This week, Daddy Daycare takes to the road for a special, "North Shore Edition" while Laura trains for her new job in Duluth! (Yes, there are pictures at the bottom from our last few weeks together!!!)
A few weeks ago, Laura accepted a new position and left her old job, along with the daily 2+ hrs in the car to and from Minnetonka! Her new job will be doing the same thing, but through a Duluth-based company and she will be working from home! So, today was our first full day up at my parents' lake home on the North Shore and we're looking forward to the next week up here while Laura gets trained in with her new company.
To keep us company, Laura's parents are taking a week's vacation and will be up on the shore this week as well. They will be staying at Superior Shores, where Laura and I got married just over 4 years ago, while we're 9 miles farther up the shore.
Once we're done with this week, I'll be back to work and back to the grind...ugh! When Laura went back to work from her maternity leave, I didn't know why she was so moapy and wondered how she was going to miss Erica as much as she was saying she would. Little did I know what I was in for after a summer home with my Little Nugget and Lexi! I've been depressed all month long knowing my summer is about to end! It's been my most favorite summer yet...nothing can compare to how awesome it's been hanging out with Erica and bonding with her on a daily basis. She is so fun to watch grow. She gets cuter by the day and each week brings some new development or milestone she reaches.
It's been a while since my last update, so I'll do my best to provide little glances at some things we've enjoyed over the past few weeks:
- Erica is now reach for everything she can possibly get her hands on! Anything she does grab, goes right into her mouth! Needless to say, mommy and daddy are always on our toes now and are cautious about what's in arms reach!! Whether it's a plate, cell phone, dad's lips or mom's hair...everything is fair game!!!
- She has definitely found her voice over the past month. It started with some panting (perhaps she's imitating Lexi?!?!) and now has moved into high-pitches squeals/screeches (like some sort of prehistoric flying dinosaur?!?!) and lots of grunting. Erica and I have seemed to developed our own caveman-type language. She grunts, and I grunt back and she grunts again and so for several seconds. Laura is left to wonder what we're saying about her!
- She is constantly smiling! It's pretty cool to see her always smiling throughout the day. Our favorite time of day is the morning when Laura or I get her up from her crib...regardless of who it is, we are always greeted with some massive smiles when we peer over the edge of her crib! I enjoy asking her to show me her smile, and she shows me that adorable smile with her one dimple almost every time on cue!
- She loves watching Lexi! It doesn't matter if Lexi is playing fetch with us, attacking/chewing on me, or just lying around the house, Erica will just stare at her endlessly! Of course, now that she is reach for things, she is now trying to pet Lexi if we get her close enough to her...and because she grasps everything her fingers touch, she usually ends up with a fistful of Lexi hair!
- She now tries to feed herself! She knows when we're getting a bottle ready for her and once I sit down with her, she looks over to the table where the bottle usually sits and she sees it...and then she starts panting and the arms start flailing as she gets so excited for her bottle! I then move it to within arms reach and she grabs it with both hands and pulls it towards her mouth. It's funny because she hasn't figure out all the motions of her wrists, so she just pulls the bottle straight at her face and ends up with the bottle smashed against her lips. With a little help from dad, she is able to move it to the right angle and then immediately forces it into her mouth...all the while, her panting never ceases!
I hope I haven't left anything out, but I know I can't possibly get everything from the past few weeks into this entry! If you're still reading/following my blog, thanks so much for checking in with us and reading along as Erica continues to grow and develop before our eyes! And of course, no entry is complete without expressing my appreciation for you reading this entry of my Daddy Diary. Take care!
Erica watched her first ore boat, the Edgar B Speer, pull into Two Harbors this afternoon. 
Time for Skype.
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