Fall(ing) Behind

Fall, fall, fall. My favorite time of year. The crispness of the air, leaves falling gently, and an adventurous soon-to-be 14 month old exploring this lovely season. We've been having a blast this fall, starting off with a visit to Mapleside Farms for the Johnny Appleseed Festival.

Charlotte and her two older cousins, Henry and Teddy, had so much fun running around the farm. We explored a corn maze - Henry led us through it! And we saw tractors and a petting zoo and even had time to eat some french fries!

exploring the petting zoo

the three amigos!

Cousins having a blast

loving the pumpkin farm


Charlotte loved chasing Henry and Teddy around and couldn't get enough of the pumpkins. Grandma Jackie bought her a small one to take home, and mom was even able to snag some pepperoni bread! (score one for mom)

Next up we had a visit with some dear college friends and their 10 month old son, Rocco. Rocco and Charlotte loved experiencing the Cleveland zoo together in mid September. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we had so much fun meeting Rocco and catching up with Tommy and Adrianne. We saw all kinds of animals - everything from monkeys and snow leopards to koalas and grizzly bears! The Cleveland zoo is an awesome place for kids - I am thinking a zoo membership might be in order!

pointing to the elephants

mr. koala in the tree

saying hi to the baboons

fun at the zoo playground with daddy

weeee! zooming down the big slide with mommy

grizzly bear swimming in the water - check out his claws!

After the zoo we went back to our house for some downtime and dinner. We introduced Rocco to some of Charlotte's favorites - veggie straws and goldfish! Once dinner was finished (thanks to the guys for cooking grilled chicken, vegetables and red potatoes) it was time for Rocco's first wagon ride. Charlotte was a good host and shared her wagon very nicely with him.

wagon ride!

Early October brought on some sickness, which is the hardest part of being a mom for me. I hate when my baby is sick and there isn't much I am able to do for her. She had some sort of nasty virus (picked up from school no doubt) and a high fever. The doctor said to keep her hydrated and to use Tylenol for fever. This also conicided with Sam's annual guy's trip where they travel out of town for a Brown's game. This meant mommy was on call 24/7 which meant some long nights. Charlotte developed roseola from the virus, which meant more time out of school. They said there isn't anything you can do for the rash and that it isn't uncomfortable for the babies. Luckily it went away within a few days.

poor sick baby

Once she was feeling better, we took her to Mapleside Farms with the grandparents for round 2. Charlotte loved donning her new winter coat and hat and getting pulled around in her wagon!

family photo at the farm

grandparents

wagon ride

It's been a terrific fall season thus far...next up, a visit from Grandbirdy because mom is going on a "mystery trip" with dad. This means my first night leaving Charlotte (I am starting to mentally prepare now!) I will keep you all updated on how that goes and perhaps Birdy will be a guest blogger to share her experience watching Miss CharTot for 2 whole days solo!

Hope everyone is well and taking some time to enjoy the small things in life.

my little girl playing with her toys

fun in the leaves with her new pink ball

love this little pumpkin more than words can say!

Fall Festivities and Road Trip with the little One!

A couple of weeks ago Sam and I took Charlotte to her first fall festival at Mapleside Farms. It was the perfect afternoon - mid 70's and sunny. The venue had hayrides, a bounce area, and a huge slide for kids to play on. I can't wait to take her back when she's big enough to enjoy it all. She enjoyed getting pushed around in her stroller and posing for pictures for now!

The fam at Mapleside Farms

A week later it was off to Pennsylvania to pick up grandma Birdy for our trek to Washington, DC to visit Auntie S (my sister, Samantha). Auntie S didn't get a chance to hold Charlotte in the hospital so she was very eager to do so now that Charlotte was 7 weeks old at this point. Packing for a trip with a baby was a job in and of itself. You need every imaginable item: diapers, wipes, creams, lotions, wash, onesies, sleepers, pack 'n play, sheets, music maker, play mat, boppy, bottles, bottle warmer/cooler, burp cloths, and the list goes on! The car was packed before we got to PA, but luckily Bird didn't pack too much - although we did have to cart a pumpkin all the way down to Washington, DC for Miss S!

Auntie S with Char Tiger

Grandma, Auntie S and mom with the peanut

Charlotte was great in the car on the ride from Cleveland to PA. PA to DC was a little harrier, but 8 hours in a car was driving ME nuts, so I can't imagine it was fun for a 7 week old baby. We had to stop twice to feed her - and one time I had to nurse her in the back parking lot at Sheetz - not ideal, but that is why it's good to travel with blankets and a boppy!

When we arrived in DC Thursday night around 7 pm, it took awhile to unpack the car filled with babyland goods. Then S and I went and picked up Chinese and we had a lovely laid back evening at S's that night.

The next day we had our first playdate with Jenn and Caleb - he was born ten days before Charlotte!

Jenn and Caleb, and Bird and Charlotte

Jenn and I exchanged tips and tricks and it was nice to chat with a fellow new mommy!

That night we went out to dinner at Clyde's - my first test as a mom with a baby in a restaurant! I definitely got a few glances when I walked into Clyde's carrying a car seat, but most people were just saying how cute she was. I am pleased to say that Charlotte got an A++ on her dinner behavior - sleeping most of the time and sucking quietly on her pacifier the rest. Whooo!

The next day we took her into Georgetown for her first girls shopping adventure. Navigating the busy streets of Georgetown with a stroller wasn't as difficult as I had thought, and S and I took turns steering Charlotte into the stores. We even saw some Penn Stater's canning and had to stop and give them some cash and do a few WE ARE cheers with them! (S attended Penn State).

Later we had to stop for lunch midway through our shopping, and Bird gave Char a bottle in the restaurant. She once again was a great baby! Downside - the restaurant didn't have a place to change her, but S and I managed to do it in the bathroom. What kind of restaurant doesn't have a changing table these days!? Crazy to me.

Bird feeding Charlotte

That night we just laid low and hung out and watched TV. Our friend Alberto stopped by and got to see Charlotte awake for approximately 30 seconds before she fell asleep again - our shopping trip definitely wore her out!

Saying goodbye to S the next day was quite sad - but we'll get to see her again in a couple weeks - hooray!