Nico Withdrawls

Today Nico and Mommy ventured into the church nursery, this time with the purpose of Nico staying in there during the service. This was scary, more so for Mommy than Nico, but we both survived! The last couple of weeks during the church service, Nico has been making his presence known. His cute cooing and eating noises are not so cute during a sermon about parenting when both Ed and I know Nico could easily be in the nursery instead of sitting with us. Thankfully, we are friends with many of the nursery workers, and I knew Nico was in good hands. Of course, that did not stop me from sending Amber to the back to check on Nico half way through the service. The report was that Nico did very well, so hopefully this small step will prepare both Nico and Mommy for when Mommy has to go back to work and Nico starts day care.


Other things that have been happening..Gigi came into town for a few days while Daddy was traveling. While Gigi was here, we made a small road trip to Granbury. The plan was to show Gigi around the town with hopes that maybe someday in the next couple of years she and Grandpa Dan could move up here. Nico got some fresh air and sunshine as we strolled around the town square window shopping and soaking in the small town atmosphere.

So This is What Hands Are For!

Nico has discovered his hands and what he thinks they are for. Although we saw him suck on his fingers in various ultrasounds, Nico is just now frequently and purposefully bringing his entire fist to his mouth to suck on. There have even been a few occasions when I have spied my angel sucking on his thumb! When I told my mom this she had a small panic attack. For those of you who do not know, I sucked my thumb far past an appropriate age for thumb sucking. So while the thought of trying to get Nico to quit this habit somewhere down the road is overwhelming, watching him actually suck on it is so incredibly cute. Here is a video clip of Nico discovering his hand and talking to me simultaneously. I added a couple of cute pictures too.

Happy 2 Months!!!

Surprise! Nico is now 2 months old. Boy, does the time fly by. I can't believe my newborn baby is no longer a newborn. He has changed so much and so quickly over these past 2 months. I am excited to see the upcoming developmental milestones be met and to continue to watch our little man grow into a big man. With the 2 month mark we decided to celebrate...by going to get some shots. This was very sad for both Mommy and Nico. Poor Nico. Although he did not get as many vaccinations as the typical 2 month old gets, Nico still screamed at the top of his lungs when poked with the multitudes of needles. Throughout the rest of the day Nico also had a rough time, which in turn caused Mommy to have a hard time. The shots seemed to really affect his overall demeanor and he showed that he really needed his Mommy to hold and love on him. Good news Nico...no more shots until next month!

Hello and Goodbye

As we welcomed Daddy back home yesterday, we had to say a sad goodbye to Nana, Nico's paternal grandmother. After 17 days, Nana was able to spend some good quality time with all four of grandchildren, including meeting and getting to know Nico. We are very glad she was able to spend this time with us and we hope she will pop in often during her travels. Daddy definitely missed his Mr. Mann (his new nickname for Nico). After a quick hello and a kiss, he went straight to holding and loving on our son. They were able to spend some father-son time together and Nico was so content being with his daddy again. I couldn't resist and I recorded Nico again, this time with Daddy. Watch Nico's facial expressions, they are hilarious!!

Lots to Smile About!!!

Nico is now smiling! The most beautiful sight to see is my little boy smiling and showing how happy he is. Between his increased talking and those cute smiles, I just can't seem to get enough of him. It is amazing how alert and aware he is of his surroundings and those around him. He not only recognizes my voice now, but also the sight of me and his daddy. It is such a good feeling that just my presence can calm him and give him peace and security. We truly love our little man and could not have dreamed that he would have been this incredible. Since daddy is out of town, I wanted to make sure he does not miss much, so I decided to try out some video. I was able to capture Nico's awesome smile on a couple of videos. Hopefully soon I will be able to be quick enought to snap some pictures of it as well. Nico is also saying hello to his daddy who is away on a business trip. So enjoy!


I also added a few recent, hard to resist, cute pictures.

First Road Trip

This past weekend Nico made his first road trip. For our first road trip as a family, we went to Houston, my old stopping ground. There are always so many poeple to see and things to do when we visit, but first and foremost, Nico was able to spend some more time with his Gigi. She was so excited when we arrived that when Ed and I walked through the door with Nico, we heard a a scream, and my mom came running towards us. No longer am I the cause of her excitement! She raced passed us, heading straight for Nico, who she then swept up in her arms. I am pretty sure she had been having Nico withdrawls since it had been a whole month since they spent any time together.



During our quick trip to Houston, Nico was able to meet more of his family. Nico and I went to cousin Mason's baby shower who is expected in just a month from now where he met his aunt Shae, the soon to be mommy, and aunt Sterling! In addition, we had the opportunity for Nico to meet his great grandfather. Nico is my grandpa's first great grandchild and we were able to enjoy four generations of family.

Tummy Time and More!

It is amazing how quickly Nico is changing and how much he is learning! He has been getting lots of tummy time lately, whether it be on daddy's chest or on his Boppy playgym, and he has been surprising us all by his quick advancements. Nico is now making crawling movements with his arms and legs and is actually scooting himself on his tummy. He is also making direct eye contact not only with us, but with various toys, especially those that light up and blink and his mobiles. In addition, he has recently discovered the dogs, or at least Pettie who is always nearby; however Nico is not sure what or who he is at this point. Pettie on the other hand, would love for Nico to stand up and play with him. Nico has also just demonstrated that he is able to reach up and bat at various items dangling from above, such as those toys on his playgym or his bouncer; however he has not figured out the cause and effect of this action yet. And, although he has been able to both visually track items and lift his head up almost from birth, he is now able to track longer and more frequently, and is now able to lift and turn his head from side to side. Also Nico is on the verge of smiling. We have seen his adorable smiles while he is sleeping and have on occasion caused him to give us a half smile or two. We can't wait to see his beautiful smile in full force!

Mommy and Me

With the need to now loose a few lbs and get back into preNico shape, Nico and I attended a Mommy and Me Yoga class at Lotus Yoga Studio. We had the pleasure of going with a good friend of mine, Rebecca and her new addition, Matthew. Matthew is 12 days older than Nico and the two are already destined to be playmates! Although they were unaware, this class was the opportunity for our little ones to meet for the first time. We all had a great time learning strengths and exercises to do with our babies and are looking forward to this weekly activity!

Running in the New Year

Yes, you read the title of this post right. Ed started off 2009 on the right track and in a healthy way. He decided to participate in the first annual 5K Resolution Solution New Year's race in Fort Worth! In spite of the brisk cold and windy New Years day we had in north Texas, the race had a much larger turn out than expected. Ed did a great job finishing the race within the top 10 for his age group and number 61 for the overall race. Way to go Ed!!!!

Happy New Year!

2009! Wow, it is hard to imagine that 2008 is over. It has been quite a year for us as a family, a couple and for me individually. While 2007 was a year I would not want to have repeated with the failed pregnancy attempts, 2008 became the year of miracles. Coming into 2008 the reality of me becoming a mommy was looking less likely; however, with the anticipation of waiting through the process and for the results of IVF came the hope that the name mommy would be one which I would hear one day. When we were given the wonderful news our hearts leapt and our future was altered. 2008 became a year of expecting good things to come and it ended with the greatest blessing of all-Nico gracing us with his presence. We could not have asked for a more perfect and special little boy! It is amazing how quickly he is changing and developing. Before you know it he is going to be going off to college! He is truly a joy to us and our family and 2009 is going a great year full of new experiences.

To ring in the year, we spent some time with family. My dad and step mom, Jane came to visit for a couple of days. They spent some quality time with Nico and we had a quiet and relaxing New Year Eve. For New Years day uncle Jason and aunt Kaori stopped by and we all enjoyed conversation and a nice meal together. Nico will miss his Grampsy since it won't be until February that we are able to visit again. So until then, Nico will be doing lots of growing and learning. Love you lots Grampsy and see you then!