Natalie's "Purse"

A couple nights ago, Natalie decided that she wanted to carry this little bag around like a purse. It was so cute! She wanted me to help her put it on her arm, and she'd walk around with it, then sit down and take everything out of it, hand it to me, then put each thing back in. We got some cute pictures of her with the "purse."

Long Overdue Update

I know I've been terrible about updating the blog for the past few weeks, so I'm going to try to do better, but here's my attempt at a catch-up. :)

Natalie now has four animal sounds that she will consistently tell you: cow, sheep, snake, and kitty. Before kitty, there was doggie, and it was my favorite - also because she picked it up all on her own. She said "bow wow wow" in the cutest way. Well, I decided to try to teach her that a kitty says "meow" and Santa says "ho ho ho," and she learned the kitty (very cute!), but not Santa, and ever since then, now when you ask her what a doggie says, she has a very unintelligible string of sounds, part of which sounds like "meow." So now we're back to working on "bow wow wow" again!

She just recently started saying thank you when she hands us toys. ;) It sounds more like "tee cu," but we know what she means. ;) Also, when she stands on the couch, I ask her to sit, and when she does, I say, "thank you." Now she's taken to standing up and at the same time, saying "tee cu!" Not exactly what I was going for!

She just got over her first ear infection. Boy, was that rough. I was glad that we finally figured out what it was and were able to start her quickly on (her first) antibiotic. It took about 3-4 full days for her normal sweet, funny personality to return, so I know she must have been feeling terrible. I feel like I have a better grasp of what she might act like with an ear infection now, so hopefully she won't get more, but I think I'll be able to spot it more quickly if she does.

Miss Nat still LOVES to eat. Katie made potato soup this week and the girls had it for lunch yesterday. She said Natalie had a spoon in one hand and was using the other hand to scoop handfuls of it into her mouth. Also, we've decided that she prefers Braums milk over Borden. She must get that from Opa! ;)

She still loves Casey, and the word "Casey" is still probably the clearest word that she says right now. She's learning better how to pet Casey gently, which is a good thing. Casey is sooooo tolerant of Natalie though. My mom says Casey is a gift, but we don't always feel that way when we have to clean up her messes! Natalie sure loves her, though! :)

Natalie is really big on putting her hands up and making a "Where did it go? I don't know!" face when a person hides or when she hides a toy. It's pretty cute. She'll put toy food in her play microwave, shut the door, and look at us as if to say "Where did it go?" Then she opens it and smiles. A couple days ago, we were all in Natalie's room and Brad left to do something. Natalie followed him out, but somehow lost track of where he went. She got into the kitchen, and Brad could see her but she didn't see him. She saw Casey in the kitchen, and put her hands up and made the face, as if asking Casey, "Where did he go?" Brad was cracking up that she really thinks of Casey as one of us and thought Casey could help her out. ;)

Well, I'm sure there are a million more little things I could write, but I'm out of ideas off the top of my head. Hope everyone out there is enjoying the holiday season!

Tired Natalie

Katie sent me these pictures from lunch today. Natalie was so tired that she could hardly stay awake. However, that did not stop her from eating. Katie said she would still pick up her food, put it in her mouth, and chew it, all with her eyes closed. Poor girl. I sure hope her afternoon nap rejuvenates her!!

Sick Again

Miss Natalie appears to have yet another cold. I feel like she's got some kind of congestion all the time! I am really starting to wonder if she doesn't have allergies like me. She's been in a pretty good mood, but her nose just runs constantly and she has A LOT of trouble sleeping. Last night was one of the worst in a long time. I don't think any of us got much sleep. Brad was really a trooper; he got up with her and ended up sleeping in the other room with her so I could get some more rest, but she woke up for the day at 5:40 am - which is MUCH earlier than normal which is like 7:00-7:15. I'm at work today and Natalie's with Katie, and the last time I checked before lunch, she was doing well. Both of the girls had been in time out at one point, so it's a regular day for the most part. ;) I'm just praying that she can sleep well at her nap this afternoon AND tonight!!

Talkin' on the Phone

Yesterday, I was talking to Natalie over the phone. Previously, I've never really expected her to actually listen and understand me - I don't really know why! I started asking her what a cow says, what a snake says, and where her belly button is, and she answered me on all of them! I feel like we had our first phone conversation! ;)

The Hairbrush

This morning, after I gave Natalie a bath, I was brushing her hair and she kept getting frustrated with me because she wanted the brush. So, I finished quickly and gave it to her. I started trying to get her dressed, but she wanted to stand up. She would not give in! She finally managed to get to a standing position, put one arm on my shoulder, and proceeded to brush my hair. She just kept standing there, very gently and intently brushing strands of my hair. :) I just thought it was the cutest thing.

Just Some Pics

Here are some more pictures from this weekend that I thought were cute. :)


Casey just climbed up into Natalie's lap. Natalie was pretty excited, even if you can't tell from the picture. :)


Remember how we said Natalie liked to crawl around with things in her mouth and how she will latch on to one small item for a day? Well, the above day, it was a travel-sized toothpaste tube. And she looooved walking with it! :)