Chatty

What I DIDN'T get video of tonight: Nolan taking HIS FIRST STEPS behind the walker. All on his own, no assistance from Mommy. Happy sigh.

What I DID get video of tonight: Nolan having at conversation with the padding we put on the fireplace hearth.

I hope you made it here!!!

And I hope you stay awhile! And come back to visit! And bring no-bake cookies (I'm pointing at you,Carie)!

These are my new digs. Pretty swanky.

Seriously, I'm McDonald's over here--I'm LOVIN' IT!!

HUGE thanks go out to Jessica at Diamond Doll Designs. She couldn't be easier to work with. I highly recommend her for all your redesign needs.

So, thoughts? Concerns? Jealous whispers? :)

I hope you like it as much as I do. Follow me (no, really--FOLLOW me in the right-hand column!), grab my button, and let's get a beer sometime!

My Week (7) in Droid Photos

Missed a couple days this week. Lots of food shots, too. Such is life :)

Sunday 8/21/11: A visit to PooPoo's house

Monday 8/22/11: Nolan got some "help" eating his puffs.

Wednesday 8/24/11: Eating at Cane's with my folks & Abby :)

Thursday 8/25/11: Lunch with my brother. I think he enjoyed it. :)

Friday 8/26/11: Starting Monday, this is where Mike works.

Want to link up? Head on over to Amy's blog!

Sometimes I'm Brilliant

You know, I've never been a fan of these signs:







That is, of course, until I had the opportunity to design my own (via The Pixel Prince):







Now I'm in love. :)

10 Things I Think I Think, Random-Day-Off-in-August Edition

10. Random day off today; it's the first day of school for our sitter's kids, so I've got my boys all to myself today. Our plans? Go visit Angie and Lawrene and introduce ALL the playdate kiddos (veterans and newbies) to each other. After that, my parents are coming for dinner. Busy day, but in a good way.



9. Big changes coming soon to this blog. As in a new name and redesign. I'm more than slightly excited about it. :)



8. I recently joined LinkedIn. Kinda caught a bit of a networking bug, and I'm not sure it's going to end there; we had a speaker from a local non-profit at work yesterday, and she was very inspiring, so now I'm thinking of joining that, too. Another chance for you to stay tuned.



7. We have no plans for this weekend. It kind of freaks me out, but if nothing is listed in my new planner, then nothing's happening.



6. Nolan is having his one-year photos taken in just over four weeks. Who the heck replaced my baby with with this munchkin that's knocking on the door of Toddlerdom?!



5. Woke up to thunderstorms this morning. Didn't exactly help my plans to sleep in as Aiden was scared and required cuddling. Mommy didn't object. :)



4. Buckeye football starts a week from Saturday. Completely-blown-out-of-proportion-and-yet-relentlessly-and-needlessly-covered-by-ESPN "scandal" aside, I'm excited to see my boys on the field.



3. I keep looking at myself in the mirror and thinking I should do more about losing the last ten pounds of Aiden + Nolan weight. But then again, I already have my bridesmaid dress for my sister's November wedding, and it fits perfect right now, so maybe I'll just hang on to the poundage in favor of no alterations. Priorities, you know.



2. Aiden's Tim Bit obsession caused a little problem for us yesterday; he likes to carry around the little case them come in, and last night he must have left it within Nolan's reach. Before you could blink an eye, we had several Tim Bits smashed into the living room rug. I allowed Daddy take care of that one.



1. I'm starting to see more mums & pumpkins & all things orange in the stores, and the weather for the next week is forecasted to be comfortable as opposed to oppressive. I love summer and all, but fall is the freakin' bee's knees. Bring it on. :)

My Week (6) in Droid Photos

Sunday 8/14/11: Good times at a corn roast.

Monday 8/15/11: Silliness :)

Tuesday 8/16/11: Uncle John!!!

Wednesday 8/17/11: Not a fan of spaghetti.

Thursday 8/18/11: SQUEE!

Friday 8/19/11: A ruffly day.

Saturday 8/20/11: Waking up with Daddy :)

Want to link up? Head on over to Amy's blog!

Ten Months Old

We've hit double-digits, folks.



I'm a sighing in defeat as I type this. My baby is growing up too stinkin' fast, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. It's a total mix of emotions, though, because I both mourn and celebrate each passing milestone. I'm so proud of his accomplishments, but I'm so sorry to say goodbye to his babyisms.



But, I'm guessing you don't visit the blog to listen to me whine, so on to the update.



At 10 months, Nolan:



--probably weighs about the same as last month. He's suffered through a virus and an ear infection in the past couple weeks that kind of knocked his appetite down a bit, so we're just getting back to normal. We'll probably hit some kind of growth spurt soon.

--cruises along all our furniture, but still has some things to figure out before we can legitimately say he's close to walking. He still thinks he needs to jump on his tippy-toes in order to get anywhere whilst upright. I'm in no hurry for him to walk though, so that's fine with me.

--makes a hilarious scrunchy face when he smiles. It cracks me up! He's such a stinker.

--continually works on more teeth. He's got a total of four, with two more pretty close to popping out.

--loves to do this weird thing where he turns his tongue upside down. Mike can't do it, but I can, so it looks like he picked up that trait from Mommy. :)

--has pretty much just two ridiculous nicknames; he's my Pumpkin Pie and my Pooky-Poo.

--is fitting quite snuggly into his 9-month clothes. I'm trying to make them work, but I might have to give in and purchase a few 12-month summer outfits to get us by.

--is still a fantastic eater, and I'm looking forward to introducing new textures & flavors now that the sickies are behind us.

--suddenly is more accepting of cuddling with Mommy. This is my most favorite development EVER. :)



In a little over a month, we have his one-year photos scheduled, and then after that, it's time for a first birthday party. After that...I don't even know. :)

My Week (5) in Droid Photos

Sunday 8/7/11: Groovy Spoon = Yummy self-serve frozen yogurt. We will return. :)



Monday 8/8/11: Working on Nolan's 1st birthday decorations



Tuesday 8/9/11: Got to eat lunch with Mr. Gavin & his mommy



Wednesday 8/10/11: Wiped. Out.



Thursday 8/11/11: Beatiful weather = patio lunch with Carie



Friday 8/12/11: Date night :)

Saturday 8/13/11: Saturday morning cinnamon rolls :)

Want to link up? Head over to Amy's blog.

Aiden Right Now

Lately, this kid has been cracking me up.







--He FREAKS OUT when the Tim Horton's commercial comes on, screaming "TIM BITS!!! I LOVE TIM BITS!!! But I don't like the blueberry ones!!!"



--He has told me many times recently that I'm his best friend, and I promise it's not a paid endorsement. MELT.



--On the way to the sitter's house this morning, he beamed at Nolan and said "Hi, dumba$$!" Guess I need to work on my road rage.



--He has an obsession with mowing the lawn, or as he calls it, "lawn-mowering." He's even gone so far as to convince his grandpa to re-mow a perfectly cut lawn just so he can follow along with his toy mower.



--He is the best big brother E-V-E-R; he is always so concerned for his brother's well-being. I realize this might not survive past the point Nolan can start stealing his toys, but for now, it's heartwarming to watch.



He's my big boy, and he makes me ridiculously happy. :)

My Week (4) in Droid Photos

Sunday 7/31/11: Waiting patiently to join us on the back porch

Monday 8/1/11: My nasty burn courtesy of a 450-degree oven rack. Oops.

Tuesday 8/2/11: I got to spend some time
with Lawrene and the ravishing Miss Lydia

Wednesday 8/3/11: Telling me another of his fish tales :)

Thursday 8/4/11: After-dinner smiles

Friday 8/5/11: A trip to the pediatrician revealed Nolan's first ear infection :(

Saturday 8/6/11: Mike getting ready to play in a vintage baseball game. It was HOT.

Want to link up? Head on over to Amy's blog :)

We now interrupt your regular blogging experience...

...to bring you a picture of Aiden displaying his NATURAL smile (instead of the cheesy one I've been getting for months):

We now return you to your regular blogging experience, already in progress...

The One With All the Poop

I am so tired of poop.

When Aiden was only a few months old, I used to worry because he would only grace us with a Number Two every few days. It was unnerving, really, for this first-time mom, because I thought Wow, he must be really constipated! But apparently that's just how the kid's system works.

Flash forward to Mr. Nolan. Remember him?



Yeah. Instead of going every few days, it's typical for this little dude to do it every few hours. Quite the difference.

But this past week? He's been on POOP OVERLOAD.



Between a nasty virus that swept through our house AND the arrival of several of his upper teeth (with more on the way!), I've probably spent more time changing diapers in the past week than I did when he was only days old. And I'm tired of it.

But he's worth it. Poop and all.