Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween

Remember these guys from last year?

Sam and Nate (DSC_4182)

Check out the Davis and Schoch boys 2011:

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Nate's second Halloween was a bit more interesting than his first.  He was a kangaroo and he put on the costume with no problem.  But he wasn't into Trick-or-Treating.  At the first house, when our neighbor held out the bowl of candy, Nate shook his head no.  At the second house, our neighbor handed Nate a piece of candy and he dropped it back in her bowl.  For the 3rd, 4th and 5th houses, they put the candy directly into his bag.  And then we called it a night and went home to hand out candy.

After a little while, we went to visit our friends the Schochs and got an updated picture of the boys.  There's a new member of the crew this year, Dino-Will.  He joins Kanga-Nate and Toucan-Sam (Really a parrot costume but how can you pass up "toucan" when you're talking about a Sam?)

Here's a better look at Nate as a Kangaroo:


DSC_0629

Friday, October 28, 2011

Vacation for Everyone

I don't know how it started, but when we were kids and would go away without our parents, we called it a "Bear's Vacation."  (I assume it had something to do with these books.)  Well, Nate got his first Bear's Vacation last week with his Harris grandparents.

We started off with a family trip to Cleveland for a dinner for my Dad.  We were celebrating two very special milestones - 10 years of being cancer free and his (second) retirement.  We left Nate with his Grandma and Grandpa and headed back to Maryland on our own.  About an hour from our house, I wasn't thinking and commented to Aaron, "The baby's been quiet for a long time."

The reason for Nate's Bear's Vacation was because Aaron and I were taking a vacation of our own.  We flew to Mexico for some much needed relaxation.  Work has been crazy for both of us and a few days of nothing but sun and reading was ideal.  We had an amazing trip and four nights felt too short but once we were on our way home, I couldn't wait to see Nate.

My parents kindly drove to Maryland to return Nate and they were waiting for us on Saturday night when we got home.  We walked in and excitedly called Nate's name.  He turned around and just stared at us.  Like, "I know you from somewhere, but where?"  It took a minute but then he smiled and came to us, the reaction I was waiting for.

The best part about our separate vacations was technology.  The resort had wireless internet so we were able to use the iPad to Skype with my parents and see Nate almost every day  Not that he seemed to miss us at all!


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Watching us like a hawk

I know that kids watch what you do and they'll eventually mimic your actions. But I was really surprised yesterday at just how closely Nate watches me. I let him sit on the kitchen counter for a minute while I was next to him at the sink. He stood up and did this:


Coffee a video by ajd, mhd, njd & gsd on Flickr.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

October

Nate continues to impress, amuse and bewilder us every day.  He seems to be on the verge of a language explosion, we can't wait to find out what all the babbling has really meant.  But for now, all we've got is "uh oh" and sometimes a very nate-ized version of "dog."

Speaking of poor Guinness, the most frequently heard word in our house these days is, "gentle!" being said to Nate instructing him how to pet/touch/kiss/hug/maul the dog.  Fortunately G is a great dog and incredibly patient with the baby.  I was terrified of dogs when I was a kid.  I'm really glad Nate will grow up with this big guy.

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Much to my delight, Nate has developed a love of reading.  I can guarantee you as soon as walks into our family room, he will immediately head to the book shelf and pick one of his favorite books.  Then it's on my lap for a read through and, depending on the book, either an "Ehhhh" meaning "Read it again!" or he hops off my lap and picks out another book.  Repeat process.  Favorite books right now are Dogs, the Bright Baby set and My Big Book of Spanish Words.

Nate's favorite books (DSC_0411)