---DIRT---

We FINALLY had some decent weather around here, so we took advantage of it this weekend! Yesterday we went for a walk around our neighborhood. It is going to be such a family-friendly place this summer :-)

Today we played out in the front yard...aka dirt. It was Nathan's first time playing outside!! He is a texture baby so I wasn't sure how he would do, but he loved it!! Not too much ended up in his mouth!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all the fun it was time to clean up...

 



 

 

 

 

 





7 Months!

Our little love...7 months old on Valentine's Day!!

 

Weight: 17lbs 10oz (30%)

 

Eating: What a fun month this has been...Nathan is eating solids now!! We have tried sweet potatoes (yum!), peas (so, so), bananas (intolerance), apples (yum!), carrots (yum!) and white potatoes (yuck!). He now gets 3 meals a day along with his bottle (which intake as stabilized around 20oz). The not so fun part is he still has bad reflux which makes for interesting colored spit up. He is also starting to throw up quite a bit. The pediatrician increased his Prevacid and if that doesn't work over then we will be going back to the GI.

 

Sleeping: No complaints this month! He continues to sleep through the night. He is now a tummy sleeper and instantly rolls to his tummy when laid in the crib. Some days he doesn't want to take a nap, but will play in his crib until someone gets him up.

 

Playing: Loving watching Nathan explore his surroundings!! He rolls all over the place and scoots backwards even though he wants to go forwards ;-) He chews on everything...including the edges of the playmat so we have started working on the word "no". Is easily entertained by the carpet...must be a texture thing.

7 Month Memories:
- 1st time attending childcare at MOPs...a big adjustment, but we are working on it!
- started having separation anxiety...even when you are in view of him, but just too far away he screams!
- loves to communicate by blowing raspberries!
- James was TDY for a week and I think Nathan noticed a change in routine and missed his daddy.
- became a belly sleeper
- had an eye exam...is farsighted and has a slight stigmatism, both of which may correct themselves over time.
- has learned to put his feet in his mouth...then laughs!
-rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back on a regular basis and no long cries when he is on his tummy.
- Nathan was born 75% tongue tied and had it clipped...did great, pretty much stayed on his normal schedule!!
- has learned how to throw mini-fits when he is told "no"...mainly when he puts something in his mouth that he is not supposed to...my hair, necklace, playmat edges, etc.
- his hair is growing long and laying over his ears, plus the top by his forehead is really starting to show an awful cowlick :-/
- sucks his thumb ALL the time.
- still teething, but no teeth...doesn't get the symptoms as often as he used to.

Denver Broncos made it to the Super Bowl, but lost.

1st attempt at solids...more on the face than in the mouth!

Never to soon to sort colors!

On a roll!

Denver Date Day/Night

Being married doesn't mean you can no longer go on dates, in fact dating your spouse is one of the greatest parts about being married!! However, enter in the factor of kids and dating becomes less and less frequent. Since Nathan has been born we have gone on 2 dates. It's not that we don't want to date anymore, it is just harder...schedules, babysitters, fear.

Well, 2 weeks ago (yes, this is a late blog) James and I went on a fabulous date to downtown Denver!! We dropped Nathan off at my parents around 1pm and headed south. The date began with a walking tour called Savor the Flavor. You meet up with a tour guide and they take you and a small group around to several local restaurants to try out foods and drinks. Our first stop was to a popcorn shop called Whatever Pops Up...delicious and unique popcorn flavors! My favorite was dill pickle! Others we sampled were maraschino cherry, jalapeno, white cheddar and dark chocolate. From there we went to Jimmy's Urban Bar & Grill. The owner brought out Greek Nachos...YUM and a cocktail. The artwork in this place was very unique and all for sale. After that we headed to EVOO Marketplace, which is an olive oil and balsamic vinegar sampling room. I learned more than I could have ever imagined about oil and vinegar! The room is lined with barrels and you can make and sample any concoction you want. They had a few premade for us to try...any care for Roasted Almond Oil and Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar drizzled over a brownie?! Our last stop was T/aco...a tasty taco bar!! While the waitresses were dressed in less clothing than I would prefer...the chips, salsa, guacamole, queso and tacos were delicious!! It was a very fun experience and got to try out places that I would never have gone into before, plus we had a great group which made for great conversations along the way! Check out the links and give these locals restaurants a try!!

After the tour we had intentions of going to the Hyatt Regency's Peak Lounge for the breath taking view and to pass time before our next event, but unfortunately it was being rented out for the night. So we tried another nearby restaurant and it too was closed for a private party. We ended up at the Paramount Café...YUCK! Oh well, the conversation and time together was still wonderful. From there we went over to the Paramount Theatre to watch the Colorado Symphony Pop Series - John/Paul/George/Ringo. It was a great show!! Loved singing along to Yellow Submarine :-)

It was nice to get away for the day and reconnect and then come back to a sleeping, peaceful baby!!

6 Months!

 

Happy *half* Birthday Nathan!!

 

Weight: 16lbs 11.5oz (33%)

Height: 27.75 inches (93%)

Head Circumference: 43.70cm (60%)

 

Eating: This month we started oatmeal!! Nathan loves it! He eats about 2 TBSP for dinner each night. The only bad thing is he has now decided to drink less formula...basically he skips a bottle in exchange for oatmeal, which puts him at about 20oz of Elecare a day. His weight gain did go down in percentile this month, but the pediatrician isn't concerned as long as he is still having regular diapers. Previcid is the miracle pill...Nathan rarely spits up any more...YAY!! We got the okay to start solids, but have to be extra cautious due to his sensitive tummy...sweet potatoes here we come :-)



 

Sleeping: Night time is great...Nathan still sleeps a good 11hrs without waking!! Naps on the other hand are a challenge some days. Now that he has learned to roll over he does it in his crib then gets mad that he is on his tummy. So we end up having to go in and flip him back over several times before he falls asleep. It is not uncommon for him to "play" around in his crib for an hour before falling asleep, but if I try to keep him up that extra hour...oh my, grumpy baby!

 

Playing: This kid is a mover...no, he is not crawling yet, but he never stays still! He started sitting on his own New Year's day and loves it! He reaches for everything in sight then puts it in his mouth :-) For Christmas he received lots of interactive toys and it is fun to watch him explore and learn how to make them work. We finally put batteries in his exercauser (3 months after setting it up), but he is still perfectly content without turning them on. He devours Sophie the giraffe and any other teether you hand him. We read books every day and he is starting to want to "hold" the book. We are loving this stage of exploration!!

Sitting for the 1st time!!



 

6 Month Memories:

- Tries to sit up from laying position, but ends up just doing a really long crunch...abs of steel!

- Met Santa Claus and sat on his lap with no fuss...more curiosity than anything.

- Learned to blow spit bubbles.

- Teething like crazy, but no teeth...ugh!

- Celebrated his 1st Christmas and was NOT a fan of wrapping paper being torn!

- Rang in the new year by waking up twice due to teething pain (ironically once was at 11:58pm...so I got to snuggle him as 2014 started!!)

- Loves to mimic noises and sometimes he talks in such a high pitch that no sound comes out!

- Sat in the shopping cart seat for the 1st time and was mesmerized.

 

Out takes...our monthly photo shoots will no longer be quick and easy!

 

Nathan's 1st Christmas

Awe, how different the holidays are when you have little ones of your own to share them with!! This Christmas was Nathan's first and we started so many traditions that we hope to continue in the years to come!

Every night in December we read a Christmas story and on Christmas Eve finished with "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

 

On Christmas Eve we attended the Children's mass at our new parish, St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Nathan did great during the extra long and crowded mass. Since we forgot to take family photos before hand we set up the self timer afterwards and took some Christmas photos and then had a fun photo session with little man.

 

 

Christmas morning was hard to get into the spirit, but knowing that it was Nathan's 1st visit from Santa made it a bit easier. Nathan was not a fan of wrapping paper being torn (surprisingly since he liked it a few months back). We opened presents that morning and then went to Brighton to spend the day with my Grandpa and other families members that stopped by his house.

Look at that face!

 

We did family Christmas at our house a couple days later with my brother and his family and my parents. Unfortunately my dad wasn't feeling well and Brighton was getting over the flu :-(

Check out the hand crafted crocodile Grandpa made me!
It is a pull toy and when in motion the legs move,
the tail wags and the mouth chomps...impressive!!

Too cold to golf outside so we let Brighton try out
her new golf clubs in the basement.




Our Family Photo

On the 28th we went to Denver and took a carriage ride around downtown to see all the Christmas lights. It was chilly, but so fun!

 

What a fun time of year the holidays are with a kiddo! Merry Christmas dear family and friends!!

**Enjoy...this blog is my Christmas card for the year :-) Unfortunately with the move I can't find my address book and cards just never got sent out, sorry!

My inspiration...

I inspire to be just like this lady, my Grandmother. I look up to her in so many ways...she is an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend, cook, decorator and so much more. She dedicated her life to being the best that she could be by putting others first and loving with her whole heart. Her faith is outstanding...no matter what the circumstances are she always keeps the faith strong!

On Christmas morning she went to be with Jesus for his birthday. We miss her dearly, but will always remember the love and faith she instilled in us. I feel so thankful that she was able to meet Nathan and hangout with him on many occasions, now she is in heaven hanging out with our other babies! She is our Christmas angel!

 

 

We love you very much Grandma Mary Jo Bernard!!

5 Months Old

 

Our little man is 5 months old!!

 

No stats for this month, but I have high hopes that he is

putting on weight and getting big...Previcid is a blessing!!

 

 

Eating: We had a breakthrough in eating this month...Nathan switched to the dissolvable tablet form of Previcid, plus he went on a higher dosage. It has worked wonders!! He is able to keep a lot more food in his tummy and the spitting up has dropped drastically (don't get me wrong, I still wash bibs regularly!). We are still averaging 20-25oz of Elecare formula a day.

 

Sleeping: Yay, Nathan has continued on with his great sleep habits amongst all the craziness!! His nap times have changed a bit...10:30-1:00 and 3:30-5:30 seems to be the common times now a days.

 

Playing: What a little explorer Nathan is becoming...he is curious about everything he sees, touches and hears! He rolled over on Thanksgiving, but has only done it a handful since. We call him "Sqirmy Wirmy" since he is so active in your lap or on the changing table. On the floor he wiggles around and ends up in a completely different position than he was laid down in.

 

5 Month Memories:

- started talking with his mouth closed.

- attended his 1st wedding (Caroline & Dominic DeGorge)...I cried during the mother/son dance!

- took his 1st airplane ride...fell asleep before take off and slept through landing!

- had his 1st cold...runny nose, cough, troubles sleeping :-( And of course it was on Thanksgiving day in Texas.

- rolled from his back to his tummy with the coaxing of Aunt Shanna! (November 30th)

- experienced a 100* temp change from Austin (82*) to Cheyenne (-21*) in less than 24 hours.

- went through a phase of short screaming bouts where nothing worked to calm him.

- cradle cap is so bad that his head is bleeding.

- nuzzles into my neck when he is tired or shy...melts my heart!!

 

 

 



**So, I am WAY late in posting his 5 month update...he is currently doing so much more than this right now...I will blog about it next week for his 6 month update - I promise!!