Little Man in the Big Apple

On the train

Sunday we took Landon to Manhattan for the first time so we could all experience the sights and sounds of Christmas in the city. It was everything we hoped and expected... the weather was mild, the lights were beautiful, the tree was huge, and the sidewalks were PACKED! In anticipation of the crowds we opted not to take a stroller and decided to use the moby wrap instead. This puts Landon closer to eye level with people which usually gets him lots of attention from strangers and Sunday was no exception. I've never seen people in the city so interactive but locals and tourists alike were chatting it up with our little man and he was holding  up his end of the conversations with lots of smiles, goos, and foot kicking craziness. Landon was also the typical first time NYC tourist as he couldn't stop looking up at all the tall buildings.

We started our day at Macy's. After looking at all the window displays we rode the escalators up the six or so stories to the toy department at the top. We chose not to have our picture with Santa when we learned that the line was an hour and a half, but we did get a sneak peek of the big guy. 

One of the Macys Windows

On the Old Wooden Escalator at Macys

Macys Toyland

Then we made our way to Rockefeller Center where we saw the tree and the ice skaters below it. We also got a glimpse of the Saks window displays which were really neat as well. 

The Big Tree

We then moved on to the Disney store. We were delighted to learn the Minnie and Goofy were at the store that day and the wait to meet them was a very manageable 10 minutes so Landon got to meet his first real life Disney characters. They were very sweet to him.

At the NYC Disney Store 

Silly Goofy

Minnie Wanted to Give Him Lots of Kisses

On our way back to Penn Station we walked down 6th Avenue past Radio City Music Hall and lots of cool Christmas decorations that we knew were there from our trip to the city last Christmas. 

In Front of Radio City Music Hall

Some of the Sights on 6th Ave:

It was a great day and all the sights and sounds wore our little boy (and his mommy and daddy) out!

Tis the Season

We initially thought that we'd be spending these holidays sans Andy as he was set to deploy in November for 2 months, so I booked a flight home to spend the holiday with my family. We then learned that Andy would not be deploying until after Christmas and that he will now be gone for 4 months instead of 2. While we're not looking forward to the longer separation, we are excited that Andy gets to spend the holidays with us after all.

We had a great Thanksgiving and I think Landon was a fan even if his feast consisted mainly of his thumb. While we were in Colorado Landon also got to play in the snow for the first time. It snowed quite a bit while we were there. It was really beautiful and certainly got us in the holiday spirit. The Christmas music I've been listening to non-stop since Nov. 22 has helped with that too... I'm pretty sure Landon is a fan of that as well.

4 Month Stats

Landon's latest:

15 lbs. 7 oz. (65th percentile) almost double his birthweight

25.25 inches long (60th percentile)

17 inches head circumference (75th percentile)

Happy Halloween

I love fall. I guess I truly love all the seasons but since it's October I'm especially infatuated with fall at the moment. The leaves are beautiful, the weather's crisp, and I get to dress my baby boy up for his first Halloween.

This year he's a monkey. I wish there were some cute meaning behind my choice but the truth is it's hard to beat $5 at Old Navy. I really wanted him to be a lion because, while he's not much of a crier, when he does fuss he sounds like a lion cub testing out his little roar. Unfortunately I couldn't find a lion costume in his size that didn't look more like a care bear than a lion. So this year he's a monkey.

It's been a lot of fun getting ready for Halloween. Who knew a baby could make October 31st so exciting? And he can't even have candy yet. It's crazy to me that this little person doesn't know about trick-or-treating. Or jack-o-lanterns. Or witches who fly on brooms and have scary black cats for pets. I get to teach him about the tradition of knocking on stranger's houses and begging for treats and carving these round, orange vegetables (I looked it up, pumpkins are botanically a fruit and culinarily a vegetable-I'm a dork) into spooky or silly characters. How cool and strange is that!

If Halloween is this much fun, I can't wait for Christmas!

Looking for a Few Good Men...

Life's a Beach

We've spent the last few weeks in Montgomery, Alabama and it's been hot, hot, hot! Andy's here for some training and Landon and I tagged along to spend some time with him before he deploys in November. The room we've been living in is small and dirty and rumored to house fleas and fire ants. Luckily we haven't encountered any such critters in our quarters yet, but I'm still not about to let Landon roll around on the floor. These days he's doing all his rolling on our bed which is just fine with him.

He's quite the little ham and puts on a show for the ladies at the playground. He laughs and talks until he draws a crowd, and then he laughs and talks some more. Nap times have been tricky in our new place since it's just the one room, but he's a trooper and continues to sleep through the night.

One huge advantage to being here in the South is that we're oh, so close to the beaches of Florida. Even with Andy's hectic schedule we managed to sneak away for a weekend trip to Florida where Landon got to play in the ocean. We stayed with some friends and they took us to Navarre beach, which is touted as Florida's best kept secret. After spending the day there, I have to say I quite agree. They just don't make beaches like that in Jersey. It was so beautiful and, because of a recent storm surge that brought the bottom of the ocean to the shore, we were able to find piles of sea shells and whole sand dollars.

We ate dinner at a restaurant on the water and watched the sunset. The highlight of the trip for Andy was driving our friend's Porche to dinner even if he did only get to go 65 mph. All in all, it was quite a lovely weekend.

Two Month Dr. Visit

Landon had his two month doctor visit on Friday. She said he looks great, and she was impressed by how smiley he was. He's a little flirt already.

Weight: 13 pounds 1 ounce

Length: 23 inches

And He Rolls...

Yesterday was Landon's two month birthday. He was so excited about it that today he rolled over.

I think it's a little strange for both Andy and me that our son is not "from" the places we consider home. In my mind I am from Colorado and that has been passed down to Landon and I know Andy feels the same way about Ohio even though we both know that isn't truly the case. With our lifestyle, who knows what state Landon will end up claiming as the place where his childhood memories were built. No matter where that place ends up being, I'm certain Andy and I will see to it that he has his fair share of Ohio and Colorado memories.

At the beginning of August we loaded up our car and took the normally 9 hour drive to Toledo where Landon saw his nana, grandpa Gary, and lots of other family and friends. The total travel time ended up being closer to 12 hours with all the stops we made, but Landon was such a superb traveler we really can't complain. After spending a few days in Toldeo getting loved on by aunts, uncles and cousins, we headed south to Columbus to stay a few days with Andy's dad. From there it was back to New Jersey for a day of laundry and repacking before we caught a flight to Colorado. Landon slept, ate, and played on the plane. He didn't fuss a bit which earned him rave reviews from the fellow passengers. Once in Colorado we all spent time with many more family memebers and friends, and Landon's welcome party also happened take place on the day that Colorado Springs set a record for the highest amount of rainfall in one day.

It's nice to be back home now but we certainly miss all Colorado and Ohio family and friends and can't wait to visit them again soon!

Nana Ruth and her great-grandson

Aunt Laura and Cousins

Grandpa Gary always made Landon smile the biggest smiles!

Nana Mary didn't want to say good-bye

Debbie, Papa Gary, Auny Abby, and her boyfriend Robert

Andy's favorite present...a console for his jogging stroller

Big smiles in Ohio

Play time on the airplane

Grandma Sara meets her seventh great-grandchild

Colorado Cousins

Auntie Julie couldn't bear to put him down

Immediately after this picture was taken, Landon pooped all over his "I Love Grandpa" onesie

I think he remembered his Grandma

He Smiled...

and my heart melted; I'm smitten.

Landon's Big Adventures

Over the past 3 weeks that Landon has been with us, he's had lots of adoring visitors and he's even been on a few outings...

After a successful practice mini-outing to the mall and Babies R Us, I gained some confidence and decided that with help, Landon and I could venture further outside of our house.


Our little traveler has already visited another state. My mom, sister, Landon, and I spent an afternoon in Philadelphia. It was an adventure for us all and a learning experience for me as I am trying to expand my comfort level with nursing in different situations. He was a real trooper and slept through lunch, a visit to the Besty Ross House and Elfreth's Alley. Then after feeding him he slept some more as we visited Ben Franklin's Courtyard, the Liberty Bell, and posed for pictures in front of Independence Hall. He even had a mini-milestone while in Philly... he lost that last little part of his umbilical cord while Auntie was changing him in the backseat of the car on Market St.








Ready for his big Philly adventure

























After such a great day in Philly, we decided he was ready for his first sit-down restaurant. We went at 3 in the afternoon so there would be very few other people, and we squeezed it in between 2 feedings, but once again Landon proved to be a great little sleeper and slept through lunch.

With Landon proving to be such an accomodating and adventurous new born, we thought heck, why not try a winery. In true new born fashion, Landon slept through the winery, and the restaurant afterward.












After all the visitors left, things have been more low key. I'm learning how manage everything at home without help and I'm enjoying every minute with my new little man!







Landon Meets Grandpa






























3 Generations of Clarks

























Play time with Momma