Video of Knee Walking

This is Nathan walking on his knees. One of the funniest things he does. It's his middle ground between crawling and walking. This little video doesn't have sound but it is cute.

Kisses,
Toni

A few milestones

It's been almost a month since I updated the blog and a few things have happened since then. On March 13th, Nathan took his first steps without assistance. I did not see them but that was bound to happen. He was in the nursery at church. When I went after the service to pick him up, the teachers said that he had been walking all around. I said "by himself" and they said yes. So, they brought him in the hallway, I got down on my knees and gestured for him to come over... and sure enough, he walked. There were about 5 people hovered in the hall because they could tell it was a special moment... the tell all sign was my tears :) Later that day when I went to my parents house, I had my mom and dad come in the living room and watch. They did not know he had taken his first steps and I wanted to show them first instead of just telling them. He still prefers to crawl but his walking improves day by day. Now it's time to hit Stride Rite and get him some good shoes.

Something else that Nathan has started doing as of today is when he is eating, he can put his spoon in the bowl, scoop out food, and get it partially to his mouth. I say partially because most of the food ends up on his face, clothes, or lap but clearly he gets the idea. The meal times are definitely getting messier but it's in a good way. Generally he does not like for me to help with the spoon. In fact, once I start feeding him, he pulls pretty hard on the spoon much of the time to get it away from me :) :) He is getting better with his sippy cup which is also good. I don't need to send a bottle to school anymore. I give him a bottle at night and sometimes in the morning.

He has started stacking things and gravitates towards a set of soft blocks that he has. He and I can sit there and build and build over and over forever and he loves it. Of course his favorite part is knocking them down :) He swings his little arm, knocks them down, and screams. So cute!!

Today I took Nathan to the zoo and it was a ton of fun. Nathan enjoyed the stroll but he wasn't so interested in the animals. I think it is because they were far away and he doens't quite understand yet that he needs to look for them. But it was a gorgeous day and he liked people watching.

Kisses!
Toni

First Haircut

I figured since Nathan will be 14 months old tomorrow...2/21... it was finally time for his first haircut. I took him to Tanas to see my stylist Kym, whom I've gone to since 1998. It was special to have her do this for me. She is pregnant and is due in 4 weeks so it was especially important to get this done before her maternity leave. Nathan did awesome! My mom held him because as always, once my mom grabs hold of Nathan, he doesn't want to come back to me so when we attempted to have me hold him in the chair, he started crying. Once we were all situated and the cut began, he was quiet the whole time and very still. My dad and I were like the paparazzi! Poor Kym, kept having flashes in her face. Nathan started sucking his thumb eventually because he was tired. I had woken him up from a nap to get to Tanas on time so he remained fairly comatosed the whole visit. Enjoy the pics!

Kisses

Toni

The Sweet Sound of Mama

Nathan is now 13 months old and is saying mama. This evolved from nah nah, which I loved dearly. He doesn't say mama all the time but when he does, my heart just melts. It's the cutest sound in the world!! His vocabulary is coming along quite well. His favorite word is cheerios, although it does sound like cheer-i-os but a shorter, baby version. I think Your Baby can Read is actually helping him. When we watch the show, he claps, waves and puts his arms up.

He is spending most of his time in the Toddler room now at daycare. Most of the kids in there are walking, which Nathan is not doing yet. I was worried at first that he would not be able to stand his ground since the kids are bigger and can walk but so far, so good. He even takes his nap on a mat without rolling off! I was amazed when I heard about that accomplishment. He sleeps much better in the Toddler room because they have a set nap time, unlike the infant room which has the babies napping at various times throughout the day. Nathan has a friend in there named Dylan. They are so cute together! Last Friday when I dropped Nathan off, he and Dylan were looking at each other reaching arms out. They were both trying to say the other's name too. Sooooo cute!!

This weekend I will finally get Nathan's first haircut. I am going to my stylist Kym who has done my hair since 1997. I am honored that she will cut his locks first. I will be sure and post pictures from that fun time.

Kisses!
Toni

Baby Steps...

My mom and sister got Nathan these really awesome toys for Christmas and his birthday that will help him learn to walk. This week, he starting taking his first wobbly steps with them! It's adorable! He stands up behind them and pushes the train out as far as he can without falling over, then puts one foot in front of the other. He does it very gingerly. He has had only one pretty bad spill and that was tonight. He was walking on the kitchen floor and was wearing a sleeper... so his feet were pretty slippery. I picked him up and after about a minute or two, he was back walking, this time on the carpet. When you fall off the horse, you have to get back in the saddle. Or something like that. People keep saying to be careful what I wish for and I understand that. Before too long, he will be walking and running like a pro!

Nathan has been fighting a cold/sinus issue/croup thing since November. This past Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, Nathan and I were up twice. 10:15pm and then 2:15am. The second time we were up was the first time he moaned and whimpered after each cough. He even began to anticipate the cough so he would wimper even more. Since it was so early in the morning and I did not want his yelling to wake the neighbors, all I could think to do was put on a Winnie the Pooh dvd that my sis gave me. It worked because after just a few minutes, he was in a zone. After 20 minutes, I was able to put him back to bed. And it was then that I decided to take him to the doctor AGAIN. For the third time. This time, the doc decided to treat for a sinus infection even though he said that was unlikely the cause. Nathan is on a 10 day treatment with amoxicillin. You know, the pink stuff that tastes like bubble gum? If this doesn't work then he will have to get a chest x-ray. His ears are perfect and his lungs sound fine but there may be something there that the doctor can't hear. He started Wednesday night and so far, his fever has gone down and his coughing has decreased. His nose has started pouring out more which I think is a good sign. Maybe it has been a sinus infection all along and now his sinuses are cleaning out! Last night we both went to bed extra early and we both needed it. We'd been keeping Dracula hours.

Last thing... I love that Nathan can drink cow's milk now!!!!!!!! I just open the milk and pour it in a cup or bottle. So much easier than being tied to a milking machine.

Happy new year to you all! I'm sure glad it's 2011!

Kisses
Toni

Christmas Morning

Techically this is Nathan's second Christmas but it was his first Christmas morning where he was able to partake in enjoying the wrapping paper and boxes. He loves his new toys! And I am having fun watching his big blue eyes light up with each one.

Turning 1 Means a Visit to the Doctor and Learning the Sippy Cup

Nathan had his 1 year check up this morning and everything turned out just fine. He is still on the rather small side but is growing in proportion and is very healthy. He weighed 18lbs, 3oz which put him below the 3 percentile. His height was 27 inches which put him right at the 3 percentile. His BMI is 50% so that is perfect... not too big, not too small. My little guy is just that... little. But he is perfectly healthy (except for that pesky cold). He got 3 shots too... MMR, chickenpox... which were combined into 1..., pneumonia, and HIB (I forget exactly what this is but has something to do with meningitis). His next visit to the doctor won't be until he is 18 months so he can take a break from shots, thank goodness.

A few positives about him being little is I can put off getting the forward facing carseat because he won't reach 20lbs for another 3-4 months. And I save on clothes because he has so much room in his 12 month outfits.

The doctor stressed the importance of teaching the sippy cup. I've tried and tried. Nathan enjoys the sippy cup but isn't the greatest at drinking from it. Doctor said that by 15 months if he isn't fully on the cup then the bottle will become like a security blanket and that is a no no.

I can't wait for Christmas with my baby :)

Kisses,

Toni