Halloween take 2

We headed over to a safe halloween with Aunt Nessa and met up with some friends.

We do have two Halloween costumes. I am happy to say we didn't pay for either of them. We got a new costume from the lady who lives downstairs.

A happier peeled banana!






And of course we used the tiger outfit again






After meeting our friends, we learned they wanted to take a picture of the lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! And Miss M was the star tiger!








The bear was bigger and saw Miss M as his toy. He wasn't very nice to her and so he got separated from the group.







Overall it was a fun day spent together with family.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cooking

I wish I was a good cook. I am just an average cook and an average baker. I would rather be a better cook than a better baker. If I was a better baker I would just bake stuff then eat it all.

My mom and grandma are amazing cooks. They just throw stuff together and make it all happen. I can't do that. I need recipes with specific instructions. It must be the accountant in me.

I got a new pot last weekend. I am in love with it. I want to use it to make everything.

I made chili in it last weekend and it was tasty.

Then, per the request of the giver of the pot, I made a whole chicken for dinner tonight. I was impressed with myself. I found a recipe online, prepared it this afternoon, and then threw it in the oven this evening for dinner. It's a winner!

The whole chicken was kind of gross to prepare. I am not grossed out by much. I worked in a butcher shop for a few years in college and saw plenty of gross stuff. The whole chicken was just icky. I am over it now. It was delicious.

Bird before cooking


Bird after cooking


Impressive, huh?

Chili


Okay. I promise no more food photos. Unless I just can't help myself. It is my blog so I guess I can do whatever I want to do!

Overview of our week

It's amazing how fast the week seems to go by when you're busy. I thought it was Wednesday when it was really Thursday. What a nice surprise!

I don't have many pictures from the week and looking back I am not really sure what we did to stay busy. How does that happen? We probably spent a lot of time at Costco this week. It's all coming back to me...yep...we were at Costco Monday and I learned a very valuable lesson (well two of them thanks to the not so friendly return department employee).

Lesson one: Although some cashiers might just give you a coupon, if you do not have it at costco you will be harassed. And it seems like you get harassed at the worst time, such as when Miss M has lost all ability to sit still any longer, is quickly melting down and the sky outside looks like it is going to open up and rain like crazy.

Lesson two: Although the combo of a hot dog and a soda for $1.50 always sounds like a good deal, sometimes it's not. It's not when you're alone with an infant in your cart. The cart doesn't fit between the picnic tables (where people eat their delicious combo meal) and the soda machine/condiments thus making it difficult to get the necessities to eat your lunch. Costco really should consider putting cup holders on their carts. This would help with one of the problems. I did however see they sell large slices of cheesy delicious looking pizza. It's possible, when I forget the difficulty of this past trip, I will try the pizza instead of the hot dog.

But I still love Costco. In fact we went back later in the week and there's a good chance we will go back tomorrow. It's amazing how many trips we make to Costco considering we live in an apartment and only have three people in our family (and one of the people is seven months old).

We also went to the aquarium this week because it was free for IL residents. We went with a group from our "mom's group." When the aquarium admission is free they only allow you to roam the first floor. The first floor was kind of boring and since Miss M and her cronies didn't care to look at the fish we just set up camp in the middle of one of the rooms, ironically, we set up in the camping room.



We went to lunch with a friend. We went to my favorite pizza place in town. It's impossible to go for dinner because it's always very busy. However, lunch is a different story. They aren't very busy for lunch and Miss M is more manageable during the day. She sat in her high chair for an hour without too much trouble. The little boy we were with didn't do so well. He made Miss M look like an angel!

Doesn't she look so grown up in her high chair. This is probably the first time she's sat in a high chair outside of the house. I have to put blankets around her to keep her upright since Miss M is too small for most high chairs.



On the recommendation of Aunt Nessa we bought a mesh teether from the store. It is recommended to put fruit or ice cubes in them for the child to chew on. We have been putting strawberries in them for Miss M and she goes crazy for it. We have to undress her because she makes such a mess of herself. She does not like it when you take it away to put more food in because she thinks its being taken away for good. I did take it to lunch with us this week and used pears in hopes she wouldn't make much of a mess. I packed a wet wash cloth in a tupperware container like my Grandma used to when we would go to football games. Grandma is so smart.



We went downstairs to talk to the neighbors. I had borrowed their flour and needed to return it and we got to discussing Halloween costumes. The lady downstairs offered a costume for Miss M so we took it. If it had holes for her feet/legs it would be perfect. It is a peeled banana and it's hilarious. Miss M did not find it hilarious. We can't use it because her legs go into the bottom of the banana and we can't use her car seat or put her in a stroller. I think it's made for younger babies. I wish we could use it because it's hilarious. Or at least I think so.



We went to visit Dad at work for Halloween. Miss M is always a hit when we go to the office. Her picture is mass distributed to his co-workers quite often so I think they like to see her in person too!

A trip to the park

Miss M and I made a trip to the park today. We decided there was no reason to sit in the house when the sun was shining and the temperatures were bearable.

I wanted to see if Miss M would like the baby swings at the park since she can sit up now. She liked it. I sat in front of her and pushed her in the swing for 10 or 15minutes. She would have gladly swung longer except people were waiting to swing.

Halloween in the Zoo

The Zoo does a safe Halloween each year and so we thought we would load up Miss M in her tiger costume and visit the animals.

The Zoo was literally and figuratively a zoo. There were thousands of people who came out for the safe Halloween. We met up with a few other people and noted how thankful we are that our babies aren't interested in the candy or treats because each line for goodies were about a half mile long.

Here's our little tiger. She was really good the whole time we were there and even took a nap in her stroller which we didn't know she would/could do! The pictures make it look like she wasn't impressed but those are just the normal looks she regularly gives us!




She found another tiger and a dinosaur. Her face makes me laugh every time I look at it.




Yes. We took the measuring cups/spoons with us to the zoo. They entertain her and clip onto her stroller so it's one toy we can guarantee will not get thrown to the ground.



We got the tiger costume for free from a friend. She recommended I use black eyeliner to make whiskers on her face but we were a bit rushed for time and I forgot. We have a few more opportunities to wear our costume so hopefully we will get some pictures with the whiskers although I can't imagine her letting me draw on her face since she won't let me wash her face.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The kitchen cabinets

We discovered that Miss M likes to play in the cabinets so I picked the safest cabinet for her to play in (the tupperware cabinet) and let her go to town. It also reduces the number of times she screams at me when I leave her sight even though the kitchen is about ten feet from our living room space.






And then she found the non-stick cooking mats. And chewed them up. And thought she was funny.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Go hawks

Miss M is ready for the Hawkeye Black-Out Day!






I think the hand on the knee pose makes her attitude a little more funny! The attitude is not going to be funny pretty soon.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Babysitter

We have found someone to come to the apartment once a week for a couple hours so I can run errands or whatever my heart desires.

The process of finding someone to watch Miss M was a bit daunting. I found a few people and interviewed them not having much of an idea about what to ask them. I hired two of them but found that after thinking about it a little more one made me feel much more comfortable than the other. She has come over once a week for only two weeks and I love her.

She seems to be really good with Miss M. Today she even got her to sleep after she fussed around in her crib for awhile. She's patient and interactive. She doesn't watch tv and usually makes fun of me for watching so much tv and Miss M's obsession with remotes!

One of her references called me back last night and raved about how much she meant to their family and then wanted to give me numerous examples of why they loved her so much. It was a wonderful phone call and a nice reassurance we have someone special for Miss M to love and be loved by.

Here's a picture that she took today as she recognizes that Miss M loves phones and pictures of herself.




Today I just went to the gym since I am hesitant still to get too far away and it's been so gross this week we haven't gotten out for many walks. My run was tough. I was barely able to run two miles. There was a time when I ran much more than that on a regular basis. The feeling of being out of shape is not a good feeling. But it's nice to know I am not out of shape for no reason. Miss M makes being out if shale and the process of getting back in shape a little easier to swallow.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Grocery store

Miss M and I go somewhere (usually related to shopping) everyday to get out of the house. Today we went to the grocery store and Miss M sat in the cart for the first time. She's been sitting up well for a few weeks but she still falls over so I was worried about putting her in the cart and her falling over.

She didn't fall over and she was so happy. She kept turning around to look forward because she always wants to see what's coming.

And yes, she rolled through the grocery store with her hat on.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Winter and weight

Last week we went back to the doctor to have Miss M's weight checked and also to get a second flu shot.

She had gained a pound in four weeks. Go Miss M. Oh wait. A pound wasn't enough for the doctor. Can you imagine disapproval if you didn't gain more than one pound a month!?!

She's still in the 25% for weight so she's not very big and looks skinnier because she's in the 90% for height. She weighed in at 15 lbs and 7 ozs. Being skinny isn't cool when you're seven months old, I guess. She's happy and eats until she's full so I am not overly worried. The doctor wants me to put vegetable oil in her food for the extra fat but that sounds gross so I probably won't do it.s I did give her some Oreo McFlurry that she thoroughly enjoyed.

On another note, winter is on the horizon. Miss M is sad about it and so am I. Winter means a lot of unpleasant things such as: coats, hats, mittens, snow, less frequent walks, and winter colds.

Miss M has her first cold. It's sad. She can't breath through her nose very well and is coughing quite a bit. It's not a full blown cold but it's enough to be annoying. She doesn't like her nose wiped or the nasal bulb shoved up her nose. Shocking.

Here is Miss M all bundled up for our trip to Trader Jo's yesterday. She doesn't look happy but I promise she's not as unhappy as she looks. she just always looks at me with that look!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Short trip to Iowa

We traveled to Iowa this weekend for some friends and family and football.

Miss M got to see her besties this weekend. She played with KJ and met O this weekend. And yes, that's how we refer to the girls, KJ and O. It makes email and text life easier! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Miss M and KJ but I did happen to get a picture of Miss M and O. They didn't turn out well since Miss M wasn't into being photographed.






Can we talk about the eyebrows? Geez, Miss M.






While the boys were at the football game the girls decided to load up and go to a pumpkin farm. It was a very small pumpkin farm but you could either buy pre picked pumpkins or you could pick your own. We hauled the girls out to the fields in a wagon and started looking for pumpkins. My shoes were not appropriate for pumpkin picking so I just hung out with Miss M and took a few self photos. I think Miss M looks like a pumpkin.





We attempted to take the girls photo but we had a hard time with cooperation of all the girls at one time. Jo-Jo didn't want to smile so here we have a picture sans Jo-Jo.





Jo-Jo decided to cooperate.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New stuff

I bought Miss M a new hat since I had a credit to an online store. She didn't think it was as fun or funny as I found it.







Miss M got new pajamas in the mail. They glow in the dark. They are awesome.







Miss M isn't crawling but she has figured out how to roll back and forth and use her legs to push herself in the direction of where she wants to go.

She loves pictures. She screams at them a lot. Tonight she found a picture at her level and she wanted it.







And she got it.






I think we are going to be in trouble. Or rather I am going to be in trouble!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Miss M is 7 months old

Today Miss M celebrates her big 7 month birthday. It's hard to believe she's 7 months old. She's more than half way to a year. Where did the days go? Things are very good. She's generally a happy girl now except when the teeth are cutting through.

She's eating yogurt and ricotta cheese these days per the doctor's orders to help her beef up! She really likes the yogurt. We hide the ricotta cheese in other foods.

Here are some pictures from today.

This isn't flattering of Miss M but if you look close enough you can see those pesky teeth! Those pesky teeth are so adorable!












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Possibly the last nice day

There are rumors swirling that we are going to have the worst winter on record. There are some predictions of 58 inches of snow. Delightful. Can't wait.

The idea of winter in the City with a baby is kind of scary. What are we going to do to ensure we don't lose our mind? We can't go shopping everyday or we'll be broke.

Therefore, since today was such a nice day (with the weather going downhill starting tomorrow)Miss M and I loaded up and headed to the Zoo.

We could walk to the Zoo but then we have less time to enjoy the sights of the Zoo so we drove. We have a certain someone who has a Zoo pass so we can park for free. The perks of family members!!!

We walked on the nature trail and we went to see the barnyard animals. The barnyard animals stink. The goats stink the worst.

Inevitable

It's inevitable that Miss M will get teeth and teeth are what she's getting. I don't know whether to attribute her random fussiness with teeth coming in or just having an off day. She has her right bottom tooth poking up and her top two teeth are just present enough that she she smiles or laughs they are noticeable.

She bit my finger pretty good when I fed her some potatoes at lunch (never mind they were fried potatoes - more specifically tater tots !).

Speaking of lunch, I think it's inevitable that our days of trying to go out to eat. It's really just a miserable experience. We are so focused or worried about Miss M freaking out that we can't talk or enjoy our food. We always seem to think we can do it. Then we leave thinking that we shouldn't do it again.

Maybe one day we will learn.

We did buy a portable high chair for travels and such. She's still a little small for it.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Dilemma

I hate to wake Miss M. So usually I just work everything around her schedule. She has been consistently taking a nap from 10-11. Usually she wakes before 11.

Today I scheduled an appointment for 11:45. No problem, right???

Today Miss M decides she wants to keep on sleeping.

So do I wake her or cancel the appointment?

On a side note, I got a new phone yesterday because my old was was old and had too much baby slobber in it and stopped working. The new phone has a flash for the camera.

So here is a sleeping Miss M. How do you wake something so sweet?



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Play date

Today Miss M and I went on a play date. We met new people, got out of the apartment, played with new toys and just had an all around good time.

Miss M likes to squeal at other babies. It's sweet. Then she grabs at them and that's not so sweet because she pinches.

Here is a picture of her playing with the baby grand piano at the cafe/play area!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Preparing for Halloween

We recently went to see Uncle Adam and Aunt Missy. Aunt Missy had some Halloween hats for the whole family to wear.

Quite the trio, huh?!?



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sittin' up

Miss M is working on sitting up on her own a bit. I think she really likes it.


And here's the nose scrunch while sitting up.



She flaps both arms when she gets excited. Her double arm flap has been compared to a penguin.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Holy moly it's been awhile...

Hello faithful followers.

We have not fallen off the face of the earth. I don't have a good excuse for why we have been so quiet. We have been hanging out and somehow the days just escape us before we can get around to blogging. I am not sure our daily activities are that exciting to report on a regular basis and the camera has been in the shop (we will not talk about this b/c the camera shop people make me so mad).

So....

Miss M is sleeping in her crib for every nap and bedtime. It was a pretty easy transition. She doesn't sleep through the night but I don't care most of the time. She had a couple nights last week where she slept from the time we put her down until 6 a.m. when I fed her and she went back to sleep until almost 8 a.m. Then she reverted back to waking up a couple times a night. She'll figure it out. We have tried letting her cry but it isn't fun for anyone so for now I just get up and take care of her. Sometimes I like the quiet time we get to spend together. She will lay her head on my shoulder after she goes back to sleep and she doesn't lay her head down when she's awake. When she finds her head nodding off on my shoulder (or any one's shoulder for that matter) she quickly whips it back up for whatever reason. One day maybe she'll like to snuggle with all the people who love her.

This is my new favorite picture of Miss M. I absolutely love the nose scrunch. It just makes me smile.



Miss M may have gotten her hands (and mouth) on an ice cream cone recently...and loved it. She probably shouldn't have licks (bites) of ice cream at six months but it's bound to happen eventually right?!?



We had some guests this weekend. Grammy came to visit (and to be a babysitter while we went to a wedding - perfect for all parties). Uncle Chuckles and Aunt Turbo also came to visit this weekend to see Grammy and Miss M. Miss M loves guests. She was playful and happy for all her guests. She was really nice to Grammy while we were at the wedding and went down for a nap and bedtime without too much fussing. I think Grammy was relieved and worn out by the end of the day!

We do have some pictures of Grammy and Miss M, but unfortunately they are on another camera and I have yet to figure out how to get them from the camera to my computer.

We did a little bit of shopping on Thursday after Grammy got into town. We needed a new stocking hat for Miss M with the upcoming winters looming in the near future. Last week it was only about 50 degrees. How cute is Miss M in her new hat?



Speaking of stockings...the holiday season is quickly approaching and Miss M needs a stocking for Christmas. I have diligently made a stocking for each of my six nieces and nephews and one for a pseudo nephew. Seven stockings in twelve years. I am not making a stocking for Miss M. I have mixed emotions about it. It's kind of sad but I don't think I have the time (yes, I recognize I stay home all day with her but I don't think little sequence and beads all over the living room when she becomes mobile is a good idea - and I think she will be mobile sooner than later!). Also, I did do some internet researches on stockings this year and I don't like any of the patterns very much. And really the thought of making one more striped and stuffed candy cane makes me want to lose my mind. Maybe one day she'll get a homemade stocking from her momma but for now Pottery Barn was kind enough to send us one in the mail. It makes me happy that there's a new stocking to add to the mantel this year.



These two pictures are pictures I just think are cute.

We put Miss M in her little seat to get ready and she enjoys laughing at herself and playing with toys which makes getting ready much easier now.



Isn't she cute? Of course she's cute!