Nathan the Ninja!

Nathan has enjoyed his time at school this week! He seems to be thriving there and really likes his teachers, Ms. Erin and Ms. Kim. Everyone there thinks he is absolutely adorable... and of course, we agree! The transition to work for Jess has been slow, but things are going well. The family is working to get into a fun routine!

Nathan is crazy about making bubbles with his mouth... you wouldn't believe how much spit that boy can generate! He has been smiling and giggling ALOT and loves to grab onto lots of different objects. Right now, he is fascinated with his O-Ball, ducky, and a bear rattle.

This picture is of Nathan wearing his little Ninja outfit. Some friends from church got him this little outfit and we couldn't help getting some great Ninja shots! For a full photo session, check out: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbsL2

Nathan's First Day at The Goddard School

Nathan's First Day at TGS

It's been an eventful week for Team Sato. Nathan slept through the night, two nights in a row; it was a nice sleep break for Jess!! Nathan also started at The Goddard School today. He seemed to do well, even though Jess had a hard time! We think he'll like it there (see picture for his first day)!! Jess will be starting back to work on Wednesday, so these first few days are a trial run to get us all used to the new routine. Nathan has been making all kinds of fun noises... talking a lot and giving us lots of big smiles. His new thing seems to be blowing rapsberries with lots of bubbles... it's too cute! Nathan has also been making friends; the pictures in the album (click on below link), are of him playing with his friend Morgan.

These pictures are from Nathan's first day at TGS and from hanging out with mommy!!

Love,
Jess, Jeremy, and Nathan

Hanging out with Mommy

Click link for more pictures:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbsLU

Nathan and His Kangaroo Skin

Jeremy made it home from Australia and came bearing gifts. Nathan got his very own kangaroo skin and a super cool boomerang! This was an exciting week of development for Nathan - he's starting to realize he has hands by grabbing onto things like fun toys, trying to roll over from his back to his tummy (he gets part way and then goes back to the beginning to try again), and he has been vocalizing a lot. He coos, has been combining consonants and vowels, and smiles all the time! Here are some recent pictures: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbsKy

Family Pic

Several people have requested this picture... we are working on getting new ones of the entire family, so check back!

Growing, Growing, Growing!!

Nathan is growing so fast. He has officially gained 3lbs and grown 2 1/4 inches since he was born, meaning he is now over 12lbs. This is very exciting because it means that breastfeeding is getting better and easier... for both him and Jess.

He is learning how to grab things intentionally. He just recently started taking out his pacifier by pulling on the little ring... which doesn't help at bedtime. We are in the process of trying to develop a good sleep routine with him. Each night, Jess feeds him, gives him a bath, and then gets him ready for bed (new diaper, lotion, massage, and jammies). Jeremy reads him a story, sings a song his dad used to sing to him, snuggles with him, and then lays him down. It's a slow process, but as we continue, he should get the hang of it and start falling asleep more easily on his own. In the above picture, notice how strong he is getting... he can raise his upper body completely off the blanket and hold it steady for a couple of seconds!!

Nathan will be taking his first flight on Friday as he and Jess fly to Oklahoma. Jeremy will be in Australia for 10 days, so we're all "taking a vacation!"

More pictures: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbsJ-

Life with Nathan

Life with Nathan is a blast! He's full of energy and excitement... and is full of toothless grins!! We have enjoyed watching him grow... although we can hardly believe how fast time is flying by!! He are pictures from the last few weeks! We've had two fun visitors.. Amy Anthony (Jess' childhood friend) and Callie Jo (Jeremy's childhood friend)! Nathan is really smiling alot, and gaining a lot of strength in his upper body... he's even managed to roll himself over... notice the picture where he's laying/sleeping face down next to the pillow. He managed to roll himself off of it and was totally unfazed... we weren't! Enjoy!!

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Nathan's First Road Trip

Nathan went on his first road trp this past weekend to Oklahoma. He did great and actually slept most of the way. We felt bad having to keep him in the car seat for the entire time, but we did take a number of breaks so he could eat, get changed, and stretch a bit! He had a fun time meeting his great grandparents on Jess' side, and is anxious to meet his great-grandparents on Jeremy's side, the Sans! Here is a picture of him in his car seat ready to go. Also, here are a number of photos from the weekend!!

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbsIY

Weeks 2 & 3

Nathan has been doing great! He has spent a good amount of time with Nana (Jess' mom, Ann), his Aunt Catie (Jess' sister), Grandma Judi and Grandpa Rod (Jeremy's parents), his "Uncle" Neil (a great college friend), and his "Aunt" Amy (Jess' lifelong friend). Most of these pictures are of him sleeping or us sleeping, but he's just so cute we can't help ourselves. There are also some pictures of his first bath in his tub and some other cute ones of dance time with daddy.

Enjoy!!

If you want to get the weekly email we send out, Noon with Nathan, just send me an email and we'll add you to the list!

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbv5g

Nathan's First Week

Team Sato is now home and doing well. Nathan is a sleeper and seems to eat relatively well. Jeremy and I are getting more rest than we thought we would, thank to help from my mom and sister. They've been here since Thursday of last week and are heading back to OK tomorrow. We are excited to have Jeremy's parents here next week!

Here are some links to some of the pictures we've taken. There are a lot, so don't feel obligated to look through all of them! Nathan is a little super star and we love him to pieces!

Nathan's Grand Debut and First Few Days
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbvog

Nathan's First Bath
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QcuWLFmxbvxA

Here are some fun pictures that a friend of ours took at the hospital. Note that I am on some serious narcotics that didn't mesh with my system... hence the glazed over look in my eyes.
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2106186162&code=22196878&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite

We will be posting pictures regularly, so check back for more updates.

Thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes! We can't for Nathan to meet you all!

Jess and Jeremy

Introducing the Newest Member of Team Sato...

Welcome Nathan Loyd!

19 May 2006

3:58pm

nine pounds, two ounces

twenty-one inches

100% joy

Mom, Dad and Nathan need a nap!

Update on Nathan and Graduation

Today is our official due date and we are definitely ready. Our most recent doctor's appointment went well and we are expecting Nathan to arrive at any time. In the event that he doesn't come on his own, we are scheduled to have an induction on May 19th. Please keep us in your prayers as we eagerly await Nathan's arrival!!

Amazingly, I managed to make it through my Master of Arts in Teaching Social Science graduation ceremony. Below are a few pictures from the big event!! This event was bittersweet as my dad was very excited to see me finish my Masters program. He was certainly with me in spirit.

New ultrasound pictures!!

We had another ultrasound yesterday, and they are estimating that little Nathan weighs about 8lbs 13oz. We are due on Saturday, but really, he could come anytime within the next two weeks... hopefully sooner rather than later! Here are some of the ultrasound pictures... our favorite is his face, which shows Jeremy's nose!

Nathan's face (tilt your head right)

His profile

We are getting very excited! Hopefully the next time we write, it'll be with birth news!!!

Due in a week!

So, our due date is fast approaching and little Nathan seems perfectly content to stay inside the belly. We have had some progress - 100% effaced and 2 cm dialated. He has also started to drop down a little bit, which is good. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but I did happen to vacuum the entire house and then walk some more. The next day he seemed a bit lower... so who knows! He's still very active inside... in fact he's bouncing around and kicking wildly as I type (he must know we are talking about him). At any rate, we are anxiously awaiting his arrival.

When he does, we will be sending an email update that will give you all of the vitals and a few pictures! We will also be posting info on this site, so check back often over the next few weeks!

More soon... I hope!

3 weeks...

We visited the doctor today and had a great appointment. Overall, Nathan is doing well and is enjoying his little home. We are still about 1cm dialated, but my blood pressure, weight, and belly measurements are all on target.

I'm incuding some pictures of the nursery. It's not complete because we are waiting on the dresser/changing table and the rocking chair. Both are made of cherry wood. The chair will have light beige cushions. Once it all comes together, it will be great!! As we get it completed, we'll include more pictures.















The big open space on the wall is for the

changer when it comes in. We will also

have 4 small animal paintings above it.

Bookshelf, pictures, and of course another painting! The rocking chair will be to the left of the window in the only corner that you can't really see in these pictures.

Here's a picture of me and Jeremy from my birthday dinner at MoMo, a local Mediterranean restaurant. It was a great evening with good friends!















This is my favorite cake (white on white) of all time. Cheryl P. makes it for me every year!

4 more weeks.... we think!

Jess & Jeremy on Easter Sunday

We are getting very close to our due date - May 13th! We went to the doctor on Friday and she confirmed that Nathan is head down and that we have begun to progress! We are 1cm dialated (you have to get to 10 before the baby can be born) and my cervix is 50% effaced (meaning that the cervix has started to soften and thin out; a step that's necessary for delivery). This doesn't necessarily mean we will go early or anytime soon, but it does mean that my body is gearing up for labor and for the delivery of our sweet little boy.

While we were at the doctor's office, we got to have a mini-ultrasound... it was so strange seeing him as a little human. Right now, his head is down, his back and butt are on my left side and his hands and feet are on the right side; basically he's all curled up into a ball. He's been moving regularly, loves to press his whole body out against my belly (which is not very comfortable), and dig his feet into my rib cage. Overall, we are doing very well and are very ready for him to come out and meet the world!

Here are some pictures from Easter Sunday. The weather was beautiful and the trees are in full bloom, so we decided to have some fun! Enjoy!

Jess by the Rhododendran

Jess in the Backyard

6 weeks to go!

Time seems to be flying! We are currently at 34 weeks, so that gives us about 6 weeks to go! We have taken 3 of our 4 childbirth classes and in them we've been practicing breathing techniques, watching actual births (scary), learning more about pain medications, and other great information. In our last class, we'll be talking about infant care and other things we should know! We also took an infant and child CPR and first aid class. It was really neat and we got to have our own "infant/child" to practice on. Overall, the classes have been really good.

The girls in my community group (Christi Branson, Cat VanHook, Tatiana Meintrup, Shannon Day, and Heather Murray) threw me a shower at our church, The Journey! The theme was Nursery Rhymes and Books, and almost everyone brough a book for little Nathan! I'll have pictures in the next update.

Here's my belly at 34 weeks! The doctor says I'm right on target, which means my belly from top to bottom measures 34 inches. Hopefully that means he's going to be an average size baby... we'd like to avoid one that is too big! Yikes!

The nursery is almost finished. We've added pictures to the walls, hung the curtains, and are waiting on the rest of our furniture to come in! When it's finished I'll add pictures for everyone to see!

Fun Baby Showers

Me and Amy at the shower in OK



Me and Cheryl at the shower in St. Louis












This has been an exciting time as we've been showered with love and gifts from friends and family. I'm including pictures from our shower in Oklahoma, hosted by Amy Anthony and Martha Cole, and the one here in St. Louis, hosted by Cheryl Perlmutter!

This is a cute picture of me with my girls from college! They all came into town to celebrate Nathan's upcoming arrival!

Karyn, Diana, Me, Emily, and Katherine at the St. Louis shower

About 10 weeks and counting...

We are finally past the 30 week mark and are about 10 weeks away from the exciting event! We have been busy with lots of little details, namely painting the nursery, trying to get our crib together (we now have 4 sets of front legs...), and waiting on other pieces of furniture to arrive. We will be starting our childbirth classes at the hospital on Tuesday, so it should be both exciting and informative! Jeremy swears he won't watch the birthing video... we'll see about that! Overall, we are excited and anxious for little Nathan to arrive!

Here's my belly just shy of 31 weeks!!

27 weeks and counting...

We have had some exciting developments! Jeremy was finally able to see and feel Little Nathan kicking! We've also been able to feel his head, butt, and whatever else smash against my belly and make a really hard spot. It's not the most comfortable experience, so if I just push in a little bit, he moves! It's a bit surreal that this little man is growing into a real boy! How fun!

We have been busy trying to get the house ready. Jeremy and I have essentially cleaned out our entire house and eliminated all the trash and junk that we don't need! I can't believe we had so much stuff in our house that we never really even used!

As far as the nursery goes, we settled on wall colors and are working on ideas for incorporating fun animals and other pictures into the design. Hopefully we'll get the room painted and set up within the next couple of weeks. We received our crib in the mail, but had to get several replacement parts because of damage during shipping. Those new parts should be arriving in the next couple of days. His changer/dresser is on order and should be here within the next month.

This is the latest of my belly. I'm 27 weeks right now, and we'll be moving into our 3rd trimester next week! I can't believe how fast time has gone by!

Baby Update!

Little Nathan has been moving around like crazy and is growing like a weed! He is about a pound and a half and measures something on the order of 13.5 inches long.

I am currently 25 weeks along, so this picture is about 2 weeks old.

I will be taking my glucose screening test on Friday to determine if I have gestational diabetes (standard test every pregnant woman takes). I don't anticipate any problems with this, but I'll provide an update soon! After this appointment, we will be shifting down from one appointment every 4 weeks to an appointment every 2 weeks!

We have been very busy getting the nursery together. We've ordered our crib and dresser/changer. We are also trying to figure out how to paint the nursery in our Jungle Safari theme! Once we get it done, we'll upload pictures.

After a lot of prayer and consideration, I have also decided to go back to work. I am planning to take about 3 months off work, and then will head back to work for at least 32 hours each week. We have enrolled Nathan in The Goddard School, which is an early childhood development school located within our neighborhood. If you are interested in seeing what it's like or learning more about it, you can visit http://www.goddardschool.com/Schools.aspx?SchoolID=205&PageName=Locations.

Ok, that's all for now... more pictures are coming soon!