Pumpkin Patching

A few weekends ago we made our yearly pilgrimage to Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay.

We hit the farm with some of Orelia's best friends this time, and she had a blast.  We had so much fun that I insisted we go back to another pumpkin patch later that week.

It's not really fall until every kid you know has posed in front of a bunch of pumpkins.

Orelia was a bit too busy to pose for pictures for long.

 Somehow we never have time to even buy a pumpkin at these pumpkin patches.

When there are goats to be fed, my girl is always first in line.  Personally, I don't see the appeal, but I'm glad she isn't afraid.

Orelia thoroughly enjoyed her first pony ride.  She has recently been reading a Cinderella-adaptation book about ponies, so she was very excited to ride on"Ponyella."

Her second pumpkin patch didn't have a white pony, but she was even more excited to ride on the evil step-sister pony from the book (since it has an even better name, "Bun Bun").

The train had an exceptionally long line, but Orelia was thrilled to ride on a cart pulled by a John Deer tractor...I mean "train."

Bennett came along for the trip (our first big family outing), and slept the entire time.  Newborns are wonderful.

The last thirty minutes of every pumpkin patch visit must be spent bouncing one's cares away.  Blonde curly hair suggested, but not required.

Park Pizza Party

One of our friends had the genius idea to suggest a Friday evening park date where we get pizza delivered, the kids go crazy, and the adults all relax with a few beers.

The past two Fridays have been the best I've had in a long time.

Orelia has been so excited to play with her friends that she hardly slows down enough to have some pizza.

I, on the other hand, have made plenty of time for pizza.

I especially appreciate the outings, since I haven't seen my friends much since Bennett was born.

While Orelia has played in the sandbox, Bennett has happily slept in the Baby Bjorn carrier.  Win-win.

Orelia stole some snuggles with her friend's baby brother in between laps raced around the park.  Luckily the park is entirely fenced-in, so the kids can truly have the run of the place without much adult intervention.

Orelia probably didn't think her night could get any better, but it was really topped off by some homemade cupcakes.

The evening was a great way to end the week; we just wish we started the tradition earlier in the summer.  With the time change on the horizon, we won't be able to have any more evening park pizza parties for quite some time.  By the time summer comes and we can start back up, the babies will have moved from carriers to swings and sandboxes and new babies will have been born.  Bennett might even be dabbling in pizza eating by then!  The park is the perfect place to try your first slice.

Corny Yet Again

Orelia never had a lot of unisex clothing.  She's always been decked out in pink dresses with bows on.  So when Bennett gets the chance to wear something Orelia once wore, I feel very nostalgic.  When I saw Orelia's old corn bodysuit I immediately remembered doing a blog post about being corny.  

Orelia is the baby pictured above, in case anyone was wondering.  

I'm still just as corny this time around, which is why I made sure to snap photos of Bennett in Orelia's corn shirt.

Right when this shirt seems to fit my children, they start showing their first little smiles.

 And there's nothing better than a baby's corny grin.

Fall Fun

 Apparently fall is the season for giant inflatable slides and bounce houses.

 There isn't a single pumpkin patch in northern California that doesn't have their own inflatable something.

 If you have a two year-old, fall must be the most glorious time of year.

Especially if you have the world's most fun daddy who is willing to participate in these adventures.

Orelia is one lucky lady.

Bennett at One Month

Happy first month to our sweet baby boy!

There's nothing like having a newborn to make a month somehow simultaneously seem to fly by and also slowly creep by at a snail's pace.  It seems like he's always been here, yet how we've made it through 30-some days and nights seems like a miracle.

We've come a long way in this past month.  He's hopefully put on a pound or two and grown an inch or so.  I don't know the specifics as my doctor doesn't make second-time parents come in for a one-month checkup.  He's out of newborn clothes and into his 0-3 month set, and he's developed a roll in each thigh, so we are on the right track.

The first couple weeks of Bennett's life were filled with some feeding trouble (which naturally also lead to sleeping trouble).  A visit to a lactation consultant lead to a diagnosis of tongue-tie.  A quick snip of the membrane under his tongue (while a slightly horrified mother sat by his side) allowed him to begin to nurse effectively and not maim me.

Most days we are able to keep Bennett on a 2.5-3 hour feeding schedule (a la Babywise) pretty well.  This schedule has been keeping the two of us sane, or as sane as one of us can be in a sleep-deprived state.

Sleep has been going okay.  He's not one of those kids we have to wake up to eat all day long.  He takes mostly one hour naps throughout the day and at night we can get him to sleep about two hours at a time.  It could be worse!

His favorite awake activity is "playing" on activity mats.  If they have a mirror, all the better.  He can lay there for 20-30 minute stretches if he's in the mood.  He tolerates the Bjorn bouncer chair and can really enjoy a good swing ride if he needs a morning nap.

Our favorite mother-son activity at the moment is going for walks with him in the bassinet.  He can relax awake just looking around, and he's happy to dose off and take his nap so long as the stroller keeps moving.  Orelia never liked the bassinet, so I especially appreciate our relaxing walks where I get some fresh air and the opportunity to listen to Taylor Swift albums.

Bennett loves being held and especially likes napping on his daddy's legs.  When he's lucky he gets to be held by his big sister for a few brief moments.  What he really, really likes at the moment is some quality time with his pacifier.

We can't wait to see what he's like next month!

Outdoor Bathing

We have been experiencing heat waves lately where temperatures are above 90 degrees.  Yes, in October.

We decided to give Bennett an outdoor bath since babies prefer things to be hot.  Apparently it wasn't hot enough to avoid to some screams.

Orelia loves helping out any way she can when her brother is involved.  She dutifully washed him and wasn't phased by his distaste for the whole process.

The only part of the bathing process Bennett enjoys is being wrapped up in a towel afterwards.  He seems to almost sigh with relief once we take him out of the water.

"Hold it!  Hold it!"  Orelia cries (meaning "Please, can I hold him?") once Bennett is dried off.  We reward Orelia for her hard work with some baby brother snuggles.  Everybody wins.