Halloween Part II: Pumpkins!

Tonight's "adventure" was pumpkin carving! Unfortunately, Brad was out of town for the experience, but I got a little technical support from Auntie and Uncle A. Munchkin, of course, was the biggest help of all. :o)

Weekend Update: Halloween, Part I

Munchkin was invited to his first Halloween party--and so were his parents!

But you can tell we are still new at our jobs (parenting, that is) because neither one of us left the house with a camera. Doh! But our wonderful party hosts are bloggers, so I'll include the link to photos when they post them.

A quick synopsis:
Halloween is the Gelbers' favorite holiday, and every inch of their home was decked out in Halloween splendor. From cauldrons, to strobe lights, to spider webs and more, it was a spooky place. About two hours into the super fun party, it looked like a toy factory had exploded in their family room...which led me to the conclusion that I'm not ready to be the parent of a toddler. :o) The big kids had a craft (paper plate pumpkins) and played pin the something on the something else (I never got close enough to see what it was), and everyone had a wonderful time!

When we returned home, we enjoyed a nice evening with Mimi and Munchkin's two Aunties. Mimi and Auntie N babysat Munch the night before, too, while Mom and Dad enjoyed an evening of theatre. Thanks!

It was a great weekend!

P.S. Can you tell what Brad is? (His shirt says, "Go Ceilings!")

More photos: http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100146

Milestone

See Munchkin's right hand?

It grabbed that giraffe's foot with no help!



The giraffe isn't very happy.



But we are!

Look Ma! No Hands!

Maybe he'll be able to skip training wheels.

Mastitis

I have it. It hurts.

Fortunately, my OB is awesome and called in a prescription immediately, so I'm already on the mend. Yesterday, Munchkin and I sat on the couch and laid in the bed...all day. It was nice to take a day off, even if I was laden with chills and flu-like symptoms.

"Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that causes pain, swelling and redness of the breast. Mastitis most commonly affects women who are breast-feeding, although in rare circumstances this condition can occur outside of lactation." Mayo Clinic.

"Decided"

After many weeks, I stayed true to my word:

I watched every minute of every debate, and much of the "post game" shows on CNN. The last Presidential debate sealed the deal.

So.

"Obama 08!!!"


P.S. The slogan is from SNL. The T-shirt was created at The T-Shirt Deli.You can find my original "Undecided" post here.

Gone Pickin'

Because I (we) heart fall so very much, we decided that this weekend's adventure would be to find a place where we could pick apples and pumpkins in one fell swoop. It almost worked out.

We journeyed to a magical place called "Apple Holler," just north of Kenosha, WI. What we found when we arrived were apple orchards, a pumpkin patch, hay rides, corn maze, doughnuts, cider...and the entire population of Wisconsin and most of Illinois.

Our day began when we entered the grounds and our senses were immediately overwhelmed by the sights, the people, and the reggae music. Yup, you heard me. After standing in line for 15 minutes, we were told by The Apple Folk that the trees were almost completely bare, but if we liked we could still pay $37.99 (no joke) for a plastic bag that we may or may not be able to fill up with apples. We passed.

We then went to have lunch at the restaurant, only to discover that the only dining option was a buffet of turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, etc. Now, I was okay with this but anyone who has met my darling husband (DH for you blog-savvy readers) knows that he's a tad choosy about his food. The idea that dozens of people were breathing on what he's about to consume kinda grosses him out. Come to think of it, I guess I'm not a huge fan of the buffet either.

After that, we walked to the "pick your own pumpkin" patch. Now, I've not picked my own pumpkin in a few years, but I guess I was actually expecting to cut a pumpkin off the vine with my own two hands. Really, we just selected it from a picked over patch and transported it back to the main area via tractor pull. It just goes to show you how ignorant I was about pumpkin picking. We did, however, find a lovely pumpkin.


After that, we stood in another very long line to purchase our apple cider doughnuts and a 1/2 gallon of apple cider...not manufactured at Apple Holler, I realized later. (The doughnuts were tasty.)

We deemed the afternoon to be a lovely, sunny day spent together as a family, even if the events in and of themselves were a bit of a failure. We learned a lesson: go apple picking on a Monday in September. :o)

I Heart Fall.

Inspired by this post (written by my mom), I have a version of my own:

I love fall because...

1. The smell of fallen leaves. It's musty, slightly rotten, and I love it. Bonus points if they're really dry and crunchy.
2.Pumpkins. I love the seeds (after you cook 'em), the smell of the guts, and one day I'll make pumpkin stew. The only part I don't actually like is the carving. Never been very good at that. It always ends up looking like the same face.
3. Macintosh apples. Yum!
4. Hoodies like this one I got from J. Crew. They're the cosiest clothing on earth.
5. Warm and snuggly baby clothes. Like this hat I bought for Munchkin at Baby Gap.
6. Those evergreen bushes that get the little red berries on them. Reminds me of playing outdoors as a kid. We'd mash them up to make "berry stew"...and fake blood.
7. Football. Okay, I don't really love football itself. But the idea of football is great. People bundled up and cheering together....well, it's a nice thought, anyway.
8. Soup. I always miss cooking soup over the summer.
9. Apple cider. Preferably cold with a doughnut, or hot in the evening.
10. Halloween. Granted, I'm waaaay not into the ghouls and witches aspect, but I love the pumpkins and trick-or-treating.
11. Thanksgiving. Truly my favorite holiday of the year. Of course, I've never hosted it before, never been responsible for the food, rarely have to lift too many fingers to enjoy it. But I think the wind is a-changin'....stay tuned.
12. Fall colors. Enjoy.

(The Little Tree That Could)

Six Weeks and Counting

Today I am six weeks old.

Nothing monumental to report...but my mom hasn't posted a batch of pictures in over a week (oh, the horror).

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100104

Baby Einstein

Now, I realize that my son is only 5 1/2 weeks old...but he's quite accomplished.

He can talk.
He can play percussion instruments.
And he can hit the monkey.
Brilliant.


(P.S. What's with the weird, modal version of "Three Blind Mice??")

A Bad Habit

We're so proud.



(Pardon the nudity.)

Yom Kippur-ing

More "firsts." Today Munchkin celebrated his first holiday, and went to Grandma's house for the first time.

If you're interested, you can read about Yom Kippur here. Note: I can't tell you on which day we celebrated, because we didn't do it on the correct day. We also didn't wear white, I was wearing suede (and I'm pretty sure if you can't wear leather, you can't wear suede), bathed that day, AND put on deodorant. I'm a very bad Shiksa. :o)

But we did enjoy a lovely meal prepared by Munchkin's Grandma, played with Melanie (the cat), and listened to some baby lullabies.

Thanks, Grandma!

Weekend Update

This weekend was full of "firsts!" First real date for Bradley and Hannah, first time meeting Grandpa Bob and Grammie Val, first time taking the baby to the bar...I should back up. (For some reason, the "read more" link is missing, so click on "Weekend Update" to see the full post.)

On Friday, Bradley and I went to a schmancy dinner sponsored by WMS. We had been to the Cub game together the previous Wednesday (and yes, you can cue the dirge now), but this was our first "date night" since Munchkin's birth. Sadly, we didn't take any pictures of ourselves or our venue that evening, but suffice it to say that it was the best Patent Award Dinner we've attended so far. Great food, beautiful venue, inspiring speaker, and kickin' band.

The next day, Munchkin was introduced to his Grandpa Bob and Grammie Val for the first time. Dad, if you're reading this, forgive me, but I was shocked to see the two of them interact so seamlessly. I've never seen my father hold an infant--ever--so it cracked me up to watch him wiggle Munchkin's toes, and make "octopus fingers" over his eyes (trying to get him to track?). He didn't change a diaper, but we're visiting in December, so there's still time. :o)

So, on Saturday evening, we all got a hankerin' for a burger. (Pardon all my dropped "g's." I'm practicing my Palin imitation for my SNL debut.) And we thought to ourselves, "Selves: where can you find a good burger in Chicago?" Answer: a bar. Problem: there's a baby. Solution: take the baby to the bar--preferably before 9 PM. So, we did. We all headed out to Cullen's, snuggled into a booth in the back of the smoke-free pub and had ourselves some Irish cookin'. Auntie Abigail and I amused ourselves by repeating, "You have a baby...in a bar," (from Sweet Home Alabama) several times, and she gave Munchkin a bottle. Of milk, that is.

(And for the rest of you grandparents who are reading this thinking, "but she didn't post anything about me!"--don't worry...your time is a-comin'.)

Crafty Comrade

I love my friends.


To complement this bedding our good friend, "Auntie G," made this cross-stitch for the Munchkin. (The blurred out section is his name.) Crafty, eh?


It hangs in a previously naked spot on the wall. Thank you, Auntie G!!!

One Month

Birth Weight/Height: 8 lbs., 3 oz.; 20 inches
Four Weeks: 8 lbs., 10.2 oz.; 21 3/8 inches

Dear Munchkin,
As "10,000 Maniacs" once wrote, "My, how you've grown!" I'd be lying if I said that I was glad this first month is over. I'm not. I so love watching you grow and change each day, but I also feel that each passing day is bittersweet, as you will never be that age ever again. 

Here are some of the changes I see in you:

- The strength you show when you're on your tummy and you lift your head to look at me. 

- The end of the cross-eyed era.

- Our first bath without tears...today! (Your birthday present to me. :o) )

- You no longer fit on the Pack n Play changing table, unless we move the wipes container.

- You consistently smile at me and at your Dad--especially when he makes funny noises! You also enjoy smiling at us through your paci, which we find hysterical.

- Speaking of pacis, you rarely wake up when you've dropped it. Thanks for that.

- You have so much time when you're awake, alert, and happy. 

- You've outgrown the "Newborn" onesies. On to "0-3!"

- You've noticed the mobile above your crib, and love to track those little fishies.

- You have less patience for Oliver's tickly fur when he smells your ears.

- You've started to coo. Your favorite word is "Nn-geh!"

- You've been crowned, "The Spit-up King." We need to work on that one.

- Dad and I love when you "head bang" on our tummies.

- There are actually moments when I swear I can hear you thinking, "I love you, Mom."

Love,

Mom

More photos here.