Summer fun!

It was nice to have a three day weekend and the weather was beautiful! (my definition of beautiful weather = 80+ and we were lucky to get two days of the warmness). We took Natalie down to the Strawberry Festival. I've been waiting for her to wear this cute strawberry dress. She didn't actually enjoy much of the festival - she slept in the stroller the entire time! Oh well, maybe next year.




We visited with Grandma before walking down to the village. She loves this little Minnie Mouse. She gets super excited everytime she sees her!




We went to a pool party yesterday! Natalie's first time in the pool, and I think she quite enjoyed it. She was pretty content to just lounge in the water.





Hanging out in the shade.


Trying to get Mason's pacifier.


She's still working on the crawling thing. Turning circles and moving backwards are getting perfected. She's close to going forward, but not quite there. Here's a picture of her newest move. I'm referring to it as her yoga!



Last weekend we had to go to yet another funeral. My uncle passed away in a motorcycle accident while racing up in Sonoma. We travelled to the valley to be with family. My dad's dad (Papa) and his wife got to meet Natalie for the 1st time. Here's a 4 generation picture.


Some recent bath pictures. Some of her hairs are pretty long! The kitchen gets a good washing everytime Natalie gets a bath. We'll probably have to move her infant tub to the big tub soon, but for now the kitchen is so much more convenient.



Daddy Day Care is officially over. We've been so lucky to have had flexible work schedules, but now David is going back to work full-time. It's been so nice to see David and Natalie bonding. He's getting to be a pro and it's great that Natalie will go to either of us for feeding, diapering, and comforting. So, it's been a great 4 months and we're now moving onto a new chapter - daycare. (so far the trial runs have gone smoothly!)

New pictures

At first, Natalie liked putting her hands in her mouth...


...but this week's discovery has been her feet. Not only does she pull her feet up, but she likes to suck on her big toe!



I thought it was funny and a bit of a fluke the first few times, but now she does it whenever I change her diaper. Too cute! I wonder when we stop being so flexible...?

Some cute pictures after her bath on Sunday. This bath robe came in a gift basket from some clients when Natalie was born. We had set it aside thinking it was way too big. Glad I remembered it, the tag says 0-9 months or up to 24 pounds. She's a long way from 24lbs, so I think we'll still get some use out of it!




Also, since I'm keeping this blog more as a scrap book than anything..I forgot to write that at 7 months, Natalie has been anticipating things. When we play peek-a-boo, she will try to guess where you're going to pop out next. And, I know it seems really early to tell whether a child is right or left handed, but Natalie has some strong tendencies towards her left hand. Strange because neither of us are lefties, but some of the books mention to put toys in front of them and see which hand they favor. If something is on her right side, she will even reach across her whole body to get it with her left hand. Looking back thru the past few posts, she seems to hold her pacifier in her left hand too. So, we're just watching for now, but it'll be interesting to see if she stays dominant with the left.

I thought this would be a quick blog post, but since I'm at it,..might as well finish! Natalie has been improving on her napping / bedtime routine. In the past few weeks, she's gone down by herself several times. She'll whine for a few minutes, but then falls asleep on her own. We give her the pacifier in her crib and if it falls out, she'll either put it back in, or just suck her thumb. Sometimes are better than others, and some require more intervention than others, but she's getting there!

We also found a daycare that we really like and are starting the transition. She's been one day a week and will eventually be there 3 days a week. She loves watching the other kids interact and seems to behave well for her sitter. So far, so good!

Mother's Day & 7 months!

Natalie and I got to share our special day together! My first Mother's Day and she is now 7 months old! I can't believe how fast the time is going and how big she is getting!


We celebrated the first half of the day at home. I woke up to Daddy and Natalie making muffins.


(I know, I know, not supposed to put baby on elevated surfaces in the Bumbo..but it's just so convenient! We'll probably have to stop soon because she is starting to lean and reach for things).

Nice bed head

We spent the afternoon with family


Natalie hanging out with Grandpa


And Grandma



And Great-Grandma

I need to weigh and measure Natalie, but she is wearing a mix of 6 and 9 month clothes. We moved her to the size 3 diapers recently - I expect she'll stay there a while since the weight range goes to 28lbs.

UPDATED: she's about 16 lbs and 26+ inches.

This past week she has been up on her knees rocking away. Sometimes she even goes backwards! Can you see her path (she started out by the orange ring)?



She's been squealing and laughing a lot more! It makes us smile every time!


We made the trek home last weekend for Kevin & Shannah's baby shower. (Only a few more weeks until Baby F makes his arrival and joins the family!!) Natalie had a great time hanging out with Ryan. Here's Ryan "holding" her.

She and Papa got along great this time!


She got to hang out with Uncle Kevin for a while too

Playing with Jennifer

And Aunt Frances


We've had a busy few weekends!