Gobble Gobble...

...was what we did over the Thanksgiving holiday! Look at this spread of desserts alone:


My mom always prepares a feast.

I contributed a broccoli salad, sweet potato casserole and oatmeal pie this year. (Remind me not to offer to make broccoli salad when I am nine months pregnant again...lots of standing and cutting, ouch!)

Gage enjoyed the turkey, and crawling up GrandMary's long set of stairs!


Craig and I were up at 4:30am on Friday and out the door by 4:45! We had some sales to take advantage of! No large purchases this year, just fun ones like a Christmas onesie for Baby E (2) that says "All my Mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night!"

On Friday we had a second Thanksgiving feast at my sister's house with my dad.

We were on our way home by Friday afternoon with a tired little guy and the satisfaction of good food, and GREAT family time together! I have so much to be thankful for.

A Brief Recap

Oh my goodness, it has been almost two weeks since I last posted?!

Life has been good, slow, busy, and fast I guess! To recap, Craig was out of town during the week of Nov. 8. I had been dreading it for a long time leading up to it because I always miss him terribly when he's gone, and because I am exhausted and moving slow these days, which is not a good combination when you have a 10 month old!

But we got through it just fine! It helped having my mom here 2 1/2 of the 6 days. I loved spending time with her and seeing her bond with Gage! Gage loved having GrandMary here too.

He was so happy to have his daddy back on Saturday! We took him to another ISU football game, and once again, he did great. We left a little early, and as we were walking by a woman a few rows behind us, she leaned over to me and said, "Oh, now we don't get to have fun watching him anymore!" He is definitely entertaining...even when he's tired! He actually fell asleep in the carrier on Daddy's back by the time we got to the top of the stadium steps so we stood at the top and watched the last quarter. And we got to witness the Cyclones win - yippee!

Last week Craig was gone again from Wednesday through Friday, a spur-of-the-moment business trip. I made him promise not to be gone again at least until January! He does want to be here for the birth of our child so I think he is planning to stick around...

The best things that have happened over the past two weeks are all about Gage...just when I was starting to wonder what I will be writing about in his 11 month letter, he started doing some big growing and changing! You'll have to wait and see how... :)

Dada Wins

Gage was talking up a storm recently so I wanted to capture his sweet little baby talk on video. Well, the conversation didn't quite go like I had planned, but I succumb...Dada wins.



(I realized too late that I need to hold the camera differently so it's not sideways! Oh well, next time!)

Gage at the Game

Last year, Gage attended many ISU football games, cozy and snug in the womb. This year, he was able to actually watch the game at Jack Trice stadium, cozy and snug in Daddy's lap.


And he loved every minute of it!

10 Months Old

Dear Gage,

You turned 10 months old the day after your mama's birthday! We are watching you grow and change very quickly these days.

This is what's been new in the past month:

~You are giving us kisses! They are big and sloppy, and they even come when we ask for them! Oh they make us feel so loved. You even blessed GrandMary with big kisses while she was here this week.

~You are walking behind your walker! That is probably your favorite activity right now. It keeps us busy turning you around everytime you come to a roadblock! We love watching you have so much fun.


~You love music! You have always loved hearing SteveSongs, now you love dancing to him, and all kinds of other music. We first noticed it when Michael Buble was playing on tv.

~You have gotten so good at things like putting the little ball into the right hole in your shapes box, and placing the rings onto the little stick. The rings toy has been one of your favorites for awhile now. Whenever you see it with the rings stacked on it you have to quickly pull them off. Just in the past month you are now putting them back on. I think you are so smart!


~You are a good little grocery shopper with me. Everything I put into the cart must go through your hands first though, and you like to help me hold the bags on the way out. My wallet continues to keep you entertained going through the checkout, and it never fails that we hear the comment, "Well, is he paying today?" For some reason stores like Target and Kohls are not your favorite...hmm, sounds a lot like your daddy!

~You are eating all kinds of finger foods these days! We even ordered your first kids meal at Hickory Park a few weeks ago: a chicken drumstick and mashed potatoes! You love chicken. That is the most consistent favorite. Some days you like carrots, some days not. Some days you like pears, some days not, etc, etc. I really hope you will not be a picky eater!

You love to get messy!


You bring such joy to everyone Gager! Wherever we take you there are smiles and laughter. We are so blessed that we get to experience that joy with you every day! My prayer for you is that you will never lose that joyful spirit, or the desire to share it with others. You will always be our precious boy, our wish come true.

Loving you always,
Mommy

Just love those big smiles!

33...and counting

I wasn't thrilled about turning 33 this year. It sounds so much older than 32! But I still had a great birthday, and I think I will always enjoy my birthdays even though I don't like the number...

I started out the day with an OB visit. 33 weeks on my 33rd birthday! Great news - first and foremost: the baby/my belly grew 2 cm and the heartbeat sounded wonderful! Also my hemoglobin had been low last time and is now back up to normal, so no additional iron tablets for me! And secondly: I gained 0 lbs. since my last visit! Woohoo! I can't help but rejoice at the way the scale is going this time around. I'll admit it...I gained 43 lbs. last time! So I am very happy that it shouldn't be near that this time.

My sweet hubby stayed home the whole morning for me as a little surprise! We had a McDonald's breakfast when I returned, a favorite of mine! (Between that and lots of birthday cake to come we'll see what the scale says in 2 weeks - ha!) And he had some presents wrapped and waiting for me on the table. (Remember last year when my gift was handed to me in the car? :)

Speaking of last year...what a difference a year makes! I would never have DREAMED that I would be this pregnant AGAIN one year later!

When Gage woke from his nap I got to open one present from him...an adorable card and Michael Buble cd. (We learned a few weeks ago that Gage likes to dance to Michael Buble!) I was so impressed with Craig's effort! A card from Gage (and even one more later) and wrapped presents?! He did good.


I received lots of wonderful birthday wishes through Facebook and email, and visited a dear friend in the afternoon. Then my mom came that night and watched Gage for us while we went out to eat at Red Lobster and walked through Borders. It was so nice to have a date with Craig. I just wish I hadn't been so tired! Between the time change, my on-the-go 10 month old, and being 33 weeks pregnant, I am an early-to-bed girl these days!

Before we left I opened more presents with Gager's help. Later Craig apologized for giving me cooking and cleaning aids for gifts (a Dirt Devil cordless vac and a food processor!) but I couldn't be happier! Anything that makes those two things easier for me is a wonderful gift!

Gage is happy about it too!

So that was my day in a nutshell. My second birthday in a row that will be a "last"... Last year was my last childless birthday, and this year was my last one-child-only birthday! Many times "lasts" are a sad thing, but in this case, they're a GREAT thing!

Gage's First Halloween...

The "pumpkin" and the skeleton...

Craig was tenderly calling me a pumpkin all day! :) I had to agree.

Since we don't have any relatives nearby we decided to show off our little skeleton at the mall! He had a great time playing in the kids' play area and chasing a little ladybug...


Is somebody getting tired? I don't think it's the 9 month old...