Post-nap adorableness and I hate my blog template

One of my favorite parts of the day is when I hear a sweet voice talking to himself after a nice long nap. I seem to miss his little face soon after I put him down, so those soft coos are my cue to remind him how much I love him (in case he doesn't notice all the nibble marks on his soft neck and little piggies). As I enter his room, I have found Mr. Sandman, Feet and now, my personal favorite, the Zoo Animal.


On a completely technical note, I hate my blog template. Do have to spend hours searching through ugly ones to find a great one? One of my lesser goals while out of town is to find a more fitting template. Any suggestions on where to look?

39 weeks!

Nathan has officially lived outside of me longer than he lived inside of me! That is crazy! What an amazing 18 months it has been.

Nathan has changed so much this month. He is becoming more mobile and determined. It is exciting to see his tastes based on what he will move toward. I love the way he looks over my shoulder behind and then in front of me to see what is going on beyond me. I love the way he grins at me when he pulls up to standing or hears music play as if to say, "MOM! Isn't this awesome!?" He is the happiest baby I can imagine, and he has made me the happiest I have ever been.


Our nine month check up was scheduled for Friday. But on Tuesday, when I went in to wake Nathan before work, I heard the most awful sound from the doorway. The squeaking and wheezing caused everything else around me to disappear. I went over and scooped up my stridorous baby and grabbed my stethoscope while Danny called our pediatrician and friend (at 5:45 am...oops!). Nathan and I met our pediatrician at his office at 8:45. He diagnosed Nathan with croup and as an added bonus did our nine month check up at the same time. You'd never know he was sick other than the nasty cough and runny nose. He has been happy and sleeping well all week. Let's keep it that way!

So here are the details. At nine months Nathan...
*weighs 22lb 4oz, though I'm certain the scale was off by at least 10 lbs and I have the biceps to prove it.
* is 28inches tall. 50th percentile in both.
*sleeps 12 hours a night with two naps totaling about 4 hours.
*nurses 4 times a day in under 7 minutes. i just have to strap myself in.
*can say "mama" and mean it, "dadada," and make p, sh, t and a whole lot of other sounds while babbling.
*tries to sing with me by holding a long "ahhh."
*crawls on his belly, but not contralaterally.
*can pull up to standing if in the right position.
*can feed himself cheerios, apple, veggies, etc (mostly with the left hand)
*eats EVERTHING without complaining. From tuna to spinach to baked beans, the kid just loves to eat.
*takes my face in his hands and gives me kisses. He'll do it on command, too. heart-melting.
* still smiles all the time. even with a fever of 103 or a croupy cough, he is always smiling.
*knows where his junk is (it doesn't get better than that).

for you, mom.

*squash*

*pole beans*
*tomato in the back*
the same little guys as in the last post!

*sweet potatoes*
don't be too impressed.
i bought these as plants.

*carrots*
they did much better from seed
than from indoor sprouts.
but it takes surgical skill to get one seed in each hole.

*broccoli*
i love the two leaf shapes, don't you?
one of these will have to be cut out.
that makes me feel horrible.

I spy with my little eye...

something green.





I obviously have a long way to go. And there are certainly things I would do differently next time.

But I'm still pretty proud that we made it this far!