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!

Swims Like a Fish

Nico and his little friend Matthew finished their first swim lessons today and we have a little fish on our hands. The first few times, Nico had a great time being in the water and listening to all the songs being sung, but the last couple of lessons were a different story. Mommy discovered that Nico absolutely hates being under water! He learned how to swim under the water for up to 5 seconds, however, there is quite a bit of crying involved. This last lesson today was arranged so that the Daddies could come participate, which made it much more fun for Nico. While we had our ups and downs in the pool, Nico learned many things: float on his back, swim under water, kick when needed, and to use breath control. Maybe after more lessons over the next year, Nico will warm up to swimming underwater. Practice makes perfect.

Too Cute to Pass Up

I just had to share these adorable pictures. Nico is so photogenic!

Good Times in the Valley

Nico and Mommy finally got home today after quite a traveling experience. We were scheduled to depart yesterday evening, but due to mechanical problems our flight was canceled! Pops came back up to the airport, helped us to our hotel (I think he just wanted to spend some more time with Nico) and took us to dinner. After being getting to the airport before sunrise, we came to find out that we had been dropped from the flight we were supposed to be on this morning; however, we made it back on an unscheduled flight!

Thanks for a great time Pops and Mops. We will miss you!

Happy Birthday Great Ninny

Nico was able to spend the day with his great Ninny on her 94th birthday, which by the way is 658 years in dog years! We had a great time going to breakfast and just being able to spend time together. Hopefully there will be more of Ninny's birthdays to come that we can all celebrate together. Here's to 95 in Vegas Ninny!

A Busy Few Weeks

Boy, time sure has slipped away from me these past few weeks. We have been quite the busy bees lately. Here is a summary to catch everyone up on Nico's happenings:

First and foremost, Nico turned 7 months old! Mommy and Daddy are just waiting for our little man to get up and move around. He really wants to and is on the brink of doing so. Mommy and Daddy also decided that with the prospect of Nico hopefully starting to crawl soon, it was about time to create a play area for the little man. Nico now has his own space to play and Mommy can keep a close eye on him.


About a week before the 4th of July, Nico began cutting, not just one tooth, but two! It was quite an ordeal, and I do not think I have ever appreciate teeth so much until now. Nico had a difficult time sleeping at night, he was ALWAYS wanting to be held and wanted nothing near his mouth most of the time, and that included his bottle. All I have to say is thank goodness for Motrin! We made it through our first episode of teething, but I am already dreading the next wave! I have been trying to get a decent picture of Nico with his new pearly whites, but he just does not like to show them off.

Towards the end of the teething experience, Mommy, Daddy and Nico went to Houston for the 4th of July. Here, Gigi and Grandpa Dan (AKA: Krusty) got to spend some time with Nico, Mommy got to catch up on her sleep, Nico saw the beach for the first time, and Mommy and Daddy were able to go out on a date for the first time in a long time.




Back in town Nico and Mommy had playdates with Matthew, Jason Jr. and Nathan where we went swimming lots and let the boys play around together. Nico really loves being in the pool and is becoming quite the little fish.


Just this past Saturday Nico and Mommy flew (by ourselves!) to Harlingen to visit Pops, Mops, and Great Ninny. We are having a good time visiting and will be able to celebrate Ninny's 94th birthday on Friday. Since arriving, Nico has started purposefully clapping (hands only semi-opened) to various songs. His favorites? The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song, and of course the Nico Song, which Daddy made up when Nico was just a wee little one. I tried recording Nico clapping, but made the mistake of putting him in a room he had never been in. He was so excited to be looking at new things...well, you will see. I got more than I bargained for on this video.


Stay tuned for pictures from our trip to the Valley!

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

God Bless America!!!