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Stamps. The only kind of tattoo my dad will ever let me get

Thanks, Grandma!!!!

Natalie finally had her first day of “preschool” (only 4 weeks and 2 days late… thank goodness for Nana, Pop, and Noreen, a SAHM from church!)

I like this backpack! (P.S. If you're wondering what's in it... Mousey, diapers and panda water bottle)

Gotta grab a quick frappacino before class!

Natalie has had a chance to play at school a couple times, so when I strolled her down the ramp, she let out a “yeah”!  (Not quite as good as the one when approach a favorite park, but maybe that’s to come.)  She was very eager to get to class and dove into playing right away.

Mama, would you like a morning tea with some pepper in it?

Thanks for us, she did give us both a hug and kiss before we left.  Jordan peaked into the classroom after we “left”… but Natalie didn’t look back.  She’s such a sweet girl, as her teachers said today! 🙂  The only disappointing news of the day is that she should probably be a more independent eater than she is… so we’ll work on it.  That’s mama’s fault!  (This is mama writing… not dada The pics were just under his account.)

Natalie got homework before The first day of school! We worked on it together this morning, with a little help from Dad on the question about what Natalie wants to be when she grows up.

Cupcakes and Hello Kitty slippers. Can it be Aunt Jira’s birthday every Sunday?

It’s the very end of September 2012, and at the very beginning of the month, we had a fantastic Labor Day weekend with Nana and Pop in Lake Geneva, WI.  It was actually in a small town called Fontana at the very west end of Geneva Lake which is smaller and less touristy.  Nana and Pop rented a 3 bedroom condo across from a shared pool and within walking distance to the beach – awesome!!!

The weather was a bit overcast, but we had a great time and didn’t get any rain.  Natalie really enjoyed playing hopscotch with Yot the Pot on the driveway

Yot, you are so good at this game!

This guy knows how to have a good time!!! Yeah!

And the pool right across the street provided was super convenient, and toasty warm.  We went there every day.

I feel right at home in the pool with Nana.

Strike a pose, Pop! This is your moment to shine.

Part of the weekend was to celebrate Pop’s birthday on Aug 29.  He is 58 years young!  Nana kept us very well fed all weekend, but one of the culinary highlights was the blueberry birthday pie (Pop always prefers pie to cake).  Natalie was a big help with both the pie and the candles!

I eat these blue berries for breakfast, so WHY won't they let me eat this pie for breakfast?

I'm not sure why you lit the pie on fire, but I will blow it out if you let me eat it.

Despite the beach requiring a steep admission charge – always annoying – it was a very nice beach.  There was a huge sand mound in the middle that Natalie really enjoyed.  Thanks for a great weekend, Pop and Nana!  We could definitely see ourselves back a Geneva Lake soon!

PS:  If you are wondering whether or not Dad really came on this trip, see the very last picture for the one that I made.  Yes!  No longer just the face behind the camera!

Sandslide!!!

Hey Nana, can you see where Daddy is from up here?

Dada, don’t even think about taking my morning protein shake. I am burning more calories and building more muscle than you (per square inch of body mass)!

Hey Fam, this is my zoo!!! I cannot believe I haven’t been here for 2 weeks! The cows missed me.

Uncle Al, this is how you drive a John Deere.

Last week, Pinto turned negative 26 weeks old (so 14 weeks in utero). Pinto emailed his/her dad an update on his/her development….

Hi Dad!

Here’s what I’m up to this week…..

This week’s big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he’ll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you’re having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.
In other news: Your baby’s stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body’s growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that’s in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He’s starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby’s liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it’s doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can’t feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist’s hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Love, Pinto

And, Jordan responded:

A lemon! Pinto, you are such a big…pinto! it says that your arms will be proportionate to the rest of your body by the end of this week, but I bet you have your daddy’s arms and they already are. 🙂 Can’t wait to feel your kicks!!!

Love,
Dad

Speaking of kicks, on Thursday night, after eating a very fast dinner of french toast*, I felt a little wave in the corner of my belly. So, I think that was my first Pinto kick! It makes sense that it happened after a dinner of sugary wonderfulness. The asterik* refers to why the dinner was so fast… I had gotten home kinda late from my 3rd day of work training that went well into the evening. I was eating dinner while reading Natalie stories before bedtime. Even though Natalie had already had two helpings of dinner, she was very interested to see the french toast and syrup. She was eating so quickly, saying more, that it was almost a competition. Not only was I not in the mood to share much of my french toast, but I didn’t think that sugary syrup – after brushing teeth – 20 min. before bed time was a good idea!

So, now to compare… here’s a picture of Natalie at 15 weeks in utero…

And here is a picture of Pinto at 15 weeks in utero.  As you can see, Natalie was confused as to why her Dad would take a picture of just me, so she made sure to get in there.  Looks like she is ready for that big sister role!

It’s never too early to start NAND practice. Rocket pockets 2037… Here Natalie comes!!!

Photo credit: Pop

Natalie’s preschool was supposed to open last Tuesday, Sept. 4 (right after Labor Day), but didn’t due to licensing issues with the State.  So, Jordan and I each took two of the four days this week for Mommy/Daughter or Daddy/Daughter days!  We had a great time!

Natalie took me to the Children’s Museum on both of my days.  I haven’t been there for a couple months, so it was fun to see her interact with the exhibits in a new way.  On the second day, she also wanted to do nearly all the same activities, in the same order.  Good memory!

Boo! You didn't expect to find me in this tent, did you?

 Natalie also had some serious water painting to do – on both days.  It was hard to pry her away from this exhibit.

I like to call this method... double-fisted

 We ended each day with more double-fisting… ensuring a stamp on each fist!  Natalie loved the pandas and robots.  Does anyone have a suggestion on where I can get some fun small stamps for her?  I’ve tried Amazon and Target, without any lucky.

Yeah, did you see my stamps? More, more!

Natalie also arranged a couple play dates for us.  I wasn’t able to get pictures of all our friends who were there – Henry, Anna, Taylor – but I did manage to catch some of Megan and Natalie running around.

(Molly's voice...) Excuse, me, Nat... but you're going a little to slow on this balance beam!

Hey Molly, wait up! We're supposed to go down together! Does all this speed happen when you turn 2?

Natalie decided to take her Dad to Mr. Singer at the zoo on both of his days too!  Natalie is still loving cows… I asked her, “What’s your favorite animal at the zoo?”  She answered, “cow poo.”  As you may recall from a few posts ago, seeing the cow poo has had a lasting effect on her. 

Um, are you sure we're supposed to be feeding the cows? What if they poop on me?

Feed the cows again, Dada! That was fun!

Although we’re eager for Natalie’s “school” to open, both Jordan and I had fabulous days with Natalie and wish those could happen more often.  Thankfully, until school opens, Nana and Pop are pitching in a lot (esp with short notice, given the teacher’s strike) and we found a SAHM (stay at home mom) from church with a son a little younger than Natalie who is helping too.  Three pics from their adventures this week:

Oh, Pop... you really like all kinds of fish, don't you?

 

Its okay, Mousey... no need to be scared. Nana said that all the fish at the Shedd are nice

 

Hugs! Thanks for sharing your super awesome car and tunnel with me, Frankie!