I heard the most beautiful sound this morning. It was like a "woosha, woosha, woosha" and it made me smile. It was our baby's heartbeat and it was loud and clear.
I once listened to a motivational speaker at a work conference talk about how he recorded his unborn child's heartbeat and turned that beautiful sound (on a very loud scale) into his morning alarm. His speech was on choosing your attitude and what better way to start your day then with a noise that makes you happy. It definitely brightened MY day - I'm in a fabulous mood!
This morning was a routine prenatal check-up at my OB office. It was short and sweet - we're right on target. I'm feeling good and now we go back in 5 weeks. Usually they want to see you every 4 weeks, but in FIVE weeks I will be nearly 20 weeks gestation and we decided to combine appointments with the BIG ultrasound. Hooray! So on December 4th, Craig & I will get to see our baby via ultrasound again and how much he or she has grown since the first glimpse we got at almost 9 weeks. Also, we will hopefully be able to find out the baby's gender! We can't wait! I would say it's going to be a long 5-week wait, but considering how the time has flown so far, it will be here before we know it. It is so surreal that December 5th will mark the halfway point of this pregnancy!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Preg-tarded?
Call it Baby Brain, Mommy Brain, or my personal favorite... Preg-tarded. Whatever you call it, it is a fact that, during pregnancy, you lose MANY brain cells. I have entered the lovely stage of being a forgetful, babbling idiot. How is that different from my pre-pregnancy self, Craig wants to know? Well it's like walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there... x5! I am forgetting favors people ask of me, forgetting errands I meant to run, and doing stupid things. Last night I was baking some pumpkin and butterscotch chip mini muffins and I unrolled a stick of butter... right into the garbage. I realized it just as I was about to drop the wrapper into the bowl of my stand mixer. What a waste.
When I was pregnant with Will, it was worse. Once, when I got home from work with swollen ankles, I removed my nylons (I was wearing a skirt that particular day) and got busy getting dinner ready in the kitchen. Later that evening, I couldn't find where I'd set down my nylons. The next day I found them in the saran wrap drawer.
Another evening when I walked into the bathroom to take a shower, I was mostly undressed and had to pee before getting into the shower. So my 2 tasks before showering should have been:
1) remove underwear and toss into the hamper
2) sit down on toilet to pee
Instead, I removed my underwear, lifted the toilet lid, and dropped said underwear into the toilet. And it's always like you realize your stupidity one second too late... I just started laughing and told Craig what I'd done. He said "Good thing you realized it before you peed in the hamper!"
So I know I'm probably in for more ridiculous, preg-tarded behavior. I just hope I don't try to feed my poor child the dog's food or forget to pay the electrical bill or something tragic like that.
In other news, Will has taken a fancy to cavorting around in the nude whenever I let him. Heck, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a diaper 24/7 either! And I used to love running around naked when I was a kid. So before bath time or between diaper changes, I've been letting him run around in his birthday suit to... air out. As long as said cavorting is done over an easy to clean floor, we're all good. I am proud to tell you that my son has never had a diaper rash. Well, except once in response to an antibiotic, but it was minor and gone in a day.
In the last month or so, Will has stumbled upon his private parts during bath time. He's quite intrigued with them for a few brief moments and then the plastic fish and rubber ducky win over his attention for the remainder of bath time. Daddy is so proud.
When I was pregnant with Will, it was worse. Once, when I got home from work with swollen ankles, I removed my nylons (I was wearing a skirt that particular day) and got busy getting dinner ready in the kitchen. Later that evening, I couldn't find where I'd set down my nylons. The next day I found them in the saran wrap drawer.
Another evening when I walked into the bathroom to take a shower, I was mostly undressed and had to pee before getting into the shower. So my 2 tasks before showering should have been:
1) remove underwear and toss into the hamper
2) sit down on toilet to pee
Instead, I removed my underwear, lifted the toilet lid, and dropped said underwear into the toilet. And it's always like you realize your stupidity one second too late... I just started laughing and told Craig what I'd done. He said "Good thing you realized it before you peed in the hamper!"
So I know I'm probably in for more ridiculous, preg-tarded behavior. I just hope I don't try to feed my poor child the dog's food or forget to pay the electrical bill or something tragic like that.
In other news, Will has taken a fancy to cavorting around in the nude whenever I let him. Heck, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a diaper 24/7 either! And I used to love running around naked when I was a kid. So before bath time or between diaper changes, I've been letting him run around in his birthday suit to... air out. As long as said cavorting is done over an easy to clean floor, we're all good. I am proud to tell you that my son has never had a diaper rash. Well, except once in response to an antibiotic, but it was minor and gone in a day.
In the last month or so, Will has stumbled upon his private parts during bath time. He's quite intrigued with them for a few brief moments and then the plastic fish and rubber ducky win over his attention for the remainder of bath time. Daddy is so proud.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A 2nd Trip to the Pumpkin Farm
... this time we brought dad.
How stinkin' adorable are my two boys?
Will loves to look out the window at cars going by or people entering or leaving our driveway, but he has to stand on tiptoes. So this weekend, I put our old nursing foot stool out for him to get a better view, and he LOVES it!
Also, I want to run this by you, but I think our kid's a genius. So he's on the changing table yesterday playing peek-a-boo with me and I start reciting this book he got from the doctor's office with a bunch of baby faces in it... "Peek-a-boo, I see you, Thinking, Laughing, Crying too..." (I have like 75% of Will's books memorized.) Anyway, he gives me a look like "Hmm... I know that one." And as soon as I get him down from the changing table, he heads straight for the diaper bag. He NEVER gets into his diaper bag. It sits beside his hamper and diaper pail, sort of out of sight. So he's trying to get into it, and I'm thinking No Way... But sure enough, he gets the flap open and pulls out that book!!! How the heck did he remember that that book is in the diaper bag?! We honestly don't travel with the diaper bag all that much anymore and he didn't even go searching over in his bookshelf where he ALWAYS sits and looks through his books. Genius!
He just LOVES books. And he always holds them right side up and turns pages the right direction, which I've heard are good early-reader skills. This weekend while I was cooking in the kitchen, Will was laying on his back in the dining room doorway holding a book up over his head and flipping through pages. Every so often, he'd roll to his belly and look through some more... then back to his back. It was so cute - he looked much older than he is. And if you sit in his glider chair or on the floor, he'll bring you a book and climb into your lap for you to read it to him.
Also this weekend, Will can climb onto his rocking horse and rock. It's the first time he's coordinated that motion. And he said "neigh" for a horse sound today.
Craig & I have been debating whether or not to give Will his first haircut pretty soon. He sort of has a mullet going, but sometimes it curls up around his ears and I love that. We'll probably just trim the bottom and let the rest go. We'll see. Why is this such a big decision for me? I feel like it's too soon, like he's just a baby. Craig's torn too, but not for sentimental reasons. We both just like Will's hair kind of shaggy.
How stinkin' adorable are my two boys?
Will loves to look out the window at cars going by or people entering or leaving our driveway, but he has to stand on tiptoes. So this weekend, I put our old nursing foot stool out for him to get a better view, and he LOVES it!
Also, I want to run this by you, but I think our kid's a genius. So he's on the changing table yesterday playing peek-a-boo with me and I start reciting this book he got from the doctor's office with a bunch of baby faces in it... "Peek-a-boo, I see you, Thinking, Laughing, Crying too..." (I have like 75% of Will's books memorized.) Anyway, he gives me a look like "Hmm... I know that one." And as soon as I get him down from the changing table, he heads straight for the diaper bag. He NEVER gets into his diaper bag. It sits beside his hamper and diaper pail, sort of out of sight. So he's trying to get into it, and I'm thinking No Way... But sure enough, he gets the flap open and pulls out that book!!! How the heck did he remember that that book is in the diaper bag?! We honestly don't travel with the diaper bag all that much anymore and he didn't even go searching over in his bookshelf where he ALWAYS sits and looks through his books. Genius!
He just LOVES books. And he always holds them right side up and turns pages the right direction, which I've heard are good early-reader skills. This weekend while I was cooking in the kitchen, Will was laying on his back in the dining room doorway holding a book up over his head and flipping through pages. Every so often, he'd roll to his belly and look through some more... then back to his back. It was so cute - he looked much older than he is. And if you sit in his glider chair or on the floor, he'll bring you a book and climb into your lap for you to read it to him.
Also this weekend, Will can climb onto his rocking horse and rock. It's the first time he's coordinated that motion. And he said "neigh" for a horse sound today.
Craig & I have been debating whether or not to give Will his first haircut pretty soon. He sort of has a mullet going, but sometimes it curls up around his ears and I love that. We'll probably just trim the bottom and let the rest go. We'll see. Why is this such a big decision for me? I feel like it's too soon, like he's just a baby. Craig's torn too, but not for sentimental reasons. We both just like Will's hair kind of shaggy.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Oh My God! It's TWINS!
Ha! Not for Craig & I, if that's what you were thinking. My sister Casey and her husband Wes had their first ultrasound yesterday afternoon to see their baby's heartbeat and figure out the due date. And wouldn't you know? There they were... TWO strong, little hearts beating away. The doctor said everything looked as good as you could ask for at this stage. And although they determined her due date to be June 18th, the doctor anticipates she will likely deliver in May. So our children may be just a month apart. Our whole family is overwhelmed with excitement! Casey & Wes are being blessed twice for all the wait and heartache it took to get to this point. Wow. Just wow. I can't even wrap my mind around the idea of twins! What an adventure they are in for!
You can view Casey's new blog at: www.clrethman.blogspot.com.
You can view Casey's new blog at: www.clrethman.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
2nd Trimester & Belly Pictures
On Friday last week, I reached the 13-week milestone in pregnancy, which ends the first trimester and also mostly diminishes the risk of miscarriage. Hooray! For many women, this is usually when the unpleasant symptoms of morning sickness, nausea, fatigue, etc. fade away to make room for a renewed sense of energy and comfort. The second trimester is often the most fun because your belly becomes obvious, you start to feel movement from your mysterious little one, you reach the halfway point (20 weeks) which also marks the milestone of the BIG ultrasound - the last chance most women have to SEE their baby before birth day and the exciting opportunity to find out the sex of the baby, and finally just an overall sense of energy and excitement allowing for increased exercise and activity that you might have been too tired for in the first trimester.
For me, nausea and fatigue are mostly gone. I still have particularly exhausting days and some days when all food sounds repulsive. I don't really crave anything in particular, though garbage food is surprisingly appealing to me, which I'm not used to. I'm doing my best to eat healthy and drink plenty of water (my goal is 64oz every day) and luckily it's my favorite cooking season, so I'm motivated to eat well.
We took an updated belly picture last night and I was shocked at how much I'd changed in the 2 weeks since our last picture. As I mentioned before, I'm "showing" much quicker this time around. I noticed a change as early as 6 1/2 weeks! From what the doctor says, your stomach muscles aren't as tight the 2nd time around after being stretched once (and boy were mine stretched!) so your body sort of "remembers the drill"... and it shows. My clothes still mostly fit. No problem with pants, just some of my shirts are a getting a little short to cover my belly. So I'm wearing longer, looser tops.
So here are the belly shots we've taken so far.
6 weeks, 2 days (already a tiny bump):
9 weeks exactly (another noticeable change):
11 weeks, 3 days (not a whole lot of change, thank goodness!, because this was shortly after Kelly's wedding):
13 weeks, 3 days (whoa! big change!):
So that last one was last night.
Total weight gain as of 13 weeks: 2# 10oz.
But I also started out this time 8# less than I did with Will.
Looking forward to the 2nd trimester so things can hopefully start to seem more real. I still sometimes forget I'm pregnant. Just busier this time with a toddler and less time to focus on myself. We also waited longer to announce the news this time, so I hadn't really been talking about it to anyone, and that made us almost forget some days. But I'm excited to get to know this new person and, for me, that starts long before birth.
For me, nausea and fatigue are mostly gone. I still have particularly exhausting days and some days when all food sounds repulsive. I don't really crave anything in particular, though garbage food is surprisingly appealing to me, which I'm not used to. I'm doing my best to eat healthy and drink plenty of water (my goal is 64oz every day) and luckily it's my favorite cooking season, so I'm motivated to eat well.
We took an updated belly picture last night and I was shocked at how much I'd changed in the 2 weeks since our last picture. As I mentioned before, I'm "showing" much quicker this time around. I noticed a change as early as 6 1/2 weeks! From what the doctor says, your stomach muscles aren't as tight the 2nd time around after being stretched once (and boy were mine stretched!) so your body sort of "remembers the drill"... and it shows. My clothes still mostly fit. No problem with pants, just some of my shirts are a getting a little short to cover my belly. So I'm wearing longer, looser tops.
So here are the belly shots we've taken so far.
6 weeks, 2 days (already a tiny bump):
9 weeks exactly (another noticeable change):
11 weeks, 3 days (not a whole lot of change, thank goodness!, because this was shortly after Kelly's wedding):
13 weeks, 3 days (whoa! big change!):
So that last one was last night.
Total weight gain as of 13 weeks: 2# 10oz.
But I also started out this time 8# less than I did with Will.
Looking forward to the 2nd trimester so things can hopefully start to seem more real. I still sometimes forget I'm pregnant. Just busier this time with a toddler and less time to focus on myself. We also waited longer to announce the news this time, so I hadn't really been talking about it to anyone, and that made us almost forget some days. But I'm excited to get to know this new person and, for me, that starts long before birth.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Happy 30th Birthday Craig!
My handsome hubby turned 30 on Saturday! We had a very busy weekend celebrating: dinner & a movie with friends on Friday, friends over on Saturday (I cooked a big pot of chili and ordered a special cake), and then lunch & dinner with each of our families on Sunday. I am exhausted!
Here's a few photos from his cake on Saturday:
No matter what he tells you, Craig is still a little boy at heart, and loves his special birthday treatment and any surprises that go along with it. (He also LOVES Christmas morning.) I got him a Tagheuer watch for his 30th birthday present and he's super excited about it.
Also, this weekend, we finished up Phase 2 of our Destruction Project at the newlyweds' home. (Phase 1 took place on the 10th.) This is a ritual amongst our friends/family. No actual damage is done... just tedious mess-making and "redecorating" with a little creativity. We put rice on ceiling fans, removed labels from cans, saran wrapped just about everything, created a giant spiderweb consisting of 2000 yards of ribbon throughout the house around every possible object, filled cups of water to cover the entire kitchen floor, filled a stairway with balloons and created another spiderweb of ribbon at the bottom to hold them in place and block the entrance to the second floor, etc. etc... It really was a masterpiece - our best work to date, I think.
I know, I know. You're probably thinking "how awfully rude of them - it would be so terrible to come home from vacation to such a mess!" And you're right. But it's tradition. It happened to all the rest of our homes. And Kelly is notoriously the worst offender... so she had this coming to her. Poor Steve just married into it. Anyway, they returned home on Sunday and were very good sports about it - got right to work cleaning.
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:
Here's a few photos from his cake on Saturday:
No matter what he tells you, Craig is still a little boy at heart, and loves his special birthday treatment and any surprises that go along with it. (He also LOVES Christmas morning.) I got him a Tagheuer watch for his 30th birthday present and he's super excited about it.
Also, this weekend, we finished up Phase 2 of our Destruction Project at the newlyweds' home. (Phase 1 took place on the 10th.) This is a ritual amongst our friends/family. No actual damage is done... just tedious mess-making and "redecorating" with a little creativity. We put rice on ceiling fans, removed labels from cans, saran wrapped just about everything, created a giant spiderweb consisting of 2000 yards of ribbon throughout the house around every possible object, filled cups of water to cover the entire kitchen floor, filled a stairway with balloons and created another spiderweb of ribbon at the bottom to hold them in place and block the entrance to the second floor, etc. etc... It really was a masterpiece - our best work to date, I think.
I know, I know. You're probably thinking "how awfully rude of them - it would be so terrible to come home from vacation to such a mess!" And you're right. But it's tradition. It happened to all the rest of our homes. And Kelly is notoriously the worst offender... so she had this coming to her. Poor Steve just married into it. Anyway, they returned home on Sunday and were very good sports about it - got right to work cleaning.
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:
Our Pumpkins
Here are the pumpkins we decorated for fall. I say "we" because it was my idea and I taped them off, but Craig spray painted them for me since I'm not supposed to be around spray paint while pregnant. Turned out pretty nice, huh?
And here's our other little pumpkin:
With his buddy Brutus:
Every time he's in the garage, Will LOVES to sit on the lawn mower!
Last week, Will learned to make some animal sounds. He says a high-pitched "Arf!" for doggy, "Mmm" instead of "Moo" for cow, and a soft "mow" for kitty-cat. When we sing "itsy bitsy spider", Will brings his hands together to try to make the spider motion.
We've also switched to just one nap (instead of two) over the weekend. He lays down at about 12:30 or 1:00 now for 2-3 hours. I can't believe how fast he's growing up! We're already making plans to prepare him a new "Big Boy" bedroom for when the new baby arrives. We're shifting the "office" to the basement (Craig's getting into full-project-mode) and Will will move into that room across the hall. The nursery will stay a nursery for the baby and Will is getting to use a big bed (a full size!) in his new room. He seems so young for that now! But I'm hoping by age 2 he'll be ready. I haven't officially decided if we'll make the transition before or after the baby arrives, since we'll keep him or her upstairs in the bassinett with us for the first few months.
Decisions. Decisions.
And here's our other little pumpkin:
With his buddy Brutus:
Every time he's in the garage, Will LOVES to sit on the lawn mower!
Last week, Will learned to make some animal sounds. He says a high-pitched "Arf!" for doggy, "Mmm" instead of "Moo" for cow, and a soft "mow" for kitty-cat. When we sing "itsy bitsy spider", Will brings his hands together to try to make the spider motion.
We've also switched to just one nap (instead of two) over the weekend. He lays down at about 12:30 or 1:00 now for 2-3 hours. I can't believe how fast he's growing up! We're already making plans to prepare him a new "Big Boy" bedroom for when the new baby arrives. We're shifting the "office" to the basement (Craig's getting into full-project-mode) and Will will move into that room across the hall. The nursery will stay a nursery for the baby and Will is getting to use a big bed (a full size!) in his new room. He seems so young for that now! But I'm hoping by age 2 he'll be ready. I haven't officially decided if we'll make the transition before or after the baby arrives, since we'll keep him or her upstairs in the bassinett with us for the first few months.
Decisions. Decisions.
First Ultrasound Pictures
These are back from week 8, but I finally got them scanned and uploaded to post. They're not very clear but you get the idea. The head is on the left and the second photo is showing the heartbeat. So much has changed since these photos - baby should be about 3 inches long now with all organs and systems in place and functioning!
Here's our little gummy bear:
Here's our little gummy bear:
Monday, October 13, 2008
Will's Pumpkin
In case you did a double take, it's TRUE! We're having another baby!!! We used this pumpkin to tell our families last week and now we're excited to share the news with all of you. Craig & I wanted to wait till after the wedding to make our announcement and I almost didn't know if we'd make it that long... I feel like I'm showing MUCH faster the second time around and my belly is undeniable now to people who know me well. I've been dressing to disguise it as best I could for the past few weeks.
So I'm 12 weeks along now and due at the end of April. We were a bit surprised at first - two kids under the age of 2... Ahhh!!! But the shock has worn off and we are so excited now. We're also especially excited about another announcement: my sister Casey is pregnant too! She found out a little over a week ago and she is due mid-June. Casey and I are elated to get to go through pregnancy together and have children close in age. It's so cool and our families are super excited too.
I found out (tested) on August 18th after a gut feeling that I might be pregnant, and announced the surprising news to Craig by having Will carry the positive test to him when he walked through the door after work.
For several weeks, I felt considerably more nauseous and tired this time compared to my first. But that is subsiding now that my first trimester is coming to an end and I'm trying to stay active again with walking and a little running. Will definitely keeps me on my toes, so I'm sure that plays into my frequent fatigue as well.
Anyway, I'll continue to post updates here throughout the pregnancy as my belly and our new baby get bigger. Thank you to everyone who have already shared Congratulations. We truly feel blessed.
I LOVE the fall!
This is by far my favorite season. I love the colors. I love the smells. I love the activities. And I especially love the seasonal flavors in cooking. Squash and honeycrisp apples and casseroles and baking... I get all fired up about cooking when the weather cools down and, despite the warmer temperatures this weekend, I have been cooking up a storm! We had balsamic chicken with butternut squash risotto last night. And I've got baked ziti, spinach lasagna, and roasted acorn squash ready to go for this weeks meals.
Craig doesn't always share my taste for certain foods, i.e. the spinach lasagna and squash. However, he's playing on a flag football league every Thursday for the next several weeks and he has an evening seminar this week too... so I'm planning to cook the spinach lasagna while he's out and just freeze portions for my lunches. If I'm trying something new that sounds good to me one week, I just plan to make one of his familiar favorites to make him happy (like the baked ziti). It's a good balance.
Also in the near future, I'm planning to make pumpkin waffles with maple/apple/walnut topping (YUM!), garden minestrone, roasted vegetable penne, etc. And this weekend is Craig's 30th birthday! So we're going out with friends on Friday and having people over for a get together on Saturday. I'm making my grandma's awesome chili on Saturday and ordering Craig's favorite cake - strawberries 'n creme from the place that made our wedding cake. Mmm! I'm getting hungry!
As for fall activities, I visited our little town Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and then took Will to Maumee Bay State Park for a visit to the Nature Center and hike on the boardwalk. We saw some cool turtles and snakes in the Nature Center. And after our walk, we played on the playground and he had a blast in the tunnel. We also had a snack on the beach while he watched in awe at the sea gulls... who were vying for his apple slices.
Will HAD to carry his football with him for the excursion.
This one cracks me up. Look at his expression when he realized he was too tall to STAND inside the tunnel. Haha!
It was a warm day, but a little cooler on the beach.
Another one of my favorite fall activities every year is going to the Apple Butter Festival in Grand Rapids with my friend Jill. We meet at her house about 7 and get an early start before the huge crowds hit. It's an All-Things-Fall craft/activity/food festival and we always have such a good time. I got a few Christmas gifts purchased, bought some fudge and some cute new cookie cutters, and checked out some really cute shops. It's also fun to people watch there - by 11:00, you're bumping elbows with people and squeezing through crowds just to get to each booth. It's crazy, but so much fun. Will spent the morning with dad to avoid the chaos. He went last year in the front carrier (strollers are impossible) and it was an adventure.
Will updates: We attempted using a fork and spoon at mealtimes a little more last week. It went OKAY - definitely needs some work. He would fling food off the tray in an effort to get it on the fork. And I laughed when he finally got food successfully on the fork and then, instead of sticking the fork in his mouth, he pulled the food OFF the fork with his free hand and proceeded to eat that way a bit. But he's trying and that's a start.
Over the wedding weekend he started saying "Uh-oh", with a heavy/loud stress on the "Uh" part. It's really cute when he uses it in context like if he drops a toy. He also holds his play phones up to his ear correctly now to "chat" and can stack his blocks into a mini tower. Yesterday, he learned where his eyes were. I'll ask him "where's your eyes?" and he'll start squinting and blinking them. It's adorable. And he smacks his lips and smiles now when I give him "fish kisses".
Oh, and we painted our pumpkins from the pumpkin farm awhile ago so I'll post pictures of those soon. They turned out pretty good!
Craig doesn't always share my taste for certain foods, i.e. the spinach lasagna and squash. However, he's playing on a flag football league every Thursday for the next several weeks and he has an evening seminar this week too... so I'm planning to cook the spinach lasagna while he's out and just freeze portions for my lunches. If I'm trying something new that sounds good to me one week, I just plan to make one of his familiar favorites to make him happy (like the baked ziti). It's a good balance.
Also in the near future, I'm planning to make pumpkin waffles with maple/apple/walnut topping (YUM!), garden minestrone, roasted vegetable penne, etc. And this weekend is Craig's 30th birthday! So we're going out with friends on Friday and having people over for a get together on Saturday. I'm making my grandma's awesome chili on Saturday and ordering Craig's favorite cake - strawberries 'n creme from the place that made our wedding cake. Mmm! I'm getting hungry!
As for fall activities, I visited our little town Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and then took Will to Maumee Bay State Park for a visit to the Nature Center and hike on the boardwalk. We saw some cool turtles and snakes in the Nature Center. And after our walk, we played on the playground and he had a blast in the tunnel. We also had a snack on the beach while he watched in awe at the sea gulls... who were vying for his apple slices.
Will HAD to carry his football with him for the excursion.
This one cracks me up. Look at his expression when he realized he was too tall to STAND inside the tunnel. Haha!
It was a warm day, but a little cooler on the beach.
Another one of my favorite fall activities every year is going to the Apple Butter Festival in Grand Rapids with my friend Jill. We meet at her house about 7 and get an early start before the huge crowds hit. It's an All-Things-Fall craft/activity/food festival and we always have such a good time. I got a few Christmas gifts purchased, bought some fudge and some cute new cookie cutters, and checked out some really cute shops. It's also fun to people watch there - by 11:00, you're bumping elbows with people and squeezing through crowds just to get to each booth. It's crazy, but so much fun. Will spent the morning with dad to avoid the chaos. He went last year in the front carrier (strollers are impossible) and it was an adventure.
Will updates: We attempted using a fork and spoon at mealtimes a little more last week. It went OKAY - definitely needs some work. He would fling food off the tray in an effort to get it on the fork. And I laughed when he finally got food successfully on the fork and then, instead of sticking the fork in his mouth, he pulled the food OFF the fork with his free hand and proceeded to eat that way a bit. But he's trying and that's a start.
Over the wedding weekend he started saying "Uh-oh", with a heavy/loud stress on the "Uh" part. It's really cute when he uses it in context like if he drops a toy. He also holds his play phones up to his ear correctly now to "chat" and can stack his blocks into a mini tower. Yesterday, he learned where his eyes were. I'll ask him "where's your eyes?" and he'll start squinting and blinking them. It's adorable. And he smacks his lips and smiles now when I give him "fish kisses".
Oh, and we painted our pumpkins from the pumpkin farm awhile ago so I'll post pictures of those soon. They turned out pretty good!
More Wedding Photos
I uploaded a bunch more photos from my friend Jill's camera. Enjoy!
Here's me giving the bride a high five after the ceremony - she's MARRIED!
Here's some of our best friends: Mike & Jill and Mike & Julie.
A back-view of our up-do's.
Mike & Craig - goofing around.
A cool shot of the bride.
Waiting patiently for professional pictures.
The bridesmaids by Kelly & Steve's new rock waterfall.
Julie & I shivering in the shade while we wait for the bride & groom to finish pictures.
Bustling Kelly's dress.
At the reception.
Here's me giving the bride a high five after the ceremony - she's MARRIED!
Here's some of our best friends: Mike & Jill and Mike & Julie.
A back-view of our up-do's.
Mike & Craig - goofing around.
A cool shot of the bride.
Waiting patiently for professional pictures.
The bridesmaids by Kelly & Steve's new rock waterfall.
Julie & I shivering in the shade while we wait for the bride & groom to finish pictures.
Bustling Kelly's dress.
At the reception.
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