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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Valentine's Day

This was Nati's first Valentine's Day and she already has a suitor. Last weekend our friends Marta and Zeph offered to watch Nati for a few hours so Cielo and I could have an afternoon lunch date. Mathew (Marta and Zeph's son) got Nati her first Valentine's gift, a cute outfit complete with matching socks and headband and a cuddly puppy dog stuffed animal. He also got me some Ghiradelli chocolates! With gifts of clothes and chocolates, Mathew is well on his way to a successful dating future!

Already holding hands!

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Nati playing hard-to-get!

Heart Breaker!

Cuddly and tasty!

Feb 13, 2009 - 3 Months Old

Nati found her giggle!

Winter is here!

Winter has finally made its way to Monterey so we have to keep little Nati bundled up when we go out. She has gotten use to our afternoon walks and expects an outing each day... despite the cold. I know when she's ready to go out because she will start to get fussy while in the living room then instantly becomes content as soon as I open the front door.

Going out to get the mail with Daddy.

Getting ready to run errands with Mommy.

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"Rocken my skull and crossbone beenie!"

Love those kissable cheeks!!

Pikoday

In honor of Uncle Jake, this post is titled "Pikoday".
While watching mommy and daddy fold laundry, Nati likes to pull her shirt up showing her piko (bellybutton) while daddy says "I see your piko" and then she gives a big smile. She doesn't quite understand why she can't lift her shirt when I put her in a onesie. She is so much fun!

Girly Accessory

While Nati is cute enough without accessories, I thought I would make a few headbands for her to wear until her hair grows back in.

New Skill

Nati can now control her hands well enough to grasp objects and bring them to her mouth. She enjoys playing on her Baby Neptune floor gym looking up at the octopus with rings to hold on to. She has also started grabbing her shirt and putting it in her mouth leaving a huge slobber ring when she's done.

New Positions

Nati has had enough of viewing the world laying down! She is very strong and can hold her head up all by herself. She just started sitting in her Bumbo chair and loves looking at her fish mirror with the flashing lights.

Such a big girl!

Tummy time on the "I'm a Rock Star" blanket!

Jan 16, 2009 - Vaccinations

Nati had her two month check-up and continues to grow strong and healthy. She is now 10 lbs 14 oz and 23 inches long (long and lean - we really are her parents, I promise!) She had to get three shots which made Mommy cry more than she did. She was a brave little girl and took a long nap to sleep off the pain.

No picture for this post - this is one event I'd rather forget!

Jan 13, 2009 - 2 Months Old

Nati is now two months old and smiling day and night! We wake up each morning and say "Good Mooorning" and Nati gives us the biggest smile and has to turn away because she is so elated to see us! There is no better way to start the day than with a perfect smile from a beautiful baby girl!

This is a video, click on the right arrow below!

We had a wonderful visit with Aunt NanSea and took a spontaneous trip to Santa Cruz to pick up Cousin Mack. We came back to the house and had a wonderful dinner and played a little Wii (Mack is really good at RockBand - NanSea is pretty good too).

With Aunt NanSea and Cousin Mack.

"Aunt NanSea loves me!"

Jan 12, 2009 - Change

While diaper changes use to be a struggle at times, we are delighted to say they are now filled with smiles and happy kicking feet!

Jan 11, 2009 - Go Chargers

Even though the Chargers lost on Sunday, Cielo and Nati supported their team dressed in their Charger gear!

Jan 10, 2009 - All Smiles

Almost 2 months old and Nati is smiling more and more each day - dimples and all! She has yet to master the art of the giggle, but she makes cute little sounds when she smiles.

Jan 3, 2009 - Surprise Visit

Our first day back in Monterey, we got a wonderful surprise visit from Aunt Linda, Uncle Fred, Mason and Miles. Aunt Linda in my mom's best friend since childhood. They brought Nati a giant otter stuffed animal that is bigger than she is. The boys played Wii while the girls chatted about girl stuff! It was a great visit!