Fashionable AND Environmentally Friendly

Check out how cool I am in my g Diaper (in case you care these things degrade in the landfill in a couple days vs. 500 YEARS for Pampers)... sorry to all my P&G friends, facts are facts!

She's sporting the leg warmers too, since none of her pants really fit over the g Diaper...





And she loves rolling over and hanging out... well, at least for 3 minutes at a time!

Mom, Look! I Have Toes!

Chicago Day 2: Owen, Jesse and Holly

So, after the relief of the hotel visit, we were off to meet our good friends Jesse and Holly, and to meet Owen for the second time... we actually got to meet him when he was about a week old last July.


Jesse and Holly had us out to eat at M. Henry - a great breakfast place in their neighborhood (Andersonville). It was a great preview for things to come. Owen is 7 months old, and just started crawling, so he was definitely more wiggly than Greta. He's also eating some food, so holding and chewing on spoons is great fun. He's a great kid and very well behaved, hopefully Greta will be the same in 3 months!

Greta and Owen checking each other out at Breakfast:

After breakfast it was off to Lincoln Park Zoo... very cool, right near downtown, so you've got the backdrop of all the skyscrapers of downtown chicago. Another big plus, the zoo is always free... I am sure that Greta and Owen will be much more enthralled with the zoo in about a year from now, but they did take notice...

Greta checking out the 'Monkey guys' jumping around

Greta getting ready to say... "holy cow, did you see that crazy monkey jumping around?"

Then it was time to head home for an end to the short road trip. Greta had a bit of a melt down at Lafayette, but we got throgh that one with a stop for dinner (for everyone including Greta)... she then slept the rest of the way, with just a brief time waking up in Indy, but then went back to sleep... Successful road trip... Austin here we come!

Greta Survived the hotel

Greta did great in the hotel... It's pretty much the first time she's been in her pack and play since she was about a week old, and the very first time she's been in a hotel. So we were certainly a bit anxious to see how it went.

Well it was great. She slept pretty much like normal, from about 10 PM until 8:45 AM with only getting up once for a short feeding... what a relief.. obviously that's not saying it will be this good for the whole time in Austin, but at least we know she can do it.

Here's proof of how happy she was after she got up and put her in the big hotel bed:

Greta Visits Quinn, Erin and Jeremiah

So, first stop in Chicago after checking in to the hotel, was to visit some friends. Erin graciously had us all over for dinner and fun. And what a great dinner it was, fresh baked bread, short ribs, and potatoes. It was delicious! I didn't seem to get a picture of it though, bummer.

It was great catching up with Erin and Jeremiah, and Quinn was absolutely giddy to meet Greta.

Road Trip Logistics

So... Greta is still 100% breastfed... so when you head out on the road, there are some logistical items to take into account.

Thanks to Melanie's good friend from college, Julianne, we had it all under control. Julianne who took her own road trip from Providence to Cincinnati at Christmas, gave us great info and a nice little present to help with modesty for breastfeeding and pumping....

Behold the Hooter Hider (aka an apron):

And We're Off - Our First Road Trip - Chicago

We've got a really big road trip coming up... as in Cincinnati to Austin. So we thought we'd head to Chicago to see some good friends, and see how Greta was going to do away from home...

So here we go.... we're off! For an 18 lb 4 month old, she sure has a lot of 'stuff'.

Greta Loves Singing

But only duets

Sister Greta Josephine

on a roll

GRETA ROLLED OVER TODAY!! i typically don't fool with capital letters when i type, but this milestone seemed a fitting use for them. for the past week or so, greta has been rolling onto her side more and more. she and her papa have also been doing some serious rolling tutorials, spending time helping her roll from her back to her belly and vice versa. we knew it was just a matter of time before she did it completely on her own. today greta and i dropped joe off at his parents like we do every sunday, and then we headed to my parents house for a few hours. greta, grandma joan (my mom) and i were playing on the floor. greta kept rolling onto her side and ALMOST rolling over. my mom and i kept getting excited....i think greta thought we were crazy. greta played and played on the floor, and she was really moving all around. at this point she was no longer on the blanket but was underneath the coffee table and was perpendicular to how we laid her down. and then all of the sudden, she rolled over. she rolled to her right side, from her back to her belly. my mom and i both jumped up and started screaming, laughing, and clapping. even greta's grandpa bill (my stepdad) was excited!! greta, however, was not to excited, as she had then pretty much pinned her arms underneath her and was on her belly, which she doesn't enjoy. but she rolled over!! way to go greta!! hopefully we'll catch this rolling on camera sometime soon....

greta is all ears

so friday was a fun day for greta. first we met up with janet and ella at the mall for some window shopping and mall walking. later that evening, we all went to molly malone's with our friend chad, and again met up with the whole nawroth crew. janet bought this SUPER cute hat for ella at the mall, and greta really wanted to try it out. you can tell by her expression that she loves ella's hat. this is the second friday in a row that we've taken greta to molly malone's (you gotta love fried fish on fridays during lent), and she seems to like it there. on second thought, maybe greta's happy expression is related to the beer menu that she seems to be eyeing. either way, it was great to hang out with good friends and have some good food. thanks to chad for the picture (and for the title of this post)!!

Dinner Time or Story Time?

She's so confused...

My New Trick

So it took her about 4 weeks of sucking and chewing on her hands, but I think Greta has finally settled on this as her preferred fingers...

Gabrielle Rae

Our friends Brad and Brigitte just had their baby Gabrielle last Friday, and we got to visit them at the hospital last SUnday and at home tonight... here are some pictures of the fun.

The 'G' Gang... as they like to be called... Greta, Gavin and Gabrielle. If you've been paying attention to the blog, you should be able to pick them out... along with Brigitte, Stacy and Scott... sorry Brad, I'm sure you were there somewhere!




The gals


How cute... I don't even remember Greta being this small!


Gabrielle enjoyed a little time with Monkey Guy

what's that on your plate papa?

so at the doctor's today we talked about when greta gets to start eating solid foods. this came up because some babies start solids at 4 months, and one sign that they are ready can be when they start to watch others eat and stare at food. as seen in the picture, greta clearly exhibits this behavior. on this particular night, she was practically falling out of the side of her bumbo trying to get some of joe's potatoes. and there was drool.....everywhere.....
but even though this is a sign that she is ready, our doctor suggested we wait another month or two. since greta has a milk allergy, she might be prone to other allergies. i wanted to wait anyway, so i was glad to hear that her doctor shared my opinion. but who gets to break the news to greta that its breastmilk only for the next few months??!!

happy day?

greta is trying to feel the love this valentines day, but it's hard when her mommy scheduled her four month checkup (read: shots) on this holiday. yep, that's right. greta got to go to the doctor today, where she received the good news that she weighs in at 17.1 pounds and is 26 inches long. she was having fun talking to the doctor and nurses and checking out the room until it was time for shots. man, did she cry. by this point she was getting tired too, so even better.
clearly i took this picture BEFORE the traumatic doctor visit. and let's just say that greta didn't fit into her
3-6 month size handmedown valentine outfit from her Ford cousins quite like i thought she would. a little snug....but cute nonetheless.
happy valentines day!!

to our big girl 4 month old...

today is the 12th, which makes you officially 4 months old today. and what a fun 4 month old you are. you are so busy looking at everything, taking EVERYTHING in. your papa calls you a "hoot owl" because of the way you move your head back and forth to look around. you do your hoot owl impression most often when you are starting to get tired. speaking of tired, you still like to be swaddled when you sleep but are slowly starting to be able to sleep with your arms free. your sleep at night is hit and miss....you either are up every couple of hours, or you sleep for about 8 hours straight.
being 4 months old now, there are so many things that you seem to enjoy. you like taking your saturday morning walks with papa to the bagel shop, and you show your enthusiasm for these by sleeping for several hours once you get home. you also like to come into mommy and papa's bed on the weekends in the morning when you wake up. we all laugh and talk and have a good old time. you still like that birdie friend, but you have also developed a fond appreciation for a small stuffed monkey, we call him your "monkey guy". you like him so much that you try to gnaw his nose or hands off every chance you get. you do this to almost anything lately, including mommy's shoulder and any burp cloth in sight. you still love to chew on your hands and have taken to sucking/chewing on your two fingers.
you can hold your head and chest up high when you are on your tummy, so you don't mind tummy time as much anymore. you seem to like to do this best when you can look at yourself in a mirror. you have also started to roll onto your side every once in a while. you are able to reach for things and grab them with impressive skill, and you seem to delight in making noises with your rattles and toys.
you still love your baths and splash like crazy. you like to have your own washcloth to play with (chew on) and you also like to chase the ducky around the tub.
and boy oh boy do you like to talk!! your latest noises sound more like shrieks, and you will make them for anyone who wants to listen. you will talk to mommy and papa but you also enjoy talking to yourself when you are playing. you yell and scream and wiggle your tongue around and crack yourself up. you make so many other sounds too, and now can make a "da" sound in addition to the "ma" sound mommy likes to hear so much. you also laugh out loud, which is hilarious. you laugh at mommy and papa doing silly things like singing Michael Jackson. you love to be sung to, including when papa makes up his own songs and when mommy sings the color song or I've Been Working on the Railroad. you will sit and look at books with mommy for a while, and lately you have been trying to hold the book and turn the pages by yourself. you seem to like the "stinky face" book that grandma joan got you for christmas.
but the thing you seem to love most of all lately is to watch mommy and papa eat food. when we sit you in your bumbo at dinner while we eat, you practically fall out of the chair from leaning over to try to get a good look at papa's plate. and what we love most of all is our baby greta, who is quickly becoming not such a baby anymore. every new day brings something more that you have learned or mastered....which is so exciting but which always makes mommy cry because her baby is getting so big.

mommy blogging

joe recently taught me how to put pictures on the blog....and after several failed attempts i have figured it out. really, this blog entry is just to pat my technologically-challenged self on the back. but i thought i could share a cute picture stacy took of greta and gavin recently. many of you may have seen this picture on gavin's blog, as stacy is much more adept at blogging than i am. this picture is from one of our recent trips to the gillard house for an afternoon of fun. several people have asked me what takes place on these "playdates", seeing as the kids can't quite play yet. pretty much we do all the things we would be doing with our babies at home (feeding, changing, etc) but we get to have adult conversation mixed in with all the coos and babbles. i feel so lucky to have such fantastic mommies (and babies) to share all of this with. i can't wait til they get older and really start to play.

Greta Enjoys Talking

So, Greta just learned that she can make some new sounds. So she spends a good portion of her day simply talking to herself...

Greta Loves UC

Look how excited she is to watch the game...

What Happens When Pappa Does the Hair?

She looks like a Beatle...

She Loves That Monkey

Super Bowl Sunday

Greta's first super bowl... a great finish, and a funny end to the patriots ALMOST perfect season.. if only Greta hadn't fallen apart with about 5 minutes to go, she would have gotten to see the end of the game...

But the kids definitely had a grand old time... I'm starting to worry about the relationship that Greta and Gavin are starting.. I think they are a bit too young... next thing you know, Gavin will be driving over to pick up Greta for a movie... you know, like Happy Feet or something.

Thanks to Brent, Janet and Ella for hosting...

Feed Me

Or I'll eat the Monkey

How Do Spell over-stimulation?

G.r.a.n.d.p.a.r.e.n.t.s



You see, Greta pretty much only has her little play yard.. she doesn't spend much time in walkers, bouncers, or the like... so when she ends up at Grandparents she gets a little of this:









But it's much better to get the full picture of what happens via video:

She Loves Technology

She was trying out the iPhone before... now she's really getting into the laptop... maybe instead of baby sign language we'll just get her some typing lessons, so she can communicate.