Road Tripping and Blowing Spit Bubbles at 14 Months

Dear Nathan,
Since last week's post, you got better from a cold and then immediately caught another one. With the weather getting colder, kids everywhere are sick. I've pretty much stopped trying to figure out where you may have caught your cold. Your nose has been running for pretty much 2 weeks. Poor baby, but then again, things can always be worse.

On Friday, we played with the neighbors across the street. We went over to their house and played hide and go seek. You had lots of fun helping me search for them. You also liked playing with their rocking horses.

On Saturday, we had a busy day with bible study in the morning, with you staying at the pastor's house while we learned about what it means to be blessed. Everyone commented on how a happy baby you are. They thought that it was pretty cool how you like to eat ribs off of the bone. I don't know why, but that made me proud.

On Sunday, you got to come and watch me skate in my first roller derby bout. At first the other team was killing us, but eventually, we pulled together and won the bout. I loved seeing you with Daddy on the sidelines, cheering me on!

Sunday night, we went to the church potluck where you got to try Thanksgiving turkey for the first time. You liked the smoked turkey better and didn't eat much more, except for a few bites of apple cake. This was the start of your second cold. That night, you didn't sleep well.

Monday, we just hung around the house so you could rest up for the rest of the week.

This week, we spent most of our time in the Dallas area. That is why this post is a bit late. The trip up went pretty well, but the trip back home was even better. On the way up to Dallas, you sat with Teddy in the back. Your naps were short, but you kept yourself busy with toys. The traffic, on the other hand, was pretty horrible. We left home around 10 am, got to Waco around noon and had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants back in college, The Clay Pot. I was sad to see that the original owner was not there and the taste of the food was a bit different from before. We may not be going back there again. Anyways, after lunch, we went to the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus and you had a blast! You loved playing with all the toys and cool things that they had for kids to do. This will probably be a regular stop on future Dallas-bound trips.

We left the museum a little before 3 and arrived in the Dallas city limits around 4:30. It took us almost 2 hours to travel through Dallas, to get to Plano. Luckily you were asleep for most of the trip.

That night you slept beautifully in a foreign room.

The next day, we went to a kid play house. You spent time climbing up the equipment and sliding down the slide on your tummy. You especially liked a bouncy hammock.

That evening, grandma babysat you and Daddy and I had our second date night since you were born. We went and saw the second Hunger Games movie.

We had dim sum for lunch on Thanksgiving. You liked pretty much everything I put on your plate, particularly the phoenix claws. I didn't think you would like it, but you said "Mmmm" after you tasted them and showed me the sign for more. They were even a bit spicy. It seems like a little spice doesn't really bother you.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at your aunt Monica's. She pretty much single handed, prepared a whole Thanksgiving feast for us. You really like the ham and sweet potatoes. You also discovered a new skill.

You've practiced this skill a few more times since then, including in the dart train, which amused a lot of the people around us. It's cute for now, but I hope the amusement will die out before you are 5. On the plus side, I now know that you can say "mom." 

On Friday, we met up with Aunt Monica and had lunch at a chinese restaurant. We ordered mainly steamed dumplings. You really like the dumpling wrappers. You were slurping those things down like crazy. You also ate some porridge. At that restaurant you were able to go potty in the toilet on command. It was pretty neat. 

After lunch, we rode the dart train to the Dallas world aquarium. You enjoyed riding the train and looked around at first and then you just wanted to walk around. The aquarium is mainly a zoo. We walked through the path and saw lots of different animals, birds, and even scary crocs. You really liked looking at the climbing monkeys and the birds with big beaks. At the end, we reached the aquarium part and you got to see sharks for the first time in your life. 

The trip back to Austin went smoothly. We left around 10:00, you napped until we got to Waco around 11:30. Then, we stopped at Viteck's for lunch and tried a Gut Pack. You loved it and ate everything on the plate. Afterwards, we went to Cameron Park and played at the playground for about an hour. When we crossed a foot bridge, you pointed at the stream and showed us your sign for "water." That was pretty cool. When we got back in the car, we played with some toys for about an hour and you fell asleep for the rest of the trip and continued to stay asleep as we unpacked the car. I'd say that this was the most successful car trip ever! 

Milestones: No new ones, that we know of, but you seem to understand more of what we are saying. One day you were playing with your animal see and say toy and when the toy started to sing old McDonald, you sang along to the "E-I-E-I-O" part. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but you did it 3-4 times. You also will dance to music while you are standing, or if we start dancing. You can now stack 4-5 blocks. You could probably stack more, but your arm reach is the limiting factor. 

You continue to be very friendly and affectionate. You will wave at most people and will give them a hug. You're getting better at "pat pat" and Teddy is actually willing to sit on your lap to let you pet him now. Progress. 

You are sleeping from 8pm to 7:30am with about 2 1-hour of naps during the day. If you wake up past 8:30, it's one nap. Poops are pretty normal, so on most days, I can get you to go #2 in the potty after breakfast and lunch. Making cloth diapering easier than it has ever been. 

Grandma really enjoyed playing with you. She says that you are a really smart boy, and you are super duper active. I'm glad you had some time to bond with grandma, or your "ah ma." 

That's it for now. Love,

Mommy

Communication Sensation

Dear Nathan,
Other than a small cold, things have been relatively stable in life. You are back to eating like a 1 year old should eat. You pretty much try everything we put on your tray. Last night, you even ate brussel sprouts! You also now know how much more flavorful and juicy meat is when it is eaten off the bone. This week, I put some cut up chicken or ribs on your tray and you didn't want any of it. You kept pointing to the ones we had in our hands and wanted those. Once I handed you the chicken leg, or rib, you went to town!

You also continue to love roasted seaweed. It was one of mommy's favorite snacks as a kid, and I'm glad that you love them too. They are delicious and nutritious.

Teddy's waiting patiently for you to share.

Long days of me wondering what to do and play with you are over. With the weather being so nice lately, it seems like times just flies by when we play ball (which you now know how to point to)

 or when you get to take Teddy on a walk to the mailbox:

or just around the house so you can actually practice "pat pat" on him.

Teddy is starting to trust you more now that you are more gentle with him. Occasionally, you still give him the "squishy squishy" where you grab his fur and skin. He does not like that. He likes kisses and gentle pats.

We've also found the perfect slide at the school playground. This one is the perfect size for you and will actually stop you at the end so you don't go flying off of it. You love going down the slide over and over again. You also like to play with a steering wheel that is on the playground equipment. You get so excited when you turn the wheel and try to honk the horn. The other kids at the playground like to play with you too.

In the past few days, you've been learning to use the head shake to indicate "no." It's pretty cool how if I suggest something like "give that to me" or "lets go take a nap" you show me that you understand and don't want to do it by shaking your head, sometimes very vigorously. I finally don't feel like I'm just playing with a little doll. You've finally turned into a real boy!

Before I finish, I want to list the commands that you can follow consistently.

• Sit down
• Stand up
• Lay down
• Point to (tree, baby, banana, ball, mommy, daddy, teddy)
• Wipe your mouth 
• pat pat
• squishy squishy
• No
• Danger
• Go pee pee
• Give to mommy
• Wipe mommy's mouth
• Say "bye-bye" or "hi"

These are the signs that you can do:

• want
• milk
• water
• more
• done
• eat

Oh, I also want to mention that this week, you were able to pick up a writing utensil and draw with it successfully. You even tried to put the cap back on the marker. You ended up with a pretty purple colored hand, but I thought it was cute, and harmless, so I just let you be. 

I love you so much! 

Mommy

59 Standing Up and Walking

Dear Nathan,
This has been a very exciting week. First of all, grandma and grandpa came to visit. We went to an insect rodeo where you tasted honey, saw some cockroaches and walking sticks, and painted with maggots.

The next day, we went to Austin's nature center. I had no idea that this place existed. It has a dinosaur pit, and an area with rescue animals for you to look at. There's even indoor exhibits on fossils and energy conservation! We will be going more often, for sure. 

On Monday, you went to the Austin Zoo with your grandparents. I was a bit sad that I didn't get to go with you. But, we will get to go together sometime. We are probably going to go to the Dallas Zoo or Aquarium when we visit your other grandmother.

Good news, you are back to your old self as far as eating goes. Pretty much the meal after I made this post, you started eating your dinner again. Perhaps you had a little bug in your system that made you not want to eat. Who knows. You're eating again and that is good.

Another exciting thing happened this week. You learned how to stand up without pulling up on something.

 When you successfully stand up, sometimes you get so excited that you fall back over. It's kind of funny, now that you know how to stand up, you now like to tackle people, other babies included and give them a big hug or kiss. It's really cute, actually. Here's a picture of you tackling daddy.

Yesterday, I decided to pull out the shaving cream and have you draw with it. You liked it for a few minutes and then lost interest.

This is a handsome picture of you. I just had to post it.

It's starting to get cold here in Austin. You got to wear the hat that Aunt Momo got you. You knew how cool you look in it and didn't take it off.

 So last week, you started doing this weird thing where you throw your hands up by your ears and say "ahhh." We eventually figured out that it was your sign for water, but I had no idea where you picked it up. Well, I asked the ladies at the gym and one of them told me that they would say "water" or "agua," take a drink and go "ahh." And I guess you picked that up.

You also learned the sign for eat. One morning, I casually said, let's go eat breakfast. You then picked up your hands and brought it to your lips repeatedly. You do that with "hungry," "eat" in both chinese and english, and "food." So cool.

One thing you've started doing is waking up in the middle of the night. I've found that it's just easier to nurse you. Your cry sounds like you are hungry. One evening, before bed, I supplemented nursing with about 2 oz of cow's milk. That night, you slept through the night. I think I'll try it again and see what happens. As for now, later gater!

Mommy

Look Who's Climbing Down the Stairs! Mr. Picky Eater!

Dear Nathan,
You have caused me lots of frustration these past few days. You used to be such a good eater, now you are very particular about what you eat. You used to love meat. You even ate brisket! Now, you won't touch it unless it's pureed. You used to LOVE mac and cheese, but the last 2 times that I made it, you would try it and spit it back out. I don't understand what is going on. Are you less hungry? Do you not like my cooking anymore?

Of course, I've googled this issue and read about how kids your age really start to need less food, since you are growing less, but it seems like the days you eat less, you end up waking up in the middle of the night hungry. Well, at least I think you are hungry. It could also be night terrors or teething too. Who knows. I just want to make sure you are getting all the nutrients that your body needs so that you can grow up to be a smart and strong boy.

This is what I want to see from my little boy.

As far as your walking goes, you are doing better. You seem to be more stable and can even start to turn corners and sometimes you can do a complete about face without falling.

One day we were playing with cars and I decided that I would show you how ramps worked with your cars. I set up a little ramp with a box and slid your cars down. In no time, you wanted to try it yourself and a few minutes later, your cars were completely forgotten, and you became a little climber.

Just recently, I am getting a feeling that you now realize that you have 2 parents who love you and are here for you always. For a long time, it seemed like I was your main provider of nourishment and comfort, but now, you are seeing daddy fill that role too.

In the morning, you are always really excited to go wake up dad when I put you in our bed. When dad comes home, you rush to give him a hug. You love to give him kisses. It's so neat to see this special bond that is developing between you guys. 

Since daddy gives you a bath most nights, he's told me about a few cool things that you do during bath time. 1. As daddy is filling the tub, you start putting the toys that you want to play with into the tub. Then you climb in. 2. Towards the end of the bath, if daddy forgets to brush your teeth, you always make sure to point to your toothbrush to remind him. 

As far as new tricks go, you have recently learned how to climb down the stairs. You are pretty good at it, but sometimes you get confused and start to go up, instead of go down. I can tell that you really want to walk down the stairs like daddy and I do, but right now, its best if you slide down on your tummy. 

Today, you showed me the sign for "eat." I had just changed your diaper and said to you in Chinese, "let's go get something to eat" and you signed "eat" by bringing your fingers to your mouth. Pretty cool! 

For the most part, things are going really great. You are turning out to be such a happy and friendly baby. (You even wave hi to people when we are out) I am just trying to figure out why you have suddenly become such a picky eater. Until next week. 

Love, 

Mommy