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.