Growing Fast...

Nathaniel has had a busy few days! On Monday, a friend loaned us their baby exersaucer...it's big and bulky, but not quite so much as the play pen. I can put him in it and Joshua can keep an eye on him for my five minute shower or a little bit of time to get dinner. Also, on Monday, I got the high chair all cleaned off so that he can sit in that instead of the swing or the bouncy seat (both of which he's pretty much outgrown) when it's time to eat. On Sunday, Nathaniel pulled himself to his feet for the first time, using a box.
Last night he "rediscovered" this trick and was using a box of Joshua's guys to stand up with and today he's trying everything...his first tooth is also nearing the surface. This is a good two months earlier than Joshua got his first tooth...it'll probably be another week or so before this one actually breaks through, but he'll definitely have them before 8.5 months. He's started saying Ma...ma...ma... when he is looking for me or wants me. As soon as he sees me he either crawls over to me or stops saying it because he finally has me in sight. He uses Da...da...da for Brian sometimes.

Joshua is working on his reading and other skills...and having fun with that. He loves reading some Spider-man comics that Great-Grandpa Ken sent up to him last fall.
He sounds out some of the words and the rest - he uses the pictures to tell a story. Yesterday, Brian stayed home sick with this nasty cold that he and I have had (and thought was gone and then it came back)...after storytime at the library, I took the boys down to Vacaville with me to run a few errands so that we could leave Brian with some peace and quiet. Usually going to the store (much less Michaels and Walmart) is a nightmare by myself with them, but yesterday was wonderful!! Joshua was so good and so helpful...I was flabbergasted! And Nathaniel didn't fuss too much and even sat up in the seat of the cart for the first time at Walmart. And it was all worth it because Brian got a nice long nap and rested the rest of the day and is feeling much better today. He really hated to cancel all of his clients yesterday, but in the end it was so worth it so that he could have a day to just rest and get better. Unfortunately, though, self-employment doesn't come with sick days :)

We've had lovely weather in the low 70s the past couple of days and are look at 60s for the rest of the week and mid 70s for the weekend! Yay!! Tomorrow I think we'll take a walk...and hope all the lovely blooming almond and walnut trees don't do me in :)