Mom guest blogs again

Since we're slacking on putting up a first birthday party post (just waiting for pictures to be uploaded) I thought I'd pop in to share a few of our favorite things that Nolan is doing right now.

1. He gives us the "bro hug" -- he pats us on the back while he is hugging us, it's just too cute
2. The vampire teeth smile -- when will those two top middle teeth come in?!?
3. The "salute" -- must be all of those Army Corps guys he sees every day at work, but he does a little salute instead of waving most of the time
4. He does have a cute little wave, although it's hard to tell what it is because his palm faces him rather than out and he just opens and closes his fingers
5. The way he chugs water from his sippy, often holding just one of the two handles, or double-fists: sippy of milk in one hand, sippy of water in the other, alternating sips
6. The face he makes when he eats something he doesn't like -- he doesn't scrunch his face up in disgust like some kids do, or make any verbal protests. His facial expression stays just the same--the old poker face--but he just opens his mouth sticks out his tongue and lets the offending bite of food fall out.
7. His reaction to seeing Dad, or one of the cats, first thing in the morning. He makes fists with both of his hands, his eyes light up and he hops up and down, all while making that "haaaa" sound one makes when trying to imitate the sound of a roaring crowd ("And the crowd goes wild ...")
8. How he rides in the stroller. In the Maclaren, which I take to and from work, instead of reclining back and relaxing, Nolan sits forward with a big smiles on his face, as if the wind is just blowing though his hair. In the Bugaboo, he grabs the bar in front of the seat, like he's the one driving the thing. It's so cute. In both strollers, if we're standing still Nolan will shift his body weight back and forth so that the front of the stroller rolls from side to side.
9. Nolan is quite the morning person. While it may not be so endearing on a Saturday morning, I love how bright-eyed and friendly he is when I am taking him to work in the morning. Every single day, people riding up on the elevator with us comment about how happy and awake he looks, and that makes me feel good.
10. His big, blue eyes melt me all the time.