Flying solo with a 4-month-old

Last weekend, Theo and I flew together without Chuck and Nate. I knew it would be tough hauling our gear through the airport and having no other set of hands to take the baby when a). I go through security or b). I have to go to the bathroom. But we managed the parking, the shuttle, the security, the boarding, and the nearly 3-hour flight just fine. The hardest part was the pure boredom -- for both of us. There is only so much you can do to entertain a 4-month-old and I had to squint my eyes to read a fellow passenger's Wall Street Journal as a way to pass the time.

We had a great time at the Team Vogel vs. Cancer Benefit and Theo was a trooper, staying there from 7am-6pm, enduring a 1-mile walk in the Baby Bjorn (thanks, Goldbergs), being passed around among many relatives, and napping in his car seat.

Aunt Sue, Angie, Theo and Nisa just before the race.

The ladies (and gentleman) of the bake sale.

Theo's godfather, Joe, loves to make babies laugh!

I forgot how delightful 4-month-old babies can be. Theo is so happy all the time (when he isn't super hungry or tired, of course) and is so easy to entertain. We started putting him in his exersaucer a few weeks ago and he loves to jump and play with all the toys. He also rolled over from back to front, can sit up by himself for almost a minute, and is bearing weight on his legs (standing up when we hold his hands). He giggles too! It's the cutest sound, usually really low and breath-y and when he really gets going, he'll even squeal. And he ADORES his big brother Nate. He'll watch Nate and smile with his mouth wide open and giggle at him -- especially when Nate jumps on the bed (his favorite new activity). Nate really loves Theo too, giving him kisses, hugging him, and trying to carry him. He never seems to be jealous of him either. Maybe they're all this way when they're babies, but I really think that Nate and Theo are going to be the best of friends. :)

Another big boy

Theo had his 4-month appointment today. Of course, the doctor raved about how adorable he was with "all that hair." He weighed in at 16 lb. 10 oz. and measured 26 inches long -- the 90th percentile for both! Nate was a little over 17 lb and 26.5 inches at 4 months, so Theo is still a little smaller than Nate was. Still, it looks like we're raising a couple of bruisers! The Vogel/Daley football team is coming along quite well ...

EXTREME Road Trip!

Forgive us for not updating the site in many weeks -- we've been resting after a very long drive to Minnesota. 18+ hours in a car with a 2-year-old, a 3-month-old and a dog? Are we crazy? Yes, yes we are. But it would be nearly as insane to try to take them on an airplane. At least in a car, when there's screaming, we're the only ones bothered by it. And actually, it wasn't so bad! I had extremely low expectations, assuming that it would be one of the most tortuous days of my life, so when there was just a little bit of crying, some toll booth issues (no cash), and a massive case of sleep deprivation, I was pleasantly surprised. We will definitely do it again.

We left on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm and the kids slept for nearly three hours before we stopped to eat and walk around somewhere in West Virginia. Then, we drove through the night, reaching Chicago around sunrise. I'm pretty sure that when we put Nate in the car and told him we were driving to Grandma and Grandpa's, he assumed that it would be about 20 minutes. But he was so excited -- every time we stopped and he woke up and started crying, I'd say, "Nate, we're almost there!" and he would say, "Grrrrma and Bampa" and smile and go right back to sleep. The last five hours were a little rough -- Chuck couldn't stay awake, the kids were cranky, and I had to drive through the beautiful-but-boring farmland of Wisconsin. When we arrived at my parents' house, we handed off the kids and took a little nap. Nate and Theo slept like champs the whole trip, so they were plenty rested to play with Grandma and Grandpa. Cousin Brody came over to play too, which Nate loved. And Wylie enjoyed her first vacation in Minnesota!

Best buds.

Hot and sweaty after a long day at the park.

We also were able to baptize Theo while we were in Minnesota, with Joe and Rachel as his godparents!

Vogel family picture.

The Vogel grandsons.

The monkeys

As the days are getting warmer, the boys are spending lots of time in the backyard. Chuck will try to get some work done, Theo snoozes in his bouncy seat or just looks around at the trees and birds, and Nate chases Wylie or soaks himself with the hose. The kid goes through at least three outfits a day, and inevitably is covered in mud and grass. It amazes me how he can be completely covered in dirt and be totally fine with it, but if he accidentally spills one drop of milk, he points at it and says, "Uh oh" over and over again.

Theo is holding his head up really well now. We've put him in Nate's old Bebe Pod (a baby seat with a tray) and he loves it! He's also starting to study his hands and grasp at things, so we can put a rattle and other baby toys on the tray for him to play with. His coordination still needs some work -- I think he's only accidentally picking things up or moving them around -- but he gets better every day. Last night when I put him to bed, he kept pulling his pacifier out of his mouth and would start crying. I suppose it'll be a while before he can start putting it back in.

Now that Nate's 2 and has adjusted to having a new little brother, we realize it's time to start potty training. I feel like every transition that we've had with Nate -- crying it out, going from bottle to sippy cup, moving to a toddler bed -- has been really easy. But potty training is a whole different ball game. They say we're supposed to start when he can pull his pants up and down, when he has the language to talk about it, and when he feels uncomfortable with a dirty diaper. Just in the past couple weeks, Nate has started talking about "goap" (poop). Sometimes it's to tell us that he just pooped; other times it's to tell us that he's about to poop. And you can tell that he's getting very uncomfortable with a poopy or just pee-soaked diaper: yesterday morning, he walked into our bedroom with his legs spread wide announcing "goap, goap, goap!" It's a start.

I think I put in the last post that Nate hasn't put two words together yet. Just in the past week, that's changed. But of course, the words that he's putting together involve "more" and "gimme," as in "More. Cereal." "Gimme. Milk." He says them like two separate words. Another phrase I heard at least 50 times this morning was "Dada. Y." (wants dad to take him to the YMCA).

We're gearing up for our LOOOOOOOOOONG road trip to Minnesota -- just over a week away!

Road trip

The Daleys were ambitious last weekend and took our first road trip as a foursome to a wedding in Charlottesville, Virginia, nearly five hours away. We've taken Nate to Charleston before, but that's only a three-hour drive. Mommy and Daddy were a little concerned that there would be a lot of screaming, but we coordinated both drives with their afternoon naps and it worked out perfectly! Of course, there were a couple meltdowns when Theo wanted to look at someone rather than the car seat and when Nate declared that he was "DONE! DONE! DONE!" with the road trip, but then Mommy would climb in between their car seats and entertain them with gooing, singing, counting, and kisses. Nate had lots of fun at the wedding chasing other kids around and even discovered a kids room that had crayons and Play-doh! And at night, he got to sleep with his daddy, who said he didn't sleep as well because of Nate's "razor toes."

Sleeping peacefully on the hotel bed.

Still sleepy (and a little grumpy) after his nap.

Chuck uses his adorable baby to promote his newest release. 

"Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose."

So happy!

No, we don't put product in his hair. He was born with incredible volume.

Do you see modeling in Theo's future?

My baby can read!

Not really, but he acts like he can. And the only word he seems to be able to read -- in everything -- is "Nate." For instance, I took his sidewalk chalk and wrote "Wylie." So Nate points at each letter and says, "W-Y-L-I-E: Nate!" And he found one of Chuck's boxes from the post office and spelled out "P-O-S-T-A-L-S-E-R-V-I-C-E: Nate!" And when I wrote out the names from our family, he spelled out "D-A-D-A-M-A-M-A-T-H-E-O-N-A-T-E: Nate! Nate! Nate! Nate!" Between this and him telling us that everything is "mine," I'm wondering if we have an egomaniac on our hands. That, or just a perfectly normal 2-year-old.

Tomorrow, Theo turns 12 weeks old, which means he's no longer a newborn. Now, he's officially an "infant." He's been such a good baby for so long that I feel like the newborn phase has been over for a long time -- he only cries when he's hungry/tired/gassy and he sleeps like a champ. All I have to do is put him down in the crib between 8 and 8:30 with a pacifier and he goes right to sleep. Nate was pretty good at this too; he just woke up a lot more during the night because he was perpetually hungry. Theo is still getting up around 4am for a feeding, but goes right back to sleep until 7:30 or so. Of course, this does me no good because Nate is still waking up at 6am. But then Nate and I get our special time with just us two, when he helps me unload the dishwasher and we eat "ceeweeal" together.

Easter and birthdays

I know it's been a while since we've updated the site, but we've been very BUSY! April was an exciting month. Mamma and Grampy Daley came to visit for Easter along with Great-Mamma Haltermann. Nate was a little shy in the beginning, but as soon as they took him outside to push him in his swing, he was smitten. Since then, he can't stop saying "Mamma" and "Beepsby" (Grampy). He also loves to say "Marmie" (Mary) and his favorite, "A-um!" (Adam)

Even though it was a week early, we celebrated Nate's 2nd birthday on Easter with the whole family. He loved his Elmo cake, his new remote control car, and his very own baseball chair, where he can put his feet up and relax. Now, when we ask Nate how old he is, instead of "a-one!" he says, "goo."

Nate can't wait to take a giant bite of Elmo's face.

Speaking of "goo," Nate likes to count to ten all the time now. It goes something like this: a-one, goo, bee, boar, bive, si, sebin, eee, nigh, ten, YAY! And then he claps for himself.

Nate had his 2-year pediatrician appointment this week and measured 35 3/4 inches tall and weighs 32 lbs., putting him in the 80th percentile for both. The doctor says his brain is measuring in the >97th percentile, but we already knew that.

And Theo celebrated a big birthday too -- 2 months! He has grown up so much since I posted last. He smiles all the time now, especially at his daddy, who loves to make funny sounds. He is an amazing sleeper too -- he sleeps from 8pm until 3 or 4am, nurses, and goes back down right away until 6 or 7. I don't think Nate did that until he was closer to 5 months. Theo had his 2-month pediatrician appointment last week and weighed in a 12lb., 12oz and measured 22 inches long. He's in the 25th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight (Nate was in the 90th percentile for both at the same age). It's amazing that he's so big already because it seems like just yesterday I was taking him in to the doctor to make sure that he was gaining weight. It doesn't seem to be a problem anymore!

 

 What a happy baby!

April was also a big month because Mommy had to go back to work. As the big day approached, I was a little anxious, trying to figure out how I could fit any more activities into my day. Even more nerve-wracking was imagining how Chuck would manage a whole day alone with two monkeys and still try to get work done. But everything is going well so far. I've been able to run home over my lunch hour to nurse so I don't miss them so much, and every day when I come home, all three boys are smiling.

Florida

Last week, we packed up and flew to Fort Myers with two lap babies for the last time before Nate turns 2. We were lucky enough to get an extra seat for Nate for both flights -- but still, flying with a toddler is no fun at all. Nate loved seeing all of his Vogel relatives, especially his cousin Brody, who is just a little bit taller than Nate. The two were best friends all week, chasing each other, giggling, swimming and bonding over Baby Einstein and Elmo.

Chillin' out after a long day at the pool.

Discovering the chip and dip table at the party together = nasty diapers later.

Flashing lights and classical music: crack for babies (and toddlers who are way too old for this).

On Thursday, we rented a car so we could take the kids to the park and to the beach, which was very windy. It was tough dragging Theo around in his car seat while chasing Nate, who wants to get into EVERYTHING (including strangers' toys), but we still had fun. 

Nate and Dad at Fort Myers Beach

Exploring ... and about to steal that bucket.

Dad and Nate at the park.

Theo will be 6 weeks on Thursday, if you can believe it. From what I hear, a newborn's crying is supposed to peak at 6 weeks, so we're almost over the hump. :) He is growing every day and is smiling a lot now. He also seems to be fascinated with his big brother Nate -- at least until he pokes his eye or pulls his hair. Speaking of Theo's hair, it doesn't seem to be falling out like Nate's did and is beginning to have a personality of its own.

My, my, my

Like lots of little boys, Nate has been slow to start talking, preferring instead to run around or examine/destroy things. He's always been a babbler, but his pronunciation was terrible and we could never understand what he was saying. In the past month, though, he's had a language explosion. It seems like he's picking up a few new words every day and now we can actually understand what he's saying! The newest word that is being used A LOT is "my." I suppose this comes from no longer being the only child and the need to constantly clarify what is HIS. So it's "my paci," "my Mommy," even "my baby." I find that cute, though, that he takes pride in having HIS own baby brother.

We've had a few rough nights lately, with Theo being reluctant to go back to sleep after getting up. Chuck and I have been trying to tag team so I can get a little sleep (it's been a months since I've had a stretch of sleep longer than four hours), but it's leaving both of us exhausted. Overall, he's been pretty good -- when he finally gets to sleep, he'll sleep for 3-4 hours.

It's hard to believe that in just two days, our little baby Theo will be a month old already. February is a short month, but still. Where did the time go? He's been smiling a lot while sleeping pretty much since birth, but just yesterday I caught him smiling while completely awake. We weren't making eye contact -- he was looking at something behind my head (I'm thinking the purple couch, which fascinated Nate too) -- so I can't consider it a *real* smile, but we're getting close!

Visitors

Theo and Nate both enjoyed having their Grandma and Grandpa Vogel come to visit over the weekend. Nate especially thought his Grandpa was super hilarious and loved that Grandma took him outside in the backyard every day to play fetch with Wylie. Theo still seems to be quite attached to his Mommy and can be fussy if someone else holds him, though he eventually warmed up to Grandma, especially when she rocked him. Theo appears to be a tad repulsed by his own father and tends to spit up on him every time he holds him. This might also be because Daddy is less gentle and likes to roughhouse 3-week-old babies. Theo's Great-Auntie Susie came up to visit from Charleston on Monday and he loved being held by her. She has the magic touch.

 Grandpa Vogel and Theo

 Nate and Grandpa Vogel at the park.

Theo had his 1-month checkup this morning, even though he's only 3 weeks old (something to do with insurance). So his stats are probably a little off of what he'll be at 1 month old next week. But he weighs 9 lbs and is 20 3/4 inches long -- both in the 25th percentile. I'm assuming that if his stats were taken on time, he'd be closer to 50%. But just to compare, Nate was 11lb, 2oz, and 22 inches at his 1-month appointment, which was on his actual 1-month birthday (see Our Big Boy). Theo definitely seems to be less hungry than his big brother was, and Nate also had pumped milk from a bottle, which Theo hasn't had yet. Babies tend to eat more from a bottle than the breast, especially in the early months. So, we'll see if little Theo will catch up to Nate or if he'll end up a runt like his Mommy was. :)

 Nate tries to give Theo some of his milk. 

Little Mister Diva

Nate and Theo are getting along really well. Most of Nate's jealousy seems to have gone away and I'm less concerned about him actually hurting Theo. However, this morning Theo was in his swing and Nate likes to point at all his body parts (ears, nose, lips, etc.). When he pointed at Theo's eye, I told him, "No, that hurts Theo," but Nate doesn't like to hear the word "no." So he kept poking at Theo's eye, which of course made him cry. But these episodes are happening less and less lately. The cutest is when Nate comes in our room in the morning, he'll peek his head over the bassinet and say, "Hi" to Theo in his most adorable little E.T. voice. It makes getting up at 5:30am totally worth it.

The Pacifier Wars

As you might imagine, Theo's homecoming has totally rocked Nate's world -- for good and bad. He loves to push him in the swing (too fast), rock him in his carrier (too hard), and help with changing diapers (throwing them on Theo's face). But the biggest source of controversy is the pacifier, just as I predicted (see Toddler Transition Time). We figured we'd wait until after he moved to the toddler bed and after Theo came home to help him give it up. Now, Theo has his own paci, which is a different color and texture than Nate's. But even if Nate has two of his own blue pacifiers, he still plucks Theo's right out of his mouth.

Theo already knows how to hold in his own paci.

Other things we've learned over the past week with 2 kids under 2:

• We're going through diapers like crazy. I changed a total of 6 poopy diapers before 10am yesterday. 
• Newborns poop A LOT. And pee themselves when being changed. 
• Just when you get one baby to sleep -- and you think you might have time to squeeze a nap in -- the other wakes up. 
• Nate is extremely sensitive when I'm nursing Theo. I don't know how he learned that it's a private thing, but he always pulls down my shirt to cover me up.
  

Welcome, Baby Theo!

 

Theodore Joseph Daley arrived at 6:30am on Feb. 18 a little bit ahead of schedule. We were supposed to be at the hospital for a scheduled C-section at 5:30 am. But at 4am -- just a half-hour before our alarm went off -- my water broke. After that, I started having contractions just two minutes apart. We rushed to the hospital and there we discovered that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. The same thing happened with Nate, but it was unusual for it to be there for a baby that is early. We decided to go ahead with the C-section and my doctor was called in a little bit early to perform it. As the doctor on call said, "Dr. Barnes didn't want to miss it, but don't be surprised if she didn't have time to put her makeup on."

The surgery went well. I had less discomfort than last time and when they pulled Theo out, it seemed like everything was OK. When they pulled his head out, they suctioned his airway before delivering the rest of his body. Everyone in surgery kept saying how much hair he had -- even before they pulled him out. The first thing Chuck said is, "He looks just like Nate!" I heard him cry and they said his color was good and he was moving well. Chuck cut the umbilical cord, and they cleaned him up and brought him over to me, then Chuck and Theo headed back to our hospital room.

 

 Mommy meeting Theo for the first time.

Daddy holding Theo back in our hospital room.

It took another 20 minutes or so for them to sew me up and bring me back to the room. And by the time I got there, they'd taken Theo away to run some tests in the NICU because he inhaled the meconium. This is exactly what happened with Nate -- he was gone for about five hours after I delivered him and I hated that we didn't get a chance to bond immediately after his birth. With Nate, it was just to run tests and monitor him, but he was fine. With Theo, the x-rays showed that there actually was meconium deep in his lung and his breathing was labored because of it. I expected him back after a few hours, but the nurse practitioner came in and said that he was on oxygen and would be there for at least the next 24 hours and at worst, could be there for 2 weeks. They were monitoring him for infection as well, but since my water broke just a couple hours before delivery, there was  low chance of that.

Theo in the NICU. It's usually a no-no to put a baby on its tummy, but this position helps him cough up the fluid.

Since I was still in recovery and couldn't even move my feet, I couldn't go over there to see him, but Chuck did. I think we were both really sad that he was going to be in the NICU overnight, but we knew he would be OK. It was just frustrating to not be able to see or hold him. But later that night, the nurse asked if I could come over to hold and breastfeed Theo.

Mommy finally getting to hold Theo later that night in the NICU.

I was amazed at how much he looked like Nate, except with a lot more dark hair. And he's so little! He was just four ounces less than Nate was (and as we know, Nate has been in the 80-90th percentile his whole life), but holding a newborn again was just wonderful. He seemed so healthy and strong, so I had a good feeling that he would be discharged the next morning.

Theo came into our room around noon the next day and everything was great. We found out that he had a short frenulum, which is the piece of skin that holds the tongue to the floor of his mouth. It was so close to the tip of his tongue that he couldn't stick his tongue past his bottom teeth, let alone stick it out of his mouth. This could cause problems with breastfeeding and with speech later in life, so they cut it on Saturday. It's a fairly easy procedure and not a lot of pain, and he's been a champion nurser since then. 

We were discharged on Sunday around noon and were able to come home. Mary and Adam brought Nate over soon after and he's still getting used to his little brother. For the most part, he seems excited and wants to hold him and touch his hair and show us where his nose and ears are. But there have been a few bouts of jealousy, where he wants to sit on my lap at the same time I'm nursing Theo or will put a book he wants me to read directly on top of Theo's head. Chuck and I have been crazy busy with the two of them, but it's probably been easier than I thought. I forgot how much newborns sleep!

Toddler transition time

Nate has had to grow up fast in the past couple months. The biggest change is moving from his baby nursery and crib that he's slept in since he was born into a big-boy toddler bed (which is actually quite miniature and we're not even allowed to sit on it). We were dreading the big move because it meant that we could no longer count on his predictable sleep pattern -- which has been 7 pm to 6 am with a 2-3 hour nap at least since he turned 1.

We told him it was his "big boy bed" and his special room with a sheet with puppies, lions, elephants and monkeys on it. And most importantly, we showed him how to run down the hallway yelling at the top of our lungs and then collapse on the bed. OK, he started that but we encouraged it. There have been a couple instances of him simply walking out of his bedroom into the living room at 9pm, and he also tends to move his bed to the middle of the room if he isn't quite tired yet. And of course, he's fallen out of bed a few times, but he's super-tough and learning to sleep like a normal human being with his head at the top of the bed rather than rotating all over the place. Once Chuck actually found him standing at the side of the bed with his head on the pillow, totally asleep. But it's been three weeks, and I must say, it was SOOOO much easier than I expected. He has a new (and preferred, as far as I'm concerned) sleep schedule -- 8:30pm to 7:30am. That means I get to see more of him after I come home from work AND sleep in! And what is so funny is that in the morning, he'll just sit at the bottom of the bed with his legs between the slats and just babble or moan for me. He won't get up or come out of his room. Next item on the list: the paci. We'll wait until after Baby is home for a while, otherwise he'll just pluck the baby's paci right out of his mouth.

Speaking of Baby, he'll be here in just 13 days! In some ways, I feel like this pregnancy has flown by, but I'm also feeling the physical effects of pregnancy more than I did last time. That is what happens when you have to lift a 30 lb toddler at least 25 times a day. I'm pretty sure that this baby will be big like Nate, though he'll be 11 days earlier than Nate was so maybe he'll be more of a normal size. I'm guessing 8 lbs even. I brought down all of Nate's baby clothes last weekend and I can't believe how tiny they are! It makes me excited to have a newborn in the house again ... and also a little nostalgic because my first born is all grown up!

Sickies

Last weekend, we were supposed to finish Nate's room so he could make the big transition to his toddler bed. But that didn't happen. I woke up on Saturday feeling kind of lazy and enjoyed my first (and probably only) prenatal massage, which was a wonderful Christmas present from Chuck. We had dinner that evening and I started feeling uncomfortable so I took a long bath. I figured it was just pregnancy-related, but later that night started throwing up. It's been a long time since I've had a stomach virus -- at least since college. It was so bad, I broke capillaries all over my face and didn't go to bed until 5am. Chuck let me catch up on sleep most of the day on Sunday and other than crackers and Gatorade, I couldn't stand to eat anything. Then Sunday night, Chuck got sick and Monday morning, Nate got sick. Poor little buddy. It was a miserable weekend and needless to say, nothing got done. Luckily, it seems to be a 24-hour bug and we all kicked it by Tuesday. This weekend is a three-day weekend (thanks, MLK), so we're going to try to finish Nate's room by Monday.

I had my 34-week appointment this morning and everything still looks good. My weight gain is on track and my blood pressure is low. The baby is measuring well and she thinks he's in the head-down position, though obviously it doesn't really matter if I'm having another C-section. Five weeks from today!

The Holidays

Nate's been enjoying the past few weeks with lots of family around and Mommy taking some days off to hang with him and Daddy. Mamma and Grampy Daley came down for Christmas along with Uncle Peter and Great-Mamma too. Nate was shy at first and clung to us -- as well as his new favorite person, Auntie Mary -- but after a few days, he was hamming it up and giving kisses to everybody.

New Year's Eve was fairly uneventful for the Daley family. For the second year in a row, Mommy went to bed before midnight, and Daddy was actually mopping the kitchen floor when the clock struck 12. But New Year's Day was a special treat, because Nate got to have a sleepover at Auntie Mary's. He especially likes climbing her stairs, playing with her reeds, and only occasionally eating popcorn out of the trash can. He was a good baby and slept in until 6:30am. Even better, Uncle Adam changed his first diaper! (No poop, of course, but he's taking baby steps.)

Last week, we scheduled the C-section for Baby Daley #2 for February 18, which means only 6 weeks left to go! This week, the baby is already more than 17 inches long and 4.25 lbs. He must be getting pretty cramped in there. I still feel pretty good, as long as he isn't kicking my bladder or ribs. It seems like he's completely transverse (sideways), and when he stretches out, I can feel poking on both sides of my belly. I think that means we're in for another mischievous monkey. :)

Over the weekend, we built Nate's new dresser and toddler bed, which is just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Of course, he's completely disinterested in it, and we still need to take down Chuck's desk before it really becomes Nate's room. But it'll come just in time, because last night, I caught Nate with one of his legs over the side of the crib and hoisting the rest of his body over. I'm surprised it took him 21 months to get this far, with all the trouble he gets into.

Thanksgiving!

The Daley family packed up the Mazda and headed down to Charleston for Thanksgiving week to share a condo with Joe and Rachel, who flew in from Minnesota. We stayed right on the Folly River, just a few blocks from downtown Folly Beach. It was rather chilly for Charleston -- about 60 degrees and overcast -- but Thanksgiving at Sue and Charlie's was perfect: sunny and 70+ degrees. Nate was battling a cold during the trip so he wasn't his usual spunky self, and blessed us by getting up at 5am, 4:30am, and 5am while we were there. But we were able to go to the beach a couple days to play in the sand. As you may know, Nate loves dirt, and sand feels a lot like dirt but is much less ... dirty, though Daddy wasn't so pleased when he saw the pile of sand in his new car. We also spent a lot of time at James Island County Park, which has a super awesome playground for little kids 2-5 and lots of walking trails. Of course, the highlight of the trip was Thanksgiving dinner at Sue and Charlie's house. Nate enjoyed some turkey and potatoes, but didn't care for the green beans. He gets that from his mama.

We also discovered a few weeks ago that Nate knows almost all the letters! He's been pointing at individual letters on boxes and on our shirts for a while now, and one day I just asked him, "Where's the O"? And he pointed right to it. I figured it was a fluke until I asked him where all the other letters on my shirt were -- and he got every single one right. Now he loves when we ask him to find letters and is so proud of himself. He also likes a few books we have where we ask him, "Where's the lion?" "Where's the baby?" "Where's the spoon?" and he can point to them.

In fetal baby news, our little buddy is moving around A LOT! I can't say that it's more than Nate, but it's at least the same. Last night, even Chuck could see my belly contorting all over the place. Right now, I'm 28 weeks along, which means the baby is about 2 1/4 lbs and 15 inches long.

Letters

In the past couple months, Nate has become fascinated by letters. Whenever he sees letters on my shirt or on a box, he will point to each of them individually, understanding that they make a word. When he's in his crib after a diaper change, he'll point to his name on the wall with a big smile and I'll say "Nathaniel -- Nate." And then we'll go through each letter individually. He also has this Leapfrog contraption on the fridge that you can put letters in and it'll sing, "B says B. B says B. Every letter makes a sound: B says B." We also have an alphabet puzzle thing where the letters pop out and he can stick them back in. One day a few weeks ago, he picked up the H and made the H sound! Now he does it all the time. I think he just likes how it sounds.

As for talking, Nate has quite a few words, but his pronunciation isn't very good. I'm pretty sure that Chuck and I are the only ones who know what he's saying. He seems most interested in animals sounds -- we'll say, "What does Wylie say?" and he'll make a panting noise (because Wylie doesn't bark). He'll make a "mrrreow" noise for a cat, "moo" or more like "brooo" for a cow, and "baaa" for a sheep. And he definitely knows his body parts. He can point to his head, hair, nose, teeth, tongue, chin, neck, ear, eye, fingers, hand, toes, knees and -- his favorite -- his belly.

I forgot to put Nate's 18 month stats on here last time. He's 28lb. and 33.5 inches tall, making him more than half my height and in the 80th percentile for both. Whenever I see him around other kids his age, I just feel like he's so tall. The kid is going to outgrow me by the time he's 8.

Pumpkin' pickin' and Halloween

A couple weeks ago, the family headed out to Hodges Dairy Farm on the outskirts of Charlotte. Nate mostly wanted to run around all over the farm and play in the dirt. He got to see some pigs, goats and horses, but the highlight was finding the perfect pumpkin.

So strong -- he can almost pick up a pumpkin as big as he is!

Do you need Mommy to help you? No, so stubborn, he wants to do it himself!

Nate, where's your head? There it is!

And where's your belly? There it is!

Happiness is playing in the dirt.

Then, this past weekend was Halloween. Last year, Nate was a lobster, but this year he wanted to be something a little scarier -- a skeleton!

Here he is at the Baby BOO-nanza Spooktacular at his girlfriend Julia's house. He thought the skull hood was really annoying (and didn't want to scare any of the other babies at the party), so he kept it off. This is what happened when we put it on later that night:

Wow, Nate, that's really scary!

But once we let him outside to play in the rain, he thought it was pretty cool. Happy Halloween!