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We had such a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  Natalie was very lucky to have many valentines.  She got cards from all around the country – from WI (Grandpa & Grandma) to NC (Nana and Pop) to CO (little Jackson who is just a couple weeks older than Natalie and the son of our friends from Kellogg). 

We also had many valentines visit!  Our ND friends, Megan and Molly, stopped by with a vday package!  It was filled with cookies, as Megan and Molly are Steelers fans and needed to bring over 2 dozen delicious chocolate chip cookies, as part of a bet we had going.  That’s my kind of betting.  Natalie slept almost the entire time, so I tried to wake Natalie up for a few photos.  As you can see, I had limited success.

Wow - is this baby next to me really 3 months older than me? Either, I eat too much, or she exercises a lot more than me!

Come on, Mom... what are you doing?

After seeing the photos, can you guess who is older?  Or who weighs more?  Molly is 5 months, but weighing in at less than 13 lbs (10th percentile).  Natalie is less than 2 months, but I’m guessing she is at least 13 lbs (probably 80th or 90th percentile).  At this rate, Natalie will be sharing the clothes she outgrows with Molly – rather than the other way around!

Then, our friend Kelly (my cousin Tim’s amazing girlfriend) came over to watch Natalie, while Jordan and I went out to dinner!  Kelly is a baby lover/whisperer, and every time she comes over, Natalie cannot help but fall asleep on her. 

Kelly, can you come with us on our trip to FL in two weeks, so that I sleep on the plane the whole way? You are just so cozy! No wonder my big cousin Tim likes you so much!

Thanks for coming over, Kelly!  It was awesome to have a date night!  Towards the end of the date, Jordan couldn’t help but talk about Natalie – nonstop.  It was clear that he missed his other favorite valentine.  Who can blame him?  Isn’t she irresistible?

I love Valentine's Day!

For those of you who are impressed that she stayed in the same outfit all day (isn’t the onesie adorable? – thanks Aunt Stephanie!), don’t be.  After less than an hour in it, she peed on it when I was changing her diaper.  Not to be deterred… I washed it and we were good to go by noon!

Come on... its cool to double roll your sleeves. Didn't you know that?!?

However, after 5-6 weeks and about 50 meals, she has filled it out quite well!

Go Pack Go! Geez, does this onesie feel a bit tight to anyone else?

We made the voyage to Green Bay to watch the game with my family.  It was a weekend of many firsts – new state, long car ride (it took 4.5 hours, instead of 3.25 due to needing to stop for Natalie to eat), night away from home (though G&G have the exact same crib as we do at home, which eased the transition), and meeting great grandparents.

Natalie is very lucky to have 4 great grandmas!  For any of you who know Grandma Mary (lady on the right), you know that she has a mind of her own.  For a bunch of pics, we had trouble getting her to take her eyes off of Natalie long enough to snap a photo.  Then, once we finally did, Grandma Jean got sidetracked – as is caught on this photo.  Hopefully my dad has a better version of this special picture!  We are hoping to get a similar pic of Natalie’s Mammaw and Grandma Vonda on the other side of the fam.

Grandpa, can you say "Baa"? Whoops - did I just let out a little toot? Funny how those slip out...

What my mom left to go out for pizza?!? I had so much fun with Auntie Becky, I didn't even notice. Can you come over next Saturday?

We watched the game at my sister Becky’s house.  As you can see, Natalie was quite upset at half time – the Pack seemed to be losing momentum.  (Though, doesn’t she look great in that adorable jersey – thanks Patty!!!!)

Rodgers is on fire tonight, yet the receivers keep on dropping good throws. Come on boys!

Yet, thankfully, the Pack came back!  Now, our Green Bay family is rooting for the Pack to go to the Super Bowl in 2012 – in Indy!

For those of you who missed our daughter’s debut on Sports Illustrated, join the 24,000+ other people who have checked out Natalie’s forecast of the Super Bowl:

The actual SI link was posted last Thurs or Fri, but you have to scroll down to find it: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/extramustard/hotclicks/02/04/leighton-meester-lebron-james-resonds-to-dwight-howard/index.html?eref=sihp

She clearly has good taste in football teams and men (or rather, what men to avoid – good girl, Natalie!).

We had a great weekend in Green Bay, watching the Pack win.  More photos and stories on that later…. here’s a preview:

Mommy Swap. I'll let my mommy hug you, if you let your mommy hold me!

Given that Jordan only works 1.5 blocks from our condo and Natalie and I pretty much spend all our time in our condo, we got to enjoy the snowstorm from our cozy condo.  No need for the Linvilles to battle 5 ft snow drifts and 50 mph winds!  However, from the look of Natalie’s face, she is clearly a WI girl (I cannot bring myself to say that she is a FIB – we are, at least, close to the WI border)… she seems to love the snow!  And, milk is her fav food…..

I wish I was old enough to play outside in the snow!

On the other hand, I like snow days in too - my Daddy knows how to make me smile!

Natalie loves to read!  Here she is reading one of her Auntie Leah’s favorites, Where is Spot?  I only hope that she doesn’t love The Brave Little Toaster movie as much as Leah did.  (I swear, we rented that movie every other time we went to the movie store.)

Yeah - Spot's mommy found him! Time for Spot to eat... hmm, maybe I should eat soon too!

Here are some of our favorites:
Toes, Ears and Nose (a super fun board book from Nana where you turn little pages to discover body parts)
Duck and Goose: Its time for Christmas! (Auntie Becky has access to a lot of fun books, since she is a teacher!)
Takako and the Great Typhoon (Our friend Lynn and her husband live in Japan – we’ll probably read this book more than we use the baby trainer chopsticks, but come on, who doesn’t want baby trainer chopsticks? The book has a great message about unconditionally loving your family too)
Anything and Everything Dr. Seuss (Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, Hop on Pop)
All about Corduroy
A Very Fairy Princess (a fun book from Great Aunt Jonna… my fav line: “You just have to let your SPARKLE out!”)**

**We don’t want to overly encourage the little princess syndrome, but a little bit is okay, right?!?

Please let us know some of your favorite books and sing-along CDs (I’m running out of songs that I remember), so that we can add to Natalie’s collection over the next couple years….

Happy Reading!

On Saturday, we had our first family date night!  (We had tried, unsuccessfully, a couple weeks ago, but had to abandon the effort.)  Jordan chose this pretty dress for her.

Who makes a girl wear a dress in January in Chicago? I'm working on a surprise for Dad, to pay him back....

Okay, you've had your dinner - now, its my turn to eat! Let's go home!

Thankfully, the restaurant was only 1.5 blocks away from our house, so we were able to run home (literally – a crying, hungry baby is stressful!) so that Natalie had her chance to eat.

Natalie had her first bath today!  I have been opting for “bird baths” (as my Dad calls them), instead of a real bath, because I was nervous about everything involved.  However, my Mom led the charge, and all went well! 

Hello - this is on the internet?!? Of course, I'm going to be modest. My Daddy told me so!

Natalie was very quiet – she didn’t cry, nor did she “talk”.  (When she is awake, she usually is very eager to share her stories with us.)  I think she was kinda shell-shocked.

What is happening here!?! My mom says that I spent 9 months in water, so I should be fine, but honestly - this doesn't feel familiar. Thank goodness I accidentally found my fist and can suck on it for comfort!

Then, we had a doctor’s appointment later in the day.  She HATED getting her shot – almost as much as Grandma Julie hated it.  Grandma Julie went on the other side of the room and didn’t look – I also think her eyes were tearing up a little bit.  Before the terrible shot, she was weighed and measured.  At 5 weeks, 1 day, Natalie weighs 10 lbs, 13 oz. (85th percentile – compared to 47th percentile at 5 days old) and measures 21 3/4 inches (67th percentile – compared to 41st percentile at 5 days old).  So, as these tubby time pictures show, she is definitely living up to her nicknames of “Hungry, Hungry Hippo” and “Chub-Chub“.  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, as she is her father’s daughter.  Jordan’s dad, Pop, was known as “Father of Many Chins” because Jordan had a triple chin when he was a baby!  (Thankfully, that goes away with time!)

Thanks, Great Great Aunt Carollyn for this cozy towel! Its the perfect size for me!

Okay, the Linville family isn’t going to the Super Bowl, but we certainly will be cheering for our beloved Packers!  Thanks to Kevin for hosting a fun game watch – even though it was confusing for the 4 Packers fans to watch the game with Bears fan.  Everytime there was a cheer, we expected to see something good on TV, but obviously, that wasn’t the case.  However, we deserved to win – because we were the most diehard fans there!

Natalie has a new fav player in BJ Raji… he actually has bigger cheeks than she does!

3 generations of Packers fans - Grandma, thanks for putting a G on my bow, so that everyone knows I'm a girl Packers fan!

We’re happy for our friends, Megan and Molly, that their fav team, the Steelers, will likely win tonight.  (I type this as the Steelers are up, 24-10, but Ben R just had his 2nd interception.) However, we don’t expect the same outcome for them in 2 weeks! 

Molly, I bet you some cheesecurds that the Packers beat the Steelers!!!

Natalie is one month old today! 

Yeah - I'm sitting upright. Quick, take the pic before I fall over!

Although it has been an incredible month, I am thankful that we have our first month as parents under our belt.  Here’s a summary of who Natalie is and what she likes at one month old:

Weight / Height: TBD – Doc’s appt is next Monday, though she is already comfortably fitting into 3-month clothes
Who does she look like?  Everyone says Jordan – especially those cheeks and possibly eyes.  And Jordan says his calves. 🙂  She has my ears and skin tone.
Favorite Food: Mom’s Milk – at least 8 times a day. (Yes, she has tried a bottle once and guzzled it.  We needed to practice, since Grandma Julie will be feeding her one this weekend.) 

What is this strange contraption in my mouth, and why is Daddy feeding me?

Nicknames: Hungry Hungry Hippo, Squeakers, Squawkbox, Squawkers McGee
Favorite Songs: Row, Row, Row Your Boat; I love you, you love me (Barney); Natalie Ann (to the tune of Macho Man), “untitled” original song that her Daddy wrote for her
Favorite Author: Dr. Seuss
Favorite position: Lying on someone’s chest
Fussy time: Evening
Ways to soothe: Hair dryer, lying on someone’s chest, white noise, bouncing/jiggling.  We’ve tried a binky, but that does not seem to work at all – she hasn’t taken to it.
Places she has visited: Doc’s office, Hospital, Grocery Store, Church, Giordano’s, Potbelly’s, Daddy’s work.  Mom & Dad tried a family date night at Koi last Friday, but that was entirely unsuccessful.  She wouldn’t stop crying, so we left after we got our waters.  We think we have to opt for louder restaurants.  
Favorite Things to Do: drink, stare at her black and white shapes, go to mass (twice now) grunt, listen, be held, make explosive poops, have visitors
Least Favorite Things: Binkies, Getting her Clothes Changed, Being Hungry

Thanks for reading our blog!

Given the cold weather, Natalie and I usually have to stay inside our condo.  However, we have a pretty eventful schedule.

She usually wakes up around 7 or 8 (editor’s note: after waking up 2-3 times to feed during the night!).  She really likes her “womb sounds” bear – thank you great Auntie, which was also a favorite of her Florida cousins, Devin and Brogan.  Natalie loves the black and white photos as well, which are posted throughout the condo.  And, the Cat in the Hat sheets fit with our Dr. Seuss theme.

Go away - I pushed the snooze button!

Between feedings (which occur at least 8 times a day), we engage in a lot of activity!  Each morning, Natalie has tummy time.  This girl has some seriously strong neck control.

One, two, three, go!

She can also do a pretty impressive set of leg lifts.  We usually read a book – our new favorite is “There’s a Wocket in my Pocket,” which our friends Aubrey and Brad brought by this weekend.  (Along with a delicious lasagna and cupcakes – THANK YOU!!!)

Sometimes, we have a visit from a friend too.

Auntie V loved my Irish outfit today - she is known for her Irish flare as well!

By the time Dad gets home, Natalie usually needs a little more snuggle time.

Dad, you have no idea how much we did today - I'm exhausted!

Good night (at least until my next feeding in two hours)

I realize that almost all of these photos show Natalie asleep…. she is awake more and more these days, but that’s often during daytime hours, when I don’t have easy access to Dad’s i-phone, for easy picture uploading.