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:

Week 16 - Thanksgiving

Busy week but fun because Paul was home this week. We ate lots of great food and cut down our tree. It was too bad that Nathan got fussy at the end as his Aunt wanted to play with him more. Nathan moves his lower trunk all over the place these days. I have a feeling he will be rolling over in the next 2 weeks.

Irratable Child Found Feet

Well it is only week 15.5 and Nathan is doing lots of new things. He can full on laugh. I bounce him on my legs and he just laughs and giggles. So fun for mom. Also today all he has been doing is staring at his feet. I got a good picture of it outside today. Yesterday we took a quick trip to the ER as our doctor was unable to see Nathan. He had spit up a bit of blood, was screaming uncontrollably and I wanted to get him checked out. The ER checked him over real quick and he was fine. They discharged him with the diagnoses of "Irritable Child". All I can say is babies should not spit up blood. I still finding myself second guessing my trip but I am sure last night and today I would be wondering if he was really ok. The ER doctor said this is going to be one of those wait and see type of problems. By the way Evergreen ER is very cool. They just added on and it is really very nice. We got our own room, unlike when I broke my wrist and I had to share my room with 4 other people. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and then next day is the day we cut down our Christmas tree. I am looking forward to dressing Nathan in his new red sweater. Also it is the anniversary of the day we found out I was pregnant. I remember being on cloud nine last year as we were walking around the Christmas tree farm. Check back on weekend for more pictures. :)

Week 15 in pictures

Here is Paul's selection of week 15 photos.

Week 15

Nathan is sleeping. That is what he does now. Typical night is from 7pm until 4am up and eat then sleep until 7am. Mom is happy so the family is happy. Nathan is also eating less frequently. I think a typical day he eats about 5 or 6 times. 4am, 8am, 11am, 1pm, 4pm and maybe a bit at 7pm. For now that is the pattern, I am sure it will be different next week. You can see that he can see much farther, I can smile from across the room and he will smile back. Nathan can also look and then grab for an object. This week he also passed his fish teether from one had to another. Another skill that he has mastered is drooling. I guess you know that from Paul's iDrool photo. I have to admit I didn't know that you needed a bib before they starting eating solid foods. I thought bibs were for eating, turns out you need them for the never ending supply of drool. Paul and I hear laughs from Nathan now. More than just the ha that he has been doing. He has all kinds of gurgle sounds. Nathan can also hold himself standing with just his hands. You have to be careful holding him like this because he randomly lets go when he is done. Pictures will come later. I am hoping Paul will do that his week. We will see.

Nathan will have some cousins from Kenya... Check out here for the news flash: http://fuzzypoopers.blogspot.com/2007/11/our-kenya-heritage.html

New Apple Product.... iDrool

Week 14

Nathan and I have been working on rolling over. He seems to enjoy being on his stomach too much to roll over these day. I don't believe he has rolled over since he was 2 months. Oh well so much for me thinking he was so advanced. Oh and our sleep anomaly was just that. He went back to a 3-4 hour wake up schedule last night. Speaking of sleep there are two ways of thinking about infant sleep. Ether they should be sleeping like an adult or a baby. Developmentally Nathan is not ready for long periods of sleep, he will get there with time. Plus Nathan is the talk of the moms, they are impressed how well he sleeps in class. He will fall a sleep while laying on the floor. They say the need to rock/hold their babies to fall asleep. One last random thought on sleep, Nathan has also started to take naps in his crib.
Let see.... what else is going on. Nathan has all kinds of new sounds. He seems to like to "talk" when he has his hands in his mouth. This week he has spent a great deal of time with his hands together in front of his face.

Additionally, we had a great weekend last weekend spent with Jason and Kirstin -- spent it at the Tellevik's cabin. They got to meet the little guy for the first time and it was obvious that everyone got along great and there was lots of love to share! We will have to do that again. Board Games, Scrapbooking, puppies, Xbox, and food galore.

Sleep anomaly

There was a strange sleep anomaly last night in our house. I woke up at 1AM and it was quiet. I woke up at 2AM and it was quiet. I woke up at 3am and I heard a little one sucking his thumb. Since I was up I fed Nathan after 8 hours of sleep. 7PM until 3AM. Then he slept until 7AM. Got to love that guy. Just for reference he broke his record of 6 hours, he has done that twice in the past 2 weeks. So I am feeling pretty good with my 5 hours of sleep in a row.

Zoe and Nathan's First Swimming Lesson

On a bright and sunny Monday afternoon, the girls and the babies started their first Water Babies class. Everyone had a great time. The babies loved the water, the mothers loved being there with them, and the fathers enjoyed capturing the moments on film (digital, mind you).

Week 13

Busy busy week. We survived. Swimming lessons start on Monday.

Week 12

Wow time is flying by. Nathan and I did our last 0-3month class this week and we are moving up to the 3-6 month class. Should be fun because most of the moms that I know are now in that class.
This week Nathan became a champion hand sucker. He can suck his thumb too but he is not quite as good at that yet. I am completely fascinated by this for some reason. You can see him think about it and then move his hand. Wow so smart I think to myself. So far he does not seem to favor one hand over the other. At first I thought it was all right handed sucking but now it seems to be more left handed. My parents are hoping for a left handed child. My mom because she is left handed, my dad because he would be a more valuable baseball pitcher. I just want him to be able to use the right handed scissors in school.
This week I was also thinking to myself that he is generally happier, less fussing and crying. Well it figures on Friday I was at my wits end by 5pm. He didn't take any significant naps and was so crabby all day. He did have another 5 hour sleep last night so that made up for the long day.
Last weekend we visited the fruit market by our house and got a couple of pumpkins. I did a product focus group this week for a bottle/pump company. They have some neat product ideas that I can't share. Nathan and I also went to a playgroup in Redmond.
Next weekend we get to visit with the Jason and Kirsten at my parents cabin.

Week 11

This week was filled with a storm and power outage, an installation of a new freezer, helping mom and dad put in some shelves, and plenty of more smiles.








By Laura Just wanted to add a few things. Nathan is getting over his love of black and white objects and is starting to like colors. He is tasting his stuffed dog a lot and has started to grab objects and bring the towards his mouth to lick. Nathan has had one more 5 hour stretch of sleep this week. He has also decided that he likes to be held outwards so he can see the world. Swinging is also lots of fun in his swing. Eating has been a challenge for the past few weeks. He gets so unhappy if he has to burp or if the milk isn't flowing fast. Other than that he has been sleeping more and is generally much happier during the day. Bed time is getting earlier.

Week 10

Busy fun week for the family. This past Sunday we got to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with Zoe and her family. Zoe's mom made a really yummy turkey and stuffing. Nathan and I had parent child class on Tuesday and a play date on Wednesday. We had one night of a 5 hour sleep. Most of the other nights we are getting 3 or 4 hours in a row for the first session and then he is up every 2 or 3 hours after.
Nathan also rolled over from tummy to back on a hard surface for the first time. He has done that many times on the bed since he was 3 weeks old.

Did the stars align?

Did the stars align? Was there a full moon? Did someone cast a spell on my little bundle of joy? Write this down in the records books... Are you ready for my big news. Nathan slept for 5 Hours in a row.... Did you get that... 5 Hours in a row. It could even be 5.5 hours because I didn't count the light sleep that he got when he was still making noise in his crib. So after he woke up ate he slept for another 3. 5 hours in a row. This is short of a small miracle for mom. Just so you know he broke his record of 4 hours. Mom only got 4 hours of sleep in a row but that is because Nathan went down around 9pm. The downside to all this sleep is Nathan wakes up as a hungry little screaming monster that is unrecognizable as my sweet little son. I will take sleep over a happy baby at 2am.

Week 9

Nathan had his first trip to a museum this week. Boeing's museum of flight. I recommend it for anyone that comes to town. I hope that Nathan learns to love airplanes. This week he had his 2 month checkup. 12lbs 8oz. He still is in the 75 percentile for height, weight and head size. The doctor said he is doing everything a 2 month old should be doing and that we don't have to come back until 4 months. During his visit he also got a round of immunizations. 3 shots. I have to say it was easier for me than the heal stick he got at his first appointment. Now granted he was very fussy after his shots. Nothing seemed to help so Dad and I decided Tylenol was the only way to go. Sleeping is about the same he is up every 2-3 hours at night. We have tried everything. 4 different swaddles, keeping him up until late, putting him to bed early, adding a hat, adding a incline to the crib, gas drops. Paul can get him to sleep for 4 hours in a row if he holds him. I have decided he will sleep for as long as he sleeps and I am not going to go nuts over it. Yesterday Nathan and I spent the day in bed as I had a fever. Turns out I have an infection and I am on antibiotics, feeling much better today. Next week is busy Nathan and I are doing swimming lessons, parent/child class and a play date at someones house from class.
I almost forgot. Nathan has a new friend in town. Zoe came all the way from Calgary to spend 3 months in Redmond with her mom and dad. Zoe is 12 weeks old and is super cute.

Week 8

Mommy went to the dentist and had a good checkup. She doesn't have to go back until March. While mom was out I went to Nana's and Papa's. I had the best nap at Nana's and Papa's she might need to leave me there everyday. Nana even made cookies that I couldn't have but boy they smelled great. Right now mom is typing for me as I am talking up a storm in my crib.
This week I am starting to copy mom. I can say "ohhhhh" and "ahhhhh" so well. I am even better at holding my head. I actually like alone time where I can just look at the pictures or play gym.
Most of the time I am happy during the day and fussy before bed. Just like to keep mom and dad up. I still only like to sleep 2 or 3 hours at a time. Sometimes I like to wake mom up every 1.5 hours. I really just get so hungry and lonely in my crib. Check out my pictures. Mom didn't get to take as many because she forgot the camera at Nana's house.