Weekend Fun

We had an exceptionally fun weekend.
Granny has come out of surgery well, which was a huge relief. So Friday night we spent at the hospital with Granny. Saturday morning we went to John Diego's soccer game and then out to eat with Grandpa and Grandma Yancy. We had delicious seafood right over the water. Then Mommy and Nate spent the evening with our neighbors, where Nathaniel repeatedly tried to climb on the skateboard like the older kids were doing. Sunday we went to church and then to Caleb Cooper's 9th birthday party. Nathaniel enjoyed watching the big kids and was able to splash around with Abby, Izzy, and Isaiah in the baby pool. He was so tired he fell asleep on the way home and is sleeping soundly now (keep your fingers crossed that this will last all night)!

Jumbo Krispies to the rescue!

Before we left for Colorado Nathaniel's ear began to ooze, typical sign of ear infections now that he has tubes. Although he was in decent spirits on the trip (thankfully) when we got home he began getting very fussy and clingy. On Monday he began running low grade fever. So we took him to the doctor who has prescribed 14 days of antibiotics and thinks he has a sinus infection. Well, at 2:00 am Tues morning he was inconsolable and running fever. I did everything I could think of to calm him, to no avail. He finally crashed around 4:30 and slept some. All Wed he ran fever and was super clingy. We alternated Ibuprofen and Tylenol to keep his fever down some. He went bed around 9:00 pm as usual but woke up screaming at 3:00 am. We began the "feed, walk, rock, go outside until I feared the neighbors would turn me in, attempt to distract with various toys" cycle. By now he has really mastered fit throwing and is arching his back and throwing back his head as he screams. He cried and cried and cried and cried and cried for hours. About 4:30 Ted decides he is hungry and sits down to eat cereal. Beacuse I was completely out of ideas, I put Nate in his highchair and poured some Jumbo Krisipies onto his tray....and the crying ceased!!! He ate (mind you I did repeatedly attempt to give him a bottle and/or sippy cup which he pushed away as he was screaming/crying)...and there was silence in the land...and Mom smiled...and then poured herself a bowl of cereal and enjoyed 4:30 am breakfast with the family.

Austin's Graduation

Mommy's youngest cousin graduated from high school this weekend. So we loaded up the family and headed to beautiful Colorado. The weather was amazing! It was a great celebration with family. Nathaniel was a champ on the flights to and from Denver. He was easily entertained and flirted with nearby passengers. He kept busy with his books and piggy bank (Thanks Saldivars!). It is funny how proud we were of him :)

We spent the night in Denver before meeting up with the rest of the crew. Our first stop was Ted's Montana Grill to celebrate Ted's recent birthday. We even tried bison there.

Then on to the Denver Aquarium, which was a beautifully done exhibit with plenty to keep all the cousins entertained. If you are ever in the area, we highly recommend it! The Brewers went mining for fossils and crystals, the babies got into the deep sea diver outfit, and everyone was able to feed and/or touch the sting rays. Craig (and Ted) took a special interest in the sting rays. Then we went on to Pueblo and spent time enjoying family!

Here are some pics of the new graduate and his graduation present, which is the same model of amp that the Rolling Stones used on their world tour (Yes, Mommy was jealous!). Austin was very surprised and pleased with his gift....repeatedly stating how "epic" is was. It was so fun to see his face when he uncovered the last clue on his scavenger hunt which lead him to his gift.

Below are family pics.

Mohawk Mania!!!

We are certainly blessed by our awesome family. It was great to see everyone, although the time was much too short. Congratulations to Austin - we expect great things!!!!

1 Year Checkup

I know it is a little late but Nate did have his one year checkup. He is growing, developing, and exploring by leaps and bounds every day. If one word could some up this stage, it would be BUSY. He is into everything and is mobile enough to get where ever he wants. He stops only long enough to put something in his mouth that is usually not a Mommy-approved food product. He wants to feed himself and has little tolerance for utensils. We have switched from breastmilk to whole milk and he has transitioned smoothly. He is now getting about 1/2 of his milk from sippy cups, which has decreased some of his intake. He has just recently began climbing up onto anything he can. I am scared he will soon feel the ill effects of gravity. He currently weighs 22.6 pounds and is 28 and 3/4 inches long. Amazing what a difference a year makes :)

His current fascination: His belly-button!

He is so funny, he will be walking across the room, stop, lift up his shirt, stick his finger in his bellybutton, smile and continue his trip. It cracks us up!

South Padre Mini-Vacation

In honor of the Yancy birthday month, we took a mini-vacation down to South Padre Island (2 years ago it was Greece, so this was a hard compromise). It was Naterbug's first vacation, other than to visit family and he is actually a very good traveler!

There we discovered Nathaniel has a strong aversion to the beach. This does not bode well with parents who are avid scuba divers and beach bums! My hope is that this too shall pass....quickly :)

We found he was OK as long as Mom or Dad held him, so we got a few cute pics nonetheless.

Day 2 we were off to the zoo. If you are ever in the area, Brownsville has an amazing zoo. There were various species of monkeys which we all found very entertaining, as well as the other typical zoo animals.

But Mommy's favorite was the butterfly exhibit!

After the zoo we stopped in Port Isabel and visited a special aquarium with a touch tank exhibit. Nathaniel was scared of the eel and most enjoyed reaching into a large 5 gallon bucket to wash his hands - go figure!

Day 3 we met up with Jim & Sherry for a late lunch and headed back to the condo to play in the pool.

In stark contrast of Nathaniels feelings for the beach, he loved the pool! There was an outer ring to the main pool that is a kiddie pool, he would have spent the day there quite happily (until nap time meltdown occured).

The day concluded with visits to the cheesy tourist shops and a pic of Me Matey, the little Cpt'n Natey!

Day 4 began in the wee hours of the morning....when Nate woke up VERY unhappy. Gas, teething, uncomfortable crib...who knows? Whatever it was, he was not easily calmed. So we decided to make the long trek home beginning around 3:30 AM. Not exactly my idea of fun but Ted drove and the rest of us slept (I love my husband!). It was a nice getaway.

Ted's Un-Surprise Birthday Un-Party

Oh No the Big 40!

Ted's birthday was Wednesday (May 13) and Mommy planned a big surprise party. Now, most of you know Mommy does not do well keeping secrets, especially from Daddy, but she worked very hard and managed to pull it off. Unfortunately, Daddy got really sick and was not able to attend his own party. So, the surprise was on us. However, the true partiers still gathered and celebrated. The cake for 40 did not go to waste. It was sad that Ted was unable to attend his own party but the group did sing to him over the phone! Better luck next year....poor old Daddy!We really do have the greatest friends ever.