Something New

Whenever I find something new I like to share it and this new discovery is definitely worth sharing . . .

If you know me at all you know I am very organized. I like things neat and clean and I like my stuff accessible. And I hate having junk around that I don't need. This has become more of a thing for me lately since we have had to make room for Nathan's stuff. And so I have been on a mission to get rid of it and make room for toys and just space in general. Last year or so I found Paperbackswap.com. You post books you want to get rid of and when someone else wants it you send it along. You pay media mail postage for it and get a credit for each book. When you have credits in your "account" you can then request what you want from other members and you get it free! This is awesome for me as I love to read and pass along books to others. They have one for DVD's too and you can do this with audio books.

The thing I found most recently is freecycle.org. I knew about it but never looked into until I got into this new kick of cleaning out the junk. This is way cool. You post stuff you don't want but someone else can use. Like my old vacuum. I got a new one for Christmas (thanks Truck!) and the old one works but is not needed. I probably couldn't sell it so I offered it on the Wake Freecycle boards. Not a day later and it will be taken this afternoon. I think I got around 5-7 messages from people that wanted it! I put all my CD's in a carrying case and wanted to get rid of the jewel cases. Instead of tossing them in the trash I posted them and - viola! - these too will be taken by someone this afternoon. I have more space and I feel good about recycling stuff! You can also go on there and see what is up for grabs. You can request stuff too. How cool is the internet?!

And so the mission to reduce, reuse, recycle continues. I wouldn't consider myself "green" or anything, but the more I think about how much junk we put into the world the more I want to make less of it. Especially if I can make more closet space for myself. Next stop . . . the kitchen drawers and the hall closet. Blankets anyone?!

PS - If you were hungry for Nathan stuff, here is a pic for you to enjoy.

Christmas

We're having a great Christmas. See the Picasa Album for more pics! Here's the 9 Month pic . . .

Mid-December Relaxing

It is finally mid-December. A time when the house is decorated, presents are bought /wrapped/ shipped/ tucked under the appropriate trees, cookies are made. . . much has been accomplished and now we can relax a bit. I was hoping we could do so with snow on the ground. The storm hit us just a little bit Friday night. We had snow on and off and we got a nice covering even. But we went out that night for a holiday party and returned to mostly rain. By morning the white stuff was wet stuff. Boo . . . Hopefully we'll get another chance at it this winter.

Our holiday party was fun. We get together with the same group of people and bring food and silly gifts to exchange. The food was amazing and plentiful. For me anyway. Leo has waffles. No really. There wasn't anything he was interested in so our host offered waffles. What good friends we have. We also seem to have been talked into having a New Years party. Leo is happy about this since he seemed a little disappointed we hadn't made plans yet. But we will probably have a small gathering and have a low key celebration. I guess Nathan had better get used to the noise of our parties!

Speaking of the little boy - have you gotten our holiday postcard yet? He was too cute looking out that window, I had to share it with everyone. I had been searching for a smile to capture - but what came out was even better I think.

I hope you also saw the video of Nathan dancing. He's the cutest thing shakin' his bon-bon to Cypress Hill. I watch it often to get a giggle. I hope you have too. If not, you can see it here. The kid is adorable. He dances all the time, everywhere. I hope he continues to have a free spirit and dance as he gets older. I love it!

What else . . . we (as in me of course) have been building a fort in the dining room. With large boxes that have been collecting in the garage I rigged up a nice little place for us to play. It has windows and doors and the start of a nice interior as well. Daddy drew him an entertainment system and I plan to add some furniture. Hey, I have to entertain myself somehow. A nine-month old can't exactly interact a whole lot right now.

Oh yes, we also had a surprise this week. I was on my way out to the store when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find myself speechless. A friend of mine who has moved to WA from Raleigh was standing there with her husband. She was here for a short visit and on her way to the airport back to WA. It was so unexpected and awesome. Thanks Meredith - it was so good to see you!

And now it's close to bath time. Nathan was sick last week and he still has some left over runny nose stuff going on. Poor thing has boogers crusting up all over the place (and so do I!). GROSS! Hopefully I'll have time to update everyone on the celebrations here but if not - have a Happy & Merry everyone!

Happy December

There has been much going on in our little world. We most recently spent a week in NY for Thanksgiving. It was a really nice time. We saw Grandpa Truck and Babci before they headed up to MA for the holiday and spent the rest of the week with Pop, Grandma Jo and all of Nathan's many Uncles (and an Aunt or two!). We all really enjoyed being together and as always it was hard to say goodbye. We saw a few friends and did some catching up as usual. Not too much new to say about it - it was just a nice relaxing week!

As for Nathan updates, he did well as usual in NY. The trip was long and frustrating for all of us - so you can't blame a kid for getting antsy in the car! The evening times were rough for the first few nights as Nathan was most certainly confused with his surroundings and nap times. But soon we were back on track and doing well. And even though the nights were not so much fun - getting to sleep can be a drag still - he never had any trouble with all the people we saw. Nathan has always been a trooper going to new people, playing, crawling around and testing his boundaries. He was soon pulling up on any surface he could find, looking over and smiling at whoever it was that was staring at him - and often there were many pairs of eyes on him!

At home, Nathan has discovered the stairs. He did a few steps a week or so ago and then this week he discovered them again and made a little more progress. It's scary when you look over expecting to see him sitting there playing with his blocks and he is gone. He climbs fast and he moves fast in general. He's a true crawler now. Between the crawling and climbing he keeps me busy. But he is so much fun. We can make him laugh more and more and he enjoys new sounds, sights and even people. He gives a stare down like no one's business! But wait until he takes you in - there is most likely to be a smile come soon to some rosy cheeks near you. Also, he seems able to suck from a straw now. He as just chewing on it when I gave in and let him have a "sip" from my water. Then one day he actually did sip. I don't know if that's normal for an 8 month old, but it's pretty cool.

Oh yeah, the 8 month pic . . I will post that . . .

Since being back from NY we have had lots of activity around here. Gigi and Grandpa Ed came over for a mini Thanksgiving where we enjoyed leftovers. I've been busy with Uppercase orders and preparing for an Open House at our place tomorrow and another party on Friday - the last of the season. Christmas shopping is almost complete and I even have the tree up! We went back and forth about whether we should put the tree up - seeing as we have a curious little guy at our feet now. But we solved the problem by putting out wooden tracks for a little train set fo Nathan. The hope is he will be absorbed in something he can play with and will ignore the thing he shouldn't. So far so good. We have an entire month to see if this idea will stick!

Every night this week I have been buried in work or some other activity so I'm going to end this and go relax. I have another busy day ahead of me tomorrow. I'm looking forward to mid-month when we can relax and enjoy the season.

Changing Leaves in NY

We are up in NY having a nice time catching up with family. Nathan is discovering all the different houses, the floors of each house and the wonderful things he can pull himself up on too. Here he is looking out the window a Pop's house, admiring the changing leaves. More to come soon. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Nathan learned how to dance!?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Standing

This is how I found Nathan in his crib this morning . . .


. . . standing!

Happy Halloweenie

For Nathan's first Halloween he was . . . what else - a hotdog! A Nathan's Hotdog more specifically. I only have a year or two to choose his costume before he starts to care and so we went with the obvious. And it was super cute! Yes, I painted on the Nathan's logo myself. And once we got the outfit on his, Nate did well and sat nicely taking in all the compliments. Tonight we went to a few houses in the neighborhood to those we knew to show off and did a little Skyping. You gotta love technology.

We did some Skyping yesterday too for some of the grands to see both Nathan and Logan who was here to show off his dragon costume. They were very cute sitting together on the couch. And today we went up to Mom and Ed's so they could see the little wiener in person and show off to the neighbors. Man this kid is loved!

Last weekend, when we did our first debut of the costume parade, we went to Sharon and Stan's for a couple nights. We met the new puppy, Morgan, and Nathan got friendly with their golden, Sandy. My friends think I don't like dogs. It's not true. I just didn't grow up with dogs so I'm just not super comfortable. Luckily, Nathan will grow up being ok around them. I think he and Sandy will be friends.

While we were down there we didn't have much choice in activities since it rained on and off but we ended up going bowling - Nate's first time! It was loud in there but he handled it like a champ and even fell asleep eventually.

Just as Nathan notices and appears to be interested in dogs, he has also taken note of other kids. Logan, our friend Owen, and even other bigger kids he can't play with yet. Friend Meredith and her daughter Ellie were in Raleigh visiting for a long weekend. She and friend Shoshana and daughters came over for a visit and a trip to our neighborhood park. Nathan just observed the girls playing for a while but you would have thought he did all that climbing. Afterwards he took a two hour nap - longer than he has in a while! I'm sure he was taking notes on how to play hard.

In development news, Nathan has been doing a couple funny and interesting things. For one, he is getting better at sitting himself up from a laying down position. He seemed to be doing it behind our backs - we would turn around and there he would be sitting up! Today he mastered it a couple times before our eyes. Also in front of us he went from sitting to STANDING! He leaned forward on a low foot stool and just . . . stood! We'll have to catch it on video sometime, something you never can capture when you want to. Nathan is making the most adorable scrunchy face, and we think it may have something to do with his first tooth coming in. After just a few days of feeling it I finally see it poking through. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it - so far. I can't imagine him with little teeth!

And on to November. Thanksgiving, Christmas Shopping and more firsts for our little family!

Seven Months!

The Boonedocks

Sorry for the delay in updates, but as you can see from the previous post, Nathan is pretty mobile which means more chasing for me and less time for just about everything else! Also, we've been busy.

This past weekend we went away to the NC Mountains. Greg and Danielle had plans to see friends in Boone so we thought we would go along for the ride. Well, they actually got the ride from us. But we figured we would spend the weekend away and have some time with them too. They flew in RDU Thursday night and we headed into the mountains around noon on Friday. The drive wasthree hours. It was when we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway when things, ironically, went downhill. First, Nathan was pretty much done with being in the car. He played with Aunt Danielle and Uncle Greg for a while, napped and even enjoyed the scenery. But once we hits the real mountains he was not a happy camper. Whether it was the altitude and his little ears not popping, or his boredom of the car, it made for a tough ride for the rest of us as we tried to find our destination. Thankfully, Danielle had good directions for the house they would be staying at. We were staying at a nearby hotel so we left to make our way through the twisty roads. Unfortunately we did not have such good directions. To start we didn't have the right address. We drove up these crazy, inhospitable roads that led to strange places. On our first attempt we ended up on a mountain top near apartments and an abandoned building. Not knowing how or why anyone would live up here and travel on these roads we headed back where we came from to start again. With the correct address we did get to where we were supposed to go, much closer to the house we had just dropped Greg and Danielle at. We finally made it to the top and to the place we would be staying.

I, for one, was scared. This place was far away from . . . anything really. Also, it was empty. There was literally open, empty rooms on the way to our room. The place was being renovated and so quite incomplete. This may be an understatement. The basics were there -bed, bathroom, TV, even a kitchenette - but not much more. It felt lonely and . . . very Hotel California. Or Bates Motel. Or something creepy. I wasn't sure I would be able to stay the night. But I felt better when Leo said he saw more people arriving. Knowing we wouldn't be the only ones that would be checking out but never leaving made me feel a little better. And really the place was clean and rather decent. Just . . . different. Anyway, we spent a little time regrouping then ventured out into the town of Boone.

The little town is cute but not full of too much to observe. Appalachian State was there as well as a handful of restaurants and shops. We got into town late so we didn't see much other than the inside of the place we had dinner. But we didn't feel we missed much and actually felt ok about not going back there the next day but rather exploring a different town. We found our way back to the hotel in the pitch blackness. We even saw a huge group of deer just hanging out in the middle of the road. We saw different animals almost every time we passed through on that road. Too bad Nathan is too young to care about such things yet!

Nathan did well sleeping in his pack 'n play and even slept through the whole night! In the morning we enjoyed cereal, muffins and fruit - thanks the organized mom that I am. We then went to get Greg & Danielle to venture out. When we got there, Greg mentioned a cool building he saw when he went out walking in the morning. So we drove to the place, only a short distance from the house they were staying in to find . . . the SAME abandoned building we stumbled upon the day before looking for our hotel! We had gone in a big windy circle and didn't know. Going to pick up G & D one last time on Sunday we tried one last route from our place to theirs. It turns out we were mere minutes and way less miles apart than we thought. We came upon the same stupid empty building again! Crazy!

Anyway, Saturday afternoon we went into Blowing Rock, a town just a few minutes away and off the parkway. We went Mellow Mushroom for lunch. There are many of these restaurants elsewhere, like Raleigh and Durham, but I had never been. It was delicious! We walked around into the stores on the main drag. Cute shops. Very fallish. Somewhat crowded. A fun way to spend a few hours. It was overcast but the rain seemed to hold out for a while just for us. We then went to The Blowing Rock. The rock, and its surrounding rocks, provided a gorgeous view of the mountains and beyond and the leaves had begun to change enough for us to enjoy autumn at its best.

After enjoying the scenic views we went back to our own mountain and our own places for the night. We decided, since it was such a trek up and down those roads, we would stay in for dinner. The left over pizza and other goodies went well with the beer we had in our cooler and our Netflix movie we had been waiting to catch up on for a week or so. A nice evening in for sure.

Sunday was yet again overcast but it was ok as we had lots to do that involved the car. It seems Nathan just doesn't like it after about 2 1/2 hours (we are really looking forward to our Thanksgiving trip home - yikes!). We rested a little while then went up to Mom and Ed's for dinner. Lasagna and homemade birthday cake. Yummy!

Today we had a little more time to spend and then Greg & Danielle were off once again, going home to the big city. It was so nice we got to spend time together all weekend, especially with Nathan. I worry he won't know the people we don't live near so these trips mean a lot to me. And the little booger grows and learns so much in such a short time. I hate for everyone to miss it.

Like what you ask? Weellllll . . . he continues to progress with his traveling efforts around the house. Tonight I set his down in the space where he plays in the living room, away from the wires and trouble. He gradually made his way over to the kitchen. He stuck his little head past the doorway for me to see and then he was creeping onto the vinyl making little slapping sounds with his busy limbs. He made it over to his toys in the middle of the floor and kept himself busy for quite a while. It's so fun to watch and see what he will do next and very cool to see he can entertain himself for long periods of time. It's not so fun to realize that the kitchen floor - and all floors for that matter - need to be kept a little bit cleaner if Nathan is going to be a world traveler like this from now on.

He's got a lot of other tricks up his sleeve too. Leo said he found Nate sitting up in his crib today. Yeah, sitting up on his own! And he's developing a strong arm for throwing - every now and then he'll launch an object forward like he meant it. Crawling and throwing and screaming as he does, he's quite animated these days!

And now it's time to think about the month's end - specifically Halloween. Stay tuned for his cute little outfit. He may not love it but I know all of you will!

Nathan is learning to crawl

Mama Mia

I know Nathan doesn't know what he is saying but I love that he says "ma ma" all day long. It's adorable. I keep looking at him when he says it and say, "Yes?" I'm hoping he catches on that he is talking to me so he can say it with meaning sooner than later. Daddy may be a little jealous but he did let out a "da da" a few times too.

So our little man is six months. We went to the dr's on Tuesday. He is 17 lbs, 4 oz and 27" long. He is doing well and, according to the doc, doing very well with his motor skills. He showed off by sitting up on the table most of the time. He was really good most of the time, until the dr opened his diaper to check things downstairs. Nathan kinda looked at him as if to say, "What the? Hello - that makes me uncomfortable." (If you think of Family Guy's Stewies' voice it's even funnier) Nate also got his regular shots plus a flu shot. It was awful to see him slowly realize what was happening when the sting registered halfway through. He watched the nurse, felt the pain, opened his mouth, held his breath, turned red then let out his cry. Oh the poor thing. He really doesn't cry much (other than when it's time to sleep) so to see such tears hurts us too. We have to go back for more soon to finish with the flu stuff. But he recovers quickly so I'm not too worried about it.

On Monday we went to one of the many parks in Raleigh for a short visit with Cousin Logan. Pullen Park has playgrounds, a carousel and a mini train that rides around the area. It will be much more fun when the boys are bigger and can enjoy the big boy toys! But that didn't stop us for putting them in the swings for a little ride.

Tomorrow Leo and I have an adult night planned with some friends in Durham. Gigi and Grandpa Ed can't wait to babysit. This weekend I plan to get out all the Autumn decorations and make this place feel cozy. So what if it will still feel like summer for a while - that's NC for you.

And here is the monthly pic . . .

The News

So what's new? That's always the question. I'm glad I have an outlet here to talk about what's new with us, because it's almost always about Nathan and my friends can probably only take so much of baby talk! So I'll spill it here . . .

Nathan is getting adventurous with food. Ok, WE are getting adventurous with what edible objects we put in his hands. He had a cheerio the other day (mostly to see if he could pick it up himself yet. Not quite.). Today we let him have at it with a pancake. Yes, a pancake. It was pretty funny. Then at dinner I let him suck on a french fry. I think he liked it. I know he liked the mashed potatoes we gave him last week. What else . . . the usual otherwise. Avocado, peas, sweet potatoes, bananas and apple. Oh and grapes. He's a big fan. I've tried a sippy cup with him, which he can certainly hold, but doesn't get the whole holding-it-up-and-let-gravity-do-the-work-thing. But he likes new things and it's fun to watch him discover new things. Just tonight we went to a store where they have a HUGE selection of used stuff for kids. There's more clothes than anything (all in good condition and cheap) and some toys. We had to get Nathan a couple little things. How could we not? We had a fun time looking around at stuff to come back for.

Physically, Nathan has been making lots of changes. He's so strong! And quick! And sneaky! He is often facing a different direction than when I left him seconds before and is even doing a bit of an army crawl now and then. The other day we had him sitting on the floor next to the coffee table - did I mention he can sit up now?! - and he got a hold of the bars on the side. He grabbed hold, planted his feet and lifted up! He nearly stood up for a second or two all on his own! We couldn't believe our eyes. We're trying to get it on camera if he does it again - you won't believe it either.

He talks a bunch too. He will pick a new sound and that will be his "trick" for the day. The other day he was doing "ba, ba, ba" in the morning, a little "da, da, da" then graduated to "ma, ma, ma". No, it doesn't count as first words just yet. We're saving that milestone for when he actually looks at one of us and says it. He got creative that day though and we both heard "ooo, baaaa, maaaa". I'm not saying he's so smart he knows who the president is, I'm just saying, that's what it sounded like.

What else. Is there anything else? It's all baby, all the time around here. I did have an Uppercase Living party last night which was fun to get out and do again. Daddy and Nathan spent some QT together, Skying, playing and listening to music (Nate loves the dance parties we have at night). And next week Nonni will be here for a visit as well. It's been too long since she's seen Nathan! Oh yes, and Aunt Dot and Uncle Rich got to meet Nathan a week or so ago when they came thru NC overnight. So fun for everyone to finally meet him!

Tomorrow we are looking at a relaxed day around the house for the most part. Oh, and football. Can't forget about football.

Can you tell?

It's football season!

Exerpt From a Parenting Rules Book that doesn't exist but should

# 72 Never let your kid bounce aggressively and for pro-longed amounts of time in his jumparoo if he is due to poo. And if he is jumping and you hear the tell tale signs or the see the expressive face that lets you know he is “deep in thought”, pick him up and run - not walk - to an easy to clean surface or just straight to the tub.

#73 Always have a good carpet cleaner on hand.

#74 Always have a good clothes stain remover on hand.

#75 Always have a good laundry detergent on hand.

#76 Take stock in said carpet cleaner, stain remover and laundry detergent companies. This is the only possible way you may ever be paid for these janitorial efforts.

#77 Know how to remove poopie stains and don’t let it wait until “later” to get them out. There is no later. It’s now or another trashed outfit.

#78 Always put pants on your child. Period.

#79 Don't be surprised if said pants do nothing other than act as a funnel for you know what.

#80 Don't expect that new favorite outfit to stay new and fresh long. Take a picture FIRST thing. Savor the first few minutes of cleanliness and move on. Do not, under any circumstances, become attached. You will be disappointed.

#81 Not only should you know how to put your childs toys together. Make sure you know how to take them apart too. You will need this knowledge when you have to take it apart to clean the various liquids your kid is sure to expel.

#82 Don't dwell on the disgusting, smelly, time-consuming accidents that are sure to plague you when least expected and most inconvenient. Kiss that messy little booger and go on with your day. There will be another adventure around the corner you will need your energy for.

September

Happy September. This month brings the start of many birthdays in a row. My Grandma (Garrison) turned 95 yesterday. How cool is that? Unfortunately she had to spend it in the hospital but she had some of her kids with her to make the day special. Leo's Grandma celebrated 80 years yesterday as well. Happy Birthday Mombo! (Did you know - our paternal grandma's share a birthday as well. What are the chance of that?) Today is Uncle Timmy's birthday. You're catching up to me Old Man!

In much less happy news, a friend of ours down here just passed. Jennifer Andrews was our Realtor and friend since she helped us find our house three years ago. She came to one of our New Years parties, we went to a hockey game with her family and thier neighborhood block party. She was even at our wedding. We knew she was sick but seemed to make a bit of a come back a few months back when we got a letter from her letting her clients know she would be reaching out and getting back on her feet. Other friends who saw her more frequently called to tell us the news. She had heart problems which later led to liver and kidney issues. Unfortunately she suffered. She was only 36. I am most sad for her family and her 7 year old son. Leo and I will be going to her funeral on Friday. It is so awful, yet I am so glad to have known her. So give your families extras hugs today.

Thankfully the weather has turned and it's been an amazing few days of 80 degrees (or less), no humidity and wonderful breezes. My kind of weather.

Not much else. Just growing and playing over here as usual. Mr. Nathan is on to Sweet Potatoes and frozen grapes in this little teething thing he can suck on without choking. He is currently on his belly half having fun, half complaining. When he figures out crawling, which I swear is mere weeks away, I am in so much trouble. He sees things and wants them. NOW! Even in his bouncy seat he sits forward and nearly tips himself out because he wants to be on the move. Oh boy . . .

Birthday

Yesterday was Leo's birthday. What a day. We had the annual birthday bash as usual. Last year we kidded with Leo that it was his last before parenthood but it has not slowed us down one bit. Well, it did for me. I had the little booger to worry about all night as Nathan did not want to sleep but rather party with the big kids. He had a brief nap in Melissa's arms (thanks Aunt Mo!) but woke shortly after and stayed up until midnight. But he had fun flirting with the girls and everyone loves to snuggle and love on him so no worries really. He has already adjusted back to his regular schedule and is sleeping soundly as we speak. Leo seemed to have a great day. He started off the party with a Power Hour. Greg and Danielle joined up via Skype for the festivities. Ahh technology. It was like they were actually present and stopped by. Our parties get larger and more fun with all the people we continue to meet down here. What a blessing to be surrounded by so many great friends.

Today we tried something new with Nathan - PEAS! He didn't seem to mind one way or another. So we'll continue with that for a few days and see how it goes. Perhaps sweet potato is next, or something fun like apples or bananas. I guess it's whatever I feel like since he'll roll with whatever is happening. And of course today is 5 months - and so a new pic is here . . .

Mr. Grabby Poopy Pants

I should be in bed . . . but I just have to share some little tidbits from my daily life. Today my mom and I went to get a pedicure. This is something we have done often and WITH Nathan. When I say I can take that kid anywhere I mean it. He sits on my lap and looks around. He smiles at the ladies, reaches for anything nearby and drools endlessly all over the place all in his quiet and peaceful way. Today he thought he would mix it up and add something special for mama. He did all of the above actions but added his daily . . . um . . . #2. All. Over. Me. Ok, he didn't exactly explode on me. He actually very quietly did his business and it seeped, slowly, onto my lap. There was little I could do while my toes were being made pretty. So we just sat there. I sighed. I tried not to dwell on the puddle that was getting larger by the second and Nathan smiled on as always. If that's not the epitome of motherhood and the love you must have for it I don't know what is.

Lately he has been Mr. Grabby. He will reach for things more and more. This is less and less cute. I narrowly saved him from getting a full glass of water on his head, pushing breakfast off the table and, with Leo, moving a very large and heavy bowl at our friends house. He merely left his slobbery fingerprints on that one but he was close. Lately he will grab at my water glass, pull it towards him and open his mouth. When I tip the water towards him to take a taste he will stick his little tongue out and actually lap up a little water. He's like a little puppy and he's adorable. He also wants to do this with beer bottles. Cute for the first photo op and then not so much. Sorry buddy, you have many years to go for that first taste.

I went out for a bit this evening and when I returned Nathan was there on the couch, nestled in his boppy next to daddy, watching football. Aahhh, "what an angel" I thought. Leo looked at me with a different story on his face. Nate was fussy and cranky and otherwise not so angelic. But there he was playing with his feet (his newest, cutest trick). He looked up at me and smiled. Could have fooled me. He looks pretty happy! Ha! The kid knows how to pull strings and push buttons in this house. And he's barely five months old.

Some new Nathan videos!

August Heat

Not much new in the household right now. It's been really hot here so we've been laying low inside on the weekends. Last Friday though, it was a little more reasonable so we took a walk to the pool for a quick dip. Other than that . . . just growing and being cute! Well, Nathan is anyway. I'm personally trying to shrink and be cute. Haha . . .

Nathan has been doing some new stuff. He is getting the rolling over thing slowly. He will go from back to belly, get mad and whine, get flipped over by us (hasn't figured it out again after that one time), then he will flip and whine again. Silly boy. Lately we have been trying to prefect sleep time - day and night. Today I put him down for a nap when he was tired and let him cry a bit until he figured out what to do. I hate it but he has to learn. After he flipped himself over and cried about it, I went in to flip him back. Less than 10 minutes later Leo went in to investigate why the crying stopped. Nate was asleep - on his belly! He stayed that way for two hours! We are making progress slowly but surely. I hate when it 's time for bad as much as he does I think. I hate to hear him cry. But once he's out it's so nice to have time for everything else.

In the talking department Nathan continues to coo and talk and babble. His voice is so sweet to listen to! Oh yeah, and we broke out the Jumparoo. Did I tell you this? It's so cool. Nathan loves it and would jump for hours if I let him. A grea way to tire him out too!

This past week we set ourselves up on Skype. If you don't know about it - you should. It's awesome! It's a great (free) way to talk to each other. In our case, because we have a webcam, you can see us too. It's free to download. Look me up if you want to experiment and chat. It's a nice way to keep in touch and I got to see Cousin Elaine all the way in Australia the other day. We often go on there and show off Nate's skills in his Jumparoo too. So cool!

We're getting ready for Leo's Annual Birthday Bash in a few weeks. It's B-Day falls on a Saturday so it's works out nicely. We'll have Cousin Julie here a few days before that, then Truck here around the weekend. Fun times ahead.

Busy Times

Sooo . . . where where we? Ahh yes, busy times in the household. When we returned from our trip North we immediately had things to do. #1 - Have Nathan meet his cousin Logan. Grandpa Leo, Babci, Kerri, Rob and Logan all came over for some pizza and a meeting of the little ones. In the pictures you can see a blow by blow recreation of Nathan being his very active self (nearly knocking out poor Logan before he's had a month on this earth to build up his muscles!) and seemingly biting his ear off. It will be fun to relive the pictures someday when they are older. Days later we took a trip down to Kerri and Rob's place to have dinner. Grandpa Leo finally got those pictures he wanted - holding his two grands at the same time. What a cute handful.

The following weekend we went down to Nonni's for a quick visit with Leo's Aunt, Uncle and cousins who were stopping thru on their way from Florida back to NY. The kids were super cute together. It was a quick visit and we were just there for the night. It was not such a pretty day on Saturday otherwise we would have stayed for some pool time.

Saturday evening we had some friends over for an impromptu cookout and hang out. Sunday we had mom and Ed over for dinner. It was moms last supper before her big surgery. Monday she went in for the back surgery that was planned for a while. As mentioned in previous posts, she did just fine and is on the mend. She went home that Thursday and was already meandering around the house, stretching out and testing the boundaries. This past weekend, Greg came down to see her too. He stayed with us, but we made a couple trips to Creedmoor to visit. In honor of Greg's B-day I made my famous vodka sauce, chicken parm and a special dessert - yellow cake and homemade whipped cream just like our grandma used to make. It was delicious and so fun to have Greg with us.

On the Nathan development front, while we were away in NY he seemed to make these new and wonderful sounds, literally overnight. One day, regular coos and agoos. The next, loud half-talking noises. He got his tongue involved and new vowels we never heard him utter. It was fun to hear the new things he had to say, especially realizing both Leo and I recognized and heard them at the same time rather than having one of us tell the other about the event. We are so lucky we are present to experience each new milestone. As I write, he is making raspberries and getting gobs of spit everywhere as per his usual. He shrieks in delight and even giggles now and then. We're hoping for a full roll over this week and maybe discovering his tickle spot for more laughing out loud.

Nathan had his four month check up the other day and he is doing great. He weighed in at 15.4, 25.5". He was 62nd percentile in weight, and 70th in height. A normal little guy. The doctor even complimented his skin saying it was softer than some other babies because he was still 100% breast fed. That made me proud on so many levels.

This week I have plans with friends, Nonni will probably be up for a visit and of course time with Gigi. She needs him to help her heal, since we know babies have that magical power!

Oh yes, and the Four Month Pic. I have been asked . . . here is it. Enjoy!

Tired Household

We have certainly been busy since we returned home from our vacation. So much so that I barely have the time or energy to write much at the moment. Most recently, we tried putting Nathan in him own room, in his own crib so that we could start having regular bed times and more adult time. The doc ok'd it and were eager to begin. The first night we put him down tired and let him cry it out. In 45 minutes he was asleep and woke once to eat and then another time at 7am. Wow! We felt maybe this would be it! Night #2 didn't go so well. Even though Nathan was clearly sooooo tired (falling asleep while bouncing himself on my knee - seriously, we've got proof) he fought it like crazy. After a rough evening of ups and downs, we let him cry, checking in of course every so often. After two hours I had it and rescued him. He feel asleep within minutes in my arms. I then proceeded to cry myself to sleep. :( Perhaps he is not yet ready. After last night, neither am I.

Today, Greg is coming for the weekend to be with Mom who had her surgery this week and hang out with us. Mom is doing fine, by the way. She had major back surgery which requires a lot of recovery time. Bu when I saw her in the hospital it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. She had her sunny and positive attitude in check as always. Mom will be back on her feet and chasing Nathan around in no time.

Off to get some coffee to get my through the next few hours until naptime. More updates soon.

What a long strange trip it's been

A long trip indeed (therefore a very long blog post as well). We were gone for 10 days. With an infant. I guess you could say we are adventurous. And strange only because it was easier than we imagined. It helps we have a baby that is adaptable (not adoptable - sorry grandmas) and we are pretty organized people.

Our trip to NY on July 3rd went ok. Nathan slept the first and last part with some screaming in between. But I would be too if I were strapped down for hours with no freedom. We got to Valley Cottage Friday afternoon with a plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the day. We had been told over and over about how much rain the north has been getting. I think we brought the sun up with us. The two weather combinations made for an amazing double rainbow over my dads house. What a nice way to start a long trip. We considered it good luck.

Saturday we started out early to make it to Massachusetts in time for the festivities. Aunt Julie and Uncle Paul have a beautiful 67' boat and we were getting on it. We joined them and their friends along with Truck and Babci who were also up for the weekend. When we got to the house I got a quick tour, then we were off, back to the marina for the ride. Poor Nate. He did pretty well on this 4 hour leg but every time after that he mad a face at us when we put him back in his car seat as if to say, "Really? Again?!"

The boat was awesome. With three bedrooms and two bathrooms underneath, it had the similar amenities to our house! We hung out on the main level in the shade as we rode along up through Boston Harbor, right past Logan Airport. It was a beautiful day - again we heard it was the first after so many non-stop days of rain. We cruised around and returned to the dock where we had a late lunch. Nathan was a doll - snoozing and observing his first boat ride.

Back at the house we dispersed to relax for a while. Leo showed me the property his aunt and uncles house was on, right on the water in Cohassett. The sun was warm and the breeze was cool. It was amazing. By dinnertime I was very ready to eat. We were having lobster!!! The cocktails started flowing and fireworks began in the distance. We started dinner late so between the steamers and salad and the lobster, we went outside for a quick peek at the colorful explosions outside. Nathan looked on slightly amused but mostly hungry and so he ate his own meal instead. The lobster was awesome and was followed by some homemade tart and pavlova. It was a lovely evening. We were bushed and I couldn't wait to get some shut eye.

Sunday was a slow and lazy day, as it should be. After hanging around a bit we went to the next town over to meet Leo's friend for lunch who happened to be in the area at the same time as us. We went to a cute little place called The Snug - truly a local watering hole. Afterwards we went back to the house. I intended to get a nice nap in. We all laid down but Leo was the only one who fell asleep. Nathan wanted to play. Sooooo I went outside with him to wear him out. The hammock was put up and I handed Nathan over to his grandfather so I could enjoy the time alone. I have been very much involved in the Twilight series that everyone has been raving about so reading, sipping a margarita and enjoying the weather was just fine for me. I never did get that nap. But really I couldn't have been happier!

Monday we said our goodbyes and moved on to the next leg of the trip - Boston. We met up with friends Simon and Sarah and their adorable one year old Hudson. I couldn't wait to meet him! They were all very patient as we attempted to find our way through the crazy Boston highways. What a mess that place is! We did it eventually only to be slowed by Nathan's lunch time. Rule #317 for going out with babies - make sure your friends have babies too so they understand why you are late, forgetful and crazy!

Finally we were off on a long, beautiful walking tour of Boston. We started at the North End for some killer canoli's (they really were amazing), then made our way through different neighborhoods and parks. We walked through Quincy Market and by Paul Revere's house. We stopped at a little restaurant for a refreshing pint and a snack. We stopped in the frog park to take care of feeding our kiddies and we went through the shopping district where Christmas Shopping must be insane! We decided to then take our party back to Simon and Sarah's place for dinner to give us all a chance to relax. They live a short drive north, almost to New Hampshire. Short as it may be, Nathan wasn't having it and screamed the whole time. But again, how can I blame him? It was a long time and the kid just wanted to get out and play! We enjoyed a little cookout in their back yard then stayed up a bit to chat. The words "roll cake" were mentioned and they were kind enough to share this delectable dessert with us. Simon's mom makes this unique treat that is special in their family. I was honored to get some!

Tuesday night we had the windows open so the fresh air and cool breezes from the overnight rain were very refreshing. But I was fearful we wouldn't get to do a little photo shoot with Sarah. She has recently started her own photography business, mostly photographing babies. She's amazing! (Check out her blog in our blogger buddies list) The rain had stopped and the overcast light was good enough to give it a try. So we stripped Nathan down to his diaper and pulled out all the stops to make my little one smile. We literally did have to try everything - but his cheeks wouldn't budge! He was due for a nap and more or less looked at us like we were the fools, making faces and noises and dangling objects in his face. No luck. He is still as cute as can be and I'm sure we got some good shots. But still . . . one little smile would have been nice.

Tuesday afternoon we were on the road again, Connecticut bound. Just when we made a pit stop for food and gas, the skies opened up and poured heavy rain on our heads. I know all you yankees are over it, but for me it was nice to see a thunder and lightening storm. I don't know - I just like weather.

Leo's college friend Cailyn and her two-month old Ty were waiting for us. We had a relaxing afternoon just hanging out with our kids. It's so fun to just stare at the way they move and listen to their coos. Jarred got home from work for a quick visit too before we were off to the next stop. We went about an hour further to Leo's other college friends Tom and Carole's. Jill and Ryan and their six-month old were there too. More baby visiting and picture taking. Who knew this stuff could entertain us so much?

Wednesday we were off to our somewhat final destination, back to NY. We made it back by noon and brother Matt had a delicious NY sandwich waiting for me. He knows how I miss it! We then made the rounds to see all of Nathans great grandparents. We saw Grandma Garrison first. She was so very pleased to see this little boy but kept asking, "What's her name?". We then went see Mombo and Patta Lydon. We hadn't seen them in such a long time so the visit was really nice for all of us.

Thursday there were few plans on the calendar and for that I was thankful! Nathan and I sat outside under the shade of a tree, him napping, me reading, while Pop and the boys where nearby putting up a new fence. Leo did some work while we were just hanging around. Later we went to see one more grandmother - Gram Gleason. She and her dogs were happy for our little visit. The dogs were anxious to say hello to Nathan. After every house we visited had dogs much bigger than Teddy and Daisy, I wasn't too worried about them getting too close.

Thursday night was a highlight for me, as time with all my brothers at one time usually is. All four of them were present, plus significant others (except one). We decided to play games and hang out in the basement, as far away from the parents as possible knowing we would be loud. And loud we were as we always end up laughing with (ok at) each other. Nathan was a champ and hung around with us. Even after he fell asleep he stayed in my arms and slept through our shenanigans. Someday soon it will be cool to have him enjoy the company (though we will have to eliminate or hide the drinking games for several years!).

Friday started off slow and easy as we hung around the house and slowly got ready for the wedding, the reason we came up to NY to start with. My godparents son was marrying his long-time girlfriend and we were certainly up for a party. Nathan was well taken care of by Grandma Jo. Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Amanda took him for a walk to get him to take an afternoon nap right away. He was pretty happy and easy to care for the rest of the day. The wedding was nice. We were late (thanks to Friday afternoon traffic) but so was everyone else. We took the short ride from Monroe, where the ceremony was, to Stony Point for the reception. We were bombarded with wonderful food and drink (apparently I love strawberry mojitos!). Joanne brought Nathan up for a feeding before the end of the cocktail hour. We were lucky to catch the bride and groom to have a very quick meet and greet. When I later complimented Megan, the bride, on her dress I said, "I love your dress." She said, "I love your baby." I don't think they will need a big push to make the move toward parenthood. Since I am the big sister (who had to care for a baby at the end of the night) I was DD and drove the drunk bus home. We lingered a little while longer before going to bed, bushed. I believe I slept rather well that night.

Saturday we gathered again for a traditional Kepler Breakfast - also another favorite thing when we are in NY. We were only missing Joey who was working. What a good boy. Leo, Nathan and I then made our way to Orangeburg for our last appointment with friends - one last chance to meet Nathan before we returned to NC. It was a nice show of people who came by to love on our little boy. He's so good. He never seems to mind passing through the many hands. I only hope he continues to be so good with strangers.

Saturday night we joined mom and Ed for dinner at one of our favorite places, Mia Cucina. Since we were a big party of 8 (and a half) and there was a baby, they threw us in the back room which we had all to ourselves. It was nice to have the privacy. The food and company were perfect and we all got to hear one of Nathan's first loud giggles. I was so proud I could have cried. Seriously - it's crazy how these little milestones just melt your heart.

Sunday we hit the road by 9:30am. It was a long ride but mentally we were prepared and I guess Nathan was too. He slept most of the way again and I entertained as much as possible to keep him happy. We got home around 7pm and no meltdowns. Yeehaa!

And now we are faced with the summer. Oh what to do. Well, Nate met his cousin Logan last night and we put together an new toy for him. More on those adventures soon. In the meantime, we have to catch up with other stuff. How come you always need a vacation even after vacation?!