Tuesday

Nate slept poorly Friday and Saturday nights, and had a horrendous night Sunday. We didn't do much this weekend because we were so darn exhausted. Fortunately, he slept well again last night, so I guess it's just going to be two steps forward, one step back. Not much else to report here. I've been baking a bit, we've gone on several walks, and done some errands. After looking at many overpriced, cheaply made costumes I decided I would make a *very* simple costume for Nate for Halloween. I got all the supplies I needed yesterday at Joann's for a grand total of $3.92, so if it stinks I won't feel bad.

Well, that's all for now!

"Enough with the pictures, Mom."

Last night we decided to give Nate his first bit of rice cereal. He had no problem slurping it down and seemed to really enjoy it.

Ready and waiting

the first taste

more, please!

Edward took a turn at feeding Nate. Nate looks a little unsure about it.
While the introduction to rice cereal went well, sleeping did not. Nate was up almost every hour crying. It was a LONG night. Could it be the rice cereal? We'll take a break from it and see what happens.

Here is a picture of Nate from just a few minutes ago, sleeping peacefully in his chair.

Piper looks on

and moves in for a closer look.

Adventures in babysitting

Yesterday I babysat for a friend's six month old, Adrian, for 3+ hours. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous. Sometimes I can hardly handle Nate let alone another child. Fortunately it went well. Adrian is pretty laid back and Nate was in a good mood (from all that sleep!) so I basically just rotated them from bouncer, to excersaucer, to bumbo, to couch, to play mat, to my arms, and for the most part they stayed happy. The worst part was how the time drrraaaageed on and on and on. I would think "surely a half hour has gone by" and would look at the clock to find it had only been five minutes since the last time I checked.

two cuties!

Nate steadies himself while Adrian is surprised by Nate's inability to sit up on his own.

I don't think Nate was totally comfortable with sharing all of his toys and chairs.

Out of all his seating options Nate is most content in the bumbo. Unfortunately his thighs are quickly outgrowing the seat.

His legs need to be pushed in when being seated and popped out when lifted up (or else the bumbo comes with us).

Nate is fascinated by Piper

Nate, desperate for a glimpse of Piper while Piper is...er....tending to other things.

Looking rough this morning (me, that is). Nate often falls asleep while nursing but rarely while just sitting on my lap. I guess "The Ace of Cakes" episode that I was watching was boring him.
(My glasses are permanently bent out of shape from Nate repeatedly yanking them off my face. I need to make a visit to Dr. Mazur next time I'm in NJ.)

Piper! Off!!!

Sweet sleep

This was a title of one of Jessie's recent posts and I'm happy to report that we, too, got some sweet sleep last night. Edward was in Boston all day yesterday for a physics conference and returned home around 8:15pm. He and Nate had some fun together and then Nate went down at 9pm (a little later than his usual 8:30 bedtime but he had to spend time with his daddy!). He fussed for just a few minutes and fell asleep. He ate at 2:15am and went right back down. He then woke up at 6am and I thought it was the beginning of our day, but much to my delight he ate and fell back asleep until 8am! I heard him babbling to himself over the monitor and brought my camera in to document his smiles.

The startled look

often caused by a sneeze, cough, Piper's bark, or the flash of a camera
(I love this onesie--it says "S.S. Cutie" and "Tugging...on Mommy's Heart")

and just chillin' on the couch

Sleep update: Nate slept terribly on Monday night and then on Tuesday took three short naps that added up to less than an hour and a half of sleep (that's how long ONE nap should be). We were both exhausted and crabby. Last night, however, Nate fell asleep after a few minutes of crying, didn't wake up until 3:45am (7 hours straight!), ate, and back to sleep until 6:30! Major progress! I put him down at 8:30am (ten minutes ago), he cried for three minutes, and ASLEEP. Now that I've finished my post I'm off to shower.

goodbye summer, hello fall

We had a fabulous weekend here in New Haven. The weather could not have been more gorgeous and we made sure to get out and enjoy it.

Sleep update - Nate had a HORRIBLE night on Thursday night (up at least six times). We decided to start sleep training on Friday night as our pediatrician recommended. That means Nate in his own room, no more swaddling, and a whole lot of crying it out, or so we thought. Nate did pretty well Friday night, only crying 45 minutes before falling asleep. He ate twice that night and was up a little before 6, happy as a clam. He then took an hour and a half nap! Yippee! Saturday night he fell asleep after only 20 minutes of crying but spent much of the night crying. Last night he did really well! He fell asleep after 15 minutes of crying, didn't hear a peep from him until 1:30, fed him, he went right back down, fed him again at 4:40, right back to sleep and then up a little before 7. I'm so excited about how quickly he is making progress. It's nice to have a set bedtime, and while I'm a little sad about having him out of our bedroom, it's nice to be able to sneeze, turn on the tv, or get up to use the bathroom without fear of waking him up. So the pictures above and below are from Saturday morning after Nate's very first night in his crib.

Close ups of Nate often end up looking like this --mouth wide open ready to consume camera.

Enjoying his collie stuffed animal from Uncle Wilson. Unfortunately it sheds about as much as the real thing!

Nate waiting patiently in the bathroom as I put in my contacts and brush my teeth. I find it helpful to have a place to plop Nate in every room - bumbo in kitchen, Sassy in entrance, bouncer at one end of family room and excersaucer at other end, pack and play in bedroom, crib and boppy in nursery, and umbrella stroller in bathroom.

Hedgehog pjs (see him above Nate's left wrist?) and Edward's childhood hedgehog toy (his name escapes me, starts with a "W")

checking out Piper


Saturday morning we ate delicious gingerbread waffles before our big day out. We first hit up the outlet shops in Clinton where I purchased several fall-scented Yankee candles. I am currently burning Pumpkin Brulee and look forward to a long fall of yummy aromas in our apartment. Don't worry, Dad, I'll be careful!

After shopping we made a short stop at Hammannasset (sp?) Beach. Nate never made it to the Jersey Shore this summer (sad, I know) but now he has seen the lovely Long Island Sound.

And then on to Bishop's Orchard. I remember being there last September feeling nauseous. I felt pretty sick through most of last September, October, and November so I'm excited to actually enjoy this fall season. We picked 15 pounds of Macouns and of course indulged in some cinnamon sugar apple cider donuts.

A Nate-sized apple

Little boy blue

Sunday we went to church and then to "Sunday in the Park" at Edgerton Park. There were pony rides, games for kids, a moon bounce, bake sale, a band, and all sorts of other fun activities. We brought Piper who was completely overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, and smells.

Too bad I exceeded the weight limit for this mega bouncer. The kids were flipping and jumping and having a blast.

Nate takes it all in

Back to the beach on Sunday afternoon. The weather was perfect.

Not quite the Jersey Shore, but still pleasant.

cold!

(i know he is wearing an odd outifit for the beach but oh well)

Edward ventures out onto the jetty

On the way home from the beach we passed a massive pile of junk in front of an old house. I begged Edward to pull over and I hopped out and started scavenging. To my delight I found two old windows, glass intact! If you've been following my post (I know there are some of you--Sarah! Jessie! Megan! Jim! and others I'm sure!) then you've seen how I use these windows to display pictures. I haven't decided what I'll do with these but the possibilities are endless. Edward wasn't thrilled with dragging home my "crap" but I know he'll be pleased with the final product. :-)

back home after a big weekend

yes, that hat is too small. I found it yesterday and sadly Nate's head's is too big for it.
and yes, Nate is in his bouncer that Edward converted into a swing.


I would like to note that I put Nate in his crib at 10:55 when I started this post. I laid him down AWAKE and he fell asleep without making one cry. He is STILL SLEEPING (it's now 11:45)! I am going to get some other stuff done while he is asleep. No time to proofread so sorry for typos!