Friday? Saturday or Sunday?

Doesn't feel like Friday around here, not sure why! And the debate is on: will you be trick-or-treating Saturday (my preference) or Sunday?

We've got a great Halloween weekend coming up. A little neighborhood get-together, my mother in law is coming into town, possibly a music class, a baby shower and it's not a weekend around here without good food and good wine. I've got a couple meals planned: my famous seared ahi tuna steak salad with a wasabi vinaigrette and we'll be trying Bombay Sloppy Joe's - a recipe from one of the doctors that Bryan works with (she's from India, this is the real deal y'all).

With that, our family is wishing yours a Happy Halloween! (Hope your babies don't do this when you dress them up.)

The Croup

Can we just call it what it is? How about the Crap instead of the Croup, because honestly, it's just crap all around.

Sophie had what I thought was an extreme case of teething until the fever got higher, the nose runnier, and the moaning went on all.night.long. When we had two wakeful nights in a row, off to the doctor we went. The RSV test took 10 minutes to process (longest 10 minutes in recent memory), and when it was negative I was so relieved. Steroids for the Croup, and surprise! Our first ear infection - antibiotics as well.

So last night's pillow talk consisted of me relaying to Bryan everything the doc said about Sophie being sick. I had no idea that Croup could get really severe really quick, especially in small children. Bryan said, "So, are you going to sleep in her room or am I?" I gathered minimal bedding for minimal disturbance and snuck in as quiet as my old-lady-half-marathon-knees and my grumbling stomach would let me. I lay on the floor in the nursery all night carefully dissecting every sneeze, cough and whisper she made. Safe to say not much sleep was had, but, thank God for modern medicine as she is already feeling much better.

Taking back my kitchen

A few weeks ago, a herd of fruit flies descended on my kitchen. Gross. I tried catching them with vinegar, leftover wine in a bottle with a paper funnel, a banana peel in a bowl wrapped tightly with saran wrap... nothing seemed to help. Finally, we left town for a solid three days. I cleaned the kitchen, fridge, microwave, dishwasher and sink from top to bottom, and I'm happy to say that I've reclaimed my kitchen from the grody fruit flies.

I've also resumed cooking for Bryan and I, and making Sophie some yummy yummy baby food. She loved my butternut squash soup that I modified from this recipe. I actually roasted the butternut squash for another meal a few days prior and I added about 1/4 cup of cream cheese to the finished product. Delicious.

I entered Sophie in the Baby Gap casting call. The babies were supposed to be wearing denim, here she is in her cuteness, and in one photo: her jeggings.

BUSY

I have recently given up on trying to play show tunes and classical cds - things that I like to sing along with to Sophie - and I've caved to the ditties of Leap Frog and Fisher Price. The bright side is, as Bryan pointed out to me this morning, that my mental song library should be doubling at this point (he caught me jamming out with Sophie to her Leap Frog fridge DJ: five little birdies, sittin way up high...). She has taken to bouncing and waving her arms to music, which is pretty cute in my opinion.

Yaya bought her a music table (and a hundred other things!) that sings a song about being busy and having so much to do. It made me laugh because I always say how busy Sophie is scooting around the house. She loves to crawl with toys in her hands (we call them her snow shoes) and, honestly, I could just go on and on gushing about baby girl and her tricks. Sophie gets more fun every day, we just love her so much. She still sleeps like a dream, tries new food, doesn't protest about the stroller or the car seat and I try to thank my lucky stars for having such an agreeable, loving baby girl!

I've been working to expand Sophie's ever-changing palette, and some new items she has taken to (all organic, of course!) include green peas (as puree and as finger food), ground beef with roasted red pepper, tomato and zucchini puree, and cheesy chicken and carrot risotto.

In addition to Sophie's daily busy-ness, our family has been on the go as well! I took a weekend trip with my sister-in-law to Gatlinburg sans kids, Bryan and I stayed the night in Asheville for a beautiful Biltmore wedding, we did some pumpkin hunting at a local farm, and the previous post features our trip to Florida and Alabama. Other than that, we've been enjoying wonderful Carolina weather, taking long walks, doing a little advance Christmas shopping and just enjoying life ;)

Mom and Dad's big night out, Biltmore wedding style!

Family fun on Hodges Farm in Charlotte.

Little stink, 10 months old and showing off

her two pearly whites.

Up 'da rivah

There's nothing like coming home from a very relaxing trip and stepping in a new pile of dog doo-doo. Oh, wait. Not eating all day because you are flying with a 10 month old, realizing at 3pm that last week's cereal is about the only food in the house - then drowning it in sour milk. Home, sweet home!

We had a lovely visit to FL and to the family river house in AL over the weekend. It's an annual trip we take to celebrate my mom and my brother's birthdays. The food, the wine and the sunshine were copious. We had a perfect bonfire complete with s'mores, and there was plenty of football and fishing.

Sophie was toted around by Grandpa and Yaya, she had her first chocolate chip cookie and she woke Matt and Aarica up before sunrise every day. She played hard and slept like a rock!

A very happy birthday to Mom and Matthew!

Sophie and Grandpa at the bait shop/store.

Uncle Matt, Aarica and Sophie gettin' some smiles.

Playing in the grass, and loving it!

A trip down memory road - past river house weekends:

First annual river weekend, 2006!

River trip 2007.

River trip, October 2008.

**2009 not pictured because I was big as a house and

not able to fly. Sophie was on her way!**

Our annual family picture, October 2010.

Namesake, Sophie en Sophie

My first day with Sophie the Giraffe. Already love gumming up her hooves!

A sweet nap with Sophie on the way to see my friend Brayden.

Sharing my green beans with Sophie!

Sharing my Sophie with Papa at our house on Isle of Palms.

On a 6am beach walk with Papa at Isle of Palms.