"eeya" and "eeta"

Natalie has developed some pretty funny little speech patterns. I wanted to post about it because I don't want to forget it.

She begins a lot of words with either "eeya" or "eeta" but then gets the remaining syllables correct. For instance, garage is "eeyarage" and butterfly is "eeyafly". Some of my favorites are "eeyaraffe" (giraffe), "eeyacheese" (grilled cheese) and "eeyadeeya" (quesadilla). It's a hoot listening to her order at a restaurant as both eeyacheese and eeyadeeya are commonly included on the mini menu.

And when she's not starting words with "eeya" she often substitutes "eeta".

"Eetaboon" (balloon), "eetabar" (granola bar) and "eetana" (banana) are some common ones. I'm sure a speech pathologist could explain why these speech patterns have developed this way, but for now we just think it's pretty cute. I hope I don't regret saying that when she's still talking like this in "eetagarten".

Someday she's going to say the word giraffe perfectly and I'm actually going to be a little sad.

This is a picture of Natalie playing one of her favorite games..."eetaboo", of course!


side note: wish we owned this supercool egg chair but we don't. This pic was taken at the AZ Museum For Youth. It's an awesome museum that keeps toddlers mesmerized and entertained. for hours. Natalie could have stayed there all day! Thanks for the invite, "Eeatina" and James!

Weekend Getaway

We decided we needed to get out of town...

and out of town we went.

Last weekend we drove to Palm Springs to visit Papa and Grandma LaLa and we had a LaLaLovely time. Natalie adored the (heated) pool time, the "wafose" out to breakfast every morning with Daddy and Papa and entertaining a bigger audience than her usual tired parents.

What a fun weekend. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Ready for a swim!

With LaLa

With Papa


Fear not...Corey was RIGHT there...it just looks like adults were dangerously absent during this stunt.

Natalie loved "jumping" in...her mouth

stayed open the entire time.

Good thing it's a saltwater pool.

Oh, these "looks" of hers.
Such a ham.
Did we mention she can have a teensy weensy bit of toddlertude?

Toddler Talk

There are so many Natalie-isms lately that just make us laugh. I had to share a few:

When she's doing anything from eating applesauce to playing with her latest treasure....

I so happy, Mommy. Is Mommy happy?

After a diaper change, a clothing change, a dinner that was too hot is now just the right temp....

Now, that's better.

All I can figure is she heard me say this about a million times on a recent trip to Reno. Now she says it whether she's talking with someone face to face OR over the phone...

SO good to SEE you!



This is reason to panic...it usually means she's balancing precariously on something or is trying to pick up a cat...

hum here, Mommy. Look at dis!

And when she's done with a meal she announces....

I done, Mommy!

If I don't respond immediately, she follows it up with a long and drawn out...

I fiiiniiished!

My favorites are the conversations I can have with her lately. It's so nice to actually converse back and forth...well, most of the time it's nice. This was one conversation that had me laughing...

Natalie: I want to watch Elmo eeeeo (Elmo video)!

Me: No, sweetie, let's not watch a video...let's play with your ball!

Natalie: (sighs) Otay.

We play with the ball for a while and have a lovely time at it. She's running all over the living room chasing it and laughing as she goes. She finally collapses into my arms out of breath and smiling after we do this for about 10 minutes.

Me: Natalie?

Natalie: Wat.

Me: I love you.

Natalie: (deep sigh...followed by long pause) I want Elmo.

Happy Easter

This is Natalie's third Easter and by far her favorite. Our little bunny discovered jelly beans today and I'm not sure she (or her teeth) will ever be the same. She loved hunting for her eggs (plastic ones filled with jelly beans...we opted not to do the real thing on the rental carpet!). Then she opened up her first egg and said, "look Mommy, a baby egg" as she brought the jelly bean to her cheek affectionately. I regretted it immediately, but I said, "Natalie, you can actually EAT that baby egg if you want to.". Well, she ate it, she lit up with delight and she ate another and another. At one point her mouth was so full of "baby eggs" that she was drooling a rainbow right down the front of her jammies.

After church we spent a wonderful morning with our friends Patty and Alan and their children, friends and family. Natalie was able to hunt for more big eggs and eat even more baby eggs.

Ryan with The Natalies

"hmm..where can I have a quiet moment alone with my baby eggs?"

The loot.

We feel so lucky to have met such great friends who welcomed us into their home for the holiday. Thanks Patty and Alan for such a delicious morning.

Quick trip to Reno....

Natalie and I went on kind of a last minute trip to Reno last weekend. My grandpa had surgery and we thought a toddler in the house was just what he needed to speed up his recovery! I think it worked...I hope Grandpa agrees! Natalie had so much fun exploring her great grandparents' house. There was a toddler treasure around every corner and she found them all!

Some highlights of the trip:

(Oh, and a quick apology to NewPeaNew...I forgot my camera during all outings with Aunt Jackie, Uncle Mike, Ryan, Jamie, baby Reese, Aimee and cousin Emma. I'm so sorry. We loved seeing you all ,too, and miss you a bunch!)

The patient and his attendants!

4 generations

Aunt Karen, Natalie, cousin John, me and Ash

Cousins Sydney and John

Natalie loving Grandma's dance recital costume!

Natalie "making the butter"..she loved this antique butter churner!

Doing yoga with Grandma Lala

This was Natalie's first airplane trip in her own seat. It was wonderful...for her mother! She watched a DVD and I read a magazine...what a trip! Literally!

Thanks so much for a great trip, everyone! We had such a great time! Love you all!

First Haircut

A few weeks ago, while Amber and Betty were in town, we took Natalie for her first haircut. I had been butchering her bangs for many months and decided she needed a professional to clean it all up. Well, let's just say, the first haircut experience was a lot like the first visit to Santa. She screamed the entire time as if she was being tortured.

Instead, she was sitting in a red sports car chair at Mini Cuts for Kids with a Dora video playing right in front of her on her very own TV screen while her father blew bubbles in the air. For a toddler, one would think that would be the dream haircut experience. Bubbles? Dora? A seat in the shape of a car? Well, as you can see, Natalie wasn't at all impressed.






The stylist did a great job even with the mind numbing screaming and it looked so cute by the time we left. Natalie quickly recovered as soon as Aunt Amber treated her to a bouncy ball out of the waiting area vending machine.



I guess I'll keep trimming her bangs for a while yet to save everyone at Mini Cuts from a migraine.