Texas Trip

We were able to escape the cold weather for a long weekend in Dallas to visit Danielle's dad. We had great weather, about 60 each day and sunny. We were able to take in a UNC basketball game at the new Cowboys football stadium which was great but Texas won (boo). We also made a trip to visit Santa which Nolan seemed to enjoy! Nolan also did great on his first plane ride which was a big relief to his nervous parents :)

Photo contest

I will be entering this photo in a contest over at: http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/
Let's hope I win!

Pumpkin Patch

Nolan and Danielle were fortunate enough to be able to visit a farm that had animals, hay rides and a pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. I wasn't able to be along but it sounded and looked like a great time!

Update

Nolan has gone back to his pacifier but not for the same reasons! He is now a fan of chewing on it from all angles except the correct way. We also gave him a teething biscuit the other day. He wasn't sure what to make of it. He is growing up so quickly. As I type this post, he just pulled himself up to standing along side the couch, trying to get to the computer to help. At this point his help is not needed!

A Fun Game With Dad

One of Nolan's favorite activites is sitting on my knees, grabbing my hair and having me rub my head against his belly. He gets the giggles and is usually howling in laughter by the time we are done. It's a nice weapon to have when he is getting fussy. Is there anything better than a little kid laughing?

Sucking My Thumb

A few weeks ago Nolan decided that he had had enough of his pacifier and it was time to move on to bigger and better things. Namely his thumb. It was very strange, he had loved his pacifier pretty much from day one and now has decided he wants nothing to do with it. We were hoping to get him back to his pacifier and off his thumb since that is an easier habit to break when the time comes: so far no luck!

1st Solids

Nolan has ventured into the wonderful world of solid foods. Danielle started him off with the standard rice cereal and so far so good. He took a couple of days to get the hang of it but now is a very eager eater. The only trouble now is keeping up with his appetite! The pictures above are from his first meal.

TV - WOW!

For the first few months Nolan didn't seem to notice this big talking box but lately he sure seems more and more interested in the bright colors and sounds that come from the TV. It certainly makes you very aware of all the junk that is on TV in short order when your child starts looking at it! So far Danielle is doing a great job of trying to limit his TV exposure during the day to just a half hour or so of "Praise Baby" - which he absolutely loves.

The Exersaucer

Danielle was able to find a sweet deal on an "exersaucer" for Nolan and so far his enjoyment has far exceeded the $7 price tag. So many buttons to push and objects to grab and try to suck on!

First Pool Experience

While at the hotel this weekend we thought it would be fun for Nolan to have his first pool experience. We floated him in the lake a couple of times this summer but thought it was time for him to try the pool. He absolutely loves his bath time and thankfully the pool water was nearly as warm as his bath. He seemed mostly indifferent to the whole experience - not really loving it or hating it. He just seemed to be taking it all in. After dad was red in the face from blowing up his floating pool toy we finally made it into the water. His mom also wanted to have him wear his red swim trunks at least once before they are too small!

No More Swaddling!

Danielle decided to get brave a few weeks ago while I was away for a night and give Nolan a try at sleeping with his arms unswaddled. Amazingly he did quite well and has been sleeping in a "sleep sack" with his arms loose for a couple of weeks now.

What a relief for us as we were fully expecting that Nolan would probably need to go to his first day of school with a swaddle on or at the very least we were expecting a bad week or two of sleeping while trying to break him of wearing the swaddle at night. It has been so great to just lay him into his crib and night and not be cinching up a swaddling blanket that is either too big or too small!

Hanging with the cousins

We were able to get Nolan together with his 2 cousins a few weeks ago. Fun to see how much the little ones have changed in 4 months and what a character Kylar is turning into! He is a great big brother and sure loves his little cousin Nolan.

The Bumbo

As Nolan seems to be getting stronger and stronger each day Danielle thought it would be fun to get him a "Bumbo" chair. We have heard good things from other friends that have had them and thought Nolan might enjoy it.

So far he seems to enjoy it for short periods of time. The funniest thing so far was when Danielle set him in his chair looking out the window. She said he was delighted to just be sitting and looking outside like a "big boy".

A Few Rough Nights

Nolan had been zipping along these last 2 months sleeping pretty much like clockwork from 10PM until 6AM. Then out of the blue he started waking up at 3:30 or 4 AM and just screaming. He was pretty much inconsolable for about an hour before going back to sleep.

We still have him sleeping in his "burrito" roll at night but he is getting a little too strong for it. He breaks out and once his arms are free he is wide awake.

Thankfully after a couple of bad nights he seems to be back to his normal sleep routine. We thought this T-shirt summed up his life the past couple of weeks!

Dirty Little Secret: Vaccinations

Danielle and I have many friends and relatives that have small children which has been a great resource for us to ask kid questions to. One thing we were not prepared for, however, was the dreaded shots!

Here we are humming right along with a great 2 month old who eats well, sleeps well and is happy. We take him in for his shots and his world gets turned upside down! Our previously happy child turned into a fussy boy who wouldn't sleep for about 5 days.

Thankfully he has slowly returned to his normal self but we sure are not looking forward to repeating this experience multiple times in the coming months. Hopefully it will be easier the next time.

The other lowlight of our visit to the doctor other than a 75 minute wait (thanks medical establishment!) was having to hold down my son's arms while they stick him with needles in his legs. Not fun to see those big beautiful eyes looking at me as if to say "why would you do this to me?"

I'm sure this is something all families get the joy of going thru but for us it sure was a curveball we were not expecting!

Evidences of God's Wonderful Creation

Isn't it great to see some of the natural beauty that our world has to offer? There are certain times that I look at the world that God created and sit back and say "Wow". I wanted to share a couple of these "Wow" pictures that we have recently seen.

The first picture was earlier in the summer when we were driving to Brainerd. A rainstorm had just passed and we saw this amazing rainbow. I can't ever recall seeing an entire rainbow from end to end.

The 2nd picture was a sunset picture at the lake. Fortunately we get blessed with great sunsets at the lake just about every night but this one was especially beautiful.

What a great creator we serve and what an amazing creation we get to live in and enjoy!

Look at how handsome I am!

One of the new things we have found that entertains Nolan is holding him up in front of the mirror in our bathroom. He stares at himself for a few seconds and then starts to get a huge grin on his face. Sure has been fun as he starts to get more aware of his surroundings and responds with big smiles!

4th of July Fun!

Our entire family (Nick's side) was out at the lake for the 4th of July and had a great weekend. We were able to get a picture of the 2 cousins side by side in diapers. Nolan is definitely bigger but Scarlett is filling out a bit too.

Nolan took his first dip in the cool lake and didn't cry at all. He didn't seem like he loved it but it was nice that he wasn't screaming either!

Nolan, Aunt Nicole, Grandma Gwen and Scarlett hanging out on the boat.

Nolan and dad cruising the lake!

Smiles and Stretches

Nolan's favorite morning activity is a vigorous stretching routine. After being wrapped up in his "burrito" at night he loves reaching his arms straight up into the air for a few minutes in the morning. Very funny to hear him grunt like an old man as he stretches. He has also started smiling a bit which is exciting for his mom and dad!

Sour Grapes Half Marathon

I tackled my second half marathon of the summer over the past weekend in Brainerd, Minnesota. My good friend Tony and I had been looking for an early June half marathon to run and thought that this race would be perfect.

Little did we know what we were in store for. The race description claimed that the race was an off-road race on surfaces of dirt and sand with "subtle and challenging hills." We also recieved an email from the race director before the race telling us that you will not get your PR (personal record) on this course. That would be prove to be more than true.

The first mile included some of the steepest hills I have ever run up and down. They were steep enough that you were unable to run down the hills, you were forced to step down them to avoid tumbling head over heels. It was at this point that I wondered aloud if these were considered "subtle" hills. A runner next to us confirmed it by saying "the whole 13 miles is like this". While he wasn't entirely accurate, the rest of the course did prove to be just about as challenging. The highlight or lowlight depending on how you look at it was a 200 yard section uphill in deep sand. I now know what running uphill on a beach would feel like. Overall a very pretty and scenic course with a lot of shade which was nice but just a brutal course for running 13 miles. I think I need to run it again next year knowing what I am in store for!

P90X

Sitting around my parents home last November in a post turkey Thanksgiving haze I was having an interesting conversation with my cousin Tyson and her husband Mark. We were talking about working out and fitness and they asked me what I have been up to. I confessed that I was really good in the summer about running and working out but from about October to February I pretty much just lifted the remote control and "ran" to the fridge.

They said they had been doing an interesting workout called P90X. They said it was alot of fun, challenging and they were seeing great results. They are also both military men and women so I knew if it was good enough for them it would be good enough for me. I started using this workout routine last November and have to say it has been pretty great overall. Last night Danielle got the "all clear" to resume working out after her C-section and she was introduced for the first time to their intense workouts. Here are my pros and cons on P90X:

PROS

1. Very little equipment needed. I have 20lb dumbells, a yoga mat and a resistance band. I also use the deck behind the house to do pullups. That is it for my "home gym".
2. Not having to drive anywhere to work out. Maybe not a problem for some people but for someone like me looking for an excuse to not work out this takes that option away.
3. Variety. The workouts are scheduled for you and make alot of sense. After you kill your arms one day, the next workout hits a totally different area and lets you recover a bit.
4. Pretty quick results. If you do the workouts and follow the schedule there is no way you won't see results in 3 months.
5. You can workout at home with a partner. I am excited that Danielle can start joining the workouts.

CONS

1. Time. The workouts are long - at least 1 hour per day, 6 days a week is the recommended schedule with some workouts being 90 minutes.
2. Brutal. The workouts are not for the faint of heart. The first couple of weeks I was stiff and sore continually.

All in all I think P90X is a great way to get back into shape and stay in shape. I am looking forward to seeing if my wife agrees!

Getting Peed On

Danielle and I each have our roles when we decide to give Nolan a bath. Her role is to run the bathwater, get his towel and baby lotion ready. Mine is to get Nolan, strip him down and bring him into the bathroom.

Last night I had him all ready to put in the tub but before I put him in the water I test it with my hand to be sure it is not too hot. Of course he chooses that split second to start spraying. At that point I was stuck. Do I let him just drench my shirt and shorts or do I quick try and put him in the tub but probably have him spray down the whole bathroom before I can get him in the tub?

I decided on option #1 and just let him drench me. I was covered from chest to knees. Unbelievable that his bladder is that big! Not sure if I learned anything from this scenario but a funny story nonetheless.

A Weekend of First's

Memorial Day weekend was a weekend of first's for our family:

1. First long car ride with Nolan (4hrs) which went really pretty well
2. First wedding with baby - Danielle's cousin Emily was married on Friday evening. Nolan did OK for about 20 minutes and then started fussing a little bit.
3. First trip to the lake and first boat ride for Nolan. As you can see from the picture he pretty much just slept in the shade.
4. First bath - his cord finally fell out and we were able to give him his first bath at the cabin. He seemed to like this bath much better than the bath with a wet washcloth - a lot less screaming which was nice.

Danielle and I love to travel and it appears that Nolan has inherited some of those same genes which we are thankful for. Trips with an upset kid would definitely cut back on our motivation to leave town!

"The burrito"

Little did Danielle and I know when we sat thru pre-natal class that one of the topics would be so very important. The instructor was talking about the 5 S's - of which I cannot even remember all of them at this point - but I do remember the most important one: SWADDLE.

Without that little nugget we would be up a creek without the paddle. Our little boy seems to only sleep well when his arms are securely tucked to his sides and he cannot move. The above picture tells the story - when he is snuggled tight into his little swaddler he sleeps well, without it not so much.

We found this out the hard way our first night at home as he screamed most of the night with his arms flailing and his legs kicking. The next night we wrapped him up like a burrito and he slept for 3-4 hour stretches. The comical thing is that when he is crying and we wrap him up you can hear him make little noises of satisfaction as we wrap him up and usually he quits crying within about 10 seconds.

We also found out that having a 9lb newborn means that he is stronger than the average newborn. The first 2 swaddlers that we wrapped him in had flimsy velcro and he ripped those off within a few seconds with no trouble. The one he is wearing in the picture has some heavy duty velcro and it keeps him wrapped most of the time. We also have "The Miracle Blanket" from Mimi Gwen that we still need to figure out how to use correctly. This will come in handy during the summer as it is a lot thinner. Not sure how long we will need to utilize this tactic to get him to sleep well but we are sure thankful to have it!

Diaper changes - a dad's perspective

One of my best friend's Brett wanted an update on how my diaper changing skills are progressing so I thought I would put together a few of my thoughts 3 weeks into parenting.

1. If evolution were true every mom would have grown a third arm by now - holding up Nolan's legs, trying to use a baby wipe and position a diaper with 2 hands is tough.
2. Having to "get your feet wet" in the diaper changing business with a meconium filled diaper is cruel. I think I used 12 baby wipes on my first diaper change. (I need to buy some stock in the baby wipe company)
3. Changing a little boy's diaper is an adventure in which I pray that he doesn't decide to spray me. Once that diaper is off it is like a countdown clock is on - I need to do a good job cleaning him up but I also need to work quickly before the clock expires and I get wet. It's like deactivating a bomb.
4. Infant clothing is overrated. Having to pull his arms and head thru clothes while he screams only to have him need a diaper change 5 minutes later is not my idea of a good time. Nolan hangs out in a diaper and onesie most days.
5. The diaper genie was a pleasant surprise. We had heard from a few different people that they didn't like it but for us it has been a good asset. It's always unbelievable when you pull the bag out and see about 50 used diapers - every 3 days!
6. What a blessing to have an awesome wife that probably changes 90% of the diapers in our house! Danielle is a great mommy!
   

Fargo Marathon 2009

After tense negotiations with my wife following last years Fargo half marathon she reluctantly agreed to let me run the 13.1 miles again this year on one condition - I had to find a friend to run with the entire length of the race. For those who don't know the story of the 2008 marathon it basically entailed me hitting the wall at about mile 8 and refusing to stop. I suffered until mile 12, remember seeing the Fargodome and then woke up on my back at the medic tent in the dome. I took a fun filled ride to the ER and spent the night at Innovis Hospital a.k.a. the most expensive hotel room in Fargo. My poor wife had also just run 13.1 miles and had to spend a miserable day with me in the hospital.

Understandably she was less than thrilled when I wanted to run again this year. As luck would have it my friend Kelan Moser was training for his first half marathon and turned out to be a great running partner. The morning of the race arrived with gray skies and a temperature in the upper 30's - perfect for me to avoid heat stroke this year. Kelan and I settled into a nice 9 minute mile pace led by Pacer Jim who was a crazy marathoner with his hair dyed bright green so it was easier to follow him. At about mile 10 we were feeling pretty good so Kelan and I decided that we should try and get under 2 hours. We picked up the pace for the last 3 miles, suffered a little bit but managed to finish with smiles on our faces in just over 1 hour 58 minutes. Some of the highlights along the route included a real live Elvis impersonator singing along the side of the road and seeing the marathon leaders. The leaders were running in the opposite direction and were absolutely flying. All in all a great experience and very excited for next year.