Video update

My fancy new camera takes HD video. This is really awesome, except that my computer can't handle the video file size, and Blogger won't let me upload files that big either. So yesterday I finally got out our Flip video so you all could get an updated glimpse of Nathan in action.

A Boy and His Dog

Nathan thinks Deuce is hilarious, and Deuce thinks Nathan is an excellent source of food. Tonight in the playroom, N decided to give his puppy some attention, and luckily Deuce was pretty darn patient.

Hanging out with Nay-Nay

Oh, Nathan, you are so funny! He is so interested in everything around him, and often gets involved in little projects: taking everything out of a bin and then putting it back in, "dusting" the windowsill with a sock, etc. He also loves to read, and will pull books off of the shelf and bring them to us to read to him. N is still not too interested in walking, but has gotten to the point that he enjoys holding onto our hands and walking around that way. I think he's so good at getting where he needs to go while crawling that he doesn't feel the need to walk. Todd and I are simultaneously looking forward to seeing him toddle around, but also enjoying him in this fleeting time that he's still in a baby stage.

His vocabulary is growing to include: ball (bah!), dog (gah!), knows the answer to "what does the dog say? ("woof"), kitty (kiii-tee), bye bye, baby, and sock (gock!), that and this. He says the syllables "ma" and "da" but the little stinker still won't say mama and dada!

Chipmunk cheeks full of goldfish crackers.

Always exploring!

For those of you who were disgusted by him eating a McDonald's hamburger, here's a shot of him eating ground sirloin on a whole wheat bun! See, we don't completely neglect our child's nutrition! :)

Bun removed, Nathan takes things into his own hands!

All that work made him thirsty and tired--nothing like lounging while someone holds your sippy cup full of milk to your lips! :)

Miles' Quilt

So it's 3 1/2 months late (sorry guys!) but I finally finished the quilt I made for baby Miles! When I saw the fabric, it immediately reminded me of Annalee and Dan because it is really playful and happy.

Here are some shots of the finished product:

And a few photos of the adorable recipient! Don't you just love those blue eyes, chubby cheeks and sweet hands?

The animals

I was playing with my camera the other day, and thought I would dedicate a blog post to our animals. Yes, they drive us crazy, as they are both convinced that their needs are always the most urgent, but Ozzie sure is warm and snuggly on my lap, and Deuce is such a faithful (if not too bright) friend.

"Is it painful to look at a kitty this handsome?"

"What do you want?"

Birthday girl

When we got back to Kalamazoo from Chicago on my birthday, Nancy had made me a sinfully delicious peanut butter cake with chocolate filling, cream cheese frosting and topped with Butterfinger pieces. YUM.

So, Nathan absolutely loves strawberries--we handed him an enormous one to see what he would do, and without hesitation he shoved the ENTIRE thing into his mouth! Needless to say, it had to be extracted, and we now slice his strawberries into small pieces, since he doesn't quite get the concept of holding something and taking a bite of it yet.

American Kid's Milestone

On our way home from Chicago on Sunday, Nathan experienced a classic American childhood rite of passage--his first happy meal! Needless to say, he loved it! He ate almost the entire hamburger and had fun playing with the free toy.

Meeting baby George

On Saturday Todd, Nathan and I headed West to Chicago to meet baby George!!! We stayed with Stuart and Erin and James the cat, and it was wonderful to spend time with them.

George is absolutely beautiful! He is such a sweetie--completely alert and looking around when we arrived to say hello, and then in true newborn fashion snuggled in and fell sound asleep. This gave us a chance to talk with Anne and Ryan, and here George's birth story. The new parents seem to be doing great--completely in love with their little guy and in that haze of sleep deprivation that I still remember so clearly. They seem really calm and peaceful, and already great parents, very in tune to little G's needs. I think they liked the quilt (whew!) and it matches George's nursery perfectly. Ryan's parents, Greg and Marcia, were also in town to spend time with their sweet grandson and give Ryan and Anne a chunk of time to go out to dinner.

In addition to sweet baby snuggles, we also went to eat lunch at Rustico Grill and ordered delectable pizza for dinner at Piece. Sunday morning Nathan woke up really early in the morning especially when factoring in the Central time zone. Luckily for Stu and Erin, who are not in the habit of crawling out of bed at 5:30 in the morning on a Sunday, they live right across the street from a Dunkin' Donuts. So T, N and I all got up and out of the apartment as quietly as possible and traipsed across the street for some coffee and donuts. Nathan was so good--thoroughly entertained by eating samples of our breakfast, watching cars out the window, and playing with cups, straws and bags. When the time was a little more reasonable, we headed back to the apartment and hung out with Stu and Erin for a few hours (James the cat was NOT amused by Nathan's increasing mobility, noises, and interest in kitties) before heading back to Kalamazoo.

Isn't he just beautiful???

The happy parents

I love this photo--hopefully Nathan and George will get a kick out of seeing the picture of the first time they met. It's hard to believe that for most of their lives their age difference won't be noticeable, but they're in such different worlds right now!

Todd made me hand over the baby so he could get some snuggles. :)

I absolutely adore this picture of Erin and Nathan. They are such good buddies!

Nathan explored every corner of Anne and Ryan's condo during the short time we were there--starting with checking out the wildlife! :)

The coffee table with its secret compartments was a huge hit--Nathan played with it almost the entire time we were there!

George was nice enough to share some of his toys.

Marcia and Greg were so sweet to share George with us; they arrived at the same time we did, and I'm sure they were just dying to get their hands on the little guy!

George's Quilt

Our very good friends Ryan and Anne welcomed their son, George Hayden into the world on January 2nd. Todd and I are SO thrilled that there is another little boy in our close-knit circle. Newborns tend to inspire my quiltmaking muse, so I knew I had to make one to celebrate George's arrival. The internet is a wonderful resource, as I was able to see pictures of George's nursery and find some fabric that fit in well. Todd helped with the layout, and I sewed like a busy little bee all week in order to finish it in time to give it to R, A and G in person this weekend. Here are some photos of the finished product.