"Ooh Eeh Ooh Ah Aah......."

Last weekend I went to Dollar General, the store where you are guaranteed to buy something, and purchased a singing dog.  The singing dog, which was located in the Halloween section, is dressed as a witch with a black pointed hat and  black cape.  Nolan didn't know what to think of it at first, but over the last couple of days he has really taken a liking to the singing dog.  The song the dog sings is "Witch Doctor" by Cartoons.  Nolan claps along with the dog!!  I think he is starting to figure out where to push to turn the dog on.  As soon as the song quits, Nolan reaches for the dogs left paw.  Such a smart boy!!

I'm sure most of you noticed, but Nolan can now pull himself up!  What a big boy.  Since Nolan now knows where the toys are kept, he spends most of his time over by the toy box.  We sometimes leave the lid open, so Nolan can have his choices of toys.  He will point to a toy, smile, and we will grab it for him to play with.

Nolan also likes to sit on the toy box, ottoman, and look out of the window.  We usually do this several times a day.  The neighbors probably think we're spying on them, but oh well.  I took a few pictures of Nolan looking out of the window earlier this afternoon.

 Nolan also had his Hep B Vaccine and Flu Shot today.....Hence, the Band-Aids on his thighs

A few more things Nolan enjoys doing are as follows:
                  - If he hears someone cough, he will fake
                     cough back at them
                  - Hum into my hand while it is patting his
                     mouth, to make indian noises
                  - Clapping at everything!!
                  - Saying "Ba Ba Ba"

A Sunday Drive

Today was a good day for a Sunday drive.  Nana and Papa T came down to take us on a drive to Grafton.  We all jumped into the car and headed out onto the open road.  Our first stop was at the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower,  high above the point of departure to take in the spectacular panoramic view of the rivers. Stand tall between two towers as you watch the currents of two rivers converge at a point of historical legend. Feel the same excitement of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they began their westward voyage. See the Mississippi and Missouri rivers high above Camp River Dubois and listen to the rippling waters tell a nation's story.

We took an elevator up 50ft, 100ft, and to the top of the building at 150ft.  The tour guide gave us lots of information and pointed out different landmarks.  Since it was such a clear day, we were able to see the Arch in St. Louis.  It was a little windy at the top, so we decided to head back down after a few minutes.

 This is the point where the Missouri River and the Mississippi River meet.

 The dark circle is the Arch

 A nice view of the Wood River Refinery in the background

After we finished our tour at the Confluence Towers, we hopped back into the car and headed to Grafton.  The trees haven't started to turn colors yet, but it was still a pretty view of the river.  We decided to stop and eat at a restaurant called Finn Inn.  At Finn Inn, there are fish tanks next to the booths.  Nolan thought the fish were pretty cool.  He kept looking at them with his eyes really wide.

Nolan really enjoys sucking on lemons, so Bill decided to give him a taste.  He would bite into the lemon, squish up his face, and go back for more.  Silly baby boy!!

Nolan's 9 Month Check Up

Today was Nolan's 9 Month Check Up with the pediatrician.  Nollie weighed in at 21 pounds 6.5 ounces and measured 28 and 1/2 inches long.  Nolan is 75th percentile for his weight and 50th percentile for his height.  Our little boy is growing up.  I cannot believe he is three quarters of a year old! 

Since, Nolan was running a 101 fever last night and this morning, we decided to hold off on his vaccinations until next week.  Ibuprofen helps to lower his temperature and the pediatrician could not find anything wrong with Nolan, so we will wait a few days to make sure the fever goes away.  I have a feeling he is teething because he has no other symptoms besides the fever and sleeping more.

A body in motion stays in motion,  is the perfect description of Nolan.  From the minute he wakes up to the second he goes to sleep, Nolan is in constant motion.  It is truly amazing how Nolan went from rocking back and forth on all fours, to crawling at a speed of 3mph in the time span of 32 hours.  Nolan is no longer a stranger to the tile floor, carpet, or any other surface that encounters his hands and knees.

Nolan's appetite has increased as well.  He is now eating all of the 3rd Generation Gerber foods.  He loves eating the different meats, vegetables, and herbs.  Chicken seems to be Nolan's favorite meat, he has always liked his veggies, and he definitely does not like LASAGNA!!  He's his momma's boy.  I'm not a big fan of lasagna either, but we will continue to try it later on.

One of Nolan's favorite things to do is play peek-a-boo.  Bill or I crawl on the other side of the coffee table and peek our heads out to see Nolan.  He catches us, lets out a scream, and crawls to us really fast before we can hide again.  This takes place over and over until we are all worn out.  Nolan also enjoys talking nonstop, even though his vocabulary only consists of different tones of "dadadada."  He definitely knows Bill's voice and says, "dada" in a different tone when he sees or hears Bill.  Last night I was giving Nolan a bath when Bill was out in the living room talking on the phone.  Bill started to laugh really loud, Nolan perked up and smiled, then pointed at the door and said, "DADA!!"

I see you...

 Peek-A-Boo

Nolan has figured out a way to crawl and carry his bottle at the same time.  I usually lay Nolan down on a pillow or boppy and give him his bottle to drink, since he can hold his bottle himself.  Tonight he decided he wanted to drink his bottle in another location, so he bit down tight and took off. 

At least we don't have to worry about a nipple breaking off any teeth!! :)

Let the Baby Proofing Begin.....

Today was a great day to start baby proofing our home.  Since I had to go buy a few baby proofing supplies, I also took the opportunity to go fall clothes shopping for Nolan.  He grows so quickly!!  Old Navy is my go to place for Nolan's clothes, they fit him the best and I know what sizes he needs.  Nolan and Bill hung out most of the day, while I was running errands.  They're more and more alike everyday.  Silly boys!! I love coming home to the two of them laughing!!

Nolan decided Bill needed his assistance in installing the cabinet locks.  I was in the living room and came in to check on the boys and this how I found them! Working hard!!

 Looks level to me dada..

I helped Nolan try on his outfits to make sure they fit.  He really enjoyed his hat and mittens!!  I decided to put him in his new pajamas along with his hat and mittens to take few pictures.  Nolan kept biting the thumbs of the mittens to take them off. It was too funny.

 

 All bundled up and ready for the chilly weather

Nolan had enough of the picture taking and wanted to finish helping daddy with the installation.

After a good meal and a hard day of work, Nolan was ready for nigh' nigh'.

The Make-Shift Fort Knox

Bill and I are still in the process of baby proofing our house.  Hence, the need to improvise in areas we are lacking.  Either Bill or I are always around Nolan, so we usually don't have the need for a gate at this time.  Nolan has become very fascinated with the power cords to the laptop and lamp on the computer desk.  Last night, Bill and I both happened to be in the kitchen at the same time and Nolan kept crawling over to the power cords.  I heard Bill rustling around in the living room and did not think anything of it at the time.  After I finished washing the bottles, I walked into the living room to find this make-shift gate.  I could not stop laughing!!  My husband the engineer....

 If you look closely you can see Nolan trying to crawl over the top of the pillows!

The pillows diverted Nolan's attention and he decided to read instead.

 "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

Since I had the camera out already, I went ahead and snapped a few shots of Nolan playing.  He loves being around his daddy.  Whenever Bill is working on the laptop Nolan is right at his feet playing around the desk and chair. 

The pillows should forgo Nolan from reaching the power cords for now, but I'm sure he will figure out a way over them soon enough!!  What a fun adventure we continue to partake in...

A Typical Monday Night

A typical Monday night at the Purcell household is starting to become more eventful.  Especially since Mr. Henson thinks he is a big boy.  Nolan no longer wants to sit in one place, be fed by someone else, have his diaper changed, or take a bottle without some persuasion.

 Mmm........

 All gone Mommy!

Nolan is on the go from the time he is awake until he falls asleep.  He is very adventurous and we enjoy watching him explore.  He will sit in a corner for twenty minutes feeling the wall and talking to it.  Finally, a good reason to have textured walls in our house.  Poot believes he is big enough to feed himself too.  To help the feeding process go a little smoother, we now give him his own spoon to play with until we are ready to deliver another spoonful of food into his mouth.  This process gets the job done and Nolan thinks he's a big boy feeding himself.  Since being able to crawl, Nolan no longer wants to lay still to have his diaper changed.  This is still an ongoing experiment to find out a way to distract him long enough to change his diaper.  Bill and I are becoming very efficient in diaper changing.  We should start timing ourselves and enter for a World Record.  The distractions we come up with are as follows: singing, giving Nolan a diaper to play with, giving Nolan and wipe to play with, or the arm bar.  Bill prefers the arm bar!! :)  Nolan thoroughly enjoys drinking from his sippy cup.  I believe he feels the independence of being able to attain liquid without having to be cuddled by his mommy.  Sometimes it is a struggle to have him take the bottle, but he usually becomes hungry enough and he decides the bottle will suffice.

Bath time is also included in a typical Monday night.  For many reasons, one being Nolan likes to feed himself and the other being he is a stinky little boy after crawling all over the place.  Nolan still thoroughly enjoys his bath time.  It helps him to unwind and think about the day.  Nolan is getting so big!! Bill and I love every minute watching him grow into such an amazing baby boy!

 Laughing at silly Daddy