Summertime at 4 Months

Recently we took a nearly 2 week long trip. We went to Seattle to meet up with Greta's Grandpa Paul, Aunt Melissa, and Uncle Kristen--then we went to Leavenworth for Papa to take a class, halfway through the class Greta and Mama went to visit Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Shayne, and also saw Grandpa MacD--then we all went to Spokane to get a 5 generations photo. It was quite a trip and Greta weathered all the changes in routine and scenery pretty well. However, she really does not like to ride in the car, and often one of us would have to sit in the backseat to comfort her. On her 4 month birthday we were in Spokane, and we drove out about 25 miles north to Loon Lake. Growing up I went to Loon Lake often with my family, and since we've been married Matthew and I have gone nearly every summer. There's a beautiful family run spot there called Granite Point with cabins and a little store and lots of sandy beach and clear, clean water. It was so special to bring Greta there! She was very curious about the water. We took her in a couple of times in her cute little swimsuit. I especially enjoyed sitting along the shore with her and letting the waves rush up to us--in the photo you'll see that her Aunt Jenny joined as well. Greta seemed to love watching the light shimmer across the surface of the water, and would gasp when the waves crept up a little too far on her little baby body!

As I mentioned before, we spent some time in Leavenworth so that Matthew could take a class. While in Leavenworth Greta officially found her feet! She'd been grabbing them here and there for a few days, but then all of the sudden realized she could put them in her mouth. This photo was taken a few days before her 4 month birthday--the day her mouth found her toes! On this day Greta spent quite a lot of time sucking her big toes. Greta is growing and changing so much. She rolls herself around to get places, and she has begun to scoot a tiny bit. Usually she is still pretty quiet, but recently she has spurts of being very vocal! She squeals and chuckles and makes little cat-like noises--it's very amusing for Matthew and I. While in Leavenworth I read Anne Lamont's Operating Instructions, about (among other things) her son's first year of life. So much of it really spoke to me and my time as a new mother. Lamont writes on nursing her baby as: "The easiest, purest communication I've known"--she writes that her baby's "giggle sounds like a bell" her baby's "face looks like moonlight" and "hands look like stars". To Greta her toes are like lollipops :-)




















A few weeks ago my mom came up to Vancouver for a visit. On this visit we decided to take Greta on her first swimming excursion at the neighborhood pool. She loved the water right from the beginning.









Papa stood Greta up in the water--she still absolutely loves standing--and he also dragged her along the surface of it. I think in this photo the sun had gone down...she looks a little chilly!














Mama and baby ready for a dip! It's great fun to introduce her to things that are so brand new, and it helps me to remember to appreciate the little things that make life so special.














I love where we live so so so much. There are not many days that go by that I don't take a minute to appreciate how much I love my home and my neighborhood. Just a block away is a little park with a nice grassy area. In the day time it is scattered with summer camp kids and people on their way to or from the community center, library, or senior center--and in the summer evenings it's often filled with families playing badminton or children practicing their bike riding skills. The weather here has been so lovely, and several times I've taken Greta over to the park to play outside for a bit. Here she is with a look of sheer determination as she tries to scoot herself! She is wearing a dress my mom made for me as a baby--I like to think of it as her summer picnic dress :-)

Gazing up at the trees, sky and birds...With the way I behave Greta will probably not take too kindly to creepy crawlies...but I hope to instill in her a great love for the outdoors nonetheless!

Happy Summer!