If you have spent more than 5 minutes with me in the past year then you have heard me talk about Dr. Denmark. Dr. Denmark is a household name and a hero of ours at the Vogeltanz headquarters. She is a 110 year old pediatrician who has personally seen over 250,000 children during her 75 years as a doctor (she even discovered the Whopping Cough vaccine!). She has a suggested schedule + advice for mothers that Bryson and I have followed from the day we brought Nash home. Although her methods are somewhat unconventional and old fashioned, we have thrived on them. Nash was sleeping through the night by the end of his first week home from the hospital, gained weight perfectly, and continues to be a happy + healthy baby. Her methods aren’t for everyone, but we are huge Dr. Denmark fans!

Nash and I had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Denmark this week at her home in Athens. What an honor to sit down with the 110 year old pediatrician and visit with her for awhile. I shared my deep gratitude and thanks for the wisdom and advice she has offered to generations of mothers.

During our conversation Dr. Denmark shared with me some wisdom that she said I was to pass along to young mothers everywhere. She leaned over to me and spoke in her quiet yet strong voice, “There are only three simple things you need to remember in order to have a healthy baby: 1. Sleep them on their belly, 2. Keep them on a schedule, and 3. Keep them away from sick babies.” Her conviction and confidence in saying these simple words to me was powerful. At 110 she is still wanting to help moms have happy healthy babies! Always the teacher, she then had me repeat the three things back to her!

Dr.Denmark went on to give me some advice on how I should live. She told me, “To have a healthy life remember to eat right and do something you love!” This made me smile. How could I deny that simple truth coming from the lips of a 110 year old woman?!

My time with Dr. Denmark was precious and the highlight of my week…maybe my year! Nash loved Dr. Denmark too and kept trying to crawl up on her lap. It was a visit I will treasure forever.

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Dr. Denmark looks at Nash…(She told me he was a good boy and looked very healthy )

Bryson thinks this one is funny of Denmark and Nash…

Group photo….

Nash and I went blueberry picking one morning (and made a fabulous cobbler with the fresh blueberries! Yum)…

But blueberry picking gets boring when mom won’t let you taste the blueberries…or leaves…or grass…or dirt. So Nash got a little fussy…

Exhausted from a busy week…

For those of you who know me well, you will appreciate this picture. I’m starting Nash early…

We have had a great week. First, Bryson’s folks were in town hanging out and setting up their new house in Athens. It’s always good to have the grandparents around. Then we headed up to Charlotte, NC and had a fun weekend celebrating the 4th of July with our friends from college, Evyn and Jordan and their sweet 2 1/2 year old son Walker. Evyn is having their 2nd baby in just 4 days so she was a gracious host to let us come hang out with them for a few days!

I totally missed out on some good photo opportunities this week. I might have to fabricate some 4th of July photos today somehow and post them later. But I did manage to snap a few pictures in the chaos of the week. Here are some pictures of Mr. Nash:

Grandpop and Mimi spoiled Nash with lots of lovin’ and attention. It was fun to have them in town!

Nash is working diligently on his walking skills…

Sweet Walker and Nash became good buds. It was fun watching them play together….

Our good friend Mike is a plumber in Athens and recently installed a garbage disposal for us (making me really happy!) so I took a few pictures of Nash showing his Oconee Plumbing pride! Thanks again Mike!

Nash gets his first real look at toilet paper…and of course loves it!

Before I had my own baby I always thought it was weird (and a little awkward) how new parents would proudly coax their kids to do “tricks” whenever someone came near the baby. You, the innocent bystander, don’t REALLY care if the baby can wave “bye bye” to you. But the parents coax the kid relentlessly until the little hand opens and closes in a semi-wave which finally appeases the parents and brings a broad grin to their proud faces. “How smart little baby is!”

So it hit me this week that I have become one of those annoying parents…beaming as my “trick-pony” does his stunts for an “anxious” audience. I have to admit that I prefer standing on this side of the conversation and now fully understand the pride that swells in a parents’ heart when your little baby does something you have taught them. So from here on I will proudly coach sweet Nash to do his tricks for you anytime (and will return the enthusiasm and applaud your little one as they perform their grand tricks!) And trust me, Nash is full of tricks these days! What a smart baby he really is!!

Here are Nash’s latest tricks in his repertoire…

7. sing-along…I promise Nash tries to sing along with me when we are listening to music. (you will just have to trust me on this one because he only does it when it’s just he and I)

6. The bye-bye wave

5. Pointing his index finger at you when he sees you

4. Playing Peek-a-boo…I mean, this kid is a REALLY talented Peek-a-boo-er. Do they have a professional league?

3. Clapping proudly after doing something good…it is so sweet to see how proud of himself he gets!

2. His fake HA HA HA laugh…it’s really funny and always a crowd pleaser. Sure to make you smile!

1. The classic “High 5″! Dad taught him this one and I am not sure who is more proud…Nash or Bryson.

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This is a “classic Nash” picture…all smile with fingers in his mouth. Such a happy boy.

Nash is working on his 2 top teeth which seem to bother his ears. Weird, I know, but the doctor says it’s normal. I think this picture is funny…what a flexible ear you have little boy!

My challenge for the week was getting Nash to hold his own bottle…something he doesn’t enjoy but has finally caught on. He is doing great…the one handed grip in his specialty.

Nash gets SO excited when I bring out the swifter to clean the floors and can’t hardly wait to get his turn sweeping! Hope he is still this excited about chores when he turns 13!

Thanks Mimi for the package of new clothes that came in the mail this week! They are perfect!

We are still loving the laundry basket…it’s so much fun to push around the house!

We have had a busy week. Nash helped me decorate and set up the Athens Church offices. He is such a good helper….

Bryson had a blast on a spontaneous trip to the College World Series to watch the Georgia Bulldogs play in the finals. What a life!

Have a fabulous week!!

We’re back in town! I took a few weeks off from blogging…making me realize once again that I am not a “real” blogger because a “real” blogger would LOVE being on vacation because they could blog every day. But, not me. As a self-proclaimed “not-real” blogger, for me vacation means no email, no computer, no blogs. But I am back now and the weekly posts will again resume!

We had the privlidge of spending the week with my family at the beach and it was fabulous!! We stayed in Seagrove Beach, FL just a mile from Seaside and Watercolor…both amazing places! Rosemary Beach, my all-time favorite beach town in the world (yes, call me crazy but it beats both Phi Phi, Thailand and Bali, Indonesia. Ask me about my ranking system sometime!) was just a few miles down the road…close enough for me to visit several times during the week.  I am in love with the little beach towns that dot the coastline along 30A. If you get the opportunity, check it out! But the best part of the week was just spending time with my family! Here are more pictures than you could ever wish to see of our week at the beach…

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The whole gang…(except Kristin who couldnt make it because she is still in Switzerland. We missed you KG!) Allen, Carolyn, Michael, Blaine, Cooper, Colin, Erin, Micah, Ian, Seth, Emily, Bryson, Nash, Olivia, Adam, and Xavier.

Not sure what this stuff is…but it sure is fun to play in and eat!

Not to mention, fun to crawl in!!

The baby pool was a big hit…

Nash and Xavier enjoy a dip in the baby pool…

Ian and Nash take a sip…

Heck, there is room for everyone in this pool…

laughing with family…good for the soul.

Nash and cousin Colin chat it up…

Nash also enjoyed his alone time at the beach…

Sisters and our boys…

Nash and Dad…

Dad having fun playing frisbee at the beach…

Marmi loved having all of her grandsons to hold and play with…

Nash takes a break from the beach for  some time in the rocker…

Livvy was happy to see Nash again! So was Xavier!

The boys played so well together.

The Grandsons pose for a picture in their matching pj’s… (left to right: Ian, Colin, Xavier, Cooper, Nash)

The Morgan’s pose for a picture…

The happy Goodwin family…

Seth and his fishing pole….

Thanks Mom and Dad for an awesome Beach Vacation!!!!

Here’s the current 411 on our man Nash…

• Name: Nash Allen Vogeltanz
• Name Origin Factoid: Did you know that my middle name comes from my awesome “Obi” (aka: grandpa) Allen Hill…and 2 of my cousins also have honor of having Allen as their middle name!
• Age: 9.2 months
• Current Weight/Height: 24lbs/30.25 inches (in other words, I’m big! Doc says I am the size of a 15 month old! And I am already wearing 12-18 month old clothes…and they are getting tight!)
• Favorite Hobbies: Laughing at Dad, chewing on my socks, dancing to mom’s silly songs and trying to walk as I push the laundry basket around the house.
• Favorite Book: Pat the Bunny…It is very interactive and keeps my attention!
• Favorite Toys: wooden blocks, any ball and any kitchen utensil mom will let me play with!
• Favorite Color: I dont really know what colors are yet, but mom says I look good in natural colors like brown and navy blue really brings out my eyes.
• Best Tricks: I can wave Bye Bye on cue! (well, most of the time!)
• I get really excited when…: Mom and I go outside, when dad comes home from work, bath time, and playing chase!
• Other Notable Traits: I am a very happy baby, I love to pick up things and tear apart magazines, I have 2…count ‘em 2 teeth, I enjoy sucking my 2 middle fingers, and it looks like I am getting red hair (not much yet though!)

Rub-a-dub-dub Havin’ Fun In The Tub…

Only on a baby blog could you get away with a title like that!

I am trying my best to round up all my creative energy to make an interesting post, but I’m just pooped. It’s been a long day…not sure why…just one of those days I guess. Nash had his vaccines yesterday causing him to be quite cranky and fevered last night and today…and making mama a bit cranky too if I am honest. Yeah, a cranky baby can really drain you sometimes. Or maybe its just the let down everyone has after a holiday weekend? Regardless, it’s all part of the joys of motherhood! So I will dig deep and conjure up some joy! But hey, the week wasnt all bad…here are some pictures of some fun and happy moments!

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See, here is a happy moment after bath time…

and a not so happy one after his shots…

Nash has a love for all things paper…

And adores a good book…or two…or three…or as many as he can find at once!

oh, and another happy moment. My sister just sent me this picture that she took when I was reunited with Nash after my recent trip to Indonesia. It made me tear up when I saw it…what a precious moment that was!

We packed the car late Thursday night for a spontaneous trip to St. Simons Island, GA. We didn’t know quite what to expect, but we ended up falling in love with the quaint little beach island. After a thorough rubdown of baby sunscreen (unfortunately Nash has his mama’s fair skin), Nash enjoyed his first day at the beach playing in the water and getting covered in sand from head to toe. He LOVED the water…and like a newly hatched sea turtle, kept finding his way back to the water! I was pleased he enjoyed the ocean so much and we all look forward to visiting St. Simons again soon!

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Upon arrival we test out the ocean…

It’s a little cold…

But it didn’t take Nash long to warm up to the water…

trying out a model pose on the beach…

all this fun is exhausting!

Having fun at the beach with mom…

and dad…

and just having a  long talk with dad as we look out over the ocean and contemplate life…

I’m getting good at spelling my name…

We also found some grass to play in…just as fun as sand!

We even got to try out Paula Dean’s restaurant in Savannah. Best fried chicken…EVER!

Nash has been out in the world for 40 weeks now…the same amount of time it took to “bake him in the oven”! It’s kind of funny to think about, but it puts “time” in perspective for me. I am amazed how quickly the months are passing now. The old adage is so true…time really does fly by when you are havin’ fun!

I generally only post “happy” pictures of Nash…but he does cry (sometimes)…

Nash is a constant explorer…reaching, searching, looking for new treasures (making mom better at cleaning her floors to minimize the “treasures”!)

Baby food galore. I got a killer deal on baby food that made me really proud! Then I took a cool picture of my neatly stacked and organized food.

Picking up things…and dropping them…oops.

In addition to my weekly post (see below) I’ve decided to give you faithful viewers an added bonus this week…a video! Here is a little reel of Nash lovin’ life as an 8 month old. Let us know what you think!

As always, thanks for stopping by to check in on us!

I declared today my “day off” and Bryson, being the wonderful husband that he is, complied with a happy heart. I needed some time to just BE for a few hours. To just sit and drink a skinny cafe mocha and listen to some tunes at Starbucks…to journal…to run some errands…to just recharge. It’s good for me to have a morning “off” every now and then from the daily grind. I think it makes me a better mom. I also like that it allows Bryson and Nash some quality father/son time which is so precious for them both. Heck, having time away makes me realize how much I miss Nash and how much I really do enjoy being a stay-at-home mom. I think after 8 months of being a mama, it is finally sinking in that this IS my full time job…and I am loving it.

Nash gets more and more fun each day! I love that I get to be with him all day to watch his silly personality come to life…laughing, babbling, crawling, discovering, and playing. Not to mention a good cry and heartfelt scream every so often when he falls trying to stand up on his own! He is so daring, always pushing the limits!  He plays hard all day long and is constantly on the go! I am thankful that I get to be a part of it all.

My favorite Nash thing recently is his obsession with music. He lights up when I turn on the iPod and instantly starts dancing and clapping his hands! Even in the grocery store the other day he heard the music over the pa and started dancin’. And man, he can really shake it!

Here are some pictures of our little mover and shaker.

PS: Last week’s post was lame, so I am loading lots of pictures this week to make up for it!

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Crawl baby crawl….

Check out his form…

This is the HILARIOUS face that Nash makes when either something itches on his face during meal time and he knows he isnt allowed to touch his face during meal time…or he thinks you are about to wipe his face. Cracks me up every time!

A great view of the lone tooth (although it’s neighbor is starting to push through!)

“Hmm, these stairs look high, but I think I can climb them…”

“Dad, you are just SOOOOO funny!”

Another attempt to be “artistic” in my photography…

“Yeah, I totally love to break dance…check out this move!”

I love to fly…

Doesnt everyone like to sit back in an old rocker and relax…

Nash is getting good at sticking out his tongue…

Okay, that’s all for this week! I am working on a little video of Nash, so check back again soon!