The summer is winding down and the baby is growing up !!!

Nate is blossoming before our eyes! Sometimes it is hard to recognize the changes until it is pointed out by others that haven't seen him in a while. Julie, his Developmental Specialist was impressed at how much he had changed in the month since she had seen him. He is getting bigger-- over 15 1/2 pounds now- maybe close to 16 pounds. Nate had his most recent appointment at the NICU follow up clinic. They were impressed and said he was definitely meeting development for his adjusted age and is actually a bit ahead- they say he is starting to catch up a bit with his actual age.

Nate is eating all kinds of foods now, He has tried almost all stage 1 and 2 baby foods and usually tastes a bit of whatever Patrick or I have, as long as it isn't spicy or a totally inappropriate texture for his age. There are a few foods that he has gone nuts for. He loved clarified butter, ice cream, and brownie with cream cheese icing nearly sent him spinning-- I thought he was gonna go crazy when he tasted that!! Now mind you he only had little tastes of these. They are in no way part of his balanced diet.

He continues to be a good sleeper- and had still never woken up in the middle of the night since the first time he slept through the night about 3-4 weeks after we brought him home from the hospital. I have nothing to complain about as far as his sleep patterns go. I only wish mine were as good!

We all had dinner with Lynne, (his primary nurse from All Children's) and her husband Al this past weekend. It is always wonderful to see them. Unfortunately the pics are too dark to post.

Next week on September 11th, Nate has his 9 month appointment with his pediatrician and he also has his first follow up appointment with the Cardiologist. We get to see how his heart is doing and if the holes in his heart are closing. One was fixed surgically if you remember- one we are just watching and hoping it will close on its own. We will keep our fingers crossed.

We leave September 17th for our first airline trip with Nate. We are flying to Kentucky for my 20th Class Reunion. I hope everything goes well- I really do not anticipate much of a problem. Nate is a great baby and hopefully he will be a good traveler!

Have a pleasant week everyone!!

Here are some pics-- click to enlarge!