Thirteen Weeks

I wanted to add this picture here because I FINALLY caught a little smile from Natalie. Our girl goes in for her three month appointment tomorrow so I will have to post here on her weight and height once we get home. Her pictures today turned out good so we are anxious to get them.

Another milestone

I also wanted to post quick about a new thing I saw Natalie doing today. She was in her playgym and instead of just batting at the plastic shapes on one part like she normally does, she was grabbing ahold of them. That is the first time I had seen her doing that. She was also grabbing at the purple mouse on the playgym and turning it as well as making it chime. What another great milestone to witness!

Picture Day...Take 1

Yesterday we got Natalie all dressed up for her 3 month pictures. I took a quick shot of her before leaving but didn't want to mess with her pacifier so she would stay happy. However, by the time we got there and it was our turn, she was getting really sleepy. Because of that, the photographer only got a few pictures of her with her eyes open and none that were really great. So, after thinking about it, we decided to get her dressed up again Thursday morning and give it another shot. Hopefully going in during the morning will give us better results. I will have to share how it went after tomorrow now!

Gymboree Class!

Today was Natalie and Mommy's last Gymboree class for a while. Mommy has to go back to work next Monday so we will have to wait to start again until they offer a Saturday or Thursday (Mommy's day to work from home) class that we could go to. Natalie has changed so much since starting seven weeks ago. As you can see in the picture, she is holding her head up so well on her tummy now! At first, she couldn't hold it up at all. She also loves watching the bubbles while on the parachute and also loved watching the parachute today as it was moving around above her head. Both Mommy and Natalie hope they can start going again soon!

Need Opinions...

We are getting close to taking Natalie in for her three month pictures. I am looking for opinions on what to dress her in. I know there are some people out there reading this, so this is your chance to speak up! I love reading the comments I have been getting but hope to see a few more of you post on this topic. So read the info below, then click on the "xx comments" link below this post and tell me what you think! Thanks.

I am thinking of going with this Little Ducky Dress with this matching cardigan sweater. I have the matching hat and socks set also. With this option, I am debating whether to have her wear the socks with no shoes, socks with the white shoes in this picture, or white tights with the white shoes.

Now, the other option instead of the dress would be the Little Ducky bodysuit with the matching striped pants. (These are also in the picture with the white shoes from our shopping trip.) Then I would probably have her wear the matching socks from above, even if you couldn't really see the design on them, with no shoes. I hope to get a few shots with the hat on her for either outfit, but also might try to make a ribbon bow clip for her hair too.

If you are still reading, please feel free to leave me your comment about what little Natalie should wear for her pictures. I would appreciate it!!!

12 Weeks Old

Here is Natalie at 12 weeks old. I can't believe how big she is getting! I was disappointed though because she was smiling so much when I was getting ready to take this picture yesterday, but everytime I would get the camera up, she'd stop. She is really starting to smile quite a bit now which is always fun for Mommy and Daddy!

What is New

It has been a few days since I've posted, so thought I'd give an update. I need to take Natalie's 12 week picture today so I will post that later tonight or tomorrow. She has been doing really good the last few days. Monday we had Gymboree class again. She was kind of fussy so I gave her a pacifier and she fell asleep and missed half of class. Then we went by my office for a while and she slept through the whole thing! Yesterday, she spent the afternoon with Daddy while I shopped for some baby essentials. She even got to go to the animal hospital to visit everyone there. Today we have to go out for groceries and tomorrow a trip to the Gymboree store to buy some new clothes with our Gymbucks. She will be getting a Ladybug dress and some items from
this ice cream cone themed line too. I can't wait until the weather is warmer so I can start dressing her in a the cute spring and summer clothes. I will have to post some pictures when she gets all dressed up!

New Play Gym

Earlier this week, I decided Natalie might like another play gym. I had seen this Fisher Price one on their website and thought she might like it. So a trip to Toys R Us was needed and I found one for her. She really is enjoying it so far. The colors are bright and she loves the mirror, which is on the other side of the smiley face disc. The zebra on the bottom ring is musical and plays Polly Wolly Doodle. It is nice because it has toys along the bottom for tummy time and converts to a ring so when she is sitting she can play with the toys still.

Uncle Jeff Comes to Visit

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Katie came to Chicago yesterday from Kansas City for a weekend visit. They were surprised at how big Natalie is getting! Uncle Jeff even babysat this afternoon while Mommy and Aunt Katie went out shopping for a while. He did a great job because she had so much fun!!! Natalie will miss seeing them while Uncle Jeff is in China for a few months for work.

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

After many attempts, this was the best picture I could get of our "little good luck charm" today. Hope you all have a great day!

Another First

Last night Natalie went to sleep on her own in her bassinet. I was so proud of her! We read a bedtime story together and then I rocked her for a few minutes before putting her down. I sat in the next room for an hour or so and listened for her. She made some sounds but never cried. When I went to check in on her, she was asleep. I think she went to sleep about midnight, then woke around 6:00 for a bottle. After that, she went down again until 10:00. A very good night for us!! I am not expecting her to do this every night quite yet, but hopefully by the time I go back to work she will have a routine set.

Daddy's Girl

The last few days have been pretty uneventful for Natalie. The big news was that she figured out by batting at the stuffed birds on her playgym, she could make the music play! That is so much fun to watch. Today we dressed her up and headed to the Carter's outlet store to pick her up a few sleepers, a dress with matching cardigan, some play dresses and onesies. I wanted to get a picture of her since I hadn't added one on here for a few days. Plus it might be the last time she can wear these cute jeans since she is getting so big! Her hair was a little all over the place today though, but she still looks adorable to me.

Shopping Trip

Today Mommy and Natalie went shopping at Target and Kohl's. Natalie was sleeping pretty much the whole time, but Mommy still found a few things to get for Natalie to wear. New pants, tights and Easter shoes were found at Target. We found romper/bib sets and a Little Ducky outfit at Kohl's. The rompers will be great for Natalie to wear to daycare when the weather gets a bit warmer. Hopefully Natalie will love all the clothes as much as Mommy does!!

A New Favorite

I was taking some pictures of Natalie yesterday and came up with a new favorite shot. I had read about using natural light instead of a flash to avoid red eye and to see more natural skin tones. Well, I think this picture proves that works! She has really found her hands now and loves to suck on them. This is one of the few pictures I got where they are not in her mouth. I am trying to take some shots like this (simple background and clothes) every month to really see the changes in her face and expressions.

Bath Time

This morning Mommy gave Natalie a bath. She really loves getting in the warm water. She smiled at Mommy during the whole thing! She also was splashing her arms and legs quite a bit in the water today, which was a first. Mommy loves how good she smells when she gets finished too.

Two Month Appointment

Friday was Natalie's two month checkup at the pediatrician. The doctor said everything looked great and that she is a very healthy baby. Her weight is 12 lb 6.5 oz (75%tile), length 23" (75%tile) and head size 15 7/8"(90%tile). She also had to endure four shots. It was hard for me to see her cry since it was the first time I saw tears in her eyes.

At the Spa...

Natalie woke up in the night with a runny nose, some congestion and cough. So this afternoon I wanted to give her a bath and run the shower to get some steam going to try to help her congestion. I put her in her new robe that she received from Daddy for Valentine's Day while I was getting her bath ready. She looked too cute so I had to take a picture. I think she is doing a bit better tonight so hopefully it won't take long for her to get over her cold.