Fatty Fatty!

Well, yesterday was a great weight day! Miss Natalie weighed in at 7lbs 7.7oz! Yay!

Her doctor is very happy and we are on the road to normal weight gain.

Me on the other hand, I am luckily losing weight. Only a few lbs shy of pre prego weight.

Today we had a good day. We went to meet Sarah for coffee, went on a walk and I made homemade wipes. Woohoo! You are all jealous.

Here are the pics of the day!

This is the only way to get dinner started...carry the baby in the ergo

10 minutes and she was out

Lilo wanted to snuggle while Natalie had a snack

Bare's stop in to visit

It was very good to see Beth, Hailey &Ryelynn this last weekend. Natalie and the Chi's enjoyed the attention for sure!

Adoption occurred today

Today is a big day. We received a wonderful gift. The opportunity to adopt a 28 year old Cabbage Patch baby named Muriel Jill. Muriel came to us from a special Great-Grandma Lucille Roos.

In 1986, grandma Roos gave me a blonde cabbage patch just like Muriel. I have wonderful memories of my cabbage patch. I even learned how to French braid hair on her head of yarn.

Please notice her bangs. They wrap all the way around her head. So 1985...and awesome.

Although this gift is for Natalie, I think this gift will stay in the box on a shelf, along with daddy's oodles of baseball cards and Legos. Plus, the box says Muriel is for ages 3 and up. :) we have a while.

More pictures to share

Natalie is kind of a mattress snob. She does not like old mattresses, so the new bed and her crib is preferred. She also prefers to sleep in noisy areas. Especially in front of the pellet stove. That's her fave!

Here are a few photos from our phone. Nothing fancy, just some random snapped pics.

"oooowwww. I like snacks!"

Natalie, Lilo and I went to the vet. Lilo was not excited, but did very well. 

Lilo was waiting patiently for the Vet to bring her back a special small dog treat.

Just some random pictures

Hi All,

Natalie and I are very happy to have Ryan home today with us. We rolled out of bed at 9am, had breakfast by 11am and now it is 3pm and we don't know how time got away from us. Natalie got a bath after having a couple days of no poop...it all came out yesterday. Gross, I know, but that is a big deal. That might be why she weighed 7lbs 1.2oz. All pre-pooping. :) She is on the road to weight gain. Yay!

Dad and Nat enjoying the fire before she plunges into the bath tub.

Lilo was enjoying her Nat and Ryan time.

Where Natalie goes, the chi's go

Natalie was due for a nap and the dogs are sure to follow. They love to be near Natalie and as soon as she is out of her bed, they try to use it. I immediately relocate them.

Last night she spent all sleeping moments in her new bed. Although she spent some time awake with us, she did sleep soundly once down. Yay!

Due to her lack of weight gain, we are headed back to see her doctor this afternoon. Lots of Nat Snack time going on at the Homestead.

Nat is getting to know...

Natalie had some quality time with Brian last night. He wore the perfect fuzzy jacket for her to snuggle against. Her time in his arms didn't last long. She got hungry right away.

New sleeping arrangement

Natalie has become very fond of sleeping on us. During the day. At night. Well, this can't continue. All we ask is that she rests in a designated baby area. This is kind of over the top, but she can't safely sleep on Ryan's chest either.

So here goes! This is called the snuggle Nest. I doubt she will love it, but at least it was just a quick and cheap Craigslist transaction.

Update 2.17.13 8:30am
Success!! She slept for at least 2.5 hours in a row on her new bed. Yeah!! This is looking good.

Natalie's check up

Today Natalie hit the road and saw her doctor. Everything was going great till she tinkled on the exam table...while wearing a diaper. How? I don't know.

She has been a little slow at gaining weight and continues to maintain her whopping 6lbs 14oz. Very little fits this munchkin.

Nat is struggling to sleep alone. However, she did manage to take a nap in her very own crib. I think she likes the new mattress compared to the vintage bassinet from the 1950's:). She also likes her giraffe noise maker that is in the background.

Thanks for checking out our updates. Everyday brings something new and exciting (at least for us first time parents.)

What's new at the Homestead

It has been a quiet few days and I have neglected the blogspot for sure. My apologies.

I know that saying it has been a quiet few days probably isn't common for a new mom to say, but Miss Natalie is really a great baby. Lots of sleeping and eating as expected. Ryan and I have been able to get fairly good sleep at night with usual feedings, but she isn't up crying all night. In fact, she really only gets upset when we change her on the cold changing mat on the bed. She is not a big fan.

We have had a few guests since I last posted and a couple that are very excited to meet Natalie. The Warden' and Brooks stopped by last Friday and met Natalie and the kids were quite funny.

 Hope was excited to meet Natalie. She enjoyed snuggling her. What she couldn't understand was why Natalie was so little and didn't want to play barbies. We explained that she will be ready soon.

 I can't recall which sibling said this, but Charlie, Grace or Hope were shocked when they saw Natalie cry and she had NO TEETH!! "Why doesn't she have any teeth?!" one of them asked. It was very cute.

Thank you Aunt Jan and Uncle John for stopping by and visiting. Natalie enjoyed your snuggles.

Another cute kid moment was what Beth and KC Bare shared about their daughter Hailey. Hailey is very excited to meet Natalie. She talks about Natalie constantly, even shared that Natalie was born at her Show and Tell at school! Everyone that Hailey has talked to since Natalie was born has heard about her birth. Hailey's uncle and aunt announced that they are having a baby boy and she was pretty much devastated that it isn't a girl. Beth said that she was literally in tears for three days. Hailey so kindly offered to come take care of our dogs while I take care of the baby. She said to Beth, "Mom, I'm good with babies too. I am sure I can help." Yes, Hailey will be very helpful when she finally gets to come visit.

Right now, the majority of our day involves scheduled feedings. Natalie is not gaining weight as we had hoped she is eating often, just not getting quite what she needs, so we are adjusting how we are doing things. Tomorrow is her 2 week pediatrician appointment where we see how she has been doing. She is a very sweet, snuggle bug baby. Ryan headed back to work last Monday and we miss having him around, but someone has to work, right?! Ha.

Now if we can just get Natalie to sleep in her bassinet at night. She prefers to snooze on our chest only so far. It is just so cute, you can't spoil a newborn, can you?  Hmmm. This might not work out when she is twelve years old.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Kate & Ryan

Natalie's First Photo Shoot

Natalie had a big day today! She had to look cute nearly all day. She saw her new doctor and checked out with flying colors. Also went shopping for some much needed veggies. So tough being a baby.

Enjoy her "Glamour Shots" by Aunt Whit & Mommy. Some are doubles, just black and white vs. color. We had fun with her today.

 Grandma's, I have a feeling you might want a copy of these. :) I am happy to share. If anyone else needs a copy, just let me know which ones you want and I can email you a copy.

Natalie's Welcome Party

Natalie Kate Garrison

Born February 1st, 2013

7 lbs  4 oz

19 1/2 in long

It was quite the labor to deliver this little lady and we hope to share the funny moments with you when they become funnier and Kate can laugh without pain. :)  Until then, enjoy the pictures that tell the story. 

Yay! We are finally headed home.