Exiting Toddlerhood

I know Nolan is quite ready, but this mommy is certainly not ready for 4. We have the infant stage, the terrible twos, the terrifying threes, and then you have a kid. He certainly is looking more kid-like these days. Nolan is quite independent, comfortable telling me to leave his playroom to give him more space to build, and learning new ways to try to outsmart/negotiate his way into anything. For instance, he told me, "I think I'll just stay home while you go shopping. I'm still building.. and I go potty by myself." He lost that negotiation but has won plenty of "see this toy says '5'. It is cheap. We can buy that."

We were battling a cold this month, but that did not cease his excitement. I mistakenly told him that his birthday is when it snows (back in the summertime... but there's no forgetting at this age). I'm not sure why I said that, aside from stopping the 'whys'. Of course, being Michiganders, Nolan has been asking if every day is December 22nd since mid-November at the first snowfall... followed by "it's snowing, so can I have cupcakes today?"

He is spending his birthday season (sure... we will call it that) traveling for celebrations, overstimulated by all of his wishes. I truly enjoy that ecstatic excitement, but am pretty sappy when I browse through our Nolan & Elephant monthly albums.


We hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Halloween - 2018

You know the drill - it's Halloween time!

I'm sorry, Nolan. For the next 15 years or so (and hopefully more after that), you're stuck with your mom's silly traditions, dad's time lapse skills, silly costumes, and corny picture edits.  Some day, you'll appreciate us.

From our crew to yours, we hope you had a safe and happy Halloween!


Lots of love,

Tres y Medio

Tired of these yet? I know most people joke about not doing a baby book for their third kid, but Nolan, my dear first-born, this is going to have to suffice. I'm hip and modern, right? Not lazy, just cool... 

Goodness. 3 and a half.  #BabyCressman is long gone and we surely have a little boy.  These past few months have been pretty rough. Scott was super busy, I was finishing school, and we were dealing with a pretty big daycare issue.  While I don't want to get into all of that, preschool discussions were always on my mind and search history.  We have settled on an early preschool and have made a comfortable decision, but I still have to remind myself that I am looking at schools, not caregivers.  Despite it feeling good to put my academic career to good use, it is crazy to think he will be walking in to the same school that houses much bigger kids.  I know he'll do great, though... so I'm trying to wear my "tough momma" pants proudly.

This kid is quite the ham.  Here's the Nolie rundown.

Likes: bugs, sand, automobiles, cookies, mommy's school, "summertime" (said as emphatic as possible), playing in water any chance he can get, and his friends.

Dislikes: not having control, leaving anywhere empty-handed, going to bed before it is dark, and stopping to eat.

These past 6 months have been spent learning letter sounds, completing a "soccer" season (trust me, 3 year old soccer deserves quotes), swim lessons, and traveling southeast Michigan (Oh! And a plane trip to DC). His need for control causes some pretty epic meltdowns when he is approaching nap/bed time, but i try to grit my teeth or hide under the table smile while getting him through it.

He makes a great 'little brother' to Orie and Floyd (pestering, chasing, and too-tight hugs make a good little brother, right?). He can build like a champ and enjoys flying spaceships with daddy.  All in all, I'd classify him as a pretty cool kid, just like mom.

Boards Shmoards

As we speak, Scott is mid-board exams.  I haven't done a post regarding med school/residency in a while (it's not like Nolan has taken over at all 😉), so I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about residency life and give a quick shout-out to my other half.

Board Exams are an intense beast.  He's probably spent an entire year prepping, but a solid month turning down events, locking himself in an office, and cramming, cramming, cramming. I know I joke about how exhausted I am of doing bedtimes on my own and hearing the phrase "I can't come with you," or watching someone stare at his phones doing questions all day, but I know that pales in comparison to the sheer exhaustion and mental preparation he's been going through.

This exam is at least 600 questions (I don't remember the exact number). I pulled this description from the American Board of Radiology website:

I can't imagine two 7 hour days of testing, but he's a pro in this by now.  Including Step exams, this will be a total of $4,915 in testing alone. There are some little tests he's taken here and there, so that's probably a low estimate. He packed his snack bag along for those short thirty minutes (I'll save you the picture of the large back of junk food), Nolan and I threw in our surprise napkin notes, and wished him luck.

All of this to say, we couldn't be more proud of him.  But, I'm very much looking forward to a weekend of no books, no office, and no studying! Dr. Scott, good luck!