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. :)

I Want What I Want

Nathaniel's personality continues to come out more and more. As most of you know he is a pretty *happy* guy. We've been pretty lucky I think. I mean I have time limits in stores before he gets antsy and lets me know he is ready to leave. He definitely likes to challenge my patience during diaper changes. That boy flip flops and tries to leave. When you flip him back over he lets you know how much he doesn't like being flipped over. Lastly, he isn't a huge fan of having his face wiped clean during/after feedings. He makes a kind of whiney squinchy face. Other than that I can honestly say he just does his thing and is pretty happy. He doesn't really cry. When he does it is usually because he is tired and I just left him in his crib so that he can try and go to sleep. This cry only lasts a few minutes until he realizes he is tired.

 

Well, as of late, if you take something away that he is holding and wants to continue holding he throws a bit of a fit. He didn't used to, but apparently now he has an opinion about things. A good example is my sunglasses. He loves to grab my sunglasses off of my face when I'm carrying him outside. (I used to think he was looking at me lovingly while Kevin was holding him, but now I know he was just eyeing up my shades - lil stinker) I used to be able just to grab my glasses back - NOT NOW. He cries and swings his arms back and forth in a tiny person rage. Sometimes I can quickly distract him with an appropriate toy or object to hold, but if I don't have anything the little fit plays out. I am pretty sure I witnessed his first tantrum. I know there are many more to come - I have decided I don't like them.... too bad right... ;)

 

I have never been able to decipher his cries. In part because he hasn't been much of a crier. Ok, that isn't entirely true, there was the usual *newborn* crying in that first 3 months, but those cries all sounded the same... pretty much like a sad baby. Once he got past that stage he has been generally happy. This new tantrumish cry is a new cry for me and I can actually tell the difference between that and his 'hurt' cry or 'tired' cry. Also, there is the huge clue of me taking something away hahaha :)

 

An incident occurred the other day that threw Kevin and I for a loop. He just got grumpy and was crying and nothing was working to soothe him. This hasn't ever happened. Seriously, we were looking at each other like 'what do we do', 'what's wrong with him' We had no experience with this behavior. Then the more we thought about it the more we thought.... hhhhmm maybe it is his 6 teeth breaking through his gums. Yes, that's right I said 6! 2 on the bottom and 4 on the top are all peeking through. We would hand him a teether and he'd throw it down. Everything we would hand him he'd throw down. He'd cry if you held him and cry if you put him down. We had never seen this behavior. Finally, I put a cold apple in a teether thing and it calmed him down. Then he took a nap. He woke up in a better mood. That was surely a new cry that I had NEVER seen. (knock on wood) Maybe this was his I don't feel well cry. (knock on wood) I don't know this cry because he hasn't ever been sick. (knock on wood)

 

The only other new cries are the ones Kevin and I make when Nate the Shark bites your shoulder when you are carrying him. Any body part is fair game if it is near his mouth right now. You quickly say 'no' and he smiles and laughs at you and lunges to bite you again... huh? what is that? I am hoping it is a teething phase. He has only done this a few times, but it is an interesting new development.

 

Relaxing after a swim lesson

First bath without the baby bath tub

11 month pic

 

Nautical Nate

My sister always says (and I agree) that I dress Nathaniel a bit like we live in the Hamptons. I think I secretly wish we lived in the Hamptons or anywhere near an ocean or ocean type community. I just really like that super preppy look on boys. Quite often little Nate looks like he could set sail on his yacht at any time. The rest of the time you can usually find him in ASU attire courtesy of his father :)

 

Well, this past Saturday Nathaniel got to set sail on a yacht for the very first time. Ok, ok it was a pontoon boat on a lake, but still it was his first trip on the open seas (or open lakes). We went to Lake Barkley (I think) by Eddyville, KY. It was by the Land between the Lakes State Park. Our friends from Chicago met us there at a cabin one of their parents own. I had never been to Kentucky so me and Nathaniel experienced a travel destination for the first time together as newbie's. We got to take out their very nice pontoon boat to explore the lake. Kevin sat with Nathaniel at the front and Nate held onto the front rails and just stared out and let the wind hit his face. He just loved it. The water would spray him and he didn't really care much. After a while we sat him out of the direct splash zone, but the kid was a natural on the boat. Now he couldn't quite comprehend the beauty of the Bald Eagles we saw, but I sure did. We got to see quite a few of them. They were so neat. The eagles sat perched on some dead trees and a few flew around above the wooded area. It was really great.

 

Our hosts treated us to a nice lunch and dinner as well. Nathaniel especially enjoyed all of the toys the cabin had there. Since the owners of the cabin are seasoned grandparents (our friends have a daughter who is almost 3) there were plenty of fun activities for a young kid.

 

I didn't take any pictures on the boat since I didn't want to get my phone or camera wet, but here is one of Nathaniel's hair after the boat ride (and an outfit change since he was drenched). hahahaha... look at that doo.  We had a great time visiting our friends and seeing the sites. It was really fun to take him on a boat for the first time.

 

This isn't at the lake, obviously, but this is of his first
time enjoying the swing a few weeks ago.  He was a little scared
before, but really enjoyed it this last time.