Vegas Baby (Literally...get it? I'm hilarious.)

A Christine Entry:


So Jon's good friend from childhood put a ring on it. This meant we were taking the baby to Vegas! Vegas Baby (literally...get it? I'm hilarious).


Jon and Scott have been friends since 2nd grade. Scott has been living in Las Vegas for about the last five years. He met Renee (his now wife) at his work, so it was no surprise they'd decided to have their wedding in Vegas.


Jon and I had a little anxiety over bringing Nolan on the airplane. We all know no one is crazy about an unpredictable baby on a plane. We jammed a ridiculous amount of baby distractions in the diaper bag to endure the flight. When we boarded the plane, passengers avoided eye contact with us. It was understandable people were nervous about sitting near the baby. :) Though Nolan was a little tired and had a hard time falling asleep at first, he did AWESOME.  He had no apparent ear problems and the (second) bottle is what helped him fall asleep. Once he fell asleep Jon and I were both thinking (as we later admitted), "Just twenty minutes, Nolan. Just stay asleep for twenty minutes. That's all you need to get us through the flight."


Our wishes came true. :) As soon as he woke up, he gave us lots of smiles and a couple of happy screams (but thankfully only two of those).


After the plane landed, three passengers told us, "What a good baby! He did great!" Of course NOW they want to talk to us. :)


Hecho (Andrew) and Allisen picked us up from the airport. Allisen (or Lis, as I like to call her) and I hugged for about 10 minutes before we were on our way. "Be ready for this weather," she warned us on our way out of the airport, "the heat is about to slap you in the face as soon as we walk out!" She was right. It was hhhhhhhot. Our Nolan handled that heat like a champ!


We stayed at Hecho and Allisen's house. We are pretty sure the Hardys can out-host anyone in all areas of hosting. They provided anything and everything we could possibly have needed to live comfortably...including delicious food, beverages and their (ahem) Mercedes for transportation.  Seriously, it was hard to come home. :) Not only did they take good care of us, but they are super fun and babysat Nolan for us while we went to Scott and Renee's rehearsal dinner. I mean really, eat your hearts out, Five Star Hotels! If you think I am bragging about our awesome friends and their far, far superior hosting abilities, you are correct. But I digress. 


Jon had a lot of fun with Scott and the other groomsmen. They had their special "Guy Time" at Red Rock (which is, I think, Scott's favorite  place) before the wedding while I hung out with Allisen and Nolan. 


Jon and I both had a great time at the rehearsal. It was the first time we got to meet Renee's family (who we really liked) and share a more intimate celebration. Scott and Renee did the impressive task of introducing every single guest at the party in front of the group...and it was quite a large group! They said something nice about each person and made everyone feel special.My favorite part of the evening was watching Scott and his mom share a moment together. I won't go into too much detail, but it was pretty much the sweetest thing you've ever seen if you can imagine your own baby has grown up and gotten married.


Scott and Renee's wedding was beautiful. Our highlights of the event were Scott's adorable, beaming face while walking down the aisle, delicious food, Renee and her dad dancing to Sir Mix A Lot for the father-daughter dance, their awesome photo booth and Nolan's skinny jeans complete with cute gray vest.


The wedding venue was great. It was an outdoor ceremony with with a tunnel of white archway pillars and a pretty water feature and trees. They married under a gazebo with white draped fabric. The reception was indoor in a giant room with fabric draped everywhere. The tables were decorated with black and purple and there was a dance floor under a giant staircase where the bridal party entered. All the guests were a lot of fun! We danced, toasted with champagne and had good conversation.


Scott and Renee, we are very happy for you! Renee, again, you looked gorgeous!


Aside from the rather unhappy security people at the Las Vegas airport (although one of them was nice), the flight home was even better than on the way to Vegas. Nolan fell in love with the beautiful animated woman in the seat behind me. He played with her and tried to crawl back towards her for a good portion of the flight.  "Bye, Handsome," she said to him when we parted ways.


Several passengers complimented him on the way off the plane. One guy said, "I didn't even hear that baby! At first I was all, 'aaaaaw man, I don't want to sit by the baby!' But he was great!" 


We had an amazing first real trip with our little family. 




P.S. We love you, Allisen and Hecho. 

Packing

Flight to Vegas

Portland Airport

Flight to Vegas

Rehearsal

Allisen

Rehearsal Dinner - Scott and his mom

Allisen and Hecho

This is what he did when we took him out of the car seat after the trip and laid him on the couch.

Hijacked By Aunt Rachel

A Rachel Entry (Christine’s AWESOME sister):

That’s right. I, Rachel, have hijacked the Goldmann Blog for the best post yet! Muhahaha.

I’ve decided to write my own letter to Nolan.

Dear Nolan,

Hi, it’s me. Your (favorite) aunt.

Today I was sent here to care for you while your mom cleans. Now you are napping so I have a minute to write this.

From the day you were born you have brought great joy to my life, great smiles, great hugs, great eating, great scooting, great screams, great naps, great sounds, and the wettest great of all...great drool! Seriously...impressive drool, My Nephew. Impressive.

I know a lot of things. I’m a wise person indeed. I was the most high achieving student of my elementary school. No no no don't ask your mom just trust me I was. Anyway I would like to pass some of this knowledge on to you. Here are my 17 secrets to life:

1. Every time you get Hawaiian pizza, don't eat the pineapple, just give it all to your mom, she'll eat them.

2. I don't like flossing, but it’s probably a good idea.

3. Never be scared to dance.

4.The way to make friends is to be nice and use a good sense of humor.

5. If you order mac and cheese, ask for extra cheese.

6. If you babysit, feed the baby carrots and gravy.

7. If you ever make poor choices in life, your family will still love you. But it would be best to make good choices.

8. On your first day and last of school, bring you teacher chocolate. Your mom will really appreciate this one.

9. Your mom always says, “It’s okay to be mad, but it’s not ok to be mean.” I think these are pretty good words.

10. Your dad is handy guy in the house, ask him to fix your toys.

11. Say no to drugs and say yes to candy, (but not from strangers!).

12. Coffee is gross...don’t drink it.

13. If you ever need a hug, I never run out.

14. Always try your best in school.

15. Choose friends who treat you well.

16. Always share and good things will come to you.

17. Taylor Swift is the best singer...no matter what your mom says.

Okay, the last thing I need to tell you is that you have the coolest teether ever. No seriously.

It's so squishy and its see-through and the little stars have smiley faces on them!!!! :)

I asked your mom where she got it and she said Fred Meyer so I might go and get one. Of course not to chew on, but to play with and squish.

Your teether is in a circle shape made out of circles. And each circle has a different colored star in it, red, blue, yellow, turquoise and green and there is one circle with no star in it. It just says Learning Curve Baby ™.  

Your mom thinks it’s weird I like your teether so much.

Love,

Aunt Rachel

Besties, Babies and Sand

A Christine Entry:

Nolan's First Beach Trip!

Some great friends graciously invited Nolan, the poodle and I for a relaxing trip to their beach cabin. We did absolutely nothing but play with our babies, eat, walk on the beach, read, drink wine and color (if you haven't tried the very relaxing activity of coloring as an adult, I highly recommend it).

Our walk on the beach was sssssplendid! We tucked the babies in their carriers, packed snacks, cellphones and I hooked the poodle on his leash. OFF WE WENT! We walked out into the sand and immediately took several photos. After about 5 minutes of walking, it started to rain.

Naturally, we decided to go for ice cream instead.

Back at the cabin, it was fun to watch Nolan and E together. Nolan quite enjoyed putting all of E's toys in his mouth...especially the delicious xylophone!

As soon as the babes snuggled in their Pack N Plays for the night, we colored, listened to Iron and Wine and shared funny memories...sooooo nice.

As usual, my ferocious poodle kept us safe at night. He growled at strange sounds while curled up in my lap. Thanks, Gus.

Any Requests?

Coffee and Some Good Readin'

I heart this place.

LOVE her. 

One of my new all time favorite pictures. :)

Sleepy to Happy

I will start this entry by saying that though some parts may have been tough, being a parent is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my entire life. At the risk of sounding totally cliche...time really does fly. Our pride and joy is almost 8 months old (and that means about 8 months of not blogging...hmmmm). This part might sound a bit complain-y...but, as always, I am keeping this blog honest about our experiences. Up until he was about 3 1/2 months old (so hard to remember details anymore!), poor Nolan had quite a bit of trouble sleeping and staying happy. After feeding him, there was a good twenty minute window he would be happy. After that we just did whatever we could. We paced around with him for most of the day and evenings in hopes of helping him fall asleep. Lifting him up and down over and over would keep him happy. I got very used to holding him and cuddling at this time. I've decided it has helped us bond. :) When he finally fell asleep, there was an art to keeping him sleeping. Our best friends were the Moby Wrap, battery operated swing, milk and sound machines. :) I won't lie, taking him places was a bit nerve racking... Once 3 1/2 months hit, he became happier and happier, but it was still a challenge to get him to fall asleep at night. During the school year, Jon works in the evenings (so that someone is always home with him during the day)and I'd often hang out at my parents' house after school till Nolan's bedtime. My mom and I used all of our super powers to help Nolan fall asleep at bedtime...feeding, rocking, singing, bouncing, car seat, swing, white noise, pacifier...you name it. And then the sun popped through the clouds and our sweet baby boy was old enough to be sleep trained! A friend loaned us a great book (Easy Sleep Solution) and Jon and I trained him to sleep during spring break. Naturally, it was excruciatingly painful to let him cry, but it worked. Sleeping did wonders for his moods...as true for most of us. :) Here's the part where I brag annoyingly: Now, Nolan (being older and well-rested) is the happiest baby around! Jon and I would even go so far as to say he is EASY. He will happily play by himself with his toys for hours. We can pretty much take him anywhere...knock on wood that this upcoming plane ride to Vegas goes well. :)

Letter To Nolan

A Christine Entry:

Dear Nolan,

It's amazing that something so small, which can't talk, move without help, interact, or feed itself has such incredible super powers.

I don't know how you did it, but you have cast a spell on me, Little Man. I am completely obsessed with you in every possible way. I could hold you in my arms and stare at you for the full 12 weeks I have off work.

Here are just a few details about your birth:

After my 36th week appointment with Dr. M, we had a strong feeling you would make an entrance into this world early. We kicked mission Prepare-For-Baby into high gear. The last two most important things were your car seat and your place to sleep beside our bed.

Two more much needed weeks passed by. I think the Baby Gods were being kind to me with time so I could get my second grade classroom and lesson plans ready for my maternity sub. Let me just tell you, Little Guy, this was no easy feat with a new grade level and an enormous belly. :)

I felt my first contraction in my ESOL class. I wasn't sure what it was, but I had a strong feeling you were knocking on the door.

My second was in the car on the way home from class. I was more certain it was a contraction this time.

I lounged around on my couch at home awaiting the next contractions.

"Um, my body kinda hurts. Then it stops," I said to Jon.

"Oh. I'm sorry," he responded. (It was his usual response to my rather constant complaints of body aches. He was very sympathetic throughout the whole pregnancy.)

I went upstairs to bed and they started to hurt more. I called Jon up.

"I think I need you beside me right now," I told him.

"Okay. How are you feeling?" He was pretty anxious at this point.

"It hurts and then it doesn't hurt. It's weird," I said (I have ALWAYS been good with words).

Pretty soon we started to time the contractions on Jon's fancy schmancy phone. He used this feature which timed laps. Every time I had a contraction, he'd hit the button that said "lap". I would then moan in pain while he stared at the clock until I told him it was over. Then he excitedly informed me of how long it lasted compared to all the other contractions and when the next one would occur.

We started to get good at it.

"LAP ME!" I'd say as soon as I felt a contraction coming on.

"GOT IT!" Jon would hit the lap button and stare at his phone while I complained.

"Okay, I'm good now," I said.

"That was a long one," he responded.

We were having so much fun with it, we almost forgot to call the doctor. Instead, we called my mom

"Call the doctor, Honey. I think this is it. HOW EXCITING!" my mom said (her voice was quite peppy for the middle of the night).

It was 2:30am when we were on our way to the hospital and Jon said, "You know, I'd always pictured this drive in my mind being more crazy. I pictured speeding down the highway wildly and passing cars."

"Then we would get pulled over....OOOOOOUCH!" I said.

"If we got pulled over, the police would escort us to the hospital and it would be even more awesome. We need to call your mom," Jon said.

By 3:30am we were hanging out in the hospital room and waiting for your arrival. Lots of our family came to the hospital when they heard we were there. They were excited to meet you and waited around for you also. :)

At about 3:20pm the next day, I started to push. It was a beautiful delivery and you were officially born at 4:01pm on November 8, 2011. I cried, you cried, my mom cried and even Jon (who I will now refer to as your dad) shed a few manly tears. :)

The moment you were lying on my belly and chest for the first time was the most incredible moment of my life. We were now a happy family of three.

You were two weeks early and weighed an impressive 8lbs 3oz and were 22 inches long.

Looking forward to many, many, many wonderful years with you, Mr. Nolan. You are my entire world now. :)

Love,
Mom

On Your Marks...

I found this in my drafts. I never posted it. I thought it would be fun to post now. :) A Christine Entry:

"Oh you are just getting so big!"

"Did you swallow a watermelon seed or something?"

"You look even bigger today than yesterday!"

"Look how BIG you are!"

Only 79 days until our due date and we are finally starting to make some progress on preparing for the baby. PHEW!

We snagged ourselves a giant family sedan with a giant trunk for our giant stroller. :) we can't wait till our little guy is with us sitting in the back seat for our outings.

Work has started for me again and my adorable 2nd graders will be strolling into the classroom on Tuesday. I am VERY excited for school this year! Not only do I get to work with an awesome team (Stacey and Sara), but 2nd grade should be a blast. Yes, I am a little nervous about starting a new grade level...but as I tell my students, it's okay to be a little nervous because it means you care. Plus, I won't lie...THERE IS NO STATE TESTING IN 2nd GRADE! We all need a break from that aspect of school and this is mine. My plan is to mentally prepare my little sweethearts for testing to come, but more importantly...enjoy teaching and learning without as much pressure. :)

Some of you have asked about my work plans. I have every intention of working right up until our baby is born, but we will see where life takes us. :) I plan to take 12 weeks off with the babe and then come back to work to finish the school year. That's all for now. :)