Reflections...

Wow... It has been such a great year! I can't believe all of the things we have been through over the past year.


Aside from having a few pregnancy issues, being pregnant was great. And I have got to say, I kinda miss it! We will work on that in a couple of years! The birth of Nolan was an experience I will never forget. Not because of the 12 hour labor with 3 intense hours of pushing (Ouch!), but because I welcomed my beautiful baby boy with my Husband and Sister right by my side supporting and cheering me on. It couldn't have been any better! The sound of Nolan's first cry was so touching and I was so happy to finally be a mommy. (Oh... tears are filling in my eyes!) Nolan has been a wonderful baby. He is full of smiles and laughter and just lights up the room. He is growing so quickly... crawling, sitting, cutting teeth, babbling (sometimes saying "HI!" and "Dada"), and eating big boy foods.... I can hardly believe it! We have been so extremely blessed to welcome him into our lives. He is also loved by so many... his family just can't seem to get enough of him. I could probably go on all day about Nolan and how we love him to pieces, but I will save you some time!!

Soon after Nolan was born, Michelle (Nolan's Aunt MiMi) found out that she was also expecting a little boy. Brody is due to come any day now and we are just thrilled for Troy, Michelle, and Madyson. Nolan will love playing with his cousin Brody and I know they will grow to become great friends. (They will almost have to... Michelle and I see each other at least once a week!)

In August, Gary and I moved into our very first home! Being a homeowner is a great feeling; however, we are now realizing the costs of owning your own home. It is not as easy as calling the landlord to have something fixed; although most of the time our landlord would take about 6 months to fix something anyways! We have made some small improvements/updates to our home including, updating the main bathroom, painting the walls, and removing the ridiculous ivy all over the outside of our home! All together, it has been worth it and we are loving every minute of it!

All in all, it has been a fantastic year! Thank you to everyone that regularly follows our blog. After all, this really is for you! We hope everyone had a great Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year! Until next year!!!

Nolan's First Christmas!

Nolan's first Christmas was an extremely exciting day! I was so anxious for Christmas to come. I knew Nolan wouldn't know much about it, but he sure made everyone else's day. Christmas started with opening presents at our new home in the morning. Grandma and Grandpa Stein, Shawn, and GiGi all came over to watch Nolan's big event. There wasn't really much to see... Nolan only wanted to eat the bows and tore the paper a little bit. I finished unwrapping most presents. As soon as daddy would get the presents out of their boxes Nolan did not care about the present he was currently "opening". He REALLY wanted to play with his new gifts. We ended up letting him play with each gift for a few minutes and then we would hide them so we could move on. After we were done at home, which took about 2 hours to open 4 presents, we went to Gary's Parent's house for food, presents, and family! Nolan received way more presents at The Stein's; some from GiGi, some from Grandma & Grandpa Stein, and some from Gary's Aunt MeeMee in North Carolina. Then, on Saturday, we had Christmas with my family from Champaign. It was my first time hosting Christmas at my house... and it was great! With some help from Theresa, Michelle and Gary, I think it was pretty successful. Not bad for claiming that I don't know how to cook! We opened presents at my house in the evening, but by that time, Nolan was knocked out. I ended up opening his presents for him! This weekend totally took its toll on Nolan, but it was great fun! I can't wait for next year... I have a feeling he will be way more interested!

Thank you to all who visited and for the wonderful presents! We hope you had a great Holiday!

Actually ripping open a gift!

Eating a bow off of one of his presents. Yummy!

Opening another gift from Mommy and Daddy!

Eating the book that Aunt MeeMee sent from North Carolina.

Tooth Number 2... Success!

Nolan now has two teeth that have broken through the skin! The second one broke through on Christmas day. He sure looks cute with two little bottom teeth. I just wish the tooth that is bothering him right now would come through... Mommy, Daddy, and baby need sleep!!

It's Official... He Said his First Words!

My favorite thing to say to Nolan is "Hi" and he thinks it is HILARIOUS! Every time I see him... I just say, "Hi, hi, hi!" For a couple of weeks now I have been thinking that he has been saying "Hi", but many people have told me that it is doubtful because he is too young and 'Hi' is a hard word for babies. I am now convinced that he is saying it! Last night every other sound that came out of his mouth sounded like "HI!" So, I started trying other sounds, as I have been for a couple of weeks, like 'Mama' and 'Dada'. And EVERY TIME I said "Dada" he would repeat after me. Later in the evening he was constantly saying "Dada"! I am still trying to work on Mama... but I am just thrilled to hear any words come out of his mouth!

Now... only if I could get him to understand meaning... and the meaning of "No, no"!

Merry Christmas Everyone!! And enjoy the pictures below!

Bath time at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Bundled Up and Ready for the COLD weather!

Nolan's Tummy Issues

For a little over a month we have been struggling with Nolan not sleeping through the night. At first we thought it was just a teething issue and pushed is crying through the night to the side. After two weeks of restless nights, I noticed that he started tugging on his ears.... ear infection, right? NO! After four weeks of waking up at night and screaming crying for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, I decided to take him to the doctor. I couldn't stand the thought of my baby being in pain anymore. ( I didn't take him sooner because I didn't want to seem like a paranoid first time mommy!) The doctor said that he did not have an ear infection, but he thought he was having reflux and indigestion issues. They put Nolan on Zantac and another medicine that coats his tummy to help it settle down. After two weeks on the meds, he seems to be doing a lot better. He actually slept two entire nights through the past two nights. So, my question is... was it his tooth that just popped through that was giving him issues at night? Or was it his belly? I tend to still think it was his belly because during his crying fits he would tug and hit his belly. :(
Anyways, things seem to be looking up! Woohoo!

I See a Tooth!

Yesterday Nolan's first tooth finally broke through. He has been teething for quite some time now and his gums have been super swollen. But now.... one is finally through. Hopefully the other will come through soon too! He keeps rubbing his tongue and lip against the tooth... I think he realizes something is actually there now. I sure am going to miss the "gummy" smile!!

Here Comes Santa Claus

Here Comes Santa Claus, Right Down Santa Claus Lane....

Nolan met Santa Claus for the first time ever at the Annual Kid's Christmas Party at the Firehouse on Sunday! He didn't cry at all when he met Santa, he kind of just stared at him. Santa also gave Nolan a toy tractor; however you can see from the picture that he was not interested in Santa nor what was in the gift... just the bow! I am sure he will be more interested next year. Hopefully he won't cry like some of the other kids!

Nolan sitting with Daddy and Santa

Nolan with Kahli, Brent's (Gary's Best Man) daughter, at the Christmas Party

Nolan Already Loves Brody!

We are fast approaching the arrival of baby Brody and we just can't wait! I am sure Aunt MiMi can't wait either!! Here is a picture of Nolan loving on Brody. So stinking cute... I just had to share! (Sorry Michelle, I just couldn't resist the urge!)

There was also a picture of Nolan kissing Aunt MiMi's belly, but I didn't want to make Aunt MiMi too mad!!

Big Boy Carseats

Nolan now has big boy carseats!! Woohoo! And he is loving every minute of it! He sits in his new seats like a big boy and looks out the window. It is such a bittersweet moment! Here are a few pictures to document this big event!

Testing the Big Boy Seat for Mommy's Car

Testing the Big Boy Seat for Daddy's Car

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

So, it is our VERY first year having a Christmas tree and our first year in our new house and the first time we get to share the holiday with our baby boy... and we couldn't be more thrilled!!! We put our Christmas tree up the other day and put wrapped presents under it. There will be a small number of gifts this year, but let's be honest, it will take Nolan 3 hours to open the 4 presents we got him!! Here is a picture of our tree that I am so excitedly proud of! I just LOVE Christmas!

And... I know you are all just dying to see a current picture of Nolan... so here you go! This is a picture of Nolan and Gary playing on the floor a couple of days ago. Cutest picture EVER!! :)

Look at Him Grow!

It is official... my baby is becoming a big boy! For the past week or so Nolan has been trying so hard to crawl. He was definitely army crawling- and was doing quite well with it! You'd better not have anything that he shouldn't have in eyesight or he was going to get it. But NOW... he took his official first crawl- hands and knees- on Friday night! He is only able to take about 2 "steps" and then he falls, but hey, it is a great start! I am so stinking proud!!

Another sign Nolan is becoming a big boy... we went and looked at Big Boy Carseats this weekend! Nolan's carrier is simply too small for him now. You can tell he is uncomfortable and he tries very hard, but unsuccessfully to sit up in it. Nolan looked so cute when we were "trying out" the seats. He seemed really happy to be able to sit up and have a lot more room. As soon as we buy one, we will definitely post pictures.

And a final sign... He is drinking his juice from a sippie cup! He does so well at holding the cup and placing it in his mouth. Just don't take it away from him while he is drinking; you may just have a monster on your hands!!!

6 Month Appointment

Nolan had his 6 month appointment on Friday. Another day filled with shots and tears! He had four shots and one oral "shot", including half of a flu shot. He definitely had a rough day after the shots, but he is doing fine now. Well, with the exception of the fact that his teeth have been bothering him a bunch latelty. I wish those darn teeth with just come through! So.... the details.... he now weighs 18lbs. 1oz. and is 26.5 inches long. The doctor again said that he was impressed with Nolan's development, including his new habit of scooting- maybe he will be crawling by Thanksgiving! Or Christmas at the latest! More pictures to come soon!

Just Monkeying Around

First off let me say that I am flabbergasted at how fast Nolan has been growing. Can you believe he is already six months old? I can hardly believe it myself! Nolan's First Halloween turned out to be a great night. It was beautiful outside with temperatures around 70 degrees. Nolan looked so darn cute in his monkey costume, but it was a little warm outside for him to be in it for too long. I say that he probably only had it on for a total of 30 minutes all night long. (We changed in and out of it three times to make sure that he didn't get too hot.) We didn't take him trick-or-treating, but we took him up to the firehouse where many families come to trick-or-treat and showed him off to our fire family! All in all it was a great night and Nolan looked as cute as can be. He HAD to be the cutest monkey in the world that night!!

Momma's Little Pumpkin

Grandma Theresa and I took Nolan to the pumpkin patch today... Okay... we just took him to Eckert's to the Garden Store, but he really doesn't know any better! Nolan had a great time at the pumpkin store. He was so interested in all of the people, the pumpkins, and the scare-crows. He even tried to pull some of the stuffing out of one of the scare-crows. I can see a destrcutive little boy emerging!! We tried to take some pictures with the pumpkin displays, but he was more interested in everything else surrounding us. Here are a couple of pictures. He was dressed for the occassion... his shirt courtesy of Haley says "little pumpkin"! Too cute!

Picture Day!

We had picture day on October 12... and it was so fun! Nolan did really well, but he got tired about half way through. Here are two pictures from the photo shoot! I swear I have the cutest kid in the world! What a ham!!

Feeding Himself??

Here are some pictures of Nolan holding is bottle for the first time. He always wants to hold his bottle and feed himself. We really need to work on teaching him how to hold it upright so he doesn't get so angry when no more is coming out! He also tries to feed himself all of his veggies and cereal... but he is really terrible with that task. We keep having to remind him that he is not that big!!

Nolan Goes to the Farm

This weekend I had my annual employee summer event. Every year we choose a different place to go and this year I decided on Eckert's Farm. Eckert's is a local farm that grows everything from pumpkins to Christmas trees to apples and peaches. They also have a ton of farm animals such as pigs, goats, sheep, etc. Gary's parents brought Nolan for a short bit and he was quite the ham! He was so excited to see all of the people and was so interested in the farm animals. Here is a picture of him just staring intently at the dwarf goats. He wasn't quite sure what to think of them. Also included are two of my favorite pictures of him. I think I grow more obsessed with him each day!

Family Update

Things have been really busy for the past couple of weeks in the Stein Household.

We are officially moved into our new house, although we still have a lot of unpacking and arranging to do. Being a homeowner is a wonderful feeling and we are happily settling in! Alabama is slowly getting accustomed to the house as well. She likes to be nosey and roam around each room, sniffing every crack and corner. She is not quite sure what to think about all of the hardwood floors throughout, but she will eventually get used to them. And she loves her HUGE backyard and is having a difficult time sharing with the squirrels and bunnies! Nolan loves his new home too... Well at least I pretend that he does! I am sure he will appreciate it as he gets older. His room is the only room in the whole house that is complete and it looks great! As far as Gary goes... he has been a work-horse trying to get everything done just the way I like it. What a great husband!! I have been hard at work supervising the projects and being a mommy! We are thrilled to have a place of our own and are looking forward to raising our family here.

Nolan is still growing like a weed. He is talking and laughing up a storm. He seems to think that monkeys (his room is based around monkeys) and Alabama are the funniest things that he has ever seen! Alabama tries to steer clear of Nolan as he has already gotten a hold of her hears and her paws. And let me tell you, he has a strong grip! He has been eating his big boy foods extremely well. So far he has eaten carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, applesauce, and prunes. His favorite thus far is squash. We try peas next week. That should be interesting! Every day that passes we are just amazed at how fast he is growing. There is no better feeling in the world than having a little baby that you love and that loves you.

Hopefully we will get some updated pictures up soon. We have just been extremely busy with the house that we haven't got around to it. Until next time!

4 Month Appointment

Nolan had his four month appointment last week, and as I have been saying... he is getting so big! I can not believe how stinking big he has gotten since he was born. Nolan is a big 15 lbs and 10.5 oz. now! Yikes! And get this... he has grown 6 inches; He is now 25 inches long. Lately we have been noticing that he is growing out of his 3 month clothes. Guess we will have to start putting him into his 6 month outfits! He had 3 shots plus an oral one and boy did that tick him off, but he survived!! Gary was shocked at how upset he got over the shots (he didn't go to the first appointment with shots).The doctor said that Nolan is an "over-achiever" with the way that he is almost rolling over, standing so well (with assistance of course!), lifting his head so well, and his coordination. I always new my baby boy was so strong and smart. More pics to come later!

Yum Yum in Nollie's Tum Tum

Formula just doesn't cut it anymore, but cereal and fruit sure do!! Nolan started on solids this last week, and boy does he LOVE it! The only problem... we can not feed him fast enough. He is such a big boy. He eats from the spoon like a champ and even likes to wipe his face with his bib. He is so stinking smart, or maybe he is just trying to eat the bib too. My baby is a hungry boy! This week we fed him rice cereal and prunes and apples. Hopefully after we see the doctor this week we can start him on veggies. We knew the prunes and apples would be fine considering he has been drinking apple prune juice for at least 2 months now! Enjoy the pictures... there are more updates to come!

Lesson Learned...

Well, today was supposed to be Nolan's 4th month doctor's appointment. We were extremely anxious to find out how big he is and to finally get him started on cereal. (The boy is starving!) Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the doctor today. Why, you ask? Get this... I forgot Nolan's insurance card (the same one that he used last visit) at home. I had just gotten back from Los Angeles last night and did not have my wallet in my purse because I was afraid that I would lose it in California. So, you heard right, they refused to see me. We had been there before and they had scanned his insurance card then, but that evidently was not good enough. They wouldn't even let me come back after his appointment with the card, or call my insurance company to have it faxed over. Completely ridiculous. So, the appointment is now rescheduled for next Wednesday. Grandma Theresa will have to take him because Gary works that day and I have a meeting. Ugh! So, what is the lesson learned? The lesson that I learned today is that Nolan's doctor's office is unreasonable and we will now switch doctors. Anyone could accidentally leave their insurance card at home...

He's Getting So Big!

With each day that passes, it seems that Nolan is getting bigger and bigger. It is so amazing to see how fast he is growing. He has a ton of personality and loves to talk. I have never felt a better feeling than that of when he looks at me and smiles or laughs. There probably is no better feeling in the world! He is such a beautiful and happy baby.

Nolan started daycare last week. It is an in-home daycare in O'Fallon, somewhat close to where we live and closer to our new home. He only goes twice a week because the other days Gary is off of work. He seems to be enjoying himself. The first day was rough... Miss Stephanie said that he cried a lot, but he has gotten better with each day. Miss Stephanie has commented several times about how happy he is and what a pleasure it is to have him in her daycare. The only problem we have run into so far... he does not want to take naps while there; I think he is afraid he is going to miss something with the other two little ones running around! It looks like this is going to work out just fun despite my hesitation to send him to daycare!

Well, here are a couple of recent pictures of Nolan. One is of him sitting in his Bumbo. He loves it and sits so well in it! The last picture is of him sitting in his swing. There is a mirror on the swing that he is extremely interested in. He just can't stop staring at it. Too cute!

We have Nolan's four month appointment next week, which means more shots. Wish us luck! Until next week...

Reunion of a Lifetime!

Here is the touching story... I grew up in California, along the Colorado River, from the time that I was 5 until 12 years old. While living in California, I became great friends with a girl named Anitra. She was from Los Angeles, but her grandfather owned a vacation home in the resort community in which I grew up. She visited the area every summer, at various holidays, and even lived there an entire year. Growing up, we were inseparable when we were together. I have great memories of playing with her grandfather's slot machine, riding around in the golf cart, and hanging out with our friends. It was truly a great time!

When I was in 7th grade my mother decided to move back to Illinois and I lost contact with Anitra. It had been 12 years and I had not heard from Anitra, although I did look for her. It wasn't until last year when Anitra found my sister, Michelle, and I on MySpace! She was looking for us, just as we had been looking for her. She is now living in London and working for Christie's Auction House; although she visits her home in Los Angeles often. This last weekend Anitra made the trip to St. Louis to see us! It was such a wonderful time! We seemed to have picked up right were we left off. Nobody would have ever thought that we had not even seen each other in 13 long years! We spent the whole weekend catching up on each other's lives and doing what great friends do.

I never thought that I would ever reconnect with any of my childhood friends from California. It is such a special feeling to have her back in our lives again. She is truly a wonderful person and a great friend. Thank you Anitra for visiting us and treating us to an amazing weekend. We miss you already and we can not wait to see you again!

Because I am a Nolan Addict...

Not more than two days go by without me taking pictures of Nolan. I guess you could say that I am somewhat of an addict... but as I have always said, there are worse things to be addicted to than your son! Here is a picture of him napping on the Boppy... Way too cute! And another of him sitting in his new bouncer seat that his Grandma Theresa bought him. (She needed one for her house!) He absolutely loves his new bouncer at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It has a mirror that can hang right in front of his face and he just loves to stare at the mirror. You can also catch him laughing at himself in the mirror quite often. Man, I have the cutest baby EVER!! Hope you guys aren't getting sick of all these pictures... I just can't help myself!

Nolan Meets Aunt Mee Mee

What a great weekend this has turned out to be... Aunt Mee Mee came into town from High Point, North Carolina! For those of you that do not know Aunt Mee Mee, she is Gary's aunt, also known as Mary. We have been spending every possible moment with Aunt Mee Mee as we only get to see her about once a year. We are so happy that she got to meet Nolan... we know he is going to grow to love her just as much as we do!! She is already spoiling little Nollie; She went shopping today and bought him a bunch of outfits, a bath toy and a GloWorm! I know he will love that GloWorm just as much as I loved mine when I was a little girl. Thank you Aunt Mee Mee for all of your love and support! And... Uncle Jeff... We can't wait for you to meet Nolan too. I hear that you are making a trip back for Thanksgiving... (WINK)!!

12 Weeks... My How Time Flies!

Yep... you heard it right... Nolan is 12 weeks today! What a big boy he is growing to be! Here are a couple of recent pictures of Nolan playing with his new rattle that his Grandma Theresa bought him. He loves to shake it and even tries to eat it! He has also been known to throw it and I must say that he tends to throw it pretty far. We might just have a baseball player on our hands!!

I Could Totally Live With This Habit!

Last night Nolan slept nine complete hours, if not a little more than nine hours! I laid Nolan down to sleep at about 8:30 last night. I had decided to go to bed early myself because the night before Nolan was up every 2.5-3 hours; I wanted to be well-rested for work the next day. I thought I was over that stage, but evidently not! So, I was extremely prepared to have another restless night... it was a great, but scary surprise when I awoke at 5:30 this morning realizing that I had not woken up in the middle of the night to feed Nolan. The first thing I did was to check to make sure he was still breathing. And of course he was!! He had just slept through the night! I could not believe it... it was almost a miracle. Keep your fingers crossed for us to have more nights like this!

The Tree...

Thanks to everyone that responded to let us know that the tree at our new house is a Magnolia Tree! I am glad that it is not eating at me anymore!!

New Digs for the Stein Family!

We have some great news to share... Gary and I just bought our first house! After much thought, Gary and I realized that we needed a bigger home now that Nolan is here. We were searching around for three bedroom homes for rent until we realized that we could buy a house for less than we would pay in rent. So, for a couple of weeks Gary and I have been looking at houses. None of the houses that we found were appealing to us, until our realtor showed us a house that we fell in love with... the only problem is... is that it is out of our budget. We were devastated until we realized that the owner is the deacon of our church and knows Gary's parents well. With a few calls to the owners, help from Mom and Dad Stein, and a contract placed within our budget, we were able to make our dream come true! The sellers surprisingly accepted our first offer! We are closing on the house on August 27 and we can not wait to move in! This is going to be the perfect place to raise a family. Thanks to all that made this possible for us. We are very thankful for your help! Please click on the slideshow to the right to view images of hour new house! (You must click on the slideshow to see larger images!)

Nolan's Favorite "Toy"

Nolan has become extremely observant lately. He loves watching things move and listening to music. Here are a couple of pictures of him laying in his crib watching the mobile go round and round. Thank you Aunt Mee Mee... Nolan loves this present that you got him! It is a sure fire way to stop him from crying!

First Week Back to Work

Hanging out at Grandma's house while Mommy and Daddy work!

Well, this was my first week back to work... and obviously I survived! I cried my eyes out on Sunday night because the thought of leaving Nolan after spending 10 weeks with him was just heart-wrenching. Thank goodness Gary was there to comfort and calm me down. At work on Monday I managed to find myself crying a couple of times as people asked me about Nolan constantly. It was, however, such a relief to hear everyone say that they were happy that I was back. I guess you could say it makes things a little easier. I have been a little tired at work, but I think I just need to get back on a schedule. This week Nolan stayed with Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Terry on the days that Gary worked. From my understanding he was a great baby and was thoroughly enjoyed by Gma and Gpa. Each day I couldn't wait to get off of work and rush over to see Nolan! I am going through a BIG adjustment period and I like to think that I am handling it well!

Nolan's 8 Week Doctor Appointment

Sleeping after a long, hard day. Those shots really wore him out!
Check out my band aids!

Nolan had his 2 month doctor appointment today. Can you believe it... he is already 2 months old! My baby is getting so big. Speaking of big...Nolan is now 11 pounds 8 ounces and is 22.25 inches long!! (The nurse asked me to guess his weight and I guessed it exactly.) He has gained exactly 4 pounds since birth and has grown three inches. I can't believe how fast he is growing. The doctor said that she was really impressed with how strong Nolan is. She said that he should be rolling over very shortly. She also said that she sees tendencies to want to crawl. YIKES! He is too small for that! Due to Nolan's excessive constipation issues, the doctor said that we can start him on prune juice now. I can't wait to see if he likes it. I also can't wait to see how big of a mess prune juice is going to make! Good thing Daddy is Mr. Clean! And, as you can see from the pictures above, Nolan had four shots today. He was such a good boy. He did scream a little, but Grandma Theresa was right there to help Mommy comfort him while Daddy was off at work. We are so proud at how beautiful and healthy Nolan is. He is everything we could have ever dreamed of! Check back soon for more pics!