22+ Inches Later

Out In It

Here's the snow a few hours later
(note: it is so high we are unable to open the backdoor).

After a pair of socks, then leggings, then sandwich baggies, then shoes, followed by snow pants and jacket, all three of us ventured out in the snow with the sled.



I'm going to guess it was more fun for the two Parents than it was for O.K. But if he felt this way, he kept his comments to himself.

First Snow

John's Aunt Jane sent us the most beautiful wooden sled just two days ago. It had belonged to her son, Ben, when he was young. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, as snow was predicted for this weekend. We bought O.K. a snow suit and tried out the whole ensemble in the living room (well, almost--we never did find boots).



Today the snow is here, and while we haven't yet tried out the sled (still working on how to McGyver O.K. into it), we did manage to get outside and at least look at and feel the snow. Oscar observed the new look of the neighborhood with a serious face (or is the so-puffy-I-can't-move snowsuit getting him down?)



The following picture was taken around 1:15 this afternoon. The snow continues to fall, so we'll see how much more we have in a few hours.

Holiday Firsts

Last weekend we started two of hopefully many Christmas traditions: we took a family picture for our "holiday" card, and we went to see Santa.

It took Oscar a minute or so to realize he was on a giant red-clad stranger's lap. Luckily, the photographer took the picture before he figured it out.

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

But the tiled-over fireplace is so delightful.

And since we've no place to be,

Let's hang in pajamas and trim the tree.

Thanksgiving

We're already fa-la-la-ing our way to Christmas, but I don't want to forget what a wonderful Thanksgiving we had. With the best excuse of Family, we cooked plenty of tasty food: roast turkey with mushroom gravy, brussel sprouts with apples, maple-glazed carrots, apple pie, and pumpkin tart. The food was delicious, no doubt, but the highlight was an actual relative to be thankful with (and for), John's cousin, Kimberly.

Oscar thought Kimberly was pretty great. She sang new songs to him and let him play with her bracelets.

The day after Thanksgiving we had to make two when-out-of-towners-are-here stops (in spite of all the t-day food)--first to Jim's for cheese-steaks (wit' wiz), and then to Isgro's for cannoli. Kimberly entertained O.K. as we waited in the long line at Jim's. We're so glad to have a bit of family on this side of the country with us.

Park Play

Up, down, over, under--O.K. is getting more mobile. Watching him explore the park with this increasing mobility has to be the best way to spend a sunny fall afternoon.

Pulling up and proud of it.

Crawling UNDER -- a first at the park.

O.K. watched intently while a few older kids climbed through the play structure and slid down the slide with ease. He is antsy to give it a try.


Oscar finds (and tastes) a leaf.


"And now I want to taste that shiny blue camera..."
(Where's a thought-bubble when you need one?)

Happy Birthday, Leroy!

One of Oscar's first friends just turned one year old! We went over to celebrate with Leroy and his mom, Chiugo, for a bit. Once again, my camera died in the middle of the action (this seems to always happen when taking pics of these two boys together), so this was the best pic I could get. To celebrate, Oscar and Leroy chased giant balloons around the living room and used all their strength to hang on to the coffee table.

A Whole New World...

Actually, they're the same old stores, but guess who's seeing them from a new perspective? That's right, O.K. has graduated to riding in the shopping cart sans carseat.

Halloween

O.K.'s first Halloween wasn't the treat-filled door-to-door romp through the neighborhood it may be in a few years, but it did include a neighborhood walk and plenty of tots in costume. Each year the West Philly neighborhood has a Halloween parade for kids 6 and under. Here's Oscar before we left, posing with our still-uncarved pumpkin.

The parade started in Clark Park and made its way up Baltimore, around the corner on Osage, and down a few blocked off streets. Houses were decorated for the occasion and there were endless treats being handed out (Oscar hardly seemed to notice, so this was easy to pass up--this year).

We met up with friends from our new parent group. Gavin is two months older than Oscar, which currently seems like a pretty big difference. Soon enough, I'm sure we'll hardly notice.

Monkey vs. Super Baby
(I'm puttin' my money on the monkey.)


We waited in the park admiring all of the fall color and creative costumes. When the drums started playing, we were off!

Oscar got a pretty good view of all the fall festivity.

Of all the parades I've been in, this was the slowest moving. What do you expect with half the crowd under three feet tall? (Not shown in the picture below for obvious reasons.)

Halloween hinky-pinky: What do you call an energetic chimp?

Dem' Bones

Halloween is coming, and though O.K. is small and won't likely remember it, we've got plans. This weekend we will go to a "Tiny Tots" Costume Parade with some parents from the West Philly new parent group we've recently helped to create. Oscar somehow managed to get two costumes (one lent to us, the other, a purchase I couldn't resist). Here's the latter, which he's been wearing as a sleeper (works well, AND glows in the dark).

Weaver's Orchard

Last weekend, we drove through thousands of gasp-worthy trees to get to Reading, Pennsylvania and Weaver's Orchards. We met our old friends and neighbors, Dan and Amanda, and their two daughters, Skylar and Morgan--a family we haven't seen in a while. Together we dared the clouds to rain on us (they barely did) and enjoyed catching up while doing all the things you do when you go to a Fall Festival.

Like a hayride through the orchard,

a stomp around the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin,

and buying local everything--crispy apples, unlikely dried fruit (kiwi?), chocolate-coconut covered pretzels, and sweet apple cider.

Not pictured: the goat eating treats on the roof, the fiddlers and bagpiper, the mountains of fruits, vegetables, gourds, squash, and flowers. Somehow, however, I managed to snap a picture of this pile of candy. Shows you where my brain was, anyway.

We don't want you to think we are doting, but...

Much has been going on around here -- nothing particularly newsworthy, but life just seems to be moving right along, sometimes faster than I'd like. John is adjusting to the demands of a new job (and more or less loving it), I have been busy with back-to-school night and a series of long days teaching, and in between we've both been keeping up with our "monito". I should use this blog to share more than just cute pictures of Oscar, and I promise I will (and have occasionally), but I can't help it. Here are two pictures I can't NOT share. If you are reading this blog then you just have to be okay with that.

The Smirk.

Check out those charming cheeks and chompers.

A Big Kid Tub

O.K. has been fighting with the "baby" tub for a while now. It just wasn't providing him with the freedom to move around to which he has more and more become accustomed. BUT he is still not steady enough to brave the hard walls of the "grown-up" tub. So John went out and bought him this "Big Kid" tub:

As you can see, he absolutely loves it.

Sweet Tooth(s)

O.K.'s on the verge of having a total of four dangerous little teeth. His bottom two are old news (not to mention, sharp as anything!), but his "fangs" (the two eye teeth which have yet to be captured on film) are quickly making their presence known. We've considered new nicknames to go with this vampire-ish look, my favorite being "Spike". Other suggestions?
We will post pics of these perilous pearly whites soon...

A Swinger For Sure

On Saturday, we walked to the Clark Park Festival. We didn't bring any cash, which was momentarily disappointing, but I'm not missing the cloth-covered hula-hoop I had my eye on, so it must have been a good thing. Instead, we watched all the people for a while, and then plopped O.K. on a swing. He enjoyed a pretty gentle sway, and we anticipate more days of pushin' this kid back and forth.

Sittin' Pretty

O.K. is meeting his goals in physical therapy, so we keeping having to make new ones. I'm not sure anymore if setting physical therapy goals is actually necessary to his healthy development, or if we are basically stating what we expect a 7 month old to do next and then encouraging him to do it. Either way, it doesn't hurt to have a "professional", whom we happen to like, spend a little time with Oscar each week. Our current goal is sitting up, and -- TA DA! -- here he is, doing just that.

In this video, O.K.'s putting all his energy into staying upright.

Another Before and After

The bricks in the back needed to be pointed. Some sections were pretty bad.

But now no amount of huffin' and puffin' will bring this house down.

The basement walls before:

The basement walls after:

In the next installment of "Before and After" we will share the repaired and painted front steps (painting to be done soon)...