Wordless Wednesday #5

DIY TV Cord Cover

We got our 50" Plasma hubby had to have a 50" on Black Friday 2008. Instead of buying an entertainment center, we hung our TV on the wall above the TV stand and put matching bookcases on either side, MUCH cheaper. Great idea except for one small problem, you see all the TV cords, which drives me crazy! 

Well it only took me 3 years but I finally took care of it. I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year because my Mom's oven broke a week before Thanksgiving and I'm trying to make my house presentable. Since there is nothing I can do about the endless baby gear/toys in my house, I thought I would hide these dang cords once and for all. 

It took some serious brainstorming but I decided the best way to hide the cords was to cover a piece of cardboard with fabric and then attach it to the wall. It was super easy and only took about 30 minutes. The best part? It only cost $13.88!!

What you'll need: 

• Large piece of cardboard (I used a Tri-Fold Presentation Board)
• Appropriate size of fabric (I chose black with a small ribbed texture)
• Duct tape
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• 4-5 picture hanging nails

First I had to cut a little off the top of the cardboard and add it to the side in order to make it longer. (They didn't have a piece of cardboard long enough)

Then I laid the cardboard on top of the fabric and trimmed the fabric so only about an inch was left on either side.


Then I wrapped the fabric around and taped it to the back of the cardboard. Make sure to stretch the fabric tight but not too tight, you don't want ripples. 


Then just tape, tape, tape. I had a little rippling around the corners but once hung on the wall it didn't show because it was behind the bookcase.


Then I had my husband nail it to the wall. We nailed it in all four corners and once in the middle at the bottom. You can't see the nails because I made sure to make the cardboard slightly bigger than needed, so the nails are behind the bookcases. 

I am SO happy with how it turned out! It really gives the illusion of an entertainment center, instead of 3 seperate pieces of furniture. 

As you can see, we keep Connor's toys on the bottom two shelves. We have no choice now that he's mobile, he gets into everything. We can't have our DVD player or cable box in the designated spots in the TV stand anymore because Connor constantly changes the channel, so they too were moved up high on the bookcase. My whole house is slowly but surely being taken over by Connors baby crap stuff.

I haven't even thought about how the heck I'm going to have a Christmas tree this year. Yikes.
 

OMG It's starting!

Just had to share! ...
Connor took THREE steps tonight! 
We've been working on standing for awhile now. I stand him up and let go; he'll stand for as long as possible (up to 30ish seconds now) then laugh and fall forward into my arms, giggling the entire time. He thinks this is the worlds funniest game! Well tonight I stood him up and he laughed and WALKED to me! Three whole steps! I wasn't even coaxing him to walk to me. Andrew and I were shocked! 

"Did you see that!? Did he just walk!? Does this count!?" 

I decided it definitely counts, especially because he did it on his own! Crazy thing? I had a dream last night that he was walking. WOAH. 

Seems like just yesterday his little feet were itty bitty. 

Momma is obsessed with taking pictures of your cute feet!

Sweet Baby Boy...I can't wait to go on new adventures! So many new and exciting things await us, walking his a whole new world to explore. I will follow your cute little footsies anywhere you want to go. So proud of you! 

Love, Momma

Wordless Wednesday #4

Mom Brain

Pregnancy is harmful to your health, really it is. Say goodbye to your perfect memory and hello to forgetfulness. 

We've all heard of Pregnancy Brain. That horrible forgetfulness that you develop while pregnant. The doctors promise that it's temporary and it will go away after they baby is born. They lied. 

It doesn't go away, they just call it something different. Mom Brain. 

You suffer from Mom Brain if you've ever:

• Lost your car keys and found them in the refrigerator, the front door, etc.
• Put on a shirt inside out and wore it the entire day that way
• Went to the store to pick up milk, bought a bunch of other things but forgot the milk
• Put the ice cream in the cupboard
• Got out of the shower and realized you forgot to rinse out the conditioner
• Pack yourself something to eat and when you go to eat it realize you packed Puffs, goldfish and cheerios
• Shaved only 1 leg in the shower

Well Mom Brain won this week. I totally forgot to get Connor something to wear on Thanksgiving. It is his first Thanksgiving after all. Yesterday I went to a bunch of stores looking for a onesie, a bib, a shirt, anything that said My First Thanksgiving, or something like it. There was NOTHING. Everything was already gone and replaced by Christmas outfits, which I already have.

So last minute, thanks to my Mom Brain, I bought some fabric paint from the craft store and made a Thanksgiving onesie. If you know me, than you know I DO NOT have a steady hand. So needless to say, it's a very lame onesie. But hey, I just need to get a couple pictures of him in it for his baby book and then I can put him in one of his gazillion cute outfits I already have. 

Last year at Thanksgiving dinner all we could talk about was how this time next year we would have an almost 1 year old eating turkey and mashed potato's at the table with us; and here we are a year later. I know I keep saying it, but this year really has gone by way too fast. My sweet baby boy is going to be a toddler in 22 days! EEK!


I love you my sweet boy! You'll always be my baby no matter how old you are.

Loving These New Phases!

Connor just turned 11 months on the 14th of this month and with the 11 month mark came a bunch of new things. Not only is he this close to walking, he's saying fun new things like "YA!" and "Dah" aka Dog without the G, he also just entered a new phase, and boy is it a fun one!

He's at the stage where he thinks everything is funny and anything you do will make him laugh. Sometimes he's just playing and if I look over at him and he see's me looking, he will start cracking up! It makes for a very entertaining day!

We have a almost 2 year old boxer named Luke and Connor adores him, I think the feeling is mutual. He's my husband's dog but he's slowly but surely abandoning choosing Connor over my husband. My husband may have called him a traitor. My husband is thrilled that Luke took to the baby so well but I have to keep reminding him not to be sad, we chose a boxer because they make great family dogs. 

Luke used to be able to lay on the couch to get away from Connor when he was done playing with him and wanted to veg out and be a dog, but not anymore. 

Here's a video of one of Luke's attempts at not playing with Connor. Somehow Connor still finds this funny even though Luke is trying his best to ignore him.

 As much as I'm freaking out that time is going too fast; you can't beat these new phases. 

When I was pregnant with Connor; my husband Andrew and I had countless conversations about our sweet boy. Who would he look like? What will he be when he grows up? One of the things we actually worried about was...

Will he be funny??? Will he have a sense of humor???

My husband and I are very silly, constantly joking around and laughing, endless laughter in our house. What in the word would we do with a serious child?! Well...I am proud to say, our kid is hilarious! He's constantly being silly and always laughing! PHEW! Crisis adverted! I have no idea how to handle serious people. ;) 

FORKS

Yes I admit it, I'm a proud "Twilighter". 


Tonight's the night! Twilight Breaking Dawn: Part 1 premiere's tonight at midnight! Since this is the first time I will not ::gasp::: be attending the midnight premiere, I decided this would be the perfect time to tell you about a fun little road trip my best friend/cousin and I took in April 2010. Plus I need to distract myself from crying at midnight.

Last year I was pregnant with Connor and in my first trimester at the midnight premiere of Eclipse. I was there with 2 of my best friends, Danielle & Jayme.

Because we didn't want to stand/sit in line for hours and hours in the auditorium of our theater, we paid extra to see a triple feature. Is that what they call it? So we sat in the theater and watched Twilight, New Moon and then finally at midnight Eclipse. I think we got to the theater around 5pm. So it was a long long night sitting in an uncomfortable theater chair. Not to mention, everyone around me was eating things like Panda Express, Domino's Pizza, Corn Nuts, and Sour Cream & Onion chips. I'm not proud of it, but I have to admit I may have vomited in the bathroom seven a couple times. By the time midnight rolled around I was so tired, uncomfortable and sick that I barely watched Eclipse. I just wanted it to hurry up and end. So what was the point of attending the midnight premiere? EXACTLY. I said I would never do it again.

So this year, as much as I want to go now that I'm not pregnant and sick, I stuck to my word and opted out. So my friends and I bought tickets for Saturday at 12:20 in the afternoon. How "Mom" of me right?

OK so back to distracting myself...

In early 2010, Danielle and I decided we wanted to take a road trip but weren't sure where we wanted to go. The obvious thing would be to drive to Southern California. BORING. After a week or so of brainstorming, it came to us! We would drive to FORKS, WASHINGTON! Yes! Home of Edward Cullen. DROOL.

Now that we had our destination we just had to plan our trip. It's approx. 900 miles/15.5 hours from our town in Northern California to Forks. We decided to split the drive up into 2 days. After counting down the days for months we finally left around 5am on April 15, 2010. The first day we drove 7.5 hours to Sutherlin, Oregon. I was exhausted and so thankful we decided not to do the trip in 1 day! I'm a control freak and drove the whole way.

The next day we left around the same time and drove the rest of the way to Forks, 430 miles/8 hours. I was smart and let Danielle drive some of the time, MUCH better!

On the second day of our trip we saw the first sign for Forks in Seattle,WA. When we saw the sign we kept looking at each other saying "It's real!" HA! I think we half expected to go all this way and realize there is no Forks, Washington. Joke on us! 

We took pictures of every Forks sign after that.

And then finally after 2 days, 900 miles, and 15.5 hours of driving, we finally arrived!!!

The first thing we did was check into our Twilight-Themed motel room; yes we paid extra to stay in the actual room Stephenie Meyer stayed in on one of her trips to Forks. With the more expensive price tag came a Twilight t-shirt and a bottle of sparkling cider. With how much they charged us, it should have been champagne. :)

After checking into our motel we went to the Visitor Center. It's the first thing you see when you drive into town, and it stands out because they have Bella's truck parked out front. Inside they have everything Twilight, life-size cardboard cut-outs, a visitors log, and even a picture of the Chief of Police handing Stephenie Meyer a PB&J sandwich, proving that he can cook...unlike Charlie. :)

They also give you a map of all the must see spots in Forks: the hospital where Carlisle works, Forks High School, Charlie & Bella's house, the police station where Charlie works, and the Cullen house. So off we went!

After we went to all the places on the map, and took a million pictures we decided to explore the town. Bella wasn't kidding when she said it's a small town, they only have ONE stoplight! We walked down the main street, all 1 mile of it and enjoyed looking at all the window displays. Every store has Twilight displays, even the local lock locksmith. The town has really embraced the Twilight Life, it makes for a very fun experience. 

The next day it was time to drive to La Push. The drive from Forks to La Push is exactly how Bella describes in Twilight. It's absolutely beautiful. 


"It was only 15 miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. ...

"I'd been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. ... The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached white from the salt waves..."

The first thing you see when entering La Push is the treaty line, which they marked with a huge sign so "out-of-towners" like us would know where it is. I couldn't help but imagine Jacob waiting in this spot for Edward to drop Bella off. Made it feel too real.  


We had planned to spend some time at the beach but it was pouring rain, 45 degrees and really windy, we only lasted about 10 minutes outside the car. We managed to both bring home a handful of sand as a souvenir. Pretty sure that's illegal. Bella is not exaggerating when she says it's rainy and cold. It took the whole ride back to Forks to warm up. BRRR 

One of the best parts of the trips happened on our way back from La Push. We had just drove back into Forks and all of a sudden we were behind a SILVER VOLVO in FORKS! We were so excited...I'm talking 12-year-old girls at a Justin Bieber concert kind of excited!

That night we got some local pizza and decided to relax in our hotel room. Being the dedicated fans we are, we decided to watch New Moon. Oh.yes.we.did! I'm not sure if it was because we were coming off the high of thinking we saw Edward, all the junk food, or the lack or sleep but we were embarrassingly silly that night. It was a great way to end an even greater trip.

We left bright and absurdly early the next morning. The drive home was an entirely different trip than the way there. On our way to Forks we listened to countless Cd's, updated Facebook to keep everyone in the loop, tons of laughing and hours and hours of talking. Here is what we looked like on the way home...we were exhausted!

For any other Twilight fans out there, and I know there are tons of you, I highly recommend taking a trip to Forks. It's like Disneyland for Twi-Hards. 

I'm so thankful that we took this trip, and even more thankful that I took it with my best friend. There's something about traveling with someone, it just brings you closer. Not to mention it's fun acting like a silly girl and pretending you're not an adult. It's a trip neither of us will forget. Hopefully when Connor is older we can take another girls trip. I wonder where we'll go?


I love you D!

Fun Fact: I found out I was pregnant with Connor less than a month later. I told Andrew there was a possibility Connor might sparkle in the sunlight. ;)

Wordless Wednesday #3

Staying In The Moment

As Connor's first birthday party is right around the corner (31 days to be exact) I'm freaking out! I'll be changing his diaper, rolling around the ground playing with him or bathing him and all of a sudden it will hit me...that panic feeling, my mind races and all I can think is "It's going by too fast!".

Since the day he was born I feel like someone put life on fast-forward and I can't find the remote! As the days go by and he gets bigger, he literally grows right before my eyes, I can physically feel my arms aching for the newborn baby he was just yesterday. 

 It feels like just yesterday they put Connor, all 5.8 pounds of him, on my chest. 

And now I look into the eyes of a 23.5 pound almost toddler. 

As I write this my heart is racing just thinking about it. When people warned me that it would go by too fast; I would smile and do an internal eye-roll. Now it's me telling others and watching them smile and eye-roll. 

So for now I am trying my hardest to enjoy it all, the big things and the little things: new giggles, new words, new facial expressions, slobbery kisses, snuggle time, everything. How does it still feel as though it's slipping right through my fingertips?

As sad as I am to see his infancy come to an end, watching him make sense of the world around him, actually seeing him learn is amazing. We have quite an adventure ahead of us and instead of looking back I'm trying to stay in the moment and enjoy the little things. Including his newest thing...fit throwing. Oh boy. 

Wordless Wednesday #2

Are you an organ donor?

We've all seen the commercials....

Who is Taylor and what was her gift? Some one posted a video on their Facebook and then I understood. It's powerful and heartbreaking all at the same time.

What an amazing moment. Inspirational.

If you aren't already registered as an organ donor and would like to or if your drivers license says you are but you want to double check, visit this website taylorsgift.org. 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

When you decide to have a baby you don't realize all the decisions you will have to make. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? To circumcise or not to circumcise? Home birth or hospital? Epidural or no epidural? Finding the "right" pediatrician. To breastfeed or not and if so, how long? The list goes on and on and on.

For example, extended rear-facing or not? What the heck does that mean!? That's exactly what I thought. When I did my research I found a ton of information about car seat safety that I was not aware of. It's scary how many parents are NOT using their car seats properly. Four out of five safety seats are used incorrectly, with an average of three mistakes per seat, reports the Washington, D.C.-based National Safe Kids Campaign. Here are the most common mistakes...

#1 - Car seat too loose

#2 - Harness too loose on child

#3 - Turning the child to a forward-facing position too soon. 

#4 - Rear-facing infant seat not at a 45 degree angle

#5 - Using the retainer clip (chest clip) incorrectly

I see this ALL the time. I can't tell you how many times I see babies buckled into their seats (either in person, pictures and even on reality TV) and the chest clip is all the way down to their stomach. I might have also made this mistake if it weren't for all the car seat education we received from the nurses while Connor was in the NICU. It is so so so important to have the chest clip up at armpit level. Otherwise it will not properly hold your child in their seat and in an accident and they are at risk of being ejected.

7/13/11 Connor in his infant car seat at 7 months old

#6 - Harness straps through the wrong slots

#7 - Not using a booster seat

#8 - Using a seat that's been recalled

You can read the article that lists all 8 of these mistakes and how to fix them here.

Before having a baby I knew nothing about extended rear-facing. I thought you just followed the law. The law is that your child must be in a rear-facing car seat until they are 1 years old and 20 pounds. However in March 2011 the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement saying they now recommend keeping your child rear-facing until they are 2 years old or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat.

When I heard this I had no idea why they would recommend something but it wasn't "law". So I did some research. It only took me watching a video demonstrating crash test dummies of a child rear-facing vs. a child forward-facing for me to make a decision.

I will 100% keep Connor rear-facing for as long as possible, preferably until he reaches the maximum weight of 40 pounds for his seat.

9/24/11 Connor in his convertible car seat at 9 months old.  Rear-facing of course! :)

I was so shocked when doing all my research on car seat safety. I wish they gave parents more education before they left the hospital but because of liability they don't. Which baffles me. Obviously parents aren't getting the education they need if so many parents are making mistakes. I don't think parents don't want the education but rather they don't know they need it. It's scary to think so many parents are unknowingly putting their child's safety at risk. So I'm passing on this information in the hopes that some one will see it who didn't already know these things. Who knows, like the video says...maybe it will save a life.

***UPDATE***

It's only been 2 hours since I published this post and shared it on my Facebook wall and already I have learned 2 more important safety facts. This just further supports the fact that even though parents want the information it is hard to find, these were 2 facts that I did not come across with all my researching online. I'm kind of shocked. How many more facts are out there that we still don't know?

Thank you to my friend Erin for sharing these with me. 

#1. Do not use aftermarket products (head supports, warm blanket like inserts etc.) with your seat. If it doesn't come with your seat then it has not gone through the rigorous crash safety standards. Although some of the blanket inserts (example: The Bundle Me) can be made safe to use with just a pair of scissors. Check that out here. Along with the explanation of why these things are not safe.

Last winter I used an insert in Connor's infant seat to keep him warm. I thought since it had big holes to fit the straps through that it was safe. Now I feel guilty for not knowing that is wasn't. 

I also use aftermarket strap covers (in the hopes of making the straps more comfortable for him) but will be taking them off immediately.

#2. Do not put your baby in their car seat with bulky winter jackets on. For further explanation read this.

If you have any other tips, please leave a comment. YOU could save a life!

1 Year Ago Today

As I plan Connor's 1st Birthday I can't help but think back to this time last year. I was 29 weeks pregnant (7 1/2 months).

 
November was such a special time. Connor was so active and I loved feeling him in my tummy. My baby shower was also that month. We had the shower at the golf course Andrew and I had our wedding the year before, which made it that much more special. It was a great party, I was surrounded by great family and friends. We were absolutely spoiled, we got everything we needed and then some.

Just for fun here are some of my status updates from Facebook this time a year ago. 

Nov. 3, 2010 - 29 weeks today! YAHOO!!! It's getting closer and closer! I can't WAIT to hold my sweet boy!! ♥

Nov. 5, 2010 - 75 days to go...give or take a couple. ♥ 
(I actually had him 39 days later.)

Nov. 6, 2010 (a year ago today) - Went shopping today with my BF Danielle and I got my dress for my baby shower and a dress to wear to Christmas! Love them! 
(I never had a chance to wear the adorable dress I got for Christmas because Connor was born 6 weeks early so I was no longer pregnant. Hoping I need a fancy black dress to wear when I'm pregnant with baby #2)

Nov. 9, 2010 - Off to run a couple errands and pick up some food. This preggo is HUNGRY!!!  

I cannot believe how much has happened in a year, it's been a amazing journey. This time last year my days were filled with imagining what Connor would be like. Who would he look like and what kind of personality would he have? He's more than I could have ever imagined. I'm more in love with him than I thought was physically possible. I can only imagine what the next year has in store for us and I'm sure it's going to be amazing. 

Random

Random (adjective)  -  Having no definite aim or purpose.

1. I HAVE to have the front door locked while I am home. Even if Andrew is home.

2. I'm a clean freak.

3. When I am really upset/angry, I like to take a drive to clear my head.

4. Connor is 10.5 months old and I have the "itch" to have another baby already.

5. I'm a closet "Twilighter". OK maybe I'm out and proud! I've even been to Forks. :)

6. I'm not religious but I talk to God daily.

7. My Mom is one of my BEST friends.

8. I hate my feet.

9. I love to read. (Always looking for book suggestions)

10. I like things to be really organized.

11. I am a control freak but I try really hard not to come off as bossy.

12. I love spinach dip!

13. I'm still afraid of the dark and I probably always will be. Some how I know this is going to become a problem when Connor is older and wants me to check for monsters under his bed! EEK!

14. I HAVE to put my hands over my eyes during the REALLY scary parts of scary movies. I literally cannot watch those parts. 

15. I want to raise my son to be a strong man but also know it's OK to show his emotions. To teach him to treat women like queens. To teach him the importance of education. To have a sense of humor. To be accepting of people of all races, genders, sexuality. To be the change he wants to see in the world.  

16. I do not take out the garbage or clean up dog poop. The only 2 chores I despise.

17. It breaks my heart to hear women complain about their mother-in-law's because mine passed away before she technically became my mother-in-law.

18. I truly believe in John Edward and his abilities. My Mom and I have tickets to see him this January!

19. I've never had my hair professionally dyed, I'm a box job kind of girl.(I'm way too cheap!)

20. I am a giver not a taker.

21. I would prefer to spend every day of the summer at the lake.

22. I would do anything for Andrew and my son.

23. I need at least 8 hours of sleep to function but 10 to be fully recharged. Thanks to my son who sleeps 12 hours a night this is still possible. :)

24. I love going out to dinner.

25. I'm a carb girl. 

26. I day dream about what I would do if I won the lottery on a daily weekly basis.

27. If Connor had been a girl I really wanted to name him Charlotte even if my husband said he refused to name his child after a spider.

28. I've never broken a bone.

29. I love deli sandwiches. Turkey, jack cheese, pickles, mayo and mustard on a sourdough roll to be exact. :)

30. I used to be addicted to soda but I gave it up and now I'm addicted to Diet Peach Snapple.

31. I think everyone should watch the movie American History X. 

32. I was born February 18, 1985 at 2:22 pm.

33. I have 1 sibling, a younger brother who I call Brother.

34. I'm Pro-Choice but Pro-Life for myself. I do NOT condone when people use it as birth control. I think it should only be used if medically necessary, in cases of rape etc.

35. I suffer from anxiety but have since learned to manage it.

36. It took us almost exactly 1 year to conceive Connor.

37. I don't floss and I know how bad that is.

38. I ALWAYS have my toenails painted. I think it looks gross if they're not.

39. I want an excuse to wear my wedding dress again. Still thinking of throwing a girls night party for my married friends so we can all wear our dresses. 

40. I've only had 3 serious boyfriends and I married the 3rd one.

41. I've lost a lot of family members to cancer. 

42. I think people need to utilize the spell check feature more often.

43. I don't believe kids should have TVs or computers in their bedroom.

44.The first book I ever read by myself was Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. I think I was in the 4th grade.

45. I vaccinate my child. :)

46. I daydream everyday about buying a house.

47. My favorite time of year is Fall and Winter.

48. I would prefer to be cold rather than hot.

49. I wear flip flops even in the rain.

50. I'm a perfectionist.

Pickles & Lemons

Ok...we've all done it right? Let our babies try something we know they won't like just to see their reaction. Like pickles...

I let Connor try a dill pickle and he loved it. I mean it, he really loved it.

Today after our Mommy & Me group, we went to lunch with my new friend Megan and her beautiful daughter Ellie. We met at the Mommy & Me group and turns out we went to High School together! Yep, we're from a small town. :)

While we were at lunch I noticed Megan had a lemon slice on her soda (random!) so I rudely grabbed it asked if I could have it and decided to do what all Mom's eventually do right? Let Connor try it just to see his cute face when he realizes it's sour.

He actually sucked on it for awhile before realizing it was sour. I wish I would have thought to have my IPhone ready to take a picture of the moment he realized it was sour, it was the cutest thing! But after a second he went right back to sucking on the lemon and eventually ate the lemon like it wasn't even sour.

I guess he likes tangy/sour things. Definitely my kid.

The First "Wordless Wednesday"

I'm starting something new...it's called Wordless Wednesday.  

Every Wednesday I will be sharing something I find interesting, funny, important, cute or maybe just silly.

So here goes...Wordless Wednesday #1!
  

Crazy busy weekend!

Thursday 10/27 - Connor and I attend a Mommy & Me group at our local Kaiser every Thursday, since it was the Thursday before Halloween everyone decided to bring their babies in costume! They were all so adorable! We tried really hard to get a group picture of the babies but being that they range in age from 6 months to 1 year, you can imagine how impossible difficult that was. But we tried and here is what we ended up with...

Friday 10/28 - Andrew works in construction and work has been slow so we are broke broke which means he has random days off. He had Friday off and we decided to take Connor to the pumpkin patch assuming it would be crazy packed on Saturday. Since Connor and I had just gone with our playgroup we knew our way around and showed Daddy our favorite parts, like the giant box of corn kernels! So we spent some time looking at the animals, taking silly pictures, playing in the corn kernels and then finally picking out the perfect pumpkin for Connor's first Halloween. 

Saturday 10/29 - Now that Connor is close to walking I decided I should probably get him his first pair of real shoes. Grammie offered to buy them for him, so off to the Outlet Mall we went. Other Mommies told me to go to Stride Rite for his first pair of shoes because they have stages. Stage 1 is for babies. You know the shoes that are just cute but serve to purpose. Stage 2 is for early walkers. Babies who crawl most of the time but are learning to walk. This is what stage Connor is in. Stage 3 is for babies exclusively walking. I picked a pair of shoes that I felt would go with everything. I didn't want to get him more than 1 pair of shoes because he'll soon need Stage 3. 

FUN FACT: He's a size 4 wide. Apparently he has "tall feet" aka fat chubby feet. :)

Sunday 10/30 - We decided to save the pumpkin carving for Sunday Family Day. Connor was in a horrible mood because he's teething and won't nap not very interested in carving pumpkins.
But after a little encouraging he played with some of the slimy gooey pumpkin guts. That is the correct term right? So I took a million a few pictures before he had a complete meltdown. Then Grammie took him in the house while Mommy carved a Monster into his pumpkin. Then Connor enjoyed his first spaghetti dinner (so many firsts!) followed by a pickle! 

Monday 10/31 - Fast forward to Halloween. It's also our Monday playgoup. We decided to go to a drop-in kinder gym that morning. Of course being Halloween all the babies came in costume. It was so much fun! Connor was all over the place. Maybe that's why I am EXTRA tired yesterday? 

That evening we took Connor over to his Great Aunt Carol's to trick-or-treat and see his cousins. His cousin's Zack and Daniel were dressed as Mario & Luigi and I thought Connor looked like Yoshi! So for the rest of the night he was Yoshi instead of just a silly dinosaur. :) 

Next we went to Grammie & Grandpa's for a quick dinner and a couple houses of trick-or-treating. Connor has no idea that this will soon be a day he and his stomach cherish. FREE CANDY! But for now he just had fun getting extra attention from everyone.

It was a long day and Connor was more than happy to put on his Halloween jammies, have a warm bottle and go to bed. 

I'm sure to him it seemed like any other day. To me however, it was another milestone, another first, another special memory of our new family of 3.

Mental Note: Remember to hand someone else the camera and ask them to take a picture of Connor and I, especially on special occasions such as his first Halloween. Sigh.