Merry Christmas

Turn on your sound!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Busy Christmas Season!

Mommy please stop taking pictures of me!

How sweet...they are on the pull out together while I was getting ready for bed.

Yea his eyes are open...this Santa Rocks!

So I know it has been awhile since I have posted, but we have been busy. Nate has experienced many firsts lately. We picked out our first Christmas tree. Chris thought I was being silly when I said I wanted to take the camera for tree shopping. I had to have pictures of his first tree experience. The experience didn't last long though. It was the day after Thanksgiving and it was slightly overcast so it was a quick trip. We walked on to the tree lot and amazingly Chris and I picked the same tree immediately! We paid and the event was over. Not to exciting! Nate is still my favorite shopping partner! We went with Nate's Nana and cousin Cole to the Pink Pig! I was so excited to go. When we got there we waited in line for tickets to ride and found out that Nate could not ride unless I had a sling for him....oh well, there is always next year. Cole and Nana got to ride and they had fun. I don't know if it is the fact that I was a kid and everything was so unbelievably cool to me, but the ride and whole experience now is not nearly as cool as when I was a kid. My mother-in-law said that the ride had pictures and explanation of the history of the Pink Pig. What 2-3 year old kid wants to see that?! When I went we got to see a magical winter wonderland. I guess times have changed and there must be a much smaller budget for it now. Nate has also experienced his first pictures with Santa. And guess how he reacted.....he slept through it all. Oh well there is always next year to catch a smile or what most kids do and cry! Nate has also experienced the joys of professional pictures...twice. My goodness that is stressful and cause you to sweat! Nate did great, I could not have asked for more. The first time we did pictures he slept through it. The second time the place was running behind and it got to be his time to eat. He did great for awhile and then couldn't wait any longer, he needed to eat and the crying began. By that time we were all done with pictures! Another lovely first for Nate was trying out the pull-out-couch with daddy. Chris has had some sinus thing and has caused him to seriously snore. Being the nice hubby he is, he slept in the living room for about a week so that Nate and I could rest without all the disturbance. Nate has also given up sleeping in the bassinet in our room. The big boy is in his crib in his own room. I think this might have been harder for me than him. He is just getting so big!

Tanki-claus

Just chillin' watching the dawgs!

So today I went Christmas shopping...and finished! Leslie and planed the day around the kids and when their melt downs tend to occur. The plan...start early! We headed out around 9 am and did some serious shopping at Target. Then it was off to an early lunch. We then headed to Kohls. This is where I learned that a stroller can double as a shopping cart. My poor child had items tucked in the seat around him. But he behaved and only let out a little whimper while we were waiting to checkout. Leslie is convinced that he doesn't cry. I beg to differ. He is just a great shopping buddy! Well, at our next stop Leslie's girls started with their melt downs, so it was off to the house for her. Nate was asleep and had a clean diaper and full belly. So I continued on. Three quick stops later and I was finished. When I got home Chris asked why I needed to take his car for the day. Then I began to unload and he realized the amount of shopping that was done! I looked like Santa when I walked in. Now I just have to wrap it all. That is my favorite part! So you are probably wondering why we have the dog dressed up. Well the costume was champ's when he was a pup. he lets me put it on him, but he is afraid of the camera. I know what a crazy dog to be scared of the camera, but he will chase the lawn mower. So I put the outfit on tank and he was to cute. Tanki-calus is coming to town!

A few more pictures

Sweet sleeping angle

Are you really my daddy?

Gavin helping make Thanksgiving dinner

Cole loving on his baby Nate

Nate's first Christmas tree

I just wanted to add the pictures of tree shopping. Chris thought I was a dork for wanting pictures of the tree lot, but I insisted and won! The comment about Jason stems from the fact that he has red hair and we all joke that he is Nate's dad. We have to explain Nate's red hair some how! HAHA!

Happy Turkey Day!

So we had a very busy Thanksgiving! We started our day early getting ready to go. Now I have been out with Nate many times and had to pack a diaper bag. Being gone from the house for a whole day is a totally different ball game! We had to break out the big diaper bag! After preparing many bottles, 2 outfits, diapers, wipes, burp cloths and the things I need to give to family members I was going to see...the bag was stuffed! We all got dressed and headed to Nana and Papa's house. We got there around 11am and spent quality time with Nate's great grandmas. They were very excited to see him again. They both live a little bit of a drive away so when we get to see them we are very happy! We walked in the door and neither Chris nor I had to worry about the baby! Nate was snuggled up close to everyone so he slept most of the time. The only bad thing is that he got a slight rash. Maybe an allergic/sensitive skin reaction to detergent or perfume. After an outfit change everything was fine. I was sad to change him though, he had a cute shirt that Auntie Katie bought for him on. It had a picture of a turkey on it and said I'm stuffed. HAHA! We all ate and visited for awhile and then it was off to my sisters house for round number two. Forty five minutes later it was time to eat again. By the end of the day Chris and I were about to throw up! Nate was of course eaten up by my parents and sister. Gavin got a little jealous over grandma holding Nate. And she thought she would never be good with little kids. Now she is a pro at juggling 2 at once. Check out the picture she is trying to hold Gavin back. GO GRANDMA!! By about 8pm Chris and I were about to drop and headed home. On Friday we stayed away from all the shopping. I don't think all the fuss is worth it! We did head out to pick our first Christmas tree as a family! The pictures are of Nate's great grandmas and Auntie Katie.

One month checkup

So last Friday I took the bean to the doctor for his one month checkup. I can't believe he has been here for a month. Crazy to think that I carried him for ten months and it seemed to take forever, but once he is here time flys by! So I had to have a little sentimental moment there. Anyways, I took him to the doctor and he got a clean bill of health. When he was born he had a slight heart murmur... not anymore!!! The doctor also thinks that he is going to be long and lean. The poor thing only weighs 9lbs 3 ounces and is 22 inches long. That would be why I still have to put him in newborn clothes. He is only in the 25th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for length. He did great for the doctor though. He was wide awake and smiling the whole time. Then came his shot. He was all happy and the nurse said "I don't think his happiness is going to last for long." Well she gave him the shot and it seemed that there was a 5 second delay for him to react. He didn't cry when she put the shot in, but when the medicine went in... the screaming started. I have never heard he yell that loud or turn that red before. I was able to settle him down and he got a Peanuts bandaid. His tiny little leg with this giant bandaid...how sad. I can't wait for the next appointment for him and he gets multiple shots!

Shopping...

So my favorite shopping buddy right now is NATE! He is the best male to shop with. I must say I have a very good child when it comes to shopping. Put him in that car seat and he is down for the count! The only downfall with shopping with him is all the accessories that go along with a baby...the diaper bag, extra paci's, bottles, worring if he is going to cry. Well, if I don't have to deal with Chris saying I am taking forever or do you really have to try that on, it is great. Well lately all my shopping has been for Nate. The poor child has hardly any clothes that fit. The doctor was so worried that he was a big baby that I foolisly didn't buy or ask for many newborn clothes. Well the child is big, but he si so skinny. A bunch of the outfits that I have include pants. It is so funny when you put a shirt on him and the pants and pick him up and the pants fall off. Well he has a new bunch of newborn clothes and they are just now fitting right. My little golden bean should be the name for the blog. I bet since I am complaining about this in a few months he will be a porker! Oh, just for everyone to know. Stay away from Publix mid November. Chris and I made the mistake of going to Publix last night. We needed a bunch of stuff and it is easier if I don't have the baby with me or I have help while I am there. So off we all go to the store. Thinking that the parking lot is full due to the after work crowd, we park and go in. Boy were we wrong. It was their holiday feast. I have never seen so many people in the grocery store before. There was a school band playing and I think every staff member that works there was around, plus all the parents watching their child play their instruments, and all the people that just showed up to eat free food. Boy were Chris and I ready to kill each other by the time we left! What a shopping trip! These are just some ramdom picture that I like.

A day with all the ladies

My day started great. Nate was up for a little while last night so I put him in the bed with Chris and I and snuggled him and he went right back to sleep. This is on the top of the list in all the baby books of what NOT to do, but I couldn't help it. Nate still woke up early and needed to eat, but we still slept well for a little while. After he ate, my wonderful husband took him in to the living room and let me rest for a bit longer. What a great guy. So today Nate met his two great Grandmothers. We went to a baby shower for Chris's cousin and all the family was there. Which made for a great time for Nate to meet more family. Once we walked in the door and he was out of his car seat the fight was on...who got to hold him next! He is already a ladies man, they could not get enough! We had a great time and Nate was an angel. I determined the only mishap from the trip once I got home. Nate's Nana had changed his diaper while we were at the party. Katie and I were picking on her while she did it saying that if she didn't move faster he could pee on her. Well there was no pee on Nana, but when we got home and I got him out of his seat, I noticed that he had peed out of his diaper and his clothes were wet. I laughed to my self and called Chris's mom and gave her a hard time. I was just kidding with her, but she said that Katie and I had her stressed about him not peeing on her that she didn't do her best. Better luck next time Nana! It was a nice laugh when I got home! The other thing Nate brought home from the party was...a mix of old lady perfume! With all the great Grandmothers and different women snuggling with him, all the different perfumes rubbed off on him and he smells like a women now! He surely could smell worse! These are just a few random pictures that we have taken lately. I have been torturing the poor child to get good pictures for his announcements. So here are a few that have been taken along the way. The last two pictures are of my neighbors kids and Nate. Caroline and Drew are in the first one. When Caroline saw him for the first time she said she was so happy he was here that she could cry. What a riot hearing that from a four year old! The last is of Melanie giving her baby Nate a kiss. She says all the time that she just loves him! What great kids and their parents as friends!

Halloween...a little late

So I know Nate was only a few days old when Halloween rolled around, but I had an outfit for him anyways. Sandra, my mother-in-law and Nate's Nana, and I were out one day and found the costume on sale and could not pass it up. The poor child I am already torturing him. Well our Halloween weekend was all planned out for Nate to go see his cousin Cole on Friday and go to his other cousin Gavin's first birthday on Saturday. Well all that went out the window. Thanks to a kick butt stomach virus that hit me on Friday morning. Thanks to Chris, Nate was well taken care of. Even though he didn't think he could do it. I was the only one that got sick, thank god. We are all well and no longer quarantined to the house. I hope everyone had a great Halloween.

The "golden" pictures

So I have finally downloaded the pictures that show how golden Nate really got. Because of the jaundice levels, we had to stay an extra night in the hospital and had to return to the hospital for two different blood draws to check the jaundice levels. Well, all turned out well and the levels started to decrease and Nate is no longer "golden". His umbilical cord has fallen off and he even has had a couple of baths. He enjoys them greatly. They are very relaxing for him...he pees in the tub every time! Well I guess that is to be expected. But, not the pooping in the tub....the other night when I gave him a bath I though it would help him relax and not be so fussy. Well it worked... he was so relaxed that upon sitting in the warm water for less that one minute he had pooped. This led to having to get him out of his infant tub, filling the big tub, bathing him in the big tub and cleaning the infant tub....what a mess. I will watch for poop from now on.

Starting the Blog!

So I have joined all the fans of the blog for everyone to follow the life of Nate. You may be wondering why "the golden bean"? Well ever since our first ultrasound we have referred to Nate as "the bean". That is what he looked like in the first ultrasound. Well, the nickname just stuck even after we found out that the baby was a boy ans picked a name. The golden part comes from the fact that after he was born he had a bout of jaundice. Being a new mom I was in total denial that he really wasn't that yellow, until I saw a picture of him...he was glowing golden. Hence "the golden bean"! So since I am new at this I will try to keep everyone posted on how Nate is doing and growing. I will also post pictures to help keep up with his growth. I just have to figure out how to do that!