Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season we haven't had much time to update the blog. But I wanted to say a quick hello to everyone and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Here are a few of the many pictures Mommy and Daddy have been taking of me lately.

The Big Ten...

Okay, I'm not talking about football this time. (Even though I am looking forward to seeing the Buckeyes play in the Fiesta Bowl.) "OH - IO!" I finally made it to ten pounds. Mommy is really proud of me, especially since I had trouble gaining weight in the beginning and have been having some reflux issues. Daddy says I am getting bigger and stronger every day. He and I have been working on tummy time daily. I think he's getting pretty good at it and I have fun trying. I lift up for a minute or so at a time but then I need to rest.

I've been trying to learn lots of new things lately. I'm getting pretty good at smiling now (as long as there is no camera around.) I like to track things with my eyes and have been enjoying some of my toys and books. I really like the new toy Mommy and Daddy put together for me called a Christmas tree. It is decorated in scarlet and gray with tons of sparkles and white lights. We are going to take some pictures of it this week and post them soon.

My first holiday celebrations....

In case you didn't already know, Thanksgiving is my daddy's favortie holiday so it gets taken pretty seriously around here. We got to celebrate all day long with our family. First we went to Grandma and Grandpa Cristofaro's house to see them, Uncle Nick and Jenny. While the adults cooked and ate I mostly slept. I did wake up a little towards the end and got to meet my Great-Uncle Bob.

That night we went to Grandma Dorothy and Paps house to eat dinner with them. We took our dog Brutus with us since it was his birthday. Paps gave Brutus way too much people food (including a face full of whipped cream) and Brutus had a tummy ache later. At least now I know who to go to when all the grown-ups say no to my requests.

I was so excited when I got home from Thanksgiving celebrating that I couldn't sleep. So mommy and daddy had to take turns staying up all night with me. Mommy says we have to quit staying up so late. She and daddy keep trying to make spend more time awake during the day but I'm having a really hard time with it. I guess I should try to go to bed now so I can get ready for the next holiday. Christmas will be here before we know it.

I'm one month old today!!!!

Hi everyone-
I've been trying to make the rounds to visit everybody but with the holidays fast approaching it has been difficult. We got a few birth announcements sent out and hope to be posting more pictures soon. You can see some of the pictures we had taken by Mark & Jennifer Garber at http://markgarberstudios.blogspot.com/ under the November 19th posting. We are also at the end of the September 26th posting but I may be harder to recognize in those since I'm still in Mommy's tummy. If you have trouble with the link you can go to the Garber's website at http://www.markgarber.com/ and click on the portrait blog called Studio Life.
Lately Mommy & Daddy have been teaching me the difference between day and night. I find it all very confusing but I'm trying. There has been a lot of sleeping in shifts so we haven't been able to make or return phone calls very promptly. Since I don't hear the phone ring when I'm sleeping I miss a lot of what is going on. Mommy usually plays the messages for me so I can hear your voices. I love that so keep calling. Hope to hear from you soon.

Nathan

Oh the places you will go...

Hi everyone-

I've been on the go a lot lately. I've been to the doctor's office, the mall to do some shopping, on car trips to run errands, out for walks in the stroller with my dog Brutus and to the photographer's studio for my first professional portrait session this week. It's been really busy around here.

Daddy also had to go back to work this week but he has been spending some quality bonding time with me before he leaves for work each day. He gets up early and feeds me a bottle so Mommy can get some extra sleep. He also calls me on the phone for a few minutes each afternoon just to see how I'm doing.

We don't have any new pictures to post yet but we'll be sending out some birth announcements soon. Mommy is working on getting them ready to mail out. She has also been busy trying to teach me all kinds of new things like how to ride in the baby sling, how to smile when asked (although I try to hide my smile from the camera) and how to speak Italian. With everything that has been going on... I think I'm ready for a nap. See you all soon.

Nathan

Some of my visitors

Aunt Molly, Grandma Dorothy, Uncle Chad and cousin Katie

Busy, busy, busy...

We've been so busy this week. Mommy, Daddy and I have been on the go all week long. Monday we had my first visit to the pediatricians office. Everything went well and Mommy & Daddy asked lots of questions. I think they are doing a pretty good job but they are always looking for ways to improve. It seems like they worry about every little thing. Hopefully the new parent nerves will wear off soon and they will relax a bit.

Tuesday we visited with Grandma Dorothy and Paps (grandpa Perry) at our house. I practiced sleeping in my crib and am doing better each day.

Wednesday the nurse from Kettering Medical Center came out for our home visit. She checked on Mommy and me, answered more questions and pronounced us healthy & doing well.

And today we took my first walk out in the stroller. We took Brutus for a walk around the neighborhood (when he got tired we dropped him off at home) and then walked over to the local library. The stroller works really well and I slept the whole time.

Tomorrow we plan to snuggle up together and spend the day relaxing. We'll be back to our regular schedule of running around, doing errands and visiting this weekend. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to a little quiet time.

Enjoy the new pictures.

Nathan

My first day at home...

Hi everyone-

I am home now and getting settled in. There are a lot of "firsts" going on around here. My first night with just Mommy and Daddy taking care of me. (Mommy says she misses the nurses from the hospital :) My first meeting with our dog Brutus. Daddy's first solo diaper change. (He did a really good job. Especially since it was a messy diaper.) My first nap in my crib. Lots of first meetings and visits with new people. And right now I am watching my first Buckeyes game. Go Bucks!

Mommy, Daddy and I are doing pretty well. Mostly we are just tired and we are getting to know each other.

Our thanks and love to everyone.
-Nathan

Introducing Nathan Parker Cristofaro

I finally arrived at 6:19 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22, 2008. I weighted 7 lb 14.8oz and was 20.5" long but I didn't have a name yet. Mommy and Daddy talked about it late that night and decided on Nathan Parker. I can't wait to see everyone!

Bye For Now,
Nathan Parker Cristofaro

A Quick Update...

Mommy, Daddy & I spent part of the day (about 5 hours) at the hospital today. We are all doing fine. My tests looked good so the doctor decided to try to kick start things today instead of waiting until tomorrow. We're moving along but not very quickly so the hospital let us come home to wait it out. The up side is that we can eat whatever we want and hang out where we are most comfortable. The down side is... still no magic baby day. I'll keep you posted. Hope to see you all soon.

Baby Cristofaro

I'm Late. I'm Late...for a Very Important Date.

Well, I had hoped to be out in the big wide world by now but I guess I'm just not quite ready yet. Mommy is getting kind of emotional and both she and Daddy are anxious to meet me in person. But, they are holding up okay. The doctor saw me on Thursday and said I was healthy and should be here by the weekend. He scheduled an appointment to give me some tests on Monday if I haven't arrived by then. If everything is okay with the tests (as everyone expects) on Monday and I still don't show up... then Mommy has to go in again on Tuesday and they will try to convince me to come out. If nothing else works...the doctor will induce labor on Thursday. So, I should be seeing all of you very soon. Just wanted to keep you posted.

Baby Cristofaro

From the great beyond...aka the belly!

Hi everyone-

.

.

I just wanted to get an early start at introducing myself. Even though I don't have a name yet I'm very excited to meet you all. My mommy has been going to the doctor every week to make sure I'm healthy and ready to greet the world. So far, so good.
.

.

I'm due to join you in the outside world on Saturday, October 18th. Both my mommy and daddy are really excited to see me so I may come early but I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know as soon as I make up my mind.
.

.

For now I'm just hanging out in mom's belly, kicking back and frequently kicking mommy. I make her really tired but she's still doing okay with it. Daddy's a little nervous and worries about mommy and me a lot but that's just because he loves us so much. I think he's going to be a pretty good dad. Well, I think I'm going to take a little nap so I'll sign off for now. See you all soon.
.
.

Baby Cristofaro