Exploring

This has been a week of exploration for Natalie. She has been practicing new sounds and tried cereal tonight!

She discovered her voice and likes to repeat this high pitched whine. Hear for yourself:


She's also been talking to herself in the mornings before I go in to get her. I grabbed the camera a few minutes into her chatting, and she stopped after she saw me, but she is such a happy girl in the mornings! She's been waking up earlier and earlier - just in time for the time change next weekend.


The past few weeks Natalie has been staring down our food. She follows it from your plate to your mouth and is super quiet studying how to do it. The Dr. told us anytime we were ready, go ahead and start with cereal. We decided she was in a pretty good mood tonight when David got home from work, so we thought we'd give it a try. I think she might have worn more than she swallowed, but she definitely had the right idea!






A couple cute pictures from an outing with her daddy. It was a drizzly day!

Hard to believe we'll be taking her 5-month pictures next week! Time is sure flying!

(Complete side note - I was doing some experimenting with the uploads. I switched the video quality to low so that it would upload quick, but now they are kind of blurry. Next time I'll use medium and see if it is better. I also tried to upload the pictures using the "small" option to see if it would be faster, no such luck. Took forever and the pictures are small. Oh well, now I know!)

The Pebbles 'do

Some pictures from today...Big Smiles and Natalie's first Ponytail! I finally got around to getting some rubber bands for her hair - crazy that she probably could have had a ponytail two months ago. Is it normal for 4 month olds to have this much hair??!





She was also enjoying "eating" her fish and sitting in the swing. Although you wouldn't know it from the pictures she was a little on the grumpy side today. I'm guessing another growth spurt is hitting. She's been sleeping a lot and eating like crazy. We upped her bottles this week to just under 6 ounces because she just seemed unsatisfied and was waking up to eat at night.




We took a little walk around the neighborhood - without the car seat! A few weeks ago, we adjusted the shoulder straps on her stroller to be the smallest they would go, but we haven't had a chance to try it out. She was leaning a little, but I think she liked being able to see forward.





She's also babbling a LOT more. She talks to herself in her crib in the mornings before I go in to get her. We've started calling her changing table the "Magic Table" because she goes on and on and on when you lay her up there. We've got some videos, but I need to crop and upload them and I just haven't had a chance! We'll save those for next time!

Baby pictures

Most people comment that Natalie looks "just like her mamma". Here's a side-by-side comparison from when I was little. I was around 2 months and Natalie is 3 months here. She has more hair (although a little hard to tell here) and her face is a little more round, but I definitely see her face when I look at my baby picture.


Funny that my mom and I both chose little pink outfits for formal pictures! (she gave me this picture when we last visited).

Ok, off to spend time with my baby. I'm very excited to be home with her today. I worked a few extra hours this week since David had Monday off, and boy did I miss Natalie!

Sweet Talking

Natalie was being very cute this afternoon talking to Michelle and I. We were able to get it on video. Enjoy!

Happy V-Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

We celebrated by hanging out as a family. Yummy pancake breakfast and then a walk from Grover Beach to the pier! We stopped by to see the butterflies too. Natalie slept in her carseat/stroller (shock!) on the way to the pier, but then she decided she needed to do some sight-seeing. Daddy carried her back to the car.




I'm a little behind on my picture posting. Last weekend we took a quick trip to see Grammy & Papa. Patty, Jake, Ryan & Great-Grandma came by too. Ryan was very sweet with Natalie. He asked to give her kisses and even asked permission to lay down by her.



Sporting Ryan's hat (this pic is for you, Jake):


Sitting with Auntie:


Sitting with G-G (Great-Gramma):


Last weekend also marked one year since we found out Natalie would be arriving. Amazing the things that have changed in one year!

4 month stats

Natalie had her Well Baby Check-up this afternoon. Here's her stats.

Weight: 13lbs 11oz (48%)
Height: 23.5 (21%)
Head: 15.25 (4%)

Either our tape measure is different, or the lady read the numbers wrong. We think she's a little over 24 inches (40%) and her head is around 16 (40%). The Dr. wasn't too concerned about her height. He thinks she'll probably jump up quite a bit in the next 2 months.

He discussed solid foods with us. He said don't rush it, since she's sleeping all night. Apparently we are supposed to expect routine night-wakings (yuck!) and that is our clue to start experimenting with solids (rice cereal, oatmeal, veggies & fruits).

She got 2 shots today. The first she didn't even feel, but she definitely felt the second. She cried for about 2 seconds, I picked her up, and she was totally fine. Seems like her normal self tonight!

Next appointment in 2 months.

4 months old!

Natalie is 4 months old today! We're guessing she is about 13.5lbs and 24+inches, we'll find out the "official" numbers at her appointment on Friday. She's still wearing 0-3mo clothes. We washed up the 6mo stuff, but she's not quite ready for them yet.

She has started reaching for her toys and holds on to her fish-ies that hang from her play mat. One fish has music, but it only lasts about 5 seconds. This is good because we don't have to listen to it forever, but it's also bad because you have to sit there and continue pressing Play. She'll look at you, then the toy, then back at you and then the toy. I'm sure she is saying "c'mon mom, turn it back on!"

Here's some pictures from today. She's wearing her Valentine's outfit, it's still a little big, but pretty darn cute (thanks Diane!)









The transition to work has been pretty smooth. The first few days were tough to leave her, but definitely easier knowing she is not with strangers! She seems pretty content when I return home, so I think it's working out for her too.

We've battled the first cold this week. She started with a little bit of a cough, then the congestion set in. We've been making friends with the Big Green Sucker, keeping her nose clear. I think the worst is past, and the good news is she didn't seem too effected by it. A few fussier days, but nothing major!

Lucky Dad!

Today I starting my new schedule as Mr. Dad. I am very fortunate to be able to spend some quality time with Natalie at an age where she changing every day. SO far so good as Natalie is behaving herself and taking naps and eating on a regular basis. Maybe I should knock on wood because as soon as I finish writing this, my luck may end. I will keep everyone posted on how this routine goes. (In the middle of writing this post, Natalie decided that her 10 minute nap was over.)

Her is a picture of her napping.

Natalie also rolled over today, but onto her left side. She would do it with me sitting there so I had to trick her a little bit a pretend that I left the room but came back to take a video.

End of my leave

I'm so sad. Maternity leave is officially over and I have started my new workweek. We arranged our time so that I will have Mondays & Thursdays at home with Natalie. David is taking some paternity leave and will be home Tuesdays and Fridays (and probably a little babysitting on Saturdays too). Grandma is the lucky winner of Wednesdays with Natalie. We're going to try this for a while and see how things work.

I'm also in the process of finding a good daycare provider that we'll switch to, but we're not planning on that until at least after April 15th. Natalie is still so young and I feel like I'll have enough stress with the tax deadline that daycare is just one thing too many to deal with right now.

I can't believe Natalie is 16 weeks old already! I'm sure going to miss this face during the day:

Thank you for the picture Diane!

Natalie is starting to be a lot more social! Last night she was lighting up when I was playing Patty-Cakes with her. And this morning she has been laying under her toy gym and kicking the ball. It's so fun to watch her smile and squeal. She's on the verge of giggles..I've heard it a few times, and she keeps trying to laugh but ends up coughing a little.

And with the good, comes the bad...she's been a horrible napper for the past week or so. She used to nap for 2 hrs a few times a day. Now I'm lucky if I can get her to go 45 minutes at a time. She gets overtired, which means she is cranky, fights her sleep, and then wakes up every 15-20 minutes during her nap. Ugh. I hope this is just a phase and she will either nap longer or be happier to stay awake longer.

Video!

Here's the video from Monday!

It took her a while to get all the way over, but I haven't caught any others on the camera. Enjoy!

New Skills

Over the last week, Natalie has been picking her head and shoulders up off the ground. We noticed she was doing this in the bath last week too.

We got back on Sunday, and she was enjoying some floor time. I layed her down, and immediately her legs came up and SHE ROLLED OVER! David had his back turned, so I told him what she did. We rolled her onto her back, and she did it again! It's so cute, once she's all the way over, she starts "talking", loudly! It's like she's saying "Look at me, I rolled over"!

I have a video, but I'm having trouble uploading. Stay Tuned!

She continues to practice swinging her legs and lifting her head - when we lay her down on the floor, or on the changing table. She is talking louder and constantly has her hands in her mouth. She even started rubbing her eyes when she was tired the other night. Motor skills are definitely picking up!

Napping while laying on her side & with her thumb in her mouth:

Two weeks ago, Natalie was eating 6 times a day, and I could almost set my watch to her routine. That has since gone out the window. It seems like she changes things up the minute I get her figured out! She's been stretching feedings, and I'm having to remind her to eat. I must say it is nice having more time between feedings to get things done, run errands, etc. At the same time, I hope she settles into a new routine so I can leave notes for the babysitters (Daddy and Grandma) starting next week!

The car

As an adult, I thought I had graduated to the front seat of the car, at least in my own vehicle! But I find myself riding in the back seat, next to this:




Not a bad view to have, but certainly not as comfy as the front seat.

We're on a road trip, and we opted to leave early because we weren't sure how Natalie would do. She's been having screaming spells in the car lately. I called the pediatrician and he said it's likely motion sickness :( His only advice was to see if we could get her to sleep, take lots of breaks, feed her, and drive safe.

I experimented earlier this week and figured out that I could get her in the carseat while she was already asleep and she stayed sleeping. So we packed the car last night and left at 6:45 this morning.

We stopped for her breakfast, I played her music & lights toy and as you can see she is back to sleep!

Hooray! Especially for mom & dad's ears :)

We should make it to our destination without any more stops as long as traffic keeps moving. MUCH better than anticipated.

Hopefully the return trip goes as well!

Staying warm & dry

It's storming outside, and we lost power over an hour ago, but Natalie and I are cuddled up and staying warm.

Enjoying every minute of this.

Good & Bad

Bad news first so we can end the blog on a good note.

We lost David's Grandma Nadeau this week. We are so thankful we were able to see her in November and that she was able to meet Natalie. We will definitely miss her smiles, her good stories and our card games together. We'll be going down south to visit family and celebrate her life later this week.



Onto happier news. With the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I forgot to post that we get to be an Aunt & Uncle again! My brother Kevin & his wife Shannah are expecting a baby this June. We are very excited for a new niece or nephew and it'll be nice to get to know him/her while they are living so close.

I feel like Natalie is changing by the day. She has started to discover her hands, play with her toys, and is sitting like a big girl in her Bumbo chair.

Can't decide whether she wants to chew on her hands or the toy


Funny half-smile


Decided on the toy


Trying to figure out the contraption in mom's hand



We are dog sitting Hailey this weekend. Apparently Nursing Pillows are comfy for dogs too. Couldn't resist taking a picture before relocating her to the dog bed.


Yesterday was kind of rough. Natalie decided she didn't need naps. Who needs to sleep? Crying is apparently much more fun. No amount of coaxing, rocking, singing, swinging, walking, or back rubbing did the trick. Luckily she saved up her sleep for nighttime and we were all able to get some rest. She fought her morning nap today too, but me and the Sandman won the battle. Hopefully this is not a new trend.

3 months old

We celebrated Natalie's 3 month "birthday" with pictures!


Some of her 3 month habits:

*She usually eats 6 times a day. Most intervals are close to 3 hrs apart, and then the last two feedings are at 7pm and 9pm. (she set this schedule herself and seems to stick to it).

*She goes to sleep between 9 and 10pm and she wakes up about 8am. Some nights she whines around 3 or 4am, but we just sleepwalk to her room, slip her pacifier in and she continues sleeping. She's been doing this since week 9.

*She holds her head up. It bobs around a bit, but it's getting really steady. She even pushes up on her forearms when she's on her tummy.

*She has ticklish feet and likes when we "kick" them for her.

*She loves to sit on our laps and sometimes even stand.

*She is curious! She sits and surveys the room and loves to visit new places. If we're up late with friends or out running errands, she won't close her eyes as if she is afraid she will miss something.

*She likes to face outward when I put her in the Moby Wrap.

*She's still fussing a bit with the car seat. We think its because she keeps doing ab crunches attempting to sit more upright, but the seat belt holds her back and it makes her mad.

*She likes when Daddy carries her around the house (facing outward), and she gets annoyed when he wants to sit and relax with her.

*She's wearing 0-3 month clothes pretty comfortably, weighs around 12 lbs and is 23 inches long.

Polka Dots

Natalie & I hung out with Ericka & Gage this morning. Always fun to get out, drink some yummy coffee and have some mom-talk. Here's Gage & Natalie together.


When we got home, Natalie was in a pretty good mood, I even got a couple of smiles!


I tried to move her to a more solid background, she was ok for a minute, but definitely not as happy.





After a diaper change and a meal, she passed out. Here's a picture of her napping, and yes, she sleeps with her eyes open sometimes! (and look at the little rolls she's getting on her legs)

Parents

I think it officially hit me that we are parents. Tonight after Natalie went to bed, David and I played Wii Bowling ( thanks to Craigslist we finally joined the rest of the world and own a Wii). Growing up I remember when us kids had to go to bed and my mom and dad would stay up late and play Tetris or Dr Mario (it was like Tetris, but with medicine caplets).

I'm sure many more "can you believe we're parents?" moments will follow.

Oh yeah, and I think I beat my own record: 213! If only it was the real deal.

Lots of shedding..

Lots of shedding - both hair and tears - around here.

Natalie's hair is officially shedding. I thought maybe we were in the clear since everything seemed to be staying put for so long, but this week it's definitely falling out. Every morning her sheet is lined with little hairs. There is not an official bald spot, yet, but I suspect one is coming.

She has also been fussing when we put her in her car seat. The usual trick of feeding her and then immediately putting her in the chair works for the most part, but this weekend we were out running errands and she wanted nothing to do with the seat. We carried her while we were out, but when it was time to leave, she screamed...all the way home..with real tears and all. It took a while to get her calmed down again after we were home, but eventually she fell asleep.

She is so curious about everything that she wants to be awake and looking around when she should be sleeping. I think another reason is that she seems to be going through another growing phase. She has wanted to eat more the past 2 days, so hopefully once we're through this she will be back to her happy self.

Here's some pictures in her after-bath attire. We usually put on a beanie until her hair is dry. And, we tried out the Bumbo for a few minutes - she seemed to like it. She kept looking downward - not sure what was so interesting!

Party Girl

Happy New Year!


Natalie was in full party mode for our New Years celebration. We had dinner with Trisha, Travis, Will, Karin, and Autumn. I fed Natalie and put her down like normal, but she was not interested in sleeping. We passed her around, and she laid on her blanket kicking and talking until Midnight. She didn't want to miss a thing. As soon as we put her in her car seat to leave, her eyes were closed and she was sleeping.

She's been up for two quick meals but has been sleeping the day away.

Our 2009 was great, and we're looking forward to an even better 2010 as we watch Natalie grow.