Got Milk?

Nathan is completely off formula and has started drinking regular milk. He seems to like it a lot. He likes to play with his bottle when he is done but we have to watch him or he will toss it. There is always a dog waiting nearby waiting to pounce on it. It is funny to see a dog running by holding a bottle by the nipple.
His favorite game now is chase-the-kitty. If he sees a cat he will take off at a speed crawl after her giggling and squealing. Belle the cat loves this game. Molly not so much. Belle will saunter up to Nathan when he is playing and get fluffy then take off down the hall hoping he will chase her. They are so cute together!

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas At Nana's House

Our family Christmas gathering was at Mom's house this year.

Mom and Nathan above. Jack, Christine and Caleb below. Jennell, Daniel and James, below right.





Nathan sure does like his cousins.
Family Photo, Christmas 2006.

Christmas and Cousins

Since Jack, Christine and Caleb are going to Canada for Christmas, we went to their house last night for dinner and to exchange gifts.

Nathan was a bit stressed when we got there but he soon started enjoying Calebs toys. Caleb likes Nathan and wants to grab him and kiss him. Nathan is not quite sure what to think of that. At one time he decided that Caleb didn't need that pacifier any more. He hates them himself so maybe he thought it was bothersome to Caleb. Caleb loves his paci! He is seven months old now. Nathan is almost 17 months. Caleb and Nathan in front of the tree. They don't have a clue to what the fuss is all about. Someday boys... you will look forward to this all year.


When it was time for Nathan to open his gift, Julian the cat had to come and help. Nathan looked at him as if to say, "Not another one!"

Of course the boys were mostly interested in playing with the bows and pretty paper but they both got some cool gifts.

Buddies

We have started giving Nathan a bottle whenever we are trying to eat and this keeps him somewhat occupied and happy. Here I put him on the couch next to me. Trigger is never far away while I am home and she laid here and let Nathan kick her the entire time he was eating.

Nathan is taking a real liking to the dogs. Sometimes when he is sees one he will smile and take off and a fast crawl after them. This makes Ranger flee. He's not so sure what this little guy wants. I am thinking that because Nathan is still crawling and not stomping around on their paws, it has made the transition easier. He doesn't cry any more when Liberty licks his face.

I was so worried about the integration of our baby and furbabies but this has actually been one of the smoothest adjustments. I think Trigger is sad that she is no longer the baby but she is happy that she still gets to sleep with us so that makes everything okay.

For some reason whenever Nathan gets into a real crying jag the cats all appear and start meowing loudly at us as if to say, "Can't you do something?"

Someday, they are all going to be good buddies.

Back to Work

We went to the Myriad Gardens to look at the Christmas lights there. It was COLD!

I started back to work yesterday and I'm very disorganized. Tomorrow morning I have to be in Norman at 0630 so I really should be in bed yet here I am.

It feels almost weird to be at work. I really missed my family. Ron gets to stay home for another month so I am envious but it will work out. Nathan was napping when I left for work yesteray so I didn't see him awake until this morning and he got really excited to see me. I hope us returning to work will not be too hard on him.

Nathan is adjusting better and we make a little more progress each day. He can get so mad when we do anything that he hasn't done before. I'm convinced that we are reaping something from Ron's childhood because I was a good baby. :) His little temper tantrums are almost comical because he makes so many faces. They are getting shorter all the time because he realizes that he is not going to get his way so he gives up and starts sucking his thumb with a resigned look. The good news is that we are no longer experiencing this at every diaper change and bath. (Hurray!)

Nathan has started smiling and talking to the dogs when he thinks we are not looking. When we lock them up so he can play on the floor he crawls to the gate and bangs on it which makes them crazy. All the dogs love him. Trigger keeps bringing him her toys. I think she is hoping he will trade her for some of his.

He is really starting to play with his toys more. The kitties sit and watch in awe as he plays and once in a while a paw snakes out from under the crib's dust ruffle and snatches a toy that has gotten too close.

We went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel tonight and Nathan sat in his high chair and was so good. He got his first taste of some Southern food. He liked the dumplings and the mashed potatoes and the applesauce. He did not like the biscuits and looked at me like "What the hec are you trying to do to me?!" when I fed him a bite of turnip greens. hee hee

First Haircut

Daddy is giving me a pep talk. This is an outfit I bought in China for Nathan. It's nice and warm.


We finally found a place to get Nathan's haircut and it was perfect! It's called "Snip It" and they do only kid's hair. It's a chain so a lot of you might have already heard of it but I hadn't so I was pleased.




The lady was able to cut his hair very fast and he did pretty well. He cried a little but not as much as he does during a bath. I think he looks so cute with it cut.

Holiday Lights

This is Nathan's first Christmas Tree we are sure. So far he has broken only one ornament and that was Mommy' s fault for leaning him in too close for a look. He doesn't like posing by himself.




We went to look at Christmas lights. Nathan found them interesting and we had to get out of the car and check out a few up close. It's so pretty to see the lights on the snow which we rarely get.

Happy Holidays!

It's Christmas Time!

Things are going more smoothly around here. Nathan is getting used to the house and seems more comfortable. We are seeing a lot more smiles and less tears as the days go by. Christmas time is always special but this year it will be even more so since we have our son home!

Nathan has taken a liking to the dogs which is wonderful since they all like him. We shut them off in the kitchen so that he can play on the floor and he crawls to the door and bangs on it until we let them out.

We had a big snow yesterday so today we went outside to investigate.

Our First Week Home

I got a phone call today asking why I haven't posted since we've been home. The reason is that Nathan is having a hard time adjusting to the time change and the new house so we haven't had a lot of happy baby pictures. We are spending a lot of time holding him and trying to make him comfortable.

We try to get down on the floor with him and make him crawl around a couple of times a day so he can get some excercise. Otherwise he would let us hold him all the time. He is doing better and crawling further away from us but if he spies me on the floor - especially with a camera he will come crawling toward me crying as if I tricked him into being happy for a few moments. He likes the camera which is great because Mommy loves to take pictures! Bathtime continues to be dramatic. I interpret this picture as "NO! I want to be dirty!" Nathan started shaking his head "no" a few days ago. I was wondering where this came from when Ron admitted he shakes his head "no" when he tells Nathan he can't do something. Now we get the "no" head wagging at diaper change and carseat time and high chair time. We tried the shopping cart yesterday and received a lot of head wagging. It's so cute and I'm glad he can communicate a little with us.

"Oh NO! I'm in the duck again!" This little duck tub is great. Well...at least we think so.
After the bath we get bundled up and snuggled. He wears this betrayed look for a while and finally calms down when he gets his pajamas on.

We are not getting a lot accomplished right now. Ron has been working on the Christmas decorations and is outside hanging the lights now. It turned very cold here today so my plans to take him for a walk are cancelled. We will see what Nathan feels like doing later. Every day is getting a little better.

We Are Home

Nathan is finally home where he belongs. He slept in his crib last night and this is a picture of when he first awakened. He often has the same confused look on his face as he views his surroundings. When Daddy or Mommy picks him up he is better. He is getting more used to his surroundings. He will play on the floor for short periods of time.



We tried out the high chair. It should have been called "high drama". Nathan hates it but we are working with him. He looks so little in it. After many tears we finally got him to eat. We started him on some baby food while we were in China and he loves it but he wants to sit in our laps and wipe his face on our shirts while we eat. We were glad to get home to the high chair.


Nathan doesn't care for the changing pad either but I am really enjoying it. It makes it much easier to change the wiggly worm.
I'm happy to report that he is not afraid of the dogs! He doesn't like them to lick his face but he is okay with them walking around and being nearby. Liberty loves him. She makes a beeline for him whenever she sees him and tries to jump on him so we have to get her to calm down. She is only seven months now and still quite the puppy. Last night we had some play time. Nathan pulled on her fur and her ears and she sat next to me looking quite pleased. Sergeant Major has appointed himself as Nathan's guardian. He takes up residence next to Nathan's crib or playpen and doesn't let the other dogs near.

We had a visit from Jack, Christine, and Caleb today. Caleb and Nathan noticed each other and gave a couple of happy pats and baby hugs. It's going to be so much fun watching the two of them together.