So...as I said, I've been journaling on paper here and there and scribbling down notes of stuff I want to remember.  There are just so many great things I don't want to forget about my family - especially our girls - things I want to look back on someday.  Some days my entries are pretty boring and plain - just taking note of what we did that day, etc.  But then other days I may reflect more in depth on a topic or happening.  Either way, these entries are mainly for my husband, children, and myself - but I also know a few family and friends out there who enjoy keeping up on what is going on in our lives!  So enough rambling...here are some things I had written down for October 2006!

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     Wow, has this month gone by fast!  In fact, this whole year is way too fast if you ask me.  As always I am behind on journaling.

     So what have we done so far this month?  Natalie finished up her Music Time with Nancy class at the Coralville Rec Center.  It is only a four week class, but she loved it!  She loves music, singing, instruments and dancing.  I only hope she can always love it - it's a great tool for expression. 

     Craig took a prep class for the GMAT test.  It's a test he has to take before he can officially apply for the MBA program.  So he won't be able to take any more classes toward his masters degree until he takes this test and passes it. 

     Jenny (me) had a VERY painful root canal experience this month.  Had an emergency root canal done which turned out being this huge infection.  For days I was on narcotics and antibiotics and also going into the dentist office every few hours (sometimes in the middle of the night) to have shots in my gums to numb the pain. We had to postpone our trip to Omaha because of it.  But we did end up going on our trip to Omaha the following weekend.  It was a really nice, relaxing family trip!  We stayed two nights in Council Bluffs at a Heartland Inn.  Natalie had a blast swimming with her Daddy in the hotel pool...she learned how to jump off the side of the pool all by herself and land in Craig's arms.  We spent a whole Saturday at the Henry Doorly Zoo.  What a huge zoo!  They had almost every animal imaginable there, plus the enclosures for some of the animals are just amazing!  They have the Desert Dome, bat caves, jungles, and a huge over-head aquarium.  I think Nat really enjoyed the aquarium and the giraffes the most.  Oh, and of course she adored the train that tours around the park!  Natalie also got to watch her very first movie in a theatre - in the IMAX theatre there to be exact.  She loved riding on Daddy's shoulders throughout the zoo as well.  Before leaving on Sunday we stopped at a place called Fenefick Park to see some old trains.

     We had two prenatal appointments with Dr. Clevenger this month.  Yes, we are now doing appointments every two weeks at this point!  The end is near! :)  As I write this, we are 34 weeks along.  Things are progressing really well with the pregnancy.  My blood pressure is consistent, my swelling is minimal, and I still have a good amount of energy.  Though this time around I've developed those dreaded stretch marks (didn't have those carrying Natalie) and my hips hurt a lot.  Both bedrooms for the girls are finished.  All of Natalie's big girl things are in place as are all of the baby's nursery items!  The clothes are all washed and hung up for the baby.  There is a certain peace that goes along with having things like this completed.  I do still need to pack my hospital bag, buy some diapers and such, and there are a couple things still in the attic...but all will be okay!  We have settled on a name for the baby.  We are naming her Katelyn Michelle!  If by chance it is a boy, the name will be Ethan Michael. We've also tossed around the middle name "Noel" or "Noelle" if she happens to be born in December, but will most likely stick with Michelle.  I like the name Katelyn - my only concern being that there are a lot of Katies out there - but that is okay.  I had a LONG list of names..Katelyn was on there and practically the only one Craig adored.  Other names on OUR list were Elaina, Marissa, Danica, and Stephanie.  Other names on MY list also included Audrey, Lydia, Claire, Shauna, Larissa, Rachel and Maggie.  Natalie says she is going to help take care of the baby and share with the baby.  She also still says that she has a baby of her own in her tummy.  She likes to go with us to the doctor appointments.  And she enjoys it even more now because she gets to bring her pretend doctor kit with her!  She likes to give mommy check-ups! :)

     Natalie turned three years old this month!!  Grandma and Grandpa Essington came out to Iowa for the big weekend, and Grandpa Bair (along with Deanna and Caroline) came out for awhile as well.  Grandma brought over a Dora cake.  We blew up balloons and opened gifts.  Nat wore a purple patchwork-looking dress with cream colored stockings.  She was pretty shy this year when it came to blowing out candles and taking pictures.  Grandpa "Paw Paw" Bair also had us carving pumpkins in the garage.  In the evening, Gran and Grandpa Essington, Craig, and I went with Nat to Chuck E Cheese for some fun and pizza.  Natalie is now big enough to climb up the play structure there without help! 

 

Oct 13 ~ David and Callie Branch had their second baby boy today.  They named him Owen Jefferson!

 

Oct 18 ~ Natalie went pee-pee in a public potty for the first time today!  Hooray!

 

Oct 28 ~ Matt and Steffany Kroeger had their annual Pumpkin Carving Party.  Natalie wasn't too thrilled about helping Daddy carve a pumpkin.  She was a little nervous about touching the pumpkin guts! 

 

Oct 29 ~ The Caylors had a party at their house for Madeline's third birthday.  Nat had a great time playing with her girlfriends, and we had an equally good time catching up with the Caylors and Laura Schafbuch.  Paula Caylor is about to have her third child any day now - they are expecting a boy.  Laura was there with her new baby girl, Rachel Kathleen!

 

Oct 30 ~ Natalie and I met Daddy at Sycamore Mall for trick or treating.  Nattie dressed up in her Minnie Mouse dress that her Great-Grandma Essington had given her.  Complete with black stockings, black dress shoes, red necklace and bracelet, white bow in her hair...and we can't forget the make-up!  I let her wear some red lipstick and blush and she just thought that was the best!  Nattie looked so pretty!  She was quite a bit more shy than she was last Halloween, but she still had a good time. 

           Also - found out today that my Grandpa Fleming is free of lung cancer...such good news!  He had a spot on his lung that needed checked out. Though now he is having a lot of memory loss, so hopefully things improve soon.

 

 

 

CRAIG has been super, super busy and seems very stressed lately.  He's been trying to complete a big project at work.  On top of that, he's been helping Jason Caylor with computer stuff for two of his businesses.  Jason just opened a new liquor store in downtown Iowa City and also moved the existing Iowa City pizza business to another building.  Jason wanted new computers - hardware, software - you name it.  Craig has been wanting to help Jason with this for awhile now.  This is the kind of stuff Craig would like to do for himself as a business, so he didn't want to turn down this opportunity.  It's just that the timing is really off with how busy we are at home and with Craig and work. I guess that is just how it has to be sometimes.  Craig has been having fun playing on a basketball league through Coralville Parks and Rec with Matt Kroeger, Ken Williamson, John Anderson, Brian Pierce, Matt Miller (Dr. Miller's husband) and some other guys. Matt Kroeger put the team together and they call themselves "Rusty".  I guess many of the guys on the other teams are like 10 years younger and some have played ball in college - so Craig and his friends are sure getting a workout! 

 

As for JENNY (me), I'm just trying to keep up with housework so it will be done for when the baby comes.  Also trying to really give extra attention to Natalie - it's kind of bittersweet knowing that soon it won't be just me and her anymore. :)  I'm still leading a small group at Hearts In Touch though it has been hard being so emotional and hormonal.  I don't feel really as though our group has clicked yet this year.  We have so many people just coming and going and no real consistency.  For example - one week we had like seven women sit at our table and then the next week only one showed up.  Had to take a break from choir a little earlier than I had planned.  We've just been so busy and it was also getting hard to stand for so long during service times and trying to get enough breath to sing.  I really miss it though.  Haven't seen a lot of friends lately.  While it aggravates me, I also don't mind too much since I've wanted to get a lot done around the house.  I have a real nesting urge this time around!

 

As for NATALIE, she is just so bubbly and curious and sweet!  She's been very cuddly this month and saying "MaMa" and "DaDa" a lot...maybe a little regression because the baby is coming?  She is still really into reading and babydolls, and pretend play.  She likes to help around the house as well.  She has been real up and down with the potty training.  But I let her choose if she wants a diaper/underwear/pull-ups.  She actually pooped in the potty for the first time this month, but hasn't done it a second time yet.  She's been very curious about boy and girl body parts.  We have her using the technical terms to name these parts - penis and vagina (sorry if too much information!).  So we are also learning that we only talk about these such topics at home! (Well, I guess except for Mommy who can write about it in the journal...haha!)  Natalie makes up her own songs sometimes.  She has a few books that she can pretty much recite from memory.  One is called The Very Busy Spider.  She asks a lot of questions as well.  She is getting so big!  She's always saying "When I get bigger..."