Nate & Ellie: Getting Ready for Halloween

As I stand here with Ellie strapped to me in the Bjorn, I figured I should do something useful so I downloaded some new pictures for everyone. Nathan is getting ready for Halloween and telling anyone within earshot that he is going to be a "bee." He is so excited, much to Scott's chagrin. He wanted Nathan to be Dash, the little boy from the movie The Incredibles. Which would have been perfect because Nathan is so fast. But, our son has fixated on being a bee so that is what he'll "be." The talented Grandma Wilson made his costume again this year and it is absolutely adorable (Scott agrees). And Nathan LOVES it. He ripped open the box with glee and immediately put on the costume and ran around the apartment stinging everyone. He refused to take it off for bedtime and this morning brought it out when he woke up to "put on." He is so proud and so cute and I am excited for trick or treating with our little bee this weekend.

This past weekend we went to the Hoboken Harvest Festival with Patrick, Virginia, and Evelyn and Nathan rode a tractor, a "choo choo," a pony, jumped in a big inflatable jumping room and picked out yet another pumpkin. He had a blast and we owe big thanks to Patrick who chased after both Nathan and Evelyn since Scott was at work and I was taking care of Ellie (and am allergic to hay and horses which makes tractor and pony rides a bit challenging). Nate just loves Patrick and was happy to hang with another male since he was otherwise surrounded by females. It was a really fun and beautiful day.

Nathan also started speech therapy last week and is doing well. This week was his second lesson and we are getting a glimpse at just how smart and attentive he is. He has an excellent memory and knows exactly what to do before the therapist asks (and it is just his second lesson). We are hoping to see some progress with his vowel pronunciation so we'll see how it goes. He seems to like the instructor and looks forward to her visits. I am relieved to know that he can sit still for longer than 2 minutes and follow instructions and listen to another adult (since listening to me and Scott seems to be optional these days).

Ellie had a particularly bad evening last night. Her stomach is obviously bothering her again so we were up trying to figure out the magic potion to get her to rest easy. I contributed to the multi-million dollar baby industry this morning by ordering yet another swing that "everyone says will help her sleep" so we'll see how this one works. Have to read the return policy carefully as what always works for other kids doesn't ever work for ours, in my experience. We'll keep you posted.

Happy Halloween!