Natalie has started rolling over! At first, she would just tip over if you put her on her stomach with her arms propped out in front of her. But this week, the hips started coming at the same time.Rolling from her back to her stomach was the harder one. It seemed like her arm was always getting in the way of developing good momentum. However, this week she managed to get enough strength to sort of push through and over.Here's a video of a full-on roll!
This has been a busy season for us - so busy, in fact, that I didn't get a chance to put up Natalie's 5th month picture (in fact, I was even a week late taking the picture). But, better late than never!As you can see, Natalie's really progressed with the smiles! She'll often give a broad smile and kick her legs and wave her arms excitedly if one us enters the room and comes over to her.We also feel that this month Natalie developed some arm-waving-based communication. This, for example, means "pick me up!"On the eating front, Natalie is still mostly on a liquid diet. In San Diego, she tried a little yam, but she wasn't especially fond of it, making a face somewhere between quizzical and disgusted. (this isn't the face - this is just a thematic high chair picture)
The big innovation, food-wise, during her 5th month was my ability to feed her in public using my little shawl-thingy. Here we are in the mall of my youth, just before a feeding.Milestones not pictured include Natalie's first plane flight (okay) and her first cold (we managed!). Here's a picture from just before Natalie's third flight (to San Diego):
As promised, here's the post about San Francisco. Natalie, my mother, and I made a one-day up-and-back trip there after Christmas. Yes, it was crazy. Yes, it was worth it.We went to visit my aunt Polly, who's had a rough time of it lately. We thought The Natalie Cure was in order.Polly also received some lovely hand-knit socks. Since I am, like, the slowest knitter on the planet, Miso and I had planned to each knit one of these socks, thereby insuring that they'd be ready by the holidays. Miso had finished hers by early November. I had knit about 1/4 of mine, and had planned to finish it over Thanksgiving. One broken arm later, Miso was left to knit the second sock. And she did, in what seemed like record time to me! Guess we'll have to take up our team sock-knitting on another project.Our short visit didn't allow for us to do much beyond hanging out, eating, and taking a lovely walk. For our walk, we walked along the ocean with Jake, the superdog. It was a cold, blustery day. Poor Natalie managed to fill her diaper (and then some!) just as we arrived at the park; the poor girl had to have a total outfit change on the back deck of my aunt and uncle's Subaru. I think she was pretty cold, but we worked quickly and soon had her bundled up inside Emilia's jacket.After the walk, we all had cups of warm tea followed by Chinese food and some hanging out in front of the Christmas tree. Then it was back on the plane to San Diego!
While Mike was in Japan, Natalie and I went to visit my family in San Diego. This was my first trip alone with Natalie. She did really well on the way over, sleeping nearly the whole way. The flight back to Texas was a little more challenging since the flight was diverted to El Paso because of a medical emergency on board. The flight eventually took off again, but the unscheduled stop made the journey a little more challenging.
But we're back in Texas now, happily reunited with Mike. And now that Mike is playing with Natalie, I can share some San Diego highlights.
The best thing about being in San Diego was introducing Natalie to my grandmother.Of course, Natalie also met other new people. My friend Jen Em came down from Seattle for a short visit.We took advantage of Jen's visit to do some touristy things. First, we attended the holiday lights parade downtown - we "attended" in that we went to a nice restaurant on the water and ate lobster as the decorated boats sailed by.Later during Jen's visit, we continued our holiday lights experience with a trip to the San Diego Botanical Garden to see their holiday lights. This was a totally fun event, complete with a bonfire for roasting marshmallows and a Celtic band singing holiday songs in Spanish.Before we hit the holiday lights, we were joined by some good friends at my new favorite San Diego restaurant, Kaito Sushi. (I must confess to eating there again during my visit since SYL and I also went there to celebrate her birthday)Jen and I also took Natalie to the aquarium. Natalie also got to meet our good family friends:(for some dumb reason, I didn't get pictures of everyone, so we'll have to let the food pictures stand in for the missing folks!)Here's Natalie with SYL:And here's Natalie with her first kitty cat:She wasn't that interested in the cat, but later in the trip she saw a dog and laughed and laughed. A girl after her mother's heart!
We also did some holiday cooking. Here's uncle Eric with some plum pudding:And here are some cookies I baked:(not pictured: the delicious chocolate cake made mostly by Eric on Christmas Eve)
In typical San Diego fashion, we walked on the beach a lot, including one night with a lovely sunset.Also, after many years of talk and just under one year of knitting, I finally finished Eric's sweater vest:Here are just some random cute pictures from the visit:Okay, this post is already long enough, so I'm going to stop now. Look for posts coming soon about our trip to San Francisco as well as Natalie's five-months-old post.
Here's the whole San Diego album (available here):
This is the story of a young couple from Seattle. They started this blog when they moved to Japan for year in 2005. Since then, the blog has become a record of their lives, friends, cooking, and travels. Follow along at home as they discover a new foreign country: Texas, where they moved in 2008. In July of 2009, the couple added a native Texan, Natalie Beth, to their family. In January of 2013, another native Texan, Jacob Samuel, joined the team.
Rolling from her back to her stomach was the harder one. It seemed like her arm was always getting in the way of developing good momentum. However, this week she managed to get enough strength to sort of push through and over.
Here's a video of a full-on roll!
As you can see, Natalie's really progressed with the smiles! She'll often give a broad smile and kick her legs and wave her arms excitedly if one us enters the room and comes over to her.
We also feel that this month Natalie developed some arm-waving-based communication. This, for example, means "pick me up!"
On the eating front, Natalie is still mostly on a liquid diet. In San Diego, she tried a little yam, but she wasn't especially fond of it, making a face somewhere between quizzical and disgusted. 
(this isn't the face - this is just a thematic high chair picture)
Milestones not pictured include Natalie's first plane flight (okay) and her first cold (we managed!). Here's a picture from just before Natalie's third flight (to San Diego):
We went to visit my aunt Polly, who's had a rough time of it lately. We thought The Natalie Cure was in order.
Polly also received some lovely hand-knit socks. Since I am, like, the slowest knitter on the planet, Miso and I had planned to each knit one of these socks, thereby insuring that they'd be ready by the holidays. Miso had finished hers by early November. I had knit about 1/4 of mine, and had planned to finish it over Thanksgiving. One broken arm later, Miso was left to knit the second sock. And she did, in what seemed like record time to me! Guess we'll have to take up our team sock-knitting on another project.
Our short visit didn't allow for us to do much beyond hanging out, eating, and taking a lovely walk. For our walk, we walked along the ocean with Jake, the superdog. It was a cold, blustery day. Poor Natalie managed to fill her diaper (and then some!) just as we arrived at the park; the poor girl had to have a total outfit change on the back deck of my aunt and uncle's Subaru. I think she was pretty cold, but we worked quickly and soon had her bundled up inside Emilia's jacket.
After the walk, we all had cups of warm tea followed by Chinese food and some hanging out in front of the Christmas tree. Then it was back on the plane to San Diego!
Of course, Natalie also met other new people. My friend Jen Em came down from Seattle for a short visit.
We took advantage of Jen's visit to do some touristy things. First, we attended the holiday lights parade downtown - we "attended" in that we went to a nice restaurant on the water and ate lobster as the decorated boats sailed by.
Later during Jen's visit, we continued our holiday lights experience with a trip to the San Diego Botanical Garden to see their holiday lights. This was a totally fun event, complete with a bonfire for roasting marshmallows and a Celtic band singing holiday songs in Spanish.
Before we hit the holiday lights, we were joined by some good friends at my new favorite San Diego restaurant, Kaito Sushi. (I must confess to eating there again during my visit since SYL and I also went there to celebrate her birthday)
Jen and I also took Natalie to the aquarium. 
Natalie also got to meet our good family friends:
(for some dumb reason, I didn't get pictures of everyone, so we'll have to let the food pictures stand in for the missing folks!)
Here's Natalie with SYL:
And here's Natalie with her first kitty cat:
She wasn't that interested in the cat, but later in the trip she saw a dog and laughed and laughed. A girl after her mother's heart!
And here are some cookies I baked:
(not pictured: the delicious chocolate cake made mostly by Eric on Christmas Eve)
Also, after many years of talk and just under one year of knitting, I finally finished Eric's sweater vest:
Here are just some random cute pictures from the visit:
Okay, this post is already long enough, so I'm going to stop now. Look for posts coming soon about our trip to San Francisco as well as Natalie's five-months-old post.
