We now return to our regularly scheduled program

Okay, it's September.  I told you I'd be back.  Here are some highlights of what the family did during the month of August:

#1 Obviously we did not win the Mega Millions jackpot as I had hoped (see my last post).  If we had, I'd be writing this on my laptop while sitting on my veranda overlooking my Sonoma vineyard.

#2 It's been bloody hot so we played in as much water as we could.  I know I'm not suppose to let Nate drink from the hose but whatever...

#3 I spontaneously decided to paint this little table Chinese Red.  It used to be stained brown.  I love how it turned out.  The living room needed a "pop" of color.

#4 I finished decorating my kitchen and laundry room with vintage magazine ads (more on that later) and some cherry fabric curtains.  Even the ironing board got a makeover.

#5 I discovered the best candy bar with the most ridiculous name.  I guess it's hard to compete with cool names like Abazzaba and Baby Ruth.

#6 We Nate-proofed some of the house....not really done yet.

#7 I made a t-shirt for Nate out of an old t-shirt of Lee's.

 Hope you had a good month!

Gone Fishin'

I'm going to pretend I'm European and take the entire month of August off as a holiday from all things blog-related. For the next 30 days I won't be posting or reading blogs or perusing the Internet....there are some things I'd like to get accomplished in my life and, as much as I enjoy the Blogsphere, it can also be a time-sucker, leaving little time between mommyhood and my part-time job to complete assorted things. So unless something monumental happens (think Lottery jackpot for the Cooks), this site is official closed until September. So for the 2 of you who read this blog regularly -- see you in a month!

PS -- I will still be available via Gmail.

The NBA won't be knocking on our door

Today was Nate's 12-month well-baby appointment. I've been dreading this appointment because it's the first time he was to receive his immunizations in his arms instead of the thighs. Seriously, I started getting nervous about it three months ago when I made this appointment (have I shared that I really, really hope Nate doesn't end up Type A like his mother...). I can't stand watching his face when he's in pain and screaming. It's torture.

Lee and I have gone to all of Nate's past well-baby appointments together. Nate is too squirming for one person usually, so one of us tries to entertain him while the other parent converses with the doctor. But this time I went solo because Lee is in Texas for Jerry's funeral. Skip to the bottom if you don't want to read all of the appointment details but want to know if I needed a sedative before Nate got his shots...

The nurse took Nate's measurements when we arrived. He wasn't too fond of this part. He doesn't like laying down on his back in strange places....I've noticed this when I've had to change his diaper in any random ladies room. He looks panicky, he tenses up, and you can see that his little brain is thinking "danger! danger!" So he cried when she measured his head and body and when I put him on the scale. I thought "kid, you have no idea what's in store for you later. This is a piece of cake." Anyway, he calmed down and then giggled a bunch so the poor nurse felt better. We waited about 20 mins. before Dr. Henry came in. Here's a picture of Nate's pediatrician:

Okay, so that isn't really Dr. Henry but Nate's toy that we pretend is our friendly pediatrician. I took my camera but didn't get a shot of the real man. I digress --- Dr. Henry and I talked about a variety of stuff (Swine Flu, vaccines, nutrition, sippy cups, multivitamins, etc etc) before Nate had his short examination. He didn't cry during the exam and the doctor said he looks perfect (yes, we think so too). We also discussed at length Nate's projected height at this point. Doctor Henry assured me that we'd have a better idea at Nate's 24-month appointment but, just for curiosity sake, it appears that Nate would end up growing to 5 feet, 8-9 inches. I said "really? that's all??" in a very depressed sort of way. And then I realized, oops, Dr. Henry is probably shorter than that -- let's not insult the doctor. I'm going to hope that Nate has a banner 2009-2010 and will make up for his premature birth. I don't want some tall 9th grader beating up my short son down the road from now...

Dr. Henry left and the poor nurse who's solely responsible for the immunizations came into the room (doesn't her job suck??). Nate had his finger pricked first for an anemia test (it was negative) then he had 3 vaccines -- 2 in the left arm and 1 in the right. He was upset but didn't really cry super hard. Big tears rolled down his cheeks but in 30 seconds he was smiling at the mean/nice nurse. I was pleasantly surprised. No, I did not need a sedative after all. Didn't faint or cry either (I'm a little hormonal this week so I was expecting one of those things at the very least). We made our next appointment for October, Nate got a Scooby Doo sticker and off we went. If he had more teeth, I would have taken him out for a hot fudge sundae for doing so well at the doctor's but we'll just have to save the ice cream for future visits.

Fruits of Our Labor

Dinner one night last week consisted of homemade pizza with tomatoes, basil, and green peppers from our garden. It was delish! Because we had a bumper crop of heritage tomatoes, we also had BLT sandwiches last week...oh, so good! I don't really like eating tomatoes straight but I'll eat them when they're mixed in with something or baked in a dish. I'm not a picky eater, honest!!

Remembering Jerry

Taken at our wedding, 2005

Lee's stepdad, Jerry, passed away this week after having a major stroke (he was 56). We will miss him. Jerry was a very gentle and kind man. I am sad that Nate won't have any recollection of Jerry. We're so glad we got to spend time with him and Linda in May.

Jerry -- we miss you terribly. It will take a long time to get over the fact that you left us to be with the Lord at such a young age. But, that you are no longer suffering is a great comfort to us. We will see you again one day!

#1 Party

I wish I could say I made this but I didn't.

The letters are made of felt...cute, huh?

Nate wearing the onesie I made for him using the freezer paper method that was popular on the Internet, oh, back in 2006. I just discovered this form of stenciling now...I'm slow.

I did make these fabric gift bags. They're all boy-related fabrics. It's my way of being economical and "green" (bye bye gift wrap paper).

It's a Kodak moment when you meet your new best friend.

"I hope these Pumas are in my size."

Nate, his folks, and all of his birthday loot.

Clean tray, tidy cake.

Hmmm. He was a little wary of it at first.

There he goes....

Sugar coma stare.

What an awesome birthday!!!

Coming Soon

Nate says: "Birthday cake rocks!!"

And, yes, that is a sprinkle on his nose.

Wanted: Toddler Translator

Nate's verbal switch has been flicked!

This kid does not stop talking. Mind you, most of it is just jabbering but the two of us just had a 5 min. conversation that went back and forth while I was trying to get him to relax before going to bed. It went something like this:

Nate: bajamurstur bali dumba dumba

Me: rastamindo polibob vorsay

Repeat

His little baby voice is adorable and melts my heart. But it also makes me want to laugh so hard because it really does sound like he's trying to communicate with the Mother Ship. My kid has got to be part-Martian. I don't know how he combines vowels and consonants so quickly...my mouth just doesn't work like that.

Here's Lookin' at You, Kid

Our little Benjamin Button has grown into quite the spirited boy. Happy Birthday, Nate. Your mom and dad are so thankful to God that you are part of our life. We love you with all of our heart and can't wait to watch you grown into a compassionate, generous young man.