Nolan's 2nd Birthday Party

We celebrated Nolan's 2nd birthday on Saturday with our immediate family and my Aunt Mary. (At this age too many people can be overwhelming for a toddler.) We did a school bus theme and it turned out great! Everyone had a great time and Nolan really enjoyed opening up his presents. It's amazing that just since Christmas he has really become more engaged in opening things. We watched a slideshow, ate fajitas, opened presents, and had school bus birthday cake. Here are some pictures from the party....we have already started to think about a theme for next year!

Nolan's pop-up bus invitation.

Door sign

Entry way

Dining room

Table centerpiece and confetti

Hallway

Cake table

Awesome school bus cake Jimmy made!

Gift area-we also watched his slideshow.

Photo bus-year in review

Nolan was obsessed with his new Elmo doll from Aunt CC...it had to be in the picture.

Grandma and Grandpa

Birthday Boy!

He loved Ernie!

Mr. Potato Head

His new grill!

Aunt Mary

Playing with his new Thomas trains

Family photo

Singing happy birthday...he loved it! We had to do it multiple times!

He ate green beans and crackers instead of cake.

Build A Bear Birthday Celebration

On Nolan's actual birthday (Friday) we took  him to Build A Bear Workshop. (We wanted to come up with something fun and memorable for him to do since we weren't having his party until Saturday.) We had never been there before and were extremely excited to take him. Overall we had an awesome time and would recommend it!

 Here is how the trip went:

First, Nolan picked out an animal. He picked a dog.

Then we picked out a sound device to put in the dogs paw.

We actually picked 2-a barking sound and a giggling sound.

We took the dog to the stuffing machine.

The dog was stuffed and you get to pick the level of softness.

Nolan picked out a heart to put in the dog.

The dog then had an air bath.

Nolan helped pick out some clothes for the dog.

The dog was taken to the "dressing room."

All dressed!

Nolan carried his dog around the store.

Then we created a birth certificate for his dog. We named him Caramel. He has the same birthday as Nolan!

Nolan excited about Caramel!

Snack break and playing with Caramel.

Buds

2 Years Old!

It's official....we have a 2 year old! I can hardly believe 2 years ago we became parents for the first time. Looking back at pictures (and believe me we took  A TON of pictures...probably more than the average family since we were there longer in the NICU) I can't believe how tiny he was and how fast the time has gone. Nolan definitely was a baby whose look seemed to change with every picture and I would say that around 14 months is when I feel he started to look the same in each picture. It has been fun keeping track of his milestones through this blog and I am so glad that I decided to blog! I love being able to look back at what he was doing at 3 months old, etc. The past 2 years have been so much fun, I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

At 2 years old Nolan...

• Height- 36 inches (91%)
• Weight: 26.5lbs (35%)

• Wears size 18 month and some 2T clothes and size 6w shoe
• Wears size 3 diapers...still.
• LOVES milk-he has to have a sippy as soon as he wakes up of warm milk
• Is still a picky eater-he eats mostly dry foods (cereal, bread, crackers, etc.) chicken nuggets and waffles. He loves fruit and veggie squeezables and will eat anything he can squeeze. He still prefers veggies over fruit and loves green beans.
• Continues to be the best sleeper...sleeps from 7 or 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. He has never been a kid to throw a tantrum when it is time to go to bed...he may whine but when I say lets go upstairs..he willingly has always walked up to his room.
• Is talking non-stop...he can pretty much repeat any word we tell him to and he loves to narrate what he is doing. However, he will not say Grandma....on purpose of course.
• Some phrases we hear often:  "okay," "Hi Mommy!"  "Daddy bye bye!", "yellow school bus, "Nolan watch," "big bird please!"
• At night will tell everyone goodnight..."Night night Daddy, night night Mommy, night night Papa, night night Poppi, night night CC, night night Nani.."
• He loves Sesame Street and Peppa Pig...and will often ask to watch them followed by the word please.
• Is always hot...he dislikes wearing long sleeves and hoodies
• LOVES BOOKS...he will often come get me and say "Read Mommy!" His favorite book is Heads and loves to point out and name all the animals...right now he loves the rino.
• Loves watching and helping us cook
• Favorite songs-Row, row row your boat, Elmo's World Theme Song, The Wheels on the Bus
• Loves playing in his playroom...especially with his kitchen and train table..he loves  his "Choo-choo's!"
• Was scared of the Easter Bunny but enjoyed the train ride 
• Loves to take showers and play in the water but hates getting his hair washed.
• Has not had his first official big boy haircut...I have been trimming it myself.
• Enjoys playing with all of his toy cars and could play by himself with them for hours.
• Likes to "measure" the walls in our house using a real tape measure r.
• Went sledding for the first time and enjoyed it!
• Continues to bring joy to our lives each day!

Nolan loves to help vacuum.

Nani stopped over for a visit!

Can I go to Disney World?? I already have the ears!

Helping make french toast.

Watching them sizzle.

Eating his  2nd happy meal

Coloring-I think he favorite colors are purple and blue.

Looking at a snake at the Science Center.

Cheese!

Building dominoes with Daddy!

At the Science Center with Mommy!

Seeing T-Rex!

First time sledding.

1 More Month!

One more month that is...until Nolan turns 2! Where has the time gone!? I can't believe March is almost here and that we are planning for his 2nd birthday. Although I do miss the "baby" stage, I love each stage Nolan goes through. Right now he is into repeating words and trying to do a lot of this by himself. It is so fun to see things through the eyes of a toddler...even the littlest things make him laugh and giggle.

At 23 months Nolan....

• Weighs around 23lbs
• Wears size 18-24 month clothes and size 5 shoes
• Still wears size 3 diapers....and is starting to tell us when he has gone to the bathroom.
• Sleeps from 7:30 p.m.- 6:30 a.m. and takes a 2 hour afternoon nap
• Can say over 50 words and will repeat things that we say. His most recent words are home, gum, and yellow.
• Knows his colors and can say blue, yellow, red, and white.
• Can find the letters o, n, b, and h when asked.
• Loves to read books and understands directionality...whenever we read a book that has an animal upside down on the page, he will turn it to make it correct.
• Had his hearing checked since he was in the NICU when he was born and passed
• Loves Sesame Street and Peppa Pig
• Still is a picky eater but we got him to eat waffles and chicken nuggets.
• Has been throwing little tantrums when he does not get his way....so he has spent sometime in time out lately
• Loves to push his shopping cart around the house and follow us while we are pushing his trike around
• Looks out the window in the morning and says "white" when he sees the snow
• Enjoys helping us cook at the counter...he loves to stir things
• Loves his rocking chair and watches Elmo in it
• Carries Dog and Monkey around with him everywhere he goes
• Has an obsession with buses....we are always looking for them when we drive and he loves to play with his toy buses
• Enjoys trains and loves to reading about Thomas and all his friends...especially Molly
• Favorite songs-Row Row Row Your Boat and The Wheels On The Bus
• Continues to bring joy to our lives each day!

Going up and down the stairs

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Eating something not baby food...yeah for chicken nuggets!

Riding around the house

When we ask him to smile this is what we get....cute but we wish his eyes were open!

Playroom Pinterest Success

We turned our den into Nolan's playroom a few months ago and I am now getting around to decorating it. It is amazing how a child can have soooooo many toys, yet they all don't fit in the playroom! I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do a Dr. Seuss theme (but not an overbearing one) to go along with all the Dr. Seuss stuffed animals and books we have. So, I found some cute wall quotes, a clock, and a growth chart all in Dr. Seuss theme to put up. I also have wanted to have a cute way to display his artwork....not that he has much now...but eventually he will. I wanted something that was easy interchangeable, yet still cute. So I turned to pinterest for inspiration. Needless to say, Nolan loves his playroom! ( I still have one wall to decorate which is a large project in itself...so hopefully I will be able to share that sooner than later...)

My little Picasso

Interchangeable picture frames with his current artwork of Sesame Street coloring pages and a painting.

View of the wall

Entry of the playroom-Dr. Seuss quote on back wall

Close up of Dr. Seuss quote

Dr. Seuss quote above the doors

The wall on this side of the room will be my next project...which is a big one.