Friday, October 29, 2010

Trick or Treat 2010

I wasn't going to buy Aiden a new costume this year; he'd gotten a pretty cute cowboy outfit that was in great shape from a friend. But when I was returning Similac to Babies R Us a few weeks back (during the recall), I spotted a rack full of costumes at 30% off, and decided that the pirate outfit was just too darned cute. After seeing Aiden wear it for his second trick-or-treat last night, I'm so glad I ended up buying it! The hat alone--and what it does for his ears--is well worth the money!

As you can see from Aiden's layered look (including winter gloves), it was a bit chilly last night for trick-or-treat. No worries, though; there was no way that kid was going to miss getting his fill of candy! I'm still a bit sore to be doing that much walking, so Mike braved the elements to take him door-to-door. I love that the two of them got to spend some one-on-one time together, however short it was. Aiden is all smiles in these photos, but we had one grumpy boy by the time we got home last night (too much candy?), and then he got up twice last night--totally out of character for my good sleeper. I'm hoping he wasn't too much trouble at daycare today.

As for Nolan, his extremely small stature at this stage in his life made finding a properly-fitting costume for him pretty much impossible, so we opted instead for the generic festive look. That silly pumpkin hat only cost me a $1, so I was able to splurge a bit more on the onesie. I'm also making him wear it again on Sunday just to say I got a bit more use out of it, then I'll be putting it in his special keepsakes box in remembrance of his first holiday. I find myself feeling like this is going too fast already...

Monday, October 25, 2010

Week One: Complete

I can't believe it's been a week already since this whole thing went down! After a rough few days in the hospital (I'll spare you the specifics--just know it wasn't much fun for me), we got to bring little Nolan home last Friday. Honestly, due to the pain pills I've been on, a lot of that first day is kind of a fog for me, and I'm pretty sure Nolan doesn't remember anything either--he literally slept The. Whole. Day. I do, however, remember how well he did his first night home; maybe it's just that we have experience now & know what to expect, but Mike & I seemed to handle whatever he threw at us pretty well. That's not to say we're getting GREAT sleep at night, but we're dealing. :) It's so nice that Mike has this whole week off as well.

Aiden is doing as well as can be expected with this whole adjustment. He really loves Nolan--he's especially helpful with trying to calm the little guy down when I have to change a diaper--but he is also noticing all the attention that's being paid to That Guy Who Stares and Wiggles His Hands (as Mike likes to call him). With how tired we are, it's hard not to be short-tempered when Aiden starts acting up, but we're trying to remember the situation for what it is--a HUGE adjustment for everyone. Mike is taking Aiden to Toys R Us this afternoon for some one-on-one time just so he knows he's important, too.

In all, I'd say things are going better than I had expected. One thing I told Mike was that I'm not afraid of my kid this time; last time, I was worried to be alone with Aiden, and now that I'm an old pro at this mom stuff, I'm not concerned at all. Peace of mind is great. :) Stay tuned for a story about Nolan's newborn photo session...

Monday, October 18, 2010

He's here. :)

Nolan James Cotter
6 pounds 12 ounces / 19 inches
10/18/10, 1:16 PM

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Still here--and still preggers

Thirty-eight weeks today and thinking it would be really cool to have a 10-10-10 baby, but Mr. Nolan is proving to be anything but predictable. I've gotten pretty gosh-darned uncomfortable in the last two weeks or so. The good news? My platelet count was actually UP to 96,000 at the last draw, which is a MUCH better reading; I have a final blood draw this Wednesday to determine exactly what our plan is. The not-so-good news? I've got high blood pressure. A trip to labor & deliver Wednesday evening revealed that it's fine, though, if I'm lying on my left side. I had some other testing done on Thursday & Friday just to confirm that it's not preeclampsia, and I didn't hear back from the doctor, so I'm assuming it's not. I do try to make sure I spend a good part of my day lying on my side, though, which equals BORING. I still have a bad feeling this kid might try to come before next Monday, which puts us in a bit of a pickle because our wonderful Aiden-watcher MiMi is visiting GA for Christopher's 2nd birthday (and I hope they're all having fun!). Let's just say if I go into labor, we're going to have to get very creative around here. :)

Yesterday, Mike took Aiden to an open-house at the Fire Station, partly so they could have some good father-son time, and partly so I could watch my Buckeyes play without having to worry about scaring Aiden (he spent most of last weekend telling me "Too loud, Mommy!" or "That's a bad word, Mommy!"). Mike got some great pictures, so enjoy :)