This just in...

Todd's at home with Nathan... which is where I'll be tomorrow & the rest of the week. Todd just sent me this photo...

Isn't that smile just priceless?

Santa 2009

Nathan sat on Santa's lap Christmas Eve & told him what a good little boy he's been & that he wanted a rocking horse & phone for Christmas. And knowing that he has been a sweet & wonderful little boy, Santa happily obliged & brought him all that & more.

Valleys & Peaks

Today started in a valley...

The power went out around 4 a.m.. It was still out when we woke at 6:20. I fed Nathan in the dark (got soaked by his first bout of projectile vomit), changed his diaper by the glow of Todd's iPhone flashlight app, and showered by candlelight. I am wearing an outfit that I wore just days ago because I couldn't iron or even see what was in my closet, and I am at work sans make-up.

Nathan & I both had doctor appointments this morning. I was looking forward to HOVing, but traffic on the interstate was at a stop, so I decided to go the back roads. That was probably a mistake since it took me 55 minutes to go 8 miles. I was late to my appointment, but thankfully we were early to Nathan's.

Nathan was diagnosed with a double ear infection and Bronchialitis, so he'll begin a 10-day course of antibiotics. Following the chat with the doctor, I decided to give him a bottle, which he quickly projectile vomited all over himself, his toys & blanket, and car seat. I was in tears, and thankfully another mom was there to hand me wipes. I couldn't even pick him up because he was covered in it and I was dressed for work. What kind of mom am I?

But it's ending with at a peak...

First, Nathan gained 10 ounces in 15 days. (He's still off the charts, so we are to continue with his feeding plan. They will see him again in 3 weeks, so hopefully he'll be almost a full pound heavier by then. Keep your fingers crossed & say a little prayer.)

Second, my mom is wonderful. Nathan is so blessed to have her as his MeMe. I am so blessed, too. Without me even asking, she volunteered Rich's services today, & she even though she only asked for Thursday off, her boss told her to take Friday too.

Third, Nathan is spending tonight with MeMe & PopPop, thereby giving me & Todd a chance to have a meal sans Peanut and my girls date night with Joan after my date with Todd to be stress-free. I'll get to do some holiday baking without having to take care of a sick baby.

It's been a stressful November & December with a sick household. Just as soon as we get well, we get sick. I know this too shall pass, but can it pass quickly? God knows I am impatient.

Which reminds me of my favorite Story People print...

"Most people don't know that there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life"

Tooth Fairy

Nathan's had a visit from the tooth fairy. (Yes, I know the TF traditionally takes the teeth, but Nathan's TF brings him teeth. Nathan's special like that!)

Nathan got his first tooth this past Saturday, November 28. Six months & 2 days old!

And since then, the TF is planning to make another stop at our home either tonight or tomorrow.

Halloween Week

We (OK, I) dressed Nathan in a Halloween outfit every day the week of Halloween. (Yes, I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but I can't get the costume photos off the camcorder. And since I already began drafting the post that will accompany the actual Halloween festivities & will hopefully post later today, please enjoy these photos in the meantime.)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

(forgot to take Monday's photo... oops!)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

(Who's your boo?)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Cutest pumpkin in the pumpkin patch!

Big boy with his spoon

Sunday, November 21, 2009

prunes

This is what happens when you let Nathan feed himself.

Big boy with his bottle

Thursday, November 19, 2009

This is the handsome boy & gorgeous smile that greeted me when I got home last Thursday. It sure does make a mommy's heart smile.

Today's Medicine

Last night we spent several hours at Scottish Rite in their Emergency Room. Nathan has been sick for over a week now, but his sudden lack of appetite, wet diapers, and tears caused us (& his doctor) concern. And while he certainly wasn't the sickest child there, he was my sickest child, and that's all that mattered.

And before I go into my story, let me just say that things have changed since I was a sick baby & child at Egleston. Having spent many minutes, hours, days, weeks, months (& maybe even a year or two total) at Egleston, I thought I knew what to expect. Boy was I wrong. Here's the story.

We were welcomed by The Valet (super nice guy by the way), greeted by The Receptionist, inspected by Nurse No. 1, assessed by Nurse No. 2, evaluated by Nurse No. 3, assigned to Nurse No. 4 (who by the way is THE nurse but didn't do a thing), seen by The Doctor, suctioned by Mr. Suction, and visited by The Welcoming Committee (I think that was her name, literally), but guess who we spent the most time with... yep, The Billing Office. Actually, The Billing Office came to us, worked with the computer (both in-room & laptop), and while she was very nice & polite, I really hate that she is the person Peanut spent the most time with. I also hate that The Doctor answered two phone calls (both work-related, but still) while he was talking with us and "fixing" Peanut.

In the end, we at least know he's not dehydrated today, that he either has a bacterial or viral infection that just needs to run its course (which by the way they don't know how long the course is), and that Nathan makes us all liars since he faked "I'm a healthy baby" while in the watchful eyes of all those above-named people. And all of that cost us $75.00.

Smile.

See Rock City

Mom, Nathan & I spent part of Sunday at Rock City. We did a "girls' weekend" with some of Mom's high school girl friends, and Nathan was the only guy (& only baby). Check out some of our photos...

Meme, Mommy & Peanut

Wonder what P is looking at.... hmmm

Mushroom Rock

Meme showing Peanut the pretty waterfall

Meme & Peanut on the swinging bridge

So You Think I Can Dance?

Mr. GQ

"Is this how you want me to pose, Meme?

Make sure you get my cute side!"

"How about this? Do I look casual enough?

I'm going for the 'Hey, baby. Can I get buy you a bottle?' look."

Happy 5 Months!!!

October 26... 5 months old!

October 26... 5 months old!

• Nathan "found" his foot yesterday, October 25.
• Started eating solids on September 28. (So far bananas are his favorite!)
• Loves to roll. Left to right, right to left. Belly to back, back to belly... doesn't matter!
• Loves hanging out in his exersaucer. We call it "the circus" because it has a circus theme.
• Loves taking long naps with Mommy.
• Loves taking long baths with Daddy. (He may be part fish!)
• Loves to talk, sing, squeal, laugh with delight & abandon. The best is his laugh when I say "I love you!" (The best!)
• Loves joining us at the kitchen table. Loves feeding himself & watching us feed ourselves.
• Loves everyone & everything!

More Food Photos

Carrots... October 25, 2009... lunch

Such a big boy helping us feed him. And while you can't see it in these photos, he actually has carrots in his ears. How does he do that?

Montage

Feeding himself & helping Daddy feed him... October 25, 2009... breakfast

Prunes... October 25, 2009... snack

Butternut squash... October 21, 2009... dinner

Silly Sippy

For a couple of weeks now, Nathan has been helping us feed him. He'll grab the bottle, yank it out, & then try to put it back in. Sometimes he's lucky, but most of the time he almost puts his eye out or sticks it up his nose. Give him credit though. At least he's in the right vicinity!

Well, tonight I decided to let him practice with his sippy cup. It's a lot shorter than his bottles, & the handles make it super easy for him to hold. He did an AWESOME job of holding it, & he even managed to get it in his mouth 2 or three times. WAY TO GO NATHAN!!!

Enjoy the photos...

It's official...

I'm a soccer mom!

My new ride... Chrysler Pacifica

Nathan buckled in & ready for his first ride!

Since Nathan's stroller did not fit in my car trunk, that meant that Nathan & I had to borrow Todd's SUV if we wanted to go anywhere other than Publix &/or Target, which meant that Todd wasn't able to do his weekend projects.

And since it only made sense, I got a cross-over. It's smaller than an SUV but without the label of "mini-van." Gasp. No way could I have driven a mini-van.

In case you didn't catch it...

Last weekend's activities were brought to you by the letter "P"

Pajamas & Pancakes

Sunday morning we enjoyed pancakes @ IHOP with Meme & PopPop. As an added bonus, Nathan got to wear his pajamas (& pumpkin bib from the day before... shhh).

Pop

Nathan meet his Pop this past weekend as well. After our trip to Burt's Farm, we continued north to Hiawassee (my second most favorite place on earth) to visit with Pop. We hoped to celebrate Pop's 80th birthday with him a few weeks ago, but our schedules didn't work. I am so glad Nathan & Pop got to finally meet.

PS... How many times did I say "Pop" in that one paragraph??? Four; five if you count the title!

Pumpkin Patch

This past Saturday we visited Burt's Pumpkin Farm in the North Georgia mountains. A definite must if you have small children! We had a great time picking out some pretty & some wicked looking pumpkins. Just see for yourself...

Look what we found in the pumpkin patch!

Our Little Pumpkin

Halloween Candy

Dear Twix & Snickers,

Why must you be so yummy? Why must you call my name? Don't you know I am trying to lose these last five pounds of baby weight?

So, if you don't mind, the next time I am at my mom's & I walk past the HUGE bag of you little sweet treats, please don't speak to me. Seriously.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

CA

Handsome

The pjs say it all...

Saturday, October 3, 7:07 a.m.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Nathan went to school this morning looking like this...

And came home looking like this...



(I think it's time I put a few outfits in his diaper bag!)

Happy Fall, Y'all

October is my favorite month. Todd & I married this month because it only made sense.

I know Fall officially starts September 20-22, depending on the year, but it doesn't seem like Fall to me until October arrives.

What do I love about Fall, you ask? Well...

• Leaves changing colors
• Brisk mornings & evenings
• Sleeping with the windows open to welcome the crisp air in
• Driving with the windows down & the heat on so my toes stay warm
• Long sleeves & jeans & flip flops
• Pumpkins & pies, together or not
• Baking Fall treats that make my house smell like home
• Halloween, especially now that we have Nathan to share it with
• Festivals near & far, & even better if there's funnel cake

In honor of Fall's arrival, we snapped this photo of Nathan on October 1st.

More photos to come as we visit Burt's Farm this weekend where we'll shop for more pumpkins, enjoy a hayride, & maybe make a trip to the North Georgia mountains where we we'll have lunch with Pop & see some of those Fall leaves.
What do you love about Fall?

Charity Begins at Home

I watched the 20/20 story about Albinos in Tanzania. Their stories touched my heart. We are so blessed to have a healthy child, and even more blessed to live the life that we do. Very blessed.

In addition to touching my heart, their stories also made me cry... and then reach into my wallet to make a donation. If you feel the same way I do, here's the link to Under the Same Sun.

Stats

Nathan went for his 4 month old appointment last Monday. While waiting for his doctor to come in, he did no less than 50 rolls! Tummy to back, back to tummy, it didn't matter. He just wanted to move! He even did a few "army crawls" to pass the time. He seriously continues to amaze us every day.

His stats are as follows:

Length- 24 1/2"

Weight- 12 lb. 7 oz.

Head- 16"

His doctor says he's PERFECT and was in awe of his ability to move around so well so early.

The not-so-fun part of the day were the immunization shots. He got DTaP, Hib, Polio, Rotavirus and Prevnar (pneumococcal) vaccines. He'll most likely get the flu shot in late November at his 6 month appointment given that he is in daycare and kids seem to be the host organisms for all things evil. (Just kidding!)

Will work for food

Last Monday at Nathan's 4-month appointment his doctor gave us permission to begin him on solids. Since last Monday he has enjoyed the following:

Peas
Carrots
Apples
Squash

Butternut Squash

Pears

I personally made the butternut squash. I will be making green beans tonight and adding that to his diet tomorrow evening, and I am thinking avocados & bananas will soon follow. He still has a jar of prunes & a jar of sweet potatoes to try, but once he finishes those jars, I plan on feeding him homemade baby food. That way it's made with love by Mommy.

PS... There are lots of photos that I will be sharing very soon. They have been downloaded to our computer at home, and of course I am writing this post while at work. So check back in the coming days. They'll be a part of this entry.

Oopah!

Sunday afternoon, Nathan & I joined Joan & Joe on a field trip to the Atlanta Greek Festival. I have always wanted to go, and now with Nathan to share the day with, it was perfect timing!

We enjoyed gyros & Greek potatoes (lightly seasoned with lemon & various spices... yum) while listening to some wonderful music. The weather was perfect; not too hot nor too cold.

Nathan apparently enjoys "people watching" just as much as I do as he couldn't sit still to drink his bottle. The sights, the noises, the energy captivated him. He definitely likes to be a part of the action and to take it all in!

PS... As usual, I took my camera but didn't manage to take a single picture. We were too busy enjoying it all and living in the moment. As much as I want to remember the day in pictures, I guess I'll just have to relive it in my mind.

The First Supper

Nathan joined us at the dinner table tonight. Meme fed him his dinner while he sat in his high chair. What a joy to have him enjoy a meal with us.

Lazy Weekend

My guys, asleep on the couch. What a wonderful weekend.

Sunday afternoon nap.

Yummy for My Tummy

While we have not introduced "solids" into Nathan 's diet just yet, we have been feeding him rice cereal in his evening bottle for almost 2 months now. It's just a little something to help him sleep a little bit longer at night. (And yes, I know rice cereal technically is a "solid," but I think of fruits & veggies when I think of solids.)

So a few weeks ago, September 3rd to be exact, we decided to see how Nathan liked rice cereal when it wasn't in his bottle. We think he liked it. What do you think?

"What is that white stuff? I hope you don't think I'm going to put that in my mouth."

"You are. Wait. That feels kinda good on my lips."

"Mmmm. I'm liking it. Thanks, Mom!"

"Do I look silly with this white stuff on my lips?"

"Good. I was hoping I would. You know how silly I am."

"I LOVE you Mommy! Thank you for feeding me this white stuff."

You're welcome, Peanut!