Li'l Biker Gal

We broke down and got a bicycle trailer/stroller for Natalie. Though we were uncertain how she would like it, since she does not like to be restrained in anything. But our little speed demon proved us wrong, yet again! She loves it. On her first ride, she was squealing with delight. In the below photo, she is yelling "Wheeeee-wheeee!".

Tiny Bubbles

Since it was so beautiful outside today, we took the bubbles out and Natalie had a blast chasing them all over the side yard. Nice thing was that it wore her out and she took a decent nap this afternoon. YEAH! I think that Jon and I had as much fun as Natalie did.

And then we found this most boo-tee-ful flower.

Adventures in Bubblewrap!

Monday we received the motherload of bubblewrap, courtsey to trusty e-bay. I tried having Natalie pop some by squeezing them but she couldn't get the hang of it, so I put a sheet down on the floor and told her to JUMP! It took several tries, she was just too light, but she finally got the hang of it. Natalie could not figure out where the popping sound was coming from. She jumped and something popped.

Mulan or Snow Princess?

I went nuts on E-Bay and ended up with 2 halloween costumes for Natalie. They are both so cute that I can't decide which one to put her in. I am thinking of using the Mulan for Halloween and the Princess gown for her Christmas photo. What do you think?

MULAN

or SNOW PRINCESS?

Don't let the BedBugs Bite

Sometimes you find something that sums up all your feelings better than you possibly could. This little song does just that.**

Since we returned home from vacation in June, we (I) have been having sleep issues with Natalie. Just before we left for vacation, she learned how to climb out of her crib. And since Jon and I felt that it was now too dangerous for her to be doing that we decided to convert her crib into a toddler bed when we got home. Unfortunately, while on vacation, she slept in a bed with me so she got used to sleeping with her mama. Now, mind you, I LOVE my daughter, but she is not my first choice of bed mate.

First we tried her normal nighttime routine of bubble bath, nite-nite kisses, warm bottle and soft music. Yeah, that no longer worked, she just got up as soon as I closed the door. She would stay up until she fell asleep wherever she dropped (usually on the hardwood floor in the living room). I was not comfortable with her having free run of the house or seeing her sleep on the hard floor. So, Mama moved into her room (air mattress and all). This grew old after a few weeks. The air mattress developed a slow leak, which meant that tired, old Mama woke up every morning on a deflated mattress - usually with a two year old's body part flung across her.

The mattress was retired to the basement and now Mama sits safely by the toddler bed until her little princess falls asleep. This process usually takes between 30 - 45 minutes, on a good night. But once sleep has been achieved, Mama can tiptoe out to the comforts of a new, soft pillow topped queen bed. Ahhhhhhhhh.


But who could resist this sweet face. This is how Natalie greeted me yesterday morning, sunglasses and all. Gotta Luv Her!

**I must add that Pacabel's Canon was one of "Our" songs which was played at our wedding and now Natalie listens to it each night on her bedtime cd. So I found it especially meaningful that this wonderful man summed up all my feelings in this song.