Nat-Bug's First Christmas...

In the blink of an eye, Christmas came and went. But this holiday was extra special for our family and Natalie seemed to really enjoy her first Christmas. We first went to Grandma and Grandpa Yost's house to celebrate with Natalie's grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins. Then we went to Portland to pick up great, great aunt Julie and brought her back to Bend with us. After we smoked a few turkeys, we headed to Pendleton where we celebrated on Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Walters, Uncle Peter and Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Walters. On Christmas Day we went to our cousin's house to celebrate with lots of family. We even snuck in a visit with Auntie Rhiannon and James. Then we loaded up the car with Callyn and Maikol and brought them back to Bend with us. It was great they were able to stay for 3 days (but I neglected to snap any pics, so Cally, will you please email me some that you took?).

Here are a few photos of Natalie's first Christmas:

"Santa's Sweetheart" outfit

Natalie with Great Grandpa Walters

Bow Head

Not a very Christmas-y picture, but I love her expression!

First nibbles of rice cereal... she liked it!

Natty-J with her new stuffed snowman friend

Natalie meets Auntie Rhiannon

Hope your holiday was warm and bright!

Merry Christmas and peace in the new year!

From our family to yours, have a safe and merry holiday.

Countdown to Christmas...

It's almost Natalie's first Christmas. Today, she helped me wrap presents. Well, actually, she really just chewed on bows and ribbons most of the time. But it sure got me in the Christmas spirit and I can't wait to visit our families this weekend and next week.

Only 8 more days...

xoxo

Daddy's Girl...

I want to tell you about the special bond I see developing between Natalie and her daddy.

In the beginning when I was home with Natalie, Jeramy didn't get a lot of one-on-one time with her. And to be honest, he didn't really have what she wanted at the time, if you know what I mean. It was nice that I had such a connection with her, but I think Jeramy felt a little left out.

It's been a few months now since he started his "Daddy Days" on Wednesdays. He also picks her up every afternoon from the babysitter's. I think it was a little challenging in the beginning, but now I can tell he really enjoys having her all to himself. And the feeling appears to be mutual. Jeramy can make her laugh like no one else can (it's all of those funny voices he talks to her in!). And on two occasions now, she has been in my arms and stretched her arms out to lunge at her dad, preferring him over me. (Yes, it temporarily hurts my feelings, but she's reached for me too, and I know how great that feeling is.) It's really cute to see them together.

Some days I have to chuckle when I come home to find Natalie wearing a mis-matched outfit ("the pants and shirt both had butterflies on them..."), but she always seems happy when I walk through the door, so I know she's had a good day with Daddy. They frequently run errands together (I'm sure he enjoys the attention he gets from the ladies at Costco and the doctor's office). She even accompanied him to her first boxing practice last night (I'm surprised she didn't come home with baby boxing gloves on her tiny little fists!).

My point is I'm so proud of Jeramy... He is a wonderful dad and I hope he and Nat will always be close, because they're a pretty cute pair. I feel so blessed!

Baby Diva

Just a few new photos of our little "Diva"...

Celebrations at the Yosts!

Today Natalie watched her first Civil War game between the Ducks (booo) and the Beavs (yaaaay!). Of course, she slept through the first half but was on the edge of her seat (metaphorically speaking, of course, as she can't really 'sit' yet) when the game went into double overtime. The Beavers won in the end and we were all exhilarated by the victory. A few friends came to watch the game with us: Mike, Callie, Debbie and Gracie. It was a very fun afternoon.

After the game, we finished decorating Nat's first Christmas tree. There isn't much sweeter than seeing Christmas lights twinkle in the eyes of your beautiful, healthy child. Here are a few pics of Natalie enjoying the Christmas tree.

A few miscellaneous Natalie updates:

• She had her 4 month doctor check up yesterday and was declared healthy once again. She weighs 13 lbs, 2 oz and is 24.5" long. She's a growing girl! The immunization shots were not that fun, but she slept a lot last night and seemed to have forgotten all about them today.


• A relatively new thing is now she does "zerberts" with her mouth. In case you don't know what a zerbert is, press your lips together and blow/spit. It's quite amusing to a 4-month old.


• She wants so badly to sit up on her own. When she is laying down or in a reclining position, she ofter pulls her head up and does a mini "crunch" to try and sit up. She definitely likes to be up and in the middle of the action.


• She's not rolling over quite yet, but gets half way. She likes to swing her legs to one side, but can't quite get her arm out of the way to get on her tummy. I don't think she's necessarily trying to roll over, I think she just likes swinging her legs from side to side.


• And since her legs are spending more time in the air, she's discovered her feet/toes. She likes to grab on and play with them. It's like baby yoga!


• She still likes to put just about anything in her mouth. The doc didn't think she was teething yet, thank goodness. And, have I mentioned the drool? I can't wait until she learns to swallow a little more frequently.

That's all for now. Happy December!