My First Mother's Day

Sunday was my first Mother's Day as a real mommy (not just a dog mommy), and it was a very nice day. It started out with Chris bringing me coffee and a very pretty fruit plate to bed. Nolan joined us and he gave me my presents... a box of Jellybath (a new product I've been dying to try) and an adorable silver necklace with Nolan's name on it! They both got me very sweet cards too. After we got moving, we had a yummy (fattening) breakfast at Cracker Barrel followed by a great massage with Mom at Massage Envy. Then we headed to Chris's family party to visit with his mom, grandma, and aunt. On our way home we stopped by my Aunt Randee's house to see her and Grandma Sandy. We were exhausted when we finally got home, but I made sure to take some photos of Nolan for his four-month birthday and of course some Mommy and Nolan pics for Mother's Day! It was a busy day!!!

I can't put into words how blessed I am. I have the absolute best mom in this world. She is such a beautiful strong woman, and I look up to her so much. She has been by my side from day one, and knows me better than anyone else. Being her daughter is such a privilege. Now that I get the great joy of being mommy to Nolan, I get to see my mom be "Grandma" too. She fills that role with as much love and grace as she has as "Mom." Nolan is a lucky little boy to have her in his life. I know he will figure that out on his own though.

So, Ma Harper/Granny Mocha, thanks for being the best Mom and Grandma. You make our world such a beautiful happy place. We love you with all our hearts.

Four Months Old Already!

Well it doesn't seem possible, but today Nolan is FOUR MONTHS OLD! Where oh where has the time gone? It seems just yesterday Chris and I were in the hospital holding this tiny bundle wondering how in the world we were going to take care of him properly! My we've come a long way in four months... and so has our precious little boy! In fact, here are a few things Nolan has learned during his four months of life (outside of Mommy's belly):

1. His neck is strong and holds his head up with no trouble now. It is nice to carry him around without fear he is going to flop his neck back!

2. Nolan rolled over from tummy to back three times this week! He HATES tummy time, so the motivation is pretty strong!

3. He responds to Mommy when I call his name from across the room.

4. Giggle, giggle, cackle, cackle!!! That's all Nolan does when he sees his Granny. He is in love with her, and I don't blame him she is pretty great! :)

5. He definitely has developed his "social smile" for just about anyone who smiles at him. Let me tell you, it melts my heart when I see it too!

6. Though it doesn't happen every time, Nolan can remove and replace his binky all on his own now. Most of time when his binky falls though, he prefers to just stuff his thumb (or entire hand) into his mouth.

7. He LOVES soft textured fabrics and his crinkle-sounding toys.

8. Our future soccer star can't seem to stop kicking his little chubby legs.

9. Did I mention CHUBBY legs? That boy has really filled out over the past month. He was a little on the skinny side, but no longer! He seems to have rubber bands wrapped around his wrists and thighs these days! LOVE IT!

10. Mmmmm... MILK!!! Nolan is an eating machine these days. He DEMANDS his bottle of milk every two to three hours. You better have it ready to go when he wants it or look out! Thankfully, he will start getting rice cereal after his next doc visit on Wednesday, so that should hopefully curb his appetite a bit. He's a growin' boy!!!

11. We are so lucky that Nolan is a great sleeper. Once we place him in the swaddle, he sleeps through the night every night. We are so fortunate that he's been a sleeping champ since he brought him home.

12. Hair today, gone tomorrow! What happened to those beautiful locks Nolan used to sport?! They are a thing of the past these days as Nolan has a bald ring that wraps around the back of his head from one ear to the other. The hair on top has thinned quite a bit too. No more faux-hawk until the next round of hair grows in!

13. Nolan's eyes have almost made the full transition to brown just like Mommy's eyes! Thank goodness he got SOMETHING of mine! :)

14. He has almost outgrown all of his 0-3month clothing. As I cleaned out his closet and put the things that no longer fit away... I definitely got a little choked up! These days he's mainly wearing 3-6month clothing... which thanks to several shopping sprees he has plenty of!

As you can see, we've had a great time getting to know our little man over these four months. Since his arrival everything in life is just a little sweeter. We are blessed beyond measure!

Feliz Cumpleanos Poppy!

Nolan put on his favorite Cubs onesie in honor of his Poppy's birthday!

Earaches are NO FUN!

I had to take our little man to the doctor this morning. He spent the past couple days sneezing and coughing, so we were on the look out for another ear infection. Sure enough yesterday he spent the day with his Grandma fussing and tugging on his left ear. We were sure it was another ear infection, so I took off work this morning and got him the doctor. Fortunately, the doc checked him out and said his ears look good. He did comment on the size of his tiny ear canals and said the problem is likely allergies (due to the season) and any time he gets any nasal congestion it will probably cause some discomfort in his little ears. So... we are very happy he is infection free, but still sad that the little guy has any pain whatsoever!

We also learned today that our little man is not so little anymore! He weighed 13lbs 11oz! He has almost doubled in size since birth! Now that is quite an accomplishment!!! He is also teething which explains the constant drool. The doctor said this is common from 3 to 4 months of age, but he probably won't actually cut any teeth until he about 6 months of age. So, we've still got some time hopefully! Speaking of time... has anyone figured out how we can slow it down a little?? Since Nolan arrived it seems to be passing so quickly!

Our Pride and Joy

Our lives have changed quite a bit since that last post! Nolan arrived on January 7, 2010 at around 6:30pm (in the midst of snowstorm naturally!) From that moment our lives were forever transformed!

I was fortunate enough to spend three months at home with him, and Chris was able to be with us for three weeks as well. It was such a special time for us to bond and get to experience parenthood together. Overall, the sleeplessness wasn't so bad. Nolan enjoys his sleep like his daddy does! We are very lucky!

The weeks at home passed so quickly! We had visitors nearly every day, which made each day so fun! Nolan is very loved, and no one can get enough of him (especially his very proud grandparents!!) That makes his mommy and daddy so happy too! We had lots of help with meals from our wonderful family and friends. We still are overwhelmed by the kindness we received.

Nolan turned three months old this week and I can tell you my love for him grows more and more with each passing day. It's hard to imagine you could love someone you've only known for three months as much as I love that little guy. I'm pretty sure his daddy feels the same!

He has really developed a personality in the past few weeks. He loves smiling and cooing, especially at his mommy (which makes me SO happy!) :) He also loves kicking his legs around and "batting" at his toys. Just this week he has discovered how fun it is to pull my hair. His neck is really strong too. He doesn't love tummy time, but we try to sneak it in there anyway.

Unfortunately, I had to take him the doctor Monday when his grandma/nanny noticed his eye was running a lot along with some nasal congestion he has had for awhile. Dr. McReady said he has an ear infection in his right ear... which nearly broke my heart! He is getting Amoxicillin (which he loves) and ear drops (which he hates)! He still seems to be a little under the weather as he's been somewhat irritable and restless at night. I hope it clears up very soon. Seeing him suffer is awful.

Overall, I just can't express how privileged I feel to watch this little person grow and learn. There truly is no greater gift. As I sing to him each night, he is my sunshine. :) I never knew how much motherhood would suit me, but I'm so glad I got to find out!

And his name is...

Well, after months (about 8 to be exact) of fielding name suggestions and discussing what is least likely to clash with "Schmieder", we have decided our little guy will be named Nolan Michael Schmieder. I even committed by ordering a onesie with an "N"! It's sort of neat to call him by name!

At my last doctor visit, the nurse practitioner thought I was measuring a little ahead of schedule, so they will be doing an ultrasound at my next appointment (next Wednesday, December 9th) to see his size and see if he is in the head-down position. After that appointment, we will have a better idea if our due date (January 8th) is still accurate and if he's going to allow for a normal delivery (no c-section). I'm keeping my fingers crossed as I really don't want to have a c-section!

These last five weeks of pregnancy are filled with a lot of excitement and anxiety. On top of the normal stuff like wanting to clean everything and have the nursery in tip top condition, I'm busily trying to get all of my Christmas shopping done and decorations in place. It is all keeping me (and Chris) pretty busy! I have my annual girls Christmas shopping day coming up on Sunday when I plan to complete my shopping in stores and be left with only online shopping (which I've already taken advantage of a lot this year!) Here's to a successful shopping day! : )

My Favorite Time of Year

Not sure how it happened, but it seems both spring and summer snuck by me without any updates to our blog! I really am going to try to get better about this though, I promise! For those of you who we don't get to see or talk to all the time, here's a quick rundown of our spring and summer:

-Found out we are expecting a baby at the end of April due on January 8th, 2010! Two months of morning sickness followed... YUCK!

-Sold our house on Hanson Drive three weeks prior to the closing on our new house. Phew!!

-Moved into our new home on June 26th. We had so much help, we could have never done it without our amazing family and friends! Fortunately the morning sickness subsided just in time!

-Spent the rest of the summer unpacking and getting our house put together. In August/September Chris put up our new fence with the help of Curt, Jake, Kilper, and his dad. Our girls can't wait for the grass to grow so they can enjoy their new yard finally!

-Mom had two stents put in mid August. She's doing great on her meds and has her cholesterol in great shape. She has made me a nervous wreck, but is doing great otherwise!

-My grandpa passed away in August after a one-year battle with brain cancer. Watching him battle that horrible disease was awful, but losing him has been so hard for our family.

-Finally some good news for the family... found out in August that our little one (Cletus the Fetus) is a boy!

-Baby Zoe (Curt and Teresa's little doll) was born 9/9/09 on our 4th wedding anniversary. She was the best present! We've already decided she will be married to our little guy when they are at least 30! :)

Now that fall is officially here, we are on to new projects and hopefully happier days with our loved ones. I am now 6 months pregnant and definitely showing a lot! There's no hiding the baby bump now. We are starting to get our plans together for the nursery... which involves a lot of decision making for me! We are also still deciding on a name for our little man. Grandma Kathy (Harper) is very ready for a final decision so she can start calling him by name! We are leaning towards Reed Michael at this point, but we're still not committing quite yet! The dogs are very curious about the baby and love to sit in his closet (which is filled with clothes that mom and I have been shopping for since we found out it's a boy!)

Nothing new for either of us at work. My office will see two or three retirements within the next 9 months or so, so hopefully that will lead to some promotional opportunities for me. Until then though, all is well. Fortunately, I have great bosses who are very understanding that traveling is not something I want to do much of as I enter the third trimester of my pregnancy. I really am blessed to have such a great workplace. Actually we both are. Chris has been able to take off for every one of my doctor appointments and ultrasounds, which has been great!

We are looking forward to the fall season (my favorite time of year) and preparing for the baby's arrival. Hopefully we will get to see all of you often! Don't give up on the blog, I'm going to do better! :) Happy Autumn loved ones!