Happy Halloween!

In honor of Calvin's first Halloween he carved his very first pumpkin all my himself.

Okay, maybe not. But the family pumpkin did turn out quite cute.

Taking the safer and slightly more age appropriate route, Calvin decorated his own tiny pumpkin with stickers. Although I figured he was a little young to enjoy crafting, he actually seemed to have fun with the project and had a great time peeling stickers off the sheet and giving them a taste.

The finished product.

Due to the fact that we are getting up to leave for MEXICO in FIVE hours I have no time to post pictures of Cal in his Halloween costume but trust me, he looked scary!! And by scary, I mean adorable. Here's a sneak peek..

..with many more photos to come.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that our prayers are with those on the east coast this week. It has felt so surreal to watch the devastation unfold on the television these past few days. So terribly sad. So close to family and friends. More than ever, I am  incredibly thankful that we are able to go to sleep in a warm, dry home and will be praying for those who are less fortunate tonight.

Caramel Apple Caramel Corn

Start with my favorite homemade caramel corn

(recipe can be found here)

and some crushed freeze dried cinnamon apples pieces (I stole Calvin's)
 and a dash of cinnamon

 Delicious caramel apple caramel corn! A new fall favorite!

My Day

My morning started off looking like this..

That's right, someone pulled down the shower curtain in an effort to get to me during our 2.5 minutes apart this morning. My sweet boy has hit the stage I've been dreading. The whiny, "up-y hands", stage five clinger stage when separation anxiety and stranger danger are at an all time high. He clings to my legs whenever we are together and throws a fit when I leave the room. I'm over it. And it's only been a few weeks.

We have also been working on developing some better sleep habits around these parts. While he has been a great sleeper at night for several months now, naps are a difference story. The routine of taking random 20 minute naps several times has got to go! He is tired and cranky, I am tired and cranky. Better sleep habits are better for all of us. We are going the "cry it out" route which means I am going the crazy route.

The math is simple.
1 crazy/cranky Mom + 1 overly tired/clingy baby = meltdown x2.

Thankfully, after 48 hours on the verge of a meltdown three incredible things happened. A bit of divine intervention if you will.
1. Without prompting, my bestest, most wonderfullest friend in the whole wide world Kirsten came over, stole Calvin, and gave me an entire quiet morning of baby-less errand running. Let's just say it was amazing.
2. I received a call from work cancelling me for the day. Unexpected day off when I needed it most?? Yes please!
3. Calvin went to bed an hour early. 'Nuff said.

Currently half way through my personal bottle of wine. Ready to tackle tomorrow. Okay, maybe not so much on the tomorrow thing but I am feeling like I can put the meltdown off for another day. Baby steps.

Love Him

Just in case you didn't know..

I love him.

Apple Festival

We had a great time in Syracuse visiting Taylor and Rebecca earlier this month. It was so nice to see where they live and spend some quality time catching up and hanging out together. One of the highlights of the trip was heading to a local apple festival. The fest had everything my fall lovin' heart could desire.

Petting zoo. Check.

(Okay, maybe this one was more for Cal's fall lovin' heart)

Fresh apple cider. Check.

Delicious food. Check. Check. Check. 

(Here's the crew sizing up an ENORMOUS plate of homemade potato chips. This came after the apple cider donuts, apple pie popcorn, maple cotton candy....!!)

One giant pumpkin. Check.

And it all took place on the most gorgeous fall day!

Thanks again Uncle Taylor and Aunt Rebecca!

 We had such a fun weekend with you and can't wait for our next visit!!

One more for the road...

Month Nine

Better late than never! I blame our busy month, and this beautiful fall we are having, and the fact that I couldn't stay awake to blog, and so on and so forth. While I may be full of excuses the fact of the matter is our little man is 9 months old already (as has been for 3-ish weeks :)

Month nine was packed with visits from family, a camping adventure, a trip to an apple orchard, some babysitting drama, and a first trip to the zoo! Cal popped a third tooth, gave up his vegetarian lifestyle, and learned to climb stairs. Not too shabby for one month's time.

Here's Mr. Handsome at 9 months..

NINE MONTHS 

For your comparison..

EIGHT MONTHS

 Here's what we have learned about Cal this month..

Stats:

Calvin currently weighs 18 pounds 12 ounces (10th-25th percentile) and is 28 inches long (10th-25th percentile). Jakob and I (and Cal's pediatrician) are thrilled to see him growing right along his little curve, happy and healthy. He is wearing mostly 12 month clothes and just slipped on his first pair of size 2 shoes last week. And while kids in shoes are oh so cute, infant shoes have to be the most annoying thing I have ever dealt with. 

Eating:

What can I say? The kid loves to eat. He pretty much enjoys any and everything these days with the exception of cottage cheese (can't say I blame him- ick!). Some current favorites include chicken, scrambled eggs and wheat toast. He has mastered the art of sucking down applesauce on the go and can spot a "squish pack" of purees from miles away. He LOVES them! He still likes to nurse or take bottles when he wakes up and before each of his naps.

Sleeping:

Not much has changed in the sleeping department this month. He still sleeps through the night but wakes up once or twice for a quick fuss before falling back to sleep on his own. He takes a short nap in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. If he's with me, his afternoon nap is an hour or less. If he's with a sitter or friend, he will easily sleep for 2+ hours. Jealous.

Milestones:

Calvin is crawling everywhere these days. And he crawls FAST! He can seriously crawl faster than I can walk. Does that make me sound pathetic? Oh well. He pulls himself up on anything- couch, chair, dog- and is beginning to cruise from one place to the next with a little help from the furniture. He is starting to steadily walk with our hands but is not standing or walking independently yet. He LOVES standing at the washing machine watching the clothes go round and round. 

As for the dishwasher..

'Nuff said.

And just in case you thought taking these monthly photos was a simple event I present the following outtakes.. 

I think we're done here.

Frequent Flyer

Flying with a baby is an adventure few parents look forward to. Long lines, a chaotic security check (with >4 oz of liquids!!), and lugging around all of the equipment needed to get baby from here to there were only a few of the reasons I was dreading flying with Cal. And then there's the flight itself. We have all been on the plane with the inconsolable infant. And while I typically feel worse for the parents who are undoubtedly frustrated and embarrassed, there is always the passenger who thinks that their attitude and helpful rude comments will help the situation. Jakob had even rehearsed his "He can't help being annoying- he's a baby. What's your excuse?" line. Thankfully, we never had to use it and all of our fellow passengers were nothing but pleasant. 

But let's be honest, the real reason everything went well was thanks to this happy guy...

We flew out to NY to visit Taylor and Rebecca last weekend. Cal slept the entire flight out and happily played/snacked/napped on our trip back home. Thank goodness the kid likes to fly! Our trip to NY last weekend was only the first of 3 flights coming up in the next month. He will soon embark on a trip to Mexico followed by a quick and easy flight to MN a few weeks later. Fingers crossed for a repeat experience.

Quite the jet setter!

The highlight of the flight home was playing in the Rochester airport before takeoff. Cal spent a solid hour piloting this plane...

Bon Voyage!

  Side note- Jakob and Calvin got matching shoes while we were in New York..

..and I think it's the cutest thing ever.

A Day at the Zoo

Last week we took Cal to the Lincoln Park Zoo for the very first time. I must admit, we were a little afraid that Cal was too young to really enjoy all that the zoo had to offer (thus crushing our ridiculously high expectations for our family's first trip to the zoo). We figured the animals would be too far away to draw his attention and he would quickly lose interest in the whole zoo gig. Wrong-o. Turns out, he loved it! Sweet guy took it all in and stared in wonder at all of the animals throughout the afternoon. Quite the people watcher, he enjoyed flirting with other young zoo goers in between exhibits and even walked away with his new favorite toy (a creepy plastic lion that "chomps" on his fingers while he squeals with glee). All in all, a very positive first zoo experience for the whole crew!

Here's a few photos of our day... 

Crock Pot Applesauce

Simple.
Delicious.
And don't even get me started on the smell.

Crock Pot Applesauce

8 of your favorite apples- peeled and cubed

3 Tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp vanilla

Everything goes in the pot.
Crock pot goes on low.
Sit back and enjoy the amazing aroma for 6 hours.
Stir- no need to mash or blend.
Enjoy!
Repeat again and again...