HAPPY APPY

This month has been a whirlwind... Nolan started daycare and I am back to the wonderful, busy, crazy world that is my job as an interior designer.  This year I have a whole new set of projects that are once again spread all over the country... Fort Collins, CO, Tampa, FL, Carbondale, IL and Boone, NC. 

This week I am getting ready for a presentation for a clubhouse that I am working on at our property in Boone. It will service students who attend Appalachian State University. I have done a couple of idea boards for the furniture and accessories in the clubhouse - what do you think?  I have to present them tomorrow so we will see what the powers the be think.

One thing that I love about my job is working at colleges all of the US.  It is fun to dive into their culture and learn about their traditions.  These clubhouses are no small undertaking... you may recall the one that I helped install at LSU in Baton Rouge a couple of years ago.  There is lots of art, furniture, accessories, wall fillers and the like that all have to be selected, purchased and installed by yours truly.  This will be the first clubhouse that I will be solely responsible for... somehow up until this point I have managed to avoid them primarily worked on residence halls on campus that are not as heavily decorated.  I am sure it will be fine... I am just feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.  We will see how it turns out...  Stay tuned.

Nolan is 3 Months Old!

NOLAN'S 3 MONTH UPDATE:
Weight: 13 lbs. 8 oz  (Found out at the Doctor on Monday)

Height: Will get measurement at 4 month check up

Clothes Size: 3-6 month... depending on brand

Diaper Size: 2 (We still prefer the pampers swaddlers... so glad we switched to size 2 this week.  Size 1 was getting a little tight!)

Sleeping Patterns: Was sleeping 6-8 hours on the first stretch at night until he got sick last week... now we are all over the place :(

Milestones: Nolan finally laughed!! Still smiling a lot, pushing head up while on tummy, starting to show interest in rolling over... not there yet, grabbing a lot more items - pacifier, toys, still Mommy's hair, will imitate facial expressions, able to focus for longer periods on activities, toys, people, etc. His favorite thing to do now is lay on the playmay gym that Mimi got him for Christmas... he looks to kick and grab all the toys and look around at all of the animals and patterns.  Everyone is saying that he is really starting to look like Josh - and we think those baby blue eyes just might stick around!  Although, after taking this picture today, I think he looks like my Dad. :)

Favorite Memory this Month:  Nolan's laugh!!  It happened when we were headed home to Jacksonville for Christmas.  We drove half way and stopped in Macon to spend the night in a hotel (first for Nolan) and when we were in the room unpacking, Josh got Nolan to laugh when they were playing.  We were so excited!  It has happened a few more times... such a sweet sound.

We had a wonderful trip home to Florida and then to North Carolina visiting family and friends.  Nolan got to meet even more of his adoring fans and he loved every one of them.  :)

At the end of our trip, Nolan experienced another first - well, we all did.  Our first family cold!  We all came down with it pretty bad by the time we were heading home, which made the car ride so much fun.  I took Nolan to the Doctor when we got home and she diagnosed him with the RSV virus which is a severe cold that can linger for weeks.  Poor buddy!  It breaks my heart to see him so sick - not to mention the sleep we are all losing :(.  I think we are on the up and up though - hopefully by this weekend we will all be well.

I was able to postpone going back to work until next week as Nolan was not allowed in daycare until next Monday - I am so thankful for the extra rest and time spent with my little man!  Leaving him will still be very difficult, but we are trusting God is his plan and timing for our sweet little boy and our family.

I already feel like Nolan is growing up too fast!  (I know every parent says that...) I look back at the first few month pictures that we have taken and I see a huge difference...  He is starting to develop such distinct characteristics and a personality to go with it!  As much as I hate to see him grow up, I look forward to how much he will grow and change this month!  We love you, Nolan.

Laughing with Dad

Today I am reminded of my Dad's contagious laughter.  Lately Josh and I have been trying everything we can think of to get Nolan to laugh... he smiles a lot and makes cooing sounds like he is trying to laugh... but nothing yet.  My Dad had the best laugh.  Well, he had different ones really... one for a funny TV show or movie, one when one of his friends or siblings told a funny story, one when he was laughing with us during tickle fights when we were little, one when he was trying not to laugh and me or my sister when we said something clever or sarcastic and even one when he was trying to laugh so hard that we would be embarrassed to death in public :).   I loved my Dad's laugh.  I love that my Dad loved to laugh.  I love and miss my Dad.  Nine years and it still seems like yesterday.

I literally can't wait for Nolan to laugh!  I am excited to share future laughter and memories with him.  I look forward to sharing funny stories with him about my Dad, his Pop.

Nolan's 2 Month Update

Nolan is 2 months old!  (Or was on December 1...)  I figure that posting a little late is better than never :).  I have gotten quite lax with my blog as of late... guess that's what maternity leave will do to you.  I would really like to get back into updating it as I have always loved looking back on it in later to years to see what we were up to... and now I think I will want to do that even more!  Here is an update on Nolan.

NOLAN'S 2 MONTH UPDATE:
Weight: 12 lbs. 6 oz  (75th percentile)

Height: 24.8" long  (95th percentile)

Clothes Size: 3 month or 3-6 month depending on brand

Diaper Size: 1 (We prefer the pampers swaddlers - I am thinking that we may need to switch to size 2 with our next big box...)

Sleeping Patterns: 5 hour stretches at night... give or take.

Milestones: Smiling a lot (no laughing yet... despite Josh and I's constant efforts), pushing head up while on tummy, starting to grab some things... mainly mommy's hair :)

Favorite Memory this Month:  Introducing him to so many of our family when we went home for Thanksgiving to Florida.  He is so well loved by everyone.

During this month, I feel like Nolan has grown and changed so much... which kinda makes me feel guilty for not updating the blog more.  I feel like each day he grows and changes a little bit more.  Right now we are getting ready for Christmas... the tree and decorations went up the week before Thanksgiving.  Nolan loves to sit it his swing and look at the lights on the tree.  All I keep thinking about is how different our Christmas next year will be :).

This week Josh and I went to visit the daycare that Nolan will be going to in January.  Although I know leaving him there is going to be one of the hardest things I have to do... I feel better about it after seeing it.  I know that he will be well-taken care of and he will be right near the hospital (Josh's work).  I am trying to get everything ready for daycare... make sure we have the correct supplies and that I have enough bottles pumped.  He will start 2 days after we return from Christmas travels which is coming quickly!

My maternity leave (although I still have 3 weeks left) has gone by so fast!  It definitely makes me sad that it is almost over - I would not trade spending these precious first few weeks with Nolan for anything.  It also gets me excited about how much he is going to grow and how we will be able to interact with him in the coming months.  We love our sweet boy.

NOLAN'S BIRTH STORY

Nolan was born on Monday, October 1 at 5:22 pm.  His delivery was a planned induction.  Everything went very well and although I was initially very nervous about the whole process... I now realize that everything worked out exactly how God planned it and I would not have wanted anything different.  

I went into the hospital at 5:30 AM that morning, got checked in and then began the process of getting hooked up to all of the monitors and fluids.  Honestly, for me, this was the worst part - I was so nervous  (and I am a wimp when it comes to needles, etc) that the IV was probably the worst part.  (Weird, I know!)

Before being hooked up to start the labor process

Our last picture as a family of two!

Once I was hooked up to the monitors, we realized that I was already in the early stages of labor.  This made me feel a lot better knowing that although we were inducing, Nolan probably would have come within a couple of days or so.  Planning the induction was wonderful since we were able to prepare and make sure that my Mom made it in time to be there.

Around 9:00 AM I got the epidural.  At first my contractions were not too bad and I even had the crazy thought that maybe I should wait/not get one at all.  What if they are never really that bad?  The nurse encouraged me to go ahead and request it if I wanted it at all.  By the time the anesthesiologist was able to administer it - I was definitely ready!!  I was so ready... that I was not even nervous about the needle in my back.

Throughout the day, my doctor came and checked on me and I progressed slowly but surely.  They had to up the dose of pitocin a couple of times.  Around 4:30 PM when the nurse checked me for the last time... she said that I was finally ready to start pushing.

Pushing was a process that went very differently than I thought it would.  I am used to the movies/TV shows where the doctor and a ton of nurses run in and it is very dramatic and the baby is out in 10 minutes.  Maybe this is how it is for some people?  Once I started pushing, it was just me, Josh and my nurse in the room.  She waited about 20 minutes and then called my doctor in.  Overall it took a lot longer than I thought - but was not bad.

By 5:22 PM, Nolan was born!  It was truly an amazing experience.  There were so many emotions that Josh and I felt - but mostly, we were so relieved and excited that our son was finally here - safe and sound.

When we first met Nolan

Josh cutting the umbilical cord

Our first family photo

8lb 5oz, 20.5" - Our big boy!

Truly a miracle

I am so thankful for our baby boy - Nolan James Hewiett.  It has been two weeks and two days since he arrived and we love him more and more each day.  He is a healthy and happy baby and we could not be more thankful.  We love you, Nolan and can't wait to watch you grow each day.

FIVE YEARS

Today is our five year wedding anniversary.  I can't believe how fast these 5 years have gone!  To say that our lives have changed a bit would be an understatement... moving to Alabama, Josh going to grad school... moving 2 more times, buying our first house and now having our son, Nolan.  I wouldn't trade these past five years for anything.  Josh - I love you and I can't wait for our next adventure together!

NOLAN JAMES HEWIETT

Nolan James Hewiett was born Monday, October 1 at 5:22 PM.  He weighed 8lb. 5oz. and 20.5" long. Mom and Nolan are doing great.

We are so blessed and thankful to have our little boy with us.  I will be working on his birth story that I can hopefully post very soon!