6 Months Old!

Happy Half Birthday, Natalie!

~Natalie is on the move!  She loves to roll and is very quick at army crawling!  She's starting to use her legs more while army crawling, so we anticipate she'll be moving on all 4's very soon!  She also lifts herself onto her hands and knees and scoots.
~She's very close to sitting independently!  She's still a little wobbly, likely because she's off balance as she's trying to put things in her mouth!
~No new teeth yet, but we anticipate they might be soon based on her mouthing of objects!
~She's a great napper at the sitter's house.  We're still working on consistent naps at home.  She loves snuggling and tends to wake up as soon as she's laid in her bed.  She'll usually zonk out in her swing.
~She's done well with over night sleeping!  She eats and goes to sleep right after her siblings are put to bed. She has woken up one time most nights for a diaper change and to nurse.  Sometimes she'll sleep through the night!
~We started to introduce cereal and a few vegetables.  She'll open her mouth for bites and finds it hilarious to blow raspberries and/or tongue the food out.  Chilled food leads to funny faces.  She's very interested in getting her hands on the food that everyone else is eating!
~Natalie is quite the talker!  She often "tells stories" and is repeating different sounds (e.g. "A-da, A-da, A-da).


Current Stats:
27.5"
17lbs 11oz

5 Months Old!

Miss Natalie is 5 months old!

~Natalie is the proud owner of two bottom teeth!  They make her smile even cuter! 

~Natalie is on the move!  Between rolling and scooting, Natalie is on her way towards mobility!  She will almost immediately roll to her belly when placed on her back.  Natalie will turn herself in circles while on her belly.  She’s also able to move herself around by getting onto all fours and scooting both legs simultaneously or alternating her legs.  She will also lift herself onto all fours, either her forearms or hands, and rock her body back and forth.  She’s quite determined to get items that are out of reach!

~Natalie is getting very proficient at grabbing for toys that are within her reach.  She gets excited when we put a toy in front of her. Her face lights up and she starts to kick her legs!

~With her frequent rolling comes the adorable sleeping position of having her little bum in the air while lying on her belly.  She started with rolling over and lying flat on her stomach, but has slowly progressed to having her bottom higher and higher as she tucks her legs underneath her.

~Natalie has woken up once a night consistently throughout the past month.  She usually wakes up around 3:30am for a diaper change and snack. 

~She’s not siting yet, but we admit we don’t practice that skill much as she tends to spit up whenever she’s in the position for very long.  She does enjoy her exercsaucer and sitting in a Bumbo seat at the babysitter’s house. 

~We sometimes jokingly call her “Nosey Natalie”.  She wants to be in the action and observe what’s going on around her.  She enjoys being in the same room as everyone else.  We recently started having her sit in a highchair at dinner, as she would want to be on someone’s lap.  She’s happy to sit in the chair with a toy and watch everyone!

~Natalie loves her siblings and they love her right back!  They enjoy making her laugh and smile and like to give her snuggles and kisses.

~She’s such a delight!  She’s full of smiles and giggles and we’re having so much fun watching her grow and learn!

4 Months Old!

Miss Natalie is 4 months old!

~Natalie has the sweetest giggles and smiles!  She loves to laugh when being tickled or when we make silly noises.  Natalie also giggles when we help her clap her hands and stomp her feet.  And she'll smile at just about everything and everyone!
~Natalie has so much so say!  She loves to "chat" and have conversations!
~She loves to roll!  We can barely keep her on her back anymore when we lay her down.  She enjoys looking around the room!  She can roll from her belly to her back, but definitely prefers her belly. 
~While on her belly, she's able to turn herself left and right - wherever the action is!  She's also lifting her bottom and kicking her legs in attempt to scoot!  She wants to be on the go!
~She likes to kick her legs when she's excited!  She also likes to kick when she's sitting in a bouncer seat, making it bounce up and down!
~Natalie is doing a great job sleeping! She slept through the night almost every night this month, but started to wake up once to eat near the 4 month mark.  After a quick diaper change and snack, she goes back to sleep.  We're working on more consistent naps and a sleep schedule during the day.  She likes to be in the action and we suspect she fears she may miss something when she's napping!
~She enjoys watching and grabbing at her toys.  She also thinks her hands and feet are interesting--and tasty!

Natalie had her 4 month check up today.  The doctor was impressed with her strength (commenting that she'll be standing soon!) and super happy demeanor.  She wasn't a fan of her vaccines (3 pokes, 1 oral), but settled down with some snuggles.

Current stats:
15 lb 5 oz
25.5 inches

School Days!

It's time for another fun filled school year!  The boys are very excited about school!

Brennan is in 1st grade at Furry Elementary School!

Gavin is in preschool at Wee Care in Fremont, Ohio!

Happy 4th Birthday, Gavin!

Happy 4th Birthday, Gavin!

Our goofy, loving Gavin is 4 years old!  We celebrated his birthday with a truck themed party at home.  He also had a second birthday party in Cincinnati at a fun park!  He was very excited about turning 4, frequently asking how much longer he had until his birthday. 

He's a fun loving, inquisitive, intelligent and goofy guy!  He has an infectious giggle and smile!  We love his personality and are so proud of him!

Current interests:

~Basketball!  He is a great shot and enjoying making baskets!  He can throw a ball/baseball with great aim and distance.

~Jumping!  He has quite the impressive long jump!

~Cars, trains, buses, and vehicles in general!  He enjoys making them drive around the family room.  He also enjoys roller coasters, turning vehicles and other toys into roller coasters and talking about the rides at Cedar Point.  He enjoys riding the rides at Cedar Point, but isn't a huge fan of walking by the loud roller coasters. 

~His siblings.  He enjoys playing with them and is incredibly sweet with his sisters.  He often gives them hugs and kisses and wants to make sure they are ok.  Gavin and Brennan enjoy playing together, although they have the expected sibling rivalry of who is first, who is faster, etc.

Current Stats:
32 lb 4oz
3' 4"

She rolls!

Natalie loves to roll!  She has yet to repeat rolling from her belly to her back.  However, she has certainly mastered rolling from her back to her belly!  There are times it is difficult to keep Natalie on her back because she'll immediately roll to her belly each time!  Perhaps she's afraid she'll miss some of her brothers' and sister's actions and enjoys the ability to see what's going on all around her!?

3 Months Old!

Our little lady is 3 months old!

~Natalie continues to be a happy, content, easy going gal!  She loves to smile!
~She giggles!  Such a sweet sound!  She's most likely to giggle when you tickle her neck.
~Natalie is a great sleeper!  She takes the best naps in her bouncers or swing.  Her best naps are in the afternoon, usually lasting several hours. She sleeps in her crib at night.  The transition to her crib was very smooth and she was unphased by the change!  She sleeps overnight, usually going to bed around 9:00pm and waking around 6:00/6:30am.  With Mommy's return to work, we often have to wake her in the morning.  We'd like to move her bedtime earlier, but are enjoying the overnight sleep!
~Natalie is enjoying her time at the babysitter's house.  Surprisingly, she fought taking bottles on her first day.  She eventually drank two bottles, but put up a decent fight during the first attempt.  We sent her with different bottles (Playtex - the only brand/style that Gavin would use) on her second day as a back up plan.  She fought the original bottle, but willingly drank out of the Playtex bottle without hesitation.  Success! She enjoys the attention from the other kids and is oogled on frequently.
~She rolled from her belly to her back!  She did it several times one day, but hasn't repeated her skill since.  She loves to play on the floor--rolling back and forth and kicking.  She normally scoots all over her activity mat.
~Natalie has so much to say! She makes a lot of noises and enjoys coo conversations.
~She does a great job at tummy time!  She is able to hold her head high, supporting herself with her arms.