Long Awaited Update

Has it really been 2 months since I updated?? I am SO sorry. Things have been super busy with the Wood family. Seems like we are always on the go. One of my New Years Resolutions is to make sure I set aside some time to give everyone proper updates on Nathan. I will stay on top of this site more. That being said....where do I begin??

We had a great Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be around family. Family is SO important. I just love them all. I even got to meet my cousins new daughter Natalie. What a cutie she is. (See pictures in second year album) Nathan didn't eat like I thought he would. But then again for the week leading up to Thanksgiving it seemed he decided he didn't want to eat anymore. I couldn't understand why, because he was doing so well. Kevin and I decided Thanksgiving night we would lower his feed from 8 hours to 4 hours and see how that goes. Well it worked. Just like that overnight. He started eating so much more during the day. He likes everything. We were thrilled. We just hoped that GI and Dietary felt the same way when we took him to his appointment December 17th. We didn't consult them first.

December 17th came around, and we headed back downtown to Children's for Nathans appointment. Before heading to GI we stopped to see Andrea from PT. She was so excited to see him, and how well he is doing now. After seeing Andrea, we headed to GI, and awaited Dr. El-baba. First Sarah came in. She is his dietician. We let her know how he was doing and that we lowered his feed to 4 hours, and it has seemed to help so much. I asked her what her thoughts are about stopping his feed at night all together to see how that goes. She said she was okay with that, and we can do it on a trail run for a month and see how it goes. She also switched him from peptamen(since it taste nasty by mouth) to pedisure. That way he can drink it during the day. She also wants us to start him on vitamins. After she was done talking with us, Dr. El-baba came in. He was thrilled to see how well Nathan is doing, and agreed with Sarah's decision to stop his feeds. I asked him if he could give us an idea of when the tube could come out. He said that he has to be tube free for 6 months. Meaning, if we do not use the tube for 6 whole months, the tube can come out. That made me super excited. I told Nathan that his tube could come out June 17th, but he has to eat and gain like a good boy. Fingers crossed our target date will be reached. Since being off the tube feeds, Nathan is an eating MACHINE. He eats ALL day long. He has his 3 meals a day, and a snack in between. He loves everything, and eats anything. We definitely do not have a picky eater.

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was so fun. We celebrated with Kevin's side of the family on Christmas eve. Nathan opened a few things but lost interest quickly. He'd rather raid his grandma's Tupperware cabnet~lol But boy did he eat. Holy cow, I think Nathan ate more than us adults did. He ate from the time we got there, until we had to leave. I just love watching him eat. That means we are 1 step closer to being tube free!!!!! The following morning Nathan woke us up and made a bee line for the tree. Or should I say the presents!!! Santa brought him a lot of stuff, because he was such a good boy this year. Nathan took a nap around noon, and woke up right before my parents came over. After exchanging and opening gifts, we had dinner. Then after dinner, Nathan entertained all of us. He is such a character. The weekend we just stayed home, and played with all the new toys.

My plans now are to pack away all of his baby toys, to make room for his new toys. I got his bedroom done, but I still have the living room, and our master bedroom to go through. Well I think I have finished with all the updates. We hope you all enjoy the rest of your 2009, and hope your 2010 is the best year ever!!!! Love you all!!!

Halloween Party

We went to our second annual mommy group Halloween party tonight. Nathan had SO much fun with his friends. He was so cute dressed as a little Peanut. The costume is perfect. He has been our lil peanut since the day I found out I was pregnant with him. Everyone thought he looked adorable. He even surprised the ladies by how well he walks now. It was a great time with friends, and some great food. Even Nathan loved the food.

Really Slacking

I am really slacking on updates. I am so sorry. There just does not seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done I need to get done. Even at work, things have been steady so I haven't had time to hop on and give an update. Anyway.....

Nathan is doing VERY good. He has been released from therapy!!!!! We are extremely excited. His last day was October 9th. Andrea said he is doing amazing and eating everything she has thrown at him. She even gave him sour patch kids. She said it took awhile to eat it, but he did it with NO gagging. We are so proud of our little man. She wanted his last day to be October 14th to go over his discharge, but he got really sick. So she said we don't need to come back, she would just get the discharge papers together for us. We are really going to miss her, but did find her on facebook, so that is great. I am glad we can keep in touch.

Yup, Nathan was sick last week. He had a fever, and all he wanted to do was lay down, sleep or be held. It was a ruff week. The doctor said it's going around, and that it just has to run it's course. That is 1 plus about having that feeding tube. We just hooked him up during the day so he could get nutrition. He did not want to eat at all. He is doing better now, but now he is teething pretty bad again. A lot of his molars are coming in all at one time. He is extremely fussy, drooling a lot, and chewing everything. Plus he is not eating like he was prior to being sick. Poor baby.

Nathan is walking more and more. He has taken about 20 steps unassisted. The other day he walked from his bedroom all the way to the front room, without falling. He just needs to continue to work on his balance. I can't wait until he starts walking full time. He is getting to big to carry. Where did our lil baby go??? He is also becoming more vocal. Hasn't said anymore new words, but he talks his own language. It is so adorable. He also loves to play by himself at home. He keeps himself occupied for long periods of time. Which is nice because then I can get things done. He will go from playing in the front room, to playing in his bedroom. In is own little world. It is too adorable.

I am looking forward to the holidays coming up. For Halloween he is going to be a Peanut. I am so excited about that. I wanted him to be a peanut last year, but the costume did not come in his size. So this year, is the year of the Peanut. I will post pictures as soon as possible after the 31st. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving as well. I hope we cam get all the babies together this year. (Nathan, Adryan and my cousin's new baby Natalie) I am also super excited for Christmas. I am sad I won't see Matt, Kristal, and Adryan as this is their year to be at Kristal's parents, but we will make a day to get together to celebrate. Last year Nathan had just gotten out of the hospital (and returned the following day) and was not feeling well. This year I am hoping he doesn't get sick, and can just have a great time. We are going to spoil him again this year~lol I might as well admit it. I can't wait!!!!!

Well that's about it for now. I will update again soon.

Vocabulary ~ Said Papa for the first time

1) Momma 2) Dadda 3) Grandma 4) Hi 5) Night Night 6) Kitty 7) Bubba 8) Huh 9) Bryan and the newest # 10) Papa

His PaPa was on the phone when he said it. And he is so happy and proud. He had major tears going on!!!!

Nathan & a hot dog

Nathan had a hot dog for the first time today. He had about 15 bites of a hot dog tonight. It was amazing and he didn't even have a gag fit. It was great. Of course I was in tears.

He ate so well this weekend. Saturday he had a few bites of his oatmeal cinnamon, and a lot of milk. For lunch he had a bunch of spaghetti O's and some milk. He also ate a bunch of yogurt melts. He loves those melts. Sunday he had the same breakfast as Saturday. For lunch he had a few of his new fav: McDonald's french fries. Then for dinner he ate about 5 ounces of pears, and 15 bites of a hot dog.

Long Needed Update

Sorry it has taken me so long to update everyone on Naters. Things have been so crazy, and there is just not enough time in a day to get things done. Nathan is doing very well. Where do I start? Nathan has added another word to his vocabulary. He said Bryan. I was shocked and amazed. So was Bryan and my mom. They were there when he said it.

He had his GI appointment on August 27th, and they are VERY pleased with how far he has come. The dietitian said since he is just about at the 25th percentile we can cut out one of his feeds during the day. In hopes he will get to know the hunger feeling, and want to eat. So far it is working pretty well. We still have a hard time with feeding him, but if I can put on his favorite country songs, I can get him to eat some. He is also eating more things without gagging. OT is very impressed with how far he has come in such a short period of time. He has been working on eating mashed potatoes, & mac n' cheese. He has only gagged maybe twice. He also LOVES McDonald's french fries. He does so well with them, and barely gags at all.

His pulmonary appointment was on August 31st. They are so happy with how well he is doing. His stats were at 96% when we were there. And he hasn't needed oxygen in over a month. She did an x-ray and said it doesn't look to different than his last. She said they would LOVE to do a biopsy, because he is such a mystery and they can get a better idea of what is going on, but since he is doing better they wouldn't have a biopsy done. I agreed, they are not using our lil man as a guinea pig~Lol. I asked if we needed to send back all the oxygen supplies, and she stated to keep them for a while longer. She stated that when he gets a cold, not to be surpirsed but he may need it. She said it's not a set back or anything, but colds can be hard on the lungs. His next appointment is not until Jan.

He is still crawling all over the place, and now he is working on standing unassisted, and walking unassisted. He will stand up holding on to the couch or toys and then let go. He is trying to hard to get his balance down. He is also taking a few steps without holding onto anything. He can take about 2 or 3 unassisted. I am sure it will not be long now before he starts walking. He can also climb up the stairs. He brushes his teeth all by himself. (Well I have to go over it when he is done~Lol) He can wash his own face, and feed himself. He is not great with the spoon, but he does get some food in his mouth. He amazes us everyday. We are truly blessed to have him.

Nathan's first hair cut

Nathan had his hair cut for the first time today. He really needed it. He was fine up until she put the cover over him. He knew something was up. He cried the entire time. It was actually very funny. No matter what we did, he was not having it. Below are before and after shots.

Nathan's first time Standing

He finally stood unassisted.

Time is really flying by

Time is really flying by. Nathan is doing amazing. He is crawling everywhere, and pulling himself up on everything. He also gets on all fours and tries to stand. Not much longer now before he starts walking unassisted. Believe it or not, I can't wait. He is almost in the 25th percentile for his weight. He has an appointment with GI on the 27th, and if he hits the 25th percentile, they will back off his feeds at night some. He is still doing OT twice a week, and making great progress. This is a slow process, but he is doing quite well. We are so very proud of him.

Last week we took Nathan to Tawas City to GGma's place for the first time. We all had a blast. We left on July 31st after Nathan's therapy. He did this most of the way up there:

He woke up about 30 minutes before we got there. Once we made it, I was a little nervous about how he would be in a strange place. We went inside and I sat him on the floor. He had ZERO issues. He crawled around and checked everything out. We let him stay up while we unpacked the car. I think we ended up putting Nathan to bed about 11:30pm. He slept fine through the night. In fact he didn't have any issues up there at all. The next day it rained so we pretty much stayed home, except to run into town to Walmart to get some supplies. Most of the vacation was spent at the house, relaxing or playing games. On the 4th, we took Nathan to the beach for the first time. He LOVED it.

The only thing he didn't like was the waves pushing him around. It was really choppy so he couldn't really sit and play for any length of time. He did look so cute in his life jacket though.

The following day we went back to the beach and took a bunch of pictures. We took pictures by statues, and on the pier. They turned out so cute. (Please view them in the photo section) After that we headed to Hubbies. We love that putt putt place. It is SO big, and very fun. Nathan even took a crack at it.

We left on the 7th and headed for home. I wish we could of stayed up longer. I didn't want this vacation to end, we had a blast. Thank you, Kevin, Nathan, Pops, Mom, Bryan, Lindsay, and Gma for a wonderful vacation.

On the oxygen front Nathan has not needed oxygen in 2 weeks. We are thrilled. He is still hooked up to the pulse ox machine to monitor it. His next appointment with Pulmonary is the 31st. I am hoping he can be oxygen free until then. Maybe they will give him the clearance and we can send all the machines back. That would be nice to have another cord off of him a night.
We also have a new word to add to Nathan's vocabulary. He said Bubba yesterday. Bubba is Uncle Bryan's nickname. It was so sweet, and mom and I heard it as clear as day. I texted Bryan right away, and he was so excited to hear that. I just can't wait until see gets to hear it first hand. He can now say 7 words: Momma, Dadda, Grandma, Hi, Night Night, Kitty, & Bubba.
That's about it for now. I have uploaded a video, and also new pictures. Take a look. I will update again soon.
Love you all!!!!

Nathan's first time pulling himself up on everything

Nathan can now pull himself up on anything to get into the standing position. He can pull himself to stand from the stairs, baby gate, and couch. I give it another couple of weeks, and he will be walking everywhere.

To see him stand using the stairs, please visit:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=121310455806

Nathan's first time playing on the beach

Nathan went to the beach for the first time. We were in Tawas City for a week, and Nathan experienced the beach for the first time. I think he had a lot of fun. He loved the water, but didn't like that the water was so choppy. They kept pushing him around.

Also his first time in a life jacket.

Just relaxing!!!

He is such a water baby!

Nathan's first steps

They were assisted, but he walked with is toy. It was SO cute. He has been cruising the couch for a little while now, but this is the first time with a moving object. He will be walking in no time.

Nathan fed himself for the first time

So I decided to let Nathan feed himself for the first time. What I was thinking using Chocolate pudding is beyond me, but he did a pretty good job. He seemed to like doing it himself. He is just getting too big.

What a difference a month makes

Well Nathan is just over a year old. And wow, the changes a month makes. Nathan is much more vocal. He can now say 5 words. Well kinda 6. He can say: MaMa, DaDa, kitty, night night, Hi, and we think he said grandma the other day. I guess we will have to wait a little longer to make sure. He is also now pointing at things he wants or places he wants to go to, instead of crying. And he is crawling like crazy. That little boy is everywhere. We love it. Now when he wants a toy, he goes and gets it himself. But poor cats they do not like the fact that he is crawling. Now they can't lay on the floor with him cause he goes over and pulls their hair. I guess bear was getting mad yesterday when my mom was watching him, because she said he started swatting Nathan. He is also trying to pull himself up on everything. He can do it, if he positions himself correctly. When he is laying down, he can get himself to the sit position as well. He is also walking much better, when we hold his hands. He is still unsteady so I think walking is a little ways off.

He still is not eating all that well, and still gags a lot. His OT said it is going to take some time before he starts eating again. He remembers how much it hurt him to eat, so he refuses every chance he gets. But we are working really hard with him to over come this. He is also not on oxygen every night. Some nights he needs it, and some nights he doesn't. I really think he doesn't need it, and the monitor is off, because the light in his toe that reads it flickers a lot. I think it's dying. I need to put a call into the company.

Nathan is a HUGE water bug now. We were told about this Tegaderm stuff we can use to put over his tube so he can go in the water. OMG, when he sees water, he throws a fit. He wants to be in it so bad. We went to a friends birthday party on the 4th, and Nathan was in heaven. It was at a water park. He played and played andplayed. I regret leaving the camera in the car. But my friend did get 1 picture of our water boy.

Nothing else really to report. We are going up north the first week in August, and we are really looking forward to it. This will be Nathan's first trip to Tawas. (and hopefully not last) I can't wait to let him play on the beach and in the lake. He will have a great time up there. That's about it for now.

Bye!!!!

Nathan's first time in his front facing car seat

I felt so bad for my lil guy the past few weeks. He seemed to hate his rear facing seat now. He would always try to sit himself up, and would get red marks on his neck from the straps. The seat is good for up to 30 pounds, and 32 inches long. Nathan is 30.5 inches long and was still cramped length wise in it. I couldn't wait to change him over.

I took Nathan to the doctors on July 3rd to get his one year shots done, and wanted to check with the nurse about changing car seats. I wanted to make sure the requirements were still 1 year and 20 pounds. She said it was. She wanted to get his weight, so we went out in the hall to weigh him. He was 19 lbs 15 ozs. She said he could go in the front facing now since he was almost there.

I wanted to wait until he hit 20 pounds, even though I am sure 1 oz wouldn't make a difference. So on July 6th I came home from work, and weighed Nathan. He was exactly 20 pounds. So I went outside, took the car seat base out and put his new one in. Those are a pain in the butt to put in, but I know it's not going anywhere. I have it super tight.

The next day Nathan had a play date to go to, so I packed his stuff up and headed out the door. As soon as I put him in the seat he was SO excited.

The whole way home I could not stop laughing. Because he had the funniest look on his face. I think he was just taking it all in.

All and all I really like this new car seat, because he is so much more happier. But with front facing it is a lot harder to get him in and out of it. It is in the center because that is the safest place for him, but it is not easy. You have to almost contort yourself to get them in and out of it. I guess I just have to get used to it.

Nathan's first time crawling

That's right!!!!! Our little man is a crawler. Saturday (06/27) I decided to put the baby gates up. I did it for 2 reasons. 1) I wanted the cats to get used to the cat door and 2) because for the last week Nathan has been trying to crawl. A few scoots here and there.

Well after his appt., we went back to my mom's house and Nathan was playing on the floor. He kept trying to scoot to get a toy, then decided to get into the crawl position. So I moved the toy out of his reach, and he crawled about 2 little steps to get it. I decided to take the toy and sit across the living room to see if he would come get it. After a few minutes of watching me play with it, he was off. It was SO adorable. He crawled across the room, and got the toy. We were so excited. Mom and I started clapping and saying "YAY, Nathan" Of course he was excited, and gave us a cheesy smile and some big claps of his own. I moved the toy again to the other side, and after a bit, he crawled back to get it.

I can't believe our little man is officially a crawler. We are thrilled. I was a little sad though, that it wasn't at our house, cause I would have loved to have gotten it on camera. I tried to get it on camera once we got home, but he was exhausted and went right to bed after his bath.

Little Update

I thought I would give everyone a little update on Naters. Nathan has been doing very well, and is growing well. He is in OT twice a week, and is trying to eat more things. He can also say HI now. It's really adorable.

Right now Nathan is sick, has a cold he got from me. (Sorry honey) He is also trying to cut about 6 more teeth, which isn't helping him. So he just has to wait for it run its course. Hopefully he will be better soon.

That's about it for now, I will be updating more again soon.

Nathan's first time in the adult tub

I finally found one of those tub seats at a mom 2 mom sale the other day, and decided to use it for the first time today. The tub we bought him is just too small for him now, and for us it's really bulky. So now Nathan can sit in his tub seat in our bath tub. He was really cute, and just loved it. He loved that he had more movement, and more water to splash around. I could not get him out of the tub.

Nathan had his first popsicle

Nathan had his first popsicle today. I tried giving him one a while ago, but he wouldn't open his mouth for it. Today we gave him one, and he was just loving it. He even tried to bite it with his teeth. It was really cute.

Nathan's first time being in the sand box and eating sand

For someone who doesn't want to eat anything, he sure does pick the weirdest things to eat. He was playing in the sand box for the first time, and decided to see what it taste like. I really don't think he liked it. But once I gave him a drink of water, he was fine.

There are more pictures of Nathan's Birthday and Party in the Posts: 1 Year Old (06/01/09) and Nathan's First Birthday Party (06/06/09)

Nathan's First Birthday Party

Nathan had his first birthday party today. It went great. We had a variety of food, and plenty of it. Lots of family and friends showed up to celebrate his day. He got a nap in before it started and tried to nap during, but that didn't happen. We also had GREAT weather. It wasn't too high or windy. Before everyone arrived, we got everything set up and cooked. We even sat on the porch for a short time to enjoy a little quiet time.

It was so nice to see everyone again. It has been a long time since their has been a family function. I tried to get pictures of everyone, but I am sure I missed a few people. (Sorry) Nathan played a lot of "pass the baby" today. It was great!!!!

After everyone ate we cut up the cake. My friend Amanda made his Diego cake, and she did a fantastic job. It looked perfect, and tasted amazing. I definitely recommend her to make everyone's cakes. Thanks Amanda.

After cake it was time to open the gifts. Nathan was SO tired but he did really good throughout. Especially when he got his Diego couch from GGma. He just loved that thing.

After presents were done, people started to leave, but we continued to party. Nathan really did not get any nap time today. He went to bed about 10 when the last person left. He was OUT, and slept ALL night. I really don't think he moved a muscle all night. He did wake up at 6am with a gagging fight, but that lasted all of 5 minutes. He didn't wake us up until 10:30am. I was surprised and excited. Of course I woke up with a nasty head cold. I felt awful, and have lost my voice. But Nathan was in a good mood.

We decided to take Nathan to Toys R Us to redeem his gift card. He got some pretty sweet stuff, but slept the whole time we were gone. After we got home, the grandparents stopped by for a bit. After they left Nathan slept:

Then shortly after that I decided to start cleaning Nathan's room. I gutted it out and re-organized everything. About 15 minutes into the cleaning I walked out of the room to find this:

They didn't stand a chance~Lol Nathan got up about 7:45pm, and we played for a bit, and hung outside until Kevin got up. Kevin got up about 8:30pm and was shocked he fell asleep. (Not me, I knew he would tap out for a bit) After he got up, we all hung out for a bit, and then it was bed time.

All in all it was a great weekend. I am glad it's over now though. Now if I can just get rid of this head cold.

Thank you to everyone for coming to the party, for all the well wishes, and for all the wonderful gifts. Love you all!!!!

1 Year Old!!!!!

I have so much on my mind about/for Nathan that I want to get it all down, but as I am typing, I can't seem to get it into words. But I will do my best. Here is goes....

1 year old. Where did the time go??? I spent a lot of the weekend thinking back on this past last year, and the road that led us here. Nathan had a ROUGH first year, and that's an understatement. But through it all he amazed us with his strength. It was fitting to name him after my grandpa, and little brother. I went back and re-read this site, and can't believe how much went on, and to see all the concerns I had when I was pregnant with him. It just amazes me. When I read the journal "I've decided, 04/10/08" I could not help but crack up. To think I was SO scared to give birth, I actually said I was not going to do it. ~Lol. Even though I did not have him the way I wanted, I would not change a thing about it. Kevin and I wanted him SO bad, and we were both ecstatic when we found out I was pregnant. And now a year later our love has grown into SO much more.

I look at Nathan and can't help but to laugh and cry. I never realized how much you could love 1 person until he was born. I actually found the perfect shirt for Nathan while we were in Birch Run last month. It says "Mommy's New Man". Which is SO true. I just love him. I would do ANYTHING for that little boy, as would his daddy. Saturday( 5/30) at about 5:30pm I was thinking about how Kevin and I were on our way to the hospital to begin the induction. I remember being so excited yet so nervous about it. But I was ready to meet our son or daughter. I remember exactly what I was wearing:

I remember them coming into the room to start the induction process, and how I kept telling myself: "I am ready, let's do this". They started me on Cervidil, and would check the progress in 12 hours. I am sure everyone thought that peanut would be born the next day. Well morning rolled around and NOTHING!!! The medicine did not work at all. They then tried another medicine (cytotec), and while I felt some contractions it really didn't work. Once that didn't work I kind of knew in the back of my mind that I would need a C-section, even though I did not want to go there. They broke my water about 5pm (3rd attempt), and gave me an epidural (They thought the epidural would relax my body enough to progress). I was also given pitocin to speed things up. Finally Sunday morning rolls around, and in deed they decided a C-section was best. So they got me prepped for my So they got me prepped for my C-section:

Again I was super excited but super nervous. I remember them pushing me into the O R, while they made Kevin stay in a broom closet. (As he put it) The epi didn't work, so I ended up needing a spinal. I thought they were going to start without Kevin, but they assured me he was on his way. Finally there he was holding my hand. Kevin was AMAZING, he just talk to me the whole time letting me know everything was OK. Moments later we heard the most amazing sound in the whole world: The cries, and then "It's A Boy" That was just music to my ears. They held him over the sheet and we just melted. We cried as Kevin held me tighter. His first words: He looks just like me." (Which I totally agreed) My first words: "I told you it was a boy". (Kevin thought it was a girl) I remember Kevin holding him, and letting me give him kisses before they were off to the nursery.

After that I must have passed out, cause I DO NOT remember them finishing me up, or me being wheeled into the recovery room. I remember waking up, and looking everywhere for my boys. Shortly after a nurse came to me and asked if I would love to see my baby. Well of course!!!!! So she went to get an update, and finally after what seemed like forever, it happened:

What could be better????

From that moment on, I knew my life would not be the same. And why would I EVER want to go back?? I DON'T AND NEVER WILL. Now to the present:

Today was a VERY good day. Nathan was up early (7am) which worried me because he had an appointment at 10am for his pictures. On the way to Penney's he fell asleep, which was good because I knew he would be in a good mood once he woke up. He did VERY well, and we got a lot of great shots. He did get fussy when we were doing the family shots, but he made it through. We get them on the 12th and I cannot wait!!!! After that, we went to pickup his cake. Once we got home, Nathan gave me roses. They are just beautiful.

After we were settled at home, Kevin and I started cleaning for the get together tonight, and I put together his present. That was not an easy task. A few times I was ready to throw the hammer through the window. Anywho, Kevin and I got some cleaning done before everyone arrived. Nathan was SO excited to see everyone, especially his cousin Adryan. He even gave her a sweet hug, that brought us all to tears. We have such a sweet little man on our hands.

Once everyone showed up, Kevin and Jim went to get the food. We had ordered pizza and Mr. Chicken. The food was very yummy. After we all ate, we got things ready to give Nathan his cake since he was just exhausted and was getting fussy. So we gave Nathan his cake and immediatly he put his 2 fingers in the cake, and looked very unsure what to do.

So Kevin put a little on his finger so Nathan could taste it. He had a look on his face as to say: "I am not sure if I like this or not"

He really didn't get crazy and tear it apart, so Kristal decided he needed his baseball bat. Oh he loved that.

He began to get fussy again, so we decided he had enough with the cake, and got him ready to be washed up. I was kind of excited he only got the cake on his arms and hands. Hey, easy clean up is always a plus. As Kevin pulled him from the high chair, and being that Nathan was SO tired, he started rubbing his eyes, and got frosting ALL over his face. It was hilarious. We were all just cracking up. He looked so cute and funny.

After he got cleaned up,

He played with his piano before we started doing presents.

Poor little man was SO tired, but he was a real trooper throughout the entire day. So we got through the gifts fairly quickly. He loved playing with his maraca's, and the paper. He really cleaned up~lol

I have NO clue where to put everything. And to think he still has gifts coming on Saturday. Oh Boy!!! I really can't wait for his party. It is going to be a lot of fun, and we get to see some friends and family that we haven't seen in awhile. Today was just perfect. It was so nice to have so many people come by on his birthday. So thank you, Grandma & Grandpa, Grandma & Paw Paw, Matt, Kristal & Adryan, Bryan & Lindsay, Melissa & Mike, GGma, and last but not least Jim. You definitely made Nathan's birthday the best.

Nathan went to bed fairly quickly. As Mike and Kevin played UFC on Xbox 360, Melissa, Lindsay, and I wrote down a list of things I still have to buy for the party. I still can't believe that our son is already a year old. This past year just flew by, and even though it was a rough year, it was still an amazing year.

Nathan you will always be mommy and daddy's little peanut. Our love for you grows more and more everyday. You are THE BEST thing that happened to us, and I just want you to know, that we will always be there for you no matter what. You are such a strong little man, and you continue to surprise and amaze us. We love you SO much, and can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Happy 1st Birthday Son!!!!