Nolan Craig: 12 Months!

Well, the day has come and gone and I now have a 1 year old! I can’t even believe it..it’s been a whole year since we welcomed this little bundle of joy into our lives! And ever since, he’s proven to me that he is nothing like his brother. He tests me more as a baby than Braxton ever did. Haha! But I’ve definitely enjoyed being able to watch him grow and learn within this last year! Nolan doesn’t like to sit still for very long at all. He is also the baby we never really had. 🙂

Age: 12 months on March 11, 2016
Weight: 20 lbs
Height: 31 inches long
Teeth: 5.5
Clothing size: 12 months
Diaper size: size 3
Milestones: Nolan is starting to take itty bitty baby steps as he tries to figure out the whole balance thing. 🙂 He still says “mama”, “dada”, and “baba”. He loves to wave buh-bye and heyyy! He will still blow kisses and will sometimes give kisses. He also claps his hands when we say “yay” or “patty cake”. 🙂 But he loves to clap them whenever.

Likes: he is still a big mommy’s boy, he loves to play with Braxton and Tucker (or feed Tucker), and play with Daphne. He still loves food but has started hitting, throwing things, and biting. Lord, help me! He is still very oral- chew toys are his favorite and everything still goes in his mouth!

Dislikes: He still really isn’t a huge fan of long car rides (8+ hours), being walked away from, being told “no”, not being right by his mommy, and getting dressed/changed. It’s seriously like wrestling a monkey or something! It’s awful.

Sleeping: Nolan still isn’t the greatest sleeper. I consider myself lucky if he sleeps for 2-3 hours at a time at night and even takes a decent nap. He’s definitely not a sleeper like Braxton was even though, it makes for a very crabby baby!

Eating: Nolan LOVES to eat! I’m still not sure what his favorite food would be because he will pretty much just eat anything we put in front of him.

Best Moments: This month, it was fun to see him start to attempt to walk. We enjoyed celebrating the boys’ birthday’s, which is always a fun time. Nolan LOVED his cake, to say the least! 🙂 (not a big shock there, though;P). As much as it tends to give me a heart attack, it’s fun to watch him play and climb on Braxton’s recliner, which I’m pretty sure we’re going to have to get Nolan his own!

Mommy Update: Mommy is hanging in there, to say the least. It’s harder than I imagined to juggle 2 kids but somehow, I’m managing! I love being able to go visit my mom so she can help a bit and loved having Grandma Jo and Aunt Ryan here to help watch/play with the boys for their birthday party!

Nolan Craig: 11 Months Old!

I cannot believe I’m sitting here typing about Nolan being 11 months old and he’ll be 1 next month! I’m not ready for it! 😦 We had a fairly busy first couple of weeks while we were in Florida, but we had a great time, too! We even got to visit my grandma for a day and it was so nice to have that time with her. It’s truly amazing to see how much Nolan (and Braxton) have grown up in the past year..it all went so fast!

Age: 11 months on February 11, 2016
Weight: 18.9 lbs
Height: 29 inches long
Teeth: 4.5
Clothing size: 12 months but the arms are starting to get a little short!
Diaper size: size 3
Milestones: Nolan is now starting to stand up and let go of the object and balance for a couple of seconds. I can’t believe that he is trying to walk, already! He’s still my little baby! He says “mama”, “dada”, and “baba”. He can wave ‘buh bye’ and sometimes “hi” (if he wants), he claps for patty-cake, and will sometimes blow kisses. 🙂 He is still trying to learn how to use a sippy cup but I think we’re slowly starting to make some progress!

Likes: he is still a big mommy’s boy, he loves to play with Braxton and Tucker (or feed Tucker), and play with Daphne. He absolutely loved his Grandma Jo while we were in Florida visiting..he followed her around like crazy! He mostly just likes to get into everything and explore! He also loves to eat!

Dislikes: He still really isn’t a huge fan of long car rides (8+ hours), being walked away from, being told “no”

Sleeping: Nolan still isn’t the greatest sleeper. I’m pretty lucky if he sleeps longer than an hour at a time..it makes for a long night. His naps are also not very consistent. He can fall asleep ok and stay asleep for a little while but if he stirs and wakes up and I’m not there to pat him or something- he gets MAD! And that’s generally when nap time is over. 😦 I’ve noticed that he tends to sleep better if he eats well. But if he skips a nap, he won’t eat very well. It’s just a constant struggle, it seems like. I’m just still hopeful for the future!

Eating: Nolan LOVES to eat! I don’t even know if he has a favorite food because he will and loves to eat anything. He’s eaten spaghetti, lasagna, pizza crust, green beans (favorite), ham, cookies, tortilla, really anything we eat. He also doesn’t mind to be fed but he would much rather do it himself a lot of the time.

Best Moments: This month it would have to have been seeing him with his Grandma Jo. He’s really not big into guys, yet- he’s very leery with them and it takes a him a little while to warm to them but a girl- he’s all about! 🙂 He would follow his Grandma Jo around like a little puppy dog. It was adorable and I just love to see how other people interact with him and love on him. Plus, it’s nice to let mommy have a break, too.

Mommy Update: Mommy loved the extra help in Florida. 🙂 Ha-ha! It worked out really well because Heath was able to come down for a week with us, so he was at the house for the week that Jo was working and then she was home the next week when he was gone. It was nice to have Jo there to help and everything but honestly, I just loved seeing her in her element with the kids. ❤ It’s my favorite to see people we don’t get to see very much. I still struggle, daily, with both of the boys who like to drive me crazy but I still try to be the best mom I can be.

Nolan Craig: 10 Months Old!

This post is late, so sorry! I’ve definitely been slacking but it’s hard! I never really realized how hard it would be but these two boys definitely keeps things interesting! We had such a great time in Wisconsin, visiting our family, and Braxton had a great time playing in the snow! I think Nolan loved having all the extra room to play and loved playing with Lexy’s stand up-light up toy thing! 🙂 This month was a busy one but it was definitely a fun one!

Age: 10 months on January 11, 2016
Weight: 18 lbs, 4 oz
Height:  29 inches long
Teeth: 4 now!
Clothing size: 12 months clothes
Diaper size: size 3
Milestones: Nolan is honestly the fastest crawling little babies I’ve ever seen! And sneaky! He will follow you everywhere and do it quietly! Nolan says “mama”, “dada”, and “baba” which I have no idea what it means but it’s still cute. He’s still a big mommy’s boy, for sure! He constantly (still) stands up on everything and anything he can!

Likes: he is still a mommy’s boy, he loves Braxton and Tucker, and chewing on everything. He likes foods but not the purees, he likes chewing on everything and putting everything in his mouth. He also LOVES dog toys- doesn’t matter if it’s a nasty bone or a new squeaky toy- he likes it and wants it. He’s a mini dog!

Dislikes: He hates really long car rides (longer than 8 hours), mommy doing something/anything, and not getting his way.

Sleeping: Nolan still doesn’t sleep very well. He sleeps great if he is right next to his mommy. Other than that, he’s up every 30 minutes for no reason. I think the longest he’s gone is like 2 hours. It’s exhausting! Yes, I try putting him down in his crib but it really doesn’t last very long..and only because I get too tired to keep going back and forth.

Eating: Nolan loves eating food! He pretty much will eat any and everything! He loves bread (wonder where he got that from? ;)) and is still learning how to use a sippy cup, since he won’t take any bottles. He is my stubborn baby, for sure!

Best Moments: I love watching him play with new people and new toys. He is just so cute! 🙂 I love to watch him learn new things and interact with everyone. I think he really liked Gerrit and was trying to figure out how he was doing that whole walking thing! Lol.

Mommy Update: Mommy is doing well..just tired, as usual. I struggle with a lot of things with the boys but I’m trying. I think school for Braxton this next year will help a lot (or at least, I hope it does). I was going to go to a MOPS group but it ended up getting cancelled due to the snow/ice so I’m going to try again next month because I think that would be amazing for the boys AND I! Mommy just needs some adult interaction more than what she gets now. 🙂

Nolan Craig: 9 Months Old!

Oh, what a month it has been! I feel like I’ve either been sleep deprived or just plain busy..which is why this is late. I’ve tried to keep track of everything as best as I could, though. Nolan celebrated his First Christmas this month AND had his first tooth poke through on Christmas day! I cannot believe how big he’s getting. He’s decided to start crawling pretty regularly but will still get on his belly and scoot. He’s kind-of a punk like that, which I’m pretty sure he’s learned from his big brother. 😉

Braxton, Nolan, and I had the chance to go up to Wisconsin to do Christmas with family and since Heath got hurt and used up all of his sick time and vacation time, he wasn’t able to come with. I think we all had a pretty fun time, though, and it was so fun to have everyone together again.

Age: 9 months on December 11, 2015
Weight:  18 lbs
Height:  28.5 inches long
Teeth: 2 already!
Clothing size: 12 months in everything even though some things are still kinda big on him.
Diaper size: size 3
Milestones: Nolan has decided to finally start crawling for most of the time. He will still get down and scoot on his belly but otherwise, he’s crawling like crazy. He can sit up on his own after he’s done crawling. He can pull himself up to a standing position and puts everything in his mouth.

Likes: he is still a mommy’s boy, he loves Braxton and his goofiness, he likes Tucker as long as he’s not slobbering him in the face, and his daddy- especially when he tickles and acts goofy with him! He likes to play with dog toys, dog food, dog water, anything that’s for a dog- he likes it. He still loves his pacifier, too!  He seems to play with Braxton’s toys more than his own, now, too. He likes to try and feed himself finger foods, & he likes to get into everything!

Dislikes: He hates long car rides, being put down away from momma, purees aren’t really his thing, mommy walking away, getting out of the bath, and bedtime.

Sleeping: Nolan isn’t a very good sleeper. He doesn’t like to take naps without mommy (which I guess is kind-of my fault..but let’s be honest, mommy likes a nap, too!) and will only sleep in his crib at bedtime until about 3AM before he decides he’s had enough. By that point, I’m too tired to really fight with him anyways so he’ll sleep with us in bed and he still will wake up every couple of hours. I think having Braxton be such a great sleeper, we just didn’t get as lucky with Nolan, is all. 🙂 Every child is different and not everyone is a sleeper..I just hope that the older he gets, the easier/more he will sleep.

Eating: Nolan has started to eat solids! I’ve tried purees with him and he’s just not been feeling it as much as Braxton did as a baby. So, with Nolan, I’m doing more of the Baby Led Weaning thing and I think he enjoys it more. He would much rather feed himself and it just works out a lot better too. While in Wisconsin, he had some roast and loved it! He loves sweet potatoes, as well.

Best Moments: He had such a good time in Wisconsin with all of the kids and I just love watching him grow and change. As much as it kills me that my sweet baby is growing, it is fun to watch him! I love seeing him actually crawl, sit up on his own, pull himself up to stand, walking along things, and trying to start talking. 🙂

Mommy Update: Let’s just be honest- Mommy is constantly tired. I am even surprised how I even have hair! Between the two boys, it’s hard. I don’t even know how people do it with more than 2 children..they are my heroes! Braxton has been so sassy lately and has such an attitude and I’m sure it has something to do with his age but it’s really wearing on me, lately. Nolan is very clingy so it makes it hard to do much of anything. I’m constantly telling myself to just remember to pray! 🙂

Nolan Craig: 6 Months Old!

This doesn’t seem like it is real right now. How on earth is my baby already half a year old, already? I really am not ready to start thinking about planning the boys’ birthday party! Right before Nolan turned 6 months old, we finally went to the water park for the first time this year and we all had a blast!

Age: 6 months on September 11, 2015
Weight: 18.5 lbs
Height: 29 inches long
Teeth: 0 teeth!
Clothing size: 3-6 month clothes & 6 month sleepers
Diaper size: size 2
Milestones: Nolan is starting to try and push up to start crawling, already! I really can’t believe it but I know it’s coming. He’s also a lot more interested in food and eating, now. I gave him some of my ice cream last night and he loved it so I’m pretty excited to see how he’ll do with applesauce and other foods. 🙂 My little man is growing up so fast!

Likes: being talked to, seeing new faces, Braxton playing/singing/dancing/anything, bath time, sleeping on mommy, and getting anything into his mouth.

Brax loves getting in the pictures with Nolan

Dislikes: being left alone, not being able to see momma, & really long car rides.

Sleeping: He’s not exactly sleeping the greatest and he usually ends up in bed with me because I’m too tired to do anything else & I generally fall asleep while nursing him. I’m really hoping that he’ll get back into a better sleep schedule soon but I’m not holding my breath.

Eating: Nolan eats fine as long as he’s hungry. He’s been known to “pop off” quite a bit now if he’s distracted (usually by Braxton) but he still eats pretty good. I’d say he still eats every 3-4 hours and definitely right before naps and bed time.

Best Moments: as hard as it is for me to see him grow up so fast, it is exciting for me to see him starting to try and crawl and want to eat foods. And as much as I hate that he’s growing up on me, I really am excited for when him and Braxton can play together because I know that’s what Braxton is wanting. 🙂

Mommy Update: Mommy is hanging in there! I’ve been pretty tired lately, which I assume is because Nolan doesn’t sleep all that great right now. I’ve been fighting a cold and/or allergies lately, too, so I don’t think that helps with my tiredness. I’m thankful for a pretty great support system, though!

Nolan Craig- 5 months old!

We had a pretty busy weekend right before Nolan turned 5 months. Despite the very long drive to and from Michigan, I can say he really did pretty well. 🙂 I really can’t believe that Nolan is 5 months old already! Where has all the time gone? He’s growing up so fast but I am so glad I’m here to be able to witness it all.

Tucker James

We also added another member to the family, Tucker James, who was born 3 months after Nolan was born, to the date. As reluctant as I am to be having a puppy to look after and train, I hope he turns out to be a good pup and that they boys love having him to grow up with. He’s been a pretty good pup, so far. 🙂

Age: 5 months on August 11, 2015
Weight: 16 lbs
Height: 25.5 inches
Teeth: 0!
Clothing size: 3-6 months clothes
Diaper size: size 2
Milestones: grabbing (usually my hair which is why I don’t wear it down anymore), he’s putting himself to sleep by himself more frequently, and he’s been pulling his pacifier out and attempting to put it back in (and sometimes succeeding!). He has also learned to roll from his back to belly, now. He’s also started to try pushing himself up into the crawling position..is this real right now? He’s growing and he’s growing fast!
Likes: talking, Braxton (pretty much anything that Braxton does), bath time, cuddles, swinging, his feet, gnawing on his hands/fingers and now his jumperoo.
Dislikes: sleeping on his back, really long car rides, and being woken up before he’s ready.

Sleeping: He still sleeps pretty well..he wakes up probably 2 or 3 times a night, which isn’t terrible. He takes pretty good naps except if he’s woken up ‘too soon’ he generally won’t just go back to sleep..he has to stay awake for a little while. But I can’t complain about his sleeping all that much- he does pretty well.

Eating: I’d say he probably eats every 4ish hours or so..sometimes more often and sometimes less..it just depends on his mood. He’s generally a pretty good eater, too. He’s been showing more and more interest with our “big people food” so that’s exciting. I haven’t tried any food with him yet because I keep forgetting to grab the Baby Bullet from mom’s. I may still wait a little bit but we will see! 🙂 I can’t believe we’re almost at that point where he can be eating food with us.

Best Moments: watching him grow and learn new things is so much fun! But I think the best was going to Michigan to visit and see family! He loved seeing everyone and hanging out with everyone, too. I think the best part was seeing all of the different faces and he pretty much smiled at everyone! The drive- he could do without, though! 😉

Mommy Update: Mommy is doing well…but now I’m trying to get back into the hang of things. But other than that- things are going well and the boys are great. I still can’t seem to get over how great Braxton is with Nolan and how big Nolan’s ears are! 😉 They’re adorable and I’m blessed. Couldn’t ask for much better (except maybe better attitudes..)!
Heath has enrolled in the welding program at a college near us and he seems to be very excited, which makes me very excited, too. Not just for him but for our future and the future of our family. He starts on Monday and I hope he loves it for many years! 🙂 I definitely think it’s the right step for him and the family and it will get us on our long journey to what and where we would like to be and raise our family. It’s going to be a hard and rough next year and a half, but it will be worth it and I am so glad he’s doing it!

my loves!

Nolan Craig: 4 months old!

Age: 4 months on July 11, 2015
Weight: 14 lbs, 5 ozs
Height: 24.75 inches
Teeth: 0!
Clothing size: 3-6 month clothes
Diaper size: size 2
Milestones: grabbing (usually my hair), constantly putting his hands in his mouth, and excellent head control! He’s still trying to get the hang of sitting up on his own.
Likes: baths, talking, people talking to him, swinging, & standing up alllll the time!
Dislikes: still mostly just sleeping on his back and long car rides in his awful car seat. 🙂 I really need to invest in some portable DVD players..so if anyone wants to get them an early Christmas present!! 😛

Sleeping: He still sleeps pretty well. He still sleeps about 4-5 hours at night and takes a couple of naps during the day. I really can’t complain too much especially when I know not all babies sleep like him. 😉

Eating: I really don’t know how often he really eats or anything, I kinda stopped looking at the clock because I just feed him if he’s crying or fussing. But he eats well so nothing to worry about. 🙂

Best Moments: spending time in Florida for a couple weeks. It was really nice for Braxton to spend time with kids his own age and I enjoyed adults to talk to. 🙂 I realized how hard it is to have Heath who works 24 hours a day because I don’t have someone to help or have those adult conversations. But I think we all really enjoyed our time there. Thanks, Grandma Jolene for everything and Aunt Ryan!! 🙂

Mommy Update: Mommy is doing well…but now I’m trying to get back into the hang of things. But other than that- things are going well and the boys are great. I still can’t seem to get over how great Braxton is with Nolan and how big Nolan’s ears are! 😉 They’re adorable and I’m blessed. Couldn’t ask for much better (except maybe better attitudes..).

Nolan Craig: Two Months Old

Age: 2 months on May 11, 2015
Weight: 13 lbs (according to the scale at home)
Height: 24.5 inches
Teeth: 0..thank goodness!
Clothing size: 0-3 month clothes but can still fit into newborn onesies. 🙂
Diaper size: 2’s.
Milestones: Nolan rolled over! (from tummy to back and wasn’t very happy about it).
Likes: baths, being talked to, eating, fans, talking, being on his belly, and being held. 🙂
Dislikes: getting his diaper changed (at least he doesn’t cry anymore about it), sleeping on his back, & VERY long car rides ;).

Sleeping: I have to say that he does sleep pretty well. He’s getting really good at staying awake a lot during the day and sleeping at night. He definitely still sleeps quite a bit during the day but can’t blame him..he’s tired! During the day I would say he can be awake for 2-3 hours at a time, depending. He’s sleeping around 4-5 hours at night except for 1 night, he slept through the night (7 hours)! I was shocked and impressed and no, that hasn’t happened since. It was a little painful for me, though, so I’m kind-of glad he still wakes up to feed. 😛

Eating: Nolan is a great eater! He caught onto breastfeeding like a champ and it’s been uphill ever since! He used to get choked by my ‘let down’ but he’s either gotten used to it now or my boobs have calmed down quite a bit. 🙂 I feel like I’m pretty well regulated, now.

Best Moments: Nolan rolled over from his belly to back which was pretty exciting! He hasn’t done it but probably 4 times but it’s a start! I love that Braxton is so good with him, too! He still likes to hold him and talk to him which Nolan also loves! Every time Braxton comes up to talk him, Nolan just smiles- it’s so cute! I also really enjoy just cuddling with Nolan..I’ve definitely missed those moments.

Mommy Update: Mommy is doing pretty good! I need to get to the doctor and have my thyroid checked because I’m exhausted all.the.time. which is strange considering Nolan sleeps pretty well at night.

Braxton wanted in on the picture fun, too!

Nolan Craig: One Month Old!

Well, I can’t actually believe that our little man is a month old already! Time really flies when you’re having fun. 😉 It doesn’t actually seem like it’s been a month, though. I’m happy to say that we have a pretty good baby on our hands (for the most part).

Age: 1 month on April 11, 2015
Weight: 10 lbs
Height: 22 1/2 inches long
Teeth: none (thank goodness..I can’t even imagine!)
Clothing size: newborn & 0-3 month sleepers (he’s getting too long for the newborn ones already!)
Diaper size: 1. He could still be in newborn diapers but since I used them up and he’s started to grow- I decided that 1’s would just be more appropriate and end up less messy, if you get my drift.
Milestones: he holds his head up pretty well and loves tummy time which usually turns into nap time. He smiles a little bit (usually at a fan).

Sleeping: Nolan woke up every 2-3 hours the first week or so and he still will during his little growth spurt. Otherwise, he’s sleeping 4-5 hours at a time. I do love that he sleeps well but it’s not always the best scenario for my boobs. He has been staying up for about 6-8 hours off and on during the day so he definitely still takes some good naps during the day. 🙂

Eating: I think Nolan went through a growth spurt at week 3 because he was eating almost every 2 hours! Other than that, we’re back to the every 3-4 hours when he’ll eat during the day and every 4-5 hours during the night. He eats well and caught on to breastfeeding like a champ. In the beginning, it was hard because I had so much milk and was so full that I would end up choking him when my milk would let down which could be extremely messy. But I don’t know if he is either used to it now or if my boobs have settled down a little but he doesn’t choke as much now. (Thank goodness..!) I think I’m a little more comfortable to go out and nurse in public, if needed. Nolan also went in for his 1 week check (jaundice check) and weighed 7 lbs, 5 ozs so the doctor said we didn’t have to come back except for his 1 month. (woot-woot…way to go boobie milk!)

Best Moments: I think we’ve had a pretty busy-ish month his first month. We loved being able to see all kinds of people and Nolan being able to meet some pretty awesome people, too! His grandma Jo and Aunt Ryan came up from FL the week he was born and his Aunt Amanda, Uncle Jamie, and cousin Kaiden (& cousin in the womb) came down to meet him! He loved cuddling with his aunt and cousin. 😉

Mommy Update: Mommy is doing okay. I have to re-schedule my OBGYN appointment and I’ll probably ask to be brought back up on my medications because I’m feeling overwhelmed, which is probably due to having a toddler and newborn. Do I think I have some post partum depression going on? Probably. I don’t think it’s bad or severe or anything but I don’t want it to get bad, either. I have lost about 15 lbs so far so that’s pretty awesome but I have a lot of work to do yet. Other than trying to figure all of this whole “being a mom to 2 boys and being a mom to a toddler and newborn” thing out..I’m doing OK.

Nolan loves to watch ceiling fans and new faces (he gets sick of momma’s). He loves being sung to and talked to. He has great control of his head and has started “talking”. He would much rather sit straight up rather than leaning back..he loves to see what’s going on. He has gotten better at getting his diaper changed but still isn’t a HUGE fan. He loves baths, too!

39 Weeks

Baby Lisk is all set to be born (lucky for him because he’s coming now!!)! His old fetal skin is falling off, and his beautiful soft baby skin is growing beneath. Baby is fully grown, between 19-21 inches tall and 7-8 lbs..about size of a pumpkin.

  

How far along: 39 weeks
Total weight gain: 37 lbs
Maternity clothes: all day, everyday.
Stretch marks: yes, unfortunately. 😦
Sleep: same..extremely hard and non existing.
Symptoms: contractions (a couple every hour), stretch marks, pelvic soreness, backache, fatigue/exhaustion, insomnia, and swelling. 😦
Best moments this week: Baby Lisk’s birthday!! Being induced.
Miss anything: sleep and energy, of course! Sleeping on my belly, being comfortable, and being able to get up or tie shoes.
Movement: yes, he loves moving around in there in the wee hours of the morning.
Labor signs: Braxton-Hicks contractions, pelvic discomfort, back & hip soreness.
Food cravings: nothing really but I have noticed that I’ve craved Orange Hi-C this pregnancy (mostly 2nd and 3rd trimester).
Started showing: yuh. I’m as big as a house.
Belly button in/out: it’s kinda half in, half out.
Mood: tired and uncomfortable. Ready for little man to make his arrival!
Looking forward to: Baby Lisk coming into this crazy world!

The winner for the Baby Pool is here! The “winner” is my husband but since he is my hubby, I’ll go on to the next couple of people. 🙂 So, the winner is Samantha Hood! Second place: Grandma Uildriks and thrid place: Amber! 🙂