Update

Jon is in Buena Park at this moment possibly buying a car. Our Sentra has been great 'til now, but the only way it will fit the new baby's car seat and Nate's car seat is if the passenger seat is pushed up all the way, leaving essentially no leg room (I'd have to sit Indian style somehow). So Scott is with Jon right now as an impartial voice of reason and because Scott is a great haggler.

I've been searching for different fabrics to use for crib bedding if this baby is a girl. I want to do green and pink and have found some really cute ones. I'll choose between the first two paisleys (either the simpler just pink and green one or the more elaborate one) and try to find coordinating fabrics like the ones below those.















Nate has an appointment with an audiologist next week (1/9) for a hearing screening. Jon and I are both sure he hears just fine, but this is a "rule it out first" precaution I guess. My mom and grandfather have genetic hearing loss, so it is of course a possibility. The referral for the pediatric neurologist has also been approved, so now it's a matter of deciding whether we want to take Nate. The pediatrician told me that every child he refers to the ped neurologist does get diagnosed with autism--it's like every child has some sort of symptom that could be assessed that way. So he said that, if we do take Nate, we should take the diagnosis with a grain of salt. The reason we would still take him is that, with a diagnosis, Nate is ensured the highest quality therapy (at no cost to us). So we'll see.

Signing

I have signed to Nate since he was about 8 months old. I say I sign to him because he has never done any signs in return. I got discouraged with the whole signing thing after 6+ months of him not getting it, so I mostly stopped except for every once in a while when I'd try it for a day or two. He finally got it on Saturday, though! He realized that, when he does the sign for "more," he gets more food without having to make a fuss. He doesn't do the sign exactly right, but hey, I know what he means!



I should mention, too, that Nate has never clapped before!

Merry Christmas!

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 2:8-14

LE

Our friends Neil and Casey came over last night (with their 3-month-old, Bennett) to have dinner and exchange gifts. They gave Nate a Little Einsteins (LE) book, and I just know he is going to love it. I don't have any LE paraphernalia at the house, though I have browsed the children's book club I joined to see if they had any LE books, but they don't. Nate still watches LE every morning and often one in the late afternoon while I make/start dinner. I haven't showed him the book yet because I'm waiting for Jon to get home from playing basketball. I figure I get to see Nate do a million cute things every week while Jon is at work, so if I can save something and let Jon do it with Nate, then I will.

News buff

Nate is fascinated by the ticker at the bottom of the news channel. I don't know what he's doing here, but he does it nearly every time it's on.



P.S. There was obviously not a lot to report on.

Labels and new look

I've been having fun today applying labels to lots of my posts. Blogger finally caught up with everyone else and has a new version that allows this. My labels so far are Baby #2, Cute things Nate does, Deep thoughts with Katie Varela, Editing, Flute, Jon and me, Nate's development, Parenting, Pictures, Pregnant with Nate, Trips/holidays/events, and Work.

Funny, but this post doesn't fit into any of those categories.

And you'll notice the change in look, I'm sure. I'm still messing around with it and will make some more changes I think.

Christmas thanks

Christmas card drawn by my 7-year-old student (whose 9-year-old sister takes lessons too):

R2

We went to an annual ornament exchange last night and came home with some cool ornaments, one of which is a little R2D2. We sometimes call Nate our little R2 because of the assortment of funny sounds/beeps he makes. I'm putting Nate's name on it and am hanging it on the tree!

3-footer in front of the 4-footer

Treeless

Is it terrible that we don't yet have a tree? Although I love having one and decorating it, I'm really not looking forward to what it means to have Nate and a Christmas tree in the same house. Even if he doesn't pull it over on himself, we'll still have to hang ornaments waist high or higher. Maybe we'll just buy a three-footer and put it on top of the table in the corner. I wouldn't have a place to put presents (they're all wrapped and stacked in Nate's closet), but that might still be the best solution.

Nate's evaluation

A couple of weeks ago, at the recommendation of Nate's doctor, we took Nate in for occupational therapy and speech evaluations. We got the full written evaluation in the mail over the weekend. I wasn't particularly surprised by any of the results, and I was pleased with how thorough and observant the evaluators were. He has a greater than 50% delay in speech/language development (both receptive and expressive), a 47% delay in cognition, and a 47% delay in social/emotional development (the name of this one surprised me, as Nate is happy and doesn't seem to have emotional "problems," but reading the description explained it, since it relates to his not paying attention when his name is called, not shaking his head no, not imitating facial expressions, and not bringing a toy to share with a caregiver). They evaluated other areas, but these are the ones with the greatest delays.

They recommended an hour of occupational therapy per week, an hour of speech therapy per week, and three hours of ABA per week. I had to look up what ABA was, and I found some links like this. Although it talks about autism, Nate has not been diagnosed with it (I'm not ignorant or blind, though, and I realize there's a chance this diagnosis could still happen). The "social emotional/ABA play-based goals" the evaluators listed for Nate are that he will "imitate clapping at appropriate times ... imitate facial expressions ... stop playing and turn to look when his name is called ... bring a toy to therapist/adult/parents to share ... [and] follow one-step commands in play such as put in, put on, put away, etc."

I feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of therapy they are recommending... five hours per week? We were only doing one hour before with the physical therapy. I'm interested to see how they want to break that up (five days per week? Two or three days per week with several hours at once?). I guess sometimes I just feel busy enough already. (Ask me in four months when our next baby is born, and I'm sure I'll say I didn't know what busy was.) Though the number of hours is a little overwhelming, I'm still not overwhelmed by the outlook for Nate. Nothing we read in the evaluation changes who our son is. Nothing changes how we love him. He is still a happy, sweet, funny, good-natured boy who has a family that loves him. We would do anything for him, so if it is good for him to have some therapy several hours a week, then so be it.

My son

I just walked into the living room to find Nate watching Little Einsteins like this:





Oh child...

Cute

Nate loves to be outside. I just suited him up with a sweatshirt and let him go in the back (it's too chilly for my California blood). He is over by one of our plants picking up the dead leaves that have fallen on the ground and trying to put them back on the plant. Precious!

21 weeks

A few people have asked to see a "belly picture" like the ones we took when I was pregnant with Nate. Here is my best attempt at one today by myself. I didn't purposely exclude my face, but hey, oh well. I'm definitely showing now.

Getting in the spirit

I decorated for Christmas this past Saturday. I love getting out the same decorations each year and adding a few new things too. Each Christmas that we've been married, I've decorated an ornament and included the year on it. This year makes five!


One of my favorite things to do is look through and save the Christmas cards we receive (mostly the ones with pictures). All the new ones get put into the basket too.


I also like putting out the items that belonged to my mom that she gave me; I remember many of them from my childhood. I especially like this little nativity scene, which didn't photograph well but is one of my favorites:


We'll get the tree next weekend or the weekend after. I have half a box of ornaments, ribbon, and lights for it.

Merry Christmas!

Thankful

2004
"...my salvation; my husband, his leadership in our home, his work ethic, his love for me, his gentleness; my husband's job; the miraculous little life growing inside me; the abundance of food, shelter, clothing, and every necessity God has provided for us; Scott and Kim and the other close friends God has blessed us with; [and] our families."

2005
"...God's grace and mercy in loving me and sending His Son to die for me; my understanding, funny, handsome, hardworking husband; my precious, hilarious, growing, lovable, beautiful son; my friends, especially Casey; and the provision God has made for us, especially that I can stay home to be with Nate."

2006
I am thankful for being able to grow up in a loving family with parents who are still together and that my husband grew up that way too; a God who knows my every need and who has already satisfied my deepest need to know Him; my perfect match of a husband who still doesn't mind killing bugs for me (and even gets out the flashlight to find them); my handful of a precious son (and his brother or sister too); our church; our friends... and for times like this:

Trouble

My mom called me laughing about this picture when she saw it on Snapfish. She said she recognizes this look from when I was a child... :) Nate was getting in trouble because he kept pushing the chair in a way that was going to make it fall over. Notice how he is avoiding eye contact.

Little boy heaven

This morning I took Nate to an indoor play area with slides, ramps, a bounce house, a ball room, and more--basically, a bigger, more padded, and much cleaner version of a McDonald's Playplace. He loved the ball room and spent a good hour in there; he also discovered the hanging punching-bag-type things, and he had fun purposely running into them. Although this was our first time going, I knew well enough not to go on a weekend or rainy day, because it would be really crowded. It was perfect today--just a couple of other families there. So Nate and I even got some time just the two of us in the bounce house, and he loved it. (He doesn't jump yet, but he loved walking around in there and trying to keep his balance.) We were there for about two hours, and it was definitely worth the $4 admission. Now he's taking a nap!

Yay

Nate was acting MUCH more himself today! We played and giggled and ate good meals and had a much better day--I had my boy back. :)

Random things

I am still waiting to see if Nate is the same today as he has been for the past week. So far, the day has seemed better. I just wish I knew what was wrong with him so I could fix it!

Yesterday, I watched my next door neighbor's daughter for her and took a picture of one of Nate's favorite things to do as of late: play with others' hair. I can tell when he's going to do it because he gets this cute look in his eye and does this high-pitched squeal/laugh/singing sort of thing. He doesn't pull the hair; he just moves his hands back and forth like he's washing it. He does it to me all the time and sometimes it actually feels good! Lately, the nursery workers at church have said that he goes around to each child in the nursery and does it to them.



Last night Jon took me out to dinner to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for my birthday. We had such a wonderful time and ate some really good food. Boy do I love my husband. And he got me a ring! I've always loved rings and am more likely to wear them than other pieces of jewelry (don't know why--maybe because I like my hands???). It's a white gold ring with a blue topaz (topaz is November's birth stone) and diamonds. It's a few sizes too big, but Jon knew it would be and is going to get it sized this week. He did a great job!

Who?

I got a box from Amazon.com today with two books inside, and I am so excited to read them! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has been on my need-to-buy-and-read-this list for a long time. The thing is that I don't know who sent these! It is my birthday this week, and I have a very thoughtful friend who usually does things like this, so I think they might be from her, but I don't know! The box had no invoice slip or anything in it. Who wants to 'fess up? :)

Something's up

Something has been up with Nate for the past week. He just isn't acting himself... He's super fussy, unamused by activities he usually loves (e.g., going outside), not eating very much at lunch or dinner, taking very short naps (though that isn't very unusual), and generally just a big crank. He hasn't necessarily seemed sick except for one episode early last week, so I don't know what it is (more teeth coming in? He's never acted this bad about that before). Although I feel bad for him if something is wrong, it's just feeling more and more overwhelming for me. Son, I need just a little break!

In happier Nate news, he did have his 18-month appointment last week and is doing well. He weighs 25 pounds 8 ounces (50th percentile), is 33 inches tall (75th percentile)--or, as I like to say, he's 2 foot 9--and still has a big ol' head (90th percentile).

Little Injun

"Trust"

Did you ever play the game "Trust" in elementary school or junior high? One person stands up with planted feet and purposely falls straight back without bending his/her knees, trusting that the person behind him/her will catch him/her. Well, sometimes when Nate is supposed to be napping but is standing in his crib instead, I go in to tell him to lie down. Now that he knows the routine, I have to make sure to get over to the crib quickly, because he knows to lie down. His way of lying down is just like "Trust": he plants his feet and falls straight back, regardless of what might be in his way (crib slats, etc.). I'm always there to catch him and help him lie down gently. It cracks me up!

My husband

I knew it already, but I'm realizing even more what a blessing my husband is. Lately, through random conversations, I have been hearing about what other husbands/dads are like around the house with the family. Some believe their only "job" is making money for the family, and any other responsibility falls on the wife. My husband is definitely not like this. He works hard to provide for our family, spends many hours each week doing school work (did I tell you? He started University of Phoenix a few months ago to get his BA), takes care of our cars, mows the lawn--you know, all the "man" stuff. Then he also plays with Nate, often gives him his bath, always puts him to bed, kills every bug or spider I ask him to, and always gets up during the night if Nate needs one of us. The thing that makes this so much of a blessing is that he does it naturally, without thinking he's doing anyone a favor. He really has a servant's heart, and I am so thankful for him.

10/30

I've been feeling the baby move quite a bit for the past few days! I feel it sometimes when I lie down, but usually when I'm sitting straight up in a chair. Feeling the baby move was one of my favorite things about being pregnant the first time, and it's the same now!

Nate went home with Grammy and Grampy from church yesterday, and then they took him to Disneyland for the rest of the day (they said he liked looking at the lights and sat back and observed on the couple of rides they took him on). He slept over at their house last night while Jon and I went with two friends to a Clippers season ticket holder appreciation night at Universal Studios. The event wasn't anything great (especially since Jon got carsick on the way up and then got really sick after going on a simulated motion ride), but it was just nice to get out and be together, and then to come home and sleep soundly without listening to the baby monitor!

I picked Nate up this morning. He's down for a nap right now, but I'm looking forward to playing with him after he wakes up--I missed him yesterday!

Video

Here's a new video I just uploaded:



And Nate in the back yard:

My energy returns?

Today is the first day I've felt like "getting something done" while Nate naps. I mopped! I did dishes! It's either that second trimester energy finally kicking in, or it's the half a can of regular Coke (my first this pregnancy other than a few sips here and there) I drank earlier.

I'm exactly 4 months along today. Oh, and I think I felt the baby move yesterday morning, but it's hard to be sure this early on. I have my next appointment tomorrow and look forward to hearing the heartbeat and getting a good report from the doctor.

Still no boy names have popped into my head. Feel free to tell me your favorite(s)--but I might steal it!

Morning walk

Nate and I go on a walk around the neighborhood each morning. He leads the way and always seems to stop at the same places (certain flowers, every sprinkler head he sees, certain walkways).

Precious times

There have always been little moments of joy with Nate since he has been born, but they seem to happen more and more as he gets older. This morning, Jon got up with Nate and let me sleep for another hour (a moment of joy in and of itself), and when I got up, we all were hanging out in the living room. Jon and I were standing near a doorway, and Nate was walking toward us, but not really watching. He walked into Jon and nearly lost his balance, but he righted himself. Jon and I both laughed, and as Nate was walking away, he let out a big guffaw too, so he could be part of whatever it was we were laughing at. That made us laugh harder. It was just so cute.

Yesterday, Casey came over with her one-month-old boy, Bennett. Bennett was in his carseat on the floor, and Nate walked up to him. I said, "Be gentle," and Nate used one finger to poke Bennett in the forehead. It might have been a little rough, because Bennett made a funny face. Nate hasn't had much (any) exposure to newborns, but I think he knows what I mean when I say to be gentle; that's what I say when he touches flowers when we go on our walks. A moment later, Nate came back to Bennett, and I told him again to be gentle. This time he bent over and used one finger to stroke what little hair Bennett has--just like he touches flowers. :)

Pumpkin patch: then & now

Nate at the pumpkin patch last October:


Nate at the pumpkin patch this October:

PT update

Nate's physical therapist is pleased with his gross motor skill development. His walking now puts him where most 15 month olds are (he is 17 months old). Now, though, she recommends he have a speech evaluation, since most kids say at least a few, if not 15-20, words by now, and he doesn't say anything (not even "no" or "uh-oh"). I know I shouldn't worry, but it's hard not to. I just keep reminding myself that I have a happy, contented son, which is what matters most at this point.

Back to normal

It took Nate all the way until Saturday to feel better. That was the first day he ate more than three bites of food at a meal without crying (because I think it was hurting his stomach). Now he's back to his cheerful, chipper self. We spent yesterday together playing around the house. One of his favorite things lately has been to wrap himself up in the curtains and hide while I ask, "Where's Nate?" and come tickle him. His laugh cracks me up.

My parents were here from Friday night until Tuesday morning for a quick visit. It was really nice to have them. We all went down to Laguna for a few hours on Saturday to walk around and have lunch. Nate put his feet in the ocean for the first time (I think it shocked him). On Sunday, we all went to church, and it worked out perfectly that I had been scheduled to play flute for special music, so my parents got to hear/see that. I think it was Sunday afternoon that my dad took Jon to Home Depot to buy him a new toy--an air compressor (how exciting!). We went to dinner at CPK that night. On Monday, my dad dropped my mom and me off to get pedicures while he took Nate with him to Home Depot to teach him about the different kinds of wood. ;) On Monday evening, my parents stayed home with Nate while Jon and I went out to a lovely, relaxed, long dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, the Sundried Tomato (though we've only been there twice). It was great!

Now it's back to the real world with cleaning, errands, and meetings!

Mimi = fun

Nate and my mom spent some time in the back yard this weekend. Here he is making sure she is chasing him around the table:



After a minute, he would laugh while he walked right to her to be tickled:

Better

Things are a lot better in the Varela household today. Jon stayed home from work on Monday to recover, but he was back at work and nearly back to normal on Tuesday. Nate, on the other hand, has taken a while to recover. He got sick on Friday and is still not himself today. He's fussy and clingy and doesn't want to eat (shocker!). I'm praying he is back to his chipper self by Friday, though, because that's when my parents are coming. They will be here for a quick visit (until Tuesday morning), and I'm really looking forward to it. Of course, I have completely neglected the housework this week (just like Sara when her boys were sick this past weekend--I love the baked potato part), as nearly every waking minute has to be devoted to Nate, but I'm sure my parents won't notice since they'll be too caught up with Nate.

I have my 12-week prenatal appointment today and will get to hear the heartbeat--yay! I remember the first time around, when I was pregnant with Nate, I thought about it all the time (at least once an hour)--how big the baby was that day, what was developing that week, what we should name him/her, when and where I should register, etc. But I'm finding with this pregnancy that I've sometimes forgotten I'm pregnant (if I'm not having morning sickness)! I guess I just don't have time to think about it. I receive weekly e-mails about the pregnancy and how the baby is developing, but I have time only to skim them (before, I'd read them in-depth and click through all the links).

Oh, and about names: I absolutely cannot think of a boy name I like. I've mentioned a few to Jon, but he has voted no on them, which is fine because I'm not really attached to them anyway. With Nate, we didn't know if he was a boy or girl, and I couldn't settle on a girl name. Does this mean I just need to think harder or does it mean I'm having a girl? :)

My boys

Now my poor husband is really sick. This is no fun at all. He feels terrible and I wish there were something I could do to help! My poor boys!

Sick again

Nate woke up yesterday morning with some sort of stomach bug. He kept down a bit of liquid and a few crackers yesterday, but he had a hard night last night and a very rough morning this morning. We spent the day watching Little Einsteins episodes (we have about 10 saved on our DVR, and we watched all 10 of them and might have even repeated one or two), going on a few quick walks in the stroller, and just cuddling. Nate was super hot all day long but never had a fever. He kept down a few sips of 7up (which he had never tasted before and now hates), a few bites of popsicle, and a Saltine. He went to bed very angry because he wanted more water than what we gave him, which was only a little bit. I feel so terrible and wish he could understand why we weren't giving him what he wanted. Nothing else matters when your child is sick. :(

Tada!

Nate is walking! He started taking 5 or 6 steps at once last week, and a few days later would walk across a room. Now he's walking pretty well! :)

Pregnancy

I had my first prenatal appointment this week, and it went well. Nothing too exciting happens at the 8-week visit, since the baby is still too small (kidney beanish) to hear its heartbeat with the Doppler or anything like that. I do get to go back on Tuesday, though, for an ultrasound where they will verify my due date. I had an ultrasound with Nate at this stage, too; the baby looks like a little blob with arm buds and leg buds, but you can see the beating heart! That's pretty cool.

I've been feeling relatively good as far as morning sickness goes. I've pulled out all my old tricks I learned while pregnant with Nate (like keeping food by the bed and eating right when I wake up in the morning--ahem, I mean right when Nate wakes up--so that I have something in my stomach). I'm pretty tired and still feel somewhat queasy most of the day, but so far so good!

Fun

Announcement

I've been meaning to post the news for a few days but haven't had the time... We are expecting our second little Varela! :) I'm due April 10, and we're very excited!

New video

Nate is getting closer and closer to walking. He still will take a few steps toward outstretched arms. Here he is using a unique walker.

Missouri

We got back this past Tuesday from a quick trip to Missouri, where Jon's mom's side of the family lives. Jon grew up going there at least once a year to visit his grandparents and aunts and uncles (there are lots--Colleen has six siblings). He has lots of fond memories of playing with his cousins and making trouble at his grandparents' house in the tiny town of Eldon.

We flew out of Orange County on Thursday (yes, Thursday, the day the authories foiled the terror plot in London... We had a very long day and arrived in St. Louis over seven hours later than scheduled). We stayed at Jon's aunt Mary's house in Jefferson City. Friday was kind of a recovery day--I don't remember doing much on this day except going to get coffee at the Starbucks in the new Target store there. On Saturday, we drove about two hours back in the direction of St. Louis to attend Jon's cousin Jessica's wedding in Mexico, Missouri. On Sunday, we went to church at Fellowship Bible Church, where Jon's grandfather was the pastor before he died about 12 years ago. It was a little country church with a big, long basement floor where Jon says he used to run around and play games. After church, we went to the White family reunion, where I met some of Jon's grandmother's siblings and aunts and other relatives. (Weird side note: the reunion was held in the lower level of a Masonic temple!....) On Monday, we visited Jon's grandparents' house, where Jon pointed out the tree he used to love to climb, the fields and stream where he and his cousins used to run and play, the room he used to sleep in that used to be so big to him (it was tiny), etc. Monday evening, we went back to Aunt Mary's house and ate Colleen's tacos. Then we had to pack up to leave! Our flight was Tuesday afternoon out of St. Louis, and the security hassles were much more manageable.

This wasn't an extremely kid-friendly trip with all the driving, flying, and sitting, but Nate did well. He was very happy to be home on Tuesday, though. We got in the house, and he crawled excitedly to each of his toys and played with it for a minute before going on to the next one.

Oh, and while on the trip, Nate took his first steps! He still doesn't really walk on his own, but if you stand him on his feet, then move a foot or two away from him with your arms out, he'll walk three or four steps before planting his feet and leaning/falling toward you. :)

Too cool

6:30 p.m.

I took this video about a month ago. It shows Nate's favorite time of day: when Jon gets home from work. I am looking forward to when Nate feels good enough again to laugh like this.

P.S. I'm feeling a lot better than yesterday.

Double sick

Nate and I are both sick now. He seems to be past the worst of it, as he woke up today without much of a fever (it was 102 on Friday night) but still had a very melancholy day... I guess I got this virus from him, but it is definitely affecting me differently (no cold or cough). I was up a lot last night and have felt achey and icky all day. Jon still went to church and to beach night tonight, since he did sound this morning and then spoke tonight at beach night (I am really disappointed to be missing it). So after a day of taking care of my sick boy and being sick myself, I am exhausted. I guess that's part of what being a mother is about.

Sick

Nate had his second physical therapy appointment today, but we didn't do very much because he is feeling really sick. I think it isn't just that his molars are coming in (ouch!), but he has a fever, a cough/runny nose, and that glossed-over eye look too. He didn't want to leave my arms while the physical therapist was here, so we did some cognitive things, and he did put his blocks back into a container and even put the lid on the container, which is a step forward.

My poor boy is definitely sick, though: he laid his head on my shoulder and rested there for an hour tonight, which is very unlike him.

Here is poor Nate sick last year (October 2005):

PT udpate

The physical therapist came this past Thursday, and I liked her. She watched Nate play for a bit and got down on the floor with him. We played mostly in his room. She saw that he pulls up and cruises along furniture and will even let go with both hands for a second. He doesn't like to take steps while you hold onto his hands. She also had him play with some of his toys that involve taking blocks out of a holder and putting them back in (he doesn't put them back in). All in all, she said he's doing wonderfully but still has some areas we will work on (like walking with me holding onto his hands and the putting objects back into a bucket, etc.). She is nice and I'm looking forward to doing the PT!

PT

I heard from the physical therapist who was assigned to Nate today, and she is coming to the house Thursday for the first appointment. I'm interested to see if she comes and decides to cancel the PT, since Nate is pulling up and cruising along furniture on his own, and those were the main goals listed in his evaluation. I would still like him to get the PT, though, since we have gone to all the trouble of getting the paperwork and evaluation done and since I think his fine motor skills are still behind. Last week, the caseworker told me we are approved for 4 months of therapy, one hour per week, and then Nate would be reevaluated. We'll see!

Video attempt

I don't know exactly how this works, but if you can view this video, it's very cute. :)

Playing in the fountain

:)

Happy Fourth of July!

My parents have a picture of my brother doing this exact same thing at this age. It must be a boy thing...

Nate (what else?)

Nate started pulling up to standing on his own this week. That means a lot more bumps and bruises!

(Look at all those teeth...and a haircut!)

Words

Starting yesterday, Nate's response to "What does a horsey say?"...

"Nnnnneh!"

Physical therapy

At Nate's 12-month doctor's visit, his pediatrician recommended I take him to a pediatric physical therapist to have him evaluated, because Nate was such a late crawler and is still lagging in his gross motor skills. Because our insurance wouldn't approve a PT visit, we went through the state-run program. I took him to a pediatric physical therapy center yesterday for his "evaluation." Basically, the physical therapist observed Nate and was going to decide through the evaluation whether he was behind enough to be taken into the state-run program. If he is 30% or more behind normal, then he is eligible for the program.

The doctor watched Nate do some fine motor skills things (picking up small objects) and cognitive-type things (seeing if he knew an object was still there even if you covered it up with something), then she watched him crawl and tried to see if he would pull himself up to standing, stay standing, etc. After 45 minutes or so, she said that he would in fact qualify to enter the program, which means he has enough of a delay. "Entering the program" means that he will now go to a physical therapist (maybe once a week or something) to work on helping him develop his leg muscles and some of his fine motor skills.

I was feeling a little guilty about all of this being free, but then I figured that we pay our taxes, and this is one of the things those go for, so I guess we technically are paying for it.

I'm not feeling sad that Nate is so behind, because he is a happy, healthy boy. I just want to do what's best for him, and if that means taking him to PT, then I'll do it!

Virginia

Nate and I arrived back home Wednesday night from Virginia. We had a great trip! I went out first with Nate for a few days, then Jon came. Neil and Casey came too, and we all stayed at Hanshill (pronounced "honz hill") for three nights. It was cold in the mornings! On Wednesday, Neil, Casey, Jon, and I drove to DC (stopping at Mount Vernon first), and Nate stayed with my parents.

The DC portion of our trip was fun, interesting, tiring, and wonderful! In the span of two-and-a-half days (Wednesday mid-day through end of Friday), we saw Mount Vernon, all the war memorials (including the new WWII memorial), the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Holocaust Museum, the Supreme Court building (with lecture inside the court room), the Library of Congress (would have liked to have spent more time in here), Georgetown, the National Archives, the National Museum of American History (which houses the Star Spangled Banner, Lincoln's top hat, and has an exhibit with the dresses worn by many first ladies to presidential inauguration balls), Union Station, and the Washington Monument (we got to go to the top!). I might be forgetting something, but I think that's it! We also ate at a bunch of fun restaurants. The highlight of the trip, though, was the White House. On Friday morning, Jon's cousin, James, and his wife gave us a tour inside the White House. It was the same tour one would have been able to take pre-September 11, but now no one can go inside unless by special appointment. Then, later on Friday, we returned to the White House grounds for an HMX departure (even James didn't know what that acronym stands for): we stood on the White House lawn, saw the Marine One helicopter land 20 yards from us, and watched as President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Laura Bush exited the White House, waved (well, Condi didn't wave), and got on the helicopter. President Bush and Condi left from the Oval Office, which was a little farther away from us, but Mrs. Bush walked right in front of us. It was very neat!

Neil and Casey left on a flight out of DC early Saturday morning. Jon and I visited Arlington Cemetery on our way back to Lynchburg. It was very crowded since it was the Saturday before Memorial Day, but it was cool seeing all of the veterans (and hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles).

While we were gone, Nate did great. He didn't fuss one time while we were gone; he was content finding new things to play with in my parents' house (slamming doors, playing with drawer handles, trying to catch Jack's tail) and did really, really well for them. When Jon and I got back on Saturday afternoon, Nate was playing by himself with some blocks in the dining room. Jon and I walked in, he looked up, his eyes got wide, and he got a huge smile on his face. Then he started giggling. He reached for me and I picked him up, and he laughed and kicked his legs. Then he reached for Jon, who held him while he laughed. Then he reached for my mom and did the same thing. Then he reached for me again. He kept going around the circle like that for a couple of minutes.

Jon went home the next day, and Nate and I stayed at my parents' house for three more days. It was a great trip, and it's also great to be home!

Nate's birthday

I can't believe I have a one year old. I think that technically makes him a toddler, even though he can't toddle yet. I just can't believe it has gone by so quickly but that so much has happened.

We had a get-together for Nate's birthday on Saturday. My friend Casey made cowboy invitations (using the cowboy picture I took of Nate several weeks ago), so I made a cowboy boot cake, though that ended up being the only "decoration."


Family and close friends came over, ate snacks, and hung out. All of the kids enjoyed playing with Nate's new toys, including a bunch of sand toys, a dump truck, balls, and a combination basketball/football/baseball toy.

The highlight of the party (as at most one-year birthdays) was Nate eating cake for the first time:


I carried Nate straight to the bathtub after this meal for a quick clean-up before he joined the party again. :)

Then, Jon fired up the grill and made hot dogs for everyone. It was a great time!

Wonder of wonders

Nate started crawling this week! He's still getting the hang of it, so he isn't a speedster yet or anything. In fact, he doesn't yet realize that he can get anywhere. He is so used to being able to reach things within only a few feet that he often doesn't go after a toy if it is across the room, and he still cries if I leave the room, not realizing he could follow me. It's funny!

Trip

We are going to Virginia next month. I leave with Nate May 17, and Jon arrives May 20. Then our friends Neil and Casey arrive the next day! I am so excited they are coming. I was so thrilled and a bit surprised when they booked their tickets and it was true they were actually coming; so often, you talk about these kinds of things with friends, saying, "We should get together for dinner some time," or "We should all go to such-and-such one weekend," but it never happens. It is actually happening with Neil and Casey! They are definitely follow-through friends, and it is one of the reasons I love them. :)

The five of us will probably stay at Hanshill, the house in the country (15 minutes away from my parents' house). My parents will probably stay at their house at night. It will be so nice to relax, enjoy the not-too-hot-or-humid-yet weather, go on walks, explore, read, eat together, etc.

Then on Wednesday, May 24, we will leave Nate with my parents, and the four of us will drive the three hours to Washington, D.C. and spend three nights there. Neil, Jon, and I have never been to D.C. except for driving/flying through. We're going to stay in one room at the Washington Marriott. And it looks like we are going to be able to get a private tour of the White House, as Jon's cousin is in the Secret Service! We are all very excited about that. We haven't scheduled any other activities, but I'm sure we will eat good food, visit a museum or two, see some monuments (Mount Vernon is on the list), and have a wonderful time. Jon and I are going to consider this trip our fourth anniversary gift to each other.

Neil and Casey fly out of D.C. on the 27th, and Jon and I will drive back to Lynchburg, where he flies out late that afternoon. Nate and I will stay with my parents for several more days before flying home on May 31.

Although I'm really looking forward to a refreshing few days with Jon, I'm pretty nervous about leaving Nate with my parents while we go to D.C. The nervousness has nothing to do with my parents' ability to take care of him; it's more because he has spent nearly every moment of every day with me for the past year (more if you count the pregnancy). I'm sure the separation will be harder on me than on Nate, but I still have a worried feeling in the recesses of my heart that he will somehow be emotionally damaged. I know, I know, it sounds crazy. If he could understand language, I would already be preparing him and talking every day about the fun time he is going to have with Granny and Papa (those are not the official names yet, as my mom keeps wavering on what she wants to be called and my dad hasn't said one word about a name for him) while Daddy and Mama go on a trip. Since I can't do that with him yet, I'm left with this nervous feeling and know that I just need to pray! :)

Surgery update/Happy Easter!

Jon is doing great today! He slept for most of the day yesterday and then all night last night (thanks in part to a prescribed Zanex). He woke up with his eyes feeling a bit dry, but he used the eye drops the doctor gave him. I drove him to his follow-up appointment this morning, and I went into the exam room with him for them to do his test. He sees 20/15 in his right eye and 20/25 in his left! That's better already than he saw with his contacts. With contacts, his left eye was 20/40. And the doctor said they will probably get even better as they heal. Jon looks completely normal/fine and says he feels fine too. It's amazing how fast the eyes heal. He isn't supposed to do any heavy exercising like basketball for a week or two (and then they'd like him to wear sports glasses), but he can go running and do regular activity starting today, just making sure he's careful. He isn't allowed to rub his eyes for 3 months! (That's because they actually cut a flap in your eye for the surgery, and obviously you don't want to aggravate that or open it back up.) We asked the doctor when Jon can start driving, and he said today, so he drove home from the appointment. I'm so excited for him.

We're still going to take it easy around the house today. I am going to make chocolate-covered strawberries as one of the desserts we're bringing tomorrow for Easter, since we're having Easter dinner at Scott and Kim's house (Colleen and Jennifer left for Missouri today). I'm going to bring the strawberries tomorrow and am just going to buy two pies for dessert--there will be 16 people there tomorrow at the Eichlers', and I don't think I have the energy to make enough desserts for that many people today. :)

Surgery

Jon is having LASIK tomorrow. We are excited! Jon has worn glasses (or contacts) since he was in grade school, so this is really cool for him. Recovery is pretty easy, but he is supposed to lie down and take it real easy for the rest of the day tomorrow, so I'll be his nurse.

UPDATE 4/14/06
Jon's surgery went well! He is on his way home right now (his dad's driving him) to rest for the day.

Howdy! I'm 11 months old.

Nate

Yesterday, Nate started "fake laughing." He doesn't smile when he does it--he just makes the laughing noise, kind of like someone just told a joke and he doesn't get it. I think he hears us laughing a lot and wants to imitate it even though he doesn't quite know what it means.

His top two teeth have started coming in this week. That just has to hurt.

We're off to Bible study tonight, and then I'm driving up to Thousand Oaks with Colleen (and Nate too) tomorrow to attend a baby shower.

Unexpected fun

I took Nate to the Spectrum yesterday to watch the fountain he likes to see. Just as I was sitting down with him on the ground, a girl from Kiddie Kandids (it's a portrait studio) came up to us. She said she was training and would like to take pictures of Nate, and I would get a free 8x10. Nate was in a good mood so I said yes. It was so fun! For the first pictures, they put Nate in a big cooking pot and put fake vegetables around the pot, and then they put some flour on his nose and cheeks. Oh, and I took his shirt off. ;) They also did a couple of regular close-up shots that ended up being really cute, and they did another of him "topless" in a galvanized tin old-fashioned bathtub with baby soap, towels, bubbles, etc., on the floor next to it. That's the one I got the free 8x10 of. I'm going to frame it and put it in the guest bathroom. The last one they did is of him standing up holding onto my leg (while I'm standing up too) and one of my hands holding onto him. It was fun to have the employees (three of them) oohing and aahing over Nate. :)

About me

Oh yeah, and I created a Johari window like Ashley did. Check it out!

San Francisco

We had a great two days in San Francisco this week. Nate and I left from John Wayne airport on Tuesday morning and arrived at Oakland just a few minutes after my mom's and Kathy's planes landed. We took a van to the beautiful Hotel Monaco and quickly got settled before we walked around the city a bit, finding our way to Chinatown after waiting out a few minutes of rain.

On Wednesday, we ate breakfast at the hotel, let Nate take his morning nap (in the crib they set up in our room), and then were off for a full day: we walked to the Ferry house (shops where my mom bought some delicious white balsamic vinegar), took a trolley to Pier 39, ate lunch at the Crab House, watched the sea lions, took a cab to Mission Dolores and toured around, took another cab back to Ghiradelli Square (where I had a delicious mocha), walked to the Cannery (more shops where my mom bought Nate a toy in the John Deere store and bought me some socks in Sock Heaven), and called it a day soon after this. We ate appetizers back at the hotel while we waited for my mom's two other friends to arrive from Arkansas. They got to the hotel around 7:30.

On Thursday morning, we had another good breakfast at the hotel, Nate took his nap, and I got ready to go! My flight home from Oakland was at noon. All in all, Nate did very well and wasn't too fussy, even with the disruption of sleeping somewhere else and not getting his usual naps. He slept until 7:00 both mornings (this is good)!

It was a fast but fun couple of days.

My favorite picture:

Nate

Nate is still not crawling... but that's OK. Starting pretty early on in his life, I stopped reading the "What your child should be doing now" e-mails and books, because Nate was always behind (at least for motor skills). He will develop at his own pace and is healthy and happy!



I am taking Nate with me on Tuesday when I fly up to San Francisco to visit with my mom for two days. She is having an annual get-together with friends up there. :)

Swinging

Last week, I made a stop on our usual walk around the lake. I discovered one of Nate's new favorite things:

Change of plans

Hello--still from Virginia! Nate and I were supposed to head home today and end up at John Wayne airport 11:00 a.m. California time, but Delta called my parents' house last night to say my first flight (6:00 a.m.! out of Lynchburg) today was cancelled. After two hours on the phone with them, we rebooked for tomorrow, Wednesday, leaving Lynchburg at 4:00 p.m. and arriving in Orange County at 10:30 p.m. That travel time by far beats what they had originally offered: leave Lynchburg at 11:00 a.m., endure two plane changes (Atlanta and Dallas), and end up in Orange County at 9:45 p.m. (14 hours total). Why don't they try doing that with an 8 month old... :) So, with this unexpected extra day and a half, we are relaxing. Lucy and I hung out today and got coffee, and Lucy, Mama, and I took Nate on a walk. Daddy took Mama, Nate, and me out to dinner tonight (Friday's), and some of us are going to watch a movie when Lucy gets home from work later. Tomorrow I'll probably bring Nate to my mom in the morning so I can sleep, and then we'll have coffee and/or brunch with my aunt Leigh (and maybe my aunt Anne too).

Amid all the fun, family, and relaxing, I really miss my husband. A week already was too long apart, but an extra couple of days is way too much!