Wow, we are amazed that we have a three month old baby! Paden is growing consistently and quickly and has passed 14 lbs already. A big boy for saying he came from Forrest and me. Seems like all the little boys we meet are very sturdy and thick, whereas the little girls are just hollow and light - a very nice change when I get to hold one!
Since we wrote last, we went to Idaho to see the majority of relatives. Paden went swimming for the first time and was a brave little soul - not one tear despite an intentional complete dunk. We had his aunt Dani and uncle Neal (both nurses) as well as Dr. Dad on standby for any incidents - but their services were not needed as Paden is a natural in the water.We spent a lot of time with both sets of grandparents along with aunt Kristin and cousin Alexis (who had already visited us and met Paden). Paden met his Great-Grandma Leydet, Great aunts Jan and Joanne, aunt Dani and uncle Neal, and cousins Liam, Henry, Laura, Brooke, Elise, and Emily for the first time. He loved every minute of it! We picnicked on the Snake River with Nicole's family, caught a lot of sun and warmth, watched Forrest play in a tennis tournament, and took lots of great walks with Grandma.
On the way back to Port Townsend, we spent Forrest's 33rd birthday with aunt Kristin and uncle Nome in Portland. Forrest's birthday was overshadowed by a memorable yet disappointing final match at Wimbledon in which his idol Roger Federer was overturned by Rafael Nadal in the longest men's Wimbledon final ever (nearly 5 hours of play plus another 2 hours of rain delays!)
We headed back to Port Townsend to settle in for the summer. Moving into a small studio just a few blocks from our clinic. We are working at the clinic on Fridays and trying to take in all the special moments with Paden. Just this past Friday, I laid Paden down for a nap at the clinic and when I heard him wake later, I went in to find he had rolled from his back to his stomach for the first time! I'm sure he didn't mean to be so sneaky, but come on - one day out of seven that I work and he has to choose that day for new tricks? It was also a Friday that he offered his first laugh - to my friend Julie. Much to my disappointment that I couldn't coax the first one. That was on his 2 month birthday July 11th as Julie will remember for the rest of her life. What caused the laugh is something I will never forget - Julie's commentary on Paden's private parts and the word "anteater" being repeated several times.
Settling back in to life in Port Townsend has been so easy. Such a great group of people here and Paden must feel like the center of the universe with all the love he gets everyday, everywhere we go. Today we came down to Portland again to see Kristin and Nome as well as Grandma and Papa who are up from Idaho. Paden will be three months old tomorrow and each day is truly a gift. We had so many reservations about becoming parents and they have receded to faint recollections now that we are in the midst of our new lives. We are in love and happy. Check back in a few weeks and we should have details of our next trip - Panama here we come!
Much Love,
Nicole, Forrest, and Baby Paden
