Updates on Nolan

Yep, Nolan the Bean had another birthday on Saturday. I had pictures all ready to upload but haven’t had a chance to post until now. He’s been out of the womb (OOW) for seven months, but I suppose we need to start getting used to referring to him as his “adjusted” age, based on what his birthday would have been if he were a term baby (mid-December). That makes him four months, adjusted… Gotta love it, just in time for tax season we start referring to Nolan like he’s a tax line item!

That whole adjusted age thang doesn’t really matter so much to all of us, who have been following Nolan’s saga for the last seven months, but it makes for fewer strange looks when someone at the grocery store asks how old Nolan is (”Oh, my eight pound baby? He’s seven months old.” and then you gotta explain the whole saga while your ice cream melts), and also reminds us that Nolan’s development won’t follow “normal” development guidelines — sometimes he’ll be ahead of his adjusted age, sometimes he’ll be behind his age… But, hey, we’re just thrilled Nolan has graced us with his presence!

Anyhow, on the subject of developmental milestones, Super Nolan (shout out to Alice!) is doing a pretty good job of holding his head up (better even than the picture shows) and he’s really moving his head around to check things out. He’s really interested in his hands: he spends a fair amount of time just watching his hands move, and he’s also working more and more on reaching for things, touching things, and generally beginning to use his hands.

He weighs 8+ pounds now, continuing the slow but steady progress that we all know and love. He’s still on supplemental tube feedings. He’s also starting to “talk” a lot at times.

I wanted to let all of you Nolans fans out there know that a subset of your number has been working tirelessly to set up a benefit auction for Nolan. More information is available at http://friendsofnolan.com, but here’s the teaser: these folks really have worked tirelessly to set up a great event — hundreds of pieces of hand-crafted artwork from artists near and far, with fabulous food and drinks, live music and a great auctioneer, and a silent auction before the live auction to get everyone warmed up. They’ve arranged for all donations to be tax-deductible, and the funds will be held for Nolan’s care and expenses, so you’ll be supporting a great cause (near and dear to all our hearts!) while you’re having a great time. You may get a great piece from your favorite artist, or you may discover a new favorite artist — since many of these donations are from Kara and Ronan’s colleagues, you know there will be lots of great work in there either way! You’ll also get a chance to meet some of those other Nolan fans whose names you’ve seen over the last months in the “recent love” column. All this fun will be had on Friday, May 4th, so get the date on your calendar (just a couple of weeks away!) and get the details, including pictures of some of the pieces to be auctioned, at the website…

More cute pictures in the gallery — they look best if you click through to the full picture and then use “next” to look at them all… The thumbnails clip parts of the picture so if you don’t look at the full picture you’ll miss, for example, the great look on Ronan’s face as he says hi to Nolan… Check it out!

Hope to see you all at the auction…
-Maria

Nolan passed his two months at home mark with flying colors. He is now over eight pounds, at least two inches longer than when we first came home and flirting with the best of them. He tracks, reaches, is beginning to grab and has a lot to say though the words are a bit garbled at this point; Sometimes I am pretty sure he is using some foul language or perhaps engaging in his own version of the “dirty dozen”, he must’ve gotton that from his fathers side of the family…We are loving having him home, the fact that I get to snuggle with him all day is so amazing. Ronan is working a lot in his studio and teaching several classes, generally being the breadwinner, as well as being at home whenever he can to hang out with us.
We still are not taking Nolan out in crowded places as he is still very suseptible to respiratory and intestinal bugs both of which would likely put him back in the hospital. The statistic is that 40% of premies end up back in the hospital their first year out, the smaller and earlier they were increases the likelyhood they will be in that 40%. We hope to debut him sometime this summer.
The biggest news for this posting is the upcoming fundraiser/auction. Many of you have given time, work, donations, love and energy to this event which we appreciate and are overwhelmed by (in a good way). If you don’t know about this event go to www.friendsofnolan.com to check out the details. It will be held May 4th at 6:30 at the Durham Armory. There will be a silent and live auction, food, music and friends. Ronan and I are planning on attending and hope to see some of you wonderful folks there. Thank you to everyone who has helped with the fundraiser!
Check out the gallery for the latest photos. I guess I should say the latest uploaded photos as there are so many new ones taken every day. Take care all. Kara, Ronan and Nolan

Nolan has discovered that he has hands, and that he can (kind of) use them, and also that they are interesting to chew on. He’s fascinated by ceiling fans and his parents’ voices. He’s growing (over 7 pounds now!) and, of course, he’s cute as a bean. But that’s no surprise, now, is it?

Nolan has a pretty cute smile and he shares it pretty often, especially when Mom plays games with him. Or just talks to him. Love that Mom action. Really, though, who wouldn’t?

Nolan still loves to be held and patted (or thumped) on the butt. The advent of hands-in-mouth last week seems to have made the pacifier a little bit less crucial for him. Overall, there’s not a ton of news, just a happy, growing baby. We’ve got more pictures in the gallery, which the Haigler-Davis family will especially want to check out.

And now, Nolan has asked me to let each of you know that this April 1st he wants you to stop foolin’ around and join him in spending a couple of hours in front of the television cheering the Tar Heels as they beat Tennessee. (Also he wants you to hold aside Tuesday night for the final victory of the women’s basketball season. Go Heels!)

Good thing that he learned to use those hands for cheering just in time for the championship!