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June 21, 2000

6/21/00

Hello all! I hope everyone's summer is going well. We are having great fun with Nathan. This summer is so different from last summer because he can do so many new things. Last summer when he was only 6 months old we pretty much just rode him around in his stroller, with an occasional jaunt on the baby swings. This summer he insists on pushing his own stroller down the street and as soon as he gets to the park he's running around all over the place. He still isn't crazy about the swings, but he'll get there I'm sure!

Nathan is so incredibly expressive nowadays. Although he hasn't mastered the skill of forming sentences yet, he is a great communicator. We have no problem figuring out when he is happy, sad, tired, frustrated or just plain mad! He is able to say many words now and even recognizes his picture...which he points to every morning and says "that's Nay Nay." He also really, really loves dogs. We have several friends and family members who have dogs and Nathan just loves them all. He hasn't really had any exposure to cats, but just about any animal he sees, he calls it a dog.

We are busily preparing for our move to the new house, and we are already making big plans for the backyard. Rich of course wants a "serious grill;" I can't wait to get some playground equipment in there for Nathan; and my mom has great ideas about gardening. I think it's going to be great to have my mom and great-grandma living downstairs from us. Although it seemed like an unusual situation at first to Rich, it is really common for Jamaican families to live together in all sorts of combinations. In any case, the fact that Rich gets along so well with my mom (they are sooo alike!) will definitely make it a smooth arrangement. It will also make it so much more convenient for me since I can just take Nathan downstairs when it's time for me to work in my office upstairs.

Nathan seems to have mastered the art of jumping and like to practice it often. Since we've started packing, there are lots of boxes for him to jump from (despite my efforts to curtail this activity). I'm not sure which activity bugs me most, his jumping around (because it's dangerous) or his insistence on feeding himself (because it's so messy). I am still struggling to come up with things he will eat besides his bottles of milk. He goes for his 18-month check-up today, and I fear the doctor will tell me it's time for him to give up his bottles of milk. We'll be in a real pickle then because it's becoming difficult to find things he will eat that he can feed himself. Rich keeps telling me that it's normal for Nathan to get a little messy while learning to feed himself ... of course he's not the one stuck doing laundry several time a week. Despite some frustrations, I still enjoy every moment of being with Nathan and helping/watching him develop. I can't imagine anything more rewarding!!!!

Take care, Debbie, Rich and Nay-Nay.