We have officially hit the "terrible twos" and Natalie is meeting the expectations associated with this dreaded year with perfection. These days I hear the word "no" with just a glance in her direction and she loves to test the boundaries -- directives given by Mom and Dad are simply just suggestions to her. Temper tantrums have become a commonplace although I've actually become exceptionally good at tuning them out -- not sure if that is a good or a bad thing yet! And because she is the third child, she gets away with more than the other two combined. Things that I would be mortified about a few years ago, generally only land Nattie in a quick time-out, without a second thought. But I guess that's what happens when you have 3 kids.
Despite her current devilish behavior and typical two year old challenges, even on her worst day, I love her more than words. She is a sweet and goofy girl who LOVES to hang out with her brother and sister. Dance parties (with the lights off!) are her favorite family activity.
She is very similar to Brady in almost every way, which explains their love-hate relationship. No one can make her laugh like her brother and he is happy to oblige but they can also be found tormenting each other (usually instigated by Natalie) with pulling of hair or hitting.
She enjoys being the center of attention and making people laugh. She often calls Josh and I by our first names (and her first look after saying it is to the other kids to see if she is getting a response, smile or laugh from either one of them). She also always refers to Abi and Brady as "the kids". Her first question to me every morning is "where are the kids?"
Natalie is indecisive (an unfortunate trait inherited by Mom) and strong-willed (I'll give Dad credit for that one!) She loves to take baths, wear her pajamas (she would be in them all day if she could) and enjoys putting on jewelry. After she done accessorizing, she usually looks at me and says, "I'm beautiful" or "I'm cute". She likes anything associated with Frozen. She can sing a mean version of "Let It Go", plus most other pop songs, but has a particular love for Taylor Swift.
She is finally at the point where she will sit through me reading a book to her although she occasionally gets buggy and tries to turn the pages before we are done. She is talkative and likes to repeat everything she says about 4 times. She is starting to learn her numbers and often can be heard walking around the house yelling out random numbers.
Out of the three kids, she is turning out to be the pickiest eater-- not a big fan of meat except for meatloaf and sausage and is very particular about desserts too (very strange for Doehne women!) She thinks that any drink she gets at Starbucks is coffee and she can tell you where all the coffee (and ice cream) shops are during a drive around town, even if it is not your destination and you are just driving by one.
Some of her funniest moments come when she is laying in her crib - either first thing in the morning when she wakes up or at bedtime when she is supposed to be going to sleep. Natalie does not fuss or cry in her bed in the morning. Instead, we often hear her say, "Josh, come here for a minute". Or after I put her to bed, I often hear her say, "Mommy, where are you?" If I ignore her (in an attempt to get her to go to sleep), she has discovered that if she says "Mommy, I love you" (which generally sounds like "wuv you"), it is impossible for me to ignore and she'll get a response. So this is now our nighttime routine after I close her door and it warms my heart every time!
As with all other Doehne kids, she has a myriad of nicknames: Peach, Boog, Bug, Buggie, Bugger, Nattie Nu and Nattie Bananie.
In keeping with tradition, here is her birthday captured in pictures:
Happy 2nd Birthday My Sweet Angel!
