Birthday Snuggles

Daddy had a very nice birthday yesterday, starting with a special breakfast feast prepared by Mommy. The rest of the day was filled with relaxation, a movie of Matt's choosing and a homemade banana cream pie.

Nate will be Daddy's age in 2055 ...

"Nate, that is bacon. It is awesome. You two will be great friends one day soon."

"If brother gets "pets" -- so do I.  I was here first!"
Nate and Cinnamon have a staring contest.

"What is this whole 'Birth Day' thing you speak of?"

Tonight, we "cleaned up real nice" and, thanks to our friend Madelyn, enjoyed a night out—dinner AND a movie! We went to the same restaurant, Matchbox, where we went on Nate's due date (he wasn't here yet, of course). Then we took a stroll, had some awesome pistachio and salted caramel gelato and saw 'Blue Jasmine.'

Early morning newspaper, coffee and snuggles

Crybaby Matinee

The Angelika Film Center in Fairfax offers a Crybaby Matinee every Monday at 11 am and Nate and I have caught a few films there. They keep some of the lights up and the volume down so you can bring your baby, feed him, and not worry whether he cries or screams during the movie because someone else's baby is probably doing the same thing! Nate seems to like going, or at least takes a nice snooze during. Here he's enjoying Austenland, starring Keri Russell, about a woman looking for love at a Jane Austen-themed resort. I'm sure his first real movie he goes to see in the theater when he's older will be something Daddy picks out and not related to Jane Austen...

Geeks unite!

Our friend, Jamie, stopped by on Sunday afternoon to see Nate and nerd out with Matt over the superhero nursery. Jamie and Matt share a love of geeky pop culture, sci-fi, and movies so we made sure to dress Nate appropriately in a Star Wars onesie.

3 months old!

We've all come a long way since May and those first few days and weeks home. Not only is Nate pushing 15lbs but he's been sleeping much longer stretches (6 hours!) at night. He's also become very smiley and vocal and we wonder if he knows just how darn cute those coos and gurgles really are. He also definitely recognizes us and is starting to notice Cinnamon more. His hands are a new discovery and he uses them to pull on his bouncy chair to make sounds and grab and yank out clumps of Mommy's hair. And sometimes he just looks at one and then shoves the whole thing in his mouth. Not to be outdone by the hands are those kickers, which propel him to a not-so-safe standing position in the bouncy seat and also allow for some breakdance moves in his crib that position him in the completely opposite direction than how we laid him down. We've certainly had some highs and lows in this adventure so far, but we wouldn't change a thing about our little firecracker.

"Hey, Superman <nudges him in ribs> -- I'm three months old!"

   

                

li'l Nate at one month   

             

Nate at 2 months

Saturday in the Park

We discovered a new park (well, new to us anyway) about a mile from our house that's very shady so we decided to take advantage of a low humidity day and head over there. Nate got to try out and drool on some swings again and Mommy and Daddy got to get outdoors and get some exercise.

Sharing

Nate is learning to share his things. He was nice enough to share his blankie with Charlotte but when she got bored he kinda pushed her. Not fair since she's 6 weeks (exactly) younger than he is. That's why Mr. Crabby looks like a moose in this photo.

And here Nate let Cinnamon sit on his Boppy pillow after he'd gotten it all warm and cozy.

What interests Nate?

1. Daddy
2. Ceiling fans
3. Bouncy seat
4. Daddy

Nate's first time successfully pulling the ring in his bouncy chair to turn on the lights/music!
He's getting very grabby ...

Swingin' and strollin'

Today we packed a picnic lunch and took a nice stroll to the park with the Rockmann girls. Nate got to try out the swings for the first time - I think he liked it!

Whoa, momma!

A bumpy but fascinating ride for Nate

Rockville visit

A fun visit to Rockville with two very entertaining cousins, lots of cuddles from Auntie Beth, and a yummy back yard lunch.

"Please don't throw up on me, Nate." - Owen

Let's see if he's ticklish.

How about some peek-a-boo?

Liam very thoughtfully picked out some toys for Nate ("Yoda is too dangerous because of his pointy ears.")

Auntie Beth introduced Nate to Chewbaca and did her best impression of him, too.

A little blurry, but Auntie Beth gobbling up Nate's toes. She later got them touching his nose, too.

Sleepy Siblings

Making friends

Nate and Jacob had a lot to chat about at playgroup this week. Since Jacob is about a month older he was showing Nate the ropes - and Nate would mimic him, putting his hands in his mouth, babbling, rolling to the side.

Lucas and Isaac joined the fun, too. Love Nate's little crabby outfit. He was pretty good all day, but right around bedtime started to act how he was dressed :)

All in the Family

At Nate's owl-themed baby shower back in March the question was "Whooooo will he look like?" So, what's the verdict?

The Many Faces of Nate

Babies!

At the last session of the new moms group I joined, we attempted to get a photo of all 10 babies with minimal success. Once one baby started crying it was like a domino effect! Little Nate has his sad lip on display and this photo catches him in between angry kicks. Our group had 9 boys and only 1 girl (the one in the pink tutu at the top of the photo).