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!!

Such Fun Times

I can't believe it has been about a month since I have written an update!  Natalie is just a ball of fun!  Some of the latest things she has discovered/loves to do is:
*she loves to comb her hair (the little she has) and she loves to comb our hair
*she now thinks that she is hiding from me when she turns and buries her head if I am coming to tickle her
*she can now stand pretty easily from a sitting position without pulling up on something
*she loves to eat!  Yesterday at day care, lunch was late to the room, and she was so unhappy about it that they gave her the emergency lunch that I had on hand (in case she couldn't eat what was on the menu). When the actual lunch came, she demanded to have some of it too!  Tonight she ate an entire cheeseburger and a serving of carrots.
*Natalie is thriving at day care. She now willingly goes to the day care workers; is taking excellent naps; hasn't gotten sick; and in general loves it there.  We are a little nervous because she will move to the toddler room in two weeks, but hopefully it will be a smooth transition.
*we believe she speaks Chinese.  She loves to "talk" and the closest thing it sounds like is Chinese.  She loves moving her tongue really fast and making particular sounds by doing that.
*she loves puzzles and is nearly perfect with the puzzles that have one piece per hole with the picture underneath.  However, she also wants to play with and try the more advanced puzzles.
*Natalie is beginning to want to help do things- she likes to help put on her shoes by doing the velcro snap, she likes to help close doors and turn off/on lights
*we are also very excited that Natalie is making big improvements with sleeping through the night in her crib (instead of waking up around 12 or 1 and demand to sleep with mommy and daddy)
*she continues to love Pumba, who she very clearly calls "Ba"  She loves to hug him as he sleeps in the morning. She loves to see him as soon as we get home; and she loves to pet and just grab all of his fur/fat with pure love.  Thankfully Pumba continues to be excellent with her.
*Natalie is beginning to move into 24 month clothes..strange enough, she seems to fit into her older 18 month clothes, yet, can wear her new 24 month clothes as well.
*Natalie now has 8 teeth.  The latest one was her left bottom tooth closest to the front one.
*She loves saying hi, and will say hi to her dolls, her little people, herself in the mirror, and pictures of herself.
*Natalie now loves bath time (in the full tub, no toddler tub or other supports).  She loves moving around in the tub and will frequently shake her head no when asked if she is ready to get out.
*she also does this adorable thing where she pumps her fists in pure joy/excitement and grits her teeth in a tight smile when you say "Yes!" and pump your own fists.

I just cannot say how much fun Natalie is right now!  Now that the weather is becoming warmer, I know that there will be more park stories and lots of fun pictures too!

Long overdue!

Sorry for the delay in posting photos, everyone! Here are a few cute ones to share with you. Natalie has learned from Grandma to wipe her mouth, as she is doing in one of the photos here. We also got video of it, and it's adorable. Natalie got a kick out of Pumba wearing one of her old (but never-used!) diapers on his head.