Natalie is

**A book-lover like her mother. Our new favorite activity is to snuggle up together under blankets while Noah is napping, reading book after book until I tire of hearing the sound of my own voice. And after every book Natalie says "The End" or "What are they doing?" - the latter in an effort to keep the story going. We now get books out of the library, which is so fun for us.

**The talkingest child I have ever seen. Ever. My mother (who used to call me jabberjaws) is laughing at me from heaven now.

**Loath to get her picture taken.

**Always underfoot. We have moved into a large (by our standards) home in Michigan, and she is unable to be more than 3 feet from me at any time. I have to ask her politely to move away sometimes so I can get things done.

**Sensitive. See above where I mentioned I have to ask her politely. If I seem like I am chastising her, she absolutely loses her mind in tears. It's heartbreaking!

**Funny. She likes to say things just to make me laugh - for instance, asking me every single night (with a mischievous grin on her face) where her Cookie Monster toothbrush is. She knows fully well that I had to throw it out, but asks for it every night, simply to make me laugh. She and her brother were given bath wraps for Christmas, and absolutely crack up at themselves and each other when they are wearing them.

**Conflicted. "No. Yes. NO!" is one of her favorites... sometimes she says it seriously, but sometimes she says it just to make me laugh.

**IN LOVE. With her father, with her brother, with her cat, with her new house. And with her mother. Today she said "Thank you, mom." And I said "for what?" "For you. Thank you for you." When I tuck her in at night and tell her I love her, she always says "I love you too!" and sometimes when she sees her father, she mumbles quietly, "That's my daddy. I love him so much."

**Choosy. About clothes and food and just about everything.

**Very upset when she hears barking dogs!

**So very 2 1/2. So, so very 2 1/2.

**Beyond beautiful. She has her father's eyes.

Food

Today marks one of those funny milestones. Noah (8 mo) actually ate more than Natalie (27 months) for breakfast! He ate an entire banana amongst other things.