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Hi, this is Grandma Julie, I am the guest blogger this week. My daughter, Becky, is helping me write this because I am not that tech savvy. Last week Dave and I met Jordan, Natalie and Erin in Knoxville, TN. We spent 2 days at the Buckberry Lodge in the Smokey Mountains where Erin and Jordan honeymooned almost six years ago.

Here is a picture of us hiking in the Smokey Mountains, it was not only our first time, but Natalie’s as well.

I'm in the stroller! Its hard to see me in this picture, but I made the hike, just like everyone else. I'm a big girl!

Natalie also loved playing a game on the swing, where I would cover her up with a blanket and say, “Where’s Natalie?”  She has just started flailing her arms, so she was able to pull down the blanket and then have a huge grin on her face.  This game seems to be an off-shoot of the laundry game Erin wrote about a few posts ago.

Why wouldn't a girl have 2 dresses to wear to a wedding? I liked my first one, but this halter dress is so breathable and colorful. Thanks, Nana! We are going to be shopping buds!

Dave and I were in charge of Natalie during the wedding. We went inside Nana and Pop’s house during Mammaw’s speech because Natalie was trying to talk too. Inside was cousin Carlie. Carlie tried to hide the rattle from Natalie but Natalie didn’t even notice.  

On Saturday evening, Dave, Natalie and I watched from “our” front porch as wedding guests hopped on the trolley for the reception.  We also had tubby time, read her new book from Nana, ate a little and sang a few familiar songs.  Natalie didn’t want to be left alone when it was time to go to bed because she was not used to her parents not being there, so I held her until she fell asleep.  She’s sooo cuddly.  Grandpa Dave was a little busy too keeping an eyeout for the trolley to return because it had scrapped cousin Ali’s van a few hours before.  (Hopefully, everything works out with this – so sorry Ali!!!)

What a wonderful time we had.  It was very nice as well to get to know Jordan’s family and friends better too.  And, congratulations to Jira and Alex!  Thanks for inviting us to celebrate with you.  I told (Great) Grandpa and Grandma Linville when we left….  “see you at the next wedding”!!!

*This is Erin – here are two pics from Alex and Jira’s weddings – one in Thailand in March 2010 (which Jordan and I were able to attend!) and the last one in Asheville in June 2011.  (Earlier this year, I asked Alex which anniversary Jira wanted to celebrate and he said all of them – including the one last Dec., which was just at the courthouse, since you have to be married within so many days of arriving to the States!  Smart lady!  Good luck w/ 3 anniversaries, Alex!)

Alex & Jira's first wedding in Thailand - March 2010

The Western Wedding! Congrats, Alex and Jira!

Two weekends ago, the Smith Family kindly invited us over for a Father’s Day BBQ at their lovely home.  (A grill and backyard?!?!  Jordan was in heaven!)  Natalie loved hanging out with Stella, age 3.5, and Ruby, age 6 mo (born the day before Natalie – in the same hospital!).  Clearly, Natalie felt very comfortable with these long-time friends, so comfortable in fact, that she ditched her cute dress…. 

Hahaha - really, we HAVE to get together more often. 6 mo is way to long to go without seeing you. Also, Mom, when can I get a big sister? Stella is awesome!

Stella was very generous with her kisses and talked so sweetly to Natalie.  Ruby shared her toys very well. 

Ruby, look over there.... see that cool toy? Never mind me over here in one of your favs....

Marla, Stella’s and Ruby’s mom, who has a self-described “shopping addiction” writes a fun, kids’ fashion and other stuff blog, http://keepingupwithstella.blogspot.com/.  Even though reading this blog highlights exactly how non-fashionable I (and by default, Natalie) can be, its a fun read with super cute pics and ideas.  You should check it out!

My youngest sister, Leah, is in Prince George, Canada, studying environmental science.  I posted this cute picture of Natalie on facebook….

Its okay, Mom. Don't be worried. I'll lead the way.

and Leah wrote, “I see Natalie is falling into her auntie’s stream ecology footsteps!”  Since stream ecologists (never knew that was a profession!) are likely good at math and science, and great people to go on a trip with, I could support this.  As long as it doesn’t mean Natalie follows her auntie (and her boyfriend) up to Canada!   We’re trying to get them back here!

In other cute Natalie news, she may have discovered her feet and hands today.  I saw her staring at them for brief moments.  She also was so excited to have my sing her favorite pumpkin song (thanks again Megan and Molly B!), that she tipped over.  So adorable.

Now, for parental advice… Natalie seems to have a case of “oh my gosh, my mom left the room, I’m going to freak out”.  You might call this stranger anxiety, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t like to be by others, rather she just always wants to be able to see me.  Advice, please?!?!

I cannot believe our little Natalie is 6 months old!  (Actually, she “turned” 6 mo last Sun, June 19 – Father’s Day!)  This has been the best 1/2 year ever.  What has this cute little girl been up to?

Oh (Hoosier) daddy... you're such a riot! Happy Father's Day to me too!

Weight / Height. At her 6 mo appt (which was actually 1.5 weeks early), Natalie measured 25 inches (33rd percentile) and 19 lbs, 5 oz (97th+ percentile).  Yes, it seems that the doctor’s office doesn’t differentiate after 97th percentile… needless to say, this little girl is a bit out of proportion.  Her propensity for extreme chub comes from her Daddy… (For comparison, at 6 months, I was 17 lbs, 11.5 oz and 25.75 inches.  Jordan was 21.5 lbs and 27 inches.  In pounds per inch, Jordan takes the cake, with 0.796 lbs per inch, whereas Natalie is a “light” 0.77 lbs/inch.) The doctor said that starting to eat other foods might help her slim down a bit.  Rice cereal, anyone?!?

My Pop calls me Chubby Lumpkins. Is it because of my four fat rolls on my arms? I like to call it accessorizing - these are bracelets!

Developmental Milestones: Natalie still cannot roll over, which the doctor said is likely due to her “Buddha Belly”.   However, she is very good at sitting and can do so for minutes at a time.    She can pass a toy from one hand to the next.  She can inch along on her tummy, though progress here as been slow since she recently doesn’t like spending much time on her belly – I think b/c she’s frustrated.  We just started trying food.  We started with rice cereal, which I cooked wrong, so no wonder she didn’t like it.  Today we tried sweet potatoes, which was much more popular, though still resulted in a face that says “this is sour”.  We noticed teething on Monday and two little buds are popping up.

Mom, is rice cereal supposed to be crunchy? My friends tell me its supposed to be creamy.

This spoon tastes A LOT better than that cereal. (and, feels awfully nice on my teething gums!)

She is starting to be more aware of being around strangers – or, at the very least, really wanting her mom or dad around.  Tonight, my parents had her outside and she would check out the tree and then look at me to make sure I was still there.  “Tree, mom, tree, mom, tree, mom.”   So sweet!  She also does the cutest little shimmy shake when something exciting happens.  That can be seeing someone she likes, hearing the song that her octopus plays, or….just waking up!  And, she loves playing with her tongue (I know my sister Becky is going to LOVE this photo….)

Look at my cool new trick! Can you curl your tongue up too?

Favorite Activities: 1) Standing, especially Standing and Dancing.  2) The Sophie, Be Quiet Game with Dad.  3) Singing silly songs (especially Pumpkin, Pumpkin).  4) Putting anything and everything in her mouth.  5) Drooling.  6) Watching other people, particularly older kids.  7) Playing in her bouncy gym.  8) Listening to music on the Octopus.  9) Playing “near, far” which means someone goes far away, says “far” and runs up to say “near”.  (Then, repeat 30 times.)  10) Doing “exercises” with mommy, like having her belly on my shins when I do crunches.

This is a love kiss - I promise. Its only polite to let those you love know how much you love them by chewing on them.

Favorite Places to Go: 1) Mass at Sheil.  Natalie is quite the church flirt.  She loves smiling at all people and especially loves the constant flow of new faces in the communion line.  The other day at mass, she looked at three brothers, between the ages of 3 and 8, for honestly, 10 min.  Her daddy told her that she would need to learn to be a little more coy when she was older.  2) Raymond Park, across the street from our house.  With a swing, slide and many friends to watch, what’s not to love?!?  3) Library.  Once again, a great place to watch other kids!  As for the enjoying cuddling and reading, we’re still working on that.  She hasn’t been very into it this past month.  4) Any of our friends’ houses.  We love to see our friends’ toys and see how they play with them.

Hey Luke, if I let you play with my block, can I come over and swim in your pool? sounds like a fair trade to me!

… to all those Dads out there.  And, most especially Natalie’s Dad, Grandpa and Pop!  We are so lucky to have you in our lives.  Unf, its been a busy weekend, so not much time to blog; we’ll post more later.

Yeah, yeah its time to play!

(Sorry this photo is so dark, but her smile is just darling!)

My younger sister (by 362 days) and Natalie’s godmother, Becky, spent the weekend with us!  It was so awesome to have her around – she obviously loves Natalie to pieces and kept her entertained, while Jordan and I tried to clear out our condo to get it ready to put on the market.  Auntie Becky kindly agreed to be our 3rd guest blogger…..

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to spend 3 days with Natalie. It was tons of fun…even though I didn’t really have a place to sleep. Natalie makes up for small inconveniences ten fold! There were a million things Natalie did that made my heart melt. I decided to narrow my list down to the Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Natalie.

Reason #1: She has a perfect round face. And, its pretty hard to go throughout the day without giving her cheeks a kiss or two. I probably kissed her cheek over 100 times. Dont tell her mom though… I dont think she would like that!!

What is that thing you keep putting in my face??

Reason #2: Her thighs. They are just so cute and chunky.

Reason #3: When she just goes down for a nap. This was the cutest thing during my whole visit. When I put down Natalie for her nap in the crib, she reaches for her nookie and then her little mouse blanket. And then she sucks on her nookie and holds her little mouse blanket up to look at. Its sooooo precious. I really wanted to take a picture of this to capture the full cuteness…. but I didnt want to disturb her. Maybe her mom can take a picture of this for us!!!

Reason #4: Changing her diaper. Okay, its so much fun to change her diaper because her little, chubby legs go straight up in the air. I am always amazed how far up she can bring her legs… especially since they are pretty meaty. (I dont know if thats the best word choice but thats all I have for right now).

Reason #5: Getting stuck in the Bumboo Seat. It never fails. She always gets stuck in the bumboo seat. Its so cute.

Aunt Becky, why are you laughing at me? Getting stuck in this thing is not any fun for me.

Reason #6: Shes always smiling. Natalie is so generous with her smiles! Its really easy to make her smile and when she does, you just feel so happy.

Reason #7: Feeding her. Feeding Natalie is so much fun, BUT it goes quick. She sucks on the bottle so hard that she is able to drink 4 ounces in just a few minutes. Everytime I fed her, she would keep on sucking on the bottle even though there was no more milk in it. She would put up a pretty good fight when I tried to take the bottle out of her mouth too… her sucking capabilities are amazingly strong!

Reason #8: She keeps her mom and I from fighting! Ever since Natalie was born, Erin and I never argue anymore. Its pretty hard to be petty with your sister when the cutest baby on earth is watching us. Natalie is already proving to be a peacemaker!

Reason #9: She makes me so happy. Natalie has this innate ability to make you feel SUPER happy. Just looking at a picture of her will brighten your day immediately. (BTW, Rob also has this ability!! 😉 )

Reason #10: Her facial expressions. I just love to watch her facial expressions. Its like you know what shes thinking just by looking at her face.

I'm back in the bumboo seat. I think Aunt Becky puts me in this thing just so she can take me out again.

I love Natalie!!!!

As you may recall, Natalie and I went to my friend Kate’s shower a couple months ago – we were so excited to meet “Freddie” (the fetus’s nickname) – who turned out to be a girl!  We knew it!  Taylor Colleen was born 1.5 weeks ago and is an absolute cutie.  Even though she’s in the 90th percentile for height and weight, I was shocked to see how tiny a newborn really is!

Within 90 min of us leaving her house, Kate had made this great post on her blog, which I’m stealing for ours, as this is a really busy week of work and housework!  So, in a way, she’s our 2nd guest blogger….. (Thanks, Kate!)

Taylor’s first friend

Natalie: Whoa - what is going on here? Why are you so upset, my little friend? Taylor: Why does my mom always put me on a blanket mid-feeding? Come on, so what if I was sleeping on the job?!?! I should get to eat whenever and wherever I want!!!!

(From Erin: Natalie proceeded to sympathy cry for 3 seconds – apparently, that’s all the sympathy she had in her.  Actually, I’m teasing – I distracted her, a technique we use a lot now-adays!)

Jord & Kath Baby Pics[1]

Click on the above link to see pictures of some cute babies.  Sorry the pics aren’t inserted in, but Bill (“Pop”) sent them over as a pdf, so this is as good as I can do.  I’m not sure how Kathy (normal-sized kid and pretty, young, thin Mom) possibly had a baby as big as my husband!  Thankfully, Natalie hasn’t quite caught up to J’s girth – but she’s certainly trying!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

UPDATE: Thanks to the work of the beautiful and talented Jennifer Leslie Boling, we have these pictures in our post now! See below

Kathy Stevenson Linville

Mother & BIG son

Natalie is a big cousin!  Meet Baby Marx….

First cousins pic!

Aunt Becky is due Dec. 3, which is just 16 days before Natalie’s birthday.  So, they will be Irish cousins!  (Becky and I are 3 days less than a year apart, so we are Irish twins – she came home on my 1st birthday, and we’ve gotten along beautifully ever since!*)

Natalie is overjoyed to have a cousin – she celebrated the news by packing up some “old” clothes just after Easter:

Welcome Little Marx! Please remember that I'm the boss of you!

“I’m the boss of you!” is a joke in my family.  For an assignment in second grade, I had to answer: “What makes you mad?”  My answer was “When Becky doesn’t listen to me because I’m the boss of her.”  The next year, when Becky had to complete the assignment, she answered “When Erin thinks she is the boss of me.”  (*As anyone who grew up with Becky and me knows, that comment was full of sarcasm – thankfully, we get along better now!)

Congratulations, Aunt Becky, Uncle Rob and Baby Marx!  Baby Marx, we cannot wait to meet you in person!  In the meantime, Natalie will eagerly soak up all the solo-Auntie-Becky time she can!

We are so lucky that Nana spent an entire week with us.  We picked her up in Indy and took her home to Chicago with us.  Since she was the primary care giver for the week, Nana has agreed to be our first guest blogger (though photo comments are still from Natalie – she told me what to write)…..

Hey folks, it’s Kathy aka Nana.  I haven’t been a Nana for long, but it is definitely one of the favorite things I’ve ever done.  Perhaps it’s because I have the sweetest little grand-daugher in the world!  Loved playing in the park with her fabulous Mom and Dad!

Nana, you've gotta try this - come swing with us!

Natalie gets warm very quickly (I thought that was just us for post-menopausal gals), so I made a terrycloth lining for her stroller.   Hope it helps, Nat-bug!

What's this crazy machine? My mommy certainly does not use it.

We went to the zoo this morning with Natalie’s little friend, Evelyn.  It was really hot and probably a bit more adventuresome than we had bargained for.  As you can see though, she kept her sweet smile.

My Nana is much more interesting than those black and white striped things behind us!

So, I’m sure just like her Grandma, Grandpa, Pop, and assorted aunts, uncles and cousins, I feel blessed beyond words when I get to spend some time with Natalie.  You rock, sweet cheeks!

When is my Daddy going to get a shirt that says "I love my daughter?" Okay, I guess his smile is saying it... but, what about when I'm not around? He's in New Orleans for a bachelor party this weekend!