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| Posing Pumpkin |
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| Cutest Spiderman Ever! |
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| Chase's fake smile and Gabe distracted |
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| Chase and Daddy getting ready to go trick or treating. They came back with a wagon full of candy. |
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| Chase in his "awesome" Spiderman costume (he's been using the word "awesome" a lot lately) |
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| ...kind of looks like an artist in this picture with the tilted hat |
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| The Orioles didn't make it to the World Series this year, but they still have the cutest fan! |
Here we are halfway through November! Fall is definitely here with vibrant colored leaves, cooler temperatures, and shorter days. We ended October with a “spooktacular” Halloween. Chase went trick-or-treating as Spiderman with Tim while I stayed home with my little pumpkin and handed out candy to the 50 or 60 trick-or-treaters we had in our neighborhood. Funny story from Tim and Chase trick-or-treating: Chase goes up to a house; rings the door bell, and Tim prompts him, “What do you say, Chase?” Instead of saying “trick or treat,” he says, “I have to go potty.” Since they were already halfway around the block, the neighbor was nice enough to let him use the bathroom. So, Tim had to peel Chase’s Spiderman costume off of him so he could take care of business. Funny thing is that this scenario happened several times while they were trick-or-treating. I guess the excitement of Halloween made Chase have to use the bathroom frequently, so he left his own “treats” behind. Thank God we live in a safe neighborhood where we have good neighbors!
Gabe is only a few days shy of turning 7 months old. He is about 18 pounds now and in the 97th percentile for height. He had several immunizations in October; thankfully, he took them like a champ with little crying. He’s sitting up now and almost crawling. Chase is Gabe’s favorite comedian and his eyes stayed glued to his big brother’s every action. Gabe is ticklish and there’s nothing better in the world than hearing that sweet little laugh. He’s definitely a thumb-sucker, and Chase will take his thumb out of his mouth and tell him, “no,” as if he shouldn’t be sucking his thumb. Keep in mind, this time last year we were finally getting Chase away from his pacifier habit, so I find it especially funny to see him act as though his baby brother is committing a crime in sucking his thumb.
Gabe is still sleeping from about 7 until 5:30 on most nights. Of course, I try to make that 5:30 stretch out as long as possible on the weekends. Chase sleeps from about 7:30 to 6, and he had a few nights where he woke up frightened saying that monsters were in his bed. Perhaps all of the Halloween hype got to him. We’ve also had bouts of horrible colds in our family which have caused interrupted nights of sleep with coughing. Chase and Gabe have had runny noses, sore throats, and the occasional fever. Chase had a check-up today with Dr. Baust; even though it was supposed to just be a check-up, it turned into a sick visit with a fever of 101.7. Fortunately, he tested negative for strep and the flu and the doctor confirmed it’s just a nasty cold/virus. He goes back the week after Thanksgiving for a flu shot. In spite of him not feeling well, he was still deemed healthy otherwise with him weighing in at 34 pounds putting him in the 50th percentile for weight and measuring about 3 feet tall putting him in the 75th percentile for height. He had a “finger prick” that indicated a normal count for white blood cells even though he has a cold. All in all, both boys are healthy with the exception of the common colds.
Still no teeth, but it shouldn’t be too much longer for Gabe with the amount of drooling and gnawing going on. Up to this point, he’s tried a variety of Stage 1 and 2 fruits and vegetables. Breastfeeding officially came to its end this month—Gabe got his last few ounces on November 1st and I reluctantly retired after my body just wasn’t producing enough milk to make it worthwhile even after pumping and taking supplements (trust me, I tried just about EVERYTHING to keep it going). However, I can proudly say I breastfed both of my sons for 6 months each, for a total of a full year of nursing in my lifetime, which isn’t bad for a mom who works full time. And, on another positive note, the transition to formula was a gradual and fairly easy process with both boys.
We made it through all of the busy October weekends and enjoyed spending time with family. We also made it through Hurricane Sandy which barely touched us (can’t say the same for those north of us, unfortunately). Last but not least, we made it through Election Day and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m sadly disappointed in our nation—not just because the candidate I voted for didn’t win, but because we continue to compromise our Christian beliefs and veer away from the principles on which this country was initially founded. My hope lies in knowing that Jesus Christ is The King of Kings and the one and only true ruler of this world. Even when things seem so out of control in our own country, I praise the Lord that He’s still in control and has a master plan.
On to happier thoughts, now we have the joy of the holidays rapidly approaching. Thanksgiving will be at our house for the first time ever with my side of the family this year. Instead of posting the cliché thankful posts on Facebook daily (not that I’m criticizing those who do), I’ll just sum up the entire month by saying I’m beyond blessed to have my beautiful family that I talk about in this blog and those who care enough to read of the Breeden adventures. I’m thankful for our jobs. I’m thankful to live in a country where I can exercise so many freedoms, especially the freedom to openly worship Jesus Christ; I can’t thank enough those who currently serve, those who have served, and those who have died protecting the freedoms of our country. Most of all, I’m thankful I have Christ as my Savior; without Him, I am nothing; but with Him all things are possible (Phil. 4:13). Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
