The Great Communicator

Ever since we started Natalie on solids, we've been using some sign language.  "more", "all done", and "milk" are my big 3.  We sorta gave up on signing "milk" when she started verbalizing it with "mmmma", but the others we use all the time at the table.

Natalie has apparently decided she doesn't like any of our signs, so she has created one and only one sign.  It's similar to "all done", but she has chosen to put both hands above her head and start waiving them.  At the dinner table, we have found this can mean "more" OR "all done", and when sitting on the floor this means "up".  I'm not sure I know how to break her of this mi-communication, mostly because it works.  She waives her hands, and we all respond.

The challenging part is when we are eating.  We don't know if she wants more or if she's all done, so we take a guess.  If we guess wrong, we get a bunch of high pitched screeching and more hand waiving.  :)

It will be interesting to see if the great communicator will learn our language anytime soon!

Natalie's 9 Month Checkup

I'm a bit late in posting this, mostly because we had the checkup and then left for a camping trip soon after.  And since the camping trip came with a lot of rain, we then spent a few days cleaning everything up from all the mud.  :)

So, Natalie is very healthy.  She now has 7 teeth (yes, we are waiting for the other pair to come in for the odd-ball bottom one.)

Her stats are:

Height:  29" (88%)
Weight:  18.13 lbs (41%)
Head Circumference: 44 cm (46%)


She is crawling all over the place, which is fun.  She is trying to communicate, but she uses her own language and doesn't really seem to be picking up ours.  Baby sign language is escaping her at the moment.  There is no "more" and "all-done" seems to be waiving both hands in the air.  It's actually quite cute.  We believe "mmma" is milk and "ma-ma" does seem to come out once in a while, in appropriate context, so that might be a word as well.  Natalie is a music/sound person for sure.  Any song (or jingle) that comes on and she is dancing.  It's sooo cute!  And her taste in music is pretty much anything!  Rap, rock, soft rock, classical, mommy singing...

We just lowered her crib due to the fact that she is pulling herself up to at least her knees, and because she is so tall, we are afraid she will actually make it over.  So safety first!

Officially Crawling!

Like her rolling over, Natalie just decided today to crawl.  So she crawled across the room and keeps crawling around like she's been doing it forever.

Yesterday, I kept telling Kim that I swore she moved one knee and then the other, but then she was back on her belly like normal.  So I wasn't sure I saw her knees move, or was hoping that her knees moved, or whatever.  Today confirmed she moved knees!


So that Alli could see her crawl, I put Natalie on the floor in the bathroom and then Alli and I got into the shower.  It didn't take long before we had a visitor with us in the shower, and Alli got to see her crawl across the room.

We are excited, and this weekend we will be buying new plug covers and rubber bands (for our cabinets).  :)