Nolan at 7 Months

These pictures are so telling - Nolan won't sit still for very long and he has to touch everything and then it goes in his mouth

At 7 months...
*Eats 2 "meals" a day other than mom's milk
*Still gets up during the night at least twice
*Crawling around
*Has 2 teeth so far
*Says Da-Da and many other sounds together...he has said Ma-ma a couple of times too :)
*Sits up on his own
*Very ticklish and we love to hear his laugh
*So squirmy when we change his diaper
*Loves watching other kids play and run around the room
*Pulls himself up in his crib to his knees and his little head is just over the rails - when I saw this I immediately moved the mattress down to the lowest level
*Had his first prune juice experience

I have had several people at different stores we have been in tell me how happy my baby is, and that he just has a happy aura about him. Not sure what any of that means, but I was happy to hear it. He is a happy baby and he continues to make us very happy!

A Happy Thanksgiving Indeed!

For Thanksgiving this year with Ryan's brother and his wife living in Pittsburgh we thought it would be fun to "meet in the middle" in Washington DC and spend Thanksgiving together. Natalie's brother and wife live there and we could all spend the time together.

Wednesday, November 23
Left after work and drove up to DC. Traffic wasn't as bad as we thought it might be on the drive up. We stopped in Richmond and said 'hi' to Will and Adaire and gave Nolan a much needed break from the car. Made it to DC around 10:00 pm and we excited to see Dylan and Natalie and Natalie's family. Dylan came running out to the car to meet Nolan and say hi to us of course. He helped carry in all of our stuff and introduced us to everyone. We met Natalie's brother Warren and his wife Sarah - her mom Shelley and dad Marcus.

Thursday, November 24
Happy Thanksgiving! We went for a walk with the dogs in the morning, watched football, ate a delicious meal that Sarah prepared and I took a nap for a bit with Nolan. We went for a drive at night around the base which was fun and did a little hike along the Potomac river. It was a very nice, relaxing Thanksgiving day.

Sunset along the Potomac = BEAUTIFUL!

Friday, November 25
Went into the city and walked around the national mall. Ryan became our designated tour guide and was showing everyone around and pointing out different buildings. The weather was perfect and we couldn't have asked for a nicer end of November day to walk around. We stopped for a bite to eat at the east wing which is always a favorite. I love the cafe and the water feature right by the window. I always love going to DC and love the patriotic feeling I have when we have visited the memorials/monuments. We walked around most of the day/early evening before heading back to the house. Everyone was tired from all the walking around. Nolan was a trooper as usual and even took a nap in the carrier while we were walking around.

Me, Warren and Marcus

The sunset was BEAUTIFUL!

Saturday, November 26
Spent the morning packing and getting ready to leave. A few people went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. I love their hot chocolate and would have to say hands down it is my favorite hot chocolate place! Since we were so close, we drove by the Museum of the Marine Core just long enough to get a picture of it. We wanted to get home and hopefully beat the traffic. We were on the road around noon and apparently everyone else had the same idea - I-95 was packed and we were in traffic all the way down to Fredricksburg, VA. I was just glad we weren't on the other side of the freeway, it was bumper to bumper even worse than our side was.

It was a great weekend and it was fun spending time with Dylan and Natalie. We enjoyed meeting and getting to know some of Natalie's family and had a fun time with them!

Nolan's Second Haircut

Nolan's hair is very out of control and the top is growing so much faster than the sides of his hair. Everyone we meet asks us if we are letting our son grow a mohawk - of course not! We decided it was time to try to even everything out, so we gave him his second haircut on Sunday morning. At church everyone comment on how cute his buzz cut was....I guess we can't win at this stage with his hair!

Before...


After...

Just an Update.....

I realized that I hadn't given a good old fashioned update on what we have been up to lately, so here goes...

Ryan - is quickly approaching the end of the final semester of grad school. We He cannot wait to be done. This semester has really been a stretch for him in terms of balancing school, being a TA and finding time for me and Nolan. He has put in a lot of long days this semester and I cannot wait for those days to be done. He has been asked to help a child during the primary hours at church who needs some one-on-one help at all times. School is what fills his time and of course the occasional football game or other sporting event will catch his eye....

Staci - keeps busy with work and Nolan and then does it all again the next day. Her favorite part of the day is picking Nolan up from the sitters at the end of the day and seeing his smiling face. Loves feeding Nolan dinner and watching his reaction to new foods. Looking forward to seeing family during the holidays. Has a lot to do during the month of December. Managed a yard sale a couple of weekends ago and did pretty well. Doesn't have a calling right now and hasn't had one since we moved back from Denver.

Nolan - 2 teeth and army crawling in 1 week, super smiley and loves to chat and make noise. He loves watching other people and looking at himself in the mirror. Hasn't met a food he didn't like and loves splashing in the tub during his baths. We are thinking he needs another haircut here soon because the hair on the top of his head is getting long and out of control.

In family news, we will be leaving North Carolina on December 18. Yes, it is true that our 3 1/2 year grad school adventure is coming to an end. Ryan's graduation is on the 17th and the very next day we will be saying goodbye to NC and beginning the drive to the west. I gave my notice to work and my last day is on December 2! Wahoo! We know that we will be going to SLC for the holidays, then after that we don't have any set plans. Ryan has some really good contacts at a couple of firms, the only bad thing is that none of them have offered him a job yet. They all have said the same thing - "Let's stay in touch" - I am not a huge fan of those 4 words and just want to hear "We would like to hire you"...is that too much to ask?! That being said we know that we will end up where our little family is supposed to be and can't wait to see what the future holds for us in 2012! We feel very blessed that we even have job prospects in Ryan's line of work, and know that it will all just work out the way it is supposed to.

Best Day of the Year!

I love my birthday, and this year wasn't any different. Ryan surprised me in the morning by taking me to breakfast before work and school. He even arranged with the babysitter to drop Nolan off early that morning. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels on Hillsborough street. When i got to work, my desk had been decorated by my co-workers which was so fun. We had homemade donuts and juice that morning to celebrate my big day!!

I went to lunch with some friends from work, and for dinner we went with Max, Analise and Ashton to Pei Wei. They bought me a card and dinner - very thoughtful kids! We are staying with the kids until Tuesday and this was a great start to the stay! I received many texts, calls (including messages and facebook messages that made my day all that much better!
Let's hope my last year in the 20's is a good one!

Me and Ana at dinner

We have an Army Crawler!

Last night when I picked up Nolan from the babysitters house she mentioned that Nolan had officially mastered the army crawl. I wanted to see it for myself so when we got home I put him on the floor and placed his favorite toy away from him. I could not believe it when he started army crawling over to the toy and started playing with it. Who knows when he will start crawling but in my mind it won't be long now. Man, he is growing up too fast and now we need to be even more careful about things we leave on the floor because nothing is safe anymore!!

Goodbye Gummy Smile

....and hello to a smile with teeth!

While I was playing with Nolan this morning I thought to myself that I hadn't checked his gums in a while to see if they were "bulging" meaning a tooth was coming through. So I did and low and behold I felt something sharp. I opened his mouth and I saw his very first tooth coming through. I ran in to tell Ryan the news at 5:45 am and he was as excited as he could be at that early hour. I tried to get a picture of it, but was not successful. I can't believe it and I can't believe he has been doing so well with it. I mean he doesn't sleep through the night so that wasn't an indicator, his naps have been ok and he hasn't been super fussy or anything. He was a little needy last week, but I thought it was in conjunction with his shots he received at his 6 month appointment.
Anyway, let the teething begin!

We Finally Made It!

Ever since we moved to Raleigh, we have wanted to venture down to Charleston, SC. Everyone who has been there has only told us good things about the place and that only increased our desire to go there. Well, last weekend we made it happen!

Friday, we drove down in the Foley van and surprisingly the 2 babies and toddler did great sleeping most of the way down. We stayed at a classy Motel 6 and explored the downtown. We stumbled upon the best diner for dinner, Justine's Kitchen. After dinner, we walked along King street, a local street market and drove around the area.

Ian driving and eating at the same time

After dinner at Justine's Kitchen (Nolan was there, but was asleep in his car seat)

LJ all bundled up - it was chilly walking around the town

Saturday, I had my very first visit to Bojangles. I was not disappointed at all and the Boberry biscuits were amazing! The Foley's went to a VMI rugby game while me and Ryan drove around the city and explored it a little more. We went over a lot of bridges, saw the city views of all the cathedrals that are there, and walked along the water wishing we had signed up for a sailing tour.

The moss in the trees was so beautiful

A neat bridge

Playing around at the hotel before we left for the day

Walking around the street market

King Street

Justine's Kitchen during the day

What Follace trip would be complete without Ryan having us visit some architecture?! Ryan had us drive out to the Inn at Middleton Place. It is award winning in its design and was on Ryan's must see list. When we pulled up, everything was gated off so we had Ryan go in the office and talk to the person at the desk to see if we could tour the grounds and see the buildings. Well, he worked his charm because she let us go in and tour the grounds. I had no clue what to expect when we pulled in, but this was a really neat place and I hope someday we can stay there.

Next, we went to the garden entrance and noticed what looked like a private party under the gazebo. Ryan had to get pictures and so Ian drove the loop and we felt so out of place driving the van on the dirt road while some people were having a fancy party outside. Other than the car almost getting stuck in the sand and Ian having to go "off roading" in the van we quickly left the garden portion of the property and began the long drive back to NC. It was the perfect little getaway for the weekend!

Nolan at 6 Months

Crazy to think that 6 months ago we were doing this

and how we have this



Nolan brings us so much happiness and we love him more each day!
Height: 26.5 inches
Weight: 17.5 pounds
Head circumference: 17 1/8

Everything checked out in the 50th percentile

At 6 months he....
*wakes up 2-3 times a night
*had 2 nights (October 18 and 19) where he only woke up one time during the night - I about died and was more tired the next day due to getting too much sleep. That only lasted 2 nights
*Loves eating food and when I say dinner time to him he starts kicking his legs and getting excited
*Hasn't tried a food he didn't like
*Loves baths
*Loves reading books
*Touches and reaches for everything - nothing is safe anymore
*Sticks everything in his mouth
*When I am carrying him, he flips his head around so he can watch where we are walking
*Has the cutest gummy smile :)
*Getting better at sitting up but still tips over occasionally
*Is so strong and can get in the plank position with his arms bent and his legs off the ground
*Has learned to babble loudly - sometimes screaming

He is getting to be so much fun and notices when we are not in the room with him and will let us know that he wants to be with us doing what we are doing. He is my little buddy and I cherish the times we have together especially since some days it is only a couple of hours.