four month-aversary

Another month (and 6 days) has passed and, though I thought he had not grown much, the proof is in the pictures.





His four month check up found him at 16lb 10oz (85th percentile) and 25 3/4inches (50th percentile!!!). I was pleased to see he is gaining inches and not just around the middle. Danny doubts that I was actually holding Nathan's head flush against the wall for the measurement. I assure you I was. But if you were there you would have heard me gently coaxing the nurse, instructing her to pull a little harder on his feet while I held his head against the wall. So even if he didn't come into the office 25 and 3/4 inches, he left that way and that's what counts.

So what is Nathan "Cheeks" Linn doing at four months?

~Successfully reaching for anything in view.
~Standing any chance he gets. You can't get the child to sit down. That might be because he is so thick around the middle, but if he's anything like his momma, he won't ever really want to sit down.
~Finishes each meal in 15 minutes or less.
~Sleeping through the night still...let's keep it that way.
~Smiling all the time and once in a while we can get a laugh out of him.
~Playing with his feet.
~Enjoying the excer-saucer and, my personal favorite, the door way jump-and-go.
~"Talking" and moving his mouth to mimic momma.
~Staying awake 2 hours between naps! HORRAY!!!

He isn't rolling over yet, but the doctor said that is normal for a baby "his size." I guess that makes sense. My sweet Moon Pie.

The past four months have flown by. We do this two more times and he'll be a year old. Isn't there a pause button on these things!?

playing catch-up

It has been over a month since I have posted anything, but I am going to keep it short and sweet, just like Nathan.

We have spent the past month traveling. We spent a week in Memphis, a week at home, a week in Denver and now we are headed back to Memphis for Christmas. Nathan is a wonderful traveler, adjusting to time zones and loving all the new but familiar faces. For our most recent trip, Nathan and I flew to Colorado to see my family. The trek through the airport was amusing; Nathan disappeared among the Boppy, Moby wrap and winter coat I had jumbled in my arms. At one point I had to lay him on the x-ray table to get my shoes off. Luckily one of the TSA agents noticed in time to stop the belt. Nathan only slept for about 20 minutes of the 3 hour flight, but he certainly earned his wings. The Lord once again showed His sovereignty even in my seat assignment. It was a packed flight and the only seat open was the one right next to me. The other woman in the row is a foster parent and recenly adopted her first child. She was thrilled to sit next to a baby and help keep him entertained.
We had pleanty of snow in Denver and 7 degree weather for the first few days.

Soon it hit 40 and we didn't have to wear coats anymore. It was absolutely beautiful.


Nathan met a lot of new friends that have been praying for him since before his heart started beating. My sister's medical illustrator, Jordan, seemed to be his favorite, though. Remind me I owe you a dollar for this one.

Grandee/Papa/Hey, Old Guy flew back to Atlanta with us because he was doing some work there this week (and because he couldn't get enough of his mini-me). We were soooo grateful for the extra help.
Nathan learned a few tricks while we were away...

He found his feet and now can't get enough of them!
I have a great shot from where I was sitting at his feet, but Nathan didn't want to make the other boys insecure.

He also laughed for the first time. It was the most beautiful noise I had ever heard, and I immediately burst into tears. I am worried that I scared him, because it has been difficult to get him to laugh since. But I don't mind working for it.

In a few days we will leave for Memphis for baby's first Christmas. I hope all of you enjoy a Christmas filled with peace and joy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

a great weekend

This past week was one of the most stressful for me yet. Silly challenges of motherhood made me crazy until about Friday. Nathan was only napping 30-40 minutes and that was only after crying for just as long. I tried so hard to do everything I had read, but he would just grow more and more tired until he was a basket case by the end of the day. Thankfully he is sleeping well at night, but the days were just wearing me out! I felt like Nathan was looking at me saying, "why can't you just figure it out!" But I know he is more gracious than that.

One of the best things about babies is that when things are really tough you can be assured that in a few days, they will change! And it has. I don't know if he just remembered how to fall asleep or if I got better at soothing. Either way, I am grateful that we have passed another challenge without eating all the peanut butter in the pantry.

When Friday came, we were ready for some fun. To kickoff the weekend, we went on a lizard hunt. I don't know how he made it in the house, but Margot spotted a small lizard (gecko?) on the mantel. Nathan helped Daddy capture it in a cup so they could bring it back to the "wild." A great time was had by all!

he was quick and witty...he thought he outsmarted us by darting behind the bookshelf

but Nathan spotted him and Daddy came behind with the cup.

way to go, boys! (notice the lizard peering out over the rim)

Danny and I both had to work on Saturday, so Nathan spent his first day with a babysitter!!! I was so glad I did not have to be the one to drop him off...I could just pretend it wasn't happening.

We wrapped up the weekend with a wonderful morning at church and a walk in the 70 degree weather. Nathan looked so adorable for church that I had to post a picture (or two...or three). A friend gave us some of her old baby clothes, and deep inside was this itty-bitty tie. I couldn't resist!

three months old!

I remember sitting in the glider one August night at around 3am. Nathan was up for the second time that night and I was counting down the hours until sunrise. I knew I would probably not fall asleep again until around 5am--just in time for the next feeding. Nathan would take about an hour to soothe and then I would take another hour to soothe (thank you, Danny). Words I had read that day swam through my tired mind: everything changes by three months. They start sleeping through the night, their GI systems have worked out the kinks, you will know what different cries mean...the list goes on. Perhaps it was exhaustion or simply delusional thinking, but I did not want that day to come. I enjoyed those lonely hours, examining every crease and hair on my baby's body. I loved listening to his gentle hum as he ate his (second) midnight snack. I knew I would one day miss those sweet hours when it seemed we were the only ones alive.

I think that day has come. The infant that used to lie lightly on my shoulder now pulls back to look around. Only occasionally do we sit alone at night...he'd rather wait until dawn. With all my heart I miss holding his heavy head to get him to burp and all the other wonderful pleasures of those first few weeks. But life goes on.

Today my baby turned three months old. He mostly sleeps through the night (at least 6-8 hours), he rarely grunts or wines with gas anymore, and he has a terrific curiosity about the world. He is growing out of his clothes quickly and loves to stand on my lap. He coo's (more like gha's and ni's) with great intent. I cannot believe how he has changed in the past 13 weeks! Still I am far from understanding his cries...I stand there racking my brain for a possible reason. I cannot figure out when to put him down or how to help him through the afternoon hours. Soothing does not come naturally to me yet, and neither do outings. But I love him more than life and that is as natural as can be.

And every time he looks at me and his face lights up... that very moment is my favorite.

time with family

This past Sunday, Nathan was baptized. Both sets of grandparents came to town for this special day. Nathan wore a gown that was originally made for Danny's baptism. It was one of the most special days in my life. I was reminded of the Lord's faithfulness to generation after generation and His grace and mercy displayed in the blessings my covenant child will experience. Nathan was a real trooper--he had wake up early to be at church a little after eight. He seemed to enjoy being walked down the isle and being sprinkled by our pastor. It was all I could do to keep my composure. He then fell asleep in my arms for the remainder of the service until the organ sounded for the final hymn.

Nathan is excited the big day is finally here.

the font

Nathan being silly after the service.

We had a wonderful time visiting with the grandparents, though the visit was too short as usual. Nathan got more lovin' than he knew what to do with. We are still working on getting him to sleep in his crib again after all the arms that were eager to hold him.


Thank you to all who were with us this weekend--in person or in spirit. It is amazing to think about how many lives will touch Nathan's as he grows in the knowledge of his Savior.

BOO!

It's fun to nibble...
It's sweet...
It's miniature...
And a Halloween treat!

No, it's not a fun-size Snicker's bar. It's my little monster!!

Though he only stayed awake for about three trick-or-treaters, Nathan made the cutest little monster for Halloween.


Halloween day was casual.

After sundown, the monster came out!



Roar!


Grrr!

just nathan

No breaking news or updates today. Just some cute Nathan moments. My photo and video skills are rough, I know. But I don't know if anyone could truly capture his adorable-ness. Forgive me if this is just me being a doting mother.


just plain cute!


naked bottom time!


margot gets in on the action.


Nathan starts to roll over, but gets stuck half-way. Good work, little guy!



It's that little noise at the end that I was going for...he usually puts a lot of sounds like this together, but when I started filming he got shy.

It's crazy how, as a new mom, I am so excited by the littlest things. Perhaps I'll look back at these some day and wonder why I took so many videos of nothing...but I doubt it.

a new season

Nathan was nine weeks old when I returned to work. I guess I should qualify what I mean by "back to work." I was given a PRN position, meaning I only have to work as needed. Since they always need more nurses, I basically just tell them what days I want to work. While Danny is home doing research, I am trying to work two days a week. It has been an enormous blessing to be able to spend a day out of the house doing something I absolutely love while my baby bonds with his daddy. I feel like I have the best two jobs on earth. Labor and Delivery is an exciting and rewarding place to work and the women I work with are absolutely lovely! The best part about my day is coming home to a loving and talented husband (he even made dinner last Friday night after being Daddy all day!) and the last feeding of the day with Nathan.

Nathan has started the sweetest of nightly routines! On days that I work, 10:30pm is the first time he sees me all day. We rouse him from his sleep, Danny changes his diaper and then hands him to me. As he turns and recognizes it is me, his eyes widen and he gives me a goofy grin. He then proceeds to tell me all about his day with Daddy. I know this sounds silly, but he really does! He'll coo and coo with all sorts of sounds, sometimes waiting for a response before he continues. He tells me how they hunted Margots and flew bombers over the Arctic. I know this is not "supposed" to be a social time, but how can I resist such an exciting story? When he finally quiets for his night cap, I find myself staring at him as intently as I did the night after he was born. I so love those sweet still hours of the night.

Fall is finally falling in Augusta. It has been in the 60's a few times now and the leaves are starting to change. Danny and I agree that this is our favorite time of the year. We took advantage of the great weather on Sunday to take a few autumnal pictures of Nathan. I wish I was a better photographer, but this will have to do.


a bit blurry because i couldn't stop laughing.


chillin' with the guys

my favorites