One and a half

Natalie turned eighteen months old today! Yay! We are super excited about this one. She can go to nursery on Sunday! Maybe this means that Roland and I can actually listen during church again. We are very excited, can you tell? But enough about us ... on to Natalie!

Natalie went to the Dr today for her well check. Here are her stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 12 oz (15%)
Height: 31 inches (30%)
Head: 18.8 inches (75%)

Natalie wasn't too thrilled about her Dr visit today. It was all fine and dandy until the end. The poor thing had to get her blood drawn to check for lead levels since she loves eating mud and dirt so much (they were fine) and then had to get two shots. To add insult to injury, the nurse took her snack away so that she wouldn't choke while she was getting her shots. Poor girl. She was traumatized.

I spoke with the Dr about my concerns about her hearing. I have noticed that Natalie doesn't always respond to me when I call her name. I didn't know if this was because she couldn't hear me or if she is just choosing to ignore. The other night I went in her room to check on Weston since he had not been feeling well and she was up in her crib playing with toys. Her back was to me so she did not see me. I opened the door, walked all the way in, checked on him, and left. She never noticed me. That startled me a little.

Natalie's words consist of:
Daaa, daddy, dada - dad
Buhhhh - bye (while waving)
Pa pa pa - pat pat pat (while patting her legs during Little Einsteins)
Yaahhh - yeah (while clapping)
Ma - Mom (haven't heard this one in a long time)

The Dr was slightly concerned with her limited vocabulary. She tried calling her name and Natalie didn't respond. She tried several times and still no response. She spoke louder and started waving her arms while saying her name and she finally made some eye contact. She was definitely concerned about that. She told me she wasn't worried about autism or something like that because she does point to objects and also plays well with others and does make-believe play. So, she said it was definitely some sort of hearing complication. She provided me with some numbers for a hearing center and also a speech therapist. Natalie has an appointment at the hearing center next week so hopefully we can get some help for her.

In every other way Natalie is thriving. She is so full of life. She brings so much joy to our family. She is the spunkiest girl I have ever seen. She certainly has a mind of her own and knows how to use it!
I think Natalie's greatest passion is to climb. She absolutely LOVES to climb. It doesn't even matter what it is - hills, toys, couches, people, chairs, tables, you name it. She always has to be at the highest point in the room. If there is a chair - she must be standing on it. If there is a couch - she must be on top. If there is a shelf - she must be on it or in it. If there is a table - you guessed it - she must be standing right on top and dancing. She has become very skilled in her craft. The ability she has to lift her body up by her arms and swing her legs up and around is incredible. I love watching her on the playground. She has no fear. She walks right up to the ladders and starts going. She loves the rock walls, steps, everything. She can even walk straight up a slide. Unfortunately even with several falls, she still doesn't quite grasp the concept of gravity or at least care about it. I get really nervous around those drop offs on playground equipment. She just keeps on walking. What a dare devil!

Natalie has a very playful spirit. She has the most infectious smile and a little twinkle in her eye. She loves to rough house (but on her terms only!). At night we all get together and tickle each other and run around trying to tackle the other. Natalie thinks it is the greatest. She is really good at ganging up with Weston on Daddy. They jump on him and get him really good. She loves it when Daddy throws her high up in the air and rolls her around on the floor. She just giggles until she can't breathe. She loves running and hiding from us. When we find her she squeals and runs off to go hide somewhere else. She is usually laughing so hard that she usually stumbles and falls over several times throughout her flight. She makes me smile.

Natalie also is very defiant. She knows exactly what she is not supposed to do and does it anyway - with a smile on her face. She knows exactly how to test my patience - and also to test to see if Mommy is consistent. She is great at pushing boundaries. She has Mommy and Daddy on their toes! She has quite the temper and is really good at throwing herself to the floor. She will even let out blood curdling screams out of nowhere just because she feels like it. Maybe once we can get Natalie actually hearing us our time outs and "discussions" will be a little more effective. One can hope right? ;)

Natalie loves playing. Lately she enjoys playing with little toys that fit nicely in her hands. She carries around those "Little People" figures and chews them all day long. She also loves fitting pieces together. She has a little "A,B,C" barn that she drops the letters into the roof of the barn through their respective slots. She will sit and play with that forever. She also opens and shuts the little barn door and places her little people in there. She likes playing with cars whenever she gets the chance. Usually Weston will come by and snag it from her and by the time I can get it back to her she has lost interest. She can be really sly though and will often sneak them from him and go play in the corner with them. Blocks are another favorite. She loves stacking them up nice and tall and loves knocking them over even more. She enjoys flipping through books and playing with puzzles. Coloring is another favorite. It is really hard to get those crayons out of her hands once she has begun.

Natalie loves to explore. She has to investigate every surrounding she is in. She must open every drawer, every cupboard, and look in every room. The park has not been fully played at until the entire square footage has been searched and investigated. She goes on walks and looks at every bush and leaf and stone. She must stop and pick up every leaf or stick she finds. I think she has some sort of obsession. When outside she usually has at least one or two sticks in each hand and usually one or two in the mouth. If I pull one out, another goes right back in. It is impossible to keep rocks, sticks, leaves, and dirt out of there. She will honestly pick up a leaf, bite it, chew it, and swallow. She gnaws at sticks and eats them. She will pile mud into her mouth and slosh it around and swallow. It is a constant struggle trying to keep things out of her mouth while we are outside. I have determined that it is an impossible task. Hopefully this is just a stage. We shall see.

Natalie loves to watch television. I have to work really hard to keep this from becoming a problem. She loves "Little Einsteins" and squeals with excitement each time it comes on. "Curious George" and "Word World" are other favorites. The movies "Cars," "Meet the Robinsons," "Curious George" and "Toy Story 2" are up at the top as well. She will just sit mesmerized. She will even sit in her little Toy Story camping chair with her cup and not move - grinning the whole time.

Natalie loves music. She enjoys our nighttime singing sessions a lot. She strums the ukulele so well. She has such soft and gentle fingers. I love listening to her play. She also loves to hold her Daddy's harmonicas and blow into the recorder. The holds the recorder up to me to blow, then smiles when the noise comes out. She tries her hardest to blow, then holds it up for me again. It is too cute. She will also "lead" the music in church once she hears the organ. She begins waving her hand around in the air until she feels it is time to stop. I love it. She is also a good dancer. She loves moving her body and especially enjoys bouncing her bottom up and down to the beat. We will be in the car sometimes listening to the radio and I will catch her back there swinging her arms around and shaking her head and legs to the beat.
Natalie is a very good eater. She loves food. She would eat all day long if she could. Her favorites include: green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, bread, fruit snacks, granola bars, strawberries, apples, pears, oatmeal, and yogurt. I have tried over and over to get her to eat cucumbers but no such luck. She tries it every time but inevitably it always ends up spewed out on her shirt. Makes me laugh. She wants very badly to be a big girl. No more high chair for her. She has to sit at the big table with everyone else. She is trying to be better about not being so messy but she really is a very messy eater. I assist her in the morning with her spoon while she eats her oatmeal because I don't want food everywhere but she really can do it all by herself. I was impressed because for the longest time I wouldn't let her even try because I was tired of cleaning up such ridiculous messes. She is just full of surprises.

We love our little Natalie very much. She is so sweet and precious. I love her cute little voice. She babbles all of the time and sometimes the sweetness and softness of her voice makes it sound like she is singing. It is so pretty to listen to. She loves to give big hugs and will even give you a little kiss if you are lucky. She is so entertaining to watch. I enjoy watching her blossom and grow each and every day. We are so lucky to have her.

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