Halloween, crochet, and our baby

For a while, we weren't planning much for S's first Halloween. She won't even be 8 months old yet, which means no candy and no memory of the event. But as the weather has started to cool ever so slightly, I've started thinking about it more. Then I saw a panda costume on ebay for $5, and I won the auction. So now she will be dressing up.

Around this time I was on one of my many message boards, and a gal wanted to figure out how to crochet a pumpkin hat for her baby. I started poking around for patterns, and found a really cute, easy one. I picked up some yarn on Friday, and during one of S's naps today I started her hat. It was done by dinnertime (I told you it was easy):



So cute!

J liked it too. So much that he had to model it:

I haven't got a shot of it on S yet. I had an opportunity, but she was wearing a pumpkin hat on her head and a summer dress on the rest of her! I'll get something a little more matchy matchy first ;)

Reading with Daddy

Say it with me now: awwww.....

I love the farmer's market

Ginger gold apples and organic pears. Yum.

I may have one or 2, and the rest are going into baby food for S.

More roses

My "Charlie Brown" rose (ya know, like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree?) is finally getting its day in the sun (literally and figuratively). While 2 of my 3 roses I bought together got great spots in the front of the house, the 3rd one I stuck in a pot and neglected in the back yard. The first year, it was pathetic. It had giant holes in the leaves, never bloomed, and was super stumpy. Last year I left it in the pot and at least moved it out front. But it was still a sad specimen.

Last fall I planted it in the front yard, and this spring I gave it a beautiful trellis (yay for garden sales). It has paid me back in spades.

Now I'm tempted to buy more...

Bad mood

My mother in law recently commented that S is happy in all of her pictures. I said that we just don't take pictures of her when she's upset!

In reality, she really is a happy kid. But she does have her moments. Case in point:

This was last night. She was tired, we think she's teething, and she was fighting sleep like a champ. But she never wins. She crashed shortly thereafter. The good news is, she woke up much happier this morning :)

Scenes from a bath

S's first bath ever was an unpleasant experience for her (lots of crying, because damn, she was cold!). Her second one wasn't much better, it was just in a different location (kitchen sink vs bathroom sink). After that it got better. Now she LOVES it. Loves it.

Until last week she was just splashing with her feet. Now that she's getting closer to sitting up on her own, she's figured out how to splash with her hands.

Enjoy!

It's the little things (and I love our landscaper)

We got new mulch today. The front yard looks 110% better than it did this time yesterday.

I told the landscaper I'd need to weed before he came, and he offered to mow down our weed garden and spray for us. Yay!

And they were as quiet as church mice. S took a 4 hour nap this morning (!) while they were here, and we didn't hear a peep.

Life's a Beach

I took S on her first beach trip this week. J's family has a house on Long Beach Island, NJ (you can read about it here), but it just sold, so this was a final hurrah at the cottage.



It's a nice place. There are 2 bedrooms and a bathroom on each of 2 floors, a back porch, an outside shower, fully equipped kitchen on each floor, and it's just over a block from the beach. Who could ask for anything more?

Grania was super excited to see her granddaughter.



Even though we were only there a few days, we fell into a nice routine. S would get up at her usual (early!) time, have some sweet potatoes and a bottle, and play in the living room. She was either on her blanket surrounded by toys...



...or in her seat, being charming.



Before she crashed for her morning nap, we would head to the beach to see what there was to see.

On day 1, I took S out myself, since Grania was sleeping in (that's what you do on vacation!). We got all geared up and headed out.



S and I found a nice bench to sit on and watch high tide hit the shore.






On day 2, Grania came with us to the beach so she could see S put her piggies in the Atlantic for the first time. I was busy wrangling a small child, so you'll have to make do without pictures (Grania will send us some soon, I'm sure). S liked the sand, but hated the cold water. I don't blame her. Wait until she feels the water temperature in the Pacific!

After her wave adventure, we hung out for a while in Grania's beach tent.


S enjoyed the sand.

On day 3, it was pretty cloudy and threatening rain, so S and I just took a quick walk on the beach and watched the birdies.



Each day after S's morning nap, we'd head out to lunch on the island and do a little shopping. Mommy and Grania found a baby clothing store with some serious sales going on, and got the most adorable outfits you've ever seen. We also picked up a few things at the Irish store. Never fear, Nana and Tapa, and even Daddy, got presents too.

Here's S demonstrating her foot-chewing abilities at lunch on Wednesday.

We usually tried to head home for S's afternoon nap, then out for a nice dinner along the island. S was a super trooper. I think she got upset for maybe an hour the entire time we were there, and that's because she didn't nap well one afternoon. She usually had her last bottle the same time Grania and Mommy had dinner, and was a perfect lady.

Just for fun, I videotaped S making her squealing noises while hanging out in the living room. Enjoy!

Stay tuned

We just got back from a week (give or take a few days) at the shore with S's grandmother. S got to put her piggies in the Atlantic for the first time (did not like) and charmed people from one end of Long Beach Island to the other.

But it's late, and I should have been in bed an hour ago, so I'm going to upload pictures tomorrow to share. Expect lots of pictures of water, and a few of a certain someone who looked super cute in her swim gear!

Everything's coming up roses

Despite deer, a groundhog (living under the neighbor's porch!), various insects, and an exterminator who sprayed something that killed ladybugs, our roses are thriving.

We have 3 climbers. Make that 4, but I keep forgetting about the one I just tossed in the front yard. 2 of the climbers are slowly making their way up the pillars on our front porch. I got a giant trellis for the one I finally put in a good spot. J asked why I got such a tall trellis for something that wasn't going to grow very high. It's now over halfway up the thing. Guess I showed him.

The 2 climbers on either side of the porch are blooming away right now, and they're blooming in giant clusters. Which makes it easy to cut them for the table.

I apologize for the less than ideal picture. I should have used natural light.



These are from the climber called Irish Heartbreaker. A few days later, I took cuttings from Dublin Bay. The roses are larger, and a slightly darker red. They all opened up while they were sitting on the table, and they look gorgeous.

5 months

Where did the time go???

I also realized I never posted her 4 month picture. She turned 4 months the day we went to New England, and digging out her blocks to do her shot wasn't on the top of the to-do list. We did it after we got back and she had her 4 month dr appt.

Random pictures of the kid

She's starting to get most of her hair back...



Getting downright giddy over sweet potatoes



Eating her bib. "Look ma, no hands!"



"Mmm, messy..."



"Check this out! I rolled all the way under my Pack n Play. Isn't it great?"