He's getting so big!

Yesterday I walked into the living room and found this.

Little Man had put on my shoes and was walking around. He was quite pleased with himself. Too funny! We both got a great laugh out of it.

Also, tonight Alex had his first meal where he fed himself with a spoon with very little assistance from me.

A couple of things worth noting...

• He tried hard to scoop the food onto the spoon by pushing it around, but when he couldn't get it on, he decided to pick the food up with the other hand and place it on the spoon and then put it in his mouth
• He became quite distressed by how dirty he was - especially his hands

Needless to say, we went straight to the bath after this little endeavor. 

What in the world?!

This morning, Alex and I were reading one of his Curious George books.

He loved it because of the elephants (he loves making elephant sounds). I loved it because it was short enough to hold his attention.

And then we get to page 9 where the people are having picnics on the grass. "Look, Alex. Isn't that fun? Momma loves picnics on the grass."

"But wait! That's not just food he's inhaling!" That man is SMOKING A CIGARETTE!

Seriously? In a children's book in the 21st century?

Dear Houghton Mifflin Company,

I'm just curious. Were your book editors asleep on the job the day this book was getting ready for the reprint? Please tell me how you think it's acceptable to have an image like this being printed in a children's book these days. 

Taking it off the shelf,
A shocked and disappointed mom

These Hands

These hands have given unending love over the years. They are the ones where I've found much comfort. The ones that have given tough love. They are the ones that have cheered me to success. The ones that have helped me grow.

I love that Little Man gets to know those same things through these same hands. Two very special hands of a very special woman, celebrating a very special day. Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.

Little Man sends his love and birthday wishes, too. XOXOXOXOXO

He's a Hard Workin' Man

"Pop Pop! Is it true what they say? You're having record sales and rising to the top at work?! Well, I do think that calls for a big fat CONGRATULATIONS! Yea for our hard workin' man! Way to go - we're cheering you on! We love you!"

A (Barely) Happy Halloween

For the last five days, Little Man has looked like this. Puny and pitiful after getting some vaccinations that caused a fever, tiredness, loss of appetite and some vomiting. Poor little guy.  =(

Noni and Pop Pop sent Little Man a Halloween treat in hopes that it would lift his spirits. Balloons and an edible arrangement with extra "sssss" (that's grapes - one of his favorites).  

I was hoping that Little Man would have turned the corner before tonight, but no such luck. Our Halloween wasn't really all that spook-tacular. But Alex and our neighbors sure did look stunning in their costumes. Sam I Am (complete with Green Eggs and Ham), Thing 1, Cat in the Hat, the Robot, and a Peacock.

 Even though Alex was feeling tired and crummy, he did still wear his costume with pride.

Poor little guy didn't have many smiles tonight. In fact, I really only remember this one. I had to snap quickly before it was gone - that's why it's a little blurry.

We went to a fall festival at a local church near our neighborhood. That lasted all of about 15 minutes for us (thank goodness we were close to the house), and then we were done for the night. One of the few highlights for Alex was seeing this dog. Can't you just sense his enthusiasm? Yeah, I know - pitiful.

Hopefully he'll be back to his joyful, excited little self very soon.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!