Nolan at 8 Months

Nighttime sleep- I am not going to go into too much detail since that backfired on me last month, but I will say things are very good in this category. A few weeks ago Nolan started staying awake at night even after I nursed him, just fussing and wanting to be held and rocked, so I figured his waking at night was not because he was hungry. I finally got the guts to let him cry it out, and after two nights of some crying, he hasn’t woken at night since. Hallelujah! there, we’ll see if that backfires…

Naps-Nolan takes 3 naps, each about 1.5 hours on average. Except the last one, which is usually about 45 minutes. Although one day this week he took two longer naps, and i can see the days of two naps coming soon! I love the two nap schedule. It seems like there is so much more time to go play! Ninety percent of the time he goes to sleep without a fuss. Sometimes if he is overtired, he will fuss or cry for a few minutes, but most of the time he will fall asleep all by himself.

Nolan Supports our Troops

Nursing- Nursing is still kind of a challenge with this kid. He pulls off a lot, bites on occasion, and grunts and cries afterwards. Sometimes he will burp and then be totally fine, but if not, I usually supplement with a bottle if he seems grumpy after nursing. I’m not sure if we’ll make it to a year with him, but I’m going to at least try to make it to 9 months. He gets much more comfort out of nursing than drinking a bottle at this point. He nurses either 4 or 5 times per day, depending on what time he wakes up in the morning, how his naps go, etc.

Solids – Nolan is becoming much more adventurous in the eating category. His interest in food is almost alarming to me. He wants to eat anything we eat, so I’ve started giving him bits and pieces of food, instead of just pureed baby food. He has tried puffs, bits of pears, bananas, noodles, and pureed sweet potatoes, green beans, applesauce, oatmeal, rice cereal, peaches, etc.

Temperament – He is very much a mama’s boy, and absolutely LOVES to cuddle me. He cuddles anyone, but is pretty partial to his mama. His face lights up when I’m in the room, which is so cute (since Addie was very independent, she was never too attached to me). I sort of fear he will never get over this, but I’m enjoying it for now. He is now able to play by himself on the floor, but constantly looks around to see where I am. If he is in mama’s arms, he is the most happy, content guy. If not, he is a little more unpredictable.

Likes and dislikes – He LOVE to stand up and jump. He HATES to be on his tummy. We think he will never crawl, but he’ll just skip to walking. We’ve been working on getting him to start moving on his tummy, but all he can do is rotate about 90 degrees, and scoot backwards, a a rate of about an inch per hour. So progress has been slow:) I’m okay with this, since I don’t have to babyproof my house yet, but it seems like he would be so much happier if he could get to his toys all on his own. He also LIKES to chew on everything still, and will sit and chew for quite some time as long as there are toys within reach. He likes the exersaucer, but prefers to stand outside of it where he is free to roam, rather than inside where he is cooped up. He LIKES to be tickled, and has the most awesome belly laugh. Oh how I love to make this baby laugh!

Milestones – He wears 9 – 12 month clothes and weighs about 18 pounds. He can roll both ways, but doesn’t do it often. He still just has the two teeth. His hair is starting to come in now, and it looks like it will be light, like Addie’s. He can stand if he is holding onto something, but isn’t cruising yet. Crawling remains a mystery, but he sits up and plays with toys pretty well.

He is getting a little big for this bouncy seat...

Nighttime sleep – For the last week, Nolan has slept from 7:30pm – 6:30 or 7am almost every night! I’m hoping it is not a fluke, because I love getting a full nights rest.

Naps – Nolan takes 3 naps (one about 8:30 or 9:00am, one at 12:00 or 12:30, and one at 3:30 or 4). He is taking longer naps too!! He still has a 30 minute one every now and again, but most are over an hour now. He has also been so good to go to sleep without crying for the past few weeks. A few times he has fussed (or cried for babysitters…mama’s boy), but for the most part, I rock him for a minute or two, give him his pacifier, and put him in bed and he rolls over and falls asleep. This is a big reliever on my stress level.

December 15th update: I have learned to never ever proclaim that your baby is sleeping through the night, taking good naps, and not fussing before napping. The last two days, Nolan has woken up at night, taken short naps, and cried before almost every nap…and one nap he just wouldn’t take at all. I guess the joke’s on me!

Temperament – Nolan is a mama’s boy! He loves to be with me, and if I set him down or give him to someone else, most of the time he fusses until he is back in my arms. It is cute to have a little cuddler for me, but it would be nice if he could be in Zac’s arms or my parents arms and not always be searching for me.

Milestones – He is sitting! He started sitting up alone on Thanksgiving Day, and now likes to sit and play with  toys (as long as I am in eyesight). And by “play with”, I mean chew on. He is also starting to roll over both ways when I set him on his tummy, so that he can see me and Addie, wherever we are. He is grabbing at EVERYTHING. If I pick up something, he wants to hold it. If I get a drink of water, he reaches for it until I let him have a sip. And he is playing with the toy on his high chair now. Finally, toys are starting to keep his attention! I love to watch his little eyes focus on something and imagine what he is thinking.

Sitting next to the Christmas tree

Nursing – He nurses 4 or 5 times per day, for about 10-15 minutes. Although he gets distracted SO easily, that sometimes it takes longer since he is looking around the room trying to see what is going on. It got so bad over Thanksgiving that I decided I was done nursing, and I was going to pump and bottle-feed from now on. That lasted 2 days. First, because it took SO much time to pump, feed from bottle, wash pump, wash bottles, feed solids, etc. I felt like I was feeding and washing bottles all day. And I don’t produce a ton of milk either, so I had to pump EVERY time he ate, and supplement a few ounces of formula if I didn’t get enough milk for him. Also, after the second day of bottles-only, he rebelled. He just wouldn’t drink from them anymore. He just cried and cried if I tried to feed him a bottle. So I gave in and went back to nursing. He is much happier now:)

Solid Foods- He is a champion eater. Nolan LOVES to eat. Everything I set before him, he will eat (except avocados, we tried them again this week and he was NOT convinced). He eats twice a day, at lunch and dinner time. He has started grabbing at the spoon, wanted to feed himself. But of course he has zero dexterity, so it ends up getting all over him. I am probably going to start him on plain cheerios or puffs soon, since he is so interested in feeding himself. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to get it to his mouth, but it will be fun to see him try.

Likes and Dislikes – Now that Nolan is sitting, it seems like there is so much more for him to play with. He still LOVES to chew on teething rings, baby keys, books, etc. Everything becomes food in his hands. He likes jumping and playing in his exersaucer. He likes the bath, I think. He spends most of his time in the bath kicking his legs furiously, with the most serious expression on his face. It is pretty hilarious actually. He also likes giving hugs, which unfortunately includes yanking on my hair and smashing his face into mine. He likes being read to, although again he tries to grab and eat the book. He DISLIKES being away from mommy, not getting fed soon enough, and sleeping at church (he is now incapable of falling asleep in our arms although Zac can sometimes swing him to sleep in his car seat:)

Sitting so well

We love our little Nolan-man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaqxqpmibyg

Addie and Aimee are becoming great friends.  One night they treated us to a little rock concert.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re3vHVeo_ys

Nolan at 6 months

Nighttime Sleep – Nolan goes to sleep at 7:30ish and wakes up around 4 to eat, then sleeps until about 7:30am. Occasionally he will sleep all night, and wake up around 7:00am.

Naps – He takes 3 or 4 naps per day STILL. He is a catnapper, and I’ve decided there is nothing I can do to change it. His average nap is about 45 minutes. Some are 30 minutes, and some are an hour and a half. We’ll see if he ever consolidates his sleep during the day:)

Temperament – Nolan has been a little grumpier lately. I’m not sure if it is teething (I can’t find any buds yet), separation anxiety (he is a major Momma’s boy right now), or sleep deprivation, but he is starting to make his preferences known. He would like to be held by Mom all day long, please.

Playing in the exersaucer

Likes and Dislikes – He LIKES playing in his exersaucer, chewing on teething rings, sticking his tongue out, drooling, sleeping on his tummy, having us blow raspberries on his tummy, laughing at Addie being silly, and eating solid food, and standing up. His laugh is awesome. It sounds like a car screeching to a halt. I’ll post a video. He DISLIKES being away from Mom, drinking from a bottle, sitting, and being left to play with toys all by himself.

Milestones – Sleeping through the night is happening more often (4 days in a  row after his 6 month bday), yay! He is not yet rolling both ways or sitting up, but he is standing with help ALL the time. I think he may walk before he rolls over:)

Watching a movie together

Eating – This kid LOVES to eat. He nurses about 5 times a day (every 3.5 hours or so), and eats solids twice a day. He has loved everything he has tried (except avocados). He eats sweet potatoes, peaches, applesauce, rice cereal, and bananas.

Grilling with Daddy

Nolan 5 months

Nighttime sleep: Has anyone ever heard of the “4 month regression” in baby sleep? I never did until Nolan started waking up more at night this last month. After 4 solid weeks of random night wakings, I THINK we are back down to one waking per night. A few times this week he slept all the way through (like, as in 12 hours!), but this is still few and far between. He goes to bed around 7-7:30pm and is up for the day anywhere between 6:45am and 8:45am.

Naps: It really is different every day, but most days he gets 4 naps, each about 45 minutes long. If the naps are longer, he may only take 3 naps, but that is an exception to the rule so far.

Temperament: His personality is starting to come out more and more. He is really interested in what we are doing around the house, and I catch him watching Addie play a lot. He also stares at me while I eat now, and it is funny to see the wheels turning in his head. “Hey, why can’t I have some of that good stuff?”

Likes and Dislikes: Nolan loves playing with Daddy, who can get him laughing so hard! He also loves when Addie makes faces at him or plays “Patty cakes” with his feet. He likes spending time in his car seat as we cart him around everywhere, but he also loves to roll around on the ground. I am trying out toys to see if he will start to grab at them, and he is not really there yet. He will hold something if I give it to him, but he is not really interested in reaching for anything yet.

Milestones: He rolls! He started rolling from back to tummy a few weeks ago, and sometimes sleeps on his tummy now. Problem is, he can’t roll from tummy to back, so he gets mad when he is on his tummy too long. We started solid food this week, and rice cereal is all that he’s tried so far (except a tiny bit of banana I let him sample). Most of it comes right back out, but I’m sure he will get the hang of it soon! He still only has 2 teeth, and he has figured out how to spit with all that drool coming out!

Look at those teeth!

Nolan 4 months

Nighttime Sleep – Nolan is giving me a run for my money in the sleep category. He was getting much better at sleeping at night, but then he began teething, and started waking up multiple times per night. I know he doesn’t need to eat 5 times every night, so it was frustrating to try to figure out what to do. I gave him some pain medication, and that seemed to help, but now that the teeth have broken through and he is still waking up, I don’t know what to do. The doctor suggested starting solids to see if maybe he is just hungry and needs more calories. I really didn’t want to start solids quite yet, but I’m willing to try anything to help him get a long stretch of sleep at night.

Naps – His naps are completely unpredictable. Some are 45 minutes, some are 3 hours. I never know what to expect in the nap category. He still takes 4 naps per day, especially if they are all 45 minute catnaps. He is awake for about an hour to an hour and a half in between naps.

Nursing – Still nursing 5-6 times a day for 10-15 minutes. And maybe we will be starting to add solids:)

Temperament – Nolan is still such a happy little baby! Even when he is completely exhausted and won’t sleep, he rarely makes a peep. Yesterday he woke from a 45 minute nap and I tried to wait and see if he would go back to sleep since I knew he had to be tired. He ended up crying for a little while, but as soon as I got him out of bed, he was happy as can be, and stayed happy for the next 3 hours! (We were out to dinner, so he was awake longer than usual.) Oh, and he got his 4 month shots a few days ago, and laughed through them!

Likes and Dislikes – He likes to eat his fingers (or anyone’s fingers that are close enough to grab), kick his legs, lay in his playgym, take rides in the car, be entertained by Adelyn (or anyone else), and stand up on your lap. He dislikes being put in his bed, and usually fusses before naps still. I am toying with the idea of sleep training. Is this a good time to do it? Does anyone have experience sleep training at this age? I am continuing to use the pacifier to get him to sleep, but I don’t know if that is a good long-term solution.

Milestones – 2 teeth (both bottom) broke through, one on the 2nd, and one on the 12th. He is still drooling a TON, so I invested in some bibs:)  He is still not really rolling over yet, and can only get from his back to his side. He likes tummy time, but hasn’t tried to roll onto his back.

Weight: 15 lbs 7 oz — 60%

Height: 25.5 in — 78%

Head: 17.5 in — 73%

Addie attended her first ballet class on Wednesday. She was so excited to wear her new leotard and ballet slippers! She loves to dance, so I’m thinking she will really enjoy her class. This was her first real away-from-mom activity, but she had no problems letting me drop her off and leave:)

Dance Class

Naps – He takes 4 naps per day, each anywhere from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours. He is starting to fight the swaddle a little bit, and usually gets both arms out by the time he is done sleeping. But I’m not sure I’m ready to stop swaddling yet.

Nursing – He still nurses every 3 hours or so, 5 times per day and once during the night. (4 or 5am is considered “night” to me:) He takes about 15-20 minutes to nurse.

Temperament – Nolan is still a calm, happy baby most of the time. I love how cuddly he is (Addie was not very cuddly) and how he is entertained easily, especially by his big sister, who LOVES to play with him.

Likes and Dislikes – He LOVES sucking on his hands and wrist. Now that he has some limited control over his arms, they are always in his mouth! I caught him holding his binkie in his mouth yesterday, and I thought it was so cute!  He loves the bath, playing in the play mat, looking at our faces and smiling, laughing, and even enjoys tummy time.

Milestones – He found his hands! His head control is okay, but he is still pretty unsteady. I have yet to try the Bumbo. He mostly hangs out in his bouncy seat, on the floor, or in our arms. He is trying to roll over from back to tummy, but can only get halfway. He didn’t have a weight check this month, but based on my bathroom scale, he is about 15 lbs.

Nolan at 3 months

Nolan smiles

I am loving this little boy! He is smiling and cooing and even starting to chuckle a little bit. I was just thinking the other day about how children are a challenge as well as a joy. Right now he is 10% challenge (because he still wakes me up in the middle of the night:) and 90% joy. He is cuddly and happy and oh so cute!

Addie is split a little more evenly I think. This week she is potty training herself! After all the bribing and forcing for months and months, Zac and I had given up trying to get her out of diapers. But last Saturday she decided that she was going to wear big-girl panties, and she has only had a few accidents since then! We are beyond excited! But….the challenge now is getting her to sleep. She has always been a good sleeper, no a GREAT sleeper. I have always patted myself on the back for that one victory I have with her. She sleeps well. But now…she is into stalling before bed. Sometimes it takes an hour of her coming out of her room multiple times just to get her to stay in there. And it usually ends in tears or frustration and her FINALLY falling asleep. Also, she has started waking in the middle of the night and coming into my room and asking for a stuffed animal, or to sleep in my room, or to go to the potty, or just to chat. I’m not sure what to do about it, since I’m trying to be patient with her requests to go potty. I usually just put her back in her bed and try to let her know that yes, it is still bedtime.

Motherhood is full of uncertainties and questions, and I feel like I’m learning more every day how to be patient, loving, and selfless. I guess we take the challenges with the joys. My personal goal is to focus more on the joys than the challenges. It is easy to get bogged down with trying to do everything right (which no one can do), but how overwhelming is that? From now on I will be grateful for the time I get to be with my kids and for the love they bring into my life, and let the frustrations roll off my back a little more.