Christmas in Buffalo was a blur, as usual! Unfortunately, Natalie was sick for her first Christmas :( She came down with her first cold on the last day of our Thanksgiving vacation in Janesville, and was sick the whole month of December. Her cold (along with teething and starting to crawl) turned into Croup the week before Christmas. She had a horrible cough, wasn't sleeping much at night, and was pretty cranky - but that didn't stop her from having a great first Christmas!
hanging with some of the Rahill cousins
an attempt at a family photo
meeting her 2nd cousin Andy Reid
being silly with her Great-Aunt Pat Rahill
she loves her Great-Uncle Jim!
big girl!
dancing with Great Uncle Jim
with her Great Aunt Pat and Great Uncle Jim Rahill
opening gifts on Christmas morning!
Grandma Kathy spoiled her rotten :)
opening gifts with Grandma on Christmas morning!
stealing Finn's obnoxious squeaky ball
I'm so mad at myself for not taking more photos and videos. I was too busy trying to enjoy being in the moment - and keeping our sick little girl happy & on schedule! Hopefully other family members & friends grabbed some shots that I can steal!
We are so blessed to have such amazing family and friends in Buffalo, and look forward to next Christmas, when Natalie will be healthy and old enough to kind of know what's going on :)
It's been a crazy month or so since I last posted to this blog, and I have a lot of updates to catch up on. But for now, I wanted to post a quick note about the last 5 days, which I spent at home in Michigan, with my mom visiting while Marty was in Phoenix for work meetings. Words cannot describe how much I needed this visit with my mom. Natalie and I had both been sick since Thanksgiving (Natalie's first cold was brutal). On top of being sick, she's also getting her two upper front teeth, and then she had her 6 month shots. She hadn't been sleeping - which means neither had I. And I was long over-due for some serious one-on-one time with my mom. This visit was just what the doctor ordered.
We did a lot of relaxing, which was a first for us, because usually when she visits we work our butts off on major home improvement or landscaping projects. We went out for lunch, spent a lot of time playing with Natalie, and Marty and I even got to enjoy a date night out when he got home from Phoenix. And it wouldn't be a visit with my mom without a few home improvement projects, which included cleaning out the garage & painting/redecorating my family room.
Overall, it was one of the best weeks ever. I can't even begin to explain what this week meant to me - or what my mom means to me. She is amazing. She is my inspiration for how to be a loving, supportive, patient, successful wife and mother. She has set the bar so high, and I turn to her for advice and support on almost a daily basis. She is a voice of reason and reassurance when I'm frustrated, uncertain and just plain exhausted. I would be so lost without her. I am so lucky to call her my mom and my best friend. And this morning I am missing her terribly :( Saying goodbye and watching her drive away yesterday sucked. And now I'm counting down until Natalie and I get to see her (and Heather!) again in January.
Poppy gave me the antique buggy that I used to play with at his house
Santa Baby!
we attempted Christmas card photos
"gimme"
grandma Kristie got Natalie some boots w/ bling :)
new outfit from Grandma Kristie
Santa Baby
Murphy doing some reflecting during our family room makeover project
her first attempt at climbing the step!
getting ready to go for a walk with Grandma
best buddies
gooooood morning!
nom nom nom
opening her first Christmas gift of the season (from Greg, Sue Dylan & Jason)
We spent the holiday in Janesville, with lots of family & friends. Natalie got to spend lots of quality time with Aunt Heather, Uncle "Mo", Grandpa Jeff, Grandma Kristie, and Great-Grandma Connie.
I also got to catch-up with friends at my 10 year high school reunion. As usual, it was a blast and my face hurt the next day from laughing so hard :)
The last few weeks have been pretty rough. Teething mixed with some tummy issues and a messed-up sleep schedule has taken a toll on all of us. But just when we were about to lose our minds completely, it appears as though Natalie may be turning the corner! (knock on wood) Those teeth are sprouting up further each day, and slowly but surely the smiley, happy baby we know & love is returning.
it only lasts a few seconds before she topples over, but she's starting to figure it out!
and yes, that is a plastic Ikea spoon she's playing with. she also has her own pint-sized TV remote to gnaw on. Hey, whatever keeps the real remote out of her mouth :)
After a crazy month of traveling, we're finally getting some much-needed family time here in Michigan.
We've spent most of the last few weeks just relaxing around home and catching up on laundry and other house work. But we've also managed to get out for a little bit of fun...
We headed over to our neighbors' house for the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State football game a few weeks ago. Our neighbor Sheila graduated from Ohio State, and I love those Wisconsin Badgers, so we figured our "rivalry" was a good enough reason to dress our babies up in Bucky & Buckeye gear, have a few drinks and eat some "football food" :)
On one particularly nice fall afternoon, Natalie and I headed outside to check out the beautiful fall colors in our neighborhood. She enjoyed the fresh air and brightly colored leaves, and I'm excited to do something fun/crafty with the leaves I gathered on our walk.
after gathering leaves, we swept up the leaves that were piling up on our driveway (with the help of Finn & Murphy)
Natalie got a real kick out of her idiot sister Murphy, who has a love/hate relationship with all vacuums & brooms...
Natalie has been trying lots of new things lately. For starters, she's acquired an appetite for her own toes...
yummy??
She's started "eating" watermelon with her mesh feeder. This seems to feel really good on her new teeth (and we're hoping the juice will help her slow intestines as well).
This week she started eating her oatmeal, prunes and pears in her "big girl seat"
She really loves being in her high chair seat. She kicks her feet with each spoonful, and she "dances" when we listen to music...
And finally, here are some of the most recent weekly crib shots...
