Since last time, we relocated to NE Ohio and now have a new addition to our family - Natalia! She is spunky and alert and at 7 months knows how to sign for milk, said her first word the other day ("Mama"), and has almost sort of crawled. She has her personality showing through as she shows patience and understanding when we talk to her and explain things, when she wrinkles her nose while smiling, when she looks you straight in the eyes when you identify what it is she needs, when she says "Hm!" to agree with things we say or do, when she avoids eye contact or turns her head the other way when she is upset with someone or does not want to hear what we are telling her ("Natalia, you should be asleep!" - head immediately turns 180 degrees away). She just learned to go to sleep without being nursed to sleep, a pretty big step. This means she can lie down still awake and then go to sleep by herself, without depending on Mama to put her to sleep with nursing.
Of course, Sarah and Stephen are an excellent big sister and big brother. They are both very loving and attentive to Natalia's needs and wants, and quickly run to take care of her needs when they hear her crying.
Not that Natalia cries much - it's more of a complaining sound. Natalia cries very little, much less than would be expected of a newborn like herself. Even when she was just 5 minutes old and was placed in my (Papa's) arms, she did not cry. She has loved my arms since that moment. However, of course there is nothing like Mama's arm, especially when she is hungry. Natalia's beaming smile is at its brightest and widest when she has just slept well and finished filling her tummy with fresh milk.
Welcome Natalia!
