Nighty Night

Well as recently posted, Nolan had begun climbing out of his crib.  Finally, on the night of August 7th, Bill and I decided it was time to convert Nolan's crib into a toddler bed.

We watched Nolan to see how he was climbing out of his crib and we were both shocked the child had not yet broken anything.  Nolan would pull himself up on the front of the crib and reach for the changing table, he would then climb onto the changing table, lay down and lean over the edge of the table until he let go and landed on the ground.

I was not ready for Nolan to be in a big boy bed yet, due to a new arrival coming in September, but we went ahead and made the adjustment.  Nolan takes naps on a cot at the babysitter's, so Stacy did most of the hard work training Nolan to sleep on a bed.  Thank you Stacy!!

The first night Nolan kept climbing in and out of bed.  Bill and I kept taking turns putting him back in bed for over an hour.  He finally fell asleep and a few hours later.....THUMP!!  Poot fell out of bed for the first time of a total of four.  The strange thing was he is such a hard sleeper he never woke up.  We would go in to check on him and he would be passed out on the floor.  After the fourth time rolling out of bed, I placed the other crib mattress on the floor next to the bed.  He awoke on the crib mattress in the morning.

 First night in the big boy bed

The next day I went to Target and bought a rail to put on the side of the crib.  We didn't purchase the toddler railing with the crib, so we improvised.  Neither Bill nor I heard a sound out of Nolan after he fell asleep the second night.  The next morning however, Bill found Nolan like this.  Bill had moved the bed out the previous night to find Nolan's paci and forgot to move it back against the wall.  We have no clue how he ended up in this position!! The only logical explanation is, Nolan went looking for his paci and fell asleep once he had it in his mouth.  Hopefully, Nolan will not be a sleep walker like his momma!

Nolan is now a pro at going to bed in his big boy bed.  We eat dinner, take a bath, read books, and then go night night.  He is such a big boy and loves his new bed.  The railing does keep him from rolling out of the bed, but he still knows how to get into a little mischief when he isn't tired enough to fall right to sleep.  Last night, Bill heard him rustling around and went in his room to check on him.  Nolan had moved his chair and footstool in front of the door and was sitting in his chair with his feet propped up waiting for someone to open the door. I put doorknob covers on the inside knob of his door because he can open doors.  WHAT A CHARACTER!!

Night night big boy! Sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite!! Mama and Dada love you Pooter!!

Little Poot Poot

Nolan is no longer my baby boy, he is growing into a big boy....19 months.  Poot never ceases to amaze Bill and I.  He is so smart and does things which totally blow our minds.

For instance:
-he closes the lid and flushes the toilet for Bill and I after we go to the bathroom
-puts his toys away when asked
-attempting to sing A,B,C,D,E
-says "I go poo" when he poops
-using utensils to eat
-holds crayons and colors on paper, furniture, floors, and walls
-knows animal names and sounds
-uses an iPad like a pro
-climbs into his highchair when he is hungry
-gives "knucks" or "pounds" along with a high five
-gives kisses night night and goodbye on occasion

Even though he is growing up, Nolan will always be my baby!!  Because Nolan is so smart, he is great at misbehaving too.  He loves to climb on all of the furniture and jump off.  Throw temper tantrums at the drop of a hat and smile two seconds later.  Nolan really enjoys playing in home made forts.  Bill and I will hold sheets and blankets up for him to play under.  Any empty box is a new toy for him too.

Poot being silly in his "hat"

Nolan has all the great characteristics of being a big brother! I know he will care/torture his new baby sister/brother whenever she/he arrives.

Ride Nollie Ride

Nolan and Bill have another new nightly ritual which takes place.  Nolan likes to ride on Bill like a cowboy.  I'm not too sure on how this started, but almost every night Nolan will pull Bill off of the couch and climb onto his back for a ride.  At first, Bill took it easy, but now Nolan is a pro!  Poor Bill even has scabbed knees from all of the horse rides he gives Nolan!!  Nolan knows how to wrap his legs around Bill as tight as he can to hold on.  I love how hard he laughs when Bill starts to buck and neigh like a horse. :)  What a great daddy!! I won't put the video on here to embarrass Bill.  The pictures are enough.

 Bill's battle wounds

 Come on Dada!!

Holding on for dear life

Tonight Bill was fixing my phone, so Nolan tried to wrestle me to the ground for a ride.  No way bubba!!  I couldn't even attempt to bend down that far with my huge belly!  Nolan settled for a playtime with mommy and Mr. Potato Head instead of a horse ride tonight!

A Nursery for Two

Since we have yet to sell our house and the arrival of Baby P is only 6 weeks away, Bill went ahead and repainted Nolan's room.  We went from bright colors to a nice neutral cream, so the room can be shared with two boys or a boy and a girl.  I went ahead and bought new toddler bedding for Nolan and I will buy new bedding for Baby P once he or she arrives.  I plan on decorating with initials and growth charts on the walls as well.  The nursery is not finished, so don't look at the plain walls!!

This past Sunday, Nolan climbed out of his new crib all by himself!  Bill and I were laying in bed and all of a sudden we heard Nolan's door close and his little footsteps slapping across the tile floor.  Bill and I looked at each other and busted out laughing!  It has begun!! I'm still not ready to take the railing off of the side of the crib yet to convert the crib into a toddler bed.  Nolan will have to climb out a few more times before we do any converting.

Nolan's new bedding.  I'm going to have either his name or his initials embroidered on the pillow.  Not sure which one at this point.  I'm going to wait until Baby P arrives to make my final decision.

Prenatal Check Up for Baby P

This afternoon, I had another prenatal check up for Baby P with Dr. Hulsen.  My blood results came back great and I am not diabetic, even after I ingested a ton of sugar on the day my blood was drawn.  Dr. Hulsen said my pregnancy is coming along great!!  Dr. Hulsen's famous words, "You're so Normal!!" My blood pressure is perfect and I'm still gaining weight at a healthy rate.  Dr. Hulsen wasn't able to tell whether the baby's head is up or down at this time, but he said he isn't worried.  He will be more thorough as I near 36 weeks.  If he still cannot determine the position of the baby's head at 36 weeks by external palpation, an ultrasound will be completed to determine the position of the baby.

I have officially entered my 8th month!!  Time is flying by.....  I am more and more uncomfortable by the day and I have insomnia at night!!  I was up until 1am last night cleaning the house because I couldn't sleep.  I couldn't sleep because I was having contractions/Braxton Hicks contractions, Charlie Horses in my calves, and shortness of breath.  Dr. Hulsen told me to monitor my contractions and if I have more than 4 in an hour he wants me to call him.  I will now start seeing Dr. Hulsen every 2 weeks for prenatal visits.

 32 weeks and 1 day

Nolan was in bed before the monthly pictures were taken, so I didn't want to wake him up.  He is starting to understand the word, "baby."  I don't necessarily think he understands I have a baby in my belly though.  I bought a sleeper the other day at Old Navy and put it on my belly to show Nolan.  He ran to the sleeper hugged it tight and said, "baby."  Let's hope he has the same reaction when he sees his new sibling for the first time! :)

Playtime Fun!

The past week or so Nolan has been wearing a t-shirt or a pair of shorts on his head as a hat.  He will go and get a shirt or pair of shorts from his room and bring it out to Bill or I and say, "hat."  Bill or I will put it on his head and he will run around the house like he is wearing a normal hat.  I took a few pictures of him playing in his hat and then decided to record him.

Nolan has also started "talking" in his own language.  He will mumble a ton of sounds together.  I believe Poot is going to be the next Eminem because of the way he can throw beats together! :)  He is teething as well, hence the large drool mark on his t-shirt.  Poor little guy is working on his canines erupting.

Oh what fun we have on a regular night at the Purcell Family household!! Nolan definitely is the best entertainment around.

All In A Day's Time

This past Saturday, we had a busy day.  We awoke, cleaned up, and headed to Irving to see some of Bill's family which had stopped in for a visit at Grandma Beeler's.  It was so hot outside, so Nolan was excited to see a kiddie pool, "bath" as Nolan calls it, in Great Grandma Beeler's front yard.  Elijah and Nolan played in the pool while Grandma Donna and Aunt Janet regulated.

 A little tree frog hanging out

 Looking good Bubba

Nolan had a blast playing with Earl, Great Grandma Beeler's dog!!  Nolan would take the ball from Earl, Earl would chase Nolan until Nolan threw the ball, and then Earl would go and retrieve the ball.  Earl is so good with kids!!  Nolan had no trouble getting the ball from Earl.  They played for quite a while like this.  It's actually quite a coincidence because I'm in the process of convincing Bill we need to buy Nolan a puppy! Every time Nolan sees a dog he says, "pup" and becomes excited!!

After we spent a few hours on the Beeler farm, we headed back to Edwardsville to enjoy the pool.  The only downfall was the water was warm because it was so HOT outside!! Another record breaker at 107 degrees!!  Nolan had fun anyways.  When he played in the kiddie pool he would pick up all the rings and put them in a basket.  Once all the toys were found, Bill would throw them out again and Nolan would pick them back up.  In the big pool, Nolan likes to jump off the side and into mine or Bill's arms.  He is a little daredevil and loves the water!!

 Collecting the rings

We spent about an hour and a half at the pool and my pregnant body had been there long enough!! It was so hot outside even the water didn't cool me down.  We packed up and went home, where the lovely 73 degree A/C was awaiting my return!

Nolan recently acquired a Mr. Potato Head from Target.  He now has Buzz and One Eyed Bart from the movie, Toy Story.  I have an old Woody doll somewhere at my parents' house, but I'll wait until it cools down before I go searching for it in the attic.  Nolan likes to play with "Mr. Toe-Tay-Toe."  I take all the parts off of the body and tell Nolan to find his eyes, teeth, nose, ears, arms, and hat.  Nolan is so SMART!! He knows everything, but the ears.  He will even place them in the correct order, with the exception of the frontside or the backside of the body, but at least he knows the eyes go above the nose, and so on.

We've already managed to lose the nose, so we use the tongue as the nose instead! :)

 Nolan's creation

Wow! When I look back we had a really busy Saturday, but a fun one.  Nolan was able to swim twice and see family he hadn't seen in awhile.