Here Comes Baby Powell!

Snow in Seattle

2012-01-18T16:13:00.001-08:00

Nate loves the snow, but I don't like it. I grew up in Alaska, and nothing shuts down. In Seattle, businesses and schools shut down in anticipation of the snow. To me, this is backward thinking, but what can you expect from such a liberal shitty, I mean city.

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Bug Zoo

2012-01-18T16:10:00.001-08:00

We went to the bug museum today. Mom was too grossed out to go, so it was just dad and I. We saw centipedes, cockroaches, lady bugs, moths, and a whole lot of spiders. Dad says spiders are arachnids, and shouldn't be at the bug museum, but it was cool to see their furry bodies anyway.

We enjoyed a gilato after the creepy crawlies. And then walked around the Pikes Place Market and saw some flying fish. We picked up some flowers for mom, because I knew she would like them.

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Fun with Rachel!

2012-01-05T10:05:00.001-08:00

Today we all went to the children's museum in Seattle. Rachel came along with us. It was a blast.

Later on that day, Rachel had some special presents all for me.

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Location:Seattle, wa

Christmas

2011-12-30T14:31:00.001-08:00

Nathan hates wearing his hat, but baby no name is wearing her hat.

Cars 2!

At the white elephant gift exchange, I opened a pair of boxer underwear that was too small for me. No one was willing to trade or steal my gift. I think I'll wrap it up and give it next year

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Location:Poulsbo, wa

2011-12-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, our little guy is growing up right in front of our eyes!

Fun before Christmas

2011-12-20T09:43:00.001-08:00

We made a gingerbread house the other day, and he ate some of the snowmen before we could stop him. We caught him taking a bite out of the tasty house.

Joana was giving Nathan a bath the other day, and she asked what she wanted to be when he grew up. With no hesitation, he blurted out "football player." to be honest the dad in me is proud, but a little scared. Maybe he means soccer?

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Location:Home

Weekend Fun

2011-11-20T21:22:00.001-08:00

It was Jeff's birthday, and he came over to Seattle to go to the Seahawks football game. We were graced with an unexpected win. Craig flew up from Denver to meet us, and we all had fun hanging out with Nathan. Here is some pics.

ITS A GIRL!!!

2011-11-20T21:11:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a surprise!!! Since my grandfather, there have been 12 boys and no girls. We now have a confirmed girl, and no one is more happy than Joana. Here is another picture of our little bean.

2011-11-07T11:59:00.001-08:00

So Nathan was a dragon this year. We went to our church which rented bouncy houses for all the kids. They had carnival games, and tons of candy for the kids. Nates favorite game was Nerf archery which uses a Nerf crossbow. He had to get my help, because he might shoot his eye out.

Dad is a cowboy...how original!

He huffed and puffed, and blew the house down with his powerful dragon tail.

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Sticker fun

2011-10-26T10:56:00.001-07:00

What a crazy monkey!

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Location:Home

2011-10-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

So here is baby Powell #2. So cute and fuzzy!

Sagittal profile, they are now 49mm (2inches)

Sagittal profile

-Legs and butt

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Nathan's. Second B-Day

2011-10-26T10:02:00.001-07:00

There has to be something else...

I love Thomas the Train!

Everyone is singing "happy birthday" to me!

Uncle Patrick bought me this hummer. I'm trying to get mom to move her Honda out of the garage to make room for this bad boy!

What is a birthday without friends, and Hani :)

Grandma spent all day making my truck cake. Thanks grandma, it was so yummy!

-Throwing rocks on Alki beach with aunt Diane

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Location:Poulsbo, WA

We're Pregnant Again!

2011-10-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

The rumors are true, we are pregnant for the second time. He/She is due in early May. This pregnancy is shaping up to be quite different. Jo is sick this time, and was not sick with Nathan. She has had some interesting cravings (see video above). As an example, I opened the fridge last week, and found a package of turkey pepperoni, unopened. This is strange for her to buy something like this in the first place, but then to not open the package is even more strange. She said she had a craving as she was driving home, but then when she got it home, it made her sick to even look at it.
The strangest thing of all is that Joana no longer likes ice cream. She has not touched a bowl for a month. This baby is really turning her world upside down.

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Location:Seattle

Vacation to Montana

2011-10-25T21:42:00.001-07:00

Nathan doesn't know that riding the dog like a pony is frowned upon in this establishment (e-trade commercial -for Diane)

Monkey see, monkey has to take away from the baby and use her pacifier, even though, monkey has not used a pacifier since he was 6months old.

Ok, this is the real reason we went to Montana...the boots. Joana has a really funny story about the first day Steve had these boots. You should call her up and ask her some time

After a VERY long day in the car with a 2 year old, we finally made it to our destination. Chico hot springs is about 2 hours out of Boseman and is about 8 hours (without stops) from Spokane. For our first night we stayed here and enjoyed the pools and the big sky of Montana. Nathan would start walking from the shallow end, and venture towards the deep end of the pool. He is brazen and started to learn how to kick in sync to keep himself afloat.

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Location:Montana

Vacation to Montana - first leg, Spokane

2011-10-25T21:23:00.001-07:00

The best part about vacation in the summer is time to be in the cool pool on a hot day!

Now, only if Rachel was a Dog fan, and not a Husker fan...

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Location:Spokane

Shopping with dad

2011-09-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

So, mom had the day off with her mom, so dad and I went downtown to play at the kids discovery museum at the Seattle center.

Just at home, watchin' some, "Cars" on TV.

Shoe shopping with dad...this should be interesting

How do girls do this? This is so boring, even dad was throwing a fit!

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Location:Seattle

Welcome baby Sawyer!

2011-09-24T12:01:00.001-07:00

We came over to meet Sawyer for the first time.

Uh oh, momma looks too happy

Can you tell who I am? I'm the crazy kid that can't sit for 1 second for a picture.

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Location:Seattle

Fun at grammy's

2011-09-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

Having fun on grandpa's tractor!

Momma and I have the day off!

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Location:Poulsbo, WA

The end of grandma's visit

2011-09-17T20:18:00.001-07:00

Well, life is full of bumps in the road. Thank God grandma was there for this one. Nathan was playing on the playground when he slipped, fell, and split his chin wide open. Grandma Powell came into the house as cool as a cucumber. It must have been her nursing instincts, but she found a gauze, and called to Joana so calmly to get the keys, so we can take Nathan to the ER. He had 8 stitches in his chin, but that's not the intestine part. The ER doctor decided to use nitrous oxide to anesthetize Nathan. This was the best choice because it works well with very few side effects. The nurses who were there for the procedure were all so great at working with such a small patient. At first Nathan was a bit afraid of the mask that was delivering the nitrous oxide, but as soon as he sucked in one breath of the gas, he became as calm as could be. When you looked into his eyes for those ten minutes, you could see he was comfortable and really really relaxed. We have never seen him so "chill" in his life. The procedure went well, and as soon as the doctor was done, they turned off the gas. He was clearly not happy about this and tore the mask out of the nurses hand immediately. He proceeded to force the mask back over his mouth, and he inhaled the biggest breath he could muster. When that didn't work, he tried to connect the hose to the mask and try again. The whole room howled at his ingenuity and determination. It was so funny. Anyway, here is some pictures from inside the ER.

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Location:Seattle

Grandma visits in June

2011-09-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

In late May and early June grandma and grandpa Powell came up to Seattle to retreat from the overwhelming heat of Oklahoma. They came up and we all went to Spokane to visit Jeff and Rachel. On Saturday we helped Jeff with some yard work and then played some frisbee golf.

Craig and grandpa with Nathan

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Location:Spokane

More fun with friends!

2011-09-17T16:19:00.001-07:00

So, in late May, Steve rode 100 miles on his bike with Brian, we decided to do the sensible thing and stay at the Timm's home and visit. The kids seem to all get along great. It would be nice to have a big sister for Nathan. She is great at keeping him in line.

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Location:Portland

The long anticipated Spring update

2011-09-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

So, most of you already know, but for those of you that do not, Nathan had a seizure on Easter day. It was his first (and only) seizure, but the neuro docs were concerned that this was not a singular event, but a disorder that will affect him the rest of his life. They asked us to come for a 24 hour EEG observation. The pictures below are a glimpse into our fun that day.

Trying to keep a toddler from pulling on those wires is tiring. We read lots and lots of books.

Location:Swedish MC

Another Haircut - March 4, 2011

2011-04-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast Nathan's hair has been growing. He was due for his second haircut already. I took him back to the Kid's Club at University Village since it went so well the first time. We had a different lady cut his hair this time, but she did a great job. She put some chocolate flavored gel in his hair to give him a little fake mohawk. It was too cute. Nathan had so much fun playing at the playground at U-Village afterwards.

A Visit from the Timms

2011-04-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Time has flown by again. We've had some fun weekends recently. The Timms came to town the end of February, so the boys could ride in the Chilly Hilly on Bainbridge Island. They had a good ride although the weather wasn't ideal...a little too chilly, but they did great. While the boys were off riding bikes, us girls took the kids swimming at the hotel where the Timms were staying. The kids loved playing in the water! It made me want to put Nathan in swimming lessons. I think he would really enjoy it. After swimming, we met up with Laura, a friend from college, to have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It was a perfect place to take the kids. There are so many fun things to look at to keep them occupied, and the food was decent too. It was really great to spend time with the Timms. We enjoyed a couple great dinners with them and watched the kids play. It's fun to see how much the kids have changed recently. Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures over the weekend, but here is one of Isaiah opening his late birthday gift.

Video

2011-03-03T09:13:00.001-08:00

Nathan is growing and changing so much. He is so full of energy. I wonder most days how I'm going to keep up with him. He's started saying a few more words, but usually it's not consistent. He can be a stubborn little guy. For example, I know he knows how to say "Mommy" but if you ask him who I am, he'll point to me and say "Daddy" with a funny little smile on his face. Only occasionally will he say "Mommy", and if he does, he will then smile and clap for himself. What a silly little guy. Nathan has really been into his books lately. He will go grab a book, come get me, walk me over to the rug and pull my hand to sit down. He'll then hand me the book and sit on my lap so I can read it to him. It's so precious, and even though I get sick of reading the same books over and over, I cherish these moments I have with him. A few of his favorite books right now are "Penguins", "Potty", "The Foot Book", "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb", "Peekaboo Baby!", and a few others. Since it's been pretty rainy outside lately, we have found some fun indoor activities to do. We'll go to the toddler open gym at the community center or have play dates with friends. Last Friday we went to the aquarium with a friend. We've also gone to Metropolitan Gymnastics where the kids can run around, jump on the huge trampoline, slide into the foam pit, and do all sorts of other fun things. We've definitely found ways to keep busy. We still meet with the PEPS group every Thursday which is always a lot of fun. It's been so nice to have a supportive group of moms to talk to and hang out with.

At Metropolitan Gymnastics

My little Superstar!

This is a video I took a few weeks ago. He's learning more and more every day!

Hawaii

2011-02-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Hawaii a little over a week ago. We had a great vacation with my whole family, Steve's parents, and Uncle Jeff. The weather couldn't have been better and our resort awesome! It was our first actual "vacation" with Nathan if you don't count the times we went to visit friends and family. He did great on all the flights. It helped to have two uncles, Grammy, Grampy, and both of us on the plane. Unfortunately, we did not have a direct flight, so it was a long day, but Nathan actually slept for quite awhile on the way there and the way back. If he got restless, we would just pass him down the line of people, so it worked out perfectly.

I found out it is very different vacationing with a toddler. I still wanted to see everything and do everything, but found that this was challenging when you have a little one with you. We were very fortunate and still did alot while we were there. It was nice to have so many babysitters around. We got to go on a helicopter tour, go on a hike to Kipu Falls, and do some shopping. The helicopter tour was amazing. It was a perfect way to see the whole island and to check out the Na Pali Coast. I loved hanging out on the beach, playing with Nathan in the sand and splashing around with him in the pool. Once he got used to the water, he loved going down the water slides and couldn't get enough of it. He would get so excited when he saw the slides and want to go down again and again. It was so fun to watch Nathan discover so many new things. The only complaint I have is that Nathan did not sleep well while we were there. Luckily, Steve and I have amazing parents. Both sets of grandparents offered to take Nathan for one night. So, Steve and I got two great nights of sleep. I think with so many new and fun things to do, Nathan didn't want to miss out on anything, so decided that sleeping was a waste of time.

I'm so thankful that we had the opportunity to go on such a great vacation with the family. I love discovering new places, and Kauai was a beautiful place to explore. I hope someday we'll get to go back and do some more hiking, kayaking, and all the other fun things they have to do there.

So happy to finally be in Hawaii

Heading to the pool with Grammy and Nanna

Chasing chickens - there were chickens EVERYWHERE on Kauai

Riding on Uncle Jeff's shoulder

Nanna and Grandpa Powell

Pool and water slides at our resort

Playing in the pool

View of some falls from the helicopter

Na Pali Coast from the helicopter

On our hike to Kipu Falls

Kipu Falls - the boys jumped off the rocks from above the falls

Spouting Horn

Playing on the beach at sunrise

Feeding the fish at the resort - every morning they let all the kids feed the big gold fish out in the pond. It was such a fun activity for all the kids.

Taking a snooze on the beach - much needed sleep since he didn't like to sleep at night

Patrick with his coconut - the boys found coconuts washed up on the beach and decided to try them out. It took some time to crack them open, but they were delicious!

The only turtle I saw while in Kauai

Moloaa Bay

Watching the sunset at Poipu Beach

Grammy and Grampy at sunset

Getting a ride on Uncle Ryan's shoulders

One more sunrise the last day in Kauai

My Favorite Things

2011-02-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Nathan, because it shows all of his favorite things at this stage in his life. He has a huge fascination with the vacuum cleaner. He gets so excited when we bring the vacuum out to clean. If we're just hanging out in the living room, he'll come grab us by the hand and lead us over to the closet where we keep the vacuum and point and say, "vacuum, vacuum". Kind of funny that this ended up being one of his first words. We decided to get him his own vacuum which he loves. It's nice because it actually works, not very well, but at least it does something. He also loves the toothbrush. He usually likes to take Steve's or my toothbrush when we're trying to get ready in the morning. There was a long time where we couldn't go anywhere without his toothbrush. He just had to carry it around wherever we went, pretty cute. Maybe he will be a dentist. It would be nice to have one in the family. The froggy boots were given to him by my parents for his birthday. I think they ended up being one of his favorite gifts. He'll go grab them from by the front door and bring them over and will want someone to help him put them on. Then he will be happy!

Nathan using the real vacuum. Too bad the hose wasn't connected!

Children's Museum

2011-02-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

Rachel came home for awhile at Christmas, so we got to spend some time with her. Nathan was a lucky little guy and got to spend the day with Rachel and her mom at the Seattle Aquarium one day while Steve and I were at work. They had a blast. Nathan loved seeing all the fish, but I think he might have worn Rachel and her mom out just a bit. He has so much energy, and some days it feels like he goes 90 miles an hour.

On Thursday, Rachel and I decided to take Nathan to the Children's Museum at the Seattle Center. He absolutely loved it. Sometimes Nathan didn't know what to do next because there was just so much to do and see. It was pouring down rain outside, so it was the perfect day to spend indoors exploring. I definitely want to take him back soon.

He loves anything with a steering wheel

Climbing inside a fake tree

Playing with Auntie Rachel

Where are you Nathan?

Are we tired yet?

Nathan's First Haircut - December 18, 2010

2011-02-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, Nathan had his very first haircut. We took him to the Kid's Club at U-village. It was a great place to go for a first haircut. They have the fun little cars for the kid's to sit in and the hair stylist was very nice. Nathan did fairly well although his patience was very limited. I'm not sure how the hair stylist does it! Nathan was distracted by the cool steering wheel on the fire truck he sat in. We also tried to distract him with a book for awhile. He looked very handsome afterwards!

Playing in the fire truck

Reading a book

Playing at the playground at U-village

Catching up after the holidays

2011-02-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's amazing how fast time has flown by. I realize I am always saying that, but it is so true. The holidays were here and gone before I knew it. Christmas was a lot of fun this year with Nathan. He really got into opening his gifts, and he loved all his new toys. He was once again very spoiled by everybody. We spent the weekend at my parents. It was great to have a nice, laid back Christmas with the family.

Nathan opening gifts Christmas Eve morning with Mom and Dad

Nathan's new fire truck from Great-Aunt Barey and Uncle John

Nathan loved this play house at my cousin's house

Us at church

The whole fam on Christmas Day

Halloween Party at Little Gym

2010-11-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

October 22, 2010

Nathan was a monkey this year for Halloween. I found the cutest costume for him, so I was determined to have him wear it as many times as possible. One of our friends from PEPS invited us to a Halloween party at Little Gym. Nathan had so much fun! He loved swinging from the bars, hanging from the rings, and rolling around on the gym mats. He didn't keep his costume on for too long, it was so hot with all the kids running around, but he had a great time hanging out with his friends.

True little monkey, hanging from the rings

Hanging our with his friend, Lilah

I'm tired!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

October 17, 2010

We took Nathan to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins. It was such a beautiful day! I love the sunny, crisp days of fall in Seattle. We went to The Farm at Swan's Trail up in Everett. It was a great pick. My favorite part was the corn maze. They made it into the shape of Washington state. We had so much fun running around in the corn and getting lost. They also had a little petting zoo, a kid's play area, hay rides, and a lot of other fun things to do. Definitely a place I would go back to. Nathan loved being out in the fresh air. It was a perfect family day!

Where are you, Uncle Jeff?

No matter where you are, remember to always brush your teeth!

I want this one!

Faster, Daddy, faster!

Ocean Shores - Oct. 7

2010-11-11T15:47:00.001-08:00

While Rachel was home visiting, we decided to take Nathan to the ocean for his first time. Rachel loves the ocean, so I think she's been waiting to be able to take him for awhile. Nathan and I spent the night at my parent's the night before, then packed everything up in the car, stopped to pick Rachel up at her parent's house, then headed on out. Nathan did great in the car, sleeping most of the way. I don't think I've ever been to Ocean Shores when it is sunny, so all I was hoping for was no rain. I really don't like getting soaked! I got my wish. It was a bit chilly as we expected, but it didn't start to rain until we were just getting ready to leave.

We had such a blast playing in the sand, chasing the seagulls, and walking around the town. Nathan loved to use the shovel to dig in the sand. I showed him how to run after the seagulls to make them fly away which he thought was hilarious. We also showed him how to run away from the waves, so we didn't get wet. It was an awesome day, and I was so happy we were able to spend some time with Rachel. We headed back home that afternoon. Nathan was so good, sleeping most of the way home too. I'm sure we wore him out!

Digging in the sand

On the run

Rachel and Nathan

Not sure he loved the crab hat, but he sure looked cute

Nathan's First Birthday Celebration!

2010-10-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

October 2-3, 2010

I'm not sure even where to begin. Nathan's birthday weekend was a whirlwind of fun! Our little boy is so spoiled, but more importantly, so LOVED! Steve's parents, his sister, and his older brother all came in from out of town. Rachel also came all the way from Nebraska to celebrate his birthday. It was so awesome to have everyone here. We had the party at my parent's house in Poulsbo. It was so nice of them to let us have it there. They have so much more space than we do, so it worked out perfectly. Nathan did great. He got a nice long nap right before the party, so he was well rested and ready to party! He loved his birthday cake, chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. When he saw the candle, and we all started singing, he got such a big smile on his face. It was so adorable. I think he knew it was all for him. He didn't really get that you could bite into the cake, so Steve cut off a big hunk for him and that did the trick. He couldn't get enough of it after that. After he was done with the cake, we started in on presents. I don't think he really understood that part. He kept wandering off, leaving me to unwrap all his gifts for him. He got some pretty great toys, clothes, and even more money to go toward his education. We're so thankful for everything! It was a really fun day, and a perfect party to celebrate our little boy's first birthday. Happy Birthday, Nathan! We love you!

Nathan's Mega Cupcake

Janet made this birthday quilt - so cute and a perfect touch to our decorations!

Our little birthday Prince - Nathan's outfit he wore home from the hospital had little crowns on it, so I thought this "prince" crown was perfect to celebrate his 1st birthday.

So happy for his cake

Once Daddy cut him a piece of cake, he was all in

Forget that, he's going for it

So proud!

Aunt Diane and Uncle Jeff helping with the presents

Uncle Patrick got him this bib

Laura drove over from Puyallup to celebrate with us

Us with Auntie Rachel

Trying to figure out how to walk in his cool new boots - they're still a little big...

Look at all my birthday presents, guys! Four new sets of wheels!

A Day at the Park - Sept. 11, 2010

2010-10-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

We love to take Nathan to the park. He absolutely loves being outside, and ever since he started walking, he just won't stop. He's a happy boy when he can get around. This was a great day spent in the park in Bellevue.

So happy!

I just love this. It's so cute to watch Nathan walking hand-in-hand with his daddy.

Nanny Grandma

2010-10-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Nathan's daycare was closed the last week of August, so Grandma P. came up from Oklahoma to be our nanny for the three days I had to work. I was so thankful she was able to come, because the original plan was for my mom to watch him, but that was before we found out that she had cancer. Her surgery was only a couple weeks before, so she was still recovering. The most important thing is that she is cancer free without having to go through chemo or radiation. Praise God for that. He definitely answers prayers.

Grandma P. had a fun time with Nathan although I think he might have worn her out a little bit. He's so full of energy and like any one of us, sometimes has his fussy days. It was awesome that Nathan got to spend some one-on-one time with his grandma. They went on many walks, went to the park, hung out on Alki, and even did some crafts. I came home one day and they had made a plaster of paris handprint of Nathan's cute little hand. We also got spoiled with some of Grandma's yummy cooking.

First Steps - end of August

2010-10-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Nathan decided to start walking while Grandma and Grandpa Powell were visiting from Oklahoma. It was pretty exciting since they don't get to see a lot of Nathan. I'm glad he decided to take his first steps while they were in town. It took a lot of encouragement, but he figured it out pretty quickly. This is a video of one of his first attempts at walking all while chewing on his shoe...yum, yum.

Annual Camping Trip- Aug 20-22

2010-09-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

We went on our annual camping trip with the Timms and Salibas. This year we headed down south near Olympia to Millersylvania State Park. It was an awesome park with great camp sites, a lake with multiple swimming areas, and some good hiking trails. As always, we had an awesome time. Our group is growing every year. We had two new additions this year with Nathan and his little buddy, Isaiah. We ended up having decent weather this year, no rain, although it wasn't quite warm enough to go swimming in the lake, unless you are Hani or Steve. They both decided to jump in the water, but the rest of us were happy watching from the shore. We did have fun hanging out by the lake, going for walks, making s'more boats...all those great traditional camping activities. What I always enjoy the most is hanging out with some of my best friends.

The Boys - Notice the facial hair for their annual "stache" camping

The Girls

The Kids

The Salibas

Love the cowboy hats!

Isaiah hanging out with his mom

Two happy boys

Thanks for sharing, Ashley!

Isaiah and Danielle playing trucks

Our fam by the lake

More Birthday Celebrations - Aug. 15

2010-09-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

We headed over to my parent's house to celebrate Patrick's and my dad's birthday. It was a gorgeous day out, nice and hot. My mom and I found this cute little swimming pool for Nathan, so we set it up for him to cool off in. He liked it for the most part. He wasn't too excited when we turned on the sprinkler part of it, but I think he just didn't like the water getting right in his face. We sure had fun playing with Nathan in the pool. I just wish it was a little bit bigger, so we could have cooled off in it too.

Sliding into his new pool

Playing with Daddy

Nathan and Grandpa O.

Nathan and Uncle Patrick

"Uh-oh" - Aug. 11, 2010

2010-09-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Nathan came home from daycare one day saying "uh-oh". It was so adorable. His little voice is just so cute. I'm sure he must have learned it from one of the other kids. It's amazing how quickly they pick things up. I'm not sure if this would be considered his first word or not. He sometimes says "mama" and "dada" too, but it is much more random.

Silly Boy

2010-09-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Nathan does this funny thing when he gets really excited or frustrated, so I just had to post a picture showing his silly face. The picture doesn't quite catch the full effect of his gesture, but I thought it was still pretty cute. We sometimes like to call this his "silent scream". Now if he would always do his "silent scream" instead of his ear piercing scream. Oh well, that's probably just part of being a little boy.

Oklahoma - July 31 through Aug. 7

2010-09-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

For our summer vacation, we went to Oklahoma to visit Steve's parents. We had such a great trip. It was so nice to visit with Steve's parents and his grandma, and it was so fun for them to get to spend some time with Nathan. It was definitely a scorcher there with the temperature staying above 100 degrees for most of the time, but we managed to stay cool. It was the first time Steve had flown with Nathan, so he got to see what a challenge it can be to fly with a baby. Nathan did pretty well, but he was and still is at the age where he constantly wants to be moving, so it was hard to keep him contained in a small airplane seat. He did end up taking a few good naps on the flight down and back which was very helpful.

Rachel drove down from Nebraska to spend a few days with us in Oklahoma. It was so nice of her to drive all that way, and it was so great to see her. She brought her new little kitten, Lucy, with her. Nathan loved the kitten, but I'm not so sure Lucy loved Nathan.

Grandma restored the boy's old red wagon, so Nathan could ride in it. She did such a great job, and Nathan loved his new set of wheels. Here he is headed to the swimming pool which was right down the street from the house.

Rachel, Steve, and Grandma swimming with Nathan

Nathan floating in his turtle

Rachel's kitten, Lucy

Steve's parents made him a delicious birthday dinner of lobster and steak. This was his yummy chocolatey cake his mom made him. Happy 30th, Steve!

Nathan getting kisses from Grandma

Nathan loved this truck. It was Steve's when he was a little boy. Nathan spent a lot of time chasing it around the house.

This was Aunt Diane's rocking chair when she was a little girl

Grandma and I took Nathan to the splash pad. It was so nice to get sprayed by the cool water on such a hot day.

Hanging out with Great-Grandma

Grandma and Grandpa took us to the aquarium

One of the boy's old rocking horse
Daddy, I don't think you fit in my pool.

Daddy's Birthday

2010-09-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

We were going to be in Oklahoma for Steve's birthday, so we celebrated with my family a few days early. We had a great BBQ at our house, had cake, and Steve opened his gifts. My mom's good friend, Marcy, was visiting from Spokane that weekend, so we had the pleasure of having her around too. Her birthday was around the same time, so we had a double celebration!

Steve and Marcy - Birthday Boy and Birthday Girl

Sleepy Boy

2010-09-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

July 23, 2010

This was just too funny, and I had to share it. I had put Nathan in his Jumperoo then ran downstairs to do some laundry. He was kind of fussing, but I didn't think anything of it. When I came back upstairs just a few minutes later, I found him asleep. Too cute!

STP

2010-09-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

July 17-18, 2010

Steve participated in the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride this year. It took some training over the spring and summer months, but I think it was well worth it. The training paid off, and he made it all the way to Portland feeling pretty good. I was so impressed. I'm sure it was very gratifying for him, and we were very proud.

My mom drove down to Portland on Saturday with me to keep me company. It was so nice to have her with me. We spent Saturday afternoon/evening with the Timms who live right outside of Portland. It was so great to see them and spend some time with them and their kids. Hani and Danielle were also visiting, so we had a great bbq with everyone. My mom and I stayed in a hotel that night. We got to take Nathan swimming which is always so much fun since he doesn't get to experience the water all that often. The next morning we met up with the Timms again and went blueberry picking. You should have seen all the delicious blueberries we came home with! I had never been blueberry picking, so it was fun to try, and it is definitely something I would do again. Afterwards, Brian went and picked Steve up from the finish line. He went prepared with Gatorades and snacks to refuel Steve. When they returned, we all went out for a late lunch before heading back to Seattle. What a great weekend!

Nathan has been practicing his walking, but still needs something to hang on to.

Grammy and Nathan

Isaiah

Ashley and Nathan playing at the water table

Swimming with Mommy

Ashley and Nathan blueberry picking

9 month check-up/ July 16, 2010

2010-08-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Nathan was 9 months on July 3rd. We went in for his routine 9 month check-up a couple weeks later. Just wanted to record his stats: 23 lbs. 4.5 oz; 30 inches long; head circumference 47.5 cm. He's definitely growing well! His only health issue has been his multiple ear infections. We were finally sent to see an ENT doctor who recommended putting tubes in his ears. So, that is exactly what we did. He had them placed on August 13th. Nathan did great. I actually think it might have been harder on me. Thankfully, my mom went with us. She was very helpful in keeping Nathan occupied before the surgery while he couldn't eat. He was one hungry boy. Since the surgery, he has done really well. He has even slept through the night a few times! First time ever! It is wonderful when he gets a good night's sleep.

Another Day at the Park

2010-08-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

We were really getting outside a lot there for awhile when the Seattle weather decided to cooperate and give us some real summer sunshine. This weekend in July my mom came over from Poulsbo and Danielle's mom was visiting from Oregon, so we decided to get together. We were going to try to go swimming in the outdoor pool in West Seattle, but it was closed - sad! We ended up taking Nathan to Lincoln Park and letting him splash in the wading pool. It was a pretty hot day, so it was the perfect place to be. We found ourselves a nice shady spot to relax and play with Nathan.

Cooling off in the pool

Floating in his turtle

Really starting to get the hang of standing on his own

More PEPS

2010-08-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

July 8th

Over the summer, our PEPS group has been taking advantage of any nice weather we get, so instead of going to someone's house, we have been meeting at a park or wading pool. It's been a lot of fun to get outside and to splash in the water. The babies seem to really enjoy playing in the water, but they have a lot of fun just playing on the blankets in the grass too. They really have started interacting a lot with each other which has been a lot of fun. It's so amazing to see how they are all changing.

Hanging out in the wading pool

They loved the cooler!

Stand Alone

2010-08-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

July 7 - 9 months old

This was just so cute. Steve and Nathan met me down at a park in West Seattle after work one day for dinner. It was a gorgeous evening, and we were just hanging out having a good time. We had been working on getting Nathan to stand by himself without holding onto anything, but this was one of the first times he did it for a good amount of time without falling over. He was SO proud of himself. I just loved the look on his face. It was quite adorable. He just couldn't believe that he was standing all by himself!

4th of July

2010-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I got so far behind on my posts again! So, I am attempting to catch back up. Nathan's first 4th was pretty uneventful in itself although we did get to spend some quality time with some great friends and family. Rachel was home from Nebraska for the 4th and Steve's brother, Jeff, drove over from Spokane to spend the weekend with us. We went over to the peninsula to visit Rachel on Saturday. Mom, Nathan and I had a great visit with Rachel and her family. We spent the 4th at my parent's house, mostly just relaxing and playing with Nathan. We did take him down to the park so he could swing which has been one of his favorite things to do. He also loved the merry-go-round!

Aunt Rach

Mommy, Rach, and Nathan

Grandpa pushing Nathan and Daddy on the merry-go-round

Smiley Baby

2010-07-14T21:32:00.001-07:00

Nathan is usually a very happy baby. His smiles are so irresistible. I just had to add a few more random pictures of his smiling face...and maybe a little drool too.

Urban Baby

Loves his new set of wheels

Father's Day Weekend

2010-07-14T20:55:00.001-07:00

We headed over to Poulsbo for Father's Day weekend. Saturday turned out to be a busy day. Steve went on a bike ride from Poulsbo up to Port Townsend where my parents, Nathan and I met up with him and had lunch. We headed back to my parents house and then took off to Port Orchard to visit with Mel and Paul and their baby girl, Aria, for the first time. It was so much fun to see Aria and spend some time with Mel and Paul and hear how they are enjoying/surviving parenthood. Aria is such a little cutie. It's crazy to think that not that long ago, Nathan was her size. Everyone warned me that they grow up fast, and they are sure right. Every little phase is so much fun, and we always look forward to what he is going to be doing next.

Paul, Aria, Steve, and Nathan

On Sunday, we went over to my cousin, Karen's house. They had a big party to celebrate Father's Day, a few birthdays, and my Aunt Rose's retirement. It was a lot of fun to see everyone, and of course, there was a lot of good food. After all the excitement over the weekend, Nathan was pretty exhausted, so we headed home and prepared for another week.

Nathan getting a ride from Dad in Granpa's wagon

This was Grandpa's wagon when he was a baby

Great Uncle John and Nathan

Me, Nathan, Great-Grandma, and Grammy

Bike Ride - June 12

2010-07-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Steve has really been in to riding his bike, so we decided to find a trailer for Nathan to ride in so we can go on bike rides as a family. For our first ride together with the three of us, we went out to Marymoor Park in Redmond. We rode for about ten miles which is really nothing compared to what Steve usually rides, but not too bad for my first time out in awhile. Nathan wasn't too thrilled riding in his new Chariot, but I think he'll enjoy it a little more once he is older and can entertain himself a little better. It was a beautiful day out, so overall it was a great day for a ride.

Taking a snooze before the ride - hang on Nathan!

In his Chariot and all ready to go

What is this silly thing on my head?

Taking a break on the side of the trail

On the Move

2010-07-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Nathan really got his crawling down by the end of May. Once he figured out how to get around, he never wants to stop. It's been so much fun to watch him learn how to get around, but it also makes a lot more work for me. I'm constantly having to chase him around. He's one active little guy!

A Visit from the Timms - May 21

2010-07-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Nathan and I went to Nebraska, our friend came up from Portland to visit. We had a busy few weeks, but we had so much fun. The Timms came up for a long weekend and stayed at Danielle's house, so we spent a lot of time over there visiting. It was so much fun to see the kids interact with each other. Nathan (about 8 months) looked so big compared to little Isaiah (4 months). I can't believe how much they have all grown and changed. Ashley is always so sweet to Nathan and very interested in whatever he is doing. At one point, she wanted to help feed Nathan, very cute. We walked down to the park with the kids and had a ton of fun swinging in the baby swings. The girl's even got to have a night out. We headed down to a local wine bar to hang out and talk. It was so much fun and nice to get away for a few hours. The boys had it pretty easy seeing that all the kids had already gone to bed, but it was nice of them to stay at the house and keep an eye on them.

The Kids - Ashley, Isaiah, Nathan

Nathan and Isaiah playing

Brian and Steve strolling on Alki

Danielle, Ashley, and Nathan swinging at the park

Ashley helping out with Nathan

Emily and Isaiah

Nebraska

2010-06-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

A little bit of exciting news, Nathan went on his first plane trip. It was quite the experience. I took Nathan by myself to visit Rachel in Nebraska over Memorial Day weekend. I'm so glad we went, but it was a lot of work. It's no easy task carrying a an almost eight month old through the airport with all his stuff and keeping him entertained on the airplane! We made it though and had a blast with Aunt Rachel. She took very good care of us while we were there, and Nathan loved hanging out with his aunt. We got to enjoy some sunshine which has been very hard to come by in Seattle. It was actually a little too warm part of the time, but I'm not going to complain about that. Nathan got to put his swim trunks on and hang out in the pool in the backyard.

Nathan's first set of airplane wings

Playing at the park

Playing in the pool

At the Farmer's Market

Nathan with a very large ear of corn

Nathan and Aunt Rachel

Nathan and Mommy

He's on the move!!

2010-06-22T20:37:00.001-07:00

May 12, 2010

So, here it is. This is how Nathan first started crawling. I guess it's more of a scoot and half crawl, but it definitely works to get around. He's getting much better at actually crawling now and is getting a lot faster. I'm going to have to baby proof pronto! It's been so much fun to watch him learn how to get around. It's amazing how fast they pick things up. My little boy is growing up so fast!

Mother's Day

2010-06-02T17:51:00.001-07:00

My first Mother's Day was great. We headed over to my parent's house to spend it with the family. We went to church, stopped for a coffee, then went over to my grandma's house for a barbeque. We had a great time and the weather was perfect. My mom's whole family was at Grandma's house too, so we got to spend the day with extended family we don't normally get to see. Nathan entertained everyone with his pterodactyl call. He sure loves to use his voice.

Nathan practicing his driving skills

Nathan with Great-Aunt Allison

We went back to my parent's house where Steve, Nathan, and my parents spoiled me with a couple gifts. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Sunshine in Seattle

2010-06-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

May 8, 2010

I just love Nathan in his little monkey sun shades. We took advantage of the nice weather this day and got outside for a bit. Nathan and I met up with Steve over in Redmond after Steve went on his LONG bike ride. He's been training for STP which is in July and has been trying to build up his endurance. I think he rode over 50 miles this time. We checked out the local farmer's market and found some beautiful flowers to take to Mom for Mother's Day. Then we enjoyed some lunch outside in the fabulous sun.

Jumperoo

2010-05-03T20:32:00.001-07:00

Nathan LOVES his jumperoo. He goes absolutely crazy in it sometimes. He could jump in it forever some days. We just had to take a video of it. He has so much energy, and it is so fun to watch him go wild in his jumperoo! So thank you to Steve's aunt and uncle for sending us such a great gift and hours of entertainment!

More PEPS

2010-05-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

I had to post another picture of our PEPS group. The babies are growing up so fast. On this particular day at PEPS, we made baby food. It was a lot of fun. We all brought a different fruit or vegetable, made up all the baby food, then got to take home a little bit of each type of food for our baby. It worked out really well, and Nathan has gotten to try a lot of new foods. He doesn't seem to be a big fan of peas, but he does like the squash, bananas, pears, and carrots.

Baby Dominoes

Nathan's First Easter

2010-05-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

I know it's been too long since I've posted again. Time just really gets away from me. I did promise some people that I would post some pictures of Easter. Nathan got this really adorable outfit from Grandma P., and we captured some pretty cute pictures of him at church on his first Easter. We spent Easter over at my parent's house in Poulsbo. My mom is always so good at making Easter a special day as it should be when we're celebrating the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ! I hope that we are able to start some good traditions with Nathan that will remind him of what Easter is really all about - not the bunnies, eggs, and candy, but the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. We had a great first Easter with Nathan, going to church, eating, and spending time with family.

Nathan in front of the empty tomb

Us with Grandma and Grandpa O.

Nathan with his Easter bunny from Aunt Diane and Uncle Stephen

Trip to Portland

2010-03-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Steven, Nathan, and I went down to Portland to visit our friends and go to their baby shower the last weekend in February. They were celebrating the birth of their son, Isaiah, who was born on January 21st. We decided to make a little vacation out of it and stay the night, so we wouldn't have to do all that driving in one day. Steve got off work early on Friday, and we were able to make it down there by early evening. It was great to see the Timms and to be able to spend a little time with them before the shower on Saturday. It was so much fun to catch up and have dinner with them. Ashley was so cute with her little brother and with Nathan too. She kept asking to hold Nathan, but the funny thing is that even though she is 2 years old and Nathan is only 5 months old, he is just about as big as she is. I thought it would be a better idea if he sat next to her, so I put him on the couch next to Ashley and told her not to let him fall over. She took her job very seriously and this is how she kept him from falling...too cute.

Nathan, Ashley, and Isaiah

Nathan and Ashley

The hotel we were staying at had an indoor pool, so when we got back that night, we decided to take Nathan swimming for the first time. We had a blast, and I'm pretty sure Nathan had a good time too! He seemed to really enjoy the water. He was kicking his legs and moving his arms like he was a pro. This made me want to sign him up for swim lessons as soon as possible.

Rolling Over

2010-03-11T11:44:00.001-08:00

I think I have some catching up to do. Nathan has been rolling over for quite a few weeks now, so I thought I should post a little video of him. Now when I put him down on his back, he pretty much instantly rolls onto his tummy. His arms are getting stronger now, so he can use his arms to support himself and really get his head up high. This little guy is going to be on the move in no time at all. I'm sure he'll keep Mommy and Daddy super busy.

This video was taken on Valentine's Day, so almost a month ago already. Nathan and I spent Valentine's Day with my mom and dad while Daddy was off visiting his brother in Spokane. Nathan was our little Valentine. Mom made us a great dinner, and we got to stay the night since Monday was a holiday. We ended up having a nice weekend although we did miss Daddy!

Mommy and Nathan

Grandma O. and Nathan

Our Little Valentine

All Smiles

2010-02-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

I just can't get enough of Nathan's smiles. He has been such a happy baby lately. He wakes up in the morning with big smiles which makes getting woken up so early in the morning a whole lot easier for me, especially considering I have never been a morning person. His smile makes it all worth while. He has also started babbling all the time. He'll just start "talking" to whoever will listen whether it be me, one of his toys, or his own reflection. It's fun to carry on a conversation with him and to see his responses. He loves it when you repeat his babbles. I think it probably makes him feel like you really understand what he is trying to say.

PEPS

2010-02-17T20:51:00.001-08:00

Nathan and I have been in a PEPS (Program forEarly Parent Support) group since the beginning of December. It is a mom's support group that meets once a week with all the members being from the West Seattle area. We have two group leaders who organize where we meet and which topics we will be discussing each week. They have also arranged a few speakers to come and talk to us about various topics. I have learned a lot from attending these meetings, and it is a great source of support for me. It's been really fun to meet other moms in the area and to get to know their babies too. It's amazing to see how much the babies have grown in the last few months. I wish we would have taken a picture at one of the early meetings, but it will be fun to take another picture in the future and compare it with these. All the babies are around the same age, ranging from 3 1/2 months to 5 1/2 months old.

4 Month Check-up

2010-02-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

Nathan saw the pediatrician for his 4 month check-up on Saturday. He got a clean bill of health. He is doing all the things he's expected to do for his age and is a healthy little guy. He did get another round of immunizations which was not for for Mom, but I was thankful Steve was able to come with me for moral support. Nathan did fine with it all, I think it's harder for the parents than it is for the baby. He did cry, but I fed him right away, so he quickly calmed down and forgot all about it fairly quickly. After he got his shots, he was really sleepy and took a good nap, but later it the day he was quite fussy. I don't think he was feeling very well, so we gave him some tylenol as directed by his doctor and that seemed to help a lot. So, here are his stats: 17 lbs. 8 oz (91%) and 26.75 inches (95%) long. He is definitely growing really well!

One thing we have been having a hard time with is Nathan's sleep. He is definitely not the best sleeper. He has his good nights, but then he has some not so good nights. The pediatrician gave us some pointers to try to help the situation. She suggested letting him cry it out for a little while as long as we know he is not hungry. It actually seems to be working, but we have to be willing to stick it out through his crying which is not easy. Usually, he will fall asleep within 15-20 minutes which is really pretty good, but it feels like so much longer when you want to pick him up and comfort him. I think it will get easier if we stick with it, or at least I am hoping it will get easier.

3-4 Months

2010-01-31T21:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Nathan is coming up on 4 months old. It's unbelievable to think how fast time is going by. He is growing like a weed. He is going in for his 4 month well baby check next Saturday, so I will post his stats following the appointment, but I have a feeling he is going to top the charts for his height and weight. He has been such a blessing in our lives. People were right when they said that we would love him more than words can say. I had to start back at work in the beginning of January, and boy, that was tough. I never thought I would want to be a stay at home mom. I love my job, and I though for sure I would want to go back to work, but after having Nathan all I want is to be home with him. This made it all that much harder to leave him at daycare. The first week was really rough. I fought back tears all the way to drop him off and then all the way to work the first day. It was so much harder than I though it would be. It has definitely gotten easier with time. I think I am finally adjusting to working part time. I'm just thankful I only have to work three days a week. Besides being exhausted, I think my schedule is a nice balance between work-life and home-life. It seems like Nathan is really enjoying daycare which helps a lot. He loves to watch the older kids play, and the older kids love having him around. They are very interested in the "babies" and love to talk and play with Nathan.

Jan. 3 - 3 months old

My mom has a picture of all of us kids standing like this at 3 months, so we had to get one of Nathan.

Nathan is getting to be so much fun. His little personality is really starting to show. He is quite an active little guy, but he loves to be held. He can be super cuddly, but also loves to do his morning exercises on his little play mat. He has definitely found his hands and has started to deliberately grab at his toys. He has been smiling in response to us for awhile now. It is so much fun to make him smile and giggle. It's the cutest thing! Last Wednesday he reached a big milestone and rolled over for the first time. It was so exciting. The first time he rolled over he was home with Dad, but when I got home he did it right away for me too. He rolled from his back to his front. The first couple times, he kept getting his arm stuck underneath him, but a few days later, he figured out how to get it out from underneath him. He catches on pretty quick.

Our happy little guy

Playing on his mat

So happy in his Jumperoo

Nathan's First Babysitter

2010-01-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

I couldn't skip telling about Nathan's first babysitter. My brother, Ryan, is an amazing uncle and volunteered to babysit Nathan while Steve and I attended the UW/Harborview radiology Christmas party. I, being a new mom, was pretty nervous about leaving him for the first time, but Ryan reassured me that he had everything under control. We ended up having a great time at the party, and we were even able to relax a bit and get out on the dance floor. Ryan text messaged me half way through the party to let me know that everything was going really well. I didn't even have to call which was super nice. We ended up being out for about four hours which I would call a very successful first night out!

All dressed up for our first night out

Ryan and Nathan

Happy Holidays!

2010-01-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

(Grandma P. brought the adorable Santa suite for Nathan all the way from Oklahoma)

Wow! I'm not sure where to start. Our holidays were great, but super busy. Needless to say, I was worn out by the time they were all over. It all started Dec. 17th with the arrival of Steve's sister, Diane, and her husband, Stephen. It had been a whole year since we last saw them, so it was really nice to be able to spend time with them. Friday evening, Steve's younger brother, Craig, got into town. The following morning, we all headed up to Steven's pass to meet up with Steve's parents and his older brother, Jeff. We stayed in a cute little cabin for two nights. The weather didn't cooperate very well for skiing, but we still had a good time sitting in the hot tub, playing games, and watching movies. We also got to enjoy some good home cooked meals thanks to Steve's mom. Craig and Steve decided to go skiing on Monday and ended up having a great time. The rest of us all headed back to Seattle.

Diane and Nathan

Playing Dominoes

Grandma P. and Nathan

Tuesday night we all went to the UW vs. Texas A&M basketball game. Most of us were cheering for the Aggies for Craig's sake, but Steve was excited when UW won the game. Even though the Aggies lost, I think everyone still had a good time. Nathan, on the other hand, did not have such a great night. He was fine until everyone started cheering. It was just a bit too loud for him, and he let us all know. I felt really bad, because I think he was really scared. So, we all took turns walking him around the arena just far enough away from the noise that he was happy, but we could still keep an eye on the game.

Uncle Craig and Nathan at B-ball game

On Wednesday, the boys all wanted to go rock climbing, so we found a rock climbing gym in the area and headed there for the day. Mom P. and I took Nathan on a walk in a nearby park while everyone else went climbing. It felt so good to get outside and enjoy some fresh air while it wasn't raining.

Steve's family headed to Leavenworth on Christmas Eve, and Steve, Nathan, and I went over to Poulsbo to spend Christmas with my family. Mom and I got to spend some time with Rachel and Kathe during the day, then the whole family went over to my aunt and uncle's new house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's whole side of the family.

Kathe, Rachel, Me, Mom, and Nathan

Christmas was a nice, relaxing day. In the morning, Mom made us a great breakfast and we all had fun opening gifts. Steve and I got a Wii from my brothers, so that was a great source of entertainment for a few hours in the afternoon. Mom made us a fabulous Christmas dinner, then Steve, Nathan, and I headed back to Seattle that night.

Nathan inspecting his first Christmas gift from his parents

We got up early Saturday morning to make the drive over to Leavenworth to meet up with Steve's family again. The cabin they were staying in was great. It was very spacious and nice. We brought our Wii with us, so we could all play. It's amazing how many hours of fun you can have playing those games. That evening we all went on a sleigh ride. It was a neat experience having never been on a sleigh ride before. It was a chilly night, but we had Nathan all bundled up to keep him nice and toasty warm. After the sleigh ride, we had a great dinner there at the lodge. On Sunday, we all had to say goodbye to Steve's parents and Jeff. The rest of us went back to Seattle, where Craig caught a plane back to Texas. Stephen and Diane were able to enjoy one last dinner with us, then they flew out to Connecticut the next morning. We were sad to see everyone go, but I definitely needed some rest after such a busy time. Being a new mom certainly can be exhausting! I was so thankful that Nathan had such a great first Christmas. We got to be with so many people that we love, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Playing football out in the snow

Nathan bundled up for his first sleigh ride

Dinner with the family

Some more random pics...

2009-12-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

It's getting easier to catch his adorable smiles!

I just love his long eyelashes. I was trying to catch them in this picture.

We were waiting in line at the ferry to go over to visit my parents, so Nathan thought he would practice driving already!

Ashley's B-Day Party

2009-12-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 7th, we went to Ashley's 2nd birthday party at Red Robin. It was really fun to see Ashley interact with Nathan. She was very interested in him and so gentle with him. She is going to be a fantastic big sister to her little brother when he arrives in late January. We had a great time hanging out with the Timms and Salibas. Ashley kept us all very entertained. She is a very neat little girl and constantly has to make sure her area is clean. Hani kept playing with her and dripping ice cream all over the table, and she would make sure to clean it up with her napkin right away. It was actually pretty funny to watch, she's such a little girly girl. She's so adorable!

One Month Old

2009-12-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on Nov. 3rd, one month after Nathan was born. It definitely seems like he is starting to smile more. Whether it's a real smile or not, I'm not sure, but I like to think it is! It just makes me feel so good to see that little smile. It's amazing to see how fast he is growing. At his two week check he was already 8 lbs. 12.5 oz (53%) and 22 inches (91%) long. It's incredible to watch him change so much and so quickly. We're trying to enjoy every minute and every stage with him.

Nathan's Baptism

2009-11-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

Nathan was baptized on November 1st at Christ the King Lutheran Church. It made it extra special to me that he was baptized by Pastor Lambert who baptized me when I was 9 years old. He also married Steve and I back in 2002, so I felt blessed that he was able to baptize our son. Rachel stood up as Nathan's sponsor for which I am extremely thankful. I know she will do all she can to help us raise our son in God's Word and be a shining example of God's love in his life. I can't thank her enough for all her support.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Us with Rachel's parents, Doug and Kathe

A few of our good friends came over from Seattle to be there too. It meant a lot to me that they were there for Nathan's baptism. We are so thankful to have so many great friends and family who love and support us and now are there for Nathan too.

Hani, Steve, Me, Danielle, and Nathan

Steve, Me, and Lisa with Nathan

The Girls with Nathan

My parents threw a little party for Nathan up at their house after his baptism. My grandparents, aunts and uncles, and a few of my cousins all came up to the house to see Nathan and celebrate. We had a fabulous meal, thanks to my mom, and some delicious cake. It was a fun day!

A Visit from Aunt Rachel

2009-11-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

My best friend, Rachel, flew in from Nebraska where she was doing her student teaching to be there for Nathan's baptism. She came over on Friday and spent the whole day with me and Nathan. We had such a relaxing day at home. It was the first time Rachel met Nathan, so she spent most of the day cuddling the little guy. I think they both really enjoyed it! It was great to catch up with Rachel and all she has been up to with her student teaching.

Random Pictures

2009-11-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

Nathan in his adorable frog hat that Jen made him.

I love this little bear coat!

Nathan hanging out in his swing

I thought this was so adorable. Steve was vacuuming with Nathan in hand. It put Nathan right to sleep!

A Visit from the Grandparents

2009-11-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

Our little Nathan is almost 8 weeks old. I can hardly believe it. Time really does fly by. It's been a great 7 1/2 weeks with our little guy. He sure is a blessing and a lot of work too, of course. In the last 5 weeks, a lot has happened. We had some very special visitors from Oklahoma. It started with a visit from Grandma Powell and great-Grandma (Janet's mom). Then Grandpa Powell joined us for a long weekend. It was so fun to see all of them with Nathan. I think they really enjoyed their time here, and we certainly enjoyed having them. I was really thankful to have Janet here to help. She made us some great dinners and hung out with me and Nathan once Steve went back to work. We truly are blessed with great parents.

I'm sure Dan has a lot of great pictures on his fancy camera, but these were the only 2 that I had on mine. I'll try to post a few more of the visit once I get them from Dan or Janet.

Nathan with Grandma P.

Nathan with great-Grandma Strumpfer

First Week at Home

2009-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

It sure does take a lot of adjustments having a little one in the house. My mom came over for a couple days to help out which was really nice. She made us dinner and cleaned the house. She also hung out with Nathan for a few hours in the morning, so Steve and I could sleep. People were right when they said that we wouldn't get much sleep.

Our first week was made a little more exciting when we found out we needed to go back to the hospital on Friday, so Nathan could go under the bili lights. When we left the hospital on the Sunday after he was born, the pediatrician told us that Nathan's bilirubin was a little high and after a couple more visits to the pediatrician that week, the doctor decided he better go into the hospital overnight to bring his bilirubin levels down. My mom and aunt Debbie were visiting that day, and I was thankful they were there, because they were supportive and assured me that everything was going to be okay. We were stressed out because as new parents you want everything to be perfect, but we realized that in the scheme of things, this was not very critical and we knew Nathan would be just fine. We checked into the hospital on Friday evening and by the next morning his levels had come down enough that we were able to go home around noon on Saturday. After another night of not much sleep, we were happy to go home again, and we were thankful that Nathan was healthy and strong.

Nathan getting his first "tan"

Bringing Home Baby

2009-10-18T20:01:00.001-07:00

Nathan had a lot of visitors in the hospital. It was awesome to have so many people come and see him, and it made the time in the hospital go by fast. We checked out of the hospital on Sunday in the early afternoon. It was so exciting to take our little guy home. We showed him his nursery and settled in for our first night together as a family. I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I might be with bringing home such a huge responsibility. It's crazy to think that Nathan is so dependent on me and Steve to care for his every need, but God somehow prepares us for this great responsibility and gave us the confidence to be comfortable with having a new life to take care of.

My Birth Story

2009-10-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

My day started with going to work in the morning for a few hours. I hadn't slept well the night before and just couldn't seem to get comfortable that morning which had a few people at work convinced that I was going to go into labor soon. I had a Dr.'s appointment at 11:00. At that time I was dilated to 2 cm. I went back to work until lunch, then headed home. I was only home about an hour when I started feeling the contractions. I decided to page Steve to come home early. Even though the contractions weren't very consistent, I still didn't want to be alone. Steve got home around 4:00, and we decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood. It was nice to be out in the fresh air, and they say that walking helps to move things along when you're in labor. My mom decided that it might be better to get on a ferry and head over so she wouldn't risk missing the big event. She got to the house sometime around 7. I was so thankful to have her there, because Steve had come down with a cold and was really not feeling well at all. He ended up going upstairs and getting some rest, and my mom hung out with me, giving me back rubs, taking care of me, and telling me that yes, that is another contraction, you better start timing them. At about midnight, the contractions were coming pretty closes together, sometimes 2-3 minutes apart, so it put us all in a bit of a panic mode, hoping that we could get to the hospital fast. By the time, we got all checked into the hospital, the contractions did slow down a bit, and I was thankful to be there.

My birth experience at Swedish was wonderful. I was so thankful for an awesome L&D nurse and a great OB doctor and staff. I couldn't have asked for anything better. As you probably already read, yes, I did get the epidural and was so relieved to FINALLY get it. It took quite awhile for the anesthesiologist to arrive, so I had to breath through quite a few intense contractions. All I have to say is that epidurals are AMAZING. Not long after receiving the epidural, they checked me and said I was fully dilated and could start pushing at any time. I decided to "labor down" for about an hour. This allowed me to get a little bit of rest before I had to really push. After an hour of active pushing, Nathan made his way into this world. It puts tears in my eyes thinking about the moment that they placed Nathan on my chest. All I could think was how beautiful and perfect he was. What an awesome gift from God! I see Nathan as our little miracle and having him in our lives is an absolute joy. Steve and my mom were a great support to me through the whole process. I'm so thankful that they were both there by my side throughout the entire process. Steve and my mom made all the calls to friends and family to let them know about our little arrival. My dad was Nathan's first visitor. He got there shortly after Nathan was born while we were still in the delivery room.

Proud new Grandma Ollos

Proud new Grandpa Ollos

2009-10-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Joana went into labor around 3pm on Friday, and her contractions did not become consistent until midnight. We called the hospital to let them know we were on our way. We got into the birthing suite around 1am, and Joana started having really hard contractions. Her water broke around 3am, and she got an epidural around 4:30am. Nathan James came into this world at 6:37am. He was 8 pounds 4.8 ounces, and he was 21 inches long. The placenta was not as nasty as I thought.

Belly Shot - 38 Weeks

2009-09-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

I thought that everyone might want to see an updated belly shot. Nathan is definitely getting bigger! An ultrasound two weeks ago estimated him to be 6 lbs. 11 oz. which is right around the 65%tile. I'm guessing he'll be somewhere between 8 and 9 pounds when he arrives. Let's just hope he doesn't decide to make a late appearance. We're counting down the days!

Steve and I went down to Alki today to take advantage of the beautiful weather while it is still here. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to enjoy each other's company before our little one arrives. We walked Alki for awhile and enjoyed eating dinner outside on Duke's balcony, probably one of the last times we'll get to eat outside for awhile before fall arrives.

Nathan's Nursery

2009-09-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

We finally did it! Nathan's room is done, thanks mostly to Steve's mom who painted the room while she was here on her two week visit and to my parents who worked long and hard to stain the dresser, chair rail, and shelves, and to help us get it all put together. I just love how everything turned out. Now all we need is for little Nathan to arrive! We can hardly wait!

Working hard to put the crib together

THE COMPLETED NURSERY:

Work Shower - 34 Weeks - August 19th

2009-09-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone at work threw me a shower over our lunch break. It was a great shower, and I again felt so spoiled. Nathan got so many adorable clothes, blankets, and accessories. Nathan is going to be one well-dressed little guy. I can't wait for him to come! Linda made one of her fabulous cakes. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you to everyone at work for a wonderful shower!

Linda's famous cake

Adorable froggy hat that Jen made for Nathan

Quilt that Judy's mom made

Seattle Shower - 32 Weeks - August 8th

2009-09-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Our friends, the Salibas and Timms, threw us a second shower over in Seattle. It was a couple's shower, and it was really nice to have the guys involved too. We had it at Don Armeni Park down on Alki in Seattle. It was a nice, cool day which was kind of a relief after all the scorching hot weather. We had a great time, and it was really nice to have the whole family there. Steve's dad even flew in for the weekend so he could be at the shower too. Everyone who came to the shower brought Nathan a book, so he has quite the start to his own personal library which is awesome. It was also nice to have Steve there to help me open all the gifts. We felt so spoiled with all the great books and gifts! Thank you to the Salibas and Timms for throwing such a great shower!

Delicious cookies!

Ashley, Emily, Me, and Danielle

The Family - Dad, Patrick, Me, Ryan, and Mom

The Girls - Rachel, Mom, Me, Emily, Danielle, Lisa, and Janet

Mom, Dad, Patrick, Me, Steve, Ryan, Janet, and Dan

A good game of bocce ball

Shower Games

The Timms, Salibas, and Powells

The other great news we found out this day is that the Timms are having a little boy! Nathan is going to have a little friend to play with, and they'll only be about 4 months apart! Congratulations, Timms!!!

Steve's B-Day BBQ

2009-09-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

After the shower, we had a BBQ for Steve's 29th birthday. Our friends came over from Seattle and Mom, Janet, and Paula worked hard to put together a fabulous dinner. They also got a delicious ice cream cake. We had quite the day of celebrations with family and friends. Happy 29th Birthday, Steve!

Steve's new tool box

Poulsbo Shower - 31 Weeks! - August 1st

2009-09-12T18:59:00.001-07:00

My best friend, Rachel, threw me a shower at my parent's house on August 1st. She planned an awesome shower. I can't thank her enough. Steve's mom and her sister, Aunt Paula, came into town earlier in the week to help prepare for the shower. They did an amazing job with everything. They made the cutest little monkey cupcakes and hands and feet cookies and put together a very creative fruit salad. They worked really hard in the 100 degree weather to get everything prepared on time.

Preparing for the shower

Little baby hands and feet cookies

Such a creative fruit salad

Adorable monkey cupcakes

Rachel and I under the "Nathan" banner Rachel made for me. It's now hanging in Nathan's room. It looks adorable! You do such great work, Rachel!

Steve put together an awesome video of all of Nathan's ultrasound pictures to play during the shower.

It was a hot day, but that didn't stop us from having a great party. It meant a lot to me that so many people came to support us. Some of the people that came have know me since I was born, my grade school teacher was there, and a lot of family and friends. Nathan received so many great gifts. He is going to be one well-dressed kiddo. Steve's mom made him a beautiful quilt. It goes perfectly in the nursery. She also made us an awesome diaper bag with a bunch of little accessories like a cute little binkie bag that hooks onto the strap. She always does such amazing work.

Gorgeous blanket made by Aunt Paula

Nathan's quilt made by Janet

Grandma, Mom Ollos, Mom Powell, Me

Playing the "diaper cake" game

Working hard to make diaper cakes - who can make the best one?

A completed diaper cake

My good friends, Danielle and Emily came over from Seattle to go to the shower. The boys brought Ashley over after the shower and stayed for a birthday BBQ for Steve.

Annual Camping Trip

2009-08-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

We had our annual camping trip over the second weekend in July with our great friends, the Salibas and Timms. Hani made reservations a few months in advance up at Deception Pass. It's a popular place to go camping, and now we can see why. It was awesome - good hiking, beautiful scenery, and not too far from Seattle. We had such a great time. It did end up raining on us late Saturday night, but we didn't let that ruin our trip. Danielle introduced us to banana boats which are one of my new favorite things to have while camping. It's basically a smore stuffed inside of a banana. You take a banana, peel one part of it back, put chocolate and marshmallows inside, replace the peel, wrap it in tin foil, and place it on the campfire. Once it is nice and warm, you take it off, crumble Graham crackers on top, and you have a fabulous banana boat. This trip was definitely another camping trip to remember with a lot of good memories. Next year, we will have an even bigger group with the addition of Nathan and the Timm's new baby who is due in January.

Me, Emily, and Danielle on our hike - it sure does get more difficult to make it up the hills when you're 28 weeks pregnant. It was worth it though, the scenery was amazing!

Me and Steve on our hike

Hani and Danielle on our hike

Danielle getting her Ashley time

Hanging out around the campfire

Big News from the Timms

2009-08-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

Near the end of June, our good friends, Emily and Brian, invited us to Carkeek park for a picnic. Ashley had some big news to reveal to us!

This is how Emily and Brian told us that they were pregnant with their second! It took me a minute to process what Ashley's shirt said, but when I realized what they were telling us, I was ecstatic. Congratulations to the Timm family!

Me, Ashley, Emily, and Danielle

More Ultrasound Pictures

2009-08-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

I know I have been horrible about keeping up with the blog. I thought I would try to catch up a bit. I wanted to share a few more ultrasound pictures from along the way. I could never get sick of looking at the little guy. It's still unbelievable that I have a human being growing inside of me, and it is so much fun to see how much he changes and so quickly.

24 Weeks/ Profile

Clip of Nathan at 26 weeks

3-D of Nathan's foot at 26 weeks

3-D images of Nathan at 30 weeks

Detailed Ultrasound at 19 Weeks - May 8th

2009-06-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

I had my detailed fetal survey at 19 weeks. One of my friends at work did my ultrasound for me which was super nice. My parents came over from Poulsbo to watch the ultrasound with Steve and I, then we all went out for dinner afterwards. I think my parents really enjoyed seeing little Nathan. They also got to see what I do every day at work. Nathan wasn't the most cooperative little one, but Jen worked hard and was able to get a great look at everything. I think he might turn out to be a stubborn little guy...we'll see!

Nathan's profile with his chin tucked toward his chest

Nathan's little footprint

I started feeling Nathan kick sometime around 18 weeks. At first I wasn't sure if I was feeling it or not...it just felt like tiny little flutters in my belly. I soon figured out that I was feeling him though, and I was very excited. I think it is one of the neatest things about being pregnant so far. It's so amazing to be able to feel your baby kick inside of you. It's a reassuring feeling and never ceases to amaze me. It is a continuous reminder that I have a little person growing inside of me, and I am so thankful that I am experiencing this miracle of life.

Girl's Weekend in Arizona

2009-06-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

At the end of April, my friend, Danielle, and I went down to Arizona to visit our friends, Michelle and Paul. We hadn't seen Michelle in a long time, so it was so great to catch up with her. We had an awesome weekend. We did a little hike right outside of Mesa and just spent a lot of time hanging out, going out to dinner, shopping, and having some great girl time. We also got to meet Michelle and Paul's little pug, Momo. She is a very entertaining little dog, and I think she really liked Danielle and I.

On our hike in the desert

Out to dinner at a cute little bar

Michelle and Momo

Baby Bump

2009-06-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would try to update the blog a bit. Time is flying by and little Nathan will be here before we know it. Here is a picture of the first signs of my baby bump. It was taken at 17 weeks down at Alki with Seattle in the background. I can't believe how much bigger I am now! I'll try to post an updated picture soon!

It's a BOY!!!

2009-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

On our ultrasound at 11 weeks, it was a little too early to accurately guess on the sex of baby. The ultrasound lab was split on what they thought I was having. I was pretty convinced that I was going to have a boy (mother's intuition?), but I knew I would have to wait a few more weeks to know for sure. We peeked again between 12 and 13 weeks at which point it definitely looked boyish! I was so convinced that I started telling people it was a boy and a few weeks later, we saw that there was no doubt about it....we're having a little boy!!!

In some ways the fact that it is a boy is a major blessing, because Steve and I couldn't come anywhere close agreeing on a girl's name. If we ever have a little girl in the future, it is going to be a challenge to agree on that. For now, we get to be thankful that we agree on the boy's name, so we will be naming our first born son Nathan Powell. Having a name picked out for him makes everything seem a little more real. There are days when I still just can't believe we are going to be parents. I can't wait to see the little face that goes with the name.

1st Official Ultrasound

2009-05-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

We had our first official ultrasound around 11 weeks. My best friend, Rachel, was home for spring break and so I invited her to come with Steve and I to the ultrasound. It was the first real ultrasound she had seen, and I was really excited to have her there with us. I think she really enjoyed it. We had an awesome sonographer scan me, and our little baby was quite the little show off. He gave us some great views and was an active little one for us too.

Only about 47 mm from the top of the head down to the little bottom, but you can already see the tiniest little hand.

I know I see this all day every day, but it is so amazing to see that little heart going inside of me! A heart beat that is visible to us on ultrasound at about 6 weeks gestation, and God-willing, will keep on beating for years and years to come. A sign to us that God, our creator, is an awesome God!

2009-04-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first ultrasound pictures taken of little Baby Powell. It was taken around 8 weeks. It's so great to be able to peek at the little one when I get a chance. It's so amazing to see how fast they grow and how quickly they change. Even after doing ultrasound for over five years, I am still blown away by what a little miracle it is to have a life growing inside of me.

Telling the Grandparents - Part 2

2009-04-28T19:24:00.001-07:00

Steve's parents were flying up from Oklahoma to visit, part for business and part for fun. Seeing that we don't get to see Steve's parents very often, it was perfect timing for them to come up. We wanted to be able to tell them the good news in person and the timing couldn't be better. We were not too far along in the pregnancy, but knew we had to get the news out to them while they were here.

I had an idea in my head of how we would tell them. A friend had used wine charms that said "Grandma" and "Grandpa" on them to tell their parents their good news, and I thought this would be a great idea. We thought it would be a perfect thing to toast, and we know how Steve's parents can enjoy a good bottle of wine or champagne. My mom and I searched long and hard for wine charms with the appropriate descriptions on them and finally made some make-shift wine charms. They turned out really well, so I was excited.

Steve and I went to the airport to pick them up and tried hard not to spoil the news until we got home. Steve went into the kitchen and popped open a bottle of champagne and handed the glasses to his parents. Janet's birthday had recently passed, so Steve started in with his speech on how we wanted to give her a special birthday present this year, but wanted to wait until they were here in person to give her this gift. He continued on with his speech without them really noticing what their wine charms said on them. Finally, we told them they had to read their wine charms and when they did they were so excited. I think that the news of a grandchild for a birthday gift was just perfect. Dan claimed that he suspected that we might have some news for them because of some conversation he had had with Steve on the phone the week before, but I don't know how he guessed...intuition, I suppose. Hugs and congratulations went around the room, and then we went on to have an amazing weekend with the new grandparents-to-be up at Whistler. It was a great weekend to remember!

Telling the Grandparents (part 1)

2009-04-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

We ended up telling my parents first, but Steve's parents didn't have to wait long, because they were planning a trip up to Washington in early February, so we waited to tell them in person.

I had a Sensaria spa party over at my house the last day in January, and my mom was coming over the night before to help me prepare. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the secret from her for long, so we asked my dad to come over on Saturday after the party, so we could tell them together. It took some convincing to get my dad to come, but after some begging, he agreed. I think he might have figured out something was up since we were so desperate for him to come over. By the end of the day, I was very anxious to get the news out, so once everyone had left from the party and my dad arrived, we didn't delay.

A few weeks earlier, before I knew I was pregnant, my mom and I were shopping at Macy's and saw these little digital picture viewers that hung on a key chain. We commented on how that would be a neat thing to have for one day when she did have grandkids, so she could use it as a brag book and carry it with her everywhere she went. When I found out I was pregnant, I raced back to Macy's and bought one. I wrapped it up and gave it to her and Dad. Before she even had a chance to unwrap it, I was crying my eyes out, so she couldn't quite figure out what was going on. When she finally realized what we were trying to tell her, she screamed "Joana, you're pregnant?!!!" and a big "Congratulations" went around the room. Dad had us all figured out from the time I started crying or maybe even before, but they were both beyond excited for us. What a great day!

The Big News

2009-04-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at creating a blog, so bear with me. Steve and I wanted to start a blog page so that all you out-of-towners could be kept up-to-date about our little bundle of joy that is on the way. For those of you who didn't know, yes, Steve and I are expecting our first baby at the end of September (the very end, the 30th to be exact). I was driving home from work one day near the end of January, and I just had a feeling I should go home and take a pregnancy test. I really couldn't imagine that I would truly be pregnant, so I decided not to wait for Steve to come home before taking the test. When those two little pink lines showed up indicating I was pregnant, I really couldn't believe it and ended up taking two more tests before I was really convinced. Of course, then I could NOT wait for Steve to get home and share the exciting news. I really don't think he was expecting anything at all, and I knew he would be quite shocked. When he got home, I told him I had something to show him upstairs. So, I led him upstairs and showed him the pregnancy test that was lying on the counter. Yes, he was completely shocked, but in a great way. We were so excited! I don't even really remember what he said, we just hugged each other for a long time, and of course, I cried.