Great Day

Have you ever just had one of those days where nothing extra-ordinary happens?  Those days when things go as you planned and you even get a few nice surprises at the end?  Today was one of those days for me, and after the insane week we had it was so refreshing! A day when we all got out of the house on time.

A day where work went well.  I had a training all day - which I was DREADING!  I am training with some fun people and just being able to disconnect from the monotonous day to day.  To be as far away from my phone as possible and to not be tied down to my email!

By far the best part of my day started after 5:30.  I was terrified of picking Nathan up at daycare.  I mean, who knows what new disease he would be bringing home today.  When we walked in he wasn't "corralled" in the baby section like he normally is, but was with the big kids - playing and "reading".  I think the antibiotics are working their miracle!  Thank GOD!

Just when I thought my day couldn't get any better - we had a fun package in the mail!  I LOVE to get mail, but it is a rare day when I get anything all the way here in France.  My mom had sent Nathan his Halloween costume - Mickey Mouse!  We tried on the ears just to see the full effect and Nathan LOVED it.  I'm not sure if they even celebrate Halloween here (you would think that after two years in France I would know - but I don't), but if they do, Nathan will be the cutest Mickey Mouse ever.  I can't wait to paint on his little black nose!

My absolute favorite gift however, was a sweatshirt from Arizona State (my alma mater)!  He is so wearing this tomorrow - even if it is 3T!  Is it just me or does Nathan's expression also say "I LOVE this sweatshirt!, Go Sundevils!"?

And our day wasn't finished yet! Our neighbor knocked on our door this evening to visit with her newborn baby girl.  She was nice enough to answer the UPS man and hold our package for us (BONUS:  Two packages in one day)!   She even invited us to her house on Sunday for an "aperatif.  Hopefully I will be able to cook up some frozen meals to take with us.  I know how hard it is to find the time to cook (eat) when you are at home alone with a newborn and your husband is at work.

And so that pretty much sums up our day!  Nothing extraordinary and maybe pretty boring.  But after a week filled with doctor visits, calls from the daycare, medicines, meetings, presentations, etc. it was a great day for me!  It has given me so much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to!

1) A day that is filled with more baby smiles than baby tears
2) A somewhat healthy baby who laughs and plays and moves all over the house
3) The wonders of antibiotics and modern medicine
4) Packages in the mail!
5) Helpful and friendly neighbors
6) A wonderful husband who supports my decision to get my IFACI certification (nerdy accounting certification)
7)  And of course birthday celebrations filled with friends, family and love
8)  Three chocolate mousse cake from Maison Vacher (the most delicious thing I have tasted, ever!)

Birthday 2010

Remember how on Friday I was telling about how I was in birthday denial?  It wasn't so much birthday denial as it was a birthday strike...I mean the French get to strike for everything, so why can't I?  Well, my sweet dear husband had other ideas.

We were supposed to spend the entire week traveling the entire weekend, but with a sick baby we decided against our trip.   And so I was destined to spend yet another birthday in the glory that is Clermont-Ferrand.

Our weekend started off like any other.  Saturday we headed downtown for pain au chocolate.  The small twist that this time we gave Nathan a "mini" version for him to enjoy all by himself!  I think we've created a chocolate monster!

Cornel later informed me that he had arranged for Iliana to watch Nathan for a couple of hours so we could go out to dinner.  I thought that we would be heading out to La Tente Berber like we had done the past 2 birthdays, but I was pleasantly surprised when we pulled up to Amphitryon.  It is one of these typical French restaurants where they serve you a bazillion tiny plates of food.  At first you think you'll never get full and by the end you wish there were someone to roll you to your car.

We chose to have the "menu degustation" where the chef prepares whatever his little heart desires - or as I like to think whatever is about to expire in the kitchen - but we took the risk anyway.  The food was absolutely delicious.  This restaurant truly lived up to its reputation.

While at dinner, Cornel surprised me with the first (of many as I later found out) presents!  J'adore by Christian Dior (and I truly do adore) and some Lancôme cosmetics!  What more can a girl ask for!  I know it must have been incredibly painful for him to go into Sephora, so I love him so much more for it!

Sunday, my actual birthday was supposed to be low key.  Cornel was again amazing and woke up with the baby and fed him breakfast and let me sleep in a little.  I was the awaked by cake and candles and breakfast in bed with my two men!  I think Nathan ended up eating more of my breakfast than I did, but I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I was a little shocked when the doorbell rang at 10 am.  I was still in bed and there was someone at the door?  When Cornel came back from the door he had 30 beautiful roses in his hands.  29 red and one white!  They took my breath away!  When I walked out into the living room, I was greeted by balloons on the floor and banners on the walls.  My boys were hard at work while I slept away!

I was then given the rest of my presents...Nathan had given me a massage treatment at Royatonic!  Heaven!  Belen and David managed to give me the same gift all the way from Madrid!  I will be spending lots of time at Royatonic and loving every second of it!

Then came the most amazing present of all.  A beautiful blue box that came filled with a heart shaped necklace and pearl!  Something I will cherish for the rest of my life and that will remind me of this amazing milestone in my life.

We would the evening down by eating a piece of my delicious cake and sitting on the couch.  This birthday was so much more than I ever imagined.  I'm so glad that I didn't let it pass me by!

Catching a break

On Thursdays I typically write about all of the things that I am thankful for during the week.  I haven't done this the entire month of September.  Rather than being Thankful for anything, I have been wallowing in a pool of self-pity.  I have realized that my behavior lately has been that of a spoiled child and I seriously need to grow up.

You see, this Sunday is my birthday.  And it is a BIG one!  Rather than being excited about it, I have been depressed over the fact that I will be spending it in France (rather than back home with friends/family).  That we aer alone out here and basically that this is not how I expected to be spending this birthday.

This birthday depression began back in January and my dear sweet husband planned for us to go out of town this entire week so that I wouldn't focus on the little things.  So while I was supposed to be on the côte d'azur sipping on a glass of wine, instead I am in cold, cloudy Clermont-Ferrand.  This is because on Monday we got a call from the daycare that Nathan was sick, again!  This time we took him to the pediatrician who diagnosed him with laryngitis and an ear infection - and so we cancelled our trip.  It was for the best since obviously my son's health and well-being come first.  I just wish that my poor baby can catch a break soon and start feeling better.  In case you are keeping track this is the third straight week that Nathan has been sick.  I feel horrible that nothing I do can make him better!

It is this week that I realized how much I really have to be thankful and grateful for and that I need to snap out of this selfish birthday depression!  I mean seriously - I am NOT alone on my birthday, I have my wonderful son and husband by my side.  Is there a better way to spend my birthday?  I mean sure having a nice drink on the beach would have been nice, but I would have been sharing it with my husband and son.  Does it matter what the scenery is? 

And so, even though it isn't Thursday, I have to give thanks for all the wonderful things in my life.

1) Thoughtful husband who has gone out of his way to make sure I have a great birthday
2) Being able to celebrate another birthday (there are people who are not so lucky)
3) That Nathan is getting healthier every day
4)  Having had the chance to celebrate the going away of a dear friend last Friday while Cornel stayed home to take care of the baby
5) Having the opportunity to live in a foreign country and soak in new experiences
6)  The wonderful people I have had the chance to meet here

Chocoholic

I finally have the time to write about a very momentous occasion that happened in my child's life last Thursday afternoon.  No he isn't walking or talking yet - I'm talking about eating his very first pain au chocolate (chocolate croissant)!


Every afternoon on our way home from work we stop by the most adorable boulangerie (bakery) - Maison Vacher for some fresh baked baguettes!  Usually Cornel runs in while Nathan waits in the car - but for some reason we decided to all go in together.  As soon as Nathan saw the girls behind the counter - he went into action.  You see my son is a natural born charmer - he turned on the googly eyes, the big smile and a coo here and there and all the girls there were smitten.  So smitten - that they gave him his very own mini pain au chocolate.

We have never given him chocolate before... come to think of it, we have never given him sugar before, but since this was a gift and since he is so close to one year we figured it couldn't hurt.  Not that we had much of a say since as soon as the girl handed it to him, he grabbed it and put it straight into his mouth.

We put Nathan in his car seat and proceeded to go the 5 minutes home.  I couldn't believe how he was tearing into it.  There were crumbs all over him - his hair, his nose, his hands and all over his clothes and car seat.  He was in heaven.

When we got home, we put him straight into his high chair to try and contain the madness!  He devoured the ENTIRE thing!  As if that wasn't enough he still opened his mouth as if asking for more!  

I'm afraid it is true what they say - chocoholism is a hereditary disease!  I'm solely to blame for passing this along to him.

It's a good thing he looks so cute with his face covered in chocolate!

Domenica Italiano

Most of you know that I love to cook, what you might not know however is that I have very little patience for cooking and very little patience for standing over a hot stove.  This is why when my friend Sophie asked me to help her make risotto we decided to make it into an all out Italian dinner event!

We walked over to Sophie (yes, I actually walked!) with a bag full of groceries ready to make mushroom risotto and pollo al limone!  Sophie provided the kitchen and the risotto rice straight from Milan.  This was very special not just because we were cooking a delicious dinner but because Nathan got to reunite with Jean-Baptiste (our cat that we had to give away due to jealousy issues).  The jealousy was still there - but Nathan could finally hold his own.

While the boys played in the living room, us women folk got started making the risotto in the kitchen.  Now I love risotto - LOVE, but have 0 patience to slave over a stove for 30 - 45 minutes stirring one ladle of liquid at a time.  Luckily since there were 3 of us, we gladly took turns stirring.  Not to mention that everything goes by a little faster with gossip and chit chat!

After finishing the mushroom risotto it was Cornel's turn to step into the kitchen and make my brother-in-law Matteo's Pollo al Limone.  It is so easy to make and absolutely delicious!!  The stage was set for an amazing lunch!

And for dessert, Sophie had made a delicious tiramisu!

It was the perfect way to spend an Sunday afternoon!  And if you are looking for a perfect appetizer to serve with this delicious feast...there is always fresh mushroom crostini!

I made these for us on Saturday and they were delicious and oh so easy to make!  Cut some thin slices of french bread- sprinkle with a little olive oil and place in the oven for 5 minutes until crispy.  In a blender put in fresh mushrooms of your choosing, walnuts, fresh parsely, garlic, lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon all in a food processer and chop while adding olive oil until you get at thin paste.  Salt & Pepper to taste and place a small scoop on the small pieces of grilled bread!  Sprinkle with fresh parmesan and it is ready to serve!

Coincidentally - this was the same menu I had planned to serve my friend Kim when she came over for dinner, but since Nathan has been feeling so icky - we've had to postpone!  Hopefully I will be able to have her over before her beautiful baby arrives in November!

Another one bites the dust...

There are many things that I have come to accept about living in Clermont-Ferrand - the hardest being that is is the type of town where people are always leaving.  You see this small French town is filled with expatriates from around the world.  While this makes it an interesting place to live, since you get to meet and make friends with people you never imagined - there is the day when eventually the expatriation ends and people start making their ways back home.  It wasn't that long ago that I was saying goodbye to South Carolina to make my way here, and I know that someday the day will come when I too will say goodbye to Clermont.  This is the life we chose to live, I have accepted it.

This doesn't make it any easier, however, when one of these people becomes your close friend and the day comes when they must leave.  In this particular case I'm talking about my friend Belen. She is more than just a friend.  You see, she is the very first person I met when I moved to Europe.  Before arriving in France, we were both shipped off to the UK for a three month training.  We were both in a foreign country, struggling to understand the language (yes I know they speak English in the UK but seriously it's more like a foreign language) and culture.  Living in the old house that was converted to apartments complete with crazy landlord.  We were taking the bus over an hour to work in one of the worst Manchester neighborhoods but through all of this we had a great time.  We became friends and explored the UK together including Liverpool and learned how to drink a proper pint!

After surviving our three month adventure we both suffered the growing pains of adjusting to life here in Clermont-Ferrand.  She became more than just a friend.  Her and her husband David have become almost a part of our extended family.  They even came to meet Nathan while we were in the hospital.

They have been there through some of our most momentous occasions in mine and Cornel's life.  They have been there when we needed someone to turn to, which always comes in handy when you are so far away from family.

This past weekend we had their farewell dinner - their time has come to go back home to Spain. I'm really going to miss her and David.  I know that life in Clermont will be a little bit quieter and sadder without them here.  I know that we will remain friends for the rest of our lives and I hope to be making many trips to Spain to see them and catch up.  If anything because Nathan will definitely need to spend time with his "Tia Belen" and "Tio David".  And while I know that this move is for the best, "ils vont me manquer" - I'm going to miss them!

One of those weeks

It has been a crazy week.  One of those weeks where you just wish you could start over!  And one of those weekends where I ask myself what the hell am I doing living in France.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?  As you know Nathan got sick last Wednesday after only one week at the creche (daycare).  I never realized how unprepared I am to deal with medical situations in France.  I couldn't even explain to the ladies in daycare that he had a runny nose...obviously it is not "nez qui cours" (literally running nose) and so you rely on the ever handy hand gestures.  Maybe I should have asked one of the two year olds to translate for me.

Of course this wouldn't be the first time that I've made a fool out of myself with the French language.  If only because when I don't know the word in French I use the word in English and addd the fancy accent.  BIG FAIL!  Try explaining how you make your own baby food because you don't want it to have "preservatives" and then realizing the "preservatives" in French means condoms!  Ugh, if only that would have been the first time I've made that mistake!  I'm sure the ladies at the creche wonder how I can even function as a human being.

But daycare embarassement aside, as if my poor boy wasn't suffering enough, he was lucky enough to have an appointment with the eye doctor!  It is mandatory that a baby between the ages of 9 - 12 months see an eye doctor to make sure that there are no abnormalities.  Since Cornel's family has a history of bad eye sight we figured it was a good idea..  A good idea in theory.  We had scheduled the appointment 4 months ago and it is always very difficult to find an appointment - and so we took Nathan head cold and all!  What a complete DISASTER!  Nathan was not having it.  He was crying and moving, and the poor little guy had to have his eyes dialated!  As if that wasn't bad enough, we had to resort back to gestures with the nurses and doctors because again I couldn't deal with the terminology.  I am sure they couldn't wait to have us out of there - screaming infant and all!

Yesterday, however, was the "piece de resistance"!  Yesterday, Cornel had to go to Lyon to renew his passport.  Lyon is only two hours away so he decided to leave in the afternoon and I was supposed to pick up Nathan at daycare.  No problem.  No problem that is until I arrived at the daycare and couldn't find my keys which have the clicker thing to open the door. Panic sets in!  Then I remember that Cornel opened the door in the morning.  I call, he has my keys and he is still in Lyon!  Getting into the daycare was the least of my worries at that moment.  I picked up Nathan, got on the tram going nowhere.

We couldn't get into our house, so I wasn't exactly sure what my plan was.  We were, at least temporarily, what the french call SDF aka homeless!  I just about lost it when Cornel suggested the baby and I wait at the park until he got home with the keys!  Seriously?  Wait at the park for two hours until 8:30 at night.  What was I supposed to do?  Not to mention that since he started daycare I started traveling sans diaper bag since it only takes about 20 minutes to get home.  I had nothing.  We made a quick stop to the grocery store to buy food, diapers, etc.  I think I bought out the entire baby aisle.  Forty-two euros later we were on our way to our friend Sophie's house, who only lives about 5 minutes from our house.  She was kind enough to give us refuge for the evening until Cornel finally arrived with the keys.

So to say the least it has been one crazy week and I am so looking forward to just having one evening where I can sit and do nothing!  Luckily there is a light at the end of the tunnel and Nathan is feeling better every day.  Besides, it is so hard to get stressed out when you have this little face smiling back at you!

Here We Go Again

It's only been about 3 weeks since Nathan recovered from his stomach virus and now we can add head cold to his repertoire of illnesses.  Great!  I knew that when we made the decision to put him into daycare that we would be exposing Nathan to all kinds of germs.  I knew that he would get sick more often.  I was expecting it and thought it would be good for his immune system.  I did NOT however, think that it would happen the first week of daycare.  I mean seriously, today is exactly one week since he started and already he is sick.  And he is so sick that he might have to stay home.  Wonderful!  I'm trying to remind myself what was good about daycare to begin with.

Well, at least I do have to say that we are handling this illness much better than we handled the last one.  There has been no trip to the emergency room, at least not yet.  No urgent and panicked calls to the pediatrician's office.  He did have a mild fever this afternoon and we gave him some baby doleprene and brought it down.  His appetite is down and he has been very needy.  Not that I mind, I love baby hugs, I just wish that I could make him feel better.

What is the worst part is that with his trouble breathing he wakes up during the night.  He went right to sleep about an hour ago and has woken up about every 15 minutes.  Last night he woke up ALOT during the night.  Luckily Cornel usually stays up late and is there to console him, but nobody is going to be well rested tomorrow!  I hope that this cold goes by fast and that we are able to get back on track.  I was so spoiled to the first 9 months without a sick baby and to have one sick back to back like this is emotionally draining!  I think it is much worse on me than it is on him.  I just want to hug him and make him feel better!

I need some tips on how to make mommy feel better when the baby is sick!

10 Months

Well, here we are at month 10.  I haven't figured out how to stop Nathan from growing so now we are in full birthday countdown mode.  In only 8 short weeks Nathan will make the leap from baby to toddler.  It's hard to believe how quickly 10 months can go by, and even more amazing how much can change in only 10 months.  I've seen this tiny little blob of a baby evolve into such a cute little boy.

Age - 10 months old today

Height - Since his last appointment was just a little over a week ago, I don't think he has grown too much since then, so we can stick with 70 cm.

Weight - I still think he is just a little over 8 kgs.  Maybe he finally has gained the 200 grams he lost while he got sick.

Sleeping Habits - Still sleeping through the night.  I know that I have been blessed with an amazing child.  There were moments when he was sick where he was waking up about every four hours but thankfully gone back to normal.  Now that he started daycare he goes down almost an hour earlier than before.  I guess those other kids just wear him out.

Eating Habits -  We have completely changed his eating habits this month.  We almost quit his bottles cold turkey.  We used to give him at least three bottles a day and would sometimes sneak in another bottle if he refused a meal every now and then.  Now that he started daycare he doesn't get any bottles during the day and only eats real food.  He eats a balanced lunch followed by a snack in the afternoon of yogurt and some sort of fruit puree.  What is even more surprising is that he has been eating it all - when did my son get big enough to eat like a normal child!  What is even more shocking is that he even eats a balanced dinner when he gets home!  Including some sort of meat with potatoes, fruit puree for dessert and sometimes even a yogurt.  I guess it's true what they say about boys - they will eat you out of house and home!!  

Teeth -   He is now up to four teeth with two more on the way!  I love it when he smiles and you can see his tiny little teeth in his mouth.  And thank goodness for those smiles or we would never know he had more teeth on the way since he hardly ever lets us see in his mouth.

Milestones - This month has been unlike any other and has been filled with so many different "adventures".  This was the first time in Nathan's short life that he got sick.  We were so completely unprepared and were those completely neurotic and obsessive parents!  Hopefully the next time it happens we can handle it with a little more decorum.  This month was also the first time that Nathan saw and swam in the sea and the month he got introduced to God.  And let us not forget that this month was the beginning of daycare!  He has already made new "friends" and it is such a great feeling to pick him up in the afternoons and see his face light up when he sees us!


Developmentally he can get around a lot more and the baby proofing in our house will begin shortly.  He loves to walk in his walker and opens all the draws and cabinets in the house.  I also think that he has forgotten that he doesn't know how to crawl, because he tries so hard to go somewhere but can only roll to his destination.  If we hold his fingers he walks all over the house and sometimes it is hard to keep up.

Catching Up

It has been a crazy couple of weeks, and I finally have some time to catch up on writing about all of the things that have been going on.

After a vacation, it is always hard to get adjusted.  The pile of laundry seemed never ending and let's not even talk about the dust bunnies that took up residence while we were gone.  Like all things, little by little, we have been getting back into our old routines.  The house is finally clean, or as clean as it can be with a 10 month old around.  Our refrigerator is fully stocked with goodies for both us and the baby and work is well, work.

I am also making good progress of my to-do list.  Nathan's baby book is progressing well and I should be able to get it done before his first birthday (I'm still in serious denial that my baby is turning one!).

This isn't to say that we haven't been having fun.  We still have our Saturday morning tradition of "bebe nageur" followed by breakfast downtown.  The sun has been shining so it has been so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the terraces.  This isn't always the case in Clermont-Ferrand.

Now that vacation is over, we've also made sure to give Nathan a haircut so he can look spiffy at daycare.  Doesn't he look handsome now?

I love his curly brown hair, but I have to admit that he looks so much better with short hair.  This haircut, his second in 10 months, was a little lackluster so there were no videos or pictures.  As you can see by the picture, he has learned where mommy hides his toys and his new favorite activity has been taking out all the toys and spreading them all over the rug.  Hey whatever works.

But by far, the best thing we've done this past few weeks was a picnic yesterday afternoon.  The picnic was at a bed and breakfast out in the mountains about 20 minutes away.  The view was amazing!  It was such a great day and it was so nice to go and enjoy the sunshine. Nathan had such a great time rolling around the grass and playing with the other kids.  It is days like these that make living in France worth while.

And now, we are getting into the full swing of September.  Beginning the birthday countdowns and trying to enjoy every moment before winter comes along!  Is it sad that I've already taken out the fall coats?

Where's the Snooze?

Do you ever have so much to do that you just end up doing nothing at all.  Well, I do.  I can't really call it procrastination, just lack of drive at the overwhelming thought of all the things on my list.  Where do I begin?

This week has been insanity for me.  Aside from being super busy at work, I'm super busy at home.  I have created so many projects for myself that now I find it impossible to get through them all.  To start with, Nathan turns one year in two months!  TWO MONTHS!  That is just 8 short weeks!  And somewhere in these 8 weeks I have to find the time to plan his party, send out invites, and work on his one year photo book (sneak preview below).

All this in the two hours I have after Nathan falls asleep and before I'm so exhausted that I am on the verge of collapse.  And somewhere in all of this I should find the time to clean the house, cook dinner, eat dinner and prepare Nathan's dinner for the next night (he's hungry as soon as we get home, so his food must be ready).  I know that this is all self-created stress, but now that I've started all of these things I have an incessant need to finish them.  Why, oh why did I not begin all these things months ago?  And seriously, the last thing I want to do after a long day at work is tackle these projects.  I just want to sit on the couch with a glass of wine and some bon bons!  Wouldn't that be amazing?

I still remember the days when I would get home from work, go to the couch and watch re-runs of 90210 while eating a yogurt.  That was the life.  Now I consider it a good night if I can get an hour of TV watching before going to bed.

This is also augmented by the fact that since it is the first week of the month, I have to fend for myself as far as transportation is concerned.  Which means that after picking up Nathan at daycare on foot (granted it is across the street from my office), I have to strap him in the stroller so that we can take both a tram and a bus just to get home.  Ugh.  I hate public transportation.  How I wish that I could drive in Europe (remind me to tell you why I can't in a different post).

I'm hoping that during the weekend, I will be able to find at least two straight hours of uninterrupted time where I can at least knock out one project off my list.  Of course knowing me, for every one project that comes off, another 3 will get put back on!

I am welcome to any suggestions on staying motivated!

Starting Daycare

For the past week Nathan has been going to the creche (daycare) for a couple hours each day.  They called it the "adaptation" period.  I suppose to try to ease him into not being the center of attention each and every day.

There are so many reasons that I wanted to put Nathan into daycare.  For one, I don't think it is ever too early to create some social skills.  I mean sure, he's only 10 months old, but he has no social interaction with anyone other than adults.  What's even better is that they are going to put Nathan on a schedule!  Can you believe that?  Oh, how we have tried and failed.  Maybe the daycare can get him to take his naps during the day!  They also have their own kitchen and prepare all of his food.  I'm sure he'll like it better than the chicken mush that I make him!  He'll get two meals a day and no more bottles of milk.  So now, thanks to them we are going to slowly start weaning to two bottles and hopefully down to one in the next few months!  Above all, the best part is that Nathan will learn French.  Just in case he isn't confused enough with the English/Spanish/Romanian combo we have going on at home.

Anyway, today was Nathan's first official day at the creche.  I was a little apprehensive since the day before he had been fussy all day during his "adaptation".  When I picked him up after work, he was so happy to see me.  He was smiling and reached out his arms to me.  As a mother, that is one of the best feelings in the world. Especially since in the morning when I dropped him off he too interested in the toys to say goodbye to me.

According to his teachers, he was a little fussy in the afternoon but ate all of his lunch and snack in the afternoon.  He didn't seem to traumatized so I'm assuming that went well.  I think he was really missing his afternoon bottle since by the time we came home he finished an entire yogurt, some applesauce, and a mixture of beef, carrots and potatoes.  As if that wasn't enough, not even an hour before finishing his dinner, he was rubbing his eyes which is a sign that it's time for bath and bed.  And sure enough, he drank his bedtime bottle and is now sound asleep.

I wonder if everyday is going to be like this?  And just because these are a lot of words here are some pictures of Nathan his first day of the adaptation.