Bubbles.. Bubbles.. Bubbles

Time has certainly flown by since Nolan's first bath.  Gone are the days of the infant recliner, baby bath tub, and steaming the bathroom.  When Nolan was a newborn, his skin had a reaction to the Johnson & Johnson baby products.  Nolan's skin broke out in a rash, so the pediatrician recommended Cetaphil, which is a non-fragrance soap and lotion.  The Cetaphil soap and lotion did the job because Nolan's skin has been healthy since.

Our nightly routine is to feed Nolan, bathe him, and then give him a bottle right before going to bed.  Nolan no longer needs a baby bathtub, so we fill our tub up with enough water to cover his little butt cheeks.  We have a ton of Johnson & Johnson products from the baby shower, so I decided to try them out.  I chose the Night Time Lavender scent Bubble Bath.  Nolan thought the bubbles were the coolest thing EVER!! As soon as the bubbles rose to the top of the water, he started laughing and trying to grab the bubbles.

Nolan is very fascinated with the drain spout!!  I am constantly pulling him away from the drain.  Bill went and bought a spout cover tonight, so we can cover it up and Nolan won't slip and hurt himself.

 BUBBLES

 Posing for the ladies........

Nolan's First Football Game

Last Friday, October 7th, was the Edwardsville Homecoming football game vs. Belleville East.  The company Bill works for, Nevco, made the new football scoreboard for EHS and he wanted to check it out.  We have been wanting to go to a football game to support our local school for awhile and homecoming seemed like the perfect time.  On Friday, I went and bought a couple of Edwardsville Tiger sweatshirts for Bill and I to wear to the game.  Hey, we had to look the part and besides we will attain lots of use out of them cheering on our kiddos when they become old enough to play sports.  At least, this is what I told Bill when I showed him the receipt for the sweatshirts!!  Nolan already had an orange sweatshirt, thanks to grandma Donna, so he was ready to cheer EHS to their victory!
 

The game was a lot of fun to watch and it brought Bill and I back to when we were at HHS watching football games.   Bill seemed very impressed, but I don't know whether it was with the football team or the scoreboard!  I'm guessing the scoreboard because he kept trying to take pictures of it with his phone the entire night to text to the guys at work.

Nolan was great for the entire first half.  We decided to leave after the halftime performance, which was amazing as well.  It was becoming late and Nolan was starting to yawn.  Nolan fell asleep on the two minute drive home and stayed asleep all night.  We had a fun family time and it was great to feel like we were part of the community.

Nolan had his Ears Lowered

My mom is a hairdresser, so I grew up with the saying, "I'm here to have my ears lowered'" as a customer walked to the beauty shop in my parent's house.  The term never really struck home until last Thursday night.  I gave, a one of a kind, ear lowering experience to my wonderful son, Nolan!

This past Thursday, October 6th, I decided to give Nolan's hairs a little trim.  His hair had gotten so long, he was waking up with a "rat's nest" in the back of his head.  The term "rat's nest" has long been used on my side of the family.  It pretty much means, the hair is twisted, knotted, and sticking straight up in an unmanageable way.  I knew it was time to trim his hair when he woke up with a Cheerio knotted in the back of his head.  

Since I cut Bill's hair with clippers in the backyard, I figured I would do the same for Nolan.  One problem.  The guard for the clippers were a lot shorter than I anticipated and Nolan ended up with a buzz cut instead of a trim.  I almost cried when I made the first pass with the clippers, and all of his long curly locks fell to the ground!!

Here are a couple of pictures of Nolan with his beautiful long locks:

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Here is a picture of Nolan right after his haircut:

I text this picture to Nana and she about had a coronary!! To make a long story short, I'm no longer allowed to touch Nolan's hair.  I know Nolan has had numerous haircuts in the past, but never has his hair been this long nor has he ever had so much cut off at once.  I'm finally feeling better about the haircut.  Nolan's hair grows really fast and it will be back to the adorable locks soon, but not soon enough for me!!

Here are a couple of pictures of his beautiful hair in a pile:

Lesson learned.  Leave the haircuts to the professionals if you want it done right!!

Mums the Word

With Nana's beautiful mums in full bloom, I decided to grasp the opportunity and take some pictures of Nolan.  He is such a handsome little man, it's not hard to find opportunities to take pictures.  Along with the beautiful mums, Nana also had pumpkins and squash along her porch to decorate with.  Nolan kept wanting to lick the pumpkins, but I did manage to take a few pictures.

We aren't all work and no play!! After we finished with the photo shoot, we decided to take Nolan over to the trampoline for a little fun.  Nolan thought the trampoline was so cool, especially since his new habit is to bounce up and down when standing up and holding onto furniture.  He didn't know what to do when the trampoline helped him bounce!

I love my little family so much!!!

The Radio Flyer

Bill, Nolan, and I made a trip back home today for a baby shower.  It was such a beautiful fall day, we wanted Nolan to play outside as much as possible before we had to return back to the city.  We were talking about taking a stroller ride, when Nana looked at Papa T and said, "Let's give Nolan his Christmas present early!!"  Nolan is just a little bit spoiled!! ;)  Papa T and Nana were so excited to give Nolan his Christmas present they could hardly contain themselves as Papa brought it out of the trunk of the car.  It was a red Radio Flyer Wagon.  The style of the wagon has changed since I was a little girl.  The wagon is now plastic, the bottom opens up into two separate seats with back support and seat belts on each end, there are two cup holders on each side, and it has all terrain wheels. Nolan was so excited to take a ride.  Uncle Chance and Bill had to do a couple of installations, but all went well and Nolan was on the dusty wagon trail to tour the farm.

 We didn't have the wheels on the wagon yet, but Nolan was ready to go for a ride!!

 Testing the wheels for the first time

 Going apple picking in the orchard with Papa T

 Thanks Uncle Chance for helping put my wagon together

After Nolan went around visiting all of the farm animals; chickens, pigs, and quail.  Papa T wanted to show Nolan the John Deere combine, boy is it a beauty!! I think Papa T sometimes forgets how little Nolan is, but I went along with it and took a couple of pictures.  The combine was not running and it was stationary in the shed!!

Thank you Nana and Papa T for my early Christmas present.  I cannot wait to ride it down the backside of the pond damn in an attempt to fly!! I love you both very much!!

Love,
Nolan Henson

"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!!