Three Months

I can't believe that our little Natalie is already 3 months old! It seems like yesterday that we brought her home and I sat in her room and cried my head off because I didn't know what to do with a baby. I really enjoyed spending these three months at home with Natalie. I cried again before going back to work because I didn't know how I was going to give up spending my days with her!

Luckily my first week back to work went well. It helped that it was a short week (Memorial Day) and Chris stayed home a couple of days. Natalie did great at daycare and all of the teachers loved her! This week they said she loved to look at her "friends" and smile. If only life could stay that simple! Chris will primarily drop her off in the morning and I'll pick her up at night. The nights go so fast now that its the only time I get to spend with Nat Max! However, I know that Natalie will really benefit from being at daycare and experiencing all of these new things.

Before we know it, Natalie will be crawling and jabbering acting like a little lady! I can't wait to see what the next 3 months brings! Here is a link to the photo website where I've been uploading pictures of Natalie.

http://nataliemaxine.shutterfly.com/

Baptism Day

Today we baptised our precious little girl Natalie! It was such a special day for our family. It also happened to be my first Mother's Day so that was pretty cool too. Natalie wore my mother's baptismal gown for her big day.

 We were fortunate to have a lot of family in town for the weekend. The weather was so great for once! We sat outside for the first time with Natalie and since the sun was out we needed to get a hat to shield her from the sun. However, we only had one that was size 2T so we had to make it work! Natalie wasn't too impressed.

Chris' cousin Matt came into town from Des Moines and filled the role of Godfather to Natalie. My cousin Jillian came from New York and is Natalie's Godmother - both did an excellent job!

My dad Brian also came and met Natalie for the first time!

Chris' Godmother Darlene was able to make it to the baptism as a special treat.

Matt's parents Karen and David came up from Iowa as well.

We were able to get a 4-generation picture with my mom and grandmother...that was very cool!

 At our church, they place a stone with the baby's name on it in the baptismal font and at the end of the year they gather all the stones and make them into a stepping stone to place in the church garden. Then each year the kids can go out there on the anniversary of their baptism and look at the stones - how special!

It was a great day - very memorable and spent with all of our favorite people!

Two Months!

We can't believe our little ladybug is 2 months old already! She has grown so much and is starting to smile and show more personality now. It's so fun! I can't imagine having to leave her at daycare and go to work in just 4 short weeks. We also had her 2-month doctor visit and she had to get her first round of shots. That was hard for mama :(. She was fussy for the rest of the day but she has recovered now. I think Daddy has to do the next one! We can't wait to see what the next month brings!

We had to capture a picture of Natalie in this onesie that I wore home from the hospital in 1982 - how cute!

Here is Natalie in a sweater knit by my mom's good friend, Lynette. Thanks Lynette!

Vogue

When it comes to the latest fashions, nothing is too good for our little gal! My grandmother saved a bunch of clothes that I had from childhood and this was one gem that I thought Natalie should have.

We also found this wonderful item called the Wombie. It simulates the womb so that babies can sleep at night without waking themselves up. At first we liked it......

Then we weren't so sure......

Stay tuned!

Happy Easter!

Natalie enjoyed her first Easter this year! We made it through church without a major breakdown and then we went to Grandma Gretchen's for some brunch. All in all it was a great day! I've added some additional pictures to the website so check it out!

One Month!

Natalie has reached the 1 month mark! We can't believe how much she's grown already! She is more alert, eating much more and sleeping a little better (however during the day, not at night). We are so excited to see what the next month brings :).

Natalie and her Thumb

Here is a short video of Natalie locating her thumb for the first time. Exciting stuff, I know! You'll have to ignore the Weight Watchers leader talking in the background. Maybe if I were listening at the meeting I would be losing more weight!