Archive for May, 2008
The Rise and Fall of Natalie’s Rattail
This post is a photo essay commemorating the rattail in the back of Natalie’s hair. While a lot of parents are excited for baby’s first haircut I really didn’t want to cut Natalie’s hair…ever…so much so that I was willing to let her have a rattail. Sure, sometimes it was messy and unsightly, but at times is was a perfect ringlet curl. In the end, it was knotted up beyond repair, forcing Natalie’s first haircut before I was emotionally ready for it. The back of Natalie’s hair is now all one length. Chris is overjoyed that our daughter no longer has a hair style reminiscent of a redneck from the 80′s. I’m still in mourning for that perfect little ringlet.
The rattail started with a bald spot. In my grandmother’s day, mothers were advised to alternate the position they put their babies to sleep in to avoid bald spots and flat heads. Because of the “Back to Sleep” campaign, these days it’s common for babies to get bald spots on the back of their heads. Natalie was no exception. But because she was born with unusually long hair (especially unusual because she’s also blond) the hair at the base of her skull stayed long, even after the bald spot developed. Hence, her rattail began…
Around 5 months, we tried to sweep the rattail to the side. We thought the rest of Natalie’s hair would eventually catch up.
But there was no hiding or containing the rattail…
The rattail got longer, curlier, and messier as the rest of Natalie’s hair grew thicker….
This was my attempt to capture the perfect ringlet that the rattail would sometimes be:
Even I knew that eventually the rattail would have to be cut off. I had wanted to save the ringlet in a pewter box I bought specifically made to save a lock from baby’s first haircut. But, alas, the rattail had to go because it got knotted up, so we’ll have to remember it with pictures.
Here it is, the last known photo depicting the rattail before its demise….
P.S. It was actually difficult to find all these photos. We’re usually trying to photograph Natalie’s face, not the back of her head.
P.P.S. If you think I’ve gone overboard documenting every single aspect of Natalie’s young life, you’re right! Feel free to laugh with me and at me. Just be thankful I didn’t post a picture of Natalie’s first vomit!
17 Months Old
I know, I know, the posts have gotten fewer and farther in-between. I blame going back to work full-time. There’s only so much of my work day I can devote to blogging…
Anyway, Natalie turned 17-months-old this week! Here are 17 things she’s been up to:
1. She learned how to walk sideways.
2. She decided that “Nama” is going to be called “Meemah.”
3. Her love of books is blossoming. She’s now into books that are more complex, longer, and have plots, in addition to the rhyming, rhythmic books she’s always liked. Some favorites are I Don’t Want to Take a Bath, The Little Lamb (a childhood favorite of mine), Owl Babies, The Napping House, and Bear Snores On.
4. Natalie learned to say “mouse,” which made us realize that she is much more attached to her lovey than we realized (since she can ask for it now). She also developed a love for her duck that rivals the love for her mouse. The mouse and duck are an essential to Natalie getting to sleep at night.
5. Natalie also learned to say “thank you” (sounds like “dikk oo”) and says it with a big smile anytime we give her something.
6. She is doing well at school—she no longer cries when we drop her off! YAY!! Whenever I pick Natalie up from school, she looks at me and says “Daddy?” When Chris picks her up, she looks at him and says “Mommy?” The teachers all think this is hysterical.
7. She absolutely loves digging in the dirt and will happily move handfuls of dirt from one garden bed to another for an hour.
8. Natalie also loves playing with trucks and balls. She has a basketball and a football, both of which she picked out herself.
9. And she loves to push her stuffed bunny around in the Natalie-sized stroller I got at a yard sale.
10. She loves to sing songs (that’s not new) but she knows all the motions to Itsy-bitsy spider, The Wheels on the Bus, and If You’re Happy and You Know it. She demands that we sing The Alphabet by shouting “A Bs!!!!” After songs are over, she claps and shouts “yay!!” She must have learned all this in school, since neither us nor Meemah nor Grandma taught her.
11. Grandma started teaching Natalie to identify colors. Last night, she handed me a yellow fish and proudly said “Bwoo.” After I showed her some things that actually were blue, she got it and spent the rest of the night pointing to blue things.
12. Her vocabulary is ever growing. I’ve noticed in the past couple of weeks that she is starting to initiate saying new words, meaning she points to something and says a word I haven’t specifically taught her. The other morning I was getting her dressed and she looked up at me and said “honey” (one of my terms of endearment for her, not the food).
13. She likes to play “hide and seek” with Grandma. Well, she likes to find Grandma when she hides.
14. She has taken a nap for Meemah three weeks in a row now (for a long time she wouldn’t nap for Meemah).
15. Natalie insists that all those around her wear shoes. If anyone doesn’t have shoes on, she will find shoes, bring them to you, and insist you put them on.
16. We’ve discovered some different playgrounds in the neighborhood. Natalie is especially fond of the wobbly bridges at one of them.
17. This certainly isn’t new this month, but it’s worth repeating. Natalie is the sunshine of our lives and the pride and joy of our hearts. We’re very, very lucky.
Here are some attempts at taking a family portrait. Natalie is much too busy to be bothered with smiling at the camera:
