7 Months

Nolan is 7 months old! Here is an update of what has happened this month.  Where does time go?!?

Weight Gain/Growth

Nolan is a chunk!  At his 6 month appointment (Feb 24) he was 19lbs 13oz (87%)  We are pretty sure he has since passed up 20lbs.  He is short for his age (21%).  He also has a huge head (77%).  He is getting stronger as well.

Sleep & Bedtime Routine

Nolan usually sleeps through the night, but occasionally has a night where he decides to party.  We are working on him putting himself back to sleep, but we both are really not a fan of letting him cry.  We will let him go 2-3 minutes of crying because it is often he will go back to sleep at this time.  If he doesnt at that time, we try first to calm him down by patting him.  We try this until he is asleep or just calmed down.  We try walking out again.  Sometimes this works sometimes we repeat a couple times.  If it does not work after a couple tries, we will take him out and rock him.  We then put him back to bed when he is asleep.  I am really trying not to nurse overnight because I know with all the solids and nursing he does before bed he doesn't need it but wants it to snuggle.  I try to give him his snuggles with out needing to nurse.  If we have been doing the trying to get to sleep thing for over 2 hours, I try to nurse to calm him down.  That  usually helps, but occasionally even that doesnt work...we just have to wait until he decides the party is over.

We can no longer swaddle Nolan
because he has really started rolling in his sleep.  He is sleeping in his zippy and it has been going great.  He knows when he is in a zippy it is sleeping time.  He loves being in it.

Now, Nolan will roll in his sleep to his stomach or his side as he shimmys over to the side.  He can often been found on his belly or pressed up against his crib side.  I moved him back to the center and onto his back for a couple nights only to find him in the same places again and again.  I have been told as long as he can roll easily, the bumpers are breathable (he was putting his arms and legs out and bumping his head so we had to invest in some breathable bumpers), and he is staying asleep to leave him.  It still makes me nervous, but I am at a loss for what to do next.  ( I have heard of putting noodles under the sheets, but the way he is putting his face against things, I feel if he would press his face against the sheets with a noodle it would not be breathable)

Milestones & Likes

• Sitting Up-Nolan sits up completely on his own now.  We don't put much behind him and he rarely tips over.  He only tips over forward while he is reaching for things. 
• Sitting to crawling position- He is leaning forward while sitting and then catching himself for the most part-though not quite holding himself up on his belly.  He then goes from his belly to reaching really far and kicking.
• Crawling-Nolan isnt quite crawling, but developing many of the pre crawling skills.  He will go up on his knees, but his forehead is on the floor.  He props up really  high on his arms but his butt goes down.  He can prop up on his hands and walk his hands 180* around.  He then rolls where he wants to go after "angling it right."
• Standing- He will stand with support--holding fingers or up against his standing toys or the couch.  He will also bounce while he is standing.
• Walking- While holding Alex and my hands, Nolan is starting to pick up his feet and bend his knees in a walking form.  Though he is not close yet, he is getting some of the pre walking skills.
• Teeth- Nolan's 2 bottom teeth broke through before he was 6 months, but he was always rubbing his tongue on them so we never got a photo.  Just recently, he started letting us see them!

Nolan likes to chew on pacifiers.  He does not like to suck them, but to bite and pull them out of his mouth.  We discovered this when he kept stealing Charles' paci at grandma's house.  Whatever makes him happy!

Sophie is still one of his favorite toys.  He is starting to figure out how to make it squeak.  He loves to chew on her and to just hold her.  Sophie is the one toy we make sure goes everywhere we do.  If Sophie can't fix it, pretty much nothing can.

Music is a big deal. He loves watching lights and other movement (his projector, his light up toys, and more).  The more music and lights it makes the better.  His piano, his talking/singing bears, they are all great.

Nolan has just recently started playing with and reaching for toys in the bathtub.  He loves his floating turtles that have mirrors or rattles or more.  He loves sitting up in the bathtub and play with those.  He is always reaching!

 

Firsts

Trip to the waterpark-Dells

First time in his swing-playing outside....and eating his swing.

First walk with mommy and daddy!

Mommy learned the value of a 5 point harness.  He has never had a problem, never pulling on his seatbelts, but dropping his paci was just to much this day.  He is leaning out of his swing reaching for the swing.  This picture does not do it justice, if you look is right leg is always in the seat, he is hanging by his waistband.  We now use the whole 5 point harness.

St. Patrick's Day

Sickness
We made it a month sickness free!

6 Months, 1/2 a year old!

Nolan is 6 months old! 

Here is an update of what has happened this month.  I feel this was one of his "biggest" months.  Nolan has done so many amazing things and continues to baffle me every day.  He is getting so smart, developing a personality, and just being my amazing little boy.  It is truly a blessing to spend these amazing days with this little boy watching him grow.

Weight Gain/Growth
Nolan has his 6 month appointment on Tuesday-then we will have an official weight. We know that for him to be on track from his last appointment, he should be 17.5 lbs.  I got on the scale and weighed myself and then weighed myself holding Nolan at 5.5 months and he was already there.  We are guessing 18 lbs at his 6 month appointment.

All of his 3-6 month clothes are put away and 6-9 month clothes are out. 

Sleep & Bedtime Routine
Nolan has been sleeping pretty consistently through the night.  He goes to bed between 7-8 (depending on where we were that day and how much sleep he already had for the day).  He then sleeps until 4-6 when he wakes to nurse, and then goes back to sleep (usually).  Occasionally he gets up at 6, but most days he gets up 7:30/8.

If Nolan wakes before 7:30, he naps at 9, 12, and 3 (ish).  If he wakes up after 7:30 he naps 10:30/11, and 3 (ish).  I know when I was going back to work, I was looking for sample "schedules" to help me get Nolan on one.  I just thought I'd share for those out there trying to do the same.

At nap time especially, Nolan likes to keep himself awake by saying his B's instead of sleeping.

Milestones & Likes
 Laughing at Badger Dog

Saying his B's (consonants)-and avoiding going to sleep by keeping himself awake.

Actually figuring out the jumper

Playing with Badger-stealing Badger's bone.  Badger is so good with him gently stealing it back.

 

Eating Cereal-Nolan started eating cereal at 5.5 months.  We knew he was ready when he was stealing food off our plates, making a smacking motion with his mouth while we were eating, he was sitting up all on his own, and he was starting to eat more often. 

Eating Cereal by himself

 

Being to smart for his own good!  Nolan has been going from sitting to belly and had done so a couple of times before this.  I sat him up again and got the camera out to get it on film.  He had a better idea-he cheated and pulled the blanket instead!

Firsts

My First Super Bowl--though I am a little sad still about the Packers...

Sitting on the table while mom and dad eat BWW.  I sat all by myself and mommy just had one hand on my leg while she ate with the other.  I played with toys and only tried to steal the ranch once.

Moms first time staying home sick with me.  I had a fever, a cough, and was just plain misearable.   Nobody in our house slept for 2 days....

My first Valentine's Day.   I made a whole bunch of goofy faces.  I am really starting to develop a personality and be a goofball with mommy. 

Sickness
Mommy had to stay home with Nolan on Thursday Feb 12--the school Valentine's day celebration. On Wednesday, Nolan had to come to school because I had a staff meeting and Alex was working 2-10.  When I took off his hat, Becky mentioned his head feeling warm as we walked by.  I thought it was because I had just taken off his hat.  I let it go. Then I put him down for a nap and when he woke he felt warm again, but I thought it was because he had just woken up.  We went to Culvers and he felt warm there, but again I had just taken off his hat.  When I got home, I finally took his temp because it was bugging me.  It was 100.5* so I texted my principal to tell her if it went up or it was a bad night I would need a sub in the AM.  Nolan woke at 1am screaming-like screaming out in pain.  He couldn't be comforted and that is very abnormal.  I tried for almost an hour to get him to sleep and then Alex came to take over for me.  He took his temp again and it was 101.1*  He game him tylonal and rocked him for another hour and he finally fell asleep, only to wake again 45 minutes-and every 45 minutes after that.  At 5am I called into work.  All day he cried out in pain, and had a fever. I called the doctor and they told me it sounded like a virus and bringing him in would just expose him to more.  He seemed to get better at the end of the night, but then at bedtime he developed a croup like cough and he was up every 1 1/2-2 hours in pain again.  I stayed home in the morning to help him mend, then ran to work to teach math, and then ran back home.  Poor guy took almost a week go get better.

Eating 
Nolan has been nursing very predictably: when he wakes in the AM, 9, 10:30 snack, 12 (or when he wakes from his nap), 2:30/3 when mommy gets home, 6, and bedtime.

He eats 4 Tbs of cereal and half a small container of food at 6:30/7.

Nolan is liking food.  He has the moving the food to the back of the mouth and swallowing down, we are just working on him getting more efficient with opening his mouth to eat...though I know he gets the concept because he can take the spoon from me and attempt to use it himself.

6 Month Photo Shoot with EllieFay Photography

5 months!

Nolan is 5 months old! Here is an update of what has happened this month. 

Weight Gain/Growth
Nolan had his 4 month visit a week after he turned 4 months. He was 15lbs12oz-52% and 24.8in tall-42%.
We haven't weighed him since his 4 month visit, but since then his 3-6 month and even some 6 month jammies are getting short and tight.  He is over 16lbs for sure.

Sleep & Bedtime Routine
Nolan is sleeping through the night! He starts his bedtime routine between 7 & 7:30-depending when he gets a little fussy. We do diaper, changing table fun, jammies, vitamin D, and vitamin e drops in his ears (on Sunday's). Mommy then nurses and he goes to sleep between 7:30 and 8.  He then sleeps until 5:55am when mommy wakes him to nurse. If mommy doesn't have to work he sometimes sleeps til 6:30. Then he nurses and goes back to sleep until 7:30/8. He is sleeping at night in a swaddle sack. 

Nolan is doing great for naps. He was sleeping SO MUCH BETTER in a swaddle, but since he is rolling (not yet in bed) we thought it was time to start transitioning him out of the swaddle so we could do it super slow. We first borrowed a friends Zippity zip after seeing them on SharkTank before we Invested in  our own since they were expensive (and out of stock in his size). He rocked the punk ponies!
Since he did well in the borrowed ones, we purchased our own when they went on sale in his size. It was a big investment, but once it was done it's been great. Nolan wore it at grandmas for the first time this week and when she put him in his crib sleepy but eyes still open, he napped-for over an hour TWICE! We are so excited he's getting the sleep he needs and he's so comfy in his zippy!
 

Milestones & Likes
 Rolling from his back to his tummy (over his right)

 Rolling from his back to his tummy (over his left)

Getting up on his knees, kicking, getting those muscles ready to crawl

Grabbing toes

Eating socks-on his feet and pulling them off and eating them.  Mommy went to get a diaper and came back to find him like this!  I think he needs more human friends--right now he thinks he is a BadgerDog!

Sitting 

Propping himself up on hands.  I is up on his elbows a lot but here was up the highest I have ever seen!  All the way on his hands arms closer together and completely straight.

Sophie, Lalee, corn cob, towels

Jumper 

Firsts
CHRISTMAS!

Christmas morning-a boy and his dogs

At Grandma and Grandpa Jansen's Christmas morning.  

  Christmas afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa Gloudemans.

 New Year!  {2015}

Come to school with mommy-Katy had court, Alex worked 8-4, and I only have students for one hour.  That means Nolan came to school with mommy while she prepped all Friday morning and then the lovely staff at school watched Nolan for my hour of kindergarten Math.  He did so good napping, playing and being such a good boy!

Sitting in a high chair for Monday dinners

Sledding 

"Downhill" Sledding

We won cutie of the week for "All moms do it best" again for winter fun!