Nate is getting a sister

And so the days of blogging for one are coming to an end. But don't despair! All the crazy fun filled antics of your favorite wild child will continue at www.evansandfamily.blogspot.com.

GG Comes to Visit

We had a great visit from "Grandma Geri" this past weekend, though you wouldn't know it given that she is not in any of the pictures!! G.G. was a tremendous help with Nathan (I find it quite humorous that Nathan is the only one in the family with more energy than G.G. - it is the only time I ever see her get tired!) and also brought up tons of stuff to finalize our preparations for our daughter.

G.G. was quite impressed with Nathan's athletic prowess. I think the two of them played every sport imaginable....football, frisbee, golf, baseball, soccer, scooter riding, etc. Nathan is getting quite the reputation in the neighborhood for his ability to kick and hit balls. He has incredible hand eye coordination and a physical ability beyond his years. It had been a while since I had seen him on a scooter and he is now zipping down hills and lifting up his foot to go faster (always with his helmet on, thank goodness). It is quite amazing to watch. Latest developments are his ability to put his shoes on by himself (though sometimes on the wrong feet), singing the alphabet song, and nonstop chatter. We are particularly in love with his "mmmm hmmm" or "uh huh" which is his way of saying yes. It is terribly cute. Pronunciation leaves a little to be desired so we are thinking about getting him some help with his speech so that he doesn't have issues later on.

Anyway, a good time was had by both G.G. and Nathan, as evidenced by the fact that Nathan wanted to "sit down airplane" when we dropped G.G. off at the airport. We assured him she would be back soon (she needs a few days to recover from full-time Nathan) and Mommy still needs more weeks to recover from the last airplane trip....

So now we are all waiting for Baby Elizabeth to arrive. Boy I wish she would hurry up. I think these last few weeks are just designed to torture pregnant mothers and prepare them in case their new baby is a bad sleeper and for the physical toll that is ahead....I am certainly not sleeping, am fatigued, have little patience, very emotional, stressed, etc. It is not exactly pleasant and I feel bad for those around me, but I am assured that this is normal by my fellow moms and my doctor. As of my last checkup I am 3cm dialated and my doctor (the wonderful Dr. Gray) thinks I will deliver within the week. But of course, knowing the Wilson/Evans personalities, I think that just because I want her to come within the week she will purposely wait a couple more weeks. I am 38 weeks today and any day would be great for me! Nightly reading with Daddy, Nathan, and Mommy

Speeding down the ramp on his scooter
Nathan and his backpack, a gift from Uncle Brian and Aunt Maryanne that he LOVES

California!

We made it to California and back! I didn't give birth and Nathan actually slept and ate while we were there. The only disaster we had was flying. After missing our initial flight out, we had to wait at the airport for four hours for the next one, which started a downward spiral that ended 8 hours later when we finally landed with an exhausted 2 year old (he didn't sleep on the flight) and two incredibly strung out parents. However, I will caveat our experience with the reality that flying for me is a disaster regardless of whether I have a two year old with me and am pregnant...those aspects just made it worse than normal. But I won't go into details, particularly because my husband is suffering from some sort of delirium and remembers the experience as "not being that bad."

Anyway, Los Gatos, California was absolutely beautiful. Tons of parks and kid activities and the weather was gorgeous. We really enjoyed spending time with all the family and friends that had gathered for the wedding and the wedding went off without a hitch. Maryanne and Brian looked happier than I have ever seen them and it was great to be a part of them starting their married lives together.

Nathan did not get to fulfill his role completely as a ringbearer, which was unfortunate. Like his dad, he prefers bare feet, shorts, and t-shirts to tuxes so was an unhappy camper in his tux, in spite of how adorable he looked. Needless to say, he did not last long at the wedding or reception and, as you can see below, much preferred "driving" Grandma and Grandpa Wilson's rental car in the parking lot. He also enjoyed his time with my friend Lori who stepped in as babysitter back at the hotel. Once I saw him kissing and hugging her in the hotel room (not sure if he was just so happy to be out of his tux or excited to be with a beautiful girl or both), I didn't worry about him and was able to return to the wedding and have some dinner and dancing. Thanks so much to Lori for that!

So now we are homebound until the baby comes. I have included a pregnant picture of me for your review (Scott was upset that there wasn't one in my last post). 5 weeks and counting until our life changes again and we are trying to enjoy this time with only one child while we still have it. Nathan flying airplanes with Grandpa Wilson in one of the many parks in Los Gatos.
Pregnant Jane with Nathan on the miniature steam train at the park.
Happiest kid on the block "driving" the rental car.
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Evans (and Jane)
Nathan in his tux....

More pictures

Helping Daddy blow out the candles...
And eat the cake!
Reading with Daddy
At the New York acquarium
The most recent! Trying out the bike trailer (our neighbor's) so he can go biking with Daddy! LOVED IT!

Long time, no update part 2

Hmmm....what else?

Although Scott and I have purposely not tried to overprogram Nathan, he does still go to music class every week and a puppet show on Wednesdays. He fills in the rest of his days going to the science center with Amy and pals and on the weekends we are almost always at the zoo, acquarium, water park or other fun family activity. Our family membership to the Bronx Zoo has really paid off and all of us love going there to see the animals.

From January to May, Nathan was enrolled in a Little Gym class which he loved. He is forever climbing on something and swinging and hanging and is generally fearless when it comes to that. We often get comments at the playground about his climbing ability, accompanied by the surprise that he is 2. He got his tremendous coordination from his Dad for sure. Another skill he has at this point is kicking. He has an amazing left footed kick and shocks us as well as other parents with how far he kicks a ball. He is no longer allowed to do it indoors after knocking over many lamps, picture frames, wall art, etc. We are looking to get him enrolled in soccer to put the kick to good use. He loves all sports, even without pushing them on him, but particularly ones where the ball goes high (baseball, golf, etc.) Who knows what he'll end up liking but we are supporting his athletic ability in the hopes that someday he will support us financially with his talent. JUST KIDDING.

The past few months we have had many trips from Geri (G.G.), seen Uncle Brian and Aunt Maryanne (soon to be...they get married this coming weekend), went to Atlanta for a week in May, had Grandma and Grandpa Wilson up for a visit, and really enjoyed our time with friends and family. Scott and I both have gotten new jobs that are D.C. based so we are looking for a possible move to VA by the end of the year. The two bedroom apartment is going to get really small shortly with the arrival of our daughter so a move is inevitable.

I think that is it for now. I can't promise to be more prompt with the updates but will sure attempt it.






Nathan at his weekly puppet show
Grandma Wilson visits
Nathan paying attention at the puppet show
R
Helping put candles on Daddy's birthday cake

Long time, no update

Sorry for the long, long lapse in communication. Something about working full time and being involved in the life of a two year old as well as doing things as a family has taken my focus away from Nathan's blog. Oh, and to add to that, another baby-to-be keeps me, the blog lady very busy. I feel bad not to have recorded Nathan's major life moments in such a long time so I am going to try to catch up a bit at a high level. I don't want Nathan to be angry with me later in life that I didn't capture all the precious memories that we have with him on his blog. I have a feeling it is going to get more and more difficult, but all I can do is promise to try....

Over the past 8 months Nathan has turned more and more into a little boy, our little buddy. He is still as active as ever and still loves to be outside (days when it rains are the worst). He has grown to about 35 pounds and 3 feet tall and is now talking more and more, repeating words and labeling objects with which he is familiar. He is definitely independent and likes to do things his own way but also very social and we find him often approaching other parents on the playground to relay an event or point out something. He has a flair for the dramatic like me and loves to repeat stories over and over. For example, he recently got stung by a bee for the first time. I don't blame the bee - Nathan caught it in his hand - and for days and days all we heard was "bee ow." He still is fascinated by bees, but does not try to catch them as he did before. The dramatic also plays into his tantrums which are just horrific and embarrassing to Scott but I just roll my eyes and take deep breaths to get through them. Nathan loves to go limp, yell out loud, drop to the ground and lie motionless, and other tactics to try to convince us that he needs his way. I think he has caught on to the fact that his mother invented stubbornness so he is not going to win this battle. Ironically, however, in spite of the tantrums, Nathan does not spend that much time in time out. He typically will stop the offensive behavior after a warning and definitely understands actions and consequences.

A couple of months ago, Nathan transitioned to a big boy bed which was traumatic for everyone. After months of predictable and steady sleep, we regressed back to Nathan and his parents sleeping horribly and still haven't recovered. Nathan never went back to his normal wake-up time of 7:30 so now wakes up at 6:00 most days and I can't say I have adjusted. Though initially he did not like his "big boy bed," now he sleeps well in it, just not for as long as he did before.

We are on the early end of potty training with a hit or miss approach (haha). For the most part, Nate is uninterested in the potty but has his moments (I think when he wants M&M's) when he will go by himself. He has a full understanding of the potty and loves to tell us when he goes number 1 or number 2, but just doesn't want to commit to using the potty full-time. I am not pushing it right now.

I guess the biggest news in our household is waiting for baby number 2 to arrive. It's a GIRL! Scott and I still have not adjusted to the idea as we are both so boy focused and are having the typical anxieties about how to share love, time, and attention with two children and make sure Nathan doesn't feel left out. As I get closer to the due date at the end of September, I am getting more and more excited to have the baby. Nathan knows the baby is in mama's belly but not sure that he knows what is going to happen to his life in a few short weeks. He has become quite the mama's boy these past few months and Scott has really stepped up the quality father and son time to help him adjust.

Will continue with another posting for those who are bored, to try to continue the update.

At the Jones Beach air show, lounging...
Nathan in his robe. So cute!
At the Science Center, where he spends many days a week escaping the heat and playing with the balls "ball high" as Nathan says On his scooter
How can you resist that face?

More Christmas photos

"Helping" G.G. dig up weeds
Sharing ice with some new friends at the Sunday school Christmas party
"Hooray!"
Playing with Great Aunt Judy
Family stockings

Christmas in Orlando!

We had a great Christmas in Orlando this year. We enjoyed the warm weather, lots of time outside, relaxing, and spending time with family, including Aunt Judy and Uncle Terry who met Nathan for the first time on this trip. It was really the perfect getaway. Nathan had a blast spreading his wings throughout his grandparents' large home which made him hard to keep track of and made me realize that maybe a small first home would be perfect for us.... : ) Nathan also loved helping himself to the outdoors via those ever handy door handles that he has so expertly mastered. I have never wished more for doorknobs than I do these days. To my surprise, however, Nathan did not have much interest in G. G.'s many Christmas decorations other than the initial touching phase on the first day that we arrived. G.G. also made it special for Nathan by giving him his very own Christmas tree to decorate (formerly Scott's) which was really special.

While in Orlando Nathan swam in the hottub with G.G., went for long walks around the neighborhood, to the playground, to the grocery store, etc. Still in his "driving" phase, car trips were difficult unless we could tolerate the frozen pose trying to get him into the carseat and the screaming. Needless to say we avoided most car trips and stayed home. I was initially concerned that Nathan wouldn't get into or understand present opening but was proved wrong on Christmas Eve when he happily tore into his "one" present and then proceeded to try to open everyone else's. I also learned another valuable lesson: assemble the presents before he opens them. Patience is not one of Nathan's strengths at this point.

The best surprise of all this year for the little guy was his introduction to the Evans' trains. Set up on Christmas Eve, Nathan saw them for the first time on Christmas morning and just loved them. He figured out quickly how to turn the train on and make it go faster or stop and enjoyed watching the train zoom around the track with Daddy or Pop Pop.

Scott and I got a wonderful date night at the Grand Bohemian (my first overnight away from Nathan) and really enjoyed time just the two of us. Big thanks to G.G. for taking care of Nathan so that we could get away for the day.

All in all, the entire clan enjoyed a restful and fun family vacation for Christmas which was much needed. Though really bratty before (and I am going to jinx myself here), Nathan has been such a good boy since we got back. I think he needed a break too. He has more presents than he can play with so we have hidden some away for rainy days, and his own suitcase for future trips to G.G. and Pop Pop's house. Merry Christmas 2007! Nathan's Christmas tree
Watching the trains with Pop Pop
Opening presents
The entire family - Christmas photo
Evans Family - Christmas photo

Long Overdue

Yes, yes, yes, I am very delinquent in posting. Always! Things just pile up and time passes and I forget to sit down and do it. It reminds me of my years writing in a journal. I always had the best of intentions of writing every day and then time would pass and I'd have to write pages and pages to catch up. Now this is my journal. Online. I am trying to keep it somewhat up to date so that Nathan can look back and read all about himself when he is older. I know I still enjoy hearing stories and seeing photos of myself and I am hoping he will too.

So, though I need to go back and fill in for Halloween (such fun) and other photos, here are the latest from Nathan in front of our Christmas tree, at the NJ Children's Museum, and with Todd Brandt at brunch on Sunday.

Nathan is really getting into the Christmas spirit, though our home video of getting the Christmas tree will show otherwise. He was a bit overtired and is very particular about what he wants to do and when he wants to do it so the day we got the tree he didn't want to help bring it in the apartment. We have good footage of him screaming and whining. However, the end result is wonderful and Nathan loves looking at the tree every morning and sitting by it. He is doing very well with keeping the ornaments on.

This past weekend was our first home in a couple of weeks and we enjoyed family time by going to the NJ Children's Museum. I was trying to recreate the experience of the Atlanta Children's Museum which was fabulous. The NJ one was ok. Definitely outdated. But Nathan loved it, particularly the DIGGER, sandbox, real fire truck, and toy space shuttle that was a kiddie ride. That's all that matters anyway.

On Sunday we had brunch with the Brandts and it was nice to see Todd tear it up the way Nathan does. Keeps life (and meals) interesting for sure.

These days Nathan is still not talking much but his communication skills without many words are just amazing. He pushes, pulls, points, makes sounds, uses sign language, and about anything else he can to get his point across. And it works! Sometimes I feel like Scott and I are his special interpretors but even my mom and dad caught on to his messaging when we were with them over Thanksgiving. Today he said "apri" for apricot when he wanted a dried apricot so there is an evolution of words. It is just slower than I thought it would be.

We have also had an evolution of tantrums which has forced me to institute time outs. I think Nathan is getting that Mommy doesn't mess around and Daddy is the softie. Lately the tantrum evoking event is the television. He is obsessed. We avoided it for so long and finally started letting him watch a couple of programs and movies and now he expects it every day. If we don't let him, he will stomp around and throw himself on the ground and keep trying to see if he can win us over. It is a tough battle. We actually enjoy the movies (Nemo, Ratatouille, Cars) but certainly don't want them at the expense of quality time and reading. Thank goodness he still loves his books but otherwise still has trouble entertaining himself for any stretch. I do appreciate the love of movies on road trips and when I need to get something done (or eat) around the house! Double edged sword.

His latest favorite thing is his stuffed bear. He is really into taking care of his bear and "feeding" it, taking it for walks, sleeping with it, and carrying it everywhere. It is very cute and I have heard normal for this age to copycat and pretend. He has not had an attachment to anything but his blankies up until now but this bear is a close second.

We are getting ready for our trip to Orlando for what I know will be a fun Christmas. Nathan runs around the house pointing out Santa Claus and saying "oh oh oh" which sounds like a cough the way he says it. He points out all the Christmas lights and has tried to open a few presents. I think he is just going to love the train set at G.G. and Pop Pop's house and all the presents and attention. And we all are looking forward to getting away.

So now we are current. Just have to take care of the missing entries! Handsome boy in front of our tree
Close-up. He is wearing a size 8 shoe and 2T tops now - such a big boy!
In shock that there was a DIGGER in the children's museum. He loved it.
Another digger. This one is in the sandbox. He was trying to fill up the digger part with sand.
Todd and Nathan in Hoboken. See how mischevious Todd is and how Nathan just loves it!

Nathan and the CAMEL

More October Pictures

Nathan loves construction equipment -
this is what he is pointing at - he stood there for so long until we dragged him away
Nathan's playmate Oliver
Nathan carrying our pumpkin home! Bought at the farmer's market for $5!
Green eyes?

Nathan Keeps on Growing

We have had a nice October - the highlight of which was a CAMEL RIDE for Nathan at the Bronx Zoo. We have a photo of it and Nathan looks at it every day and shows it to everyone who comes in the apartment. What is not in the photo is the incredible meltdown he had when we took him off the camel - he wanted to stay on!

Nathan had his 18 month checkup this month and he is doing great. He is 27 pounds 6 ounces, and 33 2.5/4 inches. He is above 50% in height, weight and of course head circumference (95th percentile). The doctor was pleased with his progress and Nathan enjoyed his visit up until his Hepatitis shot and taking blood (for lead and iron count). Unfortunately they had to do the blood twice (nurse error) and so Nathan wasn't too happy. I promised we would go to the park to see his friend Oliver afterward but that did nothing. He cheered up after we LEFT the doctor. It was great to have a playdate with Oliver (two in one month now). Amazing to see how different the two of them are - Oliver is really progressing with his words and Nathan is still as active as ever. This month he is catching a ball in his hands and loves to kick and throw the ball as well. New words are "apple" and "hat" and we are trying to encourage him to learn more though he still prefers a combination of sign language, sounds, and gestures to communicate. He never fails to get his point across and when he knows that you understand him, grins and makes a funny noise which is difficult to describe in words. I need sound effects for that. He also likes to push and pull our bodies around to get us to do what he wants - i.e. piggy back ride or get up, etc.

This week Nathan is in love with pumpkins! He likes to point out every pumpkin that we pass on the street and to pick up our pumpkin and carry it around the house. He is going to be a dog for Halloween in a costume that my mom made for him and we are excited for our first trick or treating experience!

Nathan is not really into sharing right now and is going through a pushing phase. We have to keep an eye on him at the playground because he is a big toy stealer and likes to push kids over. Oh boy. What happened to "free love" rather than "free violence?" We're trying to talk him out of it.

The other week we had our first "big boy" breakfast where Nathan sat in an adult chair FOR AN ENTIRE MEAL with Scott and I. It was really cute. He was so proud of himself eating his breakfast in a big boy chair like everyone else. Of course when he was done he was off and running, even if Scott and I were still eating. But we enjoy supporting him in his efforts to do new things, though we don't want him to become a big boy just yet!

He also loves to buckle things - he can buckle himself into his booster seat and stroller (if you give him enough time and he doesn't lose patience) and is very interested in opening and closing, putting objects in and taking them out, etc. His mind seems to be always working. It is amazing to see it all coming together in his head. We can't say enough how much we are blessed with such a wonderful little boy. Picture of the "girls" with our "boys" - Sarah and Zachary with Nathan and Mommy

Daddy and Nathan in their shades - too cool!
Nathan at Hannah's birthday party
Nathan loving all the toys at Hannah's birthday party