Unpacked

Today I finished unpacking the rest of the boxes. Nico and I played "earthquake" with an empty box tonight. Still assembled box, with Nico inside, I shake the box, earthquake! Punch out both ends of the box to form a tunnel, Nico crawls through it, I shake the box, earthquake! Flatten the box, Nico walks on top of it, I shake the box, earthquake! Nico had so much fun.

We also went for a walk tonight to the Roosevelt Market. A small store with a few aisles of bare minimum groceries. They also serve homemade food. Breakfast, lunch, soup!

Nico also discovered where the bookshelf is!

All Moved In

We are all moved in now. We still have a few boxes to unpack, but other than that we are all set up. This place feels a lot bigger even though it's only 100 square feet more than our previous place.

Nico seems to like his new room. Because it's bigger, we've actually been spending more time in there. Today he crawled onto his rocking chair and he rocked himself. While standing. Without holding onto anything. He's got good balance!

Packing

Today I spent most of the day packing. My mom came over and helped me clean and pack. We went to Costco for a break and then came home and Nico took his nap.

When I was emptying the linen closet, Nico discovered it as a fun place to crawl around in. He tried to stand up once while he was in there, but he learned quickly not to try that again.

When Guy got up, he made us pesto soup and then we packed Nico's room.

Moving day is upon us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we all went up to the cabin for Thanksgiving. Nico got to see some cousins, uncles and grandparents! We had a big feast with lots of food and lots of pies for dessert. Nico tried some pumpkin pie and whipped cream for the first time, he seemed to like it!

He climbed up this stool all by himself, while his cousin Alexis was already on it. He spent a good portion of time climbing up and down the stool today. He had a lot of fun playing with the water in the sink.

Packing

Today we spent most of the day packing. I took frequent breaks to read books to Nico or to play with his toys with him, though. He came up to me often with a book in hand or with his arms outstretched. I'm pretty sure he's learned the sign for help, but more investigation is required.

The picture today is courtesy of Nico. I held the iPad while he took the picture.

Turkey

We made a turkey today. We are making stock with the bones. After dinner we went to the park. It sure does get dark sooner these days! I found some dried sagebrush and gave it to Nico to hold on our way home, he seemed to enjoy sticking out his right hand with it so it would brush up against the fences that we passed.

Water

Whenever I refill the water filter, Nico hears me and runs over to grab the lid of the water filter wherever I put it. Then he hands it to me. He does this so much that I just started asking him to hold the lid for me while I fill up the filter. He loves this job! When he returns the lid to me, he says "dah" matter of factly like he's saying "You're welcome. Anytime."

Today we facetimed with Grandma and Grandpa Russell, after which Nico ate a lot of pesto soup and then went to bed a bit early.

Mall

I accidentally deleted this entry so I had to re-create it. Woops!

After Nico's nap, Grandma and Grandpa Salisbury picked up Nico and took him to the mall. I stayed home and packed and cleaned. They were at the mall for at least three hours, walking and walking and having a great time! Nico is quite an easy going kid, and loves to be around all the people.

The Pen

Today Nico played with a pen for at least 30 minutes. He was so happy when he figured out how to take the cap off and put it back on. He walked back and forth across the living room trying out his new skill.

We packed a bit today and had a roast for dinner.

Milk

This evening we went up to the cabin to deliver some milk to Grandma Salisbury. We couldn't stay that long because of Nico's bedtime, but it was really fun while we were there. We made a smoothie and shared it and he was full of giggles and laughs. He fell asleep on the way home.

Picture is of Nico standing in his crib, I put him in there while I get ready in the mornings.

Ziplock

Nico took a very long nap today, three and a half hours! We got another offer on our house and after Nico woke up we all went to the UPS store to fax the signed paperwork back to our realtor.

We returned home to a roast chicken. After Guy left for work, Nico and I went for a walk. Without the stroller! I had to carry him near the end, and we didn't get very far, but we saw some dogs and that is all that matters.

After we got home, he found a box of ziplock bags and started pulling them out. I tried to catch a picture, but all I got a picture of was Nico trying to grab the iPad!

The Stick

This morning Nico and I went out to the garage and took pictures of the things out there that we are trying to sell on craigslist. Nico found a long stick of wood and had a fun time carrying it around.

This afternoon we all went to the Youth Ranch to drop off donations, then we came home and ate dinner. Guy and Nico then went for a walk while I took care of the dinner dishes.

Nico had an early bedtime because he didn't take a very long nap this afternoon.

He can sign coat and elephant and eat. Not sure if I mentioned any of those before.

Swimming

This morning Nico and I joined Grandma Salisbury and Alexis for swimming. Grandma S is staying at a hotel for a few nights in town, so we were able to swim in the hotel's swimming pool. Before we went to the hotel, Nico fell and scraped the skin next to his right eye. He was not happy!

This afternoon we just hung out, and then this evening we all went to see my Aunt Jill and my three cousins. We got home later than Nico's bedtime. Then I went to the Co-op to pick up some homeopathic remedies for Guy's migraine.

Nico made up his own sign for "Panda". When I read him the Life Size Zoo book, he started pulling on his ears whenever the Panda would show up. I think it's because the text for that page mentions the Panda's black ears. He has also learned the sign for elephant.

Roseola?

Today Nico still isn't back to eating as much food, and after his nap I noticed he had a rash. I am pretty sure he has Roseola, which is a common childhood viral infection that manifests as fever, and then rash.

Nico and I took a nap this afternoon. Guy is gaming with friends tonight.

All Better

Nico woke up as cool as a cucumber this morning! But he was very fussy and cried out quite often throughout the day, I think he must have been teething. He refused food and most nursing sessions all day, but ate sufficiently right before bed. I thought he might have had a sore throat, but now I think it was teething. I forgot to take a picture today! :(

Oh! Nico can sign train. He does it the same way as bunny, but they are very similar.

Fever baby

Nico was feeling better and cooler this morning after waking, but then a few hours later he got the chills real bad and then his fever spiked again. He has been tired and sleeping all day. He slept in our bed a bit last night and he may do that again for a little bit if he is in need of a snuggle. I'm hoping tomorrow the fever will be gone! I thought it was this morning but no luck.

Still Sick

Nico still had his fever today, didn't eat a lot and then threw up tonight after dinner. Poor buddy! He has slept most of the day, and is asleep now. We have read a lot of books today! I'm hoping he feels better tomorrow.

Fever

Nico woke up with a fever and has been tired and snuggly all day. He took two long naps and then went to bed early. I'm hoping the fever breaks tonight!

Boxes

Today we went and bought some moving boxes. We are moving on November 26th. We ate dinner at the mall and then went grocery shopping.

Nico can sign frog. He also recently has started poking our eyes softly, underneath our glasses. One finger for each eye, and at the same time.

It was an early night for him tonight, he seemed way too tired to make it to 6:30. Must have been the time change.

Facetime

Forgot to update yesterday!

Yesterday was an inside day. We Facetimed with Grandma and Grandpa Russell, and Nico showed them how he danced and was generally very cute.

Guy had a Biblestudy with our pastor. And Nico and I looked through Nico's closet. I found a sweater I had knit for Nico before I even knew I was pregnant. He has never worn it and I think is now a bit too small for him because it doesn't close. But here's proof that he wore it at least once!

More Cousins

This morning Nico and I went to the Saturday market. It was freezing! We stopped by a stand at the market and bought him a new winter hat. We bought chickens, dried apples, and ground beef.

Then this afternoon we went up to the cabin. Guy had to work tonight so he wasn't able to come. We saw Nico's Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Bambi, and his cousins Karli, Kai and Lily. Also Grandma and Grandpa Salisbury. It had been a very long time since he had seen these cousins, and they had a lot of fun interacting and playing. It's too bad that they live so far away! (just an hour away, but it feels like it's further)

Box

Today was a wet, cold, and uneventful day. After Guy went to work, Nico helped me pack up a box of his old clothes to send to a friend. You can see him in the picture dragging the empty box down the hallway after I put it together.

He can sign cat and mom now, though he signs them both the same, as well as dad and pig. Since all of these signs have you using your hand to interact with you face/head, he does the same sign for all of them! He will start to differentiate between them eventually. For now, it's usually pretty obvious which one he means.

Oh, and in the picture, note his Arlington Eagles Tshirt! He wore it for the first time today.

Socks

This morning I asked Nico where his socks were and he signed "socks"! In the past I have only ever signed it myself but have never actively tried to teach it to him. He is learning so much every day. Yesterday after waking up from his nap I asked him what he wanted to do and he signed "Daddy". So we went and woke Daddy up. It is so cool to be able to communicate with Nico without needing him to first learn to talk.

Today we went to the cabin and saw Grandma Salisbury, Uncle Jonny and cousin Alexis. Alexis and Nico played in a fort built by Uncle Jonny, with light sticks.

This afternoon we ran errands and then this evening I took Nico to the park. It was chilly outside and no one was there. Nico climbed up the BIG toy (first time) and sat right down on the slide and pushed himself forward. I caught him before he went down, then sat on the other slide next to him and we went down side by side, me holding his arm. I was so surprised that he tried this! Then he climbed down off of the fire truck all by himself. He took the first step forward without turning around and scooting, but by holding onto the rail and taking a step forward. The rail stopped after that so he turned around and scooted backward the rest of the way. So proud of him! It is so awesome watching him learn to do things!

New Toy

Nico was dressed like a lumberjack again today. We went and saw three different houses. And we submitted an application for a house that we both liked, one that we actually saw last night. So we will wait for news of that!

We hooked up the old iPhone we got from Grandma Russell (thank you!) so that Nico can play with it. I suppose we still have to make sure he doesn't make an emergency phone call though! He likes to hold the phone up to his ear and walk around with it. Blurry action shot. And then I'm also including the picture from yesterday which I forgot to upload!

Rough Housing

We made two trips to the Co-op today. Guy made pesto soup for dinner and then took Nico on a brief walk around the neighborhood. After they got home we rough housed until bedtime. Well, it was mostly Guy and Nico. It's fun to watch them roll around together.

Nico learned the sign for "bunny" and for "Dad"! When I said to Nico today that Daddy was home, Nico made the sign. Brilliant!

And I forgot to mention he also knows the sign for "water".

Peekaboo

Today we went to church. Someone gave us a big box of used clothes for Nico, shoes and pants and boots that will fit him right now! Looks like we are all set for winter.

Then after making Nico's favorite smoothie, we went to the mall to buy me some pants. We ate dinner there and them came home, where we played until bedtime. Nico played peekaboo with Dad and then we pushed Nico around in a box and he loved that. We also tried to get him to dance so we could record it, but he was too wise to the camera.

The picture is of Nico playing peekaboo. He puts the blanket over his head and then when he takes it off Dad says "peekaboo!"

Stroller

I didn't have time to update last night before I fell asleep! Yesterday we went up to the cabin where Nico got to see his Grandpa and Grandma Salisbury, his Uncle Jeremy and his cousins Bruce and Rory. We went for a walk and Rory and Nico sat in the same stroller. Whenever Nico would try to sit up, Rory would pull him back down for a snuggle.

Liver

Tonight for dinner I made liver. First I fried bacon, then fried the liver in the grease. With onions. Then I baked some broccoli. The whole meal actually didn't taste that bad, but Nico was not a fan! He preferred eating handfuls of olives. Of course when he eats, he never actually eats handfuls of anything. His technique is to take bites of something, even if it is already a small slice of an olive. He is not a fast eater like his dad!

He also enjoys pushing his feet against the outside rim of the highchair tray. You can see this in the picture.

Cabin and Library

This morning Nico and I went to the cabin to visit Grandma Salisbury. Nico's Aunt Alanna and cousin Alexis were there as well. We had a big breakfast of eggs and bacon and coffee cake.

After Guy woke up we went to the Library to return books and check more out.

Nico has learned to sign "light" and "cat" and I think he tried to sign "binky" tonight. He gets signs confused sometimes because he knows so many now. We just need to be consistent, and then a sign will become more solidified for him. Without prompting today, though, he pointed at his books and then signed "book". So cool to see him do this!

One Piece PJs

Today we went to see a house for the second time. We are still not sure it's the one, but we'll see!

Then we went to the Co-op to pick up some olives for Nico and then came home to a roast chicken and acorn squash. Oh and olives. Nico loves to put his finger in them (the sliced ones, he hasn't seen a whole one yet) and then bite it off his finger.

Also today, while Nico was holding the phone, he turned my head to the side and put the phone up to my ear. He really got a kick out of that. And Nico successfully learned how to sign he word "book" today!

And his pajamas tonight... For the first time since he was about 9 months old, he is wearing one piece pajamas. They are so cute on him!

Crayons

Today we went to see a few more houses and went out to eat at the Brick Oven Bistro. We went there yesterday evening as well (with Uncle Tom and Katie).

This evening Nico and I played with crayons before bed time. He grabs them by their very ends and tries to make marks on the paper that way, it is very cute!

Also today he mastered the sign for monkey, but may have forgotten the sign for pig.

House, Pesto, Walk

The title says it all! We went to see a house today that Guy liked and I wasn't sure about. Tom and Katie came with us. Then Guy made pesto soup for everyone, and in the evening we all walked to the fish park. I brought the bike too because I wasn't up for walking the whole way.

Nico is really enjoying interacting with Uncle Tom and Katie and he loves all the extra attention.

Uncle Time

This morning Nico and I went to the Saturday market and picked up our usual fare.

Also today, Uncle Tom came into town with his friend Katie. They came over in the evening and got to see Nico for a bit before he went to bed. We will be seeing more of them in the next few days!

Houses

We saw three houses today. Well, I saw three houses and Guy saw two. We are taking a look at that third one tomorrow so Guy can see it. I really liked it. We are looking because we want a bigger place to rent, with a nice backyard that Nico can run around in.

Nico is getting much more communicative with his noises and gestures. It is so much fun to interact with him because he laughs at almost everything!

This picture is probably a month old, but I didn't want to go pictureless today! He is reading one of his favorite books, I can recite it from memory I have read it so many times. Nico has also become very interested in books. He used to get bored while you read to him, but now he can sit in your lap forever while you read him book after book. Oh and the hugs! He now wraps his arm around your neck if you're hugging him, instead of just being a hug bystander. Most of the time at least :)

Grandma's House

Nico and I went to Grandma Salisbury's house this morning for some play time. He crawled around on the kitchen table, stood up on it, and is very close to learning the sign for "light". Every time he stood up on the table he would hit his head on the hanging light. He also had fun opening and closing the french doors and seemed to enjoy all the attention he was getting!

We had a "skillet dish" for dinner tonight. Chicken, onions, garlic, carrots and lard. All fried up together. It is one of my favorite meals but not Guy's!

More pesto!

Me and Nico ran errands this morning and made sure to pick up some ground beef for pesto soup tonight. It is my favorite soup!

While soup was simmering, all of us went to see another house that is for rent. This one didn't fit, either. Then this evening we went to the park. I tried to steer us clear of the kid who was hacking up a lung from coughing so hard!

In the picture, Nico is pointing up at the iPad because he wants it!

Mall, Big-O, Pojo's

After Nico's first nap, Nico and I met Grandma Salisbury and cousin Alexis at the mall. After lunch and a bit of shopping, Nico and I went off to Big-O to have our brakes checked because they had been squeaking. Big-O told me that all 4 brakes needed to be replaced and when I asked him how soon he said "within the next few days". So, we left the car there and walked over to Pojo's.

Pojo's is a place with arcade games and toys you can ride on. We called Guy to have him meet us there and while we waited for him we hung out with Grandma Salisbury. Nico got to ride some of the toys and also played on some play equipment. His favorite thing to do was to crawl up a short slide (I took his socks off so he could do this), and then plop down on his stomach and slide back down feet first to the floor. He did this several times and it was adorable.

Long day, and it's just about time for some roast chicken! Nico is already in bed so he won't be able to enjoy any of it tonight, but we'll save some for him :)

Cabelas

After Nico's first nap, I met Grandma Salisbury at Cabelas while I went to have a massage.  They spent 2 hours walking around Cabelas, looking at all the fish and all the stuffed deer/elk/wolves scattered throughout the store. Nico had a blast!

After Nico's second nap, we went grocery shopping at the Co-op. Guy has a cold and wasn't feeling well, so we stopped at Flying M coffee house and he got a hot chocolate before our shopping trip. He said he probably should have gotten a vanilla steamer.

Parade of Homes

This morning Nico and I got a walk to the park in before the thunder came and it started raining. It rained for the rest of the day.

When Guy got up we all went to the mall and had lunch with Lizzie who was on lunch break from working at the Apple store.

Then in the later afternoon we went and visited two of the 34 houses in the Parade of Homes. Humongous houses, beautifully decorated.

No picture today!

Please Knock

I ordered a "Please Knock" sign for our front door and it arrived today! I hung it up and it's the perfect size!

No park today, but Nico and I did go to the Saturday Market. We bought 2 chickens, one dozen eggs, and a couple pounds of cheese. We stopped to watch two different groups of musicians play a song, Nico seemed to like it though he wasn't in a dancing mood.

Laundry Basket

Similar to his like of sitting on pillows, Nico also likes to sit inside laundry baskets while they are tipped on their side.

This evening we also went to the park again and he got along great with his park friends. He spent most of the time in the bouncy fire engine, climbing on and off the seats. He just recently started experimenting with climbing. It's been fun to watch. He also attempts to climb on top of his musical standing toy.

A few other tidbits... He knows what "shoe shoes" are, and brings them to me when he wants to go outside. He also knows the sign for shoe. And dog and pig and hat and he can point to his belly button. Whenever he hears our neighbors' dog barking, he signs "dog" and points to the window. He can also sign "cheese", of course, except it now just means that he's hungry and we need to find the food he wants to eat.

Carrots

We went to the Co-op today to buy some carrots for dinner. The guy in the produce section told me that Nico looked like he was ready to go camping. I said yes, indeed! He looked like a lumberjack today. Red plaid shirt, green pants that were accidentally bunched up at the knees, socks and brown boots.

After dinner and after Guy left for work, Nico and I went to the park. Nico loves to interact with other children. Unfortunately, he doesn't yet know that grabbing is not a friendly gesture, so a fourish year old boy became a little leery when Nico grabbed him. We'll need to work on that!

Three Stooges

No picture today! It's getting increasingly harder to snap pictures of Nico doing anything because of his desire to get his hands on the iPad whenever he sees it!

But! Today Guy opened one of his birthday gifts, two volumes of The Three Stooges, and we sat down as a family and watched an episode. This was Nico's first exposure to The Three Stooges, and he seemed to enjoy it! He was glued to the screen the whole time, mouth open and eyes staring the whole time. I found myself watching Nico almost as much as the show :)

Pillows

Nico just started doing this cute thing with pillows. He puts them on the floor and then sits on them and bounces up and down, it is very cute. I couldn't get a picture of him facing me, because the minute he saw I was using the iPad he stood up and tried to get it.

House

Very rainy and didn't go to the park. Went to see a house that we may have wanted to rent but it didn't fit. Here is Nico toweled and ready for pajamas!

Harvest Festival

Today we went to the Harvest Festival at the Idaho Botanical Garden.  We could vote on the best scarecrow, but we didn't vote because we only saw a few of them, one of them being the Eric Carle scarecrow! We went on a hayride and saw several life sized tractors (a first for Nico) and a live band. Nico even danced a bit. Check out Facebook for the other pictures!

Another day

Played inside and at the park. We made pizza for dinner tonight. We make the crust out of cauliflower, cheese, and coconut flour. Yum! Nico got his own half piece and his very own fork. Nothing got into his mouth via the fork, but he had a LOT of fun trying!

Let's go let's go!

Whenever we put Nico's shoes and coat on, he knows that we're going somewhere. He always walks over to the front door and tries to reach the door knob. This particular time we were off to the park. Most of the day was spent indoors, playing, and then we went to the park in the evening. Nico wasn't interested enough in the playground to actually go to it, though. He much preferred walking up and down the path and stopping every once in a while to point at something.

Cabin

This morning Nico and I went to Grandparent Salisbury's cabin. Nico's cousin Alexis was there and they played a whole bunch. Nico loves crawling up and down the stairs. Guy made pesto soup for dinner, yum! In the picture you can see Nico picking out some books for bedtime.

Phone

It's hard to get a non blurry picture of Nico in action! He has started using everything that is similar in phone size as a phone. He puts it up to his ear and sometimes even says something like "buh die". In this picture he is holding Guy's iPod. Today we picked up his portraits from JC Penney. And Guy received a birthday present in the mail! He was so excited to have a box addressed to him. Aeropress and coffee grinder, perfect!!! (and thank you!)