What's Up With Nico?

It has been longer than usual between blogging. Life has just kept Nico and Mommy busy, starting with Mommy having to start back to work two weeks ago. The positive thing is that I am only working part time and Nico does not have to go to daycare anymore. Luckily, Nico is spending two days with Ms. Rebecca and his friend Matthew and half a day with Daddy!

Updates on Nico...well, our little man has five teeth now! His Nico kisses, which are actually nose bites, now hurt, but are still as sweet as ever. Our soon to be 9 month old is as big as a one year old, which is so amazing to me! He is weighing in at almost 22 lbs and is as strong as an ox. Nico is working at pulling himself up and can stand on his own for up to five minutes or so without any help from Mommy or Daddy. As you can see from the video posted on the last blog, Nico has become quite an expert in his walker. He loves following Mommy around the house and you have to watch out, because the little driver will run right over your feet! Nico is such a talker now too. He says da-da, ba, ya and ma..all great sounds for the start of his language development. Nico's clapping has come along as well. He now claps with his hands open and does so whenever he gets excited about something.

Our little man is growing up so fast. It hard to believe that I have to start thinking about his first birthday already.

Here are some recent pictures. Enjoy!

Nico stayed with his auntie Lisa and was able to play with Dawson some.

Nico with his big brother who was gone for two months this summer!

Introducing....Dr. Dad!

Daddy is now officially Dr. Ed! This past weekend we flew up to Minneapolis, MN to watch Daddy walk across the stage and obtain the diploma he has worked so hard to earn, and to celebrate such a wonderful achievement. Friday was filled with various activities for the graduates and their families, including the hooding ceremony and the President's reception. It was Saturday morning which Nico and I were able to watch with pride as Daddy became Dr. Daddy. After watching Ed journey down what seemed at the time, an almost impossible path, I couldn't have been any prouder of him than I was at that very moment when his name was called to walk across that stage. I hope that someday when Nico looks back on the pictures of this trip he will appreciate what his father accomplished, be glad he was there to witness the ceremony, and have an understanding of how important education is to one's future.

Staying in downtown Minneapolis we did lots of walking and were able to enjoy the cooler weather and city sights. Although, the twin cities which was going through a drought, actually got some rain, we stayed dry by being able to travel through the city skywalks. In addition, to all of the graduation activities, we were also able to take a trip to Mall of America, which was not quite as impressive as we thought it would be.

Capella University will always hold a dear place in both mine and Ed's hearts. It is through Capella that we met, later married and now have our incredible little boy. While in Minneapolis we had the chance to take a tour of Capella University, and since neither of us had ever been to our alum school, we jumped on this chance.

The hooding ceremony.

Mommy and Daddy just returning from the President's reception.

The graduation ceremony is about to begin!

And a long ceremony it was...at least for Nico.

Daddy is now Dr. Dad!

Mommy and Daddy in front of the Capella seal.

8 Months!

Yes, that's right, Nico is 8 months old today! Amazing! He is growing up so fast already. Although, he is still not crawling yet, Nico is starting to pull himself up, and can even stand on his own feet for a little bit. Nico has developed a sense of separation anxiety and HAS to be with his Mommy at all times...or else there is lots of crying. The little man has also developed a sense of humor! He finds quite a few things, like Daddy, funny, and just laughs and laughs.

Here are some pictures of Nico being 8 months old!