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!