Chez Andriani

Moving!

2011-06-04T14:39:00.002-04:00

Mama has decided to do something a little different! Our family blog has been moved to shutterfly.com. This way, Mama can upload all her photos to the blog all at once and she and others can order prints from the site as well. There will be many more pictures to see and there will be captions so you know what we're up to.

If you are interested in visiting our new blog, go to http://chezandriani.shutterfly.com/ . You will need a password, so just send us an e-mail and we'll reply.

Ciao,
Natalie xo

Charlie's 1 Year Stats

2011-06-02T21:47:00.004-04:00

So Charlie is cheating a little...his one year statistics were actually taken a few days shy of his 13 month birthday. But it's close enough!

Height: 31 1/2" (86%)
Weight: 24 pounds, 9 ounces (68%)
Head Circum: 18 1/2" (62%)

He is a perfectly healthy and happy baby, especially when he is eating! Check out Charlie's first taste of ice cream...

He is of course my little brother...and I love him to pieces. He is quite sad when he wakes up and doesn't see me because I am at pre-school. We play so well together.

Charlie had his first bike ride the other day. He likes it as much as I do!

Charlie loves to eat....and loves getting messy. When he is full, he throws his food on the floor. He thinks he is helping!

No, he doesn't have a caffeine addition...yet. Papa says we can't have coffee till we're at least 5 ;-)

2011-05-12T10:27:00.000-04:00

Charlie Bear is 1!!!!!! Here is his first birthday cake...Elmo of course!!!!

Hmmm.....what is this stuff? Doesn't look like bananas or noodles. Charlie dug right into his cake ....

and went to town!!!!! He had frosting EVERYWHERE! Mama was cleaning up the walls and the furniture the next day too!

Charlie had a sugar rush....and then he crashed! He slept through the night and was looking for cake again the next night.

The best present Charlie received was a visit from Grandma!!!!

They had such a good time playing and Charlie and I both loved all the extra love and attention. Grandma came with us to Jungle Java, we went out to eat several times, and walked to the park twice a day. It was a great visit!

Charlie and I have so much in common now. We both LOVE books!

On Mother's Day, Papa took us to Cafe Muse for a delicious brunch buffet!

The food was amazing and the company was even better!

Charlie isn't camera shy, he is playing peek-a-boo!

We love Grandma!

Hopefully she'll come back real soon because she is so fun and loves us tons!

Charlie also had a 1st birthday party with his parenting group! He got a super cute present too!

We sang Happy Birthday to all the babies!!!! They were so cute and I did so good playing with them and being gentle. Mama says that I am such a great big sister!

Happy 1st Birthday, Charlie!!!!! Part I

2011-05-04T22:00:00.003-04:00

My baby brother is 1 year old today!

Here he is exactly one year ago. Such a sweet little bear. Who knew that one year later he would become such a monster baby!

I adore my little brother, even when he takes my toys and tries to eat them.

Charlie got to open one of his presents early...a new buggy from Mamie and Papy!!! He likes to honk the horn and follow me when I am riding my tricycle.

Charlie is a happy boy who loves loves loves to eat!

Papa and Charlie get awfully silly together.

More pics to come from his birthday party!

Family Vacation!

2011-04-22T22:44:00.003-04:00

We just got back from an overnight trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky! It is a huge indoor waterpark and hotel about 2 hours from home. Charlie and I both slept for most of the drive on the way there. We checked into the hotel, got our swimsuits on, and got wet!

At first, I was a little nervous about being in the water - I haven't been in a pool in over 6 months!

Charlie and I held on tight and just looked around in amazement at all the action.

After a while, I got very comfortable and remembered how much I love swimming.

Mama and Papa took turns riding on the big slides. I went on the small slides a few times, climbed up the water fort, and warmed up in the hot tub.

Cutest bear ever!

Hotel rooms are so cool! Charlie and I were giggling and exploring our new room with wide eyes. We slept very well too - I had a big bed all to myself!

We didn't take so many pictures but I promise we had the best time! Maybe winter isn't so bad after all - we look forward to returning next year.

Oh, Charlie devoured his buttered noodles. He had noodles EVERYWHERE! Such a silly baby!

It's been tooooo long....

2011-04-11T20:57:00.004-04:00

It feels so strange not to have posted in such a long time. Where do I begin to fill everyone in on our little lives?

Well, since February, three things have remained pretty consistent - illness, cold weather, and Papa working long hours. Poor Charlie and I have had ear infections and the stomach flu. Not fun! We didn't even get a chance to wish Grandma, Papa, and Uncle Dave "Happy Birthday"!!!! Hopefully next year we'll get to celebrate big time.

We still managed to get out on rare warm/illness free days and take some pictures while playing around the house. Charlie is starting to enjoy the swing.

I am perfecting the little slide....

and the big slide!!!

Can you tell that I am thrilled to be back at the park!!!!

But the biggest news is that I can ride my tricycle now - ALL BY MYSELF! And I am a real pro after practicing all winter in the basement. Check me out!

Charlie likes getting around on wheels too! He loves being pushed in the car or bus and we chase around the house. When Mama or Papa take him out, he screams.

But for the most part, he is a happy baby.

I love him sooo much and he adores me. When he is downstairs and I am sleeping, he waits for me at the bottom of the stairs.

He is trying to stand up on his own more and more! I can't wait until he can walk and we can really have some fun!

More Snow!

2011-03-15T10:26:00.002-04:00

We've had lots of snow this winter...again! Thankfully I love walking in the snow. I say "crunch crunch crunch" as I walk. Charlie loves being pulled in the sled. Here we are last weekend after another 4" fell.

I love the snow but I think I'm ready for spring. Charlie and I have pretty much passed a virus back and forth since January. Charlie agrees that this ear infection/stomach flu thing isn't fun and is no longer welcome at our home. Thankfully spring temperatures are on the way!!!!

Happy 10 Months, Sweet Baby!

2011-03-05T15:21:00.002-05:00

OMG my baby brother is 10 months old now. Is he the cutest baby boy in the world or what?

He is getting into EVERYTHING and his favorite toys are whatever he is NOT supposed to play with.

And he is crawling faster everyday and wants to be where the action is.

ELMO

2011-03-03T21:41:00.002-05:00

I was sooooooooo excited.....

We went to Rosie O'Grady's in Ferndale last night for dinner and ELMO was there!

Charlie wasn't quite as excited as I was

but even as much as I love Elmo, I still wouldn't give him a hi-5 or a hug.

Happy 9 Months Charlie!!!!

2011-02-20T17:41:00.004-05:00

Charlie is "growing beautifully" as his nurse commented. Here are his stats:

Length: 30.25"
Weight: 22 lbs, 3 oz.

Oh and he has a crush on his pediatrician Dr. Stacy. She checked his ears today and he didn't even cry, instead he was flirting with her! Hilarious!!!!

A Big Milestone

2011-02-20T09:39:00.002-05:00

French Lesson

2011-02-01T14:11:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago, Papa's good friend Audrey was in town for the North American International Auto Show and stayed with us for a couple of days. Audrey gave me a French lesson and I think I did pretty well. Sometimes Mama thinks I should be French because I say the word "water" like my French Mamie.

We were disappointed that Gabby, another friend of Papa's, was unable to make it to Detroit thanks to the blizzard that hit New York. Papa was especially sad. :-(

January has been busy with some time times too. Mama takes me to McDonald's so I can play. We go up to Great Lakes Crossing and ride the carousel and the train, play games, eat, and go for a walk indoors. Winter isn't so bad as you can see!

The Last Days of 2010!!!!

2011-01-17T22:16:00.007-05:00

Papa had almost 2 glorious weeks off from work over the Christmas holiday and boy did we have fun! We slept in, played lots and baking cookies for our friends (and for us too). Here I am baking cookies with Mama!

On one cold night, we headed down to Greenfield Village to check out Holiday Nights. It felt like we stepped back in time....

We listened to carolers along the streets

And went on an old fashioned merry-go-round.

It was Charlie's first merry-go-round ride!

The best day ever, however, was went we drove to Ann Arbor one drizzly day. First we went to Jungle Java and played for a while.

I climbed and crawled and slided and scooted and jumped for an hour or so.

We had lunch and then we went to the train station where Mama and I rode the choo choo train back to Royal Oak!!!! Here I am impatiently waiting for the train, which was 20 minutes late.

Oh, here it comes! Here it comes!

Here comes the Wolverine Line - from Ann Arbor to Royal Oak. It was a smooth ride and I loved the spacious seats, the scenery, and the clickety-clack of the train.

Papa and Charlie were waiting for us at the station. I had soooooo much fun!

Charlie thought it was pretty exciting too!

2010 was an incredible year!!!! We said goodbye with our favorite friends and neighbors. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy 8 Months Charlie Bear

2011-01-05T15:43:00.001-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-25T23:34:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you!

This was Charlie's first Christmas!

I started opening some gifts on Christmas Eve.

Charlie helped, but he kept trying to eat the wrapping paper.

I LOVED opening gifts and seeing what's inside for me.

We had lots of gifts and will have no problems staying busy this winter.

Opening more gifts

Kisses for Cha-choo

The next morning, Santa had visited and left even more presents!

Opening presents AGAIN!

Charlie played in his jumper while I did all the work

Mamy and Papy bought me a tricycle!

Snuggling with Mama

On Christmas Eve, we went to the mall in hopes of getting a picture with Santa, but he was booked. So Charlie and I took a photo in front of the Christmas trees.

Wow - so pretty

Speaking of pretty.....

Am I super cute in this dress or what?

Bisous a Papa

"Mailing" my letter to Santa. I think he read it because I got everything I asked for.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, dear friends and family

LOVE
Natalie and Charlie xoxo

Winter Fun!

2010-12-20T22:58:00.003-05:00

December promptly brought cold winter air into Michigan! But we are hardy up north, and went outside to watch the Berkley Christmas Parade with some friends. There were bands, cars and fire trucks, and light displays. I LOVED hearing the bands, Mama joked that I'm gonna be a band geek when I grow up.

Michelle and Laura all bundled up

My friend Kyle and his Daddy Adam

My friend Abby and her parents Becky and Jim

Me and Papa!

We also went to "Santa Romp" at the Rec center. I got to meet Mr. Claus himself, though as you can see me and Charlie weren't so sure about this guy. I was going to cry, but Mama said he'll be bringing me presents on Christmas so I decided to toughen up. But I still wouldn't smile.

Charlie had fun watching us big kids make crafts and play.

Storytime!

Mama snuggling with me and Cha-choo

Papa snuggling with Cha-choo

I am 3!!!!!

2010-12-12T22:30:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to me! I turned 3 years old and I tell you, where did the year go?

When I was born 3 years ago, there was an ice/snow storm. So guess what? Today there was another ice and snow storm on my birthday!

We celebrated my birthday over the entire weekend. First, we went to Oakland Mall so that I could ride the train three times! Even Charlie came along for the ride!

On Saturday night, my favorite friends and neighbors came over to celebrate with me! First, I helped Mama frost (okay, eat) the cupcakes - egg-free of course!

I played with Grace, Faith, and Hope. Charlie slept through most of the fun.

My cake wasn't fancy, but it was yummy!

Francesca and Allie helped me blow out the candles!

The next day, I got to open my presents! I got lots of cool toys and even a Maisy doll. Thanks for all the birthday wishes and presents. Mwah!

We got our first snow of the season and Papa took me for a sled ride. I LOVE walking and playing in the snow!

Happy 7 Months, Cha-choo!

2010-12-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

Vegas Baby!

2010-12-01T08:46:00.009-05:00

Last week, we flew on a big airplane out to Las Vegas so that we could spend Thanksgiving with Mamie, Papy, Tati Val, Uncle Dave, and of course cousin Talia!

Charlie did really well on his first ever airplane ride! We read lots of books on the plane, played with lots of toys, and watched Elmo. Like Mama, both of us had a tough time sleeping on the plane. But after 4 hours in the air, I finally passed out as we were landing.....

So Mama and Papa had to wait for everyone to get off the plane, pack up our stuff, get the stroller, and carry me to the stroller. I slept for another 30 minutes before finally waking up!

Later that night, Cha-choo finally got to meet Uncle Dave, AKA "The Godfather".

I got to play with cousin Talia a lot! She is such a cutie pie and we have so much in common. We both love Play-doh, Maisy, balls, trains, and of course Hello Kitty! Everyone at the house took turns reading Hello Kitty to us many many times. Here it was Tatie Val's turn.

Mamie's dear friend Ann was in town as well and she gave Charlie lots of love!

So....one complaint. The weather was not cooperative. On most days it was as cold as it was back home in Detroit and it even rained! The result was lots of indoor play and few trips outdoors. On one sunny but cool day, we checked out the new City Center. It's pretty cool - Papa said it reminds him of Dubai.

Riding the train was the COOLEST THING EVER!!!!!

No trip to Vegas would be complete without a visit to the Bellagio gardens.

Every season features a new themed garden.

Talia and I did our best to stay out of trouble.

The men.

Every girls dream...a chocolate fountain!!!!!

One night when Talia was sick, because Mama and I gave her our cold :-(, Mama and Papa took me and Charlie to the Ethel M gardens to see a Christmas light display. It was pretty....

Mama and Papa finally got to go on a date. They ate dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Casino.

Then they visited City Centre and Aria Hotel.

Mama fell in love with Aria. The decor is super cool (and of course talented interior designer Tatie Val had something to do with that) - modern meets ice fantasy world.

Feeding Cha-Choo!

2010-11-13T11:44:00.002-05:00

Happy 6 Months, Charlie Bear!

2010-11-05T22:19:00.000-04:00

My sweet little brother is 6 months old now! Here are his stats:

Height: 28.25"
Weight: 20.0 pounds

He weighs 3 1/2 pounds more than I did when I was 6 months old. Wow! His little rolls are so adorable. We thought for sure that Charlie would love baby food, but he wants nothing to do with rice cereal or oatmeal. By the way he looks at us when we eat dinner, my guess is that he wants to go right to steak!

Charlie is getting to be so much fun! He jumps so high in his jumper!

Mama and his mini-me

Halloween!

2010-11-04T10:26:00.006-04:00

Halloween is everyone's favorite holiday in Michigan. There are so many Halloween-themed activities and traditions to look forward to. Now that I am almost 3, I understood what was going on and got the hang of trick-or-treating really quickly!

A week before Halloween, we went trick-or-treating along a trail at a park in Clawson. We went with some friends who helped make the 45-minute long line more bearable! Here I am with Abby, Aiden and Carson.

I was a giraffe and Charlie was Tigger!!!

Our house was"Ghosted". Someone left a "ghost" sign for us to hang on our door, along with a pumpkin filled with goodies like candy, a book, and toys. We had to "Ghost" two more families in return!

I had two Halloween parties to go to. Here I am with all my favorite friends Aiden, Abby, Carson, Kyle, Colin, and Avery.

Burton Elementary puts on an annual Halloween Parade. It was so neat to see all the big kids dressed in their costumes, along with the fire truck and police cars!

Kristy and he twins Alex and Hannah let us watch the parade from their yard. The twins are turning 2 this week! They are soooo cute!

Patrick and his Mom came too!

A few days before Halloween, we went to the Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo. I got lots of candy, and good practice saying "trick or treat!" It was pretty cold outside, so Charlie was dressed appropriately as a polar bear!!!!

Mama and I went through a straw maze. I made a wrong turn and came face to face with the Grim Reaper! I looked at him and said "BOO!". He said "Boo" back. Then I blew him a kiss...and I think melted his little heart ;-)

On Halloween Eve, our neighbors had everyone over for pizza. Charlie and I were spoiled once again by Gian, Francesca and Allie!

Finally....TRICK OR TREATING! Papa took me and we went with Francesca and Allie and their Dad. Joe came over and kept Mama and Charlie company while they sat outside and passed out candy.

I got sooooo much candy, and cried as I left each house because I wanted more.

Mama and Charlie

Mama feeding the giraffe some candy!

POLAR BEAR!

Charlie in the cow costume I wore on my first Halloween!

Here I was - just 10 months old. Charlie filled out this costume more than me and he's only 6 month old!!!!

Charlie's Baptism

2010-10-17T22:26:00.016-04:00

Last weekend was very special. My sweet little brother was Baptized! My Grandma, Mamie, Papi, Tatie Val, and cousin Talia all flew into town to be there for Charlie's big day. It was such a fabulous weekend!!!! I'll warn you now....this is a loooong blog to cover just two short days!

It was a very nice service, and I guess funny too cuz Charlie was giggling.

Aaaah...Papa was making Charlie giggle in church! Shouldn't former altar boys know better?

Talia was so good throughout the service. I wasn't quite so angelic - it is way hard for me to sit still for an hour straight!

Charlie even wore my Baptismal gown! We were both Baptized at 5 months old!

Mamie snuggling up with my Cha-choo.

Family photo!

Sans moi....

The whole gang. I guess all of us kids are wiggle worms!

Isn't Charlie so handsome! And of course I an jumping around in the background with Faith.

Charlie and Tatie Val

Mama, Tatie Val, and the kiddos!

Papi and his Grandson

With my little cousin in town, I had to let her experience a Michigan tradition by taking her to one of my favorite places: the apple orchard! We stayed there for hours and both Talia and I skipped our naps, but it was worth it! First, we bounced on the Jumping Pillow with Papa!

Then we climbed to the top of Straw Hill. The rest of the gang went back to the playyard, but I climbed up and down for half an hour.

Talia and I both rode ponies! I was a natural!

Talia was a little scared but hung in there to ride like a pro!

Papi and Talia rode down the 40' slide!!!! They are sooooo brave!

Finally we took the tractor ride out to the orchard and picked some apples!

Talia was loving it as much as I do!!!

Papa and I always bond over food.....

Mama stayed behind with Charlie and they soaked up some sun.

It was a stunning fall day in Michigan!

As always, eating is the common theme of any family visit. We took everyone to Cafe Muse for brunch on Saturday. It was soooo yummy!

Grandma and Mamie giving Charlie some love.

Papa and Tatie Val

A preview of me and Charlie in 30 years!

I enjoyed having a playmate at lunch - I read Maisy books to Talia!

Ick! I may love apples but I'm not digging apple juice!

The high life!

After the Baptism, we headed to Pronto's to celebrate. Me and Talia (okay, mainly me) were super exhausted from all the fun, so we ended up eating the cake at home.

So on top of all that, Charlie and I were showered with gifts from everyone!

Talia and I got to splash in the tub together. HOORAY!

Happy 5 Months, Charlie Bear!!!!

2010-10-05T14:51:00.003-04:00

Cha-choo is 5 months old now and getting to be a lot of fun. He is big enough for my silly "hugs"....

likes to watch Elmo with me....

loves kisses....

and check this out: he can sit up now (with some support of course). What a big boy!!!!

Fabulous Fall

2010-10-03T22:44:00.005-04:00

Mama hasn't updated the blog in a few weeks, but not because we haven't done much.

We went to Hay Day in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago. I was getting over a bad cold, so I wasn't as happy as normal. Hopefully I didn't get the animals sick!

My favorite book right now is about tractors, so Mama was so excited that there were tractors for me to sit on. But I just wasn't in the mood. It's a toddler thang....

Charlie is getting bigger every day and his favorite thing to laugh at is...ME!

Can you believe that Charlie is standing? Well, he needs some help, but he is putting lots of weight on his legs. Mama thinks he will be walking before crawling.

On one gorgeous Saturday, we went to Westview Orchards. We had the greatest time!
I climbed the straw castle....

Checked out the animals....

and was grossed out when Mama fed the goats from her hands. Eiw.....

Played on the playground while Papa and Charlie hung out....

Bounced on the Jumping Pillow....

Went for a tractor ride.....

And of course, picked some apples!

We ate the right off the tree. YUMM!!!

Papa pulled me and a big ole sack of apples in the wagon.

Running in the orchard was fun!

What a great time!

As you can tell......

Bumbo and Arts, Beats, and Eats

2010-09-15T14:19:00.005-04:00

I was such a big girl and had my third haircut ever! I did so well, though Mama had to bribe me with a lollipop.

Over Labor Day weekend, we were super busy. We went to the Arts, Beats and Eats Festival, which took place in downtown Royal Oak. I got to jump in a bounce house for a looooong time. I was jumping so high and far. But then the air came out of it and the roof came down on us, but we were all okay.

Charlie slept though most of the excitement, but woke up occasionally to see the action. I don't have a picture of it, but Mama and I shared some gelato and it was soooooo delicious! Who knew that gelato doesn't have eggs in it?

Charlie is big enough to sit in a bumbo chair now! He is such a big boy!

And look who showed Charlie how it's done!

Charlie is doing so well. At his 4 month appointment, he weighed 17 pounds 11 ounces and is 26 1/2 inches long. The doctor called him PERFECT and said that he is perfectly proportioned and has the cutest rolls ever!

I still want to roll over Charlie, but occasionally I am gentle enough to have spend some quality time with my brother.

My First Day of Pre-School!

2010-09-07T13:55:00.005-04:00

Today I went to pre-school!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE pre-school!

We woke up super early - 7am - and we were out the door before 8. Papa even came to my school on his motorcycle to see me off.

I was the first kid in class! I got right to playing. My teacher Ms. Emily said she knew I was going to love my new routine.

There are only 6 kids in my class. I hugged Alexander, who is quite cute, and had no problems making friends. When Mama came to pick me up, she took this picture of Ms. Emily reading to us. Note that I am the only kid not sitting down. Hey, I am a mover and shaker - what can I say?

When we left school, I was sad and told Mama "more school!" Mama promises we will go back tomorrow, and she also said she'd make macaroni and cheese for lunch, so I agreed to go home.

Happy 4 Months Cha-Choo!

2010-09-05T14:38:00.013-04:00

My little baby brother is 4 months old today! Charlie's pediatrician appointment isn't until later this week, so I will update his stats then. Isn't he just the cutest????

In the meantime, there is sooooo much going on! The week before last, we went to an evening concert at the zoo! We met some friends and I got to dance to the music and hang with my friends.

We went back to Booth Park too last weekend and Papa and I took a long walk through the woods.

We had a good time watching the ducks and just goofing around!
.

Then we headed to the playground and I played with the big kids and played soccer with Papa.

Mama takes me and Charlie up to the park near our house quite often so I can run around and play. I love to dig in the mulch, chase other kids, and swing. I really really want to climb up the bars, but I'm not big enough yet :-(

Here's some pics of me and Charlie just playing and being silly!

Cruisin for a Bruisin

2010-08-28T22:27:00.003-04:00

Last weekend was a blast! We started off with a picnic at Metro Beach with Papa's work buddies. I played and played with Kayden and Jack for almost 4 hours!!!! I was so good and played well with the boys.

Mama even read some of my Maisy books to us when we sat down for a very brief rest.

We didn't get home till 4pm, so the whole family took a much needed nap. Thankfully I woke everyone up at 6 because we had tickets to the annual Huntington Woods Cruise Party! On the Eve of the famous Woodward Dream Cruise, this party lets us eat, drink, play and watch cool cars with our neighbors.

Mama let me have a bite of her ice cream (egg free of course). It took me 10 minutes to eat/lick it so I was a bit of a mess.

My good friend Colin and his parents came as our guests. He and I danced to music together and Colin got a tatoo of a snake on his leg...Wow!!!!

I am not interested in tatoos yet, but of course I found some boys to play with.

The next day, we decided to check out the cruise as a family. I got to ride in a backpack on Papa's back! It was sooooo cool!!!!. Who wants to be in a stroller when you can see so much at 6 feet!

Charlie got to ride in a Baby Bjorn - he fell asleep after a while.

I love all the cool cars, but was most fascinated with the helicopter that flew up and down Woodward.

What a wild weekend...and boy was I up late too! Ahhhh....summer!

Charlie's First Laugh

2010-08-22T14:30:00.002-04:00

Out and About

2010-08-17T22:34:00.005-04:00

We are having a great summer, but with the high heat and humidity, we are inside more than we had hoped. But once in a while we get to the zoo. Here I am checking out the fountain.

Charlie wasn't as impressed with all the animals as I was.

I get awfully goofy at home! Here I am practicing my rap pose. Whaaaaazzzzuuuup?

Charlie is getting bigger every day. At 3 months, he weights 16 pounds 5 ounces!!!!

Charlie has a pretty good routine going. He LOVES bathtime, but then he is ready to crash for the night.

Last week, my Godmother came to visit us! She helped Mama out so much and it was fun to have someone else to play with me. Charlie really loved Aunt Jennifer too! We miss her and hope she comes back soon.

Mama and I hanging out...

Last weekend, we went to the Birmingham Farmers Market and Booth Park. It was soooooo hot and humid so we didn't stay long. Charlie zonked out so I reminded Mama: "shhhhhhh"

This evening, we went to the Kids Cruise in Royal Oak!!! There were soooo many cool things to do but we got there kinda late, so the lines were long.

But Papa and I did ride the super bouncy slide! I climbed up mostly by myself....

and then Papa and I came bouncing down! I CRIED cuz I wanted to go again, but the lines were soooo long. Next year we'll be back!

Happy Birthday Papy!

2010-08-14T14:41:00.002-04:00

Fun Weekend!

2010-08-01T22:52:00.004-04:00

We started the weekend off at a birthday party for my friend Ani who turned 3!!!! There were lots of kids to play with and we ran around everywhere. What a great afternoon! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANI!!!!

Here is Ani playing limbo. She made it pretty far...she is such a big girl.

Papa and Charlie did what they do best....chill!

After the party, we just hung out for a while. Is my little brother a cutie pie or what?

Today, we enjoyed an afternoon in downtown Birmingham. We played at my favorite playground and Papa remembered to bring my soccer ball!

Then we grabbed lunch and had a picnic on the grass. Mama and I were acting silly!

We'll have to do this again - we had so much fun!

Charlie wasn't impressed.

Charlie has been practicing his tummy time.

After naps, we went to the pool and I did what tiggers do best...jump!

Swim lessons start tomorrow...happy swimming!

Da Lake

2010-07-25T22:05:00.009-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Independence Lake near Ann Arbor. Mama used to come here a lot to study when she was in college. It was super hot outside, so it felt soooo nice to cool off.

Charlie was a naked baby (except for a diaper of course). He enjoyed just hanging out.

I swam in the lake, but didn't like the feel of the not-so-sandy sand in my toes so I made Mama and Papa carry me. Mama even swam because the lake was super duper warm!

There was a splash park too, but oddly enough the water was really cold so I didn't play much.

Afterward, we had dinner at Gratzi's in downtown Ann Arbor. Gratzi's was the location of one of Papa and Mama's most romantic dates ever! Ten years later they went back with me and Charlie!

When we got home we were super tired.

But then the drama started. Something in the air at the lake made the entire family sick with horrible allergies! Mine were the worst - I spent an entire day in bed and didn't eat much for 3 days. Mama took me to the doctor's and I was put on Zyrtec. I felt better but my nose continued to run and Mama was afraid I had a sinus infection, so she took me back to the doctor's. Turns out I had an ear infection...my first ear infection ever as it turns out!

The doctor prescribed amoxicillan and once again I started feeling better. But a week later I developed a horrible rash ALL OVER my body. It looked awful but thankfully it didn't itch at all. Turns out I am allergic to penicillin (just like Mama). I am all better now, and we had fun freaking out our neighbors!!! Here is a closeup of my rash - it was EVERYWHERE!

We have had some powerful storms lately too! Here is a beautiful sunset on our street after a storm.

Stayin Cool

2010-07-25T21:51:00.006-04:00

It has been hot hot hot here in Michigan. With Charlie being so little, we have stayed indoors more than we would like, but that gives us plenty of time to be silly and take lots of pictures!

Mama is quite sad that Charlie is nearing the end of his "newborn" phase. But we love that he is making some pretty cute faces and can't wait to hear his first laugh, which should be very soon.

Cha-choo loves to be talked to and loves to be held.

I get to hold Cha-choo too!

We won't show you a picture of me trying to push Cha-choo off of the boppy.....(my bad)

My brother is sooo handsome.....

He is Papa's Mini-me!!!!

A little sleepy, but getting some tummy time.

Cha-Choo's 2-Month Stats

2010-07-10T16:04:00.000-04:00

Sooooo.....my little brother is a very big boy! He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces when he was born two months ago. At his pediatrician's office yesterday, he weighed in at a whopping 14 pounds 10.5 ounces!!!! He has almost doubled his birth weight in just two short months! His weight and height are both in the 95th percentile!!!

Here is a comparison of me and Charlie at 2 months.....

Natalie - 2 Months Old
24 3/4" Tall
11 lbs. 8 oz.
Thinning Hair
Slept Little
Big smiles when not crying

Charlie - 2 Months Old
24 3/4" Tall
14 lbs. 10.5 oz.
Lots of Hair
Sleeps Lots
Mr. Serious Face, but smiles when talked to

Notice that at 2 months, Charlie's length is the same as mine, but he weighs 3 pounds more!!!! I guess I'd better stop laying on Charlie cuz he is gonna be bigger than me very soon and paybacks suck!

But all in all, Charlie and I are very healthy kids so we, and our Mama and Papa, are very very happy and blessed. :-)

Happy Birthday Mamy!

2010-07-08T23:43:00.003-04:00

We love ya!!! XOXOXO
Natalie & Charlie

The Past Two Months....

2010-07-07T16:29:00.000-04:00

So Charlie is two months old now and is getting soooooo big! He has a pediatrician appointment on Friday so we'll update his stats then. For now, here is what we have been doing since Charlie was born....these updates are long overdue!!!

First, while Mama and Papa were at the hospital, Grandma took care of me. We sure had fun and played lots!

After Grandma went back to Florida, Mamy and Papy came! We went to lots of parks and did all kinds of activities. I got spoiled big time as Mama adapted to life with a newborn again!

After all the grandparents left, we slowly adjusted to life as a family of four. I have a new stroller that I share with Charlie. Check out how big it is - it's the USS Andriani!!!!

I love snuggling my brother - maybe a little too much if you ask Mama and Papa because I get a little too rough. Here are some pics of me and Charlie..or "Cha-choo" as I like to call him.

Mama and Papa also adore Charlie...he is such a good baby!!!

Charlie is a cutie pie and is growing sooooo fast. He'll be crawling soon I think and I can't wait!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2010-07-05T16:57:00.006-04:00

I LOVE Independence Day! In Huntington Woods, it is a fun-filled day. We started the day eating a delicious breakfast at our neighbor's house. All my favorite friends on our block were there! Charlie spent a lot of time flirting with the pretty big girls.

After playing with my friends for a while, and eating of course, we found a nice shady spot to watch the parade. It was super hot - what a difference from last year when we needed light jackets!

The parade was super fun and I loved all the music, cars, floats, and horses.

Charlie slept through most of the parade, but he didn't like when drums played so Papa snuggled with him.

After the parade, we went for a swim, then napped. We headed up north (Rochester Hills) afterwards to hang out with more friends. We ate great food, played with tons of kids, and even sat in a hammock. It was a super fun busy day!!!!

HAPPY PAPA'S DAY!

2010-06-20T03:06:00.008-04:00

Happy PAPA'S DAY to my Papa! I love you soooo much! We make quite a pair: we both love anything with an engine, we love the pool, and chasing after balls.

And now Papa is a father of two! Charlie loves him just as much as I do!

And Papa loves us...I mean, who wouldn't?

Though we aren't always so easy to handle, but we're awfully cute!

And a big HAPPY PAPY'S DAY to my Papy! Papy is the only adult who has as much energy as I do! So as you can imagine, we have a blast together!

Charlie doesn't quite appreciate Papy's energy yet. But Papy, as an honorary Corsican, can appreciate a baby who loves to eat and sleep!

HAPPY PAPA'S DAY TO PAPA AND PAPY...Charlie and I love you so much!

Gros bisous XOXOXO

Charles Kellett Andriani

2010-05-15T08:13:00.000-04:00

Charles Kellett is here!

2010-05-14T21:27:00.006-04:00

After 9 long months in Mama's belly, my little brother was finally born on May 5th! Mama and Papa named him Charles Kellett after their respective fathers.

All bundled up...he is a very healthy boy at 8 lbs 5 ounces.

Papa is so proud of his little son.

Charlie is soooo cute and we are all in love with him.

Grandma took care of me while Mama and Papa were at the hospital and boy did we have fun! Grandma adores Charlie too - he loves the sound of her voice.

Both me and Charlie were born with a full head of hair!

Charlie brought me a present...lots of neat books!

Is this an adorable face or what?

Charlie sleeps a lot and boy does that make Mama happy! He is such a good baby!

Bike Nite 2010

2010-04-25T13:49:00.005-04:00

Last week, we enjoyed our first Bike Nite in Royal Oak of the year! It was in the 70's and everyone was hanging out, showing off their motorcycles and hot cars. I LOVED it! Tons of people, car and dog watching - what more could a 2-year old need? Oh yeah, greasy food at Comet Burger. Yum!

The rumbling of the motorcycles and cars didn't scare me one bit....well, as long as Papa was holding me anyway. I thought it was cool!

Mama and I people watching at Comet Burger.

As you know, I prefer cats to dogs and usually don't pay attention to even the cutest doggies. But I LOVED this dog - he was so soft and was scared...of little ole me!

I loved our evening out so much that I kept kissing Papa - over and over again. Am I Papa's girl or what?

Papa melted when I gave him kisses too. Hmmm....maybe I can use kisses to my advantage.

Earlier that day, Mama and I went to the park and played. Check me out on the swing!

And on the big girl swing!!!!!

All the trees are in bloom, flowers are everywhere....ahhhhh I love spring!

It's All About Playing!

2010-04-13T13:25:00.003-04:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to play. Play outside, inside. With friends or by myself. With toys or without. I just wanna play!!!!

I go to the park whenever I can... sometimes twice a day! I love the slide, the swing, climbing up steps, and even the baby climbing wall and tire.

Inside, my new favorite thing is playing in the "sand". Okay, it's really cornmeal, but I love it! My farm animals like to jump and play in the sandbox, and I like to scoop up the sand in cups and spoons and then dump...usually on the floor or on my pants.

Oh, and here is my baby brother....and Mama too! Only 3 more weeks till Mama goes to the hospital and the baby comes out. I'm not sure exactly what Mama means by that, but I'm sure gonna find out!

Happy EASTER!!!!!

2010-04-04T14:47:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter. Being a toddler, Easter for me is all about bunnies and eggs! I got to meet the Easter Bunny! At first I was pretty scared.....

but then I warmed up to him thanks to Mama singing my favorite song. Did you know that the Easter bunny came to my house this morning and left a basket of goodies and hid eggs filled with M&M's for me to find? I found them all too!! So yeah, Easter Bunny is pretty cool!

I got to play at Somerset's Easter Village and had a blast running through the "forest".

Is my Easter dress pretty or what?

Vroooom.....Can you see how fast I run now? Mama has a tough time catching up with me these days...hee! hee! hee!

There were even hula hoops, music and bubbles for us kids. Here I am watching the bubbles drift up in the air.

Papa and I had a great time as always.

I had no choice but to give Papa lots of kisses after such a fun morning. Mwah!

It was so warm last week...it was 80 two days in a row! And Papa had Friday off of work, so of course we were outside A LOT and visited parks like twice a day. This is one of my favorite parks in Birmingham. I ran around so fast that Mama couldn't keep up with the camera, but trust me, I had a BLAST!

Happy spring!!!!

New Friends

2010-04-01T13:18:00.003-04:00

I have two new friends to play with!

Jen and Taki Karras, along with big sister Sophia, welcomed beautiful Evangelia to the world on March 23rd! Sophia looks like she is an awesome big sister! I need to chat with her and get some tips. Last week I shoved my babydoll's head into my potty chair and then slammed the lid down. Mama's kinda worried.....

Anyway, congratulations to the Karras'!!!! I can't wait to have playdates with all of us, and my baby brother too!

Also, on February 20th, Mama's friend Shaun gave birth to cutie pie Finneas! Congratulations to Mom, Dad and big sister Quinlan!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA and UNCLE DAVE!!!!!

2010-03-21T09:13:00.004-04:00

So many March birthdays to celebrate! First, Happy Birthday to PAPA!!!! I crawled into Papa's bed this morning to give him a nice big birthday kiss! I love my Papa sooooo much! He makes me laugh like no one can, and we both love cars and motorcycles, salty chips, and hanging out.

Papa playing with me when I was just a week old!

Family picture during the week I was Baptised.

Me and Papa in Washington DC

Enjoying warmth in Florida....

Also, Happy Birthday to my Uncle Dave in Las Vegas! I couldn't find any pics of me and Uncle Dave, so here is one with him and my super sweet cousin Talia. Happy Birthday!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

2010-03-17T20:57:00.007-04:00

Today is my Grandma's 63rd birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA!!!!

I've had some super fun times with Grandma in my 27 months....

She was the third person I EVER met!!!!!

She was there for my Baptism and helped Mama plan a super fun party in my honor!

I visited Grandma in Florida several times. Here we are at the airport last year.

Grandma spent some time with us in Grand Haven last summer and we bonded a lot!

I love you Grandma and hope you had a fabulous day! Can't wait to see you this spring!

Love,
Natalie
xoxo

Mazel Tov Emily!

2010-03-16T15:28:00.005-04:00

Last weekend, we went to our friend and neighbor Emily's Bat Mitvah! It was our family's first, and boy did we have fun! The party was held at the Livonia Rec Center, which has rock climbing, a gym, and a super cool pool with big slides, a hot tub, and a lazy river. We hung out with our friends Jeff, Francesca and Allie for much of the night, which was AWESOME! Here we are after the party....did I look sleepy or what?

I stayed in the pool for an hour! My hands, feet and lips were purple, but I had no intention of getting out! It was just like summer inside - 80 degrees! But yeah, my blood is thin like Mama's so the 80 degree water was awfully chilly.

Why would I want to leave? Francesca and Allie were there and played with me and Papa in the pool. I LOVE hanging out with the big girls!

Allie was amazing as she reached the top of the gigantic climbing wall!!! We cheered her on!

Papa didn't make it so far, however. We cheered (laughed is more accurate) Papa on too!

Mommy & Baby Brother

2010-03-06T22:47:00.001-05:00

Here's a picture of Mommy and my little brother. Can't wait to meet him in less than 2 months now!!!

Thawing Out

2010-03-05T21:32:00.004-05:00

Days are getting warmer and brighter, and boy am I excited! Today, Mama and I walked up to the park for the first time this year! As you can tell, I LOVED it!!!!

I even remembered how to get to the park! So now I know my way to the library, rec center, and the park! Oh and of course I know how to get home from those places too. Am I a smart girl or what?

Conditions at the park, however, weren't so great. There is still 4" of snow on the ground, so the ground and park equipment were quite slippery. But it was still nice to stretch my legs!

Here is me last March on the swing....

...and here is me today! Mama says that this summer, I'm gonna learn how to go on the big girl swing cuz I am getting too big for the baby swing!

I can't wait to go to the park again this weekend! More pics to come!

Snowy February

2010-03-01T13:23:00.002-05:00

This was the fifth snowiest February on record in Detroit! Last week, we got around 10" in our neighborhood. I usually like walking in the snow, but it is a little hard to do when the snow is so deep!

Our nice neighbors let Papa use their snowblower so I could walk around. Ah, this is better.

Mama and I were outside playing in the snow for over an hour. But I really didn't want to touch the snow...or sit in it. I was happy just walking in it and hearing the snow crunch under my feet. Meanwhile, our neighbors built a huge snowman! By the end of the week, there were 5 snowmen on my street!

So how am I supposed to pick up a shovel when I am forced to wear mittens? Having grown up in Florida, Mama is absolutely no help in these matters. I guess I'll have to learn on my own.

We went to Mt. Meldrum, which is a sledding hill our friends built off their deck! Papa and I went sledding down the hill! I thought that was pretty neat!

Now, the sun is out, all that snow is melting, and people are out walking. Spring is right around the corner, and I can't wait to head to the playground! Happy March!

5 Years Ago.......

2010-02-18T13:54:00.006-05:00

....Mama and Papa were newlyweds and decided to buy a pretty little bungalow in Huntington Woods. On moving weekend, a blizzard came and dumped over a foot of snow in Detroit. And on closing day, as she was loading the first boxes into her car on her way to the closing, Mama fell down the stairs and sprained her ankle. It was a rough start! Here was our house 5 years ago...

In 5 years, Mama has had one car, the Civic. Papa has had the Maxima, Hummer, and the Aura....oh and a motorcycle...oh and in 3 weeks we will have the Terrain. Can you tell that Papa loves cars?

Today, there are 1.5 more residents than there were 3 years ago!!!!

Believe it or not, the snow does melt from time to time! In fact, this is what my street will look like in about 6 weeks. I can't wait to go on long walks, greet my friends and neighbors, and smell the tulips and daffodils.

I am such a lucky girl to live here. I LOVE my house, my street and my neighborhood. Even though winter is long, I have great friends nearby and places to go and burn off some energy. Within walking distance are a dozen different parks, downtown Royal Oak, the rec center, the library, a market, the zoo and even my future elementary school! The next 5 years will be full of more wonderful memories!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T14:17:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful day with their sweetie pie's! Here I am in my pretty dress that Alex and Audrey bought me.

And here is a flashback...little me at just 2 months old!!!

Big kisses to all my family and friends. MWAH!

Snowy Days

2010-02-12T21:30:00.003-05:00

Detroit finally caught up with the rest of the country and got a good snowstorm. No, we didn't get feet of snow like my family in Washington D.C. saw, but a good 7" or so fell. I LOVE snow. Mainly, just walking in it. Sledding is fun half the time, and scares the paci out of me the other half of the time.

Wow! Where did the roads and sidewalks go?????

I like the sound my boots make in the snow. Crunch...crunch...crunch.

Hanging out with Mama and Papa in downtown Royal Oak.

On cold days, we head over to the mall so I can play. Am I having a good time or what?

Busy as a Bee

2010-02-03T13:51:00.005-05:00

We are so busy, in fact, that Mama doesn't even remember to take pictures! We are always on the go....library time, Kindermusik, playdates, shopping, lunch dates, and trips to the mall so I can run around and charm all the other shoppers. I promise to post some better pics soon...I have been invited to three Valentine's Day parties so I will have a lot to tell everyone!

Here I am at my friend Avarie's house. Her house has a finished basement with tons of toys, but I spent most of the time climbing up and down the stairs and playing the piano.

Did I mention that I play soccer on Saturdays? Okay, well it's just a bunch of toddlers running around and releasing energy, but there are soccer balls present....I just choose not to kick them yet. But it is still awesome bonding time for Papa and me.

Last month, Papa's good friend Audrey stayed with us for a few days while he attended the North American Int'l Auto Show in Detroit. I loved the extra attention, as you can see here.

We are so happy for Audrey and Alex, proud new parents of sweet little Anthony. Hopefully I can meet Anthony someday soon. Is he a cutie pie or what?

Florida!!!!!!

2010-01-24T21:03:00.005-05:00

I just returned from spending 9 days in sunny Florida! I loved spending time with family and being outside. There are lots of pictures only because we did lots of things!

The beach was sooooo awesome! At first, I cried because I did NOT like the feeling of loose sand between my toes. Eiw! But once I got down to the water, I didn't care! The waves were so cool and I just jumped up and down with excitement!

I took full advantage of the warm weather and went to the park almost every day!

Papa had been working super long hours the week before we went to Florida, so we spent lots of quality time too!

Family picture!

I also got to see all of my aunts and cousins! I have such a big family!!! Here I am pushing little cousin Dylan, who was thankfully healthy after spending two weeks in the hospital. I am so glad I got to play with him and my other cousins!

Grandma took us to some pretty cool restaurants, but of course I was more interested in exploring than eating!

I love love love love love Grandma's kitties, Nala and Simba. I hugged them repeatedly, pulled their tails, examined their facial features, and basically just tortured them the entire visit. But they also slept in my stroller and in my bed and didn't run from me, so I think they liked me!

Grandma babysat me a lot so that Mama and Papa could spend some overdue time together. They went to brunch at a fancy restaurant on the intercoastal with newlyweds Aliea and Victor.

Mama had fun reconnecting with one of her dearest friends.

Mama and Papa even went out at night, even though they were exhausted cuz I wasn't sleeping much, knowing that this would be their last chance for a looooong while! Here is Papa at the Cheesecake Factory on Las Olas.

They went to Delray beach....

and enjoyed a Cafe Liegeois at a french cafe! Papa was reminiscing about home big time!!!!!!

There's my baby brother!!!!! (in Mama's belly of course)

Hmmm... Cupcake...

2010-01-09T00:06:00.002-05:00

It's a Boy!!!!

2010-01-05T14:42:00.004-05:00

I am going to have a baby brother! He is due May 4th ... in just 4 short months.

I think this is definitely Papa's profile!

He has big feet like the rest of us! I love toes...can't wait to tickle his!

Here is his spine... this is a really cool shot!

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-03T13:49:00.006-05:00

Ok, we didn't go anywhere, but even better is that I got to spend lots of quality time with Papa, who had 2 weeks off from work!

We played a lot...Papa is showing me how to conduct a train!

I helped Mama bake several times...it is very important to wipe the icing off of the cupcakes before serving them.

Since it is cold outside, we spent a lot of time at Somerset. I LOVE going up and down the elevators and escalators and basically just cruising the mall....an action I'll perfect by the time I am a teenager.

I also had my 2-year checkup. I am 35" tall (Mama insists I am 36", but I was not cooperating when the nurse was getting my height and weight so we'll never know) and I weigh 27 pounds 10 ounces. I gained back all the weight I lost when I had the H1N1 virus! I am a very healthy happy 2 year old!

Snow is pretty fun to walk on....

but I sure wish it was about 30 degrees warmer so my nose wouldn't freeze.

Mama got to watch Hope for an afternoon, so I came over for a while and played with my friend. Eating was an experience...Hope wanted nothing to do with the turkey I was eating and I almost gagged eating one of her raspberries!

Finally, the Umland's hosted the New Year's Eve party again and I played with the big girls for hours and had a blast!!!! They sure do love me!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

2009-12-25T09:37:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas to everyone I love!!!!

Guess who came to my house last night???? SANTA!!!!!!!!! He left me lots of gifts under the Christmas tree.

In exchange, he ate a bunch of cookies that Mama had above the received from friends yesterday.

And I also got lots of gifts from family. Thank you everyone! I am still not getting this whole "gift opening thing". But I'll get the hang of it soon I'm sure!

BIG KISSES!!!!! MWAH!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXO

My 2nd Birthday!

2009-12-15T14:46:00.004-05:00

I am 2 years old now...am I a big girl or what? My big party was last week, so my actual birthday was pretty low key.

In the morning, we went to the Ferndale Ice Festival, where I got to see lots of ice sculptures like this one of Jessica Rabbit. There were lots of people strolling the sidewalks, people selling hot chocolate and goodies, real live reindeer (WOW) and general Christmas cheer. I just loved seeing lots of people walking around again. It was the first time in over a week that the temperatures were above freezing (33), so it was "warm" out.

After that, we went to Nello's for lunch. Here I am giving Papa lots of kisses (I sure know how to make Papa's heart melt, eh?)

After my nap, we headed to a Portrait Innovations to get our pictures taken. More on that later, though everyone should be receiving their Christmas cards this week!

After two hours at the studio, we hurried home and ate. Mama and Papa sang Happy Birthday, though I wasn't crazy about the candle as you can tell. But Mama's homemade egg-less cupcake were dee-licious!!!!! I ate almost the whole cupcake!!!!

I was so tired and really didn't have the energy to open presents that night, so I got to open them on Sunday. I received lots of super fun gifts! Here I am maneuvering my way through my pile of gifts.

I got a super cool train set from my Mamy and Papy! Papa is trying to teach me how to use the remote, but right now I just like watching the train go.

Opening gifts isn't as fun as playing with them - though Mama says I won't be saying that by my next birthday!!!

I love crawling through my new tunnel!!!

Night night time. Isn't our xmas tree pretty?

THANK YOU EVERYONE for all the birthday wishes and presents. As you can tell, I am a very happy, spoiled baby...or uh, big girl!!! MWAH!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

2009-12-12T08:23:00.014-05:00

I am 2 years old today!!!!!! Mama and Papa can hardly believe it....two years ago I came into this world with big eyes and a loud cry. I weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces. Mama and Papa were so happy!!!!!

Now I weigh around 27 pounds...we'll find out for sure at my doctor's appointment in 2 weeks. As a big 2-year old, I love to run, play peek-a-boo and hide and seek, push my babies in the stroller, do puzzles, dance and jump to music, and listen to "head, shoulders, knees and toes" about 50 times a day!

Here are some pics of me from newborn to big girl!!!!

In the hospital after being born....

Playing with Papa when I was just a week old....

In my car seat at 3 months old....

In my pretty party dress for my Baptism week....

Looking at the prettiest baby in the world....

Enjoying a warm sunny autumn day....

All fancy in my gorgeous dress....

One year old Natalie!!!!

Good morning sleepyhead!

Strolling downtown Royal Oak at 16 months...

Meeting my cousin Talia again last summer....

20 months old!!!

Helping Papa make coffee just the other day!

I can't wait to open my presents and eat some cake (egg-free of course!). More about my big day to follow....

My Birthday Party!!!!

2009-12-10T16:24:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I am not officially 2 years old YET, but I prefer weeklong birthday celebrations! Mama and Papa hosted a 2nd birthday party for me and my 7 great friends from our parenting group. I have known Colin, Aiden, Abby, Carson, Kyle, Avarie, and Mia since I was 4 months old, so it was so fun to celebrate the big 2 with my friends.

Here we all are - 2 years old!!!!!

We're 2 so patience is NOT a virtue! As you can see, Carson already bailed. Take the picture already!

As the perfect hostess, I made sure to kiss all my friends.....

...and their parents.

My best buds Colin and Aiden, with cutie pie Abby too!

Mama reconnected with Andrea and Mia, who have been M.I.A. for a while! (Mama made me write that - how lame!)

The group about to sing Happy Birthday to all of us!

Mama and Papa are blessed to have such great friends and to have me....a perfectly healthy, sweet, fun 2 year old girl!

Oink Oink!!! Gobble Gobble!!!

2009-12-04T21:13:00.008-05:00

Last week was quite eventful. It started off pretty rough, as I came down with the swine flu. It was awful...I was sooooo sick for four days and lost 10% of my body weight! But on Thanksgiving morning, I woke up without a fever and felt much better. And good thing too because Mamy and Papy (Grandma and Grandpa) came to see me from Las Vegas so I finally got to play with them. I wasn't quite 100%, but close enough to get lots of love and attention!

Did I mention that they also bought me lots of toys for my upcoming birthday????

Papy read to me and played with me a lot.

Bonding time.....

Am I a super cute swine flu patient or what?

I love to hug people's toes. Don't ask....I'm 2, I don't know any better.

Another new thing...I like to watch tv while hiding behind the ottoman or behind the Christmas tree....

Helping Papa brew coffee always makes me feel better.

And story time with Mama helped too.....

I have fully recovered from the flu and am eating A LOT!!!! Big kisses to Mamy and Papy for coming to see me, taking care of me when I was sick, buying me lots of toys, and cooking so that Mama and Papa could rest and take care of me. MWAH!!!!

Boring Days....

2009-11-14T13:38:00.004-05:00

After the whirlwind days of October, November has been pretty boring. Mama and I have both been sick too, so we spend a lot of time playing inside. But it is no reason not to look stunningly cute.....

Is my hair long or what?

I bet I will be 3' tall at my 2-year appointment next month.

Whatcha looking at?

On nice days we still go to the park.

And I can walk up and down those steps all by myself!

A few weeks ago, Mama and Papa took me to Great Lakes Crossing for some shopping and of course a carousel ride. C'mon horsie, let's go!

Round and round I go.....

Super Big News!!!!

2009-11-04T08:14:00.004-05:00

I can't hold it in any longer.....

I AM GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER!!!!!!!!!

The baby is due to arrive on May 4th! I guess I really have no idea what is about to happen, but all I know is that I get to push a real baby in a big stroller instead of pusing my babydoll in my toy stroller.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

2009-10-31T21:24:00.006-04:00

Tonight I went trick-or-treating and boy did I have fun. Everyone loved my costume...Giraffe on the loose in the woods!!!!

But instead of trick-or-treating, I was more interested in playing with Nikos and stealing his tractor....

and walking up and down the sidewalk checking out the other kids' costumes and the decorations.

Fireman Nikos was checking out our decorations to make sure they were safe and not flammable.

Allie, Grace, Faith and Hope had a great time trick-or-treating and looked super cute!!!

Gian was Octomom!!!!!!

Mommy decorated our house with lights and Papa carved an "Ironman" pumpkin.

It was too cold to wear my ladybug costume, but here I am the first time I tried it on. I couldn't take my eyes off the mirror!!!!

I hope everyone had a fun, safe, and sugar-filled Halloween!!!

Halloween Parties

2009-10-29T13:57:00.005-04:00

The pre-Halloween parties are finally over, and now I look forward to trick-or-treating on Saturday night.

On Tuesday, I got dressed in my ladybug costume and we went to the Mom's Club Halloween party. Unfortunately, I took a power nap and we got to the party towards the end so I didn't have as much time to play with my friends as I would have liked. But I had such a good time and Mama enjoyed hanging out with the other moms.

Look how pretty I am! Here is my friend Layla (dressed as a doggie) and her Mommy Mary.

My friend Lucy also dressed up as a ladybug, so we were a big hit at the party. Lucy's Mommy Angela took a couple of pictures of us together. Can't wait to see them!

Last night, despite a runny nose, Mama, Papa and I went to our parenting group party. I got to hang out with Mickey Mouse (aka Carson), a Care Bear (Abby), a dragon (Aidan), and a giraffe (Kyle). I chased Abby around the house, played with her toys, and tried to share with my friends, though it sure was hard. I really missed my best pal Colin...he is recovering from pink eye. Big kisses, Colin!

I really dont like these group shots. Who wants to sit still when there are soooo many toys to play with?

Pumpkin Carving Party and Zoo Boo!!!!

2009-10-25T22:46:00.006-04:00

Whew...what a busy weekend! Last night, my friend Sophia and her parents hosted their annual pumpkin carving party. Back in the day, Mama and Papa would stay until the wee hours of the night hanging out, listening to music and drinking lots of wine. Things sure have changed! Now the 2-years olds ruled the party, so as you can imagine, I had a super fun time.

I dressed up as a ladybug! I had a hat too, but didn't care much for wearing it.

Sophia's Mommy made her this gorgeous costume....she was a cupcake!

At the end of the night, all of us toddlers took a group picture. As you can see, I wasn't very cooperative. With so many toys, why would I want to stop playing to take a picture?

Tonight, Mama and Papa took me to Zoo Boo! It is a fun trick-or-treating event at the Detroit Zoo. I wore my outdoor costume....I was a giraffe!

Hey, where'd the water in the fountain go?

Zoo alert: cutie pie giraffe on the prowl!

It was a beautiful evening and the zoo was so pretty with all of the pretty leaves, lights and Halloween decorations. Plus we got candy!!!! And to think Halloween night is still six days away and I have two more parties to go to. I foresee a lot of long naps this week!

Growing Up

2009-10-11T08:22:00.004-04:00

With my second birthday right around the corner, I am getting into some big girl habits.

Washing my own hands.....

Okay, sucking the water off my fingers is my main goal, but at least they are clean fingers!

Climbing up and down the stairs....

And look how big I look in my fall dress.....

Side profile....

Hay Day

2009-10-06T20:08:00.009-04:00

Last weekend, our city hosted a Hay Day Festival to celebrate fall. The highlight for sure was a special pony ride! I loved riding on the pony from the start. Mama showed me how to hold on to the saddle and I held tight the entire time!

Mama thought for sure I would cry, but I didn't!!!! I loved how I bounced a little during the ride. The pony was very sweet.

Okay, I did start to cry at the very end, but my bottom was sore from all that bouncing!

And guess who was also at Hay Day? My good friends, the Umlands. Here I am with my good friend Hope.

One game was to find gold coins in all of the hay. Not quite like looking for a needle in a haystack cuz I found several coins!!!!!

Looking for more coins.....

Papa helped me make music with my feet on the chimes!

Last Days of Summer

2009-10-04T21:27:00.008-04:00

I'm not sure who turned off the sun, but the warm sunny skies I had become accostomed to have been replaced with gray and cool weather. Thankfully, I was outside A LOT this summer and enjoyed every moment of warmth.

We went to Birmingham quite often to play at Booth Park and walk around the beautiful neighborhoods and the lake.

We attended a Labor Day parade in the village of Franklin and enjoyed a delicious burger at the Franklin Grill.

I in particular had a blast in downtown Detroit playing in the fountains. At first, I wasn't too sure about getting wet....

But after testing out each fountain (there were dozens!), I was running around squealing in my drenched clothes.

We also checked out the Jazz Festival downtown. It was so cool....lots of people, groovy sounds and yummy food.

Nancy, our good friend and neigbor, had a party to celebrate her great achievement in becoming a nurse. We are so proud of her! It was a super fun party. I got to play with Joe and Nancy's grandkids Annie, Hanna and Silas.

Wasn't I so pretty in my blue party dress?

I had so much fun playing with all the neighbor kids that I completely crashed at the end of the night. I am still a baby after all!!!

State Fair

2009-09-20T22:22:00.006-04:00

The Michigan State Fair is the oldest state fair in the country and unfortunately, it looks like this was the last year it will be held due to budget cuts. However, we made the most of it and went twice!

The first time, we saw a few cows who were very pregnant. When we went back a week later, one of the cows was in labor! Mommy said the cow must have had an epidural because she was too calm!

I got to pet goats too, and went right for their noses! Then Mommy and I went through a hay maze! Mommy had a slight advantage, being taller than the hay and all. Cheater.

Then I went on my first ride ever! A merry-go-round! At first I wasn't too sure, but once the horse started going round and round and up and down, I was giggling through my pacifier!

Papa went on a ride too - but a slightly different kind of ride.

But as you can tell, he loved it!

I wasn't too impressed with the newly hatched chicks. Whatever.

The cows were neat, but by then I was exhausted and ready for bed!

The next weekend, we went back with our good friends, the Bibbs'. Colin is one of my best pals and I have even kissed him on many occasions (don't tell Papa!)

We went back on the merry-go-round and once again I loved it! And so did Colin!

This time I got to pet a day-old lamb. She was soooo soft, but once again, I went for the nose!

August in Huntington Woods

2009-09-01T14:10:00.005-04:00

Summer is almost over and I am sure going to miss being outside all day. Even though it was a cool summer, we went to the pool on every warm day.

Papa and I bond really well in the water.

He does all kinds of crazy stunts to make me laugh.

And I mastered the slide this summer! I have a video of it that I will post too.

Mama and I went biking almost every day...to the park, to a friend's house, or to downtown Royal Oak to meet Papa for lunch.

We enjoyed a bar-b-que at a friends house and I got to play with Aiden and some other friends from my playgroup.

The Woodward Dream Cruise weekend was really fun! We went to a party on Woodward with our friends, the Bibbs'. I even got my first animal ballon.

Here are Becky, Christopher and Collin!

Here I am with Mama showing off my first "tatoo" on my leg. And I didn't like that one bit - Papa said I cried and cried.

Checking out the cars cruising on Woodward

Air Force jets flew over Woodward several times - I loved the noise from the jets!

Happy 1st Birthday Talia!

2009-08-27T14:14:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday to my little cousin Talia, who turned one yesterday! How cool that we are the same age. Even though we live 2,000 miles apart, we have always shared a special bond.

For instance, we BOTH loved Talia's bouncer.

We are both spoiled by our loved ones

We both look stunning in dresses, even when we slobber Cheerios on them

We both love to play

And reading is a favorite past time

Now the big question is.....

will we have the same taste in boys???? (Papa, I didn't write that, I swear!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COUS!!!

Busy Baby

2009-08-23T21:18:00.004-04:00

The summer heat is on, and I have been super busy. Here is what I have been up to latey.

Hangin' with the boys...

Riding our bikes up to the zoo for Wednesday night concerts

Attending my friend Sophia's birthday party

Visiting with little Ava and showing her how to use my toys

Practicing surfing on the internet with Mama

Enjoying fine classic automobiles with Papa

Walking Molly the doggie and sharing my Cheerios

Hosting playgroups with my favorite friends

10 Years Ago.....

2009-08-18T14:07:00.014-04:00

Mama and Papa went on their first date. 10 years later, they have experienced many laughs, lots of love, good friends, supporting family, lots of food, a beautiful home, and of course, the cutest baby in the world....

It all started at Starbucks, when Papa was 30 minutes late. About 4 months later, he moved into Mama's apartment in Royal Oak.

Mama kissing two frogs!

Pittsburg!

Good times in Vegas

Bellagio

The Whitney in Detroit (Mama was recovering from the flu)

Washington DC

NYC

Mackinac Island

Zion

Paris

Hike in Corsica (Papa proposed at the top)

Engaged!

Wedding in Papa's home town

Married!

Reception at L'Auberge

First Home

Downtown Detroit

Corsica

Lagoon in Corsica

San Diego

Raining in Seattle

Key West

Papa's Birthday

Niagara Falls (I am in Mama' belly!)

Me!

The Andriani's!

Special Day

2009-08-14T18:18:00.007-04:00

Today is a special day because it is my Papy's (Grandpa's) birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPY!!!!

You were there to greet me when I was just 4 days old....

you came to visit me when I was 5 months old and taught me how to chill in the backyard....

And recently we played together tons here and in Grand Haven.

I love you soooo much. I get all happy when I think about Papy.

I also have a special birthday video for you, but Mommy filmed it in a portrait setting, so we are working on flipping it.

In the meantime....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! MWAH!!!!

Papa's Work Picnic

2009-08-10T13:58:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, we headed to MetroBeach for a picnic with Papa's co-workers. Papa enjoyed showing me off to his co-workers.

But I loved playing with two little boys my age, one of whom was born at around the same time as me in the same hospital and on the same floor. We had a special bond, even though I kept taking his ball.

I am a party animal because I stayed well after my nap time. But as soon as we got on the freeway, I fell asleep.

Papa stayed and played corn toss with his buddies. He and his friend won the game too and received a special prize. That's MY PAPA!!!!

Among Papa's other special talents, though there was no award given!

In Honor of Lance Armstrong....

2009-07-27T14:42:00.004-04:00

Papa borrowed a friend's bike to see how I would like riding and....

I LOVE IT!

We rode all the way up to Trader Joe's last night, and then today Mama and I rode to Main Street to meet Papa for lunch.

Bike riding is so much fun. Mama is gonna have to get her own bike so we can do this more often.

18 Month Checkup

2009-06-30T14:40:00.003-04:00

I am such a big girl! I am 33 3/4" long (95th percentile) and I weigh 23 pounds (25th percentile)! I am healthy and happy, as you can tell!

At Somerset, showing off my long legs.

I LOVE to play with balls. One day soon I am going to make a basket just like Papa does.

My ball!

This musician sang very well and I was hypnotized!!! Passerbys were tickled pink at my wide eyes.

Summertime in Michigan

2009-06-28T14:41:00.008-04:00

Summertime has FINALLY arrived here in Michigan and boy am I having a great time! I just want to be outside walking, exploring my neighborhood and seeing my friends. I love to cross the street and I know now that I must hold Mama or Papa's hand when I do so.

We spend a lot of time at parks, and I am mainly interested in going on the swing.

We get together with our good friends and neighbors often. Joe and Nancy's deck is the best spot in town!

We hosted dinner with the Bonello's one night and we just had such an awesome night. I played so much with Gian, Francesca and Allie - I didn't want them to go home.

Concerts in the park are back, so every Tuesday night we head to a park near our house to listen to music. Last week a heavy rock band played and I wasn't sure what to think of that.

Mama finally caved in and bought pool passes up at our city rec center after 3 days of scorching 90 degree heat.

On rainy days, I hang out with my friends and practice sharing my O's.

Mama and Papa love to hang out in Royal Oak. On Father's Day, we had dinner at Bastone and the strolled up and down Main Street.

I also Papa a cool Simpsons audio card. Papa didn't have much time to enjoy it though....

I'm Slidin

2009-06-12T13:34:00.002-04:00

Another Milestone

2009-06-12T08:38:00.004-04:00

I am 18 months old today! Wow...time sure flies when you're having fun! I don't have any stats to report as I don't see my pediatrician for another 2 weeks. Mama thinks I am somewhere around 21-22 pounds and guesses that I am 32-33" tall.

These days, I am super busy. I have lots of play dates and Mama and Papa take me outside several times a day so I can walk, explore, and chat with our neighbors.

When I see people I love, I like to hit them on the head. Mama has been trying to tell me "gentle" and "no hit", but what fun is that....REALLY?

I like to get people to chase me, especially boys.

We have lots of girl power on LaSalle. Here I am with all of my favorite friends. I wasn't so happy though because I had just fallen and got my very first boo boo with blood and everything. Mama cleaned it out and put band-aids on and I harldy cried. I am such a big girl!

Papa loves the girl power too, though he won't admit it!

I LOVE swings now, and laugh uncontrollably when Mama asks if I want to go one. Here I am next to my friend Kyle at our parenting group park playdate a couple of days ago.

Of course I still cruise around the house, chasing balls and getting into Mama and Papa's stuff as much as I can. Gosh, I love being 1!

Au Revoir.....

2009-06-10T13:47:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Mama and Papa's lease on the 2007 Saturn Aura ended. It was a sweet ride and I will miss the a/c, but the Aura served us well. Thank you GM for making such a nice car!!!!

Here is Mama when Papa brought the car home in May 2007. Do you see me? You have to look very, very closely, as Mama was just 10 weeks pregnant with me!

And here we were saying goodbye. Look at how big I am!!!

And showing off my walking skills on the hood...hey who cares, we were turning it in anyway.