hello, does this still work?

To say it has been a long time is an understatement. Since posting last, Nathan has gone to his first wedding, first trip to the ER (dehydration), first plane ride, enjoyed a week in DC, had his first official meltdown, ear infection and stomach bug. He is running around and chattering up a storm.

At his 15 month check up he was 18 pounds 15 ounces and 31 1/2". I tried really hard for the extra oz but truly, it would not have made a difference. Going from 1% to 2% really isn't all that important LOL. Dr. Elvir said she is pleased with him despite being small. He is still on his growth curve and hitting all milestones with gusto. He has also been crazy sick over the past month or so (thanks daycare!) and she knows that has something to do with it too. We go back next week to recheck his ears. I don't have high hopes for more weight though since he is cutting all 4 molars at once. thank goodness for yogurt and humus. Chewing is not a favorite past time these days. I am also thankful that he is still nursing. Even on the days he doesn't eat so well, I know he is getting something in his belly.

We are getting ready for a low profile Thanksgiving. Since we are making the trip south for the ACC game next weekend, it seemed silly to make the trip twice. I am looking forward to just relaxing and playing with Nathan this weekend. Jeremy's parents are coming Saturday so maybe we will get on the stick and do some Christmas decorating. Or maybe not haha

Bath time is calling. The video is from this past weekend. He LOVES being outside and playing on his slide. I think a swing set might be the Christmas gift we have been waiting for.

He likes his "soos"

This morning Nathan was playing on our bed when he looked up at me and gave the sign for shoes. I just started using it yesterday so I wasn't sure if he meant it. Then I look in the direction he is looking and sure enough, there are his shoes. I asked if he wanted me to put them on and his eyes lit up. So, he walked around the house in his "soos" and PJs til he got dressed for school. Where did my barefoot baby go??

What else does he like right now? Let's see....

~bananas. loves the bananas.

~He discovered tofu in his miso soup last night and loved both.

~Humus. The kid could eat humus (and crackers if they are there) every day. It is my new go-to food when he isn't into whatever we are eating that day.

~I caved and tried a hot dog with him and he loved that too. It won't be an every day thing but nice to know he likes it in a pinch.

~He could eat yogurt and cheese every single day, and does. Good thing because he could really care less for cow milk. I have not tried soy milk but am thinking about it.

~He is fascinated with us brushing our teeth. He likes to "help" and gets upset if we brush without him. He now has his own toothbrush so we'll see how that goes. He likes the finger cover style we have been using so hopefully it will be just as good.

~Favorite toys are his rocking cow, car for outside, bubbles, blocks (he has started to stack and not just destroy), and books as always.

13 months old

My sweet baby is 13 months old. He is doing more and more big boy things every day. He is picking up more signs all the time (up to 12 now including cookie and banana. His favorite one is please since it seems to be a catch all for I want that!) and is trying to say a few words. They sound nothing like the real words but we know he is trying to say please, bird and yogurt. Pretty sure banana is in the mix too. He has been pretty sick for the past couple of weeks. All 3 of us were down for the count this weekend. Starting to feel a little better but still not quite right.

The biggest news around here is Nathan's new found love of sleeping at night. For the last year, I have been getting up with him when he wakes. Usually every 3-4 hours. We nurse and he goes back to bed. Some nights are harder than others but it has been our new normal and we worked through it. I am totally opposed shutting the door and not returning for 10-12 hours no matter how much he cries. Just isn't part of who I am as a person or parent. I do not expect babies to sleep more than a few hours in a row and feel it is my job as a parent to be there at night as well as during the day. I really wasn't sure how we were going to deal with helping him to sleep longer periods but I knew it would come eventually. Then one night, it did. All on his own. I woke up at 3:30 am and realized I never heard him wake up. I turned up the monitor and heard him moving in bed so I knew he was ok. And that was that. For the past 2 weeks, he has been sleeping like a rock star. A couple nights he has gotten up once but after a quick nurse, he was back out. Last night was 12 hours with no wake ups. Holy smokes. Who knew that was possible? haha The only thing that changed was him wearing his teething necklace.

Ah the teething necklace. I have been reading about them for quite some time but was not sure what to make of it. I thought that as long as our beloved teething tablets were working, we would be ok. Then all hell broke loose. He was drooling, which he NEVER did, chewing on his fists, being crankier than ever and just overall not being his happy self. So I though, why not? Can't hurt, right? We let him wear it during the day for a week or so and it seemed to be making a difference. I wasn't sure if it was because one of the teeth actually cut or the necklace. Then I put it on him before bed. Low and behold the child slept. and slept. and slept. Since then, we definitely think it is the necklace that is helping him. Even daycare thinks he is less fussy about the teeth. We can see more coming in but at this point with the other teeth, he was a wreck. We showed the pediatrician at our last visit and she thought it was pretty nifty too. Well, on Friday the pedi called to ask more about the necklace! I was floored. She said she had a mom who was at her wits end and had tried everything for her little guy. The only relief came when the pressed on his gums but you can't do that 24.7. I told her what I knew and had been experiencing with Nathan. Then I told her to feel free to have the mom call me. 3 minutes later I got a call from the mom and we talked for a while. So many amazing moms have helped me this past year so if I can give a tiny part of that help to another mom, I was glad to. I sure hope this helps her little one. Like my friend Jenn says, "teething is the devil"!

This weekend, since we were stuck in the sick ward, we watched a lot of football. I have my own fantasy team so I actually tried to pay attention. The best part was teaching Nathan to do "touchdown"! SO CUTE! He kept walking up to the fireplace glass and watching himself. Then he turns to us and claps. I love this kid.

8/31/09

Let me start by saying that the opinions expressed in my blog are mine. I am entitled to them. Part of why I have not been blogging much lately is I know more people are reading it. I have things to say but know someone will get their panties in a wad so I keep my thoughts to myself. But you know what, too bad. I have opinions and sometimes they are not popular. so be it. Just because my opinions and thoughts differ from yours, does not mean I am judging you. ok, sometimes I judge. who doesn't? but mostly, I am just thinking out loud to myself. This blog started as a place for me to journal and has morphed into a way for others to keep up with us. Nothing wrong with that but I am far too lazy to start another blog :-)

Today marks Nathan's 3rd week of daycare. I guess he likes it well enough. Here is my thing. I feel like it is my job to raise him. I should be with him, not sending him off to be with someone else all day. I feel like it is our job as parents to make the sacrifices we need to in order to be the one to raise our kids. I feel like by forcing myself to find something else to do (ie paying job) that I am somehow neglecting my primary responsibility. It feels so forced. I have no desire to be this big career woman. I want to be home with my son.

Here is the kicker though, I want to be able to do things and go places with my son and husband. Things and places take money. So does retirement but that is a whole other issue. So now, I am trying to find the best of both worlds. Something that can let me exercise my brain, earn a little money while letting me have time to be with Nathan for more than an hour at bedtime. Like today, I am going to pick him up from daycare and head to the zoo with some friends and their sons. This is what childhood should be about.

I know, I know not every family can make it work to have one parent stay home. I get that. Again, I am not judging anyone. Hell, I am the one looking for a job so I am in no place to judge. It is just that to me, the ideal would be to be at home with him. (can I mention that I HATE having to justify myself and preemptively apologize in my own blog.....) it took 2 weeks for him to bring home the first day care funk. I feel so guilty for sending him to a place I know will get him sick eventually. I know a runny nose wont hurt him but it makes me especially thankful to have prevented it for a year.

other things on my mind.

~After his first week at daycare, I co-hosted a bridal shower for Pam. I left early Saturday morning while Nathan was still asleep. I had nursed him maybe an hour and a half before. Well, apparently he woke up as soon as I left and did not quit screaming for several hours. He, like all toddlers, likes his routine and we messed with it big time. He was asleep when I got home and fought nursing when he woke up a few hours later. fast forward several days and he was still refusing to nurse. To say I was crushed is an understatement. I was not prepared for him to just up and quit. I know, I made it to my goal of 1 yr. Actually, it was one year to the day that he started to latch. I cried and cried. I knew he was teething so I thought it might be that so I kept pumping. Then someone suggested he could just be mad at me for leaving most of the weekend. That motivated me to keep pumping in case it was just a nursing strike. I had a talk with him one night and told him I was sorry he was sad or hurting from his teeth but that I love him and will accept his choice to be done if that is what he wants. The next morning, he signed milk so I tried giving him pumped milk in a sippy but he did not want it. I tried water, no good. So, I tried to nurse and he latched. I actually cried on his little head.

The pleasure of nursing is not something I can explain. To look down at him and see that smile and milk dribbling out of his mouth gives me the biggest smile. There is nothing sexual about it and it really is something I think more mothers should do. Outside of medical/psychological reasons not to, it is the right thing to do. Your body was made for it! Not to say that bottle fed babies are not bonded to their parents, far from it actually, but the bond I have with him after breast feeding him for so long is just more than I can describe. I have no plans on when I will wean him. Right now, i am hoping for 18 months or so. if he drops feedings before then, ok. a little longer, that is ok too. I truly had no idea how much I enjoyed our time together until it was gone. so each time he nurses now, which is only 3x a day, I enjoy the moment as if it were the last time. I think that is why it was so hard when I thought he was done. I took each feeding for granted and never made peace with the possibility of him being through.

~Nathan can now sign the following: eat, more, drink, milk, daddy, please, up, waves bye/hello, and is blowing kisses. He tends to use "more" for food/eat but really, as long as we know what he means, we are ok with it.

He is pushing cars around the house and loves the rubbermaid drawer. empties it out every single day. He loves bubbles and playing outside. He loves loves loves his ride on car. He knows how to push the button to make it go and beams with pride. He has discovered the playground and wants to go for a walk every day to play on the slides. He still loves going head first over the couch or bed. He has 5 teeth and a couple more on the way. Books are a daily joy. Brown Bear, Polar Bear and 10 Little Rubber Ducks will never get old. He especially loves story time with daddy before bed. Daddy's favorite is Oh The Places You'll Go.

He is the light of our lives and we are so thankful to have been given such a gift.

nathan's 1st b-day

nathan's 1st b-day 8-8-09 Video by Heather - MySpace Video

Shared via AddThis

This is a video that my sister took of the festivities. He loved his cake!!

this week

More details to come. If I don't get it started when I'm thinking of it, I will forget.

Nathan learned how to stand up on his own. No more pulling up for him! He has also started what resembles running. Like I need him to move any faster!

Last week he quacked like a duck. It was more kak kak kak. so cute.

Had round two of the first hair cut yesterday. We went to Doodle Doos and it was a much better experience for us all. They specialize in kids cuts and he did great. Looks like a little man even more now. I dare someone to call him a girl now! I have lots of pictures and will update later.

He has started to blow raspberries/zerbers/farts whatever you want to call them. He does it on the side of his arm, my neck and my belly. It is freakin' hilarious. He is so proud of himself too.

He has learned that if he bends down a couple of the guards on the snacktrap and shakes, the food comes out. Thrilled that he learned this, obviously.

This has been a rough food week for us. He has been eating so well lately that it came as a shock when he literally stopped last weekend. None of my go-to foods would do. Luckily he still nurses so we just nurse a little more often and it seems to be ok. Clearly he is not lacking energy. I think it has to do with his tooth coming in so hopefully we will be back on track soon. I am not of the force feed persuasion so if nursing works, I am going to roll with it.

I think that about covers it for now. I will add pictures later on.

New videos

Nathan being chased by his alligator

Nathan eating watermelon

New "tricks"

Being a boy laughing at farts

Enjoy!

slacking again

I have lots to write but will keep it brief. He will be 10 months on Friday! He is so full of personality and grows to be more of a little man every day. He is walking all over the place now. Still crawls when he wants to get somewhere quickly but is walking so much now. It is so amazing to see how proud of himself he is.  He says Ma-ma, da-da, and bye-bye (while waving)! He has given me the signs for more and food a couple times. Not consistently but I know he knows what the signs mean.  We started pool time with him today and he loved it. I think we are going to have a water baby on our hands!  He has discovered the joy of pulling toilet paper off the roll. I hated to laugh but it was so cute. I took tons of pictures and will post later. He has 2 1/2 teeth and another trying to cut. The half tooth has cut but you can't see it yet. Just feel it. 

Bath time is over so its off to nurse and get him to bed! As always, I will try to do better with more updates =)

He is 9 months

He has been out for as long as he was in. Hard to wrap my head around that. On Sunday, he took two steps between Jeremy and me. We just looked at each other in disbelief. He has not done it since but I know it won't be long. My baby is growing up. boo hoo boo hoo =(

Yesterday, we had pictures taken. So much change from 3 months ago. He is not camera shy at all! We had a hard time with him keeping his hands and props out of his mouth but I can't blame him. If I had teeth coming in, I would chew too. 

Today, we went for his 9 month check up. Here are his stats:

16 pounds 4 ounces  (3rd%)

28" (45%)

head is 5-10%

He passed his vision screening and she said he has slightly low iron. Very good visit! We will give him more red meat and more oatmeal with iron to boost it. Lord knows he isn't short on energy or anything.  He got 2 more shots and did great with them.  I know not everyone can do the alternate schedule but I have to say I am so glad we are doing it. He tolerates 2 shots well but 5 may be a little rough. I wouldn't want that many at a time so why would I expect my infant to be ok with it? The extra visits are worth it to me. next month we go back for polio. We have some decisions to make about the full MMR vs breaking it up. Mumps is not available so there is a risk but I feel like I am ok with that. He will get that portion with the booster. Our pediatrician delays MMR until 15 months anyway b/c its a lot to give with Chicken pox at 12 months. So, we have a little while to decide. We'll see. 

Happy Mother's Day to me!

I had a nice trip home to see my sister's honor roll ceremony. I don't remember them making a big deal about it when I was at that school. It was more of a "here's your bumper sticker now move along" kind of thing. I'm glad to see this improvement. The kids got all dressed up and it was a nice program. Nathan was a rock star even though it was well past his bed time. He snuggled up in the sling and I swayed in the back of the room.   

I did not end up going to mom's as she was not feeling well. I was sad not to see everyone but having just gotten over the funk, I understood how she was feeling. Plus, I was not in the mood to bring more funk home. We will plan another trip soon.

We had a lovely Mother's Day weekend. Saturday we went to a dear friend's daughter's 4th birthday party. I cannot believe this child is 4. Had a great time and as always tucked ideas away for Nathan's future parties. The best part of the day was taking a nap! Jeremy and Nathan had some daddy/son time and I got to take a 2 hour nap. Divine! When I got up, I had my cards and gift waiting for me. I got a charm for my charm bracelet which is exactly what I have been wanting. My grandma had a silhouette  for each grandchild with our name and birthday. When she passed away, I was given mine back. I put it right on my bracelet. So, now I have the boy version for Nathan and I love it!  

Sunday morning we got up at the crack of dawn (5:30.....) and headed to Vidalia to my in-laws. The whole family came in and we had a low country boil. mmmmmmmm  It was so nice to visit with everyone and Nathan was such a good boy. He tried to take a nap but my stupid phone went off and woke him up. His highlight was Nonna giving him a cob of corn to gnaw. Loved it! Papa gave him a pickle later in the day and he gummed it to an inch of its life. Such great treats!  Nonna gave Nathan a sink bath, put his jammies on and we headed home around 6. It was a long day but worth it to see everyone.  

Happy Mother's Day to all the new mommies and mommies to be out there. I hope everyone was pampered and loved and your day went just as you hoped it would!

walking (with a little help of course!)

So about the hair cut. Bad plan and big fat fail. It was awful. Nathan sat in my lap but lost it as soon as she tried to comb his hair. We never use a comb so I'm sure it just felt really funny. Then came the scissors. No biggy except it involves him sitting still. Not.going.to.happen.  So, we pulled the Dr's office trick of me basically pinning his head down. It isn't as bad as it sounds but it still isn't fun. Long story short, there was cutting involved but it wasn't a real good cut. It's still kind of choppy because she couldn't blend it with him wiggling and screaming. I think it looked better before and didn't mind the hair over his ear so much but Jeremy thinks it was too shaggy before. Since a cut will involve me hold him down, another one will not happen any time soon. 

Nate has been cruising the furniture and playing around with a little push toy for a couple weeks now. He usually makes it across the room but has not been very steady on his feet. Today, he took off! I think he would have been out the front door if we let him. We got a kick out of his little run. 

Tomorrow morning we leave for a couple days. We are going to see Heather's honor roll awards then head to mom's for a couple days to see the rest of the family. Might as well spread the sleeplessness around, right? :-)

Past few weeks

I will update with pictures and all but we have had a busy past 2 weeks. After Heather left, we all got sick. Nathan and I had sinus infections and Jeremy had a throat thing. We are all feeling better so Yay!  In the midst of all that, Nathan got 2 teeth. His bottom front ones poked through within a week of each other. Of course, that meant his sleeping is all wonky. yes, fun for everyone.  Tonight Nathan gets his first hair cut. I think I may cry. 

And, to you out there that likes to be insulting. Grow up, get a pair and post under your real name.  

100 Books Every Child Should Hear Before Kindergarten

Borrowed this from a couple friend's blogs. I feel good about the start we are off to!

( ) Each Peach Pear Plum Ahlberg
( ) Wheres My Teddy? Alborough
( ) Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing Barrett
( ) Ten, Nine, Eight Bang
( ) The Three Bears Barton
( ) Madeline Bemelmens
(X ) Little Gorilla Bornstein
(X) Goodnight Moon Brown
( ) Turtles Race with Beaver: A Traditional Seneca Story Bruchac
( ) Mr. Gumpys Outing Burningham
( ) The Little House Burton
(X) The Very Hungry Caterpillar Carle
( ) Freight Train Crews
( ) Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Cronin
( ) Happy Birthday, Jamela! Daly
( ) Strega Nona De Paola
( ) Jamberry Degen
( ) The Empty Pot Demi
( ) Rap a Tap Tap: Heres Bojangles-Think of That Dillon
( ) Abuela Dorros
(X) Go, Dog, Go Eastman
( ) A Handful of Sunshine: Growing a Sunflower Eclare
( ) Growing Vegetable Soup Ehlert
( ) Go Away Big Green Monster Emberley
( ) Mean Soup Everitt
( X) Olivia Falconer
( ) Bark George Feiffer
( ) Ask Mr. Bear Flack
( ) The Everything Book Fleming
( ) Corduroy Freeman
( ) Millions of Cats Gag
( ) The Three Little Pigs Galdone
(X ) Is Your Mama a Llama Guarino
( ) Lillys Purple Plastic Purse Henkes
( ) Wheres Spot Hill
( ) Bedtime for Frances Hoban
( ) Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? An Adventure in Color Hoban
( ) Youll Soon Grow Into Them, Titch Hutchins
( ) Biggest, Strongest, Fastest Jenkins
(X ) Mama, Do You Love Me? Joosse
( ) The Wolfs Chicken Stew Kasza
(X ) The Snowy Day Keats
( ) The Caterpillar and the Polliwog Kent
( ) I Took My Frog to the Library Kimmel
( ) Leo the Late Bloomer Kraus
( ) The Carrot Seed Krauss
( ) Swimmy Lionni
( ) Frog and Toad All Year Lobel
( ) Froggy Gets Dressed London
( ) Sylvia Longs Mother Goose Mother
( ) Mabela the Clever MacDonald
( ) George and Martha Marshall
(X) Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Martin
(X) Guess How Much I Love You? McBratney
( ) Make Way for Ducklings McCloskey
( ) Raven: a Trickster Tale from the American Northwest McDermott
( ) Flora McDonnells ABC McDonnell
( ) Widget McFarland
( ) Too Much Noise McGovern
( ) Growing Colors McMillan
( ) I Stink McMullan
(X ) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Numeroff
( ) Diez Deditos: Ten Little Fingers Orozco
( ) BeeBimBopPark
( ) Dos and Donts Parr
( ) Kermit the Hermit Peet
( X) The Little Red Hen LITTLE
( X) The Little Engine that Could Piper
( ) Not a Box Portis
(X) Goodnight Gorilla Rathmann
( X) Curious George Rey
( ) Mouse Mess Riley
( ) The Toolbox Rockwell
( ) Were Going on a Bear Hunt Rosen
() Dog Heaven Rylant
( ) Richard Scarrys Best First Book Ever Scarry
() Where the Wild Things Are Sendak
( ) The Cat in the Hat Seuss
( ) Spicy Hot Colors; Colores Picantes Shahan
(X ) No David Shannon
( ) Lizards Song Shannon
( ) It Looked Like Spilt Milk Shaw
( ) Im the Biggest Thing in the Ocean Sherry
( ) Caps for Sale Slobodkina
( ) Night Shift Daddy Spinelli
( ) Sylvester and the Magic Pebble Steig
( ) A Hat for Miverva Louise Stoeke
( ) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Viorst
( ) Owl Babies Waddell
( ) Mouse Paint Walsh
( ) Mr. Cookie Baker Wellington
( ) Yoko Wells
( ) The Three Little Pigs Wiesner
( ) I Went Walking Williams
( ) Knuffle Bunny Willems
( X) Bear Snores On Wilson
(X ) The Napping House Wood
( ) Big Black Bear Yee
() How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Yolen
( ) Harry the Dirty Dog Zion

What a week

This week we had my sister staying with us for her Spring Break. She will be 13 at the end of the month and is a beautiful little drama queen. We had a great time.  She tried lots of new foods and liked them. Something I never would have done at that age. Ok, lets be real here. I would not have done that 2 years ago!  She tried Mexican and sushi (and tempura) out and even helped cook dinners at home. She made a great chili. With some help from McCormick's and a crock pot but thats ok.  We even made smores in the toaster oven mmmmmmmmmm  

She is making a scrapbook of his first year and she wanted to include a picture of him in the tub. I think this is a pretty cute one! That smile gets me every time.

While she was here, we went to the zoo with Nathan, Michelle and her 2 kiddos. We had such a nice time. Nathan rode the carousel for the first time and Heather got to pet sting rays. 

We got the zoo membership so I know we will enjoy going back over the next year.   

We tried to go to the beach but the weather was not cooperating. So, we got Rita's Italian Ice and custard instead. Fair trade!

Yesterday dad and Kelly came. We cooked out for lunch and went for wings for dinner. They are quite the wing "experts" so we took them to Wild Wing Cafe. Lots of different flavors and they enjoyed sampling. After they left today, Jeremy and I cleaned out and rearranged the garage.

We brought the slot machine into the den and Nathan took a quick liking to it LOL  We have to get a stand for it still but that does not appear to phase little man.  

Nathan also learned to climb this week. Good times for us ahead.....  I think this is karma for me being a climbing monkey when I was a kid. 

Dad, its ok. I can get down by myself. See!

So proud of himself. Stinker!

My own little Gene Simmons

Tonight Nathan discovered his tongue. Keep in mind this is the child who couldn't stick his tongue out when he was born and had a hard time latching because of it. Apparently he has overcome it! I will spare you the dinner time pictures. ;-)

He has been a little out of sorts the past couple of days so we visited Dr Pat today. He just hasn't been sleeping or eating like normal. She found a blister in the back of his throat so that may be causing some of it. poor kiddo. Nothing too serious though so thats a good thing. 

Tomorrow I go pick up my sister for a few days. She is going to get a kick out of how much Nathan has changed since she saw him last. Should be fun for them both. I told her I am having him save up a really good dirty diaper for her LOL 

8 months old

My boo-hoo fest from yesterday is over for the time being. Here is Nathan with some eggs from his Easter baskets.

Today I let him feed himself some egg yolk. Right now the score is Nathan 1, Egg 0. He couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough. 

We have a cruiser

Nathan has started to cruise along the couch. I am so thankful for a happy and healthy child who is doing all these exciting new things but I could really stand for him to slow down! Where has my baby gone? Wasn't he just snuggling on my chest? Now, he is Mr Independent. I think teeth may be the last straw before I cry LOL  I will miss his gummy little smile. 

Had a nice Easter with the Jeremy's family. He got cute Easter baskets from both Grandmas and his Aunt Pammy. I think next year will be a lot of fun. 

Naps have been a rare sighting this weekend so we are off to get him to bed early tonight. I'll let you know how that works out. haha

8 month picture to come!

Just 'cause I like pictures

The last week from Nathan's view. 

This is what happens when daddy feeds me! I had fun though. 

Look how big I'm getting. I still love to curl my toes. Mom has decided overalls are the outfit of choice recently. 

Hanging out with daddy learning about bird songs. He thinks its funny to get cha-cha wound up with the book. Silly daddy!

Waking up is hard to do! It may be a bad hair day.

Still Senor Fuzzy Head. Just with a little more hair now. Seriously mom, I've been awake for 2 minutes and you have the camera out. Give a fella a minute, would you?

He's crawling!!!!

Just today he went to all fours to get around!!! Sometimes he moves his hands then does a little frog hop with the lower half but its not the army crawl of yesterday. he also took two steps on his own along the couch but we won't count that quite yet =)

Just for Theresa

This is just for Theresa. She sells a great line of purses, bags etc called 31.  I got a small wallet from her for my diaper bag and ordered a couple extra b/c I just think they are good to have handy. Nathan is a big fan of one of these extra ones. He finds it in the office and immediately starts chewing on it. I've been trying to get a picture but he drops it as soon as he sees the camera. silly boy!

As promised

 

Nathan's Army crawling demonstration. He loves to play hide and seek with daddy. 

I know this is super long but he was having so much fun gnawing this pickle. 

Its Bristol, Baby!

Have I ever mentioned what a PITA it is to deal with pictures here??? Why can't they just insert where I want them? Why????? I digress. 

Every now and then, my red neck shows. Sundays from February through November are among the days. I lurve me some racin'! I was brought up with it. Just kind of how it was for me growing up. Some kids have football, we had racing. I was lucky enough to find someone who enjoys a good pot of boiled peanuts and the scent of racing fuel as much as I do. We used to go to several races a year but over time, we have let the tickets go. Bristol is a favorite though and up until now, there has been a wait list to get tickets. We thought our only chance was through a friend that sometimes has extras. Then came Daytona and we saw a commercial for Bristol. We looked at each other in utter disbelief. Could it be? Monday morning you bet your sweet ass I was on the phone with a sweet woman in East Tennessee who confirmed that there were tickets, good ones at that, still available. Two please!  

Then was on to the harder part, finding a hotel room. Let me explain. Bristol, and the surrounding towns are tiny. Like, nothing there tiny. So the hotels are there pretty much for the 2x a year race fans. And those fans pay dearly. Several hundred dollars a night for the motel 6. I was no looking forward to finding a room on such short notice. But, we found a great deal in Asheville, NC which would be about an hour-ish drive. Fine. Done. Called mom and asked her to come along and watch Nathan. No problem. Holy Crap we are going to Bristol!  Then, mom calls and says her friends have a cabin in Maggie Valley which is about 30 minutes from Asheville. Longer drive but a house and free..... This trip was meant to be. Getting the house meant we could rent a mini-van and travel in a little more comfort. I know a MV is not tops on many people's list but they have their usefulness. 

We got up early on the 21st and made the drive. overall, it was uneventful. Cabin was great. SO glad I wasn't driving though. This puppy was on the side of a mountain and this Florida girl likes her flat land thankyouverymuch. Had dinner with our friends in Bristol that night and came home. Long day but worth it. Nathan did not sleep until 4am. yeah, that sucked. But, I knew he could sleep all day the next day with my mom so we made it through. 

Our personal babbling brook. It sounded so nice all night. 

First family vacation. 

Our home away from home. 2 bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs and a living room/kitchen upstairs. Hot tub on the porch. Amazing views. 

Sunday we got up pretty early and headed into TN. Stopped at McD's for breakfast on the road. Note to self: ask for cutlery next time. I ate my eggs, biscuit/jelly, sausage, hash brown and pancakes with my fingers. It was amusing so all is forgiven. I slept since I was up with N all night. J was a good sport about making the mountain drive with no company. 

A little about this track we love. It is 1/2 mile oval with about 160,000 seats. It is its own valley set in the valley of the mountains. Its loud. Very loud. I don't think there is another track that immerses you in the whole experience as much as Bristol does. You can see everything from every seat. There is an energy there that just can't be beat. The walking up hills sucks but whatever. Not sure how we managed to walk uphill both coming and leaving but some things are just not meant to be understood I suppose. I wish I would have taken a picture from the top of the hill. Next year!  Typically there is a lot of action at this track. With 43 cars in 1/2 mile, beating and banging is bound to happen. Not this year. Sadly, the guys all behaved. I was a little disappointed in them. Again, maybe next year they will act up LOL  Overall, we had a really great day and Im happy we made the trip. 

About 3/4 of the track in view. Waiting for everything to start. 

We take headphones and scanners so we can listen to the drivers during the race. Yes, I know we look silly but everyone else has them too.

We love pre-race. You can see the crews standing in their lines during the National Anthem and all. Its really a neat thing to see. 

Drivers getting in their cars just before rolling off. 

Pace laps. Everyone is on their feet.

This is about 2-3 laps. I started following the leader but then tried to catch the whole field. This was my first time using the video feature on the point and shoot so its a little shaky. You get the idea of how small the track is and how crowded the racing is. 

Monday we drove into Asheville to walk around. Then we went to this little wild life center. Nothing fancy but it kept us amused for a couple hours. Jeremy was smitten with the otters. 

Came home Tuesday and had a pizza dinner with some friends. Great way to end our first family vacation. 

I suck. I am aware.

Im not sure how it has been 6 weeks since I posted last. Sorry y'all. A lot has happened. In no particular order, we went on our first family vacation, he army crawls, has learned to sit up by himself, stands in his crib (and now has a much lower crib), sleeps in his crib and is rocking the solids. 

The scrape was caused by the baguette crust. He loves his crusty bread!

My matching boys.

7 months old. such a little man!

Fantastic find at a local consignment sale! Thanks to N for telling me how great it is. He LOVES this chair. 7 months

My mom introduced him to pickles. I teethed on them but wont  touch them now. He is a huge fan. I have video which I will try to post later.

I have pics from Bristol and the mountains but wanted to at least get a few new things up. More to come!

Teaser

Here are a couple of the pictures we had taken yesterday. The others are on my snapfish page. If you would like to see, I will send you the link. Such a cute boy if I do say so myself!

Covered in kisses!

They say its my Birthday

Happy 31 to me! Yet another sure sign that I am a grown up. They seem to keep coming and Im not sure I like it. The signs that is, not the birthdays. haha

I am not big into my own birthday. Its always just seemed like another day. But, we always make it a point to go out to dinner. Usually we do this early since reservations on the 13th can be touch and go with V-day the next day and all.  So Wednesday night, Jeremy and I went to Mitchell's for seafood. We had a really nice meal and it was nice to get out and have date night. Mom enjoyed having a little grandbaby time too. 

Yesterday, in honor of Nathan's half birthday we took the Birth Center some brownies and had pictures taken. Holy cuteness. I will be posting as soon as someone decides to lay down for his nap. 

"Nathan Andrew!"

I uttered his full name in a mom tone for the first time today. I was putting diaper laundry from the washer to the dryer so I stuck Nathan in the basket for a minute. I look down and the stinker is pulling from seated to standing. Holy crap. I couldn't even think before I just said his name. He sat down and looked at me like What Mom?? 

Then I took him into the living room and let him try again. He tipped over before he could stand for any length of time but you can see he knows what to do. 

I will try to get a better video. Its hard to watch him so he doesnt hurt himself and film at the same time. 

My 6 month old peanut

We had his 6 month visit today. Its about a week early but close enough. 

He is now 26 1/4" (50%), 14 pounds, 14 oz (10%) and in 10% for his head. Dr Elvir said he is perfectly healthy though. No more congestion and the nebulizer can be put away. YAY! 

She is pleased with his sitting up and ba-ba ma-ma babblings. He showed off his reaching and scooting/squirming to get what he wants while we there there. 

We talked about the fiasco that is sleeping and she said we were on the right track with what we are doing for bed time and getting him in his crib. Its just going to take patience and persistence for a while. 

This is Nathan's favorite thing right now: his jumparoo. LOVES IT! 

Hello out there!

I have noticed on a couple of my friend's blogs that people link through this one. Nifty says I. So, lets do a roll call =) I didnt think I had more than a handful of local folks reading about us. Who is out there? 

MMMM Sweet Potatoes!

Tonight we made a big step. Solids! Ok, that term is used loosely. We were going to wait until 6 months but went ahead a couple weeks early. He seemed to enjoy himself =) 

What are you looking at dad? Do I have something on my face?

Gosh do I love this smile! His face is filling out more and more every day. This was a big first and Im glad it went so well. 

First bike ride

Today was a big day. We put together the bikes that we brought home from dad's last weekend. These are bikes that I grew up riding but its been close to 5 years since I have been on one. You kind of steer with your hips. Took a little getting used to but we got it. Nathan loved his trailer and fell asleep while we were riding. The neighborhood kids thought they were the coolest thing. Good thing because as is evident by the last picture, Amy needs to go for a lot of rides!

Tomorrow I get a cavity filled. Fun times, I know! I have only had a couple in my life so I guess I can't complain. 

I also want to welcome to the world Charlotte Elizabeth Longtin. My best friend from high school and his wife had their beautiful baby girl on Friday. Their blog is Hello World.