She's just not that into you

Miss Natalie turned 3 months old today! To celebrate her newfound maturity, we took a special trip to Macy's Herald Square to visit the jolly one. Although she didn't cry, Natalie was not all that impressed with Santa. Santaland was even more surreal than David Sedaris described, proving that maybe the whole Santa thing is just a tad creepy after all... That being said, I couldn't resist shelling out the $15.99 + tax for this lovely photo, which I expect to be able to use as blackmail when Natalie is 16.

Poll: baby food processors

Please send in your opinions on the best baby food processor on the market. Dex? Magic Bullet? Other? Thanks! (I don't need it yet, but am planning ahead.)

A day at the park

Daddy and Natalie enjoy an afternoon in Riverside Park

Yay, Dems!

Natalie celebrates the Democratic victory with friend, Dylan the Donkey. (Thanks to Jackie for the adorable blue outfit and Stacy for the Tiffany rattle!)

Natalie's first baby doll

We had a great time at Music Together today! Natalie is the youngest baby in class, and everyone noticed how she recognized her name for the first time today during the Hello song. Before class we picked up a new, anatomically correct doll for her to play with. She already loves cuddling with her new friend!

Strike a pose

Natalie strikes a pose in her Bumbo seat, one of the greatest ever inventions in baby gear!

Natalie's first concert

The three of us thoroughly enjoyed our first concert together as a family. Elizabeth Mitchell performed beautifully for children and adults of all ages at Symphony Space this weekend with husband, Daniel, and 5 year old daughter, Storey. Natalie willed herself to stay awake and engaged for the duration of the show while Robert and I tried to hold back tears over the sheer joy we felt to be there with her. Life is good.

Out on the town with Mommy & Grandma

Natalie was a superstar today, allowing herself to be photographed with and passed around to all kinds of people while visiting our friends at a casting studio this afternoon, all the while behaving like the perfect little happy baby she (mostly) is. After all the glamour and excitement, we came home and took pictures of our own with Grandma, who is going back to Michigan tomorrow. We've been spoiled having her around!

On a serious note

I am heartbroken over one of my SPALS friend's horrible news about the little girl she is carrying. Her first baby, a boy, was born with cardiomyopathy as well as a rare metabolic disorder, the same year Julian was born. She went on to have a healthy baby girl last year, and gave her a variation of her son's name as a middle name, like we did. She is currently 27 weeks pregnant and found out last week that her little girl, whose name they have now shared with our community, has the same condition that her son died of in 2004. Sadly, the baby's heart is deteriorating, and her chances for survival in utero for more than a few more days are slim, so labor will be induced tomorrow and the family is preparing to say goodbye to yet another loved and wanted child.

This makes me incredibly sad, as we have much in common with this family, and this could have so easily been us, with the scares about Natalie's heart in my second trimester. The world is an incredibly unfair place. I have left SPALS for the time being, although I have conflicting feelings about it, and know that I will miss being a part of a community that has supported me and which I have supported for the past 2 years, but I think it's time for me to move forward. Now that Natalie is here, I feel so incredibly lucky and find the thought of another high-risk pregnancy and another possible loss that much more horrifyingly unbearable.

Whether you meditate, pray, shop, do yoga, breathe, or whatever, please keep this family in your thoughts.