Smarter than Teddy

Dear Nathan,
This week, you have officially surpassed Teddy in the things that you can do. What finally broke the straw was you learning how to walk more than 2 steps. Here's a picture of you standing on your own. Most of the time you don't realize that you are standing until a few moments have passed and then you become very proud of yourself.

This morning, while we were playing in your room, you actually stood up in front of me while I was sitting and walked all the way to my back. That must have been 4 or 5 steps. I bet you'll be toddling on your own by Halloween.

A week ago, you developed a cold, that turned into an ear infection, and along with you allergic reaction from 2 weeks ago, turned into a situation where you needed a nebulizer to help open up your airways. When you first started being very whiny and fussy, I had a feeling that you had developed an ear infection. Of course, it was at night, so I asked our neighbor, a doctor, to come over and take a look. He saw that your ear drums were sucked in and the area was inflamed so he prescribed some antibiotics. We are so lucky to have neighbors like that who are so loving and helpful. There was some sort of mix up at the pharmacy, so I ended up taking you in to the doctor the next day anyways. The first time you tried the nebulizer at the doctor's office, you did not like it. It took me and another nurse to get you to breathe in the albuterol. Once you realized that it was actually helping you feel better, you were super calm and even wanted to hold the mouth piece by yourself.

With the nebulizer and some yummy antibiotics (you love that stuff, you will fight to get to it) you were feeling much better in a couple of days.

This past weekend, you went to another birthday party. You had lots of fun with new toys and kids to play with. You seem less drooly lately, so we put you in a collared shirt. Wow. You look like such a big boy!

 Just when I think that you are such a big and mature boy, you start blowing raspberries and find spitting on the floor to be amusing. What a boy!

Occasionally, I bring out "new" toys for you to play with. It's so cool to see how you may play with a toy differently than you did a few weeks ago. Last time I brought the train out, you were taking the pieces apart and chewing on the blocks. This week, you actually worked on putting the wooden pieces onto the pegs, although, you did sneak a few bites in between.

We also gave you your first hair cut this week. I could have given you a bowl cut...

 

 but you were too squirmy, so you just got a trim around the sides. Now you don't have hair going into your ears and tickling your neck.

 I'd say I did a pretty good job.

Yesterday, after helping me unload the vegetables from the stroller, you decided to push the stroller around and around. You had so much fun doing it, that I thought I would make it even sillier and put teddy inside. You thought it was funny and kept spinning and spinning. Sometimes you would giggle so hard that you would fall down. Teddy was a bit confused at first, but then just gave in, sat down, and enjoyed the attention.

This week you have been a super great sleeper. We've been putting you down around 7:30 and you sleep to about quarter to 8. In the morning, you will take a short 30 minute nap in the car and then another hour nap in the afternoon.

I still don't get your eating preferences. One day green eggs and ham are delicious and then a week later, you don't even touch them. Things at HEB taste delicious, then when I buy it, bring it home, and make it for you, you don't even touch it. You are very picky and it's kind of inconsistent. It's a bit stressful for me because sometimes I have to get up so many times during dinner to find something that you will actually eat (and at the same time goes towards a balanced diet). I know you will probably eat bananas and yogurt until it oozes out of your eyes, but you also need veggies and some protein.

I tried making you a smoothie out of bananas, blueberries, yogurt, milk and lots of spinach today and you loved it. Even though you were full, you still fussed at me when I took it away.

You are becoming a social butterfly/flirt. At chinese class, many of the moms were commenting on how social you were. You would crawl up to a baby or mom and start talking away. You even kissed a few girls. There was a professional photographer at the class so let's see if she captured any of your social interactions. Hey, take it easy tiger! The only girl you should be kissing right now is your mom!

Every morning, before daddy leaves for work, he gives me a kiss good bye. You seem to think that it is cool or amusing because you are always smiling after you see us "ching ching" (kiss).

Stay sweet and keep stacking blocks. You're doing a great job!

Mommy