She found her feet!

It's official. Natalie has found her feet. She enjoys them most often on her changing table.  She is talking up a storm and she continues to have a super happy personality. Ryan and I have been wondering if she was going to cut some teeth soon. She isn't taking much for naps, except today, and she is ultra clingy to me. No teeth yet though.

Although she is a little ways off from crawling, she is inching forward when we help support her feet. Her latest and greatest of all is her happy scream. She found her voice the other day and for three days, she shared it at the top of her lungs with us. It is cute, but not that cute when it is in your ear as she grabs a hold of my face, noms on my cheek and screams at the top of her lungs. It is funny after the ringing stops!

Here are some weekend highlights

Picked 24lbs in 30 min

Its great to see her sleep in the van

Ryan made German pancakes

Snuugles

Sleepy Snuggles

Val was making her smile

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Do babies learn something and then master it shortly there after? I thought we had a little time before she totally got the hang of this rolling from back to tummy. NOPE!

Last night, little miss muffet was WIDE awake at bedtime. We tried all the usual tricks. As a new alternative we let her rest alone with her snuggle bunny. She chatted happily with her bunny, tossing and rolling around. I told Whit to go check her out. She had rolled onto her tummy on our side of the bed and was ever so proud! ( Her crib is attached to our bed)

After more effort to put her to sleep, she finally conked out. However, 2 hours later she is rolling and stirring. I give her a chance to fall back asleep, but sure enough, she rolled over and popped her head up to look for me. Then started crying, confused of why she was on her tummy. :) 

Uhg. Here I am now feeding her at 2:30am. So much for her sleeping through the night. Maybe tomorrow....

First Father's Day

Kate: "Ryan, what do you want for your special day breakfast?" 

Ryan: "I don't know."

Kate: "Ryan, what do you want to do today?"

Ryan: "I don't really know."

So he puttered in the garage. Natalie and I watched. Then he went for a looooong road rode. :) 

He is rebuilding my mt bike!

We hit the park with Heidi and kids

Nat did a lot of this today!

Grams and Gramps Come to Town

Hip-hip-hoooraaaay for grandparents! Thanks for helping out with Natalie...and making cinnamon rolls. Yummy!

More Photos...cant help it

This baby Natalie isn't getting any younger! We are going to smother our blog readers with her photos. That's my job, right?

Today we hit the road and had the blessed JCP take some photos for us. We were able to score a CD for a reasonable deal and obtain the copy rights on the pictures. I then can modify the photos and print away!

She did a lot of smiling before and after with a cute little yellow dress that Grandma gave her. As soon as we took it off, she smiled more. What a naked lovin' baby!!

Silly time

As I slave away in the rain planting some huge starts from our master gardener neighbors, Auntie Whit and Natalie were getting silly with her foam mat puzzle pieces. 

Our neighbors have an amazing garden and they had a feeling we were not up to planting with a one month old. They were right. So now, I have some plants in and don't feel so neglectful. I am going to see if I can still score some cucumber starts. I can't imagine a year without my favorite food!

Things I feared

So much about pregnancy is exciting. Not knowing what the sex is? Does he/she have hair? Will he/she be an easy baby? So many more. 

When I was pregnant, I feared a few things that are totally non-issues.

Sleep deprivation freaked me out! I become Ursula from The Little Mermaid when I don't sleep. Luckily for everyone, I can afford a few less hours and I am fine. In fact, I feel great!

Is our baby going to be happy? Worry? Not necessary! She is beyond cheerful. Loves life for sure...except the car occasionally.

Am I going to want to rush back to work? Naaaaahhhh! I miss them, but nothing like I could imagine missing Natalie for even an hours time. I'm not going anywhere.

Will staying home even for a month drive me nuts? Nope. Our day is full of fun stuff. Eating, pooping, napping, bath time...not a dull moment EVER.

Ryan ad I told ourselves that the first couple years are going to suck. Well, they sure don't so far. In fact, they are the best times in our marriage. And we have had a pretty awesome marriage! 

What I should have worried about?

How scary delivery can be.

How fast she will grow up. 

Taking a class on how to use my camera. :)

This is just a silly post. I am enjoying every moment with her and Ryan is too. We love our little Natalie!

Car Rides

Uhg. Car rides become dread and terror! Natalie decided last week that it wasn't cool riding in the car...or VAN. Well, kiddo, get used to it. We are a going kind of family!! Thanks to Heidi, we have some new and dangly toys. Seems to be helping. :) 

Here is our sleeping beauty.

Sunday Funday

Ryan helped Brian in his deck yesterday. Natalie, Tara and I supervised. Nat enjoyed her blanket under the sun tent. She worked on her rolling over too. She found that a handful of grass can make the transition of rolling over even easier. 

Natalie is having a great time checking herself and all of us in the mirror! 

Water baby

This little lady loves water, just like her parents. Ryan and I thoroughly enjoy water sports and so far, Natalie enjoys all water sports she has participated in: bath time in the sink, tub, shower and now back yard kiddy pooling. First time in the pool was a hoot. She loved it. Kept trying to put her face in it. She was so pumped up, that she later did some tummy time and rolled from back to tummy! Big day today. 

Now if we could just hear her giggle again!

I might need to get a swim diaper. We opted with no diaper after the first one broke apart. 

If you asked me what a SELFIE was...

If you asked me what a selfie was 15 years, or less, ago, I would have been clueless. Thanks to social media and iPhones, we are taking "selfie" photos. There is nothing like an armpit shot! 

According to Wikipedia, 

A selfie is a genre of self-portraitphotograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often associated with social networking and photo sharing services such as MySpace, Facebook, andInstagram, where they are commonly posted. They are often casual, are typically taken either with a camera held at arm's length or in a mirror, and may include only the photographer or other people as well.

The mirror shots kill me! So silly looking.

Needless to say, I'm not going to be that girl with high school hair 20 years after graduation. Yes! Natalie and I are posers. Posing for some selfie's. ha!

Just to push the dorky envelope, we are matching! I promise I didn't plan it. I know you don't believe me, but it's true.

Here she is looking at how cool she is in the selfie helper. (Camera turns around so you can view yourself, er, selfie!)

What is wrong with my eyes?!?!? Geez

She is so proud of standing up!

Have a fave selfie??? Do share!!

4 month Checkup

Miss Natalie went to her 4 month pediatrician checkup. She surprised us! She is above average for height!?!? What? Our baby has a height advantage? She didn't get it from us :)

14.1 lbs ( I expected more!)

25" long

41cm circumstance 

Overall, she is very average. However, her über happiness is above average. She was cooing and almost laughing for the staff and her doctor. Super happy today, as usual. 

In addition, she received her vaccine shots. She cried ever so briefly, but now is when she begins to feel yucky. See her cute band aids? 

Thanks for checking in! 

Giggle Giggle at 4 months

Today marks Natalie's 4 month birthday! She has become so string and alert lately. She is intently watching us all. Smiling and cooing all day. Today was extra special. At Thai House in Hood River, she giggled at us. Twice! I desperately wanted to catch it on video, but instead we enjoyed the moment and later snapped this picture. 

Before dinner, we went for a walk along the water. Ryan was wish and hoping for big wind to kite, but it didn't happen.

Here are some fun pics from the last couple days.

This was me enjoying her sleepy snuggles.

Did I ever think my living room would look like this? No! Plastic, bright, busy baby junk. She loves it. Totally temporary. Pink stuff? Not temporary. That might be around forever.

Thanks to Ryan's Japanese coworkers, Natalie received the cutest jumper. It fits her perfectly right now. We really appreciate their help in buying her and I gifts while he was in Japan.

Little Lilo praying

See Ginger on the left? Barely! Cute little ears. They enjoyed their visit to Roseburg. They always do!