20 Months

Nolan turned 20 months yesterday and it was on Thanksgiving! We spent the day with family at my Aunt Sherri and Uncle Jim's house. Nolan seemed to enjoy eating cookies (shocker!) and playing with cars and trains. This past month has been one of sickness for him...it seems like he is always sick. This month he had a viral infection, pink eye in both eyes, pneumonia, and then a double ear infection. The poor kid can't seem to catch a break! Here's hoping this next month is better.

At 20 months Nolan....
* Still weighs about 23lbs
*Still wears size 3 diapers
*Wears size 12 month,  mostly 18 month, and some 24 month clothes...it just depends on the type of clothing.
*Takes an afternoon nap for 1-2 hours
*Wears size 5 shoe
*Is s-l-o-w-l-y making gains with food. He still will only eat anything dry- breaks, crackers, cheerios, puffs, goldfish, peasnaps, etc. He mostly eats Gerber baby food-all the fruits and veggies...he loves green beans! At Kellys, she has gotten him to dry different things such as a hot dog, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and muffins.....but he will not eat them again for us. Ugh. He will get it.....eventually.
*His molars on the top have popped through...which should be helping with him wanting to eat more "normal" food.
*Loves to walk up and down the stairs without help. He likes to hang onto the railing and does not want help.
*His favorite words are  :Hi" and "Bye!" He is still quite shy and I believe can say more words than he does, but he can say quite a bit of words and will try to repeat us. He also says "Uh-oh" when he drops or spills something.
*Can say his name! He will repeat me when I say it.
*Continues to love music....especially Glee!
*Loves to hug his "Scout" puppy and pat his back. It's cute because he imitates us when we pat his back.
*Is obsessed with his step stool and carries it around to use it as a chair.
*Has a brand new playroom with a train table and kitchen that he loves. This child has soooo many toys we are glad to have a room dedicated to them...but we have way to many because they still overflow in the living room.
*Can close doors (and open some of them) and knows how to lock them. He locked himself in my bedroom yesterday morning and I had to take the doorknob off to get him out. When I opened the door, he was sleeping on the floor...it was probably more traumatic for me than him!
*Loves stuffed animals-his favorite are dog, monkey, roo (kangaroo) Roary (lion) and Leo (leopard).
*When he wants you for something he will come and grab your hand to take you where he wants you to go...it is so cute! He also points to the floor when he wants you to sit by him and play.
*Loves the computer and the tablet...he knows how to use it better than I do!
 *Continues to bring joy to our lives each day!

Playing on the computer!

Trick or Treat!

Cheese!

Can you find Nolan?

Riding on mom's trike.

Brushing my teeth!

GQ

19 Months

Nolan is 19 months day and celebrated by having making a trip to the doctor. This morning he had a fever and I could tell he did not feel well. I thought he possibly had another ear infection, but his ears looked good and instead it is his throat. He was tested for Strep but it came back negative...so I guess Tylenol and lots of TLC it is! Fortunately I know he is in good hands at Grandma and Grandpa's house...and I know they don't mind an extra day or two with Nolan. =)

At 19 months Nolan...

*Weighs 24lbs
*Wears size 5 shoe and size 12 or 18 month clothes
*Wears size 3 diapers
*Drinks a sippy of milk as soon as he wakes up and just before bed
*Has started to repeat a lot of words lately...although only chooses when he wants to say them.
*Walked up a few stairs without hanging on to anything or anyone
*Is starting to point to animals in his stories and name them...his favorite animal to name is a duck
*Has started to say a few two word phrases- love you, dog bark, and more milk
*STILL is eating baby food-we are slowly making progress. Kelly his daycare provider is great at getting him to try new foods. He has tried mac and cheese, pumpkin bread, turkey corn dogs, hot dogs, waffles, and bananas. We think he does well over there with new foods because her boys are eating the same thing...I guess at home we aren't motivation enough for him to want to try something. (Even when we do the exact same food...sigh.)
*Loves to be outdoors-especially right now when he can play in the leaves
*Continues to identify all parts of his body and loves to show us his belly button
*Went to the pumpkin patch, library, and Night Eyes at the zoo for the first time
*Continues to be a great sleeper and sleeps from 7:30ish until 6:30a.m.
*Has 8 teeth-4 on top and 4 on the bottom. His molars are starting to come in and so we think that is why his hands are constantly in his mouth.
*Makes animal noises for a dog, monkey, and lion

Library time.....he loved  Jimmy's "puppet show."

Working on a puzzle

Helping make pumpkin bars!

Being silly in my pumpkin hat.

Sitting on the tire swing at the pumpkin farm.

This pumpkin is just my size!

Tank tops and shorts in late October!?

Nolan's "cheese" smile

Eating pizza for the first time

Playing in the leaves

*Continues to bring joy to our lives every day!

18 Months

On this first day of Fall, Nolan is officially 1 1/2 years old. Fall brings lots of fun things-football, leaves, pumpkins, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and smells of apple cider. Nolan is a busy little boy and I can't wait to watch him pick out pumpkins, dress up for Halloween, and play in the leaves this year.

At 18 months Nolan....

• Weighs about 24lbs and 33.5" (83% for height and 24% for weight to height ratio)
• Still wears size 3 diapers
• Wears mostly 12 month or 18 month clothes and size 4 shoe
• Loves milk just like his mom
• Has started to use a spoon to feed himself and he does a pretty good job.
• STILL will not eat table food besides bread, crackers, and cheerios....so Gerber fruits and vegetables are still on the menu every night.
• Has 4 teeth on top, 4 on the bottom, his molars are starting to come in and I think a few others on top-he is definitely going through teething pain right now.
• Loves to play in the bathtub and pour water on himself
• No=his favorite word, along with the shaking of his head.
• Enjoys going for walks up and down the street
• Plays with his cars and trucks daily-he likes to line them up in rows and try to push them
• Builds towers
• Is obsessed with shutting all the doors in our house
• Likes to pick up his toys and put things back where they belong. He loves to put his clothes in the hamper.
• Enjoys cleaning-especially vacuuming!
• Reads books daily-he loves the Sesame Street Beginnings books and does all the actions
• Elmo is his favorite character and likes to watch Elmo's World
• Besides being able to identify all his body parts, he can point out the body parts of people/animals in his stories.
• Loves to play with his Leap Frog magnetic farm animal puzzle-he can make matches all on his own, but loves to mismatch and giggle.
• Enjoys dancing and watching Glee
• Will put himself in timeout when he thinks he is in trouble and will willingly go there when we ask him
• Tries to do the actions of the itsy-bitsy spider and patty cake on his own
• Had his first haircut given by mom while in the bathtub 
• Likes to brush his hair in the morning while we are getting ready
• Likes to flush the toilets in the house
• Dances to music and asks for more music all the time!
• Will come and get you for whatever he wants you to do....he will pull your finger or push youto go somewhere. It's really cute when he wants both Jimmy and myself to come do something.
• Continues to bring joy to our lives each day!

Playing with his truck

Walking up and down our street

Feeding himself with a spoon

First haircut

Our little family

17 Months

August 22-first day of school with students and Nolan turned 17 months. Where did summer go?! It's hard to believe that I've already started school again and Nolan is almost a 1 1/2 year old. He continues to amaze us each day and we now live for the weekends.

At 17 months Nolan...

Little Hands on the Farm 2012

• Weighs 23.5 lbs
• Wears size 3 diapers STILL, 12-18 month clothes and 3w shoes
• Eyes are still blue...so I'm guessing they will stay that way. His hair is curly and getting long. I need to cut it...eventually.
• Still eats Gerber baby food.....hopefully this fall he will start to like more table food. He will eat crackers, cheerios, puffs, crunchies, and bread.
• Shakes his head no in the correct context.
• Loves to play with cars and trucks. He will line his trucks up in a row and push them around.
• Is OBSESSED with Elmo and Big Bird. He loves to watch Sesame Street and carry around his Elmo and Big Bird. Loves to sing "La, la, la" like Big Bird.
• Is starting to say beginning sounds for many words and can say the following clearly-mommy, daddy, dog, balloon, ball, bye-bye, baby, done, and bubbles.
• Enjoys being outside-he loves to go for walks, swim, the zoo, and swing.
• Loves to brush his hair with my brush
• Is still obsessed with balloons-we always have one in the house. We attended the Indianola Balloon Festival-he loved watching all the balloons in the sky.
• He likes to carry around his golf club and baseball bat-he is left handed just like me.
• Understands everything we are telling him....he just chooses whether or not to listen.
• Had his first Iowa State Fair experience-he did little Hands on the Farm and saw the animals.
• Has learned how to go down the stairs by sliding on his tummy.
• Loves baths
• Continues to bring joy to our lives each day!

Hanging out with his friends from the street.

16 Months Old

I can't believe summer is half over and Nolan is 16 months old. It's hard to believe that this time last summer we were kept in doors due to the heat and him being only a few months old. This summer has been a busy one even though we have not been able to do much as a family due to Jimmy being in his cast. (Fortunately he gets it off on Friday and we will find out if he needs to have surgery...which my guess is he probably will need to have surgery.) Each day I have tried to do some type of activity with Nolan...whether it be playdates, the park, the pool, the zoo, or even visiting Grandma/Grandpa or Nani and Poppi. Nolan sure loves to run errands and especially ride in the carts that look like little cars.

At 16 months Nolan...

• Weighs 23lbs
• Wears size 3 diapers and size 12 or 18 month clothes
• Wears size 3w in shoes, but thinking I need to switch to 4's soon
• Drinks a sippy of milk in the morning and just before bed.
• STILL only eats mostly Gerber baby food...he really enjoys the Organic Sweet Potatoes. He will eat crackers, bread, cheerios, puffs, and teddy grahams.
• Loves going to the pool and his float.
• Has taken many trips to the zoo this year and loves to watch the monkeys. He experienced his first train ride and his first ride on the merry go round. He loved them both and did not want to get off them!
• Enjoys his swing in the backyard but hasn't been in it recently due to the extreme heat.

• Is a quick learner...we can show him how to do something one time and he can remember it and do it on his own.
• Words he says clearly-Daddy, mama, baby (he loves to point out the baby on his Gerber food), dog, ball, balloon, byebye, roar, Emma, zoo, more.
• Words he says but only has the beginning consonants and middle sounds- up, down, out, bird, on, off, roo (for Kangaroo), ma for Grandma, na for Nani.
• Can point out animals on a page when asked and can make a sound  for a monkey, tiger, and dog. He loves to read books.
• Does a pretty good job with following directions and can point or show us what he wants.
• Is OBSESSED with Elmo on Sesame Street....also as I just started watching it, when did they change the song a little bit?
• Experienced his first "real" 4th of July parade and fireworks. We took him last year but he was too little to realize what was going on.

• Said his first two word phrase-"More ball."
• Took his first steps barefoot in grass and liked it...although I don't think I will let him be barefoot that often.
• Does NOT like to get food on his hands or his tray...he will wine and hold his hands up for you to clean them.
• Enjoys coloring and doing mess free finger painting. His favorite color is purple and he holds the crayon mostly in his left, but will switch to his right.
• Loves to be tickled and his giggles are so cute! 
• Continues to bring joy to our lives each day!