Each season and with each holiday, we try to find Nathan at least one new book that is representative of what's going on. This year, Katie found the newly released third book in Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry's Little Blue Truck series called Little Blue Truck's Christmas.

Katie and I haven't started potty training Nathan yet. We were concerned that two years old was too young and he would get frustrated and we would get frustrated and the whole process would be too laborious after that. So we've been holding off until two and a half years old.

Professional photo studio visits are pretty hit or miss with Nathan.

Nathan does not like to have either Katie or I on the other side of a closed door to which he is not meant to have access. So he has no qualms about entering a closed-off room if it means finding one of us.

While Nathan is only a month north of two years old, he has now been alive for three Halloweens and I would like to give you all a recap of his (well, *our*) costuming choices.

Like most toddlers, Nathan doesn't always sleep straight through the night. So, when he does, Katie and I love it all the more.

Nathan, as you know, is two years old and while I readily admit that he is growing up very quickly and he is whip smart and has the timing of a seasoned stand-up comedian, I often feel that I still baby him too much.

One of the toughest things when you first have a kid is trying to figure out a daycare situation especially if both parents are employed full-time. You hear nightmare stories about the fight to get into good daycares or the cost of them. Then you worry about whether or not your kid will adapt well.

Dear Nathan,

Two years ago today, your mom made the brave decision to let doctors take you out of her tummy surgically as you clearly did not want to come out and visit. But at 7:59 p.m., you came out and took your first breaths and cried hysterically.

...because I GOTTA!

Nathan wanted nothing to do with going to bed last night. In fact, he soooo wanted to stay awake that he knew it was in his best interests to avoid me.

Nathan likes to be sung to when we put him to bed. What can I say? He likes the simple things.

Ho boy.

Wait, is "ho" a bad word?

Oh was Saturday fun!

So Nathan...

Yeah...

The other night, I took Nathan to his pediatrician's office after work to pick up a prescription that, for whatever reason, the nurses couldn't fax in to the pharmacy (please don't get me started on that one).

Or lack thereof, as the situation may be.

I want to share a picture of Nathan with you. It's him conquering a bucket of toys. Lately, he's taken to climbing on things. Chairs, containers, couches, beds. He doesn't seem to care just so long as he can conquer it.

Nathan apparently has a hatred of magazines. No magazine or catalog is safe when he's nearby. He will find it and shred it. No quarter given.

Even if you and your significant watch almost all the same TV shows, there will always be differences. Those shows you watch that your significant other does not, much like not always listening to the same music all the time.

Even though I swore I was done with song lyrics as post titles, I admit a stronger-than-average desire to bust out some Kiss lyrics for this post. And very appropriate they would be...

I'm the king of the nighttime world!

But, upon reconsideration and taking into account the context in which Gene Simmons sang those words, they would be wholly inappropriate.

To our dear sweet Nathan,

I think I can safely speak on behalf of both your mommy and I that we never realized the capacity for love that we've found we have for you. You are, simply put, the most amazing baby in the world and it has been a sheer joy to raise you this last year (and watch you grow in your mommy's belly for several months before that).

Nathan's energy and level of daring seemingly know no bounds. While it can certainly be entertaining to watch, there have been known to be mishaps as a result of it.

And, as you would expect, most of said mishaps are occurring with just a little more than a week before we're planning to go get his one-year pictures taken. Nothing like having cuts, scratches, and potential black eyes on his photos, right?

Last night, Katie and I were getting Nathan ready for bed.

The problem we have with him, though, is that no matter how tired he may seem downstairs -- the eye rubbing, the ear pulling, the yawning, the whimpering -- once he gets to his room and sees the stuff up there that he doesn't have downstairs, he gets a second (or "fifth") wind. So we have to let him play for a little bit.

While it is nice to be at home enjoying the three-day Labor Day weekend with my wife and son, I'm sad knowing that this is basically the official end of summer.

And just as Nathan was starting to really take to spending time in our local swimming pool (Sunset Pool), too.

For the second month running, I'm more than a week late posting my monthly growth photos of Nathan. Actually, more than a week late. About 10 days. Yikes.

At this rate, you might see his one-year photos on the day we send him off to kindergarten.

"He wasn't kissing me. He was trying to EAT MY EYEBALL!"

Perhaps some context is in order.

Actually, the worst part about having anybody in your life that you care about are the scares. I mean, when you're by yourself, you worry about yourself. That's really about it. You find that special someone and you take it upon yourself to try to take care of them as well. Not that they can't take care of themselves effectively, but you want to do your part because you care.

This weekend is Wizard World, the Midwest's premier comic con, in Chicago.

Am I there?

No.

One unexpected side effect of being a father is a tendency to get over-emotional or over-sensitive to stories or videos or movies that convey some kind of threat to children or their ability to be able to live a childhood free from threats to their safety.

A little more than a week ago, Nathan turned 10 months old.

A little more than a week later, I'm finally getting off my butt and posting the photos.

With Nathan crawling and standing and climbing the stairs and scooting around furniture and even standing unassisted (yes, that's a new development), the recurring question we get is, "has he spoken his first word yet?"

And the 30 Days Of challenge is complete. Here are the final five shots...

Day 26:

Day 27:

Day 28:

Day 29:

Day 30:

The good thing about me not posting these photos regularly is that you're not getting bombarded by Nathan photo posts. I could do that. Very easily.

You're welcome.

Day 23:

Day 24:

Day 25:

I got a little too into video today and forgot to take a picture of the day so I'm going to count this Vine as 30 Days Of: Day 22...