My 7 Month Mister

I love these overalls. 

My little Nolan is getting so big!! I love, love, love this stage he's in. He's a usually happy boy, and he's very, very busy. Anytime we help him stand up, he's usually jumping about 2 seconds later. 

We often find Nolan in the above position. We like to think he's working on his obliques. But he will seriously just hang out on his side. It makes me laugh. 

He is up on all fours! He can rock back and forth and scoot every so slightly. I am not ready for a crawler. I'm hoping it takes him a little while longer to figure it out. 

But honestly. This kid is so long!! At his last check up (that was somewhere between 6 and 7 months), he was 28 inches long, putting him in the 87th percentile! I can't believe how much he's grown. 

If that picture doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. Nolan's new foods since last month: avocado, oatmeal, cantaloupe, and sweet potato. I introduce a new food about every 5 days. Well, I try.  He's trying peas for lunch today. He better like them because I made 8 servings worth! :) From my observation, I think his favorite thing to eat is the banana and avocado puree I make- scarfs. it. down. 

Some things I love about Nolan right now: when I'm holding him, he often pats me on the back. If I ask for a kiss, sometimes he'll lean in to me, open mouthed. One morning when I got him out of the crib, he was so happy, and he leaned in to me right away for a an open mouthed kiss. How could you not love that?! He gets genuinely excited about eating his solids. He's going to fit right in with our family! He'll sit in the front of the cart while I grocery shop, which is AMAZING! He thinks Adam and I are hilarious, and he loves when we dance crazy in front of him. 

Some things I don't love about this stage right now: he pulls my hair all the time. I watch him eye my hair, waiting for the best time to grab it. It's painful. And I really don't like it. Yes, I'm definitely considering a hair cut. Nolan is really  into playing on the floor right now. So, he'll push against whomever is holding him to try to get down. And well, that just makes me sad. I love that he's growing in independence, but he seems too young to be doing this. 

Things Nolan loves right now: MY HAIR, paper, his sippy cup, baths, sitting up like a big boy, his jumperoo (!!!!!!!), the song "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen, Little Cabin in the Woods, the Baby Animals book, balloons, rolling everywhere, and laughing. 

Sweet, Noley Poley, I love you so much. Utterly crazy about you! I can't believe I get to be your mama. There are most certainly days that you literally pull my hair out, and I want to pull my hair out. But you, my boy, are such a joy bringer. Your Daddy and I love you more than you'll ever know. 

Marriage These Days

Sometimes, marriage is hard.

That was going to be my opening line for devotions with my team. And honestly, I can't remember if that was last month or back in November. But sometime not too far back, I was feeling that sentiment. 

And when my sweet high school girls look at my family, their eyes are seeing everything they hope and dream for: A perfect husband. A perfect baby (he's close!). A perfect life filled with laughter, happiness, and permanent rainbows in the sky. 

And sometimes I feel the need to reel them back in. 

Because marriage is hard sometimes. Worth every bit of hardness, but hard. It is not natural to choose someone else's needs, desires, and dreams above your own. It is not easy to believe the best all. the. time. It is not romantic to do laundry, cook dinner, and wash dishes 14 times a day. 

But worth it. Absolutely, 100% worth it. 

It's worth having the same conversation over and over to figure out how to better communicate with each other. It's worth the time and effort put in to make sure Adam feels respected and loved. It's worth the cost of dinner to make sure we go on a date every once in a while. It's worth it. 

Since our amazing baby boy entered our lives, Adam and I have talked more about our relationship than ever. More discussions on frustrations, hurt feelings,  miscommunications, and heart issues. I can remember wondering, "Is it going to feel like this from now on?" You know, asked in a panicky sort of way. 

But the amazing thing is, I've never felt more secure or more safe in a relationship than I do right now in our marriage. Because no matter how many times I sit baffled by Adam's way of thinking, or frustrated that he can't seem to close the cabinet doors EVER, or wondering if he knows he hurt my feelings, I'm confident of this: Adam is for me. And I mean that in the sense that Adam is rooting for my success. He believes in me. He is cheering me on while simultaneously doing things that are bringing about further refinement in my own heart. Which can be absolutely exasperating!! 

But worth it!

On Sunday, Adam and I both got all dressed up to go to dinner at the top of the Space Needle. This was my Christmas present to him. I used gift cards to go buy a new dress. I had one of my cheerleaders come over to curl my hair. It was the most dressed up I've been since our wedding day. And as I got ready, I got those excited butterflies in my stomach. Excited to spend time with my husband alone. Excited to do something new and fancy (for us!). Hopeful that I looked pretty for my man because Lord knows I haven't tried that hard in a long time. 

And as I looked at my cute husband throughout the night, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly grateful for him. Grateful for the hard stuff as we transitioned to a family of 3. Grateful for the ways he makes me laugh. And sometimes frustrates me. Grateful for the ways we dream together. Grateful for this journey we're on. Grateful that he's mine, and I'm his. 

Sometimes, marriage is hard. But it's so worth it! 

Happy Half Birthday, Noley Poley!

My little man is 6 months old!

I can't believe we're half way to 1. Everyone always tells me, "It goes fast!" And it definitely has. Whenever I look at newborn pictures, I have a hard time remember his tiny self. 

Nolan is eating solids. His first real food was banana. Since then he's had carrots, butternut squash, pears, and apples. I've been using my magic bullet to make all of his food, and it's so fun to try new things! It took him the longest to warm up to the squash. 

This is what happens when Dad is feeding him! 

Nolan had his first Christmas. It was pretty much a regular day for him, but he looked so cute in his Christmas pjs. He did love wrapping paper! 

Nolan had to road trip with me and my parents down to Orlando, Florida for a competition. He did awesome in the car! And he did pretty great at the hotel, too. I didn't get much sleep, and Nolan definitely missed his crib!! But he was such a trooper!

Nolan is really into reading now. Just kidding. He does enjoy when we read to him, and he really like this squishy book to chew on. Nolan is a very efficient roller and can get pretty much wherever he wants by barrel rolling. There have been no efforts to crawl. And I'm quite okay with that. Not ready for him to be that mobile!

He's still a pretty happy boy. Among the things that make him really happy would be pulling my hair, jumping in his jumperoo, lots and lots of singing, tags of any sort, and being throw in the air. 

Speaking of happy, this kid still loves his changing table. He can usually be found flapping his arms, kicking his legs, and squealing with delight. I don't know what it is about it, but he seriously loves being on the changing table. 

Adam has been working really hard to get Nolan to start saying Daddy. He's getting pretty good at producing a Dada. Not sure it's intentional though. He's also got the mamamamama down. Again, I'm pretty sure it's not intentional. 

Does it get cuter than this?! I don't think so. Nolan loves when we sit him up like a big boy and put this blanket on him. He likes to hide under it, too. Adam is an amazing dad to Nolan. I love watching them together, and I'm so thankful that Nolan has an involved, caring, and hilarious dad. 

Can we talk about how long this kid has gotten?! Oh. My. Word. I haven't taken him to the doctor yet, but WOW!! He's so big! 

This boy fills my life with great joy and can bring a smile to my face no matter how frustrated or tired I may be. His laugh is absolutely adorable. It's my favorite sound in the whole world. He is such a blessing and delight! I'm so thankful God gave him to us when he did. Happy 6 months, little boy! I love you forever. 

5 Months

Nolan turned 5 months on December 20, and we left for home on December 21. A 5 month post just wasn't going to happen that day. BUT! I did take the nugget's pictures. Which I'll get to those later in the post. 

Nolan's 5th month of life included his 1st cold. Which was a total bummer. He wasn't sleeping good. He wasn't breathing good. It was just sad all around. 

Nolan finally figured out how to be happy on this tummy in the crib. He would roll to his tummy and then be really unhappy/mad about it. But he figured out that he does in fact like sleeping on his tummy once he rolls over. The first few times I did feel the need to repeatedly make sure he was breathing. 

Nolan had his first Thanksgiving. Adam's parents came to celebrate with us. We had a delicious feast, and Nolan had, well, he had milk. But he also had a lot of fun with Meme and Poppa! 

Nolan's favorite thing to do is JUMP in his jumparoo. When we were in Atlanta, he really missed this thing! Nolan will try to jump on pretty much anything at this point. He's so happy to be jumping!!

It's honestly really hard for me to remember what went on in the 5th month, since we're almost finished with the 6th month. But, he continued to get chunkier and cuter! 

At Nolan's last doctor's appointment, he was in the 80th percentile for height, which still makes me laugh. 

Nolan did great with his 2nd set of vaccinations. He had hardly any reaction at all. He was just a little fussy the day of, but it was much better than the first set! 

I don't think I've ever mentioned that I can get a guaranteed smile out of Nolan if I sing the song Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin. Sometimes I sing it for literally 7 minutes straight if he's crying in the car. He just sits content as I sing it over and over and over and over. 

If you look at these pictures of Nolan and the bear,  it looks like a wrestling match that Nolan just dominated! And hello, arm rolls!! I love his chunky self. 


Sorry, Chunky Monkey. This month just wasn't well documented. Mom was a little on the crazy, stressed out side of things. But we love you more than you'll ever know, little man. 

Tis the Season to Self Examine

Often times, seasoned moms will ask, "So, how's it going??" They have that knowing look in their eyes. The one that says, "Don't even pretend like things are going perfectly." Which is nice. And it also makes my stomach tighten. Depending on the day, they could get a variety of answers from me. I absolutely love being Nolan's mom. Or It was quite the transition! Or Thankfully, I have a really easy baby.

All of these answers are true. But I what I want to say is, "I've never been more aware of my selfishness until this tiny child came into my life." 

And I wouldn't change it for all of the riches in the world. I'd just like to get over myself, you know?

I'd like to think I have myself in a perfect storm. My coaching season this year has been so frustrating, so discouraging, and so exhausting. My team is awesome! I love those 14 girls, and I'd hang out with them more if I could. It's the tension and chaos surrounding our season that has done me in. The politics of the school, the lack of effort by the parents, the incredible burden of planning this trip to Florida, it's kind of sucked the fun out of coaching. 

I lay in bed awake thinking about the routine, the finances, the conflicts with the school. My heart hurts for the ways my immediate authority figure has disrespected my team and me. For the ways my reputation as a coach has changed this year. I don't get it. It feels so foreign, if I'm honest. And I don't like it. But in all of my efforts to be respectful and low maintenance, I've started to wonder if maybe my Athletic Director is right. The circles I run in my own head- exhausting! 

In a word, I've felt so insignificant lately. 

When Adam talks about how much his boss likes him and affirms his work. Or he takes him to lunch to talk strategy because Adam is "the future of this company." I think to myself, "I wonder what that feels like." 

There are days I walk into practice, praying that I can be what those girls need. Because I feel so defeated. I'm a typically feisty person when it comes to fighting for those girls, and I'm losing steam. 

The problem with feeling insignificant is it's a lie. When I buy into the lie, I start walking more in the fear of man instead of the authority of Christ. And I can't be the coach those girls need and deserve. And I can't be a happy, constantly serving wife and mom because I've suddenly started operating out of the strength of Marissa instead of the power of Christ and the overflow of Jesus in me. 

When one (Marissa) starts to feel insignificant, it only heightens the selfishness. Because everything becomes about me. 

And it's plain not. about. me. In a way, I am insignificant because this story is about Jesus. I'm not the star of this story. But when I put myself as the star, I find I'm completely incapable of filling the role. And if I could just live in that reality, I think my days would be better. 

Earlier this week, I was playing all of the songs that were in our wedding while I was cooking dinner. When I played, "Be My Everything," something resonated in my heart. A check. A reminder. Christ in me. Christ in me, the hope of Glory. Be my everything. 

In my cooking. In my cleaning. In my coaching. In my laundry. In my folding. In my marriage. In my mothering. Be my everything. In my hard days. In my easy days. In my everything. 

Be my everything. 

Sorry, I can't not put a picture of Nolan in a post. He's too cute! 

4 Months

My sweet, sweet boy is 4 months old. I cannot believe how stinkin' cute he is!

Nolan is so fun. He continues to be a pretty easy going baby. He's starting to laugh more, and it's absolutely my favorite sound ever! Sometimes he laughs for no apparent reason, but we can pretty much count on laughs if we kiss his naked tummy.

Nolan is officially rolling. He's not that great at it. And we actually didn't even witness it his first 2 times. My mom graciously took Nolan for me in the morning, so I could sleep an extra hour or two. And what do you know? The kid rolled over. I've only seen him roll back to tummy. And Adam's only seem him roll tummy to back. Go figure.

Completely unrelated to Nolan…we lost power for an entire day one Saturday. This was our light source. It was like camping in our own house. We were nice and cold all day! 

Nolan can be quite the helper in the kitchen. He mostly just sits in his bumbo chair and gnaws on whatever toy I give him. 

My little Nolan Bear. He's just the cutest! We didn't go anywhere for Halloween, but someone gave me 2 costumes to try out on Nolan. So, obviously I had to dress him up in them. 

He seemed really happy in both of them. I can only hope Nolan is a fan of ridiculous costumes for the rest of his life!

I introduced Nolan to the jumperoo, and he absolutely loved it!! He hasn't seemed to enjoy it as much as that first time, but he will usually go to town for a little bit! He will also chew on the seat cover and enjoy standing up all by himself. 

We're working on weaning Nolan off his swaddle. And it has been SLOW going! He definitely sleeps better swaddled, but because he knows how to roll over, we have to teach him how to sleep without the swaddle. But sometimes when we swaddle him, he used his Hulk strength and Houdini skills to escape anyways. 

Nolan had visitors in his 4th month of life…

My good friend Dally (Ally) came to meet my little nugget. They had a great time playing together. And Ally cooked dinner for us, which was AH-MAZING!

And my parents came!! Nolan enjoyed his time with Mimi and Abuelo. And so did I! Extra sleep, extra help, and always added fun when my parents are around. 

Nolan's hair was getting shaggy in some places, so I actually had to cut it. It was hanging over his ears, and it was getting super long in the back. His hair is still long in the front, but we are losing it in the back. He's an active sleeper and is rubbing himself a nice bald spot.

I find Nolan utterly adorable when he's just in his diaper. Seriously. I love kissing his chunky thighs and raspberrying that belly of his. He's just the cutest.  

In other news, Nolan relapsed his delightful sleeping through the night habits. He was waking up for no apparent reason. Not hungry. Just fussing. There were some nights that he'd wake up crying 4 times. Which is WAY more than he'd wake up as a newborn. Thankfully, those times have passed. He's remembered how to sleep straight through the night again. No one is happier about that than I am! 

Look how big this boy is!! Oh. my. word. He's grown so much. Just looking at this picture makes me want to take the boy's clothes off and kiss him right now!

Scrumptious.

Suffice it to say, we're still totally crazy about this baby boy! He loves when I sing to him. He loves to kick his legs like crazy in the bath. He's putting everything in his mouth. I'm recently starting to think he might know his name. I can't say that with confidence, but I'm working on proving my theory. He's due for his 4 month shots, and I'm NOT looking forward to that appointment. But I know he'll want some extra cuddles, and I'm okay with that. 

My favorite boys. I love them so much.