Eight Months Old and Other Fun Stuff

Hello, again! I have been so busy this month with my new hobby (more on that later) that I have neglected the blog. We have all been sick, then well, then sick again, and Nate is now on his second ear infection in less than a month. So I have not slept for the last five days because he is up fussing so much at night. Meanwhile, he has been growing, growing, growing, and moving, moving, moving!! He is crawling full speed ahead now. His favorite thing is to get into things he's not supposed to, like getting into the dogs' toy basket or pushing buttons on our phone. He's a lot of fun, but he sure does wear a mama out!!  He turned eight months old on the 26th, and he is a whopping 22 1/2 pounds of pure sweetness.

New things with Nate:

- He is crawling everywhere on hands and knees. He never was a scooter.

- Pulling up on his knees but hasn't figured out how to get his feet up under him yet.

- Can sit up from a lying position.

- He is into EVERYTHING!! We have to watch him like a hawk.

- He loves to have his picture taken and gets the biggest smile on his face when his sees a camera pointed at him.

Eight month chair pic

I'm smiling even when I'm sick

He loves to pull books out of his basket and he loves to read.

I have tried and tried to post video of some of Nate's newest tricks, but I have never been successful with that on this blog. I will keep trying though.

Seven Months Old!!

Sorry I'm late with this one!

Nate is just growing like a little weed!! He continues to amaze us every day with something new. He is so curious and wants to be a part of everything we do. Of course I have loved every phase so far, but he is just so much fun at this stage!

New things Nate is doing:

- Gets up on his hands and knees and wants to crawl so badly, but just can't figure out how to make himself go yet.

- Can sit by himself for long periods of time, but would rather be rolling from place to place.

- Can roll from one side of the room to the other in 1.6 seconds.

- Is into everything!! We can't leave him alone anymore.

- He talks nonstop. His new words are "dada" and "baba." He recognizes them when we say them and gets so excited.

- He loves to read. His favorite book is his black and white book called "Look Look." Most of all he likes to help turn the pages.

- He is drooling like an English bulldog but still no teeth on the horizon.

- He still has not met a stranger and smiles at everyone he meets. He is the happiest baby, even when he doesn't feel well.

- He was 21 1/2 pounds at the doctor this week and is outgrowing some of his new fall clothes. We are having a really hard time finding shoes for him because he has such fat little sausage feet.

He is currently a size 4.

- He is now an official thumb-sucker (right thumb only) and could care less about his paci.

- He hasn't met a food he didn't like, even broccoli!

- He is SOOO laid back, very unlike both of his parents. So not typical of a first child! He hardly takes naps but is rarely fussy if he doesn't nap.

We could not be more overjoyed and grateful for the chance to raise this little guy. He is such a blessing!!

I'm seven months old!!

He was terrified of his new tub at first, but this night we clapped and cheered when we put him in it and that was all it took. Now he loves it!



Nate's First Beach Trip!!

First of all, let's start with 6 month stats... Nate was 20 pounds (86th percentile) and 29 inches long (100th percentile!) We have a very big boy on our hands!! He is pretty much wearing 12 month clothes now and some of those are even too short. We can't afford to keep this kid in clothes!!

We went down to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Daphne, Alabama a couple weeks ago. We took Nate to the beach one afternoon and he LOVED it! He loved kicking the sand with his toes and was mesmerized by the waves. We couldn't get him to look at the camera because he was too busy playing in the water. We didn't stay very long because he realized he was hungry and started getting cranky. I can't wait to take him back next summer and watch him play in the sand and water.

Last weekend we took Nate and his cousins, Maggie Beth and Abby, to the pumpkin patch in their matching shirts to get pictures. We had so much fun watching the babies interact with each other. Nate was more interested in eating the hay than anything else! This will be the only time we will ever get them to sit still in one spot for pictures!

Nate sucking Maggie's thumb. He's not partial to his own thumb!

I could just eat him up!



Happy Half Birthday to Nate!!

Our boy is six months old!! Wow, I can't believe how quickly time is flying! Nate is growing up way too fast. Sorry I have been slacking on the blogging this month. Between my new sewing hobby and trying to get a house ready to sell, I haven't had much time. Yes, we are putting our house on the market! We have officially outgrown this house and need to upgrade before the next little one comes along. Since selling a house these days could take many months, we decided we'd better get started. My parents so graciously came up here this weekend to help us do some things around the house. My mom was more than thrilled to keep Nate occupied while we worked.

Nate is doing so many new things. He is in the stage now where each week he is so much more developed than the week before. New things:

-Still a great sleeper. Takes one good nap during the day.

- Sitting up now, unsupported!! He is still a little wobbly, so we have to sit close by, but he can sit by himself for a while before toppling over.

- He is always, always, always drooling!! We still don't see any teeth on the horizon, but surely they are coming soon!

- He loves attention. He will do anything for attention, even negative attention. We are starting to have to correct him with our tone of voice. I hope he is not as strong-willed as both of his parents!

- He is rolling all over the place. We can't put him down and leave him  now because he will be across the room in no time flat.

- He is wearing 6-9 months clothing. All of his 6 month footed pajamas are getting too small for him because he is so long.

- He is always smiling. Nate is the happiest little guy I have ever seen. He even still smiles at strangers and loves old people.

- He is trying out so many new sounds and has so many expressions. He makes us laugh just looking at him.

- He is now exclusively bottle feeding. I had to give up breastfeeding because I was not making enough for him since I went back to work. I went as long as I could though, and it was hard to start bottle feeding him, but at least I knew I didn't have a choice. It doesn't bother him one bit, though, just mommy!

We are going for his six months checkup on Wednesday, so I will have to update on his stats. We are also going to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Mobile this coming weekend, which is a seven-hour drive. I am sure it will certainly be interesting! Please say a prayer for us!!

Here is a month's worth of pictures to catch you up!

He no longer sits back and relaxes for his monthly chair pic.

Such a busy boy!

Sitting up all by myself.

Playing in my pack-n-play

Bathtime is still my favorite!

I love my bouncer!

Went to see my cousin Abby in Starkville last weekend.

We loved playing together, but aren't really good at sharing yet!

I love my johnny jump-up! Murphy is very protective of me.

I've Caught the Bug....

....The sewing bug!! Yes, I am learning how to sew and embroider/applique. I bought a sewing machine and an embroidery machine and have been taking sewing lessons on Monday nights. So far I have learned to make long and short johnnies for Nate and have made one of each! I also made a cute pair of corduroy pants for him last night that I am going to pair with a cute appliqued shirt for the fall. My fabulous sister-in-law, Candice (http://www.mysewsweetboutique.blogspot.com/) has been (very patiently) teaching me how to monogram and applique. She has helped me to make Nate's johnnies very cute along with some really cute bibs. I haven't used my own embroidery machine yet because I am still waiting on a part, but I can't wait to whip up some really cute creations!!

Nate proudly sporting his new outfit (which is pretty much too short!)

Five Months Old!!!

Our little doodlebug is five months old!!! Nate is growing before our very eyes into a very bright, curious little guy. It is amazing to watch how quickly he is developing each day. He is in such a fun stage and we are always laughing at the sounds and giggles he makes.

Fun things Nate is doing:

- He is rolling from back to tummy and tummy to back.

- Sleeping 12 hours consistently through the night!!

- He has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, bananas, avocados, and sweet peas and loves them all. He hasn't met a food he doesn't like (and it shows!)

- He is somewhere between 17 1/2 - 18 pounds and I love every single pudgy little roll.

- He is very good at reaching and grabbing things and putting them in his mouth.

- He cackles so hard when Ben is playing with him and tickling his tummy.

(I've been trying to post videos but my computer won't let me.)

- He babbles, babbles, babbles all the time.

- He is tripod sitting and sitting unsupported for short periods.

- He is very snuggly and loves to hug and kiss (very slobbery kisses of course!)

- H still only takes catnaps during the day.

- He LOVES Murphy!! He loves to pet him and pull his ears and Murphy is very gentle with him.
I think they are going to be big buds!!

Five month chair pic

Does this guy love the camera or what?!