Nolan loves all kinds of fruits, but nectarines are his favorite. He always kills it to the core, literally. Check out the time lapse below.
Category: <span>Events</span>
Today’s doctors visit was no fun for any of us. We went in the day after his birthday just because I’m particular about recording his growth as accurately as possible. He got 6 painful shots, a fluoride brush to prevent cavities and will get a blood draw in the coming week. Compared to his 9 month check-up he is way down in weight but have gained in height and cranial circumference. The pediatrician noted that when kids go on vacation for long periods of time they tend to lose a ton of weight due to appetite loss. Plus, he was sick for a week after getting back so that didn’t help either. We’ll need to visit the pediatrician again in 3 months to see that his weight gain is progressing well.
Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz (31 percentile)
Height: 31.25 inches (93 percentile)
Head circumference: 18.5 inches (76 percentile)
Sourced from Child Growth Calculator.
Other notable things at his 1 year milestone:
*8 teeth
*loves eating peaches whole
*says “da-da” but no “mama” yet
Playing with his balloon before going to the doctor’s office.
My skinny boned baby boy.
Dear Nolan,
I may have dubbed you the rudest awakening to my life a year ago, but you are so very far from that. Yes, I may have needed to learn to become more efficient than I already was. I even gave up weekly manicures, my love for reading books and a handful of TV shows just to have enough time to work 2 jobs and spend time with you. But those weekly manicures, good reads and awesome television shows have nothing on that sweet giggle of yours. To hear you laugh, to see you light up and smile is the best thing that God has given me. It’s cliche to say but you opened up a whole new kind of love I never knew existed in me. I only wish that I knew of it sooner. I pray that God will bless me with many more children so that they can also witness your giggles, your smiles, your sweet personality. Life surprises us with so many unexpected things and you are the most unexpected happiness of all. Thank you for allowing me to be your mommy and to get to watch you grow, smile and spread that contagious laugh for the world to see is the best thing that I can ever ask for. I promise to be the best mommy that I possibly can; to listen, to teach, to comfort and guide you. There’s so much more to life with you that I am looking forward to experiencing. I hope we have many, many wonderful years of great memories together. And you can bet I will be there to capture the memories!
Love you with all my heart!
-mommy
I started planning Nolan’s 1st birthday photoshoot ever since we got back from Europe. Not sure how I stumbled upon the idea but after searching thru Pinterest the concept was locked down: Nolan riding a hot air balloon! I had to find a suitable basket, a large enough balloon, a pilot beanie and a few other props to round out the theme. I had my cousins make me the “N” and number “1”–they are quite talented!! Just last week I had no idea they made balloon nets big enough for 36″ balloons! It was a lifesaver since I had no clue how to hold down the balloon beautifully; I was so close to buying a fishing net to cut up to my own specs. The tissue poms on the basket took me about an hour to make. Again, it was a lot of hard work but it was all worth it for my little guy.
It’s been a bittersweet run with these weekly blog posts. I think in a month from now I may start to miss these weekly photoshoots and updates, but no fear! I will try to post a blog once a month so its really not a good-bye but a “see you less often” kind of deal. Thanks to everyone who kept up with us. We’re happy to have shared in our first year of parenthood and adventure with Nolan. We survived and we will continue to conquer life one day at a time. First thing’s first: his 6 shots and blood draw is tomorrow morning. Wish us luck!! See you later everyone!!
A few behind the scenes shots from the photoshoot.
Thanks to Quang, Nancy and Kortney who all came along to help us with the shoot. It went a lot more smooth with extra hands. We had Quinn join for a few obligatory shots to capture the memories for the kiddos. The cousins will appreciate it much later in life.
A few photos to mark 52 weeks of life. If you want to know what a day shy of a year old looks like, just look at Nolan here:
I’ll save my long sappy blog for tomorrow. For now, let us recap the big party from Sunday and a video of Nolan taking his first few steps last week!!!
We started setting up at 10:30am for a noon time start at Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove. Rob and I have lived around here pretty much all our lives and only just found out about this hidden gem a few months ago. On a regular day it’s open to the public with a $2 entrance fee per person 3 years and older. During summer months a fabulous splash pad is on for the kiddos to run around and cool down in–such an affordable way to entertain the kids for the weekend. We were able to secure it for a private all day rental which gives us rights to the entire park for 8 hours (in whichever block of time we designate). Being a Garden Grove resident also entitles you to a discount. If you’re looking to host a private event here during the summer, you better do it months in advance. They only allow 2 private rentals per month and it books up quick! So glad we booked it cuz it looked like all of Nolan’s guests had a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone who came out to mark the grand occasion!!
Blessed to have such great help for the few, but crazy events I throw.
Doesn’t look like it but that cake was heavy! From Rebecca’s Cakes in Temecula. Yes, those are real LEGO storage boxes we used as decor.
We made the birthday banner and put together lego pieces to spell NOLAN.
We even made these cupcake toppers to go on these Sam’s Club cupcakes.
The numbers 0-11 were also made with lego pieces to mark each monthly milestone next to it’s corresponding photo.
Nearly 50 goody bags for all the kids in attendance. What’s inside? Each kid received a lego set appropriate to their age/gender. I was very particular about which toy each child received and was adamant that each name was typed up in the infamous LEGO font.
Yes, we also made those drink signs, but the lego brick cookies were ordered.
Some of the fun was “guess the # of lego pieces”, splash pad wetness to cool down and a photobooth, of course! Courtesy of Instant Party Pix.
Some of the cute, happy kiddos at the party.
A balloon artist was also on hand as well as a taco cart cooking up fresh tacos and quesadillas.
Popbar, newly minted in Anaheim, provided refreshing strawberry gelato on a stick. Pss..the owner is pictured below, spot her!
Singing “happy birthday” to Nolan. He was so confused so he looked straight at me instead of the crowd.
Nolan was kinda scared of his cake.
Me dishing out the cake while Rob passes out favor bags to the kids.
The grand finale was the pinata! We found a shady tree to hang it on so the adults could comfortably watch as the kids go at it.
It was Nolan + cousin Lorelai’s first time.
A few other cute kiddos giving it their best shot.
The knockout hit by an older kid of course. And the mayhem when Rob dumped the contents out.
The beheaded guy…poor dude. At least he’s still happy.
His gigantic mountain of gifts. Thanks everyone!
I had a lot of fun at the party but I’m so glad we agreed on just one party for him. Each of our kids will only get one major party–their 1st birthday. All subsequent ones will be small, intimate, affordable and stress-free for mommy and daddy.
We’re excited to say that Nolan took his first few steps on June 4th. Didn’t think he would for a while with that big head of his but I guess watching other kids his own size roam around freely has only made him more determined to learn how to use those legs. Since then he’s taken a few steps here and there on his own and stands for long periods of time.
Nolan also understood “kiss” for the first time and kissed us each 3 times on the lips. Too bad we were unable to capture that on video. He just wouldn’t do it again when the camera appeared.
Yay! Nolan is back to his old playful, fun-loving, whine-free, happy self. The 2 weeks after we got back from Europe were so rough. Super whiny, wasn’t eating well and caught a cold but now he’s all better and luckily, just in time for his birthday party this Sunday! We still have lots to do to prep for the big event. He’ll have about 45 friends (kids) at the party and many more adults than that. This momma is scrambling to make it a memorable event. I know he won’t remember it but hopefully we’ll get some great photos and video footage in so he can relive it when he’s older. This will be his one and only party, the rest will be small gatherings with the immediate family. Once he turns 16 or 18 or 21, he can decide what kind of party he wants, if any.
Here’s a sneak peek of his birthday party theme, can you guess what it is??!!
Nolan got his first professional barber haircut at a salon today. I was not there to witness it but from the photos he looked to have been well behaved. Another “milestone” of sorts this week is his accomplishment in using a straw–he can suck up his own water now! He really enjoys it and has the biggest smile on his face after every sip–he’s very proud of himself! Nolan’s confidence in walking is progressing quite well too. He doesn’t hang onto things as much and if he does it’s with one hand to just help with balancing in between steps. He likes to push his own stroller and cruise furniture holding one item in one hand and the other to help balance–like a boss! And of course with all that comes the stage of getting into everything and pressing all electronic buttons. Will open every cabinet, every drawer, grab the highest thing he can reach, throw all the shoes off the rack, toss all the clothes out the drawer and repeatedly turn on/off the receiver, computer and NAS. Man, he’s becoming quite a handful
I leave you with these images taken before he got a haircut.
The many funny expressions of Nolan.
My lovable baby boy!
After haircut shots courtesy of his dad:
