May 3 ~ Natalie tried her first fruit today...we started with applesauce!  Boy did she make quite the face when she tried it, but I'm sure she will catch on!

 

May 4 ~ Our playgroup met at the park for the first time today!  After many weeks of trying, the weather cooperated enough for us to enjoy the afternoon outside.  It was a nice change for everyone :-)

 

May 5 ~ Natalie got to see her Uncle Jason for the first time tonight!  Jason stopped at our house on his way to Illinois from Seattle.  He spent the night and got to spend a little time relaxing with the family.

 

May 7 ~ Craig's brother, Michael, flew in from Dallas to visit with us for the weekend.  Natalie sure is a lucky girl...she was able to see both of her uncles in the same week!!  On a side note: Natalie tried pears tonight...her lips were just smackin' away...she loves them!

 

May 8 ~ Mike and Craig had fun playing a round of golf during the afternoon.  Craig also saw Natalie roll over from back to front for the first time ever!  I'm with her everyday and I missed it...go figure!  But I'm very happy she showed off her new skill to her daddy! 

 

May 9 ~ My first Mother's Day was truly wonderful!  Craig, Mike, Nattie, and I went to Iowa River Power Company for champagne brunch.  I love eating there!  While at the restaurant, Craig presented me with the sweetest card and gift.  He gave me a yellow and white gold linked bracelet.  It had two charms dangling from it that he had specially picked out...one is a gold pacifier and the other is Natalie's birthstone (opal).  It is just so perfect, and I can keep adding charms to symbolize other special events in my life!

 

May 10 ~ Natalie has been having many cranky days lately.  I think maybe she is teething.  So tonight I let her munch on her first biter biscuit snack in hopes that it would soothe her.  She held it, ate a bit of it, threw it on the floor...it was sort of fun! 

 

May 11 ~ Natalie tried another snack today...fruit wagon wheels!  I think we'll hold off on the crunchy snacks for awhile.  She's not quite sure what to do with them yet.

 

May 13 ~ Natalie had her first veggie at dinner tonight.  We started with sweet potatoes, and she ate them right up!

 

May 14 ~ Craig, Nat, and I headed out for another busy Bloomington weekend!  Nat sat in her new table chair (the ones that clamp on to the table) at grandma and grandpa's house...she was such a big girl!  She also got to try some Cheerios, but it was more fun just to play with them.

 

May 15 ~ We went out to visit the Emberton family in Lexington for the afternoon.  We met baby Tyler for the first time!  He sure is a cutie and has such beautiful, silky hair.  Sara, Shad, and Corrin seem to be doing really well and are enjoying the new addition to their family. 

Craig's parents watched Nattie for a few hours so Craig and I could spend some time together that night.  We went on a "date" to Grady's where we raced go-karts and played mini-golf.  Craig beat me in golf, but I definitely won the go-kart race...though he may try to tell you a whole different story...haha!  Either way, it was such a fun and much needed night for us!

 

May 16 ~ Craig and I went to church service over at Calvary.  Where was Nattie??...she spent the morning in the church nursery for the very first time!!  It seems that she did a really good job there, so we are pleased :-)

Before heading back to Iowa, we spent the afternoon at my Aunt Cheri and Uncle Mike's house for a family barbeque.  It was a warm, sunny day and it was nice to be outside.  Natalie got to play with her cousins Abby (20 months) and Lauren (8 months)!  Grandpa Bair gave Nat some watermelon to chew on...you could tell it felt gooood on the gums! 

 

May 17 ~ Nat had green beans for the first time.  I wasn't sure how she'd react to a green veggie, but she seemed to enjoy it!

 

May 18 ~ Playgroup met at the Ped Mall in Iowa City today!  I hadn't been there in such a long time.  We had a yummy lunch over at Mondo's and then took the babies for a stroll.  Our group always gets ogled at whenever we go places...I guess it's a sight to see...4 women pushing 4 baby girls in 4 strollers!  Even though the day could have been warmer, it was a pleasant time.

 

May 20 ~ Nat tried bananas for the first time!

 

May 22 ~ Tonight was family dinner night at the Schafbuch's house!  All four playgroup families gathered together for lots of food and conversation.  It's so nice just spending time and getting to know these people more and more.  Little Madelyn shared all her cool toys with the rest of the babies, and they had a blast being with each other!  We will definitely be doing this more often :-)

 

May 23 ~ Nat had carrots for the first time...boy do those orange veggies stain!

 

May 25 ~ Playgroup met at City Park today for lunch and fun!  The babies kept busy on a blanket with a large pile of various toys to share.  We also spent a little time on the swings...yeah for sun!!

The night time turned out to be not so fun.  Natalie wasn't feeling well and ran a slight fever.  We think she must be cutting teeth, but still none to be seen. We spent a lot of cuddle time together.

 

May 26 ~ Today was an AWESOME day!!  Here it was about 12:30 in the afternoon...Nattie and I were resting on the couch (she still wasn't feeling too well).  In walks Craig and his parents!  What were they doing in town??  Well, Craig had been teasing me lately by saying he had another "gift" for me other than the bracelet I got for Mother's Day.  Craig's parents came to town to watch Natalie so we could take a little surprise trip!  Craig and I drove to Des Moines and toured around the state capital building for awhile.  Then he took me out for a really nice dinner at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse.  Then for the biggest surprise...we had 2nd row tickets to see The Manhattan Transfer!!   Craig made sure that I didn't know what group we were seeing until they actually stepped foot on stage.  It was really funny, because we were seriously the youngest people in the auditorium...it's an older group...but I really love their sound!  It was a great concert!  Here is a link if you don't know the group: www.tmtfanclub.com   I think the best part though is that Craig took the time to plan the outing for us, took off work for it, and even skipped Wednesday golf league.  Never mess with a man's golf time...haha! 

 

May 28 ~ Craig, Nat, and I hopped in the van for another Bloomington trip!  We've been back so often that some people are starting to think we've moved back into town...haha!

 

May 29 ~ Craig, Craig's parents, and I took Natalie over to Miller Park to play on the swings and visit the zoo.  We also met up with the Winner family over there.  Even though Nat is still too young to understand what all the animals are about, I think she enjoys being outside in the sunshine!  I think she liked the butterfly garden most of all.  She also got to ride the carousel with her daddy!

 

May 30 ~ Mommy was really tired and slept in while Nattie went with Daddy to church in the morning. :-)  Later that night I went out to Bennigan's to visit with some friends.  Two of the friends I hadn't seen in about 10 years...Erin Duffy Jensen and Lindsay Davison!!  It was really great to catch up after so many years since highschool.  Sara Emberton also made it out with baby Tyler.  I hope we all stay in touch and get together more in the future!