Family Time

My parents came down this afternoon and we all had a relaxing time hanging out at the house and getting caught up. We got Erbelli's pizza and then just admired the cuteness of Nathan! :)

Evolution of Cranky

Reading this blog, one might very well get the impression that Nathan is happy and smiling almost all the time. While he is generally a very good-natured and laid back little dude, he definitely has his moments of unhappiness! Today Todd caught the progression on camera, and I thought I'd share:

Hmmm... I may be getting a little tired of the world.


No, I don't think a kiss from Mommy will solve the problem.


The paci might help


No, just the paci won't quite do it.

Ah, yes, the blanket, paci and thumb-in-paci combination is just what I needed!

Check these out!

Just this week Nathan really started noticing his hands, and he thinks they're pretty great! He spends a lot of time looking at them, and sticking them in his mouth. He's also discovered how delightful it is to suck his thumb! Last night I got a picture of him admiring his hands (just wait until he discovers that they come with fingers!) so I thought I'd share.

TGIF!

Hooray! It's Friday! That means it's almost time for the weekend, when I can hang out with my little guy--I can't wait! I couldn't resist being a few minutes late to daycare this morning in order to take a few pictures of Nathan in his cute dinosaur pjs. The camera on my phone doesn't always take the best photos, so they're a little blurry... but I think the cuteness still comes through! :)

Splash!

Last night during bathtime, Nathan discovered splashing! Ok, well, he probably didn't know he was doing it, but he kept grinning and kicking his legs like crazy and splashing Daddy in the face! I swear, this kid just gets more fun every day! :)

Big Boy Crib

This weekend we moved Nathan out of the bassinette in our room and into his crib in the nursery. Luckily it went really well! Todd put the chicken that always kept Nathan company on the railing of the bassinette onto the railing of the crib. This morning when he woke up, Nathan hung out in his crib for awhile talking to the chicken; when I went in to get him he was just grinning away at his little friend--so cute!

The other development this weekend is that Nathan seems to be consistently noticing his hands and putting them in his mouth, although he doesn't always make it into his mouth on the first try! He also seems to be sucking on his right thumb a lot. Despite our best efforts with the pacifier, we may have a thumb-sucker after all!

Every day it seems that Nathan has discovered that he can make a different noise. On Saturday afternoon we hung out for awhile with some toys that he hadn't seen before, and he had quite the story to tell them! Pictures and a video are below:

Cute striped socks!

Sharing a smile with Daddy

Nathan tells us a story, showing off lots of his new sounds!

3 months old!

Nathan is three months old today! We were gifted with a glorious early spring day; it was sunny and 70 degrees! Todd got off of work early and he and Nathan hung out on the deck for a long time. Nathan absolutely loved being outside, and was experimenting with all kinds of new sounds--gurgles, coos and squeals. Todd was able to capture some of his good mood on the video, below. When I got home from work, I couldn't resist spending a little time outside with him as well. He was a little burned out from the excitement of the afternoon, so his good mood didn't last all that long, but he was cooperative enough to allow for some cute pictures!

I don't have any official three month stats, as Nathan doesn't go back to the doctor until he is four months old. However, he is definitely growing like a weed! He's officially fitting into 3 month clothes now, and his size 1 diapers are starting to get a little snug. He is really good at getting his hands into his mouth, and has also started rubbing his eyes. Nathan's vocabulary increases every day--it seems like every time he's awake he has come up with a new sound that he likes to share. The most rewarding thing is that Nathan definitely recognizes Todd and I now. He has a special grin that he bestows on us, and then will kick his legs like crazy--it melts my heart every time!

Hanging out with Daddy on the deck


He was kicking the support bar, which made all of the toys move and he thought that was pretty awesome!


Lounging in the evening sun with Mommy

Dog!

Nathan and Daddy enjoying spring!

My fan club!

Caught on camera reading this blog : one of my most loyal readers, Nathan's Great-Grandma Florence! :) We can't wait to see you in May!!!

Sunday with family

On Sunday Dan drove up to Rockford and brought Grandma Fowle down for a visit with her great-grandson and the rest of the family. It was so nice to see her, and she was really surprised by how much Nathan has changed since she last saw him. We hung out at Dan and Nancy's house and had some lunch and a relaxing afternoon.

When we got home I took advantage of the gorgeous day and fed and hung out with Nathan on the deck for a little while, which resulted in an impromptu self-portrait session.

Aunt Erin is so comfy!!

Lounging with Uncle Stu

Nathan had a firm grip on Erin's finger!

My sweet hubby!

Nathan just loves the swing at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Nathan thought Uncle Jordan was pretty funny! :)

Being a sweet boy for Great-Grandma

Mommy + Baby + sunshine = Joy

Busy Saturday

We had a lovely but busy day on Saturday! We went up to Grand Rapids in the afternoon to spend some time with Grandma Gail and Grandpa John. Nathan was kind of fussy, so he spent most of the time either eating, or napping on me. He did cooperate enough to show off his latest coos and smiles for a little while, and he was also up for a walk in the sunshine. We even got to show him off to some of my parents' neighbors! :)

At dinner time, we headed over to Hillary and Jeff's house to celebrate Jeff's 30th birthday. Hillary made corned beef, and we had fun with the make-your-own-reuben station that she had set up in the kitchen. It was nice to spend time with Hillary on a non-workday, and I think that Jeff enjoyed finally meeting Nathan.

To cap off our social butterfly activities, we had to depart Jeff's party early in order to head back to Kalamazoo, where we met up with Todd's parents and brothers, as well as Erin, her sister and her parents for a drink at the Union. The Trussells were in town for a day of wedding planning, and it was fun to finally meet Erin's sister and father (we met her mother several months ago).

So it was a busy day, but Nathan was a trooper! All three of us slept very well on Saturday night! :)

Here are some pictures from our walk:

The big bath tub

A sweet picture of Nathan napping next to us on the couch--look at that pudgy hand! :)

Video of Nathan enjoying the big bathtub. He is so relaxed and happy floating in the warm water and hanging out with Mommy and Daddy.

Play date

I worked from home yesterday, and did some work the evening before and early in the morning so that Nathan and I could meet up with Elizabeth and Thomas for a play date/coffee date. This time both Nathan and Thomas were awake for part of the time, and actually noticed each other! Maybe someday they'll even play together! It was really great to catch up with Elizabeth, though and I think it"s going to be a lot of fun to have a friend who's son is only two weeks older than Nathan.

Nathan and Thomas hanging out in their matching carseats! :)

Hanging out around the house

Some cute pics of my guys while we were hanging out at home this weekend:

Road trip

On Saturday Todd, Nathan and I hit the road and headed for Holt, a suburb outside of Lansing, and went to visit Aunt Annalee and Uncle Dan. It had been ages since we'd been to their house, and it was fun to go on an "out of town" adventure. We had a mini-potluck (we brought salad and brownies, they provided salmon and potatoes) and spent the evening relaxing at their house and catching up. It was so nice! The bittersweet part of the evening was that it made us wish more than ever that Dan and Annalee lived in Kalamazoo so we could see them more often (hint, hint, you two, I know you're reading this!!!). Nathan did great in the car, taking a good nap each way.

Uncle Dan and Nathan in their coordinating outfits! :)

Aunt Annalee getting a snuggle.