Naval War Collage Graduation!

Daddy is almost done with school - YEA!!! We went to the ceremony to watch him graduate from the Naval War College and Nati was a good little girl and sat through the entire ceremony without making a peep. We got all dressed up to show Daddy just how proud we are of all his hard work.

Daddy getting his diploma

We both have our fancy pants (dress) on!

My dad is so handsome!

March 17, 2009 - St. Patty's Day

Nati loves to go on a walk! We spend as much time as we can outdoors when the weather is nice, and St. Patty's Day was a perfect day to go for a walk at the beach! We live only a few blocks from a nice boardwalk with plenty of beautiful scenery!

The water is nice to look at, but way too cold to go in.

Wearing green for St. Patty's Day so not to get pinched!

Lipske's come for a visit!

The Lipske family came down from Sebastopol to visit for the weekend before we leave for Hawaii. I was a nanny for Forrest and Vallena when I was in college. I started when they were about 8 months old and went back to San Diego when they were almost 4 years old. Hard to believe they are now 14. I can safely say my time spent with them helped me to become the mom I am today. While babysitting is definitely easier than being a 24/7 mom, Nati will be happy to know I learned not to let a toddler get too close to the edge of a duck pond... he only fell in half way - sorry Forrest! It was great seeing them after all these years!

March 13, 2009 - 4 Months Old

Nati is four months old and growing tall! She now weighs 13 lbs. 2 oz and is 26 inches tall. She is in the 40th percentile for weight and 95th percential for height. If she keeps growing at this rate, she'll pass her parents by the time she is 10!

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It is so exciting to watch Nati change and learn new things each and every day. Her most recent discovery is making noise with her lips. She'll sit and experiment with the sounds she can make, usually resulting in a large amount of drool soaked into her clothes - but so cute to watch... Enjoy!

Nati has learned how to make noises with her lips!

March 12, 2009 - New Addition

Auntie Kim gave birth to Braeden Michael Russ on March 12, 2009 at 8:48pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs 2 oz and was 19 inches long. Both Mom and baby made it through the event happy and healthy! Uncle Mike and Cousin Peyton were so excited to to finally meet the little guy that was growing in mommy's belly for so long.

Welcome to the family Braeden!

Nati has two cousins now... and counting!

Getting Bigger!

Nati is almost 4 months old - time seems to be flying by! She is a great sleeper... goes down at 8pm, wakes for a snack between 4 and 5am then back down until 7am. She likes to stay busy during the day; enjoying her swing, floor gym, vibrating chair, looking in her mirror and playing with her rattles. She also still loves to be outside, we take at least two walks a day (weather permitting). Here are a few pictures before one of our outings!

Work, Work, Work!

My first day back to work was February 16th, which is why this blog has not been updated since Valentine's Day. I am working part time from home, taking the entire day to get four hours of work in while Nati sleeps. Trying to balance work and spending quality time with her has proven to be more difficult than I thought, but we are making it work!

Daddy has also been busy working on this thesis for his Master's. He graduates March 27th with a Master's of Science and Operation's Research. He has also been nominated for an award for the impact his thesis could have on the Navy. We are very proud of his dedication and hard work (I hope Nati got his smarts).

Nati is growing and changing every day! She is starting to laugh on her own (without us trying to tickle her). The other day, we came back from a long walk and Nati all-of-the-sudden busted out in a real belly laugh while watching her daddy put away her stroller. We have been trying to recreate the event to get her to laugh, but no luck. It was the cutest sound, I can't wait to hear it again!

She has also taken to a certain cuddle her Nana gave her for Christmas. She holds it while she relaxes at night. It's the perfect size, easy for her to cuddle.

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