Yow....

So I'm clearly no good at keeping this thing up to date. Oops. So much has happened in the last several months it's hard to recap it all. Here are a few highlights:

*Easter was too much fun with Natalie. We went to church with my grandparents (along with my dad's sister and her daughter). Natalie did very well during the service and was quite a sight to see in her adorable dress! We then went over to Millstadt for dinner and Easter egg hunting. Natalie wasn't quite sure what to make of everything, but she had a fantastic day!

*Birthday Parties: Oh my Lord. Two very fun birthday parties with two adorable cakes for our little angel. Somehow more of the cake ended up IN her rather than ON her, which surprised us. We were so touched that so many people gathered to celebrate our little girl's first year.

*Mexico: Brad and I stole away for a few days to enjoy a vacation - just the two of us (well...and nine of our friends) - in Cancun. A special celebration to commemorate five years of marriage, surviving the first year of parenthood, and of course, the Gows' 30th birthdays (the initial reason for the trip). Natalie stayed with Grandma Mary and had an amazing time as well. Mom and I were able to keep in touch over email so I knew Natalie was having a good time. She did really well while we were gone...but was VERY happy to see us when we got back.

*One-Year Stats: Natalie's official one year stats from the doctor: 29 inches (20.75 at birth); 22.5 pounds (8 at birth) and perfect in every way!

*Walking! We have a toddler! She's so good on her feet and is our precious tornado.

*5K Training: Brad and I are training for a 5K. I'm NOT a runner...but I saw a television show recently where a woman in a very unhealthy state (obesity, diabetes, on the brink of heart disease, etc) trained for and completed a 5K. If she can do this, so can I. Race day is 9/25. For many of our friends, this is no big deal as they're marathoners and half marathoners....but this is a pretty big deal for me, so here we go!!!!

That's the last four months in a nutshell. I'll try to be better about updating. If you are interested in pictures (and why wouldn't you be?) check out our shutterfly share site at http://peuster.shutterfly.com.

Updates

My cousin, Angie, also keeps a blog updating the world on her beautiful family. She stated in her recent entry that she will update monthly so as to record the happenings of their family, but with a more realistic time committment. I like that idea, so I'm copying her.

Mid-January to now...Natalie is hilarious. She's such a happy baby. She's eating some table foods in addition to jarred baby food and growing ever braver. It's so fun to watch her learn and explore the world around her.

I can't believe she's already 9 months old. She's been here as long as I was pregnant!

We've had our first bout of sickness. She picked up a little virus that has her coughing like an old chain-smoker. She's almost over it, and the doctor said there are no infections/no special meds needed. Yay! Just lots of hugs and kisses from Mom & Dad.

In other news, Brad and I are very close to fully funding our Emergency Fund (thank you tax return). Our next financial goal is to buy a car for cash. We have a good savings account going for that and look forward to owning a car without payment!

We are also very excited - this May we are taking a vacation! Just Brad & me. Our dear friends are turning 30 this year and wanted to do something big. They invited us to go on vacation with them to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. We considered and ultimately decided to do it. We'll be married 5 years this June, and we are so proud of the things we have accomplished. While it will be difficult to be away from Natalie, we know she'll be having fun. This will be our first vacation (that lasts longer than a weekend) since our honeymoon! We're really looking forward to getting away from work, relaxing, enjoying the company of our friends and each other.

2010 So far -

Just some fun pictures - ENJOY!!
Our new favorite place to play.


Showing off in the tub



Transitioned to the big-girl tub really well!!



Just too cute for words!

Christmas and 2009 Reflection

Our first Christmas as a family! We visited with LOTS of family and had such a great time. I have to give Natalie credit - she did really well with all the running, the driving, the people, and the presents.

A few highlights:
• Brad's dad made her a baby doll cradle. He had entered it in a county fair and it took first place. Brad's mom made a doll for it and several outfits. Both are just beautiful.
• Natalie was more interested in eating wrapping paper than her gifts.
• Grandma Mary gave her a wagon (which we can't wait to use) and a music table. We're already enjoying the music table and the many many many noises it makes.
• Natalie's first Christmas was also the first day she saw snow. Real snow that sticks to the ground...not just flurries.
I can't believe how drastically things have changed this year. While I knew that our lives would be different with a baby, I had no idea just HOW different they would be with Natalie. She brings a whole new meaning to life and love for me. When I look into her eyes, I can see so much. I've learned to love like I've never thought possible, and I've learned to look at myself differently too. She's helped me to see that no matter how bad things are, we can always rely on love to get us through.

The adjustment into parenthood hasn't been easy. Some days it's just downright hard. I have felt things and thought things over the last eight months that I'm not proud of. Thank God for my "mom" friends who have been there to listen to my whining and to tell me that everything is normal. Things are getting easier, and I can't say enough how lucky I am to have Brad - the man who can keep everything in perspective, keep me grounded, and take the hits when I'm having a bad day (figuratively mostly...).

When I look to recap the year, the addition of Natalie into our lives takes the cake. She is at the top of the list. Everything else is ridiculously secondary. Certainly the strengthened friendships and relationships that have come to be are up there as well. My priorities and values have shifted, and I'm absolutely OK with that. Certain things have moved down the list of things I will let keep me up at night, and I'm realizing what's really important in life. My husband and my daughter, God, my family, my friends, both old and new, health, and happiness.

As 2009 draws to a close and we enter the new year, I wish you all nothing but the best. May this year be full of happiness and miracles!




Merry Christmas to ME!



Yum...paper....






SNOW!





Baby cradle and doll





Cuteness.

New Years Resolution: Update Blog More Often

So two, nearly three, major holidays have come and gone without an update. Oops. I'm really fantastic about keeping Facebook updated, just not this!!

Quick recap:

Halloween was so much fun. Natalie was an adorable little lady bug. We did not go Trick or Treating, but we stayed out to greet the kids as they came around. We were lucky to have a nice night, so the three of us sat out on the driveway handing out tootsie rolls to the likes of Hannah Montana, Spidergirl, and Minnie Mouse. Poor Brad spent a lot of time trying to build a fire in our firepit with little success...until we decided to go in for the evening. Then the flames sparked. Figures! LOL. Natalie slept through much of the trick or treating, but managed to stay awake for some of it. I can't wait to see her reactions next year!

Happy Halloween!!



First Trip to Eckert's in Millstadt



We took our first official family vacation to visit our good friends in Madison, WI. We enjoyed our first trip to a State Capitol (even though it wasn't our own) and a zoo. Natalie had a blast playing with her new friends, who were EXCELLENT with her! Natalie also did amazingly during the 6 hour car trip, which suprised us! She slept 85% of the way back and forth. This also marked the introduction of Boom Blox Bash Party to Brad and me. This has been an incredibly addictive addition to our lives....


New Friends Molly & Carolyn


Thanksgiving was a hoot too. We drove to Palmyra first thing Thursday morning to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa P, Uncle Brian, Aunt Lillie, and cousins Anna, Thomas, and Andrew. Natalie had her first taste of turkey, which she seemed to like! She also had the opportunity to meet her Great Great Great Aunt Irene, who lives in Palmyra. Irene is my grandfather's aunt. It was so neat to see them together.

Meeting Great Great Great Aunt Irene

Happy Thanksgiving!!

In the meantime, we have mastered crawling and pulling up to a standing position. The baby gate went up pretty quickly - which is a good thing as we LOVE to pull up on that!! Natalie chatters away, but she's not an easy giggler. LOVES to smile, and says "Ooooooh" when she's happy...but we really have to get her going to get a laugh out of her.

Pulling up!

We've introduced baby food into her diet. She's still nursing like a champ, which was a huge relief to me! Our favorite foods are carrots, sweet potatoes, and applesauce. I don't think that's terribly uncommon. We've had a wide variety of foods though. Some have gone very well (apples, strawberries and bananas disappeared) and some have not (peas). But we keep trying and she keeps eating. I'm so proud of her!

We are having a blast watching her grow and change. Her personality is so easy-going and adorable. She's full of smiles and love. I'm so excited for Christmas this year. I know she won't really understand everything that is going on, but it's the start of years of Christmas magic. We've been telling her the story of Jesus' birth and singing Christmas songs and carols. The other day, she was "singing" something that sounded much like "Away in a Manger."

This year has brought so many blessings to us. We are blessed to have made it through 2009 with our families "in tact" and welcomed precious Natalie into our lives. We have both made it through the year gainfully employed. So many things to be thankful for this holiday season. We owe so much to our friends and family's unconditional support as we continue to adjust to our new lifestyle.

Merry Christmas!!!

Fall Fun!

Last weekend was an exciting one! We joined our good friends, Jenn, Alex and their daughter (Natalie's BFF) at the zoo for the "Spooky Saturday" event. We dressed Natalie in her costume and took off for Forest Park. She did amazingly well. We went through the penguin house, which she loved (she at one point was about 10 inches from a puffin....she tried to touch it!). She also met FredBird, saw sea lions, and hundreds of adorable kids in costumes. Someday we'll do the whole zoo, but it was a little chilly and, as parents know, babies are timebombs. Clearly, as she passed out about the minute we drove out of the parking lot!!

Saturday Natalie also had her first piano lesson. She's a natural!!

She also spent the night at Grandma Mary's without Mom and Dad (who went on a much-needed date night). She did amazingly, sleeping a solid 12 hours in her pack n play at Grandma's. We missed her, but it was nice to sleep past 6 am for once.

Sunday, our little family and Grandma Mary ventured over to Eckert's in Millstadt. Natalie loves to watch kids, and there were plenty of opportunities to do so! She was very happy despite the hundreds of ladybugs that were divebombing.

Natalie loves animals - she was very interested and not at all intimidated by the live animals she saw and loves all of her stuffed animals at home.

She's definitely on the move - not quite crawling, but she can get from here to there when she wants to. Once she figures out how to make her arms and legs work together....we're in trouble!

Cereal, noise, weddings, and teeth!

It's impossible to believe how quickly time flies with a baby. September is a distant memory and October is already half over! I can't believe it. Days go so quickly now. Get up, go to work, leave work, get the baby, spend a very precious two hours with her before it's time to go to bed.

September brought the introduction of rice cereal. I was a bit torn on it at first, but Natalie has done amazingly well incorporating it into her diet and still nursing like a champ. She makes the most adorable "num num" noises and usually eats more cereal than she wears!

We've also entered the world of "noisy toys." Thanks to my dear friend, Jill, for lending us some of the toys her girls enjoyed in their infancy. Natalie loves to push buttons, see lights, and hear sounds. Also, thanks to Aunt Nic for the cookie jar toy!

Natalie attended her first wedding in October - our good friend Amanda had a beautiful fall wedding in St. Gen. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding. Natalie did amazingly! She also got some quality time with Grandma Mary and Uncle Zach. It was so much fun showing her off to people who have known me for 15 years.

Last week we hit a major milestone....teeth. Wednesday as I picked her up from the sitter, I noticed two little white chicklets peeking out. I can't believe it! Pictures to come...they're still hard to capture with a camera.

In other news, I had my wisdom teeth out last week, and for the most part the recovery has been pretty good....still painful from time to time, but mostly pretty good. I'm also slowing shedding the pounds I put on during my pregnancy....less than 20 to go!

Next on the list - HALLOWEEN!