fresh air

I am including this picture of Thad and I, looking incredibly unattractive, with Nate, who has somehow managed to turn out cute despite our genes, to prove that we actually left the house. Sol actually forwarded it on from his band's show last night and pointed out that Nate is the only one paying attention to the band! One our way in we ran into Kate and Dylan from bleisenblog so we got to compare babies for a few minutes.

The fact that we left the house is fabulous because it has been so cold recently that Nate and at least one of his parents have been house-bound for the last couple of weeks. It is also fabulous because apparently the rest of Upstate New York is covered in blanket upon blanket of snow while we have the same 8-ish inches we've had all of 2007. So for those of you out of this area, no fears about us being blockaded in our house by wild lake-effect snow.

Here are some other recent picures of Nate that have no story behind them, so I will stop writing now.

hot stove

Upon reading cousin Liz's last blog entry I was reminded about the emptiness I feel during the baseball off season. The past few years have been fun, though, because of the hot stove (ie the off season when lots of trades and contract deals take place). This year, though, I've been out of touch because of this great little person who has hijacked my life. Anyway, I thought I'd take a minute to check out what's going on and I found out that my dear Trot Nixon will be playing in Cleveland next year. This is no big surprise, but I was saddened anyway. He's been a great player - fun to watch, easy to cheer for, etc. So I tip my hat (which I wear relatively often since I don't shower anymore and I am convinced that a hat will mask the odor and oiliness) to good old Trot.

On a similar note, until 2004 when the Red Sox FINALLY won the World Series my dad used to say that he felt like an awful father because he had raised me and my sister as Sox fans. Being a Sox fan dooms you to a lifetime of heartbreak, frustration, and misery, all things that you try to sheild your children from. I'd like to say that it builds character, but that's just something I say to soothe myself while I retreat to a corner and lick my wounds. That said, I still feel the need to teach my child right from wrong, and therefore Nate already has more Sox gear than I do. Little hats, onesies, pacifiers, wrist rattles, etc. So to get ready for the impending season, here are some pictures of Nate in some of his little outfits. Go Sox!

how could i forget?!

Nate slept through the night! This past Saturday, he went from around 9:30pm until 6:45am. Woo hoo! I, of course, did not sleep through the night. I kept waking up wondering why Nate hadn't woken up yet. Sigh. And I've learned that one full night of sleep does not a rested parent make. Anyway, we're taking it as a sign of the good things to come!

weekend recap

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpop (my parents), Aunt Jean (my sister), and Great Grandpa (my grandfather) came up to visit Nate. Great Grandpa was SO sweet with the baby, and was really the only person who could consistently calm him down. He'd walk around the house holding Nate and singing to him. He's always been quite the singer and I remember most of the songs from when I was a kid. "Eh Cumpari," "K-K-K-Katie," "Heart of my Heart," "The Bear Went Over the Mountain," etc. We went out to the market on Saturday and froze our patooties off. This made sitting down to dinner a bit uncomfortable (ha!) Seriously, it was really cold. Our house, however, is a balmy 70-something because of Nate, so we just opted to stay inside for the weekend and hang around the house. We celebrated Great Grandpa's and Grandpop's birthdays Saturday night with homemade spaghetti and meatballs - yum!

We watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, which ended up being a Super Bore. The game started out well but ended up being a blow out and no one played particularly well, and the commercials stunk too. Apparently the fan favorite was the Budwiser ad with the crabs. Really? I thought that one was odd. I much preferred the dog one. Oh well, no accounting for taste. The only redeeming part of the game was that my dad now owes me yet another beer because I once again won a bet against him. And hopefully people will stop whining about Peyton Manning now. He's won his ring. Hooray. Let's all move on.

42 hours and counting

Our little sweetie pie is a ticking time bomb. We haven't had a poop in over 42 hours. This is apparently quite normal once babies' immune systems start to mature, so I'm not worried about Nate's health. I am, however, concerned about the impending explosion. Kaboom!

can you believe he's 94?!

Here are a couple of pictures of Nathaniel Rocco with the original Rocco.

let it snow, let it snow

It is very snowy and cold here. I'm assuming not as snowy and cold as in VT, but snowy and cold nonetheless. Usually I am a huge fan of winter, and I love having a fresh coat of snow on things each day, because it looks so beautiful. But I am now being schooled in the rigors of having a baby in the winter, and I am going stir crazy. It's challenging getting around with Nate, so we are spending a lot of time at home. Some of my concerns are realistic and others are just brought upon myself by my new "maternal instincts" (aka "unfounded worries"). I'm paranoid about slipping on the ice and dropping him in some busy parking lot - perhaps I should walk around with crampons? But it really is a bit too cold and sloppy out to take a walk. Or at least, a walk more than 5-10 minutes. I think, though, I will be brave and go out to CVS later today (for more desitin, of course!) Parenthood has really made me go wild!