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.

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