Sunriver, OR

We are having the most wonderful time here in Sunriver. Too bad there isn't any snow for skiing or we would be out on the ski hill. Today Paul and I have Zoe and Nathan. We took a peak at the local live dessert museum. The kids have fun with the chickens, rosters, cats and birds. Yesterday Reid and Laura took the kids for a nature walk in the lava field. Here are some pictures from the trip so far.

Well this Thanksgiving I will be eating turkey and cranberry sauce. I can hardly wait. I have learned to tug at moms leg all day. Mom thinks it is because I am sick or maybe teething. Mom took me to the doctor last week. They did blood test to look for iron. And I got two shots. I have to go back in 30 days for another booster of the flu shot. I am just glad we don't have to do another blood test. I am not into someone holding me down. I am only 23lbs and 32inches. Doctor says I am on target with development. Right now my favorite word is "bye". I say bye to things that I step on, balloons that I hide, cars that go by and even the people at the grocery store. My favorite sign is banana, I do believe that it means give me that food (not just bananas) you have or I will start crying. I have started to have fits too. This way mom will sometimes give me back the item she has taken from me. I have also decided that I will nap at random during the day. Some days I want to nap at 9:00 and others not until 11. I hope this is driving mom crazy.

Nathan turns 15 months

Nathan, how does it feel to be 15 months?

"Well, dad, I can certainly walk steadily. Really, I can almost run. I know much more than I did last month. I have learned a number of animal sounds -- dogs, cats, cows, bears, lions. I know where outside is and I love it there! Why can I not spend all day there? I've got some new words: 'there it is', 'down', 'outside'. I like the song ring-around-the-rosie because I love to all fall down. I also like to play with Zoe, she is so much fun and we can get really silly together when we are both tired. What do I do for fun? Every Monday, I go to Toddler Group and learn more things with a little playing here and there. Another thing that is fun is music. When I hear music I've got to sway and dance! For next month? Who knows, maybe I'll start learning Latin."

Paul's Bicycle Commute (Kenmore to Bellevue)

A world of technology opportunities enables a mobile phone (iPhone) with GPS capabilities to sit in my back pack and track my ride to and from work on a rainy Nov. 3, 2008. The wonders never cease.

From the site MapMyRide, it all gets overlayed on a Google map for you to see.

Christmas lamb

We bought our 1/2 of lamb today.

Brian wrote up the steps that we take to make it:
at this link

Dance Party

Oct Rain.. check out my boots!!

Nathan turns 14 months

From learning to walk to walking like a champ. Mobility is now Nathan's middle name. He loves this new found freedom. "Na, Na, Fa, Da, Ya!", as he clutches a toy at walks around the house.

A late September vacation at Cannon beach was great. Sand, Surf, and seagulls are a 1-years favorite things. Funny how you cannot wash sand out of your mouth with more sand, isn't it Nathan? Nathan is a great little comedian, at dinner in Cannon Beach you had mom and dad in tears laughing with you.

Thursday Freakout

Paul and I were planning on a nice quite time at home on Thursday. Well Nathan had other plans. It is 6pm and Nathan is hungry again after eating dinner at 5. So I sit him up in his high chair and grab him some dessert, while we wait for Paul to come home. A frozen OJ/water Popsicle and some watermelon. Oh does he love watermelon. Well this watermelon is a bit firm so I cut it up into bites for him, most days he gets a slice to munch on. He eats almost all of it and only has 3 chunks left plus a huge mouthful. I see the choking face and think he will clear it as he made that face of I have swallowed too much before. But this time no noise. My heart sinks and breath quickens. OK I know what to do. Calm comes over me when he coughs and out comes some watermelon bits. I think great he will be fine... Ah no I am wrong.. He is wheezy and is having a hard time breathing. So I grab Nathan and the phone and dail 911. I can feel myself breathing hard. I can feel Nathan's breath going in and out. I can hear it. I am happy he has air but concerned as he is working hard for it. 911 transfers me quickly to the right line. I am happy I can remember my Nathan's age, our phone number and address. I am glad the firehouse is only a 1/2 mile away. I can only hear my breath and his... then I hear the garage and the aid car in the distance. Paul is home.. things are getting better. My breath slows. Nathan is breathing better. Happy tears are in my eyes. Paul comes into the room and I ask him to flag down the aid car. They come in and can hear something in his wind pipe and Brent thinks we should go to the ER. The other guy asks to look at what Nathan was eating. It is important to them that I know what he was eating. I am happy I know what he was eating, that I was sitting with him and not in the garage getting a can of something for dinner, not in the bathroom. I am happy that I was sitting with him.

Well we had our aid car ride with the paramedics. Nathan is so unhappy, he doesn't want them to touch him. He doesn't want to sit on my lap. He doesn't want to be there. He isn't his normal self, I can tell he is still uncomfortable. Brent tells me his color is good and he is getting lots of air. That helps the 15 min ride go faster. We talk about his kids... he has a 19 year old and a 6 month old. They had tried for #2 for a long time and were not expecting another. I am wondering why they are not going on the freeway. I guess because Nathan isn't buckled in. We get to the ER and find our room. The doctor looks at him and says he can't hear any problems. I am sure he is still wheezy. Since the paramedic said he heard something in his windpipe they want to do a x-ray. Then we wait and wait. We go back in to a darkened room, sit a very sleepy boy on a chair and put on our lead vests. They take the pictures and then we head back to our room. Nathan has returned to his normal self and I feel like he is not wheezy now. Then we wait. The doctor comes in and says there is no seeds in his lungs, any watermelon meat will be fine in there. It is 8:45 and and they let us go home. Two of our friends had choking issues the same night but didn't go to the ER. Paul is a rock under pressure. Nathan is a trooper. They are my boys.

Adding to vocabulary nearly 14months

Words:
Light
ba (balloon, ball, bird)
fa (fan)
da or dad (dad)
was dat (whats that)
weeeee (having fun going down a slide/in a swing/or just walking around)
shoes
Umbra (umbrella)
off (light)
nanananana (no clue what this means but he walks around saying this all day)

Sounds:
ffff (woof) dog
baaaow (meow) cat
aaaa (moo) cow
sssss for snake

Signs:
light
more
eat
finished (rip off bib)
bird
duck
airplane
kitty
puppy
bye bye
hot
shoes

Actions on command or seeing something:
high five
how big is Nathan "so big"
sniff flower

Cannon Beach Day 3

Oh we had a blast today.. here is a movie that proves it.

Cannon Beach Day 2

Cannon Beach

We are at the ocean and having a great time. Nathan is growing and "talking" more. He has added nana nana nana to his list of words. I have no idea what it means.

He went potty on his potty the other day when I sat him on it. I think it was a fluke but I was still doing the happy potty dance with a couple of high fives.

He loves fish, he can find them in the strangest places. We were sitting at a coffee shop yesterday and he starts signing fish or airplane. The door handle was a fish.

Today we are on a mission to find Paul a sweater and Nathan a kite. I am guessing it won't be that hard.

Zoe is back in town..

Better watch out Zoe is back in town. Nathan got to go swimming with her yesterday and tonight they are going for a bike ride and a picnic at Green Lake. Welcome back Zoe.. we missed you.

Nathan Turns 13 months

OK I have to stop saying Nathan is a year old now. Here is an update on his development. He is 22lbs, 30 inches long and has a head size of 18.5. He doctor was pleased at his progress and says that he does not have any signs of autism. He looks at me for confirmation and is very interactive with her. We went ahead and did the MMR shot that is so controversial right now. We feel it is best for him to be protected. With the measles outbreak in Seattle a few months ago I am happy that he has got some defense against it now.


On to how smart our child is. He can answer simple questions now. "What does the puppy say?" He says "fffff fffff ffff" (aka woof).

Words:
Light
ba (balloon, ball)
fa (fan)
ffff (woof)
da or dad (dad)
was dat (whats that)
weeeee (having fun going down a slide/in a swing/or just walking around)

Signs:
light
more
eat
finished
bird
airplane
kitty
puppy
bye bye
high five
how big is Nathan "so big"
hot


He can drink from a straw, he can blow in instruments, he pretty much has stopped crawling around and walks everywhere with out trouble. At our doctors appointment he was getting up without pulling him self up. He understand all of his toys and what to do with them. You push a car, you put a block in this hole, you turn on this toy here. He can identify objects in books with real life. He knows the picture of a bird/dog/cat/balloon and will point or sign the object to me when asked.

At one year we stopped going to parent/baby class at the hospital and we will start up at Woodinville Toddler group in the next couple of weeks. We are also going to start swimming lessons next week.

Sesame Street

I have been enjoying a bit of Sesame Street with Nathan. Here are some of my favorites from the show.

Nathan's First Year

Laura worked hard last month to view all of the media we've taken of Nathan. After browsing through the thousands of photos and hundreds of minutes of videos, in the end she compiled this video of moments of his first 12 months.

This was the movie playing at his birthday party. Enjoy.

1 Year 1 week

Not sure we will be doing weekly updates this year but we will do our best to do monthly ones. Here is some pictures from the party. We only had 4 accidents with the kids, all had lots of tears. 3 drew blood. Note to self: buy a first aid kit to have on site during crazy first birthday parties.

So moms out there will understand how important naps are at this age. I was so worried he would be sleeping or grumpy during the party. I seemed to time everything perfect. He woke up 10 minutes before the party started and had a good 3 or 4 hours of party time.

Nathan is taking lots of steps now but still isn't very good at it. He did a good 2 feet of walking on his own today. That kid is fearless.

Addicted?? Maybe..

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Gas

Well I wanted to document how much gas is this year. We paid $3.91 per gallon with our 20 cent discount. Grand total for filling up my car.... $41.57 for 10.6 gallons.

I'm One... oh it is so much fun!

Happy Birthday Nathan!!


Well for my birthday I got a cold and a swing. The swing is what I was asking for, the cold just came up on me in the middle of the night. My big party is next week so we will see what else the parents got me. I am hoping for some Little People but you know I forgot to ask for it.

Nathan Week 51

Mobility is my middle name and trying to walk is my new game. I've been lunging myself between objects that are upright and taking a few steps in between. A tumble here and there, but for the most part been doing pretty well. I am practicing up for my 1st birthday!

I am really getting to understand the words my parents are saying. I know when they tell me to take things out of my mouth. However, I might not alway listen. I've been using a little more sign language such as airplane, 'more' food please, maybe even fish.

I really babble when I am in a good mood. I know how to sleep through the night, but like a little comfort now and again.

My mom and dad really figured out this week why mom couldn't get enough watermelon while she was pregnant with me. It was me making the request from within the belly.

11 Month video

Week 50

Oh no.. 2 weeks until he is no longer zero. 3 weeks until the party.

Nathan had his first trip to the zoo. I believe he really liked the birds, hippos and the butterflies. Not 100% sure as he replies "da" when I ask. Maybe he thinks dad is part of the zoo? Nathan is starting to take steps from one thing to another. He will let go for seconds at a time and if you are waiting for him he will fling himself at you. I think he will be walking right around his party. Nathans favorite play time activity these days is pushing his cars around making noise, walking around touching the walls and anyone else that will take him for a spin, and he loves to pull things out and put them back in. This morning he had a measuring cup with his first lunch and was putting his food from his plate into the cup and then eating it. He has also emptied the folded laundry numerous times today and it is only 11am.

Let see we are still attending parent/child class. Our friends are slowly moving on. They kick you out at 1 year old and Nathan is the youngest in the group that I hang out with. Toddler group in Woodinville starts up in September. So we will have a short break from classes.

Hope to see all of you at the party... if you didn't get an invite and want to come let me know and I will send one over to you. The big day is August 10th.

Week 49

Back to normal here. As normal as it gets with a child in tow.

I am now able to brush my teeth. Mom says, "Brush Your teeth" and I try to move my toothbrush like my mom and dad do. If only I could walk, then I could catch those cats. I sure love it when mom and dad are willing to help me walk around the house; smiles and giggles galore. My bedtime is about 7 PM. I wake up somewhere between 5:30 and 7 AM - typically I fall in the earlier more frequently. One day it might be fun if I wake up happy, I guess that this the problem with sleeping for 11 hours, one gets hungry.

I went with my friends to a park (Ferrell McWhirter) with a little farm, so I got to see some farm animals. Oink, Oink says the pigs.

Week 48

What a week. Vacation time for the family. Destination: Vanderhoof. Nana and Grandpa Cooley's house, so much to see, do, and learn! I love my grandparents they are so fun and I got to hang out a bit with all of them. The second destination was the cabin.

In terms of what did I learn to do this week: Started walking with one hand of help, accidentally standing when I don't realize I am not holding something, drinking from a sippy cup by myself, learned to love a cuckoo clock, used a straw, could wave bye-bye, hugs toys when parents call the toy nice - "what a nice bear", "what a nice ball", mimics coughing with a fake cough.

My parents made a made a commitment to raise me according to God's Word and God's ways. I was dedicated at NCC, the church my dad attended while growing up. Great!

I am very patient with the 4 days of driving over this vacation. However about 4 or 5 hours into driving I get pretty bored. I love that mom comes and visits me in the back seat. She just cracks me up with her puppet shows.

I am on my way to only two naps a day and I still get up a least once in the night.

It was my first Canada day and July 4th celebration. However, I really don't celebrate that much. I saw my first fireworks and it didn't overwhelm me with excitement, but I was interested in watching.

One month till my first birthday, where did the time go?

There are tons of photos to see this week.

Week 47

We are a little behind, it turns out we were on vacation. Yes, by the time Week 47 ended Nathan, Laura, and Paul were in Vanderhoof!

On Saturday a friend of Nathan's had a first birthday, so Nathan went to his very first birthday party. He got to socialize with his friends. However, socialize for a 11 month old appears to be give and take toys back and forth with an occasional pause for hair pulling.

This week was a busy one getting everything sorted out and ready to go on vacation. Nathan's parents were busy with that. What little spare time they did have was spent playing with a new digital SLR camera; you be the judge -- some of the pictures below were taken with a better camera. :)

Week 46

Happy Fathers day dad. Mom was acting silly all week. Her employer laid her off and she was dancing around the room like she won the lottery. Thanks mom for staying home with me.

Here is some pictures the folks took, I had a fun week.

~Nathan

Week 45

I am sure I am starting to repeat myself but here goes this weeks post. Nathan goes around saying Da da dad at everything all the time. My reply is still Ma ma ma. No luck. He has ga, va, da, fa, ha, ah/ in his baby babble. He says light at least once a day. He loves to stand in the fridge, pull the cats tail and scream in delight at the cats. He can be placed in his crib for naps and will cry for less than 1 minute after I leave. Then he will ether play or lay down and sleep. He still cries when he wakes and screams (not happy) when you enter the room. He thinks the cats are so funny, especially when he is attacking them with a toy. He thinks it is funny when he crawls away from me and I pull him back by the his legs. He is reaching more things these days. Laptops that could be safely stored at the back of the couch are now in reach. He can reach higher in the fridge and split soy sauce all over the floor this week. He loves to eat dirt from the house plants and any kind of paper. Getting the mail is the best time of day. I pull out all the recycle paper and we play on the floor tearing it and eating it. Nathan got his first case of diaper rash due to what we think is teething... but there is no tooth so maybe he was just sick. So hard to tell.

This past week we went to the U of W for yet another study. This one wasn't very exciting so I will spare you the details. We are still attending parent/child class, this is my weekly sanity check. It is getting hard to do too much due to all his naps. He is one of the few in my class that is still doing 3 naps a day. I can get out of the house once a day for two trips and that is about it.

Happy Fathers Day

Week 44

As shocking as it may sound, teething is no fun. This week Nathan has had some tough days. Subsequently his mom had some rough days! There was no pleasing a boy in pain. Running noses and tears and waking up several times in the night is a good summary.

Nathan also got to go to Anthonys for Grandma's birthday. That was fun for everyone, but a little less fun for mom because she had a little handful of joy to entertain.

Nathan's trips to photographers

A couple of weekends ago some photos were scanned into digital format.

We share them here:

Great-Grandfather's insight into the US Northwest

For something a little different.

The below contains a little insight about Seattle and Portland in a letter my Great-Grandfather (Harvey Williams Cooley) sent to his older sister Mattie Cooley almost 100 years ago. Apparently I've discovered it is not entirely true given my current location. :-)

This was a particularly relevant letter that got scanned by my dad as he went through many historical Cooley documents in the recent past.

Coquille, OR.
July 16, 1908
Dear Sis,

Yours of July 10 received and contents noted; was very glad to learn of Rollies' [Roland Cooley] information. He wants to remember the old adage to the effect that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Lying around in bed is about the hardest work I ever did. If I were I would certainly want to release myself some.

Give my regards to Aunt C and H.J and family though I suppose the latter will have left by this time.

If you will take occasion to note there are no heat prostrations [heat stroke] recorded in the West. And you can go to the mountains if you want when you get there although I support Geo will want to get action on himself.

I received an epistle from from H.G dated July 8 containing the startling information generally enclosed in one of his letters. H. G is all right and he sent me some advise if follow out will certainly get the gravy for anyone.

He appears to be laboring under the delusion that Seattle is the coming city of the coast when any Oregonian can you that the proud distinction is held by Portland. I also suspect him of a strong leaning toward Repulicanism. Which indiscretion on the part of the public is I believe about to culminate into another national disaster, namely the election of one W. H Taft.

You don't want to worry about George, a little work will do him good. Bill out to be in Ore. he could put his horses in the pasture the year round.

Was very glad to hear from John Baker. I am something of a Hobo myself. You want to look into Bill Brown as will undoubtedly be able to tell you some history.

I have received the Trib regularly but would not miss it and have tied my affection to the chariot wheels of the Oregon Journal which is an independent sheet with a strong democratic leaning.

My appetite still continues robust and I must say Good Bye.

Your Bro,

H. W. Cooley

P.S Tell Cliff is about due to answer a letter

Week 43

Week 43, come and gone. In the past week Nathan has been trying to articulate a few more sounds. Mom understands him when he says "light" or "kitty", but dad is still a bit slow on the hearing of those words. Maybe he isn't listening close enough.

Nathan is continuing to be a hungry boy. Eat, Eat, Eat. 63.23% of his mom's time in the day seems to be feeding him. The left over time is spend cleaning up :-)

It was a long weekend, Memorial day, and the Cooley family spent it at the cabin. More fun in the sun. It was actually sunny on a long weekend, handy isn't it? Nathan got to ride around the lake in his bike trailer with mom, bestafar, and dad.

Week 42

This week was daunting to post as there were so many photos to pick from.

In Seattle the weekend turned out to be super warm and we all went up to the cabin! Fun, Fun, Fun. Nathan loved the cabin. More corners to explore and keep his mom and dad on their toes.

Nathan is working on his balance this week. There is much more work to be done there, but he is doing pretty good.

Here are 2% of the photos we took in Week 42...

Spring Summer

Week 41

Busy week, here are some pictures from last week.

Nathan is saying dadada dada dad daaad dada and many more combinations of dad. All I can say back to him is mama ma ma mama ma mom. It isn't working.

Happy Mothers Day

40 Weeks

The big 40. 40 weeks that is.

If you are following are blog you know Nathan knows the word light but we have a new development this week, he can sign the word light. Paul and I discovered that tonight. The conversation went something like this.

Nathan looks at up at light and does the sign.
I look at Paul and ask "Did he just sign light?"
Paul answers "I don't know, try it again".
So I turn on the light and Nathan does the sign.
Paul and I look at each other. Hmmm
Paul says "Try again"
I say were is the light? Nathan looks at light and his hand goes up and he signs it.
Can you tell I am excited??

What I don't get is I have been doing the sign for kitty since he was born, we just learned the word light last week and I just started the sign for light this week. Strange. So he has two signs, milk and light.

He has lots of babble this week. ba ba ba and va va va. No ma ma or da da yet.

What else is he doing... eating. This kid has discover the wonderful love for bread and food in general. He is feeding himself finger food... I should say shoveling food in his mouth, using both hands. Things he gets are brown rice, cheese, bits of fruits, veggies, beans, pasta, chicken and bread. If I had to say what Nathans favorite foods are apple/pear sauce, avocado, and chicken. His top two hands down are yogurt and bread.

Nathan has also learned how to have a tantrum when I take away something he can't have. Paper and bread causing the biggest fuss.

Week 39

Lots of activity this week and this week we've managed to capture a lot of photos of this activity. For instance Nathan went on his first bike ride with Mom and Dad. He, of course, hung out in his bike trailer. He was making a concerted effort to sleep, however the bumps seemed to disagree with him. Plus it was another week of Nathan being sick, sleeping more, and generally less happy with his day-to-day life.

Laura also started helping her dad's company by doing some testing of their products. Those couple of days were ultra-busy as she spends the morning getting Nathan ready to go to Grandmas then the afternoon working, then the evening looking after the two babies (one big and one little).

Nathan is starting to have an inkling of an idea about some of the words that his parents use. Such as kitty, light, bird, and halcyon. OK, so maybe not the last word (means peaceful/happy).

Nathan also got his first haircut this week. Fun? Not for him.

Week 38

This week was filled with Nathan catching a cold. He had a fever for the end part of the week. He even missed mom's group this week. Sleep has been on Nathan's highest objective. Definitely, a hard week for Nathan. In spite of the cold, He has been a trooper!

Last weekend was pretty amusing down here. Snow was amusing, at least for awhile.

When Nathan was awake last week, he was babble boy. Yap, yap, yap.

Oh yes, we went to get an MRI, but alas the machine was so loud that Nathan was startled when it started up; thus, ruining the images. It would be a lucky day when they get a successful MRI of a baby given that noise.

Week 37

Pulling up, he is pulling up. Pulling up on the couch, stairs and in his crib. This is leading to more falls and lots of tears during the day. He is getting better at not falling. Another thing his mastered this week is holding onto the baby gate with one hand while standing. All this pulling up caused us to lower the crib to the lowest setting... no wonder my back is killing me this week.

So Nathan has been teething for a month now... I have decided he might have just had his first cold. I wish he could talk and tell me what is going on. That would make parenting an infant easier.

Sleep is a topic moms like to talk about... so once again I want to document how it is going. Nathan is getting going to bed around 7:45 these days. Then he sometimes gets up at 11pm (this is the hardest on us), then he gets up between 2 and 3:30 if he got up at 11. If he didn't get up at 11 then he gets up closer to 1pm. Then he always wakes up around 4 or 5am. So we are down to getting up 2 or 3 times a night and he is only eating once in the night. Then for the first time this week, I put him in his crib for his morning nap and he lightly cried for about 40 mins and then laid down and when to sleep. I didn't have to nurse or rock him to sleep. Doesn't sound like much to the average human but this is huge for me.

Nathan is scheduled to have a MRI Sunday night. This is part of the study at Childrens hospital. He has to go in at bed time, go to sleep on the MRI table and then not move for 8 mins while they take images of his brain. They said the MRI machine makes some sound. Wish us luck. I have been told we get a report but I don't know if we get images. I hope I have some to post next week. How many parents get to see the inside of their babies brains and it is a good thing?? I feel very lucky to get to participate and help other children in the process.

Nathan 3D

As a part of being a control subject in the Plagiocephaly Outcomes Project (at Children's Hospital), Nathan has gotten a 3D picture taken. His mom says he wouldn't smile for this picture ;)

Plagiocephaly is "a malformation of the head marked by an oblique slant to the main axis of the skull."

The bankrobber style is all the rage?

Week 36

From the parent's perspective, sometimes it is hard to think of original, unique posts each week. Yet, other times it is a breeze.

New this week:

* A better stroller for mom and dad and Nathan. Now mom or dad don't have to kick the wheels while pushing Nathan around.
* Going to the park and swinging. Oh man that was smiles and giggles. Lovin' It.
* Visited Children's Hospital -- Nathan has volunteered to become part of a study: Plagiocephaly outcomes project.

Not so new this week:

* More Teething? Maybe. We don't see anything there, but Nathan sure doesn't seem as happy as before.

Alright next week here we come!

Long video of our little star.

A multi-post sort of week. Here is our little star.

He is definitely mobile now. Oh no! :D

Nathan Signs

I know Nathan has understood the sign for milk for a month or so but tonight he was doing the sign when we were getting ready for bed. I love that kid. I will try to get it on video.

Week 35 - 8 Months

Our little boy is getting bigger and stronger. He is on the move and I can hardly keep up. I set him down and he is off on a mission to find something to grab, hold, bite, chew, drool on, toss, tug, suck, kick, hit, drop, hit, bang, and so on. He is fun to watch and he loves his new found skill. This week latches went on some of the kitchen cabinet doors. He has a few he can open and pull stuff out if he wants. He has also started to pull up. Mom and dad were watching him pull up on the open dishwasher and then slip, boom... he is flat on his back and crying. I would call that his first real big spill. We all survived . Nathan is sleeping better, he has dropped his 11pm waking and is going a bit longer every night this week. Last night he slept from 8pm until 3:15am, better yet mom slept from 10pm until 3:15pm. It took me a few nights to get on his new schedule.

Week 34 - late

Nothing to report. Nathan is fast and keeping mom on her toes.

Happy Easter

Week 33 - Lots of firsts

Well to add to our busy month Nathan had a bunch of firsts this week.

1. Tooth (bottom left)
2. Time crawling forward. (oh no)
3. Funeral (Great Grandfather Cooley will be missed)
4. Road Trip (to Kelowna)
5. Meeting of Aunt Cathy/Uncle Wilson/Great Aunt Verna and Uncle Mike
6. Hotel stay and swimming in a hotel pool
7. Trip to Canada and use of passport
8. Plums and Greek rice
9. Time to pull another babies hair and make one cry, so sorry Zoe.
10. Trip to winery
11. Trip down a slide

Week 32

Really, 32 weeks?? Wow. Nathan is up on all fours this week. He has three directions, backwards, left and right.

We think he is teething but really it could just be a cold. I have no idea at this point.

Nathan had pizza crust for the first time last night and really went to town.


That is all as it was a hard week for both the grandparents and parent. When it rains...

Week 31

Saturday - Looked for bike for Laura. Bought Laura a bike. Looked at 3 wheeled strollers as the one umbrella stroller is a bit short to push on long walks.

Sunday - Trip to Costco to find a bike helmet, unsuccessful but we still bought lots of other items. Dinner at the grandparents house. Nathan tried peaches and really liked them. Thanks Gramies.

Monday - Got new car seat and installed it in under 5 minutes. Wow those Britax are easy to install. Nathan looks pretty good in his new plush seat. I wish they made them for adults.

Tuesday - Mom whipped up teething biscuits, just because she wanted to make something. Not because Nathan is teething.

Wed - Not really sure I think I walked in a daze from a lack of sleep.

Thursday - Parent/Child Class. The topic of choice this week was breast cancer. Still a daze from no sleep. Went to bed at 7:30 with Nathan and had a great night of sleep.

Friday -Went for a walk with some moms. We think teething has begun but we think he is starting with his molars first? Only time will tell. We are doing ear pulling, drolling a bit more than normal and chewing on everything.

One thing that Nathan started to do a couple weeks ago is scream in delight at the cats. He hasn't figured out that they run away when he screams. Paul has also given Nathan a new nickname. "Bam Bam". Nathan is constantly hitting or slamming toys on the floor or counter. Nathan clearly understands the sign for milk these days. He gets very excited to see it when he is hungry. I hope he starts to use the sign soon. He also has a strange love for water. A cup or sippy cup will bring delight to his eyes (as long as it doesn't contain formula). Nathan rolls to get to everything these days. So I have started to baby proof the downstairs area. I need to be better at keeping my purse off the ground as he rolls over to it the moment I turn my back. No forward movement yet but he is working on it.

Lots of pictures this week, none of Paul. Need to work on that.

Week 30

What a wonderful week to be the proud parents of Nathan. Nathan got to spend last Saturday morning with his father. Dad gave him a bath and took him to REI. Then Nathan went on to spend the afternoon with Gramies and Bestafar while mom and dad got to go roller blading and out to a sushi dinner.

Paul is a Chilly Hilly champ. Biking over 33 miles around a very hilly island with another 4338 other crazy people. Nathan and I headed over to play with Dylan and Ryan. They were very eager to let him hold pennies and nickels. Their mom was quick to point out that Nathan is a bit young for that.

Nathan had his 6 months photos done with week, too bad he is almost 7 months. Paul says we don't have to tell him he is 7 months in the pictures. :) I have to say they turned out great. I can't wait to share them with his fans.

Week 29

Quick but long week here at the Cooley house.

Monday - Paul works, Nathan and Laura bring spaghetti lunch to Paul, do grocery shopping and mountains of laundry.
Tuesday - Paul works, Nathan and Laura go to the U of W for the last day of the infant hearing testing.
Wednesday - Paul works, Nathan and Laura have a quick lunch with Robin and her two kids and then do a trip to Costco.
Thursday - Paul works, Nathan and Laura go to the doctor for his 6 month checkup and then to parent/child class to learn about how to start a babysitting co-op.
Friday - Paul works, Nathan and Laura walk to the library after a long morning involving screaming from 6am until 10:30am due to the shots from yesterday. Laura cleans the upstairs and tries darn hard to get Nathan to eat anything all day.

Nathan is 17lbs 4 oz, 28 inches long. On the standard charts he is in the 90% for height and 30% for weight. He is off his weight curve but a friend pointed out the charts show all babies and most are formula fed and start solids before 6 months. I found a chart for breastfed babies and he is on the 50% line all the way. Nathan got 3 shots and won't need any at our 9 month appointment. So the doctor asks how he is sleeping.. umm not great. She asks how he is eating.. umm not great. Add that too the drop off his curve is enough to start thinking we failed at our doctors visit. The doctor only had positive things to say so really there is no worry.

Nathan was eating some food before this week, he would eat almost a whole ice cube full of sweet potatoes, today he decided he didn't want to eat anything. He does this cute thing were he won't open his mouth even to smile. Today Nathan also decided to start to learn how to whistle, that combined with extra drool made for a big mess.

Week 28

Ok ok we are getting later and later at posting our weekly update. Sorry to our fans... well Nathans fans anyway.

Last week Nathan started at the University of Washington. He is the youngest person to ever attend school there... Ok he isn't attending school, he is a lab rat.. hmm maybe that is a bit harsh. Lets call him another data point in a large infant hearing study. They are trying to find the shortest they can make a sound in different ranges that infants can hear. I don't think they got any information from him until today. They said they got a couple of data points covered. So I am glad our 3 visits to the University were worth it. The study looks something like a game to Nathan. They put a speaker in his ear and play a constant static sound, then change it. If he reacts to the sound change they give him a visual reward (turn on a DVD). They do this over and over and look for a reaction. Today was our 3rd and last visit. He got a t-shirt for attending, mom got free entertainment and some gas money.

If Nathan had not mastered sitting the week prior he has mastered it now, there still is an occasional mishap. Nathan has also mastered screams of joy. He was having a great time screaming at the hearing study today.

Well I will try to get some pictures up from last week later today. Nathan is up from his nap.

Week 27 - 6 Months old on the Calendar

I can hardly believe that 6 months have past since the birth of our son. Boy has time gone by fast. Nathan is growing very quickly. This week he has mastered sitting, well he has his moments when he forgets and goes flying back, but for the most part I am calling it mastered. He can sit at the barn that his cousin gave him for a good 15-20 mins without tipping over. Today at playgroup he was sitting and just watching all the other babies do other baby things. Another record was set, 6 days without a dirty diaper. Too much information?? Well these are things parents talk about.

Everyone seems to be interested in how babies sleep. Nathan is still practicing his sleep. This week he has averaged getting up twice a night. Bed at 7pm and up around 1am and 4am. He has absolutely no nap schedule. Most days he has 15-20 minutes naps about 3 or 4 times a day. Today he had a record 1 hour nap in the morning and a 15 minute nap during playgroup. Lets hope this trend continues.

Mom Report - I am doing well, my back is getting better. It has been 2 weeks since I last went to the physical therapist for some adjustments on my back. I have also lost all of my pregnancy weight plus an additional 4 pounds. I give 100% credit to Nathan for all the weight loss. I don't think I was ever this active in my old life. On the down side none of my new pants fit, they are too big.

Dad Report - Dad is still working hard and seems to have recovered from all illnesses. He is back in the swing of things, 4 days this week he biked into work. I think he is getting ready for a bike race in 2 weeks, "The Chilly Hilly". 33 miles, 2600 feet elevation gain.

Everyone have a good weekend. Nathan sends his smiles.

Week 26

For the last couple of posts we've been getting tardy. Observation of the week: Time really flies when you have a child. No body warned me strongly enough about that. Wow, week 26, that sounds like half a year to me.

This last week was really great. We went to Nathan's Grandparents cabin for the weekend, met Jason, Kirstin, Ruthie, and Celia. To make it even better there was snow and ice to keep us entertained. The lake was frozen which provided a picturesque backdrop for a weekend of catching up, scrap booking, xbox playing, eating, and general fun.

Memories include: Jason stepping thru the ice, pushing our cars up the snowy driveway, A chilly cabin to start with, lots of tasty food -- mmm chicken ole, mmmm chicken lasanga, a frozen lake, a frozen lake after a snow fall, talking about Jason and Kirstin about their new townhouse!

Nathan has certainly slept better in the past. He sometimes got up with only 1.5 hour spaced between the last time he was up. Mom and dad are trying everything they can think of to help Nathan sleep better; more clothes, less clothes, softer sheet, warmer house, ...

Nathan seemed to really have fun at the cabin. The new space keeps him entertained. He got along well up in the loft with Jason and Paul and the xbox. We all played games. However, Nathan was more interested in the controller cable than the game.

Additionally, Nathan is now the roll-over champ. This is a good thing, but it also is strikes me that we will one day long for the days of the less mobile Nathan ;)