I know…I’m awful….I haven’t updated in a long long time….but I’ve been sick for the last month…almost missed Thanksgiving dinner, but thankfully started feeling better the day before…..anyway, on to the update.
The last couple of years, Lynn’s parents have been taking the whole family to a breakfast with santa at Lakelawn resort in Delavan. This year I wasn’t sure if Natty would sit on his lap without a fuss…turns out she was fine…her cousin Ella on the other had would have none of it…:)
we went swimming a little while after the breakfast…I had Natty in the pool with me, I put her up on the side to see if she’d jump into my arms…she did!! 
then I put her up again, and she did it again. She kept doing it and begging for more…even when I’d dunk her under when she jumped in a couple times…she’d come up sputtering a little and giggle and beg “mo mo” it was a fun day…here’s some pics from the morning:
Natty telling Santa what she wants…………………………………………..Natty giving the snowman a big hug
the three cousins
my little angel
I know it’s been almost a week since the last update, but what I lack in quantity, I make up for tonight in quality….I’ve got some older stories to tell, but first the big news…. NATALIE USED THE POTTY FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT!!!!! a few months ago, she started sitting outside of the bathroom while I was in there and making presents in her diaper for Lynn so I figured she knows what the bathroom is for, let’s get her acclimated to the potty. Lynn wanted to wait a while so I let it go, and then decided this weekend that it was time to purchase a potty seat and start….Natalie is starting the “terrible twos” early and I wanted to try to get this started and make it a good experience before they were full blast. Anyway, we got her an insert seat for the toilet last night at toysrus. She got to choose which one she wanted, Dora or Sesame Street….she chose Sesame Street. So tonight after her bottle, I decided to get it out and see if she’d sit on it and then see what happens. I wasn’t going to force her to do anything, but figured we could get her used to the idea. At first she was hesitant to sit down, but then finally came in the bathroom by me and let me take off the diaper and put her on the seat. She gleefully looked at her new surroundings (we don’t normally let her in the bathroom except for bathtime). She checked out the window and pointed at the garbage can, and checked out the characters on her seat. She had already wet her diaper pretty well, so I figured she wouldn’t go at all. I asked her if she had to make a poopy…she strained a bit 
but nothing. So we just let her sit there. I’d ask every little bit if she was done and she’d reply “nooooo”. After about 3 or 4 minutes, she let out a little tinkle in the bowl. Lynn and I clapped and praised her to the moon. She clapped along with us and begged and signed for more. She didn’t want to get off the seat. Finally I talked her into being all done and we got up and washed hands. Then when we went in to put on her diaper, she melted down….she really wanted more potty…she kept it up for several minutes before getting interested in playing again. Too funny…I was worried about her being opposed to the idea, here she’s begging for more…LOL
Another funny thing she did tonight had me almost to an asthma attack I was laughing so hard. Natalie was playing over by the TV, and Lynn started giving me a hard time about something, so I went over and wrestled Lynn on the couch. Natalie saw what we were doing and started over by us. I saw her coming so I wrapped my arms around Lynn and rocked her a little on the couch. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Natalie wind up her arm and punch me with a closed fist in the back…. :D I’m not sure if she was upset because she thought I was hurting Lynn, or if she was upset I wasn’t letting her get to Lynn, but either way it was hilarious. We had to have the “no hitting” talk again though.
One funny thing that she did last week while she was with Lynn at the boys’ house was related to the outlet plugs. In our house she only has access to one outlet that’s securely covered with the safety plugs. Even so, whenever she would approach it, we’d tell her no, and when she tried to touch it, she got swatted on the hands lightly. Last week, Lynn saw her go up to the plug cover, reach out like she was going to touch it, and tell herself “no no”. She then walked away from the plug swatting her own hands.
That’s about it for tonight. Tomorrow is a daddy-daughter night. I’ll have another update tomorrow or Wednesday. I’ve got vacuuming stories and the Christmas list coming up.
I haven’t updated in way too long and have a bunch of stuff to talk about. I’ll start out with the weekend through last night, then I’ll include tonight with tomorrow night. Everyone clear? Good!
We had a fun weekend. It was my brother Josh’s birthday on Saturday, so we picked up my Grandma and went up for the day. I had gone to Target and got our “family” Christmas present a little early. A portable DVD player. Anyone with kids should get one of these. I’m not an advocate of using movies as a babysitter, but in the car this little baby will buy a few hours of sanity. We got up and had a nice dinner with the family at one of the local restaurants (My mom, Louis, Josh, Kelly, Grandma, Louis Jr and Patty, Lynn and Natalie and me). We then had cake and went back to my mom’s house for a while. Natalie was a very good girl and enjoyed playing the piano at her Grandma Christy’s house. The trip back started with a movie, during which Natalie fell asleep, so I turned it off and took a nap myself. When she woke up closer to home, we put the rest of the movie on for the remainder of the trip.
Sunday we went to church and then later that afternoon went out to my Aunt Barb and Uncle Steve’s house. Natalie got to play with toys that are about 25 years old that were my cousin Sarah’s when she was little.
Sunday night we put her down and I went to bed at 9 pm because I wasn’t feeling well. Natalie woke up at about 10ish crying. (either teething or her cold) Lynn went in there to settle her down and tried rubbing her back while standing next to the crib. Natalie calmed down and then when Lynn thought she was back asleep, stopped. Natalie sat up in her crib and begged for more (sign language for more and “mo mo”). When Lynn told me about this I laughed….Like mother like daughter.
Monday Lynn went in to wake her up to go to the boys’ house and saw her sleeping in the corner of her crib with her blanky (a new security device) pulled over her head. Lynn grabbed the camera and snapped this shot without waking up Natty (she’s a sound sleeper…like father like daughter. )
My cute sleepy girl.
Monday night was a combination of a melt down and a fun new trick.
She has never liked getting her nails cut. We do it now when she has her bedtime bottle. Normally this works, but last night it didn’t. She let Lynn get a hand and a half done before she started fussing. Then she went into full meltdown mode when we held her to get her toenails cut. This hasn’t happened before and I hope it doesn’t become a pattern.
Then after the bottle was done, she started climbing up on the arm of the little couch we have. She’s done this before, and Lynn and I usually have her get down before she falls. Well last night she decided she wasn’t going to get down the way she normally does by coming down onto the couch, then onto the floor. She hefted her other leg over the side and slid down over the edge of the arm onto the floor. She’s getting tall enough so she can do this without too much trouble. Once she figured out she could do this new trick, she kept doing it…..over and over and over. At least a dozen times….
up and over….
perched on top
the kickover and slide down
she was so proud of herself for doing that….too funny.
Tomorrow I’ve got some stories from tonight, as well as whatever tomorrow brings. And I’ll also have her Christmas list up by the end of the week too. Only a few more weeks til Christmas.
Up until now, everything I’ve written about, I’ve been a part of the experience. Lynn had some “fun” stuff happen to her today so I’m going to relate those stories.
Natalie has been fighting a cold for a while and Lynn took her in today to get her checked out to make sure she didn’t get a sinus infection or ear infection. Well, as we figured out at the last doctor’s appointment, Natty doesn’t like her appointments anymore. Up until her last appointment, she was fine, letting the doctors and nurses do the exams without squawking too much. The last appointment she melted. Granted she had a few shots and a blood draw, but she lost it completely. Dr. Khambatta said that this is typical. Generally they hate the doctor at the 15 month and 18 month appointments and then start not minding it again at age 2. Well she still hates the doctor. Lynn had to physically restrain her today in order to let the doctor examine her. What’s funny is, Natalie is my girl and is EXTREMELY strong. So she gives Lynn a run for her money. Everything turned out fine…it’s just a cold so we’re in good shape yet.
After the doctor, it was home to lunch for the girls. This is where Natty decided to do something different for lunch. Instead of eating it, she started flinging it around. She hit Lynn’s hand which held a spoonfull of sweet potatoes which sent them flying and landing on Lynn. Instead of the sweet “uh oh” which we used to get, Natalie started giggling and then the game was on. Everything Lynn gave her ended up flying around the kitchen (even the bread which she normally loves and gobbles down), landing on the window sill behind Natty’s chair and on the floor and table and on Lynn. We’re conciously trying not to react to the “less severe” infractions of the rules so that when we say no or hollar when she’s in danger she’ll be more apt to listen. I guess it took all of Lynn’s effort to not lose it today at lunch.
Tonight we decided to go to the mall for dinner and to look for Natalie’s Christmas shoes. On the way there she started getting squirrelly so I started singing and asked her to sing with me. She started to and would occasionally chime in. It was supremely cute and we praised her so that she will continue singing.
At the mall we walked the length of the mall with her in her stroller (stroller rides are becoming a fixation with her lately). On the way back, I decided to let her walk to burn up some of her energy. She was pretty good. She stopped a couple of times to check out some things that interested her. One thing being moving pictures. The best way I can describe this is a multi layered picture that plugs in and is back lit. it has some moving parts which makes the scene shown come to life. The one she was most interested in was the aquarium picture. She actually sat down on the floor in front of it and watched for a few minutes. On the way out of the mall, there was a fun game we stopped to play. It was a projector mounted to the ceiling with a corresponding mat on the floor. The projector would throw down images of different games and scenes which you played and changed by stepping on the pad on the floor. For instance: one of the games was a soccer game, and the ball started in the middle of the field projected on the pad. If you stepped on the pad near the ball the result was a “kick”. When the ball went into a goal, stars and other shapes flowed out from under the feet of anyone on the pad. It was pretty cool. Natty was hesitant at first, but got into it and was pretty much unstoppable by the time we were ready to leave.
An update on the teeth brushing. Team brushing really works. Tonight Lynn brushed her teeth while I brushed Natty’s. She’s been very good with this method, letting us get her teeth brushed without the need for a huge fight. Three nights in a row so far, I think we have a winner.
Tonight after dinner, Lynn was munching on chocolate chips. Natalie was in her chair yet and started begging for some. Lynn gave her one on her tray. Natalie took one bite and said an emphatic “num num!” She liked it quite a bit. She had a few before she got bored and wanted to get down.
We then went shopping. A new Goodwill store opened up nearby so we went to see if we could find some bargain clothes, toys and books for her, which we did in a big way. We only found a few items of clothing this time, but we loaded up on several toys and 19 books. For kids, where they grow bored and out of stuff so quickly, Goodwill, rummage sales and other resale shops are the way to go. We have many friends with children around Natalie’s age…I’ve wanted to try to start up a “toy exchange ring” to keep toys fresh between the kids….that way by the time they get their old toys back, they’re new again….we’ll see if that ever gets off the ground.
I’m learning lots of things about women having a daughter, even with her at this young age. I’ve learned that the funny stereotype that women like to talk on the phone is TRUE!!!! Natty loves talking on the phone. She will talk to everyone, but it seems she especially likes to talk to my mom, her Grandma Christy. Every time I call my mom (which I did tonight), Natty stand over by me, tries to climb into my lap, points at the phone and say mahmaw (grandma). Even when I let her talk to Grandma, after I take the phone back, she begs for more. I have to get a puzzle or newer toy out if I ever want to talk to my mom.
Tonight we learned that the little shelf we put up behind the end table to keep things away from little hands needs to be re-addressed. I was in the kitchen getting a soda, and it got way too quiet in the living room. I walked back in there and I saw a little girl diving off of the end table back onto the couch with my blog reminder pad and pen in her hands that I had stashed on the little shelf “out of her reach”. Now I have to find a new place for the remotes..
4 nights in a row folks, I think I’m getting in a rhythm here…
we had a riot tonight as a family. It started with Natty deciding she needed a second nap today, and while she was down, Lynn escaped to Kohls to do a little shopping. Natalie went down about 5:30ish and woke up at about 6:45. She is her Papa’s girl in the fact that it takes her a while to wake up from a deep sleep. She sat with me for about 15 minutes (usually it’s hard to get her to sit still for 15 seconds). We sat and watched the Bucks play for a while and then played with her new (rummage sale) Little People doll house. We had a good time and Lynn got home around 7:45. She ended up getting a couple of winter hats, one dress, one for playing with Natalie. Natalie of course had to try them on. After her bottle, she decided a game of chase was in order. Lynn would run down the hallway to Natty’s room and hide and Natty would run after her. Then Lynn would run back into the living room and again, Natty would follow her. I was sitting on the couch, and when Natty would run by me, I’d say “I’m going to get you” which would kick her running and giggling into the next gear. After that game was over, I was writing some things down to share on the blog tonight as a reminder and Lynn asked if I was going to take pictures. I hadn’t planned on it, but after Natty heard picture, she walked over to the closet where the camera is kept and pointed and kept saying “cheese”. How could I resist that?
Here are a couple of shots modeling Lynn’s new hats:
Then it was time to get ready for bed. One of those steps that we have that is usually a nightly fight is brushing her teeth. Yesterday I read online some parents that posted on another site saying that one of the tricks they used to prevent a fight is to let the little one watch you brush your teeth. Another was to have them roar like a lion. I did the animal sounds with Natalie last night as Lynn was brushing her teeth. It worked okay, but then I had Natalie come and watch me brush my teeth last night. I made sure I sounded like I was really really enjoying it and she seemed interested while sitting outside of the bathroom. Tonight we tried it with Lynn sitting in the hall with Natty to brush her teeth while I brushed mine in the bathroom. IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM! Natty didn’t fight the toothbrush and didn’t have to be restrained and actually seemed to enjoy it. We’ll see if this was a fluke or will actually continue to work tomorrow night.
The funniest story of the night occurred after the brushing of the teeth. I was standing in the bathroom cleaning up my toothbrush and Lynn went into the kitchen to put away Natalie’s toothbrush. Natalie walked behind me into the bathroom (we don’t normally allow her in there unless supervised so she decided to sneak behind me). I didn’t really care since I thought she was going after her bath toys which are stored in a cup on the tub. Well….she grabbed the toilet paper and went running for the living room with the roll still on the holder and the tp streaming out behind her like a ribbon dancer. I was so shocked and laughing so hard I couldn’t stop her…..it was too funny. She ended up running into the kitchen by Lynn where Lynn started rolling too. I was able to grab the camera from the cabinet and snap a shot of the little monster still playing with her “streamer”.
that’s it for tonight. I’m impressed with myself that I updated 3 nights in a row now.
we’ll see how long that streak lasts…
