Playing in the Rain

I could have watched this forever: Natalie, my bath-phobic, shower-hating child playing in the rain for 20 minutes. She kept her arms straight up, face pointed toward the sky and was just so full of joy. She splashed, she giggled, she ran, she squealed. It was enormously heart-warming. And it was a good reminder to be a playful parent - a rainy day doesn't automatically mean we have to stay indoors. Her soggy dress, slicked back hair, and huge grin proved that to be true.

I just wish I had brought my camera. Boo.

Weekly Natalie - Week 80 & 81

How has it already been 2 weeks since my last post? This school stuff is severely infringing on my blogging time. I'm sure my teachers would understand if I told them the situation ...

Interrupting her reading time to tweak Elmo's nose

It looks like Elmo's reading over her shoulder.
GNG is hysterical, if you've never read it ...

Why are her next-to-the-bottom-middle teeth not coming in??

More pants-on-her-head pictures!

I seriously love this kid. Like, for real.

Me and Sullen McPantsOnHerHead

Fairy wings? Check. Basketball? Check.
Two sippy cups? Check and check.
An electronic pocket Sudoku game? Check.

Now she can watch Elmo the way it was always intended
to be watched.

Elmo needs a round of applause every now and then

Sleepy baby

Trying to giggle and drink her smoothie at the same time

Smoothie happiness!

Such a goofball

Painting with pudding!

I knew the hospital gown from her endoscopy
would eventually come in handy!

Her pudding masterpiece

Man, somebody should teach her how to take ladylike bites

Pure toddler excitement. Nothing better.

I have a confession.
This is the very first time she's had a juice box.

Weekly Natalie - Week 78 & 79

Okay, so I missed last week. Again. I'm thinking that until I graduate in December, the Weekly Natalies might be pretty sporadic. And then in January, I'm sure I'll come up with another excuse as to why I'm a horrible picture-uploader.

We had a wonderful 4th of July at our friend's house. The party had three of Natalie's favorite things: watermelon, a dog, and a pool. So she had a blast. And since Natalie had a blast, Lee and I, by default, had a blast, too. Of course, Sleepy McGoesToBedAt7pm couldn't hang and watch any of the fireworks, so we went home and watched Pops Goes the Fourth on TV. Lame, yes. But we didn't have any problem with parking. Or bugs. Or humidity.

Getting in the water for the first time

All giggles

Making her doggy face for everyone to see

Drinking out of a big-kid cup. This can only end one way.

And here we go ...

2 nanoseconds later, all the water poured on her face.
Super awesome face.

She's back at it. And she's such a cup-stealer.

Showing off her way-cool raincoat

She prefers Grover upside down.

My little love

Playing with Daddy at Kangarooz

So I know this sounds silly. But seeing Nat ponytail really pulled
at my heartstrings. She looks so ... big. :(

Ritz cracker-faced ponytailed munchkin

June 2010 - Recap

You, my sweet pumpkin, are 18-months-old today. How did that happen so quickly?! How did you go from a swaddled, floppy newborn to a full-of-energy-and-silly-faces toddler - all in what seemed like mere minutes?

The Terrible Twos are fully upon us now. Actually, I feel bad calling you 'terrible', because in reality, you're not terrible. I know why you're acting the way you do. You know what you want, you just don't know how to verbalize what you want. And you assume that because I've spent the majority of your entire life with you, I should be able to just know what you want. It's a fair assumption; mind-reading after an 18-month-long relationship should be easy, right? Except no. So our days are spent with you wanting something, you being frustrated that you can't say it, you being more frustrated that I don't know what you want, and me carrying you around the house pointing to things in the dim hope that I'll stumble across the thing you want.

You still have severe separation anxiety, and it's still very overwhelming. But - and this is a huge but - you stayed in the nursery the whole time last Sunday! Do I even need to go into how excited Daddy and I were to sit through Sunday School together for the first time in 2+ months? It was wonderful. When I went to get you, you were curled up in the lap of one of the nursery volunteers, watching some kids play in the ball pit. It's about time you noticed that ball pit. For the life of me, I can't possibly fathom how a munchkin would rather play with her mom (despite how awesome and fantastic she is) than play in a ball pit. It's a pit of balls, for goodness sakes. If there's one thing you always point out in books, it's balls. If there's one thing you always point out in a store, it's anything round and ball-esque.

You haven't learned any new words recently. You're holding steady with the Big Five: momma, dadda, this, that, and shoes. While you may not say much, your comprehension blows my mind. Some of it is memorization, I'm sure, but if we're reading a book and I ask you to point to the flowers, you do. If I ask you to find a dog, you point to it and immediately start panting. If I ask you to point to the butterfly, you do. I love watching you scan the page looking for something specific. And when you find it, it's like a light goes off in your head, and you get so excited. I have noticed, however, that even if you don't say much, you've gotten more interested in watching us talk. You want us to repeat words over and over, all the while staring intently at our mouths. It's way cool.

You've turned into quite the monkey this month. You can now climb up on the couch completely unassisted, and you do a surprisingly good job of climbing down without wiping out too badly. You love 'reading' your books on the couch. You look like such a big kid when you do it. So yeah, knock that off.

You've become a big fan of Sesame Street. You've only seen a tiny part of one episode, but you've got a few Sesame Street books and - the best thing EVER - some Sesame Street stickers. In your eyes, the sun rises and sets on stickers. I have a bag of stickers in my purse that I use to entertain you if we've got a long wait at a restaurant or doctor's office (or really any place that requires you to be remotely still for longer than 3 seconds). But you want to play with stickers all day, every day - and you always toddle over to my purse and start rifling through it until you find the sticker bag. You don't fully understand how stickers work, though. That once a sticker is put on a piece of paper, it can't be played with anymore. That once a sticker is peeled off, the outline of where the sticker once was is not a sticker itself. You often point to empty sticker outlines, demanding that I get you that sticker. I've tried to explain how the sticker outline isn't a sticker, and that you've already used the sticker that was there. But that doesn't stop you from wanting it. So I've resorted to telling you that the sticker outline has gone to sleep and we can't play with it. Then you make the sign for 'sleep', look at me understandingly, then toddle off to do something else. Score for mom.

This month was awesome for several reasons. The main reason? We've gotten you to like the bathtub! *cue the lights from heaven*. You still don't like baths, but you looooove showers (why it took us this long to try it is beyond me. We'll blame it on you. Having a toddler has fried our brains.). We have a removable shower head that I used to rinse you off when you took baths. And as soon as you would see me pull it down, you'd burst into tears and hysterics until I was finished. You didn't want the water to touch your head and you DEFINITELY didn't want any water touching your eyes. But now, that very same shower head, pouring the very same water, getting the very same water and soap in your eyes is the coolest thing EVER. How did I do it, you ask? It could be because I casually mentioned that I was making you a fun fountain in the bathroom and that you should come and see it. I led you to the bathroom, you saw the shower running, and you immediately burst into tears and hysterics. I told you that this wasn't a scary shower - that it's more like a big fountain that you get to play in. That was obviously the key phrase, because you immediately perked up and started smiling. I put you in the shower (you seemed a little wary because I always got onto you for standing up in the bathtub) and you slowly made your way to the water. As soon as it hit you, you started laughing. And we haven't looked back since. It's so funny watching you play in your own personal fountain.

You learned how to twirl this month. I thought we had a little more time before you realized how fun (or, you know, nauseating) making yourself dizzy would be. You're a very careful and methodical twirler, so it's not like you end up in a crumpled heap afterwards, but you definitely bump into the couch and lose your balance. And it couldn't be funnier to you. Which, of course, means it couldn't be funnier to Daddy and me.

I've changed your breakfast routine this month. Actually, I've changed all of our breakfast routines this month. We all split a smoothie for breakfast, and let me tell you, I have never seen you as focused as you are when you're drinking your smoothie. Your eyebrows get all furrowed, you're still as a statue, and you don't take your mouth off the straw until the cup is empty. It's hysterical. And what's even more hysterical is that you're drinking spinach. For breakfast. HA.

As I'm writing this, I can hear you stirring, getting ready to wake up for the day. I cherish the early morning, where it's just me, some KLOVE, some hot tea, and the computer. But I also look forward to you waking up. Because there really isn't anything that can brighten my mood like going into your room, seeing your impossible bed head, and watching you break into a huge smile when you see me. That's what it's all about.

Hugs & smooches,
Mommy and Daddy


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Headlines for July 1, 2010:

• Deadly hurricane tears through northeast Mexico
• BP spill nears a somber record as Gulf's biggest
• Can Petraeus find a way out of Afghanistan?
• Spears’ ex-bodyguard fears for her kids?
• Larry King to step down from CNN's 'Live'
• Stepmom of missing Oregon boy barred from kids
• Teen sailor feared ‘no one would come’ to save her

Weekly Natalie - Week 77

Natalie's never been really attached to a certain toy or blanket. She's never had a lovey, and pretty much considers all toys equal (though she does have books that she prefers). But this kid loooooves her fairy wings and fairy skirt. She brings them to me multiple times a day (which means that she wants them taken off multiple times a day. It's hard to climb up on the couch wearing an ankle-length skirt).<3>

Weekly Natalie - Weeks 75 & 76

Holy cow ... I slacked off AGAIN last week. How embarrassing. The goal of the past two weeks was not to spontaneously combust in this miserable heat. So we spent a lot of time playing in the water and playing around the mall before it opens (a genius idea, if I do say so myself - it's air conditioned, practically empty except for a few mall walkers, and she has free reign on all the coin-operated toys [except I'm mean and don't put any money in them])

Scruncher Bear MEGABLOXer

Her sweet smile just turns me into a puddle

Gesundheit!

I guess she didn't get the memo stating that she is her mother's child, and her mother has zero coordination and balance Any bets as to how this will end?

Not. Surprised. At. All. (she wasn't hurt, don't worry)

Ooooh!!

Bullseye!

Never happier than when she's playing with the fountains

Except, you know, when she's completely miserable. Move along, Terrible Twos. You're driving me bananas.

At the Splash Pad in Navarre. This picture makes my heart happy

Playing on the couch is the best. game. ever.

We missed out on a Pirates and Princess playdate today because Nat woke up with a snotty nose (I think it's caused by teething, but I didn't want to run any risks). But just because we didn't get to go doesn't mean that she can't rock some princess accessories at home.

Purple fairy wings make coloring WAY more fun

She loves carrying her Bucket o' Crayons around the house

Trying out the color on her leg before she puts it to paper

Natalie = major goofball

Scruncher Bear Fairy

Yummy Recipes

So Natalie is still in her Picky Toddler phase when it comes to food. But she's surprised me twice in 24 hours with what she'll eat.

It's been hot here. Not like "Oh, wow - it's kinda hot outside. I think I might wear shorts today" or "Oh, wow - it's kinda hot outside. I think I'll turn my AC on for a bit." Oh no. This kind of hot will make you feel like your skin is melting off, like your hair is burning to your scalp, like you'll lose 10 lbs from how much you sweat just by walking to your car. THAT kind of hot. And it's only June. (Have I mentioned that after 22 years of living here, I still haven't gotten used to the hot weather??)

So I'm trying to think of meals that aren't really heavy (or hot) to make the weather a little more tolerable. Enter Ina Garten (aka: The Barefoot Contessa). My mom told me about her gazpacho recipe, but, to be honest, it sounded like a big bowl of salsa (and, while I love salsa, I don't want to eat a bowl of it for dinner).

But I figured with this insane heat, I'd go ahead and try out this mysterious cold soup. And dude, let me tell you, it's fan-flippin-tastic. And - shock of all shocks - my uber picky toddler loved it! I fixed her a tiny bowl last night (and by "tiny", I mean one spoonful - I knew she wouldn't like it!), and she gobbled it up in a nanosecond. So I fixed her a bigger bowl and she gobbled that up too. Score for the Barefoot Contessa!

I'm on Day 2 of having a smoothie for breakfast. This recipe was given to me by a dear friend. I finally got the courage to make it (I've always been wary of smoothies - especially ones that have spinach in them). Verdict: It's delish!! And this morning, my nosy kid saw that I was drinking it. So she toddled up to me, reaching for my glass. I gave her some, and her eyes immediately opened up wide and she started licking her lips like crazy. So I'm all "Sweet, kid. Enjoy your spinach for breakfast! Ha! Point for mom!"

Here's the smoothie recipe (and be sure to blend the heck out of it. I made the mistake of not blending it enough yesterday and it was definitely, um, chewy)

• 1 cup light vanilla soy milk (vanilla soy milk will never see the inside of our house, so I use regular milk and a splash of vanilla extract)
  
• 1 container light banana cream pie yogurt (edited to add: really any flavor of yogurt works. I've used strawberry, blueberry, peach guava nectar [or something along those lines], and they're all tasty)
  
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• dash of agave nectar
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

I let the frozen berries and spinach spend the night in the fridge so that my blender won't freak out the next morning. (My friend told me that frozen spinach can be really hard on a blender).

Happy eating!

May 2010 - Monthly Recap

Oh, my sweet little pumpkin ... May was an up-and-down month for sure. And the 'down' was probably caused by ... (cue the lights shining down from heaven and the choir of angels) ... your new teeth! That's right! After holding steady at four teeth for over six months, you have at least four more up top. I'm not 100% sure because you won't let me examine your mouth. For someone so willingly to lift up her shirt to display her pudgy belly for all the world to see, you sure are private about your mouth. So now, instead of having the mouth of a 7-month-old, you have the mouth of, um, a 10-month-old. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

You took your first ride on an airplane this month. And you did surprisingly well! I was convinced that you would be a royal terror during each flight, but thankfully your royal terror-ness was blissfully limited to small chunks of the long legs of the flight. Being on a plane for 4+ hours is tough on an adult, so it only makes sense that a toddler would lose his/her noodle too. You are an excellent sleeper when you're in a crib or in a Pack-n-Play. But sleeping on my shoulder? Yeah, it's not your strong point. And airplanes aren't equipped with a crib or a PNP, so all that was left was my shoulder. And you had no problem displaying your distaste with your sleeping option. You fought sleep like crazy. And you fighting sleep sounds very similar to a screeching pig. I got some glares from the other passengers, but thankfully, most people gave me a reassuring look that said "Oh goodness, I've been where you've been."

We spent a week with Aunt Lisa, Uncle Rich, and Cousin Taylor in California. You hadn't seen them since Christmas. And when you're your age, 6 months is a LIFEtime. So they were really excited to see how much you've grown and what kind of cool tricks you can do. One of your favorite parts of the trip was Aunt Lisa's Bucket o' Sugar. She keeps a bucket filled with Apple Jacks and Blueberry Muffin Shredded Wheat right at toddler level. So once you figured out where it was, you carried it around the house pretty much 24/7. I try to keep you on a pretty healthy diet, so while seeing you shove handfuls of Apple Jacks into your mouth made me shudder a bit, I just kept telling myself that we were on vacation, and that it wasn't a huge deal. Because now that we're home? Yeah, it's back to plain Cheerios. And you don't know how to say "But Mooooooommmm! Aunt LISA lets me eat Apple Jacks!", so a big fat HA on you, kid.

You love pointing out body parts. And asking you where certain parts are is the only way I've gotten you to be still for a few nanoseconds while I change your diaper. You're good at showing me where your knee is. And foot, toes, arm, head, eye, mouth, and belly button. Your track record isn't the best when it comes to your ear, cheek, hair, and nose. Those body parts are all interchangeable in your eyes.

You also love playing with your animal puzzles. You've gotten really good at them. And you've gotten so good that you like to pretend that you don't know where the pieces go. For instance, you'll have a pig in your hand. You put the pig where it should go on the puzzle, look at us for applause (Team Smith is all about some clapping), then you smile to yourself and put the pig where the horse should go. Then you giggle. A lot. You find yourself pretty hilarious. Daddy and I do, too.

We taught you some more animal faces this month. You don't do them very consistently ... but when you do, LORDY is it cute! For a hippo, you open your mouth really wide. For a frog, you stick your tongue in and out of your mouth really quickly. For a horse, you blubber your lips together (it sounds more like the Jetson's car than an actual horse, but it's still pretty funny). For a sheep, you laugh ("ha ha" sounds fairly similiar to "baa baa"). Aunt Amanda taught you to flap your arms like a chicken, but your flapping arms look like you're frantically hailing a cab. I'm amazed at how quickly you pick things up. You're the most adorable little sponge I've ever met.

I took you downtown a few times this month to play in the fountains at Plaza de Luna. And you love them. No, that just doesn't seem strong enough. You LOVE them. You, my bath-hating daughter. You, my please-don't-ever-pour-water-on-my-head-because-it's-a-fate-worse-than-death daughter. You, you walking conundrum, love the fountains. You love getting hit in the face with the water. You love running through the water. You love sitting on the fountains. So WHY do you hate baths? Hmmm? HMMMM?

And speaking of WHYs, WHY do you insist on pitching a fit every time we leave you in the church nursery? I'm quite sure they don't poke you with hot pokers. I'm quite sure they don't feed you gruel. And, most importantly, I'm quite sure they don't give you a bath. So what's the problem? Daddy and I miss going to Sunday School together. We're taking a marriage class and it would be more beneficial if both members of this marriage could particpate in the class together. Because right now, either I take you home, or Daddy and I tag-team walking you around the church while the other goes to class. But we're gonna keep trying, because I know that one day, you'll love being in there. They have a ball pit - how could you not think that's completely awesome?!

Daddy and I gave you your first chore this month. You are now the official diaper-throw-away-er. It's about time you started earning your keep around here, and I can think of no better job than for you to discard your own waste. Thankfully you'll happy oblige every time I ask you to take your diaper to the trash, but alas, you happen to be the slowest diaper-throw-away-er in the history of diaper-throw-away-ers. We're taking about a 10 foot trip, from where I change you to where the trash can is. But that 10 foot trip takes you forEVER. You're not unlike Billy from The Family Circus cartoon. Here's how the process goes:

Nat: *you take the diaper*
Momma: "Natalie, please throw the diaper in the trash can."
N: *holding up the diaper and pointing to the trash can*
M: *nodding encouragingly* "Yep! That trash can right over there! Now scoot!"
N: *lots of giggling; pointing to yourself as if saying "Oh, you want ME to throw it away? This diaper I have in my hand? This one right here? You want me to take THAT to the trash? Really??"
M: *trying not to laugh* *failing horribly*
N: *meandering aimlessly, though thankfully in the general direction of the trash can*
M: "Natalie, go! To the trash can! Now!"
N: *more giggling* *getting distracted by toys along the way*
M: "Natalie Jane! Go. To. The. Trash. Can. Now. Please."
N: *offering ME the diaper, as if you're saying "Oh Momma, you do such a better job than I do. Why don't YOU throw it away FOR me?"
M: "Not a chance, munchkin. Now go!"
(what seems like) 12 hours later, you FINALLY make it to the trash can. Then you hold the diaper over the trash as if you're reconsidering my request (demand). And then finally (FINALLY) you drop it in the trash can.

Seriously. You're practically ready for another diaper change in the time it takes you to throw it away. But it's your chore. And I'm trying to teach you some responsibility. I'm totally happy with your eagerness. We just need to work on your speed and focus. But your adorableness and sense of humor? Couldn't be better.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Headlines from June 1, 2010:

• Coast Guard warned day after rig blast that blown-out Gulf well could leak 336,000 gal. a day
• Women Are Shunning Nutritious Foods, Study Reveals
• Hugh Laurie on Leaving ‘House M.D.’ After Season 7
• ‘Devastated’ Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe Shoot Final Scene of ‘Harry Potter’
• Obama, Brewer Meet on Arizona Immigration Law

Weekly Natalie - Weeks 73 & 74

Please excuse my lack of posts - Team Smith just got back from a week-long vacation in California. Well, I should rephrase that. It wasn't a true vacation because I had to bring my boss. Lee didn't bring HIS boss, but I had to bring my boss. Granted, my boss is less than three feet tall, and only weighs 25 pounds, but she's a demanding one. Here's a quick recap:

• realized just how much Natalie likes dogs ... and just how much we should get a dog for her
• realized that there are some wacky people out there ... people who feel the need to tattle on my daughter by telling me that she's holding a rock. A harmless little rock. That was firmly in her hands - NOT her mouth.
• realized just how much my child likes being outdoors. We went camping last weekend, and she was like a pig in slop, playing in (and occasionally eating) dirt, and carrying around sticks and leaves.
• realized that it's possible for there to be a ton of snow on the ground ... and it be 65 degrees outside. It's funny to see people in jeans, short sleeves, and snow boots.
• realized that going off-roading is SUPER fun (albeit a tad terrifying), and that off-roading is a sure-fire way to get Nat to sleep
• realized how much I miss my sister-in-law and her cute family

Weekly Natalie - Week 72

Dear Plaza de Luna Park: I love you. Thank you for being a source of water that doesn't freak my child out. You provide such a nice relief from Florida's miserable heat and humidity. You know how you'd be even MORE awesome? If you had soap mixed in with your fountains, so that I'd never have to bathe my child in the bathtub again. Look into that why don't you.

I mean really. Does it get any cuter than that face?

Reading with Nana

My two loves. Couldn't ask for anything more!

Bullseye! Smack dab in the kisser!

Chillbumps!

Blurry, but nonetheless way funny

Giving the fountain a hug

Baby bidet!

Natalie and Daddy are soooooo big!

Ha!

Smiley baby

Daddy led her right into a fountain :)

Holding Daddy's fingers. Nothing sweeter on Earth.

She couldn't contain her excitement when she saw a dog at the park

Silly face

And for your listening enjoyment: