Months 8, 9, and 10

Well, someone really fell of the blogging bandwagon, didn’t she?  Here’s my attempt to get back on:

The past three months are a blur in my mind.  When Nathan turned 8 months old on November 19, we were smack dab in the middle of a crazy little thing called moving.  We’d technically already moved, as T started his new job mid-October just after Pop’s funeral.  But we were back and forth between Roanoke and Richmond every weekend so we could: 1) keep our legal residence in the house where we completed our homestudy until Nathan’s adoption was finalized for good (it’s not quite done yet, but almost!), 2) get the house ready to go on the market, and 3)finish teaching the first semester of our (okay, my) homeschool co-op classes.  It was tough, but we made it.  Nathan was a real trooper through it all.  He enjoyed the variety of having two homes, got really good at sitting all by himself in both of them, added a tooth or two, and developed a voracious appetite for all things solid food, with a bottle (or 4) on the side.

I didn’t get official 9 month photos, but this one is from right around December 19.  After a long, late fall, winter finally hit Virginia…but Nathan was ready.  🙂  We were still traveling every weekend, including over the holidays–once to Tim’s parents and once to mine.  Nathan loved spending time both places, and he had a few rough days of grandparent withdrawal in early January!  On January 7 we finished up everything keeping us in Richmond, got our house on the market, and made the transition to Roanoke permanent.  While we were sad to say our goodbyes, we were also relieved to settle into one place for awhile!  Thanks to a new friend from the church we’re visiting here, we found a great doctor for Nathan and he had a successful 9 month check-up.  According to the stats, he’s tall and healthy–86% height, 65% weight.  Right around Christmas, we upgraded him to a roomier car seat, which helped him enjoy our travels more comfortably!  We went with a Cosco Scenera (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-5-Point-Convertible-Car-Seat-Black-Santee/13004563), which was both cheap and highly rated on consumer reports.  We’re happy with it!

Then this past Saturday, our doodlebug turned 10 months old!  What a delight he has been to us these months.  A year ago, we didn’t yet know this little man existed, let alone what God had in store for us through him!  Nathan celebrated his 10th month with 5 teeth (2 on top, 3 on bottom), lots of “mama’s” and “dada’s”, cheesy grins, snorts and snuffs,  and tons of exploratory rolling/scooting adventures.  Just today he is up on hands-and-feet trying his best to crab walk, with moderate success.  He needs lots of refueling, and even though he likes almost everything he’s tried, I floundered for quite a while before I settled into a good meal routine for him.  He eats 3 solid meals a day at the same time we are eating our meals: oatmeal (I grind old-fashioned oats in a coffee grinder before cooking them up) mixed with fruit (bananas, peaches, pears, applesauce, cantaloupe, blueberries) and some cheerios for breakfast, cooked rice and beans with a vegetable (greenbeans, carrots, peas, cabbage, broccoli, sweet potato) and some crackers for lunch, and a bit of whatever we’re having (or other leftovers) with yogurt for supper (I make my own yogurt in my crockpot, and it seems to hold him through the night better than anything else we’ve tried).  He still takes a full 8 oz bottle of Target brand formula between each meal and before bed.  He usually goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps well until 6:30 or 7am (of course, last night he was up twice thanks to a creaky floor and a dirty diaper, so there are definitely exceptions!).  He takes a morning and an afternoon nap, usually for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  He likes to sleep with a pacifier and a soft fleece Pooh blanket.  He’s still in his pack’n’play, as most of our furniture is in storage until we can find a house.  He is thriving on the routine we’ve finally been able to establish since being here full time!  Since he doesn’t have the “variety” of two houses anymore, we rotate his toys between two boxes.  He gets to play with one box for a week, then it goes into the closet and the other comes out.  He seems to really like having something “new” to play with every week, especially the things he recognizes as his “long-lost favorites”!  We also have a few toys that stay in the car for trips (short or long!).  He listens to alot of music (some classical, some children’s bible verse songs) and loves it.  He obviously recognizes a handful of songs we sing to him every day.  He is fascinated with the stereo remote but does a pretty good job of obeying the “no touch” rule we’ve placed on the stereo.  He also loves to watch the ceiling fan.  His favorite toys include table spoons and Tim’s car keys, a stuffed tigger and a stuffed black bear, and anything that makes noise (electronic-y, crinkly, clangy, or rattly).  He does lots of banging with his palms, hammers regularly with all his toys, and loves to feel different textures (carpet vs vinyl, etc).  He’s starting to do quite a bit of imitation–sounds or motions or facial expressions.  He loves for Tim and I to hold him and chase each other around a room.  He has a delightful belly laugh, and we hear it often in a day.  He’s also started to throw temper tantrums when he doesn’t get exactly what he wants when he wants it.  He’s a pretty stubborn little dude!  He already shows a preference for cars (toys and real-live ones) just like his daddy when he was little.  Tim is just itching to introduce him to Legos, but I’m afraid it’ll be awhile!  Nathan’s not big on putting things in his mouth, but still.  We’ve had a few snows, some bigger than others, and Nathan finds the whole thing fascinating–from the skyfall to the white ground.  We’ve been able to take him out for lots of walks and a few hikes in the past few weeks, which he loves.  He sure is cute when we bundle him up to the hilt!

Well, I know I’ve left out alot about the past few months, but at least this gives you a little glimpse into our lives and will help jog memories for us someday.  We thank God daily for giving us Nathan, and we pray for Him to work in N’s heart.  Parenting is a huge job, and we’ve only just begun.  Thankfully, God works even through our mistakes!