A Visit from Aunt Bob

My sister landed safely in Mumbai today, after 24 hours of travel. We were so lucky to have 3 lovely weeks with her at our house. The girls had all sorts of fun with Aunt Bob, and she was tons of help to me - babysitting several times, helping on errands, keeping the kiddos occupied while I got to cook and shower with fewer interruptions!!

We took an alumni tour of Camp Tapawingo

Rode the carousel at the Miller Park Zoo 

Trying to get Charlotte involved in the petting zoo

We rode the train up to Chicago

Played tourist for the day before Bobbi Jo ran the 1/2 marathon

Standing proudly with her medal at Navy Pier

 

Natalie mooched a lot of food! 

Bobbi Jo was here when Natalie started crawling, and she was here

It was sad to say goodbye, but the next 5 months will zoom by in the blink of an eye & we'll get another visit at Christmastime. :-) 

This Breeze Tastes Good

On our post-dinner walk, Charlotte says, "This breeze tastes good!"

I chuckled a bit at her funny observation. 

"What does it taste like?" I asked, expecting her to say something about all the dinner smells wafting throughout the neighborhood. 

Nope, she had a much simpler answer. 

"It kinda tastes like WIND!"

She went on to tell me how her tongue is like a tiny shovel, scooping up the wind into her mouth. 

I love her & I love this age! 

Natalie's Walking!

Natalie has been a cruiser for mooooonths, but she showed no interest in standing on her own or taking any steps until the last couple of weeks. She'll stand without needing assistance balancing as long as her hands are occupied. :o)

Last week, she took just one step forward a few times, then yesterday took 3 steps in a row, and today, with the help of a cookie bribe, she took 7 steps in a row!! Little peanut will be running around in no time!

Natalie's 1 Year Checkup

Natalie had her 1-year checkup yesterday. She loved flirting with the other people in the waiting room, but did not care for the vaccines she needed --- at all. :o( 

She measured in at 18 lbs 14 oz (31%ile) and 30.5 inches long (86%ile). 

Her pediatrician checked her hips & said they look good, although they are still popping more than I remember Charlotte's popping (I can't remember ever feeling C's hips pop, I feel Natalie's pop at least once/day). He's happy with all of her physical milestones - crawling, pulling up, cruising, climbing - but seemed just a little concerned that she doesn't have any words yet. He's hoping she gets one or two by her 15 month checkup. 

After lunch and a nice looooooong nap, Natalie had forgotten all about her shots and was back to being her sweet self! :o) 

Bath Time Giggles

It's times like these that I wish I could put a pause on time, keep them this age for a little while longer, be able to watch that sparkle as they giggle with each other over & over.

There will be a day when they won't want to share the tub, but until then, I'm going to savor special little moments like this.

Close, But Not Quite

My kids love the grocery store (for now, luckily!) & Charlotte really likes to learn about different parts of the whole shopping experience - most recently becoming interested in how the conveyor belts work, lasers on scanners, bar codes, and recognizing the different sections - fruits & veggies, cereal & oatmeal, milk & yogurt, etc.

Today, she told me to "put the pears on the clock!" Took me a moment, but then I figured out what she was talking about. First I had to convince her that the pears did not *weigh* two o'clock. Then, it took quite a bit of explaining why our THREE pears only weighed TWO pounds. 

"But we have three pears!!!" 

Close, Charlotte. You're starting to understand how stuff works (she still thinks her feet weigh 29 pounds). You'll get the hang of everything. Until then, I'm really enjoying seeing your mind try to wrap itself around how this sometimes-confusing world of ours works. 

(Of course, Meijer is the favorite place to shop because of the fishies!! :-) )