Happy Halloween!!

May you all have a frightfully wonderful Halloween!!

Jack-o-lantern

Yesterday afternoon, Momma and Sawyer made some Halloween cookies to spread the Halloween cheer to our neighbors (try decorating cookies to Abba, it's great fun!)...

Later, Daddy came rushing home from work on his bike so we could get down to the real business we'd planned as our family night activity...pumpkin carving! Sawyer got the ultimate sensory experience while playing with the pumpkin "guts"!

While Sawyer played, Momma did, too, as she cleaned out our dear "Jack"...

We even tried putting Sawyer's toes in the mess...but he preferred using his hands to explore...

Daddy did the actual carving. He is a great pumpkin artist, don't cha think? Now we are all set for the big night!

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday, we went to Carleton Farms with our good friends, the Williams family. I had never been to a pumpkin patch before, and was so excited to go! We were greeted by friendly scarecrows...

And a HUGE field full of happy orange pumpkins, just waiting to be picked!

It was Sawyer's first time to see a pumpkin. Some of them were bigger than he is!

Lucy chose the perfect pumpkin...and tried to carry it to our wheelbarrow. Needless to say, her dad ended up carrying the pumpkin, and Lucy.

We all thought the "pumpkin cannon" was pretty cool. The cannon shot those pumpkins the length of 3 football fields! At the end of their flight, the pumpkins usually burst!

Oh yes, there was a corn maze, of course. We didn't actually do the maze, but we had fun taking some pictures near the cornstalks. (Thanks, Bracan, for the fun family photo!) We also got to go on a hayride in a wagon.

It was also baby Alice's first time at the pumpkin patch. She and Sawyer are a week apart in age. She looked so sweet and cozy all cuddled up to her momma in her pink suit.

There were animals, too (of course, it is a real farm!) When Sawyer gets really excited his eyes get as big as saucers. Come to think of it, they are like that most of the time...

Lucy was being a little camera shy.

Jacob finally caught her in the mini maze...I think her happy and very cute smile sum up how we all felt..it was a perfect autumn day and a great time was had by all!

Hands...and Feet!

First, it was his hands...now it's his FEET. Yup. First the hands, now the feet. Sometimes he puts the two together and tries to suck on his fingers and toes all at once. Add to that a bit of his broken-faucet-like drool and my-oh-my that makes for one amazingly cute, chubby, wet little munchkin. We just can't get enough of this boy!

Back to School

No, I am not going back to Grad School. I did my stint there and thoughtfully quit to pursue my dream job (Stay-at-home-Momma) which I am now busy doing and loving! HOWEVER, just because I quit Grad School doesn't mean I'm done with school, by any means! This time, Sawyer and I have gone back to school...together! We are now hanging out on the campus of Seattle Central Community College, on Capitol Hill, and enjoying a couple of hours a week in class together.

The Parent Child Center is an outstanding resource with a wealth of support, education, and activities for parents and their children. In the picture above you can see one of Sawyer's teachers giving him some smiles. We are really enjoying our class. There are two Early Childhood Education teachers and about 10 moms and babies. The room we meet in is just wonderful - I am excited for all the things we'll get to play with and activities and arts and crafts we will get to do as Sawyer grows and develops. Since all the babies in the class are between 2-6 months old, we mostly focus on a topic which is presented by one of the teachers, and parent discussion, during the first hour. Then, we do movement and song for the second hour, and top it all off with a snack at the end of class. I have taken many classes at community colleges in the past and must say I really enjoy the environment there. What a supportive and great atmosphere to be in! I hope Sawyer will love to learn as much as his parents do. I guess we are starting him out pretty early - I think going "off to college" with Mom before he is even 6 months old is a pretty great start.

Bye bye bassinet...

We decided this week it was time to move Sawyer into his own room, and into his crib. (It's so cute, why let it go to waste?). Once we decided, I knew I had to just do it or I might drag my heels for 4 more months...so I took apart the bassinet and restored my bedside to what it was about 6 or so months ago. The first night we decided to try it, I got kinda teary. I just couldn't imagine my little guy in another room, not right beside me where I could peer into his bassinet or grab him up easily to nurse him, or to cuddle in the wee hours. My heart sank thinking of him in a room all by himself. Also, it's just that I feel like I waited about my whole life to have my own baby, and then he was finally here, and right next to me...and all of a sudden...he's getting bigger and moving on (which is of course what we hope our children do...it just seems like it all happens a little bit too quickly at times). As Jacob consoled me he said "you can't mourn every time Sawyer makes a transition in life...otherwise you'll be crying when he goes off to school, finishes school, graduates from college, gets married..." And, through my tears, I said "Isn't that what mothers do?" True, I shouldn't let those feelings overwhelm me, and Jacob has got it right that we need to celebrate those transitions and let Sawyer know how proud of him we are. So, besides my being overly emotional the first few nights we put Sawyer to sleep in his own room, things are actually going quite well. We moved his mobile in with him and he has something familiar to look up at (in psychological terms that is a "transitional object"), as well as his night-time blanket. Last night, for example, he was in bed by 8:30pm. He wasn't asleep (I don't always nurse him down, sometimes he just needs to have quiet wind-down time). So, I peeked in every so often, and he was happily cooing up at his mobile. After about 20 minutes of that, he drifted peacefully off to the land of nod. Anyway, the brilliant reward, was that while Jacob was working on some freelance, I got to go curl up in our bed and read. Yes, not a parenting or baby book or my scriptures...but a book I've been interested in reading before it turns into a movie, purely for pleasure. (Have any of you read "Twilight"?) Yes, now that the bassinet isn't by my bedside, I can spend a cozy hour reading before bed, while Sawyer catches his zzzs in his crib. And if I feel so inclined I can get up at 2am and go sit in his rocking chair and watch him sleep peacefully (or cuddle up and nurse him, if he wants or needs to). I can also swiftly bring him into our bed in the wee hours of the morning if I feel like it. But guess what? He's been sleeping better and if he wants to sleep in until 8am, I'm fine with that!

Congratulations, Sawyer!

You are such a good little sleeper, and we are so happy you like to sleep in your crib! We miss having you right next to us in our room, but we are only a few steps from your door if you need us. We love you bunches and loads and bushels and pecks!

PS- did any other mom or dads out there have a hard time with this transition? Or is it just me?

Four months old

On the day that you were born
the angels got together
and decided to create
a dream come true...

Karen Carpenter

I am 4 months old.
I weigh 15lbs, 6oz (55th%).
I am 23 3/4 inches long (20th%).
I am roly-poly and very adorable.

This past month I:
-Went on my first family vacation, to the Oregon Coast - and wiggled my toes in white sand for the first time (I loved it!)
-Had my first "play date" with my little friend, Grant.
-Am still enamored with my hands (sucking on them, using them to hit, grasp, grab-mommy's hair is a favorite- and shake my rattles).
-Have also recently discovered my feet. They are fun to hold on to.
-Really like to use my voice. Whether laughing, giggling, cooing, or just experimenting, I've learned it's a fun and useful tool.
-Am starting Baby Signs with my parents. Right now I'm just watching them and learning the signs, but in a few months I'll give signing back a shot ;)
-Was left with a babysitter for the first time (with our nice neighbors, Nathan, Melissa, and their little boy, Samuel) while mom and dad went out to dinner on their first date without me.
-Have nailed down (pretty much) my daily nap schedule. I make it much more predictable these days.

I love:
-My "winkel" toy (pictured above) it's definitely my favorite toy.
-Bathtime.
-Storytime and books.
-Listening to music and doing activity songs and rhymes.
-Watching my Daddy play his guitar and sing to me.
-Shopping - there's so many interesting shapes,colors, smells, and people to see!
-Playing in my exersaucer. I figured out quickly how all the toys and gadgets work and get a kick out of "standing up" in it and bouncing around.
-Snuggling up and having Mommy rock me and sing to me.
-Going for long walks outside.
-Listening to Dad whistle. I find it fascinating.
-Rolling over (first time was at 10 weeks). I feel so proud of myself when I roll over!
-Watching Mom and Dad work in the kitchen. Sometimes Mom pretends she's putting on a cooking show for me and it makes me laugh!
-All my friends at church (the girls in the singles ward love me)!

I don't like:
Honestly, there is not much I don't like. I'm pretty easy to please. Because I'm such a good, happy baby, Mom doesn't mind it too much that I don't let her sleep through the night...yet. I just enjoy having some nice warm milk and cuddling up to my mom. Mom gets kinda tired sometimes, but soon enough, this will pass. She hears so many people talk about how fast babies grow up that she doesn't mind this time - she is doing her best to treasure it. She will have lots of good cuddly memories of our special time at night. I think she's going to have a hard time letting me move into my own room and into my crib. She loves having me right next to her. But in the next few weeks we are going to work on that transition...wish us luck!

Sawyer in the Big Boy Back Pack

Sawyer has been working hard to hold his head up. He's doing so well that on Saturday we decided to try out the big boy back pack (Tysha was soooooo excited)! Here the little guy is looking back at me with those giant saucer eyes that can so easily melt the heart of any father.

There's Tysha looking wonderful and Sawyer looking awestruck at the new ability to see so many things while hiking at Discovery Park.

Who doesn't love autumn leaves? Especially when they crunch, crunch under your feet.

There they are my beautiful wife and my handsome son. Sigh. What a great afternoon.

We went Greek

The tie-breaker was the live belly-dancing. We'll do Sushi next time! We had a great time and it was Jacob who suggested calling the babysitter to see how Sawyer was doing. I said "I'm sure they'll call if there is a problem." We withheld the urge. We were gone two hours and had a wonderful evening together. Great food, even better company. And of course the belly-dancing couldn't be beat. Sawyer did great, too. When got home, he welcomed us with big smiles and then cuddled up into Jacob's arms and went to sleep as we got the report from the babysitter. We are looking forward to next time!

Sushi or Greek?

Those are our two top picks for where to go for dinner tonight. I can't believe it, but we're actually leaving Sawyer with his first babysitter tonight so we can go on a dinner date and have both hands free to eat at leisure. So Jacob can have my undivided attention for a change and not hear me baby-talking to our son during a nice dinner where ambiance is about romance, not baby charm. Admittedly, this is going to be hard for me. But it's for all our good. I feel anxious and giddy - leaving my child with a sitter for the first time - and going on a real date again after almost 4 months. Now I just have to decide...Sushi or Greek?

Our Little Mover & Shaker

It's hard to believe that next week Sawyer will be 4 months old! Here are a few little videos of what he has been up to these past few weeks (he's still fascinated with his hands, and is getting quite good at using them...and has an impressive attention span for his age. He has also discovered his voice and likes to carry on "conversations" at the dinner table. We think he's gonna be a talker!) Enjoy!

PS: Please pardon the parentese :)

Giggles



Hit it!



"Talking"



The little chair



Grabbing and pulling



"Crawling" aka Mr. Wiggles

Autumn in the air...

As Sawyer and I were out for a walk yesterday, we noticed something brilliant as we looked up!

The leaves are beginning to change their hue, and some are even starting to fall. Sawyer loves to look up at the trees as we walk along, and his doing so has inspired me to look up and around and not just up the street as we walk along.

We live on a hill, one block up from Lake Union. So our walks are, let's say, kind of steep. At least the block down to the lake or up to our street. One time an older gentleman saw me holding on tightly to our big jogging stroller as I tried to slow us down while walking downhill. "You better hope he doesn't get too big," he told me kindly out his window, "or he might just pull you down the hill!" He winked. I love old men :) Anyway, to give you an idea of the steep part, here is the sidewalk. They even made it lumpy so on rainy days we won't slip right down the hill.

Such crisp, fresh air abounds this time of the year. I love it. Here you can see a blue herring that we found on our walk. I think he is enjoying the slower pace Autumn seems to bring. I am always a bit sad to see Summer go...but Autumn is readily welcomed. I love that the days are still sunny (most) and have a nice warmth - warm enough to wear my flip-flops, and cool enough that I can wear layers of t-shirts or carry a sweater with me and not feel too hot if I wear my favorite pair of worn-out jeans.

Here's something you may not find at every park, but we happen to have a life-saving device at our local park. I guess you never know when someone might just take the plunge into Lake Union. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

Even the water seems to calm and cool with the arrival of Autumn. Things seem a little brighter. And less crowded. Kids are back in school and most of the tourists have gone home now. It's a time for all of us to reflect a bit, on the great year we've had as we prepare for the holidays and look ahead to the excitement of another year to come.

I love to watch the sea-planes take off and the sailboats go by. I take Sawyer to this park often, and look forward to the day when he can point with his little fingers and be as excited as I am when I see the planes take off and land...on water. Isn't it amazing? We don't have a playground at this particular park. Just lots of grass and wonderful things for the eyes to behold as one strolls along on a nice Autumn day, taking it all in.