Julia at 12 Months

Despite not having posted a single thing in over 8 months, I do think about my little blog from time to time and how I really have zero time to write what has been happening in my life even though I do want to write something so that I can look back years from now and remember what it was like when my kids were little. So here I am. Julia turned one on January 16. She started walking the week of Thanksgiving, so she was getting around really well at her party. We had our families over for finger foods, cake, and ice cream, after Julia's nap. She loved her little slice of carrot cake and ate it all up! She received a stuffed owl pillow that I made to match her nursery, a cloth doll, a giraffe heating pad stuffed animal, a pull along puppy, funds to open a savings account, and a ball/block run that is kind of like a marble run/plinko game combo.

Julia has consistently woken up twice during the night for months now. We have hit a wall and she just will not make any progress in the sleep department! She is weaned during the day and only nurses during the night. Her favorite foods are pretty much anything, but she especially loves grapes, raisins, and spaghetti. She babbles constantly, but only says a few words like Da-da, uh-oh, yeah, hi, yay, and no. She finally said "mom-mom" the other day, but won't say it again! Stinker! Despite her limited vocabulary, she is great at communicating what she wants and shows that she understands what we say to her. If I ask her if she wants to eat a snack, she heads straight for the kitchen. She leans, grunts, and points to what she wants and refuses to use correct sign language and instead has invented her own sign for "more". Her favorite activities are baths, swinging, playing with dolls, and playing in the kitchen cabinets. She loves her big sisters and is interacting with her more and more all the time. It is an answer to prayer that they have grown to love each other. I'm praying that it continues and lasts a lifetime! Julia loves "patting the Bible" while you sing "The B-I-B-L-E". In the church nursery, there is a basket full of little New Testaments that they pass out to the kids while they sing that song and she goes for it immediately when you take her to the nursery and starts patting the Bibles. She dances and enjoys music and singing and loves sitting on my lap and banging on the piano when I try to practice. I pretty much practice in vain because she screams if I put her on the floor and don't let her sit on my lap to "play". She can almost run now and walks very quickly. She can climb the stairs to Alex's office in probably 20 seconds or less. She is super fast! She usually just takes one nap a day and is ready for bed around 7. She wakes up like clockwork as soon as my head hits the pillow (around 11:30 pm) and again usually between 1 and 3 a.m. and wakes up anywhere from 6:45 to 7:45 most mornings. She weighs 19 pounds and is 29 inches tall. 18 month pants are usually too long on her, but we make them work. She adores her family and has a really sweet relationship with all of us. I think I am her favorite person, but Daddy and big sis are close seconds.

This past year has flown by even faster than Natalie's first year and I am afraid that I haven't documented it very well. In true second-child form, I haven't taken as many pictures and obviously didn't write as many monthly updates. But Julia is still so special to us and we treasure every day with her. She has taught me so much about perseverance, flexibility, unconditional love, and my own weaknesses. Mothering two littles is a whole new ball game, but I think I have found my "groove" and don't quite feel like I am still in survival mode. With just Natalie, I used to get bored with the same old routine every single day, but now with two kids, there isn't time to be bored. And I like that. I look forward to watching my girls grow up and grow closer to one another. We have come a long way in just a year! Here's to many new adventures ahead!

Julia at 2 Months

So, I just realized I had written this post, never finished it, and thus never published it. Since blogging has been my girls' only "baby book", I wanted to go ahead and publish it, albeit out of chronolgical order, so that it would be easier to find down the road when I'm feeling nostalgic and want to read what life was like when the kids were babies. So, bear with me as I publish Julia's 2 month update while she is 4.5 months old, because that's how I roll.

Julia turned two months old last Sunday. We went for her well child check up this past week and I had my postpartum check up as well. Miss Julia weighs 12 pounds 1 oz and is 22 inches long, putting her in the 80th and 50th percentiles, respectively. She is definitely more filled out than Natalie ever was, lol. Natalie was 11 pounds 12 oz and 23.5 inches tall at 2 months (75th and 90th percentiles).

Our sweet baby "talks" to us quite a lot and has smiles for anyone who will have a conversation of "coos" with her. She loves being held facing outward or on her belly in a Superman hold, just like her big sis did. She enjoys being worn in my ring sling, which is a lifesaver in the grocery store and outside while Natalie is playing. I remember thinking that Natalie got more fun around 3 months old, but I feel like Julia is already more fun right now because of how much she enjoys interacting with me. I think we have a social butterfly on our hands! Julia DESPISES baths and screams her blood-curdling scream the entire time until she is dry and dressed again. She came really close to rolling over from belly to back yesterday, so I am excited to see her accomplish that soon!

Julia still nurses every 2 hours and usually sleeps anywhere for 5 to 8 hours at night before waking up to eat. Hooray for babies that sleep well!!! I think she has a shallow latch, which is causing me quite a bit of discomfort still. My doula suggested trying different feeding positions to see if that helps.

Natalie still loves her little sister, but she has recently entered deeper into the terrible twos with more frequent tantrums and bad behavior. Alex and I are growing wearing from disciplining her for the same things over and over all.day.long.everyday. I have asked more experienced moms for tips on disciplining a toddler and the resounding answer is that you just survive it and one day they will get better. Not exactly what I was hoping or expecting to hear, but I am hopeful that it will ring true for us in the near future before I lose my mind and pull all my hair out! My mom says to speak out that we are going to have the "Terrific Twos" and I try to do that as I discipline Natalie for the 1, 346,782nd time.

Life with a 4 Month Old

Life won't slow down and most days it feels like I am just along for the ride. I blinked and my baby is now 4 months old. I feel like I am on the verge of a breakthrough with figuring out my new normal since Julia was born, prioritizing what needs to be done and what I want to get done around the house, coming to terms with living in "survival mode" and letting go of things that just aren't as important as being present with my girls. I made a chore chart in the hopes of getting more done around the house, but decided it was too much to handle after the first day. As long as we all have clean clothes to wear and clean dishes to eat off of, that is enough for now. It's not worth it to me to go and go and go all day long cleaning and playing, running, running, running, and then not have any energy left after the kids are in bed to enjoy my down time. So that is where I am at right now. Tired and trying to find balance.

Miss Julia turned 4 months old on Friday. She started out her life as an amazing sleeper, but right at 3 months, that all changed and she started waking up 3-5 times a night. My seasonal allergies started bothering me and it seemed that Julia's nose became constantly stuffy at the same time, causing her to not sleep as well. She teased me a bit on Friday because she slept all night for the first time in over a month, but went back to waking up a lot again every night since. Combine that with the fact that Natalie comes into bed with us in the middle of the night and this mama isn't getting great sleep.

On a more positive note, I just love Julia's little personality. She is so social and smiles whenever you talk to her. She gets bashful and turns her face away as she smiles at you, which is so sweet. She giggles when you tickle her, which has to be one of the best sounds in the world. My heart was full tonight watching Natalie talk to Julia and watching Julia smile and laugh in response. Natalie will tell me, "I want to talk to Julia! Hello, Julia! Hello, Julia! Hello, Julia!" It's like she doesn't know how to have a one-sided conversation with her baby sister just yet, but I love her heart and know they will keep growing closer as they get older. It has always been my prayer that they would be best friends.

Julia rolled over during the middle of the night one time, but hasn't rolled over again since. She has started reaching for toys and anything within her reach, including my hair, which she tries to eat. Not fun for Mama. The similarities between her and Natalie as a baby are uncanny. Both girls have tempers and scream when they are mad, both love being outdoors and calm right down when we head outside, both girls have a strong attachment to me and don't like to be held by anyone else for very long, they both love moving around a lot and standing up on their feet if being held on someone's lap. The Jumperoo has started getting some use, as well as the Bumbo chair, but Julia doesn't generally enjoy being put down for very long. I bought a Lillebaby carrier to use on walks and while out shopping instead of carrying the carseat into the store and Julia and I both love it. She sucks on her fingers or thumb and sometimes falls asleep in it and I love being close to her while still having my hands free to do things with Natalie.

Natalie seems to still be doing well having a baby sister around, but she is still really rough at times. The instant she hears Julia crying or cooing after a nap, Natalie tells me, "Julia awake!!! I wanna talk to her!" and she runs in the nursery to tell her "Hi!". It is so sweet and Julia usually smiles at her through the crib slats. She likes to hand me diapers and take toys away from Julia, which we are working on with her. She is growing into a little girl more every day. Now she helps me unload the dishwasher and wants to get undressed by herself. She has been saying nursery rhymes and little songs during the day and asks me to sing with her. Some of her favorite songs are If You're Happy and You Know It, Apples and Bananas, 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, The Wheels on the Bus, and The B-I-B-L-E. She still eats non-stop and right now especially loves candy-lope (cantaloupe) and trail mix. There is never a dull moment in our home. I just wish I had half the energy she has. Alex's nickname as a child was Taz, and Natalie sure has inherited his energetic ways.

One Month with Julia

Time really flies when your days consist of juggling the needs of a newborn, a toddler and normal household stuff! I went back to re-read some posts about Natalie at 3 weeks and 2 months and I must say, I'm so thankful that Julia has not had her days and nights mixed up like her big sister did! We still get up about 3 times a night, which is rough enough on poor ol' mom, but thank goodness for nap time! (Natalie is asleep on the hardwood floor at my feet as I type...that's a new one.)

My favorite thing about having Julia in our family is seeing how much Natalie enjoys her. She tells me several times a day that she loves her baby sister and it just melts my heart. Natalie loves "reading" books to her baby sister and tries to keep Layla away from her. After Julia wakes up from a nap, Natalie sometimes says, "Eyes open!". I guess she doesn't know the word "awake" yet, haha. She recently starting giving Julia hugs and kisses before going to bed and then I hold Julia up so she can give Natalie a "kiss", too.

Valentines Day was a bit of a disaster for us this year. We had friends over for dinner and both kids were in bad moods. Julia became hysterical, I think because I waited too long to try and feed her and she got too worked up to calm down. Then I finally got her calmed down enough to eat, and Natalie started acting out. After dinner, Julia started crying hysterically AGAIN, this time because she was fighting sleep. And boy, does she have an ear-piercing "mad" cry. Think nails on a chalkboard. I took her to our bedroom and shut the door while I tried to calm her down, but nothing worked. Finally, I remembered something from a video I'd watched earlier in the day and decided to try swaddling her to help calm her. Our friends were getting ready to leave as I walked out of the bedroom, with tears in my eyes. Of course, Julia would stop screaming and fall asleep as soon as they were gone!

I'm really curious to see what kind of personality Julia has as she gets older. She and Natalie seem so much alike, but I'm sure they will have their differences. They have both liked being held facing outward or up on your shoulder so they can see what is going on around them. Both have tempers, although Julia's has only come out more recently, whereas Natalie showed hers immediately after being born. Julia loves being held...maybe a little too much. She usually wakes up as soon as I try to put her down for a nap any time during the morning. Thankfully, for her afternoon naps, she tends to sleep deeper and longer on her own in the pack n play or her cradle. I love cuddling with her, but I don't want to take away from Natalie and sometimes I feel like I'm depriving Natalie of quality attention because Julia is always in my arms. Julia usually loves the swing, which has been a big lifesaver. Another lifesaver has been my homemade Moby wrap. There have been a few times where Julia was upset and she calmed right down when I wrapped her up in that on my chest. My first and only solo trip to Walmart with both kids necessitated the use of the Moby wrap. I do not look forward to going out alone with them again before Julia is old enough to sit up in a shopping cart or the weather is warm enough to wear her from the car into the store and leave the car seat in the car.

Julia weighs 10 pounds according to our home scale. She gained 14 oz during her first week of life alone! She outgrew her newborn clothes around 2 weeks old and has been wearing size 1 diapers for about 2 weeks. If our cloth diapers fit her now, I'll probably start using them soon. Two kids in cloth should be interesting! I can barely keep up with the laundry as it is! Our poor girl suffers from a lot of gas pains and spits up far more than Natalie ever did. I feel so bad for her. I don't know if it's because of what I'm eating or what, but I wish she didn't have to deal with all that. It's definitely something to talk to the doctor about at her next appointment.

Julia,
      You captured my heart from the start, and I can't imagine life without you. I was worried about bonding and falling in love with another daughter, but it happened so quickly and naturally and for that I am so grateful. You give me such cute little smiles even though I don't think you do it on purpose yet. Everyone says you look like your grandma (my mom) and I agree, although I think you look a lot like your big sister, too. Maybe one of these days you'll start sleeping better at night like you did in the beginning, but until then, I'll try to enjoy our frequent mid-night cuddle sessions because all too soon you will grow up on me. I love you so very much, my sweet girl!

 

21 Months on the 21st

Last week, Natalie turned 21 months old. I really wish that time would slow down already!Last Wednesday (9/18), we moved Natalie to her toddler bed. (I made her sheet and pillow case out of fabric from JoAnn's. Sheets are surprisingly easy!)

The first two nights, she shocked me by not getting up even one time to test her new boundaries (or lack thereof, since she isn't contained like in her crib). On the third night, our air conditioning went out, so her bedroom was too warm for her to be comfortable to fall asleep. We opened her window and let her sleep in just a diaper, but she was quite restless well past bedtime. Then she woke up at 5 am Saturday, wide awake and asking to eat. Not a good way to start the weekend.

She has shown a lot of interest in the potty recently, so I tried to start potty training her today. All along, I have been eager to be done with diapers, but after today, I'm in no hurry. Apparently Natalie is not as ready as I thought. We had NO success. It was ridiculous. Like, 3 accidents in 30 minutes ridiculous. So, I'm backing off and waiting, probably until Spring sometime once we're hopefully in a routine with the new baby. Part of me feels like a dope for thinking she could possibly be ready at this age and another part of me also feels like a loser for giving up after one day. But you know what? It's not the end of the world and life with cloth diaper laundry will go on and my child WILL be potty trained eventually, and that's what matters. Who cares if it doesn't happen right now. Just pray that I have enough energy to tackle the potty training when she's truly ready and am not just utterly exhausted from adjusting to life with 2 kids. I'm pretty scared about all that!

These days, Natalie thinks she is too big to sit in her high chair and will only eat while sitting in a chair or next to us on the couch. She hates wearing a bib and is getting picky about sippy cups. Um...mommy hates cleaning up unnecessary messes, so just wear the bib and use the no-spill cup, please, child!!! She is obsessed with apples and asks to eat them all.the.time. We took her to an apple farm and Alex let her mooch off an apple with him, so now she prefers to bite right into the whole thing instead of having me cut it up for her. I made an apple pie last week and Natalie kept asking for "Ah-pie". She can say "apple" clear as day, but for some reason, she hasn't figured out how to say it with "pie".

We take a lot of walks around our neighborhood, and recently, we've been leaving the stroller at home. In some ways, it's nice not having to push a 30 pound stroller with a 26-pound toddler in it, but our walks last twice as long since we're constantly having to tell Natalie to keep moving. She likes to watch for animals and airplanes, pick up rocks, mystery berries, acorns, and flowers along the way. At least she's observant, enjoying nature, and getting some energy out! She asks to take a walk pretty much every day and even goes into the laundry room where we keep Layla's leashes to make sure her puppy gets to come along, too. Speaking of Layla...it is now Natalie's regular job to feed the dog in the morning and evening. She gets right into it, too! Sometimes she even tries to sneak a 3rd feeding in there in the afternoon...

Any time you ask Natalie a question, she answers with the cutest little "yes". My mom asked her something like, "Does Mommy have a melon in her belly?" and Natalie said, "Yes". Thanks, kiddo! Needless to say, she's pretty agreeable these days! She says well over 100 words and has finally started saying Grandma ("Damma". She has been saying her other grandparents' names for quite a while). She came up to me the other day with her hands clasped together and said "pray". So we did, and then at the end she said, "Amen!" It was precious!

I'm loving the age that she's at right now. Everyday is full of new things she has learned and figured out. It's amazing how quickly kids pick up on things! She loves to give kisses and asks to cuddle. She is definitely both a mama and a daddy's girl (just what we prayed for!). We're working on tantrums and how to not be upset when she doesn't get her way (like when mean old mommy doesn't choose the grocery cart with the car on the front for her to ride in). It's strange to actually be able to almost carry on a conversation with her now. She seems so grown up and yet still so much like a baby at the same time. I think she is going to be a great big sister! We had lunch at my parents' house after church yesterday and Natalie cuddled up next to me and started rubbing my belly. It was the most precious, sweet thing ever. She's never done anything like that. My mom tried to take a picture, but, as usual, Natalie's 6th sense for when the camera is out kicked in and she stopped being all cute.

So, that's life with a 21-month old Natalie! Never a dull moment around here and we wouldn't have it any other way! 

The Year That Flew By

Four days before Christmas, my precious daughter turned a year old. I still remember the details of her birth so vividly. The crazy 21 hour labor, holding her for the first time and thinking that she looked like Alex's mom, learning to nurse, the overwhelming flood of uncontrollable emotions, the car ride home as a family of 3 (well, 4 if you count the dog, whom we picked up from my mother-in-law on the way home!). Such cherished memories. Every single one.

Natalie Grace, on your first birthday, I want you to know:

You have given my life more meaning and fullness than ever before. I am so full of love for you, I must tell you I love you at least 20 times a day and give you twice as many hugs and kisses. I love walking into your bedroom first thing in the morning and seeing your grin light up the room from behind your pacifier. Seeing your smile makes all the sleepless nights and early mornings worth it.

Your favorite thing to eat for breakfast is bananas and you have already started to say 'nana' and point to them to let us know what you want. That's pretty adorable, too. Speaking of food, you love everything except eggs and have been really pigging out lately. Your daddy and I think you're going through a growth spurt.  (Here she is enjoying blueberry birthday pancakes - another big hit, surprise surprise!)

You have grown up so much in the past year and really have become a toddler before our wonder-filled eyes. Watching you rapidly scoot across the floor and then pull up and start walking never ceases to amaze me. You stay so busy going from room to room seeing what there is to explore. Currently, you enjoy playing with and trying to eat Layla's dog food, scavenging for leftover food on your high chair, watching Layla from the back door while she is outside and pulling food out of the pantry (are you noticing a recurring "food" theme here?). Your favorite activities include eating (obviously), being pushed around the house on your Fisher-Price school bus, story time, knocking down towers of stacking cups or blocks, wrestling with Layla, and dancing to music.

Your favorite food is probably more of a food "group" than one particular thing. You love sweets, but since we try to limit those, you definitely are a huge fan of fruit. You can never get enough bananas, peaches, pears, applesauce, oranges, and grapes (all of which are staples around our house).

I have always considered you to be an answered prayer. Before you were born, I prayed that you would have a sweet spirit and would have favor with people. Even though you are just a baby, I can already see that prayer being answered. People have been drawn to you since you were born and we have received so many compliments about your personality. I also prayed that you would have a close relationship with both me and your daddy. You definitely want your mama at certain times, but it warms my heart to see the bond you share with your daddy. He loves you so very much and loves playing with you. As you grow up, my prayer for you is that you fall in love with Jesus at a young age and serve Him all the days of your life. I pray that you will know His voice as a young child and will always listen to what He tells you. The world will try to steal away your innocence as soon as possible, but I will do everything in my power to protect that precious innocence and wonder. Nothing would make me more proud as your mama than to see you grow up to live out the destiny that God has for you. His plans are so amazing, sweet girl. I am so thankful that He chose me to be your mama. I also pray that our relationship as mother and daughter will continue to grow as you get older and that we can share countless precious moments together. I love you, Natalie Grace! You put a smile on my face!

 Happy first birthday, sweet girl of mine!!!

P.S. I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday cupcake. You were so fun to watch digging into it once you got the hang of it!

11 months

I think it's safe to say that I'm in denial about my baby turning a year old next month. Just the thought of that makes me want to cry. My sister (whose kids are 7 and 9) said that I should be happy that we will have many more fun months ahead instead of being sad that the first 12 months are over. I know she's right, but I've been so deliberate about cherishing every moment and I just don't want to let the baby stage go yet. Here are a few highlights from Natalie's 11th month:

-First costume party (10/23)

-Natalie took a few steps using her push toy (10/25). Now she can take off behind that thing!

-Waves bye-bye more consistently
-started wearing size 4 shoes (and is already outgrowing them! Gee whiz, kid!) and wears more 18 mo clothes
-Said "Layla" (she loves her doggie!)
-Takes only 1 nap a day instead of 2 most days
-Ate french toast, fried chicken, refried beans, fish, coleslaw, turkey
-Loves to pull tissues out of the box, so I put scrap fabric in an empty wipes container and kept her busy for a good long time. Now she shows no interest in it whatsoever...

-Gets into dog food, crawls further away from us into other rooms, so we're constantly on our toes!

-First tooth finally popped through on 11/4! I'm so thankful that teething has not been difficult for Natalie. Other than her drooling for the 2 weeks prior, she has not been fussy or had difficulty sleeping with that first tooth. Alex just happened to stick his finger in her mouth and felt the tip of the tooth poking through her gums, otherwise we wouldn't have even realized it had happened! She did bite my finger very hard a few hours before we made "the discovery"...that should have been a big clue!
-Second tooth popped through the gums on 11/13. This one caused more fussiness and a nearly-sleepless night (she woke up at 11 and stayed up til 1, then woke up at 5:20 and 6:30).
-Took first steps on 11/14!!! My mom came over spur-of-the-moment, so we decided to let Natalie stay up a few extra minutes to see Grandma and, low and behold, she took 3 or 4 steps towards Grandma, twice! She'd been playing with Alex on the floor and he told me to look quickly because she was standing on her own for an extended period of time. Them my mom arrived and Natalie raised her arms up in the air and said a "word" that started with the "g" sound, so it was like she was saying "Grandma". So cute. Then mom sat on the couch with her arms outstretched and the magic happened and baby girl was on the move!
-First sickness/fever 11/18-11/20. She was so pitiful after waking up with a fever. We sat on the couch and cuddled all day and she took 4 naps! Then the next day she seemed more like her normal self until early afternoon when the fever struck again. A day after her fever broke, she broke out in a rash on her trunk and face (roseola) which lasted two days, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it.
-Started weaning, so now she nurses between 3 and 5 am, at breakfast (around 9 am), and at bedtime.

This child has the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. One minute she is giggling while petting and hugging the dog and the next she is dancing to music and smiling a huge grin from behind her paci. I can't get enough of her! She loves her daddy and immediately reaches for him when he wakes up in the morning and when he gets home from work. I'm so thankful for the bond that they share. She was in her high chair eating her dinner when Alex walked in from work the other night and he went in another room to put his laptop away and she started crying and would not take another bite of food until he came back to get her. So sweet. They usually have lots of tickle and play time in the living room while I finish cooking dinner. That's the best "music" to listen to while you're working around the house!

Another cute story (because who can resist those!?): Alex and I were scooping out some ice cream for ourselves after dinner, so he sat Natalie on the counter right there next to the ice cream. She grabbed the lid and held it up to her mouth and licked the ice cream off! Girl knows where the good stuff is!

I think we have some attitude issues to deal with, but I feel lost dealing with an 11 month old. Any suggestions are welcome! She just screeches or screams when she doesn't get her way (usually when she's tired or in the middle of the night, but sometimes during the day when she's wide awake and just being rotten). I've been giving in to her during the night because I want to get sleep myself and with her being sick, I wanted her to get as much milk from me as possible to boost her immune system. Part of me wants to cut her off at night and make her go 12 hours without nursing because 1) I know she can last that long because she has done it when she's slept with us and I'm right next to her. I know she's just using me as a pacifier when she sleeps in her room and wakes up at 3 or 4 or 5 am wanting to nurse,  2) I'm just ready to get a night of uninterrupted sleep and 3) I want to wean her shortly after her birthday, but it seems like at this point she's never going to give up that early morning feeding and it's easier to just feed her and be awake for 15 minutes than let her cry forever! The child will cry for 2 hours. This mama's heart can't take crying for 2 hours.The last thing I want to do is give in her every demand and teach her that this behavior is ok!

Well, I think that's enough of a summary of the past month of our lives! Alex and I are still in awe of God's blessings to us. We thoroughly enjoy having Natalie in our lives and want to drink in every bit of her sweetness. Every day brings new learning experiences for all of us. There's never a dull moment!

A Perfect 10! Natalie at 10 Months

Two of my first-time-mom friends' babies turned a year old this month and it has made me a little sad that Natalie's first year of life is quickly drawing to a close as well. Their babies are now weaned from bottle and breast and seem a little less baby-like and more toddler-like now. As difficult as nursing was for the first 11 weeks, and as much as I'm looking forward to a break from its demands, I also don't want to give it up because its a stage of my baby's life that we can never go back to once its over.

On a less-sappy note, Natalie has become soooo much fun! I've thought that a lot over the past 6 months as she has started doing more and her personality comes out, but this month she started dancing all.the.time. She stands up and wiggles her cloth-diapered bottom back and forth and waves her arms and even keeps the rhythm of the music sometimes! She'll start movin' and groovin' if a toy plays music or if we start singing a song or if we turn up something on Pandora. I swear it's the cutest thing ever! I took some video of her yesterday, but I don't know how or if I can upload it to Blogger...so much to learn...oy vey!

I didn't keep up with all the new foods that she has tried this month, but off the top of my head she tried chicken noodle soup, chicken and rice soup, chicken pot pie (yeah, we eat a lot of chicken...), beef stew, applesauce, whole wheat Ritz crackers, and a french fry (just one! Don't want them to become a favorite, or familiar, "vegetable" - and I use that term very loosely). Since I started making more baby food, I gave up her dinnertime nursing (around 4 or 5 pm) and feed her solids then. She gets oatmeal before bed every night, and we mix applesauce in with it for some flavor since we ran out of pumped milk and are now mixing it with water. If I had to pick a favorite food, I'd say it's bananas. She can eat a whole one in one sitting if we let her! Where she puts it, I don't know... She just loves sweet things in general, just like her mama. She also drinks several ounces of water a day from a sippy cup. This kid still loves to eat, although when I fed her soup, sweet potatoes and green beans yesterday, she cried every time she saw green beans on the spoon. Thankfully, she never spit them out, but she made it clear that she preferred the soup!

I am so thankful that Natalie has been healthy! Other than a runny nose and a cough twice, she hasn't had any health problems. We keep thinking that she's going to cut a tooth, but none have made an appearance yet. I love her gummy smile, though, and am going to enjoy it while it lasts! She's still growing like a weed, and has started wearing size 4 shoes.

Sleeping is still very sporadic. Natalie made progress this month by starting to sleep from 8:30 or 9 (bedtime has been too late, too often!) until 6:15 am, nursing, and then going back to sleep until around 8 am. Then she started waking up around 4 am and refusing to go back to sleep unless she was being held, so I brought her in our bed, where she fell back to sleep, kicked me until morning, but also slept until 7 and 8 am without nursing. It has become very obvious to me that she has been using me as a pacifier. We just have to figure out how to get her to sleep 11 or 12 hours in HER OWN BED without waking up for that 6 am feeding! I'm done with letting her cry. We've done that on quite a few occasions to get her to sleep until 5 or 6 am, and it's emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting for all of us.

Natalie is very serious around non-family members and takes a long time to warm up sometimes. A friend who is starting her own photography business asked to take pictures of Natalie for her portfolio, so we took pictures for over 3 hours last week. Out of 667 pictures, I swear, Natalie smiled in maybe 20 of them. 20! She was content and such a trooper, but just so serious! That, and she tried to put every single prop in her mouth. We joked that we're going to make a collage of pictures from that shoot and put the caption "Will work for food" at the top :)

It is such a joy and a privilege to be Natalie's mama. My heart is so full. Everywhere we go, people comment about how cute she is and I can't help but be proud of her. Alex and I ask ourselves how we ended up with such a beautiful little girl. God has blessed us indeed! She has such a sweet, cheerful, energetic disposition that we can't get enough of. She freely gives lots of hugs and kisses now, and it just melts my heart every time, even if she does pull my hair when she wraps her little arms around my neck. I can't imagine life without her.

On Cloud Nine - Natalie at 9 Months

Natalie hit the 9-month milestone on Friday and we went for her well-baby check-up today. She weighs 19.2 lbs and is 28 inches tall, putting her right at the 50th percentile for weight and just above the 50th for height. She's wearing size 3 shoes and mostly 12 month clothes (mainly to accommodate her cloth diapers! Haha!), although she still has some 9 month things that fit.

Our baby girl is just the sweetest thing. She has started giving us more and more big, wet, open-mouthed kisses and hugs around the neck. *Smile* She pulls up on everything, including the dog, and has started taking a few steps while holding on to something (mainly a big 4-ft bean bag chair in our family room). I predict that she will be walking between 10 and 11 months (Alex walked at 9 months and I walked at 10 months).

Natalie's interest in solid foods has grown to the point that she gets very cranky if we don't share with her while we're eating. Suffice it to say that my days of being lazy laid back about introducing solids are over. I have to think ahead and make sure that I have something on hand that she can eat, like sweet potatoes or puffs or fruit, so that we can get through dinner! Recently, she wouldn't let me put her down on the floor because I had food in my hand, so I had to put my plate down first. Then, she let go of me to reach for the plate and proceeded to fuss at me to share with her. So, that day she tried spinach artichoke dip and she liked it! This kid has eaten every single thing we've ever let her try. Other than the artichoke dip, the other new foods she has had this month are plums, grapes cut into 8 little pieces, chicken and broccoli casserole and a teeny tiny taste of ricotta cheese from my lasagna. When she is ready for another bite, she tenses up her arms and face and makes a growling sound, to which we respond by telling her "no" and showing her the signs for "more" and "please". She loves her oatmeal before bed and likes to try and wipe her messy face on whatever is close by, be it the couch or our clothes. Needless to say, we are on high alert during feeding time. Our pediatrician said I could start replacing a few nursing times a day with solids, so I'm going to eliminate the 5 o'clock/dinnertime feeding and see how that goes. I'm not crazy about cutting back too much on nursing before her first birthday, primarily because I'm concerned about her getting enough nutrition from fruits and veggies compared to breastmilk.

A few other highlights from Natalie's 9th month are:
-Cruises in circles around our kitchen island while in her walker. She is a fast little thing and has become quite adept at maneuvering wherever she wants to go! It's hilarious to watch her cruise around and harass the poor dog!
-Enjoys her swing outside
-Crawls around the house very quickly and is more adventurous to wander into rooms away from mommy and daddy. We put a baby gate up to keep her in the family room with us.
-Natalie loves books. She gets excited nearly every time I pull one out for us to look at together. She pats the pages and likes books with flaps and places to feel different textures. I prayed that she would love learning and have been collecting a variety of books from yard sales so she would have lots of information at her fingertips. I recently read a blog post about how to instill a love of reading in your children and the writer suggested reading to your child every single day and always keeping books around when they play, even at Natalie's age. So far, that seems to be working for us!
-First 'real' family outing to a pumpkin weighing competition! I just love the pictures of her from that day!
-She has far less social anxiety and lets other people hold her for extended periods of time.
-Started taking baths in the 'big tub' instead of her baby tub.
-Might have possibly said "doggie", but it sounded a lot like "daddy"...I'm choosing to believe she said "doggie" because she was interacting with Layla at the time :)

I'm so afraid that I'm going to forget little details about Natalie at this stage, like the way she uses her heels to spin in circles when she's sitting on the floor, and the sound of her baby laughter. I just don't want to look back years from now, or even a few months from now and forget what life was like during this stage. I'm so thankful for every moment we have together. Even after a long day, I miss my baby when she's in bed for the night and have to linger over the crib and just stare at her and rest my hand on her for a minute before I can head to bed myself. Lately, I've been thinking that I need to put forth more effort to be intentional about my time with her every day. It's so easy to get caught up with housework and things that need to get done around the house and then before I know it, the day is over and I've missed opportunities to spend some quality time with her. We have been blessed with such a great baby and I want to enjoy every minute of her babyhood, as it is flying by so quickly!

Eight is Great!

So, I think this blog has turned into an online baby book for my first born. It seems as though I can't think of much else to write about other than her life. Every once in a while I think about writing about something more personal, and then I doubt myself and don't write anything til it's time for another monthly update on Natalie. One of these days I'll get back into writing about other stuff...

Here are a few things that have happened during Natalie's eighth month of life:

-Started saying "dada" and "mama", usually when she's upset and needs one of us
-She loves to take steps when you hold her hands

-Tried prunes, green beans, navy beans, puffs (which she has mastered at this point), oatmeal, baked apples and asparagus
-Started using the convertible car seat
-Has become much more sociable, but also bashfully smiles at everyone who talks to her
-Started crawling very slowly on her hands and knees
-Pushed herself into a sitting position from laying down on 8/15
-Pulled up to standing in her crib on 8/16/12

-Claps her hands (so cute!!!)
-Traveled to another state (Ohio) and met her Aunt Kim and cousins, Ashley and Caitlin for the first time

-We had to lower her crib mattress so she didn't fall out when she stood up in bed

I'm so excited to watch my baby girl grow up. It's sad that time has gone by so quickly, but every day brings new joys and adventure with it. I can't imagine life any other way. We are so blessed!!!

Seven Months

I must say that having a baby in December makes it very easy to keep track of how old she is. One month old in the first month of the year, seven months old in the seventh month, etc. A friend's first born just turned a year old last week and it served as a reminder of how quickly these babies grow up!

During this last month, Natalie has changed so much (what else is new?!). Here are some of the things she's been up to:

-Rolling from back to belly and belly to back (as long as she's on a soft surface, like the bed or the couch. This child will NOT roll over on the floor!
-Pulling up on us or a dresser drawer. She LOVES to stand and has even started taking a few very wobbly steps like she's trying to cruise.

-I gave in and decided to let her sample a few foods here and there and have really liked my Munchkin baby food grinder to make small portions of food for her to try. She has tried zucchini, watermelon, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, and peaches, in that order. So far, it looks like watermelon has been her favorite and carrots are her least favorite. I might not have gotten the texture of the carrots smooth enough for her liking though. We don't feed her solids every day; usually it's only when we happen to be eating something that we could also puree and give to her. I'm just not that into giving her solids yet. Baby-led weaning is sounding right up my alley about now :)

-She sticks her tongue out when Layla tries to lick her face. Gross, I know, so now we're extra attentive to keep their mouths away from each other! *Shudder* She also sticks her tongue out when we try to wipe her mouth off with a paper towel after she has eaten. Silly baby!
-Natalie has finally started saying a few syllables again. So far, she is saying "ma" and "ba". She also does this adorable thing where she curls her lips inward like you do when you're saying an "m" word, but she smacks her lips together over and over and it sounds like bubbles popping. Or, at least that's the best way I can think of to describe it!
-She now naps on her belly about half the time. The first time that this happened, she cried out and I went to check on her and her legs were sticking out through the slats in her crib, underneath the bumper and she was stuck! I really wanted to run and grab the camera before I rescued her, but I resisted the temptation and helped her out. Silly wiggle worm! The past 5 days have been horrible as far as naps go. I don't know if it's because of teething or what, but Natalie will.not.nap. She has gone from 3 naps a day (two long naps and a short nap) to two really short naps. On Saturday, she took two 30-minute naps. Has anyone else's child gone through this? She just lays in her crib and coos or she lays there and cries. Either way, no sleeping is happening. Ugh. I hope it's just teething.

-Socially, Natalie has grown by leaps and bounds. At just two months old, she literally screamed when anyone other than Alex or myself held her. The grandparents were devastated, to say the least. Now, she lets them hold her during church and when we visit with them. It's still not usually for extended lengths of time, but she's getting there. I hope we can work up to her staying with her grandparents for a couple of hours between feedings without her having a meltdown. All in time!

Six Month Update

Natalie turned 6 months old last week. Will someone please tell me how time manages to pass so quickly??!! One of the best parts of motherhood is watching my baby change and grow and learn new things all the time. There is never a dull moment!



These are some of the things Natalie has done during the past month:

-maintains better balance while sitting up
-can stay on all fours for a short time if we set her down in that position
-blows raspberries with her lips
-consistently sleeps from 7:30 pm to 5-6 am before feeding (sometimes she will wake up around 3 am and we give her the paci, but we decided to follow our pediatricians advice on "cutting her off" from feedings in the middle of the night to help train her to sleep and let me get more sleep, too)
-first trip to the water park (which she tolerated much more than I expected!)
-laughs more
-wrinkles her nose and makes a snorting sound which is hilarious!
-tries to drink out of a cup if we hold it up for her. It's adorable to watch her little lips moving trying to drink water! Talk about cheap, simple entertainment for her and us!

Her 6-month checkup with the pediatrician isn't until next week, but she weighed 16 pounds the last time I weighed her a couple weeks ago. I tried leaving her in the church nursery once, but she only lasted 10 minutes before they came and got me because she was hysterical. On one hand, I'm glad that she has a strong bond with me and I pray that we always have a close relationship, but on the other hand, I hope she doesn't have long-term separation anxiety. I know it's totally normal for her to have some separation anxiety, but I hope she decides that the nursery is more fun than clinging to dear ol' mom all the time :)

Natalie,
You are a blessing. I thank God for you each and every day and I'm still in awe that God gave you to us. You are beautiful, inside and out, and I can't wait to see what is in store for you. It's getting harder to remember what life was like before you were born, but that doesn't even matter anymore. My life is more abundant with you in it. You made my lifelong desire to become a mom a reality and with God's help, I'm committed to being the best mother to you that I can be. I love you!

Five Months!

I'm way behind on the monthly updates, so I'll start with last month's. Natalie had her four month check-up on April 19th. I was nervous to take her by myself since Alex had a lot of work to do. It's a 45 minute drive each way, which might as well be an eternity if the baby starts crying along the way. Thankfully, she rode well in the car and got a little cat nap in at the very end. She weighed 14 lbs 1 oz and is 24 inches tall. Both measurements put her in the 50th percentile.

Yesterday, she turned 5 months old! It makes me sad to think that so much time has gone by already and she is getting closer and closer to becoming mobile! I weighed her last week and she was 16 lbs! She has gotten much steadier while sitting, although we still have to support her. Right at 4 months, she would roll from tummy to back, but after a few days, she stopped and I don't know if it's because she has gotten lazy or if it's because she scared herself after rolling over one day, but she will NOT roll over anymore. Maybe she'll master that this next month. She also started giggling, mostly at Layla. It takes a lot of effort to get a laugh out of her, but when we do, it's one of the most precious sounds my ears have ever heard. For a while, Natalie went through a phase where she wouldn't let anyone but me and Alex hold her. It broke her grandmothers' hearts that she would scream and cry when they would try to get in some cuddle time. Thankfully, that stage passed quickly and she has become much more sociable letting complete strangers hold her (ie: the cashier at Hobby Lobby, lol). She loves to pass out smiles to everyone who talks to her and they gladly accept.

Sleeping is still sporadic at night. Lately, she has been waking up between 11 and 12 and then every 3 hours after that. I miss the nights when she would sleep at least 7 hours straight! Alex will be on a business trip later this week, so I plan on working with Natalie on this while he's away. I'm not a huge fan of crying it out, but sometimes it's the last resort and it works.

This child loves to wiggle and squirm and blow raspberries like no tomorrow. She has so much energy and is very inquisitive. Heaven-forbid she can't see what is going on around her and she miss out on some of the action! I wouldn't change any of this because these things are part of who she is and part of what makes her special, but it does make it difficult to sit through a church service. It seems like there are never enough workers to help with the babies in the nursery, so I've never left her back there, especially since she can't sit up on her own and do anything independently yet. So, we juggle her around between grandparents and such and take her out when she's noisy. I don't really like this arrangement because I feel like we're distracting everyone around us, but I don't have any better ideas yet.

I embroidered the onesie she's wearing below for her over the weekend and am happy that it turned out ok after having a bobbin crisis in the middle of it! Now I'm hooked on appliques and embroidery and my machine will finally get some serious use!

Every day I thank God that we have a healthy baby girl. I never want to take her for granted. She is such a precious gift and I still can't believe she's mine. I love you so much, Natalie Grace!

Natalie at 2 Months

Yesterday, our sweet baby girl turned 2 months old. We went to the doctor for a check-up and she weighed 11 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile) and was 23.5 inches tall (close to the 90th percentile). We've opted not to immunize right now, so she didn't get any shots, but there was still plenty of fussing because she was sleepy.

Natalie is changing so quickly. We get lots of smiles out of her now, especially during diaper changes. I think she has the biggest most beautiful grin ever with her little dimples! Over the last few days she has become more vocal with cooing. I can't wait to hear her giggle! She has started chewing on her fists more in an attempt to find her fingers so she can suck on them, but she also uses a paci when she's trying to settle down to sleep. She has slept six hours straight at night three times, but usually only sleeps five hours, eats, sleeps three hours, eats and sleeps another hour or two before really waking up.

Another recent development is that since her doctor's appointment yesterday she has nursed without using a shield! She had problems latching on when she was born, so we ended up using a silicone shield to help her nurse, but it's so annoying and I regretted ever agreeing to use it! Once I got used to it, I hated fighting her to try and get her to nurse without it, so I gave up and let her have her way. After talking to the doctor, our doula and a friend who recently weaned her baby from the shield, I thought I'd try again and she did great! It's incredibly painful for me at this point, but I know my body will adjust and it's so worth it to be done with that dreadful invention!

We are so blessed to have Natalie in our lives. Even when I'm tired or in a bad mood, she can turn that around with a simple, sweet smile. She gets pretty fussy in the evenings and Alex and I can get frustrated with the crying, but after she has been in bed for a little while, I miss her like crazy! Life certainly hasn't been the same since she was born, but I wouldn't have it any other way.