August 2010 - Recap

Oh August, you wily, wily month. You have produced both the funniest and the most tantrum-y aspects of my dear Natalie.

Okay, so these tantrums? Yeah, they're over the top. So listen up, here's the deal: Daddy and I are the boss. You are a munchkin. Munchkins don't rule the house. The bosses rule the house. Munchkins don't tell the bosses what's going to happen when. The bosses tell the munchkin what's going to happen when. Got it? Good. So I expect no more tantrums from here on out. Thanks.

Sweet girl, you are officially allergic to walking. You must trot everywhere you go. It's as if you're on a mission to beat your best time at going from the living room to your bedroom. Or from the garage to the front yard. You don't always trot where you NEED to trot (ie: your room when it's bedtime or the bathroom when it's time for a dip in the tub), but you trot everywhere. And you flail your arms when you take off. You look very similar to Phoebe:

I didn't know that toddlers were capable of cheating, but you are SUCH a peekaboo cheater. When you play, you look like someone who's covering her eyes while watching a scary movie but is totally peeking. And you think you're so sneaky. You "cover" your eyes, then giggle to yourself, as if you've totally pulled one over on us - as though Daddy and I have no clue where you are. Then you dramatically remove your hands from your eyes - and you have a look on your face that says "Here I am! I totally got you guys. I was here the whole time, but I know you and Daddy didn't know that."

You still love for us to point out certain letters to you. And as crazy as it sounds, you've picked up on some of it! You'll point to a letter in a book, I'll tell you what it is, and you'll run over to the fridge and bring back the matching letter magnet. You're not batting a thousand by any stretch, but you've got an excellent track record with these letters: A, B, C, N (though sometimes you bring me a Z), O, M (though you usually bring the M and the W, just to have your bases covered), N, S, and W (again, sometimes you bring both the M and the W). You can tell me what sound S makes (and it sounds exactly like your snake sound) and what sound B makes. It's beyond cool watching you get so excited about letters. I can tell you're tired of our "Bring me the right letter!" game when you bring me the sheep magnet. It's as if you're saying "Dude, this game is dumb. Here's a sheep. Now hush."

You also are an expert at smelling the flowers in Pat the Bunny. I don't know who taught that to you or when you learned, but I just realized it this month. We were reading it a few weeks ago, and on the page where Judy smells the flowers, you grabbed the book from my hands, slammed your face into the page, and took a deep whiff. Then you looked at me and giggled. It was HYSTERICAL. Judy is so proud of you.

You've just recently started smiling per our request. Of course, as soon as the camera comes out, you refuse to smile. But if you're in a camera-free zone and we ask you where your smile is, you put on the cutest, cheesiest, most adorable smile on your face. In one of your books, there's a picture of a woman smiling. And every time we point to that picture, you smile. When I draw a picture of a smiley face, you smile. When I bring out my camera and ask you to smile, you run away shrieking. I'm working on that. I got lucky one day and happened to get your cheesy smile on video, along with a few of your animal tricks:

You've recently started hugging like a guy. I'll remind you now that you are still incredibly UNaffectionate. You enjoy my company and Daddy's company, and you lose your noodle when we leave you with someone else, but you would rather do ANYthing than give us a hug or a kiss. You don't want to sit in our laps unless we're reading to you, and as soon as the book is over, you're climbing out of our laps faster than lightening. But in one of your books, there's a picture of two little kids hugging each other. And when I show you that picture, you put out your arms and give me a hug. And - get this - you pat my back. Like we're guy friends! You'll learn this when you're older, but guys hug each other in a very non-affectionate manner. They often shake hands, then beat each other on the back with their free hand. And this is what you do. Except you 'pat' more than you do 'beat' (thanks for that!), but it's so funny. My little unaffectionate pumpkin head.

You had your first Daddy-Nattie weekends this month. I visited one of my best friends in Pennsylvania one weekend, and then the next weekend, Gramma Lu, Auntie K, and I took a roadtrip to Virginia to see our cousin get married. I didn't take you on either trip, so it was just you and Daddy for those weekends. And apparently you guys had a blast! It was so reassuring to know that you wouldn't fall apart if you didn't see me for a few days. I missed you so much while I was gone, and I couldn't wait to blubber your chubby belly when I got home.

You learned a new word this month! Bubble! (you say it "bah-bohl) It makes sense that you would continue to add to the list of things you find most important in life. All you need in life are shoes, bubbles, Momma, Dadda, and "dis" (which is anything you need at a particular time). I know I'll regret saying this, but I can't WAIT for you to talk more. I want to know what's on your mind, I want to know what you're thinking, I want to know what's going on in that 99th percentile head of yours. I pray it's all good stuff.

(Here's a video of you saying "cookie" in your way cute, way raspy voice:)

You've also learned a new phrase: oh yeah! You say it almost exactly like this guy:

Hey Nat, do you want some grapes? Oh yeahhhhhh. Hey Nat, do you want to go for a car ride? Oh yeahhhhhh. Hey Nat, do you want a bath? Oh noooooooo (just kidding - you don't say that. But it'd be funny if you did. It'd certainly beat the wailing and gnashing of teeth that follow anything involving the bath).

You're noisy. Like NOISY. When you read or color (or have one of us color), you make this strange, gutteral moan. Some people would think that you're filling up your pants when you make a noise like that (and thought that at first!), but this sound goes on for 10, 20, sometimes even 30 minutes. It sounds not unlike someone with the flu who's in bed and moaning at the utter misery of being so sick. Your noise also sounds like a little moped. And you've even started shushing yourself when you get especially noisy. And I have to agree, "Yes, baby - you're being really loud. Please be a little quieter." The quiet only lasts for a few seconds, and then you're right back to being Noisy McSillySounds. I could try to spell it (maybe something like unhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh), but it's funnier to hear it.

Nothing beats your good days, my little love. When you're happy, you're unstoppable. And I feel like a superstar mom. We're working on overcoming those bad days, but I'm thankful for them anyway. Because those bad days remind me that I was never meant to be a mom by myself. I was meant to be a mom who gets advice and wisdom from God. And if all we ever had were good days, I'd have no (or drastically less) need to pray. I'd have the foolish notion that I had it all figured out, that I was a perfect parent, and that I had a perfect child. (Sorry to break it to you, but none of those three is true). And that's okay. Cuz you, me, and Daddy? We're gonna be just fine.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy and Daddy

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

• Thousands flee weakening Earl
• Obama: Iraq combat mission is over
• Calif. rejects ban on plastic shopping bags
• Key device in BP disaster wasn't recertified
• Publicist says Zsa Zsa Gabor 'unresponsive'
• Jimmy Fallon makes nice as host of Emmys
• Chilean miners 'suffering like soldiers'
  

Weekly Natalie - Week 85

Woo hoo - a Weekly Natalie actually published on a Thursday!

My best girl in the wide world

Posing while snacking

Such a pumpkin!

My little love

Okay, so she still hates baths. Like for REAL hates baths.
But my smart husband suggested bringing bubbles into the bathtub
to make it more tolerable. She loved it! Until, of course, it was time
to rinse off. I'll withhold those pictures. You're welcome.

Oooh bubbles!!

Blowing actual bubbles instead of licking the wand

Sitting on my belly reading The Little Engine that Could.
(side note: She is NOT light as a feather ... ugh ....)

Doing her made-up sign for milk (for the milk bottles
on the page in the picture above)

Apparently I make an awesome jungle gym

My mom did this move with my sister and me when we
were little. We call it Flying Angel. I love that Nat's
big enough for me to do it!

Flying Nattie!

Weekly Natalie - Week 82, 83, 84

No, I couldn't be any more of a blog slacker if I tried.

Okay, after this week I'm getting back into a more normal routine. Finals, several quick out-of-town trips, and just general craziness supplied by my kid have been going on the past weeks. But the hectic pace of my summer classes are over (and I got two As - woo to tha hoo!). So I can finally take a breath.

And while I'm enjoying taking deep breaths again, here's a semi-recent picture of my pumpkin head.


Side note: someone recently told me that she was impressed with how advanced Natalie was. She went on and on about how she was walking and running so well, listening to me so well (ha!), and following directions so well. I thought that was really nice of her to say! And then she says "Your daughter's, what? 12 or 13 months old?" Ahh, there we go. I suppose that yes, she would be an advanced 12- or 13-month-old if she was doing then what she's doing now. When I told the woman that Natalie was actually 19 months, her jaw dropped. She commented on Nat's baby face and how she would have never guessed she was that old.

I didn't realize it, but now that I think about it, yes, Natalie's plagued with a baby face just like her momma. The only reason I don't get mistaken for a 12-year-old is that there aren't many 12-year-olds who are six feet tall.

July 2010 - Recap

You, my 19-month-old gappy-toothed pumpkin, are a nut. A silly and playful nut. A silly and playful and opinionated nut. Who still hates baths.

You learned a new word this month - cookie. I admit, it's a good word to know. But when you say 'cookie', you don't mean the tasty treat. You mean Cookie Monster. And you don't say it like a normal word. You say it in this silly, guttural, raspy voice. It way awesome. Of course, it would be nice if you would say some more normal words, like, you know, "hi", "thank you", or "my mom is the best mom ever in this history of the world". But hey. Beggars can't be choosers.

You also learned a new word-sound this month - cracker. Except you don't say it like 'cracker'. You say it like 'daaa-und'. It sounds nothing like 'cracker', but it's what you say when you want a cracker. And you were quite the Cracker Monster this month, so I heard a lot of 'daaa-und's.

Daddy loves for you to give him fives. You're an expert at 'up high', but sadly, you're too slow for the 'down low's. Daddy proudly proclaims you're 'too slow' when he pulls his back from yours. And you think that's the funniest thing ever. After he pulls his hand back, you use both of your hands to grab his other hand and give it a few good smacks.

You've always loved shoes - it was your first non-Momma and non-Dada word! But this month, you've really started to like mine and Daddy's shoes. You periodically disappear from the living room only to reappear holding a pair of Daddy's shoes. Or wearing a pair of mine. Or holding a pair of yours while wearing one of mine. You've got some incredible balance and coordination. You're able to wear my shoes (even on the wrong feet) and make it pretty far. While I, on the other hand, wear my shoes on the correct feet and somehow manage to trip over air. And if Daddy's shoes were lighter (boy shoes are so heavy!), you'd probably get pretty far in them, too. I'm sure this is normal for someone your age, but I'm amazed at how I can say "Nat - go to your room and bring me your shoes, please", and you do it! You understand what I say! But maybe it's because my request included something you love. Maybe if I said "Nat - go to your room and bring me the green beans, please", you wouldn't do it. (Not that I keep green beans in your room though ...)

This month was the first month that you've shown an interest in specific letters. You've loved reading and being read to for a long time, and you love your magnetic letters, but you never really seemed interested in words themselves. You just liked the pictures and hearing us read the story. But now, you point to individual letters - on EVERYthing! On our shirts, on books, on food labels, on your toys, etc. And you don't like pointing to letters in order, and you seem to prefer pointing to letters in random fashion from right to left. Which is right for Arabic, but wrong for English. It's a little distracting to read a story and have to stop every second to identify a certain letter. You won't even let me sing the chorus of Snuggle Puppy (your go-to-sleep book) anymore. The letters on the chorus page are big and colorful, and you
want to point to each one. Despite the interruptions, it's so cool to see this whole new world of letters open up to you.

You've also gotten good at matching. If we're reading a book that has a penguin in it, you'll point to it, I'll tell you what it is, you turn around and point (I'm assuming you're saying something like "Like my penguin toy?"), I'll say "Yep, like your penguin toy", then you'll run off and get your stuffed penguin. As simple as this sounds, it amazes me. That you understand that the picture on the page is the same animal as one of your toys. Or there will be a picture of a fire truck in one book. Then you'll run off and get another book that also has a fire truck in it. It's so COOL.

I don't let you watch much TV. I've really tried hard to make sure you know how to entertain yourself without sitting in front of a TV. And you've done a pretty good job so far. But I admit that I've caved ... and I let you watch Sesame Street. You don't have the attention span to watch a whole episode without multitasking, though. You usually watch the first segment uninterrupted, but after that you start playing with your toys, occasionally glancing at the TV to make sure that all is right on the Street. You get so excited when the theme song starts (and, oh yeah, you bigwigs at Sesame Street? The new theme song? Um, it kind of stinks. Bring back the old one.) and you start jumping up and down. Every time a character comes on the screen, you point and say "Dis?" and I tell you who it is. Except there are some new characters on the Street since I last watched it, and I have no clue who they are ... so our conversations go like this: "Dis?" "That's Ernie!" "Dis?" "That's Big Bird!" "Dis?" "Um ... that's Pete, the Green Fuzzy Guy". Yep, I'm that mom. I'm the lying mom. And you, sweet pumpkin, are none the wiser. Score for me.

You had your 18-month well-baby checkup this month. And you're holding steady in the 70th percentile for height and weight. And you're topping the charts in the 99th percentile for head circumference. This makes your big-headed daddy so proud.

I can't begin to tell you how much Daddy and I love you. Just today, all three of us were playing on our bed, and Daddy and I asked each other what on EARTH we did on Sunday afternoons before you came along. We couldn't come up with an answer. Maybe it's because parenting has destroyed our long-term memory. Or maybe it's because two nanoseconds after we asked the question, you bellyflopped onto both of us and disolved into a fit of belly laughs. So what we did before you come along? Yeah, it doesn't matter.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Headlines for August 1, 2010

• EPA: BP was OK to use dispersants in Gulf of Mexico
• A 'privilege' to dress Chelsea, says Vera Wang
• Floods ravage valley once held by Taliban
• Army keeping traumatized soldiers in combat
• 2 months later, where is Kyron Horman?

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