I was reading an article on fun activities I can do with Natalie that don't cost anything (I'm all about free fun). One of the suggestions was to fill the high chair tray with water and let the baby splash around. I figured that since Natalie likes the rain (but still hates baths with an incredible, fiery passion), I was hoping that she'd like splashing around just as long as she's not sitting in it ... because maybe that's the problem??
Thankfully it was a success! She loved splashing ... and as you can see from the video, Lee was more than happy to 'help' her splash.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
Weekly Natalie - Week 40
(a day late - sorry!)
Natalie's been sick for the past few days, so I haven't taken many pictures of her. But yesterday, I made the executive decision that I should put her shorts on her head to see what she'd do. And I think that was a dang fine decision, if I do say so myself.
Natalie's been sick for the past few days, so I haven't taken many pictures of her. But yesterday, I made the executive decision that I should put her shorts on her head to see what she'd do. And I think that was a dang fine decision, if I do say so myself.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Croup Magnet
So I'm thinking that Natalie is a croup magnet. She started developing the same croup-y, emphysema-y, hoarse-y cough a few days ago. At first I just thought a piece of Cheerio had gone down the wrong tube, but it didn't take us long to figure out it was something ickier.
Her temperature was only 99.4, but I really didn't like the sound of her cough, so I took her in to see her pediatrician. She also had this rash on her face and several bumps on her leg. I was pretty sure they weren't related, but I had read that rashes are sometimes a symptom of swine flu. Better to be safe than sorry!
Nat's pediatrician looked in her ears and throat, listened to her chest, and reassured me that all Nat had was an upper respiratory infection. She said that some babies are just more susceptible to these kinds of bugs, and Nat might fall into that category.
Lee and I are thrilled that it's not something more severe, but unfortunately there's not a whole lot we can do for her besides waiting it out. I bought a cool mist humidifier for her room and I'm giving her Pedialyte periodically.
Thankfully she doesn't seem to be too affected by this bug. Where she normally goes 90-to-nothing, she's down to about 88-to-nothing. The bummer is that she's not sick enough to bring on any snuggling. Maybe next time ... :)
Her temperature was only 99.4, but I really didn't like the sound of her cough, so I took her in to see her pediatrician. She also had this rash on her face and several bumps on her leg. I was pretty sure they weren't related, but I had read that rashes are sometimes a symptom of swine flu. Better to be safe than sorry!
Nat's pediatrician looked in her ears and throat, listened to her chest, and reassured me that all Nat had was an upper respiratory infection. She said that some babies are just more susceptible to these kinds of bugs, and Nat might fall into that category.
Lee and I are thrilled that it's not something more severe, but unfortunately there's not a whole lot we can do for her besides waiting it out. I bought a cool mist humidifier for her room and I'm giving her Pedialyte periodically.
Thankfully she doesn't seem to be too affected by this bug. Where she normally goes 90-to-nothing, she's down to about 88-to-nothing. The bummer is that she's not sick enough to bring on any snuggling. Maybe next time ... :)
Friday, October 02, 2009
Nat's Got a Fee-vuh
(and oh how I wish 'more cowbell' was the prescription)
Natalie had her 9 month well-baby appointment yesterday. She weighs 20lbs, 1oz and is 27.5 inches long. I didn't ask where that fell in the 'normal' spectrum, but I assume her stats are average.
She got the Hep B vaccine (her pediatrician gives that shot at the 9 month visit to cut down on the number of shots given at the 12 month visit). And Lee and I decided to go ahead and give Natalie a (thimerosal-free) flu shot. She handled both shots like a champ, only crying for 30 seconds or so.
We figured everything was okay until we heard Natalie whimpering over the baby monitor a few hours after she went to bed. Lee went to go check on her and commented on how warm she felt. I took her temperature and it was 103.4! My poor baby. It was obvious she didn't feel well - she was absolutely pitiful. I knew something was wrong when she didn't resist Lee or me snuggling with her. She didn't look thrilled but she didn't seem to have enough energy to squirm out of our arms.
We called the on-call doctor and he said that both the Hep B shot and the flu shot can cause a fever. And that we shouldn't worry unless her fever gets up to 106. Say WHAT? Wouldn't someone burst into a fireball at 106 degrees? I guess babies can handle a higher temperature than adults (though it seems like it should be the other way around, but whatever).
After a few hours of catnapping-fussing-catnapping-fussing, I finally got Natalie down for the night at midnight and she slept until 6:00am. I fed her again and she slept for another 1.5 hours. Her fever was better this morning but seems to have spiked again this afternoon. She doesn't have any other symptoms so I'm not too terribly concerned, other than the fact that she's 20lb sauna.
Despite her not feeling well, I've l-o-v-e-d all of this cuddle time I've gotten. It's the silver lining in all of this fever drama.
Natalie had her 9 month well-baby appointment yesterday. She weighs 20lbs, 1oz and is 27.5 inches long. I didn't ask where that fell in the 'normal' spectrum, but I assume her stats are average.
She got the Hep B vaccine (her pediatrician gives that shot at the 9 month visit to cut down on the number of shots given at the 12 month visit). And Lee and I decided to go ahead and give Natalie a (thimerosal-free) flu shot. She handled both shots like a champ, only crying for 30 seconds or so.
We figured everything was okay until we heard Natalie whimpering over the baby monitor a few hours after she went to bed. Lee went to go check on her and commented on how warm she felt. I took her temperature and it was 103.4! My poor baby. It was obvious she didn't feel well - she was absolutely pitiful. I knew something was wrong when she didn't resist Lee or me snuggling with her. She didn't look thrilled but she didn't seem to have enough energy to squirm out of our arms.
We called the on-call doctor and he said that both the Hep B shot and the flu shot can cause a fever. And that we shouldn't worry unless her fever gets up to 106. Say WHAT? Wouldn't someone burst into a fireball at 106 degrees? I guess babies can handle a higher temperature than adults (though it seems like it should be the other way around, but whatever).
After a few hours of catnapping-fussing-catnapping-fussing, I finally got Natalie down for the night at midnight and she slept until 6:00am. I fed her again and she slept for another 1.5 hours. Her fever was better this morning but seems to have spiked again this afternoon. She doesn't have any other symptoms so I'm not too terribly concerned, other than the fact that she's 20lb sauna.
Despite her not feeling well, I've l-o-v-e-d all of this cuddle time I've gotten. It's the silver lining in all of this fever drama.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Weekly Natalie - Week 39
Some Daddy/Nattie playtime
Best. Smiler. Ever
My angel face
Daddy smooches
Hiding in her fort
One little monkey, jumping on the sofa
Can you guess what she's doing?She's eating a Cheerio off the floor without using her hands.
It's her latest trick.
Jazz hands!(if you click on this picture to make it bigger,
you can see her two bottom teeth!)
This picture cracks me up.I can just picture her saying "'Sup, foo'?"
Striking a pose
She looks like she's swimming
Swinging at a really great park in Pace
"Where'd everybody go?"
Happy swinger
Love!
And now ... for your viewing pleasure ... a collection of Natalie's Scruncher Bear faces (apparently my sister made these same faces and my parents called her Scruncher Bear - so it's only fitting that this nickname gets passed down to Nat)
Barrette-d Scruncher Bear
Floating Scruncher Bear head
Balancing Scruncher Bear
Tongue sticker-outer Scruncher Bear
Extreme close up Scruncher Bear
Avocado Scruncher Bear
'Where's the top half of my head?' Scruncher Bear
'Showing off my amazing eyelashes' Scruncher Bear
Scruncher Bear on the go
Focused Scruncher Bear
September 2009 - Recap
Dear Natalie,
I was just about to ask how September came and went so quickly, but I think I have the answer to that - you, my darling girl. You are the busiest baby I have ever seen. There are books to read, balls to roll, couches to pull up on, Mommy and Daddy to climb on, drawers to open, toys to toss around, playpens to blow raspberries on ... and that's just your 'to do' list for the first five minutes after you wake up.
You started blubbering your lips together and you sound exactly like the Jetson's car. And you started breathing heavily out of your nose when you scrunch it up and you sound exactly like a bull ready to charge. Put some finger cymbals on you and you can be your own one-baby band.
You love holding on to the couch and bouncing up and down. And you always look around to make sure that Daddy and I are watching you. You're unable to bounce without an audience - and luckily for you, Daddy and I love being your audience.
I've been terrible and haven't introduced any new foods this month. You still love sweet potatoes and bananas. And you're getting better about tolerating green beans. Which is good, because I reeeeeeeeally didn't want to have to bust out the peas again. You'll learn this soon enough, but Mommy and Daddy haaaaaaate peas. They're vile little vegetables and should be eliminated from any and all meals. But I want you to eat green veggies - so thanks for warming up to green beans. I owe you.
Although I didn't give you any new foods, I did give you a teething biscuit. I had never heard of them before, but I saw them in the store, and because they were on sale, and because I am a self-proclaimed Super Shopper, I bought them. I didn't know what to expect from them. I took them out of the package and they looked like little cookies. Totally harmless, right? Ha. You gnawed on it for a few seconds and I didn't notice anything strange. I turn my back for a few minutes to unload the dishwasher, and when I look at you, you were covered in teething biscuit schelack. It was in your hair, your ears, your nose, your neck, your legs. I don't know how they did it, but the crafty cooks at Earth's Best somehow managed to make a seemingly benign looking cookie turn into a soggy, pasty, disgusting pile of ick when it comes into contact with baby spit. I plan on covering you in a tarp the next time I give you one.
You've decided that eating Puffs and Cheerios is much more fun if you do it hands-free. Now 'hands-free' could mean that I feed you, which I still do occasionally. But 'hands-free' also means that you rather bonk your head on your highchair tray (or on the floor) and pick up a Puff or Cheerio with your tongue than try to get the hang of your pincer grasp. And it means that you look like a puppy eating off the floor. (Should I be putting Cheerios on the carpet in the first place? Probably not. Do I? Yes.)
Speaking of looking like a puppy, you also act like a puppy. I'm not able to leave the room in peace anymore. You whine and crawl after me (and I have to hand it to you, you're really good at finding me). And like a puppy, you get really, really excited when Daddy comes home from work. You start bouncing up and down and smiling your beautiful smile. And as soon as he sits down on the sofa, you immediately crawl over to him for some Daddy-Nattie time. This usually consists of Daddy bringing you up over his head and proclaiming "What a big girl you are!" Then he blubbers your wonderfully plump belly. And if you're in the mood, you'll sit still for him to do his version of Pat-a-Cake. His version is much more fun than mine. When you're older, ask him to show you.
You got your first two teeth this month! Your two bottom teeth finally popped through. Your left one came through on 9/11/09 and your right one came through just a couple of days later. You had the cutest, most expressive toothless smile in the world - and now you have the cutest, most expressive toothy smile too. Besides 'cute' and 'most expressive', another word I'd like to use to describe your smile is 'OW'. Because oh my GOSH you bite hard. You don't mean to (right?), but you still like chewing on our fingers - and those little razor blades that you have in your mouth hurt like crazy.
We weren't able to make it through church this month without being called out to the nursery. Separation anxiety is still going on, but God bless the nursery volunteers. They try their hardest to keep from paging us, but you're a determined little kid. It doesn't seem like you want to take a bottle from anyone other than me or Daddy. And you get mad - no, make that MAAAAAAAAAAAD. You don't want to play with toys, you don't want to sit in the bouncy seat, you don't want to rock in the rocking chair, you don't want to go outside. But as soon as one of us comes into the nursery, you get a big smile on your face. Have I mentioned that you're a little stinker?
You've slept like a champ this month. Well, let me say that you've slept like a champ at NIGHT this month. You started sleeping a lot better once you became mobile. I put you to bed sometime between 7 and 7:30 and you sleep straight through the night until 6:30. It's w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l. And I know I shouldn't even think of putting the word "but" in this paragraph ... but .... I love that you sleep straight through the night. But by doing that, you've cut down your morning and afternoon naps. Where you once took a 2.5 hours nap in the morning, I'm now lucky if I can get 40 minutes out of you. And where you once took an 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon, I'm now lucky if I can get 30 minutes out of you. I miss my "me time" that I got while you took your naps, but in exchange, I'm sleeping better at night. So really, I should just shut up.
I really cherish the moments right after I feed you at night. You're (usually) sleepy and you bury your head in my neck while I burp you. Your body is completely relaxed except for your hands, which hold tightly to my shirt. Those three or four minutes of cuddling do wonders for my soul. You do wonders for my soul.
Look at your pinky, Nataroo ... there you'll find me and Daddy wrapped firmly around it. And we love every minute of it.
Hugs and smooches,
Mommy and Daddy
I was just about to ask how September came and went so quickly, but I think I have the answer to that - you, my darling girl. You are the busiest baby I have ever seen. There are books to read, balls to roll, couches to pull up on, Mommy and Daddy to climb on, drawers to open, toys to toss around, playpens to blow raspberries on ... and that's just your 'to do' list for the first five minutes after you wake up.
You started blubbering your lips together and you sound exactly like the Jetson's car. And you started breathing heavily out of your nose when you scrunch it up and you sound exactly like a bull ready to charge. Put some finger cymbals on you and you can be your own one-baby band.
You love holding on to the couch and bouncing up and down. And you always look around to make sure that Daddy and I are watching you. You're unable to bounce without an audience - and luckily for you, Daddy and I love being your audience.
I've been terrible and haven't introduced any new foods this month. You still love sweet potatoes and bananas. And you're getting better about tolerating green beans. Which is good, because I reeeeeeeeally didn't want to have to bust out the peas again. You'll learn this soon enough, but Mommy and Daddy haaaaaaate peas. They're vile little vegetables and should be eliminated from any and all meals. But I want you to eat green veggies - so thanks for warming up to green beans. I owe you.
Although I didn't give you any new foods, I did give you a teething biscuit. I had never heard of them before, but I saw them in the store, and because they were on sale, and because I am a self-proclaimed Super Shopper, I bought them. I didn't know what to expect from them. I took them out of the package and they looked like little cookies. Totally harmless, right? Ha. You gnawed on it for a few seconds and I didn't notice anything strange. I turn my back for a few minutes to unload the dishwasher, and when I look at you, you were covered in teething biscuit schelack. It was in your hair, your ears, your nose, your neck, your legs. I don't know how they did it, but the crafty cooks at Earth's Best somehow managed to make a seemingly benign looking cookie turn into a soggy, pasty, disgusting pile of ick when it comes into contact with baby spit. I plan on covering you in a tarp the next time I give you one.
You've decided that eating Puffs and Cheerios is much more fun if you do it hands-free. Now 'hands-free' could mean that I feed you, which I still do occasionally. But 'hands-free' also means that you rather bonk your head on your highchair tray (or on the floor) and pick up a Puff or Cheerio with your tongue than try to get the hang of your pincer grasp. And it means that you look like a puppy eating off the floor. (Should I be putting Cheerios on the carpet in the first place? Probably not. Do I? Yes.)
Speaking of looking like a puppy, you also act like a puppy. I'm not able to leave the room in peace anymore. You whine and crawl after me (and I have to hand it to you, you're really good at finding me). And like a puppy, you get really, really excited when Daddy comes home from work. You start bouncing up and down and smiling your beautiful smile. And as soon as he sits down on the sofa, you immediately crawl over to him for some Daddy-Nattie time. This usually consists of Daddy bringing you up over his head and proclaiming "What a big girl you are!" Then he blubbers your wonderfully plump belly. And if you're in the mood, you'll sit still for him to do his version of Pat-a-Cake. His version is much more fun than mine. When you're older, ask him to show you.
You got your first two teeth this month! Your two bottom teeth finally popped through. Your left one came through on 9/11/09 and your right one came through just a couple of days later. You had the cutest, most expressive toothless smile in the world - and now you have the cutest, most expressive toothy smile too. Besides 'cute' and 'most expressive', another word I'd like to use to describe your smile is 'OW'. Because oh my GOSH you bite hard. You don't mean to (right?), but you still like chewing on our fingers - and those little razor blades that you have in your mouth hurt like crazy.
We weren't able to make it through church this month without being called out to the nursery. Separation anxiety is still going on, but God bless the nursery volunteers. They try their hardest to keep from paging us, but you're a determined little kid. It doesn't seem like you want to take a bottle from anyone other than me or Daddy. And you get mad - no, make that MAAAAAAAAAAAD. You don't want to play with toys, you don't want to sit in the bouncy seat, you don't want to rock in the rocking chair, you don't want to go outside. But as soon as one of us comes into the nursery, you get a big smile on your face. Have I mentioned that you're a little stinker?
You've slept like a champ this month. Well, let me say that you've slept like a champ at NIGHT this month. You started sleeping a lot better once you became mobile. I put you to bed sometime between 7 and 7:30 and you sleep straight through the night until 6:30. It's w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l. And I know I shouldn't even think of putting the word "but" in this paragraph ... but .... I love that you sleep straight through the night. But by doing that, you've cut down your morning and afternoon naps. Where you once took a 2.5 hours nap in the morning, I'm now lucky if I can get 40 minutes out of you. And where you once took an 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon, I'm now lucky if I can get 30 minutes out of you. I miss my "me time" that I got while you took your naps, but in exchange, I'm sleeping better at night. So really, I should just shut up.
I really cherish the moments right after I feed you at night. You're (usually) sleepy and you bury your head in my neck while I burp you. Your body is completely relaxed except for your hands, which hold tightly to my shirt. Those three or four minutes of cuddling do wonders for my soul. You do wonders for my soul.
Look at your pinky, Nataroo ... there you'll find me and Daddy wrapped firmly around it. And we love every minute of it.
Hugs and smooches,
Mommy and Daddy
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Facebook Hijacking
So someone hijacked my Facebook account. I'm half amused and half annoyed. The story "I" used was that "I" was in London and got robbed at gunpoint. They took my wallet, cell phone, everything. So "I" logged onto my Facebook account to ask my "friends" to wire "me" some money. Riiiiiiight.
I had no idea anything happened until my friend emailed me and told me she had a 30-minute chat with me about how I was in London. She was worried for a few seconds that it might actually be true, but when "I" told my friend that NJ was missing five days of school because of our London trip, she quickly realized that it wasn't me.
I was able to log on to my account and change my password, but now when I try to log on, I get a message saying that my account is disabled.
Thanks a lot, Facebook Hijackers.
I had no idea anything happened until my friend emailed me and told me she had a 30-minute chat with me about how I was in London. She was worried for a few seconds that it might actually be true, but when "I" told my friend that NJ was missing five days of school because of our London trip, she quickly realized that it wasn't me.
I was able to log on to my account and change my password, but now when I try to log on, I get a message saying that my account is disabled.
Thanks a lot, Facebook Hijackers.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Weekly Natalie - Week 38
Me and my baby girl
She's wonderfully smoochable
Baby thug
Go Green Wave!
Ready to pounce
Team Smith!
Static-y hair!
I love, love, love her smile
Trying to get her arms over her head ...very hard to do when your head is enormous
Auntie K and her Nataroo
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