In My Mind I'm Going to Carolina....

It's Official!!  We're moving to Hartsville, South Carolina.  Paul accepted an offer from Coker College today.   Not sure exactly when we'll be moving yet, but it will be towards the end of the summer for sure.  

Turn the Seat Around

So Natalie just had her 15 month check-up.  She is growing like crazy and really starting to eat well (thank goodness).  She is up to 19 lbs now...2.5 lbs more than at her 1 year check - up.  From her 9 month check-up to her year check-up, she only gained 1/2 a lb!!  So we are back up to the 5th percentile for weight and at 30 inches she is above the 25th percentile for height!!  Her pediatrician said we could turn her carseat around.  So no more facing the back seat for Natalie!  We are hoping she will enjoy the car more now that she can face forward.

Paul has now gotten 2 offers.  One in PA and one in SC.  And VA is trying to get the funding together to make him an offer.  We have to decide by Friday and are about 85% sure of our decision right now.  But we will post up this week when we make our final decision.

Quick Update

Just a quick update on the interview/job status. Paul had his fourth and final campus interview this week in Loretto, Pennsylvania at St Francis University. He really liked the school. We have until Friday to let the first offer know and we think he might get 2 more offers this week. So we will definitely know by Friday where we are headed and will let everyone know.

Good-bye Good Friends

We said good-bye to our good friends Katy, Keith and Jack Lane this weekend.  Katy and I were undergrads together in the math dept. at Texas A&M.  The Lanes have lived in Tucson for the last 8 months and Natalie and Jack became fast friends.  They are headed for Indiana now.  We wish them the best of luck and hope to see them soon.  Here are some pictures of Natalie and Jack from the past 8 months.

July 2008

Aug 2008

Sept 2008

Oct 2008

Dec 2008

Jan 2009

Blanket Obsession

Natalie has finally picked her "blankie".  We only let her have it in her bed so she has it for naps and bedtime.  We even went out and bought another one this weekend so we have a back-up.  Here is what Paul saw the first time he saw her sleeping with her blankie.

Travel Update and Nat's new discoveries

So Paul went to Ohio this past week.  Interview went well.  He has gotten one offer so far, but he is waiting to hear back from a few more places.  He heads to Pennsylvania next week for his final campus interview.  He has to let this first offer know by February 27th so we should know in the next few weeks where we will be headed!  We'll keep you posted.

As for Natalie, she is learning new things every day.  She can point to the following body parts when asked: head, hair, belly, toes, teeth, and ear.  Sometimes she gets confused with eyes and nose.  We're working on those as well as knees and shoulders.  She loves the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and it's really cute to watch her try to point to all the body parts when they are sung.  She also is working on her vocabulary.  We definitely hear "mama", "dada", "bathtime", "backpack", and "bye-bye" (which is really more "buh-bye").    She has a cute Southern accent..no clue where she got that!  She also is starting to say "duck" and "quack" and makes wonderful monkey sounds!

For those of you who haven't seen her lately, she's finally starting to grow.  According to our home scale, she is almost 19 lbs.  That is a big jump for her.  We'll get the official tally next week when we go for her 15 month checkup.  I'll update the blog with her new stats once we get them!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

So Natalie and I went out in the snow to play today. We finally got some snow falling this morning. Papa got Nat outside for me while I was getting all my gear on! The sled we're playing with was one that my grandparents gave to my brothers and me when we were little. Nat loved being outside and tried to crawl away from me on the snow. She's light enough that she didn't sink, but when I tried to get her I went into the snow...up to my thighs!

Travel, Travel, Travel

Well, Natalie and I are in Silverthorne, Colorado with Nana and Papa (Laura's parents). There is a lot of snow on the ground but we haven't seen any fall yet. I think it is suppose to snow tomorrow and Saturday. Papa has been skiing every day and says it is wonderful skiing and not many people are on the slopes. Nana has a broken arm and can't ski. I am not sure about my back so I'm not skiing either. Instead we are staying at home with Natalie in the mornings and then going shopping in the afternoons! We've hit the outlets 2 days running. Got Natalie a ski jacket and bibs for next year since everything is 70% off.

While we're playing in Colorado, Paul has been in Virginia. He's interviewing with JMU this week. He's having a good time seeing all of his old friends and professors at JMU. Although I think he is getting a bit tired from all of the traveling. He heads back to the Old Pueblo (Tucson) tonight. Next week he is off to Ohio and Capitol University. And we just found out that St. Francis University in Pennsylvania wants him to come out for a campus visit also. So it looks like another trip East for Paul.

I'll try to get some pictures while we are in Colorado and post them soon. Off to chase the Natalie!

Gymboree and Playing

Natalie had a great time playing at Gymboree.  We played with hoops, balls, slides and all sorts of other objects.  Natalie also loved checking herself  out in the mirror, climbing on EVERYTHING and playing in the boat with Jack.  We are definitely going to miss Katy, Keith and Jack when they move to Indiana in two weeks. 

We also bought Natalie a Fisher Price house last weekend on craigslist.  She loves playing with it. It has a doorbell that rings, you can turn on the porch light, the door and window open and close, and there are lots of things that play music.  She loves getting on one side of it and then having us lift the window on the other side.  She just cracks up!  The last picture shows her in her jeans jacket from the DelloStrittos.  It looks so cute on her I couldn't resist posting a picture of her in it.