Nolan: 46 Weeks

It has been a long week for us parents.  Last Friday Nolan had his EEG (which I will detail in another post), and it's been a long week waiting for the results.  I knew not to get my hopes up for any information sooner than today, because they said it would be at least four business days before they  had time to read the results.  I was a mess when I called this morning, and of COURSE they make you leave a message for the nurse before they will release anything.

After what seemed like forever (and was only about 2 hours), we got the call and he is FINE!  NORMAL!  I feel like I knew that, but there's nothing like having your intuition tested when someone tells you to take your child to a test like that.  Praise the Lord...this is the best news we have gotten in a long time, and we are ready to celebrate this weekend for Labor Day!!!

As a reward for being so good in his EEG, he got a new walker...I think he likes it :)

We also spent Saturday night hanging at Ollie and G's house for dinner.  They will never get this kid out of the hot tub once he is old enough to get in it himself...my little water baby!

Brain Test (or EEG)

So after the whole "seizure" scare when Nolan was sick last time, they referred us to a neurologist to get a second opinion.  I had been telling myself and trying to convince myself that it was just because he was so sick when the episodes happened, that nothing was wrong with him for real.  Our first appointment with the neurologist was not all that informative, because of course they can't tell you anything affirmative without having an EEG done.

I was dreading this test, only because I knew I would have to keep Nolan still for about an hour while they monitored him.  I had no way of knowing whether he would be terrified of what they were doing, cranky, or bored.  Thankfully, my mom was able to go with me so at least I had some backup if I needed it!

I scheduled the scan for 10:00 a.m. on a Friday, and took the whole day off.  I hoped that scheduling it around Nolan's nap time would work in our favor.  The doctor's offices for this type of stuff really freak me out.  You feel bad for everyone there and wonder what is ailing them, and hurt for all of the parents dealing with some pretty heavy stuff with their kids.

We didn't have to wait very long, and then they led Nolan and me back to the room where they would "prep" him for the EEG.  Basically, they sat us in a chair that looks like the chair you use when you go to get your hair cut.  They have to put these little sticky electrodes all around his head in a grid, so the first thing they did was take a protractor-looking thing and mark about 21 or 22 red dots all over his head.  Then they followed this with scrubbing each little spot so that the electrode would stick.  They pulled a tray in front of us so that Nolan could eat his puffs and play with a toy while they worked, and he didn't even pay them any mind!

After they got him cleaned up, it was time for the electrodes.  They stuck them all over his head in the same grid pattern, and it looked like he had this super long electrical cord rattail down his back!  They wrapped his head with lots of gauze to keep them all into place, and then wrapped his rattail with another zipper sleeve to keep all the wires together.  The wires were attached to the box that transmitted the information to the control room (that's what I called it anyway).

I must say, the wait wasn't so bad!  Apparently, his test was done in the same place where they do sleep studies, so they took us into a hotel-style room complete with bathroom.  They turned off the lights, and said they had an intercom and would be recording us for the next hour.  Right on cue, I nursed Nolan to sleep and he slept for the first 40 minutes!  This was such a blessing - he woke up right when they had to come in and turn on the strobe lights anyway.

After the nap, they moved to the strobe light portion of the test, which I have heard is known to cause the onset of seizures if they suffer from them.  I was a bit anxious for this part, but Nolan didn't react to them at all, other than looking like, "why are you flashing these crazy lights in my face?!"

Once that part was done, we just had to hang out for another 10 minutes and we were done!  My mom came back to sit with him in the chair while they took all of the electrodes off, and this was the only time he got a bit fussy.  I can't blame him: I am sure they pulled his hair and the rubbing alcohol they used smelled bad!  He quit crying as soon as they were done, and even got two toys out of the treasure chest for being so good!

For what could have been a pretty traumatic thing for a 10-month old, he did so awesome.  I am continually amazed at this little creature.  How he just rolls with the punches, hardly ever has a meltdown, and just is so strong.  It makes me feel like a wuss that I get all bent out of shape over all of this stuff and he just goes with it.  Who would have thought this tiny little guy would be such an awesome role model already?!  I could tear up just thinking about him and how proud I am.  Such a blessing, SUCH a blessing.  God is good.

Nolan: 45 Weeks

We had a good week this week!  Nolan is steadily staving off any colds that may come his way, and we are thankful for that!  He loves his daycare, and I am delighted (albeit a bit jealous) that when I leave him every day he is just smiling away.  I am so thankful that his teachers really take interest in how he is doing, and I feel like they truly care about him.  I mean, how could you not resist this guy?!

This picture was taken at the lake this past weekend, where we went to spend the day with Kim, Brandon, and Everly (Nolan's future wifey).  It was a beautiful day, and Nolan had a great time.  It was his first time being in sand, and didn't seem too freaked out, and only tried to eat it once.

We took a boat ride, which was glorious.  I can see why Kim and her family go up there every weekend.  It's a ton of work with a baby, but I would love to be on the water like that!  Nolan, however, was not so fond of his life jacket I don't think :)

N = (Now weighs) I feel like he is growing so much...maybe gained a few ounces by now!

O = (Oomph!)  Have you read how bad sunscreen is for you?!  The spray stuff is terrible, but that's the only thing I use since I have to use it so much!  For Nolan, however, I have some decent baby stuff that I *hope* is better for him!  We made it through all day at the lake (and a couple pool visits) with no sunburns, so good for us!  I wonder if he will tan like his Daddy...

L = (Loves) His bath toys.  He could sit and play in the bath all night long, and he loves to smash his blocks together and chew on them.  He also has this elephant that protects his head from the water spout, and thinks it's awesome too.  We now are trying to train him to "wait" to pull the drain stopper out until after his bath is over!

A = (About this week)  He loves eating, and seems to be developing more and more each day.  I bet he understands a lot more than we give him credit for.  I believe he is starting to put together "dada" and "mama" and I make sure to answer every time he says "mama" even though he isn't calling me.  He isn't a super fan of books yet, which I hope is no indication of future interests :)

N = (Not a fan of) The other night Anthony got out the remote-controlled car we had while Jacob was here and starting running it through the downstairs.  Nolan was NOT a fan, and it really surprised me!  He never gets startled or sees a stranger, but something about the car this particular day spooked him.  I picked him up and he still didn't want anything to do with it.  I bet tomorrow he will be ripping the wheels off :)

Nolan: 44 Weeks

It's a sad/tired week here at the house!  Jacob and Lexie headed back to California this week, and are starting school as we speak.  Lexie is starting middle school this year, and is somewhat nervous.  We told Jacob to watch out for her and show her the ropes :)

We spent our last weekend with the kiddos doing a bit of last-minute shopping and had a yummy hibachi dinner (with sushi at the request of Daddy and Lexie).  The weather was nuts, and rained for most of the weekend, so our pool plans were scrapped pretty quick.

It's awfully quiet here in the afternoons now, and I am trying to get back into the routine I had when it was just ME in the afternoons!  I am sure Nolan is wondering what the heck happened, although I am somewhat relieved that he is too young to truly understand.  I am sure summers in the future will end with lots of tears for him missing his brother and sister, and that will be hard to see!

N = (Now weighs) I can tell he is getting longer, but I still don't think he is gaining a lot of weight.  He moves too dang much!

O = (Oomph!)  We have a lot of people in our house losing hair right now :)  Between my post-natal hair loss and two very thick-haired kiddos, our house is covered in hair.  Ick!

L = (Loves) His puffs, and chewing on his sippy cup.  I am sure this has a lot to do with teething, but as soon as I put him in his highchair and he sees his puffs and his sippy cup he goes nuts!  He is almost to the point where he can drink out of it himself (sometimes I have to tip it way up for him to drink out of).  He usually always chokes, but I think he does it on purpose because then he spits really loud and laughs :)

A = (About this week)  About the same; he is still babbling away and crawling everywhere.  The other night he "walked" all the way down the hallway upstairs, just by leaning on the wall.  We must baby proof - stat!

N = (Not a fan of) His brother and sister leaving him!

He was super excited to be on this car at the mall...and I was super excited to douse him with antibacterial stuff when he got off ;)

Nolan: Ten Months Old!

Now someone is starting to develop quite the opinion! :)  This month has been wonderful, nonetheless.  Nolan has been healthy, and I think is growing lengthwise a lot too.  And by "opinion," I mean he will actually react now if something happens that he doesn't like. 

At first, it was to shake his head "no" when he was eating, if he was done.  I guess he picked that up at daycare.  Now, he uses it quite a lot, and will do the whole back arch thing if he really doesn't want to do something :)  Generally, though, he will only do that for a second and the little fits won't last long at all.  I suppose it's just getting me prepared for the toddler years...

Jacob and Lexie were here, and their last day with us was his actual 10-month birthday.  They have been SO wonderful with him, and I know he will miss them when they are gone.  He could just stare in amazement at them all the time, and Jacob is convinced he will love video games just as much as he does one day...we will see about that :)

Nolan still doesn't really love any chunks of food, but will cram handfuls of puffs and cheerios into his mouth like they are going out of style!  It's comical, really, but I wish I could get some more food in him!  I am not quite sure what the malfunction is just yet, but we will keep trying until he gets more teeth.  Right now, he has two teeth on the bottom that are halfway in, so chewing is more "gumming" than anything!

I believe his eyes are brown, but they change color a lot.  Sometimes they look hazel, or even green.  It's odd, because I usually have to do the "red eye" corrector on both of us, and usually brown-eyed folks don't need it...strange!

He is still in most 6-9 month clothes, and besides his length, seems to be pretty much the same.  Gah, he is TOO cute.

 

 

He did NOT want to lay on his back for his picture...

 

...he wanted to play with his box of diapers instead! :)

And the world was good again ;)

Nolan: 43 Weeks

It was another busy week for the Maldonado clan!  We spent one of our last weekends with the kids at Dad and Leslee's house.  It was a bit of last-minute trip, and we left super early Saturday morning and returned Sunday.  The weather didn't quite cooperate for our plans of a pool day, but the drive there is a super easy one compared to the drive from Atlanta!

We enjoyed some quality time with Nani, Papa, and Titi Paige and Tio Cade.  I even got in a nap, which was glorious!  We spent the evening hanging out with some great family friends, and eating
some delicious fajitas that my dad cooked.  Overall, a great weekend!

N = (Now weighs) I am sure he is probably holding steady right now.

O = (Oomph!)  So I have always said that I would love a minivan.  I don't care how dorky they are...and this weekend, after traveling with FIVE people + their stuff in my car, I fully support my desire :)

L = (Loves) Crawling up the bed on our pillows (or any pillows for that matter).  Once I set him on our bed, he goes straight for them!

A = (About this week)  He is babbling up a storm now, and continues to amaze us with his shrieks...I hope his voice gets deeper as he gets older...ha!  His physical dexterity is also great; he can pretty much move anyway he wants to now, and will have a couple of seconds of "standing" here and there too.  My guess if I could call it right now: he will be a "righty." :)

N = (Not a fan of) Getting his weekly pictures taken anymore...le sigh!