We're finally back home in Nashville. What a relief! It has been a long, fun, crazy summer, and it's good to be back in our own space, where we know our way around the city, and where we know people's names at church. We've got Nathan on a better routine now, and we're all appreciating the sleep that results . . . usually. (I think we've got more teeth coming in. The count is at 4 right now--the bottom two, the top right front, and a random one on the left top.)
Nathan is creeping along like a rock star. He doesn't love it--I think he's wondering why all of a sudden his mom is putting him on his tummy and walking away so much--but he's motivated to get the toys we put a short distance in front of him, and motivated to get his pacifier at almost any distance. Nathan has also developed a great pincer grasp (thumb & index finger) which he uses to pick up all sorts of tiny objects that he then gets taken away from him.
Which leads me to talk about how Nathan is recognizing lots of words. He sure hears "no" often enough. His favorites are his name, "What does the kitty say? Does the kitty say, 'meee-oooow'?", "be-bo" (belly button, taken from one of his favorite books), and "up." He babbles the following consonants with a short "a" sound: b, c/k, d, g, h, m, p, & w. The other day, we were driving around running errands and in the backseat mirror we saw Nathan with a look of utmost concentration. He then proclaimed "cccaaa!" This scene repeated itself several times--concentrate, cccaaa, concentrate, cccaaa. I really admire how hard my little guy works to accomplish things. I hope this is a quality he has forever. Nathan gives hugs & kisses now, though not always when asked (he's not a trained seal!) and can pull the blanket off his or my head when we play peek-a-boo.
Nathan also enjoys a lot of different foods now, including some finger foods, like peas, rice cakes, corn chex, rice, and small pieces of ground beef. We're waiting to hear at his next doctor's appointment what to do about his suspected wheat allergy. (When we were in Houston one night, I gave him mixed grain cereal. He loved it, but half an hour later when he was in bed, we heard him start bawling. We ran upstairs just in time to watch him vomit the the entire contents of his stomach onto the sheet. Poor kid. In the past, he's broken out in a red rash around his mouth when he ate a cracker, but his crazy mom had to investigate whether it was the salt or the wheat. Looks like the wheat. Hopefully he'll outgrow it.)
Nathan has some favorite games that I'm jotting down here so that I don't forget them someday. He loves when I hold him by his hips and swing him upside-down. Spinning in the computer chair and flirting with the baby in the mirror are favorites, too. Since he was about 5 months old he adores a game we call "IN A TENT" (said in a loud, spooky voice). We cover ourselves with a sheet, look at each other, I say "Oh no, we're in a tent!" and we then thrash our arms around until we pull the sheet off. We can play this game for hours. Nathan also loves sitting in the bathroom sink while I do my hair and make up (thanks for the idea, Cammen!), and anything that makes noise--pots & pans, a box with a lid, his high chair tray. He loves dropping things from the high chair or stroller and looking for them (it's crazy, but I never get tired of picking them up for him, since I know he is developing object permanence this way).
Jake is back in school. He's taking classes in environmental law, employment discrimination, and two economic/statistics & the law type classes. He accepted his offer at Baker Botts in Dallas in their ERISA group, so that means he will be working on employee benefits packages & executive compensation packages for corporations. He enjoyed his time in that group and in the corporate group at Baker Botts, but ultimately went for the ERISA group because they enjoy a better quality of life (aka, fewer hours away from family. Robin Williams' character in Hook was a corporate lawyer, and we all know how he sent his assistant to tape his son's baseball game for him, and then his kids were kidnapped into Neverland, and frankly, we don't want Nathan going anywhere with Captain Hook).
In my world, I just started up Weight Watchers again. Last time I was on it, I lost 8 pounds in three weeks. Then I found out I was pregnant & had to stop. Hopefully this time I'll be able to get to my goal without a pregnancy putting things on hold! I also received a calling last Sunday to serve on the Enrichment Committee. It should be fun to help plan and put together the activities for the sisters. I'm sure I'll be picking everyone's brains for fun ideas.
August 28, 2008
August 1, 2008
24th of July in Utah
We just had a blast in Utah visiting our grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Nathan really enjoyed the time he spent with the Barneys and the Howards.
On the 23rd of July, he went to the Handcart Days parade in Bountiful with Grandma Patty, Grandpa Rob, Aunt Linds, Uncles Matt & Bozz, and Cousin Kale. Mom was worried that the sirens would scare him, but he was unphased--what a great kid!
The next day, he went to breakfast at the Star Cafe in Layton with the Barneys and tried to eat the menus. After that, he enjoyed a walk in the stroller (and fell asleep!) while Mom & Dad went to Paces for a treat with Grandma Elaine & Grandpa Ken. He finished off the day with a dip in Grandma Patty's pool and a barbecue at the Wises. He saw his buddy Kelsie and feasted on a couple of delicious pickle chips.
The rest of the trip was spent visiting family & Nathan being babysat by grandmas & grandpas while Mom & Dad enjoyed dinner out, going to the mall, and getting an ice cream just the two of them. Thanks again, you guys are the best!!! Nathan had the special treat of seeing Great-Grandpa LaMar & Great-Grandma Dorothy at Leatherby's in Salt Lake. It's always neat to have so many generations of family together. The only downside to the occasion was that there was a tanker truck rollover on the freeway on the way back and it took Mom & Nathan (Dad was back in Houston for work) an hour and a half to get home. Nathan cried most of the way--he wanted to be held, but only his car seat was there for him. He fell asleep for the last five minutes of the drive, and woke up completely refreshed and playful, like nothing ever happened. Thank heavens babies are so forgetful (or forgiving, I'm not sure which!).
Besides his recent adventures in Utah, Nate continues to grow too fast. He has tried a bunch of new foods--bananas, peaches, and pears. He is starting to develop object permanence. When Mom hides his pacifier under a blanket, he goes looking for it. Nate is trying to get himself into a sitting position on his own, and is getting better at it every day. He got a cell phone for himself when he ruined Mom's with his drool (she got herself an identical new one, so that when she needs to talk on the phone, he can talk on his without feeling like he is getting the short end of the stick). His new favorite song is "Kiss the Girl" from Disney's The Little Mermaid (maybe it would help if Mom & Dad knew all the words--we're working on it). Nathan is an amazingly sweet little boy with smiles for everyone, even if the smiles are a bit bashful, with Nathan tucking his head into Mom's shoulder. We feel so blessed that he is part of our family, and that we had the chance to spend a week with them. We can't wait to see you all again soon!!!
On the 23rd of July, he went to the Handcart Days parade in Bountiful with Grandma Patty, Grandpa Rob, Aunt Linds, Uncles Matt & Bozz, and Cousin Kale. Mom was worried that the sirens would scare him, but he was unphased--what a great kid!
The next day, he went to breakfast at the Star Cafe in Layton with the Barneys and tried to eat the menus. After that, he enjoyed a walk in the stroller (and fell asleep!) while Mom & Dad went to Paces for a treat with Grandma Elaine & Grandpa Ken. He finished off the day with a dip in Grandma Patty's pool and a barbecue at the Wises. He saw his buddy Kelsie and feasted on a couple of delicious pickle chips.
The rest of the trip was spent visiting family & Nathan being babysat by grandmas & grandpas while Mom & Dad enjoyed dinner out, going to the mall, and getting an ice cream just the two of them. Thanks again, you guys are the best!!! Nathan had the special treat of seeing Great-Grandpa LaMar & Great-Grandma Dorothy at Leatherby's in Salt Lake. It's always neat to have so many generations of family together. The only downside to the occasion was that there was a tanker truck rollover on the freeway on the way back and it took Mom & Nathan (Dad was back in Houston for work) an hour and a half to get home. Nathan cried most of the way--he wanted to be held, but only his car seat was there for him. He fell asleep for the last five minutes of the drive, and woke up completely refreshed and playful, like nothing ever happened. Thank heavens babies are so forgetful (or forgiving, I'm not sure which!).
Besides his recent adventures in Utah, Nate continues to grow too fast. He has tried a bunch of new foods--bananas, peaches, and pears. He is starting to develop object permanence. When Mom hides his pacifier under a blanket, he goes looking for it. Nate is trying to get himself into a sitting position on his own, and is getting better at it every day. He got a cell phone for himself when he ruined Mom's with his drool (she got herself an identical new one, so that when she needs to talk on the phone, he can talk on his without feeling like he is getting the short end of the stick). His new favorite song is "Kiss the Girl" from Disney's The Little Mermaid (maybe it would help if Mom & Dad knew all the words--we're working on it). Nathan is an amazingly sweet little boy with smiles for everyone, even if the smiles are a bit bashful, with Nathan tucking his head into Mom's shoulder. We feel so blessed that he is part of our family, and that we had the chance to spend a week with them. We can't wait to see you all again soon!!!
July 11, 2008
The Fourth of July
We spent the Fourth of July back in Dallas, looking at houses & neighborhoods since that is where Jake thinks he would like to end up working. Only one model home we were interested in was open on the holiday, so after we checked it out, we headed to a carnival in a nearby city called Frisco. At "Taste of Frisco" we enjoyed the bands and Nathan met Uncle Sam on stilts. He has no fear--Uncle Sam lifted him into the air, while his nervous mom snapped pictures from below. I think Nathan probably just munched his fingers the whole time, completely oblivious to how high he was in relation to the solid ground.
That night we watched fireworks from the 19th story balcony of the condo we rented in Dallas. At first Nate was just wide-eyed at being out on the porch in the dark, but the fireworks in the distance finally caught his eye, and he loved taking it all in. Nathan is really a studier--people are always commenting to us on what a good, quiet baby he is, when we know what a talker he is at home, and that he's just so amazed at what is going on around him that he is rendered speechless!
Back in Houston this week, we set up Nathan's exer-saucer. He got the sweetest look on his face when we put him in it for the first time, like he was thinking, "Oh boy, is this really just for me?" He is working on crawling--he sticks his little bum up in the air and grabs the carpet in front of him to kind of scoot around. Not super-effective, but once he figures it out, it'll change our lives forever. He is also starting to babble, with his favorite refrain of "ga-ga-ga." He also seems to be starting to mimic sounds we make--when I feed him applesauce and say "mm-mm" he replies with a long "mmmmm" sound.
Nathan is so fun to tickle. The best spots are his ribs, his legs, and his feet. I've found the best way to get him giggling is to nibble on his feet. He loves to play peek-a-boo while I'm doing laundry. I put him on the bed with the clothes, toss a t-shirt over his head, and he grins like a million bucks when he pulls it off and I say "boo!" Nathan also loves when we fill the sink with a little bit of water and let him splash his feet. His favorite song is "Jesus Wants Nate for a Sunbeam." He is developing the cutest little personality.
Funny story: We're starting to work on reading scriptures as a family and including Nate, so our scriptures are usually on the nightstand near the bed. We have a shortage of space in the 1-bedroom apartment we're renting over the summer, so we also change him on the bed. So, one night we're changing him to get ready for bed, and he decides to pee, all over mom, the bed, and the scriptures. His dad jokes that it's the ultimate sacrilege, but I say, when you gotta go, you gotta go!
That night we watched fireworks from the 19th story balcony of the condo we rented in Dallas. At first Nate was just wide-eyed at being out on the porch in the dark, but the fireworks in the distance finally caught his eye, and he loved taking it all in. Nathan is really a studier--people are always commenting to us on what a good, quiet baby he is, when we know what a talker he is at home, and that he's just so amazed at what is going on around him that he is rendered speechless!
Back in Houston this week, we set up Nathan's exer-saucer. He got the sweetest look on his face when we put him in it for the first time, like he was thinking, "Oh boy, is this really just for me?" He is working on crawling--he sticks his little bum up in the air and grabs the carpet in front of him to kind of scoot around. Not super-effective, but once he figures it out, it'll change our lives forever. He is also starting to babble, with his favorite refrain of "ga-ga-ga." He also seems to be starting to mimic sounds we make--when I feed him applesauce and say "mm-mm" he replies with a long "mmmmm" sound.
Nathan is so fun to tickle. The best spots are his ribs, his legs, and his feet. I've found the best way to get him giggling is to nibble on his feet. He loves to play peek-a-boo while I'm doing laundry. I put him on the bed with the clothes, toss a t-shirt over his head, and he grins like a million bucks when he pulls it off and I say "boo!" Nathan also loves when we fill the sink with a little bit of water and let him splash his feet. His favorite song is "Jesus Wants Nate for a Sunbeam." He is developing the cutest little personality.
Funny story: We're starting to work on reading scriptures as a family and including Nate, so our scriptures are usually on the nightstand near the bed. We have a shortage of space in the 1-bedroom apartment we're renting over the summer, so we also change him on the bed. So, one night we're changing him to get ready for bed, and he decides to pee, all over mom, the bed, and the scriptures. His dad jokes that it's the ultimate sacrilege, but I say, when you gotta go, you gotta go!
July 2, 2008
The Barneys in Texas
We are in Houston, Texas until August 15 while Jake does his internship at Sutherland. Nathan and I are enjoying sleeping in and working on sitting up while Daddy is hard at work (those 2 hour lunches at Brazilian steakhouses keep him pretty busy!)
So far, Houston has been hot and rainy. Our apartment is nice on the inside, but in a slightly scary neighborhood (lots of dudes walking around without shirts with a slightly vagrant air, if you know what I mean). We're looking forward to getting out and about to see the city once we have our bearings a bit.
We just finished up Jake's internship in Dallas with Baker Botts. He loved it, and will likely receive an offer from them at the end of the summer. It's exciting to have a light at the end of the tunnel, and stop living off loan money eventually. Right now our financial net worth is negative, but I keep remembering D& C 18:10: "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."
Nathan keeps us laughing. He thinks it is hilarious to hide under a sheet and kick his legs. We fed him peas for the first time the other day, and he made the funniest hissing noise while he decided whether to spit them out or swallow (mostly deciding to spit them out). I took him to the doctor last week in Dallas and he now weighs 17 lbs. 7 oz. (40th percentile), is 27.25 inches long (69th percentile), and has a head circumference of 16.5 inches (5th percentile).
Not a lot going on with me--gaining a lot of weight as we sample the new Dallas and Houston cuisine! That will give me something new to work on (or off, as the case may be) when we get back to Nashville.
So far, Houston has been hot and rainy. Our apartment is nice on the inside, but in a slightly scary neighborhood (lots of dudes walking around without shirts with a slightly vagrant air, if you know what I mean). We're looking forward to getting out and about to see the city once we have our bearings a bit.
We just finished up Jake's internship in Dallas with Baker Botts. He loved it, and will likely receive an offer from them at the end of the summer. It's exciting to have a light at the end of the tunnel, and stop living off loan money eventually. Right now our financial net worth is negative, but I keep remembering D& C 18:10: "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."
Nathan keeps us laughing. He thinks it is hilarious to hide under a sheet and kick his legs. We fed him peas for the first time the other day, and he made the funniest hissing noise while he decided whether to spit them out or swallow (mostly deciding to spit them out). I took him to the doctor last week in Dallas and he now weighs 17 lbs. 7 oz. (40th percentile), is 27.25 inches long (69th percentile), and has a head circumference of 16.5 inches (5th percentile).
Not a lot going on with me--gaining a lot of weight as we sample the new Dallas and Houston cuisine! That will give me something new to work on (or off, as the case may be) when we get back to Nashville.
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