More Activity Mat Fun

I told you that Nathan was super excited about the mat!  Here Zach is again, moving all around (making blurry pictures).

Did you hear Nathan -- "Hey, Buddy!"

Last Day at Home

It's hard to believe that Nathan had 5 weeks off from daycare and the last one was Friday the 28th!

A big surprise that Nathan received today was a gift from Bentley! We had accidentally left his swimmies in Michigan and so they sent them back with a cool gift.  Nathan got a Paw Patrol board game!

Then, because we had to do something fun on the last day, we got the pool out and swam!

Well, Zach took a nap...

Activity Mat

Nathan was super excited to share the activity mat with Zach.  Doesn't Zach look excited?!

 [For days after, Nathan would ask and ask for the mat because Zach wanted it!]

 

Whew!  Relaxing with Daddy

Swinging

Nathan would never swing, but Zach likes it fairly well.  In fact, he will nap in it on occasion. 

 "I'm going to get that star!"

Nathan's Photo Shoot

Nathan's a pretty good shot with the camera and he decided to snap some of Daddy and Zach.

 [Zach's still wearing newborn clothes! He's 7 weeks old!]

Here's Momma's picture of her boys! :)

Rock-N-Play

This poor little guy has been challenging to get to sleep.  We had the wonderful bassinet that our friends had given us for Nathan, but this little peanut was not doing well with sleeping in it.  After several recommendations, we figured that if there was any hope of adjusting to work and having a baby, we needed to get a Rock-N-Play.  

We have used it for a couple weeks now and can wholeheartedly endorse it.  We have gotten more sleep and so has Zach.  Another cute thing that he does -- the paci dangling from his mouth!  It means that he's in deep sleep.

Happy We're Home!

The boys were so happy to be home!

Can you tell?!

Zach's personality is coming out! :)

Quick Visit with Papa-Nana

We returned from Michigan to have Papa and Nana come for a visit. It was great to see them since it had been almost two months since they had been here when Zach was born.

Nathan LOVES puzzles and had to show Nana the couple ones that he had gotten in Michigan.  He is quite the puzzle maker and enjoys the challenge (especially if there's someone there to help.  Nana loves puzzles too so this was a great match.

It'll be interesting as we'll be back on our own after a great visit in Michigan and a weekend with Papa-Nana.  Can we do it?!

Hanging Out in Michigan

Little Peanut -- as he's been aptly named -- got to see a bunch of family and hang out with cousins, aunts, uncles, and many others.  Although this wasn't a normal vacation, we did visit some and do a few fun activities.  It is quite a bit more challenging with a tiny baby and I can't say that I got any more rest than if I would have been at home, but we did get to make some memories and be back in the land we love.  In fact, I think I would discourage someone to take such a long trip with a 6 week old unless they were willing to travel for twice as long as if they didn't have an infant.  Whew!  It was challenging.

I also have to say that I did a terrible job taking pictures and recording our time here.  I didn't get a picture with many of the family members.  Bentley (the dog!) showed up more than anyone else. Oh well.  People don't want to see pictures of themselves anyway, right?!

First Bottle

Zach was finally getting big enough that we thought it would be good to try a bottle. He's been so tiny and slow to gain, that I didn't want to confuse him by bringing in something else.

But, he was a champ!  Jessica worked with him and he did just great! :)

Hurray!  Hopefully this means that he'll transition easily to daycare!

Petting Zoo Fun!

There was a horse farm nearby and we thought that we'd stop by and check it out, but the opportunity never presented itself (i.e., Zach always was ready to eat when we were close by!).  At first, Nathan was very leery of getting up close to the animals, but by the end, he touched the horses and goats.

This was "Nathan's goat" according to him!  

It's funny how he picks things out and wants you to also choose one as yours.

Look at all those chickens!

Also, back in that barn to the right (in the foreground), there were draft horses.  They were huge!  One of them stuck his head out and looked at us, but we were glad that they didn't come close!

Chuck E. Cheese

The weather was a little unpredictable so we decided to take time out and go to Chuck E. Cheese!  With the things that Nathan could do, he had a blast.  Of course he was attracted to the game that you sprayed water, but he was also brave and did a few things that we didn't expect him to.

Zach even got in on the fun!

Hanging Around Brighton

For a fun little activity, yesterday we decided to head to Brighton and check out the pond where there was also a playground.  Too bad we didn't bring anything to feed the ducks, but they were a little aggressive and Barry had to shoo them off when they were getting too close to Nathan.

"Daddy, they're fighting!"

"Go away, ducks!"

Fun in Michigan

We were so excited to go to a place with a pool.  Unfortunately, it was not the warmest week that we were there and the boys didn't get to do as much swimming as they wanted.

 Nathan was getting more and more brave with Bentley... 

Nathan & Bentley

Nathan was super glad to get back to the doggy!  He had developed a relationship with Bentley when they were at our house for the week and it just got better.  He played with Bentley's toys, helped feed him, and get him out of his kennel when we'd get back from being out.  It was super funny to see Nathan throw the ball and then race Bentley to get to it first.  Silly boy!

On Vacation

We headed out on Saturday on a grand adventure!  We had planned for months and months to head to Michigan in August so that we could meet up with Barry's mom who would be coming to Michigan for the summer.  Well, her heath has declined and the feasibility of her traveling diminished.  We still thought it would be good to head up as there are extended family members that haven't yet met Nathan.  As it got closer to the time to go, though, we realized adding additional travel time to an already long trip wasn't a good idea.  So, we ended up settling with being happy to get to Barry's brother's house and see what the week would hold.  On our way up the 8 hour trip took 11 hours!  We were definitely super glad to get out of the car and be at our destination.

Finishing the Week with Adorableness

We're traveling today, but that doesn't mean you can't get some adorableness!

Isn't this the cutest?!!!

Packing Up

We were working in Momma & Daddy's room to get things packed up and couldn't resist snapping a picture of the boys!

We're leaving early Saturday morning to head to Michigan for a much needed vacation.  Hopefully we can get all the baby stuff packed in with little trouble!

Walking

Nathan, Zach, and I have been trying to take a daily walk in the morning before it gets too warm.  I have been using the Moby wrap with Zach, but since I was wearing black decided to wear the Baby Bjorn.

Here are Nathan and I when Nathan was about the same age (3/14/12).  There was a warm spell that March and several days we wished for the air conditioning units to be in the windows!

Sleeping Handsome

 Awwww! Isn't he so handsome?!

I forgot to give the 1 month stats on Monday, but am proud to report that this little guy is at 8 pounds!!! I was super excited to know he finally surpassed his birth weight and is slowly growing.  The doctor said that as long as he stays withing the 5th percentile (or better!) that he had no problem with his slower progress. This month he only got one shot, but next month he'll get three.

Those Legs

Ever since he was born, as Zach nurses, he flexes his legs.  It's pretty funny to see them sticking out straight.  What a silly boy!