18 months

What a fun month we had!  You and your hair are growing so fast we can't believe it!  You really started to talk this month.  One of your favorite phrases that you started to say towards the end of the month was "Daddy mows the tractor on the grass".  You eventually got it right, but I loved when you had it reversed!  We have been playing outside constantly because the weather has been absolutely gorgeous here!

Building a tower of cups

Looking so grown up in her chair!

"Mama sit here, read books"  Getting more books to read!

You are obsessed with this stocking hat of mommy's.  You wear it all the time!

Looking through the tunnel

Silly girl outside playing with her boots on!

Mother's Day at Joe and Amy's house

You weren't too happy about Father Ralph holding you!

Gigi in the bounce house with the kids

Happy Mother's Day!

We go to St. Hilary's on Monday's for Family Life and Natalie goes next door with the other kids and the babysitter.  We had a great discussion during this week and when I went to get Natalie she had the puffy, beginning black eye.  She apparently tripped into a metal chair and felt the need to show me exactly where on the chair she hit her head.  The first of many black eyes, I have a feeling!

Wearing clothes on her head before bed

Your favorite activity: going in the "sammie poo" you know the swimming pool!

Wearing mommy's shoes

You did pretty good walking around the kitchen with them on!

Hanging out with Joey LaGamba at John Carroll!

How sweet are these two faces!

Daddy fertilized the grass so we set up your pool on the patio

You were showing me your tummy

One example of your crazy bed head!

So silly in the morning!

You love Elmo and Abby Caddaby!

Playing in the sprinkler on Memorial Day

You had a blast!

Carter...a little unsure of the sprinkler, but eventually he joined in!

Joey running around the sprinkler!

Daddy up in the tree cutting down a bunch of trees!

Don't worry he was safe with a harness on!

Daddy, way up high in the tree

Charlie's 2nd Birthday Party

The birthday boy blowing out his candles!

Your favorite books this month are There's aWocket in my Pocket, Biscuit (Dog), and Ladybug Girl Dresses Up (Lulu book).

Your favorite foods are pretty much anything that you can get your hands on, but we are starting to see a shift away from meat, but we are working on it!

Your new words: so many new things; you are working on colors and are getting pretty good at them, your started to put more sentences together this month; some of my favorites are: avocado, snackies, peanut butter and jelly, natalie go pee pee on the potty, and so many more!

We are starting to ease up on potty training, but will be picking it back up soon!

18 month Stats:

Weight: 26 lbs 13 oz (>75%)

Length: 34.6 inches (>97%)

Head Circumference: 19.5 inches (>95 %)

17 months

We have been having so much fun the last month.  We started the month out with an Easter Egg Hunt at St. Hilary's with the Family Life group.  Natalie had so much fun and we were lucky our cousin Carter could join us although I think he was a little confused by the idea.  I think that Natalie might be a hoarder....because she totally had the concept down and was filling her basket with eggs as fast as she could.  To the point that I had to throw some of the eggs back on the ground so some of the other kids would have eggs to find.

She is on the loose!

Go Natalie Go!

Look at all those eggs!

Carter hunting for eggs!

Easter Sunday came and was absolutely gorgeous!  We had such a wonderfully lovely day!  We woke up and let Natalie look at her easter basket for a little while.  It was filled with mish-mash fruit pouches, a few books and some easter eggs.  She was in heaven!

Little Bean with her basket!

Natalie and Mommy right before church

Natalie and Daddy before church

After church we headed over to Papa and Gigi's to eat and then lay down for a nap.  Natalie had so much fun playing with her cousins Joey and Charlie!  She is starting to really get into what they are doing and learns so much from all of her cousins!  The food that Gigi made was awesome and we stuffed ourselves silly!  Natalie layed down for a nap and we played cards while she was sleeping.  Some pictures of Joey, Charlie and Natalie.

Family picture: Easter 2012

Charlie, Amy, Joe, and Joey

There were so many other exciting events this month including:

pooped on the potty the first time on April 22, 2012

then again on April 28, 2012

peed on the potty the first time May 8, 2012

Words: so many new words!  You repeat most of what we say now!  Your favorites are:open, close, strawberry, no way, dolly, baby, semi-truck, amy, joey, charlie, uncle joey, sammie, caden(although you call him "tickory"), bye bye semi-truck, no way, yes, you can name most common animals and do their sounds, one of our favorites is blue shirt (which sounds like "bull s*%t")--it cracks us up every time, nano-ee (banana)

Natalie: You have become my buddy in lots of ways.  Mommy sometimes forgets that you are not with her in the car or at the grocery store and I talk like you are there.  I probably look pretty funny, but it is a great habit that I love!  You enrich mommy and daddy's life each and every day.  We love you more than we can ever express!
Love, Mommy

16 months

This month you and mommy went to Florida to have a little vacation and to see Gigi and Aunt Re.  They were in Florida for three weeks in March and we spent the last week of their stay with them.  It was a good thing we went when we did because a few short weeks later Papa and Gigi sold the house in Fort Myers.  You got to ride on an airplane for the first time with mommy and Papa.  You did really well and even napped on the plane.  We got down the Florida and you were the princess of the house for the week!  You had a blast!

Drinking your milk on the screened in porch one morning!

At the Naples Zoo... you were so incredibly sweaty and hot!

Feeding the giraffe with mommy...she had a really long tongue!  You were a little scared but you did great!

Walking with Papa

I think your favorite part of any day!  Eating orange/vanilla swirl ice cream!  You pretty much attacked the ice cream cone!

All pretty for church!

Showing off your bikini body and doing your favorite thing...carrying books around the house and handing them to all of us!

My bathing beauty on the beach

Mommy and Natalie at the beach

So beautiful

Playing with the ball with Papa

On the way home you and Mommy went to the airport and got ready to get on the plane.  You did great except for one thing...  We were walking around the airport and you wanted to go back into a store after we left and mommy didn't want you to and you decided to drop to the ground and twist.  Needless to say you had a Nursemaid's Elbow (dislocated elbow).  A little while later when you couldn't eat your snack because your elbow hurt everytime you bent it mommy took you in the airplane bathroom and put it back in place.  After that you were the happiest baby on the planet.  The rest of the trip was easy!

Laying on the pile of towels after a busy day

We went to the Akron zoo with your cousin Annie and you had a blast!  I think the lion and the penguins were your favorite!

Pretty girl

Rubbing the penguins tummy

While mommy was at work you played with Gigi and then your cousins Caden and Sam and your Aunt Marie came to our house for dinner before going to Gigi and Papa's for the weekend. Uncle Mark joined them the next day. You played outside with Caden and Sam because we have been having beautiful 70s and 80s temperatures lately. Aunt Marie brought you inside to change you out of your bathing suit and diaper and what did you do....you peed on the floor!! This is becoming too frequent Miss Nat! We are going to have to put an end to this!

We had Joey's 4th birthday party and I think all of the kids had a blast.  Natalie, you slept through almost the entire party and missed the egg hunt, cake, and most of dinner!  Mommy didn't mind that you took a four hour nap...you were so well rested and happy when you woke up!

 

Joey, Sammie, Natalie and Caden (aka Batman)

The aftermath of learning to feed yourself (it was acorn squash)

Your first popsicle

 You and daddy love Cool Whip...mommy let you have some with Angel Food Cake!  You kept saying over and over again, "Mmmmm,mmm,mmm."

 You love these red shoes....except they barely fit you!  You bring them to me and say "shooez" all the time and I stuff your feet into them one more time!  They clunk kind of like old lady high heels!

 You HAD to feed yourself prunes today!

 One night you decided to try on mommy's shoes and walk around the kitchen with them on.  It cracked mommy up!  You did great and didn't trip at all!

 One shoe

 Two shoes

 Dressed up to meet the Easter Bunny

Words you have learned this month: wheels, whoa whoa whoa, snack, sho-vel, open (opeles), ball (finally you actually say ball instead of "mo"), Elmo, Abby, egg, cheese, basket, cake, mommy, daddy, Maw-ley (Marley), Nia, out, Dolly (dow-ree) and probably a ton more. You have taken to repeating everything good and bad that we say! I love the personality you are developing....you have really decreased the amount of screaming this month because I think your frustration with not finding the words has really gone down! We are working really hard at behaving in church, but you are just so excited to talk that you don't know how loud you are (mommy used to have the same problem)!   The words are starting to just explode more and more everyday!  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and how you are developing!