Fall days and Meeting Granddaddy

We have been having some lovely warm fall days! Jim and I agree that the most beautiful trees in the fall are the "gumdrop trees" (i.e. sweetgum maple) because as the leaves change, the tree displays multiple colors at the same time - green, orange, yellow and red coinciding. That's a sweetgum behind Gemma and I in the photo above.

In other news, here are some of the new things Gemma is learning: on Monday she started sucking her hands (on purpose) and looking at them! She now stares up at her mobile in the crib and at the toys hanging on the bouncy seat, and she is getting closer and closer to a giggle. Also bathtime seems to be enjoyable for her. She gives us little smiles as we scrub and pour water on her, and afterwards she snuggles with Dad.

Over the weekend Granddaddy and Nonna came to check out their newest granddaughter, and Granddaddy got to hold a happy, contented girl right away.

Nonna brought along baby photos of Jim and spent some time sorting through to see if Gemma takes after her dad. (that's another post coming soon...)

And then we took a walk on the Clear Creek Trail (a must for all our visitors, as you may have gathered). What a nice day!!

Sunday was Gemma's first time in church and her first time to wear a dress. It's pink. And corduroy.* She snuggled in the carrier on Dad and slept through most of the service (yay!). Mom meanwhile was in such a rush to get out the door that I accidentally forgot to change out of my slippers and arrived at church aghast...oh well...


*she inherited this dress from cousin Lillian!

A short visit from Erica

Last weekend Erica was in Louisville for a conference (Association for Play Therapy) and graciously decided to drive up 2 hours to be with us for a night before flying back to the twin cities (to rejoin her husband and two kids, missing her mightily). The morning before she left was beautiful and we enjoyed a walk on the Clear Creek Trail. Always refreshing to see fall colors, feel the cool air, and talk life and faith and family...



Erica gave Gemma two Sandra Boynton books (yay!!), so of course I had to read them to her right away. She doesn't seem too interested yet but she'll get the hang of it. (What is that look on her face?!) Moo Baa La la la. It's just the beginning.

Photo Shoot - Proof!

... that she really is smiling!

... and that THIS is what the result of a good nap should be. She is so happy and alert when she wakes up from a 4-hour afternoon nap! This nap has become a regular habit for her in the last couple of weeks.

Nonna's Visit

Six days with Mom G/Nonna! She and Gemma got to have some good bonding time - it's sure to be the start of a special relationship.

While here Mom cooked us lots of great food AND finally tried out a new no-knead bread recipe that Jim and I have been wanting to do (from The Italian Dish blog) - very easy to prepare, delicious and crunchy! It bakes on a pizza stone. The recipe is for four small loaves, and the dough can stay in the fridge for up to a week. Looks like we'll be having this dough on hand a lot in future.

Thanks Nonna for taking a family shot for us! Gemma is five weeks in this photo.


While Nonna was here, Gemma began making more deliberate eye contact and being more alert during her awake times, plus flashing more smiles. In the bouncy seat she kicks and punches so enthusiastically that she's able to now bounce herself.

Watching (sort-of) Sunday night football with Dad...

Much Needed...

..a nap.

Doctoral studies are tough. So is being a newborn, growing and learning new things every day.

Football Feud in the Family

Heading out to the football game...Noah is a University of Michigan fan - can you tell?

For this year's Indiana/Michigan football game (held in Bloomington), he and Katie drove up from Memphis (a 7 hour trip!) and spent the weekend with us, joining the throngs at the Saturday afternoon football game. Fortunately for Noah, Michigan was able to pull out a game-winning touchdown in the final minute and once again defeat Indiana.

Of course from the female perspective, the real reason for the visit was for Aunt Katie to meet one month old Gemma!! Look closely - Gemma's outfit says "my auntie loves me". They got along very well.

While the others were out, Gemma and Jul stayed home and watched the game on TV. Gemma dutifully wore a red outfit. Here's what she thought of the game...

She had much more fun hanging out and making faces at mommy.

One month old!

Today the Gem is one month old! She is growing quickly (most noticeably in the cheeks), making eye contact and close to smiling (on purpose). It's hard to believe how fast the memory of pre-Gemma days are fading. This photo below is actually from last week - one big change now is that she has pretty much lost the little bit of hair on the top of her head, giving her a more unusual hairstyle...

Naps are key to making it through the day! As is coffee if course (not pictured).

Thanks to Emily's tip, bathtime these days is much more pleasant. Gemma quietly & alertly looks around and doesn't cry at all. Note the double-chin!!

This week Gemma and I tried out the stroller - and we are hooked. Me on the mobility & longer walks, and Gem on being rocked to sleep by all the sidewalk bumps.