My hands are cool

Nathaniel has been attempting to shove his entire fist in his mouth for a few weeks now (I had a friend in college who could do this!) which was the beginning of his discovery of his hands.

Last night was the first time we noticed functional use of his hands to reach for overhead objects. He discovered that he was able to move the bird on one of his play mats and it kept him (and his mom) entertained for about 20 minutes. He was thrilled with this discovery. We are now certain he has advanced motor skills :)

Additionally last night, thanks to Nate's Great Aunt Peggy and Uncle Mose, mom and dad had a date night. It was nice to be able to go to a movie and enjoy an evening together.

2 Months

Despite all odds, I have survived my first two months of life :)

Hooray!

These 2 months are already one big blur. Nathaniel has learned, grown, and changed so much already. I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by.

At his 2 month checkup the doctor said he was right on target. He now weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces, and is 21.5 inches long. He is in the 25% percentile for his age. He has met all his milestone markers and continues to amaze us on a daily basis. He also got his immunizations at this visit (3 shots and one oral med). He took the shots well and saved all the screaming for mom when he got home (he was super fussy the entire afternoon). He actually handled the process better than mom did.

Nights continue to be a challenge. The sleeping for 6 hours twice during his 6th week was just to tease us....he has had multiple nights of not sleeping more than 2 hours at a time. Hopefully that will regulate soon. We cannot wait to see what the next month has in store.

Sick

As a new parent you worry so much about if the baby gets sick, you read books, magazines, newspaper articles, etc. so you can be prepared if that moment comes. However, you tend to neglect what to do if you, the parent, gets sick.

Yes, I am talking from experience. I caught a bit of a bug on Friday night and made several trips to the restroom to revisit what I had for dinner (I will not be eating corn chowder again, for quite some time). Once I was even in the middle of breastfeeding when the urge hit. Yuck!

First of all, this is no way to spend a Friday night. Second, I am thankful Nathaniel is too young to remember his mom puking while he was in the middle of eating. Third, what is a mom to do? I began freaking out about what I could take and I called an on-call nurse. It was an interrogation just to answer yes or no to the question "Can I take Pepto?" (for future reference, the answer was no - just take Tums).

So needless to say, I have a new appreciation for the moms who have survived any type of illness. We can't call in sick or ask for a substitute. Luckily this passed by the next morning, but is was not a bit of fun and wiped me out for the entire next day. So here is a shout out to all the moms who have "toughed it out" and held it together for their kids, even when they felt like they were falling apart!

Here's Nathaniel cheering me on

in my fight against the bad germs :)

All Grins

All the "how to raise your child" books cannot prepare you for the first time they smile back at you purposefully. I am telling you, this kid can melt my heart with his smile. Suddenly the sleepless nights seem insignificant. I love this kid. I think we will keep him :)

And, just to make me love him more, he has slept 6 hours in a row twice this week - his 6th week of life has been the best so far.

Fathers Day

First Father's Day Poem

So this is your first Father's Day,

Your first one as a dad;

Get ready for surprises now,

The wildest you've ever had.

Just when you think you've got it down,

There's a new and different stage;

This little person changes a lot

With each fascinating age.

Being a dad takes all you've got;

Your heart and mind you'll invest;

It's the hardest job you'll ever have,

And the one you'll love the best.

By Joanna Fuchs

We had a wonderful Father's Day. We went to church and then hung out with family at cousin Elizabeth's 6th birthday party.

Happy 91st Great-Granny!!!

I am a lucky kid to have my Great-Grandparents around.

Here I am just 5 days old when I first met them.

Here I am helping my Great-Granny enjoy her 91st birthday! Wow!

Uncle Robert and family visit

Uncle Robert, Auntie Leslie, Logan, and Isabella came to visit over Mom's Birthday....Grandma, Aunt Barbara and Craig were still in town, so we had a blast with the family all together.

Logan already began teaching me to wrestle….and Izzy is as cute as can be. They had a good time playing in the tree in our front yard, playing with the dog, making Grandpa B's homemade ice cream, and going to the beach. The visit was cut short due to a car catastrophe but it was still very enjoyable and I cannot wait to hang out with them again!

Meet my cousins

So I have a lot of cousins in the area. The first time they came to see me was a lot of fun. I cannot wait to get big enough to play with them.

Christopher can't wait to teach me about Star Wars.

Elizabeth wants to know why my name is Nathaniel.

John Diego wants to know why I am a boy

Isabella loves to hug me - although sometimes is it via a belly flop :)

I look so tiny with Uncle Jon

My other cousins, Emma and Ryan, think I am pretty cool.

Aunt Olivia is trying to talk Uncle Lee into having another kiddo.

Doesn't she look good holding me???

All in all I know I am one lucky kid!

My Cousin Craig

Something cool was that my mom and my Aunt Barbara were pregnant at the same time. Here they are with my cousin Craig and me in their bellies .

And here we are chillin' outside the womb together.

Craig is only 5 weeks older than me, but it seems like so much more at this age. The funny thing is he looks more like my Daddy than I do (check out his hair - or lack thereof).

Nate's Info

Hello!

My name is Nathaniel Oliver Yancy.

I was born May 1, 2008.

I weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces
and was 18 and 1/4 inches long.

My hobbies include: eating, sleeping, pooping, occasionally bathing, and taking long walks in my stroller.

(Sorry Mom forgot to share this info earlier- you will have to excuse her, she is not getting much sleep these days.)

Best Mother's Day Ever

I think probably every new Mom is a bit emotional on their first Mother's day....I know I was. It was a special day for us. It started with a simple baby dedication ceremony at church.

Above: Nathaniel is just 10 days old, and already in church!

Below: The Obert twins (Abby and Izzy) and Isaiah Saldivar were also dedicated. Which was special because these are some of our closest friends and their kids. It is nice to have friends Mom already approves of :)
It was followed by spending time with friends and family. Sybil's parents and sister were in town. Ted's father and grandparents were also able to come down for the event.

Here is Nate with Grandpa Yancy above and Big Daddy below.

We know we are truly blessed.....and that we have the most adorable baby ever! Check him out in his suit.

The Firsts with Daddy.....

Ted fed Nate his first bottle......

....and experienced the first poop explosion.

It was so funny.
We were the talk of the hospital.

And yet, his Daddy still loves him!

T'was the Night Before Nathaniel Came (with a Dr. Seuss twist)

Twas the night before Nathaniel came,

When at the Obert house
Not a twin was stirring, not even their mouth.

The food was cooking in the oven with care,
In hopes that Chicago style pizza soon would be there.


Nathaniel was nestled all snug in the womb,
While I played with the girls on the floor of the living room.

When out of the amniotic sac there was a little clatter,
I sprang from the floor to check on the splatter.

Away to the restroom I flew like a flash,
Unsure of what was going on….but felt no big gush.

I told the Oberts, “To home I must go,
my water may have broken, but I really don’t know”.

Dan said “Now Sybil, wait a minute or two”,
and Nicci knew exactly what to do.

We called the nurse who said come right away.
So Nicci drove me to St. John’s at Nassau Bay.

Then we called Dad who had just taken a test,
he was in disbelief – who would have guessed?

Aunt Virginia met us at the hospital and took us up to the room.
The nurse confirmed we came not a moment to soon.

Contractions were coming 3 and 4 minutes apart. But I couldn’t feel when they’d stop or they’d start!

As the night went on, they grew more intense.

And I thought to myself, why this is nonsense….

give me drugs, make it quick, I want no more pain.

The epidural is what helped keep me sane.

My parents arrived with a few hours to spare.
I was so relieved they were finally there.

An hour and a minute I pushed with all my might.
And at 11:59, I saw the most precious sight.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His head was full of dark, soft hair,
And his lungs, how they worked, when they were filled with air!

The first time we held him the emotions came, A perfect little boy with the Yancy name!

Hello Blog World

Inspired by our good friends, the Obert's, I will attempt to blog some of the occurances in the life of the Yancys. It may not always be exciting or entertaining, but we hope to be able to keep up with those we love in a more effective way.