NACAC conference

Last week I traveled to Baltimore for a whirlwind couple of days at the national conference for the National Association of College Admission Counselors. This was my first time attending the national conference; it is quite expensive so every year different people go. This year Suzanne and Maureen also attended. Suz has been many times, as she is on the board for Colleges that Change Lives, and has a number of responsibilities during the conference. Maureen was a fellow first-time attendee, so it was nice to have a partner in navigating everything for the first time.

I am good at talking to people that I don't know, but in order to be comfortable doing so, I like to have a little structure around the conversation (admission interview, registration table, classroom discussion, etc). Wandering around a room with a drink in my hand and being told to "mingle and network" is not my cup of tea. So a conference of 5,000 people who are all there to "mingle and network" was a bit overwhelming for me. I know a lot of people in my field, both on the admission and the high school sides, from my years working in admission, but I don't typically hang out with them outside of the context of a high school visit, college fair or parent program. So I was a bit tense for the entire time, which was compounded by the fact that only one of the sessions I attended really applied directly to my job as an admission counselor at a small college. I really don't like feeling like I'm wasting time and money away from home and the office when there are a lot of productive (and more cost effective) things that I need to do with my family and my job.

Both evenings we went to networking events, which were still a little bit awkward for me, but in very cool locations, which made it more fun. I also got to see Andy, Laura and John (former co-workers) and catch up on their lives.

A big pile of freshly caught and freshly cooked crabs at networking event #1. Delicious!


Suz and Maureen posing with their dinner.


Yum!


Networking event #2 was at the Baltimore aquarium--what a neat place! We had full access to the jellyfish and dolphin exhibits. I had to take some pictures of the jellyfish. They are such interesting and alien creatures.

Nine Month Dr. Appointment

Nathan had his nine month well-baby check-up today with Dr. Dyk. He got his final Hepatitis B vaccine and his flu shot, and got a clean bill of health from the doc. Nathan's favorite part about going to the doctor is the full-length mirror next to the examination table. A close second is the paper covering the table, which makes wondefully entertaining crinkly noises. Thanks to my camera phone I was able to catch him in action.

Nathan is still a little peanut with a big ol' head! The doctor said he is totally comfortable with Nathan's size, that N is still growing and gaining weight really well, but at the moment he is just a small kid. Here are his latest stats:
Weight: 17lbs, 10 oz (10th percentile)
Height: 27 1/4" (10th-25th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 1/4" (75th percentile!!!!! Hopefully that means he's got lots of brains!)

Food-filled Weekend

This weekend's theme seemed to be food. On Friday night Joey and Jenny came over, and we collaborated on a yummy meal of stuffed olives, pork chops, sweet potatoes with rosemary and cheesecake. I hadn't seen Joey and Jenny in months (although Todd and Joey canoed together last weekend) so it was really great to catch up with them. And it's good to have connections; Jenny is a manager at Old Navy and brought over some cute shirts for Nathan. We had dinner and wine on the deck, and just spent the evening laughing together.

Saturday evening we had the Augustine-Rathbun clan over for dinner. Andrea and I meet up for a lunchtime run or walk on a fairly regular basis, but this was the first time in about six months that we were able to coordinate our weekend schedule so that our families could spend time together. Andrea and Dave brought their two little girls, Ella (5 years old and a brand-new kindegartener) and Chloe (3 years old and a brand-new preschooler) over for dinner at our place. Nathan was absolutely thrilled to have his very own big kids in his house! The girls were really sweet about playing with him and helping Todd feed him. We had a great time with Andrea and Dave; they are smart, funny and laid back--our kind of people!

Ella and Chloe playing with Nathan.

Meal time is fun time now that Nathan is so interested in food.

Sunday we spent the day at Nancy and Dan's house, since Jordan was back on a quick trip from Colorado to pick up the Subaru that Todd fixed up for him and Stuart and Erin were in town to take care of some more wedding details. The only person missing was Dan, as he spent the weekend up north fishing with his brothers. Nathan showed off his new crawling skills to his uncles and aunt, and we ate fajitas and enjoyed the beautiful weather out on the deck.

Last night as I was grocery shopping I bought these things called "teething biscuits" for Nathan. They are like really dense graham crackers, and I thought that he would love the taste and it would feel good on his poor little gums, which have been bothering him from teething. Well, I was absolutely right about him loving them, but there was a side effect I wasn't quite expecting--it was so funny that Todd had to get out the video camera!

Childproofing

We still have a lot on our childproofing to-do list, but while Nathan and I were out of town this week, Todd installed the all-important baby gate at the top of the stairs. Deuce and Ozzie are not fans of this new apparatus, as it restricts their movement around the house, but hopefully they'll adjust to it fairly quickly. As the pictures below illustrate, the gate was installed just in time!

Swim lessons

Last Saturday, Nathan started swim lessons at the YMCA. It is a parent and baby class for 6-36 month olds. We spend the 30 minute class singing songs, playing games, and getting the kids used to and comfortable in the water. Nathan loves to splash and watch the other kids. Luckily he is pretty comfortable in the water, because the class occurs right around his morning naptime, so he is pretty tired by the end of it. Usually what starts out with splashing and smiles ends up with snuggling with mommy and sucking his thumb! It's a lot of fun to play in the pool as a family, and I hope that swim lessons will stay a part of our lives for years to come.

Daddy and Nathan getting ready to get in the pool.


Enjoying playtime at the end of class.

Time to snuggle with mom!

All done and cuddling up in the big beach towel.

First Hotel Stay

Nathan got to stay in a hotel room for the first time (and then the second and third time!) on this road trip. He of course immediately identified all of the ways that a hotel room is lacking in the childproofing areas! Nathan's favorite part about the hotel was the big window that looked out on the parking lot. He always loves looking out the window at our house, but there is not nearly as much action going on in our backyard as there is in the parking lot of a busy hotel. He had a blast waving at the people and cars going by. I'm sure that the hotel cleaning staff wasn't too thrilled about all the tiny handprints all over their window, be we sure had fun!

Ooh, what percale are these sheets?

Nathan and Lambykins partying in the pack 'n play.

Nine months old!

I'm having a hard time totally believing it, but Nathan turned nine months old on Thursday--what a big boy! The last few weeks he has channeled all of his growing and learning into becoming mobile--crawling, pulling up on the toybox, grabbing toys, eating food, and just generally always on the go. I feel a little sad at how quickly my baby is growing, but the fact that he gets more and more fun every day makes it a little easier.

On his nine month birthday Nathan was in Columbus, OH. I had a work trip that took me to Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Columbus over a period of four days. My mom was able to rearrange her work schedule so that she and Nathan joined me on my road trip. We had all kinds of fun bopping around the Midwest in the Kalamazoo College Taurus!

Paper bags are fun--they make a LOT of noise, feel crinkly, can hold toys, and taste great!

Hmm... let's see what Mom has in the suitcase!

Busy, busy, busy

Last Saturday I went up to my parents' house to help Dad with a big work project and Nathan came along to keep an eye on Grandma. :) He was really excited to show off his new crawling skills, and as you can see, Nathan is a very busy boy now that he's figured out how to move on his own!

Nathan can pull himself up onto his knees, and is trying really hard to figure out how to get his feet under him.

Nathan loves to tip over boxes full of toys and paw through to find the one he's looking for.

Hard at work cleaning and prepping files so they are ready to be scanned.

Hanging out with the president of GrandScan!

The boss gave us a break to enjoy the beautiful evening.

Mmmm... pizza made on the grill!

Crawling!

Nathan has been working for several weeks to figure out all the bits and pieces of body parts and propulsion that go into crawling. The last week he has been doing a lot of getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. Today Nathan finally started putting it all together and is crawling!!!! He's still got some refining to do on his technique, but he's able to get where he wants to go. Looks like it's time for Todd and I to do some serious babyproofing--once Nathan gets into a rhythm, he's going to be really fast!

Here are a few videos of our little guy's new skills:

Northport Beach

Sunday was another absolutely beautiful day, so we decided to get in some beach time. While Nathan was napping, Annalee and I went to lunch at the Eat Spot and then staked out a nice spot on the beach. Todd, Dan and Nathan met up with us a little later, followed by the rest of the family throughout the afternoon. Nathan thought that the bay was a little chilly, and he was a bit frightened by the tiny little waves, but he absolutely loved eating the sand, sitting in the sand, kicking the sand, patting the sand (are you noticing a theme here??).

Sand is so delicious!


My little beach bum.


Hmm... not too sure about this chilly water coming toward me.


Nope, I don't like it at all!

Ok, if Daddy's here it's a little less scary, but still cold!

Ahh, back on the beach with Grandma!

The whole crew enjoying the beautiful day.

Four generations

Dan dug a hole in the sand so that Annalee could put her belly in it and lie on her tummy for the first time in months!

The belly hole!

So happy on the beach!

Giggles with Daddy.