The Little Screamer

Well, here he is. The little screamer.

Friday's Dinner in the City

It felt like a rather long day - we didn't get into the city until oh, 4 pm or so, then we walked a few miles while down there. I think the little guy did quite well!

Wow! He's so Alert!

Friday, Halloween. We didn't do a costume this year. Probably a good thing as the little man would likely have soaked it in drool (or had some other accident to cause staining) in no time. It's been extremely warm here lately and Friday enjoyed his photo shoot on the porch. Unfortunately (for the photos), he's quite an active baby and most of these are a wee bit blurry!

Why are some babies his age so....drowsy looking? We met up with some Chicago mamas and their little ones today down in Logan Square, and this guy thought it was all pretty fun. He laughed and took it all in. The five-month-old baby nearby was cranky and drowsy - and looked smaller than Friday. Indeed, Friday looked about the size of Ellis (8 months) and Juda (7 months). Not complaining... although it's a LONG way down to pick him up out of the pack n'play now that I've had to remove the top basinet. And no, I'm not kidding - we did meet a little girl named Juda today. 

Tomorrow: I guess it's time to VOTE. I'm staying away from downtown (I hear they're expecting at least a million people at the Obama rally). And they aren't allowing strollers.

Chewing on Toys...

Boy Friday has been sucking on his hands quite a bit lately. Sunday was a rough day for us - he was rather cranky for most of the afternoon and evening, and I had some trouble getting him to sleep soundly. Perhaps he's teething already?! He's beginning to be able to hold things, too - although it takes some persuading. I've also noticed Friday moving around quite a bit more than he was only a week or two ago. He'll often get himself into a position at least 90 degrees from where I put him down - but I don't have any video of that (he seems to do this when I walk away). Here's a playful baby, Sunday morning:

Three Months Old Already!

Boy Friday is actually 3 months old! And he's already getting close to doubling his weight. He smiles, makes all sorts of fun noises, and is doing a great job holding his head up. It looks like he's about 14.6 lbs now (according to my scale - yes, that's with diaper and all). As you can see, he's been enjoying sitting on the couch.

Although he had trouble with all the driving on Wednesday and Thursday (he decided he needed to scream all the way home during rush hour traffic. awesome), he did just fine Saturday when we took a little jaunt down Milwaukee Avenue to the Wicker Park neighborhood. It's been very chilly here - and it's supposed to freeze Monday morning - so we had Friday all bundled up.

Well, I'm off to sleep now - it's late and Friday's been asleep for three hours already...

And the weekend has come to an end...

It's been a rather long week. Ok, I guess it just feels long, since I'm sure it's the same length as all weeks. Boy Friday, despite having several days in a row of sleeping 7-9 hours a night, decided he was finished with that, thank you very much, and he'd much prefer to wake up every hour or two again. You know, like old times (a couple of months ago...). Well, mommy isn't super excited about that turn of events. Several days were spent in a bit of a stupor. So, sorry for the lack of photos this past week. You know, there are only so many poses I can get on the little guy before he moves around on his own! Friday really doesn't like to smile for the camera, either. It concerns him to have the weird device aimed at his face - especially when the flash is on (as it always is indoors).

I am fairly certain that Friday wants to sit on his own. He gets quite frustrated on his belly, and is not interested much in rolling over or pushing his head up. Mostly, he just drools and sticks his hands in his mouth. In fact, you can see some drool on that photo of him sitting! He's become quite the little slobber-fountain. I wonder how long we've got until teeth start appearing?

Baby Friday is looking at his daddy in this photo - otherwise he'd just be giving me that concerned look. See? He does actually smile!

This morning, in Chicago

A baby slept almost eight hours for the third night in a row! Ok, yesterday he slept for almost nine hours - which had me a bit worried (and, in theory, fairly well rested).  We had a bit of an adventure yesterday when we went to Ikea by ourselves to pick up a bookshelf. Easier said than done - especially with baby. Of course, I couldn't manage to bring the camera (and I forgot the Hooter-Hider...).  Made it home with the bookshelf (still in the car), as well as a few items that weren't on my list.

Yes, I should be sleeping.

But I wanted to see how this uploading of video works. It takes a while. This video is Baby Friday kicking about and talking while waiting for the doctor. He's quite squirmy!

Friday's Adventure: Doctor's Appointment!

Baby Friday was not at all concerned about being at the doctor's office the other day... I suspect, however, that after the shots he had he will not be interested in going back. He stopped crying fairly quickly after the last shot, though. All in all, things went well. He's huge! Eightieth percentile for both height and weight. He's almost 14 lbs already! I guess that means it'll be time to remove the basinet portion of the pack n' play in a couple of weeks. 

Today we went for a long walk in the chilly October air. It isn't too cold yet - seems rather nice still - but I think we'll get to see the leaves change color soon. I think Friday enjoyed the stroll.

Welcome to October

Home of post-season baseball. Our American flag was replaced last week with this Chicago Cubs flag - the day they clinched the National League Central Division title.  The first game is today, here in Chicago, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. There is so much team loyalty here! It's definitely a "culture," even. I'm not even sure that I can root for the Dodgers in this atmosphere... 

But, here it is October and I was expecting the leaves to have changed color... Still green, but the air is quite chilly today. Baby Friday's hands are cold, and I'm a bit cool in the house, too.

And, just for fun - a happy baby with kitty guard from two days ago:

A Trip Downtown

Friday and I actually had an adventure today - we took the train downtown to visit with Mu and Papa (my grandparents) who were on an Amtrak layover. Chicago (and maybe other places, too) is not easy to get around with a stroller, I've discovered. There are steps everywhere! The trains have steps, the stations have crazy revolving doors, and people give you dirty looks if you get in their way with a massive stroller contraption.

So, I didn't take the stroller. I tried my luck with one of those baby carriers. Not super easy to get around, either - but much more convenient than a bulky stroller. I couldn't fit my camera in the little bag I brought with me (not that I'd have been able to manage taking photos of us anyhow).

Our first trip on the train, first real test of the baby carrier, first diaper change in a public restroom. What fun!