Super Powers

I think I might be becoming a super hero.

It seems to me that since I have become a mom, my senses have gotten keener.

Most notably, I think I now might meet the minimum standards of being classified as ambidextrous. My left hand has really proven itself worthy in this past year. I dare say that I can do almost as many things with my left hand as my right. I haven't tried too much writing yet, but I might be up to the challenge. Maybe I'll write all my Christmas cards left-handed? Or maybe I might make a few extra bucks doing left-handed art?

Also, my hearing is exceptionally acute these days. I can tell what toy Nathan has, in what area of the house, within a few inches. Rarely, ever does he surprise me with what he is doing--that is unless he is being silent--that's when things get interesting... However, I think it's pretty remarkable that I can tell the difference between a paper crinkling appropriately and someone pulling inappropriate papers out of the trashcan, the noise a Daddy book vs. a Nathan book makes, and lastly the subtle scratching sound of little hands on a phone jack. So, don't try to sneak up on me these days, I'll know you're coming and half to pull out my mad ninja skills on you. You have been warned.

Finally, I can fly across rooms in a single bound. Grabbing dangerous items, preventing falls, or scooping up a crying child with ease and accuracy. I'm thinking about seeing how fast I can run 40 yards, there's a good chance I could give some D1 running backs or Usain Bolt a run for their money...

Supermoms out there agree right?

1+1 is...

2

And that's exactly how many children we will have by June 2010! That's right I am expecting our second child and my due date is June 8th. (It might perhaps be moved to June 15th, but it is safe to say the 2nd week of June)

We are excited and thankful to be parents again to another wonderful baby. We would certainly appreciate your prayers for "Dos," (the Spanish word for 2) that's what we've been calling baby number two, and for myself to stay healthy all throughout the pregnancy and beyond for that matter. So far I have felt great. Pretty much the same as I did with Nathan, no sickness, which is awesome!

For those calculating types, Nathan and "Dos" will be between 16 and 17 months apart. Just the perfect age to have a good time together and entertain each other. Here's the first photo of the new little one...
Thanks for all the love and support. We truly appreciate it!

9 Month Update

Nathan had his 9 month Dr. visit last week and here's where he stands:

Height: 28 3/4 in (50-75%)
Weight: 18 lbs 10 oz (10-25%)
Head Circumference: 18 in (50-75%)

This basically means he is a long and lean boy! Everything else looked great. He did all the right things and he's a happy healthy boy.

As of today, not only is he crawling and pulling up, he has started clapping, waving bye-bye, and he put a piece of cereal in his mouth by himself for the first time yesterday! It's a motor skill marathon around here! It is fun to see him learn to do what you ask him to do and you can tell that he understands you. I hope the self-feeding (Cheerios, puffs, etc) takes off soon as that will be a big help to me!

Here's some photos of Nathan helping Phillip rake the leaves:

Every boy needs to play in a leaf pile when he gets the chance! It just looks so appealing and makes such fun sounds...do you folks in Texas even know what a leaf pile is?! :)

Also a Happy Birthday today to Grandpa John! We love you very much! If you were here, I would make you chicken fried steak for dinner and gingerbread cookies for dessert!!

It's the Great Pumpkin NRB!

Bear with me, this is a photo heavy post.

For Nathan's First Halloween, I pondered lots of fun costume ideas and perused lots of stores checking out their selection. But nothing really stuck out, until I remembered the classic kid's TV special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I used to (and still do) love to watch those Charlie Brown specials and it seemed to me that sweet Nathan would make a good Charlie Brown. So, my decision was made easily and with some help from Miss D, Charlie Brown was brought to life.

We went to our church's Fall Festival a few nights ago and Nathan had a blast getting to see all the sights.

Fall Festival Photos

Distressed? No, just a crazy camera face

Nathan's new favorite photo pose: The ScrunchfaceDad n Me

Feeling Hay for the First Time

FamilyThere is a street in Louisville that goes all out for Halloween every year. One of the best displays on the block is one house with scenes from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! So, naturally we had to stop for some photos there.

Great Pumpkin Photos

Next to his Costume Inspiration

What a great little Charlie Brown we had! And his sidekick Snoopy was a hit too. Nathan squeezed and hugged him the whole time he had him. I really had a blast getting to see our son have so much fun. Can't wait for next year! Maybe we can fix that Scrunchface by then...

Really, REALLY?!?

I don't know if y'all have watched SNL recently, but on the Weekend Update segment a lot of the time they do a piece called Really?! It is where the two hosts say several astonishing/funny things and then say REALLY?! at the end. So, it seems there have been several notable things happening around our family lately and I think I have enough material for my own Really segment. Here goes...

When traveling back from Houston by airplane, the guy at the security checkpoint made me take off Nathan's baby shoes and send them through the x-ray machine. As if those paper thin suede soles about 4 inches long could hide something dangerous. REALLY?!

The city is doing construction near the end of our street. It literally sounds like one machine is eternally backing up because there is a beep-beep-beep I hear all day long without ceasing. Interspersed in between the beeps are jack hammers and ultra loud clanging where they are breaking up the asphalt. Makes it hard for any peace and quiet. REALLY?!

My beloved Target that is 2 blocks from the house opened 4 days ago. And, today I scored the best diaper deal I have ever come across: 116 diapers for $14.98. That's about 13 cents per diaper and regularly they are about 29 cents per diaper. I bought the only 2 packages of Size 3 they had and it was worth it. Other moms check out Target ASAP. Awesome. REALLY?!

It is a fact that at our house we get mail for every single blood related Bethancourt in Phillip's family. That's right. We get mail for John, Debbie, Justin, Kyle, and Christina all at our house and most ALL of it is junk. I believe it is a product of being the last ones to live at the Lincoln house in College Station and therefore we just end up as the final forwarding place for junk mail to die. No offense John, but the AARP wants your business badly! (According to the amount of mail they send you...) REALLY?!

Nathan is officially crawling. REALLY?!

I think our house would be a good candidate for an HGTV show. We could redo the basement or the master suite or the landscaping/garage seriously. Except, I want them to pay for it all. If you know how to make that happen that would be a great Christmas gift for us. REALLY?!

Our Very Own Rugrat

The boy is just minutes away for crawling so it seems. But, what tides him over in the meantime is that he can do a pretty successful army crawl. This involves a pulling with the arms, slithering with the tummy, and a push with the legs to get from one place to another within a reasonable distance. He is especially gifted on the hardwood floors because they are the best for sliding.

So, that takes us to the latest incident. I had put Nathan in the office floor with some toys to occupy him while I was putting dinner in the oven (about 7 minutes). I could hear him getting progressively closer to the kitchen, but he usually gets stopped at the air vent (ours are in the floor up here) and he likes to beat on it and enjoys when the air kicks in and blows in his face. So I assumed that is where he had stopped. But, when I came around the corner to check on him this is what I saw...


Yep the guy had scooted all the way into the hall AND grabbed up the rug off the floor AND managed to get underneath it somehow. I just started laughing! How does this guy do these things? I think he was trying to get to me in the kitchen because I was talking to him while I was working, but that rug just seemed so interesting he had to check it out. Oh boy.

Sweaters are Better

I was just remembering today as I was out shopping how much I love sweaters. Just love them. There is just the hint of coolness in the air around here and I am dreaming of wearing sweaters soon. Cardigans, pullovers, v-necks, scoop necks, with buttons or without they are just all so lovely and I am always so happy to pull one out of the closet. My only lament is that I don't own MORE! Literally, every cold day or even semi-cool day should have a nice sweater. Mr. Rogers and I could have a neighborhood sweater club if his show was still on. Okay enough sweater love...

Phillip is off to a good start with his semester's classes and really enjoying them. He is taking classes on the Holy Spirit, the book of Ephesians, and his systematic theology colloquium. It is shaping up to be a great second year.

And lastly, Nathan has recently added da-da-da-da to his vocabulary. He has always been a talker, but these days he really sounds like he's carrying on a conversation with you. He has also had his gigglebox turned on recently and seems to laugh anytime and every time you laugh, look at him funny, or his personal favorite is when Phillip yells "Touchdown!" The boy goes bonkers when his Dad yells "Touchdown!" The laughter is uncontrollable and he starts flailing his arms and legs in excitement. We are working on him throwing his arms up to signal touchdown when we say it, but it might be a while before this skill is perfected. Nathan is quite the charmer and his sweet spirit is absolutely contagious to anyone he's around.