November adventures

We've had a busy past six weeks, which included trips to Central Park to see the changing leaves, the latest show at PS1, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, new playgrounds and playdates with friends. For Thanksgiving we traveled to Louisville. Really enjoyed catching up with Mom, Mike, meeting Mike's lovely girlfriend Rachel and checking out some of the more touristy places from my old hometown. Erik swung his very first bat at the Louisville Slugger Museum too!

Sweet Leo at 7 months

Leo’s half birthday flew by without getting a chance to write about what he's been up to and what he is getting in to! Probably a few times a day I seem to tell someone just how different our two children are. At 7 months, Ellis was a big, chubby baby who was happy to nurse all day, and took catnaps reluctantly. When Leo was born, he nursed easily but was quick to finish. I brought him to a lactation consultant because I couldn't actually believe he was done feeding in a few minutes. He was fine...growing well, but such a snacker! Today, Leo is a strong and nimble guy, who is always on the move, unless he's napping, which he does with relative ease. He likes his pacifier, standing and hanging on to the baby gate or his crib, squealing at Ellis, and exploring new foods. He has the sweetest smile and even though he seems determined to crawl and walk early, I am trying to soak in his baby months before he’s off and running.

McCarren Park Pumpkin Festival

Earlier this month we picked up a pumpkin at the McCarren Park festival. When I took the picture of Ellis, I realized this was our third time enjoying this seasonal ritual. Fall is such a wonderful time in the city.

Ellis turns 4 and starts school

Last month was a biggie...so big and busy that I didn’t have a chance to post. Ellis began public Pre-K as well as a new after school program. Erik and I tried our best to keep Ellis excited about her first day. She loved her new backpack and lunchbox and visiting her school's playground. On the first day, we all walked with nervous smiles to her new classroom. We are happy to report that she seems to really love school! Her day is long (8:30-5:45) and she no longer naps like she used to at her old school, but she has a big smile every evening. She is making up for the longer day with an earlier bedtime, which is a huge help. Erik and I had to get used to public school drop off (at the big front doors with so many other kids) and not getting daily contact with her teacher. We’ve adjusted knowing that we can always call her with questions or write a little note. Ellis reveals some details about her day, but we tend to find out the most when she plays school at home.

On the 20th of September, we celebrated Ellis’ 4th birthday. Erik made her a sweet paper hat and we had a pancake breakfast. She seems like such a kid now. I think four is going to be a really fun year. We had a small princess party for her with a few close friends that weekend. Everyone decorated foam tiaras with gems, pinned the kiss on the frog and took down the dragon piñata.

Picnics and Parties

While we’ve stayed pretty local since our trip to Florida, we have tried to take full advantage of the mild August weather with picnics in the park and trips to the playground. It also seems to be birthday season and we are having so much fun celebrating all of the new four year olds.

Leo is now 5 months old. He’s a very smiley baby when he’s happy and he has a strong, determined cry when he’s tired or hungry. He has little interest in sitting, but is already starting to commando crawl and roll all around the floor. Ellis is his favorite person in the world. He giggles and lights up around her in the most loving way.