Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Harvest!

Harvest is upon us! The Traffas men started cutting on May 25th. Aaron said he doesn’t remember starting harvest before the beginning of June in previous years. So it is a special year. It is of course Nolan’s first harvest! He has already had his first ride on the combine. And as of yesterday his second. It has been quite a busy time around Sharon. Nolan is staying with Grandma Marilyn while Aaron is in the field.  I am commuting to work each day from Sharon to reduce the amount of time Nolan has to spend in the car. We are so lucky to have so much help with Nolan. Erica has also been home studying for her NCLEX test (licensing test for Nurses) and helping watch Nolan.

Nolan is growing up so quickly! He is now 9 months old and crawling everywhere. He often crawls up on his feet rather than just using his knees. It is adorable. He is pulling up on EVERYTHING; in turn he is also falling down more and bonking his head on everything.  Nolan has started waving. Aaron calls it the motorcycle wave because his hand is in a fist and he just rotates it to wave. Nolan grabbed Grandpa Brian’s heart after he had been working in the field all day and Nolan crawled over and raised his tiny right hand up and gave him a wave. After a long day’s work I think that was a wonderful welcome home. Most of the time Nolan waves at people including people on TV, but sometimes he also will wave at toys. 

Nolan has decided that solid food is not so bad. This is such an exciting thing to report! Nolan has started to show a lot more interest in eating solid foods. I had read some advice that said to let him have his own spoon during feedings. I couldn’t believe that this simple change reduced his frustration and enable me to get him to take more bites of food. He is not consuming a lot of food but just that fact that he is interested in eating is such an improvement over last month. On May 12th I noticed his first tooth coming in, it was the lower center right side tooth and just a day or two later the left side started to break out of the gums too. Now he has two little teeth on the bottom. Nolan is so independent when it comes to eating he just wants to do it all himself. So we have given him more of an opportunity to feed himself with some fruits and veggies. He loves to gnaw on apple slices; using those two tiny teeth to the fullest. He has also tried sweet potato cubes, watermelon and a little bit of an ice cream sandwich. He seems to respond so much better to things he can pick up and eat than trying to feed him with a spoon.

We have had so many things to celebrate lately. Andrew graduated from the University of Missouri at St. Louis as a Dr. of Optometry and Erica graduated from Bethel College with her BSN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing! I am starting classes next week at Wichita State University!  Oh what a busy month. What would be do if life slowed down?

Holly finished her first year teaching at Junction City Middle school and will start teaching summer school next week. The theme this year is the Olympics, which is pretty fitting for Holly because she loves watching the Olympics. I am so proud of her and can’t wait until we are both teachers and have our summers free to spend time together making crafts, baking tasty treats and sewing fun projects.

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Stand Up, Sit Down….

Nolan turned 8 months old on April 27th;  this year is flying by! Nolan is crawling all over the house. Figuring out new ways to baby proof everything has just about become a hobby for Aaron. He and Nolan continue to spend their days at home together. Erica comes over and helps out with Nolan when she is available. Nolan is crawling and pulling up on furniture and has even started to take small steps along the furniture. It is very fun to watch him learn how to use his body. He first stood up on his own (pulling himself to his feet) against the mirror in his play area on April 27.

We have continued to (try to) feed Nolan solids. However he has decided that he is not really that interested in eating any of them. He starts out very happy and excited to eat when I put him in his chair, but then once we get down to the actual putting food in his mouth, well that is when he starts getting upset. It doesn’t seem to matter what we are eating cereal, veggies or fruits; he usually ends up trying to hold the spoon and finger paint in any of the food that drips on the tray. It is quite an ordeal, but I am trying to stick with it in hopes that he will start to like it.  Sometimes I think he knows he will get to take a bath right after dinner so he just cries and then we go take a bath. He LOVES the bathtub. He plays with his bath toys chasing them all over the tub and splashing and kicking the whole time. I am really looking forward to going to the pool this summer with him.

Nolan does not yet have any teeth. Which is fine by me as long as they decide to come in at some point. 🙂 He has been battling a cold for the last week which has made him a little fussy and I cannot tell if he is over the cold or if he is starting to teeth.  Although I have though he was teething since he was about 5 months old!

He doesn’t yet have any real words but he seems to be doing a little more experimentation with sounds than he was before. He still screams but usually only when he is really happy and excited.

There are so many people and places I want to see this summer, I hope I find the time to do so. At the beginning of July we are planning to have Nolan’s baptism ceremony in Sharon at St. Boniface, the same church Aaron and I got married in.

At the end of April I found out that I was accepted in to the Early Childhood Unified-Master of Arts in Teaching program at Wichita State University . I am very excited to get started! This program is an 18 month program that starts in June 2012. So back to school I go. I will most likely be leaving my job at TFI in the fall to start working in a school, preschool or childcare center, which is part of the requirement of the ECU-MAT program. I know it is going to be intense but I really look forward to being a teacher and working with kids. I especially like the idea of have my summers free to spend with my own little one.

This summer is going to go so quickly I just know it! The next two weekends we are celebrating the achievements of Andrew and Erica! Andrew has finished the course work at University of Missouri at St. Louis  to be a Doctor of Optometry while Erica has completed her  Bachelor of  Science in Nursing from Bethel College.  I know they have both been waiting for the completion of these degrees and we are very excited to share in their achievements!

Aaron is becoming increasingly obsessed with improving his golf game. I can’t blame him for wanting to get out and play 18 holes after spending all week with Nolan. Aaron’s most recent upgrade to his equipment included a new driver. From what I have heard he seems to be pretty happy with the results.

Harvest is coming, probably early this year. I was driving down by Winfield yesterday and some of the wheat fields were already turning gold. Aaron always looks forward to heading down to Sharon and cutting wheat. It will be fun to get Nolan out for a quick photo with the combines this year.

Aaron and I are trying to find a different place to rent. Since we are not planning on staying in Wichita too long after I graduate from WSU we don’t think it is in our best interest to buy a home. So the search is on for a rental house. We actually like the place we are in right now but the floor plan is not great. So hopefully we can find a set up that will be more conducive to “Daddy Daycare”.

 

 

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7 Months

Nolan is growing and changing so fast! The month of March flew by so quickly. Aaron had to travel almost every weekend this month so Nolan and I had a lot of time to hang out at home together. Nolan is able to sit unassisted and play with his toys for several minutes. He is also trying very hard to crawl. He has not figured out that he needs to lift his head while moving his legs, but that doesn’t seem to slow him down. I think he may end up with rug burn on his face soon. He is mobile enough to scoot reach or roll to  get just about anything he wants. Of course the things he wants are usually not this things we want him to have, including our cell phones, remotes, computers, cords etc.

Nolan cannot get enough of my necklaces, I think he believes I wear they as a chew toy for him. So each day when I get home from work I have to remember to take them off before he gets his slobbery little hands on them.  Nolan has tried a few new foods. He is still just eating one solid meal  a day in addition to his milk. We usually feed him in the evenings so that he can have the necessary bath right after he eats. So far he has not complained too much about any of the vegetables he has tried.  Nolan loves bath time, he enjoys kicking and splashing in the water. As long as he has his squirting toys he is happy the whole time. I am trying to get him used to water and make sure he is not scared of it, because I am hoping to take a “Mommy and Me” swimming class this summer.

Nolan has his first round of antibiotic a couple of weeks ago. We took him in to the clinic because he had a fever, cough and runny nose.  As it turns out he also has a slight ear infection. He just finished his antibiotic and is doing much better; but there for a few days he really struggled. His temperature topped out at 102 F.  Which was very concerning, but with a little Tylenol and forcing him to eat it came down.  It was so hard to watch him not want to play or eat.

So glad is his back on track. While Aaron was in Indiana my mom was on Spring Break so she got to come up to Wichita and spend a couple of days with Nolan while I was at work. I was so thankful we didn’t have to take him back to the daycare center for the whole time Aaron was away. I think Nolan like the center just fine but that is where I believe he picked up that nasty cold and I just wanted him to stay healthy for awhile before having another sickness.  The rest of the time Aaron was gone Nolan got to play with cousin Marissa as she was on Spring Break. It was so nice having family watch Nolan.

Once Aaron finally got home from Indiana Nolan and I were so happy to see him. Nolan just smiled and wanted to play with his Dad and I think Aaron wanted the same thing.

I am looking forward to April so that we can have more family time! I also hope this rain lets us so we might be able to take more walks. Nolan loves taking walks, he likes to look at the trees and hear all the sounds of the kids around the block playing. I enjoy the walks just daydreaming about when Nolan is running around kicking a soccer ball like the kids in the park. I know those days are not too far off.

 

 

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6 Months!

Nolan is quite the little rolly pully!  He has been able to roll over for a couple of months now, but just recently he has started to do it with purpose. He is reaching for toys and playing. We really have to watch him when he is on the floor, he is able to make his way around by rolling and scooting towards toys.

Last week  Nolan realized he was able to see himself in the mirror while he sits in his car seat. (We have a mirror on the headrest, so he can see his face from the front seat.) Then the other day Marilyn (Nolan’s grandma) and I were shopping and as we were looking at the meat in the meat case, Nolan started jabbering and smiling. It took a second for us to realize he was seeing himself in the mirror above the meats. So cute!

As Nolan has reached the 6 month mark it seems like he has really started understand so much more of what is happening around him. He is able to sit up on his own while playing with toys. He continues to enjoy the jumpers, it is fun to see how much he has grown taller. He can reach the ground now without a pillow under his feet. Aaron and I are looking into buying a kid corral/play pen for Nolan. With his new-found ability to scoot and roll we are starting to get a little worried about him pulling on cords and rolling into sharp edges in the house.

He is growing so fast! On Thursday (March 1) we have Nolan’s 6 month check up. He will be measured and weighed and get his vaccinations. It is always fun to see how much he has grown since the last check up. I don’t think Nolan will weigh quite as much a cousin Kylee did at her 4 month appointment on Monday. She weighed in at over 18 lbs!  I think Nolan will be between 16 and 17 lbs.

We have found a daycare center that will allow us to bring Nolan in for occasional care. This is great for when Aaron has to travel out-of-town for work. Nolan has been there one time so far. It went very well all of the teachers were very nice. Nolan will get to go back to the daycare in the next couple of weeks as Aaron is traveling quite a bit in March. It is nice to have this option available to us. It is also a great reminder of how much money we are saving by having Nolan stay home with Aaron during the day. We have a really great situation.

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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

 

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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
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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.

 

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37 Week Appointment

We attended our 37 week 4 day appointment on Tuesday. Everything is looking good. Nolan’s heart rate was 144 beats/minute. And I am measuring right on track. The doctor did an exam and said that there is no progress yet, but not to worry because many women do not have any progress until labor begins. We are 15 days away from our due date. Really looking forward to meeting Nolan. We also got our wonderful car seat properly installed into our vehicle so we are ready for the first ride.

I have continued to feel pretty good. Considering myself lucky to still be carrying our little guy with no complications.  I have continued to experience braxton hicks contractions, but still nothing that is too uncomfortable. I am very tired usually requiring a nap to make it through the day. Nolan continues to move around a lot!  I can definitely tell he is putting on weight as my belly grows and feels so much heavier.

I think Aaron is ready for our trip to the hospital, we both have our bags packed and ready to go by the front door.  It is getting so hard to wait for this little guy to come, but hopefully he decides to make his appearance soon. I just can’t wait to see his sweet face.

 

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Baby Traffas’s Quilt


While Aaron was away this weekend in Sacramento. I decided that I would trust the sonogram technician and go ahead and start a quilt for a little baby BOY!  I was so excited to get started on something for the little one. Aaron and I haven’t really bought anything yet as we were waiting to find out the gender.

Quilt fabric selections

I have made quilts in the past with my Grandma Poe but that has been many many years and they were always squares of the same size. Anyhow I found this pattern at a local quilting shop and I just love it.

By the end of the day on Saturday I had been to 4 quilting/fabric shops in town looking for just the right fabric. I really thought I had nailed it when I got home with my selections.  So I started cutting away making tons of little blocks to be sewn back together. I worked and worked all day, but had to get some sleep so I called it quits when I had 1/4 of the squares assembled.  I felt so proud of myself.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling terrible as I have been battling a sinus cold, but then I saw all of the cute little square laying there just waiting to be sewn together, so got back to work. I sewed all of the squares together to complete the front of the quilt. Then I laid the quilt on the bed to take a look at my progress.  I was somehow disappointed with my work. I had tried so hard to choose fabrics that complimented each other but  now the only color I was seeing when I looked at the quilt was ORANGE!

Baby Boy’s Quilt

I thought, “what can I do now it is completely sewn together.” So I did something very silly and started ripping out the seams. I also added some large solid squares of the blue fabrics. Then re-sewed the quilt back together. I am much happier with it now, but it is still not exactly what I was thinking in my head.

Last night I finished adding the quilt batting and the quilt backing. The quilt backing is the dark blue fabric already used in the quilt. Now I still need to decide if I am going to try actually quilting the blanket with the wandering stitch as the pattern picture had shown or stick with just hand tying the quilt.  Either way I think will be fine. I know that the hand tied would take less time, but I think the stitched quilting would look really nice. I have no experience with stitching a quilt. My Grandma always preferred the hand tied when we were young because it took less time and we (the kids) could help. So for now I will stay undecided about how I will be finishing up the quilt. The final step will be to decide on binding for the edges. The patterns says it is not something that is completely necessary but it just seems like it would be a nice finishing touch. I think I may use the same dark blue fabric that I used for the backing.

Baby’s Quilt Close Up

I think this could be a really fun starting point for our little guy’s room. I love the baby dinosaurs fabric and I was thinking about trying to use it somewhere else in the room. Possible curtains, who knows at this point. Luckily I have plenty of time to decide.

Just over 150 days till he is due to arrive. Can’t wait to meet him.