Just another day at the office ...

It seems that Gasperini-ville lovingly refers to their exersaucer as "The Office." Too cute -- we've decided to adopt the term, also.

Welcome to the Exersaucer. What can I do for you today?

This just needs a bit of a tweak ...

Listen, Mom, if we're gonna make things work around here, this is what needs to be done.

Let me just enter those calculations into my computer.

You're Fired!

Happy Halloween!

Tanner went to his first Halloween party yesterday at our class at the hospital for Mommies and Babies.

Tanner and friend, Joey

If he is able to stay awake until Jon gets home from work, our little pumpkin will be trick-or-treating for the first time tonight (just to our neighbor's of course!). Hope you all have a great Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Jon and Grandpa S!

We had so much fun celebrating Jon's birthday with our parents this past Saturday. A great end to what Jon fondly calls his "birthday week." Hmmm ... something I'll have to remember come January. (I'm envisioning flowers, no dishes to do after dinner, and somebody else getting up with our little man in the middle of the night). :)

We all had a great time together doing what Jon loves best -- watching college football! It was also my dad's birthday and Jon's parents' anniversary.

I'm afraid my cake wasn't very original, but that's okay. I was so proud of myself for putting my cake-decorating skills to work again -- I took a class way back in college! Now I remember why I don't do it often -- so time consuming!

Here are some pics from our Par-Tay!

Jon and my dad opening gifts.

Happy 36th Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa Hall!

Tanner and Grandpa H watching football again.

The cake

Snuggling with Grandpa S

Eat, PRAY, Love

I've been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It's a great read for moms because the chapters are only 1-2 pages, so you can read a whole chapter in less than 5 minutes. The author is witty and a little funny and has some really great insights. I really liked this one on prayer. It's a little bit lengthy, but so important to remember ...

My prayers are becoming more deliberate and specific. It
has occurred to me that it's not much use to send prayers out to the universe
that are lazy. Every morning before meditation, I kneel in the temple and
talk for a few minutes to God. I found during the beginning of my stay
here at the Ashram that I was often dull-witted during those divine
conversations. Tired, confused and bored, my prayers sounded the
same. I remember kneeling down one morning, touching my forehead to the
floor and muttering to my creator, "Oh, I dunno what I need ... but you must
have some ideas ... so just do something about it, would you?"

Similar to the way I have oftentimes spoken to my
hairdresser.

And, I'm sorry, but that's a little lame. you can
imagine God regarding that prayer with an arched eyebrow, and sending back this
message: "Call me again when you decide to get serious about
this."

Of course God already knows what I need. the
question is -- do I know? Casting yourself at God's feet in
helpless desperation is all well and good -- heaven knows, I've done it myself
plenty of times -- but ultimately you're likely to get more out of the
experience if you can take some action on your end...

... Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I
want transformation, but can't even be bothered to articulate what, exactly I'm
aiming for, how will it ever occur? Half the benefit of prayer is in the
asking itself, in the offering of a clearly posed and well-considered
intention. If you don't have this, all your please and desires are
boneless, floppy, inert; they swirl at your feet in a cold fog and never
lift. So now I take the time every morning to search myself for
specificity about what I am truly asking for.

How often I come to God with vague requests and prayers. The other night, after reading this, I prayed that God would just completely heal my little man's ingrown toenail -- I thought I'd start small. In the morning, it was as good as new -- after WEEKS of being swollen and red and yucky looking. Praise God!

** I can't believe I have a Master's Degree and still don't know how to cite a source. I'll give it a try, though:

Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love (New York: Penguin, 2007), 176 -
177.

3 Month Portraits

I've been meaning to post these for a few weeks now. Oh, how the time flies! These were Tanner's 3 month pics. I originally went to the photographer intending to buy the special $9.95 package and that's it. By the time I walked out, I had spent $100! Yikes -- I learned my lesson. It's so easy to get sucked in when you're presented with 50 pictures of the love of your life! Next time it's the basic package and nothing more! I thought you might enjoy some of our faves!

What a poser.

Top 5

A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine called to get a little advice on which baby items to register for. I have to say, I LOVED sharing my opinion with her, and probably gave her way more advice than she was seeking, which is always annoying -- Sorry, Sally! After we hung up, I continued to ponder what baby items have made my life as a new mom the easiest. Here are my favorites (as of 3 1/2 months). What are yours?

Top 5 (okay, 7) Baby Items
1. Summer Night/Day Handheld Video Monitor. I can't say enough about it ... SOOO great. I can see if Tanner is awake or asleep without having to go in. Did he just lose his pacifier? Is he out of his swaddler? Was he just making noises in his sleep? I thought registering for one of these was a little excessive in the beginning, but someone talked me into upgrading the audio monitor I had already received to this, and I am SO glad!

2. SwaddleMe Wrap. We use it every night and every naptime. Our boy looks like a little sweet pea when he's all bundled up.

3. Boppy Pillow. We actually have 2 of these -- one to keep in Tanner's room and one for the family room. They make nursing SO much easier and are nice to set our little guy in when he needs a little propping up.

4. Bebe Au' Lait Nursing Cover. Makes me feel like I can feed Tanner anywhere and not be embarrassed. (Not that one SHOULD be embarrassed for nursing in public -- I just had a hard time being discreet about it.)

5. Fisher Price Rainforest Carseat Mirror. It straps onto the headrest on my back seat. I just look in my rearview mirror and can see what my little man is doing since he is rear-facing. It plays music, too, which he LOVES! (the actual tune is completely annoying, but if he's happy, I'm happy!)

6. AVENT Bottle Sterilizer. Just put in everything that needs to be sterilized (including pacifiers and such), pop it into the microwave for 4 minutes, and you're done! I even take it home with me to Michigan whenever I go!

7. Sassy Deluxe Developmental Mobile. In the beginning, I was kind of against mobiles. Don't ask my why -- I was being dumb -- you know, I didn't want to overstimulate my baby. My mom got this one for her crib at home, and I loved it so much, I got one for ours, and then my mother-in-law got one for theirs. I love that it moves a little, then pauses, then moves a little, then pauses, etc. Plus, the little hanging parts change into more complex things to look at as your baby develops. It plays classical music, lullabies, and white noise, AND it has a remote control to go with it. The best part is that they were only $20 at Big Lots.

Congratulations to Jon!

Last weekend, Jon was inducted into our high school's Athletic Hall of Fame. We went home for the special event and attended a reception honoring the new inductees, then the football game where they were recognized. Jon said it was a "magical" evening for him. I'm so glad. I was so proud and remembered all those Friday nights when I used to sit in the front row of the student section with a "23" painted on my face and Jon's button on my chest, cheering for him! Yeah, Jon!