How To Carve A Pumpkin When You're A Baby

Step 1: Try to look cute

Step 2: Pick your pumpkin


Step 3: Delegate responsibility to mommy so you can play
Step 4: Inspect progress
Step 5: Enjoy some delicious newspaper
Take a break and watch Grandpa try to figure out what he's doing
Step 6: Evaluate mommy's work
Approval!!!
Step 7: Take picture of completed pumpkins
Step 8: Light candles and enjoy

(Kyle: skull, Aidan: Winnie the Pooh, Courtney: scary(?) face)

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Or in our case, when life gives you avocados...make guacamole. I bought a bunch of avocados for Aidan's dinners this week. However, he HATES them. This is the first food he has blatantly refused to eat. It was pretty comical watching Kyle trying to feed Aidan last night. At first Aidan just made really disgusted faces, but swallowed. Then it turned into gagging with tears streaming down his face because his eyes were watering so much. And finally he would just leave his mouth open until the offending food fell out. Luckily I bought some guacamole mix in the event Aidan did not like the avocados. Aidan's loss, our gain. In other food news, Aidan has a favorite food. He loves pears. I'm not actually surprised because I ate a lot of pears (and apples) while I was pregnant. He is a baby bird when eats pears for dinner. We can't shovel them into his mouth fast enough so he ends up sitting there with his neck craned and his mouth wide open, sometimes squawking if we take longer than he thinks we should.

Aidan has become a scooting machine. I laid him down in the middle of the living room floor yesterday afternoon while I folded some laundry and he scooted himself (army crawl style) in between the couch and end table and almost to the kitchen. Then this morning I laid him on the floor while I checked my e-mail and he scooted himself under the computer desk where he proceeded to pull on the plethora of wires. Not a good thing. Guess it's time to baby proof.

Finally

Our entertainment center is finally finished. Kyle came up with the grand idea to build an entertainment center for the family room downstairs. The original estimated time was 40 hours of work to build it. Not too bad, right? A year and a half later the entertainment center is finished and looking beautiful in our home. I'm pretty sure Kyle will never build anything ever again.

Baby or Banshee?

Halloween has come early to our house. Aidan has been possessed by a banshee. That's the only explanation I can come up with. He screams in delight, in anger, and just plain old screams. It's not too bad unless he's got his head on your shoulder and lets out an ear-piercing scream. I won't go deaf from listening to my music too loud when I was younger, but I may have permanent hearing loss from baby screams.

Speaking of Halloween, we were supposed to go to a Halloween party last night only to have it canceled an hour before it started. I was getting ready to blow dry my hair when Kyle called out "You don't need to worry about your costume." I thought he was saying Roxie had gotten a hold of it and chewed it up. Instead, I *heard* him say "Obama is in the emergency room." That's what I heard, and no, that's not what he said. I was so confused as to why a Halloween party would be canceled due to Obama. What he really said was "Alanna (the hostess) is in the emergency room." So plans changed and we went out to dinner. Mark and Alanna decided that since their house was clean and they had already bought the UFC fight (ultimate fighting) people might as well still come over even though they were in the emergency room. While Alanna was hooked up to an IV we were at her house drinking beer and watching tv. That's generosity. The party is rescheduled for next weekend and Alanna is feeling better. She was dehydrated and got home from the hospital around midnight.

Mimic

It has finally happened. I've been working on this since the day Aidan came home from the hospital. It may have taken 29 weeks, but Aidan is finally mimicking me. Yay! When I stick my tongue out he will do it back. It got to the point last night where he would dart his tongue in and out at me and look like a lizard. It was cute and hilarious and I just can't get enough of it. I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen. Lots of kids start mimicking around 4 months. I just had to wait longer I guess. Ahhh, I'm such a proud mama.

Fall Is Here

Fall has come to Minnesota, which for us, means LOTS of raking. It's not the raking of leaves that I mind. In fact, I really enjoy raking. I always feel so energized and accomplished when the leaves are in big piles. It's the bagging up afterward that I really hate. The leaves are always so dirty and slimy that I just feel disgusting after we're done bagging the enormous amount of leaves that we have every year. I tried to cut down on the process yesterday by mowing with the bag on. Granted, I had to stop after every 2 swipes, but at least the majority of the leaves were already in the mower bag and all I had to do was dump it into the big leaf bag.
Not sure what we're going to do about the backyard. We seeded it in Sept., and for the first time in three years, we actually have a good amount of grass growing. Kyle and I are both scared to mow it or rake it for fear of ripping up the new grass. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Kyle is talking about buying one of those leaf-sucker-upper thingies. (I'm pretty sure that's not the technical name of it) I was skeptical at first and said the mower would do the same thing, but he had a point when he said we can't mow our rock areas around the house, and we've tried raking them before just to have rocks all over the place. Maybe it's not such a bad idea... I think I'll give in and let him buy a new toy that will get used once a year and just sit in the garage the other 364 days.

Mad Town part 2

Saturday evening we went out for dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant near the capital. It was my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. Aidan was a happy baby, the service was fast (probably because the staff didn't want Aidan making a scene) and the food was delicious. It was so nice to be able to sit and share a meal with my entire family. After dinner we went back to Kali and Kyle's house, put Aidan to bed, and played a little euchre. Kyle #2 and I handily beat everyone there. (except my mom who opted not to play after winning in the first round) Apparently my Kyle is not the best euchre player in the world, unbenownst to me. He said it's been that way his whole life. Glad I know it now, I'll make sure I pick other partners when we play in the future. ;)

We had a wonderful time in Madison. Thanks so much for letting us stay at your house Kali and Kyle!!! Aidan loved the kitties (even if my allergies did not) and as always, it made us wish we were closer so we could see everyone all the time.

Here is the weekend in pictures:

Nana, Aidan, Kali, and Kyle

Amazed by the flamingos

Aidan "Polar Bear" Finn

Reading with Nana while we wait for dinner

The ride home:
"Hi Mom, I'm so much happier now that you're back here to entertain me."

Look at that lip. A future Elvis impersonator???

Mad Town part 1

We ventured to the Land of the Cheese Heads this weekend to visit Aunt Kali and Uncle-to-be Kyle. My parents met us in Madison and we had a great weekend. Friday night we just chilled and had supper at the house. Saturday morning was set aside for bridesmaid dress shopping and got off to a good start when we found a dress I loved at the first place we stopped. Unfortunately it didn't come in the right color and the dress shopping went downhill quickly from there. We went to the another dress shop (which my mom and I had both been to before) only to find it was no longer there. Kali didn't have her GPS system with her and we had no clue where other dress shops in Madison might be. We called Kyle #2 and he gave us some phone numbers off the Internet for other shops. All of them had been disconnected. Ughh, it was frustrating. We decided to give up for the morning and headed home to pick up the guys.

Saturday afternoon was spent at the Henry Villas Zoo. (Madison's zoo) After three zoos in as many months, I now consider myself a zoo connoisseur. This zoo is also free to the public, but unlike the Como Zoo in St. Paul, it is well spaced out and did not leave me feeling sick to my stomach when we left. Aidan was more aware of the animals this time around and really enjoyed watching the flamingos walk back and forth in front of us and trying to grab at the Gila Monsters through the glass. *Quick fact: it's pronounced "Heela" Monster according to the sign above the exhibit. Not "Geela" Monster like I always thought. *

After the zoo Kali, my mom and I decided to give the bridesmaid dresses one more shot and drove about a half an hour south of Madison to a dress shop where I had looked for dresses when Kyle and I got married. We found several that we liked and I think it's narrowed down to these two:

Feel free to comment on which one you like better, because we're kind of stuck right now.

Retro Fabulous and Other Ramblings

With much sadness I packed up all of Aidan's clothes that no longer fit. It was mostly summer stuff along with some 6 month sleepers that he grew out of in about a week. Some of it looked so tiny, and he was in it just a month or two ago. : ( However, that made some room in the closet for Daddy's old clothes. I love putting Kyle's old baby clothes on Aidan! I feel like I'm playing dress up. (is that weird?) I didn't get a little girl, but I can still have fun with his clothes.

The above picture is Aidan wearing a green velour jumper from the early 80's. I giggle every time I look at him. You can't really tell in this picture, but the legs are flared. It is fierce. Also, if you look closely (or click on the picture to make it bigger) you will see tooth #1 and a nice little scab next to his eye. While trying to eat one of his board books he got a little aggressive with it and hit himself in the eye. Who knew books could be so dangerous?

Life has been put on hold since Saturday when Aidan came down with a stomach bug. Let's just say I've gone through more diapers since Saturday afternoon than I usually go through in a week. Overall he seems to be feeling fine. No fever, not cranky, no vomiting. I'm thinking it's just a virus and we have to wait it out. That means no visiting the YMCA or other kids and definitely no swimming lessons. We're going to Madison this weekend to visit my family and I'm hoping he's over it by then.

Apples Anyone?

We headed out to the apple orchard today with Carrie, Chris, and Keifer. The day was gorgeous and apparently everyone with a child in the Twin Cities decided the apple orchard was a good place to spend the day. :) It was packed. Aidan and Keifer enjoyed seeing the ponies, patting each other, and walking through the orchard. Keifer said "hi" to everything. "Hi baby", "Hi apple", "Hi mama"... she's adorable. Aidan gave her big smiles every time she talked to him. Friends for life.







See if you can pick out the pattern of these pictures:





That's right, I could not get a picture of Aidan without his hands in his mouth. Teething much?
Bottom front tooth #2 is now poking out. Daddy got bit yesterday when he stuck his finger in to feel around. Bet he won't do that again.

6 Month Photo

Last Thursday I took Aidan to Target Portrait Studio for his 6 month pics. I wanted to get them taken before his first tooth came in (I cut it close as it was just starting to pop through). This is my favorite shot, but they were all just too cute! I'm lucky to have such a good-natured baby. The picture above has the Target logo all over it, but that's just so I can't copy it and print it off myself.

Go Bears!

In honor of the Bears destroying the Lions on Sunday, Aidan wore his Bears bib for dinner last night. Lately he has been scrunching up his nose and panting whenever he gets excited. He looks pretty silly. He's still eating green beans, but I'm going grocery shopping today and am going to pick up some squash and sweet potatoes to cook up. We'll see how he likes those.

Cranberry Festival

We're back. We had a fast and furious trip up to the lodge this weekend, with an afternoon spent at the Cranberry Festival. I opted not to buy any cranberries this year since I really have no idea what to do with them. I did get some yummy chocolate and yogurt covered craisins though. The fall colors weren't spectacular yet, but they weren't bad either. Here's a view from the dock.


Friday afternoon and evening were spent getting settled in and catching up with Carol, Tim, and Marsha. Tim declared the drinking light "on" at 5pm and we cracked open the wine bottles. Tim made dinner and we sat around and chatted until Tim's nephew and his family arrived around 7:30pm. Mike and Krista and have two kids ages 8 and 5, Hannah and Luke, who were IN LOVE with Aidan. Every move I made with him was closely watched and the minute he went down for a nap I started getting "When do you think Aidan will be awake?" Five year olds don't really get the concept of "in about an hour" so I got the question quite a bit. :) Hannah (the eight year old) helped me give Aidan a bath on Friday night, lotioned him up for me, and wanted to help me nurse him. Hah! I figured her mom could explain to her what nursing is; I just told her I could do it on my own and that Aidan would go to sleep easier if no one was in the room. That seemed to be enough for her.

Hannah and Luke on the swing set

On Saturday, Grandma Finn, Aunt Marsha, Aidan, and I went in to Stone Lake for the Cranberry Festival. It was wall to wall people. Not easy to maneuver a stroller through the crowed streets. I thought ahead and brought the Baby Bjorn since Aidan will only stay in the stroller for a short amount of time. I'm glad I did because the stroller turned into a shopping cart for our purchases. There are lots of booths with crafts, jewelry, etc., and while we didn't go crazy, we definitely filled the stroller. I got 2 earring/necklace sets and Aidan got a wooden growth chart. It's sooooo cute! Most of the crafts are pretty similar and if you've seen one booth you've seen them all, but the booth with the growth charts was unique and I'm glad we stopped. Notice that it's Daddy's favorite sport...





After we got back to the lodge Aidan went down for a nap and I got to sit in the sun, down by the lake, and read uninterrupted for an hour. It was glorious. I sat in one of the white loungers and just basked in the sun. I finished up Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner. It was okay, but read Good in Bed before you read Certain Girls. I didn't know it was a sequel, and now I know too much to read Good in Bed.


Saturday evening was more socializing, a bonfire, and early to bed after our busy day. Then Sunday morning was breakfast and packing as we got ready for the trip back home. Grandma Finn and I agreed that although a 3 hour road trip isn't bad, we certainly wouldn't want a cabin that far away that we had to drive to every weekend.

"The Lodge"
12 bedrooms, can accommodate up to 30 people
Aidan and I had a wing to ourselves so he wouldn't wake anyone up in the middle of the night :)

Off To The Lake

Aidan and I are packing up this morning and hitting the road with Grandma Finn. Destination: Lac Courte Oreilles, Wisconsin. Tomorrow we'll be attending the annual Stone Lake Cranberry Festival. Grandma Finn's cousin owns a lodge that we stay at when we're up there, and in all, I think there will be around 14 people this year. Good times, yummy food, and fresh cranberries to come home with. Last time we went I tried to make cranberry muffins when we got home. Umm, yeah, they were disgusting. I'm going to have to figure out how to use fresh cranberries some other way. I'm packing up the camera right now. I will not forget it...

Magic Beans

Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you...sleep. In Aidan's case that's what seems to be happening anyway. (and I do sing him the beans song every time I feed him green beans) :)

We started green beans for dinner on Monday and he slept 9 hours straight. He loves the green beans and actually got upset with me last night when they were gone. He kept grabbing the empty spoon, putting it in his mouth, and then screeching when he didn't get any more green beans. I tried giving him a little cereal and he wanted nothing to do with it.

Aidan has also started blowing raspberries while he has cereal in his mouth. It cracks me up, but I'm sure once he has lots of food in his mouth and it all comes flying out it won't be so funny anymore.

At swimming lessons yesterday we practiced going under water. Aidan would jump in (with my help of course) and while he was in the air I would blow on his face to make him hold his breath, then dunk him under the water. He didn't get upset and after the first time he seemed to know it was coming and would scrunch up his face before I even blew on it. Such a smart little guy.