Shopping buddy

Who loves shopping?? Natalie loves shopping. Most often, it's grocery shopping, but occasionally we hit Home Depot. Yeah for us!

I am doing a darn good job showing her a good time.

The last pic is us shopping at Trader Joes. Really dumb lady parked very poorly. I shook my head at her in a disappointed parent kind of way. She didn't get it. She is that dumb.

We broke the baby in

She sure is changing rather quickly. Saturday on our way to Hood River, I ran into a Thai restaurant to pick up our take out. Ryan waited with Natalie in the van. Something scared her (the dogs) and she lost it. A completely new cry emerged and real tears. Not knowing exactly how to manage the new sound coming from our baby, Ryan acted perfectly taking her out of her carseat and attired to change her pants. She then peed on him! Ha!!

Shortly after, I arrived and we quickly made it home. Tears were not seen again. I'm sure they will reappear far too soon.

Photos in the Yard

Spring has sprung at the Garrison's. The yard temporarily looks great with no work. Trees are blooming and Kale "trees" are taller than anyone living at the Garrison pad. What do you do? You drag everyone out into the yard and take some home style photos. Pro pics? Naaahhh. We should be able to take good pics at home.



Ryan happened to walk in the door from a work trip and he was dressed just right. We through him in the mix. He loves it when the home paparazzi shows up.

Natalie is now a whopping 12lbs. She was recovering from Bronchiolitis during these pictures and you wouldn't even know this kiddo was sick. She is always happy, even when fighting off a cough.

Newest Family Member

Proud new parents Kimberly and Allen Bone, Ryan's sister, welcomed Brinley Shae to the world.

We were able to get there a couple hours before she was born and spent her first day with her new family together.

Brinley Shae Bone
Born April 25, 2013
7lbs 9 oz
21" long

Beautiful baby and very happy parents! Congrats Kim & Allen!

Natalie Birth to 3 months Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

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How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

Are you familiar with that song? (Sing while reading) How much is that doggie in the window? WOOF WOOF The one with the waggly tail. How much is that...ok, you get it.

Today I was singing that song to Natalie and my mind started wandering. It does that most often. I started to think of the lyrics and what she might think when she hears that song at my age. Will she picture going to the Valley River Center in Eugene and seeing the cute puppies in the pet store window? No, she won't. Not because we don't frequent blessed Eugene, but because it occurred to me that pet stores don't really exist. Have you seen one in the last 10 years? Why? Is it because most all pet stores were on bed with puppy mills and that isn't very popular? I don't know. I just made that up. Ok, I could be wrong. Does Petco have pets for sale or is it where rescue agencies bring in dogs and cats regularly? That's how we adopted Ginger.

Well, I suppose I should update my kid tunes. Nahhhh, she will love hearing the oldies.

Anyone have some oldies, but goody kid songs I should learn? Please leave a comment with suggestions.

Reading Success

This kiddo is not a fan of reading. She has not enjoyed us holding a book full of fun colors up in front of her...until TODAY!

I must have caught her at a perfect time. She was kicking back on the couch and I thought I'd give it a try. I was able to keep her attention as she followed along in a book called play time. Sure enough after I read play time, I busted out ABC's and I lost her. Apparently if a book involves sports and playing, she is in. Learning to read? It's for the birds!

Feeling Special

What makes your day start off fabulous? When your little one could care less if you have brushed your teeth, you have not put a comb through your hair and your surroundings are a total disaster! Natalie is super happy this morning.

A good friend Sheila liked monkey and owl kiddy stuff and Natalie just happen to be wearing a monkey sleep sack and sitting on our owl boppy pillow. I couldn't help but send a picture to her. However I made sure I was clear from the photo. Although you can't tell I haven't brushed teeth in a photo, you would laugh at my morning hair.

Since the day we brought Natalie home, I am surprised how often I FORGET to brush my teeth! Unreal. This was never a problem pre-baby.

Oh, well. I guess I have some areas to improve on. :)

Great Grandparents Visit

We had a great visit with my grandparents. Grandma was super helpful with holding Natalie and getting her ready for bed. Not that Natalie was ready to sleep. She goes when she wants too!

Hood River

What a beautiful day in Hood River. Yesterday I was worried the paint was going to blow off, but today it has been fantastic. Natalie, the Chi's and I went for a walk on the waterfront. We watched the kiters as their wind supply vanished and they were swimming in. Looks miserable. Ryan and Tom headed to Bingen to kite and it was probably a good idea. Usually they find better wind up there.

The dogs are now tuckered out. Poor things don't get out much, as I don't either. Natalie now fits in the Ergo carrier much better than she had. She slept the entire walk.

Ryan finished most of the railing last night. He has just a little bit more to go. I have been working on renting the house out and with very little effort, nearly none, most of July and August are booked. I did reserve a couple weekends for us. Heck, if it is 107 degrees out here again this summer, I sure as heck don't want to be out here. That was terrible last year. If you want to check out our VRBO listing, here it is: http://www.vrbo.com/453885

I hope to update the photos soon. Snow has melted! I should fix that.

Natalie has been quite the sleeper today. Yesterday was her major awake day, today she sleeps. She is starting to try and chat it up with me while she is being changed or on her back on her play mats. She loves to be on her back and hang out. This week we have added a "how to fix Natalie" when she is crying...lay her down on her back. Before it was the following: Wet pants, hungry or tired. Now we also need to see if she needs some alone time. Sure enough, most often she wants out of your arms and would prefer to coo and smile while on her own. Very independent baby.

P.S. do you see her donut hair baldness?

Bumbo pros and cons

So this post isn't written after thorough research, because frankly I don't have time nor care. However, I had heard some recalls etc regarding the bumbo. I wasn't sure if Nat was old enough but today we gave it a try.

She really enjoyed it. The hat was what she disliked during this trial.

She was able to be nearly eye level with her favorite mobile made by good friend Lauren!

I've decided to save you from baby gear boredom and just share photos. Enjoy!

In addition, I posted a few of her bath time...she LOVES bath time.

Lots of sleep = super happy baby

Wow! I still can't believe it. Last night was surprising. Natalie went to bed at 9:30pm after a super fun splish-splash bath. She is already kicking water all over the kitchen. So fun...to clean up.

Come 4:30, Natalie finally woke up, happy and hungry. That was her longest sleep yet. 7 whole hours. That even included moving her from her living room pack and play and relocated her to her bassinet. No problem!

Needless to say, she is wide awake today, giving me a 20-30 minute window to do house stuff. Not long. I tried the swing again. I have done nearly nothing. Don't tell Ryan. He will find out soon enough.

Out and About Everyday

Before we know it, it is at least 3pm. I don't know how it happens, because we really don't get much done. By we, I am referring to Natalie and myself. For weeks now she has maintained a routine. In bed around 10pm, up at 4am and back up at 7am ready to party!

Today we busted a move and went to Costco. Heidi and Ella stopped by and then we all went to Costco together. What a fun outing! JK. Natalie fell asleep as I pulled into the Costco parking lot and waited to wake up till checkout.

I only had two strangers ask to take a peek under The car seat cover to look at Natalie! People are so funny.

Natalie was fussy and awake all day yesterday. Today she is sleeping. I made a DIY Moby. Moby you might ask??? A very expensive 5yards of jersey knit cotton. I was feeling crafty, AKA cheap, and headed to Joann's Fabric. I scored two Moby knock offs for $20! I don't need two, so Kimberly, if you happen to read this blog, the second is all yours. If you never mention this blog, you won't be getting a custom Moby because you must not care enough to read this.:) just kidding. I'm feeling a little sassy today because my baby Nat is sleeping so much and I am bored.

One motivation for the Moby wrap is that Natalie has a shortened neck muscle. She has been looking and sleeping with her head to the left. Her doc has recommended turning her head while sleeping etc. So here I sit, forcing her to look right and move her head while sleeping. Do you know how scary it is to finally get her to sleep and then you are supposed to move her head? Not cool!

Things are going better with her head moving to the right. Forced or not.

Gotta love errands

How do you carry a large bag of dog food and a wee baby in a carseat? Not possible. However, as we walked in the pet store, a fleet of dirty red wagons lined to wall for shopping in. Today was her first ride in a red wagon. I don't think she even knew she was riding in a wagon through the store.

Grandma Marty Comes to Town

With only a few short weeks before Kimberly and Allen welcome their new baby girl to the world, this busy Grandma had to come visit little Natalie.

Sloppy Me

If you knew me prior to 15 yrs old, where i then matured quite quickly, I was a messy Marvin. I loved ketchup. The Shout industry also profited due to my love for ketchup.

Well, now I am all grown up and shouldn't have issues. Yet I do. Poor Natalie took the hit. As I was nursing her and hoovering down some leftover lasagne, I didn't notice that I had dropped a pile on Natalie. Once I had fully smashed it on her cute white shirt, it proceeded to get all overt black dress and continue to stain her shirt.

Thank goodness for harsh stain removers. Otherwise we'd both be out of clothes soon.

Here is to all those new mommas trying to multitask while nursing!

First Denim Experience

Poor Natalie. She has the same issues as I do with denim already. If we fit the thighs, the waist is a little baggy.

If Mom is squeezing into her jeans today, so is Nat! She wasn't as excited that they buttoned as Mom was. :) I am sure we can get a smiley picture later today.

Cloth Diaper Update

I am sure you have been worrying all week about me and my cloth diaper issues. Well, never fear...I may have figured it out. Whew!

Shortly after my blog about feeling stupid and thinking I had been putting the cloth insert on her upside down, I took to YouTube once again and wanted to confirm my research findings. Well, it turns out I was wrong once again. I guess I could say I was right to begin with. Seriously?? Sure enough, the videos ( I watched 4 to confirm) made it clear that the fuzzy side goes up. Totally make sense both ways.

With that confusing afternoon re-research, I decided to brave the switch and put the diaper on her the way it was meant to be placed. Apparently it is a microfiber material that keeps the wet off the baby. It also is VERY deceiving when a test is run under running water. Oddly, I didn't get peed on since the switch. I might have changed her diaper insert nearly every 30 minutes just to be sure, but then I started waiting till I would typically change a disposable. Luckily, no leaks. The beauty of the cloth diapers is that they are cute, cheap (once invested in them) and don't bulk up like other cloth diapers. The bummer...poop. That is gross. First experience was at Thai House in Hood River. Grandma held the legs, I did a quick clean up and we were back to eating at the outside table in no time.

Daily diaper laundry--requires a special method of washing too!

So here is a glimpse into the rest of my life at home.

Laundry. Not just regular clothes and burp rags, but add on a heap of diapers daily. Oh, well. It is all worth it. Did you know 96 diapers costs around $25? This kiddo goes through at least 15 per day. She hates wet pants.

Gotta run. I have some diapers to reassemble while she sleeps. And to think I used to make big decisions at work that affected people's lives. Life is much different now.