Teddy...

Natalie recieved one of her first Christmas gifts on Wednesday from good friend Skye. The gift, a teddy bear. We are not quite sure why Natalie is semi-naked while playing with Teddy. Anyway, Natalie seems to have made a new friend...

Santa Claus came to Ashburn...

he then left for an hour and came back. Luckily we found a way to the front of the line upon his return. All in all, we waited 2.5hrs in line at Dulles Town Center to see the jolly ole fellow...and, believe it or not, we were one of the lucky ones to only wait 2.5hrs. Despite the long lines Natalie shined in her three minutes with Saint Nick. She sat on his lap and gave a few smiles. We are not exactly sure what she wished for but we're hoping it involves a couple of teddy bears, books, clothes and a few select toys.

Whats new...well, Natalie is now scooting herself in circles while on her stomach. She has completed several 360 degree turns. We are assuming that crawling is just around the corner.

Both of our families are coming to town to celebrate Christmas in Ashburn. We are really looking forward to their company and ready to down some good eats and spirits.

Isn't it amazing how much can happen in a week...

Natalie has had a couple of first this week:

First, Natalie is sitting up on her own. Someone still has to sit near her as she will eventually slump over but she is able to sit up for a couple of minutes on her own. It must be from all of the sit ups we have been doing. We can now put a Boppy behind her and give her a couple of toys to play with while tend to other stuff around the house.

Secondly, she has started rolling over from her back to her stomach. Our daycare first noticed this on Friday and sure enough, she has rolled over several times this weekend. It is amazing how things can change from one day to the next.

Natalie is starting to really enjoy her rice cereal. Often times requesting more. She is also very content at watching people and seeing their interactions. We noticed last weekend that she would watch a group of people carry on a conversation turning her head to watch whomever was speaking. Unfortunately the conversation involved installing drywall...if she only knew. Josh feels that this is the best age so far as she is figuring out new things everyday.

I promised myself I wasn't going to cry...

For the first time in Josh and Kaija's relationship Josh shed a tear. Although, these tears were tears of joy. Natalie picked up the remote control and began hitting buttons. After seeing this, Josh jumped up and grabbed the camera to capture the joyous moment.

Natalie started her rice cereal on Sunday. She also say in her high chair for the first time. The first two attempts to feed the rice cereal did not go over well with several yuck faces. Today, however, she decided to eat the cereal without a fuss and remained, for the most part, clean. We will see how this continues but we are hoping she continues to enjoy this feeding. We are really looking forward to starting her on fruits in a couple of weeks. In our anticipation we have already begun stocking the cabinet.

We went to Snickersville Tree Farm this weekend and started our family tradition of cutting down our Christmas Tree and dressing it up as a family. The place was very nice plus they offered free apple cider. Natalie looked so cute bundled up in her snow suit although her nose was very red by the end of finished.

Grandpa and Grandma D are coming into town this weekend with Aunt and Uncle D. Not too much on the agenda but they volunteered to babysit on Monday instead of sending Natalie to daycare.

Thanksgiving and Great Grandma...

Thanksgiving went well. Grandma and Grandpa J came into town along with Great Grandma Mauser making this Thanksgiving especially nice since Natalie and GG Mauser had yet to meet. GG Mauser, a young 81, enjoyed watching Natalie's theatrics and Natalie enjoyed all of the attention. So much so, she decided not to nap all Thanksgiving day even after repeated efforts.

Josh signed Natalie up for swimming lessons on Tuesday. She is very young but Josh wants to get her acclimated as soon as possible, especially since we will be traveling to Key Largo, FL in Feb. Plus, this provides Josh an opportunity to have an activity for just the two of them.

Natalie continues to enjoy playing in her Exersaucer and playing with her toys when she is in her Bumbo or on her playmat. She has started drinking water during her bath time. She will grab the bowl, pull it towards her mouth and stick her tongue out as water splashes down. Occasionally she gets a mouth full but does not seem to mind.

Keep the cards coming, they're scrumptous...

Usually when we receive cards we will sit down with Natalie and read them to her. The past couple of days when we have received cards we have decided to give them to Natalie to well, um, read. To the side is a picture and video of Natalie enjoying the latest card.

This past weekend we went to a good friends Baptism in Maryland. Young Jack Golub was baptised Catholic at 3 months. He seemed to enjoy the experience and both he and Natalie enjoyed the after-party.

Josh is heading to Aurora again for the week leaving Kaija and Natalie to have a little girl time together.

Not too much going on this weekend. We will probably hit up Wegmans to start our Thanksgiving Holiday shopping spree. We are also getting with friends on Saturday to watch the VT/Miami and possibly getting with more friends on Sunday for a pre-holiday dinner.

tongue wagging...

We noticed something different about Natalie over the weekend. She is starting to stick her tongue out...all of the time. Maybe its because she is in the beginning stages of teething (daycare guess) or maybe she just loves the sound her mouth makes when she blows (Josh's guess). Either way, she loves sticking her tongue out. Luckily she does not have any teeth yet- Here are some more photos of Natalie on her Exersaucer. There are two videos on the right of Natalie demonstrating her new found tongue wagging hobby.

The weekend and the exersaucer...

We had a very uneventful weekend for the most part. One goal we had was to completely file away all of our important documents from the past year that have hibernated on the computer desk in the loft. We were 90% effective in our goal. We did drive into Arlington on Saturday night to hangout with a few friends. Natalie had a great time being passed back and forth. She definitely loves attention. We ended up staying out much too late for both baby and parents. We did have a great time catching up with some good friends though.

What is the exersaucer? Only the single best toy ever!! Josh spent an hour putting together Natalie's newest toy...the exersaucer. We were a little hesitant at first but now we have seen how much joy this new contraption brings to Natalie. There are a few 'high-tech' gadgets on the toy however Natalie seems to prefer the battery-less toys that she can pull towards her mouth.

Halloween...

I think all parents expect their first Halloween to be a joyous and eventful experience. However, for the most part, Natalie's first Halloween was, somewhat, uneventful. We started the day going to daycare in her mermaid costume since the daycare had a parade for all of the kids (actually it was more for the parents). Anyway, upon fitting Natalie into her costume we realized that she has grown so much she could not straighten her legs in the mermaids tail since she has become so tall. She managed to endure the parade without throwing a fit and letting mom and dad snap a few photos. Later that evening we had great expectations that we would sit outside with Natalie in costume and hand out candy to all of the kids. However, Natalie quickly reminded us how uncomfortable that outfit was so we abandoned our plans. Next year should be a little more enjoyable as she will be able to walk around in her outfit.

Can we get a Doctor around here...

Natalie had her 4 month checkup today where she received 2 more shots in her legs. This go around did not go quite as smooth as the 2 month shots. She was very uncomfortable crying and screaming from the moment she received the shots to the time she got home. Not the best way to celebrate the night before Halloween. They did update her measurables (see Height and Weight) and she seems to be thinning out as she continues to grow.

Natalie has a costume parade at school tomorrow so we are going to check out all the kids as they march around the daycare. Should be fun!!

Lordy, lordy, look who's four...

Natalie turned 4 months old on Sunday. Unfortunately she took it all in with a cold. However, to not damper the mood, Kaija took Natalie, in what will probably be a normal occasion, to the mall for a little shopping spree to get some much needed winter clothing. Natalie came home with several outfits and a big smile on her face.

Josh carved a pumpkin last night and we let Natalie play with her little pumpkin. She seemed more interested in swatting it off her Bumbo Chair. We are really looking forward to Natalie's 1st Halloween and her 'scuba' costume.

Kaija was in Chicago for a day trip with work today so Josh had daycare dropoff/pickup duty. In the past week we have noticed Natalie squealing. We hate to call it squealing because of the negative connotation but we are not sure what else to call it. It is really cute though!!! When Josh took her to daycare today he noticed that upon hearing other kids crying or screaming Natalie would take a deep breath and make her squealing noice followed by a smile.

Toe Grabbing Saturday...

We finally caught Natalie in the act of grabbing her toes. She really enjoys the activity and remains unfazed that she very rarely succeeds getting her toes to her mouth. Anyway, checkout the videos on the right to see her in action. Natalie has also mastered the art of taking the Binky out of her mouth and then placing it back in her mouth. Hopefully we will capture that on video soon.

On Sunday we are going to carve a pumpkin in celebration of Natalie's 1st Halloween. Have we mentioned Natalie's costume? She is going to be a Scuba Diver complete with a respirator and tanks. Just kidding of course, like Kaija would ever let Josh dress up Natalie in a Scuba costume. We are not giving out the costume just yet but check in around Wed or Thurs for some photos.

We are also pleased to announce that Natalie is going to have another friend in a couple of months. Good friends Lauren and John Duffy are having a little girl in March - we can't wait!

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes...

Natalie has begun the toe-grabbing phase. She now entertains herself by grabbing her toes and attempting to get them to her mouth, albeit unsuccessfully. The problem, her legs are too long. Kaija and Josh are enjoying this new phase as well since she concentrates, with a very serious look on her face, really hard on getting those toes in her mouth. We do admire her perseverance. We are also reminded that Darwin's theory of evolution might not be that far-fetched. Natalie is also starting to grab at our lips and nose. While uncomfortable to Josh and Kaija, Natalie is happy, so grab away. Natalie is also getting pretty good at taking her pacifier out and placing it back in her mouth.

We went to a Pumpkin Patch in Great Falls this past weekend for some good photo opportunities. We quickly realized that 4 months is just too early to really enjoy being surrounded by hay and pumpkins and yet be still for the camera. So we decided to snap a few and just enjoy ourselves. Next year should be much more enjoyable when Natalie can get on the hay ride and pick out a pumpkin. Natalie did seem to enjoy some of the animals at the Pumpkin Patch.

Not much else to report, everything is pretty much status quo. Kaija is back to work and Josh is traveling to Denver...again.

The weekends, they go so fast...

What a beautiful weekend we had in the NOVA region. Back to back perfect October days...75 degrees with a slight breeze. With Grandma and Grandpa J in town we decided to head to Middleburg. While there we just strolled around and went into a couple of shops in this old and very quaint town. Afterwards we stopped into a mom n pops shop for some delicious sandwiches and cookies. Grandpa looks like he is doing very well and we are happy to announce cancer free. To celebrate Grandpa's new bill of health they are heading to Myrtle Beach, SC next weekend.

Natalie has started laughing out loud. As we posted on many occasions, she has been laughing and would make a few squalls but now she makes relatively loud giggling noises. It is very cute to say the least and she started the evening that Grandpa and Grandpa J arrived...perfect timing.

Next weekend we are going to hit up a pumpkin patch off of Georgetown Pike. Hopefully we will be able to find a nice little pumpkin but more importantly snap a few photos of our lil' pumpkin enjoying her time.

Life is like a box of chocolates...

We were supposed to attend a wedding this weekend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Unfortunately something happened and the wedding was called off. Luckily we were able to cancel our reservations without a penalty. So we had a free weekend.

On Saturday we went to Great Falls with the Iveys and the Fochts with kids in tow. The day was absolutely beautiful with plenty of sunshine and a slight breeze. The kids all seemed to have a good time and it was great to catch up with one another. The park also provided us another chance to break out the Baby Bjorn. Any hesitations we had with the Bjorn are now gone. Natalie absolutely loves the Bjorn especially when we face her out. Later that night we went over to the Ivey's to watch the VT Hokies beat up on the Clemson Tigers. Josh felt really bad for the Ivey's who were all wearing Clemson garb.

Sunday was pretty uneventful although we did walk up to our local playground with Natalie in the Bjorn. While there Josh decided to get in the swing with the Bjorn and swing back and forth. Natalie really enjoyed it and even grabbed onto the swing chains. It was very cute and Natalie was all smiles. We really wish we had our camera.

Grandpa and Grandma J are coming up this weekend. We are really looking forward to them coming and hanging out with Natalie.

School Time...

Natalie started daycare on Monday and seemed to have a decent day there. Kaija dropped her off at 8:30am without tears. Getting up in the morning, showering, and making sure Natalie is prepared for school was tougher than leaving her there. Not that leaving her there was not tough...it was, but mornings are pretty hectic now. The teachers seem very nice and have now told us, two days in a row, how much they love Natalie. We help pay their salary so they probably say that to all the parents. Josh picked up Natalie after work at 4:30pm. She was very happy and smiling at one of her teachers so Josh felt more at ease with the whole daycare thing. Josh and Natalie came home and played for a long time, both inside and outside, before giving Natalie her nightly bath. After one last feeding Natalie went down at 8:30pm and we did not hear from her again until 6:45am the next morning. Daycare seems to be wearing her out...which also makes us feel better.

A couple of notes:

1) Grandpa J is out of the hospital. He has already started back with his daily coffee shop trip.

2) Natalie enjoys sitting up but the jury is still out on the Bumpo seat. Her enjoyment lasts for about 10 minutes.

3) Wedding number 2 is this weekend. One of Kaija's college pals is getting married on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The wedding is on the bay so Natalie will probably get another dip into the water.

Rollin' Over...

Natalie has started rolling over. She first rolled over on Thursday but we thought it might be a fluke. She has now rolled over several times so we feel comfortable reporting that she can roll over from stomach to back. Perfect, just in time for daycare.

Natalie's new favorite toy...

Natalie discovered a new toy this weekend, or better put, Kaija and Josh finally pulled out another toy for Natalie to play with. Check out the picture or video on the side for a description. She absolutely loves kicking at the cushioned footpads and loves even more when dad dances to the music that plays once she does.

We mentioned the fact that Kaija goes back to work on Oct 1. Well, that time is now. We refused to talk about it at home but now, after trying to make sure we have everything we need, it is very real. Kaija is sad and doesn't know how she will react tomorrow as she drops Natalie off. For those that do not have kids it is hard to understand the nervousness but for those that do, we are in your shoes. Natalie slept 9.5 straight hours last night so we are hoping this is an omen to the upcoming work week.

Grandpa J is feeling much better now and may go home from the hospital today. He has not had any solid foods in over a week. Natalie says, suck it up G'Pa...I have only had liquids my whole life. She followed that up with smile :^)

Thinking of Grandpa J...

While Grandpa J is recovering from his colon cancer operation Josh decided to introduce Grandpa J's favorite sport to Natalie. She seemed interested, however, she loves watching the TV so only time will tell if golf is in her future. Golf is a real expensive sport so Josh is hoping to leave golf for TV and push soccer or swimming onto Natalie. Its safe to say, if Grandpa J was feeling better he most definitely would be taking in the Presidents Cup Golf Tourney. Grandpa J, we're thinking of you!!!!!

3 months old...

Today Natalie turned 3 months old. And to celebrate, we went to our daycare (LINK: Ashburn Village Country Day School) to sit-in for an hour or so before the dreaded 1-Oct. Everything went fairly well and Natalie seemed content. It is just hard knowing that Natalie will not get the same attention she receives at home. Who knows, maybe Kaija has a change of heart in a couple of weeks. But until then...this is our plan.

Back to Natalie. We weighed in today and, unofficially, Natalie weighs a little over 14 pounds. Pretty big for a 3 month old. Tonight we are heading over to Baby's-R-Us to purchase the Bumbo chair. Natalie has good, albeit not great, control over her neck and loves to sit up and look around.

Grand's D returned to NY today. The weather is absolutely perfect so hopefully they have a safe trip home. Natalie loved smiling for G'Pa D and loved being marched around by G'Ma D.

Wedding Crashers...

This past weekend we spent time in Cape May, NJ for a good friends wedding. We were a little nervous considering this was Natalie's first road trip. Kaija and Josh are now convinced that Natalie is, simply put, a party animal. Natalie was, to say the least, an angel. She enjoyed getting her feet dipped into the ocean, she enjoyed being passed back and forth between our friends and she enjoyed staying up late and partying while we caught up with some friends. Hard to believe but during our 3 days away from home she did not fuss one time. Instead she sat on people's laps and smiled and cooed the whole time. To add icing to the cake Natalie slept the entire ride home.

Speaking of the wedding, Cape May is beautiful. Josh has always claimed NJ to be the armpit of America. However, after our couple of days in Cape May, he is rethinking that claim.

Grandpa J had his surgery on Thursday to remove a pollup from his colon. The surgery went very well and Grandpa J will not have to go through Radiation. He is having a hard time with the after-surgery but should be back to normal sometime soon. We are all looking forward to seeing him soon.

Josh is in Aurora, CO for the week for work. Grandma and Grandpa D are in town to help Kaija and to hangout before Kaija has to return to work next Monday.

To Infinity and Beyond...

Natalie is going on her first road trip this weekend. Destination: Cape May, NJ. Josh's good friend, Brian Duff is getting married and we will be there to help them celebrate. It is going to be interesting to see how Natalie does for the 4.5 hour car ride.

Josh and Kaija celebrated their 3rd anniversary this week. Next door neighbor, Crysta and Carl Stukis baby sat while Josh and Kaija went to a nice restaurant down the road. Josh had a business trip scheduled for this week and in order to be home to celebrate the anniversary Josh had to make a two day trip in one day. 3000 miles in one day. Josh was very tired upon his return.

Fall is upon us so Kaija is going to go on a winter shopping spree before she heads back to work, Oct 1.

We will post another blog on Sun or Mon with details of Natalie's first big trip...

Who does number 2 work for...

Tonight we decided to bump Natalie up to the next size diapers. She is now sporting size two diapers or, as we like to call them, big girl diapers. The new diapers coincidentally have Big Bird on them which reminds us of Natalie with her long legs. Natalie is getting to the point that she no longer likes to lay on her back when she is awake. Instead she enjoys sitting on our laps while scanning whichever room she is in. We have definitely noticed a huge difference in Natalie's fussiness in the past few days. Natalie seems to have one fussy bout a day but other than that she is pretty happy.

Not too much on tap for this weekend. Kaija is planning on meeting good friend Maggie for a girls dinner on Saturday and then joining up with a few friends in Maryland for a brunch on Sunday. Stay tuned, the following weekend we have our first big outing with Natalie...a wedding in New Jersey.

The weekend...

On Saturday Kaija went to a friends wedding shower. No problem, right? Well, this particular shower was in Richmond, a 2 hour drive each way. Again, no problem, right? We decided to leave Natalie home with Josh for the day. No problem, right? To answer all three questions, we didn't have a single problem. If anything it was a great bonding experience for Josh and Natalie. Plus Josh was able to teach Natalie about audibles and other aspects of football.

Sunday was another busy day. In the morning we went to see Sydney Ivey get baptized - considering she is not a big fan of baths she did so well!! Natalie also did great through the 2 hour service - she napped for the first half and then sat on Josh's knee for the second half. Afterwards, we went over to the Ivey's house for lunch and to socialize. A little overwhelming as now the kids outnumber the adults. Later in the afternoon Kaija attended another wedding shower and Natalie and Josh went home and played while watching the Panthers football game.

Natalie is now able to sit up without any neck support. She loves to sit in our laps while we hold her waist as she looks around. She coos and smiles the whole time. We also have started putting Natalie in her infant bathtub without the sling. She absolutely loves it!! The only time she gets fussy is when we don't splash her with water. Josh is already looking into swimming lessons.