So Cute!

Rain, Rain Go Away

The weather in Chicago this past weekend was completely unreal. Dave and I kept saying that it felt very apocalyptic. We survived 9+ inches of rain and amazingly, the house managed to stay dry!! We feel very fortunate.

I continue to work on Mondays and Wednesdays and Nolan and I stay busy with a gym class on Tuesdays, a music class on Thursdays, and storytime at the library on Fridays. Nolan is really starting to talk up a storm. It's so fun to hear his new words and we're understanding more and more of what he's saying.

Uncle Bob and Aunt Laurie's Wedding

Bob and Laurie's wedding was this past Saturday. It was absolutely beautiful and we're so happy for them. They're off on their honeymoon right now in Hawaii. Nolan did such a great job as a ringbearer. He made it down the entire aisle on his own...without any crying!! I was a proud and relieved Mommy!! I posted a bunch of pics from the big day.

Happy Fall!

Four more days until Uncle Bob's wedding!

Nolan is going to be a ring bearer on Saturday for my brother's wedding. He's wearing a tux and it is so darn cute! I'll definitely post pics after the big day. Nolan is excited to be getting an aunt...we can't wait to help Bob and Laurie celebrate this weekend. Here's a new clip of the little man:

Our little boy is getting so big!

We took Nolan to the Wisconsin State Fair this past weekend with my parents. He enjoyed seeing all the different animals and going on a carousel ride with Grandpa Bob!

Nolan had his 18 month check-up last night and is still growing like a weed. He is 28 lbs, 8 oz. (80th percentile) and 34 inches (90th percentile). We knew that the pediatrician would ask us how many words Nolan can say, so on the drive over Dave and I did some brianstorming. Here is a list of the words Nolan can say on his own: mama, dada, hi, bye, ball, dog, truck, airplane, choo-choo, up, hot, off, beep, bubble, milk, applesauce, Cheerios, shoe, socks, box, Elmo, No, tractor, Moo, "all done", more, and nana (for banana). I'm sure there are a few more that I can't think of off the top of my head...but basically Nolan is now saying twenty-something words and can repeat even more. It's great being able to communicate with him more and more. Here's a clip of Nolan saying one of his latest words:

A year and a half!

I can't believe it's August and our little guy is 18 months old already! I added a bunch of pictures to the 17 month album and a handful of pictures to the 18 month album.

Nolan figured out how to jump a few weeks ago. We'll say "Nolan, can you show me how you jump?" Then he gets all focused and puts all his might into jumping. After he does it, you can tell that he's so proud of himself. Here's a clip of Nolan jumping:


We're having a fun summer and staying very busy. Nolan is saying and repeating so many more words now. He figured out how to say "applesauce" this week. And today when I asked him what a cow says, he clearly said "Moo". He's starting to get interested in learning his ABCs....he'll sing "A, B, C, D" but that's about as far as he can get. I bought a LeapFrog video called "Letter Factory" so I can work on letter sounds with him. It really keeps his attention and he seems to definitely enjoy it.

Nolan is still completed mesmerized by trucks, airplanes, and trains. He says "Truck", "Airplane", or "Choo-Choo" as one goes by and he can spot them and hear them a mile away. He makes sure to point each and every one out to us. And he still loves Elmo and just lights up each time we watch "Elmo's World" on Sesame Street.

We've been spending a lot of time in the water this summer with the six weeks of parent/tot swimming lessons that just finished up along with the time we spend up in Lake Geneva with my family. Nolan also really enjoys going to storytime at our library. It's called "Bibs to Books" and is for babies 23 months and under so it works out great. We're also going to sign up for a music class this fall.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Nolan's 1st Dentist Appointment

Nolan had been chewing on his finger a lot this past week and I figured out why this morning. I noticed three new teeth that must have all broken through over the past week. That brings his grand total to 16 teeth! The dentist was surprised that he has so many teeth. Only four more to go until he has his complete set of baby teeth. I had low expectations as far as how Nolan would react to the dentist and being in the chair. He cried throughout the whole thing but at least they were super friendly and very quick! Nolan sat on my lap and we both laid back in the chair together for the appointment. Even though he cried during the cleaning, at least I could hold his arms down and attempt to comfort him. So needless to say, I'm glad it's done and Nolan now has a mouthful of clean pearly whites!

Happy 4th!

I hope you're all having a fabulous summer! We just got back from the Hurter Reunion at the family farm in Paris, KY (just outside of Lexington). Nolan had a lot of fun playing with all the little kids and loved being able to see cows, horses, and dogs!

We're looking forward to a laid-back relaxing weekend up in Lake Geneva for the 4th. My parents can't wait to get Nolan to the beach and out on the boat! On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we're taking parent/tot swimming lessons at our park district pool and he's doing really well. Yesterday he was all about sticking his whole face in the water to try and blow bubbles. He kept doing it over and over again. Pretty funny.

Nolan's latest fascination is trucks. He points out each and every one as it passes on the street and he tries to say "truck". He's repeating so many more words lately. And he's obsessed with humming the tune to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The first time Dave and I heard him do it, we just sort of looked at each other and asked "Did he really just sing Twinkle, Twinkle"?! I found out that they sing it at daycare a lot so that's where he picked it up.

Everytime Nolan sees Elmo now whether on a book, toy, or on TV, he'll clearly say "Elmo" so that's definitely his newest word. And just a couple weeks ago he started saying "cheese" everytime we took his picture. What a ham!

Have a great holiday weekend!

What a fun week!

It has been such a fun and busy week! Nolan got tons of grandparent attention this week and loved it! He spent Tuesday and Wednesday night at my parents house so Dave and I could celebrate Dave's 35th birthday kid-free. We took full advantage and went out both nights. We saw Avenue Q downtown at the Cadillac Palace on Tuesday night. We really enjoyed it! And then we went to dinner and a movie on Wednesday night. My parents had a great time with Nolan.

Dave's parents came into town on Thursday night and leave tomorrow morning. Grandpa George took Nolan on multiple wagon rides each day which they both love. We went to Ravinia on Saturday night to see James Taylor. The four us went with my family and my future sister-in-law Laurie's family. We left Nolan with a babysitter and he did really well. His daycare teacher came over to babysit. I was so thrilled to find out that she babysits during her off-hours.

We had a bridal shower today for Laurie which was a lot of fun. Laurie and Bob are getting married on September 6th so it's coming up soon. We're really excited for them.

Have a great week!

Mr. Personality

It's been awhile since I last posted an update. We're all doing well and Nolan continues to keep us busy and laughing! He is turning into such a little boy before our eyes. His 13th tooth broke through a couple days ago and it's still a struggle to brush his teeth. He hates it and puts up a fight each time, so we pretty much have to pin him down to get in there.

He has also been testing us a little bit when going down stairs. He had been going down no problem on his belly, but the last few times he's been holding the railing and wanting to walk down the stairs. He just sort of looks at me to see if I'll let him get away with it. He took a tumble down a couple stairs trying to do this...luckily Dad was there to catch him. He definitely wants to always do what Mommy and Daddy are doing. He loves giving kisses which is just so adorable.

I'm excited that summer is just about here. Nolan and I hit the park most mornings which is a lot of fun so I'm hoping that we'll get some consistenly nice weather.

Nolan can say about 9 words - mama, dada, hi, hello, bye-bye, doggy, ball, milk, & happy.

We hope you're all doing well.

Whirlwind of Energy!

Dave and I joke that Nolan has turned into a little tornado. He is into EVERYTHING and leaves any and everything in his wake!! In the blink of an eye, our little guy is definitely a "toddler" now. He touches and explores everything. There is no cabinet or drawer in his reach that goes unattempted to open. We designated a "Nolan drawer" in the kitchen this week that I put a bunch of unbreakable stuff in - plastic spoons, spatulas, etc. He just has a hayday with it.

Nolan's 15 month check-up was uneventful which is a good thing! The doctor said he's doing great. He is in the 90th percentile for height and 75th for weight.

Nolan is looking forward to visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Cincinnati this weekend. But Dave is convinced that Nolan is mad because Mommy won't let him go to the Kentucky Derby to spend the whole day in the infield with Daddy! =) Dave is going to the Derby on Saturday with a couple of buddies. They've been going there together since 1990 and have only missed a few years. Nolan and I will hang out back at the house with George and Becky.

15 Months Old

Nolan will be 15 months old tomorrow! He's getting so big! We have his check-up on Monday night. He is really good at walking now and it amazes me how fast he can walk already. He's on the verge of being able to run. He's also really getting into climbing lately, especially onto the fireplace ledge. His latest new trick is giving kisses! Dave and I were just eating it up last night when he started doing it out of the blue. It's so adorable...he puckers up and walks over with a big wet one! And half the time he gives us a big open-mouth kiss which is hilarious.

I think Nolan is ready to transition to one nap a day. He's been taking great morning naps lately but it's been taking a really long time for him to fall asleep in the afternoon. He just sits and talks in his crib for the longest time. So I think I'm going to try one afternoon nap (right after lunch) and see how he does with that.

Have a great weekend!

Nolan Update

Today was a gorgeous, sunny, 65 degree day in Chicago and people were out in droves enjoying it! Nolan and I met my parents, Bob, Laurie, & Anne down in the city for lunch, then a visit to Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a great day. Dave drove to Cincinnati this morning for his mom's hip replacement surgery tomorrow. Please say a prayer that Becky has a safe and speedy recovery! Dave is planning on driving back home on Thursday.

Nolan gave us a scare last weekend. He had something along the lines of an asthma attack. He had very shallow, labored breathing and was wheezing pretty badly. He ended up needing to stay overnight at the hospital for observation and did breathing treatments every two hours around the clock. The doctors said that we'll never know for sure what triggered it but my gut instinct tells me that it's from the dust stirred up and residual paint fumes from the work we had done in our house. So for those of you with little ones...be careful when painting!! I'm really hoping that this was a one-time thing vs. Nolan truly having asthma. Time will tell I guess. It's something we'll have to keep an eye on. The doctors won't diagnose it as asthma unless it happens 3-4 times.

Nolan is back to his normal self and is such a happy little boy! He makes us laugh everyday and is getting so much more animated and is communicating more and more with us. He is loving the fact that he can walk and I'm sure he'll be running in no time! He loves holding our hand and walking along side us when we're out and about. He also loves waving to people and saying "bye" when they leave. "Bye" is definitely his favorite word and he says it all the time. He said "bye" to every doctor, nurse, etc. as they left the room. It was pretty comical...everyone seemed to get a kick out of it.

Another one of Nolan's new tricks is opening drawers and he especially loves the drawer in the master bathroom that has all of Dave's stuff in it. Nolan can't get enough of the long, springy charging cord for Dave's electric razor. He walks the cord around like it's his pet?! Pretty funny.

Have an excellent week!

Spring is in the air (and lots of basketball)!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Nolan got spoiled and ended up getting four different Easter baskets! Nolan is doing well. He's getting better and better at walking and now prefers it over crawling. Separation anxiety has started to kick-in over the last week. I really hope this is a short-lived phase. He was so upset this morning when I dropped him off at daycare. It just broke my heart. I stood outside the room (out of Nolan's view) until he calmed down. He cried for no more than a minute so that was good. He's transitioning into the toddler room at daycare so maybe that has something to do with it? The kids sleep on cots in the toddler room which I didn't think Nolan was ready for yet. But to my surprise, he's been sleeping great on the cot. He's been taking 2 1/2 to 3 hour naps on the cot and doesn't try to get off. It helps that all the kids take a nap at the same time in the toddler room. They dim the lights and play music so that has really helped improve Nolan's napping situation at daycare.

Our house is all torn up right now. We're having a bunch of work done...ripping down of wallpaper, removal of "popcorn" ceilings in the bathrooms, new crown molding in our bedroom, getting rid of the beams in the family room, and most of the inside of the house is getting painted. So we can't wait to see the finished product! It should all be done later this week. I'll post some pictures when it's done.

Given that we're in the middle of March Madness, my husband is in all his glory! I'm pretty much a basketball widow this time of year. =)

That's all for now.

13 Months Old and Walking!

Nolan is officially walking! He had been taking a few steps at a time since a week after his first birthday, but on Tuesday (the day he turned 13 months) he decided to take off! He surprised both of us by taking 10 or so steps before falling down and there's been no stopping him since then! I posted a video clip of him walking.

We had a great time in Cincinnati. Becky and George's house had what felt like a revolving door of visitors, so it was fun getting to see so many family friends and Dave's high school friends and their kids. Nolan had his first taste of Skyline Chili and actually liked it which excited Dave!

Have a great week.

Here comes the sun!

Today was the first nice, sunny day in what feels like forever! We took Nolan to the Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview and he seemed to really enjoy it. We went ahead and bought an annual membership and it's good at a bunch of other children's museums including the one on Navy Pier and in Naperville and Cincinnati. So we're excited about that. The membership allows four adults plus Nolan to get in, so we're thinking it could be fun for the grandparents or anybody else that wants to go.

In general, there's not much to update. Nolan is getting more and more confident on his feet, but isn't officially walking yet. He's consistenly taking 3-4 steps then plopping down. I keep saying that he'll be walking anyday now! We'll keep you posted.

We're driving to Cincinnati on Thursday and will stay through the weekend. Have a great week!

First Steps

Nolan took his first steps this past weekend!! A few different times he would take two steps on his own, then plop down and once he even took three steps on his own. So we don't think walking is too far off!

Nolan had his 1 year check-up tonight and the doctor said that Nolan is extremely healthy and doing great. He's in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. And he has four molars that have all recently broken through and are coming in at the same time. So that makes 12 teeth for Nolan. And now that Nolan is a year old, he's done with formula and is now drinking milk.

Dave and I took Nolan sledding out in the front yard this past weekend. He was very neutral about it all and just kept studying everything around him. He didn't crack a smile once, but at the same time he didn't cry either. I'm thinking he'll enjoy it more next winter.

We had 12 inches of snow at our house on Friday and there's more to come tomorrow. I'm ready for spring! Stay warm!

Birthday Boy!!

Nolan is officially one! He had a great time at his birthday party last night and everyone was so generous to him. He's having fun today playing with all his new toys! When it came to his cake, Nolan wanted no part of it. He hated the feeling of the frosting and was bawling after I tried to give him a taste. So much for the thought of having the cute pictures of him smearing frosting all over his face and digging right in! It was a great day and we're looking forward to seeing what this next year has in store for Nolan.

Almost One!

We hope the New Year is treating all of you well. It's been brutally cold here in Chicago the past couple days. As I'm writing this, it's -5 outside! So I'm happy to be curled up under an afghan. Nolan turns one next weekend and is looking forward to digging in to his cake!!

The latest Nolan update is that he has officially transitioned off the bottle. He's drinking his formula out of a sippy cup and will switch over to milk in the next week or two. It was a very painless process and Nolan doesn't seem to miss the bottle at all. As long as he has his formula he's a happy kid and doesn't care what it comes in. One of his bottom molars came in last week, so that makes 9 teeth now for Nolan. He's not walking yet and is still very content to be crawling and cruising everywhere.

I'll post all the 1st birthday party pics next week! Have a great week!

Cancun Vacation

We had a great time down in Cancun with my parents, Bob, Laurie, & Ryan. Nolan went on his first plane ride - we got lucky and had an empty seat next to us each way so Nolan was able to sit in his car seat. He slept a good part of each flight and the take-offs and landings didn't seem to bother his ears one bit. So Dave and I were thrilled with how things went.
We all really enjoyed having so much time to just relax and visit with each other. The guys and Laurie spent one of the days going out to the Chichen Itza ruins while my mom and I stayed back with Nolan. They enjoyed it even if they had some scary moments where they had to drive 100 miles on less than a 1/4 tank of gas in the rental car! I guess the trip was a straight shot on a road in the middle of the jungle without a gas station in sight! Luckily they made it!

Dave, Bob, Laurie, Ryan, and I went out to dinner one night while my parents watched Nolan. That was a lot of fun. We went to Senor Frogs afterwards for a "yard" and all agreed that we felt really old there!

We got back home on Sunday and we're back to our normal routine. Nolan is doing well - he loves playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. He says "mama" and "dada" to me and Dave now which is exciting. I can't believe that Nolan's first birthday is less than three weeks away! It sounds cliche, but the time really does go by so fast!

Happy New Year!