7 Weeks Old

I can't believe Natalie is 7 weeks old! Her hands are open most of the time now, and although she can't really grab objects just yet, she can sometimes hold things placed in her hands. And, once she wraps her hands around something, she might not let go so easily - ha! She still loves batting at objects hanging above her on her play-mat, and is currently staring at the "other baby" in the mirror as I'm typing this. She started out fascinated by this "other baby," but now she's furrowing her brow and whimpering while staring at this "other baby." I wonder what's so concerning?  ;)

With both eyes now able to follow things consistently and well, Natalie has been tracking moving objects much better. When Brian or I get her attention, her eyes will often lock onto ours and she smiles a large smile! :)

That's our little "Sun Devil!"

 Giving Sophi the Giraffe a lick!

She loves playing "airplane" with daddy

Dressed-up for Madelyn's B-day party

 Cute monkey outfit! I love the ears and the feet!

We've been using the short periods of time when she is quiet and alert as a time for learning — talking to her, singing to her, describing aspects of her surroundings, etc. Even bath time becomes a laboratory for understanding the world around her!

Speaking of bath time, Brian earns BONUS husband points for being so helpful when I had a raging headache last night. I sometimes get these awful tension headaches, and I couldn't even look down to change Natalie on the table, let alone feed and bathe her before bedtime. :(   So I told Brian he had to finish feeding her with formula, and I just crawled into bed because I was in so much pain. Not only did he feed her, but he also brought me Tylenol (and Ibuprofen later), glass of water, gave Natalie a bath, changed her diaper and put her in PJ's, put her to bed, and he put away the rice-crispy treats I had just made so they didn't go stale. What a sweetheart! :) By the way, I'm feeling much better this morning.

We've had a few storms pass by our place recently this summer, including more haboobs! (That's the giant brown wall of dust approaching in these pics) Natalie just sleeps right through these loud storms, though.