22 Months

21 Months

• Opens house doors by herself
• Likes to feed Bella and Rudy..will carry the pitcher of food to the backdoor and say "heavy"
• Says "Bye!  See ya"..I ask her where she's going..she says "shopping"
• Says "Good Morning!", "hold you", "all better", "snuggle", "peace out"
• Answers "Yeah" after a question
• I tell her she's such a big helper, and she says "I know!"
• Associates praying with eating and will say AMEN at meals.  At bedtime, when we say Thank You Jesus, Amen, she'll look at me with a confused expression and say "cheez its?"  I often have a hard time understanding whether she's saying Jesus or cheeze its.
• When Jeff reads a rhyming book to her, he will pause before the last word of every sentence, and she will say it!
• Becoming more proficient at throwing tantrums. Difficult especially when trying to get her into her carseat.
• Had croup/bronchitis and still weighs 23 lbs (15th percentile).
• Wears mostly size 5-5.5 shoes
• 18 month shirts are getting too snug :)
• Doesn't eat a whole lot in one sitting..though we've recently discovered that if she sits on Daddy's lap while watching Caillou, she will eat everything on her plate (including peas, gasp!)..a bad habit to start.. I know.
• Carries her puppy, doggie, and Big doggie everywhere (yes, 3 stuffed dogs)..She will "feed" them by holding food up to their mouth, hold her binkie up to their mouths, and pat their heads
• Loves to color and read!
• Likes to sing the ABCs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and You are my Sunshine
• When we put her down to sleep at night and are leaving the room, she will say "bye bye", and occasionally "peace out"

20 Months

Natalie is getting to be such a big girl!  She is learning to use a spoon/fork and talks a bunch.  She will tell me when she has a poo poo, which is awesome..She's lost interest in the new training potty, so we aren't pushing that.  She is starting to string words together: all better, no thank you, take a bath, night night doggies..

Yesterday, I was sitting at the computer with her and something made me say "Oh crap"..Almost immediately, I hear this little voice repeat "oh crap!".  Uh oh.  I better watch what I say! :)

She loves to "swim" in the bathtub. She turns over onto her tummy, says "swim" and looks all proud of herself. 

Her favorite TV shows: Dora the Explorer and Caillou

She did the cutest thing at dinner last night.  Lately she's been holding my hand and Jeff's hand while we pray and as one of us starts praying, she will start "talking in toddlerese" with her head bowed..and then says "Amen!"..Throughout dinner she grabs our hands and says "pray, pray"..and of course we let her. Who can turn her down from that?

Her new game is to watch the digital picture frame and name people she sees.."Momma, Daddy, Nana, Pop, Drew, Max, Kyle, Bella (Beyya), Rudy (Ruueee)"..

She LOVES playing with the water hose..

18 Months

It seems these days, Natalie is learning at least one word a day!  Here are the words she can say (that I can think of):

• Princess
• Thank you
• There you go
• Eat
• Poo Poo
• Paint
• Kyle
• Drew
• Max
• Evan
• Cocoo (Cooper)
• Beyya (Bella)
• Rouay (Rudy)
• Tail
• Doggy
• Cereal
• Waffle
• Milk
• Wawa (water)
• Car
• Slide
• Night night
• 'Bye
• Cup
• Bath
• Nose, mouth, eyes, ears
• Outside!
• Dooa (Dora)
• Caillou (Nickelodeon cartoon)
• Elmo
• Baby
• Book
• No
• Drink
• Juice
• Nana, Pop
• Shoe
• Sandal
• Necklace
• Blanket
• Purse
• Hat
• Cheek
• Sit
• Luvouu (Love you)
• School
• Piggies, toes
• Towel

14 Months

Natalie's 14 month birthday came in with a bang! It was the day a third tooth broke through (upper side incisor).  She is one busy bee and has Jeff and I always on the move. 

• Words she can now say: Ball, Hi, Hello, Buh bye, Mama, Dada, Nana, Pop, Dog ("gog"), Woof, More, This, Uh oh, No!, Book, One, Two, Three, Thank you, Go, Eat Eat
• Likes to laugh after mommy or daddy laughs
• Stands by the kitchen pantry, points, and whines "uh uh uh"
• Took her bumpers off her crib finally
• 12 month clothes are starting to feel tight
• Loves milk and can now drink it with no reactions
• Strangely, isn't as interested in mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese which used to be her favorite foods
• Wants to use the fork at mealtime.Though she gets frustrated and ends up using her hands
• Likes to sing. Will say "up" for "up above the world so high" in Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  When we sing "If you're happy and you know it.." she will clap her hands.
• Loves her Glow Worm she got from John, Leigh, Drew, and Max.  Will rest her head on the glow worm's head and hug it close.
• Likes to sit at her table (crafted by Nana T) and have her tea and crumpets (the Fisher Price toy).
• Does the famous head bob when asked to Dance Dance Dance (learned from her Aunt Nickie).
• Says "Boo!" when she pokes her head into our view, or when she reads that page in the book Pat The Bunny where it has the cloth over Paul's head.

12 Months

Here is an update for Natalie at 1 year!  (Sorry I missed the 11 month post - been so busy!)

• Points and says "mooa" for more
• Plays peek-a-boo and patty cake
• Had a chemical burn from Pampers Cruisers and switched to Huggies diapers
• Got roseola! She had a few days of fever and at the end of the illness, a rash popped up on her head and spread down her body over a few days
• Squats when she does her "business"
• First two teeth starting to come in the week of her birthday! (on the bottom)
• When she's tired, she'll grab mom's wrist and pull it towards her face..She'll then plant her cheek in the palm of mom's hand and close her eyes. So sweet.
• Pediatrician thinks she may be lactose intolerant. We will reintroduce dairy one product at a time to see.
• Had to stop bottle-feeding cold turkey a week before her birthday.  She didn't even miss it!
• Says "mama" and "uh oh" clear as day.  She likes to pick something up and throw it on the ground and say "uh oh".
• Her hair is getting longer in the front (almost getting in her eyes)
• Weight 18 lbs (7th percentile) and was 28 inches long (30th percentile) at her 12 month appointment. She got shots including the chicken pox vaccine and flu shot.
• Is becoming very affectionate and likes to back up to your lap so she can sit.
• Loves juice! Cannot pry the cup from her fingers or mouth until it is drained!
• Likes to hold and "throw" Bella's tennis ball.
• Can dance dance dance :)
• Does not like to get her hands dirty as indicated by her 1st birthday party (barely touched the cake)..
• Very clingy to mama
• When playing with her toy phone, she babbles now instead of saying "hi"..she will also babble like she's singing when mama sings
• Likes to hold two or more pacifiers swap them

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!