Edward had a happy Halloween and inspired "awww"s on a brief trick-or-treating excursion. (The treat was really for the neighbors who love to see him. We were somewhat successful in declining the candy--it just felt unseemly for two adults to be begging at their neighbors' doors for sweets.)



At first Ed wasn't too sure about this whole costume thing. Actually, the screaming was more because I sat him down and he ONLY likes to stand these days. He was happier once we got outside. Maybe it was because he liked the friendly face of the jack-o-lantern I carved with two bottom teeth, just like his.I've been trying for two days to post these pictures and finally had to resort to using Internet Explorer to make it work. Something must be screwy with our Firefox.

We took a little vacation this weekend to Minneapolis and had a great time seeing friends, eating out, and staying up late. If Edward could talk, he might complain of too much time strapped in--carseat, stroller, restaurant high chair. But we tried to work in some play time as well. It's hard to make plans when you don't know exactly when a certain someone is going to demand food or crash for a nap, but we did our best and our friends were very gracious in accommodating our best guesses at timing.

We weren't really in photo mode very much, though we thought we'd get one at the city's famous Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture since we were very near it when we went to see the Heart of Darkness exhibit at the Walker Art Museum. But by the time we'd seen the exhibit it was very close to lunchtime and we thought we'd risk a public meltdown if we tried to fit in a sculpture stop. (By the way, if you click on the Spoonbridge link above you'll see a winter image, but our weekend was classic fall--we didn't even need our warm coats, just a fleece layer. Very lucky for the last weekend of October!) Edward was VERY patient with our museum trip. He was content in the stroller for almost an hour chewing on the strap and various other toys that were produced from the diaper bag. At lunch in a bustling marketplace with food, crafts and music, we found a kids play area so Edward took his first trip down a slide. Nothing says "Minneapolis vacation" like this nondescript shot of a Little Tikes slide, huh? Oh well...we were concentrating on friends and fun. It's all documented in our memories.

When we got home today around noon, the mercury was on its way up into the 60s, so after lunch we headed outside for work and play. Ed worked on his leg muscles, standing next to his saucer and bouncing up and down while John and I raked. Standing and bouncing can be exhausting, apparently. At one point I looked up from my leaf pile to see Ed leaning over resting his head on the edge of the saucer, so I picked him up and put him in the seat, where he happily played for another half hour or so, turning around to watch John make trips to the curb with piles of leaves. (A city truck will come by to vacuum them up tomorrow we hope.)

After watching our hard work, Ed thought maybe he should help. But then he got a little too ambitious for his own good. Maybe next fall...

In honor of his 10-month birthday, Edward is taking a mega-nap. Maybe that offers a window of blogging opportunity. We took his traditional couch shot this morning. He wasn't really in the mood for sitting still. Actually, he never is anymore. This may be the last one of these we can manage. (By the way, those of you lucky enough to be on the Arizona Geraghtys mailing list might recognize this sweater from last year--still a baby fashion statement!)

It will come as no surprise to faithful blog readers that our picture volume has proven too much for our poor camera battery. For the last few weeks it just hasn't been up to the task of documenting Edward's every move. The "low battery" warning seems to flash every time we turn on the camera. Charging doesn't take too long, so we know it's not getting much juice. We finally broke down and got a new battery. Actually, two, because let's be honest. We surely will go through another one just as quickly.

The cruising continues. As seen here, Edward now spends more time standing next to his exersaucer than actually sitting in it. His teacher at daycare says she thinks he might just skip crawling and go right from rolling to walking. John says he has a new appreciation for the cartoon "Baby Blues" in which middle child Hammie was pictured rolling everywhere as an infant.

Yesterday I put Ed in these comfy sweats for his naptime and when he woke up to play on the shamrock blanket it was a bit of a green overload. At least the cups provide some color variation.

I told a co-worker that today was Ed's 10-month birthday and she gasped--"How can that be?" And Grandma sent Ed a birthday email with a similar sentiment. The time is flying and we're enjoying every minute!

We had grand plans to get outside this weekend, but colder weather aided by a very cutting wind made us decide our short forays out into the elements were quite enough and we stayed inside much of the time. That meant plenty of play time with Edward, which was more than adequate compensation. For Edward these days, play time is walking time. If he's not on the move he can be irritable. Of course, he needs a helping hand (or two) to keep him upright, but he is content as long as he is putting one foot in front of the other.

He has started "cruising" aroundthe ottoman and climbing on us to get where he wants to go, which is fun. He spends less time in his exersaucer and more time clinging to it to stand up and move around. It won't be long...

Meanwhile, I thought I had discovered a fun new game for us. I'd grip his legs and lift him up in a sitting position, making him giggle madly. I pointed this out to Mary, who reminded me that Ed's chubby little thighs are very ticklish, which means I was probably torturing the poor guy as much as entertaining him. That laughter, however, is pretty addictive.

We've also started to play ball with him a bit, letting him roll one around the room, and then roll after it (still no crawling). That coupled with his new attempts at getting into his toybox made for a fun video.

Here's a new thing Edward has been doing for the last day or two--balancing the shaker egg on top of the cups or his soft blocks. He won't stack the cups or blocks on each other (though he loves to knock them down if we stack them) but he carefully places the egg and then pulls his hand back as you see here watching to see if it will stay where he put it. This project holds his attention for about 15-20 seconds and then he's gotta be on the move.

Today my sister called to wish me a happy birthday and in the course of the conversation I mentioned that it was cold and dreary here so I'd dressed Ed in a cozy one-piece romper. I started describing it and she realized that her daughter (who is five months younger than Ed) was dressed in exactly the same outfit, except in red rather than blue. We have been teasing my mom and my aunt for years about their sister-ESP when it comes to wardrobe because they always turn up at family events in the same "uniform." Now here we see the trend passing to the next generation and beyond. Are we really that predictable? This outfit came as a gift from friends when Ed was a tiny baby and it seemed impossible that he'd ever be big enough to wear it. Now it seems impossible to believe that horizontal stripes were ever a flattering option for him (Ha!)

In other news, we finally have our email back on our home computer. We and other Mediacom customers haven't been able to access our Yahoo mail since last Thursday, following a Microsoft security upgrade that somehow wasn't compatible with the Mediacom modems. Maybe that's not exactly the right way to describe it, but it had to do with Mediacom, Microsoft, and a couple of secure websites including Yahoo. It was extremely annoying!

I generally avoid posting my own photos here, but this one is especially for Gram.

Edward wasn't too bothered by the Hawks' defeat at the hands of Indiana on Saturday. We caught a few dribs and drabs of the game amid our busy morning and early afternoon and were glad not to have wasted more time on it! Ed was way too busy rolling and "cruising" to pay much attention. He likes to walk along the furniture or turn from the furniture to flop onto a parent. He forgets that he can't stand unsupported though and occasionally gets so excited or distracted that he lets go and falls on his butt. Plenty of padding there, so no worries.

This book is a current favorite as he likes to take out the puzzle pieces and chew on them. Who needs the creation story when you've got a tree, a sun, a dolphin and an elephant to chew? He seems to understand that they fit in their respective "pages" but doesn't have the dexterity to pull them out and put them back on his own. He loves that they come out though and occasionally takes breaks from chewing to wave the pieces around and shriek.

He's also taken to a bit of whining, which is not terribly appealing. But now that he's more mobile he gets frustrated easily when he gets stuck somewhere (like when he moves backward in attempting to crawl and ends up with his butt wedged under the couch) or when he can't reach what he wants. He figured out that he can tip the toy bin toward him so he is no longer limited to just what is within arm's reach while lying on his belly. This discovery was very entertaining to watch.
Our weather turned quite chilly this week, so we pulled out the shamrock blanket that was a staple of Ed's early playtime last winter. The other side is a soft, fluffy, sheep-like material--a great insulator! But as noted above, he scoots and rolls so much now that it doesn't take him long to move away from it. I wonder if his survival instincts will keep him close to the warmth as it gets even colder through the winter (ha ha.) And yes, he does have bare feet, despite the cooler temps. He pulls off his socks immediately (and at daycare, he believes it is his mission to de-sock all the other children as well.) Our doctor actually recommended bare feet for learning to walk--better stability. Of course we wrangle him into socks and shoes before going outside.

Ed and I went on a 5K walk this morning and it was quite chilly to start. I of course warmed up with the exercise, but I wasn't sure how I'd know if Ed was warm enough. I probably went overboard with the sweatsuit, bunting, hat and lap blanket, but he wasn't sweaty when we got done and he did manage to sleep a bit, so he must have been fairly comfortable.

As promised.
Ed did not stay up late tonight, even after a late nap. Something about the 7 o'clock hour just says "bed" to him, which is OK with us. Sometimes I feel the same way by that time of day!

But we had a little playtime after dinner and before the meltdown. Here he's standing at the ottoman playing with his stacking cups--a current favorite. He likes to put the small ones into the largest one and then shake it around so it rattles. He also likes when John stacks them into a tower so he can knock it down. He'll sit by himself and play with the set of five cups. Then we like to joke that Ed is "in his cups," which is an expression that used to be reserved for one particular friend's state of inebriation. Oh, how life changes.

Edward sailed through his nine-month appointment today. He kind of got a raw deal though because this was supposed to be a no shots appointment, but it's the time of year for flu shots so he had one of those. And has to go back in a month for the second round. Poor guy.

But he's happy, healthy and staying right on the growth track they expect. He weighs about 20 1/4 pounds and is 27 2/3 inches long. That's the 38th and 21st percentile, respectively. Then, there's his head--18.11 inches, 63rd percentile. What a melon! Big heads seem to run in both families though so I guess it should be no surprise. Lots of room for that developing brain!

The 2:15 appointment time meant his nap was delayed by more than an hour, but I think he was distracted enough by the whole experience that it didn't affect him too much. He went right to sleep as soon as we got home. We may have to wake him for dinner or else face a late night. Maybe if he stays up late there might be some pictures to post later.

Today was another gorgeous fall day, and Edward took advantage of it by sitting outside with Mary and playing in the leaves. Here he strikes a pose as the rugged outdoorsman. Mary piled a few leaves on him and he didn't much care for that. I guess he'll take that "rugged" thing in small steps; baby steps, if you will.

I got the rake out shortly after this was taken to continue my efforts to build up the pile, and while Edward was intrigued, he didn't seem terribly eager to help. Just wait...

A trip to the apple orchard today was the perfect occasion for some fall photos. It's gorgeous here today--70s and sunny. The leaves are falling in the warm breeze. The apple crop is abundant this year following last year's bust. (Last year a late freeze killed all the blooms in the spring, leaving no fruit in the fall.) The orchard also has a pumpkin patch, though we opted not to pick our own. They had plenty already picked--good idea to avoid having to lug it up from the patch! We got a basket of apples though and split them with Ed's friend Eva and her mom, our friend Erin, who joined us for the outing. We also had the opportunity to try out this new backpack carrier handed down from friends whose daughter has outgrown it. John says his back doesn't even hurt too much so we must have had it adjusted just right.
And even though it's the kind of thing he'll hate us for later, we just couldn't resist capturing the memory of our little pumpkin in his Halloween costume.

Unfortunately, he fell asleep in the car on the way home and now thinks that half-hour snooze counts as his afternoon nap. He must be well-rested for the evening though since his former teacher is coming to babysit while we head out for an anniversary dinner. No crabby babies tonight! (Yes, Ed does get crabby. He's squawking at the moment because he does not want to be in bed.)

Once again we have been remiss about posting photos here. Never fear: Edward is still cute and very photogenic. His parents have just been a bit lazy.

He is moving around pretty well these days, though still not crawling. He gets close, but would rather roll to get where he's going. As you can see from this photo, that doesn't stop him from getting where he wants to go. Here he tries to pull a toy out of his toychest in the moments before heading off to day care.

He is working on (at least) a couple of teeth, and is practicing standing up (with the help of a parental hand or leg, or the ottoman), and has added "ma" and "da" to his previous vocabulary of "ba." He hasn't attached those utterances to meaningful things, like say Mom and Dad, but we're sure that's just around the corner.

When he's not babbling, or crying, he's laughing. It's pretty easy to get a good belly laugh out of Edward, particularly if you're a Dad willing to crawl across the floor making noises. You have to know your audience.