Fall, swings and shadows

It's hard to believe winter is practically here. We took advantage of one of the last nice days of fall to play at a park. Sofia had her first swing... she wasn't too enthused. Lussi however still loves to swing in the baby swing and I was able to have them side by side.

Two Grandmas

We were lucky enough to have Grandma Jan come to visit while Cory was away on Business and we spent a morning having coffee, Sauna & hanging out with Grandma Gladys. Sofia belly laughed when Grandma Gladys jiggled the toy in front of her (of course by the time I got the camera she was done)& Lussi kept us entertained as she made us all be a character in a Winnie the Pooh play. Grandma Gladys won best actress for Piglet... "Oh da da da dear!"

Happy Halloween

Lussi says, "Inge came over to trick or treat! We went to a haunted house up the street with Inge's Mom, Gretchen.(Too scary though!) Our Moms dressed up too to make it really silly & fun. I was so excited for Halloween, the first thing I said today was 'Sofia, do you know what day it is today? It's Halloween!!!' and now I ask my Mommy if we can have Halloween everyday." Mommy says,"With a basket full of candy it feels like Halloween everyday."

4 Months

Sofia is developing normally. She rolled over for the first time the day before she turned four months old. She is really good at kicking hanging objects over her head and grabbing light items and bringing them to her mouth. She gnaws on her hands and fingers constantly, talks like she is having a conversation with you and startles with strange faces. She is sensitive to loud noises (her sister is one of them)and screams like she is really really scared but when everything is calm around her she is goofy, smily and coos with a beautiful soft voice.

The big smile- 4 months old

I finally caught the big smile on film. It's not that she doesn't smile very often...because she smiles all the time but whenever I put the camera in front of her she immediately stops and becomes curious, making a serious face. At this point I think I have 100 serious shots of her and a handful of smily photos. She is not a serious baby.

Boo at the Zoo

The Zoo may not have Bubba the Polar Bear anymore but at least there is Lussi the Pooh. Auntie Brit made it especially fun. Lussi didn't really get what was going on but certainly enjoyed meeting all her friends there... Graham the Zebra(no picture-sorry),Lily the Tigger, Avery the Lion, Tenzy the Peacock and many more not pictured. Graham & Lussi were especially excited about getting candy from a man dressed up in a hotdog with the quote of the day coming from Graham, "I got trix and treats from a Hotdawg!"

Look! I can hold things now. from karasalmela on Vimeo.
We just noticed today that Sofia can grab things and bring them to her mouth. Today sshe sat and examined her spit rag with two hands. she is also getting really good at kicking her mobile with her feet. Where did these 4 months go???

Rainy day in the house

Who's who?

I get the comment "Wow, Sofia really looks like Lussi when she was a baby." You can see by these pictures there is definitely a sister resemblence but if you really look close, they don't really look like eachother. It must be the blue eyes because the hair, head shape and skin tone are different. It will be fun to see what happens in the next year. Looking at Lussi's pictures, she really doesn't look like herself until her two year photos, so maybe we have to wait until she's two.

A hat, a paint tray & a big imagination

Untitled from karasalmela on Vimeo.

Untitled from karasalmela on Vimeo.

Daddy's girls

Serious baby

I have pictures of Lussi at this age naked on the sheep skin that were done professionally. I was trying to get a few nice photos to match but you can really tell that it is our couch in the background in these. I might have better luck converting them to black and white, however I don't have photo shop. Auntie Tia?

Sofia's sounds & smiles

Sounds & smiles of Sofia from karasalmela on Vimeo.

3 months

Wow! The time is cruising by and I can't believe Fia is 3 months old. She is smiling these big goofy smiles and I have yet to catch one of them on film. For the most part she is calm but when something is wrong she has shown us she has a nice set of lungs. She seems really easy to read. I'm not sure if it is because she is my second baby or if she is just easier than Lussi was. Regardless, time is flying by and it is hard to imagine life without her.

Playtime

Lussi can't wait for Fia to grow up a little so she can really play with her. She does a lot of hugging and kissing and squeezing. It's a little touch and go and refereeing is necessary with both parties often being sent to their corners.

Another playdate with Brinnon

Well as you can see we really don't know what to do with eachother yet. I smacked Brinnon with my hand a couple of times but she didn't seem to care. One thing we can do is stare.

No naps for Lussi?

We have eliminated the nap for Lussi and most days she is just fine but as you can see today she was tired. I was pushing her on the swing and she was chatting away loud and robust... then she went silent and her head started bobbing. I didn't really think she could fall asleep on the swing but she managed to find a comfortable enough position and sleep for 30 minutes!

Sweet baby girl

Working out with Da-Da

Sofia likes to stand and makes all kinds of funny faces at Da-Da. She is really getting to be a personality and it's fun to watch her grow. She especially likes looking at Da-Da with his dark hair and glasses.

Fun with Silo

We went to the Curious George exhibit at the Children's museum. Curious George gave Lussi some pretty interesting ideas. Yesterday she decided that she could write with chalk all over our deck, deck chairs & table. I scolded her and she told me "I was just curious Mommy like curious George." She even looks like curious George in the picture. We are in trouble!

Silo's birthday... what a sweetie!

A day with Great-Grandpa Helmer

We really enjoyed spending the day with Great-Grandpa who's 96 and going strong. He shared some fun stories about growing up in Embarrass with no toys. He used a chair and pretended it was a wheel barrow to the point that he wore down the top of the chair! He also had fun taking the train to Duluth and buying coffee for 10 cents. What a guy!

Snuggling Sisters

Two months old

We continue to debate everyday who you might look like. Today it is your Aunt Tia. We looked at her baby pictures and could see a lot of you in her. Tomorrow you may look like someone else, we are sure but today we'll say you are taking after Tia. Huh.. Fia & Tia how fitting. You are also smiling and trying to talk back.

This is a common position for Lussi and Sofia. it works fairly well and I can manage them. Lussi likes to pull her up and put her down... squeezing her in between. It is a little nerve racking but I am beginning to realize that Sofia is pretty resilient and seems to enjoy the interaction with Lussi.

A day in Ely with our cousins Hanna & Maggie

First playdate with my friend Brinnon