Storage and Stores

I recently realized two things (well probably more, but 2 for now) that made me *sigh*

The first thing is that I'm officially not shopping in the baby section anymore when I go to the store.  I have officially moved to the toddler section.  He has been in 2T/3T shirts for awhile, but he could still wear the 18/24 month shorts.  I held on for a little while longer through the summer - Holding on to the thought of Nate as a tiny baby.  Now that it is pant season the 18/24 month size are too short (granted they still fit in the waist, but they are high waters) Sooooooo, we are buying 2T pants.... wanh wanh .... no more baby section.  The baby boy section had more selection than the toddler section so it is a little depressing.  Apparently, little boys can't dress cutesy once they reach toddlerhood.  On the flip side Nathaniel can dress like a little hipster.  GAP thinks that once you hit toddlerhood you graduate to hipster status.  There are mustard yellow skinny jeans that are just screaming Nate's name :)  I tease a little, not everything has been superheroes or super hipster some of the fall/winter clothes for his size have been extra cute.  I'm sure he will hate me when he is older, but I love the 'old man' looking sweaters for his age.  Maybe I should start a tumblr page called 'toddler in old man sweaters' haha (I'm pretty sure my sister will be the only one laughing at this)

Ok, the second thing... *sigh* I put away all of his onesies in storage.  He hasn't worn them for awhile, but I went through a drawer to make room for his new fall/winter things.  I hadn't really thought about it.  I never processed the fact that we are all done with onesies.  Onesies were Kevin's favorite outfit.  He could actually dress Nate. ;)  Babies are sure cute in those things.  Those quick magical 3 snaps at the bottom that made diaper changes a breeze.  The little rompers were even better. Those were basically just onesies on steroids.  Little boys look very cute in rompers.  I bought his first little nautical romper with my sister at the GAP in AZ when we visited.  When you think about onesies it is a little funny that you can run around in something that for all intents and purposes has no pants, yet, people think you look adorable with your little chubby legs.  Whoever (whomever?) invented the onesie was a genius (I feel like I read once that Gerber owned the name and it has become generalized like Kleenex did for a tissue)     

Bye Onesies and Rompers I will miss you.  Here is a small sampling.... *sigh*

Look at those squishy chubby legs

Romper 

You could even have cute crabs on your onesie bottom

Modeling a romper

Where's the Pumpkin Treats?

Florida Birthday Trip Part 2 - Disney

After our fun time in The Villages we headed to Orlando.  We stayed in a very nice time share that Kevin's parents allowed us to use - woo hoo.  It was located very close to Disney.  Kevin, his parents and Nathaniel went to the really nice pool when we got there while I went to the outlet mall.  After some fun in the sun we headed for a quick bite where Nate became a cranky handful.  He is usually pretty good during dinners (really!), but he was having none of it that night.  We hoped he got his crankies out then and not the next day at The Magic Kingdom.  

We woke up bright and early to make sure we got to the park before it opened.  We are up anyway so why not beat the crowds.  This is one of those strategies from all of those websites anyway.  You rush around to some of the crowded rides in that first hour and there is almost no wait.  We did just that.  Actually, let me back up, we saw the opening celebration of the park.  I had never seen that before (not that I remember).  It set the mood nicely.  

We rushed to fantasyland to get the kid rides in before lines started.  We talked Kevin's parents into coming with us, which worked out perfectly.  The extra pair of hands is always useful.  It was especially nice when grandma Hahm watched Nate while he was napping while we went on a few roller coasters.  Woo Hoo.  It will be such a nice memory for Nate to know his grandparents goofed around with him at Disney.  

Ok, back to Fantasyland.  We weren't sure if Nate would like rides, hate rides, be scared to death... who knew?  He was always a little stunned looking, but never scared.  Success!!  And to top it off, there were no lines almost anywhere all day.  We did everything we wanted and then some (I practically made everyone sprint to the mermaid ride since the websites said GO FAST, it seems a little silly now since there were no lines haha... sorry family).  There wasn't a wait at the roller coasters even.  It was ideal for having an impatient toddler.  

His favorite ride was It's a small world.  He loved pointing things out and listening to all of the songs.  We went on it twice.  I think he was the most scared on the Aladdin magic carpet ride.  If you haven't been on that ride it is a lot like Dumbo but tilts and goes up and down, which I think was a little too much for him.  

He really liked the street celebration too.  It is some floats with characters singing and dancing right by the castle.  Nate was jamming.  He wasn't cranky all day, ate well and generally loved watching everything around him.  We stayed from open to close - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?  I was worried he wouldn't nap, but he did and was just fine. 

I think two other highlights of the day were when he saw Mickey Mouse for the first time.  He was so excited.  He was even more excited afterwords.  Seeing Mickey pumped him up, he was a hyper spaz after seeing him.  It was adorable.  I also enjoyed watching him snuggle his dad as they watched fireworks over the castle at the end of the day.  There is a neat castle show they put on along with the fireworks and Nate watched pretty much every minute of it.  I think the only negative the whole day was that I was a little hot at times, but it wasn't even too bad (and if I'm saying that it must not have been because I'm cranky in the heat haha)  

Maybe another highlight was the cool Disney Starbucks cup they had.  Just the regular starbucks cup, but all Disney'd.  It was cool.  I won a bet so Kevin's dad had to buy me one HaHa... it was right before the afternoon parade so I welcomed the cold drink.  

Overall, I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for Nathaniel's first trip to Disney.  Things just seemed to go pretty smooth (mostly because there were no crowds YAY!)  I have such fond memories of Disney and my childhood so it was a very special moment for me to take Nathaniel there (granted it was DisneyWorld and not DisneyLand, but the magic kingdom is so much like DisneyLand it felt similar).  I'm pretty sure I got a tiny bit teary eyed during 'If you wish upon a star' at the end of the day... maybe I was just tired, or maybe it just felt awesome :) Yes, apparently I turn into one of those sappy mom's at times. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if my family could have been there to enjoy it too.  Maybe next time :)  I can still remember sneaking into my sister's bedroom and laying in bed with her before our Disney trips and talking about what we were going to do.  She might not remember that because she was younger, but I do, I loved getting her all excited to go.

Because the first day went so well we decided to go to The Animal Kingdom the next day.  Kevin's parents had to go home so we were on our own.  The crowds were still pretty light.  The day went almost as smooth, but we were all definitely feeling the exhaustion from the day before.  Nathaniel enjoyed the safari ride (the ride we rushed to first to avoid any line), but it went on just a tad to long for a 2 year old.  There were a ton (a ton!!) of cool animals out and he was pretty bored with them towards the end haha.  Kevin and I still enjoyed it :)  We had a whole row to ourselves too, which was nice because we could swing Nate to whatever side was more interesting.  But, I think Nate enjoyed the shows the most there.  We went to a Nemo show and a Lion King show.  He could not (and would not) sit during the Lion King.  He was dancing and moving around in the aisle the whole time.  Luckily there were very few people around us so I think we kept our *annoying* to acceptable levels.  The park closes at 5pm so the day was a lot shorter.  We were ready to take it easy that night.  We got take out and just hung around the resort.  Great family time.

We headed to Destin, FL - the beach - the next day. ... stay tuned for Part 3

Pluto - my favorite - shocking huh? I heart dogs :)

Serious conversation during parade

Right before the firework show.  

Nap time at the happiest place on earth

High fiving Goofy.  Nate loved to high five all the characters

Animal Kingdom

Nate jamming during the Lion King

Florida Birthday Trip Part 1 - The Villages

We haven't been on a family trip in awhile so we decided to go for it and go BIG...DISNEY.  Nathaniel likes Mickey Mouse so we just decided 'Why not go see Mickey for his 2nd birthday?' We figured Nates attention span is about 2 min so we made the trip similar to how a two year old thinks... 3 places in 9 days.  Some might call it crazy.... some might be right :)  We left on a Friday afternoon and headed to the first of 3 stops.  The first stop was at Grandma and Grandpa Hahm's at The Villages in Florida.  

When we arrived (I can't remember) 2 or 3 in the morning Nate decided that he was ready to be awake.  He wanted nothing to do with going back to sleep.  That was our first lesson in road trips with a 2 year old.  He is so used to his crib and rarely (essentially never) sleeps anywhere else so it really threw him for a loop to be sleeping in a random bed with mom and dad.  Needless to say Kevin and I needed a nap that day.  Luckily, he did fall asleep around 6amish for a couple of hours so we at least got in a nap before visiting.

We did all kinds of fun things over the next few days.  Played bocci ball, toured some cute city squares, had homemade beignets at a neighbors house, listened to live music when we ate dinner, celebrated Nathaniel's 2nd birthday and finally last but definitely not least... we rode the golf cart.  Everyone owns golf carts in The Villages.  That is how you go around and golf on all of the courses and take short trips to nearby restaurants, etc.  Nathaniel (like all the kids) just loved riding around on it. We figured it was a prelude to the rides at Disney :)  

Kevin and I got to take a little break too.  Since Grandma was around we had a babysitter.  We went and golfed with Kevin's dad.  I hadn't golfed in a very long time and it was so much fun.  It was a short course and we golfed 9 holes which was perfect.  There were so many birds on the course that day.  I just love Florida birds.  There were so many beautiful storks, ones I had not seen before.  It was a nice kid free activity.

Oh I almost forgot how much Nathaniel liked going inside/outside onto the screened in lanai.  It had a sliding door which was different, plus he had to step up and down to get in and out.  He must have done that a 1000 times.  Here are a few pics from Part 1 of the Disney or Bust trip.   

Of course we had to get a *Mickey Park* cake for the big 2

Nate's birthday celebration

Walking along the lake at the town square where we get starbucks :)

Golfing.  I love the spanish moss on the tree.

This stampede was very lifelike. The art was commissioned for the new town square.
Nate was petting the cattle dog.

Resting in the new town square with a westerny theme.  

Golf cart ride with Grandma and Grandpa Hahm

2 Year Appt

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

1/3 - He is 15 months old and 32 1/4 inches tall and almost 24 lbs

4/1 - He is 18 months old and 33 inches tall and 24 lbs 15 oz

10/17 - He is 2 years old and 34 1/2 inches tall and 29 lbs

I'm so behind in blogs, but I swear to get caught up this weekend .... I swear .....

Can you believe it has been 2 years?!?  Nathaniel had his 2 year wellness check up.  We were a little late because of our Florida trip and the Pumpkin Play Date party.  I knew he was going to get a flu shot and just in case he had any side effects I didn't want to have it before the party.  

The appointments keep getting easier since the vaccinations for the time being are all done.  I LOVE that.  Now it is just making sure he is progressing ok.  Motor skills, speech, eating... stuff like that.  Everything checked out ok.  Well, we did get a little lecture on making sure there is more structure to his mealtimes.  Whoops.  He is such a grazer and I just kind of go with the flow since he eats even if it is grazing.  The doc didn't like that philosophy much haha.  I am stricter at dinner, but I am pretty loosey goosey for breakfast and lunch.  I was actually a little worried he doesn't eat enough, but his weight is just fine for his height.

He eats lots of different things just not a lot of any one thing.  He still doesn't care for meat, which is fine by me :) We still try different meats at times, but he spits it back out.  I"m sure it is the texture.  Maybe it is because he didn't have any in the womb (hhhhmmm could be) 

We opted for the Flumist flu shot.  They just shove some stuff up his nose instead of an actual shot.  He didn't love that, but it was a lot better than a shot.  Now I have to man up and go get the flu shot (or hopefully the Flumist for me too since I hate shots)

I feel very fortunate that things are going well with his health.  I think it is easy to take that for granted as you go about your daily life, but on the drive home I thought about how grateful I am.  I smiled at him and then hit replay of the 5 little monkey song for the 10th time as we went home to have a *structured* lunch ;)

Look Mommy Look (fill in the blank)

Or Look Daddy Look 'leaves'.  This is Nathaniel's newest phrase.  You actually can't help but smile because he gets so excited when he is saying it.  Sometimes he is showing you the moon, sometimes a circle he made with a cup in his play rice, sometimes something he placed somewhere he thinks is funny.  

Another phrase he has been using is.... he will give you something and then say, "here you go mommy, your welcome' He doesn't give you time to actually say 'Thank you'.

I think the latest little quirk that is Kevin's favorite is when Nathaniel talks like the Godfather.  We have no idea where he picked this up, but it cracks us up.  Every once in awhile he talks in this low, breathy kind of voice.  He is usually pretty serious too.  When you hear from the backseat 'window open' in this voice from a 2 year old you can't help but laugh.   It started on vacation.  

Speaking of vacation... I'm definitely getting a blog ready, I just need to download a few pics... stay tuned.  I've been a little distracted thinking about his pumpkin playdate we are having this weekend.

Here is a peek at a few pics ...

Mickey Mouse Birthday cake at Grandma Hahm's

First time Nate met Mickey Mouse - he was really excited

Dumbo ride

Nate being a Hollywood superstar at Animal Kingdom on the Safari ride

Enjoying Miramar Beach in Destin, FL

Looking cute in Destin

Keep Away

Nathaniel had the least healthy month he has had yet.  Remember he got Roseola?  Well, then he proceeded to get HFMD.  Yep, I even know the acronym now.  HFMD is Hand, foot mouth disease.  Now just hearing this gives me the heebie jeebies.  Doesn’t it just sound gross? 

Pre-kid I wouldn’t have visited any friend, family, etc for a month upon hearing they had anything called hand foot mouth disease.  It sounds like something from a horror movie.  Why does it affect your appendages, plus your mouth…. Are you sticking your hand and feet in your mouth?  And why is it called a disease?  Sounds worse, right?  What is the difference between calling it an illness versus disease? (I’m really curious actually I better go look that up) regardless - Yucko! 

Ok ok so that was pre-kid.  Now I’m basically an expert and it never is as bad as it is in my imagination.  I could diagnose HFMD like any doctor ;)  What happened is Nathaniel’s friend Evie came down with it and was diagnosed.  We had hung out with them quite a bit so I figured it was inevitable that Nate would get it.  And he did.  LUCKILY, he got a very very mild case of it.  The fever didn’t last long and he didn’t get too many of the sores that are associated with it. 

I just couldn’t believe he had two things I hadn’t really heard of in the same month.  I feel fortunate neither case was very bad.  The good news is that he should have immunity in the future to the strains he got.  There aren’t too many strains so he may never get either again (and why adults usually don’t get either of these)

Little people are sure gooby ….. aaahhh but we love them anyway.