Happy Halloween From GHOULIA

Julia is FIVE months old!

Cape Chignecto 2009

 

What a glorious getaway! The timing was perfect.  We were just starting to itch for a change of scenery. Off we went to Nova Scotia.

Over a month ago we booked the Eatonville cabin in Cape Chignecto Provincial Park.  It has eight bunks (two people could easily sleep in each) a wood stove and the biggest picnic table you've ever seen.  

Matt and Sarah joined us in the hooliganism.  Julia, a longtime fan of the outdoors, loved the bumpy road to the cabin. 

 Here is a picture of Julia on the front steps of the cabin.  After a night of crazy rain it was really warm.  We're talking 15C warm!

Julia is posing in the view from the cabin.  What lovely weather for this time of year.  

 

Julia is all smiles as she hangs out with Matt and Sarah.  She learned how to play Up and Down the River/Screw Your Neighbour/Oh Hell.  Daddy won and it was his first time playing.

In the next picture Julia's cheeks are all rosy after a walk outside.

The views were breathtaking.  In true Julia fashion, she slept soundly in the BabyBjorn attached to her dad. 

Sarah taking it all in...

The beach was spectacular!  What a treat it was to smell the ocean.  We were on the hunt for driftwood but came home empty handed. 

Fun with daddy on the trail to the Three Sisters.

The weekend ended safely back at home with Julia sitting up on her own! That's right, she sat up all by herself for quite a while (we're talking over a minute) and did her best to stay upright until the forces of gravity won.  She hasn't even reached her five month birthday yet.   What a kid, always full of surprises and always ready for a new adventure. 

Mitochondrial DNA-FEST!

Some days Julia like to stay awake all day.  Today is one of those days.  It is almost 4pm and Julia has only slept 30 minutes all day.  She just drifted off, so the pressure is on for me to be super productive while I can!

 

Alright, so I still haven't quite figured out how to post pictures and add text with the new software this site is using.... Trial and error I suppose.  We broke down and got Julia a Bumbo chair used on Kijiji, but we think we're a bit late.  She's a thin baby and she's strong so she's able to wiggle into bizarre positions pretty quickly.  Unless she's sitting right in front of us, I don't really trust her in it. 

Julia and Julia had a lovely time together.  It was fantastic to see some friendly Ontario faces around these parts.  We enjoyed our three days together.  As always, time passes too quickly and before we knew it we were saying 'goodbye.'
Here we have a photo of our little stander-upper.  I'm not kidding.  For about two months now, all this kid wants to do is stand up. 

Here's a Halloween preview!  It looks like Julia is going to be Eeyore this year. 

She still isn't a fan of playing on her tummy.  I doubt she ever will be.  Luckily for her, she's figured out how to roll over onto her back where she plays much more happily.  She seems to forget how to do it sometimes, especially when she's tired.  I feel so bad for her and often just help her out.

 

Here we have a picture of Julia listening intently to secrets from Aunty Pasty.

 

Yay! Daddy is home from work.

More secrets from Aunty Patsy.  Julia is loyal.  She never gives away a secret!

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October Unfolds

Julia continues to feel the love and gives it right back to us. However her sweet little hands have developed into weapons capable of inflicting serious pain on her mama! She now "anchors" herself by grabbing onto my hair whenever she is held. It hurts! The photo above looks like a hug, but trust me, her little hand is hard at work.
This kiddo loves to put her toes in her mouth. What must it be like to be so flexible?
Our little Julia still loves her bath time. She's getting bigger in her tub, but still has a few months to go before she outgrows it. Julia loves to be cleaned behind her ears. She sits really still and stares off into space. Haha!
Getting dried off. Look at that growing double chin!

Great Grandma Julia and Aunty Patsy are now safely home in Toronto. I'll be sure to post some pictures from their visit over the next few days.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We love long weekends and this one was no exception. We started things off by going to the Snooty Fox to meet up with some friends. Julia and Greg exchanged clothing. It was such fun that Julia soon got overtired and needed to be carried around by Daddy.
Before we knew it, Mark had a ragdoll in his arms. The little one was all played out.
The next day we packed up and went to the cottage! The lush greenness of summer has been replaced by falling leaves everywhere.
We brought along the GPS and went geocaching for the first time. We found a geocache at Mott's wharf! Here it is! Julia had been waking up crying in the middle of the night over the weekend and we wish she could tell us what is wrong. Is she teething? Is it gas? It's hard to tell... Poor kiddo. She tends to settle down after a few minutes, but it sure is jarring when you're in a deep sleep. Sometimes she thinks it's morning and decides it is time to stay up and play.
Julia and Grandpa Dale. She's starting to fill out and get roly-poly. A little double chin is slowly getting bigger and bigger and she's actually getting rolls on her legs. So hugable and cute. The poor kid is going to cough up her guts someday from being squeezed so much!
Julia and Luisa hanging out at the cottage. Julia's cousins are so good to her. Since she doesn't have any siblings, it's a real treat for Julia to be surrounded by other young people.
Great Grandma Julia and Aunty Patsy arrived safely last night. We made pizzas together and enjoyed an evening at home with a warm fire burning (courtesy of Daddy-O of course). Julia, who can be a bit shy with people who aren't Mommy or Daddy (translation: she screams her head off when other people hold her) was all smiles with Great Grandma Julia and Patsy. We're just waiting for them to arrive this morning for another exciting day of new adventures.

So much to be thankful for

Julia's first Thanksgiving was filled with the multi-coloured mosaic of autumn. We went to the cottage this weekend and enjoyed several outdoor adventures.
Julia is so happy when she's outside. She loves looking at the trees! A true nature girl! Enjoy the pictures and I'll post more soon. We have some special guests due to arrive within a few hours from Toronto: Grandma Julia and Patsy!!

It's Autumn Baby!

Teeth already!?!? Not really. It's actually next to impossible to get Julia to take a pacifier/soother. She's pretty much humoring me in the picture above.
The leaves are in full-swing colour-changing mode. The scenery makes for some excellent walks. Julia has always loved looking at the leaves.
Here we have Daddy fresh home from work. Quite often Julia is ready for a break from me by the time Daddy gets home. The minute she hears her dad's voice she looks for him. All he needs to do is look at her and she breaks out in a huge grin.

Where does Julia get her hair colour from!? One of the biggest surprises with this kid is her reddish hair. While it doesn't look like she'll be a full-blown redhead, she sure has a reddish tinge happening.

Whose fist is that punching wee Miss Julia in the chest?!

Why it's Uncle Andre! Perhaps he is jealous that Julia has stolen his hair style?! Actually, Andre and Julia are quite fond of each other as evidenced in this next picture. Andre is one of the few people with whom Julia willingly spends extended periods of time, aside from her parents.

Now that Julia is no longer at risk of falling through the leg hole of the Exersaucer, she rather enjoys hanging out in it. The Jolly Jumper however, is still tops on her list.
So I mentioned earlier how happy Julia is when Daddy comes home? Well you might say the feeling is mutual...

A Message From Julia

Larger Than Life

That's one loved kid! Nanu got a poster made of a picture she took of Julia. You can see Grandma holding it up in this picture. Apparently it's off being laminated. What a big cutie pie!!