Snow!

We're getting quite a dusting of snow here in Atlanta. We've already got over an inch of accumulation and the forecast says it will continue until late tonight.

We took Natalie out on the back deck to see how she would react. She was fine with it falling on her, but definitely wasn't a big fan of touching it.

Our Little Crawler!

Natalie has been "on the verge" of crawling for over a week now. She was getting pretty good at getting her legs going, but her hands would remain planted on the floor. It was kind of like pressing the gas when the emergency brake is still on. I guess it just took the right motivation for her to figure out the other half of the equation. And what kind of things would provide such motivation, you ask? The answer is: shiny electronics that are not meant for babies.

Yesterday while Aunt Rachel was visiting, we placed my cell phone out of her reach and there she went, surprising us all! She responded equally well to the DVD player remote control. It is an uncoordinated, clumsy crawl and it kind of reminds me of watching a wounded animal on the National Geographic channel, but I'm putting February 6th in the baby book as her official crawling date!

Silly Faces

Here are some of the cute and silly faces Natalie made for us while she was playing in the doorway jumper at Granny and Peepah's house yesterday. And, yes, she is covered in drool...and maybe a little spit-up. I don't think bouncing is conducive to keeping a baby's clothes nice and clean.

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Rockin' and Rollin'

It appears that Natalie is getting ready to crawl. Experienced moms out there: How long did your babies do this rocking thing before they really started crawling? In other words, how long can I procrastinate before I really have to babyproof my living room?

Natalie is 7 Months (and ten days)

OK, so this post is closer to 7 1/2 months than 7 months, but it's better late than never, I suppose. We were a little preoccupied on the 17th with taking Baxter to the emergency vet clinic for surgery, but now that he's feeling better and I don't have TWO babies to tend to, I should have more time to blog!

Natalie has gotten MUCH more mobile in the last month. She has perfected the art of the log-roll/pivot combination maneuver and can make her way across the room rather quickly. She has started getting up on her hands and knees or her hands and feet, doing some moves that we like to refer to as "baby yoga." Just in the last week she has started the classic rocking motion on her hands and knees (video to be posted soon), so I think crawling is just around the corner. Yikes!

We've had fun introducing solids to Natalie over the last 5 weeks or so. Here's a categorized rundown of what she's had:

Yum! More, please!
Banana
Avacado
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
Prunes
Pears

Eh, it's OK. I'll eat it to humor you.
Rice Cereal
Millet Cereal
Oatmeal

Yucky! Give it to Baxter!
Mango
Asparagus

I'm freezing all of her food into 1 oz. cubes. Right now she's eating 2-3 cubes in the morning and 2-3 cubes in the evening. Next up for Miss Natalie to try are the following foods: egg yolk, carrots, green beans, and peas. I'm crossing my fingers that the new veggies will go over well since it seems she may have a bit of a sweet tooth.

Natalie is quite the social butterfly these days. We're attending regular play groups with the Dunwoody MOMs club and La Leche League meetings once or twice a month. I've started getting to know several other moms in our Stroller Strides class who have baby girls around the same age. We had a play date this morning and I think we're all hoping to make that a regular thing. In addition, one of the moms in the neighborhood is trying to get a play group started too! I don't think we'll have to worry about Natalie having any shortage of social interaction. (Or me, for that matter!)

Natalie cut her first tooth (lower left central incisor) just before she turned 7 months old and her second tooth (lower right central incisor) just after she turned 7 months. Her usually sunny disposition has been replaced by a slightly crankier one for the time being. I've tried giving her some homeopathic teething tablets, but I can't really tell if they're helping. The one thing that seems to help sometimes is to freeze wet washcloths until they're stiff and then let her gnaw on them. Poor little girl :( How long does this teething thing last?!

Smiling, despite the asparagus.


This yoga pose is called "Parsva Dandasana with Giraffe."


Teeth! I finally captured photographic evidence!!


The "Little Striders." From L to R: Madden, Natalie, Maeve, Keira, and Katherine.

Update on Baxter

It has been ten days since Baxter's surgery and I am thrilled to report that he is back to his old self. We were still very concerned about him for the first four or five days after the surgery since he was reluctant to eat or drink and we were having a hard time getting him to take his pain medication. But by the time Friday rolled around, he was eating, drinking, and wanting to play.

The vet told us to keep him from running, jumping, etc., for 2 to 3 weeks. I think my mom put it best when she said, "They know he's a Jack Russell, right?!" We're not doing a great job following doctor's orders, but we're at least trying to keep him from leaping on and off the bed. Only six more days and then he'll have his staples removed and hopefully the vet will give him a clean bill of health. We are so happy to have good ol' Baxter back!!

Poor Baxter and his 11 staples.


The culprit.


Baxter wearing his E-collar. It obviously hasn't slowed him down. In fact, it makes a great toy scooper!

Mum's The Word

Natalie has become quite vocal over the last few weeks, alternating between squeals and babble. The other day she said "Mama" all day long. It really melted my heart, even though I know she doesn't know what she's saying. She's a little fussy in these clips (teething, bleh), but they're cute nonetheless. In the second clip she shows off her new pre-crawling moves.