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.

 

Shark Week

Now showing - teeth! Just when we thought Nathaniel wasn't ever going to get teeth those little buggers showed up. His bottom two are popping through and so are his top two. The top two aren't coming through as much as the bottom, but you can feel them. Knock on wood, but he hasn't been cranky or overly slobbery. If you stick your finger (a clean finger of course) in his mouth he will gladly bite you (I mean it was just shark week). Those little teeth are quite jaggedy and sharp. I haven't been able to get a picture of them, but once they come in a little more maybe I'll be able to get one. If you look super duper duper close you can kind of make out one in this picture. hahaha.

 

Nate Note: The little dude was able to climb a few stairs on Saturday ....UH OH. The minute that happened I was thinking about how I'm just starting to understand how much trouble I'm in for. He was so proud of himself.

 

 

Baby Proofing Bozos

Every time I see a checklist for baby proofing I cringe. I cringe in shame. It is like the baby police know all and can see the progress we've made. These baby police put us on some watch list where every email I get has that topic listed or shown as a top article on the websites I visit. Our house is certainly not baby proofed. It is Mocha proofed, which gets us halfway there. Mocha is a chewer (always has been always will be) so we don't have a whole lot of stuff anywhere. My old dog Mako used to be able to open cabinets, but luckily Mocha doesn't go that far. However, if he did I'd probably already have locks on the cabinets getting us closer to *real* baby proof.

 

It isn't that we haven't bought baby proofing materials - we have. I have cabinet door locks, a cushy pad for the entertainment center, outlet plugs... but they mostly are just sitting there ready to be installed (whoops). We have a pad on the coffee table and we have plugged the outlets he finds most interesting as well as install special baby proof outlets in his room. So that counts for something right? right? Our top priority lately has been the stairway gate. I have bought several and returned them. I am having a very hard time finding something that works at the top of the stairs. We are lucky that he heads to the top of the stairs full speed every morning from his room - that isn't scary at all! Oh wait, it is super scary. I have a new idea, but I need to buy an extra long stair gate from Amazon so I haven't done it yet. Soon, soon, I swear.

 

Those baby proofing checklists are long and a tiny bit overwhelming. I usually read the long list, feel tired and head to starbucks to destress. haha. I am always thinking to myself 'how is doing all of this possible?'. I'm pretty sure if I did everything on those lists the house will be Stacy and Kevin proofed too. Everything basically gets locked up or hidden or put behind a gate or covered with some plastic safety cover. So far it hasn't been too bad since Nathaniel doesn't walk and I'm able to watch him pretty much all of the time. I can see how it could quickly get out of hand with more than one kid. While you were grabbing one from falling down the stairs the other one is headed towards the paper shredder etc. etc.

 

I did buy a baby jail for Nathaniel. When I need a minute or two or three and I want to let him have some freedom I put him in this new baby jail. It is hexagon fence basically with some toys. I bought some foam pads for underneath. It is a bright and colorful baby jail. After setting this up I realized that our house has indeed been taken over by primary colored baby items. Who needs a fancy entry way table when you can have a big colorful baby jail greet visitors :) If you have visited our house - I have it set up right in the foyer. Pretty much every room has something primary colored, big and plastic in it. It is funny how quick you get used to your new decor. The dogs are used to it too and walk around it. One thing that is funny to watch is the stalking dogs. I tend to give Nathaniel some cheerios as a snack when he is using his exersaucer/walker thing. The dogs just stare at him waiting waiting waiting for a cheerio to be thrown to them or fall on the floor. There is nothing left on the floor after meal time either. I can already tell Nathaniel is starting to realize if he holds out something to the dogs they come to him. I can't wait until his whole meal goes to the dogs - that will be fun. I try my best to curtail it when I see it, but it just happens sometimes. Mocha will leave if you blow in his face and a spray bottle gets Kona out of the kitchen. Fun meal time activities! I can't blame them though when they see food flying to the floor or being held up to their faces. They are dogs.

 

Oh yeah, baby proofing. See how distracted I get even talking about baby proofing? That is why the cabinet locks etc. are still sitting in the closet. You might be thinking to yourself you could have had up 4 cabinet locks in the time it took to blog.... yep, probably, but putting up cabinet locks is sooooo boring ;) Here's to hoping Nate's parents get their act together (darn that means me) 



       

Hair Cut.... sort of

Nathaniel got his first hair cut. Literally, it was about one hair. I just trimmed a tiny bit of his bangs that were hitting his eyelashes and some right over his ears. I just quick took off a bit during a bottle feeding. In the back of my mind I feel like I have been told, or read, or something that you had to wait until he was a year to cut his hair. Scientifically this doesn't feel right, but I wasn't sure. I quick googled it right before I cut it. I only had the time of a bottle feeding (5 min.) So I spent 3 minutes researching/googling. In those 3 minutes I couldn't find anything conclusive to NOT cut it so I went ahead. I did run across something that mentioned an old wives tale about having bad luck if you cut it before a year. I hope that isn't true... yikes!

August Pictures

Action shot

Sleeping on dad's lap

This is his Olympic photo.  You can't see the USA
below Mickey, but it is there :)

Watching Phelps

First time on a carousel at the Nashville Zoo.
He loved it.

The Secret Ingredient

Let me first exclaim that I know I'm not the first to figure this out or the last and I'm sure it isn't some super secret, but for me I had never heard about it so it is now my secret ingredient success story.

Nathaniel hasn't been a bad or good eater. I figure he probably falls somewhere in the middle. Sometimes he will quickly eat up his puree and other times not so much. To be fair to the little guy I'd say he eats good a lot more than he eats bad. When he eats poorly it is definitely a test of patience as you sit in the kitchen staring at each other as he spits it back at you or just flails his arms in some sort of baby revolt. His spitting is mostly just pushing the food back out of his mouth. This in turn gets all over his hands and usually ends up pretty much everywhere since he then rubs his eyes, his hair, etc. He does the spitting with all the food whether he likes it or not. Sometimes I guess he is just in a mood. The puree's he doesn't like he just gives stink face and pretty much turns his head from you.

He has been doing better with finger foods. I think he likes his independence. The problem with finger foods is that he tends to 'squirrel' a lot of the more starchy finger foods (pasta, bread). By squirreling I mean he just packs it in but doesn't swallow. Eventually he will have 10 pieces of pasta in his mouth. As he stuffs more in a few fall out, but overall his cheeks just get bigger and bigger.  He does eat beans, cheese, melons, blueberries and cheerios like a champ still. I haven't tried pasta or bread in a while so I might soon just to see if the 'squirreling' phase is over.

Ok, back to the puree's that get super stink face. Green beans, carrots and chicken are probably the worst offenders.

Quick side story. I go through some work to make homemade food for Nathaniel. I buy organically grown fresh veggies and fruit and I steam or bake them, puree then freeze. I use jarred or pouch foods if we aren't at home, if it is food that I don't know how to make *prunes* or if I leave Kevin home to feed him. Well, it always seems like Nathaniel gobbles up these foods much quicker than mine. Little punk! Maybe he likes them more because the consistency is smoother. Or maybe they just taste better... who knows. But, it is a little offensive ;) Even though on occasion I feel like just giving him the store bought organic food all of the time - I continue to primarily use the food I make because overall I think they retain more vitamins when compared to the jarred. I have been using more jars/pouches that have spinach mixed in the puree. I can't puree spinach and if you remember he is low on iron so I do add those store bought ones to the rotation. Ask me again in a few weeks and maybe I'll have transitioned to store bought haha.

On to the secret... not 'The Secret' the famous book by Rhonda Byrne... but my little secret.

So green beans (both jarred and mine - yes I performed a mini experiment), carrots and chicken are big stink face causers. But but but they go down successfully with my secret ingredient. Drum roll please........ pear or apple sauce. I add a tiny bit of pear puree to carrots and you'd think they were sweet potatoes (one of his favorites). A little bit of apple puree in broccoli and down the hatch it goes. Pear and green beans is a winning combination. The secret ingredient for chicken seems to be squash (not pear or apple, but I'll take it). I've decided to change the classic Mary Poppin song 'a little bit of sugar makes the medicine go down' to 'a little bit of apple or pear makes the veggies go down, the veggies go down, the veggies go down'

You might be thinking that I am going to run into trouble when he eats these veggies as real food since I can't mask the flavor. I figure I will tackle that problem when it comes. For now he is getting these essential veggies and learning to at least like the flavor even though it is slightly diluted since it is still primarily carrot or green bean, just with a ** shhhh** secret yummy ingredient.

My New Job

Well folks, I have a new job. I'm not sure it is my dream job (a veterinarian, dog daycare owner, geneticist to name a few) or maybe it is...My new job is to be an all day 'spotter' for Nathaniel. No not the type of spotter that removes spots from clothing (well actually I do remove a lot of orangey stuff from Nate's clothes) and no not the type of spotter that watches for enemy aircraft, but the type of spotter that finds the most effective place to keep someone from injuring themselves in the act of executing a maneuver. In this case the 'someone' is Nate and the 'maneuver' is pulling up on things. When I say things I mean THINGS. He tries pulling himself up on everything... the wall, a swing, Mocha's crate, the couch, me, the stairway rail and his favorite... the window sill.

He can pull up on most things, but he hasn't quite mastered how to get down. He gets brave on occasion and falls on his butt. This works great especially upstairs where there is carpet. However, down on the wood floors I get nervous. I basically follow him around 'spotting' to make sure he doesn't fall straight backwards on his head. I'm like the coaches during the uneven bar routine in gymnastics. It is also great fun to run up and down the stairs when I lay him down to nap. He pulls himself up and can't get back down. So I run up, lay him back down, tell him to take a nap. I do this about 15 times before he actually starts to stay put. He gets such a kick out of himself when he is up there though. He celebrates every time with a little body jiggle and excited giggle noise.

There are worse jobs in the world than following a funny little dude around the house I guess ;) so I will embrace my new job as a 'spotter'

The Next Michael Phelps

In the spirit of the Olympic games of 2012 in London I figured it was appropriate to give a shout out to the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time - Michael Phelps. He is arguably the greatest olympian ever based on medal count and repeat gold medals. He obviously had some athletic *swim* genes. As a new parent you wonder what talents your kid might be harboring in their genetic code. Do you ever wonder sometimes if you were suppose to be a great Javelin thrower, but you never picked up a javelin so you were never an Olympian. Haha, it is funny to think about.

Well, in an effort to see if Nathaniel has *swimming* in his genes we took him to his first swim lesson today. We just went to a parent/child class at the YMCA. We ended being the only people in class so we essentially are getting private lessons. I'm not sure we have a coach like Bob Bowman (Phelps coach), but she will do and seems nice. Kevin went in the pool with him for his first lesson.

Nathaniel, while stiffening a bit in the beginning, didn't cry or squirm too much. The first lesson went pretty well. Mostly, Kevin just swooshed him around using a few different techniques and singing a few swimming type nursery songs. The instructor is used to a few more people in class so she said Kevin had to sing too so it wasn't just her haha... funny. Kevin had to do a few almost dunks and Nate didn't necessarily like those. Nate did great for almost all of it though. We have lessons for the next 3 Sundays. While we would like to start him on his Olympic training path mostly we just want him to start getting used to water.  We are hoping this makes him more confident in the water in case anything was to happen, plus he will take to real swimming much better.  Although if he wants to be an Olympic swimmer I'll support him ;) 

 

Kiss Kiss?

There are all kinds of articles, book chapters and emails that explain baby milestones. Always, always always with the caveat 'Remember all babies develop at different rates, yada yada yada, blah blah, contact your Dr. if you are concerned' The online articles are always followed by people claiming their baby did this or that months earlier than the milestone has listed as an average (typical) age. You start to get nervous when you read the comments. You read things like ' My baby was walking at 5 months, eating finger foods by 6 months, rolling over at 1 month, talking by 3 months, changing their own diapers by 9 months, flying by 10 months, shouting the ABC's by 8 months. You get my point. It appears everyone's baby is an overachiever except yours. Then you sit back and realize that several of these people must be crazy. I think sometimes a baby lucks out and rolls by accident and doesn't do it again for months, but the parents mark that as the ability to roll over. I don't mean to sound negative, but come on. I'm sure there are lots of babies that beat a milestone here or there, but I have a hard time believing all of the 'fish stories' online. :) 

Ok, back to my original thought. No where have I seen 'Parent Milestones' listed. These would be things you achieve as you go through the eye opening experience of taking care of a baby for the first time. For instance, the first time you realize (and I mean actually realize and come to terms with) that you will not get to all of the things you have on your to do list. You might have 10 super cute crafts you plan on creating for your little bundle of joy, but forget it you will only get to a few of those in any timely manner. Once you let the long to do list go your life feels a little more relaxed. Or another milestone might be the first time you get your baby to laugh (The milestone where you visibly bring joy to your baby) You know, the laugh that just melts your heart and you are the one making it happen. You continue to act ridiculous or whatever method you do just to hear it over and over. What about a milestone when you stop thinking about all of the theories and sleep secrets you have read about and just tune in to your kid and finally FINALLY just get it and get them. Well, get them as much as you can :) I'm sure we can all think of those few times (milestones) that just really changed you and how you approached the next day. When you get to these parental milestones it is like a door opens to lots of new things. Sometimes of course the new things bring even more questions, but you moved forward. You move forward gaining little nuggets of confidence. Now along with confidence are the milestones that are just pure joy and probably don't teach you a thing, but it is something you have been waiting to happen. This is the milestone that just happened in the Hahm household.

Nathaniel gave me a Kiss last Monday. Oh I think every parent just cannot wait for this. The kiss isn't much of a kiss. It is more like a slobbery open mouth fish lick, but I'll take it. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even really understand the significance of a kiss or what emotion it evokes. But, for me anyway, it is one of the first times as a parent you feel like he is loving you back visibly. I can not get enough of these. He doesn't always do it on command and if there is any other distraction forget it, but it is just too cool. Right after naps is his most kissy time. I was feeling pretty good about this parental milestone until I saw him giving these same slobbery kisses to the stairway rail, the wall and his crib. Owell, maybe he just loves all of those things too!

I do think as a new parent there are things that just click or happen at certain times that are worthy of being called a milestone. I can't wait to experience more of these. You just know them when they happen. The day just feels different.

Nathaniel is sleeping now and I can't wait to go ask for a, 'kiss kiss' ....

Downward Facing Dog

Something I should do more of is yoga. I did it a bit at the beginning of my pregnancy and certain poses throughout my pregnancy (child pose, cat and cow) and it really did feel great stretching. It felt especially good to stretch and make that right side pain feel a little better when possible. A pain that did indeed go away immediately after that kicking little baby was out of there like the doctor said. Anyway, what I never knew would happen is that Nathaniel would practice a yoga pose at such a young age. He can be seen doing 'downward facing dog' several times a day. I guess Mocha and Kona taught him the move. He doesn't quite do it with the precision of an experienced yoga expert, but he is well on his way. 

Or.... instead of being a yoga expert.... it could be the beginning stages of trying to stand up. He is FAR from being able to balance, but he is trying to do something. The something does look a lot like downward facing dog though :)

The funny thing he does is walk and stand on his toes. When he is playing in his walk around toy my mom got him he pushes himself around on the top side of his toes. Yes, it is a little strange, but the way the walker is set up allows him to do that kind of easy and still whip around fast. Also, when he stands up against the couch or window sill he likes to stand up on his toes (at least the bottom side of them instead of the front which is a little better). We figure once he realizes he can't balance very well that way he will try some other methods. Or maybe just maybe he will be a ballet dancer.

Music with Mommie

Nathaniel and I have been attending Music with Mommie for 2 weeks now. It is a group class for kids 5 months to 5 years that has songs and musical instruments and stuff. I, of course, took advantage of the first free class to see if it was any good. Because we don't get out much around other kids Nate pretty much just stared at them. Granted most of them are older and mobile so I think he was amazed they could grab their own instruments and walk around.

It is funny when we are suppose to make motions with a song. To help him have fun I move his arms etc. ... for example the song might say 'swim like a dolphin' so I move his arms in a swimming motion. The problem is that he locks up and won't let me move anything. He becomes as stiff as a statue. And when we are suppose to be snuggie during an 'I love you' type song he is jumping (on my leg as I hold him) and worming all around. He was also more interested in the live frog that was sitting next to us more than the music at times... me too though so maybe he gets that from me.

The second class was a little more crowded than the first. Which would be fine except for it is in a back storage room of a toy store so it got a little crowded and hot. I do think he likes it and enjoys watching the other kids so I'm going to stick with it for at least a session or two. There are 2 other kids about his age so that is good. The registration fee included an intro musical instrument pack and cd. He LOVES the egg shaker. I'm thinking since he has used it so much at home he may actually try and use it during class next time, which would be cool. I ordered him a few more kid friendly instruments. Maracas, another egg shaker and a baby sized tambourine. If he gets familiar with them at home he may be a little more open to them during that part of class. He also really enjoys sitting under the parachute while the moms wave it above the kids heads. (and yes it is a sexist class I think... there are no dads)

Class is on Wednesday mornings - so feel free to have the image of Nate as stiff as a statue and me singing off key on those mornings (and feel free to laugh at me as I strain to get up and down a billion times during class because I'm old and out of shape.... by the end of class I'm just as tired as Nate. Actually towards the end I smile at the older kids and get them to put our instruments back in the bucket after each song so I don't have to hahaha)   

So So Funny

Man, where is time going. I always give a little chuckle when people say, "enjoy it, his childhood goes by fast" because it always sounds so rehearsed and just what people say during small talk. But, Holy Moly I'm starting to think that statement is hugely understated. I just got a blanket email from some website mentioning baby milestones. The milestone was Nathaniel's first birthday. WHAT WHAT. I started to panic. I don't have a theme, as a matter of fact I don't have any plans for his first birthday. We don't even really have anybody to invite since most of our friends and family live elsewhere. So as of right now Nathaniel is going to have some lame cupcake, a cardboard bday hat from the Dollar Tree and me and Kevin singing some off key birthday song. AAAAaaahhh I'm going to win the worst mom award. Good moms would have 1000 ideas posted to Pinterest by now. I'd have themes narrowed to 3 top choices. I'd have a homemade 'I'm One' t-shirt made. The cake would be planned. People would have cute homemade invites to look at even if I knew they couldn't realistically be here. Then I spiraled out of control thinking... I don't have anything planned for his Halloween costume yet either. And no Christmas traditions being worked out. AAAaaahhh, what preschool will he attend? Do we have enough saved for his college fund? ...... ok ok ok, after a deep breath I regained my sanity. 

To be fair, I am still a little panicked about making his birthday special. I'll keep you posted on my neurosis.

Ok, now on to so so so funny..

Nathaniel cracks himself up on occasion. It is so cute. I really can't get enough of his laugh. Now that he is an 'expert' crawler he loves to crawl over your legs. He basically high centers on your legs and then face plants into the ground. As he is face planting he is laughing hysterically. It looks a tiny bit painful, but apparently not. He will do this several times and just loves it every time. It is only slightly less funny for him when he goes over a fluffy pillow. Another thing that is so so funny is playing chase around the couch. he crawls off in one direction and if you go in another and pop out from the side he flops over and just laughs. When I'm driving I'll hear a giggle from the back seat. This one is still a mystery to me, I'm not sure what is so so funny. I'm not sure how he is actually cracking himself up back there. He kicks the mirror with his feet, throws his toys at the door (something I like to call the backseat toy graveyard) and make motorboat sounds (YES, he still loves to spit all over himself - is this a boy thing do you think?) .. it could be any of these things or perhaps something I haven't witnessed, but what I do know is random laughing happens on occasion from back there.

Overall, he is a pretty happy baby still. This is something I try every day not to take for granted. Don't get me wrong he has gotten quicker to let you know when he isn't happy about something. He has a kind of a 'whiner whine' about him. He doesn't cry, but gives this 'whiner whine'.

Nate Note: For a month now Nathaniel does this 'No no no' thing. He kind of smiles and shakes his head back and forth super fast in a 'no no no' sort of way. It is actually kind of cute and we think he has fun doing it. I don't think he has any clue what the word NO means so we aren't sure why he does this. He does it at random times too. It isn't just when he is tired or excited or hungry or full. He has done it during all of those times and many more random events. Once we figure out the mystery of the 'no no no' we will let you know.

Historical Note: Ernie Els won The Open Championship today by one stroke.  I only bring this up because we saw Ernie Els at The Square Grouper when we were in Jupiter, FL for vacation while I was pregnant with Baby Hahm :) Ernie had pulled his yacht in and he and his friends sat at the table right next to us.  

Who Can Sit? I Can Sit!

For about a week now the little guy will sit up from a crawl. See video below. He is so much more mobile now. One of his favorite things to do is crawl to the dog's water dish and stick his hands in the water and play with it. Not exactly my favorite thing for him to do since he sticks his fingers in his mouth to taste the water. Needless to say, I change that water out quite a bit (which happens anyway because Kona won't drink unfresh water) and redirect the curious boy to different areas several times a day. He still poses while he crawls too.   

Looks like Nathaniel will have to share his pool... or is it the
other way around and Mocha will have to share his pool.
I'm pretty sure Kona is looking at him like he is crazy.

Mocha, "It is sooooooo Hot - Thanks for the pool"

What Time Is It?

What time is it?  Did you guess?  It is time to lower the crib.  It became quite a game between Nathaniel and myself - I'd lay him down and he'd giggle and kneel on the side of the crib.  This went on about 50 times. I decided to leave the room to see if he'd actually try taking a nap and he decided instead of kneeling he would stand against the side of the crib.  I, of course, ran up the stairs just as fast as I could.  I didn't think he'd stand up that fast from kneeling.  Although it was sad to take his fun new game away, the crib was lowered pretty much immediately.  He did not take to it very well for the first nap, but after that he has done just fine.  Little stinker.  On a side note, the lowered crib is much harder for a shortie like me to change the sheets and pick him up (I guess Kevin will just have to change the sheets from now on... woo hoo)

Showing Off

Two of my VERY favorite people in the world

The Fourth of July had many exciting fireworks this year. It started off on July 3rd with my sister coming for a visit from Arizona. YaY. If you remember we visited Arizona just a bit ago (I still need to write a real blog entry for that trip). Well, Nathaniel decided to show off at Aunt Krista's and start crawling. The army man crawl. He has become a master at that technique. He can get around pretty fast. It is a true army man crawl where he gets his legs and arms going. Occasionally, he gets on all fours with his stomach off the ground and rocks back and forth. Of course since my sister was here in Nashville he decided to show off again for her. He took the rocking back and forth to another level and started a real crawl. So July 4th was his first real crawl moves. He would go about 2-3 moves and then revert back to army crawling. By the end of her visit he was going a lot more than 2-3 moves and is becoming quite efficient at that type of crawling. Here is a quick video below. We have some better ones, but this was a quick one on the iPhone :)

It was fun having my sister here for the 4th. We actually went and watched real fireworks on a blanket in a park and everything. Kevin stayed home to watch Nathaniel (Although Nathaniel was almost in bed when we left and Kevin rented 'Act of Valor' to watch and had a Samuel Adams to enjoy so I'm pretty sure he had a good time too)

This is his 'old man' face ... he does this lately and it is so goofy

Nathaniel also had his first high chair experience in a restaurant. We had been using his infant carseat in a restaurant for his seat, but since we now are using a convertible car seat that isn't an option any longer (hhhmmm have I mentioned that yet? He has transitioned to the next carseat). I have my new floppy seat to put over the high chair so we decided to try out. My sister and I headed to Bosco's for happy hour appetizers since we were hungry. Here is a picture of Nate enjoying a teething biscuit sitting in the high chair (And no he doesn't have any teeth yet so he was just gumming the biscuit). He was showing off as usual and was super good. He just hung out in the high chair while we enjoyed our snacks and didn't even get too squirrely.

This showing off continued at a few other restaurants we went to while my sister was in town. He loves looking at the people at the other tables. His head looks like it is on a swivel as he glances from one side to the other. The people around us seem to get a kick out of him looking at their tables. If I stare at a table next to us they think I'm creepy, but if Nate does the exact same thing apparently it is cute ;) Looking at people and eating Organic cheerio like snacks kept him pretty occupied while we ate. He only gets a little antsy towards the end when he lets you know he is ready to go.

My sister left yesterday afternoon :( It was so nice to hang out. Nate is going to miss his Aunt showering him with snuggles and playing with him. He was even a good boy while she babysat while me and Kevin ran an errand. Actually, I was a little insulted he didn't cry or anything while we were gone - isn't he suppose to have separation anxiety from us at this age?!? haha, I'm glad he isn't showing signs of that, but it is a little insulting ;)

He poses as he crawls.  This is his crawl-crawl-crawl-pose look

Kevin and Nate at Arrington Vineyards

Aunt Krista and Nate at Arrington Vineyards

Aunt Krista and Nate in downtown Franklin, TN.