Nolan is going to be a big brother!

We just found out a couple days ago that we are pregnant with a girl. He doesn't completely get the baby thing, but he does know to point to my belly when I ask him where the baby is. The other day Nolan came up to me and pointed to my belly and said, "Baby." I thought that was the sweetest thing, but then he proceeds to roar at the baby in the belly and I didn't really know how to take that. I would just like to get potty training done and Nolan in his big boy bed before the baby gets here.

Surgery, Lyon's Farm, and Nolan's Birthday!

Okay, so it has been awhile. We had a crazy October. Nolan ended up having surgery to help his breathing and he had to stay in the PICU for a night and then at the hospital for another night. He was a trooper! I think the surgery was harder on us at times than him.




Nolan's Birthday is on November 1st but this year it fell on a Sunday, so we decided to have his party on Halloween. There were at least 25 people that came and it was a blast! Nolan enjoyed opening all his presents and the highlights of present opening were: getting the trash can he picked out 6 months ago, being more excited about the box that a present came in than the present itself, and having no one else hold the green lizard that Hannah got him. Nolan's friend, Eli, brought silly string and the kids really liked that....especially Eli. We had lots of food and I even made a special Mickey Mouse cake that took 2 days to make. I'm glad that I have a whole year before planning the next one





We visited Lyon's Family Farm with Granny Lou, Daw, Aunt Nell, Piper, Rachel, and Marie the day before Halloween. Nolan loved all animals and his favorite was the pot-belly pig. He also got to go on a cow choo choo train. The funniest part is that he kept going down this large tunnel slide but would only do it if Granny Lou went down after he did every time. We eventually found a distraction so that Granny Lou could get a rest.


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The Potty War

I had already in my mind that Nolan would not be potty trained until 3 years of age...they seem to make you think that boys take so much longer. When Nolan had 3 days in a row of using his potty 4-8 times in a day, I thought how much easier this was going to be. Now we are averaging 1 time a day. I have now realized that it make take longer and he'll have to decide for himself when he wants to consistently do it. I at least know now he can make himself go if he needs to go but it will have to be on his own timing. I just wish that he didn't get my hopes....I really hope it's by baby #2 when he's potty trained!

Visiting Granny Lou and the Zoo

We visited my parents in KY about a week ago. Nolan just loves my mom so much but her name is still something he won't say. As of right now, he calls her NakNak. We visited the zoo while we were up and Nolan loved seeing all the animals. I think that we could take him anywhere and he would find some sort of entertainment.! One of the animals that he reacted to the most was the ostrich. He was on top of Eric's shoulders and once he saw the ostrich moving towards the front he just started yelling and telling Eric all about it.

Nolan's New Potty

We just recently bought Nolan a potty. It's nothing special, just looks like a frog and the middle piece comes out. He was so excited about it the first day we got it and wanted to sit in the living room on it while watching Mickey Mouse Club. Later that day, when Eric got home, I told Nolan to go get his potty. He brought it out and took the middle piece out and put it on his head and kept saying, "Dat, Dat."---meaning hat. It was so funny and Eric and I couldn't stop laughing. At least he had not peed in the potty yet so it was clean.

Visiting Friends

A couple weeks ago we visited our friends who moved to Birmingham. We went to the park nearby and got to see and hear trains and play on the playground. The kids got a big kick out of the tire swing. They kept laughing while I pushed but after 5-10 minutes of being on it, they started screaming. I had pushed them so much they were dizzy and wanted off. I guess it was fun while it lasted.

Back from vacation!

We just got back a week ago from Panama City Beach, FL with my family. It was a fun time and I was very curious how Nolan would be a the beach. He was hesitant at first with the ocean, but once he got comfortable he was loving it. Eric would take him far out in the water and then the waves would come up and hit him and he kept saying he wanted more. We also went to the kids pool a few times and it was where he could walk around on his own in the water. He also picked up a younger girl and took her walking on the beach hand-in-hand and tried to take her back to the room, with even waving good-bye to us. It was a blast, but we were happy to get back home. I look forward to our future vacations as Nolan gets older.

Cabin Fever

The past few days at the Walkers' house has been pretty uneventful. The only events that went on was Nolan screaming every time he ate something and Eric and me being somewhat tired. We did find out we all had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, so we had to be quarantined. Today is the last day of quarantine and then finally freedom tomorrow...that means we get to see other people! We did miss out on the July 4th cookout at Dawn's house, so that was a bummer. I am just thankful that Nolan is better and so is the rest of our family....just so you know Katie did not get sick.

I'm about to pull my hair out!

Today has not been one of Nolan's good days. We got up and it seemed like it started off fine. By the time we visited Dublin Park and played with some friends, Nolan did off and on fussing. On these days, I really look forward to when he goes down for a nap. You also realize how much more you have to be patient with them and wow has God given me much grace!

Talking on the Phone

Nolan really enjoys talking on the phone. He doesn't have long conversations but he will answer any question you ask. He will see me on the phone and then want to talk to whoever is on the phone. The only thing is that he thinks most things shaped like a phone are phones and he talks on them. Let me not forget to tell you how most the time he holds it very high on his head, not even close to his ear. It is very cute and I think he talks more on the pretend phone than he does on the real one!

M. I. C. K. E. Y.....M. O. U. S. E.!

I decided a long time ago I would not introduce Nolan to T.V., mainly cartoons, until he was two. Guess what! I have found that he is very partial to the Mickey Mouse Club House. The benefits of this is the following: getting a shower, cleaning, checking email and so many more. I guess they are more benefits for myself than him, but it seems like he learns things. I do still limit the time he watches, but wow have I been able to get some things done! Having DVR helps this too.

Green balls...yummy!

We first heard of green balls when we visited our friends Meredith and Daniel. They were feeding there little girl at the time peas and happened to call them "green balls." This is not uncommon for this family to name foods other names, for example, macaroni and cheese is called "beast." Anyway, I thought it was a great idea to call peas "green balls." Ever since I introduced these new things to Nolan with the name "green balls," he has been a fan. It's great to have close friends who we can learn things like this from!

Friends with Benefits

Our friend Alison and Caroline moved away about a month ago. A couple days ago they came up to visit. We all went swimming and ate cake afterward. Nolan at one point decided to give Caroline a hug but didn't end with that. He also went in for a kiss and looked so serious. I guess he was really missing our friend!

More....

We go see Aunt Nell and cousin Piper quite often. Since they live down the road, we usually just stroll over there. Usually when we visit, Nolan enjoys seeing Piper but is trying to learn to be gentle. Auggie is very protective and we have to watch Nolan with her. The other day we went outside and Nolan sat up in the chair and was trying to communicate that he wanted to hold Piper like he did in the hospital. So we put his arms around her and he just loved it...I don't think Piper minded much either! Afterward, he just kept saying more and more and couldn't get enough of holding his little cousin.

My Favorite Blankie

Nolan now has 3 blankets that he loves. They all are fuzzy on one side and slick on the other side. He becomes somewhat dependent on them when he goes down for a nap and bedtime, wakes up in the morning, and is just wanting to have it around when he plays. The reason I found he now has 3 favorites because he decided to put two of his blankets in Katie's water bowl and I needed to give him one when he went down for bed time. I am going to try to discourage him from putting the blankets in the water bowl.

Daddy is going to work or should I say to play baseball?

Every morning after Nolan wakes up, he proceeds to help Eric with getting dressed. He loves to find his shoes and socks for him. After that he starts waving good-bye way before Eric is actually leaving. Once Eric finally leaves, you tell Nolan that Daddy is going to work and ask him what he does there. Nolan always replies, "Dadda dat," and swings his arms like he's swinging a bat. So we have come to the conclusion that Nolan thinks everyday that Eric plays baseball. Hopefully he will catch on to the truth later.

It's Been Awhile...already 19 mths

Eric had a hard time keeping up with this blog when he became very busy. Over a year later, I have decided to continue this blog. Nolan has grown in so many areas since the last post: saying sentences, walking, running, and feeding himself just to name a few. I am thankful more and more each day to have him in my life and really don't know how life would be without him.

Your mom,

Whitney