Hittle Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party!

Today, we threw our annual Hittle Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party! It was a blast! This party has become somewhat of a tradition for us... it's something we actually started years ago when we were at Cornell, and we have done it most years since. Our party this year clearly fit the phrase "the more the merrier". We had ~35 friends and family over to our house, and 15 of them were kiddies under the age of 7! The theme was Mexican (e.g., tacos, burritos, tortilla chips, etc.), so we thought it was fitting to put baby Larkin in a chili pepper costume! The rest of the photo montage below should give you a small taste of what fun the party really was.

Here's a quick look at the decor... We put up both fun and scary Halloween decorations and the kids were absolutely terrified of a bowl of candy that had a moving hand coming out of it! We also set up a play area in the middle of the Great Room floor for the kids. The toys are a little old for Larkin, but it shouldn't be long before she's playing with them too. As you can see from the "before" and "after" shots, the play area was a big hit!

When the kids arrived, each one ran in a different direction. Some wanted food, some wanted to play in the play area or on the piano, and others wanted to go outside. Some of the girls played “princess” (as there were 2 Snow Whites and a Cinderella) and held a tea party of sorts with lemonade, gold fish, and Pirate’s Booty. Some of the boys played “spies” and ran around with endless energy (even though they informed us that since they were spies, we weren’t supposed to see them)!

Since it was probably the most perfect 75 degree day, the kids had fun outside too. They bobbed for apples, and I don't know how he did it, but Luke -- who is missing both of his front teeth -- actually got an apple! Meanwhile, Aislinn enjoyed pretending she was a dog, so we'd throw a ball and she'd fetch it! The kids also played on our neighbor's swing set and as you can see in the picture below, the princesses enjoyed swinging together... Cute story... when I went over to watch them swing, I heard the girls saying back to each other while they swang... "Hi, Cinderella!"...."Hi, Snow White!"...."Hi, Cinderella!"...."Hi, Snow White!" and so on.

After we enjoyed our Mexican dinner, we were successful in gathering all 15 of the kids together for a group photo... how adorable is that?! We then got pictures of the babies... Larkin the chili pepper with Daddy and her big sis Sera, and Aunt Jenny and cousin Sierra the pumpkin!

Finally, as it got dark, it was time for the pumpkin carving. Check out the fabulous jack-o-lanterns that we made this year! What a great ending to a great party. We're already looking forward to next year!

Jenny, Sierra, and Annie too

Brian’s sister, Aunt Jenny, and cousin Sierra came in for a visit this past week. It’s been 2 ½ months since we last got the girls together, and it was so much fun! Sierra and Larkin definitely noticed each other, and they even grabbed at one another. Larkin is currently in to grabbing at people’s facial features (i.e., watch out if you have a big nose, she’ll grab it!) and at one point she actually grabbed Sierra’s ear (see 2nd pic below...Larkin is on the left). Sierra got her back by trying to steal Larkin’s coveted ball toy (see 4th pic below...be sure to click on the double-pic in order to enlarge it). The girls are so cute together… they even held hands a few times (see 3rd pic below)!

Since Larkin and Sierra are only 20 days apart (Sierra’s older), the girls are naturally meeting milestones at roughly similar times. Even so, Jenny and I make a concerted effort not to “compare” our babies. It makes for a much more fun time when we’re together. We do, however, love to joke about some of the physical differences in the girls and we’ve got a few pictures to prove it…check out the picture below... in it you’ll see that Sierra’s foot is considerably bigger than Larkin’s! Sierra’s longer too, but Larkin weighs more. And, as you’ll see in the 2nd pic below where they’re both lying on their tummys, that’s Larkin on the left in the camo outfit and Sierra on the right in the striped socks. Now, look how much bigger Larkin’s head is! Geez… and it’s a bit ironic too….Sierra (the one with the smaller head) was born via C-section and Larkin (the one with the bigger head) was not! It’s that darned “Hittle head” I was nervous about delivering! As I’ve heard from a number of people… good thing she came a little early! Ha!!!

Auntie Annie, soon-to-be Uncle Sean, and their rascal pup Sadie came in to visit on Saturday too. We had a fun night hanging out with the whole family, checking out different wedding dresses that Annie’s considering for next May, and watching the MU-Texas football game (sorry, Sean)!

Sera's 4th Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday, our sweet Serafina! Our fur-child and the big sis of the family had her birthday today. It was such a beautiful day – literally perfect weather in the 70s with a breeze – so we took the opportunity to lay in the sun with Sera on the front stoop. Sera loves to open wrapped presents too, so we wrapped up a squeaker toy and her favorite treat (a Lamb N’ Rice bone) and then let her at ‘em!

Prelogar Wedding Reception

Tonight Larkin donned her first evening “Cinderella” ball gown at the wedding reception for Brandon and Elizabeth Prelogar. Brandon, Brian’s best friend growing up, and Elizabeth had a destination wedding in Guatemala a mere 4 days after Larkin’s birth! So, needless to say, we weren’t able to be there. It sounds like it was a blast and we wish we could have been there, but at least Brandon’s father was able to read a speech that Brian wrote for Brandon on his behalf.

Since there were others like us who weren’t able to make the trip to Guatemala, the Prelogars threw a fantastic bash (as always!) this evening in a gorgeous new building that Brandon’s father designed. After devouring her bottle when we first arrived, Larkin did pretty well for a good portion of the evening… and she looked so cute in her dress (thanks to the Shimkaveg family)! As it got a bit closer to the “bewitching” hour and as the music got louder, Larkin started to get a bit fussy, so we changed her into her watermelon footed sleeper for comfort. Then, “pass the baby” time started… Larkin cried a bit when Elizabeth held her, but Elizabeth persevered like a champ and got her calmed down so when another lady took her, she fell right asleep. It was then a lot easier to pass her around once she had zonked out! Eventually, as it got late, Grandma and Grandpa Hittle took Larkin home with them so that Brian and I could stay at the party a bit later. We had a great time and are so glad we were finally able to celebrate with “Uncle” Brandon, “Aunt” Elizabeth and the rest of the Prelogar clan!

Grandma Hittle's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Grandma Hittle! To celebrate, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, M&S Grill. Larkin slept through most of the meal, but we woke her up so that Grandma could feed Larkin her last bottle for the evening and spend a little time with her. Larkin is into grabbing at faces right now (chins, noses, etc.), and she did so to Grandma a number of times. It’s adorable except for when she “gets” you with especially wet fingers that she’s been sucking on!

Above are a couple of very cute pictures of Larkin with her Grandma. Several people think Larkin looks a lot like Peggy, especially when she smiles… it’s those luscious “Dineen” lips and her blue eyes!

So Silly!

Back when she was 2-months old, Larkin's first favorite word was "A-goo". She smiled and made cooing sounds back whenever she heard it. Now that she's 4-months old, her favorite word (to hear) has changed to "silly"! She just loves it and laughs whenever we say it. The second picture above is a giggle she made when I was telling her she was "so silly" during her tummy and floor time! Sera thought it was pretty cute too and decided to check out the giggle-fest!

Football Fan

Larkin is a football fan, much to the delight of both her Daddy and Grandpa Bud! When we watch the football games on the TV on Sunday, Larkin cranes her neck to watch them. Here are a few pictures of Larkin watching the Chiefs lose to the Panthers today. That game was a debacle, but Larkin really did enjoy watching it nonetheless. Maybe we're raising a future female sports reporter?! Now, the big question is... which is her favorite team... the Chiefs or the Giants?! Only she knows... :)

First Car Accident

This is not the sort of "first" that we wanted, but today Larkin was in her first (and hopefully last!) car accident. We were on our way to Target and were in the left of two left-turn lanes. We started to turn when we got our green arrow, and just as we were half-way through our turn, a car came careening from the opposite direction and ran their red light... he didn't slam on his brakes, he didn't swerve... no, at full speed he broad-sided the car in the lane to the right of us that was also turning left. A girl was driving the car that was T-boned, and her car spun around and hit us in the right front corner. The jolt was strong and the noises were loud, so Larkin started screaming as soon as our car came to a stop. Thank goodness, she was crying because she was scared, not because of any injury.

The man who was driving the car that ran the red light was in a complete daze. He didn't even ask if any of us were okay. He just stood there confused and disconnected. When I asked the police if they were going to give him an alcohol or drug test, they said that yes, they were going to because they found a long laundry list of prescription drugs in his car. Figures. There is just no excuse. He could have killed somebody. We are so lucky that Larkin was strapped in her car seat in the middle of our back seat. A nurse came out of a nearby restaurant to check her over and reassured us that she was okay. Larkin calmed down relatively quickly and was such a good little girl as we passed the time for the 90 minutes or so that we were on the scene. The college girl in the car that was directly hit was really shaken up... she didn't remember parts of the accident and was still crying when her family took her away. Some witnesses stopped and were such a big help and we were so grateful that they were generous with their time and compassion. The whole event was mostly just an inconvenience for us, but it made Brian and I really realize just how lucky and blessed we were.

The pictures above show you a small glimpse of what happened today. The first picture is of the man's car who caused the accident (his car spun >90 degrees). The second picture is of the girl's car that was broad-sided... the passenger door was half-way into the passenger seat (luckily no one was in that seat). The third picture is of our car with its relatively minor damage. And, the fourth picture is of Brian and Larkin hanging out at the scene while we waited for the police to sort it out and write up the report. When it was all said and done, we finally did make it to Target and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon out together.

First Fortune Wok

One of the bonuses of living so close to Brian's parents is that Larkin gets to see them regularly. Tonight we enjoyed the evening with Grandma and Grandpa Hittle at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Fortune Wok. Larkin met the owner, Rick, although she won't remember it because she was sleeping! We had a fun dinner and I got a fortune in my fortune cookie that said I would make money in the stock market (somewhat ironic given our current global financial crisis and the fact that the DOW is crumbling)!

After dinner, Grandma and Grandpa played with Larkin more at our house. Grandma played with Larkin in her high chair and Grandpa fed her a bottle. He also got her going in a "giggle-fest" which had us all in hysterics! We got a video of it - classic.

4-month Doctor's Appt

Today, Larkin had her 4-month doctor's appointment. It went really well and, as you can see from the summary growth chart above, she is growing so big! She weighed in at 14 lbs 1 oz, her height is 24.75" (that's over 2 feet tall!), and her head circumference grew to 16.75". Those measurements put her in the 75th percentile for each category (as compared to babies born on her due date, or 3.5 weeks younger than her). I guess that means she's well proportioned!

As expected, today Larkin also got her next round of vaccines (3 shots and 1 oral). :( She got the same ones as last time: DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis), IPV (polio), Hepatitis B, Hib (Haemophilus Influenza type b), Prevnar (pneumococcus), and Rotavirus. She ran a low-grade fever, getting up to 99.8 degrees F, but otherwise has not been too fussy. She's a tough cookie. Although.... at the appointment, the nurse was making funny faces at her while she gave her the oral vaccine and at one point got a little too "in" Larkin's face and it really scared her! Larkin started screaming and the nurse hadn't yet even begun the shots! She finally calmed down by the time we left the office. Phew.

The doctor also told us that Larkin can now start solid foods! He said that we can start her on them now, but I think we'll wait another few weeks before we do. Anyway, when we do, we're to start with 1/4 cup of either rice cereal or baby oatmeal mixed with formula, given twice a day for 3 weeks. Then, after 3 weeks of that, we're to give start her on 1/2 jar of yellow and orange (and then later green) veggies twice a day, as well. All that in addition to the 25-32 oz. of Similac Organic formula she drinks daily. That's a lot of food! It looks like those cheeks will keep getting chubbier!

In addition to Larkin's summary growth chart, above you'll find some other photos taken this past weekend when she turned 4 months old. I love how in the third photo she lifts her legs up behind her when she's on her tummy and raising her head - it's so cute! I also thought it was hilarious when she fell asleep holding her playmat toy... she was literally playing one minute and then was asleep the next (see pic 4)!

Blue Eyed Beauty

I've noticed that it's kind of hard to see the beautiful blue color of Larkin's eyes in many of the pictures that have been posted. So, I decided to post a couple of pictures where you can really see her eyes. Larkin was born with dark blue eyes. They have since lightened to a stunning blue shade. I originally thought she'd end up with hazel eyes, but we're now thinking that they just might stay blue, taking after both of her grandmothers!

Daddy Crush

Larkin has such a crush on her Daddy these days, and Brian is just eating it up! She loves to look at him and smiles whenever she sees him. Best of all, though, he can get her giggling like nobody's business! It is absolutely adorable to watch and to listen to... I will try to get a video of it and post it so you can see them too.

Here are a few pictures of the dynamo duo together... This was the first time that Brian had carried Larkin in the Baby Bjorn carrier facing fprward. She wasn't so keen with it at first, but after awhile she seemed to like being able to look around. It was unseasonably chilly here that week (highs in the 50-60s), hence the sweatshirts and hat, but now it's back in the 80s. The other picture is of the two of them chilling out and watching some TV. Brian and Larkin are enjoying football season --yes, he's already teaching her all about football and being a proper fan! Go Chiefs (please start winning) and Go Giants!

Toys in Mouth

Over the last few weeks, Larkin has discovered that all sorts of things can go in her mouth. Here's a picture of her taking a taste of a toy rattle, but I think her favorite thing to suck is still her fists (yes, her entire fists, not just a finger or two)!

I took this picture while we all were hanging out in the kitchen making dinner. Larkin is great at amusing herself in her lounge chair while she watches us move about the kitchen washing, chopping, cooking, etc. Sometimes we amuse her with some dancing and out-of-tune songs that we make up! Brian and I love to make up songs where I do one line, he does the next, then it's back to me, etc... we think of ridiculous rhymes and always end with a good laugh.

First Day of Daycare

The day finally came for me to go back to work. So, today, the day after Labor Day, was Larkin's first day of daycare. Yes, it was hard and I thought of her all day, but we both actually did really well.

Larkin is currently going to an in-home daycare until her school daycare spot is available. The daycare provider's name is Michelle and when we did a practice playdate last week, it went really well. There's a total of 6 kids there, including Larkin. There are 4 toddlers and another baby, a boy Collin, that's about 1.5 weeks older than Larkin.

When I dropped Larkin off at Michelle's house this morning, I was happy to see her give Michelle a smile. Then, after going over things with Michelle and showering Larkin with a ton of kisses, I headed out the door. As I got out of her view, Larkin let out a "Eeek!" squeak and I knew that she loved me. I didn't cry on my way to work, which is a good thing since it was the day after Labor Day and traffic was horrible! I arrived to work only 20 minutes late... not bad for the first day, I thought.

My first day back went really well. My friend and colleague, Erin, baked some yummy cookies and lemon squares for the occasion, and all of my work friends came by throughout the day to welcome me back. It made me feel so good, and it was great to see them! I actually got very little work done all day... the day flew by with me just catching up with my work friends!

I was so excited to pick up Larkin at the end of the day and to see how it went for her. I didn't get any calls from Michelle during the day, so I assumed that it hadn't been a disaster. When I arrived, Larkin was sitting in a bouncer seat and looked as happy as a clam. She was completely content and that made me feel really good. Michelle also said that she had had a great first day! Yay! She loved watching the older kids and supposedly she and Collin checked each other out when they both were laying on the play mat! Larkin gets a daily report card, of sorts, and it looked like things went really well with naps, feedings, etc. In fact, Larkin only seemed to get a little fussy when I took her out of her bouncer to smother her with kisses and put her in her car seat! I guess she wasn't as excited to see me as I was to see her. No, really, it went so well and she was exhausted by her big day that she zonked out as soon as we got home. It was a good first day for both of us.