New Outfit

My sister Jennifer just sent Nathan this precious outfit that she made! I was so impressed because it is so adorable and fits Nathan perfectly. It's a little roomy which is great so that he can wear it when this crazy Texas weather warms up. Jen gave us another reason to have a photo shoot!


Nathan loves his brush and shakes it like a rattle!


"Aunt Jen made this? It's really comfy."


These little shoes are from Jen too. My nephew Robert wore them when he was a baby.


What a big boy sitting up in his chair.


Nathan's fingers always find his mouth! Thanks for the outfit Jen! Maybe one day I can learn to sew...on the other hand, why learn when I can just let Mom and Jen do all the work?

Playing with Friends

In all of Nathan's 5 1/2 months, he has made lots of new friends. We like to stay busy by going to Gymboree, out to lunch, and to playdates. Here are some pictures of our busy boy.


My neighbor Alison and I decided to do our own Mother's Day Out program. We take turns watching each other's babies while the other one has a few hours of freedom! Nathan and I hosted first and had the best time playing with Lauren! They were so sweet to each other!


"Lauren, do you want to play with my doggy?"


"It's OK Lauren, you can chew on his ear."


"Look Mommy, I'm sharing!"


"I think I'll chew on his other ear." Doesn't this remind you of the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp? So cute!


They love to hold each other's hands!


"I didn't steal the animal...Lauren gave it to me, I promise." I got a taste of what it would be like to have 2 babies at once, and I think it might be a while before Nathan has a little brother or sister! My free day is tomorrow, I can't wait!


Earlier that week several moms from our Gymboree class got together for another play group. Nathan really is a social little guy! He loves to watch other babies

Here's a group picture.

Nathan and Lauren. "Roll over here Lauren!" This wasn't on the same day (notice the different clothes) but it's cute :)

Nathan and Natalie. How cute is that? Nate and Nat!

Nathan and Luke. Luke kept trying to get up but Nathan just didn't want to let go :)

"Come on Luke, you can roll over. Here, I'll help you." Luke was a very good sport to put up with Nathan's horseplay!

This is an outfit my grandmother bought Nathan. He looked so cute in it!

Last Saturday, my friend Jennifer Anderson (next to me) came to visit, and we met for breakfast at Atlanta Bread Company. This was the first time I tried to put Nathan in a high chair at a restaurant. He loved it! I think he was trying to act big because Jack was sitting in one

Both babies are actually looking at the camera! Me, Anderson, Angela, and Jennifer (Jack's mom is taking the picture).

"Let me help you roll up your sleeves Jack."

"Thanks Nate, and let me help you zip up your sweater."

"Oooooh Jack, you're going to get in trouble for banging on the table!"

"Oh, who cares, I want to do it too!"

After breakfast, Jennifer and I decided that since the boys had so much fun together, we'd make a day of it. We each gave them a nap and then met at Jennifer and Jack's house for more fun.

Nathan was in heaven with all of Jack's toys! There were so many to taste!

Nick (Jack's Daddy) came home to two worn out kiddos. While I got our things packed up, he gave them their bottles.

We had a great week...busy...exhausting...but fun!

Toys, Toys, Toys!

Because Nathan is almost 6 months old (I can't believe it), we decided to go toy shopping. We really wanted Nathan's opinion on the toys we bought, but he fell asleep in the store :) Wayne and I had fun testing everything out though! So the next morning we showed him what we bought.

"Are these all for me?"


At first, Nathan was a little more interested in the wrapping than the toys!


With this toy, he's supposed to put the balls inside and watch them come out the bottom. It's a little advanced right now because he pretty much just wants to put them in his mouth :)


And this one is supposed to make tummy time more fun and encourage him to crawl...which I think is going to happen soon! Nathan moves his legs like he knows what he's SUPPOSED to do, it's just hard to actually GO anywhere, but I know it's coming!


"See, you put the star on like this. I stacked them all by myself...with a little help."


"I don't want to stop playing and put on my real clothes!"

The new toys were a hit! Now that he can sit up, we make a pallet on the floor with all of his toys, and he is a happy boy!

First Food!

After we got back from skiing, we decided to start Nathan on his first food, rice cereal! I was kind of dreading it because I've heard it's really messy...well it was. It was so funny because he didn't really know what to do with it at first, but he soon got the hang of it after a few days. Now he can't get enough!

Day 1

This is pre-cereal. While I was mixing it, Wayne gave him the plastic wrap from the box to play with which was very mesmerizing!


"Hold on, what are you trying to put in my mouth? That is not a bottle!"


"I think I'd rather have Daddy's finger to suck on."


"Ok, I'll give it a try, but I'm not promising I'll like it."


"That is not the kind of cereal I see you two eating."


Day 2

"I'm up for another try at this."


"It really brings out the flavor when you let it sit on your tongue."


Here is Daddy trying to teach Nathan how to use a spoon :)


"You're actually eating that stuff?"

Skiing in Steamboat!

The Parnell family got adventurous again! My parents rented a house in Steamboat Colorado, and we had the skiing fever! We went last year but since I was pregnant, I couldn't ski. I wasn't about to miss out this year! So we packed up the car and set out on a road trip...yes, we drove...with a baby...but Nathan was a perfect little traveler.


Here is Wayne packing the car. I would say that 75% of the "stuff" we packed was Nathan's. I'm the type that would rather have too much than not enough. Wayne loves that quality :)


In order to make the trip fun, we brought a ton of snacks and a cooler with drinks so that we could limit our snack stops. We hadn't even gotten to the highway before Carrie was already into the food!


No, Nathan isn't REALLY driving...this was at one of our pit stops. While I was in the gas station, Wayne got Nate out to stretch his legs. He thought it was hilarious to let him pretend to drive :)


"Uh oh Daddy, I think Mommy's coming!"


Our little traveler


Here is Daddy with Cookie in the snow. It snowed the whole time we were there!




Mama with her little bear cub. Mom knitted this outfit for Nathan!


Look how happy he is!




Nathan was so warm and snuggly in his new outfit, perfect for Colorado.



"It's snowing Mama!"






Mama, Nathan, and Cookie taking it easy. Babies and dogs have the best life!


We're finding that Nathan is loving lounging around in the least amount of clothes possible :)


For our first night out, we went to a great steak house where you cook your own meat. Actually, we let Wayne and Daddy cook for us while we enjoyed the appetizers.


Mom, Nathan, and Carrie


Cookie was such a good sport because there were many times that Nathan had the intentions of petting her gently, but instead grabbed a clump of fur!


Time to ski! The three of us couldn't wait to hit the slopes!




Here's a picture of the ski base.


While we were out skiing, Mama and Papa stayed at the house with Nathan. They did their skiing the week before so that they could be on baby duty for us.


This is another outfit that my mom and Grandma bought for Nathan.


While we were gone, Mama and Papa loved giving Nathan a bath every morning and, of course, taking a ton of pictures of him!


Cookie was very protective of Nathan, and Nathan loved being with her! "Hey Cookie, want to join me?"


"Is it ok that we have our feet on the couch?"


"Cookie, this is the life! You are so comfy!"


This is the view from our house. It really was like a winter wonderland.




Here we are on the lift!


Carrie, Wayne, and I posing for a quick picture. This was actually a little tricky to get because we had to wait to find someone who didn't have their gloves on. Once you get all bundled up, the last thing you want to do is take something off!


Wayne and Carrie are planning our next runs during lunch. Since they skied last year together, they thought they were the experts...I just did what I was told :) We had 3 days of perfect skiing!


Carrie and Cookie playing in the snow


Although it was cold, Nathan loved being outside!




We couldn't go all the way to Colorado and not let Nathan experience the snow. So we laid him down in it for a little while and watched him kick and play. We had a great time and now we can't wait to see Nathan on skis!