4 Month Pictures...Thanks Stephanie!

When Natalie was 4 months old, a wonderful friend in my ward offered to take some pictures of Natalie and I jumped at the chance. Natalie did really well and was so smiley; unfortunately a cold started kicking in that day and one of her eyes got progressively more red and watery as we were there. Even with the cold, I think the pictures turned out so cute.

Thanks to Stephanie for such a fun afternoon playing dress up with Natalie and taking pictures - I love them!

6 Months

6 months old? Really?! I can't believe she is half way to being a year old!
Natalie is 6 months old today and had her check-up yesterday. She is doing great! Currently she weighs 14 lbs 6 ounces (25th percentile) and is 27 1/4 inches long (99th percentile). Basically she's a little string bean! I was a little worried that she is not putting on weight as quickly as she is growing length-wise, but our pediatrician reassured me by saying that developmentally Natalie is right on track and is healthy by every other indicator. I guess we just have a tall, skinny girl on our hands!
Natalie is doing all kinds of fun things now and it is so exciting for me to watch her learn and develop new skills. She is sitting pretty well on her own and likes the vantage point this new position gives her. She is still putting everything in her mouth and has graduated from being interested in just her own toys to wanting everything else. She has learned how to open my desk drawer if she's sitting on my lap and immediately goes for the pens and scissors. Those things have since been moved so she can't get to them, but she still manages to find her way to a host of other things she shouldn't have, which then need to be taken away. It pretty much always ends in screaming, but usually it's just Natalie. :-)
And just to show that we celebrated, here are Russ and I with Natalie on Easter. Unfortunately none of the family pictures turned out. We're going to have to work on that...
Mostly I just love that I get to be Natalie's mommy. I think she is the cutest, sweetest little girl around and I feel so lucky that I get to spend all my days with her. She is a great little companion and we have so much fun together. Here's to 6 months down and a lifetime ahead! I love you Miss Natalie!

Spring Break

In reality, all Natalie's days are like Spring Break, but she got a special treat this week because her Grandma and Grandpa Waddell and uncles Marc and Jonathon all came to visit her on their Spring Break. It was a short trip, but we got a lot in and had so much fun having them stay with us. We hope they all enjoyed themselves as much as we did!

Natalie's first ride on the metro

Outside the Butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum

At the Air and Space Museum

SO excited to have Dad home

Just kickin' it with Uncle Jonathon

At the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum

And with Dad


Natalie sure LOVES her uncles,

And her Grandpa,

And Grandma too! She is going to miss you all!

Five Months

Natalie is five months old (yesterday)! Here she is in all her cute five-month-old splendor!


A few new things...
- She had her first rice cereal yesterday and loved it! From the first bite she acted like she knew just what to do and kept grunting for more in between bites. When it was all gone, she tried to eat the bowl!

(I probably should have added a headband - poor little bald girl!)

- Natalie is sitting up more. She can balance really well in the corner of a chair or with the boppy and does fairly well on her own for a few seconds. The biggest problem she runs into is when she reaches for a toy and is then stuck folded in half with her head by her feet. At that point she typically starts eating her socks. :-)
- She is spending more and more time on her tummy and finally seems to enjoy it. When she decides she is over it, she just rolls over or screams until I help her realize she knows how to roll over.
- Natalie can now put her pacifier back in her mouth on her own. Unless of course she has thrown it behind her head or it isn't within a very close reach.
- Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, goes straight into her mouth.

We sure love you Miss Natalie!

Cherry Blossom Festival 2011

Natalie and I went down to the Jefferson Memorial/Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms with a friend and her son today. We thought the whole experience would take maybe two hours but it quickly turned into four and a half. It sure is crowded during the cherry blossom festival, but it is so beautiful I think it was worth it.

March

We have a had a great month! We kicked it off with Russel's birthday on the 6th and celebrated with a relaxed evening of fish tacos and presents. I think Russel was pretty lucky because he got to choose two birthday dinners, as we had another celebration a few nights later at his parent's house with all of his family. We had Thai chicken pasta and apple pie and ice cream for dessert. The best part was that Natalie got to help her Dad blow out the candles!


Russel and I also used his birthday as an excuse to go on a date! Russel's mom baby-sat for us and we went to a Celtic Woman concert at the Patriot Center at GMU. It was so fun to enjoy a night out!
The weather has been mostly beautiful this month (although as I type we are preparing for snow...) and Natalie and I have taken full advantage of it with her first trip to the park...
...and her first visit to the National Mall! Here we are on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial.
Lastly, I have been trying to get Natalie to roll over on camera for a few weeks now and I finally caught it. I saw her pull her arm underneath her and was able to grab the camera just in time!

4 Months

Natalie turned four months old last Thursday! I can't believe how fast time is flying. At four months, Natalie is...

- 13 pounds, 8 ounces – 60^th percentile

- 26 inches long – 99^th percentile

- Head circumference of 15 1/2 inches – 25^th percentile

- Falls asleep on her own in her crib for naps and bedtime. She goes to sleep at 8:30pm, has a dream feeding at 10pm and sleeps until 6:30am. We’re still working on a set nap schedule during the day.

- Sucks her thumb, but only the one on her right hand.

- Puts everything within in reach straight into her mouth.

- Still loves bath time and sometimes when nothing else will calm her down, we stick her in the bath and she’s a happy girl.

- Doesn’t like to be on her back as much anymore. She prefers to be sitting up so she has a better view of everything going on around her.

- Does little “sit-ups” where she lifts her head and shoulders off the floor

- “Talks” a lot more and has really begun to discover the strength of her lungs

- Is a total mama’s girl.

- Generally enjoys being in her car seat/stroller when we take walks.

- Is very social. She smiles at almost anyone who will look and smile at her.

- Has learned how to take her pacifier out of her mouth, but it still working on putting it back in.

- Rolled over from her stomach to her back for the first time on her four month birthday.