First Haircut

While we were up in Atlanta for Ryan to take the Bar Exam, we decided it was about time for the bubs to have a small trim to his overgrown locks. They weren't so out of control and with it being straight as a stick, there was no mass of curls to part with, but it was starting to look a bit scraggly and it drove Ryan nuts that it hung over N's ears.

We just happened to pass by a cute hair salon one day and made an appointment for the following day to get it done.

The "before"

Nathan did so well and barely even noticed someone was messing with his hair. His stylist did a great job swiftly combing and snipping before he even knew what was happening!

"Wait, what were you doing back there?"

And the finished product! Again, nothing too dramatic since it wasn't that long to begin with but it's so much cleaner now and I think he looks adorable.

His favorite part? The balloon at the end, of course!

Hotlanta in July

We traveled to Georgia once again so Ryan could take the GA Bar and we could enjoy our monthly visit with my family. Originally, we were going to fly...that plan quickly changed when we arrived at the airport only to find our flight had been delayed THREE HOURS due to maintenance issues. We were not about to sit around with a busy, moody toddler who couldn't sit still so we canceled the tickets, headed back to the car and hit the road. What a mess!

It ended up being a blessing in disguise, saving us a ton of money and making it much more convenient to have a car at our disposal. We arrived after 1 am and quickly collapsed into bed at Kelly and Lincoln's house - a fun change since we usually stay with my parents.

My poor mom was battling shingles on top of everything else, so we had a pretty low key weekend, hanging out at their house and taking it easy. We got to spend lots of time playing with the little boys and enjoying family dinners together.

Ryan spent the night in a hotel on Monday night so he could focus on the test so we joined the Hamiltons for dinner at my parents' house and then joined Kelly and Carter for playgroup on Tuesday before heading down to pick Ryan up and start the long drive home.

We won't know the results of the test until September but I'm so thankful that stress is over for Ryan and I'm also grateful we could make a weekend of it to be in Atlanta together. I just hope we can continue our monthly visits back and forth as the boys continue to grow up!

Fourteen Months

Nathan, you are fourteen months old!

The biggest news this month is that you started walking!! You began standing independently on a visit to Atlanta and since then you slowly started taking steps here and there. The big walking moment was on July 4, Daddy's birthday, and Mommy and Daddy were both there to witness it! I am so proud at how quickly you've taken to it and you are already mastering your balance and toddling all over. You can't be forced to do it, though, and will quickly fold over and sit if I try to make you stand up when you don't want to.

You love being outside and we've spent more time in the pool trying to keep cool on these hot summer days. We visit the park, whether with friends or on our own, and you love riding bikes. When we're home you pick any of your several ride-on toys and zoom around the house pushing them. We also play a lot of catch with Jax, your best bud. I love seeing the two of you play together!

You're still a great eater but you've become a bit more picky and selective at mealtime. We have to negotiate to get you to eat all your dinner at this point and you have a tendency to throw things off your tray if you don't want it. A bad habit we're trying to stop! You steal all your friends snacks when we get together (such a piggy!) and love "tsh" (goldfish). You've started showing interest in using a spoon and fork and are pretty proud when you can feed yourself! You drink three sippies of Lactaid a day and a bottle at night, but we're going to stop that pretty soon. You transitioned to milk pretty easily and I'll eventually try to wean you to straight whole milk but I'm still a little worried that your tummy can't handle it.

You say "ball" constantly and love throwing them!

You show your strong will every time we have to change your diaper or clothes, twisting and rolling on the changing pad (and often throwing quite the fit). You give your mama a run for her money with your determination and tantrums - a sign of the terrible twos already?! You can be such a sweetie, though, dishing out kisses and high fives and being a great snuggler. Good thing you can be so cute, too, because those tantrums are killer!

You were taking two solid naps a day until recently but lately you've been fighting me hard on the afternoon one. In the past week, you've only taken it twice despite acting exhausted and seeming to need it. We'll see if this is the start of dropping a nap, but if it is we'll have to work on reversing it so we keep the afternoon one!

You've started being a good helped when it comes to cleaning up your toys and you spend lots of time putting things into containers and taking them out. You point at everything and direct what you want or where you want to go. I can't wait for you to be able to say more so we can communicate with each other better! I think a lot of our mutual frustration stems from not being able to understand you.

You're still such a busy, busy boy and so daring. I spend a lot of my days making sure you don't get into trouble or hurt yourself! I love it, though, and I'm so happy I can spend all my time with you. Being your mama is the best job ever!

xxooxo

No rocking chair photo this month - you simply won't stay still!

Fourteen Month Stats:

Weight - 25 pounds

Clothes - mostly 24m but some 18 still fit

Diapers - size 4

Celebrating Ryan and America

With the Fourth being on a Wednesday this year, it was tough to do anything too extravagant but we still wanted a celebration so we hosted a pool party with our friends at home. A few of our baby friends were able to make it and a bunch of Ryan's pals were there to help celebrate his birthday.

We pulled out the water park from N's birthday, gathered all of our pool floats, and cooked up a patriotic spread of pulled pork, red, white and blue sangria and all sorts of goodies.

The boys enjoyed being boys, setting off fireworks at dusk over the pool deck. Nathan was enamored by the sounds and colors. We ended up staying home and hanging out on the patio chatting rather than trying to find a bigger fireworks display in the area but we managed to steal glimpses of some pretty big ones in the neighborhood.

It was a fun-filled day with good friends and I'm so glad we ended up making something of it rather than letting the day slip by (which Ryan would have been happy to do). No big birthday cake or singing for the birthday boy but I think he enjoyed his day regardless.

Vero Beach

It had been a year since we went to Vero to visit Ryan's aunt and uncle so we planned a weekend visit and brought our friends, Mike and Ashley, along. While the boys went off shore to fish for dinner, the girls and Nathan hit the beach club for some fun in the sun. It was the bubs first real beach experience (he was too tiny to really get into it the first time) and he loved it!

Give that boy a bucket and some shells and he'll be busy for hours. He spent the afternoon dropping shells in and taking them back out, over and over. He didn't mind the sand at all (though it gave me the heeby-geebies to pick him up and get covered) but he was very unsure of the ocean and didn't like the waves eroding the sand under his feet. Other than that, we all had a great day and so much fun!

The guys brought home delicious sea bass and we ate poolside on the back patio while we looked for dolphins. The boys played golf on Sunday and we hung out at the house, swimming and getting ready to head back home. Such an amazing weekend and a great time had by all!

When we returned home we took a walk over to Baldwin Park to watch their fireworks show. Laurie joined us and we made it to the clearing just in time to see some big explosions. Nathan was in awe and took the whole thing in with wide eyes. He was such a good sport for being up so late and didn't mind the noise at all. A great end to the weekend!