Very Grown Up

Natalie is looking very grown up to me these days. (She is almost 15 months old!) Her face seems to be changing all the time and sometimes I can't believe what a little girl she looks like instead of the baby she was only a few months ago. I guess it is the perfect time for her to grow up now that she is about to be a big sister!
Natalie is starting to exert a little more independence and is realizing just how capable she is of controlling her own world.
Natalie copies everything I do. Everything. It is cute, fun, humbling and frustrating all at the same time. She pushes around her baby doll stroller with her purse on one arm or hung over the handle, just like I do. If she sees a stray hair tie, she puts it on her wrist just like I do. When I put on chap stick or put lotion on my hands, Natalie is there to have a little chap stick dabbed onto her lips or with her hands out to accept a dot of lotion. She even rubs it in the same way I do. She wants to mix things when I'm cooking dinner, type on the keyboard when I'm writing an email and help put the dishes away when I empty the dishwasher. I can't believe how much she takes in and how much she learns every day.

(notice my hair tie on her wrist)

Natalie is definitely working on her words and is starting to talk a little more. Most of the time we can't understand what she is saying and I think she is trying out sounds more than anything. She does say a number of clear and distinct words though. Her favorite thing to say is "What's this?" She asks me that a hundred times a day as she points her little index finger at whatever it is she wants to know about. She can also say mama, dada/daddy, baby, ball, eat, touch, yea, no, mine, apple and peas.
Natalie continues to love her stroller and puts her stuffed animals or baby doll in the seat to push around. She also loves books and has definite favorites. She loves Sandra Boynton's "Opposites" and "Doggies" as well as "Curious George Opposites" and "Moo", a pop-up and lift-the-flap animal book. She loves animals and dogs in particular. She laughs and gets excited anytime she sees a dog outside and always wants to pet it. She has never appeared scared, even with huge dogs that are five times her size. I, on the other hand, am still a little hesitant about those dogs. Natalie also loves her little monkey. I'm pretty sure she thinks he is Curious George, and who knows, maybe he is!

(I love that her curls are coming in more and that her hair is long enough for a little clip now. She notices them far less than the headbands, which means they last a lot longer on her head.)

(Doesn't she look grown up in that dress?!)

She has finally learned how to go down the stairs backwards but is still deciding if that is really more fun than standing at the edge and trying to walk down like an adult. Luckily we have only had one major spill and I am really hoping not to repeat it.
Natalie is at such a fun age. She is quick to laugh and always wants to play. This fun stage, however, is accompanied by a new found independent, strong-willed and stubborn spirit. She has serious opinions about everything from which sippy cup I give her to which coat she wants to wear, not to mention the response if she doesn't want to wear a coat at all! (A coat is not optional, by the way, if it is 30 degrees outside.) I'm trying to be patient as we learn together. My mom keeps telling me I was just like that as a toddler/little girl and Russ can't tell me enough how much she is like me, so I guess I was always due a little strong-willed daughter anyway!