4 weeks old...getting bigger! and other fun stuff

Now that we are past the "2 week honeymoon phase" we are learning we have an easy baby on our hands! This is so exciting for Jonathan and I, since we were a little worried that Nolan was just as active as Elle was while in my belly. Also, our little dude barely cries! He is such a mellow guy and has only really cried a handful of times and each time was only a "waah, waah" and then it was over. Nolan is also, very relaxed during bath time...he actually seems to really enjoy it. Eating is another strong suit of his and has been since the first time I attempted to feed him, only a half hour after he was born. He eats approximately every 2-5 hours. Ellison ate EVERY 2 HOURS for the first 2 months of her life. Nolan is also a great sleeper and just recently gave me a couple 5 hour gaps between feedings from like 10pm-3am! I had to look at the clock a couple times to realize that he had gone that long between feedings. He usually averages 3-4 hour naps, when he wakes up, he is usually very hungry, so I get a quick diaper change in, then feed him, and he usually goes back to sleep. His "awake" period usually last about 2 hours and are in the mornings between 7 am and 10am and also in the evenings between 7pm and 10pm. During his awake times, he seems to think that he should be eating the entire time. When he is awake, right after he eats, he is calm for a bit and likes to look around. He smiled at me, while I was talking to him, a couple intentional smiles the day after he turned 4 weeks! It was wonderful, I loved it! He is not completely perfect though, he grunts A LOT in his sleep and can be very noisy at times. We are working with him on taking a pacifier to hold him off when he thinks he needs to eat (after already eating), but he mostly just gages on it and spits it out after a minute or two. All in all, Nolan is an amazing baby and the perfect addition to our family!

Here's Nolan at 4 weeks!

Here's Ellison at 4 weeks...This picture illustrates Nolan's new neck/cheek chubbiness!

Nolan is such a good traveler, he just goes with the flow anywhere we go! I've been trying to get Elle out as much as possible and Nolan sleeps in his carrier for hours - way different from Elle when she was a babe. If Elle ever feel asleep in her car seat, it would only be in the car, and as soon as we would take the keys out of the ignition, she would wake up! Nolan keeps on sleeping, we bring him in the house and park him somewhere so he can continue to sleep until he is good and rested!

Here's the big sis! She's showing her messy fingers and face after painting.

Jenny, Reese, Chase, and Baby Blake Staniak came over to hang out the other day! Reese and Elle shared a good-bye hug (so funny, Reese just kept picking up Elle, and Elle loved it)! Randall Oak's Barnyard Petting Zoo!
We hit up the petting zoo last week with Jen and Jackson Foley. Ellison was most looking forward to the pony ride - ever since she rode the pony named Pickle at the Long Grove Chocolate Festival this spring. She kept saying "I want to ride Pickle"


Elle loved petting this goat, I was so worried it was going to bite her. Luckily he wasn't hungry for fingers!

Jackson and Elle were able to get nice and close



Ellison loved being each animal. She kept saying "what should I be next" and "mommy, what do you want to be".



The ride she was waiting for, except this wasn't Pickle, this pony's name was Dora! Ellison did such a great job, I only walked around next to her a few times, than let her go all on her own!
Jen getting her baby fix holding Nolan

pictures from a few weeks ago...

Nolan hanging out in his swing. His hair and and eyes look so dark here, but in the sunlight his hair is actually light brown and his eyes are a slate blue

Elle making a mess, dumping out all of her toys and putting herself into the bin!

Ellison enjoying a sorbet bar, making a mess, and making her dad laugh!

No messes here, except may be in his diaper. Even if there was, he wouldn't care, he is so layed back!

This pic shows off Nolan's skinny legs.
Elle never had skinny legs, even as a new born weighing under 6 lbs.

Here's Elle as a newborn, check out her legs and see what I mean.

Licking the beaters!
This is not frosting people, it's a cream cheese dip. She loves cream cheese, just like her mommy!

CHEESE! (literally)

Sister and Brother!

Ellison is GREAT with Nolan. She just does her thing all day and will only give a few moments of her attention to him. She may ask "where is Nolan" (the answer is usually - sleeping in the crib or bassinet), she likes to rock him in his swing or car-seat for a minute, give him a kiss before she goes to bed, or touch his hand/feet and say "he's so tiny". She knows to watch out for him if I am feeding him or holding him, or if he is on our bed or couch. She knows how to be very gentle with him and around him and has been such a big helper when she is asked (most of the time).

I love Elle's face, she is concentrating so hard to do a good job of holding her bro.

Our little guy