Merry Christmas! (a little late)

The boys had a very Merry Christmas. It started off great for everyone - Nate slept all night for a change, and Jack woke up at 7:15, asked for water, then went back to bed until 7:45 (his normal wake-up time). Great gifts for mom and dad...I thought Jack might be up really early this year.

Jack and Nate were excited to see all the presents under the tree. Nate's big gift from Santa was a new kitchen, which you can see in the pictures. He spent most of the day opening and closing the cabinets and definitely loves it. Jack was super excited about his new "dig-truck-train" which is a duplo train car with a digging arm - a breakdown train car I guess it is really called. He also loved his Fireman Sam firetruck that Santa got all the way from England. A myriad other books, gadgets, train cars, and trucks also appeared for both boys.

We were lucky enough to host Grandma Linda/Papa Rick as well as Grandpa Pete for the day. A good time was had by all. Now we are hunkered down waiting for what they claim is going to be a huge blizzard.

First Dance?

Jack and I went to a kid's holiday concert at the town's theater today with a bunch of friends. Some kids were dancing in the aisles (it is a "rock" band) and so I asked Jack if he wanted to dance there too. He said "where's Charlotte?" and asked her to dance.

Sorry for the grainy photos, my camera phone doesn't have a flash.

17 Month Update

* His growth has slowed a lot (thankfully!). He shows 27lbs on our bathroom scale and he is only slightly taller than last report - probably 33.75 or 34". He is in 24 month and 2T tops and bottoms. The 2T bottoms are still a bit long, but those with an adjustable waist are fine. I have him in 7 1/2 shoes. (This is giant for his age).

* Nate walks super super fast, as fast as a run, though I think what he does isn't officially a run due to the style. He almost can jump. (He will try if you ask him to though). He climbs up anything and moves stools, and rocking horses, and little push cars, to stand on to get to things he wants up high.

* He isn't speaking all that much more than last report, but does nod yes and no. When he nods no, he says "ne ne" so this is close. This nodding is huge in terms of getting his point across. He says mama, dada, choo-choo, doggie, kitty, light, balloon, knock-knock, dot. He also signs "more" and "all done" which also aid greatly in communication.

* He understands nearly all we say now. He follows simple instructions.

* He really loves Thomas on TV and train toys.

* His fine motor skills are developing quickly lately. He can put duplos (preschool sized legos) together, and likes to put duplo people on other pieces. He also is getting pretty good at some our puzzles.

* He sleeps from about 7-6:30 with 1 or 2 wake-ups. He naps between 60 - 150 minutes early afternoon.

* He likes to sit on Jack's potty seats.

* He loves to wash his hands and "brush" his teeth in the sink. (Basically he likes water).

* His eating is sporadic, some days he eats a lot, sometimes not much at all. He LOVES his pretzels (they are gluten free). This and french fries are his favorites. More allergy news, I am pretty sure he is allergic to barley and probably to tomatoes and peas. He may only ahve issues with fresh tomatoes, we need to experiment a bit with that.

* He has a lot of teeth now. I think he is still missing his 4 canines and maybe 2 others. I can't keep track anymore:)

* He likes books quite a bit, especially those with Thomas, trucks, flaps that open or different textures.

* He is attached at the hip to me (almost literally). He isn't so excited about being held by Steve or anyone at this point. He is fine with the sitter we have on Friday mornings for him, but he isn't excited to see her when she first arrives. He cries a bit when I leave, but gets over it pretty quickly (or so she claims:) However, he is fine going out and about and waves to people and smiles. It is more separation issues, than it is stranger anxiety.

Here comes Santa Claus

Both boys were great with Santa today!

Getting there early (Santa is there before the stores open!) and having no line helped a lot.

Jack told Santa he wanted a new firetruck since mommy broke his. (This is true, I did squish one of his MANY trucks). He will have to wait until 12/25 to see if he gets a new one though:)

New Do - more pics

So Nate had his first haircut on Friday. He shocked us all and was fine with it - no screaming, no fuss! Amazing...

Before


After -no more long curls...

Thanksgiving Day

Jack waving to Buzz!

Nate's new do

Self-Portraits

I let Jack play with the camera today for about 20 minutes -he managed to take about 190 pictures! Most were of toys, the walls, the floors etc, but these are pretty funny!

Nate's Getting Big

Check this out - for the last month he has experimented with utensils!

Halloween Part 2

About to head out..


Showing off the loot...


Nate getting a treat...

We had 186 kids between 6-8! This topped last year's 144 by quite a bit.

Jack, Nate, and Steve went to 8-9 houses on our block and had a grand time. Then Jack helped us hand out candy with a "I like your costume" to all the kids! The tweens/teens got a huge kick out of this. Jack also kept saying "I am so excited, it is halloween" all night....He really enjoyed the whole day.

Halloween Part 1

Trying on costumes



Parade 1 (town)






Parade 2 (neighborhood- Nate is napping)

Just some Nate Pics

Nate 15 Month Update and Stats

Nate had his 15 month well visit today and all was fine.

He was 26lbs 6oz (75th percentile) and 33 1/2" tall (97th!), his head is steady at 45th percentile (47 cm). I am still not sure where he gets the small head - neither Steve nor I have one! I have him in 18-24 mos & 2T tops and 18-24 bottoms (and some of his larger 12-18). His height is all in his torso. He is still in his same shoes, 6 1/2 & 7s. I expect he will be in these clothes for awhile.

He has 6 real words - mama, dada, balloon, choo-choo, light, doggie. I think he also says nose and baby. He is signing a bit more and generally I can figure out what he wants between grunts and pointing.

He eats more meat (chicken or turkey) than Jack on any given day - he is surely a carnivore. Between that and all the green beans and peas he eats, I am sure his iron is high enough:) He favorite foods are french fries and pasta (we use rice past due to the wheat allergy).

He has started to try utensils. He got a huge kick out of the fork we helped him with the other day.

He *may* be starting to tolerate (by that mean not gag on) vanilla rice milk. He gags on soy and rice milk so far. The doctor said he probably won't really drink any of it until I wean him.

He is napping 1x a day, for about 90 minutes. He goes down about 12:45 when it is a school day for Jack, slightly earlier otherwise.

His nighttime sleep was much better for awhile, he was only getting up once at 5 for a feeding for awhile, but then he has gotten 5-6 teeth in the last few weeks, so he is back to getting up 2 or 3 times. Grr...

He understands simple instructions and most of what goes on around him. I can ask him to get me things and it works, sometimes.

He is super fast moving and practically runs. He has different speeds, but I wouldn't call it truly a run yet,

He throws, hard and far. He also throws a LOT. You must be careful what you give him.

He is really into books. He likes a book about tractors, "Machines at Work", Moo, ba, la, la, a book at fall (thanks Matt & Brigitte), and a book about bugs among others. Many of these have things to touch with different textures.

He likes music and gets a big kick of it when it comes on unexpectedly.

He loves to bang things. Our dining room wall has scars caused by Nate and a metal measuring cup.

He likes to walk around with packets - sugar packets, packets of wet wipes, etc. Weird.

He still loves remote controls.

Like mommy, like son

He's got my morning routine down!

Lil gardener

Update - Nate's Allergies

So Nate finally saw the allergist and had both a scratch test (where they put oils of different foods in a tiny scratch on your back) and blood work. The scratch test confirmed an allergy to milk and to wheat, but not to nuts. The bloodwork should confirm this and also check for arrowroot (another suspected issue). The Doc also wants to hold off eating eggs/nuts/shellfish until at least 2, too. While I am glad to have some confirmation, his diet is pretty restricted for awhile. I had been hoping I was imagining the wheat one. Looks like I am going to be working on some new recipes for the family! Nate is starting to want to eat what we are. It also will make it easier on Jack (and us too really) if we are all easting Nate asfe food. While we never will always achieve that, I am hoping it happens at least part of the time.

We now have epipens, and know how to use them.

Football

Local style

Nate 14 month upate

(2 days late)

* Nate says "balloon" (also for ball), "doggie", "da" (daddy), "Jack" (not clear but the intent is there) and "light". The latter is crystal clear at times! He also signs a bit - bird, eat, train, plane, and waves hello/goodbye.

* Nate is able to crawl up and walk (yes walk) down stairs. He can climb on the couch, on to the armrest and onto the radiator cover in back (see above). He climb and sit on little chairs - even outdoor folding ones. He moves Jack's step stool around to reach things. (ugh) He can go down a slide without assistance (usually). This all keeps us VERY busy.

* He is in his 18-24 and a smattering of his larger 12-18 mo clothes. His is almost a size 7 shoe! One of his 6 1/2s fit, the others don't. He is about 26lbs.

* We have an allergist appointment Weds which is good. Besides the obvious milk/dairy issue, he has some other (more mild) allergy (wheat? sesame? molasses? barley?) - it is a mystery. We have to be super careful until his appointment because he can't have any benadryl for 3-5 days before the tests. Hopefully the testing will bring a little more clarity, though they are notoriously not 100% reliable at all.

* He naps once, from about 12:30-2:30. He goes to bed between 7-7:30 and is up 2-3 times before waking between 6:30-7:30. Yes, I am a wuss and won't let him cry too long!

* He has 5 teeth and 2 more about to pop through.

* He likes music, trucks, and disobeying us.

* He still loves loves his pacifiers. He likes to have one in his mouth and at least one in his hands.

* He eats a large quantity when he eats. Favorites are grapes, avocados, his special pasta and bread, cookies, and chicken.

First day of (real) Preschool!

So Jack started what is officially deemed by the state as Preschool today. Last year he was in a "toddler" program. In effect, this means little except his class is slightly larger (12 instead of 9) for 2 teachers. The schedule and time frame are identical.

We went to visit the classroom yesterday and his teachers (Jenn and Lauren) visited our house on Tuesday. Jack seems to have no nerves and is very at ease with the whole thing. It took a little bit of explaining that he was really moving to the room next door from last years, but that is it.

We will see at pick up (12:30). My only concern is that he will refuse to try to use the bathroom there. They pretty much make them try the bathroom at snack time, hopefully he will listen!

He is out of diapers during the day (he wears a pull-up at night, though he is usually dry), but still needs to be reminded to try to pee during the day.

More independent

Every day!

Cutting his own grapes...

Only Nate

Could spot a remote in our garage under pieces of a hammock....

Michigan

We were in Michigan for a hot and muggy week this month. We visited lots of family - the boys' grandparents, great-grandparents, great-aunt and a great-aunt/uncle to be exact. Flying with 2 active boys was an experience, neither was particularly bad on the plane, but Nate didn't want to sit still or sleep on the plane, so keeping him physically contained was a challenge.

Jack had a wonderful time on Pa's boat (Great-grandpa), and Nate loved Grandpa's model train display at the store. He giggled and signed train whenever it came towards the front of the display. Both (well, all) the boys liked the little train in Traverse City. The hammock at Glen Lake was also a big hit.