We’re in full-blown Fall and barreling toward winter as the days get remarkably shorter and the aisles of Target fill with Christmas decor. It’s been a sweet season, these past few weeks of finding our new groove as a family of four and slowly emerging from our newborn cocoon to spend more time with family and friends.
Our parade of visitors began at the end of September when my parents trekked to Seattle to meet their one and only grandson. My mom said she couldn’t remember the last time she had held a baby, but it seems her soothing skills came flooding back to her as she rocked and sang Isaac to sleep within hours of their arrival.
Motown, hymns, country…Grandma sings it al!
My dad also got some quality cuddle time…
…though I especially loved bearing witness to his playtime with Juliette.
We didn’t get out a whole lot that week, but it was nice to fold my parents into our quiet routine and to have some company as I picked up Juliette from school or spent an afternoon on the couch with a sleeping baby on my chest.
My brother and his family joined us for a weekend in October – there was driveway basketball and a walk at Lincoln Park and several rounds of pass-the-baby.
Bina the dog is used to being the baby in the room and displayed a little envy early-on, but once she’d sniffed out Isaac and determined he wasn’t going to hop right into anyone’s lap, she decided he was alright.
I turned forty that Saturday and it was nice to have family around to toast to a new decade.
Plus, Mitch makes some mean spaghetti and meatballs. He and Shane spent much of the afternoon planning and shopping and cooking and I MUCH appreciated it.
Cheers!
And to bookend grandparent season, the Schnells landed in Seattle a couple of weeks ago along with our niece, Shanay.
While Grandma and Grandpa doted on Isaac, Shanay was an amazing buddy for Juliette. There aren’t too many 22 year-olds that will jump at the chance to do Play-dough, but she was so incredibly generous with her time and attention (plus, she can french braid, which essentially gives her Queen status with Juliette).
Lazy mornings…
Lazy afternoons…
Again, we didn’t get out much. But we were plenty content to cozy up inside with the baby. Denny wore his grandpa-heart on his sleeve and spent long stretches of time just gazing at Isaac’s little face and saying, “Grandpa loves you…you’re such a gift, buddy…”.
It was a tearful goodbye (not just for Isaac!), but those few days together were precious.
In other news, we inducted Isaac into the Giants fan club and cheered on our team during their too-short playoff season.
Gosh, it hurt to lose to the Dodgers. Also hurt to hear that Buster Posey is retiring! Juliette shed a few tears when the news broke…
Other October happenings included our first annual Harry Potter night. Juliette and I spent the afternoon making Hogwarts-themed treats and then invited the Rusts over for snacks and a movie.
Sorting hats were chosen at random and the color of the jelly beans inside told you which house you belonged in.
Slytherin for J! I knew he had a dark side…
But Slytherin for Nance, too? I expected better.
I tend to overuse the word “cozy” in my Fall and Winter blog posts, but…it really was the coziest of October evenings.
Cozy vibes aside, sometimes we’ve just gotta get out, and Juliette’s Saturday soccer games have proven to be an excellent reason to leave the house. This is her first year on the team and she is killing it! I am so, so proud of her – she’s a force out there, scoring goals at every game, passing to her friends like a true team player, and shaking off the occasional bump or bruise.
Isaac doesn’t quite follow the action, but at least he keeps my lap warm!
On really muddy days, the girls line up during half-time and stick their feet out so that the coaches can scrape their cleats clean. These dads get gold stars.
Morning walks are another good reason to leave the house, partly because I need the exercise, but also because Isaac needs the nap.
Bonus points if I can work my route to include a coffee stop.
Double-bonus if I’m joined by a friend!
Saving the Halloween pics for another day, and then it’s onto the business of November-ing!
