Natalie-New

Natalie is a bruiser; she's a monkey and a bruiser. I swear a day doesn't go by that she doesn't get a new bruise or three. Unfortunately, her head and face seem to be taking the brunt of it lately. Take today, for example:

This morning, she ran into the drawer knob in our dining room and gave herself a shiner (left eye). She slid out of her chair after breakfast, hit her chin and bit her lip. This afternoon, she was climbing UP to reach something and hit her nose on the countertop, leaving a red/scrape down the top of it. And still, she's smiling.

I used to be one of those moms who, when hearing stories of kids getting all sorts of bumps and bruises and injuries, would think, "Gee, why don't they just child-proof their house and learn to tell their child 'no'." Now, I get it. We can tell her no, we do have it child-proofed...ish. But, this is one determined child. This is the girl who will carry the step stool, which is as big as she is, from the bathroom to the laundry room, just so she can try to help put laundry in the washer. If we don't have a step stool handy, she'll push her Dora car and stand on it. If the cars are all put away, she'll dump the laundry basket upside down and stand on it. Determined, with a capital D.

And so, I apologize to any mom that I previously thought could better protect their child. Natalie has just served me an ample piece of humble pie.

Natalie is not only a bruiser, she's also a freak...at least when it comes to her diet. The girl loves the strangest, non-toddler foods. Her favorites include salsa, fried okra, fresh peas, fried chicken liver, tomatoes, pickled okra, green tabasco-and-horseradish sauce*, plain hamburger, turnips, and radishes. Every time I give her a new food expecting a funny face, she downs it and sweetly says, "More?" Her sisters were most disgusted with her love of liver, because that means I finally have someone to eat it with.

*Why did we, er, I feed her tabasco and horseradish sauce? They were selling at the Manhattan Farmers Market last weekend and giving out samples, and Miss Natalie was quite insistent that she get a sample of a chip WITH the sauce. So, thinking it would be a good way for her to learn that Mommy says "no" for a reason, I gave her a taste, with her juice cup handy. Alas, no need for juice. Not even a squished up nose. Nope, the girl ate it, smiled, and asked for more. The only funny face I saw was from the vendor, as his jaw dropped.

I guess, on the bright side, she's certainly making an impression!