Natalie's accomplishments

Natalie has had a big couple of weeks. She finally started sleeping through the night; unfortunately for my ego, it coincided with the addition of a bedtime formula bottle. We both need the sleep, I ration, and there was no way I could continue nursing her 100 percent while I was recovering from surgery. I am happy, though, that she is still nursing before she gets that bottle. It's important to me that she get any and all health boosts I can give her, especially through this flu season.

We went to her well-child appointment on Tuesday, even though she wasn't very well. The night before, she spiked a personal-record high of 103.5 fever. Her nose is a little runny, and she was wiped out, but no other symptoms appeared. Looks like a virus, or we could blame that new tooth.

Yep, little missy is getting her second tooth, the bottom right one. Nothing is cuter than a baby's grin, when she only has a handful of teeth to show. :)


Back to the well-child exam: all was well! Developmentally, she's just fine. Talking slower than Katie, Maggie, or Lainie did, but moving months sooner than any of her big sisters. EDITED to add: last night, she said Mama, and tonight she said Dadda. Yay! She is a runt, but a well-proportioned runt. At 27 inches and 16 pounds 13 ounces, she is at the 21st percentile for height and 9th percentile for weight. Unlike Lainie's runt status, Natalie's isn't concerning, because she is staying on the same growth line. Just looking at her, you can see the difference. Whereas Lainie looked emancipated, Natalie looks just right. :)

What else did she do this week? Today, she climbed the stairs to her bedroom (with me behind her) and she walked across the living room, with the help of a push toy. She is saying "Hi" or some version of it and waving, and then waiting for a response. You can tell she is grasping the concept of conversation. She's eating more and more table food, and deflecting more and more baby food.

"I do it myself" is definitely a dominant trait in her personality; independence and determination are already apparent.

She's also learning cause-and-effect. "If I drop the washcloth in the bathwater, I can suck more water out of it. If I take off my bib, I will illicit a response from the parental unit, albeit a negative one." I absolutely love watching her learn and develop, even when the new skills mean more challenges for us.

Natalie has a hilarious laugh. It's some sort of snicker-snort that sounds somewhat like Rosco from Dukes of Hazard. It's super contagious and definitely a top 5 sound to my ears.

Oh, and I dropped her on her head on the ice. Mama of the year, eh? I was carrying her to the car and fell on a patch of ice. It was slow motion, and my only thought was "catch the baby!" I caught most of her; unfortunately, her head bounced on the ground. While it terrified me at the moment, it didn't seem to be a problem for her. She stopped crying within a minute and acted normal the rest of the night. I guess the big squishy coat she was wearing provided some padding. Let's not test it with a repeat, though.

She is just so beautiful! (Come on; a mom can think her child is perfect!) Her hair is a golden blonde and is showing curl, especially in the back. Her eyes are a stunning blue, the kind of blue eyes that I always dreamed of having when I was a little girl. And, she has a little dimple to go with that immense smile.


I love that the girls don't look alike, despite the definite resemblance. I mean, they each have a trait to set them apart. Katie has dark blonde, straight hair and deep brown, wide eyes and skin that tans so nicely. Lainie is most like Katie, with round brown eyes and straight blonde hair, but her hair is a lighter, near-white color and her skin much lighter. While Maggie has those same brown eyes, hers are more elongated, her skin is a much lighter, pink shade, and her hair is brown with white highlights and curl. She is so proud of those curls! And then comes Natalie, with the lightest blonde hair, curl, and blue eyes. We should be studied in a genetics class; can you think of a better representative family for recessive genes? :)

Oh, Lord, I love my girls!