Wow…Happy Labor Day…Already!

The last several months have gone quickly but the most recent month has flown by.

I started teaching 3rd grade in Attica on August 14th. It is overwhelming, stressful, delightful and very enjoyable. Nolan has transitioned fairly well back to being in daycare. (Thank goodness)

I cannot believe that we are only about a month away from meeting our little guy. As I am growing bigger and bigger he is moving more and more. I feel so lucky that this pregnancy has gone by so quickly but then I realize….I am not ready for a baby! I don’t have his clothes washed I don’t have diapers. All of the things I lovingly prepared in anticipation for Nolan. However since we have been told we are having another boy, I am not too worried as I know the box of newborn clothes I saved will be ready when he arrives.

What a wild ride this year is sure to be. I am lucky to have such a great group of students, I think that they will handle having a long term sub just fine. (I hope) I also met the lady that will be filling in for me while I am on leave and she is really nice. I look forward to working with her.

It would be wonderful if Aaron and I could take this time to enjoy our last few weeks as a family of three. But this is a busy season for teachers and farmers.

Aaron has been busting his butt working so hard on the farm. Generally he works from about 6 or 7 am to 9 or 10 pm. We certainly miss him during these long days. Nolan asked me today “why did you make daddy go away?” My heart hurt a little just hearing that, but I explained to him that daddy is working hard and that soon he will be here working in his office a lot more. We also went out to visit Aaron while he was changing barrings on the disc. Nolan just loves being able to “help daddy work”. Soon enough Aaron will have two little guys chasing him around asking how they can “help”.

Nolan’s 3rd birthday is this week. He is growing up so fast!  I love this little guy so much. I know that soon enough he will be a big boy that no long (thinks he) needs his mom. But for now we are close as can be and I love it! He is such an explorer. Marilyn tells me Aaron was the same way when he was a little guy. He also is incredibly sweet and kind-hearted.

Here is to the end of the summer…Happy Labor Day!

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Aaron and Nolan Hutch Zoo
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5 Months


Nolan's first foods

Nolan is five months old already! He has been growing so quickly. Recently we purchased two exersaucers Nolan loves them. He now spends his time jumping up and down and exploring all of the attached toys.  He enjoys spending more time on his tummy and he is getting closer to crawling everyday. The thought of Nolan crawling is both exciting and frightening.  Aaron says he will have to spend a whole day baby proofing once Nolan is mobile.

Nolan continues to roll over but not very frequently, he tends to just get frustrated and rub his face into the ground if he doesn’t want to be on his tummy anymore.

We had some pictures taken at JC Penney’s on January 25th. They turned out so great!  Nolan is such a happy little fellow. We also invited cousin Kylee to take some pictures too!  They could not be cuter! It is so fun having the two little babies to play with each other.

Nolan tried solid foods for the first time on January 26th. As most parents know the first “solids” are not very solid at all. Nolan took to it pretty well, but of course ended up with about half of his meal on himself and hopefully half of it in his belly. Each time he seems like he is doing a little better at keeping the food in his mouth. He is already reaching for the spoon and trying to feed himself

Nolan is currently fighting off his first cold. Poor little guy has had a stuffy/runny nose and a hoarse voice. He has been handling it pretty well; he has not been too grumpy but his appetite has been altered. Hopefully he will be back to himself soon.

Nolan got to go to his first show. Aaron played at Buster’s in Sun City on February 4th. Nolan Loved it, he sang right along with Dad. Everyone there was more focused on this two foot tall little guys standing on the table singing than on Aaron. It was adorable!  Nolan sang until he just couldn’t take it anymore, then he quickly fell asleep as Aaron continued the show. It was a fairly good turn out. This is the first time Aaron has been back at Buster’s since it is now under new management.

Nolan is such an easy going little guy. Every day Aaron and I remind each other how lucky we are to have this wonderful little guy in our lives.

 

Nolan’s First Christmas

Christmas 2011

Nolan has discovered his feet, so needless to say we are always having to check to make sure his little feet are still covered.  Except when we go to Grandma and Grandpa Traffas’s house where grandpa like to take his socks off during play time. This month has been very busy and fun for all of us. Nolan rolled over for the first time from back to front (assisted by kicking my leg) but completely on his own from front to back a couple of days later. He wasn’t sure what to think of flipping over like that. Nolan continues to be a very vocal baby. He likes to hear himself “talk” which is more like a yell/scream. He can now grasp and hold on to toys, he also likes to chew on everything!  He has started to be able to entertain himself for short periods of time with his toys. Nolan is also able to sit up assisted and unassisted very briefly. He has started to enjoy tummy time and will stay on his tummy for longer amounts of time before becoming upset. He has started to make crawling type motions of moving his arms and legs, however he is still to flat on the ground to really make much progress in moving from one place to another. One of Nolan’s favorite activities is looking in the mirror at himself and or the person holding him. He loves to see that smiling baby in the mirror. He often wants to talk to that baby too. It is absolutely adorable!

He really enjoys reading books and helping turn the pages. Christmas was fun, Nolan even tried to pull the paper off of a couple of his presents. I can’t wait until next year when he knows what is going on. The Traffas Family Christmas was really enjoyable, it is funny how much of a difference two little babies can change the dynamic. We snapped some great photos of Nolan and cousin Kylee on Christmas Eve in the presents. Nolan has started to see Kylee, sometimes if she starts to cry he will make a pouty face and start to cry; I think he is worried about her or annoyed by her, I guess I can’t know which. Kylee is a beautiful little girl. She is growing so fast. Although Kylee is two months younger than Nolan she is nearly the same size as our little guy. She is not yet very active though, Nolan on the other hand never seems to stop moving. Constantly kicking his feet and swinging his arms.

Nolan has started to not sleep as well as he was the last couple months, I am not sure what the cause of this is. It is possible that he has started teething, but I am not sure. He does not have any teeth visible yet but he certainly wants to put everything in his mouth which is constantly slobbery.

At his 4 month appointment Nolan weighed 14 lbs 6 oz and was 25 inches long. He is growing so quickly! Our doctor said that he is ready to start solid foods, so we are considering starting that in the next month or so.

Over New Year’s we  had the Poe Family Christmas. It was so nice to see my family and to let them all visit with Nolan. It is so fun now that he is more expressive and interactive. I know that Julianna (7 years old) and Gabriella (4 years old) (my brother Craig’s daughters) had a lot of fun playing with him. It was nice to ring in the new year as a family.

I hope everyone had a wonderful family filled Christmas. May 2012 bring much joy to you and yours.

I think we went a little overboard on pictures this month!

 

3 Months!

Nolan is 3 months old!

Nolan is growing and learning so quickly!  He is already 3 months old.  November was a busy month for the Traffas Family. We celebrated my 27th birthday on November 8th, Aaron and I went out to dinner at a restaurant we hadn’t tried before; The Newport Grill. It was great, wonderful selections of entrees, delicious desserts and custom-made cocktails!

Aaron has been tirelessly working on finishing up the recordings and artwork for his CD. It is currently at the disc maker and should be shipped soon to make it here by Friday December 9! Aaron Traffas Band’s CD release party is December 10th in Manhattan at Bobby T’s. I am so excited to see the finished product.

On November 21st I returned to work at TFI Family Services.  So far I feel like things are going well at work. I haven’t cried yet. Nolan and Aaron are trying to find their rhythm at home.  Some days  are great while others I think Aaron get a little stressed.  As any person providing childcare would feel. Luckily Nolan is a very good baby and most of the time is very easy to get along with. We are all just settling into our new schedules and seeing if this is going to work for us long-term.

Some of the  developmental milestones Nolan (as a 3 month old) is currently working on include:

  • He is able to focus on and follow a moving object. Watches faces intently-Yes, Nolan loves to watch everything going on around him. One of his favorite things is watching his mobile. He looks at the little animals above his changing table very intently too.
  • Settling into sleeping, eating, and waking patterns and can sleep longer.-Sort of, he has started to take a longer nap in the afternoons and eats every 3-4 hours.
  • When held in a sitting position he can now hold his head up.-Yes he can, he has good control over his head almost all the time with the exception being when he is sleepy.
  • Lifts head and chest while lying on stomach-Nolan is able to do this, however he does not like to do tummy time very much so, he get frustrated quickly.
  • Will now notice certain objects of interest and swipe at them with his hands. He just started swiping at objects in the last week!.
  • Can now push down on a hard surface when being held in a standing position. Yes Nolan pushes down and makes little stepping movements when supported in the standing position.
  • Can kick quite strongly now as his knee and hip joints become more and more flexible-YES-Nolan has been doing this for a while, he enjoys laying on his back and kicking his legs and swinging his arms.
  • He is developing intellectually and begins to laugh out loud. –Yes I think so, he enjoys interacting with us and smiles and “talks” to us, I don’t know if it would be considered a laugh though.
  • Spontaneously smiles.-All the time, especially in the mornings and when he wakes from a long nap or finishes eating.
  • Turns head and neck to find the source of a sound. –Nolan is very interested in figuring out where sounds are coming from. He will turn his head back and forth trying to figure out who is talking or making noise. Sometimes he gets upset if we turn him away from the TV and he can still hear it. He will turn his head back and forth vigorously searching.
  • Holds hand open. Yes he no longer has his hands balled up all the time.
  • Can grasp and shake a rattle. Yes he can, however we don’t give him any rattles just yet, as he doesn’t really have control of his hands and he tends to hit himself in the face with his hands. He does grasp our fingers and shakes them. Recently he has started exploring how his fingers taste. Constantly sucking on his hands exploring the sensations.
  • Can roll from front to back-Not yet, he doesn’t like to spend much time tummy side down. But he does seem like he is getting closer to rolling from back to front. He arches his back and get up on his heels.  I think this is something he will continue to work on this month.  Nolan also is very interested in what is above him, meaning above his head (out of view) when lying down. He tilts his head up and tries to look at all the thins that he can’t see, whether it be people toys or yes sometimes that darn TV.
My favorite time to spend with Nolan is having conversations. He loves “talking” to people it gets him so excited. Since birth he has made noises, I think this little guy is going to be quite the talker when he can get his point across.  When Nolan cries it is not really like most babies cries, he kind of just yells to see if you are paying attention then stops to see if you are going to fix his frustration. He is absolutely wonderful. Aaron and I often wonder how we are so lucky to have such a great little guy.
I can’t believe November is already gone. We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving break spending time in Smith Center, Sharon and Belle Plaine. In Smith Center Nolan met his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Hundley (my mom’s parents) for the first time along with many great aunts and uncles and cousins. Aaron unfortunately did not join us as he had been fighting off a cold. On Friday we headed to Sharon,  it was nice to see Aaron’s family. During the dinner there was not any one point when everyone was at the table. Having two babies under 3 months sure does change the dynamic.  Finally on Sunday we headed to Belle Plaine to see my Dad’s extended family. Nolan had a great day and enjoy visiting with lots of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. We are so blessed with great families and I always enjoy Thanksgiving as it is the best time to celebrate family and what we are thankful for. This year there is no question Aaron and I are so thankful for Nolan coming into our lives and turning everything upside down…and we LOVE it!
I am so happy we found the time to make it over to Pratt this month to have Stacie Strong take some family pictures of us. They turned out great and I can’t wait to get my Christmas card put together featuring these pictures.

Happy Halloween!


Happy Halloweeen

Nolan is already two months old! I can’t believe how quickly he is growing. He is getting so expressive. He smiles all the time. He has started to “talk” back when I talk to him.  Currently his favorite thing is his mobile in his crib. He lays in his crib and listens to the music while watching the dinosaurs go round and round. He  kicks his legs and waves his arms in enjoyment. It is really fun to watch him enjoy it so much. Nolan also enjoys listening to Aaron and me read him books.


Nolan went to the doctor for his two month check up and everything looked great. He weighed 12 pounds and was 23 inches long.  He has started to out grow some of his clothes now. Nolan got his first round of vaccinations at his two month appointment. He handled them pretty well only crying a little bit, however the next few days were a little rough. Nolan had a fever and was pretty uncharacteristically cranky.  I think he is about back to his normal self now, thank goodness.

October has been another busy month.  We have watched all of the KSU football games.  Even heading up to Manhattan to enjoy the atmosphere for one of the games. We did not make it up to the stadium, but enjoyed hanging out with family. Aaron has been busy recording a new CD at Green Jeans Studio in Wellington. The CD should be ready for purchase by December.  I know this has been a dream of Aaron’s for a long time. I am so glad it is finally coming together.

Aaron and I have really enjoyed watching Nolan grow and change over the last two months.  On October 26, 2011 Nolan’s first cousin on the Traffas side was born.  Andrew and Megan Piester welcomed Kylee Rose Piester to the world at 3:55pm, she weighted 7 pounds 15 ounces.  Kylee has a full head of dark hair.  She is very beautiful. Kylee seems to really like to suck on her hands, it is so cute to watch. Everyone is home and doing well. It is going to be fun watching Nolan and Kylee grow up together.

We are looking forward to November which brings Diane’s birthday on the 8th. Aaron is playing at the Vickie Lackey Funraiser on the 12th. We are very excited to get some family photos taken by Stacie Strong on the 19th.  And of course Thanksgiving at the end of the month.  The one thing I am not really looking forward to is November 21st, it will be my first day back to work. I think I will miss Nolan so much. The current plan is for Aaron to watch Nolan, which will make it easier, I hope.

Happy Halloweeen

 

One Month Already

Nolan at one month
Nolan-one month old

I can’t believe Nolan is already over 1 month old!  He is growing so quickly. At his one month appointment he weighed in at 10 lbs 4 oz, 22 inches long and his head circumference was 15 inches.  He is very healthy and most of the time very happy as well.

I know it is cliché, to say how amazing our baby is and to tell everyone how cute he is, but seriously he is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen! It is truly amazing the amount of love that I feel towards my son. I feel like my heart has expanded and it feels so perfect.

Our Family

Becoming a parent has been life changing for me. It feels so right, this is exactly where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing right now. I could not ask for a better partner in this adventure. I am falling more and more in love with Aaron everyday. Seeing him as a father is wonderful, it makes my heart swell.  I knew being a parent was not something I could understand until it happened, but I am so happy that I don’t have to wait anymore.

Aaron and Nolan

Nolan is effortlessly amazing, I love listening to the sounds he makes when he sleeps, he sounds so happy and calm. I can’t wait till he smiles at us.  I know his smile will be beautiful. I love his eyes they are the most interesting color of blue, they seem almost navy. I love that he snuggles and coos. Nolan is gaining control of his head, he exercises his neck muscles all the time. He likes to lay on Aaron’s chest and look up at Aaron’s face. He has started to track objects with is eyes. He also is starting to react to the environment around him, he yells out and kicks in enjoyment when looking at his books.He is a great baby, I feel so blessed to have him.

Nolan and Grandpa Brian

Nolan has experience many first in this first month of life. We had our first over night adventure to Sharon to attend the Peace Treaty in Medicine Lodge which included Nolan’s first parade. Aaron was playing in the Medicine Lodge High School Alumni band.  The parade was a little different than the parades back in western Kansas. There were plenty of cowboys and Indians and lots of GUN FIRE!  Which was not too kind to his little ears. We had to take him into the building for shelter when the guns came around.Nolan spent lots of time with Grandma Marilyn getting extra special snuggles. Nolan even got tough ol’ Grandpa Brian to play before we headed back to Wichita to celebrate Aaron’s birthday and our 1st anniversary.

Grandma Great and Nolan

In September Nolan also met his Great Grandma and Grandpa Poe.  Although it was a quick meeting we were able to snap a couple of photos.  Nolan attended his first wedding ceremony, he was very good, he didn’t cry at all. Grandma Debbie came to visit us during the state fair while Aaron was splitting his time between Wichita and Hutchinson. Nolan had lots of fun hanging out with Grandma. He has also attended a baby shower for his cousin to be born this month.  Megan is due October 22 and we can’t wait to meet her little girl. Nolan needs a playmate. Nolan was snuggled by lots of ladies at the shower but none were more special than Grandma Great Ruth! Nolan is Grandma Ruth’s first great grandchild. She has waited many years for this and loves holding our little boy.

big hugs for daddy
I know that life goes quickly and that we are someday going to look back at these days and wish we could come back to them.  I am going to try to soak up all of this time while I can. I am thoroughly enjoying my time away from work. It is hard to believe that I am already half way through my maternity leave. It is going to be hard leaving my little boy all day to go to work. I just had to be thankful that I have this time with him now. I could not think of a better way to spend this time than at home with my boys. We are truly living the dream!
Nolan and Aaron-watching TV
Our Family
Nolan and Grandma Marilyn

Nolan’s First Week


Nolan on the bili-light

As Aaron and I transition to our new role as parents we are considering ourselves very lucky.  Nolan is such a good baby.  Nolan did have to go to the doctor several times this past week to have his bilirubin levels checked.  The bilirubin levels indicate jaundice. At one point Nolan’s levels were at 18, when this happened we had to put him on bili-light which is a light that helps to break down the bilirubin in his blood. After the bili-light treatment his bilirubin levels have continued to go down. Today we had another check at the doctor and his level was down to 10, so the nurse said that jaundice is no longer a concern for Nolan. What a relief!

I am continuing to recover from the surgery. I felt very good the first few days, but it is starting to catch up with me now. I just have to remember to take it slow and nap when he is sleeping.

Nolan has been a very popular little guy with many visitors stopping by the house to snuggle him.  It has been so nice seeing family and friends.

It has been quite a whirlwind of a week. Aaron is starting to get back to work.  The state fair starts at the end of this week, Aaron is helping with the Kansas Auctioneer Association booth, so  he will be spending some time in Hutchinson.  So Nolan and I will have to see how we get along on our own.

 

Here are some pictures taken by the hospital. He is such a beautiful baby.

 

Nolan has Arrived!

Nolan Traffas

I am thrilled to announce that our wonderful Nolan arrived on 27 August at 3:56pm. He was born one week before his scheduled due date. Nolan weighed 8 lbs 2.6oz and was 21 inches long.

He took his time making his grand entrance.  I started having contractions 5-7 minutes apart on Friday (8/26) at 5:30am, the contractions continued very consistently for the next 34 hours, but unfortunately Nolan was not able to be born naturally because he was positioned in the birth canal “OP” or occiput posterior which basically means he was face up rather than face down. Babies can make it through this way but after four hours of pushing and no progress we and the doctor decided to go ahead and proceed with a cesarean birth.  I was very nervous and scared to have a cesarean, but as it turns out everything went well in the operating room and I am recovering well.

Nolan has been a dream come true for both Aaron and me. He is absolutely adorable and has for the most part been pretty easy to get along with.  While in the hospital Aaron and I were a little worried about him because he didn’t seem to cry about anything.  He has since rediscovered this ability so no worries about that anymore.

We were released from the hospital on Monday evening. Everything seemed to be going pretty well until we tried to go to sleep that night.  Basically none of us slept at all the entire night.  I am trying to breastfeed, but my milk has not come in yet and Nolan was hungry, he tried to nurse for 3 hours straight with only small breaks. It was exhausting and very frustrating for all of us.  After an appointment with our new doctor today she gave us instructions on supplementing with formula until I am able to produce milk. Everyone has been much happier and feeling better today. I believe tonight will be much easier as well. Hopefully we will all get some sleep.

Nolan has another appointment tomorrow with the to get his bilirubin levels checked. He has been measuring a little high. These levels indicate jaundice.  Hopefully getting a little food in his belly and sun bathing today will help him.  Nolan also has an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor tomorrow, the tongue connective tissue is connect near the end of the tongue, apparently this can cause orthodontic issues and speech problems so we are going to have that taken care of in the afternoon to hopefully prevent any issues in the future.

I am so happy with our new little family. It feels so good to be  a parent and I could not ask for a better partner in this.  Aaron has done a wonderful job taking care of both of us.

36 week appointment

Baby Nolan's Car Seat

Well we are in the home stretch here. Today we had our 36 week appointment. Everything went well, nothing really to report. Our normal doctor is on vacation this week so we met with a nurse/midwife just to make sure there were no problems.

We did find out however that I am a carrier of Group B Strep (GBS), therefore once I go into labor I will need to have antibiotic through an IV to try to ensure that the baby does not become ill. For low risk carriers such as myself, if I am given antibiotics during labor there is only a 1 in 4000 chance of delivering a baby with GBS. So hopefully everything goes well and the medication prevents the transmission of GBS to our little guy.

Today Baby Nolan’s heart beat was 157 beats/minute.  The nurse said she believes he is still head down.  I have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for about 3 days now, that are pretty frequent. I have been having abdominal tightening for about two months, but these definitely feel a little different. More discomfort than before  that is for sure.  I finally have my bag packed for the hospital. I have also been spending some time this week washing tiny little baby clothes. Why is laundry so much cuter when it is tiny?

Tomorrow is my last scheduled travel day for work. I have a meeting in Emporia, then I am in my office until D-day. It will be nice knowing I don’t have to travel anymore. It is just not very comfortable to drive and I get so tired.

Our 37 week appointment is set for next Tuesday, August 16th. That same day we have our final class, Car Seat Safety, so we will have the car seat installed and ready for Nolan’s first ride. Nolan’s car seat arrived last week on our door step thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Traffas. Aaron and I love the car seat and look forward to having it filled with a little boy.

ONE MONTH!

Today is one month from our due date! I can’t believe it, we are getting so close to meeting our little boy.  Aaron and I had an appointment today with our doctor, she checked to make sure the baby is head down. She did a quick sonogram to confirm at which time she also definitively confirm that we are indeed having a little boy. What a relief we don’t need to worry about returning any of the wonderful gifts we received at the shower last weekend. He was a little feisty when the nurse tried to check his heart rate he kicked the wand two times. However she was able to record his heart rate at 145 beats/minute.

I am absolutely thrilled that we are getting so close.  I have been feeling pretty good, the heat is irritating, but it is for everyone else too. My feet have been a little swollen, but it has stayed manageable.  It is just so exciting to think that we are going to be able to hold him so soon. I can’t wait and I know Aaron is excited too. I love having sonograms, being able to see the little guy moving around just makes real for me. This is such an amazing time, I am so glad I get to share it with Aaron.

The list of things that we “need” to do before our little one arrives seems to just keep growing and growing.  After a wonderful baby shower on Saturday I do feel a little more prepared.  But we still need to buy a crib, install the car seat, pack the bag for the hospital, pick up a few more essentials, get the baby’s room ready, etc, etc, etc. I don’t think there is any way for us to really be ready for all of the changes that are about to happen in our lives. Hopefully we make good choices and are able to be good parents to what I am sure will be a wonderful son.