WE ARE WALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES! We have finally done it!  Natalie is finally walking!!!  This morning, Grandma came to visit, and Natalie took two very small, scared steps.  Immediately after that she screamed and cried like it was the most traumatic thing ever.  It was very strange and made us question if the child would ever walk!
Later, we were at a garage sale and the lady running the sale was talking about her daughter not walking at fifteen months, but she walked the first day they went to physical therapy.  Honestly, that really upset me because I hated the idea of Natalie needing to go to therapy because she wasn't walking.
I guess Natalie felt bad about upsetting me, because later on this evening, we were playing a game where Natalie was putting my shoes on, so I put her shoes on.  I stood her up...and she just went!  She took 4 steps without stopping! Soon after that, she took like 10 steps at a time--- many times!  They are still very cautious steps, but she is doing it all by herself!!!

I got some video of it that we will add to this post soon.  Until then, here is a recent family picture from a birthday party we were at.

It's a ZOO out there...literally!

Pretty as a peacock!

We had Natalie sitting on the turtle, but she wanted to stand- something about symbolism- don't ask me.

Nattie LOVED this goat.

The donkey could not have cared less that we were ogling it.

Natalie loved every animal she saw. This was in the "Outback Walkthrough" area of the zoo.

I like this shot of Mommy and Natalie on the go.

Obligatory "look at us at the zoo!" shot.

This Gibbon was hilarious- he was maxing and relaxing and did not let our presence bother him one bit.

Another obligatory "look at us at the zoo!" shot.

 

 

Natalie took her first trip to a zoo, and it was a blast! We went yesterday, and it was a perfect day for it- I got off work at noon, and Nickie is still on Spring Break, so we took advantage and went to the Henson-Robinson Zoo here in Springfield before it got too busy. We were surprised at how much Natalie enjoyed seeing the animals- she got downright giddy over the goats! Can't wait to go back with her next year.

Barney-Mania!!!

Kissing her new Barney doll.

Barney heaven...

Natalie was a little hesitant about the Barney ride when it was actually in motion, but she loved seeing it.

New best friend.

Well, it's no secret that Natalie LOVES Barney. Mommy bought Natalie a stuffed Barney doll and DVD set today for an Easter gift--Natalie was in heaven, as you can tell...

Happy Easter!!

Natalie celebrated her second Easter a little early- SWC had an Easter Egg Hunt last Sunday, so Nattie got decked out in her fancy duds and particpated (kind of). She met her first horse too, courtesy of Randall Collins!

Forward Facing!! Yay!!

"Wee. Oh...alright..."

"YES!!!" (This is her in the middle of her fist-pumping excited pose)

Natalie (and Nickie) are both really excited, as Natalie is now forward facing in the car seat! This makes things so much nicer for us as she is easier to keep an eye on and has more freedom of movement for her ever-growing legs!! You can tell Natalie is excited!!