Hello again, my friend, hello

Yep, that's right, I started off with a little Neil Diamond.

 

It feels like it has been a lifetime since I blogged. Preparing for and then going on a trip to AZ left me with little spare time. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to some spare time being used just to space out in front of the tv :) On a side note - I haven't been posting pictures or videos because this blog site has put in place a space limitation. I'm working on other methods of posting (that hopefully aren't cumbersome).

 

 

A lot has happened over the past few weeks. I will get to several of them individually... such as; first actual kids meal order off of a menu, another trip through the airport, a trip to AZ, etc etc... and of course the big news of Nathaniel WALKING.

 

We were starting to think he wasn't ever going to walk, but on Dec 8 he walked. He is a cautious little guy and I think he needed to feel very secure before going for it. And boy did he go for it. He went from crawling to taking 10-15 steps plus turns. He has been pulling up on things and pushing his walker for a long time so we always figured he was close, but he sure did take his sweet time :) Actually, come to find out most people consider it walking when a kid takes a quick step towards something. He has done that for awhile, but I guess me and Kevin are very literal. We figured it isn't walking until he took a long stroll. Haha if this is indicative of our parenting style Nathaniel better get used to high expectations! I think the practice all of the friends and family did with him while on vacation pushed him over that final hurdle (including all of the laps Ryann, my friend Kelly's daughter, did with him - he loved it)

 

I'm sure me and all other parents/relatives would agree that it is super cute to see a little toddler walking around frankenstein style. He focuses so hard, but smiles and laughs as he barrels towards you. One thing he will have to learn is that walking to the dog isn't a great idea. He gets to Mocha and leans on him not realizing that Mocha is most likely going to move. Those moving structures throw the Frankenstein balance off. I think the dogs secretly tell Nathaniel 'It's about time - we walked on the first day'.

 

I know I'm in trouble once he gets really moving and really walking everywhere so I'm going to enjoy Baby Frankenstein while I can.

McFlirty

Nathaniel is shaping up to be quite the flirt. Whether we are in a store or sitting in a restaurant I'll notice him *stalking* someone. When he stalks he smiles at them or looks at them all cute until they smile back or talk to him. Then he is finds his next victim. Bus people at a restaurant, cashiers, fellow shoppers, fellow parents in a play area are all fair game. The other day we were eating breakfast out and he encountered one of his harder cases to crack. He kept looking over at this man who was sitting by himself just looking at his phone. He would look over, then he would lay his head on his arm and look over, then he would smile at him. Finally, after about 5 minutes the man noticed and smiled back. That is all it took and Nathaniel stopped stalking him. He gets the biggest reaction from grandmas who are missing their own grandkids.

 

I still get a little concerned that all of his time just spent with me and the dogs may not be enough human interaction so he is desperate for interaction while we are out, thus the flirting :) Or he is just McFlirty. Those big blue eyes are already melting some hearts!

Huh? Say What?

Every once in awhile Nathaniel goes on a talking spree. Then he quiets down for a few days. He isn't much of a talker in public either - he is more of an observer. When I say *talk* they aren't real words yet. There are a few words we think we can make out like 'dad, dada, maamaa (he doesn't know it is me though), hey and this. Overall though it is definitely baby babble.

 

Over the past week he has a new form of talking. He is talking in long drawn out sentences. It sounds like one big super word. I want to know what he is trying to communicate so badly. After he 'clearly' states what it is he is trying to say he looks at you. I say something like,' yes' or 'that's right' or 'You want to play with ____' I figure he is thinking to himself that his mom is such a dummy for not understanding since he said it so perfectly. I almost detect a slight baby eye roll - he is like,'seriously, how did you not understand THAT'

 

I am going to continue to focus and see if I can't start to decipher his language. It is funny when he goes on a kick with these sentences. It sounds so much like a real conversation. To be honest it sounds a lot like Kevin when he is tired ;)

Germatopia

 

It's happening, it's happening.... every once in awhile I allow something to happen that I never ever never ever ever thought I'd allow to happen. Apparently, being a parent means you have to be flexible about things you swore you'd never be flexible about. But, things just don't always happen like you think they will or should or might. You quickly realize your overly utopian view of raising kids on your terms gets thrown out the window (ok ok not quite that dramatic), but at least out the window on occasion. So you are probably asking, 'what could I have allowed?' that required such flexibility on my part. I mean the kid is only 1+ what is he even capable of doing that I already had to BeNd the rules. Well, rules in my head.

 

drum roll.... I allowed him to play in one of those germ infested play areas in the mall. AAAAHHH I know. Catch your breath. Yes, I said he played in what I like to call *Germatopia*. I used to walk by those covering my mouth as to not catch any stray germs that were flying in the air. When I look at one of those play areas I can't imagine there isn't one surface that doesn't have a sticky boogery hand mark on it. I wondered if anyone would notice (and if I would look insane) spraying down everything with lysol... or wiping things down with my clorox travel wipes.

 

So why o why would I even venture into what is clearly marked as a level 4 biohazard zone. oh oh oh maybe I could have put Nathaniel in a baby biohazard suit. Like the ones used on E.T.. He is too young to notice people laughing at him right, RIGHT? He had been in his stroller for a bit and I felt like he really needed to get out and move around. We were at least 1/2 hr from home so I just had to let him out... I had to... I swear (at least that is what I tell myself) So as we entered the biohazard zone I could feel the germy air surround our bodies - I may have let out a slight scream, I can't be sure - we proceeded forward anyway even though every instinct told me to turn around. Then he was off crawling around on some play structure.

 

Nathaniel seemed to enjoy looking at the other kids and moved around some. He mostly smiled at the adults sitting around the edges winning them over with his grins. When it was time to go, I scooped him up and quickly started the disinfection process. I wiped down his hands and changed his socks :) (Yep, he wasn't wearing any shoes, whoops).

 

We seem to have survived, but it really was touch and go. If I allowed him in there, what's next?!? Will I allow him in the McDonald's poop ball pit? Will I let him eat a Cheetoh off a restaurant bathroom floor? Will I let him eat Cheeto's ....Oh no, oh no... I think I'm hyperventilating. I better go clean something.

Ipood

 

Haha.. get it ... Ipood. It is amazing what funny things you can find printed on onesies. What is also amazing is how kids are so technologically inclined. I was soooo impressed with Intellivision when it came out. I moved up to a Commodore 64. I could write 4 lines of code on it and I thought I was brilliant. The four lines of code would do something like repeat my name over and over again. I also had basic games such as; Olympic Decathlon, Firestarter, Donkey Kong, Spy Hunter. Those graphics were so simple (or the new word for simple ~ retro) Then I moved up to an Apple 2 (or mac) I forget exactly what it was called. It looked something like this.

 

Next, I got my first computer tower type computer. There was a huge monitor and tower that I remember lugging around during college from residence to residence. I didn't get my first laptop until around the mid 2000s I think. I'm pretty sure that all of my original computers combined couldn't even do what my Iphone does now. Pretty amazing. As I sit here and write this I can see a DVR (amazing piece of tech), an Iphone, an Ipad, a baby video monitor and a flat screen tv (weighing a smidge of what that old computer monitor weighed) all within reach. Technology is just everywhere changing our daily lives constantly. Some argue that it is for the better, some say it is making some things worse. For instance, no one actually talks anymore, but the introvert in me doesn't mind that so much ;)

 

I could go on and on about how things have changed (my 15 minute cell phone plan I had in college LOL), but really I just wanted to point out something funny that has already happened with Nathaniel. I have a few apps on the Ipad and Iphone for him. Simple things from Fisher Price. I show him pictures too. He, like most kids, picked up on the fact that you just need to swipe your finger across the screen to get it to do something. Now everything with a screen is fair game for a swipe. I started to notice this when he was looking at our photo frame. It is one of those photo frames where you can store pictures on it like a computer and it just shows a slide show. He kept touching the screen and watching the pictures change. It does it automatically, but he thought he was making the pictures change like on the Iphone. He also tries to touch the tv for the same reason.

 

I just thought about how different it will be for him as he learns and plays because of all the available technology. I mean he already asks to play games on the Iphone. Of course him asking is a slight point and grunt, but I get it, I get that he is already getting addicted to technology and that is going to be a lot of $$$$$$$$ ;) Future Nate, "Mom, everyone has the Ipad 15ss with 3D goggles, I'm such a loser with my Ipad 14 that is 2D and doesn't hover"

Funny Little Habits

Nathaniel does a few things right now that are becoming habits. Well at least a habit in the baby sense - meaning the habit lasts a week or two, but it is funny to watch.

Hey, Hey, HEEEYYYY - When we are out and about and Nathaniel is riding in a buggy I noticed something he was always doing. I thought he was talking to me at first, but no. He says something like, 'Hey Hey HHEEYY HHEEYYY' it gets a little louder and longer until whomever he is trying to talk to turns around. Yep, he is yelling at strangers in the store. They usually will turn around and then he gets the biggest grin on his face. Of course no one can resist a cute baby boy grin. This is also what he has been yelling at us for a long time now from his crib when he wakes up.

Block Placement - Nathaniel will take a few blocks and place them on the window sill. He favors the white big lego blocks and the red triangle blocks. He then knocks them to the floor and puts them back up. He also likes to hide them in the tv cabinet.

Bite Kevin - Not much else to say here :) He bites Kevin's shoulder and laughs. He doesn't do it to me so I think it is funny, although it looks painful. (in case you are wondering we don't laugh back at him because we want the behavior to stop - Kevin just puts him on the floor and doesn't make a big deal of it, hoping it will go away when he figures out he doesn't get attention for it... we'll see) It is a little funny though

Einstein Sticky Hair - Nathaniel is a pretty good eater. Not super messy.. YET. But, no matter how hard we try somehow he manages to run his fingers through his hair above his ears and it sticks straight out and gets crusty from food. He looks like a mad scientist. He just LOVES when I try and wipe down his hair afterwards (I say sarcastically)

Here You Go Mocha - Nathaniel has figured out if he gives Mocha something Mocha will usually run off with it and that is hilarious to the little guy! As I am trying to teach Mocha NOT to chew blocks, rattles, toys etc. Nate is handing them to him. Poor dog is confused. Sometimes Nate will actually give him a dog toy - not often enough though. If Mocha doesn't take it Nate just keeps shoving it in his face. I have a feeling I'm fighting a losing battle and there is going to be some more *toy casualties*

 

The Happy Sway - When Nathaniel crawls around he sways his head back and forth... it looks like he is the happiest baby around. It is so cute. It is a really pronounced sway and I always think he is singing some happy tune as he just happily bobs around the room. Maybe one of these days he will be happily walking and swaying... or maybe he'll crawl forever ;) I can picture him skipping with this same happy gait when he gets older.

 

The Open Door - Opening and closing doors (real doors, cabinet doors, drawers) will be open and closed 200 hundred times a day. He will watch a cartoon while opening the tv stand door and closing it the whole time. (Side note: When he watches a cartoon he mostly likes the songs - the rest of the cartoon barely keeps him interested. This means the start of any show/cartoon/commercial that has a tune is fair game to watch. There is this cheesy Sandals resort commercial that has the Dirty Dancing song 'I've had the time of my life' and he stops and watches it every time.)

 

Truck Rides - Nathaniel can't get enough of his truck that he got for his birthday. He knows how to get in it himself now - sometimes he is sitting in it backwards, but he is in it. He just looks at you like ... 'come on, push me, what are you waiting for?' He doesn't quite get that his long sleeve onesie isn't quite warm enough to go outside in. We give him (and ourselves) a layer or two and head out the door. If he had his way he'd go several times a day. He even shuts the door on you when you try to get him out.

 

Bootie Dance - When we get him ready to take a bath we usually undress him on our bed while the bath fills up. Well, he gets this shot of adrenaline once you take his clothes off. He goes back and forth on the bed and then will grab the headboard posts and perform what I like to call his ** bootie dance** You can't help but laugh. He just holds on to the slats and boogies.

 

Alright, I better quit writing and take a nap before he wakes up from his nap. zzzzzzzz

Dyno - Mite

 

Or is it Dyno - Nate? It is the friendliest dinosaur in the Southeast.

 

 

 

We didn't take him trick or treating. If we knew our neighbors better we might have, but since we don't it felt like we were just going around asking for candy for ourselves... haha. Nathaniel did enjoy watching people come to the door. He actually cried a few times when they left. I think he thought they were going to come in and play, but they kept leaving. Poor kid really needs to get out more.

 

 

We went into Petsmart and the costumes were 75% off and right by the sign happened to be 2 XXL pumpkin costumes. I have never ever bought a costume for my dog, but this one time it seemed meant to be.. I mean two pumpkin outfits left both XXL... I think the dogs actually enjoyed wearing their costumes. It was a wearable blanket basically. They got a few comments as people walked by the backyard and saw two big pumpkin dogs.

 

 

I hope everyone enjoyed Halloween.

 

 

Maybe Halloween Ghosts?

Tis the season for everything creepy crawly. Spiders, ghosts, goblins, zombies (mostly I just like having the excuse to eat candy all night as I pass it out). I do think Nathaniel might be getting a case of the *creepies* He doesn't seem scared by the life size witches at Home Depot... so I didn't think he would get the *creepies*, but over the past couple of weeks he has woke up a few times crying in the middle of the night. He is a GREAT night sleeper so this is very unusual. We can't find anything different - no new sounds, no new lights... so we aren't sure why its happening. Maybe he is teething a bit more? Maybe he is having a little gas from drinking cow's milk? Maybe he is starting to have some dreams? OR maybe it is civil war ghosts from the Battle of Franklin.... BOO!

 

I'm not sure. We are putting on our best detective hats and trying to figure it out. When he does wake up - you can snuggle with him - he falls asleep - then you lay him back down. (I just love when he falls asleep on my shoulder. Those little hands are usually holding your arm or your hand and you can feel his little breaths... its the best. Those people that co sleep might have the right idea because it is pretty darn cool!) Anyway, last night he cried 3 separate times. We decided to bring him down and let him sleep in the pack n play by us. I know I know some of you probably think that was a bad idea. I actually wasn't sure either, but I figured if it was something temporary one night of extra love won't hurt... now night after night and we'll have to change our approach. He proceeded to stand in the pack n play and talk to us for about 1/2 hr in the middle of the night. He didn't cry or whine, he just talked. While I was falling in and out of sleep as he carried on the conversation he eventually laid down and fell asleep. He woke us up with some 'heys' in the morning. It was like old times before we moved him up to the crib.

 

He hasn't woke up tonight so let's hope he sleeps as "snug as a bug in a rug". A saying by the way that originated in the 1700s. While it means warm and cozy now.. it used to mean being secure. Ben Franklin used it in a letter and was thought to have created the saying and gets the credit a lot, but there is rumor he was not the first.

 

Maybe there really are some civil war ghosts... hhmmm

 

Nate Note(s): He loves the orange lights Kevin put up for Halloween. He crawls over to the front door every night and basically insists you take him out to look. We just keep telling him ... wait until you see the Christmas tree! I did say 'crawls' ... that kid just doesn't want to walk yet. He is walking one handed with his walker now though. He expertly cruises all the furniture too. We don't really push him to practice walking and figure he'll get it on his own time. Plus, having a wobbly one year old just sounds dangerous on the wood floor so I'd like to put it off as long as possible (maybe I'm the problem) ;)

Here You Go

 

Nathaniel has a new thing he does A LOT. He hands you whatever he is holding 'Here you go'. If he is playing with his new egg set he will hand you one. If he is playing with any of his toys he will hand you one. He will hand you a book to read and then grab one for himself. If he is eating he wants to give you a taste of his squished up piece of fruit, bread or whatever. I've noticed he tends to give you the one he doesn't want. If he hands you one he wants he actually will take it back. The dogs love this new behavior since he now holds out food to them. It is impossible to keep the dogs away while he eats now. I mean they are dogs. If someone is going to hand out food you are going to be there for the taking. Nate hands Mocha his dog toy to chew on even. The problem with this is that he kind of shoves it in his face. Luckily Mocha just moves over a bit. Besides not understanding *gentle* with the dogs, Nate hasn't quite learned distance yet. He will try to hand me something from across the room - when I don't grab it he kind of looks disappointed.  He always looks quite pleased with himself after you take his gift ;) 


Nate Note: Nathaniel was standing by the coffee table and Mocha kept walking right by him ... over and over again... Mocha had a toy in his mouth and wanted to play I guess. What was cute though was that Nathaniel would laugh out loud every time Mocha rubbed up against him as he walked by. It was a tight squeeze and he just thought it was so funny. The more Nate laughed the more Mocha would walk by him.

 

Here are some FALL pictures

 

A first glimpse at his Halloween costume

He looks like he was trying to be scary like the ghost :)

    

Holy Super Stink, Batman!

 

Do you remember when Robin would say this to Batman? It was always,"Holy _____, Batman!" I can't wait until Nathaniel likes super heroes. That will be something me and him can bond over that Kevin has zero interest.

 

Well, the Hahm household has taken it up a notch in bad smells. There is the usual dog smells, the usual burnt toast or baked fish smells, the usual husband smells ;)... but I never would have guessed how smelly that little boy has become. Everything smelled good around here UNTIL the introduction of cow's milk. Wowza! We have always either thrown the diapers away in a diaper genie thing in our bedroom or in the trash. We have never ever ever skipped a beat. The poops, while still poops, didn't really smell that bad.

 

That has all changed, now you can smell when he has gone from a different room. Poor boy! Then after you hold your breath while you change it you can't escape the smell. No matter where you put it, it follows you. I feel like a have a life size poopy diaper puppet following me around - like a sesame street nightmare!

 

Stupid cow's milk. Right now he is about 60% milk 40% formula. Does that mean the stink factor will increase proportionately?? "Holy Super Duper Stink, Batman!" I'm hoping that this is just his digestive system getting used to the new proteins and minerals and soon it will settle down. Otherwise, I might have to put a changing station outside or put that white stuff under my nose that they use on the crime dramas.

 

I am hoping this is normal since the smell is the only weird thing (I might put in a little call to the pediatrician just to be sure). I mean when picking up the dog doo is a breath of fresh air in comparison to Nathaniel... it is a strange day :) I'm not at all sensitive or easily grossed out either, but boy o boy. Kevin has even accused me of not changing his diaper and waiting until he got home so that he'd have to do it. But NO WAY! I wouldn't even be able to hug that kid if I left him in his dirty diaper. I think Nathaniel is just so smart already that when I tell him 'Wait to do #2 until daddy gets home' he listens, it is our little deal.

 

Side Note: Nate is really going to love this post later in life hahaha

Nathaniel's Nautical First Birthday

I realize this is 'old news' now, but I wanted to make sure I blogged about it for Nathaniel's sake. I kept putting it off because I figured it would take me awhile to capture what I wanted to remember. Now that it has been 16 days I barely remember what happened ;)

 

I'll try to summarize and keep it concise (hahaha.. we will see if I'm capable of that)

 

The Birthday weekend started off with Kevin's parents arriving from Wisconsin for the big event. They were moving back to Florida for the winter and we are pretty conveniently located about midway. Nathaniel always loves all of the attention he gets from Grandma Hahm! I took advantage right away of Grandma/babysitter and ran out to do some last minute errands for the big 1st birthday.

 

I came back to a SUPER DE DUPER shocking surprise. I walked in holding some bags and looked over to say HI to everyone and then practically gave my self whiplash as I did a double take and saw that my dad was sitting there. I was very excited to see him and have someone on my family's side here to celebrate the big day too. It was very cool. I get a little homesick for my peeps during these special occasions (well lots of other times too) and it just felt nice to have him here. I know it was hard on my sis and mom not to be here :( Why do I live in TN again... hhhmmm??

Grandpa Davis (my dad) and Nate

 

Kevin and Grandma and Grandpa Hahm (Kevin's parents)

 

Ok back to the PPPARRTTY

 

The theme I chose (with some discussion with my sis) was a navy blue and yellow nautical theme.

Sailabrate!

 

The decorations and appetizers fit this same theme. Kevin's dad did an excellent job of hanging all of the blue and yellow balloons. The balloons were tied with twine so it looked like nautical rope. I made a banner of Nate as he grew through the year. Kevin's mom (besides helping out with Nate and lots of other stuff) helped to wrap the mini candy bars in yellow striped paper, set up the main appetizer table and make the blueberry/pineapple parfaits... get it... pineapple is yellow and blueberries are blue :) haha. Gourmet popcorn in blackberry (navy blue) and movie theatre butter (yellow) popcorn, crab dip, crackers and cheese and caprese skewers filled the rest of the table.

 

 

 

Nathaniel opened his presents before cake. When I say 'opened', what I mean is I opened them and tried to keep him interested in what was going on. He basically crawled away and was more interested in other stuff, lil stinker. He received so many great gifts from everyone. Music starter set, a vacuum that throws balls, a pull along dog, big blocks, a book, a puzzle, a golf starter set, a plush chica, Bouncy Tigger, his very own ride-in truck with gas pump, an outside sport/slide set, chirping eggs, a green bay shirt (my AZ peeps better send some AZ gear haha), a picture album so Nate can always look at pictures of family... and I'm sure I'm missing stuff... but you get the point... he got SPOILED!

 

 

 

Ava and Nathaniel hanging in the NEW truck Grandma (my mom) gave him.

 

 

Then it was time for SMASH cake. I had never heard of SMASH cake until I moved to Tennessee, but I think it has more to do with me not being around kids than living in TN. Basically a SMASH cake is a mini cake just for the 1 year old to smash all over himself. Nathaniel is a bit cautious with stuff so I wasn't sure if he would actually dive in.... but he did. He wasn't completely covered, but he did a good job of trying to turn himself into a blue smurf using the frosting. He especially loved when we sang happy birthday. He smiled the entire time we sang. He liked the attention :)

Smash cake on the left

Before Cake
 

Mid Cake

Post Cake 

His party was on the 29th so on the 30th (his actual birthday) he had a strawberry shortcake to celebrate his birthday. This is a tradition on my side of the family. My mom had it on her first bday, I had it on mine and now Nathaniel had it for his first birthday. He really liked the strawberries. It was the first time he had them. The Packers won on the 30th too so that made Kevin and his parents very happy! (of course Nathaniel was wearing his new packers shirt he got for his bday)

 

 

 

It was a festive birthday filled with great memories and people. I can't believe how much Nathaniel has grown this first year. It is truly fun to watch a baby turn into a little boy. I just love every day with this little guy. Happy 1st birthday Nathaniel. Mom and Dad love you more than you'll ever know (..."I love you to the moon and back"...)

 

 

Bounce Seat Picture

Remember my post a bit ago about withdrawal from using the bouncy seat?? I didn't have a recent picture of him in it so I took this picture of Nathaniel just a day or so ago.  His feet actually touch the ground now... I'm still freaking out about how I'm going to replace this gem.  He took a couple of naps in it this week alone! 

 

 

What sound does a cow make?

 

MMmmmmoooo. Yes, this is a common sentence in our household. Actually I think I *MOO* most during Old McDonald had a Farm. The big thing about cows these days is that Nathaniel started drinking milk. He passed that big first birthday so we started to transition him to milk. I always think that it is funny that at a year they can have milk. As if their digestive systems magically change on their birthday and they can handle a lot more stuff. I assume some testing etc. went into determining this special year milestone. Probably tests showing how efficiently the body can break down certain proteins and minerals. I decided to slowly transition to milk instead of going cold turkey. I figured this way if his digestive system seemed irritated I could back off a bit. I went with a 50%formula/50%whole milk mix. I do still heat up the formula portion so the mix isn't cold. I figured I'd slowly transition to the *cold* temperature of milk too.

 

So far he hasn't skipped a beat. His diapers have been a little more inconsistent, but I'm hoping they will start to follow a pattern again soon. I probably could have went cold turkey since this kid doesn't seem to ever be bothered by much, but I was gun shy. I'll probably go two weeks with a 50/50 mix and get to a cold temperature by the end of the second week.

 

The part I haven't transitioned him from is using a bottle. He mostly just plays with his sippy cups. He knows how to use them (including a straw), but would rather chew on them or bang them on the table then actually drink from them. I did try using one in place of a bottle a week or so ago and he threw it on the floor. Yes, that was some real attitude indeed! Instead of forcing it, I figured I'd wait until after the milk transition. Yep, I sort of wimped out and decided what is a few weeks?? (I may eat those words when he is 4 still using a bottle)

 

One thing that is super annoying about the whole milk I bought is that it is in a carton. Seems innocent, right? Well, for some reason I always dribble some on the counter and down the side of the carton. It is hard to pour 2 oz. into a bottle. (or I am just horribly uncoordinated). But EVERY single time I'm wiping down the counter and the side of the carton. Oh yeah and I can't believe how thick whole milk is... wow is that stuff thick!

 

In honor of Nathaniel starting milk make sure you put on your best milk mustache/smile and *cheers*

1 Year Appt

 

The stats.

9/30 - He was born and was 21 inches tall and 8 lbs 7 oz
10/11 - He was 11 days old and was 21 inches tall and 8 lbs 9 oz
10/24 - He was 3 and 3/7 wks old and was 21 3/4 inches tall and 9 lbs 9 oz
12/1 - He is 2 months old and 24 inches tall and 11 lbs 10 oz

1/20 - He is 3 1/2 months old and 25 3/4 inches tall and 14 lbs 8 oz

3/30 - He is 6 months old and 27 inches tall and 17 lbs 4 oz
6/28 - He is a lil under 9 months old and 28 3/4 inches tall and 20 lbs 12 oz
10/1 - He just turned one and is 30 3/4 inches tall and 22 lbs 11 oz


Nathaniel had his next big appt - his one year appt. He of course got more shots. 

 

 

Side note: They have a chicken pox vaccine.  I told Kevin those must be pretty new since we didn't get those.  The nurse then said she got one. That is when I realized she must think we're old.

 

Ok, back to the appt. He seemed to rebound well from the shots and didn't cry for very long. He was back to his happy self pretty quickly. We even went out for dinner afterwards at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel with Kevin's parents for their last night in Nashville. Nathaniel had to get his iron levels tested again since they were low last time. This time he met the min. requirement so we can stop giving him the vitamins with extra iron. I was happy his level went back up. He didn't like the finger prick and the blood collection very much. I played the Hot Dog song from the Mickey Mouse clubhouse on my iPhone and the whole world got a little brighter :) 

They performed an eye test. It was this weird camera looking thing that had bird sounds so that he would look straight into the machine. They measure a few things and look for disease or something (I'm not entirely sure what it all covered), but I do know everything came back looking good. If I remember I am going to ask for the details at the next appt. just for my own curiosity. Usually I'm better about getting all the details, but just wasn't on my game I guess!

The rest of the appt was pretty standard and everything looked great. Yay!

 

 

I was thinking back to our very first appt with him. We were so tired and so new to everything - it was a blur. He seemed so fragile. I shed some tears when he got his first shots (now I'm a trooper and I look away and just cringe). Those big tears, that I rarely see, make me so sad. It is crazy that it has been a year and how much more confident we are as parents and how *not* confident we are for the next year :)

Shoe Saga Part Deux

 

I chose the phrasing 'Part Deux' not because it means the number two in French, but because the Urban Dictionary defines it as a superficial, unnecessary, or overly bad sequel to a classic film. I feel like this Shoe saga is a bad sequel.

 

Here is the brief continuation of the shoe saga: Nate versus shoe. This kid is still running around without shoes. The new super cute pair is just too hard to get on too. I realized I had given up even trying to get them on (I must admit I gave up pretty easy) so a new strategy was definitely needed. The last thing I want to do is waste money and these shoes were just going to waste. The lady at the store could get them on 'Why not me' and Kevin can sort of get them on after a bit... Owell - The new strategy was simply to find an easier to get on shoe. I decided to exchange them for a pair with two velcro straps instead of one. There wasn't nearly the selection to choose from, but we got a pair of blue and red sneakers. They are still the Step 2 early walker type that help him feel the ground better. I was able to get the shoes on Nate at the store so we will see. The new pair is 1/2 size bigger so I guess that is good since these should last a bit longer.

 

Wish me luck or else Nathaniel is going to be that kid that has black feet in the store YUCK! hahaha ;)

 

 

Pre Bouncy Seat Withdrawal

Nathaniel has had a bouncy seat since the beginning. This is one of those seats with a wire frame that a baby can sit in and just bounce. It is kind of like a baby hammock. We just bought a simple monkey themed one that played music and vibrated. I had no idea how much Nathaniel would like this thing. I had NO idea how much I would come to depend on this thing. He has liked most baby *gear* (swings, exersaucers, walkers, jumpers), but the bouncy seat is a clear favorite.

Something I learned along the way is that not all bouncy seats are the same. They look similar, but definitely bounce differently. We went to Arizona in June and bought a bouncy seat to use at my mother's. It just didn't bounce quite the same. Nate would just sit in it and not do much. It just didn't give him the joy of the monkey one from home. We then borrowed a baby Bjorn one while visiting my sister. I have heard such great things about these. While it was neat, Nate just didn't like how it bounced and mostly sat starring at us while he sat in it. I guess babies get used to a certain soothing motion. His original bouncy seat just makes him the happiest.

I am pretty sure he is at the weight limit or age limit or some limit whereby he shouldn't be using the seat anymore, but I CANNOT bring myself to take it out of the rotation yet. He just still loves to sit in there and bounce and relax. Today he took an hour nap in it! (he missed his morning nap and I had sat him in it while I showered and he fell asleep). Seriously, I am not sure what I am going to do without it. There needs to be a toddler size bouncy seat. I don't have anything to fill this void. I use it when I can tell he needs a little break. I still use it when I need a few minutes to keep him contained while I eat, or do some other little task nearby. He always just sits in it content... bouncing and hanging out.  I'll say it again I REALLY I AM STRESSING OUT about how I am going to replace this seat. (ok I am not super stressing out, but I needed some dramatic visualizations) He loves it, I love it! We will have some major withdrawals when the time comes and we can't use it.

Do you hear that sound? It is me lightly crying at the thought of no bouncy seat. Come on people invent a toddler seat that does the same thing. I guess it is possible me and Nate are the only two people that feel this way and there isn't a market for a toddler bouncy seat... we could make it sound grown up and call it a fun time hammock!

 

I realized I don't have a recent picture of him in a bouncy seat.  I'll get one tomorrow and add it :)

Catch Up not Ketchup

 

Since I don't blog nearly enough I figured I'd do a blog of some random stuff.

 

Shoes - Let's start with the ongoing shoe saga. Kevin and I went shoe shopping for the little dude. We first went to Payless - BOGO sale - to see what it had in stock. We ended up buying a cute pair of plaid boat shoes and a very soft soled 2nd pair. They seemed like good starter shoes and they were velcro which I figured would be easier to put on his feet. We decided to continue shopping in case we saw something we thought might work out better. We ended up at Stride-rite. The salesperson tried the shoes on Nathaniel and said, 'He is curling his toes'... I replied, 'YEP he tends to do that'. She however managed to get them on fairly fast. They looked cute. She explained the technology of the shoe and we were sold (the sales person at Payless looked confused that I returned something so quickly). Ok, fast forward a few days and I was putting on his shoes for music class. I couldn't get them on. He just sits there staring at me while he super curls his toes. I've decided you need the patience and calmness of the Dalai Lama plus the problem solving ability of Einstein to actually get a pair of tiny shoes on tiny pudgy feet. If you couldn't guess already ... we went to class shoeless. I need a shoe that has a bottom piece that snaps to a top piece or some other clever design. Look how cute the shoes are though :)

 

 

Library - We went to the library to return a few books. I decided to go inside and look for a few fun birthday books to check out since he will be the BIG 1 soon. I stood Nathaniel up at this train table that was within 8 feet of where I was looking with the library lady. There was a mom there with her kid who looked about the same age as Nate. I figured he could play with the other little boy. Well, about 30 seconds later I look over and Nate has his pucker lip sticking out (which is something he has done since the very beginning and is quite cute) and some tears forming. I, of course, quickly go over there to see what happened. I knew he didn't fall, etc because I was watching. I talked a bit to Nate and then looked over at the other mom and said 'Hi'. Then Nate started to cry a bit more. The other mom said, ' I don't think he likes my son'. Hahahaha. It kind of made me laugh at first, but then after a few more minutes of observation ... it was indeed true. The other boy would kind of scream on occasion and throw the train down hard and smack the window. Nate just stood in one spot watching him and sort of crying. This is where Nate's lack of *kid/kid* interaction might show up. He just isn't used to another kid being hyper. I hung around until he played a bit on his own to build his confidence and then left. But, I have to admit I chuckled a little bit to myself thinking ...'Nate this will be the first of many people in your life that will annoy you!!'

 

Books - One of Nathaniel's favorite things to do right now is pull books down off of shelves, nightstands, etc.. I have a small stack of books in several rooms. He loves to pull them off one at a time and watch them crash to the floor. At least he will then sit there and *read* a few too. When I say read, I mean flip through the books at lightening pace. He can't really hold the book and turn the pages himself, but if I'm holding the book boy oh boy he just flips those pages. I am pretty sure he could care less about the story. I think he thinks he might get a prize if he gets to the end the fastest. He does have a few favorites so maybe he is listening to the story :) (Where is baby's Pumpkin?, Feel and touch animals, Peek a who, Hooray for Fish, Baby's Colors and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Barnyard Dance... just to name a few). He does tend to look through all the books in the stacks. Of course, Kevin reads to him every night from a different stack of books (not board books) and I'm sure Dr. Seuss has a special place in Nate's memory too since those are usually what Kevin picks to read.

 

On the move - One of Nathaniel's favorite toys right now is his walker. He pushes that thing around all day. He probably makes 50 trips back and forth from his room to the loft back to his room. He still needs help steering around corners, but he is making a lot of progress. When he isn't using his walker he is cruising all around furniture and other easy stuff to walk around. He hasn't really stood on his own yet without leaning on something, but I think he is close to trying.

 

One cute thing he does while crawling is he will keep something in one hand. Sometimes it is a maraca, sometimes a chew toy, sometimes a stacking cup... but I can tell where he is crawling because it will be crawl, klink, crawl, klink, crawl, klink...

 

Eating - Nathaniel has had a good pincer grasp for awhile. His problem wasn't getting the food to his mouth, but actually chewing it. Remember I had blogged about him *squirreling* his food? Well he has definitely gotten over that stage. He eats most age appropriate foods really well. I still give him purees just to make sure he is getting a good amount of veggies, fruits etc. but he is a finger food champ. It is fun to give him 3 types of finger foods to see what he'll eat first. Sometimes foods tie like pancake and blueberries, but other times there is a clear winner, cantaloupe over tofu (yes he does eat tofu). He really enjoys melons, those disappear the quickest. Cheese is a close second to melons. He still isn't fond of chicken.

 

Do you feel caught up...??

Mocha turns 6

 

I was sitting here today thinking about Mocha. We always tease that we can't believe he is 6 because he still acts like a puppy. He still counter surfs, he still likes to eat paper (receipts, mail, etc.), he still would run straight out the front door without stopping, he would still grab your dinner off of your plate even if you were sitting right there, he would steal your shoe and most likely chew it up.... but he also would be great around Nathaniel, he would be great to play fetch with, he would snuggle with you at bedtime, he would make you laugh every single day. As most of you know I always try and support local shelters and try to spread the message about how many homeless animals are out there needing homes. The statistics are sad and yet puppy mills still exist as well as bad pet owners. It saddens me how many people don't train their pets properly and then blame the pet or get too busy (which they should have known before getting a pet) or just think, 'It's just a dog or It's just a cat'

 

2 people returned Mocha before we got him. The reason the last owner turned him in was because he was too hyper. SHOCKING! A puppy german shorthaired pointer was hyper?!? Of course he was hyper - he is a hunting dog. It amazes me that people don't do their research. All I know is that he looked like he had a good heart - hyper? YES - but a good dog disposition. Yes, most shelter dogs come with baggage. A lot of people are scared to deal with the baggage. As for me, I can't imagine not giving these animals a second chance. I think an animal with baggage (most likely human caused) deserves to be loved and given a chance to thrive. Does it take a bit of extra work to keep mocha from chewing up a few things here or there (his baggage) - Yes - but would I adopt him again - YES YES YES. That little bit of nuisance is nothing compared to the joy he brings us. And now to see how great he is around Nathaniel, makes him even more dear to my heart.

 

Every animal has something *special* to offer even if its original owners couldn't bring out the *special* in the animal - I am certain someone who cares can! I see this quote quite often and it is so true.

 

"Saving the life of one animal may not change the world, but the world will surely change for that one animal"

 

Happy Birthday Mochachino Bandito! We are so glad we found your *special*

 

 

Shoeless Joe Jackson

Or in this case Shoeless Nate Hahm. Shoeless Joe actually got his nickname because he had an *at bat* once where he wore only socks. His shoes were giving him blisters and he felt better with them off. Someone yelled something from the crowd about being shoeless and the nickname stuck shortly after.

 

Nathaniel owns 2 pairs of shoes. He has worn each pair exactly once and neither time did they give him blisters like Shoeless Joe. It took me ten minutes to put his pair of shoes on the other day, which, in part, is the reason he doesn't wear shoes very often. The other part being he hasn't walked so why does he need shoes?? And one other part is that baby feet are frigin adorable. You have to take in as much cute baby foot as you can before they get bigger and dirtier and feetier.

 

Back to why it took me ten minutes to put his shoes on the other day. We were headed to the park so I figured it was probably time for him to start wearing some protection on his feet since he likes standing a lot more than before. This pair of shoes is a converse look alike from Old Navy. They are cute. That being said, they are the kind you stretch open and put the foot in. Well Nathaniel scrunches his toes up which makes putting the shoes on practically impossible. He laughs while you are doing it too. I'm not sure if he is laughing because he knows he is making it hard or if because it is ticklish. Either way it is quite the scene. I managed to get them on and we left for the park. They stayed on until the ride home where he managed to kick one of them off.

 

Now that he is cruising around the furniture and with his walker I figure it is a good time to get a decent pair of walking shoes for him. One with some VELCRO. This should make it a lot easier, at least for me to get them on. I have been hesitant to buy any good shoes because those suckers are expensive. I figure why pay the big bucks for good shoes when he isn't actually walking. I think I'll be making a trip to the store to buy some this weekend though. They will have to be 'Scrunchy toe' proof. :) Another reason is while I was at our weekly music class I noticed he was the only one without shoes. I was starting to think people thought we were dirt people hahaha. Actually most of the kids are older than him and are walking so I'm sure no one thinks a thing, but I did look around and think that. I do know that it is actually good for kids to walk barefoot while they are learning. Also, most kids that live in warm weather almost are always barefoot. On a side note when I was looking around the room I also noticed I was the only one wearing shorts. I know I'm not on the cusp of fashion, but when did people stop wearing shorts when it is hot.... hhhhmmm.

 

It is weird to think that I will be shoe shopping, but not for me... oh how life has changed. :)