"Bapes"

We went to Walmart a few weeks ago and I put grapes in the cart. Adam insisted on eating some as we shopped. By the time we got to the register he had probably eaten about half the bag. I told the check-out lady that he had eaten a lot of grapes and asked her to charge us accordingly. She just joked with Adam and said how cute he was. I'm sure that, had she realized the extent of our grape theft, we would have been escorted from the store by security.

Last week we went to Wegman's to shop and they have scales that allow you to weigh your produce and put a price sticker on it, which saves us from the deadly sin of greed, if not gluttony.


They also have these awesome shopping carts with little cars attached. So Adam had a fine time chillin' in his ride with his bag full of "bapes", as he calls them.

Elves

This little boy, D, is a friend of the family. Ever since he realized that he and Adam had matching pajamas, he has been trying to maneuver getting them to wear them at the same time.

He showed up to our house one night wearing the pajamas and I just so happened to be putting Adam in the same ones. He was thrilled. We had to snap a few pictures.

D has said that he hopes when Adam is older they can wrestle. He's really looking forward to that.

I have a feeling Adam will like that too.

Family Photos

Every year our church sponsors a "Spaghetti Dinner and Auction" to raise money for the Boy Scout Troop. This year we bought a photo shoot. Money well spent. We have some beautiful pictures of our family while we are still just "3"; although Jane does make some appearances. Thanks to Lisa for the great pictures!!





I specifically asked Lisa to get a picture of Adam's sneakers. These have replaced his boots as his "everyday wear" shoes. I just love how they capture his personality.


Don't be surprised if you see this next one in our Christmas card this year...





Here comes Jane! Ready...

"Beefs"

I took these the other day on our walk to the library. Adam stood beneath this tree and commented about all the "beefs" on the ground. He was very concerned that they were falling off the tree. I tried to explain that he needed to get used to that as it would be happening a lot in the coming weeks.



We were also fortunate enough to find several puddles along the way. He hasn't quite gotten the idea of "jumping" into the puddles yet.


He prefers to just dip a toe.

"Baby"

So, about a month ago, we bought Adam a doll. We hoped it would serve a dual purpose. First, we wanted to acquaint him with the idea of a "baby" and talk about how to touch/hold the baby so that he would be better prepared for Jane's arrival. Second, we wanted to use it as a potty training tool. You know, "look Adam, the baby is using the potty". Don't worry, we're not potty training...yet.

What we didn't expect was that "baby" would replace "Ah Ah" (aka his stuffed monkey) as his lovey. He sleeps with her every night and sometimes has to bring her downstairs in the morning so she can "watch" while he eats breakfast. We gave the baby to him for the first time during a long car trip while trying to keep him entertained. I think it's safe to say it was love at first sight.




We've drawn the line with the baby leaving the house. She has to stay home no matter how much Adam would like to bring her to church, the library, the museum, etc. We all know kids who had to take a piece of their favorite blanket to kindergarten. We're trying to save him the humiliation of showing up to kindergarten with a purple baby doll.

A Few of His Favorite Things...

Adam has one big thing in common with his Uncle Wade. When Wade was little, he loved ducks. Scott's Mom made a duck book for Wade and when Adam's fascination with ducks started, he asked if she still had it. Turns out she did. Adam loves this book.




Another thing high on Adam's list is airplanes. He gets very excited when he sees them flying overhead. We talked to some friends who told us where to park at the airport to get a good view.


Adam loved it when they landed. We were surprised by how low they came. Adam talked for weeks afterward about the planes. His most common descriptors were "big" and "loud".

We'll see you at the 2024 Olympics!

I took these the first week of September, which was also our last swim before our friends closed their pool for the winter. This child has no fear.

His best angle:

He knows exactly what he wants, we don't have to prompt him at all:
Preparing to jump:
"Hey, there's a plane!":
Great execution, for an 18 month-old:
Now he's just showing off:

29 Years Old and 30 Weeks Pregnant

As the title says, I turned 29 this week and Baby Jane is now 30 weeks. The trip to NYC was my birthday present from Scott. This didn't stop us from also celebrating in our traditional (and cheap) manner of going to Red Robin for my free burger. I also have a coupon for a free ice cream from Cold Stone, I'll be using that this week.

My friend Amy and I have birthdays the same week. To celebrate, we went to lunch with friends. Amy gave me these beautiful flowers that are just now starting to wilt. Thanks to my great husband and great friends for a memorable birthday.


I also reached the 30 week point in my pregnancy this week. At my next Dr. appointment I start making my appointments every two weeks instead of every four. I know I still have a ways to go, but it's hard to believe how quickly this pregnancy is going (talk to me again in about 8 weeks).

NYC

We left for NYC on Friday morning and got there late afternoon. By the time we parked the car and walked to the apartment (a long way when you're carrying your bag), it was evening. The apartment was a one-bedroom with two pull-out couches in the living room. Luckily, we brought an extra air mattress, because the beds were really small. Here is a view of the apartment (if you can see around my belly).

After getting settled into the apartment we went to Times Square to check things out. I've never been to NYC so it was nice to see. I prefer, however, the Central Park West area where our apartment was to staying in Times Square. I don't do well with chaos.


On Saturday we went to Chinatown. It's amazing the dark alleys and secret elevators one will follow strangers into when promised knock-off bags. I was pleasently surprised with my ability to barter and even more surprised at how well my pregnancy helped my case. Here is a picture of our haul (sorry, it posted sideways).


And here is the fall-out from Chinatown. We were all exhausted. I thought I was wearing pretty sensible shoes, but if I go to NYC pregnant again I'm going to buy the ugliest Dr. Scholl's I can find. Anything to avoid the feeling that cutting my feet off at the ankle would make me feel better.


The purpose of this trip was so that four of the ladies could run the Tunnel to Tower race. We went down to the WTC site on Saturday so they could check in and saw this guy who was constructing an intricate sand castle.


Here is what the finished product looked like on Sunday. Pretty impressive.


I just love this picture. We weren't posing. This is just how cool we are, naturally.