We apologize for how long this post has taken! I think we have been a little intimidated to write this one since there is just so much to say about Natalie’s new developments. She is turning into a toddler right before our eyes. The highlights: teeth, crawling, standing, sign language, words, and finger food. And of course, all of this new mobility means one thing to Harrison: his sister is now officially in the middle of his business. Ten times out of ten, she would rather play with one of his trucks than her own toys. Harrison has very mixed feelings about this development. Sometimes, he embraces her by showing her how his toys operate and giving her hugs and kisses. Of course, we document these moments. But we are hearing a lot of “NO SISTER, THAT’S MINE!” from Harrison lately. We think this is pretty normal, but we are definitely working on the concept of sharing. And to be clear, Natalie certainly holds her own. She is very strong and really likes to tackle her brother. Of course, we document these moments too.
Natalie started fully crawling a few weeks ago and is now a pro, as you can see from this video. She loves crawling under the furniture and looks for all of Harrison’s hiding places. She also loves to try to put every little crumb she finds in her mouth, so we are keeping our house very clean these days! We are so excited that she will be walking when the weather warms up. She is going to adore playing outside. Natalie has learned some sign language (“more,” “all done,” and of course, waving hello and goodbye.) And we are excited that she started saying a few words: “hi,” “more,” “mama,” and “dada.” She is such a smart little girl. She loves her books and is really figuring out cause and effect—deliberately dropping things just to see what happens, turning the light switches on and off, etc. She loves music, bobbing her head and shoulders every time she hears it with the widest smile. Along with mobility is finally coming some better naps. She is finally stretching her naps pretty regularly to an hour or more, so she can nap twice a day and give us a little more predictability in our schedule!
Harrison is growing too and continues to entertain and challenge us every day. He is starting to identify letters and sounds and he can now write “H.” We are all very proud. Like his sister, he continues to love reading and we are looking forward to helping him start to read himself soon. Harrison continues to crack us up with his increasingly refined negotiation skills (we’re certain he has a career in law if he so chooses). It doesn’t matter what we tell him he needs to do, he will make a pitch for what he wants and negotiate down from there. Time for bed? Harrison: “5 more books, Mommy.” Amy: “Harrison, I’ll read you one more book.” Harrison: “3 more books.” Before we know it, Amy’s reading 2 books instead of the 0 she started off with. Then when the lights are out, we negotiate how many minutes we stay with him in his room. He usually starts out with fifteen minutes and after that initial period, tries to renegotiate for more time. Sigh. No one will ever take advantage of this sweet child. He will wear them down first!
We have had a few really nice days sprinkled in the middle of snowfalls and Harrison has figured out how to peddle his bike (still with the training wheels). So much fun to take family walks now with him on the bike and Natalie in the stroller. We are all very excited for spring.
