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 ;)

Week 25

Another wonderful week at the Cooley home; albeit a busy one. It was chilly outside in Kenmore for the week, but there was some rare Sunshine.

Nathan started rolling over by himself. The parents encouragement maybe got through to him finally? However, more likely he just felt like figuring it out.

One thing about Nathan that seems fairly unique is he leg/feet drumming. Most days he spends part of the day drumming the floor with his feet. He can really go at it at times, I suspect it is he daily exercise routine.

Week 24

Things are falling behind here. This week's post was delayed for another bout of Paul getting ill. He'll need to remember to avoid being sick more often. Nathan got to see more of his dad, but sadly had to stay away -- to avoid to spreading the germs around much.

Mom and dad enjoy entertaining Nathan with jokes, gestures, and funny sounds. Nathan currently doesn't require a subtle punchline and careful setup for a joke. He is happy with a head bob and an explanation on how to say 'Zed' in the USA. Blowing on his stomach can also work. On and off he'll laugh at bouncing or swinging around but each day it is different.

He also spends time talking to some of his toys. Hard to say whether he is asking them where they've been and how they are doing or whether he is telling them not to leave without his permission. He can spend a pretty good amount of time focused in on the toy, inspecting it and talking to it.

Win some but not all of them.

Well it was an exciting game to start off. Nathan was excited and then he did the sign for touchdown.













Then he notice a bad call and started to toss his pacifier around.
















During half time we did some cheers to motivate the Seahawks.






















We were losing in the 4th quarter and he was so mad he started to yell at the TV.

















In the end he knew the season was over.

Go Seahawks! Beat Packers!

Week 23

We have a little screamer on our hands. Nathan and Laura went to their first yoga class. About 15 mom plus baby combos were there. The whole class was quiet doing our breathing exercises but Nathan screaming just to hear his voice. The instructor even tried to put the pacifier in. No such luck.

Nathan is getting pretty good at sitting. He still is pretty tippy and you have to be careful because he will randomly straighten out but he can sit on his own for a few mins. He can also be pulled into a standing position with him holding your hands.

Nathan is still eating twice in a night. He isn't too excited about eating but he does love to suck on ice. Also a cube of ice will keep him entertained during dinner.

Week 22

Wow, another fun filled week with Family. Grandma and Grandpa Cooley can down to have Christmas with us over the New Year break. Yeah. Nathan got to hang out with them for several days. He sure liked that.

Plus there was a trip to Pike's Place Market and a trip to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens.

It was also a short week of work of Paul.

Nathan spent a little of his time sucking his toes. He also likes it when his parents laugh, that is pretty entertaining. Nathan also placing everything he can move into his mouth.

Week 21 - First Christmas

Few, what a whirlwind of good times. We had a wonderful Christmas. Nathan did well with all the attention but had a bit of trouble sleeping with all the noise that was going on.

Nathan got his first taste of solid food, if you can say that rice cereal has a taste. He pushed out more than he ate and did even worse the second time around.

Grandma and Grandpa Cooley are coming today to spend the long holiday weekend with us. Nathan has not seen them since he was 2 weeks. Boy has he changed from back then.

Happy New Year to all.

Week 20

This week we had to say au revoir to Zoe, Laura, and Reid. They are returning to Calgary now that Reid's 3 months at Microsoft are over. We are sad to see them go, but we aren't allowed to keep them. Maybe they liked the area enough to come back in the future. All the best to them!

Laura and Paul got to go to Imprev's Christmas Party at the Bellevue Club. While we were there Joyce and Arvid got some time with Nathan. I think they were teaching him to roll over, because the next night he rolled over in his crib a couple of times. He doesn't seem to retain the knowledge for very long however.

Another fun event was the Christmas get together for Laura's parent-child class. Paul got to swing by and see what that little world was like for 30 minutes. Definitely some talking about babies goes on there.

Joyce, Nathan, and Laura took Wednesday to go and shop. Nathan came home with some clothes that he can now fit into, at least for the time being.

With all that said, We wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas!

Week 19

Saturday - Family was getting over colds. Nathan continues to recover from shots of last week.
Sunday - Walk at the botanical garden to view the spectacular lights.
Monday - Swimming
Tuesday - Parent Baby Class. Diagnosis for Laura's sore middle back (since labor); prognosis 'popped-out-rib'. Solution: Physical Therapist returned it to correct location. Currently hurts worse than before, but is healing.
Wednesday - Make cookies for cookie exchange group. Lunch at Molbacks with Laura and Zoe. Up twice in the night.
Thursday - Lunch with the old work crowd and shopping at Bellevue Square. Great sleep night from 7pm until 3:30am. Paul is finally over his cold.
Friday - Cookie exchange group at our house.

Mom is ready for the weekend!!



Plus a couple just in from the week before:

Week 18

The week started out good with a dusting of snow and just went down hill from there. First was all the flooding in the area. Swamp Creek went turned into a wild river flooding many of our neighbors homes. It was very hard to leave the house on Monday and we braved the storm so we wouldn't miss our swimming lessons. Then the family got hit by a cold bug. Nathan and I took a trip to the doctor, him for his 4 month checkup and me for my back. Nathan is growing I was thinking he was going to be 16lbs but he only ended up being 15lbs 6oz. He is now in the 50th percentile for weight and 75-95th percentile for height at 26 inches. He is doing most everything a 4 month old should be doing. He got 4 shots, yes I said FOUR. I have to say our nurse is so quick it probably was done in less than 20 seconds. I start physical therapy next week for my back, she seems to think I have some nerve damage in my back.
We had some visitors from Canada for dinner during the week. Shawn and Julie got Nathan a Cars dish set that will be fun to use once he starts solids.
Nathan has pretty much grown out of most of his 3-6month clothes at this point he is wearing the 6-12 month stuff. Mom needs to do some shopping or he will be sporting the bare look this winter.
I know 2 weeks ago I said Nathan would be rolling over by now but no he still is stuck on his back or front. He is very good with his hand to mouth coordination. He will hold on to his fish teether for a really long time. He isn't wanting his plug, sucker, soother, mute button, pacifier much these days, instead he likes to scream when you put him in his crib for bed. I am hopping it is just the cold/shots that has made him into this grumpy child.

Week 17

This week was fun. Nathan and I went swimming on Monday and had a surprise visit from Dad. Nathan took his first trip underwater. He did great. No laughs or anything but he wasn't mad either. We put up our tree last weekend and Paul put lights on the house. Nathan and I took a trip to see Santa. Santa didn't really dress up for the occasion, it looks like he is in his PJs. Nathan and I also went to Sears to have his pictures taken. Sears had some girl that had never really done it before. So it was frustrating for me. I shouldn't have bought any pictures. We won't be going back to Sears for pictures. I don't think I posted that Nathan had been refusing a bottle, well he drank one ounce this week without crying. Looks like mom and dad get to go to his Christmas party on the 16th.





And for a little fun here is a funny part of the Shrek Christmas special - Shrek the Halls: