Halloween

This Halloween was a little different from others because we were in Philadelphia for Mike’s cousin Joe’s wedding. Collin was very excited to be with his cousins for Halloween, but he did ask a number of times, “What about my friends” as we prepared him for the trip, explaining that we were traveling for Halloween instead of our normal neighborhood parade. We got to go Trick-or-Treating in a beautiful neighborhood in NJ where the bride (Donna’s) parents hosted a very nice party in lieu of a rehearsal dinner. Collin dressed as Darth Vader as you can see and Carson was a bear. It was very special to be able to trick or treat with all the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Philadelphia

Since the Voegtle clan was all traveling to New Jersey for Joe’s wedding, we decided to make a trip out of it and stay a few extra days to see the city and visit with everyone. Mike has made numerous trips to Philly for work, but this was my first time. On Thursday we traveled into the city with Bill & Doris to see the historic sites, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. But the first priority was to get Philly Cheese Steaks from Pat’s per Mike’s recommendation. Normally I would love the opportunity to each lunch outside, but it was pretty cold! We met up with Karen, Greg & the girls for a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. The Philly’s won the World Series that night, so even though we just watched the game from the hotel room, it was kinda neat to be there.

Friday was Halloween and we decided to take the kids into the Children’s Museum, which had been recently moved into a beautiful historic building built for one of the first World’s Fairs in the US. The kids loved it of course. After lunch we drove over to a new hotel in New Jersey that was closer to the wedding. Here we met up with Tim & Laura and got to meet our nephew Drew for the first time. The wedding was very nice and the reception was at the same location, very convenient. Collin seemed to have fun dancing. He wanted to dance with his cousins, but Sophie just wanted to play “Ring Around the Roses”. He got a little frustrated and said, “No, real dancing”. He did fairly well through dinner considering his dad was sitting away from us at the head table. Sunday was our commute home, much longer than we planned due to airplane delays. Overall, a great trip and we are so happy for Joe & Donna!

Carson is 8 months

THIS is the best age – and he’s SUCH a happy baby! He smiles so much of the time, and flirts with anyone he sees. He’s DEFINITELY a momma’s boy…he gets very concerned about me leaving the room. One of the best things this month has been watching Carson bond more with daddy now that he’s so much more interactive. He gets excited when Mike comes home and is happy to see him, and may reach out for him to hold him, but then he wants to come right back to mommy.

Carson is sitting very well unsupported, and loves to flap is arms up and down. When Carson is nervous or excited he does a strange twisting motion with his wrists – usually several times a day. He still doesn’t like to be on his tummy but he does push himself up pretty well when he lets me put him on his stomach. He shows no interest in moving too much so I doubt he’ll be crawling any time soon which is fine with me…I doubt there’s any correlation between eventual athletic ability and the age of first crawling. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes straight to walking. He pulled himself up for the first time on Halloween, just a few days after his 8-month birthday when we were at the Children’s museum in Philadelphia.

We were able to expand his diet again after we got the constipation back in control. I didn’t realize I really had the perfect baby…happy almost all the time and I didn’t even have to change dirty diapers but once a week. We’re going through many more diapers now, which is normal. Carson eats much more adult food that Collin did at this age…he pretty much wants to eat everything we’re eating. One of our favorite snacks to eat together is crackers and hummus. We sit on the back porch and eat this together with his Bumbo seat on the table. He eats all his meals in his high chair now, since he barely fits in the Bumbo anymore. For breakfast he usually eats cereal and applesauce (or fruit), then vegetables and cereal for dinner plus some little table food, like pieces of bread or Cheerios. He loves to chew on apples or pears. He’s nursing much less and quicker…first thing in the morning when he wakes, then at 10 & 2 before naps & the at 8 before bedtime. He likes to snack on Melba toast which keeps him occupied pretty well – a great eater overall. He got his first two teeth (on the bottom) this month.

Carson enjoys watching his big brother and is easily entertained, laughing at almost anything, especially peak-a-boo or other such games. He still wants to put EVERYTHING in his mouth, and wants to grab anything you’re holding, especially keys or pens. Carson is pushing himself up higher now, but still no signs of wanting to crawl as he only tolerates being on his tummy for a few minutes at a time. He just learned to clap which is really fun! He claps when he sees someone else clapping, or when he hears the “Happy and you know it” song.