Sorry for the hiatus, but our little family has been pretty busy. Since the last post, both Grandpa and Grandma have come to visit, Darby went home with my parents, many Christmas presents have been purchased, 1500 miles have been driven, Papaw and Nanny have been visited and hugged and loved, Thanksgiving dinner has been eaten, our Christmas tree and decorations have been put up, Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Kendall have come to visit and Santa has been visited. Whew! Even writing it is tiring!
Baby's first trip to Texas went pretty well. Natalie was great in the car and we broke up the drive into two days each way. The good news: she was great in the car, ate well, and was in a pretty good mood while out in public or meeting new relatives. The bad news: she didn't sleep well and she is in the "stranger danger" phase which led to a lot of screaming and clinging to Mom and Dad. The sleeping was frustrating... she has always been a great sleeper so we're spoiled but on this trip she would wake up a few hours after going to sleep and it took at least an hour to put her down. Every night. In the hotels, she woke up before 4 am, wide awake, and both days we decided to hit the road early. It almost seemed like her Pack and Play isn't comfortable--I know she's almost too big for it so there's not a lot of flopping room. Maybe that's part of the issue.
Visiting with Nanny and Papaw was fun. We brought some toys with us and they had a walker that Natalie loved! One of Natalie's favorite things was to take all of her small toys in and out of a shoebox and make Papaw hold all of the toys, handing them to him one at a time. It was pretty humorous. Nanny also gave wagon rides around the living room which was apparently really fun. She met some other relatives including her uncle and great grandparents and she was as friendly as a baby who doesn't trust strangers could be. She was alternately clingy to either me or Daddy, but there was a lot of change and she's getting molars, so I understand the vulnerability. I just wish there was less screaming! All in all, the trip was a success. We were glad to be home (mainly out of the car) and Natalie resumed her angelic sleeping habits the day we got home.
When we got home, we immediately got and decorated a Christmas tree. The house is decorated! We have a gate around the tree and Natalie is very interested in the ornaments. Maybe once Darby gets home (she went to my parents' before we headed to TX) Natalie will be more interested in the dog, but for now it's all about the tree.
Natalie is now 11 months and hit another major milestone: walking! She has been taking one or two steps for a while now, but while we were in TX she took 10-15 steps a few times. But it has always been on her terms. She will walk when she feels like it. We tried to coax her more, but it was a no-go. And then yesterday, when we were unwinding from the day and not really paying close attention, she started walking around the house. All around the house, from one room to the next. She can also get up from sitting without pulling up. It's funny--she's a little person! I know she always has been a little person, but she's getting so big and independent (she eats the same food we do at meal times by herself) that she's more like her own person and not a continuation of us. She's less of something that needs to be cared for and more someone that needs to be guided. It's crazy how fast she is growing up!
Another milestone: her first visit to Santa. Can I take a moment to say how ridiculous it is that we had to hunt for a Santa where we could take our own picture without having to pay for a photo package? Apparently the mall Santas are something special. We went to Bass Pro Shops which was a great set up with lots of activities for older kids (and a talking reindeer Natalie liked), a great Santa, and also a free professional photo. Remember how she has been going through the stranger danger phase? The visit to Santa went exactly as I expected. Scream fest. Santa tried hard, but there was no consoling or reasoning with her. She's a baby. They ended up giving us 3 free photos--I think because they felt sorry for us and wanted to get one good one--two screamers (but amazing, classic shots) and one with me holding her that is much better. Maybe next year...
December! Here comes the cold weather, let's hope for some snow soon!
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