The Giant and his Little Bean

Before I had kids, I never thought I would be one to dress my kids exactly the same. However, when I found out I was having another boy, something clicked inside my brain and the need and desire to dress my boys exactly the same became so overwhelmingly apparent. I have made a deal with myself that I would only dress them the same on holidays and special occasions...and bedtime (sometimes). So, without further adeau...here is the first photos of the boys wearing the same "jimmy jams". I am TOTALLY sure that when they are 25 they will look back at these photos with complete appreciation for their mother and they will NOT try to burn them in embarrassment! ;)

And for real...was Nathan EVER as little as Sammy? Goodness, he looks like a giant in comparison! When the heck did he get so...BIG?

(And for the record, he does look like he is about ready to elbow Sambo in the face, I assure you he was not and is actually very gentle and loving towards his little bro)

Sam I Am

Bed Update

I have gotten a few inquiries as to how Nathan was/is dealing with his new bed situation...

Well, he actually has been GREAT! He is still taking his naps, still going to bed without any trouble. Nothing has changed actually, except he can can get in and out of his bed on his own. Now this afternoon we had some issues...we had gone to All About Kids to run around and play. We were there for almost 2.5 hours, and Nathan was SOOO tired (you try running, climbing and jumping for 2 hours!!!), so he was super fussy, crying and just D.O.N.E. We came home and he wanted to go to bed, so I put him down. I heard him rumbling around for a good 15 minutes after I left the room, which I figured was him just winding down from all of the action earlier. He finally fell asleep...and about an hour later he woke up crying. Now he hasn't done that in a long long time, so I knew something was up. I went up there, and he was lying by the door. SO...I don't know if he had gotten out of bed and was playing in his room, and then fell asleep...woke up and didn't know where he was. OR, he fell asleep in his bed, and walked to the door when he started crying. I don't know (I need to put a video camera in there!). Regardless, I put him down again, and he fell back asleep for about 30 minutes when I heard a big THUD. He obviously had fallen out of bed while sleeping. Odd thing is is that he didn't cry, he didn't say a word...he just got up, and continued to play for a good 45 minutes until I went and got him. Not sure if this is the start of a trend...or if it was just a fluke of him falling out of bed.

Also, an odd thing...Nathan doesn't get out of bed and try and open the door by himself. He CAN open the door, I know this, he does it all the time when we are getting ready in the mornings. But for nap time and bedtime, if he wakes up, or isn't quite tired yet, he will just play (I assume in his bed) until someone comes and gets him. I am not, at all, complaining...I just find it one of his personality traits. He isn't presumptuous...or its as if he doesn't know he is "allowed" to do that on his own. He did this when he started to crawl. He would only crawl in one room, and it took him a while to venture into other rooms...again, as if he didn't think he was "allowed" the freedom to do that. I find it interesting (and no, we have not TAUGHT him this...we don't beat the kid into staying in one place! We don't even say anything about it.:)).

SO yeah, that's the scoop.

Growing Up

Perhaps you may have heard...we are having another baby boy in January. (hehe) Anyways, so now that we are about 10-12 weeks away, I figure it is time to start thinking about where we are going to put the Little Guy, what he is going to wear, and the life changing ramifications that a new Little Guy is going to have on Nathan, our current Little Guy. I know, I know...why start thinking now? I mean, we have waited THIS long to finally realize/accept that another one is on its way (hehe...of course I am only kidding...sort of). SO...questions:

Q:Do you rush to potty train Nathan so that you don't have two kids in diapers?
A: I have decided not to (much to the dismay of many, I am sure). I have heard horror stories about people trying to rush their oldest into potty training, only to have set back after set back once the baby got home. Also, Nathan honestly shows ZERO signs of even caring about going potty in the potty. He is perfectly content with running around with a diaper full of poop all day. We have asked if he wants to go potty in the bathroom...and he said yes, once, then after that he could care less. I think his interest the first time was more to climb up on the step stool. ALSO...I honestly don't care if I have two kids in diapers. Nathan doesn't use that many diapers anymore as it is...and quite honestly, the thought of getting to Target/Mall/Grocery/just buckled into the car seat and hearing the words "Mommy, I have to go potty" just makes me tired and frightened. ;)

Q: Where is the baby going to sleep?
A: Uhhh....good question! Our house has 4 bedrooms. Two upstairs, and two downstairs. Currently the master bedroom and Nathan's bedroom are upstairs. The office and Beth/Fred/Guest bedroom are downstairs. I really do not feel comfortable with moving Nathan downstairs, and him being downstairs all alone. He is ONLY 2...I just don't like that idea. We initially decided to move the crib into our room (there is room), and get Nathan a "big boy" twin bed. The baby will most likely sleep in our room the first 6 weeks anyways (at least), so there isn't a real NEED to change everything up RIGHT NOW. After that, we have a couple of options: we all live and sleep upstairs...us sharing the Master bedroom, WE move downstairs and the boys have upstairs, we move Nathan downstairs (and I don't sleep ever again worrying about him), or we move. I happen to be partial to the last option ;)

The fear, right, now, is Nathan...I don't want to push him out of his room and bed when the baby gets here. So we need to start the "transition" now, so that he is used to it by the time the Little Guy gets here. That way it isn't such a HUGE shock for him (it will be, I am totally aware of that). SO, yesterday I decided to turn the crib into a toddler bed, just to see how he would do.

Again, I had heard horror stories about making the switch to a single/twin bed (even the toddler bed) and the child no longer wanting to take naps, or getting up at all hours of the night. Well, I need my sleep people, and I NEED those naps. Nathan is SUCH a good nap taker, and SO good at going to bed at night...I was hoping it wouldn't change with a new bed.

Yesterday the transition was made, and HE LOVED IT! He was so visibly excited about being able to get in and out of his bed by himself. He would run in his room, jump in his bed, pretend to go to sleep and then jump out. He wanted ALL of his toys in his bed with him, he went and got books to read in bed. He just loved it...oh and he now insists on a pillow. It was fantastic! Nap time rolled around and he went right to sleep (maybe played a little...but didn't get out of bed, an DID go to sleep). Bedtime came and he was still super excited to sleep in his "new bed". He slept all night...well, I take that back, I did hear him rumbling around a little. He DID turn on a little rabbit Easter Bunny toy that makes noise a couple of times...at 2:30am, but he never tried to open the door, nor did he call for Mommy. I would say the transition is a success thus far. Although I haven't gone to get him this morning, for all I know, his room could be in total shambles and he was up all night playing ;)

Q: Have you thought of a name for the new Little Guy?
A: No. We don't agree on anything. Nathaniel was the only name that we agreed upon...and, we took it. So Little Guy it will be.

Q: Can we stop reading now?
A: Yes.

Some Things Never Change

You all might recall the early days when Nathan did this: http://nathanielcharles.blogspot.com/2006/12/nathaniel-contortionist.html

and this:

http://nathanielcharles.blogspot.com/2006/10/rise-and-shine.html

It's nice to see that some things never change:

They just get bigger.

SOOOO Sleepy

Last weekend Nathan went and spent some time with Nan and Paps, and they just plain tuckered him out. When I went to pick him up, all he wanted to do was lay his head on my shoulder. I got him in the car, strapped in, and he wanted his "choc-mo". We pulled out of their driveway, and when I looked back at him, this is what I found (above). He had fallen asleep while drinking his sippy cup, and the cup was caving in! It was very cute!!! He proceeded to take a 3 hour nap!!!!

Rock-A-Bye Baby...No More

So...for the last year or so (ever since Nathan has been on a "set" schedule...meaning 2 naps a day and bedtime at 8 or 8:30), we have had a nighttime ritual of taking a bath, getting Jim-Jams on, and then we rock him while he drinks a bottle. When his bottle was finished he would hand it over and grunt for his "bink". We then would lie him in bed with Mr. Bear, and walk out. We wouldn't hear anything from him until the sun came up. Well, last week...that all changed...

I believe I had a meeting to go to, so Jonathon put him to bed last Tuesday night. When I got home I asked if he went down okay and Jonathon told me that he didn't want to be rocked, so he just put him in his bed with his bottle and that was it. I thought surely it was just a fluke and that Nathan just wasn't tired...I denied that the "rocking" days were over. I sooo, didn't want to believe it. That was my favorite thing to do...hold him and rock him. It was the only time he really let us cuddle him. Normally he grabs a hug or a kiss real quick, so he can be on his way up the stairs or chasing a cat or something.

Alas, our Boy is growing up! The next night, he didn't want to be rocked either...and hasn't since the last night I did it, over a week ago. It is quite sad really. He is growing up. Pretty soon he is going to beg me to drop him off three blocks away from school! He wont want to be seen with me in public!

On the brighter side...even though his Rock-A-Bye days are over, he has become more cuddly during the day and right after his naps. Also, he does give "loves" whenever requested...which I really TRY to keep to a minimum of 9,586,828,532 times a day. I wouldnt want him to be TOO lovey! ;)

Adjustments

Whoever thought of the whole Day Light Savings Time (Fall Back! Spring Forward!) obviously did not have a 14 month old!

What Strep Looks Like

After picking Nathan up from Nan's and Pap's house last Monday, I noticed that Nathan was "just not himself". He was drooling like crazy (which was fairly normal because I do think he is teething...this was just REALLY excessive), he seemed uncomfortable and just irritated. I chalked it up to teething, because it was somewhat similar behavior when his upper molars were coming in. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, his behavior remained the same, just odd. He would eat certain things and cry because they seemed to sting his mouth...this included Tylenol, Motrin and Orajel. He never had a fever. On Thursday night he slept as if he were stuck on "snooze"...he woke up every 15 minutes. He would wake up just screaming in pain. He was so uncomfortable! So...I decided the best thing to do was to take him to the Doctor (which was more for me so that I knew what I was dealing with). Well, Dr. Abbott took one look at him and said "he does NOT feel well". You could see it in his eyes. He had also started to break out with a rash...over his entire body. It didn't seem to bother him...and again, no fever. Dr. Abbott did some cultures to test for Strep, and they came back negative, but she was pretty sure that that is what he had.

Needless to say, he is well on his way to getting better. He is in much better spirits, except he doesn't seem to have much of an appetite. The rash is still very much present, and last night it got extreme...it LOOKS painful, but it doesn't hurt or bother him at all. All very bazaar!

So...the above is what a Step virus looks like...:)

Sleeping Nathan....

Events

It has been an eventful week for our Little Nater Tater.

With the weather being so nice, I have tried to get Nathan outside as much as possible. He LOVES it! He is definatly become an outdoor child. We have taken 950,000 walks around our neighborhood...or atleast it feels that way. Anything to get him outside where he can take it all in. We have hit the parks near our house a few times, we have watched the ducks, and swung on the swings, slid on the slides, walked around in the trees...everything! It has been very refreshing and oh so nice to get out of the house!

On Monday, we went to the Zoo with Audrey and Keaton. That was fun...more for us Moms than the kids at this point. Many of the animals just didnt want to perform for us ;). I am not sure the kids even noticed any of them, but thats okay, it was nice to spend the afternoon walking around at the Zoo. We signed up for a season pass, so Nathan will for sure being going back!

On Tuesday, Jonathon took Nathan on his first adventure to....HOME DEPOT! They looked at all the garden stuff, and Nathan got to ride in the cart. Needless to say, both "boys" were very excited at the excursion, and they both garnered a LOT of attention!

Along with these fun adventures...we have also started a little bit of "tough love". In asking around to some friends, as well as realizing that the last time I had a FULL night sleep (minus maybe 4 nights max) was almost 8 months ago...and I am just plain tired...we came to the conclusion that Nathan NEEDED to start sleeping through the night. We are talking ALL THE WAY through the night, not the "through the night" definition that magazines and Doctors give you at 4 months (5-6 hours). He had been doing fine in going to bed at 8 and waking at 4 or 5, but then we went on vacation. Ever since we got back it has seriously been a guess as to what each night will bring. At almost 8 months he was still wanting a full 7oz bottle in the middle of the night...and also waking up a couple more times to be readjusted or to make sure we were still there (held/rocked/soothed). SO, I talked to my cousin, Leslie, who has had 6 kids (afterall, she should know a thing or two about night sleeping!), and she said that Nathan was waking up only out of habit. She suggested diluting his night time bottle with water, and giving him less, to see if he was really hungry or just wanted to be rocked and held during the night. Sure enough, two nights ago, I gave him 5 oz of MOSTLY water, and he was out like a light when that was finished. SO...last night we were going to give him even less and dilute it even more, but he slept through the entire night (well, until 5:30). Of course, this was only after we started the 5/10/15 minute crying session. Leslie also said that we were going to have to let him cry, because that is the only way he is going to learn to sleep without waking...if there isnt a payoff for waking (i.e. no soothing). SO, I put Nathan to bed last night, and he promptly woke up 5 minutes later. Instead of picking him up and rocking him, I let him cry (I DID go in and shh him a few seconds and let him know he was okay). After 5 minutes, I went back in and shhh'd him again, comforted him without picking him up, and walked out. I WAS going to go in after 10 minutes and do the same after 15 minutes, BUT he stopped crying at about 8 minutes and was asleep. He didnt peep until 5:30! As hard as it was to listen to him cry, I think it was something that needed to happen. Hopefully this wasnt just a fluke night. I suppose if it was, we will have to do the same thing. They say it should only take 3 or so nights, max.

As for the waking at 5:30am thing...yeah...the child has my genes and when he is 15 years old, waking that early is a GREAT trait. However, at 7 months...it is a little early to start the day....for me anyways. Although, I am not sure how to make him sleep longer. He really is ready to go at that early. If he could walk he would be downstairs, watching cartoons or out riding his bike or something. He is just an early riser.

And naptimes...yeah, those have become catnaps. Nathan takes two naps a day...but they are only little 20-30 minute naps. I makes the day extremely long. I am SURE he requires longer naptimes, I just dont know how to make him sleep longer. He wakes, and is refreshed...ready to go!

Wide Awake...

SOMEONE decided that it would be a great idea to wake up at 6am.