within the pocket of wonderfully decorated fabric...smile), but I just don't think that's meant to be for us. Instead, we've decided that the front carrier works better. And, now, he's even graduated to facing forward instead of having his head scrunched up against my chest. He likes it so much, in fact, that he fell asleep while Bailey and I were out for a walk around the neighborhood.



Here is a picture of him smiling away when I went to get him out of bed one morning. So happy!


And, finally, here are a couple of pictures of the kids together this week and one of Nolan and momma (notice the red cheeks from all the hand-chewing-spit-smearing activity).

We bought Easter outfits for the kids this weekend, so I'm eager to post some (hopefully) good pictures of them in their finest. We'll just pray that Nolan doesn't spit up, drool or pee all over his clothes (remember - his 3 favorite things to do) before picture time. Sooo, maybe I'll just take a picture when they're first dressed just to be safe. :-)

Kendy

13 Weeks Update

This post is dedicated to the more unfortunate things that start happening around this time in a new baby's life. First, I've captured for you Nolan's budding bald spot. Really, it's more like a v-shaped bald strip, since it goes up on the sides a bit.

I know that probably 90% of babies get a bald spot (those that are actually born with hair, that is....baldies have it easy in this respect!) now that the mantra is "tummy to play, back to sleep." But, it's just not fair. :-) Poor Nolan is going to end up with this giant tuft of hair on the top, but no hair anywhere else. And, it's worse for boys, I've learned. Bailey had SOOO much hair that, when she did start getting the thin patch in the back, she actually had longer hair from the top that (when coiffed perfectly) hid anything that could be considered suspect.

The next 3-month-old woe is the DROOLING. I've talked to many a mom whose kid didn't spit up OR drool, but I think it's just in my family's DNA. Bailey drooled badly from about 4 - 12 months. We had so many bibs and we have zero pictures of her during that time frame without a lovely bib hiding her cute outfit. And, just for the record, it had NOTHING to do with teething...at least as far as I could tell. Now, Nolan seems to be following in her footsteps, albeit much earlier. Seriously, what makes an infant not be able to hold the spit INSIDE his mouth? He's such a sweet baby, but no one is ever going to want to hold him for fear of getting spit up on or gummed to death. Smile...

In addition to the drooling, he now wants to chew on anything within his reach. I've mentioned previously that his hands are his choice non-food food. Here, however, is a picture of him going for one of the throw pillows on the couch. I had propped him up to take a posed picture, but he got sidetracked by all that yummy cotton.

This picture is a little fuzzy for some reason, but here's a full body shot so you can see how big he's getting. He's rarely curled up anymore and, instead, likes to stretch out and kick his legs.

We bought a Bumbo (Bumpo??) seat this week. He's still a little young, but within the parameters of the approved age range for the device, so I went for it. (Especially given the bald spot, I wanted to give him as many opportunities to sit up!) He enjoys it for short periods of time, but I inevitably find him slumped over trying to eat the side of the seat. I wish I had a picture...he's not unhappy, just chowing down on it.

And, finally, here is a picture I snapped last night when I went to check on him before retiring to bed. No one give me any grief about the blanket...we'll ditch it when it gets warmer and he really starts to move around. Right now, it's just so darn cold, especially in his room since it has a large window.

Bailey also had a good week. We bribed her all week long with the fact that she got to take a picture with a live bunny at her Mother's Day Out. Anything that she didn't want to do, we said, "You won't get to take your picture with the real bunny!" That worked well until after the picture was actually taken. Somehow, our leverage disappeared at that point. If I could only figure out how to bribe her with something that's about 2 years into the future! :-)

While I don't have the bunny picture to show you (we haven't received it yet), here is a picture from the zoo on Saturday. We always take a picture on the little elephant...maybe one day I'll put together a montage of all the zoo pictures over the years.

Peace....

12 Weeks: We're On a "Roll"

I'm both pleased and a little sad to report that Nolan rolled over for the first time earlier this week. The funny thing is that he went from not having any interest in lifting his head when on his stomach one day to lifting it really high and then rolling over the next. Weird...but he did it 5 times in a row, so it was more than just a fluke. Here are some pictures of the big event.






Here's Bailey so proud of her little brother!


I say it's a little sad because every new milestone just means he's growing up. I don't think I felt like this with Bailey, but I think these feelings of sadness stem from the fact that this is probably the last baby for the Cox family. It's hard for me to keep those "the last time..." thoughts at bay.

I also think he's on the verge of laughing. At this point he just makes some louder shreiky noises (I make up my own words to convey my points, if you haven't already noticed), but I think those will eventually become laughs in a few weeks. And, with a mom like me, what baby wouldn't find reason to laugh?

Here is a funny picture of Jason trying to flex Nolan's "muscles" for the camera. Instead of no pants, this week we switched it up a bit and decided to take pictures with no shirt. :-)


Bailey had a hard week, as she faced round #2 of her cold. We've had some tough nights as she's had a hard time sleeping with her cough and stuffy nose. I finally took her to the doctor on Saturday because both of her eyes were pretty red. I feared pink eye, and I know how contagious that is. The dr. said it is bronchitis and she also has an ear infection (who knew?), but that her eyes were just yucky because of the sickness. So, we left with eye drops and 2 prescriptions. Unfortunately, no Walgreen's in America had one of them (okay, not really, but I had them call about 4 locations before I got frustrated and left) so we'll have to struggle through until Monday. Fortunately, we have the antibiotic, so hopefully that will get her started on the road to recovery. Here is a pic of her watery eyes and super red upper lip from all the lovely snot.

Here is a picture of Bailey sleeping with her head propped up in the t.v. room at about 11:00 a.m. after she had been up several times in the night. Why is it that she can sleep now, while the rest of us are up, but not during the night when we're all trying to sleep? Fortunately, Nolan slept that morning until after 9:00 a.m. so Jason and I were able to get some rest. We didn't make it to church so hopefully we'll all be okay by next week.

Pray that none of the rest of us catch it.

Finally, here is a picture of both the kids sleeping in the car. No reason, it's just cute.

11 Weeks: Clean Bill of Health (Thank God!)

I tried to be creative and take a picture of Nolan in his sling (which we're just now trying out), but it didn't make for a great picture - sorry!! Plus the lighting is kind of weird in Bailey's bathroom, which is where I was in this. Oh, well.....

This week was sort of blah in terms of fun activities to report. Since our routine is back to "normal," we're all just kind of chugging along. My only big news this week revolves around Nolan's health. I haven't wanted to post about any of this until I could turn around and say that all is okay despite initial concerns. Soooo, now that this is the case.....

At his first appointment, our doctor pointed out a couple of things that she wanted to check out - his heart and his spine. Even as I type that, I get a chill. Now, I'm not a first-time mom that freaks out at every little cough, wheeze or scraped knee (no offense to first-time moms, that's how I was with Bailey!). However, when someone says there may be something wrong with my kid's HEART and SPINE, that's a bit scary. The heart problem was simply that she suspected a murmur and wanted to do a scan to see if all the chambers were working correctly. From the minute she said that, Jason and I both felt like he was so fragile...like we couldn't play rough with him or get him too agitated or his poor little heart might give out. I can laugh a little in retrospect, but it was a really odd feeling. Anyway, we did the scan and they found absolutely nothing wrong. Sigh of relief....

The spine situation is something that I still don't fully understand. From birth he has had a y-shaped crease (or dimple) at the top of his bottom/base of his spine. Now, I wouldn't even think twice about it had I even noticed it. The only reason we knew it was there was because the nurses in the hospital made mention to Jason that we should be sure to wipe up there during a dirty diaper change. Well, at his first appointment, our doctor said, "Now, I'm concerned about this dimple." Geez, the dimple again??? Apparently, this y is sometimes an outward indicator of a defect on the spine. If there was something wrong, his growth would eventually pull down on the spinal column and cause neurological problems. She said it wouldn't affect walking and that a simple surgery at about age one would take care of it. She just wanted to watch it and decide at his 2 month appointment whether an ultrasound was needed. I, of course, wasn't satisfied with her "no big deal" explanation and proceeded to do my own research. I found all kinds of conflicting information (both the "no big deal" information and the "your kid is going to DIE" information which is pretty much my experience with any internet research I've ever done) and eventually decided to just wait and see what the 2 month appointment brought.

At 2 months, she said she was even more concerned because the y had become more asymmetrical, which is a greater indicator of internal problems. She ordered an ultrasound. So, we spent last Friday in the cardiologist's office and this one seeing the radiologist. Poor kid!! The outcome is that the radiologist didn't find any major defects. He did say that ultrasound is only meant to rule out the major defects, not really minor things that could be wrong. He said that there could still be a very minor spina bifida but there is such a huge range under that diagnosis that many, many people have it and are not aware of it their whole lives. Coincidentally, he said that HE has it and only discovered it about 10 years ago when he got an x-ray for a kidney stone. It has never affected any area of his life and went on to equate the defect with something like dimples....technically dimples are a defect but they don't DO anything to you, so they are 100% benign. Once again, no offense to anyone with dimples....they're cute!

So, all is well. I certainly can't say that I'm completely free of worry (are you ever as a mom?), but at least we got over these initial hurdles.

Okay, off of the depressing stuff....

Nolan is getting so much more active. Sometimes he'll be sitting in his bouncy seat and just start spazzing out, kicking his legs at 90 miles an hour and waving his arms in the air. He just smiles like he's so proud of himself. I just can't get over how sweet his is, either. Now, I do think we're selling Bailey a little short when we talk about how good he is. We thought she was a good baby, too but I think our memory may be a little clouded by how "spirited" she has become over the past couple of years. By the way, "spirited" is the politically correct way to refer to high energy/headstrong kids. :-) I do think Bailey slept a lot better during the day, as Nolan really only takes cat naps. However, he sleeps great at night so the tradeoff is worth it.

On the Bailey front, Jason is already starting to worry about her and boys. She came home from MDO saying that she only wanted to give a Valentine to this boy Matthew, "because he's cute and my boyfriend." Seriously?? Jason had to have a talk with her about playing with all the kids at school and not spending too much time with one kid. Translation: "Stay away from that dirty boy, my precious little baby!!!" She also told me a few nights ago that she wanted to give "some old people" Valentines so they would know people loved them. I thought that was sweet - not really sure what prompted it and I'm pretty sure if I took her to visit a nursing home she would freak out, but the fact that she's displaying empathy just warms my heart. Maybe we're doing SOMETHING right!!!

She's also REALLY into arts & crafts these days. Specifically, she wants to make cards for everyone - real family members as well as her imaginary friends. Her best imaginary friend and sometimes baby Saleisha (who knows??) has been the recipient of about 10 cards over the past week and grandma and pop pop have received many, as well. The thing is...she's really good at it! We bought her a little kid scrapbook kit because she was stealing all of my scrapbook supplies. So, now she has her own stash of stickers, stamps and markers for her little masterpieces!

Here are a couple more pics of the kids (again, sorry for Bailey's wet hair and the semi-naked Nolan).

Finally, here is what happens when you fail to strap your infant into his bouncy seat. No worries - we were right there watching him work his way down and picked him up before anything bad could happen!

I SWEAR my kid wears pants (I know, I know - seeing is believing.)! He just has a tendency to get them wet pretty frequently, so he spends a lot of down time in his diaper. Plus, have you TRIED to dress an 11-week-old baby? It's difficult...

Kendy

10 Weeks: Back to Work and School

This week marked a new chapter in the lives of the Cox family. My much anticipated AND dreaded return to work brought a whole lot of craziness. First, the morning routine when I actually have to be somewhere at 8:30 a.m.....and fully dressed and with dry hair to boot.....and get the kids ready is TOTAL CHAOS. This week, I've felt like I needed a nap just about the minute I walked through my office door. Next, I just don't think I'm quite all "with it." I'm trying to throw myself back into a very hectic work environment and I realize it's going to take a little bit of a mental adjustment as I'm not yet firing on all cylinders. Oh well, I'll get back into the swing of things soon (I hope!).

Bailey started a new MDO, so she's now going to "school" 4 days a week. While I value the opportunity for her to socialize with other kids and whatnot, the main reason for the increase to 4 days is simply so Jeanne won't have both kids full-time 5 days a week. I've done that for the past 10 weeks and, trust me, I don't want to do that to her. :-) My kids are great kids, but having them with you all the time can start to wear on you.

Nolan has seemed unfazed by our new situation. He does, after all, only care that he's fed and changed...it doesn't matter who does it. I did feel that he wouldn't make eye contact with me Monday evening after our first day apart. Of course, Jason didn't help my feelings of guilt as he just kept saying, "He's mad at you, mommy." Great.....

A little anecdote from our first week involved Nolan's newfound ability to reach for toys. Bailey was playing outside at Jeanne's and looked into the window and said, "Grandma, Nolan grew up!!!" When she asked what that meant, Bailey explained that he was holding a toy on his bouncy seat which means he "can play with toys like a grown up little boy!" She was so excited and has since been FORCING things into his hands. He doesn't like that, by the way. :-) Here are a couple of pictures of his new abilities (or as good of a picture as I could get).

Speaking of things he doesn't like, he also is not a fan of riding around the house in a doll stroller.

(All stunts supervised by a responsible parent. Uhhhh, or my husband.)

And, yes, Bailey likes to dress up in her Christmas dress just to play. I figure it's okay because it's not like she's ever gonna wear it again.

Finally, this week marked Nolan's first haircut. What started out as a little snip-snip around the ears turned into a full-fledged cut. As his hair has grown, it's started to stick out in all kinds of crazy ways. So, now his mohawk is a little tighter and I do have to say it looks cute. Since I couldn't exactly get a picture of the cut in progress since it was a 2-person job, you'll have to settle for the shot of the hair in the sink and then the after shot. I'm sure you can't really tell the difference from a picture, but we cut quite a bit!

And, actually Jason is in there cutting on it some more as I write this. He has to make sure that everything is perfectly even!

Wish me luck on this next week of work. And, hey, a lot of people have told me they read my blog but no one ever comments. Show a girl some love...holla so I know I'm not just writing these for myself. You just click comment and can post anonymously (meaning you don't have to create a blogger account). But be sure and sign your name so I know who you are. No mysteries allowed. :-)

Kendy

2 Months, the Doctor and a Baptism

This week marks Nolan's 9th week on the planet....I have to start off by apologizing for not having a picture with an age sign. I simply didn't get around to it this week and am too tired right now to print one out. I'll get back on track next week!

9 weeks both seems like forever and no time at all. It's funny how these little people enter our lives, and we so quickly forget the time when they weren't around. In the "what he's doing" update, my little guy has discovered his hands and, coincidentally, they are now ALWAYS in his mouth. I used to determine when he was getting hungry by the timing of his fists going up to his mouth. Now, however, he can start gnawing on them the minute I've just finished feeding him just for the fun of it. So cute!

He's definitely growing and becoming a chubby little baby rather than a tiny newborn. However, as much as we feel as though he's filling out, he's still a little nugget according to the growth chart. He had his 2 month doctor appointment this week and he is 10 lbs. 12 ozs. and 23 1/2 inches long. While his length puts him into the 75th percentile, his weight is merely the 25th percentile. I looked back and Bailey was already a pound heavier at this point. However, Bailey REALLY liked to eat (still does!!) and, although Nolan's not turning away bottles or anything, he's so far not had such a voracious appetite.

This week also brought his baptism. I always get nervous about things like this. I worry that he'll cry through the whole thing, that I'll cry through the whole thing, or that we just won't make it to church on time (a valid concern, by the way, these days). I'm happy to say 2 out of the 3 didn't happen. I wouldn't have cried right off the bat if my mom hadn't started bawling THE MINUTE we started walking up there. Seriously.....

Nolan did great and we made it through the ceremony just fine. Afterward, we had the family over to our house for lunch and cake/ice cream. He stayed awake through most of the activities. He seemed to realize it was his day! I've included several pictures for your enjoyment.

Bailey felt a little bored this week as her MDO was canceled due to the weather. She loves getting out of the house. She's going to get what she wants in a big way next week when she starts a 4-day-per-week MDO schedule. I hope she's ready!! Of course, the reason for this is that I'm starting back to work tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about that, but I'm trying to have a positive attitude about it all. Alot of my fears about leaving Bailey to go back to work turne out to be unfounded, so I have the benefit of knowing that this time. I'm sure I'll still cry tomorrow morning (oh, who am I kidding...the first several mornings. Okay, I'm crying right now!), but we'll all survive. I certainly couldn't be leaving Nolan in better hands than with my mother-in-law.

Here's a picture of Bailey modeling her new cowboy boots....oh, wait, cowGIRL boots. I get in trouble if I call them cowBOY boots. She actually got these boots for Christmas, but they were too little and we had to order a bigger size. They just arrived this week. This picture makes me wonder if she's really just 3-years-old. Gosh, I think I might be in trouble!

Finally, I'll leave you with 2 pictures....one of Jason with his mini-me and the other as a warning for those of you considering 2 children. This is what will happen to your youngest child and they better learn to like it!

8 Weeks: A Trip And A Wedding Dress

I know I keep saying this, but I simply can't believe how big Nolan is getting. The smiling and cooing makes him seem like a "real boy!" I've included a picture of Jason and Nolan communicating - he seems to respond to daddy the most in this respect.


I remember Bailey being a happy baby, but Nolan just seems to be even more joyful. I love it (and I knock on some wood, too)! By the way, look how long Nolan's hair is...you almost don't notice it in this picture, as it fades into the background. Then, you realize there's spiky hair sticking up 2 inches off of his head. He must have just gotten a bath - his mohawk is much more severe when it's fluffy and clean. :-)

Since I'm just a week from returning to work, we decided to go spend a few days with my parents. I missed Jason while we were gone, but it was nice to just hang out for a little while and let my parents have fun feeding Nolan and/or playing with Bailey. And, when I talk about playing with Bailey you have to understand what that really means...she likes to take her subjects back to her room (which is wherever the toys are), shut and lock the door (she doesn't understand that the lock just keeps people OUT and not IN) and play elaborate pretend games for hours. Jason and I are constantly trying to think of activities we can do with her in the living room or kitchen so that we don't have to be isolated in her bedroom. But, I digress.

After we returned, I spent Saturday with my soon-to-be sister-in-law as she shopped for a wedding dress. Her family, my mom and me were her entourage as we journeyed from store to store. As is usually the case with these kinds of things, she had a hard time narrowing down her options and ended the day with 2 dresses still in the running. I'm curious to find out her ultimate decision, as I'm sure she's anxious to check that particular wedding item off the list. Meagan also asked Bailey to be a flower girl, along with her other little niece, and me to be a bridesmaid, along with her sister. I didn't expect either, so it was a nice surprise. I just hope Bailey is up to that task. I fear that she'll be one of those little ones that eats it up until time to walk down the aisle...then falls apart at the pivotal moment. Of course, she has 6 months of growing up time before the big day! And, I have 6 months of "getting skinny again" time, as well.

And, just for fun, here's a picture of Bailey with 30 balloons that Jason blew up to welcome her home after our trip to Clinton. I have been popping and throwing one away here and there in hopes that she won't notice how they are gradually dwindling. There's nothing like millions of balloons to really junk up your house!


On another Bailey front, lately she has refused to sleep in her bed. We go through this every so often and she usually has a few weeks of tantrums right before bed and then it stops. This week, Jason put up her tent and she gladly slept there as a novelty. And, she managed to put about 20 toys in there with her. You'll notice her Halloween basket, of all things, there in the corner.
However, last night the tent wasn't cutting it and she simply wouldn't settle down anywhere. After putting her back to bed numerous times, we just started ignoring her (it was a game to her at that point). And, here is the result....she set up her sleeping bag in the hallway outside her room. Ahhhh, as frustrating as she can be, how cute is that?


Finally, here's my wonderful husband feeding Nolan and being mauled by Bailey at the same time! It's a skill they don't tell you is required for parents of 2 kids.


Peace...