Getting to Know You

I was going to call this post "All About Nathan", but who am I kidding - it's only been a week and there is no way I know all about Nathan yet! But we are slowly getting to know this sweet little boy a little more each day, so I thought I'd tell you what we're discovering about this feisty baby boy :)

Well, first of all...he is feisty! He knows what he wants, when he wants it, and he will let you know what's on his mind! He's pretty strong-willed, very busy, plays hard and sleeps hard. He has one speed, and it's F-A-S-T! There are a few moments after he first wakes up that he'll let you hold him, and then it's go go go. We call him "Little Hurricane" because he dumps toys out faster than we can pick them up!

I know - he looks so innocent, right? :)

Now that he's settling in a bit, we are finding out what he likes to play with. He loves all the toys that have a billion pieces, and he likes them to be all over the floor! He loves the play kitchen and play food, the stackable cups, and the blocks. Knocking over a tower always gets a laugh from him.

He loves to push things, be it the shopping cart or little ride on toy. He likes to push Matthew around on it, but Matthew is not too sure about that. He's not much of a risk taker ;) We keep trying to convince Matthew that it's a good thing, and that it would be fun if he'd let Nathan push him around. He is not buying it!
Both of the boys share a passion for water - the tub and the pool are favorites. Of course, Matthew likes to barely get his hands wet in the pool, while Nathan continued to try to climb right in until I finally gave in, took his clothes off, and let him wade in his diaper!

Nathan loves Daisie (our dog), and follows her around most of the day. We're working on being gentle, but for some reason Daisie doesn't even seem to mind that she is smacked in the face every 7 seconds. She follows closely behind him and lays down right by him all the time. I think they're going to be good buddies!

We are not sure yet about Nathan's hearing, although it is obvious to us that he does have some hearing. He loves music and starts dancing whenever he hears it. It is my favorite! We are teaching him some signs and yesterday he signed "more" for the first time!!! I was so excited.

He has hated being strapped in to anything but we are making good progress with that. Today he screamed when we put him in the carseat, but then stopped once we started moving. He went for two rides in the stroller and seemed to really enjoy it. And for the first time since he came home, we got him to sit in the booster seat at the table for both lunch and dinner!

His eating is starting to improve and we are figuring out what he likes and dislikes. He loves rice, eggs, seaweed (which makes for one stinky little boy!), chex mix, cheese crackers, strawberries, tofu, and oatmeal. It is so strange feeding a child without food allergies. It is SO much easier!

He is starting to act much more relaxed and I love how excited he is to see each of us in the morning. After his nap today, I brought him out of the bedroom and Matthew exclaimed, "Nathan's awake!" and actually sounded happy about it! We are celebrating every little baby step around here :)

It is feeling like a much longer process for me to start feeling any sort of bond with Nathan, but gradually I see it growing and I keep reminding myself it's only been a week. I found it really hard to like him at first since he was just hitting and smacking me. My heart has softened so much towards him though, and my heart has just broken for him as I've seen him grieve so much. We have now gone two whole days without me being smacked, hit, or head-butted! He is sweet and cuddly and adorable, and I feel my heart melting when he smiles up at me.

I think we're going to be okay.