Photos!

States of mind...

As always, click images to enlarge!

Daycare Tour

Natalie (and Mommy and I) just took a tour of the Daycare center she might be enrolled in. It was fairly impressive, although somewhat nerve wracking also to think of her being away from both of us for several hours a day. The staff seemed very nice and attentive, and the children all seemed extraordinarily well-behaved. There was one little gal in the infant room that had dried snot covering her upper lip, which made us both raise an eyebrow. However, the teacher took care of it while we were in the room, coincidentally enough (ha). There were 8 babies there today. It seemed they were well taken care of. Sooo, we shall see! 

Chunky Monkey

Yesterday Natalie had another doctor appointment. We received a phone call letting us know that her doctor was not feeling well, so Natalie would be seen by her doctor's partner. At first I was quite annoyed because we had liked her doctor so far. Well, ironically after our appointment, we decided that we liked this doctor even more. Which is great, because if there is ever anything wrong, it is nice to know that we will be happy with either doctor seeing Natalie.

The doctor said that she is doing wonderful in all areas. The area that impressed her the most is Natalie's weight. Natalie weighed 5 pounds 15 ounces when she was born. She went down to 5 pounds 10 ounces when we left the hospital. Yesterday she weighed in at a whopping 7 pounds 9 ounces! Nearly a 2 pound gain in three weeks! We of course were happy to hear that she is quite healthy and obviously getting the nutrition she needs. She is becoming our lil chunky monkey.

Yesterday was also another milestone because Natalie had her first bottle. I had read that you should attempt to introduce a bottle around 3 weeks if you are going back to work at 6 weeks so they have plenty of time to get used to the bottle. Last night, I have my masters class for 3 hours, so we decided that would be the perfect time for Joel to attempt a bottle with Natalie. Well, we have no concerns in that area either because she took it right away and had no problems at all. Of course this was also an exciting moment for me because that means that Joel can take a feeding at night and I could have a bottle with us when we are out an about instead of finding a place with privacy.

I can't believe how time is flying and how much Natalie is changing every day. I love her so much and cannot imagine my life without her.

Sunday= Church again!

Natalie attended church with us for the second time now. It was a cold day, so she was bundled up and kept toasty warm in her car seat. Here she is getting ready and then showing off her cute outfit with Mommy after we got home!

Visiting with Isla

Elizabeth, Chris and Isla Morgan came over to visit us Saturday. Natalie made a new friend! It was adorable seeing Natalie and Isla together. Hard to believe only 6 months separate them!

Ain't she sweet?

This is all Natalie. No posing involved. She's very "expressive" with her hands.

Pumba and Natalie

Pumba loves Natalie. He becomes concerned when she cries, and he likes to be close to her oftentimes, as evidenced by these photos.

Foot Prints (Actual Size)

Thought it would be neat to compare Nickie and Natalie's footprints at birth...I'm surprised at how close they are, given that Nickie was more premature and tinier. Natalie's are definitely wider, though. If you click on the image to the left, it will take you to the actual sized version.

Another Milestone

Today we had another milestone- first tub bath! We were a little nervous about it, since she absolutely hated the sponge baths previously. However, with a nice warm bathroom (from keeping the door shut and turning up the heat a bit) and nice warm water, she actually enjoyed it for most of the time. Granted, there were still moments of screaming, but nothing like the sponge baths.
The only other bit of excitement around here is we are battling a snotty nose. I am becoming quite a pro at the nose syringe, although I hate using it every time because Natalie makes this face like I am actually suctioning her brains out. That is not a fun mommy moment....it's almost as bad as trimming finger nails...But these are all things that one must do when you become a mommy and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

More Photos

1.Daddy and Natalie, 2.,3.Homegirl Nattie,

4.Tummy Time, and 5."Risky Business Natalie"

Cordless Natalie

New and improved Cordless Natalie (TM)!

A Trip to Rushville...

Nickie and Grandma took Natalie to Rushville to meet her great Grandmother, great aunts and more family! Here are some photos. 

Like Mommy, Like Daughter

Many people have commented that Natalie looks like me. My mom scanned these pictures of me, and even I have to admit that the resemblance is uncanny. It is so strange to look at these pictures and see your daughter in yourself.

Big Day!

Whew! Today has been a big day! It started a little unpleasant with Natalie somehow having milk come out of her nose while I was changing her. I don't think I have ever heard her more upset! After calming ourselves down from that, it was time to get ready for our first outing as a family. As we were getting ready we discovered that Natalie had lost her cord! Wahoo! Regular baths here we come!
Church went very well. People were very complimentary but still kept their distance, which was appreciated. Several people commented on how small she is (which I forget about since she is my lil girl) and how much she looks like a perfect little doll.
After church we got invited to celebrate one of our friends, Eric's, birthday at a pizza place. We decided to be daring and try to go since Natalie had been so good so far. Thankfully she simply slept through the entire meal.
We then reaaally pushed our luck and went to the grocery store. Thankfully she just slept through that experience as well. And now we are home. I don't know about Natalie, but all of these events have made me exhausted!

Natalie's First "Tummy Time"

Cuteness

Fashion Model

A Great Night

Natalie had a great night of sleeping last night. She had some issues the previous couple of nights especially from about 11 til 3am. She just wouldn't fall asleep and was extremely fussy. I had to play detective to think what could be different because most of her first week she had been doing great and of course I wanted that back. I am not sure if this was the trick, but I realized that before we got her bassinet, she slept in her room in the complete dark. When we moved her into our room in the bassinet, I kept the bathroom light on so I could easily check on her and get up for feedings. So last night I kept the light off, and that seemed to do the trick! I also just felt better throughout the night because I put Joel on baby duty starting at 8pm and I slept between feedings.
Other than getting through the nights, Natalie continues to be a perfect little girl. We are still working on trying to get more wide awake, eyes open time between the countless hours that she sleeps. Sometimes we get quite a bit, sometimes she is not interested at all. However, when we do have wide awake moments (like the previously posted video) it is something that I cherish. I love to watch her absorbing everything around her and at times even looking like there is just too much in the world to try and take in.
Today will be another great hibernation day. The temperatures outside are below zero with wind chills at around -27. Perfect day for snuggling and loving our precious little girl.

You must watch...and LISTEN!

Fun with Photoshop

I think we look a lot alike.

As the saying goes...

"If you can't beat them, join them."

Hmmm...

"Shall I order the veal or mignon? Decisions, decisions..."

More visitors!

Nickie's cousin Cara came to visit us on Saturday. So did Great Aunt Jennifer and Andrea! Uncle Jason came again on Sunday. Everyone loves Natalie. It's great to know she'll grow up with such great people in her life.

Week one!

We decided to take a photo each month of Natalie with the same object next to her (in this case, her first doll). Here is the photo for the first month (at one week old).

Happy Week Birthday!

We can't believe that our Natalie is already a week old! Time is already going by so fast and I already find myself emotional at the fact that time continues to fly by as I try to enjoy every minute of her.
Today we saw a bit more of wide-awake time, which has been rare. It was so much fun to talk to her and watch her trying to process the world around her.
Our friend Jason was over for a bit today and at one point he commented that she seemed to recognize Joel and I's voice when we would talk and would react to hearing us. That warmed my heart as well.
We have been amazed at how such a small little package can fill so many diapers. We swear that she enjoys having a clean diaper only to dirty it before you can even take her into the next room! Yesterday she had a record of three diapers in 30 minutes!
Tomorrow is going to be a very hard day for me. I have to go to the doctor because of my high blood pressure and tomorrow night is my first masters class. I can hardly stand the thought of being away from her for several hours and I hope I can make it through without too many tears. I know that Joel and Natalie will be fine and enjoy each other, but I just hate that I won't be a part of it.

More Photos!

Grandma Debbie and Uncle Nathan came to visit us yesterday!

Lots of Visitors

Well, Natalie is finishing her first Saturday night and she is already a lil social butterfly. My mom and brother were the first visitors of the day, followed by my cousin Cara, our church friend Alicia and her daughter Grace, and then my aunt, uncle and two cousins! Whew! Of course everyone notices how beautiful and perfect she is, which we love to hear. Even with all of those visitors, Natalie just slept through almost all of the commotion (to the dismay of some who wanted more interaction) and never cried or fussed. As we have said, we have the perfect angel.

Welcome to Natalie's Blog!

Hey guys! This is a blog we decided to dedicate to Natalie so all our family and friends can keep up with what's going on without having to be inundated with photo attachments via e-mail constantly! So we'll post news and photos here as much as possible. Check back often!