It's All About The Acoustics

His newest trick is to put anything over his head and screech. He loves the muffled sound of his voice. This also includes putting bowls and cups over his face/mouth which has led to a few messes.

The Stool

The stool is now pushed around the house and used to get new views of things and added leverage for climbing. I know I am going to walk into the kitchen and he is going to be standing on the counter any day.

My brother had a good description of Nate's chompers the other day. Kris picked him up and Nathaniel gave him a big smile, Kris laughed and said, "Looks like a mouthful of Chiclets in there". Pretty apt description if you ask me.

Breakfast With Great Grammy Jean

Gram came and spent the weekend with us which was a lot of fun. Nathaniel loves her to death and I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual. He spent a good portion of his time feeding Gram bits and pieces of his breakfast - she was a good sport and actually ate some of it. He was surprised because he usually only gets fake nibbles from Iain and I. I don't know, there is just something unappealing about slimy drooled upon food from a grubby little fist.

Check Out The Pearly Whites

It seems like the week he turned one, he decided to leave babyhood behind and turn into a little boy. I think teeth make a big difference. His two front bottom ones came in around May and then there were no signs of any for months. Iain and I were afraid he was dentally retarded. In the last month or so he has 3 new teeth with a few more making their way - what a relief!! Ha ha! I do miss that gummy little smile!

The FREX

The FREX is a huge rip-off. You could easily drop $100 if you brought two kids to it. We went and Nathaniel went on all of 3 rides so I figure it costs us about $20 a ride. Steal of a deal.

Little heads up - we went to the Gagetown Fair this weekend and it is way better and way cheaper, so hold out two weeks and enjoy the pretty village rather than the greasy FREX. Even the carnies seemed cleaner.

Shit Streak

Nathaniel has decided that the most relaxing place to have a dump is not in the cosy confines of his diaper but rather in the bath tub. The fact that he has pulled off this little "trick" three times in the last week or so is getting a little tiresome. The silver lining is that my tub has never been scrubbed so many times in such a short period.

This picture of him standing on the window sill is where he ended up as I was scrubbing the pieces of plop off his change table as Iain was picking them off the floor. He likes to do this in the living room also as he kept a close eye on the men delivering our wood yesterday. Just in case you are wondering, I am about 1cm out of the frame of this shot.

Nathaniel is a royal pain in the ass. Whatever you don't want him to do, he will do approximately 28 times in a row while he screams defiantly at you as you contemplate the pros and cons of spanking. Case in point is this picture-he is expressly forbidden to touch the dog bowls since they are gross and I rarely wash them plus he has the lovely habit of drinking out of their water dish. The bowls spend a great deal of time on the counter but the dogs do have to drink and eat, too.

I went to get a Kleenex and this is what I came back to - Nate having a relaxing little sit down in a dog bowl. Doesn't he look terrified of me?

Yesterday we celebrated Iain's 34th and Nathaniel's 1st birthday. We had a great crowd of family and friends to celebrate with and we would like to thank everyone for coming. Nathaniel has been enjoying his new batch of wonderful toys all day long and his RESP is off to a healthy start. Thanks everyone!!

We are still in shock that Nate is a year old-the next thing we know he will be in school. We just love him to death and can't believe that we waited this long to have him, so if you don't have one of your own yet, hurry up and make one or get one. There truly is nothing better than being a parent (there is your dose of sentimentality for the day).

Sleepy

We stole an Elhadi tradition of taking a picture with a sign the morning of the big day. I think it is a great idea.

We managed to snap this picture at about 6:30AM without the little dingo waking up. Babies look so peaceful when they are sleeping-how deceiving!

Little Helper

Nothing like licking a beater first thing in the morning as we baked the birthday cake.

The Cakes

Nate was a bit fussy prior to the arrival of the cake but seemed quite intrigued by the candles. I made him his own little cake for him to chow into which he quite enjoyed.

The Chocolate Beard

Enjoying The Great Gifts

We were glad to see that Nate enjoyed his new birthday gifts since he spent the first 10 minutes playing with a piece of string while Karson "helped" him open his presents.

There is nothing classier than jeans without a shirt.

Freaker

It was rainy and muggy today in Fredericton so we decided to head down to St. Andrews to go to the aquarium which is a nice indoor activity. When we got there, it was overcast with a great cool breeze and it never rained a drop! This little freak of ours would not stay out of the water. He sat in it for about half an hour and it is absolutely freezing-I could hardly stand to walk through it to get him. The water generally hovers just a few degrees above zero but Mom said I was the same way when I was a kid.

Tasty Saltwater

What do you mean you aren't supposed to drink saltwater?

Nathaniel is on a huge drinking water from inappropriate places kick. His favourite haunts this week have been the dog bowl, the bath tub, the ocean and the touch tank at the aquarium. We are so proud.

I checked out the clip of Finn in the tub today, attempting to drink the water also. As soon as Nate heard Finn laughing he came rushing over and everytime Finn laughed, he giggled along with him. It was hilarious-both the movie and watching his reaction. You are too cute, Finn!

Mom And Nate

Explorations Along The Shore

Nathaniel quite enjoyed scuttling over the rocks and showing us every rock on the beach. This was his first expedition to the ocean and he loved it (just like his Mom)! I have a severe crush on the ocean. We spent many summers by the ocean growing up, we got engaged at Peggy's Cove and married in St. Andrews so I have many special memories involving the tang of salt water. Nothing compares to it and I can't imagine living more than a couple of hours away from it.