Little bits of Natalie

There are so many times throughout the day that I see Natalie do something and think that I need to remember to blog about it. I don't want to forget the little things that she is learning and doing all the time. So, this is just a little list of Natalie's recent quirks and accomplishments:

*She can make herself sneeze. I have no idea how but I think it's an impressive talent! I discovered this a few months ago when she sneezed and when I laughed at her and asked her if she had to sneeze again, she did (over and over again)! I need to get it on video.

*She has been adding a few new foods to her diet here and there. She will now eat hummus (if it's on a pretzel and spread pretty thin) and pumpkin bread (stuff I made that I thought was mediocre at best). She has also been drinking prune juice mixed with her bottle of Pediasure at night. Next step is to eliminate the bottle (she just has one at night but it's a pretty solid part of her bedtime routine)!

*She can walk much longer distances with her walker and she just learned how to turn it to go in different directions. The turning process is still rather unsafe if someone is not right there next to her but she is getting better every day! She seems to relish the freedom it gives her and she is getting VERY stubborn about doing the walking thing her way (i.e. picking the direction, the pace, stopping/starting etc). She's also been trying to stand up by herself in the middle of the floor but her balance is not quite there yet to be successful.

*She likes certain parts of preschool but I am not sure she is as excited about it yet as she was last year. It's hard to live up to Miss Davis! However, Natalie does seem to at least enjoy gym and library time and I think as time goes on, she will love it as much as she did before.

*She follows directions so well! She heads straight for the stairs and goes up to her bedroom when I tell her that it is nap time. She gets certain toys or books when I tell her to. Natalie goes right to her chair in the kitchen when I tell her that it is lunch/breakfast/dinner time. I should note that she has been able to follow directions pretty well for awhile now but I don't know if I've ever made it a point to note it. I just started trying to teach her letters and I think she will pick up on it pretty quickly. I tested her today on one of her toys which has rather small letters buttons and she seemed to know "N" and "A" after I showed them to her a few times.

*Natalie had her first appointment with her new pediatrician a couple weeks ago (4 year appt)and she was 35 lbs and 39 inches tall. That is the 47th percentile for weight and 28th percentile for height. This is GREAT for a former micropreemie! It's funny that she's only at the 28th percentile for height because everyone always comments on "how tall" she is.

*She has now had stitches in her chin a total of 4 times(May 2009, January 2010, April 2010, and August 2010) and her ped said that the next time she needs them(because there will be a next time), I should have the ER doctor put a few internal stitches in first. He made it sound as if they should have known to do this before - interesting!