Happy Halloween!!

This is Frazier's first Halloween...obviously. So he was a pumpkin. Because I feel somehow that all babies should be pumpkins at least once. He's still wearing his outfit- he didn't even seem to mind the hood. I thought it was adorable.

Our Little Pumpkin: Josh said I was like the mom on A Christmas Story who made Ralphie wear the pink bunny suit. And then I wished I could've found a pink bunny suit. Because that would have been hilarious. Silly or not, Josh was a good sport about taking pictures and I'm pretty sure I heard him tell Frazier as he buckled him in his car seat, "You're Mom thinks you look cute, and that's all that matters." :)

So we went to Farm Fair (our church's answer to Halloween) this early evening (like, 3:30-6ish) which was fun. There was popcorn and cotton candy, burgers, barbecue, hotdogs...that kind of thing. Live music, contests and booths with games kids could play for prizes and candy. And lots of costumes. Even some of the grown-ups dressed up! I was at the face painting booth for about an hour and a half (hence the candy corn on my face...I painted that myself and then started a trend of little people asking for the same thing). Frazier was great- since we'd had a couple of not-so-great recent experiences with public gatherings I was a little worried, but he slept most of my face painting stint and then sat happily while we ate and visited. Overall it was excellent. And everyone said he was cute. My $8 pumpkin costume was a hit! :)

(These are our Halloween PJs, a hand-me-down from our old pal Jackson Taylor whose first Halloween was last Halloween.)Now we're off to hand out candy as the neighborhood is hoppin' and I have a whole cauldron of candy to give away!

Happy (treatful) Halloween to you!!!

Accessory Malfunction

I had to stop suddenly as I was carrying Frazier from the living room to our room the other day, and hurry over to Josh. "Oh, oh, oh!" I squeal. "Help me out- do something!" He looks confused. "Make him let go or something!" I demand with more urgency. "Or just see if you can get it out my ear first maybe..."

And as Josh tried to extricate the tiny little fist clenched in a deathgrip to the right of my face that's when I realized...

that dangly earrings were a bad idea.

15 Weeks

It's getting harder to remember how many weeks old Frazier is...I suppose I should start counting in months. I actually had to look back to the blogpost from last Thursday to see how many it was!! Anyway, it's shaped up to be a lovely day here though the weather channel predicted thunderstorms. Happily, they are wrong thus far. My friend Rebecca came over today with her baby, Myles (who is just about four weeks younger than Frazier). We had lunch and the babies hung out on Frazier's quilt. Myles jabbered and Frazier rolled over...and over and over. It's next to impossible to keep him on his tummy anymore! We had a really nice time; it was great to have company! I can't believe I forgot to take a photograph of Frazier's first playdate, but alas there is no photographic documentation of it! :( Here is he immediately afterwards: Frazier and I went to Target the other day and mutually picked out this toy. It lights up and plays some great classical music. Not only does Frazier love it, but Gatsby was pretty interested as well!Except for the roll over there have been no significant changes in week 15 to speak of. He can almost roll over the other way, back to front. He gets easily up on one side...especially when he's chasing a thumb. :)

Well, Happy 15 weeks, little buddy!

...and Happy Thursday to everyone else! :)

Optimizing Naptime

Somewhere between college and Frazier, I became my mother. Okay maybe not entirely (not that this would be a bad thing). But last Thursday, as when I found myself scrubbing the linoleum in my kitchen with a toothbrush...I mentally blamed her. I lived in 8 different houses with my Mom and every single one of them was clean and neat. Remarkably clean and neat. All the time.

Sure, most of the time I lived in those [clean and neat] houses I probably didn't appreciate the cleaness and neatness. Especially if it meant I had to help clean and neaten. However, sometime in all those years of helping clean and neaten a seed was planted and in my fairly recent past it sprouted.

After Frazier was born (at which time I had things pretty clean and neat- thanks to Mom and Mae Mae), I kept things relatively neat as far as what was visible, but cabinets and drawers, etc. which the previous 6 or 7 months of pregnancy had already caused me to neglect began to suffer even worse and the clutter grew and the dust collected.

Until a few weeks ago. I finally realized that Frazier could take a nap without me sitting and watching him and he began sleeping longer that I do at night so his naptimes were no longer my naptimes as well. This left me with an incredible amount of time on my hands, theoretically speaking, and I determined to make the most of it. I set easily attainable goals for myself at first. The laundry would always be done within reason. I'd always have the dishwasher unloaded so the sink could always be empty, and I would make up the bed every day. When these goals were met consistently, I added more. I made up a rule that I would find something to do from the time he fell asleep to the time he woke up. And I have. (That something isn't always cleaning related...the quilt and stocking I've sewn lately are also results of my new optimizing naptime campaign!)

I am amazed daily at how much I can get done in, say three hours in a row, if I want. I enjoy the busy-ness and it keeps me moving...which burns calories. After the floor scrubbing incident I was sore for two days! Not only did I do ordinary household stuff like laundry, dishes and dusting, I also added cleaning out. To date I have cleaned out EVERYTHING in my house. Literally every cabinet, every drawer, every closet. I would do maybe one drawer or cabinet a day...taking everything out of it, organizing it, and getting rid of stuff that was old or unneccesary. I even employed Josh to help clean out the attic last weekend!

Now about last Thursday. I sweep and Swiffer my kitchen often, but that day I'd been using Frazier's naptime to wipe down the baseboards and I decided to trasition to wiping down the floors in the kitchen with a sponge and diluted bleach. As I started, I realized the tiles were far grimier than I'd realized...so I got a toothbrush and a scrub brush I use for car washing and I actually scrubbed all my linoleum by hand. I was exhausted, but the floor looked great! It's a whole shade lighter! I couldn't believe the grime. I honestly think it was somewhat that way when we moved in and I didn't know what color it was supposed to be! I was appalled at the disgustingness of it, but at least it's clean now. (See the gross gray suds I conjured with all my scrubbing below). I may have to add scrubbing the linoleum to my regular cleaning routine. Before on the right...after on the left. Can you believe this? We were LIVING in this filth. :(

I would like to know who invented textured linoleum.

Because it was a remarkably stupid idea.

It isn't like it's fooling anyone into thinking it's tile. All it is is a grime trapper.

So there is my [longwinded] story about the cleaning I've been doing...and how wonderfully clean and neat my house feels...and how I've been optimizing naptime.

I document it because I fear there may be a day when I do not have the energy at naptimes or when the naptimes are fewer and shorter, when my house may not be so clean and neat...and I'd like to remember that this happened...at least once. :)

Rock 'N Roll

For a week or so we've been waiting for the roll over. It just seemed imminent. If you got him started by tucking his elbow he'd push himself on over, but he did it all by himself today!

The first time it happened, I'd set him on his stomach (still in his sleep sack) for tummy time and then decided he'd be able to move around better if I changed his clothes so I ran to his room to get something else to put him in and when I came back (mere seconds later) he was halfway over! I grabbed the camera and did get it on film, but it took awhile (he got stuck at the end) and the clip was too long so here's a clip of like, the third roll over...which is almost just as exciting. Once he did it, I couldn't keep him on his tummy! I'd hardly get him on his stomach and grab the camera before he was trying to flop over again!

Ah- the things that excite us as parents. :)

I know it cuts off abruptly...I had to put the camera down quick and praise him. ;)

A Stocking for Frazier

For our first Christmas together (married) I (perhaps over-ambitiously) made us stockings. All hand-sewn. From scratch. I used as inspiration some kitschy stockings my grandmother had made years ago...50s-60s stlye...felt and sequins.

They took me a very long time.

Then, for Gatsby's first Christmas (having forgotten what an undertaking the last two were) I made him a stocking (albeit a slightly smaller one).

Well, it occurred to me a few weeks ago that Frazier needed a handmade stocking to match all of ours so I began working on it right away assuming it would take me forever. Surprisingly, it didn't take quite as long as I'd anticipated. I finished just this morning! So, it will definitely be ready to hang up when we get all the other Christmas decorations out.

I had to go find some more of the same red felt I used for the others and I'd saved the pattern I freehanded on some posterboard for mine and Josh's stockings knowing I'd be making more to match them one day so I found it, too. The only difference on Frazier's stocking is that it actually has a folded top. I also stuffed all the cookies so they're raised a little bit.Now I'm going to need a new project! :)

Pumpkin Carving

It just doesn't seem like Halloween to me without a jack-o-lantern and it only seemed fitting that in honor of Frazier's first Halloween we carve one with him. He was no help, of course, but the event was well documented. This way Frazier can look back one day and see what nuts we were. :)

It was a beautiful day (sunny, low 60s, breezy) so we grilled burgers and then set up the splat mat (courtesy of Mae Mae) and hollowed out some pumpkins. In case you are unfamiliar with the splat mat it's like a waterproof picnic blanket that you can just wipe off. Brilliant, I tell you. This was our first chance to use it...and I see us using it many more times in our future!
I spent a great deal of time at Wal Mart the other day picking out these 3 particular pumpkins...can you guess why? :) (The hat and onesie set Frazier's wearing is from his Grammie. Cute, right?)

We (and by we I mean I) spent most of the afternoon scooping out goop and then carving all three pumpkins...but finally VIOLA... Us as jack-o-lanterns!! :)

Pictures from Saturday

I love this little striped outfit. He actually wore it all day yesterday, slept in it last night, and went to church in it this morning. That's sort of embarassing, but it's so much trouble to change clothes, plus this outfit looked comfortable. And he didn't complain. :) Mae Mae and Pop were over for a happy lunch and visit. :)Josh reading Frazier our Jerry Seinfeld Halloween book. It's basically his comedy routine about trick-or-treating in children's book form with illustrations. Note: Josh put these red car slippers on with that brown and orange outfit. Not that I'm particular about his outfit matching...I actually note this because I thought it was really cute. And sweet. :)

100th Post!!!

I dunno...100 just kind of seemed like a milestone. :)

Pictures of Frazier at 14 weeks:

Happy Friday!

Comps: Take II

It's been a few weeks since my last comparative blogpost, so I decided to do a new one with pictures of all of us slightly older. Here are the results for comparison!

* Pictures are labeled from above

**Yes, I know that they're different sizes. For some reason blogger kept defaulting to small and it takes forty forevers to upload pictures on this computer so I had to just leave them that way.

Frazier JoshFrazier MeFrazier

MeFrazierMeJoshFrazier