An uber-update

Greetings, all! Here is a huge update, for Calla Grace and the rest of us. First, Calla.

Calla is doing wonderfully. She now has two teeth and knows how to use them. She is becoming very independent at the dinner table and is much more interested in feeding herself "finger foods" than being spoon fed. Her favorite foods are green beans, pasta, peaches, and Cheerios. Her favorite high chair pastime is feeding the same foods to Chloe, our pug dog. (As an interesting aside, Chloe has developed a new habit of standing by the high chair and whining for us to feed the baby.) Calla now pulls up on everything and has begun "cruising" between pieces of furniture. She still forgets that she can't stand, lets go, and falls down, but that is becoming quite rare. My money says that she will be walking soon!

Here are some pictures of her. Check them out and then read on for more news...


We took a trip to FL in April. Calla loved the pool at Hillsborough State Park!

And she let her grandparents hold her, eventually...


Clearwater beach was fun, too!


But Cubs games sure are nice. Especially your first one!


Of course, it's a lot of fun at Montrose Beach, too!


But being held by Mommy is still the best...Here is a recent video that showcases Calla's talents!

OK, so I said there would be more news. Here it is:

I have taken a new job as an Assistant Professor of Anatomy at Southern Illinois University's School of Medicine. As a result, we will be moving. Thankfully, we already have a contract to sell our townhome here in Chicagoland, which came after only ~2 weeks on the market. We are now shopping for homes in the greater Carbondale, IL area... Anyway, we are very excited to be moving to our new home, where you can actually buy a real house with a real yard for <$350,000. It will be a time of change for us and will take some getting used to, but we are preparing ourselves for the change. There are many good things about this, although we recognize that it won't be easy to leave our current friends and colleagues. It is a good chance for me (Joe) to have my own lab, though, and Kathy has done a great job of being supportive. I really appreciate her help during this time.

OK, that's about what I have for now. Don't want to overdo it after months of silence. :-)

-Joe