Happy Birthday Grandma Wanda!

Wishing Grandma Wanda a Happy Birthday - and we can't wait to celebrate with her in person!









Let's just say Nathan was in full gear while we were trying to get the "perfect" photo last night.....I think you need them all to be a true and "perfect" reflection of Nathan though!

Jason & Susan's 33rd Birthday

We had a pretty low-key birthday - considering we are gearing up for Nathan's 1st birthday 6 days after ours as well as the Holberts arrival on the 30th. Saturday Michael, Rebecca, Jason, Nathan and myself drove up to Fort Collins, CO. We toured the Budweiser Brewery and saw the Clydesdales. We then had lunch in Old Towne at Beau Jo's Pizza and ice cream at Walrus Ice Cream. Sunday we just stayed around the house and opened gifts from one another and that had been mailed to us. You will see me in an outfit my MIL sent me. I love her for thinking at 33 years old I can still pull this outfit off! :) We have a busy week ahead of us getting ready for our guests and all the birthday activities - in addition to our weekly activities. Thank you all for the birthday wishes and goodies and have a great week! Little more of Nathan walking on video.

11 1/2 months & WALKING

Boy were we surprised last night (around 5:30pm) when Jason told Nathan to "walk to Mommy" and he did! Nathan has been "cruising" for weeks and in the last week or so holds on to your hand and walks all over. He's also been really good at standing on his own for a while now. But when we would try to have him walk to one of us he thought it was a game and go ram rod straight and fall until we caught him - and laugh! No attempt at walking......not even the propelled/running walk where he falls into us. So last night I told him that I remembered his cousin Dylan walked on his 1st birthday so he needed to start trying if he wanted to walk by 1. A half hour later he just walks! So he would stand alone, walk 5-8 steps to me (or Jason) and stop - still balanced. Then we would grab him and celebrate and he would bounce and we'd do it all over again. It took him doing this about 4 times before it dawned on us to get out the video camera - then he did it about 5-6 times before we had to get ready for home group. Unfortunately I post videos from my camera and not my video camera. So last night right before I changed him and put him to bed I was trying to get some video to post by myself.....it's not as great as what he was doing earlier - but it's all I could get. Will try for more tonight when Jason can help. At daycare, Nathan is the last in his room to turn 1. There are 10 other kids in there and they are all waiting to walk to be moved up. Two others started walking (finally) yesterday - that turned 1 in January/February. So since he has met this developmental milestone ahead of others older than him - he may get to move up before them. YEAH NATHAN! Video of him standing and walking and eating a Popcicle- pictures of him with his first Popsicle Monday night. Oh - in addition to Da-Da, Ba-Ba-Ba, and Ma-Ma and an assortment of other sounds from out little chatterbox- he is now saying things that sound like "no" and "hey". As in "Hey Da-Da!" and when you ask him a question he can respond with "no".

2 weeks until 1 year old!

Nathan is now less than two weeks shy of his first birthday. We don't know where the time has gone. This weekend we started getting ready for his birthday and party. Can't wait!
He is pictured with a monkey that Auntie M gave him for Easter - talk about having a monkey on your back! He is also in a Clemson jersey from his Grandma Wanda - Daddy loved it!
Not much more to report. Can still feel the bottom tooth, but it has yet to break through.

Nathan's First Hair Cut

On Wednesday, April 15, 2009, Nathan got his first haircut. We were going to do it earlier but refer to posting about Easter weekend. Our first thoughts were to wait until he was 1 to get his haircut - but soon realized that our child who was born with a head full of hair had too much hair to wait that long. His hair covered his ears on the sides and went to his nose in the front(see before photos)! We had to go with the comb over do all the time. So I got a recommendation of a place from a friend and made an appointment days in advance. The place had all the makings to be a great place to get your kids' hair cuts. They had a play area, video game stations, the little ones could pick a taxi or firetruck to sit in. They had TVs at all the stations.....my husband may go back! Unfortunately, they failed miserable at being a nice place. The play area was dirty, the place had sun coming in to where you needed sunglasses, it was hot, the floors (everywhere) were filthy, they took us 30 minutes AFTER our scheduled appointment and I had to ask her to wipe Nathan's seat out twice. I was also told we would get a frame to put a lock of his hair and a picture of his first haircut- we did not. We were able to capture most of his hair but the lady kept forgetting and throwing in on the filthy floor with the rest of the hair. Jason and I were not impressed and almost left. They also took a walk-in ahead of us and one worker even tried to get us taken next because we had an appointment - but the other worker just took the walk-in instead. So when the lady cutting Nathan's hair said. "thank you for being so patient" - I said "We're not". She GOT it. Oh - Nathan also got hungry and tired and started to cry while we waited. Finally time for the haircut. Everything was going along just fine. He was doing great, we were getting his hair trimmed and then....he hits his head on the steering wheel - and cried and wanted me. So we finished the haircut with Nathan in my lap. They actually asked if we wanted to fill out and "incident report" because Nathan had this big red goose egg on his head! We declined. So his hair cut looked great - he then screamed for 30 minutes until he got to nurse and go to bed. He was worn out. So what should have been this nice, fun experience.......not so much, but at least it is done. Hope you can enjoy laughing at our trials - we did later.... Enjoy the photos and video.



The other news is that we have teeth buds! You can now see the presence of teeth and feel one of the bottoms ones about to pop through!

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter arrived at the DuBose house very quietly.

First of all - it is times like this that make me really sad that we are so far from family. Nathan will miss out on midnight egg dying and eggs hunts with other kids and family. Since it was just the three of us we opted not to dye eggs this first year since Nathan is still young and what would we do with them? We also do not have the close friends here that we had back in SC that would invite us to spend holidays with thier families, so as usual it was just the three of us - so we planned for a very low-key and quiet holiday - which is exactly what we got.

Secondly - Nathan came home Wednesday with the stomach flu. He started vomiting and it turned to diahhrea. Vomiting was gone the next day, but the diahhrea is still here and the doctor said it could last a week or two! Thursday and Friday I was home with him. Friday at 6am I offically had it too. Friday evening Jason had it. Saturday I was better and by Sunday we were all feeling much better. We missed Maundy Thursday but Nathan and I attempted church Saturday night - didn't go so well. I returned home defeated and Nathan in borrowed clothing. (He was also called a girl 3 times, even though he was in blue.....because "he's so pretty!")

Sunday the Easter Bunny had left a basket for Nathan and hid Easter eggs around the den. We had been practicing with the plastic eggs for a week so he did a pretty good job putting them in his basket - and then dumping them all out! He had his first taste of chocolate and probably didn't enjoy it as much as he would have healthy. He LOVED playing with the bubbles and pulling all the grass out of the basket.....we are still finding it. Jason was vaccumming at 8pm last night trying to get it all up!

Monday we are all back to work and school and hoping for a very boring, uneventful, predicable week!

Hope you all had a better Easter than we did.

March - April updates

Me-Ma & Pa-Pa left on Wednesday, March 25th. It was sad to see them leave and Nathan certainly felt the loss of arms to hold him.

The very next week he turned 11 months old - we don't know where the time has gone. We still remember when I was pregnant - and delivery - the three of us staying in the hospital - bringing him home alone and not knowing what to do with him! Now we are pros at the 0-12 month phase! Can't wait to see what's in store the next year.

So the birthday plans are in full swing. You will either be getting a party invite or a birthday announcement. The party will be small and low-key since he's only 1! Grandma Wanda and Pappa Jim will be flying in and we will be celebrating Friday at his daycare and Saturday at the house. We keep forgetting that our birthday is 6 days before that - all focus is now on Nathan - if Jason and I thought it was bad sharing a birthday - it was nothing to being upstaged by Nathan! :)

Nathan's 11 month photos (4/2/09)