Father's Day and other stuff

It occurred to me today after I talked to my good friend Adriane that I have let some momentous events pass by without blogging about them. So I thought I'd catch you all up on what's been going on in our household!

At the end of May we took a trip down to San Marcos to see DJ's family. Our niece Jessica graduated from UT in May, and boy did they ever have a party for her!! It was so great to see all of the Vargas family, and meet lots of relatives Nate and I had not met before. And I met Christopher's girlfriend and we took so many pictures that I really need to post, and we just had a ball. As usual, the time was too short but we had a blast. Hopefully we'll get back down there to get the boy baptised soon!

Last week (on the 16th), Nate turned 7 months old! I know I keep saying this, but I am just so flabbergasted by how quickly he is growing up. My little baby is changing so much and becoming a big kid...or at least in my mind he is. DJ and I joke all the time about how he's soon going to be leaving us for college....and it's actually true! Time flies so fast, it's unbelieveable.

Anyways, so at 7 months he is sitting up very well on his own, grabbing objects from EVERYWHERE, rolling, rolling, rolling...still no crawling....drooling a lot (still no teeth), loving his feet and playing with them all the time, talking a lot, and has recently started making a new sound familiar to me from my nephew Bryson: the "huuuuuh, huuuuuh, huuuuuuh, huuuuuuh" sound when he is frustrated or bored or otherwise unhappy. An example of him grabbing random objects...the other day I looked over at Nate as he was playing in his exersaucer and he was chewing on something and grinning at me. As I got closer, I discovered that he was happily gnawing on a popsicle stick! Choking hazard??!! HECK YES!!! I asked DJ, "How did he get this??" DJ sheepishly said, "I don't know...I must have left it on the coffee table." He had eaten a fruit bar and left the stick out. No more leaving things out unattended...we must be diligent now!! Man, babies have a knack for spotting random objects and grabbing them before you even knew it was there. YIKES!!!

So, as we all know it's been HOTTER THAN HELL in Texas this summer. And we're barely even into summer....it's going to be a long one! We decided to start taking Nate to the pool so he can get used to the water...I really want him to be a strong swimmer and confident in the water. Even though it was really hot, and it was late in the afternoon so Nate was super tired....he LOVED it! He splashes with his arms and grins so big...and just loves when we twirl him around and around! I'll try to post a video soon of his first time at the pool, it was a blast! We've taken him a couple times now and he really likes it.

DJ had a really great first Father's Day. He was able to spend all day with his wife and baby boy, and we savored every moment. I cooked him a yummy breakfast (huevos rancheros and bacon), we went to the pool, he got to play his video games, Nate and I took him to Texas Land and Cattle for a steak dinner, and then we watched a movie after Nate went to bed. Well, part of a movie that is...I never seem to be able to make it through a whole movie in the evenings anymore!! I'm so lame now. :) Ahhhh, oh well.

For me, summer has been really hectic at work with freshman orientations every week. Nate's babysitter is off for the next 2 weeks, so we have our moms coming to watch Nate during the day while we're at work. This Saturday DJ's mom (Nana) is arriving, bringing Amie and Jamie, our nieces. We can't wait for them to get here! We're going to have so much fun just hanging out, eating Nana's cooking, and then we're taking the girls to a Rangers game on Friday evening! Nate can't wait to see his cousins and Nana. :) Then my mom will take over the next week. My parents are also arriving this weekend, although they are not staying at our apartment. It's Ramsey's 5th bday this weekend, so they're coming to celebrate. They'll be at Lori's place all week, then she'll come here next Sunday. We're looking forward to her staying with us too...she always helps me get stuff done around the apartment that I haven't found time to do. Little tedious things that I hate doing...she somehow motivates me to get it done! Plus I just really miss my mommy! It will so good to be around her, and I'm sure I'll get used to the luxury of having our moms here to help us with Nate.

Ok, it's late now (and by late I mean 10:16 pm!!) and I'm turning into a pumpkin. More soon! Love to you all!!!

Phone-filled weekend

This weekend, we house/dog sat for my sister Lori and her family. Since I have been promising DJ an iPhone for a while now and next weekend IS Father's Day, we decided that we would go to the AT&T store on Saturday and bite the bullet. And don't you know, Saturday morning at 4 am, DJ knocked over a glass of water and killed my phone too. Not only did I lose my beloved blackberry (aka crackberry), but I lost all my phone numbers too!!!! UGH. So we had to shop for 2 phones. This reminds me....if you're reading this, I probably need you to send me your phone number(s) because I need to replace all of them!! My new phone is ok, but it is not the same and I really miss my blackberry. It magically came on yesterday and I got all excited....then I discovered that the phone thought it was March 2, 2006!!! Yikes, it was only out of service for a little over 24 hours, so I don't know what was the deal with that!

SO...we got our phones and then went over to Stonebriar Mall for a bit. DJ ended up buying me two new shirts and some pants for work, so BONUS for me!! Gotta love MACY's and their awesome sales!! And Nate got some shorts and a new bathtub...he outgrew his a while back and we just kept using it...legs hanging off and all! Nate loves his new bathtub ducky! And he looks adorable in it. Needless to say, DJ has been absolutely glued to his iPhone since Saturday. I can just picture Thanksgiving Day...all the boys lined up on the couches playing on their phones, occassionally looking up at whatever football game is on! Boys and their toys.....

Ok, so here are some pics of Nate in his new tub. Enjoy!

A few more pictures!

Here are some pics of Nate we took recently. He is getting so big. But he is so much fun! He's gotten so squirmy lately, it's really hard to hold him and diaper changes are quite challenging! But it's worth every frustrating moment, and we wouldn't trade it for anything. Enjoy!

I'm going to reach that remote, Mommy!

Jumping is FUN!

Do I have something on my face?

I love my exersaucer!

What are you looking at? :)

Check up stats

Nate had his 6 month check up today, and I thought I'd update you on where he's at. He now weighs in at 17 lbs, which is in the 45th percentile for weight. His head is in the 70th percentile and he is 27 1/2 inches long, which is in the 80th percentile. So, we have a tall baby with a big head who is average weight. I would have thought he was heavier, but only because I have to carry him all the time!!

Today, DJ took Nate to the doctor for his first solo visit without mommy. I don't have any sick hours to use because of various things I've had to take off for...mostly Nate or me being sick. Poor Daddy had to experience shots for the first time...but apparently Nate only cried for a few seconds whereas with me he cries for 15 mins!! After the appt, DJ took Nate to Sherry's house (our babysitter) and he slept for about an hour. Sherry said he was kind of cranky when he woke up, but after some tylenol he was fine. All was good until mommy came to pick him up. Oh, he was happy to see me...but little did I know that when I picked him up he had pooped through his clothes and that wet spot on his outfit was POO! So I got slimed yet again. I was reminded of that line from the classic movie, "Joe Dirt" when he yells, "I got the poo on me!!" We had to strip Nate down to his diaper and he rode home in the car seat naked, with only his bib and diaper on. CLASSY!!! :) And mommy? She had to suffer with the poo on her until she got home, unloaded everything, and finally could change clothes! That's just what moms do.

Anyways....that's life in the fast lane. And I should know...I drive about 3 hours a day. Have a great week everyone!

6 months old!

Well today is another milestone day for Baby Nate. He turned 6 months old. I cannot believe that he has been in our lives for 6 months...and yet now I cannot even imagine what life was like without him. Every day he melts our hearts with something he does....whether it is a goofy toothless grin, a new behavior he is learning, his appetite for new and different foods, or even the habit he has picked up of hitting us in the face while he's eating his bottle!! We love every moment. The good, the bad and the STINKY!! Let me tell you....diaper changes have turned ever so much more stinky now that he is eating real foods, and it is not pretty.

We are always getting slimed with something gross, our clothes are always stained with spit-up or baby food, and we are ALWAYS running late. But the past 6 months have shown us how meaningful life is when you have someone depending on you for everything, and how beautiful that meaning is when you share it with people you love. I don't want to sound like a Hallmark greeting card, but life really is good with Nate in it. Have a great week, everyone! And much love!

OOPS!

I obviously got the wrong video on the last post! Here is the "peas" video that we shot today. Sorry....

Peas porridge hot...peas porridge cold...

Peas porridge in the pot all day long! Is that right? I'm not very good at recalling nursery rhymes, but I think that's how it goes. Anyways, here is Nate eating peas. He seems to like them ok, but not as much as the squash! I've been making Nate's baby food and it has been very worthwhile. There are lots of reasons why I decided to make his food, but the #1 reason is the cost. I can buy one bag of frozen vegetables, or one big acorn squash for less than $2 and get 16 one oz servings out of it!! So far I have made squash and peas. Next will be green beans. I like it also because I know what is in his food and I feel like we are starting him out eating healthy, wholesome food. Plus, if you freeze them in the little ice cube trays, you have a variety of different veggies to choose from each day! It's been really great.