Weeeeee!

Having fun at the park with daddy!

By not being a stay at home mom, I miss these kinds of things. I can only go out with him on the weekends when it's more crowded. I'm thankful that Dan videotapes and takes pictures of these outings for me. I know he's made a big sacrifice by staying at home, which according to society is not the "norm". Sometimes I feel guilty for working because our roles are "reversed", but that's just the way it worked out for us. We needed that job stability and health benefit from my company. Anyway, I know some days are harder than others for him, but I'm so proud of him. Such a good husband and daddy!

Stripper Boy!

So, I walked in this morning to Nathan's room and found him completely naked! He managed to take off his pajama top and bottom and his diaper! I was afraid he was going to do this someday, especially now that the weather is getting warmer. When I saw his diaper lying on the mattress, I immediately checked to see if he peed...thank goodness the mattress sheet was completely dry! On the same note, whenever we yell out "Naked Nathan", he lifts up his shirt to reveal his big belly! I think he learned it from daddy......

Happy Reading!

He looks so happy, doesn't he? I love his smiles.

AI Finale: Sadly, Taylor won last night. I guess American Idol has become American Entertainer. I thought it was funny that they brought someone out to certify the votes (I don't remember them doing that in the previous years). I still believe it's fixed. Oh well, until next year.....

Lost Finale: Finally answered some questions, but of course it brought up more questions. Are Locke & Ecko dead? Who are these Others? Who were those people in the plane at the end? Can't wait for September!

American Idol - Final 2

So my friend Sondra from college came over to watch AI. We're totally bummed out that Taylor might actually win this competition. Every year, we're always disappointed with the winner. We were both rooting for Katharine, but alas, the producer and judges are obviously rooting for Taylor. What was with the 3rd original song they had to sing? Katharine's song was sooo much more vocally difficult than Taylor's easy song. The ranges in that song was all over the place and Taylor had practically 5 notes to sing and hold. Granted, she had no breath control and did not get any of the low notes because of her nerves (tight vocal chords), but she was at an unfair disadvantage. If she had sang Taylor's song, she would have nailed it and sounded great too. Well, it was fun to critique the show with a fellow musician and get together with a good friend. Dan was great and put Nathan to bed so that I can enjoy the show and company. Thanks Sweetie!

What was with Taylor's bright purple jacket?!!! He definitely is an entertainer...I'll give him that.

Nathan's 1st Trip to NYC

We just came back from a nice trip to NYC this past weekend visiting my sister and brother in law. It was the first time Nathan slept over a different place besides his crib, so it was quite a challenge (it was also the first time we all slept together in the same room since he was born). Normally we just put him down and goes to sleep without complaint and sleeps straight for 11-12 hours. Well, unfortunately that same dream didn't happen...he cried and cried as he put him in the Pack 'N Play as if we were torturing him. He eventually slept, but he got up early @ 7:00AM on Sunday, which wasn't too bad. But Monday morning (I took off from work), he got up @ 4:45AM!!! I was so disoriented because it was still dark and he was crying...the last time he got up that early was during the first 3 months of his life. Needless to say I was not happy...I'm not looking forward to that stage again when we eventually have our 2nd child. Anyway, we came back home Monday afternoon and I'm thankful that he didn't complain when I put him down to sleep tonight in his own crib. Hopefully he'll sleep in late for Dan's sake since I have to go back to work!!

It was nice going to church with my sister & brother in law @ Remnant Westside Church. The style of worship is different than the conservative Presbyterian churches I'm used to, but it was refreshing to see a more passionate and spirit led worship. Nathan had a great time playing with Pastor Bruce's kids. They were really good with him and were so sharing and selfless. After service, they had a Street Fair a block away on 9th Ave...those are always fun and Nathan enjoyed it. I was happy I got my Taro Bubble Tea! NYC makes the best bubble tea....there's none that comes even close in Philly. I'm looking forward to our next trip again to New York....I really love that city...great food and so many things to do. Dan always laughs at how much I love that city. He went to NYU and my sister went to Columbia so I guess it's no big deal for them. He likes to call me "Country Girl".

Beep beep!

He's already eager to drive!

Scarface

So, Nathan had his first major boo boo last week. Dan took him out for a walk in our development and they came across a fire hydrant. Nathan was trying to get a closer look at it and ended up tripping and hitting his forehead right on it. Ouch! Dan never saw so much blood gushing out of him. So after he cleaned him up, he got a nice bandage on him. If you look closely, you'll see the butterfly bandage. He looks so sad, doesn't he? He's better now...hopefully it doesn't end up with a scar over his eyebrow. I'm sure this will be the first of many accidents to come.

Side note on AI last night: I hope Elliott goes tonight because he was soooo boring and mechanical! Why are the judges being so harsh with Katharine??!!

Restoration and Healing

So, yesterday was a special Mother’s Day not just because we had a great sushi buffet dinner @ Minado’s with my in-laws (thanks JSK for your sister-in-law for getting us a great table!), but we finally saw my parents after not speaking to them or seeing them for 17 months. To make a long story short for those of you who don’t know, we have not seen my parents for 17 months due to things that happened at the hospital when Nathan was born. Lots of hurtful and angry words were spoken to each other and despite many attempts to try to reconcile, God did not allow it to happen. We don’t know why He allowed this to go on for this long, but we are thankful that the day finally came. Although we reconciled, things are still a bit awkward and will take some time to fully heal. I’m sad that they missed the whole infant stage with Nathan, but it was really nice to see my parents try to get Nathan to warm up to them. It’ll take some time for Nathan to be fully comfortable with his “new” grandparents like he is with his other grandparents, but Nathan is pretty adaptable and adjusts to change pretty well. Towards the end, he did start to become a little more comfortable….who could resist that beautiful smile of his especially when he uttered his favorite word "Waaatch?!!!" to them?!!!

Just want to say thanks to those of you who have been praying for us these past 17 months. Despite us trying to intervene and fix things on our own, only through your prayers was God able to change hardened hearts and allow time to heal once we gave it all up to Him.

American Idol - Final 4 Shocker

I'm in total shock that Chris got booted. He's been pretty much consistent every week and had the personality and star quality. Did he fall victim to the "others will vote for him"? Dan was cracking up because Simon and Paula looked upset and Chris looked so angry especially when they showed his video at the end. Usually they are either crying or putting on a fake smile. I was really hoping the final 2 should have been Chris and Katharine. Granted Katharine didn't do the best this week, but she's vocally one of the best. I didn't think Elliot was that great as the judges praised...I actually thought his performance was a bit dull this week. You can tell the judges are trying to push him through the finals by over praising him since he's the underdog. Taylor is a great performer and entertainer, but not vocally up to par as the others. He definitely has a passion for music, but I just don't see him as the final American Idol.

I think this year was the best 5 finalists they had. I guess I'll be rooting for Katharine now. Either way, all 3 finalists along with Chris and Paris will definitely get an album.

Kicking and Screaming

So, Nathan used to always be a great eater and behaved so well in the high chair....he never complained. All of a sudden this past Saturday he decides he hates the high chair and refuses to sit in it (the picture doesn't show him screaming and crying, but he sure doesn't want to sit in that chair!). It's been a struggle the past few days as he stiffens his legs and cries as we try to put him in. After almost pulling out our hairs, I decided to read up on it and get some help. I always said I wanted to raise our kids to eat only in the kitchen, not while wandering around the house. Well, we realized that we at times let him eat in front of the TV or sit on the sofa as it was the easy thing to do (I'm such a bad mother). Now we have to reverse what we did. One thing Dan did today and that we noticed recently is that he wants choices of food and he wants to feed himself now. He was perfectly happy being a "baby" while we feed him solids and always ate what we gave him, but now all of a sudden he wants to be independent (he always drank by himself since he was about 11 months). So, even though it's messy and he wants to "comb" his hair with the spoon, we're allowing him to feed himself more now (which we should have done months ago). Nobody ever did say raising a child would be easy!!

Mission Impossible III

Thanks to Dan's parents for babysitting Nathan, Dan and I went on a date Friday afternoon and watched Mission Impossible III (free tickets thanks to my company). I know Tom Cruise has been quite insane and wacky recently, but I do enjoy his movies (well except for some of the weird ones like "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Vanilla Sky"). I was looking forward to seeing this as J.J. Abrams directed this...I'm a huge "Lost" fan. Some of the plot line was a little predictable and done before, but it was entertaining and a great "edge of your seat" movie. I recommend it for those who want to see a great fast paced action movie. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a pretty evil villain!

Side note: Movie ticket prices are insane!! We haven't paid for a movie for a long time since I was getting free movie tickets from work for the past 5 years. $9.25??!! I remember when we used to pay $3.50 in college with student discounts!!

Anger and Grudges

So, Dan recently bought me the Chronicles of Narnia series and I’m on the 4th book right now (“Prince Caspian”). As I read through and watched “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, I couldn’t help but think about God’s grace and forgiveness during the part where Aslan forgives Edmund for his sins. I realized for myself that I’m still learning about grace and forgiving those who have really hurt me. Just as the “Witch” persuaded Edmund to do those horrible things with lies and deceit, he persuades me with lies and hits me where I am weak to feed my grudges. I grew up in a very critical and judgmental environment and I realized that I’ve become that person myself. Dan sent me this link to John Piper’s website about this very topic: http://www.desiringgod.org/library/sermons/84/121684.html

As I continually read through this, I’m constantly reminded how much we need Christ and that I have much to learn about grace and forgiving others. My heart needs to be purified through His Righteousness, not my own.

Swinger!

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Photo Sharing

This video goes out to Elaine, Grace, and Melissa (Nathan's aunts). The first time he went on the swings 2 months ago, Nathan cried (he never had a swing as an infant). What a wimp! Dan took this video of Nathan at the local playground. He seemed to enjoy it more than the 1st time. Quality isn't that great, but what do you expect for free service at Dropshots.com. Thanks RBK for the idea.

Nathan Walking @ 15 1/2 Months

Here are some pictures of when Nathan started walking a month ago @ 15 1/2 months back in early April. I was getting worried because the doctor told us that if he wasn't walking by 17 months, they were going to send somebody to our house from Intervention. He's always been very cautious and always needed something to hold on to, so he had confidence issues and just wasn't ready. Then one day, he just stood up by himself in the middle of the room! It was funny because he had this huge smile on his face while he was doing it. Amazing because we didn't "teach" him how to do this. It just goes to show that when kids are ready to do things, they'll do it on their own time.