On Saturday, we went to cousin Hannah's Pirate and Princess themed 3rd birthday party. Natalie had a great time swimming, seeing family, and dressing up like a princess. Princess Natalie was Cinderella for the day and looked beautiful! She even got a chance to swim with daddy!
Here is the much anticipated five month update! Natalie Grace is such a big girl! She still loves talking and squealing. She loves bouncing in her horsey (and then bouncing everywhere else thinking she's still in it). She is continuing to practice grabbing things and getting better at using her thumbs. Now that she has tried cereal, it probably won't be too long before we move on to more exciting foods! Natalie loves going on walks in her stroller. Now that she doesn't have to sit in the car seat for stroller rides, she realizes how much fun it is! We try to go out nightly, but her bedtime routine starts at 7 so some nights we are too busy. So far she hasn't shown much interest in crawling. But hey, who needs to crawl when you have mommy and daddy at your beck and call?
Thanks to her daddy and his determination, Natalie is getting great at sitting up on her own. The thing that has made working easiest on me is knowing that Natalie gets to spend so much quality time with her daddy. We are so lucky to have such a good daddy and husband! Nathan picks her up 4/5 days and gets to have daddy/daughter time at the house with her- sometimes for hours before I get home. It is amazing to see the two of them interact, and I love their special relationship!
Last but certainly not least, Natalie said "mama"! She's only made the sound about 3 times, but it's wonderful to hear. I know she doesn't know what she's saying and at this age it's just considered babbling, but I still love it!
Lovin' the stroller
Just another afternoon with daddy, napping in the big bed
Natalie has shown interest in real food for several weeks (maybe even months!). We finally decided to let her try rice cereal for the first time at a few days shy of 5 months. She wasn't too sure about it, but she was eager to give it a shot. I think she was more concerned with helping me with the spoon than actually eating the cereal! She enjoyed sitting up in her new big girl high chair, and as usual she loved staring at her daddy- the man behind the camera!
Natalie has discovered her toes...in her mouth! I remember when she would get frustrated trying to get her fists in, now she has moved on to everything else! No matter where she is or what she is doing, she tries to get her foot to her mouth. Even though she has a $25 Sophie the Giraffe teething toy (shhhh don't tell Nathan), she still would prefer to gnaw, suck, and chew on her toes!! It won't be cute forever, but for the time being it is adorable.
Natalie is now 4 months old! She is changing daily, and Nathan and I are both amazed at just how much we learn from her and love her! She loves to hear herself squeal and make noises. She actually throws fake temper tantrums to practice her sounds...and yes, that means there are real tantrums too! She is now rolling over both ways easily. She is great at picking up and playing with her toys, and she loves to put them in her mouth...along with anything else she can get her hands on. She loves to do baby crunches (lays on her back and attempts to sit up). We have a horse for her to play in, and she also has an exersaucer at Grandma and Poppa's house for when she is there!
Natalie had her four month appointment on 8/29, and she weighed in at 16 pounds 6.5 ounces and 26 inches long! Still in the 95th percentile and very healthy. Her doctor said we could start food, but I am going to try and wait until at least 5 months. She is really showing interest though. She did much better with her shots and only screamed for one!
Believe it or not, my dad turned sixty this year! My mom, sister, and myself planned a super big surprise party! It was amazing. Some of the surprises included my aunt flying down from West Virginia, my brother and niece driving from Pensacola, family coming from South Carolina, and my dad's friends even surprised him! Needless to say, we will never be able to fool him again because he probably will not believe a word we say from now on! It was a wonderful weekend, with lots of great food, family, and swimming. We even had time for Thomas, my brother-in-law, to take some amazing family pictures! Enjoy!
The awesome cake disply by my sister Kristy
The birthday boy
Nathan with Gabriel and Patick
Me, my brother Kevin, and sister Kristy
The best picture ever of my sweet baby girl!
All pictures by TK Photography. Thank you Thomas for the wonderful pictures!!
August 9th was one of the most difficult days of my life. It was the day I returned to work, and the first day I was away from Natalie for any extended amount of time. I know there will be more difficult days to come, but this is something I was totally unprepared for.
I was most concerned about two things...that actually contradict each other a bit. I was worried Natalie would forget me and find that she enjoys spending time with other people more. I was also worried that Natalie would miss me and have a hard time without me. Turns out, she missed me! It took some time for Natalie to get used to her new surroundings, but overall I think she is enjoying spending her weekdays with Poppa and GG (my dad and Nannaw).
Natalie playing at Grandma's
Our sweet girl in her horse
Natalie finally giggled for the first time on August 16th! She has been cooing, talking, and smiling big for months, but she actually gave a real giggle! I was playing with her on the bed and I could tell she was about to do it so I called Nathan in to hear. She giggled for me as I was giving her kisses and saying "da da da". Another first! She's growing up way too fast.
