Costume fun

While we were in Maryland, Jennifer and I dressed the kids up in their Halloween costumes. David is borrowing Danny's first costume. Annelise and David loved just looking at each other in their costumes as if they were alive stuffed animals. Danny is wearing Jen's costume from when she was little, a Suzanne Sellars original. Hooray, Halloween is fun again!

Hanging out in Maryland

This last week, David and I spent some time visiting the Ontiveros family in Maryland. We had a pleasant visit, spending most of the time just resting at home and watching the kids interact. Jen and I spent one afternoon with just the babies at a local mall while Danny was at preschool. It sure is nice to be around a big city with fast food and all the familiar stores. Baby David played with Annelise (7 months) and really watched all her moves. By the end of the week he was doing a little "scootch" of his own and clapping his little hand with mine. He absolutely adored Danny (3 years old). Danny is such an animated kid, full of energy, David just loved all the excitement. Ever since we have been back, he looks around for all the movement. It's really nice to catch up with old friends, we already miss you!

Ups and Downs

The past couple of weeks we have had several ups and downs with David. It all started a few days after his 4 month appointment, the first tooth reared it's painful head. David gets really fussy and upset, which is not like him, and only wants to be held. After 30 minutes or so, the tylenol fairy pays him a visit and this helps calm him down. It's very hard to see him so upset, but more often he is doing well. He enjoys smiling and laughing with us. Baby David keeps our lives interesting. 

David at 4 months

Last week we took Baby David to his 4 month appointment. Everything is going great with him, the Dr. was pleased to see. He was even a trooper through his exam, flashing his famous gummy grin as the Dr. checked him out. He now weighs 15 pounds and is 25 1/2 inches long. He didn't have any problems with the shots, with the exception of the initial prick, he took everything in stride.
This is such a fun age for David. He is sleeping less during the day, but more at night :) He wakes up in such a good mood, talking, laughing and smiling. David is quite the charmer, it is hard not to just pick him up when he's in that mood.
David enjoys attending the playgroups, looking at all the other babies that are mobile encourages him to start moving too. It was at a playgroup that he first rolled over from his tummy onto his back. He's now working on sitting up on his own, although his big head makes his balancing a little difficult. We are also enjoying our daily walks. The weather is quite chilly, but the scenery is incredible, everyday the colors are changing. We're trying to get out everyday, as the snow is coming soon!

New England in the Fall

This is the most beautiful fall I have ever seen! The weather is crisp, cold, and windy. Baby David and I bundle up for our walks and enjoy crunching all the leaves. I have never seen so many shades of orange in my whole life. We are taking advantage of this cool weather, as a neighbor has informed me today that snow is right around the corner. I am also including a picture of the campus at this time of year. If you could ever see it for yourself, it's a must see, come visit us!

 

Daddy's Robotic Dog

Last week when Andrew's parents were in town we visited his office. Baby David was busy showing off his latest trick, turning over from his tummy onto his back, when the robotic dog caught his attention. Andrew is working with this dog to learn different things, including following a person's face. The doggy also became interested in David. It was great to see them interacting. I am always amazed at how quickly David learns, much faster than a robot!

 

Grandma Mary and Grandpa Keith Visit

This last week David had his Grandma Mary and Grandpa Keith pay him a visit. Baby David, Keith, Mary and I had a great time sightseeing. We showed them our new home, shopped in Hanover and best of all ate every chance we had. Among the highlights was a Toy and Train Museum in Quechee, Vermont as well as wine and cheese tasting. Andrew joined us on Friday night (he was at the Univ of Michigan for a couple of days of meetings) and we all enjoyed catching up.

On Saturday we all went to the Dartmouth vs. Yale football game. They lost again, but it was a clear, beautiful day. Andrew enjoyed showing his parents the campus and his latest project. We said goodbye on a very crisp Sunday morning as Keith and Mary made the trek back to the airport.
 

Dartmouth vs.Univ of New Hampshire

Since our move to New Hampshire, we have been missing sports. We do the best keeping track of our favorite teams from L.A. (still mourning the Dodgers) but we are very excited about the start of the football season here at Dartmouth. We were so excited, we bought season tickets. The first game was on Saturday, Sept. 30th against the Univ of New Hampshire. Dartmouth lost, it was rainy and cold, but we all had a wonderful time. The stadium is nice and old looking, just like everything else here. We are looking forward to the rest of the season. I also included a picture of the Dartmouth Green, the center of campus, with another beautiful old building with a clock tower.

 

More pictures from our visit to CA

 

Visiting Family and Friends in CA

Baby David and I just returned from a week in California. We stayed with my parents (which is where we stayed right after David was born). It was hard at first, David missed the familiarity of home and the quiet. He was also on East Coast time, so he was awake and ready to start the day at 3am every morning. By the end of the week, he became accustomed to the big family and all the hub-bub that comes with it. Now, back at home, he looks around, wondering where everybody went.

While visiting, Baby David began laughing out loud. In fact he can get pretty loud at times, with joy or anger, he lets you know when he needs something.

I couldn't pick just a couple of pictures so enjoy: Baby David loved it when Great-Grandma Kay patty caked with him, payed Dodger Stadium another visit, spent an evening visiting Grandma Mary and Grandpa Keith, had lunch with my girlfriends, partied at the Spagetthi Factory, visited Sheri and Hailey, and even spent the afternoon at Disneyland.


We had a wonderful time with all of you. We're looking forward to seeing you again in November. Unless of course you come to visit us :) before then.

Sleeping!

Baby David slept through the night last night. It was wonderful! Here he is napping already this morning. He does this almost every morning, but usually I am too groggy to do anything. Today it's a different story. Of course tomorrow we are traveling back to the West Coast for a much anticipated week long visit. So this may only be a one night thing, but hopefully when we return this will become more routine :)

Can't wait to see everyone in CA! 

David at 3 months old

My little guy is 3 months old! Time goes by so fast, he is getting so big. Baby David loves to bounce in his bouncey seat, but now he really enjoys the aquarium attatchment. Everytime he kicks the seahorse it makes bubbles in the aquarium. He is learning something new everyday. Today he discovered if he kicked it slowly he could reach out and grab it with his hand. He loves to gurgle and goo as he watches the bubbles and fishies. We think he's going to be a marine biologist when he grows up. He is such a joy to take care of.

David is also starting to enjoy his tummy time more. He loves to spread out and kick around. I help him roll over and cheer him on when he is on his tummy. Thanks to the Bohn family for the perfect quilt for David to roll around on. Tomorrow, we plan on making the hour + drive into Concord to have his first official portrait done.

This last week I took David to a playgroup for babies at the local library. This was the first time I met some other people my age. It was nice to talk to other moms with infants. A couple of the ladies also recently moved to the area, so we had some in common. This will help me get out more often and put David on some sort of a schedule. I plan on taking him to the group on Mondays and Fridays. By the way, he was the only baby boy, so he has quite a few little girl friends in this group.
 

Visiting Maryland & D.C.

This last week we spent some time with our only other friends on the east coast, Jen and Randy. We flew down to Maryland, David got his own seat on the plance, and rented a minivan (they upgraded us for free!) It was so much fun to drive around all together. Jen and Randy have two little ones, Annelise 5 months and Danny who just turned 3, so we had a party van. We had many fun adventures, but some of the best times were just hanging around their house and watching the kids interact. Annelise, Danny and David were troopers in the van as we went to the Baltimore Aquarium, University of Maryland (where Randy is a professor!), and of course shopping, shopping, shopping. Jennifer and I hit a couple of malls with the kids while Randy and Andrew got some work done. In the evenings we took turns having date nights, it was nice to have babysitters again and Jen and I even went out for a girls night out.



On the weekend we ventured into Washington D.C. I can't believe how close they live to our nation's capital. It was truly amazing to see the sights. The White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monutment, etc. These are the places I taught my students about and there I was looking at them first hand. Everyone needs to experience it for themselves. The best thing of all, all the sightseeing is free!!! All the Smithsonian museums are free. We only had a chance to see the National Air and Space Museum, but there will be more trips to follow.