Enjoy some recent pictures from the beautiful fall woods of Colorado. We had a nice several-day camping trip over the weekend and were lucky enough to experience some peak fall colors. The weather has been very nice lately with warm days and cool nights

Brandon spent a few days backpacking in search of elk, while Jennifer stayed back to watch the two little blonde girls. It was their first night alone in the camper and they managed to have a fun time together. Delaney is starting to become a busy-body and is wanting to grab and explore everything she sees. We let her taste an apple chunk and she attacked it with gusto. She really is interested in our food, so it won't be long before we start introducing her to more variety.

****We have gone camping! (and won't be back until late Monday evening) We'll post again once we are home.***

September is the greatest month of the year in Gunnison, and we started it off in style. Jennifer's brother Rick, and her mom and step dad made the journey to Gunnison (from Pennsylvania and Washington, respectively) to visit our little Delaney. As always, it was fun to have her meet new family and let them see what all the "hype" was about. We had a nice time and hope that it gave them a chance to relax for a few days. Hopefully they had pleasant journeys back to opposite ends of the country.

Meredith took the opportunity to introduce her family to Sky the horse, and show off her riding skills. We also spent some time south of Gunnison searching for brown trout, which gave Rick a chance to practice his fly casting on a windy Colorado day. We were happy to see Rick catch some fish on this trip because the guide on his previous Blue Mesa trip (Brandon) couldn't catch a cold. We also have to specially thank our neighbor Stacia for the wonderful accomodations for our family. Jennifer's mom is terribly allergic to cats, but Stacia came through with her southern hospitality!

Delaney is doing well, but still won't eat from a bottle very well. We continue to work on it, but haven't made a lot of progress. We try not to worry about her weight, and actually haven't had her weighed in several weeks. She seems to be growing, and today rolled from her back to her belly on her own. She's a remarkable little girl.

Meredith went to school for the first day this fall and is now officially a "Coyote" at Stepping Stones. We wish she could go for more than one day but with Delaney and everything else we have going on it probably won't work. Hard to believe next year will be kindergarten for our number one. She's had a good summer nonetheless and we continue to work on her horseback riding skills. We had a little set back the other night, but she's come a long way in the last month.

Delaney is supposed to be getting fortified bottles each day, but she's decided that bottles are no longer of interest to her. We are going to have a conversation with her GI doctor this week to see if we can start with rice cereal now that she is four months old. Cereal mixed with fortified breast milk would boost her caloric intake considerably. Regardless, she is a happy go-lucky little girl that seems to be doing very well. Our Ray-cat enjoys his naps in Delaney's furniture...

Meredith continues to enjoy her summer. Last week she got in on a fancy tea party at our neighbor Stacia's house and visited with some new friends. She likes to help her mom in the kitchen and at the supermarket and recently made her maiden voyage with a grocery cart and a grocery list. We had fun camping this weekend and it is starting to feel like fall. Meredith went fishing with her dad, rode her stick horse, and got to examine (cautiously) a garter snake. She sustained another battle injury on Saturday, which involved a fishing rod handle and a little girl's face (see black eye above).

Delaney is a punkin' and loves to play with, and eat her feet. She continues to be watched closely by our Part C folks, and there remains talk of supplementing her with formula-laced bottles. She is still on the petite side, so we'll see how things go.

We've also been enjoying harvest time in the area, and have been enjoying a lot of fresh vegetables from friends that are fortunate enough to have gardens. We seem to be running low on red meat, so hope the elk gods are looking out for us in the coming months. It's the best time of year in Gunnison....

Time flies in the Diamond house. Jennifer made the trek to Grand Junction last Friday to check in with the GI doctor. Delaney weighed 10 lbs 2 oz, and overall the doctor was pleased with her progress. They did encourage us to supplement her with some formula bottles to give her a little extra boost. We thought we were done with bottles, but what's good for the kiddo is good for us.

Brandon had his section meeting last week in Gunnison, and it was fun to show off Delaney a little to some of the folks that helped us through our ordeal. We still try to maintain a low profile with her, but on those occasions where we do go out, it's fun to show folks how much she's grown.

There's been a few breaks in the weather lately, so the girls have been out to Blue Mesa several times. By this time next year, hopefully Meredith will have a more mobile play partner!

Delaney had a big week, and achieved several developmental milestones. Not only does her interest in toys continue to grow, but she finally discovered her feet and also figured out how to roll from her stomach onto her back. It may not sound like much, but it makes us feel good that she continues to head in the right direction. We went to Grand Junction on Friday for her latest eye exam. Her eyes were in good shape (have to go back in 6 mos), and we were able to visit with some GJ friends and stop by the NICU before we went home. It was nice to see our friends again (and show off Delaney), but also humbling to see anxious parents going in and out. Our hearts go out to them.

Last week Meredith finished up her fourth week of swim lessons, and has made significant progress this summer. She had a good time each night going to the pool, but her parents are ready for a break, and need to get caught up around the house with fall approaching. Brandon's deer survival project continues to keep him busy, and his fawn collars are finally starting to fall off. Picking up the collars was the perfect excuse the get the equines out in the hills this weekend, and Meredith enjoyed her first real ride in the woods. She helped pick up two collars, studied all sorts of mushrooms, and continues to get to know our new family member Sky. Sky is a special old horse that hopefully will give Meredith joy for several more years to come.

As you can see, we had a nice weekend out and about. Meredith got to spend the weekend camping with her friend Justine, which was nice reprieve from just her boring old parents.

Delaney has been doing very well still and we are happy to report that she successfully passed her three month old moose hunting milestone with flying colors....

Another week come and gone; hard to believe it's already August. Delaney had a good week and managed to gain a few ounces. She's up to 9 lbs, 7.5 oz and is in good spirits. We are supposed to call the GI folks tomorrow and discuss her progress. At this point we're not sure whether they are going to ask us to supplement her breast milk, but will follow their orders. She's a happy, healthy baby these days as far as we can tell but if she needs more calories we'll make it happen. She's also developing a strong interest in toys of all shapes and sizes and is getting surprisingly strong. It's a lot of fun watching her learning to play and explore.

Meredith had a fun week as well, despite a funky cold. She enjoyed the annual slip and slide party at the Japuntich's, and made a lot of good progress at her swimming lessons. This week the Hells Angels (yes Hells Angels) came through Gunnison on their way across the country and were everywhere you looked. Gunnison was prepared for the gathering, and several hundred law enforcement personnel from across the state & country came to keep the peace. We had a bunch of LE folks staying in our community including a group of ATF agents. Jennifer helped our thoughtful neighbor Stacia bake them some treats one evening, which were enjoyed by all. Meredith made friends quickly, and she is now a junior ATF agent. She even got to meet one of their explosive sniffing K-9 dogs who put on a demonstration in front of our house. It's been an interesting few days in Gunnison.