Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We got to host thanksgiving dinner for the first time, and boy was it an adventure. Dinner for 20. I didn't think it could be done, especially with a little man scooting himself all around the house (he can kind of crawl now, did I mention that?). Right about the time we thought it would be easy, the turkey pan cracked and the juices spilled out all over the stove. However, when we look back, that really was our only set back. The rest of the night was great. The cat escaped too and we didn't get him back in the house until 1am. Oh, and the dude can pull himself up to kneeling and standing positions now.

Maybe I did get a picture with Bill...

Now that I think about it, we did get some pictures with Bill. He was really a good sport about us putting him in poses with the dude. What a nice guy.

Wedding in Lawrence

We finally got to visit Lawrence for the first time as a family. A college buddy of both of ours got married over the weekend all the old jayhawk swimmers and friends came out of the woodworks. It was great to see everybody over the weekend and the wedding was spectacular. A party for the ages. Just like back when we were 20-somethings. Oh, yea, and the dude met Bill Self while we were walking through Allen Fieldhouse and the athletic department to say hi to the new swim coach. I proceed to say something really dumb like "Hi Bill, I've got your starting point guard in 20yrs right here". I mean he must hear that all the time. What an idiot I am. I should have just said good luck against Florida and shut the hell up. For the record, he was very nice, talked with us for several minutes, replied to my stupid comment with "Well, he looks thick and sturdy enough, how about power forward?". Bill Self Rocks. So does Lawrence. Oh, yea, I had my camera with, and I forgot to get a picture with Bill. Jesus, could I have screwed this encounter up any worse? At least I didn't faint.

Winter is Coming to Minnesota...

Um, Ok, you got me, this is just a random picture post. Enjoy!

Nolzilla (thanks brian) and Tilly the witch

I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but it has become clear that the steroid shots he received upon birth has resulted in the dude developing sheer dinosaur like strength. We shall call him Nolzilla. Because he has been given this great power, we will try to raise him like a normal boy, so that he will be a well-rounded individual when he grows up and use his power for good rather than evil. However, be warned, don't upset Nolzilla; he just might eat you. Right now it's more of a slobbering, but I know this is on his mind because he salivates every time he sees me. We recently walked around St. Paul with Nolzilla and his friend Tilly the witch, and people were so scared of being eaten (or hexed), they gave us candy. This whole good over evil thing is going to be a tough sell if people keep giving us candy when we scare them.

Old Friends and New Friends

We spent last weekend with old friends in Ol' Miss. It was The Dude's first air plane ride and he handled most of it all like a champ. Of course, we got stuck in the Detroit airport for a few extra hours late on Sunday night. I heard somewhere that some babies sleep when they get tired; not the dude. He was giggling and having a great time HOURS after his bed time, and up until we boarded the last flight at 11:30pm. When we finally sat down and the plane filled with noisy people, the dude let out a scream so loud and long I didn't think such decibels could be reached by humans. Fortunately, he crashed right after take off, so all in all, I think the trip went as smoothly as it could have. (Does anyone else notice that the dude's nose is turning orange?)

Dude's going through a lot...

Well, things have been fairly busy here in MN. We have reached the brief period between summer and winter (most people know it as fall, but Minnesotans really only know it as the two week window where you only have time to say "Oh crap, winter's almost...yup it's here"). We are smack in the middle of the dude's first fall, and to go with it, he's getting his first teeth poking through, and he had his first episode of projectile vomiting this morning (hence the tears).


Despite all he is going through, he still finds time to make us smile. What a trooper.

Last Days of Summer

Next time you see Nolan outside you'll probably only be able to see his eyes peeking through his snowsuit, hat, mittens, scarf and snow boots. It's actually supposed to get down to the 30's at night this week. And we wonder why no has visited us since we left San Diego.

Real Food

We introduced Nolan to real food recently and he seems to like the new variety of tastes. Wait until he realizes smashed peas taste like crap.

Sleepy time

So, the little guy does get sleepy. That's news to us.

What's this?
Oh my, I think I like it.
I'm Irish, what do you expect?

My Hair is finally growing in!

Sucking on my toes is AWESOME! It's just a little tricky getting them up to my mouth...I'm not quite as flexible as I use to be.

He's officially .5!

Well, the dude is now over 6months old and here are the stats: He's 16lbs, 25in long, which is in the 90-100th percentile for preemies, 50-60th for his corrected age (based on his due date), and 20th for his actual age if he was full term. His doctor describes it as a "success story". He's getting so big, he is playing with the big boy toys (which as you can see, can be so much fun it looks like he just got caught doing something naughty).
Here's another shot of the zebra, and a rare shot of him sleeping (he was just showing off for his great-grandma). Unfortunately for mom, we have found out he really doesn't like taking naps (just like his daddy as a baby) or sleeping through the night. It's a good thing he's cute.

Awesome 80's Prom

Well, we decided to get the grandparents over to babysit and have a night on the town (our first since having the dude). We went to a wonderful interactive theatrical production called "Awesome 80's Prom". Can you think of a better setting to bust out the mullet wig? I can't.

Bumbo Baby

Now that the little chub-sters is getting older, he's able to do things without the help of his mom and dad. Last night we heard a strange cry coming from Nolan room after we had put him down for the night. We both went running to his crib to find Nolan on his BELLY! So, we are very excited to announce he's officially rolling over unassisted just in time for his six month birthday. Plus, sitting up is slightly less of a struggle than it has been. Apparently, sitting in a chair specifically designed for him makes him happy (but only for a very short period of time)...CLICK THE PIC!

Videos

I have been inspired by the parents of Little Lady Cronley to place some videos on this blog. I have got to keep up. To start, if you look to the right, I have placed some of the early videos on the web for your viewing pleasure. We still get a bit emotional over these. Enjoy. I'll update with more recent video soon.

The Fourth at the Cabin

Once again Nolan enjoyed spending time at the lake. We had a little trouble convincing him to sleep...who wants to sleep when there are so many family members around to play with? The best part of the week for Mike and I was being able to have an endless supply of baby sitters so we could work out together.

A Day at the Pool

Sunday was Nolan's first visit to the pool (probably one of many to come)! The day started as normal with a feeding, diaper change, and small nap. Unfortunately, as we progressed through the day, Nolan found it more and more difficult to hold his composure...until we made it to the pool. The moment we arrived on deck you could see a twinkle appear in his little blue eyes. It didn't take long before we were in the pool enjoying ourselves.

Is this a sign of things to come?!

i like 'yer style dude

so, here is the dude. he is learning to sit up...almost.