Preparing for the Teeth

Adam and I anticipate that the next milestone for Nolan will be the arrival of cute little baby teeth! I've spend quite a bit of time doing extensive (code word for wasting time, according to Adam!) research after hearing many teething nightmare stories from other parents. We've stocked up on teething toys and pain reliever but I am most excited about getting Nolan's amber teething necklace!

I am part of a few different baby/mommy groups online and people have consistently touted amber teething necklaces as being a must have for when your baby is teething (and an essential item to have for many other ailments). Once I made the decision to buy a necklace, I did even MORE research to find the best place to get one and came across Inspired by Finn. I placed my order this morning and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of this. I'll blog a follow up review a week or so after we received Nolan's necklace and let you know how I notice any difference (other than being fashionably adorable, that is)!

Does anyone have any advice and/or tips for getting through the teething process?

Some More Firsts

Last night Nolan had his first dip in the baby pool and also ate rice cereal for the first time! It has been unbearably hot this week so we waited until 7:30 in the evening to venture outside. He seemed a little confused about the pool and just stared down inquisitively at the water...probably wondering why he had to take a bath outside!

We've been having trouble getting Nolan to go down for the night so Adam thought that if we gave him a little rice cereal at night, he might sleep better on a full stomach. I had wanted to hold off starting any solids/cereal until his six month appointment in two weeks but I agreed to start early in order to save my sanity. Nolan LOVED the rice cereal! After the first bite or two, he grabbed the spoon and wanted to feed himself because apparently, I wasn't going fast enough for his liking. I'm so excited for this new stage in our lives but can't help feeling a little sad that Nolan is growing up SO quickly!

                    

A little sun/dusk bathing beforehand                                                        

                                                         

He made that face the entire time!

                                                         

There's no turning back now...he loved it!

We skyped the monumental occassion with Nana and Pawpaw!

                                                  

  Upset that there was no more rice cereal :(

A Trip to Richmond

Nolan, Grammy, Grampy and I took a trip up to Richmond to visit with little miss Avery last weekend. I absolutely love getting the two little ones together - it's so fun to see the differences in them and to let them 'play' together! Nolan had a less than stellar performance on the way to AND from Virginia but I think he was just bored and wanted to get out of his car seat. We arrived late Friday night and on Saturday while the others slaved away in the garden, Nolan, Avery, Aunt Michelle and I went shopping in Cary Towne, which is a neighborhood with lots of unique shops and even more unique people. That night we had a great cookout with my cousin Staci, her husband Mark, and their awesome kids, Logan and Bailey. I look forward to many more trips to Richmond but am looking even more forward to the day that the 'Richmond Kempf's' decide to move back to North Carolina (hint...)!

Everything started out all cute and innocent...

...and then Nolan decided it was time to take a bite (gum? he doesn't have teeth...) out of Avery. That little girl was NOT happy!

Cousinly love ensued.

Grammy and Grampy got to spend time with their favorite babies (and possibly favorite people).

Foot in Mouth Syndrome

Nolan's new favorite trick is putting his feet into his mouth. He's mastered one foot at a time and is currently working his way up to both feet! I'm pretty sure he inherited this trait from me as I've been known to put 'my foot in my mouth' a time or two!

And the Oscar goes to...

Nolan Hennis for best performance as a sick baby. Seriously. Nolan has been coughing for the past few days and it's not been getting any better. We decided to take him to see his pediatrician, just in case. He consistently coughed the entire car ride there, in the waiting room, and before his doctor came into the examining room. Of course, once Dr. Adams came in to check him out, he didn't cough at all. Not once. He smiled, laughed, and flirted with her. She listened to his chest and lungs and told me that it was just a cough and we had nothing to worry about. Great! As soon as she left the room, Nolan looked right at me and coughed...only to be followed by a huge grin. Where do we sign him up for acting lessons because I'm pretty sure we have a natural on our hands :)

Four Month Stats

At his four month check-up, we got Nolan's newest growth stats!

Weight: 13 pounds, 7 ounces (20th percentile)
Length: 25 and a half inches long (75th percentile) and had a
Head circumference: 16.25 inches (60th percentile)

We've come a long way from my little six and a half pound, 19 inches long baby! When he was first born, Nolan was in the fifth percentile for weight and twentieth for length :)

Nolan's pediatrician and I discussed the transition to solid foods and we decided that as long as he is growing and doesn't seem to be hungry more than usual, that we will hold off on starting solids until Nolan is six months!

The Cutest Easter Bunnies on the Block!

What's in a Name?

When Adam and I found out that we were expecting, we both immediately started to think of names that we loved...and hated. Can you really imagine naming a baby Woodrow?! Adam can. As you can imagine, everyone wanted to give us suggestions and let us know what they thought we should name our new addition. My dad even offered to pay us to name our baby, boy or girl, Rory. Dad has wanted to name something...anything, Rory for as long as I can remember. Obviously we rejected the Rory offer. Here's how we decided on Nolan Andrew...

Adam's favorite baseball player is Nolan Ryan. He has been a fan since he was little and has big hopes that his son will follow in Nolan Ryan's footsteps one day. 

Drew (Andrew) Curran is my oldest childhood friend. We've known each other our entire lives and have taken MANY family vacations together and had TONS of laughs! Adam and I were telling Drew the story of my Dad offering o pay us to use the name Rory and he joked that he would double his offer. Adam and I both thought about it and really liked the way Nolan Andrew sounded. Unfortunately, we're still 'waiting by the mailbox' for Drew's check :)

So, that's how we decided to name our little boy Nolan Andrew. I look at him and can't imagine him having any other name. 

What's in a Name?

When Adam and I found out that we were expecting, we both immediately started to think of names that we loved...and hated. Can you really imagine naming a baby Woodrow?! Adam can. As you can imagine, everyone wanted to give us suggestions and let us know what they thought we should name our new addition. My dad even offered to pay us to name our baby, boy or girl, Rory. Dad has wanted to name something...anything, Rory for as long as I can remember. Obviously we rejected the Rory offer. Here's how we decided on Nolan Andrew...

Adam's favorite baseball player is Nolan Ryan. He has been a fan since he was little and has big hopes that his son will follow in Nolan Ryan's footsteps one day. 

Drew (Andrew) Curran is my oldest childhood friend. We've known each other our entire lives and have taken MANY family vacations together and had TONS of laughs! Adam and I were telling Drew the story of my Dad offering o pay us to use the name Rory and he joked that he would double his offer. Adam and I both thought about it and really liked the way Nolan Andrew sounded. Unfortunately, we're still 'waiting by the mailbox' for Drew's check :)

So, that's how we decided to name our little boy Nolan Andrew. I look at him and can't imagine him having any other name. 

Welcome to the World, Avery Grace!

Nolan, my mom, and I travelled up to Richmond last Thursday afternoon eagerly anticipating the arrival of Ms. Avery Grace, Nolan's very first cousin and my first niece! Nolan was pretty good for the four hour car ride and Grammy rode in the back with him for a little bit and they played some games. We arrived at the hospital around 9:30 and little did we know, Avery was about to be born! We got to visit with the new parents and baby for a while and then realized we forgot to book a hotel! NOT a fun thing to go through at 12:30 in the morning.

We finally found a hotel, booked it, and drove over. My mom loaded the cart up with all of our luggage and I waited in the car with my sleepy little man. Ten minutes later, mom reappears, WITH all of the luggage! I annoyingly asked her what the problem was and she tells me that there wasn't any furniture in the hotel room. NOTHING! Things like this can only happen to my mom and somehow, I'm usually along for the ride when they do.

Avery was 7 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long. Nolan was 6 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long when he was born but it's hard to remember him ever being that small - he looks like a giant next to her!

Avery Grace Kempf

An improptu dance party

Siblings and cousins with a proud Grammy

From Front to Back

My little man has officially rolled over! Nolan was having some 'tummy time' on his play mat tonight and doing really well at picking his head up. He then cocked his head and shoulder to one side and I assumed he just wanted to get a better look at himself in the mirror (I tell him how handsome he is at least 78 times a day so he's really into himself). I turned around to hang something up in the closet and when I turned back around, he was on his back, eyes wide as could be. I think he was just as shocked as I was! I'm not sure if this was a fluke or if it will become a common occurrence, but Im still going to count it!

Boxing With Great Grandpa Emil

Grandparents are GREAT!

Nolan has two great grandma's and a great grandpa and in my opinion, this makes him a very lucky little boy! I got to have a relationship with both of my great grandfathers when I was little and have a lot of memories of them. I'm so glad that Nolan gets to experience extra love in his life and hopefully he will have some great memories of his own!

Great Grandma Savannah is Adam's grandmother and she lives with his parents, so we are lucky that we get to see her every time we go to Greensboro for a visit! She loves getting 'sugar' from Nolan and I'm sure that she will spoil him with yummy treats when he's older. (Phoebe knows to go straight to Savannah's bedroom because she has a secret stash of dog treats :))

Great Grandpa Emil is my grandfather and he lives with my parents so we see him quite often. He likes to refer to Nolan as 'the baby' 'Charlie' and occasionally 'Chaim' (a Jewish name). He always offers to help out in any way that he can and keeps constant watch over Nolan when we visit. Great Grandpa Emil will probably teach Nolan about cigars, soda, and boxing. Hopefully Nolan will be able to beat him in an arm wrestling match some day :)

Great Grandma Essie is my grandmother and she lives in a nursing home about 30 minutes away. She is enamored by Nolan and constantly refers to him as 'a blessing' when we visit. She loves to hold him and always tells me how beautiful he is. I, of course, tell her he's beautiful because he looks like me but Grandma Essie is quick to shoot me down and tells me that Nolan looks just like his father (or just like her...still vain :))

Nolan's First Playdate :)

It only took us ten weeks to finally have our first playdate with little miss Sarah but it was well worth the wait! It was so great seeing the babies together - boy does four months make a difference! Nolan enjoyed watching while Sarah sat up, rolled around, and screeched. Hopefully there will be many more pictures of these two together in the future!

And here's an especially cute picture of my handsome little man :)

Our First Blog

I've been meaning to start this blogging thing for a while now. I'm horrible at keeping up with Nolan's baby book (let's be honest - it's not even made yet) so hopefully having a blog will be easier for me :)