Weight: 10 lbs 12 oz

Height: 21 in

Sizes: Size 1 diapers, 0-3 mo clothes (newborn is too small!)

Routine: Natalie sleeps majority of the time. She usually wakes up around 6 am and stays up for 30 min to 1 hr stretches, then she naps all day with awake times in between. Sometimes she naps 30 minutes before the toddler wakes her up from running around yelling. Other times she'll nap for 1-2 hours. She usually takes a long nap in the afternoon. She requires a lot of help to fall asleep. I have to swaddle, use the pacifier, shush her and rock her or walk around. Sometimes she'll fall asleep while nursing and other times I have to go through the whole routine. She's going through a little colicky/gassy phase where she gets really cranky around bedtime. I'm using gas drops, gripe water, and massage, so hopefully those nights will be the exception, not the rule! Natalie sleeps in bed with us and usually only wakes up to nurse 2 or 3 times per night.

Likes/Dislikes: Natalie likes her mobile, lights, her big sister, and taking warm showers. She does not like being cold AT ALL! Nor does she like being tired.

Milestones: Attended first B-Day party, first trip to Albuquerque, first smiles between 3-4 weeks, holds head up for a few seconds at a time.

I made two fabric boxes for my living room to store the kiddo's books/toys. I know you can find them pretty much anywhere, but finding the colors/fun fabrics you like is much more difficult.

I used this tutorial over at Make It and Love It. I love the tutorial as it had very clear, step-by-step instructions.

My only advice for those thinking about making these...

- This is not a beginner sewing project.

- Use a more heavy duty needle. I broke one trying to sew through the very thick, lined with interfacing, pieces.

-Used double folded bias tap (the single won't work)

-Do not use the double-sided interfacing. Use just the single-sided, thick, iron on kind.

- This project is very costly unless you buy your supplies on sale (gotta love Joann Fabric's 50% off coupons) or if you already have some of the supplies.

- Sewing the binding on is super tough. To try and whip the already-put-together, stiff boxes around the sewing machine was very difficult. Once again, not a beginner's project!

Miss Jenna turned 18 months old on January 2nd! Probably the biggest development she had was becoming a BIG SISTER! Since her little sis, Natalie arrived, Jenna has become the biggest Daddy's girl ever! She forgot mom exists and worships daddy. She loves relaxing with him after work and likes to go shopping with him for groceries.

Jenna is expanding her vocabulary every day. She's getting better and better at pronouncing things. She usually talks in the third person too. She's also learning to recognize shapes. She knows circle, heart, and star really well. She also recognizes several animals and can say the name of them. Jenna is learning to count. So far she counts to two. Everything is "One, Two, Two, Two...." We are working on colors but it hasn't quite stuck yet.

Jenna is very much into Sesame Street right now. She loves Ernie, Elmo, Bert, and Cookie Monster. She also likes drawing on her chalk board, playing with wooden puzzles, reading, and playing with her dolls and kitchen.

We still go to her Tator Tots early childhood development class and we also go to Baby Bounce Sing n Play class. Jenna is very social and loves getting attention. She loves saying Hi and Bye to anyone she meets. She loves meeting for playtime with her friends Madison, Izzie, JonDavid, Makayla, Lark, & Jude.

Jenna is currently in the 50th percentile for growth. She is wearing 18 mo clothing and size 3 or 4 shoes. Her feet are so darn tiny! I think kids her age are usually wearing 6 or 7. Clothes are hard to find because her pants are always too long or the tops are too short since she has a very long torso and short legs. Her hair is finally long enough to put up if I use several hair ties.

We have not tried potty training yet, but we will pretty soon. Jenna already says, "Jenna Poo Poo" when she poops, so I think its a good sign she's ready to start.

She's still sucking her thumb...but mom and dad haven't tried to break that habit yet! She also is sleeping quite well in her crib. She doesn't even cry when we tuck her in!