At FOUR MONTHS OLD, Martha continues to smile and charm and bring so much joy to our home. This has been a very exciting month for our little girl!
Martha went to America for the first time! As we went through immigration in Chicago, I was so hoping that the guy who looked through our passports would note that and welcome her home. He didn’t but I did 
Martha met, for the first time, so many people who love and pray for her. It was especially special to meet Grammy and Grandpa Noll and get some special time with them.
Martha met both of her namesakes, Martha Ann Iverson and Laura Evangeline Noll, now Spitler, and was able to celebrate her first wedding (Aunt Laura’s).
Though it wasn’t long enough at all, she also got some sweet time and snuggles with Aunt Karyn, including getting to visit her at her college.
Apart from all the firsts that our trip held for her, she added a few on her own. While we were in the States, Martha cut her first two teeth! I know, so quick, right? I can’t believe it. I guess she just wants to make sure she’s ready when I decide to start her on solids. If you look closely at this photo, you can see them amidst the drool.
Martha also rolled over for the first time while we were there! I knew it would be coming anyday, but I was surprised when she rolled from her back to her belly first and not the other way around. It took Noa forever to roll onto her belly, so I was surprised that Martha has been doing it so soon. She still hasn’t gone from her belly to her back.
Martha continues to pack the pounds… I think its all in her cheeks She’s over 17 pounds now!
While she continues to be a good eater and relatively good sleeper (she has been an amazing traveler and jet lag handler!) we have a few things that we need to work on this month. The biggest is the transition from sleeping in the pack ‘n play in our room to her crib in her and Noa’s room. She has been taking some of her naps in there, but I have been reluctant to sleep them in there together as Noa continues to fight jet lag and they both have little coughs right now and need their sleep. I also hope we’ll get into a good nap routine soon. Her day-time sleeps are still a little haphazard and its hard for me to plan our day around them at this point. I hope we can work towards some consistency.
Martha is quite the conversationalist and loves chatting to whoever will listen, even if its the toys hanging over her head. She grabs at everything in sight, especially loving her hands and feet. She continues to be so entertained by watching Noa, and has been known to break into huge smiles, even after tears, when her big sister comes to give her attention. Its so sweet to watch.
That’s all I can think of for now. I hope you enjoyed the little glimse at life with this sweet girl. 
*A big THANK YOU to Aunt Margot and Uncle Jon Bass for always equipping the ladies in our family with the cutest Landsend boat totes. You can tell Martha already LOVES hers
The Mast and Weaver families are some of our dearest Harrisonburg friends and feel like family to us. We know that it is truly God’s goodness that brought them into our lives, soon after Eric and I were married, and used these precious families these last 3 years to bless and encourage us in so many ways. We were so thankful to have a few hours carved out with them on Sunday afternoon. What a treat!!
Chloe and Hannah getting some baby time with Martha
almost the whole group
Martha flirting with sweet Reuben. This young man has always been able to make my girls smile.
Chloe and me
Andrea and I with most of the little girls. So fun to all be together!
Gloria working her baby magic and making Martha laugh. Hannah and Sophie taking notes and learning how. Its no surprise to me that these girls love babies so much, with such great moms who also love babies so well!
All the kiddies together! I am so so so so thankful for each of these precious ones!
*Dean, Andrea, Andre, Gloria, Chloe, Reuben, Sophie, Hannah, and Kate~ Thank you so much for such a special and wonderful visit. We have missed each of you and it was such a joy to our hearts to get to be with you once again! We love you!
It worked out that we managed a quick visit with Danny and Kimberly on Friday before heading down to VA. It was wonderful to see our precious family, including Mark who has been in Newark since March. Grandpa Iverson met us there and it was so great to visit with him. Daniel Josiah and Trinity have grown in many ways since they visited us in January, and of course it was great to introduce everyone to Martha.
As always, it was so fun to watch the little cousins interact. God has blessed our girls with cousins very close in age to them, and it seems that every time we are together, these friendships develop a little bit more. Of course, the four Iverson cousins that were present really missed the fifth amiga, little Annie, who couldn’t make it up from Florida for reunion 
Next time they will all be together will be September at their Aunt Martha’s wedding!
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God blessed us with an amazing 4 days at Nana’s beach house with Dad and Mom Noll. It was a special time of refreshment and being together. The girls loved their time with Grammy (”Mimi”) and Grandpa (”Papa”). We just relaxed and enjoyed each other. We played on the beach, walked around town, ate great ice cream, had two intense games of Spades (girls vs. guys), and took some photos to capture the precious memories. Eric and I even got to sneak out for a date at the Lobster House. We spent part of our honeymoon at Stone Harbor so it was special to be back there with our growing family.
Thank you, Nana, for your generosity and hospitality in letting us use the house! And thank you Mom and Dad for such a wonderful time together. We treasured every moment with you two!
Well, we are home safely in Japan, after a wonderful time in the States to celebrate Laura and Clayt and get some special time with family and friends. I will try to put up photos to catch up these next few days.
It was absolutely wonderful to get to be with our families. The girls got to see (and meet, in Martha’s case) all of their great grandparents! What a treat! Here they are with Great Nana, getting and giving some love:
We also got to stop at University of Delaware to see Aunt Karyn, her house, and her school. The girls even wore their UD t-shirts for the occasion. It was so special to be with Karyn and Steve and get to now have a picture in our minds of where she is. 
