Dallas Blooms

I am so behind in posting!  Life has been crazy the last few weeks...I promise to catch up on this blog to make sure its all accounted for!

A few weeks ago we took the little guy to the Arboretum to take some cute pics when all the flowers were in bloom.  About 7 years ago {ohmygoshIamsoold!} I was at the Arboretum taking bridal pictures during Dallas Blooms 2004.  Crazy how life has changed over those years!

The Arboretum is so beautiful this time of year!

While I'm no photographer, I thought the pics turned out precious!

Baby and Mommy!

Handsomes.

The grass was a big hit!

Love my boys!

Easter 2011

We had a great first family Easter this year!

A special bunny came to visit the little guy.

And he dropped off a few things for mommy and daddy as well!

Nate loved looking in his basket and pulling out all of the goodies.

Everything got taste tested to make sure it was acceptable.

If Easter is any indication, Christmas this year is going to be a lot of fun!  After checking out our baskets, we went to church.

And took some pics afterwards.

It was a great First Easter for Nate-Diggity!

Bassinet Fun

The other day Michael and I were hanging a few pics in Nate's room.  We wanted to keep him occupied for a few minutes so we could get things leveled properly, but he was growing tired of his play mat since he'd been on it awhile already playing away.  So, I plopped him in his old bassinet that is now storing his stuffed animals.  Little did I know this would rock his world.  He had a ball, so of course we whipped out the camera and Flip to capture the moment.  It is the simple things this kid does that just makes me grin from ear to ear!

Milestone Moment - Sitting Up!

Look who's sitting up like a big boy!  Nate's been practicing sitting up on his own for several weeks, but I think it is safe to say he's officially accomplished this milestone.  Such a cutie!

7 Months {Again, a week or so ago}

I am having such a hard time getting these posts done on time!  I think I may be in a bit of denial that my little baby is turning into a little boy.  Nate is at such a fun age right now, and we've been really enjoying watching his personality grow and watching him learn and discover new things.  A little info about this month:

• Weighs about 17 lbs, and is about 26 inches long.  
• Wears size 3 diapers, 3-6 month and 6 months clothing.
• Had his first virus this month--fortunately, it was just a 24 hour thing.  He ran a fever and was a little needier than usual, but otherwise, was fine.

• Eats about 6 oz of milk every 3 hours.  I've successfully stopped pumping, and we are slowly using our freezer stash.  Nate gets at least one bottle of breastmilk every day; the rest is organic infant formula.
• He eats some solids 3 times a day--we offer it to him, and if he eats great, and if not, no biggie.  We've tried oatmeal (not a big fan), pears, bananas, apples, mangoes (loves them!), peaches (yummy), prunes, carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes.  We've also moved on to some combinations: pumpkin & banana; mango, spinach and pears (loves this); peach rice pudding; kiwi & banana; sweet potato & apricot (not a fan).  I've made some of his food, but primarily we buy Plum, Happy Baby or Sprout organic foods.  I highly recommend them all!
• Also loves to eat Mum Mums--we have to be careful with these though because Nate tends to take a big bite and then can get choked on them.
• Sleeps from about 7 pm until 6:15 am.  We have to get up occasionally to do paci pushes or reposition him if he wakes up, but overall, we are sleeping pretty good.  Nate has started rolling over and sleeping on his stomach, which I have to get used to...it still makes me nervous!

• Loves to scream and babble.
• He's getting a little bit of an attitude--he's definitely capable of letting us know when he's not happy about something.
• Loves to pet the dogs and just stares at them all the time.
• Is starting to lunge for everything.  He's so curious and just wants to explore everything.

• He can sit up now unsupported.  But, we have to keep an eye on him and stay close by because he tends to topple over after a few minutes.
• He's gotten good at rolling over in both directions.  At night, he will roll back and forth until he finally settles down for the night.
• He loves to play with his toys and to read books.

• Absolutely loves to be outside--walks, Arboretum, trips to the park, sitting out back--if he's outside, he's happy.
• We introduced the sippy cup this month.  Nate liked it but still needs to get used to it.

I really think we may just have the cutest baby ever, and I'm totally not biased!  We love you Nate!  Our hearts are so full and we are so thankful and blessed to have you!

Pilgrimage to Philly

Two weekends ago (March 4th - March 7th), my mom and I took Nate to Philadelphia, PA to visit some extended family--my Grandpap, aunt, uncle, cousins, and first cousins once removed.  I was so nervous for Nate's first flight and being away from home, but overall, the trip went great.

Nate had one 5 minute meltdown on the return trip, but other than that, he did really well on the plane.  Everyone in Philly just loved him!

Nate's second cousins, Chase and Ciera, couldn't get enough of Nate.  Chase kept petting Nate's head and saying "Baby's hair so soft.  Baby is so cute!"  I couldn't agree more!

Nate and Chase

Ciera, Nate, Uncle Gary and Chase

Cousins, just hanging out

 When we arrived in Philly, we headed over to see Grandpap.  First meeting:

We went to Valley Forge Park Saturday morning.  It was very pretty and cool to see where Washington and his troops camped during the winter while the war was going on.

Washington's headquarters

 The main purpose behind the trip was for my Grandpap to meet Nate.  Grandpap is 88 years old and isn't in the best health, so we never know which visit might be the last. 

Spending time with Grandpap

GB and Nate

This frog is cool.

Nate and my Aunt Paige

I know it was important for my mom that we made the trip and I'm glad we secured a 4 generations picture.  Nate is lucky to have met both of his living great-grandparents!

4 generations

Grandpap and his 2 daughters

My mom's cousin Bobbi also game up one night to meet everyone.