Big Changes this Fall....

The most exciting news for us this fall would be that we have moved into a new house! Shane and I started looking in September with no serious intentions, but then found the home of our dreams. We couldn't pass up the opportunity so we made an offer.  After much negotiating and sleepless nights, our offer was accepted and everything finally worked out.
We put our house on the market "For Sale By Owner" and ended up finding a wonderful family who now currently rent our first home on Argenta Drive.

Talk about an emotional experience! Little did I know that our tiny first house would be so hard for me to leave. This was the home I bought with Shane after our engagement. This is the home that Shane and I came home to on our wedding night. This is the home that we painted every wall in and over time decorated and made into a place that was near perfect for us. This is the home that we brought our first baby boy home to :) So many memories inside those walls.
I knew I was excited for a bigger, new home that we actually had enough room to breath in, but I didn't realize that our cramped crazy life on 109 Argenta had become what I defined "home."
Throughout this whole experience I've come to find that home is where your family is. As long as I have Shane and Nolan, that "homey" feeling finds its way into the nooks and crannies of any house.

We now live at 331 Newcombe Lane, Chatham, Illinois, and I couldn't be happier. This is the house I will raise my family in! After only being here for a week, we are already getting settled in. Nolan's room seems almost perfect..... Except for the electric blue walls and the name "Leon" painted largely above his changing table. HAHA
The family that lived here before us had a little boy named Leon- they were a super sweet family who even left us a card and a gift. The gift was a precious little outfit for Nolan, compliments of Leon.We've just decided that Nolan has a new nickname...... Leon......
The room seems perfect :)

It's funny how everything works out. God is definitely good!  I'm very thankful. Thankful for my new home, thankful for my family and friends who were so supportive and generous during this whole moving process, and thankful for everything that has become part of our new life here in Chatham.

Nolan's First Words....

"DaDaDaDaDa....."
 Nolan's sweet little voice babbles these words daily now :) As our little guy turns 5 months old this week, he continues to amaze us. We went to the Dr. a  couple weeks ago, and Nolan weighed in at 15 lbs. and 1/2 oz., and was 25.5 inches long. He's in the 50th percentile for weight and the 80th percentile for height. Dr. Sapetti said he was such a strong little boy and told us to go ahead and start feeding him cereal :) Nolan took to eating like a big boy quite well! He currently eats cereal twice a day and wants to grab the spoon from my hand and feed himself! This of course means that he thinks he should be eating everything that mom and dad eat! We set his little bumbo at the table now during meals, and to keep him satisfied he insists on drinking water from our glasses and trying out any food that we're eating. I always tear off a little piece of bread that I let him nibble and drool on and he so proudly "dines" with us at the big kid table. He's so proud of his new ability to eat and feed himself. I am excited to see where this goes! The next step is mixing in fruit with the cereal, and then trying out those yummy vegetables!!

Nolan weebles and wobbles and can almost set up on his own now! His favorite toy is definitely his exersaucer, and he really loves to lay big wet kisses on his little bird. His chunky little thighs get bigger every day and he's currently sporting 6-9 months clothing! He's still not ready to grow hair on that perfect little noggin of his, but I think his baldness only adds to his cuteness!

When it's time for bed, Nolan still loves for me to sing "Ohh my Baby Boy" and he's out like a light within minutes. His bouncer chair still serves as his nightly rocker as well while were reading his favorite books, Goodnight Moon always being on the list.... 

Nolan's new tricks:

Getting up once or twice a night now for a feeding.
Sucking in his lips and smacking his gums....
Cutting teeth : - /
And screaming a really loud funny scream that we call his Pterodactyl Scream!

We are truly blessed!

"I am your parent, you are my child. I am your quiet place, you are my wild...."

From our new favorite book- "You Are My I Love You"

No No Nolan.....

Today is Sunday, November 14th and I for the first time think Nolan needed disciplined! Isn't 5 months too early for him to already try and test me?? We were reading our bed time stories and he screamed and slapped his hands down as I went to switch books.... It was an ornery "I'm yelling at you mom" type of scream! Needless to say, we had a talk..... And I think he listened :)


Nolan Jay, you sure are a strong-willed little boy..... I think you and I may butt heads from time to time, but I hope you always remember that I'll love you forever and like you for always ;)

Here are some shots of him throwing fits this evening.....

As you can see... he thinks he's funny, and then fakes these little fits in efforts to get what his little heart desires....

Our Little Boy...

As Nolan has surpassed his 3 month birthday and approaches 4 months, he definitely is growing out of his little baby stage and becoming our little boy.

A little boy that LOVES to play. He's still got that smile of his with the little dimple, but now he's got a giggle that goes along with it. Those of you who know me, know I'm easily amused. I laugh at about anything, and we're starting to see that Nolan does too! Right now he thinks "Patty Cakes" is soooo..... funny! Hearing his little laugh can transform any bad day you think you've had!

A little boy that Loves to Splash! Nolan is officially too big for the infant support in his tub, and now that we've taken it out, he's discovered he can splash!! He splashes so much so, that mom and dad had to mop up the kitchen with towels after this last bath! Needless to say, his future baths will be taken in the big tub! The kitchen sink just isn't cutting it anymore!! :)

A little boy that loves him DA BEARS!  Shane has always been a devoted Bears fan- we have season tickets, MUST have jerseys on by game time, and get nervous in church on Sundays when communion starts pushing close towards kick-off time! It's obvious that Nolan has no choice but to be a #1 Bears fan! I mean, we don't want to jinx it, but since Nolan's been with us the Bears have...... well we won't say it out loud, but lets just say we're off to a good start this year! BEAR DOWN!

A little boy who's learned how to make friends- Nolan continues to enjoy his weekdays at Cousin Hilary's house, but this last month a new friend has joined him! His cousin, Avette, has also started to go to Hilary's during the day. They are only ten days apart, and are a hoot to see together. Hilary has been an amazing nanny to the boys, and there's no greater feeling then pulling in to the Tierney driveway at the end of the day, and seeing little Nolan and Avette in the wagon together. I look forward to watching these two little guys grow up!

Our not-so-little Nolan is now eating 5-6 ounces, is still sleeping through the night (Praise the Lord), is transitioning from the 1-2 Pampers to the size 3, and couldn't be more charming than he is when wearing a size 3-6 footie pajamas! 
His current nickname is "drool monkey" as he seems to be teething, but handling it like a champ!

This adventure known as "parenthood" has truly been amazing so far. I've become a better wife, teacher, and all around person as I learn so much from this little boy of mine. Shane and I have never been happier and can only pray that this experience continues to help us grow. I can't finish this blog tonight without giving a special shout out to Shane as a father though.....

You never know what to expect out of your spouse as you transition through big stages in life. Watching Shane with Nolan is truly the sweetest thing I've seen. The two first of all look EXACTLY alike. You would think Shane carried him for nine months instead of me! Needless to say, Shane is an amazing father. He gets up with Nolan each morning, gets him ready, gets himself ready, all while managing to serve me a morning egg sandwich before I walk out the door. I start my car each morning, take off for work, and just smile thinking about how lucky I really am! Thank you Shane for taking care of Nolan and I. Being a "working mom" has really turned out to be ok with you as my teammate through it all!

I'm signing off tonight just feeling flat out lucky! We'll be heading back to the Dr. in only a couple of weeks! Can't wait to see how much Nolan has grown :)

So Many Firsts..... :)

Every day brings with it something new in the life of little Nolan Jay :) Just in 8 weeks, he's been able to experience so much and be loved by so many!

In his first week- Nolan got to go visit Dr. Sapetti and his nurses for the first time. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 3 oz  and had all the nurses eating out of his hand! Grandma Lisa came with us to help mom out! We had another visit back to the Dr. in week 2 as Nolan had a clogged tear duct. Poor little guy had a little goopy eye and looked so sad! Luckily with some savv and drops it cleared up and was gone within a week! At week 2 he had also made his way up to 7 lbs. 11 oz.

Some other firsts for Nolan were-his first time celebrating Dad's Birthday and Father's Day,  his first party for the 4th of July at Aunt Marty and Ricks house, his first restaurant outing with Mom and Dad to the Corner Pub, his first shopping experience for swimsuits with mom at the mall, his first walks through the neighborhood with Mom and Auntie Anna, and his first little bath in the kitchen with Aunt Rosie there to help!
By week five, Nolan had also mastered some cool tricks. He was rolling over from his stomach to his back, sleeping in his crib, sleeping through the night (most of the time), and starting to enjoy music, sounds, and mobiles! He was also baptized at Our Savior's Lutheran Church by Pastor Hoffman and was eating a good 4 oz. at every feeding!

Nolan then took a big step in week 6 as he started going to Cousin Hilary's for daycare. He handled the new schedule like a champ though and even slept through 3 of the 4 work nights for mom and dad that week! Nolan also started having his weekly dates with Grandma Judy that week :) She comes over every Tuesday and they get to spend the whole day together. She even does all our laundry- we are so lucky to have Grandma Judy here every week!

As Nolan now turns two months old, I can honestly say he's the most content, happy little boy you'll ever meet! He is now talking a sweet little baby talk, he smiles that big smile of his with his adorable little dimple every time you sing or play with him, and he loves to give kisses to anyone willing to take them! His favorite toy is his bouncer chair, and he is starting to spend lots of time on his play mat looking at his little animals. His favorite song to sing is "This Little Light of Mine," and he still loves to fall asleep to "Ohh My Baby Boy." He continues to sleep through most nights, and only gets more handsome each day.

I love you so much my little Noley Poley! Our life is only that much better now that you are a part of it. I look forward to all that lies ahead, and hope to hang on to these sweet memories of your days as my baby boy as long as I can! :)

Nolan Jay Adkins

Nolan Jay Adkins joined us in this big world we live in on Friday, June 11th, at 3:43 p.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches long. He was a perfect little peanut!

Though my pregnancy was pretty easy, labor proved to be quite the opposite for us! After a good epidural, 4 hours of pushing, and a little help from a vacuum and Dr. Chapman, Nolan finally made it! The second he was in my arms he stopped crying, stuck his precious little fingers in his mouth and looked at me with those big bright eyes of his. It was love at first site! Shane was an awesome husband and dad through the whole stay in the hospital too. He never left my side- even to eat! The day Nolan joined us is definitely one of the proudest moments in my life! Being there with he and Shane was absolutely perfect- it's amazing watching one of God's plans unfold!


Nolan also had quite the welcome committee there to greet him on the day of his birth. In the room with us was.... Grandma Lisa and Papa Bob, Grandma Judy, Aunt Liz, Aunt Rose, and Aunt Kayse! People say I am crazy, but I just say I am blessed! Along with all the family we had our Nurse Angela, who was phenomenal (I cried when her shift ended), Dr. Chapman, and also an intern that didn't seem to speak English very well... Last name Sosa. Needless to say, the love in the room was overwhelming, and there wasn't a dry eye in the audience! Even Dr.Sosa was choked up!

One year passed, then two and three, and then we had a Family :)

Our Sweet Little Baby :)

Within a month of having to say goodbye to Stella, Shane and I got the best news ever - we were expecting! Timing was perfect as we had just started doing work to our house (new floors and paint). Also, the projected due date was June 11th- This meant that for a teachers schedule, timing was perfect!

For the most part, I can say I was pretty fortunate to have a pretty tolerable pregnancy! Morning sickness wasn't an issue and I was able to handle most foods and smells (go figure)! Early on in my pregnancy I craved Buffalo Chicken Wings and anything Spicy (Again- go figure)! I also remember a night of peeling and boiling potatoes, and serving them with sour kraut and kiebasa sausage- Shane was new to this meal, and not a big fan. Needless to say the next day I couldn't even look at the leftovers!
As pregnancy progressed, I was introduced to my new love - SWEETS! Those of you who know me, know I have never ever enjoyed sweets. I never eat cake, never want chocolate, and gag at the site of any pies or pastries! This changed very quickly! I soon began thinking that dessert was not a guilty pleasure but a MUST with every meal, and I couldn't get enough of the cookies, cupcakes, or brownies in sight. Also, the Mellow Cream Drive Through on 6th street became a weekly pit stop! My students LOVED that semester of school!

For my 26th Birthday (Jan. 20th)- Shane and I got the big news that our little bun in the oven was going to be a precious baby boy!  I initially was shocked and in disbelief as everyone, including myself, was positive that there was a little girl in there- sure to be a spitfire! As I continued to watch the sonogram though, and see my little boys feet kick, his heart flutter, and his little hands wave, my heart melted. I had never felt more connected to anyone in my entire life - Sorry Shane! Needless to say, I got a free pass on this one and was blessed with a precious baby boy that I had no idea I would fall so in love with! We soon decided on the name Nolan Jay, and got busy putting together his nursery. With much help and support from friends and family we were soon ready for the debut of our baby boy!

As the final weeks of my pregnancy approached I lost sight of my ankles, my chin somehow just disappeared, and my fingers began to look like the mini corn dogs they serve in my school cafeteria. My blood pressure also began to spike which made for an interesting last couple of weeks. At week 40 I was not allowed to be on my feet and found myself having to go to the Dr. every day. Fortunately, at my last appointment, they decided to send me over to Memorial and get my party started! I was so excited to call Shane with the good news! We met at home, grabbed our things (our bags had been packed for weeks), and took off for the hospital. We were so excited and nervous as we tried to wrap our minds around the fact that within hours, we would finally be parents :)

A Tribute to Stella :)

 For the first two years of our marriage, Shane and I had been fortunate enough to take in a rescue puppy that we named Stella. She was the best little dog with the sweetest disposition, and she taught us so much about parenting! Unfortunately in October, we had to say goodbye to our little Stella as her health continued to regress. She will always have a soft spot in our heart as she brought so much love into our first home together! We truly think God brought her to our home for her final years and are very thankful we had the time we did to share with her. We still think about her often and give her much credit for getting us ready for parenting.Stella never EVER left our side, she slept with us every night, she needed tended to at least once a night for a feeding or the bathroom, and she taught us how to love and care for something that really needed us. At the time we didn't realize it, but she really prepared us for starting a family!
This is a shout out to you Miss Stella! We love you so much!