Nolan is 8 weeks old today!

Nolan is 8 weeks old today. When he was born, he weighed 8 lb. 12 oz. He has been busy growing. As of today, he weighs 11 lb. 7 oz. He has grown so much and has learned to do so many things!! Here is a highlight of the past 8 weeks.

*Since 9 days old he has given us the best gift ever-sleeping straight through the night!
*Nolan is a HAPPY baby. He only cries when he is hungry, wants to be held, or needs his diaper changed.
*He loves to lay on his red pillow.
*Nolan loves to play with Madison and MacKenzie, our neighbors who watch him everyday while I tutor.
*In the past week, Nolan has started to hold his head up on our chests.
*He loves to eat every 2 hours, and is exclusively breastfed.
*Nolan loves his swing but isn't so fond of his floor mat (yet-we will break him in).
*Everyone comments on how ALERT he is. Nolan is always looking around.
*He loves the color red and loves to lay on our bed and look at the red curtains and red pictures.
*He is now giving social smiles. He smiles all the time.
*He loves to be kissed from his belly up to his mouth.
*Nolan loves to go anywhere in his car seat and stroller. He likes the rhythmic sound the tires make.
*He loves listening to music.
*Nolan has found his hands. Sometimes he hits himself and other times he is sticking his fist in his mouth (maybe mommy needs to feed him).

Well, my maternity leave is coming to an end this week. I'm very sad to go back to work-but I'm thankful for a great job and for a woman who is going to watch Nolan at her house. I am going to continue tutoring after school since my neighbors have agreed to keep watching him. It is great to be able to tutor from home with Nolan only a room away, and the girls are WONDERFUL with him.

Nolan and I have gotten out A LOT in the past 2 months. We got on a schedule quickly and I tried to get out of the house with him at least 3-4 times a week. We often went to see Mrs. Regina at the hospital, ran errands around town, saw daddy during lunch, or went to doctor appointments.



The weekends are always a lot of fun since daddy is home with us and we have college Game Day to look forward to. Phil is such a great father. He loves to interact with Nolan. He plays with him each evening after work and does "takes over" on the weekends. Phil can't wait to introduce Nolan to Duke basketball this year.



Madison and MacKenzie come over everyday to play with Nolan. We love our neighbors-the Prices. God bless Matthew-he has 4 girls and ALL female pets. The two oldest girls are in high school and do a great job watching Nolan. They are always playing with him, reading him stories, talking to him, and getting him to play with his floor mat and other toys. They do a great job with him and I love their company everyday!



We had a fun and exciting Thanksgiving. Our entire family (mom, dad, my brother's entire family, and Aunt Jill) came down to visit. One of the highlights of Nolan's life so far was seeing my brother's family meet Nolan for the first time. They went crazy when they met him and instantly fell in love. We spent Thanksgiving hanging out at the beach/condo, cooking & eating dinner at our house, watching Auburn beat 'Bama in the Iron Bowl, and enjoying each other's company. It was so fun to host Thanksgiving at my house for the first time.










We can't wait to celebrate Christmas with Nolan. We will spend a few days in Atlanta and then we will head to North Carolina where he will get to meet Grannie and Papa along with his cousins, aunts, and uncles. While he is still too young to absorb the fun and excitement, it IS his first Christmas and we will spoil him as much as possible....look for more pictures come January.

Our daily prayer for Nolan:

Dear Lord,
"Please help Nolan sleep through the night tonight. Please teach Nolan to grow to be a respectful and obedient young man of God. Please teach us to love YOU first and that mommy and daddy would have a loving and Godly marriage to model to Nolan. Please help Nolan to know he is loved unconditionally and that he would continue to be a healthy growing boy."