Happy Halloween!

Ian spent the day in his halloween PJs that he got from Aunt Diana and Uncle Tom. He even tolerated a minute or two of tummy time so we could get a shot of his pumpkin butt.


When it was almost dark he put on his monkey costume and posed for a few pictures.

He was a tree-climbing monkey (with a lot of help from Daddy).

Even the dogs got in the spirit with an old witch costume we found in the closet, but they weren't happy about it.


Ian sat outside with us while we passed out candy, and had a great time looking at all the kids in costume. Poor little guy had so much fun he fell asleep on Daddy's lap halfway through the trick-or-treating.

Las Vegas 2009

Joe and I spent the past few days in Las Vegas - he was attending the SharePoint Conference and I decided to tag along for a little break. We stayed at The Signature at MGM Grand, where we had a huge suite with a balcony (unheard of in Vegas). We didn't exactly have a Strip view, more like a Strip peek, but it was still very nice.

While Joe spent his days working, I spent mine relaxing at the pool, reading, shopping, and generally doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to do it - a luxury I haven't had in a while! The highlight of our trip was dinner at VooDoo Steak, located on the 50th floor of the Rio hotel. Despite the fact that it was a Thursday night, the restaurant was surprisingly empty and we had the entire patio to ourselves. The view was incredible, and the Stag's Leap Petite Syrah didn't hurt either.

Babywearing Update

Now that Ian has head control he has lost all interest in being carried in a pouch sling. He would much rather look around at the exciting world. He's still a little too small for his structured carrier, so we've been learning to use a Moby wrap. So far we've only tried the classic hug hold around the house, but overall it's my favorite of the carriers we've tried and is much easier to use than I anticipated (with some practice). This picture was taken right before he zonked out for a 2 hour nap.

Ian's First Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago, Ian had his first photo shoot with the photographers from flutterphoto. The photos from that shoot are finished and they came out beautifully! This video has the highlights:



All of the photos are available for viewing and purchasing on Pictage. They are having a 2-for-1 print sale through November 18th so now is the time to pick your favorites.

3 Months Old

Ian is 3 months old today! He looks *just* like his Dad in his birthday photo this month.


At 3 months old, Ian:
* has almost outgrown all of his 0-3 month clothes and fits well in size 1 diapers.
* eats 5.5 ounces of formula 6 times a day.
* sleeps really well at night: falls asleep on his own in his crib, sleeps 6-7 hours, wakes once to eat, and goes right back to sleep on his own until around 8am.
* does not do quite as well with nap time.
* grins and giggles at everyone and everything, including his toys, Clipper, and ceiling fans.
* is starting to concentrate on toys and show preference for his favorites.
* unintentionally grabs and holds hanging toys. He is always very surprised and happy when this happens!
* "talks" a lot and sucks his thumb when he's tired.
* still hates tummy time.

Farmer's Market Treat

Fall is by far the best time to shop the local farmer's markets, and this morning I got an hour to myself to browse the goods. It was a lovely sunny morning and I couldn't resist treating myself to a bouquet of beautiful dahlias.

Happy Baby

It takes two of us to catch a smile on camera and today we finally got some good ones.

The Thumb Sucking Begins ...

All About Fall

We were all about Fall with this weekend's activities. Bronwen was in town from Atlanta so we met up with her and Mandy at Loudoun Valley Vineyards for an afternoon picnic.

It's time to harvest the grapes so the bees were out in full force, but we were brave enough to stay on the deck and survived without any stings.


On Sunday we headed back out to the country for an Oktoberfest party with our friends the Burleys. There were lots of kids running around, so Ian was a bit overstimulated by the end of the afternoon, but he loved being outside and looking at all the new sights. I even got him to take a short nap in his ergo (which is ten million times more comfortable than the Bjorn and a lot easier than a wrap or sling).