Halloween Countdown: Spooky Sensory Bottles

4 days 'til Halloween!

Yesterday we finally got those big pumpkins carved! Calvin and I had painted the little ones, of course, and James and Hartley (our cousin) carved the big ones. Check 'em out!!

In case you don't recognize him, this is Buddy the T-Rex
from the show Dinosaur Train, which is Calvin's latest TV obsession :)

Go Giants!! Another World Series win last night!! #yesyesyes

Today's Halloween play idea is Spooky Sensory Bottles!

When Calvin was about 9 months old, I made him a set of sensory bottles. Recently, I pulled them out for Henry and realized that they are actually too heavy and fat for him to pick up because of his hypotonia and delayed motor skills.

"It's great and all, mom, but I bet it'd be more fun if I could pick it up..."

So I decided to make a new set for Henry using different bottles. And I thought it would be a nice opportunity to tie in a Halloween theme :)

We have lots of these "baby soda bottles" around because James is a homebrewer and his brewer's yeast comes in them. They are great for sensory bottles. The clear ones are best, but all the ones we had happen to be tinted gray... I used them anyway rather than buying anything new. They're a really nice size and shape for Henry to pick up and manipulate.

I mostly used things I already had in my craft supplies, but I did buy some little plastic pumpkins (they were called "table scatter" and they were in the dollar section at Target) and some little plastic spiders.

Here's a description for each bottle that I made (from left to right):

1. corn syrup + multicolored sequins
I think sequins are the best filler for a corn syrup sensory bottle because they are light and they move easily through the thick syrup. Heavier items tend to clump up or not move around much.

2. water + fine purple glitter + pearl beads

3. water + coarse green glitter + star sequins + one plastic spider
The spider is really too big, so it doesn't move. It's stuck there in the middle. But I actually like it that way with the glitter and the stars floating around it.

4. water + fine green glitter + plastic pumpkins
This light green glitter looks like kind of a sickly pea soup shade in the gray bottle. But I figure that makes it more spooky, right?

5. corn syrup + red food coloring + yellow food coloring + purple buttons
This one was inspired by the book/movie Coraline... and by my insistence on using stuff I already had on hand ;) The buttons are pretty heavy for the corn syrup, though. They don't move around much.


Here are all the materials I used to fill the bottles:

Not Pictured: Water ;)

Some notes & tips for making your own sensory bottles:

- When you add food coloring to corn syrup, it will take a while to diffuse. So for a while, it will look all cool like this:

But it won't stay that way. As you play with it and flip it over and over, eventually the syrup will be completely colored.

- When you add glitter to water it will look all clumpy and weird at first. Just give it a few good shakes and it will loosen up. The finer the glitter, the more clumpy it will be.

- When adding sequins or other items to corn syrup, less is more. It's really cool to watch them slowly ooze from one end of the bottle to the other... but if you put too many bigger items inside, they can get clogged up and stuck. And if you put too many sequins or too much glitter, it will diffuse throughout the syrup and you won't be able to see them ooze from one end to the other.

- Don't fill them up to the brim. You want the liquid to be able to move around, so you'll need an air bubble. Leave some room at the top of your bottles before you cap them. I like to leave a bigger bubble in the corn syrup tubes than in the water tubes.

- Don't be afraid to dump it and start over, or make changes as you go. That orange tube kept looking too dark to me, so I kept pouring some out and adding more clear syrup to lighten it. The one with the sequins had too many sequins at first so I did the same thing: I poured a bunch out and added plain syrup.

- Glue them closed. You can put a couple of dots of super glue on the threads and then screw the caps on. I learned the hard way when Calvin was capable of unscrewing a cap!

The kids both love these new sensory bottles! Actually, the grown-ups around here kind of love them too ;)

Check out my other Halloween Countdown posts for more toddler/baby play ideas!

How to Fail at Flying with Babies (and Live to Tell)

We're back from vacation! And I would love to share some pics from our trip... but we haven't even looked through them yet! So that will have to wait until next week. In the meantime, I feel compelled to confess write about our flight home to California - in which James and I mostly failed at preparing for a flight with two babies.

It had already been a long travel day. We had to drive from the lake house in Alabama where we had been staying with James' family to my parents' house north of Atlanta (3.5ish hours) to return some things, and then south to the airport (45ish minutes) before even braving Hartsfield-Jackson International itself.

Everything was actually going well as we arrived at the ariport and boarded the plane. The airport wasn't too crowded, we got to go through an expedited security line (didn't even have to take our shoes off!), made it to the gate right on time and boarded early with the other baby-toting families like us.

As we got settled into our seats it started to dawn on me...

Where are Calvin's headphones? 

Wait, these movies aren't free? They were free on our last flight! 

Henry has a poopy diaper. Wait, how many diapers do we even have?

Um. Oops.

Well, learn from our mistakes, friends! Here's where we went wrong!

1. Make sure you, the parents, are totally exhausted to begin with. 
Like I said, we had already been traveling that day. By the time we were seated on the plane, James and I seriously just wanted to sleep. But not our kids! Oh no! They were well-napped and bright eyed! Ready to play!

Starting your flight already tired ensures that any disturbances or mishaps will feel worse than they are and that you, the parents, will have limited reserves to draw from while entertaining your small children for 4+ hours. Good luck.

2. Don't count the diapers in your bag.
You probably have enough. I think. Otherwise you could end up like us, debating which of your two children will get the last diaper when they have both already peed in the ones they are wearing and you've got like 2 hours of flight left. (Yes, Calvin is potty trained... mostly... but we put him in a diaper on the flight since we couldn't guarantee we'd be able to get him to the bathroom at the necessary moment.) (Also, in case you were waiting in suspense, Calvin got it because his was about to asplode with pee. We figured if Henry had a blow out, we'd take that last diaper back from Calvin and give it to Henry. You're welcome.) Then again, I guess this wouldn't happen to families with only 1 kid in diapers!

3. Count on the plane to provide electronic entertainment.
When the babies and I flew out to GA with my mom, she was totally prepared to entertain Calvin with episodes of Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse on her Kindle. She even bought him little toddler headphones.

James and I, on the other hand, did not prioritize entertainment in our packing plan. I had packed a few toys and books, but I totally forgot about Calvin's headphones (so they got left at Granny's house) and I didn't bother downloading any shows. On our flight out, we had been lucky and all the in-flight movies and tv shows were complimentary so I just hoped/assumed that they would be again. How cute. I thought they'd be free. Bless my heart.

4. Don't charge your cell phones.
Both my phone and James' phone were near death when we boarded the plane. I turned mine on a couple of times to take photos, but I didn't want it to completely shut down (ya know, in case of emergency and all that) so I had to leave it off the rest of the flight. And James' phone is a piece of junk that will barely send a text message let alone run a video. So we couldn't even entertain the boys with charming home movies of themselves or with the array of children's books on my Kindle app! #technologyfail #usererror

5. Don't worry about the time difference when you book your flight.
Landing at 8:30 CA time is past baby bed time, but not soooo late, right? Except that they've adjusted to central time while staying in Alabama, so it's actually like landing at 10:30. Which is waaay past baby bed time. Didn't think about that two months ago when I booked this flight. Oh well, they'll be fine right? Right guys??



Ok, so let's say you've taken this sage advice to heart and there you are, like James and I were, staring down 4.5 hours of what-do-I-do-with-these-babies-in-this-confined-space???

Here are some survival tips.

Work with what you've got. 

Calvin was not immediately impressed with my airplane menu - turned - Mickey Mouse boat...

Toys are getting boring? Play with a airplane menu! Not enough snacks? Buy expensive airline snacks or nom some Biscoff cookies care of Delta. Didn't download kid movies? Well, you might get lucky and have free movies, or you might let your kid watch a little Adventure Time with no sound. Get creative.

Channel your inner Raffi.

...but I won him over with my singing!

Or Wiggles. Or Barney. Or Sharon, Lois, and Bram. Whatever. Sing some songs. Do some puppetry. Muster whatever energy you have and play with your kid. I mean, this is what we do as parents anyway right? We were so tired. And 4 hours in a limited space with limited toys takes a little lot more effort than the usual playing-with-our-kids that happens at home. But we made it work. 

Let it go... Let it goooo.... 

At first I was stressed and mad at myself - feeling tired, of course, made these feelings worse. But then I got the idea to write this blog post and suddenly it was all kind of funny. Seriously, who forgets to count the diapers?! James and I actually kind of pride ourselves on being able to figure things out as we go along. Maybe preparedness is not our strong suit. But flexibility is! So I let that mommy-guilt go and went to work entertaining Calvin instead. And everything pretty much went fine. Nothing like the Crying Kid Episode of 2013! The kids still have no idea what slackers their parents are. ;)

Fellow slacker parents - any tips for problem solving in a pinch while traveling??

Babywearing

Thank God for baby carriers! Especially for my little snuggler Henry who wants to be attached to Mama 24/7 :) I have tried out 6 different kinds of baby carriers, and between the two of us (James and me) that count bumps up to 7! We also have 3 strollers: an umbrella stroller, a jogger (our baby car seat snaps into the jogger - we sometimes used that for Calvin when he was an infant), and our awesome Contours Options LT tandem stroller. 

Love our tandem stroller! I can change the configuration of the seats to have them face me, face out, or face each other. It handles well and has a ginormous basket for carrying all our crap. Or groceries :) This was a group shower gift from lots of friends and family who chipped in - so, Thank You Thank You Thank You!!

Though I think our stroller is awesome, the baby carriers are so versatile that ultimately they have been more useful. Plus, like I said, Henry is much much happier being carried. If Henry is fussy, I can wear him around the house while I'm washing dishes or cooking (gotta be careful with cooking, though, and use common sense - I put him down if it's time to do something over the stove or in the oven, for example.) When Henry was still nursing, I was able to feed him in the Ergo, and actually I still can, but not hands free anymore. Obviously babywearing is great for hiking, since trails aren't stroller friendly. It's also great for shopping with babes too small to sit in the cart, or who can't sit up because of hypotonia, or if you've got two under two and the cart only has one seat! When we just had Calvin, it was easy to go out to eat while he was a newborn because he was tucked up in a sling or wrap. And while they were tiny, we've let them sleep in the Ergo or sling so we could stay up and play board games at a friend's house. (Now we just put them to bed :)

Babywearing also keeps little ones close so they feel safe and comfy snuggled up with mama or daddy. For some kids like Henry, this can be really important. Henry happens to be one of those babies that just really likes being held. One school of thought about parenting "needy" babies like him is to go ahead and hold them close and let them feel safe as much as possible and that eventually, that feeling of safety will carry over to the times when they are not being held. Another reason Henry really benefits from babywearing is that from what I've read it's common for Dup15q kids to get overstimulated easily, and this can make it hard for them to calm down and go to sleep. Wearing Henry, and especially keeping him facing me, creates a nice calm place for him to be even when we are out and about. Bedtime can be really hard for Henry, but I do find that if I wear him around the house for the hour or two before bedtime, he is calmer and falls asleep faster.

Here are our favorite baby carriers:

The Boba Wrap:

Like the more popular Moby, this is just one long piece of fabric that you wrap 'round and 'round and then tie. Putting it on is a bit of a pain and takes some practice. My midwife taught us how to do it, but there are lots of tutorials on YouTube. When Calvin was an infant, I used this ALL THE TIME. I'd just wrap it on over a nursing tank and wear it the whole time we were out of the house. So, the solution to the problem of taking it off/putting it on is to just put it on before you leave the house and then only take it off when you get home, or if you're going to be away from your baby (obvs). Bonus: it covers a postpartum belly relatively well. 

What makes it different from the Moby is that the fabric is stretchier. This means you can wrap it on yourself snugly and then stretch it open to put the baby in and then the baby is really secure. I never used the Moby, so maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like it's harder to get the baby snug in there because when you put it on, you have to leave enough slack to get the baby in. Whenever I saw other parents using the Moby, there always appeared to be a litte loose fabric around the baby, whereas you can see in the pic that it's wrapped nice and tightly around baby Calvin. 

I will say I think this one is best for really teeny babies. It wasn't quite as comfy for Henry, who was bigger than Calvin from birth. But I really think this is perfect for newborns because they're just so close and you can pull the fabric over their heads so they can sleep (which, of course, newborns do all the time!). It's funny because it's almost like still being pregnant! 

The Ring Sling:

Most other parents I know do not love the ring sling and say that they could never get it to work for them and their babies. But I love it, and it totally works for us and has since my kids were newborns. There are a few ways to wear a ring sling and again, YouTube has lots of tutorials, but these pics show the two ways I've used it. In the bottom pic you can see newborn Henry in a kind of cradle hold. At first I thought the way the cradle hold curved their backs was bad, but my midwife assured me that it was fine, and both boys were always happy and comfy that way when they were teeny. Henry quickly became too long to fit this way comfortably, but my shorty Calvin could be carried in this cradle hold in the sling for months!

The top picture shows an upright hold, kind of like carrying a kid on your hip, which works for Henry now. There was a gap with Henry when I couldn't use the sling because he was too long for the cradle carry, and didn't yet have the head control for the upright hold. I think this would only be a problem for hypotonic babies. 

The con with the ring sling is that it's not truly hands free. It's just not as secure as other carriers/wraps so I always feel like I need a hand on the baby just in case the fabric slips one way or another. Still, this one is the one I like to use in the house because it's so comfy and lightweight and it's a quick transition to get him in or out of it.

The Ergobaby:

This is our all-around fave. You can do front, back, or side carry and it's totally comfy for mama, daddy, and baby. (Though if Henry had more severe hypotonia, it wouldn't give quite enough head support, but I've seen moms who have adapted theirs by adding some padding.) It's easy to get on and off, and it's easy to adjust. Some parents say it's hard to clip the neck strap behind your head, but I say it just takes a bit of practice. I have no problem with it. The Ergo is designed to support healthy hip development for babies and there's a new Ergo 360 which features an outward-facing option. In the first pic you can see that I'm using an infant insert to give newborn Henry some extra support and padding.

Other good things about the Ergo... Our kids could/can sleep comfortably inside. There's a hood, which is nice for Ergo naps and also for porcelain skinned babes on sunny days (I'm looking at you, Henry!) and a pocket to stuff the hood into when not in use. And there's a zipper pocket big enough to hold phone/wallet/keys and even a disposable diaper ;) 

Our first Ergo was the water-resistant "performance" one and it met with an untimely death when I shut the car door with the strap hanging out and the strap got caught under the tire and ripped off :( We immediately bought a replacement, and opted for the organic one in a pretty navy blue which I love, but in the rain I was missing the performance one! 

The Kelty Frame Backpack:

We don't actually own this one, we're borrowing it from a friend. Obviously these frame backpacks are for bigger kids and they're great for hiking or long walks because the weight of the kid and the carrier is more on the adult's hips and less on the back and shoulders. The main thing we like about it is that Calvin is up high so he can see all around, whereas in the Ergo on his dad's back he can only see to his sides. We only use one this for hiking. It seems too bulky for other kinds of outings, but we have friends who use their frame backpack all the time. 

A few carriers that did not work for us:

Pouch sling: This was like a non-adjustable version of a ring sling, and I could never get Calvin comfortably situated in it. 

Pouch ring sling: This was one of those that kind of looks like a bag with a strap. This one basically swallowed Calvin. He may have just been too small at the time, but other slings that are more adjustable can be used for teeny babes as well as bigger babies. 

Baby Bjorn: These don't give the hip support for the baby that the Ergo and some of the other similar carriers do. Henry was always too floppy in general for this one - not enough support all around. And for me, it felt like all his weight was on my back since it doesn't have a waist strap. 

Anybody else love babywearing? Which carrier is your fave? 

Henry Wellness Update: Little by Little, Day by Day

Henry is doing well :) We see him getting stronger little by little every day. He is doing a much better job holding his torso straight when he's carried upright and he can sit in the Bumbo for short periods, whereas before he would slump over immediately.

Concentrating so hard!

He is still smiley and happy most of the time (as long as Mama is within sight!), especially now that he has figured out how to reach his feet! Oh he loves grabbing his little toesies! I don't blame him. Those baby feet are adorbs.

Here are some updates from Henry's specialists...

Neurology
James and I had questions/concerns about the possibility of seizures, which are associated with Dup15q. The neurologist told us what signs would indicate a seizure and what to do in the event that one happens. So far, Henry has not had any episodes that look like seizures. The neurologist also checked out Henry's moves and explained that his occasional jerky movement is a sign of his immature motor skills. She said it's like his brain is figuring out which movements are needed to do what he wants to do and he still has lots of "extra movements" like a younger baby. This was about a month ago and I already see less of those jerky movements.

ENT (Ear Nose & Throat) 
Henry's ENT diagnosed him with acid reflux in December when he found that Henry's throat was very irritated because of the acid. Henry has been taking Prevacid for the reflux since then and it is definitely helping. The ENT, Dr. Chang, noted that Henry's voice sounds normal now that the reflux isn't irritating his throat. He also said that reflux usually improves on its own in older babies: as the digestive system grows stronger the sphincter can keep the acid from going back up. So he said we can expect Henry's to improve in a few months and then we can wean Henry off the medicine. I said, what about his hypotonia? - will that prevent his digestive system from improving? And Dr. Chang said that Henry's hypotonia is not that bad. This is something we have been consistently hearing, and it is always reassuring to hear! His hypotonia is not severe. He is doing ok and he will continue to get stronger.

Dr. Chang also talked to me about the results of the sleep study. They did observe a small degree of sleep apnea, but his oxygen levels remained high throughout the night so Dr. Chang doesn't feel any treatment is needed. I agree. Henry generally sleeps fine and we don't notice any snoring anymore.

Physical Therapy
Henry had an evaluation with a PT named Anna and she used a standardized evaluation to determine the degree to which Henry is or isn't delayed in motor development for his age. In order to qualify for therapy (I guess its a CA guideline?) he has to be 33% delayed... I have no idea what that means in practical terms! I guess it's like, if he's 6 months old he would have to be functioning like a 4 month old? Which actually seems about right.

Anna did some exercises with Henry and checked out his movements and muscles and stuff. Unfortunately she wasn't able to give us the evaluation results immediately, she needed to take her notes home to score it and we are still waiting to hear from our regional center case worker whether or not he qualifies for therapy. I'm not sure whether to hope he qualifies! On the one hand, it's great if he's not that delayed... on the other hand, I want the help for him!

Like Rosie did at Henry's regional center evaluation, Anna showed me some exercises I can do with Henry and some ideas for how to support him using pillows to help him sit up.

Feeding Specialist (Occupational Therapy)

We had been trying to get this appointment for MONTHS. We really needed it when Henry was switching to bottle feeding, but at least the timing worked out that the OT was able to help us with introducing solids. Her name is Dr. Van Boldrick. She observed Henry drinking from his bottle and talked to us about what to look and listen for to tell if he is drinking efficiently. She gave us a different bottle to try with a smaller nipple that she felt would be easier for him. Seems the same to me... 

We waited to give Henry his first solid food (if you can call prune puree "solid" ;) at this appointment with Dr. Van Boldrick. Because of the hypotonia, we just didn't know how Henry would handle swallowing something thicker than milk. So, to be safe, we waited until we were with the OT. And Henry did awesome! He opened his mouth for the spoon, used his lips to scrape the food off, and there was no choking or gagging or spitting at all! What was I worried about?? James and I both noted that it went so much better than the first time we tried to give Calvin food!

Dr. Van Boldrick said that since he did so well, she recommends offering him purees once a day. She said to give him whatever amount he is interested in eating within a 5-15 minute window. She also said that we need to move on to introducing thicker purees when he turns 9 months. She explained that babies need to learn to get used to the textures of food in their mouth at certain milestones even if they are just spitting them back out. I wish we had been told that when Calvin was a baby! But he's a pretty good eater now... most of the time :)

Our cousin Hartley helped me get some pics and a video of Henry eating!

I'm very happy to report that Henry is doing so well :) It's such a relief to be able to see him getting stronger and starting to be able to do the things we hope for him. We watched him go from kicking a little, to starting to raise his legs up, to being able to grab at his knees, ankles, and finally grab those baby feet! It was a slower progression than with other babies, I'm sure, but it was still amazing to see. One of these days I'm sure he'll even get those toes to reach his mouth! I can feel him holding himself up stronger when I carry him and I see how much better he sits propped up. I know he'll be able to sit on his own soon enough! He is getting there! During tummy time he can prop himself up on his elbows and reach out for toys in front of him. He is still rolling from front to back, and from his back he can still only roll onto his side, but he is working on it and one of these days I know he'll roll all the way over! 

I feel like this time around it has been easier for me to let go of the idea that Henry needs to catch up or keep up with other babies his age. With Calvin it stressed me out more, but then, he was my first! With Henry, I feel like the bigger worries are farther in the future and I'm trying not to look that far ahead because there's really no way to see what we will find there. For now, I know he needs his own time and his own path, slow and steady, little by little, with some help and encouragement and a lot of celebration. 

DIY Baby Toys

We've got our fair share of Melissa & Doug gems for Calvin to play with, but to mix things up, I sometimes set him up with some homemade toys made from "upcycled" items and some things from the craft store. First I made him some very fancy looking sensory bottles and shakers. Then I got some inspiration from other "mommy bloggers" via Pinterest. Here are a few other DIY "toys" we've tried out:

Tissue box + Handkerchiefs

I set him up with this when he was around 9 months old. I just saved an empty tissue box and put a couple of handkerchiefs in it that he could pull out and stuff in over and over again (instead of pulling out all the real tissues and throwing them all over the place). 

Can with plastic lid + Milk jug lids

I made this one around the same time, but introduced it after the tissue box. I felt like this was a next step in terms of motor skills. This is an Almond Roca can, but there are lots of foods that come in similar cans (like coffee and oatmeal). I cut an X shape into the plastic lid with a knife. I was worried about the pointy corners left on each triangle flap scratching Calvin's hand so I actually took a nail file and rounded them! Then I realized I could have just used scissors to round the points. I put the milk jug lids inside and voila - a toy that makes nice rattle-y noises and has little things to grab and pull out or grab and push in! It took him a while to figure out how to get them out the first time around, but once he got it he started putting other small toys in and pulling them out too. 

Can with plastic lid + Ribbons

Same can with ribbons instead of milk lids. So many things you can push in and pull out of this can! Hours of entertainment. Ok not hours, his attention span is not that big! Minutes. Minutes of entertainment :) 

Paper towel tube + Milk jug lids

Calvin is about 15 months old here. I set this up, modeled dropping a lid down the tube, and let him at it. He grabbed the tube and ripped it off the wall. Ok. More tape. I set it up again with more tape, and it bought me 10 minutes to wash the dishes. Win. Usually I don't bother taping up the tube anymore, and he can just sit and hold the tube and drop things through it. Besides milk lids, he also does this activity with other little objects like cotton balls or blocks.

Puff Balls + Cups

Another month or two later. Those little "cups" are actually lids from Henry's Avent bottles and the puff balls came from the craft store, but Calvin could easily do the same with small cups and cotton balls. He loves those little puff balls, though. Fun and colorful and fuzzy :)

Cotton Balls + Container

That container was the packaging from some pacifiers I bought for Henry. Just like the puff balls, he likes to stuff the cotton balls into containers (ice cube tray, tupperware, cups) or spread them around the room! But this particular container makes a nice toy because it latches closed which adds a little work for him to do to open and shut it.

Contact Paper + Small Objects

Sorry for the mega-glare on this picture! I taped a piece of contact paper sticky-side out on the side of our bookshelf and gave Calvin some small things to stick to it: puff balls, little plastic jewels, and cardboard die-cuts from my scrapbooking supplies (other ideas: pieces of pipe cleaner, paper clips, paper shapes, cheerios). The first time we did this he was so funny about the contact paper. He just wanted to stick his hand to it and pull it off over and over again and finally he pulled it down entirely and was just playing with the wadded up contact paper! This time he was fascinated by the tiny jewels and I could really see him working hard with those fine motor skills to pick them up, stick them on, and take them off. He also figured out that he could roll the puff balls slowly down the sticky paper. So many fun things to do with sticky paper!

All of these are great for motor skills and hand-eye coordination. I have some other brilliant ideas I want to try out as he gets older, so I'm sure I'll do a follow-up post in the future :)

Harry and Hedwig's Halloween

Happy Halloween! Oh wait, Happy All Saints Day!

Harry Potter and his owl Hedwig! 

Our Halloween festivities got a little shaken up by the stomach flu which hit our house last weekend :\ We had plans to go to a couple Halloween events on Saturday, but our kiddo Calvin was sick and the next thing we knew James and I were sick too! So we got our first taste of what it's like to be sick and still be parents (it sucks), but thankfully it only lasted a couple of days and we were all better in time for Halloween. 

I had already made/assembled the boys' costumes. For Calvin's Harry Potter costume, I ordered a hooded cape from an Etsy shop and a Gryffindor hat/scarf combo from Amazon. Then I printed a Gryffindor tie and crest onto sticker paper and stuck the tie onto his shirt and the crest onto his cape. I should have done an iron-on tie because the sticker kept coming off (duh, mom). We went through 3 tie stickers! I really wanted to hand-make (or mostly hand-make) Henry's costume because I made Calvin's chicken costume last year for his first Halloween. So I started with a white pajama outfit that came with a hat and I glued felt feathers onto the pj's and felt eyes and beak onto the hat. The wings were safety-pinned so that I could take them off to put him in his car seat. 

James had to work, of course, but I took the boys out to some baby-friendly Halloween celebrations with our friends and their kids. In the morning, we went to the Tiny Tot Halloween Parade on Chestnut St. in San Francisco which was basically a mass stroller brigade trick-or-treating up and down Chestnut St. where the shop/restaurant owners were handing out candy. Honestly I felt like kind of a jerk taking candy when clearly my babies are too young for sweets! Ha ha. So we actually didn't stay in the "parade" for long. After a couple of blocks we bailed out, bought coffee for us mamas, and took our kids to the playground where the event had started. 

Hedwig (Henry) says that owls are supposed to be nocturnal.

I almost chickened out of drawing the glasses on Calvin's face, but my friend talked me into it and we got so many comments about how cute the glasses were!

Pensive Harry.

Baby Harry Potter was visiting Wonder Woman when a butterfly fluttered by...

Calvin only likes swings for about 30 seconds and the he wants out. 

We had lunch at the park and then went home for a few hours. Later in the afternoon, we went over to our friends' house for a baby Halloween party with some of the same kiddos from last year's Halloween party.

Party foul. 

Sleeping Hedwig... so sweet!

"The Boy Who Lived"

Harry and Hedwig are clearly the life of the party.

With our friends Jaime and Autumn

Heidi and Grandfather; Superwoman and a flower; Harry, Hedwig, and a witch; Supermom and a butterfly; Green Lantern and Wonder Woman! Harry Potter's tie is stuck to my leg! 

The babes were just too wiggly to line them up for a picture by themselves like last year! Plus it was way too close to bedtime. My little Harry Potter was tired and getting mad about how hot his costume was (sorry Calvin!).  It was a bummer that James missed out, but I had a fun Halloween with Calvin and Henry!

Pumpkin Patch and Picnic by the Lake

This month is a busy one for our family! Lots of traveling and Forced Family Fun, starting with a trip to the pumpkin patch and a picnic by the lake!


We sat in the traffic leading into the Pumpkin Capital of the World, Half Moon Bay, to bring the boys to Lemos Farm's pumpkin extravaganza.

Calvin is super excited about petting the goats.

He did calm down.

But he may have been a little nervous even after we left the goat pen.

Mushy Henry!

Sugar Pumpkin :)

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

The next day we headed over to Del Valle park for a picnic by the lake with some friends.

 

Rachel and Sagan

Matt and Autumn

 Napping in the cabana. Look at that little tushie sticking up! 

We had to take these fast so that Henry wouldn't be in the sun too long!

Calvin's turn for a ride! Sagan said he was heavy!

Our busy little guy was fascinated by the ladder golf balls. 

Love that smile so much!!!

We don't have many pics of the 4 of us!

You can tell that poor Calvin is tired! Hard to tell if Henry is laughing or crying, though... let's assume he is smiling!