13 Months

My baby is officially a toddler! She is growing so fast and is such a smart little girl.  Here are her updates:

Words she can say: ball,  hi, mama, dada, nana, pop, dog ("gog"), woof, more, hello, this, uh oh, no, book, one, two, three, thank you

10 Months Old

Look what Natalie can now do:

• Walk a good distance (20-30 steps)
• Wave and say "iiii" - especially likes to do this at the grocery store
• Now in size 4 diapers
• Moved from Cinnabars (infant) room to Cruisers (toddler) room at daycare b/c she's so mobile!
• Does NOT like laying on the changing table - screams and tries to roll over on to all fours
• Mostly on table food now with a few bottles a day
• Beginning to open/close cabinets 
• Has a sharp eye - will focus on the tiniest thing.
• Can say "mama"!

9 Months

By 9 months old, Natalie:

• Likes sleeping on her tummy now
• Started clapping and saying "aaayyyyy" (while Mama says yay)
• Crawls (with a hop - Mom says she crawls with a gimpy leg)
• Walks all the time holding on to mommy and daddy's hands
• Took a few steps on her own on two different occasions (once at home and once at daycare)!
• Moved up to size 3 diapers
• Went from 3-6/6 month clothes to 6-9/9 month clothes
• Started eating yogurt, cheerios, frozen yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, bananas ("mmmmm"), tomatoes, mashed potatoes
• Transitioned from the bumbo to highchair - she was becoming so active Mommy was afraid she'd topple over in the bumbo! Plus, it was getting harder to take her out of it - her thighs would get stuck :)
• Can stand on her own (for over a minute!)
• Pulls herself up
• Sat up and stood up in the crib for the first time (2 consecutive nights).. We had daddy lower the crib mattress to the lowest setting :)
• Mama asks if she wants more and she looks at the bottle and pulls it to her mouth
• Laughs when she gets close to Rudy's wagging tail (and again when she pulls it :)

8 Months

Here's what Natalie has learned to do between 7-8 months of age:

• Says "dadadada", "yayayaya", "bababa"
• Eats puffs
• Goes on walks in the umbrella stroller, and also sitting in the full-size stroller w/o the carseat
• Can sit in the seat of the shopping cart now (YAY!)
• Now sits in the restaurant high chair instead of her infant car seat
• Can pull herself up to a standing position (when holding our two index fingers only)
• Is very ticklish - on her feet, neck, belly, and back
• No longer uses her bouncy chair
• Cries when we lay her on the changing table - she would much rather sit or stand
• Teething! Pulling at the ear, fussy - particularly in the evenings, chews on EVERYTHING
• Has gone down to 3-4 bottles a day and eats 3 solid meals a day. Cereal with 1/2 jar of fruit for breakfast, a jar of babyfood for lunch (fruit, veggies, or meal), and jar of meat + jar of veggies. 
• Loves drinking water from her sippy cup. Throws back her head and chugs. Daddy says bottoms up!
• Loves her jumperoo and exersaucer!
• Is a rolly polly..will cross the room by rolling over and over.
• Will walk across the room while holding onto our hands
• Has become a pro at putting her pacifier in her mouth
• Does not like car rides
• Is the only baby in  her class who gets visibly excited when Mommy comes to pick her up :)
• Sleeps through the night - hurray!

7 Months Old

Look what Natalie can do now:

• Puts her pacifier in her mouth (still a beginner at this)
• You know how horses blow through their lips (some people call it raspberries)? When we do this, Natalie will mimic this.
• Makes an "ooooo" or "whhhooo" sound while furrowing her brows (sometimes closing her eyes), and pursing her lips
• Sits up on her own for 20+ minutes
• Rolls from her tummy to back
• Rolls from back to tummy on left side now
• Pulls her legs in (while on her tummy) and puts her butt in the air like she wants to crawl
• Makes a happy sound ("hmmm") in between bits of baby food letting me know she wants more
• Grabs the dogs' fur and giggles when they give her a kiss
• Gives open mouth kisses to momma
• Loves bumping foreheads - makes her crack up

6 Months!

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Natalie!  I can't believe we are here already.  My little munchkin is growing up so fast - though she's staying as small as she possibly can for me! She was in the 10th percentile at her 6 month well checkup - 14 lbs and 24.5 inches.  The nurse said her gums are swollen so she is likely teething.  For the past several days Natalie has been grabbing both ears.  The nurse had checked both ears and they are fine. She said that it is just another indicator she is teething.  We are following the doctor's guidance on feeding.  Natalie is now having lunch and dinner (a meat and fruit/veggie baby food) with bottles in between.  This weekend I will introduce breakfast too (cereal).  I meant to do that last weekend but it's been so hectic around the house.  Natalie's first reaction to chicken, ham, and beef was this hilarious expression that screamed "gross!".  But, funny enough, after the first bite she opens her mouth waiting for more!  Sometimes I'm not fast enough.  She's a great eater!  She can now have a little water after she eats - so I've just invested in a sippy cup for 6 month olds.  We'll see if she can use it!

Here is what Natalie can do now:

• Rolls from back to belly (yay!) - on right side only
• Sits up unassisted for a minute or two
• Grabs my drinking glass - have had a few close calls!
• Eating baby food at daycare now (with bottles also)
• Puts her feet in her mouth
• Laugh is evolving - more frequent and hearty
• Loves her exersaucer - can push the buttons to hear the sounds
• Will look up at me or daddy during the bedtime story and smile when we emphasize a part (and also tries to put the book in her mouth)
• Got to go swimming in the pool for the first time over Memorial Day weekend! Was very serious most of the time, but caught her kicking her legs underwater and cooing a few times.  The first moment we got into the water she looked like she was about to cry, but held back (such a brave little girl :)
• Cooing is sounding a little different - "la, ga" occasionally
• Likes to play with the velcro on her diaper
• Still has this cute expression where she purses her lips and frowns when she finds something fascinating (like a feather)
• Likes peek-a-boo
• Can transfer a rattle to the other hand

5 Months Old

 

Now look what Natalie can do at 5 months!

• Holds/plays with her feet when laying down
• Is ticklish and gives us a half squeal/giggle when we tickle her belly and armpits
• Starts to use her ab muscles to try and sit up when in the bouncer or being held cradle style
• When laying down, she lifts her butt and uses her feet to scoot backwards
• Is SO close to rolling from her back to tummy (twists but never fully rolls)
• Eats 1/2 jar of baby food a night, or rice cereal.  Has had peas, green beans, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes.  Her favorite is sweet potatoes and cereal!
• Now has about 5-6 bottle feedings a day with 5-6 oz each time, and lately, 8 oz at the bedtime feeding!
• Has an intense interest in the dogs - especially Rudy
• Starting to fight naptime (uh oh)
• Can now get very mad (and thus very red in the face)
• Has different smiles - a very sweet small smile, a sneaky smile with the nose scrunched up, and a huge grin (gums and all)
• Is the strongest baby her age in her class and is the only one who can stand (assisted of course)
• Puts everything in her mouth - including the carseat seatbelts (Teething?)

Bronchiolitis

Poor Natalie has been sick now for two weeks.  It started as a rattling in her chest every time she breathed.  So we took her to the doctor and she said that it's probably a cold or allergies.  Ironically, she also mentioned that a lot of babies have been coming in with bronchitis.  The rattling continued and almost a week later she got her first fever.  I got the call from daycare, and luckily, Jeff was able to take her in to the doctor again that day.

This time, she said that Natalie had a bacterial infection and prescribed her antibiotics.  The fever continued for 3 more days and broke the day before her baptism.  She had developed this horrible cough and was still wheezing.  By day 12, she still had the cough though she was starting to perk up a little more.  Took her in a third time and insisted on seeing the doctor this time (had seen the nurse practioner the past twot imes).  He diagnosed her with bronchiolitis and gave her a shot of steroids to help with her breathing.  He said that bronchiolitis is a bit more severe than bronchitis as it is deeper in the lungs and is a term for bronchitis that is reserved for infants.  Natalie's wheezing improved remarkably the night she had the shot and even started cooing more the next day.

She is still cooing more, but is now wheezing again.  The cough is still there and the doctor warned me that it would stick around for a few more weeks.  I was concerned about the wheezing though (since I have asthma and all the talk about RSV) so I emailed the doctor today.  He said the wheezing can come back at any time over the next several weeks to even a few months from now!  Yikes!!  I certainly hope it's not going to be that long!  My poor baby.

There are certain things I can keep an eye out for (per webmd) should she need to go to the hospital.  Please pray that she heal soon!

St. Paddy's Day

I love this photo that her daycare took!  She is about 3.5 months old here.  She looks so much like her daddy!

1st Easter

We had a great Easter!  Got all dressed up and went to Church.  Natalie took about a 3 hour nap in the afternoon, and afterwards we went walking in the park :)  Perfect weather too!