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.

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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