Hats, hats, hats

In the words of my teaching partner, hats can make something that is kind of boring into something very amusing. On the same night we did a hat activity with the students at school, Natalia also experienced the joy of hats.

Halloween-Natalia dressed as a Chinese acrobat

The original plan to dress Natalia as a gnome did not come to fruition due to a variety of factors. Probably the most important was that we were just too busy to get her costume together. However, we did find a great Chinese acrobat costume-the only thing missing is the hat. It is quite charming and only trips her up a little bit.

A lovely fall walk in the park.....

Natalia loves to go for walks, especially if it can be in the Baby Bjorn. She will also reluctantly accept the stroller. She is often completely entranced during a walk, observing everything around her, wide-eyed. She loves to watch the geese and the ducks that we can see at the park. She also will happily wave a leaf around, enjoying the color. These pictures are from a lovely day in October where our little family enjoyed a walk around the lagoon.

A fall trip to visit Ana, Maryza, and Josh

We made the trip out to Cedarburg just before Halloween to visit our family out there. We were treated to a delicious lunch and a fun time with Ana, Josh, and Maryza. Natalia enjoyed playing and joking with them. We also went for a walk and saw the beautiful fall color. Natalia was completely fascinated with a maple leaf that we gave her.

Remembering back to an October day at Titi Maggie's house....

Natalia had a great time with her family at Titi Maggie's house, which included swinging, playing on the trampoline, and wrestling with her cousins. It is hard to believe now in December that it was only a few weeks ago.....

A visit from Abuelo

Please note, this is dated a bit. Last month Natalia and the family received a visit from Abuelo, who came all the way from Puerto Rico. Despite a busy schedule, Natalia still managed to charm her Abuelo. As a result of their power bonding, she was quite disraught to see him go.

What a day!

Natalia began her swimming lessons two weeks ago. She is very focused while she is in the water. The babies are working on their kicking and lunging for rubber duckies. They also are having their ears put in the water, which is often greeted by cries of baby agony.

We went on a trip to Barthel's apple orchard last week. The weather was beautiful and the apples look great this year! Natalia was more than content to gnaw on an apple for the entire time we were there. She also agreed to pose in a few action shots picking apples. I'm sure it will be much more interesting for her when she is older, but this visit was really a lot of fun for us.

Pulling to a stand!

Natalia started pulling herself up to a stand a couple of weeks ago-these pictures show one of the first sequences. She has gotten quite proficient now-and oh, so pleased with herself when she is standing. When we took her to the doctor a week or so ago, she pulled herself to a stand while holding onto a little toy set-there were about 4 or 5 other kids there, all over the age of 2. She gave us a beaming look that was full of pride! Imagining herself quite grown-up, I suppose. She also often prefers to feed herself rather than be fed, which can result in some messy mealtimes.

A visit from Tia Gloria and company

We had a visit from Tia Gloria, Melinda, Mikala, Anaya, and Silvia at the end of August (sorry about the time delay!) Natalia had a great time hanging out with her family, including a trip to State Fair and a trip to get her ears pierced.

Make way for ducklings! (A trip to Boston Public Garden)

The whole family went on a trip to Boston Public Garden to ride on the swan boats. Apparently, these same swan boats have been in operation for over 100 years! Natalia had a delightful time, bouncing and singing for most of the trip. The subway ride to get there was quite an adventure. She finally did fall asleep from sheer exhaustion on the way home.

A momentous visit to Boston!

This dates back to the beginning of August.... Natalia and her parents went again on the plane to Boston. It was quite an adventure! Natalia had a great time with her cousins, Julien and Robin. She had a particularly great time with Robin, who was around 14 months old at the time. They were very sweet with each other, at least, as sweet as two beings with minimal motor skills can be with each other. They seemed to mutually understand that a poke in the eye could mean a great display of affection.

Natalia also finally got a chance to meet her Uncle Erik and Aunt Erica. It was a great family adventure involving a great deal of baby herding and toting of gear.