6-month appointment update

So we had my 6 month appointment today. For those of you who are keeping track, I am now 27 1/2 inches tall (putting me in the 75th percentile), weigh 17 pounds (50th percentile) and have a head circumference of 17 1/4 inches (they didn't give a percentile for this one.)

I got some shots today, but we held off on 2 of them until next month so that I didn't have to get 5 different shots today! One of the shots I got was the flu shot, so hopefully that will keep me healthy this winter. I'm on track with all of my developmental milestones and everything else looks great.

Here's my monthly "pose with the bear" shot. Enjoy!

Yummy!

Here's a cute pic of my first time eating rice cereal. It was pretty good, tasted suspiciously like Mom's milk ... I wonder when I get to eat something that tastes different! I went shopping with Mom this week and she picked up all kinds of baby food but I haven't seen it since. What is she waiting for?

Wow, all this for ME?

Well folks, it is my half birthday today and Mom arranged for it to snow as a special treat. We didn't get more than a dusting but it was really pretty watching it fall outside our window today. I'll post my official 6 month pics, as well as pics of our lovely snow as soon as Dad gets home and loads them up onto the computer. Tomorrow is my 6-month check-up and I hear that I have to get some shots, again. But we'll see how much I weigh and where I am on the growth charts, which is always exciting!

In the meantime, enjoy these "then and now" pics of me:

In the hospital on my Birth Day, and just the other day in my "Nolan's First Christmas" onesie.

Who needs a medicine cabinet ...

... when you have a freezer full of breast milk?! Mom and I came across this list of interesting alternatives to breast milk the other day and thought it was really funny. Kinda reminds me of the Dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding who believed that Windex could cure anything from psoriasis to poison ivy ...

And speaking of breast milk, Mom and I are going to hit a very important milestone tomorrow: 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding. With the exception of the rice cereal I tried for the first time last night (don't worry ... pics are coming soon), I have had nothing but breast milk since birth. And I'm above the 75th percentile in size, too!

some of the many
holistic uses of breast milk

(other than your child's most important food of course!)

*Eye infections: Squirt in an open or closed eye. If the eye is closed have the person lie back, squirt it, then open his or her eye. Do this four or more times per day.

*Plugged eye ducts: Squirt into the eye crease at the nose. Do this four times one day and two times the next.

*Conjunctivitis ("Pink Eye"): Same as Plugged eye ducts, but continue with four times daily until the crust is gone.

*Sties: Same as Conjunctivitis.

*Sore/cracked nipples: Rub into nipples and air dry.

*Scratches: Squirt and air dry, bandage, etc. as normal.

*Scrapes: Same as scratches.

*Burns: Same as scratches.

*Gouges: Same as scratches.

*Diaper rash: Squirt and air dry.

*Mosquito bites: Squirt on bite and rub in. Stops the itching.
*Ant bites: Same as mosquito bites.

*Ear infections: Squirt or pour into sore ear. Can also then follow with warm (not hot) olive oil and garlic.

*Acne: Wash face with water, then follow with breastmilk squirted on to a cotton puff and apply all over face.

*Sore throats: A squirt of breastmilk, either directly or applied from a sterile plastic cup.

*Stuffy noses: Squirt into nose and suction or squeeze out as you would with saline.

*Contact lenses: If you have an irritant under your lens and forgot your eye drops, take it out, hand express to get a nice little stream going to rinse contact off.

*Eye puffiness and redness: Express breastmilk and pour over eyes. Does as good of job, if not better, than tea bags!

*Cold sores/Fever blisters: Express a small amount of breastmilk onto clean finger and apply immediately to cold sore. Ends pain and helps speed the healing process.

*Chicken pox: Use as you would Calamine Lotion or other ointment.

*Chapped lips/skin: Express a small amount onto fingers and wipe over lips or skin. Do not rub it in...leave a little wet. (This feels great on chapped lips and it normally only takes a day or two to clear!)

*If you have an older child/spouse who is ill, give them some breastmilk. It's a great immunity boost!

Eventful week!

Last week, I celebrated my first Thanksgiving (and got to sit in my big boy highchair for the first time) and I also got baptized! I got to meet my Great Aunt Judi from South Carolina for the first time, and I got to see Aunt Carly, whom I hadn't seen since I was only 4 days old!

We had Thanksgiving at Nana and Papi's house in Delaware and Memere and Grandpa drove down from Connecticut to join us. Then we came back here to get ready for my big day. I was so good during the church service. Mom didn't even have to leave the pew like she did last time we went to church. And when Father Malm held me to pour the water over my head, I didn't cry at all. Instead, I dipped my little chubby fingers into the water and splashed around. That got a few laughs ... I'm a comedian already!

I can do yoga like mommy!

There's no real point to this post, other than to share this really cute pic of my hanging out on Mom and Dad's bed. I'm really flexible these days and just LOVE grabbing my toes. I'm also sitting up, with a little help from my trusty Boppy.

Dad's taking off today and tomorrow and we've got a full schedule. We're touring some houses in our area so we know what we're looking at if and when our place ever sells and tonight we're meeting with a potential daycare provider that lives in our neighborhood. Tomorrow morning we're meeting with the priest to plan for my baptism this weekend and we might go see SANTA at the mall. We'll see. As usual, I'll keep you all posted.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I have been a really good boy this year. Just think of all that I've done over the last 6 months: discovered my hands and my feet, kicked the swaddle habit, learned to put myself to sleep and take naps longer than 45 minutes, figured out how to roll from belly to back and back to belly, started sitting up, and even survived my first night without Mom and Dad. I've been to the zoo, the National Mall, the beach, Connecticut, a winery in horse country, and tons of other great places.

So instead of a lump of coal, I'd be thrilled if any of the things on my Christmas list below end up in my stocking or under the tree.

Love,
Nolan

My Christmas List:

• I have a few items on my list at Babycenter.com. Just click on the link, type in my name and you'll find it.
• I also put a few things on an Amazon.com wishlist.
• This cool roll-around-dinosaur
• A big boy chair for hanging out with Mom and Dad (I like the denim fabric)
• This great puzzle-piece playmat to make our hardwood floors a little more comfortable for crawling
  
• This coverall for when I start solid foods ... and art projects!
• A hand and footprint keepsake kit
• The Incrediblock (this came highly recommended from my friend Ava!)
  
• A shopping cart/high chair cover (I like the pistachio stripes pattern!)
  
• Personalized labels for my bottles and sippy cups for daycare
  

Just call me Rudolph!

We went to Sears the other day to take Christmas pictures. I'm not much of a ham for the camera but we did get a few good ones. But fortunately Mom and Dad joined the Smile Savers, so we can go back for another try without paying a sitting fee. Here's our favorite of the pictures.

My first official Christmas gift!

I got my first Christmas gift on Friday from my Secret Santa, Luke and his mommy Becky in Texas the other day! It was so exciting! I got an adorable "I love Santa" outfit (it's true, I do!), a Baby's First Christmas bib, and a stuffed reindeer. Here are some pics of me opening my gifts!

Well, only 6 months late

Mom just got an e-mail that my newborn hospital pictures are finally online! I wonder what took them so long? Anyhow, what do you think ... does it look anything like me?

Cool Mom Picks Gift Guide

Mom loves reading this blog, and they just came out with a holiday gift guide! Mom told me that if I put this button on our blog, we might win a $250 gift certificate to Zutano! Woo hoo!

Five months old!

Ok, so we're a bit late uploading the pics and updating the blog, but I turned 5 months old on November 5th!!

Here I am at one month and five months.I'm getting so big!

First trip to the zoo

I took my first trip to the zoo last weekend, it was SO much fun! I got to see the panda bears up close and the orangutans were also putting on a cute show in the yard. It was a little chilly out, so I had to wear my new winter hat and my LL Bean lobster sweater. Fall is finally here.

What's a sea witch?!

We went to the Sea Witch Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware this weekend to celebrate Mom and Dad's second wedding anniversary. I got to rock my Halloween costume for the first time, too. It was like being a celebrity, everywhere I went people were saying how cute I looked!

Knock on wood, I'm also doing really well sleeping at night. I've been putting myself to sleep and not getting up until 4 am or later. Woo hoo!

Rainy day

So today was day #2 of rain, so Mom and I decided we'd head into D.C. to go to our first Baby & Me yoga class at Tranquil Space. Yup, it's the first time we've gotten to go since I was born. I was one of the oldest babies there ... there were so many teeny tiny newborns there. Anyhow, the studio is on the second floor of a walk-up townhouse in Dupont Circle, so Mom had quite a time getting the stroller, all of our stuff, and me in there! But we made it.

I was a good boy until about halfway through when I started to get fussy. I was really hungry but just couldn't concentrate on eating with everything going on - all those cute, younger girl babies (I was wearing my "Chick Magnet" onesie today). Mom even took me into a quiet dressing room to nurse but I wasn't having it. Eventually, we had to just pack it in and leave class early. Then, after lugging the stroller back three sets of stairs and pushing me in the misting rain back to the car, guess what Mom found on the windshield?!? A parking ticket! Poor Mom ...

Watch out world ...

... I'm on the move! Last night I figured out how to get where I want to go by rolling belly to back, and back to belly over and over again. Such fun! I must have done this for about an hour. Mom caught it on video, so if she can ever figure out how to upload it I'll share it with you all!

Toys NOT made in China

I know we're all a little worried about the lead paint (and whatever else) from China these days. Well, Cool Mom Picks, one of the blogs Mom reads, just put together a list of safer toys for 2007. Some of them are a bit odd or too granola for my taste, but some of them are really cool. I'm way too young for these, but check out these cool wooden interlocking blocks. They are made by hand by adults with disabilities at Camplake Village in New York. Neat, huh?

Free Tibet!

So Memere, Mom and I went into DC today to see the celebration on the U.S. Capitol lawn after the Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold Medal. It was really cool, we found pretty good seats under a tree and got to see Speaker of the House (and Dad's former boss) Nancy Pelosi speak, as well as Richard Gere. And of course, we got to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On our way to the event, we watched the President's motorcade speed by after he attended the ceremony for the Dalai Lama. Here's a picture of me, contemplating my future workplace.

Our trip to the punkin' patch!

Memere, Mom, Dad and I walked to Nall's on Sunday to take some cute pictures of me with some pumpkins. Here are a couple of cute ones, but check out my Shutterfly page for all of them. I am wearing a cute outfit from Memere and Grandpa's recent trip to the LLBean store in Maine. Dontcha love it?

Oenophile in training

So I went to my second wine festival this past weekend (third, if you count to the one I attended in utero ... don't worry, Mom wasn't drinking). This one was a wine & bluegrass festival at Chrysalis Vineyards in Loudoun County, Virginia. It's Mom and Dad's favorite winery in Virginia; they specialize in the Norton grape, which is is native to the Richmond, Virginia, area. The festival was so much fun, even though it was 90 degrees out! The music was GREAT, we got to go on a hayride through the vineyards, taste 9 different wines (and take some home), taste some chocolate and wine pairings, and check out all of the cool vendors. To the left is a picture Dad took during the hayride.

Four-month stats

Well, I turned 4 months old last week but haven't updated the blog because I was waiting for Dad to upload the most recent pics! Yours truly weighed in at 15 lbs, 13 oz and 25 3/4 inches long. No wonder Mom's back hurts! Well, it's payback because SHE weighed 16 lbs when she was 4 months old. Nana has been combing her baby book and photo albums to see how Mom and I compare. Most people think I look like my Dad but it's funny how much I also look like my Mom when she was 4 months old. Well, except for the fact that I have much cooler toys - I don't know how babies from the 70s and 80s survived without a Jumparoo! To think, Einstein didn't have one and he turned out OK.

Well, folks, I did it!

After weeks of trying, I finally rolled over on Sunday, September 30th! This picture was taken right after the great feat! I have only done it once since, and that was in my sleep and Mom had to come get me and flip me over back onto my back. (Even though it's the easier thing to do, I still haven't rolled from belly to back.) But that was a good night sleep wise -- I went to bed at a record 6:30 pm and didn't wake up until 3:45 am, on my belly! (Yup, that's 9 straight hours) Mom fed me, flipped me back over, and I went back to sleep until 6 am. Then I was up for the day.

Oh, and I almost forgot - I'm now unswaddled, and have been for about 2 weeks now! Swaddlepalooza never came to be, I ended up sleeping better with both arms out than I did with one arm swaddled and the other one out. So now I sleep in cute-as-can-be footie PJs and a sleep sack!

Oh wait, one more cute video!

This is a great one for all of you Dads out there ...

More is coming, I promise!!

We've been a little busy on this end so I haven't had a chance to update the blog recently. Plus, what's a blog entry without a picture of some sort? We're waiting for Dad to upload some pictures to go along with my witty blog entries. So stay tuned ... . In the meantime, check out this video I saw Mom watching.

Swaddle-palooza

Save the date, ladies and gentlemen, for the 3-day extravaganza we're calling Swaddle-palooza, when Mom and Dad will forgo sleep for an entire weekend (er, only if necessary) to wean me off of the swaddle. Since birth they've been wrapping me up tight to sleep but recently I've been breaking out of it at all hours (and even trying to roll over swaddled), so it's time to quit. But we can't go cold turkey because I have a strong startle reflex and can't even get to sleep without the swaddle because I keep smacking myself in the face with one of the two arms I can't control!

We're not sure yet when this exciting event will be held, it all depends on how Mom's experiments at naptime go. She's been swaddling me with one arm out so I can get used to it. Then, we'll try with both arms out. So it may be another few weeks before we're ready to give it a go at night. But we'll keep you posted!

I got the memo

About 2 weeks ago the following memo came into my hands. Since then, I've been implementing it just as flawlessly as Mom has been implementing her so-called E.A.S.Y. routine. It's working!

Sleep Training

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great--I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months. Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle. It goes like this: Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.

Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3--every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with.My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn't eaten pears since lunch, what's up with that? The cat said "meow". I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL. Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!! It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me

Gaby

Still hitting the bottle ...

While I fell off the wagon a bit, I'm still taking a bottle! Which meant that Mom and Dad got to go out to dinner last night, and Mom got to go to Let's Dish with her mom's group today. Check out this uber-cute pic of Dad giving me a bottle the other day. He said it was the most fun thing he had done all day!

Updates

Well, I haven't blogged recently because I've been exhausted. See, I've been waking up a LOT at night recently (as in every 45 minutes from midnight on, no kidding), which has made me a little less than cheery during the day. Not sure why, but I just get up at night and can't put myself back to sleep. Poor mom, she became my roommate two nights in a row, rather than traipse back and forth between her room and mine.

But other than that, I got a new jumparoo to play in (check out the picture), and I've been noticing my feet a lot more often. I'm still close to rolling over (both from back to belly and belly to back).

Just like Britney ...

Mom and Dad took me to get some 3-month portraits done today at Kiddie Kandids, and I behaved just like Britney Spears at her latest photo shoot. That is to say, I had a little meltdown and well, let's just say that the next time the phone rings it's not going to be Ford Models calling. But all was not lost, we got a few good pictures out of it (eat your hearts out, ladies), and Mom and Dad finally got around to making birth announcements. Hello? I was born three months ago guys. I think everyone knows I was born by now. After all, I was the most eagerly awaited baby since Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. Anyhoo, if you want to check out the pictures, click here. (If the link doesn't work, go to www.kiddiekandids.com, click the MyStudio link and type in the sitting number: 622000546 and the sitting code: 26284B4.

We didn't get up to much the rest of the weekend. Just kicked back and relaxed while Mom reenacted the battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg, for those of you from the South) every three hours or so on the ants that found their way into the kitchen the last rain storm.

New tricks

I know what you're thinking -- I've got more entries today than Perez Hilton! (I wish.) Anyhow, I wanted to update you all on my new tricks. Now that I'm a old man (12 weeks old), I am:

• grabbing things, like this cute carrot rattle (thanks, Susan and Ava!), Dad's glasses, and Mom's hair ... Mom can't wait until I find Truman's tail
  
• managing to get my fingers and sometimes my entire fist in my mouth
• reading (or at least paying attention to the books Mom reads to me)
• working on rolling over (I end up on my side a lot, can't get that bottom arm out of the way)
• giggling a lot and smiling
  
• negotiating my first book contract (just kidding ... wanted to make sure you're paying attention)
  
• still not taking a pacifier ... he he! I'm holding out for my thumb
  

Hitting the bottle again

Newsflash -- I'm hitting the bottle again! Mom changed the type of the nipple from silicon to latex, and that made all of the difference. I downed my 3 ounces of EBM (that's expressed breast milk) like a champ. But now Dad has to give me a bottle regularly so I don't forget!

On another note, I napped through the last class of Itsy Bitsy Yoga today. Oops. I really liked the class, though. Mom learned how to massage me and we learned some yoga poses we can do together. Maybe we'll sign up for the next session, too. Or we'll get the DVD so we can do it around my busy nap schedule!

Here I am on a recent walk around the neighborhood.

The Great Bottle Strike!

Call me picky but I'm just not all that in to the bottle these days. I didn't even have my first bottle until I was 4 weeks old or so, and then I had a couple here and there. I even took a bottle for the whole day when Mom and Dad went to a wedding, and as recently as the first week in August. Well, Nana tried to give me a bottle while Mom was out getting a much-needed massage (did I tell you I woke up three times the last few nights? Chalk it up to a growth spurt!) and I freaked out! That's not how I eat! Plus, I heard all about the BPA chemical in baby bottles and I want nothing to do with that. (Interjection from Mom: Fear not, the bottles I use for pumping and feeding you are BPA-free, of course!) You might have fooled me when I was a younger, more naive lad but not any more! I just held out until Mom came home and felt bad for me. I saw them reading a book for tips on how to reintroduce the bottle ... they better not try any funny business. I'm on to them! But Mom said I have to start taking the bottle because eventually I'm going to have to go to day care. And in the mean time, Mom wants to be able to get out of the house once in awhile. For example, in September she's going to Let's Dish with her Mom's group and I'll be hanging out with Dad.

Oh, but the good news is that I slept 10 hours straight last night. It might have been a fluke, or the double swaddle Mom put me in last night. See, I'd been breaking out of the Miracle Blanket by midnight the last few nights (and waking up when it happened), so after wrapping me in the MB she wrapped me up in the Swaddle Me blanket. Worked like a charm!

August in DC

Wondering where I've been again? Well, it's August in Washington, D.C. -- everyone goes a little off the radar this month. I promise to start blogging more often. I don't want to lose any of my precious readers!

Since my last missive, I've been off and on with STTN - some nights I have slept from bedtime at 7 or 8 until 4:30 or 5 am, but others I've added a 1:30 am waking. Hopefully soon things will get more consistent. Tonight I went to bed without any tears -- hopefully this is a good sign.

Memere came back to hang out with us while Dad was in Portland, Maine, for a wedding. On Friday, we went to the doctor because Mom was concerned about what she was seeing in my diaper (I'll leave that up to your imagination). Turns out, I may have an allergy to milk protein and/or soy. This was not good news for Mom, who as a fisheterian (see here - I'm talking about the first meaning of the word only, ahem) practically lives on cheese and other dairy products. She's cutting out dairy first to see if that helps, but if it doesn't soy is next. Again, this is quite a blow to my tofu-loving Mama.

On Saturday, we went into DC for the Babywearing Expo. It was smaller than we thought, and VERY crowded so we didn't stay long. But Mom found her next baby carrier! We can't wait for it to show up, once she picks out which of 8 patterns she wants ...

Out and about ...

We went and walked around Old Town yesterday with Memere and Grandpa. I took a nap while everyone else chowed down at Austin Grill and then we walked around for a bit. I was tired of sitting in my carseat so Dad carried me for awhile and then Mom put me in her hippie wrap. You can check out all of the pics at nolanvalliere.shutterfly.com.

Last night, Dad and Grandpa went to the Nationals game versus the Mets. No fair, I had to stay home with the girls. I can't wait until I'm old enough to go!

A giggle and ... STTN!

Well, Memere and Grandpa came to visit this weekend and got to witness some major milestones in my life! As you can see, Grandpa got me to giggle for the first time -- I can't decide whether I was laughing with him or at him.

And, in perhaps the most important development, I STTN (that's "slept through the night" for those of you not in the know) for the first time last night. I've actually been trying to do this for a week or more now, but Mom kept thwarting me. See, she just couldn't resist running to my crib every time she heard a peep out of me, even though she knows that babies in REM sleep can kick, make noises, and even cry a bit! She says it's because she loves me and wants to know I'm OK. But after the other night when she slept on my floor and kept replacing the swaddling blanket I kicked off in my sleep, she decided to just let me be unless I was actually crying. She even turned the monitor down a bit so she wouldn't hear every little sound. And the result? Not a peep from me until 4 am, when she checked and I was asleep but kicking and had one leg out of the swaddle. She left me alone and I slept until 5 am!! When she came in, I had completely wrestled myself out of the swaddle (and this is the Miracle Blanket we're talking about, no easy feat) and was ready to eat. I had been asleep since just before 9 pm, so that's 8 hours! I ate and, after a much-needed diaper change, went back to sleep at 6 am for another 40 minutes or so. Then, it was up to greet the sun at 6:45 am!

We'll see how it goes tonight ... I'll report back!

2-month shots = no sleep!

So, I got my 2-month shots yesterday afternoon. I was a big boy and only cried a bit, but the shots threw me off of my game a little. I didn't sleep much last night and have been a little fussy today, but I'll be as good as new tomorrow! We also found out that I'm in the 75th percentile in weight, the 50th percentile in length, and 25th percentile in head circumference. So what does that make me, a chunky pinhead? He he ...

Today, I helped Mom clean the house and we took advantage of the beautiful sunny day by taking a stroller walk in Old Town this afternoon.

Massa ... what?

Did you miss my posts and wonder where I was last week? Well, I was in Massanutten, a four-seasons resort in Virginia where mom has been going for the last 18 years or so. It was 100 degrees or more most days, so I stayed indoors a lot. But I did get a chance to take my first dip in the pool at the waterpark (wearing the swim trunks Memere got me!), go to the farmer's market, go shopping with mom and Nana (booo-ring, if you ask me!), and spend some time with mom, dad, Nana and Papi. Mom and dad got to have 2 date nights, which was nice for them.

Swaddle Me!

Check out this article on the Miracle Blanket - the newest addition to our swaddling arsenal. We've tried the Swaddle Me (we still use this for naps), the Ultimate Receiving Blanket (I'm too long for this now) the Sleep Sack Swaddler (only comes in XS ... boo, we liked this one!) and regular receiving blankets (both fleece and waffle weave). The MB works really well, but I can still find my way out of it around 4 am when I'm flailing around. :)

Here's a quote from the article ... he hee:

Unlike its competitors, which often have ties or Velcro straps, the Miracle Blanket is nothing more than a piece of cloth with four flaps. Laid out on a bed, it looks like something that might be used to hold a psychiatric patient still during electroshock therapy, or something I might produce if left alone with a sewing machine and a six pack.

Happy medium

What a way to kick off World Breastfeeding Week ... Mom woke up with a plugged duct (ouch!) and I helped her get rid of it by nursing a lot. Oh, and she took a hot shower and used a hot compress, too. But it was mostly me. She said I am her hero :)

But it turned out to be a great day after all. Because we needed to nurse more often to get rid of the plugged duct, Mom scrapped The Routine (Eat, Activity, Sleep in that order, every 3 hours, per The Baby Whisperer) and we just winged it. She didn't even write down what I did and when I did it. It worked out great - I got to eat a lot, we played, and I took an almost 2 hour nap in the afternoon! And Mom got to catch up on some cleaning and get a few more pages into Harry Potter. (Shhh ... don't tell her how it ends! Although they'll probably come out with the movie before she'll get to finish reading the book.) It was a win-win ... it's not just a bad idea to just let go sometimes.

We also took a quick trip to the supermarket today and a stroller ride around the neighborhood once it cooled off in the late afternoon.

Sweet freedom!

We had a pretty relaxed weekend here. I spent the day with Nana on Friday while Mom and Dad went to a wedding, and we had lots of fun. She's really good at putting me down for naps (better than Mom, more on that later). She got three good hour-long naps out of me - a first! On Saturday, poor Dad had to do some work from home and Mom spent all day just trying to get me to nap. The longest I went was 20 minutes, he hee.

Saturday night, I slept in my own room for the first time overnight! Now I can stay up late and read Harry Potter, stare at my killer new mobile, and pretty much do whatever I want now that I'm no longer in Mom and Dad's room. Though no loud parties because of the baby monitor.

Today, I had two 20 minute naps and a 40 minute nap, and also took a pre-dinner snooze in my swing. We also took a quick car ride into D.C. so mom could pick up stuff from her office. She hadn't been back since going into labor unexpectedly, so there was still a note on her door saying she was teleworking on June 4th! It's been raining all day, so no stroller rides :( Maybe tomorrow!

Laying low ...

I was a little sleepyhead today, so we didn't do a whole lot. But the good news is that I wasn't really fussy today. The only time we ventured out was to go to the McDonald's drive-thru for Mom's iced coffee. I think we need to stage an intervention -- she has been to McD's more in the last 3 days than she has been in the last 3 years!

T-minus 2 days until Mom and Dad leave me for the first time! They're going to Mom's sorority sister's wedding near Philadelphia. I'm planning a little party of my own when they're gone for my playgroup buds. I'll have Nana pick up the booze ...

It's OK mom, I'm just a little fussy :)

Everyone has a rough morning every now and then, huh? I've had a couple of rough ones, and just in case Mom and Dad took me to the doctor to make sure I'm OK. I am. I could have told you that! We also learned that I'm tipping the scales at 12 pounds these days - I'm just flying through the 0-3 size!

I just got back from a long stroller ride with Mom to pick up something at CVS. The whole way there I enjoyed myself, laying in the bassinet and staring at the sky, trees, and houses we passed. On the way back, though, I got a little fussy because I was tired and asked Mom to carry me all the way home. I thought her arms could use a little bicep and tricep toning, too, and what better than a 12-pound weight?! She must have looked pretty silly carrying me and pushing my stroller, but it was all good because I fell asleep on her shoulder.

Mom makes me wear legwarmers!

Only now they're called BabyLegs and they are warming the legs of all of the fashionable babies these days. I'm indifferent, but Mom thinks they are just the cutest things ever. Right now I have them in the giraffe print you see here, as well as more tame blue and brown stripes. Mom says she's getting more next time there is a coupon code! I do have to admit they keep my knees protected while I'm breakdancing, or b-boying, as I prefer to call it.

Mom's next obsession? Trumpettes!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Greetings from the nursery! Six weeks, four days into my life on the outside, mom and I have decided to start a blog. Since I'm still keeping my fists tightly closed, mom will be typing and I'll dictate. My main goal for this blog is to keep track of what I do all day, just in case I ever need alibi.

So here we go!

What We Did Today
I woke up around 7 am really hungry, so mom took me into bed with her and fed me. Then, we got up and played on my blankets for awhile and mom changed my diapers several times - I was saving up all the good stuff overnight. I ate again around 8 and we took another cat nap before officially starting our day again. We sang a few songs and I did some exercises until 10:30, when I ate again and we took a stroller ride around the 'hood. It was so beautiful out that I couldn't sleep! We came back and mom carried me around awhile in her Moby wrap while we listened to some lullabies on the CD Nana gave me. I drifted off to sleep around noon and woke up a little before 1 pm when I found my way out of the half-assed swaddle mom put me in. Meanwhile, Dad was at Ikea and brought back some fun stuff for me - a cute plush turtle and a collapsible basket to store all of my toys.

Later, we took a trip into Old Town, where everyone goes to see and be seen in their strollers. Did I tell you I have a sweet ride? I took a nice nap while mom and dad walked around. We couldn't go into any shops because all of them have stairs leading into them. Not very friendly to strollers or wheelchairs. We were wondering whether the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't apply because it's a historic area?

When we got home, we settled into our new bedtime routine (see below), and I drifted off to sleep around 8 pm.

Nolan's Nap Log

Nap #1
I fell asleep at 8 am after nursing in bed and slept for about 45 minutes. Well, at least mom did, anyway :) She'll never know what I was really up to.

Nap #2
I fell asleep at noon after nursing at 10 am, storytime, a stroller ride, and about a half an hour bouncing around my nursery listening to Classical Lullabies. Mom swaddled me up and placed me in my crib while track 5, Fur Elise by Beethoven, was playing. Note to mom ... remember track 5!

Nap #3
I fell asleep around 2:30 pm on Dad's chest, and was moved into my carseat and then into my stroller for a walk. I slept while Mom and Dad got lunch and then walked around Old Town. I slept for about 2 hours!

Number of naps I should be getting: 3
Number of naps I am getting: 3 (well done!)
Number of hours I should be napping: 5-6
Number of hours I am napping: 5 (gold star! though does it count if I'm not in my crib?!)

Nolan's Prebedtime Routine Log
(Classical Lullabies playing in background the entire time.)
7 pm - bath
7:15 pm - massage and change into PJs
7:45 pm - nurse, fuss, nurse some more, fuss, nurse, fall asleep
8:10 pm - swaddled and placed into my bassinet.

Nolan's Night-waking Log

#1 - I woke up hungry at 11:45 and mom fed me for about 20 minutes. Sorry, mom, I know I used to sleep until almost 2 am! But I fell right back asleep after nursing.
#2 - I woke up again at 2:45 am and mom fed me for about 15 minutes. This time I didn't go back to sleep as easily, it took a little walking and bouncing me around but I was asleep again by 3:30 am, but mom told me I was a noisy sleeper so I don't know how well I slept.
#3 - I woke up at 4:45 am and mom fed me for about 15 minutes. She tried to put me down, but I was up again after about a half and hour of noisy sleep (I have a lot of gas, what can I say?). She fed me again for 15 minutes and I think I went back to sleep. Neither of us can remember!
#4 - The next thing we knew it was 7:15 am and I was ready to eat and get up. I only ate a bit because I was having a little, shall we say, gastrointestinal distress. I get this every morning, and we can't figure out why. It makes me scream bloody murder, and it almost wakes up Dad. Almost. I needed 2 diaper changes in a row. The first one might have weighed 5 lbs! Needless to say, after all of this I couldn't get right back to sleep so Mom took me out to the living room while she made some breakfast for herself. At about 8:45 am I started feeling tired again, so Mom carried me and bounced me around until I fell asleep. (I guess what we counted as a nap yesterday should have been part of my nighttime sleep, oops!)

Total number of awakenings: 4
Longest sleep span: 3 hours
Total hours of nighttime sleep I should be getting: 10
Total hours of nighttime sleep I am getting: