Now That's Tired

Natalie was positively gassed yesterday after her doctor's appointment.  Her whole day got thrown off, and she failed to nap at her regular time.  She put up a good fight, but at 4:00, she sat down to have a snack, and, literally, passed out mid bite.  You might notice the remaining bit still in her hand...

12 Months-A Year in Review

Natalie Beth

12/28/2010

7 lbs 13 oz

20 inches

minutes old

1 week

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

December 28, 2011

21 lbs 6 oz

30.25 inches

Natalie discovers Crayola markers 

I, for one, cannot wait until she is old enough for crayons!

Climbing (on EVERYTHING!)

mullets are in, right?

5 teeth

I wish this hadn't turned out blurry...

still loving the trike

A sneak peek of the cakes I am making for Nat's first birthday party

If these turn out half as cute frosted as they are now, 

I'll be turning in my application for mom of the year!

Christmas

Christmas has officially come and gone.  What a whirlwind!  We had a wonderful holiday, celebrated over about a week's time....

First, we celebrated with my side of the family in Indiana:

me, Eric & Natalie

Natalie opens her stocking from Grandma & Grandpa P.

time out for a snack

her aunts and uncles in Indiana gave Nat her very first pony

(I like it because it's low maintenance!)

with Aunt Beth & Uncle Adam and Aunt Jessica and Uncle Ronnie

guarding the fire-proof safe

Then, we headed north to Wisconsin to celebrate for a few days with Eric's side of the family.  My camera didn't make the trip, so hopefully some pictures from there will be forthcoming from other sources!

Late Christmas Eve, we drove back south so that Natalie could wake up in our house Christmas morning, and open gifts from us, and find anything that Santa Claus may have left under our tree.

And, boy did he leave a haul!

Nat's first glimpse of toys from Santa

she went straight for the books!

then stopped to read one...

so excited for Letter Saurus

and Weebles 

(did anybody else know they still made those?)

a wagon!

and a trike from mom and dad

This was the big hit of Christmas Day...

you've never seen a kid happy like Natalie being pushed around on her Radio Flyer tricycle.

giving the wagon a closer inspection

modeling her Aran sweater from Ireland (or Scotland?),

and demo-ing her reading chair

Natalie demonstrated that there is more than one use for the muscle roller that I received as a gift:

stick pony

walking stick

This week we're busy preparing for Natalie's 1-year check up with her doctor, and her birthday party this weekend!  I will be attempting to bake an assortment of sweet treats for all party go-ers, so come hungry!  Also, the completion of our year-long photo project is this week...plus some exciting announcements for 2012 adventures.

We hope you all had as wonderful of a holiday as we had!

New Year's Resolutions

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions.  If there is something I want to change about myself or my mode of operation, I generally do it, rather than wait.  By the time the new year rolled around, I'd probably forget what it was I was even going to resolve, anyway.  But, in light of it being practically 2012, and this being darn good advice, I thought I'd share.  In an effort to avoid plagiarizing, I am linking you directly to the blog:

Article 1:
30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself
http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself/

Article 2:
20 Things to Stop Doing to Others
http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/07/24/20-things-to-stop-doing-to-others/

Few things I've encountered in my 30 years have made be examine myself the way raising a child, and, I think, specifically a daughter, have.  Of course, I want to be the best person I can be anyway, but now I am responsible for the outcome of a tiny person.  Not only do I need to be the best version of myself to serve as a role model, but I also need to really believe and live everything I say.

There are some solid pieces of advice on those two lists.  Things I don't do, but should.  Things I used to do.  Things I used to be better at doing.  And maybe a couple of things I feel like I can check off.

I think maybe this year I will make a list of resolutions....

Toddler Energy

In less than two weeks, Natalie will make the monumental leap from her last day as an infant to her first day as a toddler. She is making every effort to let us know that she's ready across all fronts. Here, she demonstrates her tried and true way to burn off some stored up energy. (I recorded this session after she had been going at it for at least 10 minutes.)

A new favorite game is to run behind the rocking chair in her room, and into the corner, pretending to run into the wall, then laugh hysterically over her comedic acting. She then runs past her dresser into the opposite corner, pretending to run into that wall, then laughs hysterically. Repeat. x10.

December Days

With colder weather upon us, we've been spending the days leading up to Christmas warm and cozy inside, reading and baking, cleaning and tidying, and just enjoying some quality time together.  In two weeks, Natalie makes the official break into "toddler-hood" and it seems like more and more she is raring to go.  We are cherishing every minute of her being willing to curl up in my lap with a book, or be rocked before nap time.  It all goes way too fast.

Here are some photos of our little ham:

Natalie has discovered she can stand on the base of her highchair...

Occupying herself while I clean the bathroom

Working diligently at a puzzle

So big!!!

(or Touchdown!)

Did I mention she's teething again?  

It looks like she has about 6 teeth ready to come in, so nothing is off limits for pain relief...

....including Santa!

Pointing out the cats

checking out the front Christmas light display

Selecting a book for story time