First School Photographs

Typical week night: 5:30 - 5:45 pm ( Cracker & Juice)

When Natalie first arrives home, she immediately asks for "cracker" and "juice". We have been substituting fruits for crackers and water for juice for some time now, but as long as Natalie is happy with her snack, then there's no reason to let her know that she's eating healthier.

Typical week night: 5:45 - 6:00 pm (Baby, Ball & Book)

Once snack time is over, Natalie specifically asks for her favorite toys. First, she asks for her Baby. Once she has her Baby, Natalie asks for her Ball. After Natalie has played with her Ball for a little while, she asks for her book. It's amazing that she specifically asks for these three things (all starting with B) every day in more or less the same order.

Typical week night: 6:00 - 6:15 pm (Daddu arrives)

As soon as she hears the door open, Natalie immediately lights up and runs to her Dad (a.k.a. Daddu). For the first few minutes, she follows Daddu around - she even likes to go out to the mailbox to see what might have arrived that day.

Typical week night: 6:15 - 6:30 pm (Dinner Time)

We have not yet gotten into the routine of having dinner together - Natalie still needs some special assistance. For the most part, she's able to feed herself (though not completely accurately). Pasta nights usually end up looking like a horror film at the end.

Typical week night: 6:30 - 7:00 pm (Relaxing in front of the TV)

Natalie loves television - in fact, she's already referring to it as "tee tee". If left to her own devices, Natalie could spend countless hours watching TV - she's always fascinated by it. However, Mom and Dad limit Natalie to 30 minutes in the evening (and 15 minutes in the morning) - both of these TV breaks allow Mom and Dad to get some things done around the house.

Typical week night: 7:00 - 7:30 pm (Family Time)

Family time is usually spent on the couch in the family room. Natalie loves to sit on Mom's lap and crawl over Dad whenever she gets the chance. It's nice to have a few moments each day when the family can celebrate its time together.

Typical week night: 7:30 - 7:40 pm (Potty Time)

Although Natalie is not yet potty-trained, she has figured out how to use her potty. This is a part of her night-time routine when Natalie becomes very animated and babbles almost nonstop. In addition to being animated, Natalie is also often productive.

Typical week night: 7:40 - 7:50 pm (Bed time Story)

Natalie's has started to look forward to her bed-time story. She especially likes the book "Good Night Moon". As Mom reads it to her over and over again, Natalie has started to learn what the main elements of the story are. She points to the characters and provides the sound-track to Mom's reading. Natalie really likes to "meow" like a cat and whisper "hush" during her favorite parts of the story.

Typical week night: 7:50 - 8:00 pm (Prayer & Tuck in)

To finish off the evening, Natalie says her good-night prayers and Mom & Dad tuck her into bed. These days, Natalie doesn't need as many night-time rituals as she used to. She's usually tired and ready to go to sleep.