What is that doing there?

I feel like I'm constantly on some weird game show where I have to guess what might be behind door #1, cabinet #2 or in drawer #3. Or conversely, where might object X, Y or Z be located? Little Nathaniel likes to put stuff everywhere. He does it so quick. I feel like I'm always watching him, but stuff somehow gets snuck around the house. I know he partly gets a kick out of it, but a lot of it is pure exploring and toddlerhood. The best is when Kevin asks, 'Why are there toy eggs in the pantry'... well duh... 'that's where they go' ;)

 

Some of my finds over the last few days... package of mandarin oranges in the laundry and my nightstand... big juice behind the tv... tambourine in the tupperware cabinet.... my DSW reward members card in Mocha's cage... my magazine in the bathtub... kona's collar in his mickey scooter.... green chile can in the toybox... magnetic O's in all sorts of places (hiding the letter O is a hobby of Nate's)... plastic golf balls in my purse... puzzle pieces in my purse... dog dishes in shopping bags... lotion bottles in shoes...iphone headphones next to the toilet paper rolls...

 

It is fun to open drawers and cabinets and be surprised by what is in there. Little nuggets of whimsy add to the day. I mean how can you take life seriously when you find a dog harness and five fancy rocks next to your frying pan.

Father's Day

 

 

I know I mention Kevin here or there in my blogs, but mostly in a goofy (hopefully endearing) kind of way. I fail to mention how good he really is at being a dad, both to Nathaniel and to the dogs. When you think of marrying someone a lot of people think about how good of a parent your spouse will be. It definitely was something I thought about. He was always so great with Mako so I knew he'd be a pretty good pet parent and maybe someday a kid parent. Granted it took us a very long time to be a kid parent (no comments from the peanut gallery please).

 

I can remember one father's day when we were living in Vienna, Virginia he was a little sad because he figured we weren't having kids and it hit him that he'd never be a dad. I had the exact same feelings on a few mother's days so I knew what he was feeling.

 

Luckily, he is now a dad!

 

And boy is Nathaniel lucky to have him as a dad. I hate admitting it, but that boy is a total daddy's boy and has been for awhile. He just cannot get enough of Kevin. Nathaniel can feel how much Kevin loves him in all that they do. Kevin is as excited to see Nathaniel when he gets home as Nathaniel is to see him. I know Kevin is tired from working all day, but that doesn't stop him from bucking up and giving 100% to that boy (and me a much needed break). It isn't out of some sort of obligation or guilt either, he loves being with him and just loving on him. You might think 'he could be putting on an act', but it is so apparent and genuine if you watch them together, plus Kevin isn't that good of an actor ;)

 

I will be doing something downstairs, or upstairs, or somewhere I do stuff and I can hear the laughter. One of the best sounds in the world is hearing that laughter. They are always goofing off doing something fun. I love it. Kevin makes sure he squeezes every minute out of every night. Baths take longer than they should, the bedtime routine takes longer than it should, playtime outside goes on forever.... but it is only because Kevin wants to make sure he spends time with the little guy. The little guy doesn't realize how lucky he is to have a dad that just can't get enough of him, but he will someday. Nathaniel will grow up knowing he is loved and that is so special. 

I didn't go in to detail about how much Kevin still spoils the dogs, but anyone who knows Kevin knows the dogs haven't lost any attention since Nathaniel's arrival.  He continues to make sure they are overly cuddled, walked and have sufficient luxuries.  I guess good pet parents = good kid parents!!

 

So on this Father's Day I wanted to make sure everyone knew how lucky Nate and I and the dogs are for having Kevin around. I certainly don't say it enough. 


Happy Father's Day.

 

 

 

The Good Life

Every once in awhile I find myself sitting somewhere just thinking.... 'This is the good life'. I mean, it is really the good life. I am sitting here with my handsome son, eating lunch, watching flamingos... not a care in the world except making sure that little boy and me have a good time. I was especially thankful because I had heard someone annoyingly complaining at Starbucks. They mentioned it was taking too long for their drink (no mention of having to be anywhere). I just wanted to say, really, 2 minutes??, 2 minutes??, you do realize you are getting a delicious coffee at the end of 2 minutes right? You do realize you can afford a delicious coffee, right? You do realize that you aren't in a horrible car crash or have cancer or a million other things worth complaining about, right?

 

If you look around you'll notice people really do complain about stupid things. If everyone spent that effort and time just being grateful maybe it would be nicer, just nicer. However nicer would work in your world, wouldn't nicer be great? We really do take for granted all the good things going on around us. Everyone is in a different situation, but there is almost always a lot better stuff then bad stuff. So why do we let the bad stuff take up so much time?? I know that sounds cliche, but it's true. I think for a lot of people it is just easier to be in a complainy bad mood (we've all been there).

 

But, I like when I have those moments of clarity, like today. Sure I could dwell on regrets, my constantly not finished to-do list, my procrastinated goals, hating stupid people, or I could choose to look at my son/my life and enjoy the day. I find it is quite refreshing to push aside the things that litter my mind that I won't remember in a year, next month, next week even... and choose to just give in to the day. I can thank Nathaniel for that gift.

 

Side Note: Nathaniel has found the perfect seat in the house. It's every window sill. The window sill's are the perfect Nate height. 

 

 

La La Lullaby

La la lullaby
La la lullaby
Sing, sing, sing with us
A lu-lu-lullaby
La la lullaby
La la lullaby
Sing, sing, sing with us
A lu-lu-lullaby

 

Ok, now sing that about 40 more times and that is about how many times I hear it daily. Actually, this is just a portion of the song, but the portion Nathaniel LOVES. When I say LOVES I mean LOVES.

 

The song is from the Pajanimals on the Sprout channel. Usually only a tiny bit is played on the tv. It comes on every so often around bedtime. I decided to look online and I found the whole version and showed it to Nate. Hindsight is 20/20 right? I created a little mini monster. He now brings me the iPad and says lullaby. Not just at bedtime mind you, all times during the day are fair game. I find myself humming it from time to time, which only reminds him about the song and he starts singing it again. We are all officially addicted to the song. The dogs can probably recite it by now. We were even singing it in Target the other day (anything to get 10 more minutes shopping haha)

 

His version is super cute. I wonder how long his obsession will last?!?

 

Side Note: Nathaniel likes to play with the dog's tails. He really laughs when they are wagging really really fast. Apparently, tails of all types are interesting..... 

 

 

How do you watch tv?

 

 

If you don't have the new weimaraner pillow you may want to run out and get one.  Nathaniel swears that it is relaxing.

 

Classy Nate

We went to a free concert in the park on Sunday.  It was called ‘Symphony Under The Stars’.  It started at 7pm.  That is close to Nate’s bed time so we were hoping he would last and not get tired/grumpy/antsy.  I really wanted to go since I love classical music and it was the Nashville Symphony that was playing. 

 

We arrived ½ hour early and the crowd was just starting to fill up.  We picked out a good spot on the lawn – towards the back and near a path for a quick exit if needed.  Kevin and Nate left to explore the nearby playground while I sat and people watched.  Kevin texted at one point that they may never come back since the swing was surely going to beat out classical music.  (He LOVES the swing.  It is actually one of the few things he kind of cries/whines about when you have to go) 

 

The music started Woo Hoo.  The songs were going to be a mix of classical favorites and famous show scores.  I was excited.  Kevin and Nate showed back up once they heard the music.

At the beginning of the show Nate was all chill sitting on Dad’s lap. 

 

 

Bbbbuuttt, that didn’t last long.  He started stepping on to the path behind us then running down the slight hill by our blanket.  Once running into a fellow audience member (whoops).  He ran up to them and touched their back….  Funny guy.  It was a young girl who didn’t care and thought he was cute, but we put a little more effort into containing this ball of energy.  Some snacks distracted him for a bit.  Kevin letting him circle him on the blanket distracted for a bit more.  But, mostly he just wanted to stand behind us on the path and watch people go by.  He did actually look at the musicians playing and he would clap at the end of the songs along with the rest of the audience.  Appropriate clapping was more than I could expect. J

 

We left a song or two before it ended to get him home at sort of a decent time.  I think overall he enjoyed himself and the music.  His first symphony was a fun, enjoyable success.  Yay!    

Nose Kisses

What the heck are nose kisses? I believe most people know them as Eskimo kisses. I have been calling them nose kisses. I did it once, just out of the blue, and Nathaniel thought it was pretty funny. I did it a couple of more times and he just caught on and likes to do it :)

 

Now, you are probably thinking... big deal. Kids do a million cute little things like nose kisses. Well, I'm here to say it stepped up a level of cuteness so I had to blog about it.

 

Usually in the morning we all head to my room so I can shower and get ready. When I say 'we all' I mean me, Kona, Mocha and Nathaniel. Nathaniel kind of mosies around while I do my thing. The dogs usually jump on the bed and stay out of the path of Nate. It didn't take them long to learn that if they didn't want to be laid on, poked at or have stuff put on them they better go to higher ground. Well, when they lay on the bed they tend to keep their heads towards the edge of the bed (not sure why) but it usually happens that way.

 

So do you get the scene? 2 dogs on the bed, one little boy goofing around and me getting ready as I watch and make sure nothing dangerous is happening. I was pleasantly surprised to look over today to see Nathaniel giving Mocha Nose kisses. He would rub his nose to Mochas a few times and than look over at me. He did it a couple of times. Then he moved over to Kona. I thought to myself this should be interesting. I figured Kona would snub him right away and move, but Kona enjoyed the nose kisses too.

 

This is one of those things that catches you off guard. It was so innocent and pure. No one told him to do it, he didn't see anyone else do it. This little boy just thought 'hey I am going to nose kiss the dogs.'

The Big Decision

It was early on a Tuesday morning and I glanced at Weather.com to see what the day had in store. It looked like it would be the least hot day of the week so I turned to Nathaniel and asked, "Do you want to go to the library and look at books or go to the zoo and look at animals"... granted it sounded more like, "Library - Books or Zoo - Animals" We usually go to the the kids story time at the library on Tues, but it is hard to pass up the good weather.

 

He looked right into my eyes and said, " wlkdj tlkj alkdj "..... oh man. He had an answer for me. He had an answer and I couldn't understand what it was. So I asked again. Nathaniel looked at me again with some intensity and replied with, "wlkdj tlkj alkdj". He said the exact same thing. Urgh. I'm pretty sure he is telling me, but I don't know the answer. It really is frustrating because I want to know so badly what he is saying.

 

Well, we went to the zoo. I kept laughing to myself. I kept thinking he probably said library and we are at the zoo. He is thinking to himself....*seriously, why ask me if you are going to do what you want anyway*

 

Side Note: Kevin's parents were in town so Nathaniel got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Hahm again. He loves all the attention. Nate really loved going to the Franklin farmer's market and running down a little grass hill to be picked up by Grandma Hahm. He did it a million times. He also got a few golf lessons from Grandpa Hahm - watch out Tiger. 

His newest goofy thing is covering his ears like he doesn't want to hear what is going on. That look along with some other fun poses were captured during a trip to the park.

 

 

 

 

Stick to the Routine

My dad's side of the family has some German ancestry, thus I am a portion German.  I guess the part of me that likes soft pretzels is the German ;) Actually, I must be attracted to all things German.  I love weimaraners (from the German city of Weimar), German Shorthaired Pointers and Kevin who is 100% German.  This means Nathaniel is over 50% German. 

I'm literally surrounded by Germans.  (My little bit of Jewish blood from my Mom's side must be a little uneasy by that) The most fun thing about being surrounded by Germans is that they have a very special trait.  What is this trait you ask?  The love of routines.  Boy o boy do they love routines.  I'm used to Kevin's little quirks that involve our daily life.  I'm used to Kona sticking to what she knows.  6am wake up and eat, only drink freshly poured water, back to bed, etc. etc.  I can read that dog like a book she is so predictable!  She becomes anxious if things don't happen in a certain order.  All I have to do is put my phone in my baby bag and Mocha is headed to his kennel.  He knows the drill.  If I put my phone in my bag and don't go anywhere he sits in his kennel confused for a few minutes... he is like 'uh what's happening, leave why don't you'

So I shouldn't be surprised that the newest German in the family really enjoys a routine.  Once the weather became nice every day we have been consistently taking a nightly stroller walk.  Now, all 3 of our kids are whining around 6:30 to get out.  Nathaniel grabs the dog harnesses and then the dogs go crazy and everyone is losing it until we go.  Unfortunately, Nate can't tell time so he grabs the harnesses a little early sometimes.  Then if you say 'no in a bit' he whines, the dogs whine... it is a madhouse.  No one can compute not going now, it is part of the daily routine.  I swear if you do something 3 times in a row at our house it is expected every day.  It becomes the norm and you can't sway from the routine....the Germans cannot compute a change in routine.

I will say that Nathaniel's predictability and love of routines as a baby/toddler has made him 'I think' an easy baby.  So I guess I can't deny my love of Germany... Oktoberfest, Albert Einstein, Bach, Beethoven, Heidi Klum.. that Dirk guy on the Dallas Mavericks  who is friends with Steve Nash... what is there not to love (except sausages yucko)?

Legal Disclaimer: I don't really know if this is actually a German trait, but I'm 4 for 4 so far so it's looking pretty statitically significant :)

Sing, Sing a Song

Sing out loud... sing out strong. I don't remember any more of the words :)

 

Nathaniel has been singing along with several songs. He is especially sing songy right after bath time before bed. Granted you can't understand most of what he is saying, but he has the rhythm and tune down. He gets super excited when the song is over and claps for himself. I tell him he gets a penalty for 'excessive celebration' ;-) he doesn't seem to care. He actually sang through the ABC song in library class. Not only had he not done that before at home, but he also doesn't say anything in library class EVER so I was doubly shocked. Of course he immediately caught himself and sat back down on my lap.

 

Side Note: Over the last few days Nate has been having intense conversations with the dogs. He mostly talks to Kona, but Mocha has had a few conversations too. Kona sits still longer so I think that is why. Nate goes up to within a few inches of their face, stares at them pretty intently and rattles off some pretty long sentences. I have no idea what he is telling them, but it is something important. Kona kind of glances over at me as if to say, 'Huh?'. Or maybe he said something interesting about something and Kona was looking for confirmation ;) I keep trying to get it on film, but haven't been successful yet. I throw Nate off when I hold the phone up and he stops talking.

Genetic Traits

It is so funny that when a baby is born everyone quickly assesses who he/she resembles the most - mom or dad. From my experience and observing those around me it always seems like whoever's family is doing the assessing picks their own side. Of course everyone wants to claim the genetics of the super cute baby, who wouldn't. The baby is gosh darn adorable. I say all this without scientific proof of course. I don't really know if everyone everywhere picks their own family, but it sounds about right.

 

Now over time the baby becomes more little person looking so some of the traits are really noticeable. It is so fun to watch (in my case) the little baby face transform into a little boy face. I say all this because as I was cutting Nathaniel's fingernails the other day it has become apparent he has my (and my dad's) fingernails. Especially the pointer finger nail. So now I can brag about him getting my genetics in his fingernails. WAIT, STOP... that is so lame.

 

At least once a week or more someone gushes over Nathaniel's beautiful blue eyes. If you have seen Nate you know his eyes are exactly like Kevin's. The shape, the color, everything. So Kevin gets to lay claim to that while I get lame fingernails. What is the fairness in that?!? I'm on the hunt now for other definitive features that I can truly lay claim to :) Some features are too hard to tell or inconclusive at this point.

 

On a side note Kevin thinks Nate has his calm demeanor. I replied with 'he could have gotten that from me too'. That was quickly followed by Kevin saying 'Nah you are high strung' .... hhhmm ... as I write this and Kevin is asleep I may just poor water on his head as payback (good plan?)

Peek a Boo 2.0

Nathaniel is officially *hiding* for fun. For a while he has kind of hid behind the couch and I'd tease that he was hiding.... he would laugh and then move on to something else. Well, the other day at Steinmart we were goofing around the clothing racks and he backed up in between two racks of shirts. I was walking by and he jumped out at me and then giggled hysterically. He meant to wait and jump out. He hadn't ever done that except by accident.

 

To test it out I've asked a couple times to go hide at home. He runs off and goes behind something. Now granted he isn't the world's best hiding spot picker outer yet, but it is a fun new game. His ability to stay in one spot for longer than 5 seconds is also a hard part of this new game. He starts peering out from wherever he is as you get close. Once you make eye contact he gets a huge smile and then runs off super speed.

 

Nate Note: We went to a toddler gymnastics class today at Let it Shine Gymnastics. It is a real gymnastics facility, but they of course gear the class to 12-24 month olds. We rolled down triangle shape mats. We jumped on trampolines. Big trampolines, which was actually way more fun for me than him. He could swing on a rope into a pit of sponges. He could bounce in a bounce house. And of course we did stretches. I thought he would love it because it was such an active activity versus story time type classes. Bbbuuuuttt, he mostly clung on to me. It was the first time we went there so he didn't know the teachers or other little people. I'm trying to decide if I want to actually do the class or not..... hhhhmmm.

Mother's Day

My second Mother's Day has come and gone.  I'm still super duper thankful I became a mom.  It really is cool.  It's cooler than I even imagined on my best pregnant days.  Yes, I have been forced to become a morning person (while still being a night person so I'm tired).  It is unfortunate I'm tired because Nathaniel has always been a good sleeper, it is my own fault.  Yes, I feel like I've washed one million sippy cups.  Yes, everything I do takes longer (except showers of course those I rush through at a world record pace).  Yes, watching someone eat (pickily) 3 times a day is not exactly FUN.  Yes, diapers are gross (but not really that gross honestly).  Yes, leisurely shopping is a thing of the past.  Yes, we eat dinner at restaurants at 5:00 to beat the crowds.  Yes, reading the same story 10 times a day isn't exactly building my literary genius.  Yes, being around boogery kids at a library story time isn't exactly a germophobe's dream day.  Yes, acting excited about rocks for the umpteenth time in one afternoon isn't exactly curing cancer. 

 

 

But No, I can't think of my life any other way... or better in any other way (the hugs, the kisses, the adorable laugh, the speed running, the hand holding, etc etc etc).  (I take that back winning the lottery this weekend - its at $600M - might be nice) ;)  Ok ok, I take that back... having Nate is like winning the lottery.  It really is - Thank you Nathaniel for making me a mom.  

 

 

On Mother's Day I decided I wanted to take Nathaniel out for his first ice cream.  He doesn't get much sugar.  Mean mom I know.  Here is us eating our ice cream.  Guess what... he didn't really like it.  I think because it was soooo cold.  It was cake batter ice cream.  I even gave him a taste of brownie batter.  Both were duds.  Kevin declared that he must not be his kid.  I told my mom that and she said he couldn't be her grandchild.  Sweet toothes do run rampant in both our families.  I take after my dad though and don't really have much of a sweet tooth (maybe he is like Grandpa Davis).  Time will tell though, we'll see if his anti-sweet tooth lasts.... my guess is no.

 

Happy (late) Mother's Day.  I love you mom! Thanks for doing all of the above for and with me. Miss You.

 

 

Waving Hi

Nathaniel is once again waving HI to random people in stores etc. This is a good sign that he is breaking out of his super shy stage. Now, before I speak too fast, if someone actually waves back or smiles at him... he freezes. I think he thinks if he doesn't move a muscle they won't see him anymore. It is his toddler cloaking system. After a bit of time he will slightly look back at them and if they are still looking at him he freezes again, if not, he waves. I guess you might say he is secretly outgoing haha. I'll take it. 

He is interacting more in his music class as well. He still pretty much just sits on my lap and watches, but the clinging has disappeared YaY. We always sing a 'Hello' song at the start of class where you introduce yourself and your child and a fun thing all the kids can do... like waving, clapping, twirling etc. This wed. was the first time Nathaniel actually did his intro move. I said, Hi I'm Stacy and this is Nathaniel and we will pat our bellies. He actually stood up and patted his belly with the other kids. Woo Hoo. He must really like to pat his belly!

Ok, back to the waving. What do you do when a little kid waves to you in a store? Do you wave back, smile or just pass by?? It is very interesting to watch the different reactions by people. I've always waved even before I had a kid. It takes 5 seconds. I'm always surprised how many people just ignore him and I'm pretty sure they saw him. Not that I really care, he won't remember, I just find it curious. I bet only 20% of the people smile or wave... if that many. It is a lower percentage than I thought it would be? Now I'm not expecting people to go overboard and gush or talk to him or waste really any time, I'm talking just a simple wave as they go along their way. The older woman % is quite higher :) shocking huh? Not really. The male % is almost zero. C'mon I know there are dads out there who enjoy a cute toddler as much as the next person.  Are people really so rushed and distracted that they can't manage a tiny hello to a tiny person?!? I guarantee whatever they are doing isn't that important.  Maybe this is a bigger problem in society in general :(
 

So if you are a non-waver... wave gosh darn it.  You may just be helping a little guy come out of his shell.  Regardless, I'm just happy he is trying to socialize with strangers again, unless it is creepy strangers ... no creepy strangers ;)  

If Time Could Stop

Every once in awhile you have those moments where you wish time could just stop until you are ready for it to begin again. Today I had one of those moments. When Nathaniel was just a baby and still nursing he used to fall asleep on me all the time. I loved looking down at his sweet face while he slept. Most of the time I was never in a rush to do anything since he was the only child. I could just sit there and watch some DVRd show while he slept. I knew that was precious time and cuddling him that way wouldn't last forever.

 

Once he started crawling, then walking and eating all kinds of other stuff he had no interest in relaxing. That boy is on the move constantly. He doesn't ever just fall asleep and cuddle on the couch or anything.

 

Today he was a little more cuddly on the couch. He kept crawling on me and playing tackle then running off, then coming back... but at one point he crawled up on me and just laid there. I thought it would last 20 seconds... but then I heard a little snore. He was asleep laying on top of me. I was so happy. I laid there and held him wishing I could get that every day. Just feeling his breath and holding his little hand. It was almost his naptime so I knew I needed to move him to his crib for a real nap... but I definitly took my time getting him there.

 

Maybe it was his early Mother's day gift for me :)

"Yay Company"

Well, I think that is what Nathaniel is thinking anyway. Grandma and Gramdpa Hahm visited over the weekend and Nathaniel had so much fun. I was basically chopped liver. Nathaniel was so happy to have someone other than me around :) As usual he warmed up very quick to Grandma Hahm. We have a photo album of our relatives that we show him hoping he recognizes people over time. Well, he got very excited when he looked at the picture and then pointed to them for real in person. I think something clicked, the photo album is making sense in his mind now. It was very cute.   

Time always zips by when company is here. We were able to eat at the Aquarium restaurant in the Opryland Mills mall and show Nathaniel all the fish. Nathaniel got to play Bocce ball with Grandma Hahm after eating at Bosco's (our weekend usual). And we even got to visit the historic Carter house. Something I learned .... a 19 month old is hard to control during a guided tour in a historic building. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't touch all of the stuff. Needless to say I went outside with Nate for most of the tour (it was a super nice day though and there were a ton of squirrels so I may have gotten the better tour). Here is Kevin and Nate in front of one of the buildings - those are actual civil war bullet holes.

 

Nathaniel's favorite word to say to our visitors was 'Uh Oh'... he said it a lot. Kevin and I went out to grab sushi since we had a babysitter and apparently he said 'Uh Oh' just laying in his crib instead of sleeping... crazy little guy. I guess he likes the sound of those words.

He always loves all the attention he gets while they are here. Today they headed to Wisconsin and I'm pretty sure he was wondering what happened to all the fun. I could see the 'oh man just mom again' in his facial expressions :) Until next time...

Side Note: Here is a little preview of the pictures we had taken (the resolution will be better once we get the actual files.  These were just screen shots).  I'll put a few more up once I get them all. They turned out ok. I wish there were more of me and Nate, but owell. It kind of looks like Kevin is a single dad. There are a ton of cute ones of them two.  I didn't really think about more of just me and him while we were taking the pics.  There are a few family ones that are ok :)  It never fails that if I look good, kevin or Nate look wierd vice versa vice versa.  Although any shots of Nate not just running around like a little crazy person were probably a win that day! 

 

 

52 Card Pick Up

I'm pretty sure I'm playing some variation of the 52 card pick up game constantly throughout the day. One of Nathaniel's favorite things to do is dump things on the floor and then leave. Blocks, stacking sets, flash cards, crayons, magnetic letters. There are piles of these things everywhere. It isn't that he doesn't know how to put them away either. He likes to put a bunch back in the bins and then dump them back out. It must be super fun to hear the sound or feel them fall all over your lap.

 

I can ask him to help ' put them away ' and he will put some away, but completely loses interest and is on to the next thing pretty quickly. That leaves me to pick up the rest. It's pointless to enforce it I figure because I'm not sure he gets that it is a bad thing to dump everything out. He has so much fun doing it that I think he thinks he is doing me a favor by allowing me to play too ;)

 

If you'd like to join in on the fun... feel free to find a few bowls in your cupboard and place them on the ground and then go get your sock bin and dump it (add giving a few pairs to the dog to run off with if you have a dog), maybe say the #s on the cards as you throw them down.... then run off laughing and smiling to the next activity... Ahhhh good times.

No's and Naps

I'm starting to think Nathaniel has two definitions for the word NO (or na in his voice). One is the real definition. He displays this more and more. I'll give him a choice between two things to eat and he will shake his head NO to one of them. Or I'll ask if he wants to go upstairs and he will shake his head NO. The second definition is a little less clear, but I think he shakes his head when he doesn't really have any other reaction or when I am telling him NO. If I say NO he runs off saying 'na na na'. It is the only time he really says it, which is interesting. It is almost like he is mocking me. I'll say something like 'Are you drinking water?' and he will shake his head NO even though he is (and I know he knows it is his water). Or 'Is that Mickey Mouse on tv' and he will shake his head NO (and I know he knows Mickey Mouse).... not sure why these get a NO answer. Maybe NO also means YES in these circumstances.

 

Which brings me to this... he does not know YES. His version of yes is *no reaction* usually. If I ask something and he just looks at me it is his version of YES. We have now been trying to exaggerate our YES's. Hopefully this will help him catch on. He hasn't been too frustrated with the communication thing so that is good. Although every once in awhile he will throw out a YES in a right context. I haven't caught on to the pattern yet, but he sort of gets it in certain scenarios and can say the word.

 

Having a toddler is kind of like solving puzzles constantly. But a puzzle that cries or throws a tantrum if you don't solve it in a timely manner ;) Actually, he doesn't cry or throw tantrums too often (unless it is having him come inside or not allowing him to go outside). On occasion though he is a bit of a drama king for no reason. It cracks me up sometimes how absurd the situation is, but so REAL for him. You can suggest something as simple as a different book and WOWZA you regret that suggestion immediately. It is as if you don't understand that 'Billy Goats Gruff' for the 10th time in a row is completely reasonable and The Hungry Caterpillar is the worst book ever (even though tomorrow it will be the best book). Or don't suggest he stay off of the ottoman and crawl on the couch instead... bad idea. And if you are even thinking of putting the grated cheese away without offering him any... watch out. What? you were going to close the refrigerator door before allowing him to peek inside... good luck!!

 

I'll chalk up his drama king ways to his need to explore to learn. He couldn't possibly be turning into a miniature brat could he?!? In his words 'NA NA NA' ;)

 

Now onto his napping. A few weeks ago I declared him a one nap dude. He graduated to the next level. One nap a day. Well, he thinks he is a one nap a day kind of guy, but not so fast. What that really means is that he takes one nap a day in his crib. He is consistently sneaking in a morning nap, just not in his crib. He takes that nap in the car on the way to anywhere. I'll look in the back of the car and almost everyday, there he is .... sleeping soundly. He is so superdee duperdee cute I can't possibly wake him so I let him sleep. I know I'm a sucker mom with nothing pressing to get to, plus it almost guarantees me a pleasant afternoon because he is all rested and happy. There are days I wake him up and he truly does have one nap that day.

 

I can't hardly blame him since he gets this habit from my DNA. I have always had a tendency to sleep in the car from a very young age so it's hereditary. My dad always teased that I'd barely get out of the driveway and I'd be asleep. We traveled from Phoenix to Kingman a lot when I was a kid to visit family and it felt like the distance was 5 miles. I never remember the ride there. This was when the road was a lot worse too and it took longer. Sleeping in the car is awesome when you are a kid. Now I have to stay awake because I don't trust Kevin's driving HA! j/k I can still fall asleep, but I try not to for safety reasons.

 

Just remember if you see a momish looking person sitting around in a random part of a parking lot looking at her iphone she probably has a sleeping child in the back. A child who will use the word NO less because he is rested!

Veggies

Thus far vegetables have not been Nathaniel's favorite. Actually I take that back, he eats plenty of vegetables as long as they are pureed (not including my homemade puree (little booger) or from a restaurant. For some reason any whole vegetables that I make at home get the big *toss to the floor* or the *no no no headshake*. I know it is a little weird to still be giving him pureed anything, but I decided if it gets him a serving or two of veggies/fruit/protein why not? He still gets plenty of the finger foods to go along with it.

 

Like a Sherlock Holmes mystery I tried to figure out what the restaurant vegetables had that mine didn't. There was the obvious BUTTER/oil. Maybe it was just the excitement of eating out. Maybe the spices. My main conclusion was that mine were a little squishier than a restaurants. I tend to steam a whole batch and freeze it. The defrost process doesn't always leave the freshest tasting veggies. So I tried a different cooking method. I just do a small batch in the microwave and add a tiny bit of organic real butter and PRESTO. Green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and peas have all been eaten. I wouldn't say it is his favorite thing ever, but he eats them. Woo hoo. He has also suddenly started to love grape tomatoes and cucumbers. Those are so easy to fix, like fruit, so I am excited

 

In general Nathaniel is going through a little bit of an eating change. He is starting to turn down any of the puree's from a jar and his daily oatmeal. So while I solve one problem (veggies) other problems arise... murphy's law right. The oatmeal is more worrisome than the puree. He still doesn't eat meat. Not that I have tried a ton, but every time he is offered any he spits it back out. I think it is the texture. The puree's I'd choose always have some protein so he is missing out on a bit of that, but I can replace that in other areas. The oatmeal had some good vitamins, fiber and grains, which I don't have a great replacement for yet. Maybe the oatmeal will just be a phase. In the mean time I'm going to put a little undetectable wheat germ here or there.

 

On a side note he is getting better at using a spoon and fork. He ate 2/3 of a yogurt the other day with a spoon. Pretty good for him. Normally he uses the spoon for about 3 bites and gets bored. The fork is a little bit funny. He likes to poke at the food and then take it off the fork and eat it. I know some people push for a toddler to use a fork and spoon, but for now I figure as long as he gets what the point of it is I'm happy. I don't even always remember to give him a fork or spoon so that probably doesn't help haha. He will use them in due time and for the rest of his life, it is the only time you can eat like a cave man and no one cares :)

 

On another side note this poor kid is getting several teeth. Every time I get a glimpse in his mouth I swear I see another molar coming in. Right now I think he has four teeth that are half way erupted. 3 molars and the fourth one on the bottom front. He is drooling a bit and chewing on stuff. I assume because it feels good. I can't blame him.

What a Good Dog

One of the craziest questions I'd get while pregnant was 'Are you keeping your dogs?'... I'll never understand that question. Why wouldn't I keep my dogs? Why does having a kid mean you can't have animals. Animals are actually great for kids (unless they are vicious) When I adopted my dogs, I adopted them thinking about 10-15 years down the road. If we had kids or moved or a lot of other things I was committed to them. I was committed to still making them a big part of the family no matter what. Yes, it takes extra planning to make sure they get walked, etc., but it is worth it. I enjoy their company and really can't imagine not having them around.

 

And here is a little example of why 'I kept my dogs even though we have a kid' Mocha is such a good kid dog!

UUUuuuAAaaa

*UUUuuuAAaaa* that is that sound you make when you are surprised. You know the one that you breathe in and gasp a little? Nathaniel does this sound and it is funny. Sometimes he makes the sound because the ball isn't where it normally goes or Mocha just took the toy that he actually gave him. Or maybe he is copying me. I make that sound when he looks like he is going to fall :)

 

The funniest time he made this noise was at the zoo. We had just gotten off the carousel. We grabbed the stroller and were heading off. Nathaniel crawled onto a bench so i was watching him and not the bag of popcorn in my bag. The popcorn tipped over and spilled onto the ground. Nathaniel pointed and made his surprise face. I explained that it was ok. He then made the sound and pointed again. Cute, cute!... The carousel guy looked over and laughed. He said 'that is alright miss I got it'. Nathaniel again gasped and pointed to the spilled popcorn. By this time I was like 'I get it, I spilled popcorn, geez'. It was pretty cute though how he couldn't get over it.

Picture Time

18 months, 1 groupon, 8 emails to photographer, 6 clothing purchase returns, 2 appointment changes, 3 location drive-bys ....and we finally had a professional family picture done. I'm seriously shocked we ever got it together. I'm not a huge fan of having my picture taken so that aided in the procrastination. Last wed. we had our photography session.

 

We tried to get pictures done in the Fall, but the photographer was booked until Christmas so we waited until spring. Then I had to cancel our first appt. because of rain. Then the 10 day forecast kept switching from rain/no rain for our new scheduled day. I was starting to think no matter when I scheduled the appt. it was going to rain. It ended up not raining, but was unseasonably warm (80+humidity). That temperature isn't horrible, but when you have the family in pants and sweaters it can get a little warm (mostly me). It went down to a cool perfect 65 by the next day :(

 

Waiting until Spring to take the pictures seemed like a good idea at the time. What I hadn't anticipated by waiting until spring was how active an 18 month old is... especially around dirt and rocks. While he is the cutest thing in the picture he is also the most mobile. I'll be surprised if there are 10 pictures where one part of his body isn't blurry from moving! Or 10 pictures that he doesn't have dirty hands from holding rocks and touching gross stuff. I'm told 'boys will be boys' At one point we were throwing a disgusting water bottle lid that he found 10 ft in front of him to fetch just so he'd look towards the camera... yep he was basically a kid-dog at that point. The dogs would have been proud of his retrieving ability.

 

It will still be a few weeks until we get our pictures, but I'll be sure to share (well if there are any good ones haha).

 

Here are a couple of fun pictures from the past week. Enjoy.

 

The first pic is his cute scrunchy face... and I like his cool guy look in the 3rd :o)

Cherry Blossoms (and ASU fan club) pic

Nap Time!!

 

Shy and Skinny

 

Nathaniel has always been a pretty easy going guy. He is usually happy, easily amused and friendly. Well, over the last few weeks he has become quite shy. I am hoping this is just a stage he is going through. I had started to notice in stores that when people would say 'hi' to him, or the cashier would talk to him, he would turn his head all shy. I hadn't realized how bad it was until we started the 'mommy and me' music class again.

 

The last music class we had been to was towards the end of fall. Our instructor had a baby and took some time off. The first class back was about 2 weeks ago and was interesting. I wondered what would happen because I saw this shyness creeping in. The minute we walked into class he grasped on to me like it was armageddon. He had his head buried in my shoulder. He didn't cry or anything, but he wasn't about to let go. He sort of looked once and made eye contact with the teacher and back in to my shoulder he went. Luckily, half way through class he was walking around, but no real interest in class. I was just happy he was confident enough to be walking around not holding on to me. The next class it took a little less time for him to let go of me, but still not his old self.   The people in the class that know him are so surprised by his shyness because he was so happy go lucky when they last saw him.  He does a little better at the library class - not sure why?

 

Another time that I saw the severity of his shyness was at a teacher supply store. He was walking around the store just goofing around. He went about 15 feet from me, but in complete eye sight. One of the workers leaned over and talked to him. He turned into a statue. A super petrified statue. He put his face next to what he was looking at and wouldn't move. The worker said, 'I think he is going...' by that time I was already there and she was right... he was about to cry. He was scared stiff... literally. I scooped him up. He didn't cry, but I got an earful. I'm not sure what he was saying, but he was definitely telling me something.

 

It is so weird to see him transform. He will be enjoying himself walking around somewhere (zoo, store, wherever) but once a person comes near he grabs on to your legs and wants picked up. I figure I'll just keep on keeping on and hope he feels comfortable again. My sister made a lot of sense when she said, 'He is more aware now'. That is true. Now he gets that there are people he doesn't recognize and he is probably trying to sort that out in his brain.

 

We obviously aren't around a lot of people we know since we don't hardly know anyone, which doesn't help. But I was happy to see him warm up pretty quickly at a happy hour we went to the other day with some people that work with Kevin. Nathaniel was super shy for about 10 minutes, but started warming up to the table. By the end he was flirting a little with his big smile and playing like nothing was bothering him. Yay!

 

Ok, now on to skinny.... I mentioned awhile back about how when the seasons change I have zero clothes for the kid. The weather has been warming up so I needed some shorts. I figured it was a sign when we were playing outside and he was super sweaty :) I went out and got him a few pairs to start out the season. I put them on and he walked off all normal and about 2 seconds later the shorts were around his ankles. They just fell right off. They were too big. I wish I had that problem!!! Anyway, I tried the next pair... around his ankles. One pair lasted about 1/2 hour. He was outside with Kevin and I guess the humidity stretched them out because all of a sudden he was in the front yard with his pants down. Funny. Apparently, size 24 months is not going to work unless they tie or have size adjusters built in. His shirts are all size 2 or 24 months and fit fine. Last year's shorts are too tight and too short (he looked like a creepy coach haha) So off I go to find a few more.

It's a First

The weather was in the low 70s this weekend. Perfect spring weather. The cherry blossoms are blooming and are so gorgeous. They look like perfect pink puffs. We couldn't wait to get outside and take it all in. For me there is a small window between perfect weather/no bugs and too hot/bugs. I have already seen a few bees buzz by.... boo! I wish Buzz from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse could change my thinking about bees, but NO. There is even a cute cartoon called The Hive on Disney Jr. channel. Those bees could not be cuter, but still not changing my mind.

 

We decided to go to the city park. This particular park has a ton of playground equipment and a walking path. Sooooo we took the dogs too. It is our first trip with all 5 of us in the car. We thought for sure we had done it before, but nope. We take walks all the time, but in our neighborhood so we don't all hop in the car. Kevin and Mocha sat in the front - Kona, me and Nate in the back. It went pretty well except for Kona wishing she had more room in the backseat. We all unloaded at the park and had a nice stroll. Nate got to go on the swing and be scared of anyone that looked his way (more about this later). It was cute how Kona would look for Nate and Kevin in the play area and get excited when they would head our way. The dogs got a lot of attention as I walked them around the play area boundary. I think it is so funny how all the kids think Mocha is a dalmatian. They get so excited... 'look a dalmatian!!' When we left I figured we should be fair so Kona got the front seat on the way home while Mocha laid across my lap in the back. Fun times.

 

Because of the nice weather we were obviously outside a lot. Nathaniel loves to run up and down a little hill we have in our front yard. It gives me a slight heart attack each time because he is basically in a slightly controlled fall/run as he barrels downhill towards the sidewalk/road. He laughs the whole time and loves it. We wait at the bottom to scoop him up before the sidewalk. After about 20 of these he ran off down the sidewalk. This is where he fell. He was in shorts since the weather was nice. This made for a scraped knee. His first scrape. He looks like a real boy now :)

 

Nathaniel's first Bocce ball game. It looked like a strong man competition the way he would lift those balls. Of course he didn't really play, but he had a great time moving those balls around.

 

 

Boogers

I thought about what to call this post. After some thinking there is no better way to title this post other than 'Boogers'. I have been super fortunate. Nathaniel has not had a cold his entire life (knock on wood) ... until last week. (In full disclosure he had a bit of a stomach thing once when we got home from PHX. It only lasted for a day, but that could have been just travelling, not sure). Anyway, he got a bit of the common cold last week. Thank goodness my first sickness with him was a mild common cold. No fever really, no coughing, no sneezing really, no anything really..... other than BOOGERS. haha.

 

I had a package of grape flavored boogie wipes that I had bought before he was born and it hasn't even been opened. That is how little we have wiped his nose.

 

I honestly had no idea how gooey and green and sticky and resilient and stretchy boogers were. Really I had no idea. Grabbing boogers may be worse than poopy diapers. Of course the little dude did not want me near his nose. I was playing a complex game of cat and mouse with an 18 month old trying to get something that I didn't even want. Just when I think I have it (the booger) it ricochets back up into his nose.... there is some serious stretch in those things. So then it becomes a waiting game for that big disgusting mass to show its face again.

 

I became quite skilled in what I like to call 'the sneak' I don't let him see me coming and I reach around and try to grab it before he has time to maneuver away. Sometimes sans kleenex. You have to do what you have to do before it ends up in some mysterious part of the house or your hair or on your shirt! Nathaniel learned to wipe his nose on Kevin's shoulder. Kevin's shirts were all goobed.

 

Part of me thinks he should just let me blow his nose, right? - why isn't he just letting me and behaving? Then I realize (thank goodness) that he hasn't been sick so why would he have any idea what I was doing or want me to do it. I assume over time I'll be able to teach him.

 

I must admit I've always heard of kids *flinging* their boogers and figured it was just a saying, but now having seen what a little kid booger is made out of they probably can *fling* those suckers. Now that I have had the wonderful opportunity to be up and close with kid boogers they are crazy gross!! I'm pretty sure they are made out of a mix of tomatillo salsa and that stuff they use to stick gift cards to the packaging (you know that glop of glue stuff).

 

Appetizing post huh ;)