Busy August!

Nick had an extremely busy August, hence the paucity of posts, but here are some of the high- and low-lights:

-Nick adjusted to daycare: It was rough at first, but after about a month now, he is comfortable going to daycare every day from about 8am to 3pm. We ultimately will extend these hours further, but this is a really good start, considering how upset he used to get when we left him. Now when I go to pick him up, he's usually contentedly playing with toys and I have to call his name to get his attention. This is a good thing!

-First real sickness: At the start of August, Nick got sick. Very sick. The poor kid was teething, but on top of that, he had a really sore throat and cough, and the doctor also diagnosed him with pink eye and two ear infections. This was probably a function of starting him in daycare and the related increased exposure to other kids and their germs. We expected it, but it was so very sad because he was miserable. Fortunately, after visiting the doctor, giving him medicine, and lots of TLC, Nick survived and is back to his happy self. Whew.

-Family visits: Nick spent the first two weeks of August with BOTH sets of grandparents (lucky kid). First, his dad's parents flew in to spend some time with us, joined shortly thereafter by his mom's (my) parents. It was crowded in our little house, but everyone stayed with us and it was a loud, busy, fun time. At this time, he was getting over being sick (see above), so it was great to have a few extra helping hands.

-Baptism: Because family was visiting us, we were (finally) able to get Nick baptized! It was a sweet ceremony at our church. Nick spent the majority of it chewing on his little cloth shoes. Very cute.

-Gaining weight: Although he is still very underweight, Nick is growing and putting on weight. This is a good thing. I had been going to the pediatrician to check his weight every two weeks, just to make sure, but now she says he's doing much better. We don't have to go in again until his one-year checkup now. I can't believe he's almost one year old...

Nick is still cruising on furniture, and is starting to get very good at climbing. He loves to be independent, preferring to pull himself up and push his walking toys on his own. He has six teeth now (two on bottom and four on top), which he uses to eat all sorts of solid foods. We mostly feed him whatever we are eating for meals, which makes life easier for us, and also expands his palate. He pretty much enjoys everything except for bananas, which he still hates.