On a side note, Natalie is finally beginning to enjoy rice cereal!  She sees the spoon coming towards her mouth and she opens wide...plus she likes to "help" mommy with the spoon!

 

Apr 5 ~ Today was Natalie's first trip to a park!  I took her over to S.T. Morrison Park in Coralville (aka "the duck pond").  We weren't able to see the ducks with all the construction going on for the new pool, but Natalie did get to swing in those little basket swings.  She just loved it...she was laughing and giggling the whole time!  By the time we walked back to the van, I had noticed her shoe was missing.  So we had to walk all the way back to the playground area to retrieve it...what a workout for me!

 

Apr 6 ~ Lamaze playgroup met at Panera for lunch today.  Afterwards Paula, the babies, and I went over to VonMaur for a little bit.  While buying some baby gifts for friends, I saw the cutest outfit!  It had little airplanes all over it and said "Future Pilot".  Keep in mind that it was clearly an outfit for a little boy.  I wanted to buy it so badly, but I finally resisted the urge and moved right along....haha!

 

Apr 7 ~ Natalie just didn't seem to be her usual cheery self and slept most of the day.  I caught her swatting at her right ear a few times and making little wimpering noises while drinking her bottle.  For fear that she might have an ear infection, I made an appointment with the pediatrician.  The doctor didn't see an infection, but thought maybe she just had a little cold with a low-grade fever. 

Craig and I also took Nat to get her picture taken with the Easter Bunny!  Instead of the traditional guy in a bunny costume, they were posing the children with a real live bunny.  I thought it was quite cute, and Natalie really loves animals.

 

Apr 8 ~ Natalie tried out her new highchair for the first time tonight!  She also had her first taste of oatmeal. Yum!

 

Apr 9 ~ Craig's parents drove out to celebrate Easter weekend with us.  They were so excited to see how big Natalie had become.  Natalie received many nice Easter gifts from her Grandma and Grandpa Essington...2 new outfits, a set of children's songs on CD, a purple stuffed bunny that records and plays back messages, and a silly stuffed ducky that quacks!  I think her favorite is definitely the duck!

 

Apr 10 ~ We were lucky to have Craig's parents around to watch Natalie for the afternoon.  It gave Craig and I a few hours to attend some open houses.   We are in no hurry to move, but would like a larger place in the near future.

Later in the evening we all went to Genghis Grill for dinner and dessert.

 

Apr 11 ~ Natalie's First Easter!!  We got Natalie dressed in her little purple dress and white dress shoes and took many pictures :)  Then all five of us attended church service over at Parkview.  Afterwards, we took a Sunday drive and ran some errands...thanks Mom and Dad for the much appreciated stockpile of formula and diapers!  Craig grilled up some really delicious steaks for dinner. 

 

Apr 12 ~ We just got a call from our friend, David Branch, tonight.  His wife, Callie, gave birth to their first son at 5:55 pm.  They named him Isaiah David.  He weighed 8 lbs 15 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  We are so happy for them!

 

Apr 18 ~ Craig, Natalie, and I drove out to the Quad Cities today for a fun afternoon!  We met up with my aunt Diana, uncle Mark, cousin Amber (and her friend) at "The Machine Shed" restaurant for lunch.  We had always heard about that place and really wanted to try it out.  After lunch, we watched Amber and her friend bowl in a tournament.  It was really crowded there, but we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit! 

We have started dressing Natalie in her spring and summer outfits.  She is getting so big...she wears anywhere from 6-12 month sizes!

 

Apr 23 ~ Headed out to Illinois today for the "Homebuilders Conference" held at Calvary Baptist Church in Normal!  Basically, it's a marriage/parenting conference for couples of all ages.  They had many different speakers and topics to choose from.  I think we both gained quite a bit from the experience, and we are glad we attended!  Craig's parents got a chance to spend a lot of quality time with their granddaughter over the weekend, so I'm sure they were excited about that!  Craig and I had cheese fries over at Lonestar after Friday night's sessions...yummy!

 

Apr 24 ~       HAPPY 6 MONTH BIRTHDAY TO NATALIE ANN!!!!

Yep, Nattie is officially 6 months old today!  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by...it makes me feel both happy and sad.  Of course, you can't celebrate a birthday without cake...so grandma and grandpa went out and bought a cheesecake...haha!

Craig and I attended the conference all day while Nattie played and ran some errands with grandma and grandpa.  After the conference we all had a nice meal at the house, and then Craig and I drove over to David and Callie Branch's house to visit with them and the new baby.  Isaiah is just too darn cute!  I got to hold him...he was just so warm and tiny...it's hard to believe that Natalie was ever that tiny!  The Branch's seem to be adjusting well to parenthood.  Callie and I spent a long while swapping birthing stories...always a good time!

 

Apr 27 ~ Our good friends, Sara and Shad Emberton, had their second child today!  Tyler Dean was born at 7:28 am.  He was 9 pounds 12 ounces and 20.5 inches.  He has lots of wavy brown hair and looks like Shad did as a baby.  I am so, so excited that they now have their healthy baby boy!!  I can't wait to see him in a few weeks!

 

Apr 28 ~ Natalie had her 6 month appointment with Dr. Miller today!  She continues to wow everyone with how big she is :)  Nat is now 19 1/4 pounds and 27 inches tall!  That puts her at 97% for her weight and 95% for her height. The doctor looked at Natalie's thumbs once again...they just don't look quite normal and she seems to have a difficult time using them.  So I took her over to Westside Imaging to get an x-ray.  Dr. Miller is also going to set up an appointment for Nat over at the University of Iowa Hospital with an orthopedic specialist. We just want to make sure that her fine motor skills won't be hindered because of her thumbs.  Otherwise, all is well with our big girl!  One of her latest accomplishments is being able to sit unassisted for short periods of time!

     **Update**  Dr. Miller called and said that Natalie's x-rays look fine.  She is still going to have her see the specialist though.  The appointment is scheduled for June 1st and will be at an office in Cedar Rapids instead of at the University.

 

Apr 30 ~ Craig's parents drove out to spend another great weekend with us!  Tonight was Natalie's 6 month pictures over at JCPenneys.  We took both family photos and individual photos of Nat.  There were tons of photos, and they all were so nice...we were very pleased with everything.  Afterwards, we all had dinner over at The Outback Steakhouse.