Measuring A Year

That's right! It has been one year since the birth of our little Natalie. Here is her first year in review.

Happy Birth Day!
Natalie was in a hurry to join our family, she didn't waste any time. She came in the early hours on Friday the Thirteenth, I guess we should have known then we were in for some trouble. Read her birth story here.

Month One
For the first two weeks we thought we had a perfect angle baby, and we did. All Natalie did was sleep. After week two, colic set in hot and heavy and we realized she was just a normal baby after all. More often than not she wore Spencer's hand-me-down sleepers.

Month Two
We discovered Natalie's right hip wasn't positioned correctly during a routine examination. We were told it would be an easy fix. She was classic colic, crying all the time. We borrowed a large exercise ball from a friend and used it to calm and/or put her to sleep. We pretty much bounced all day on the ball. She didn't mind taking a bottle as long as it was filled with pumped milk and not formula.

Month Three
Grandma and good friends got tired of seeing Natalie in boy clothes so we got an influx of cute girl clothes. Even when I dressed her in pink and polka dots though perfect strangers still called her a boy. We met with an Orthopaedic Surgeon for her hip and she was put in a Pavlic harness. Read about that here. I took the kids home to Idaho by myself and Natalie got to meet my side of the family for the first time. The exercise ball came with us. If I could have I would have put it in my carry-on and used it on the plane.

Month Four
Natalie's colic magically cleared up, no more days of crying nonstop. She is getting good control of her hands and is even trying to self sooth by sucking her fingers. We have started her on solids and she loves food! She was taken out of the Pavlic harness because it wasn't helping and she was put in a Spica Cast. Read about her cast here.

Month Five
She isn't sleeping well and I can only imagine it is because she is uncomfortable in her cast. She has been growing a lot, so much she had to get her cast replaced with a bigger one. She went to her first air show.

Month Six
We learned we were moving to England! Natalie is going to be an international traveller. She fights sleep like it is a disease and she will no longer accept a bottle. She is trying to roll over despite being in a full body cast. Regardless of her physical limitations she is the happiest, smiley-est baby...that hates sleeping at night.

Month Seven
She got her cast off! Boy she was smelly after three months of not bathing but we still love her. Her muscles are weak but she gets to stretch and exercise them all day long. She is getting stronger by the day. She has become quite the chatter box, all day long she is talking and singing. She sleeps with a "cruiser" hip abduction brace at night. Read about her cast removal and brace here.

Month Eight
Natalie can sit up unsupported and has started scooting on her back as a way to get around. She is unstoppable. She made another trip to Idaho to meet a little more family and say goodbye before moving to England for three years. She is sleeping worse than ever...I blame it on the "moving to a new country and sleeping in hotels" thing.

Month Nine
Natalie is teething, big time. She is unsettled and fussy and not sleeping well. She has mastered the pincer grasp and eats puffs and cheerios like a champ. She will push up on all fours and try to inch forward. Crawling is just around the corner.

Month Ten
Natalie is an expert crawler. She'll wave "bye-bye" when we take her up to bed. She is pretty much done eating mushy babyfood from a jar. She wants to eat what we are eating! She loves books. Quite often I'll catch her flipping through books she has pulled off the shelf.

Month Eleven
Natalie is getting good at pulling herself up to standing and cruising around furniture.  She'll also eat anything except raisins. She loves to eat. She is a very silly girl. She likes to play peek-a-boo and blow raspberries. She met with an Orthopaedic Surgeon for her hip and she no longer needs to wear her brace at night!

Month Twelve
Two teeth have pushed through, both on the bottom. She has also moved on to cow's milk. I don't know if it is because she wants to be like her brother and drink out of a sippy cup but she is no longer interested in nursing. She is a big climber. She has successfully climb the staircase without assistance. I wasn't far behind if she slipped but she didn't need me.

Happy Birthday my sweet beautiful baby girl. What a difference a year makes!