Happy Halloween!

For weeks, we had been telling everyone that Brady was dressing up as a giraffe for Halloween. Today, when we finally put on his costume, we realized that it was, in fact, a lion. Despite his parents' animal incompetence, the boy made an adorable lion.

We towed Brady in his wagon through our neighborhood for trick-or-treating tonight. At first, he didn't understand it was okay to take the candy away from those offering it. He would just stare with wide eyes so everyone took it upon themselves to drop a piece into his bag. He responded with a distraught, "Uh oh..." because he thought that candy was gone for good! Eventually, though, he reached his little paw into the candy bowls and plopped some yummies into his own bag. It only took 12+ houses for him to get the hang of it...

He actually allowed me to draw a little nose and some whiskers on him; I only had to sing Three Jolly Fishermen six times in a row to keep his attention. Ironically, it wasn't the forced makeover that made him unhappy; it was the paws and the fact he couldn't find his hands! He got over it eventually, but not before shedding a few tears.

Our neighborhood is a gold mine for trick-or-treating and in the years to come, Brady will really enjoy running around and grabbing handfuls of candy. And he's getting a lot of practice on his feet these days. FINALLY, the child has decided walking is pretty fun. In fact, we took him to the Pittsburgh Mills on Friday night and he walked the entire length of the place. Everyone was very understanding and patient with our little guy as he toddled this way and that. I'm sure it helped that he was dressed in his skeleton sweatsuit and lookin' pretty adorable.

We took a quick detour into a shoe store with intentions of buying the boy a pair of shoes with good tread. I kept telling Zach (who was less than thrilled to be shopping, let alone for shoes...) that Brady needs better tread so he doesn't slip. Unfortunately, every shoe we liked wasn't available in Brady's size, so we went home empty handed. More unfortunate is the next day at the park, Brady slipped on a leaf and did a face plant in some dirt. He bawled for three seconds and was then distracted when the sun peaked through a cloud for a half a second. He announced he saw the "suh-shy" and that was the end of his tears. I wish I could say I got over it as easily; the more he walks, the harder he falls, and I'm having a hard time getting used to the sound of his head smashing off various objects and/or the ground. God knew what he was doing when he made babies so flexible!

Boo-boo nose after his tumble at the park :(

Before his face-to-face encounter with a mound of dirt, Brady thoroughly enjoyed "wingin," or swinging. He's a big fan of the wind in his hair which is why Zach has patented The Tornado where he blows on Brady's head until the kid laughs so hard he surely pees himself. Ahhh, the simple things in life!

On a completely separate note, Zach and I had a date night with Mr. Bill Cosby last night. I really loved it! He talked a lot about marriage and the relationship between husband and wife, and I especially liked his views of grandparenting. He maintains that small children, regardless of who they belong to, are gross. Their hands are always sticky, they ignore authority figures, and their mothers are never around to "make the smell go away." It was a change of pace from what we hear from Brady's grandparents, that's for sure! In fact, they tell Brady he's so smart so often that he's starting to point to his head and nod when he does something well. He feels the need to remind us just how smart he is in the event that we forget. He's also taken to looking at himself in the mirror quite a bit. He'll entertain himself by making faces and gestures, and then is always compelled to give himself a kiss. I sure hope we're raising a confident toddler and not an arrogant one :-)

Fall Fun

Zach and I attended the Livengood's annual Halloween Costume Party this past Saturday and while we're admittedly not the biggest Halloween fans, we always enjoy a party thrown by Lisa and Andrew. This year, though, we appreciated our costumes a bit more than normal because they actually WON! Mine (see below and sorry for the poor quality...) won for most original; Zach's won for best all around.

Creepy, yet original = winner!

He was supposed to dress up as this HBO character Kenny Powers, but who knew a synthetic wig wouldn't curl?! After almost catching everything in the bathroom on fire, we were left with a straight mullet and not much else. Luckily, Zach's uncle had just handed down a "vintage" flannel, and that paired with his dad's old fishing hat, Zach looked like he belonged to Andrew's family! He wore a name tag that read "Backwood Livengood" and I guess his insult to his host paid off; we're a bucket of candy and a Subway gift card richer :-)

Backwood Livengood with Flo, the Progressive Agent!

On Sunday, we joined Gram and Pap, Uncle Derek and Aunt Kim, and the newest addition to the family: the gigantic television for the Steelers game. Brady certainly enjoyed all of the attention, especially from Aunt Kim:

Anyone who makes noise with Brady is okay in his book!

In addition to his supersonic noises, Brady is NEVER still. Just watching him exhausts me! His busy days must exhaust him, too, because he's been sleeping between 12 and 13 hours a night for the past week! He goes to bed around 8 and doesn't budge until around 9; today he slept until 9:45! It's insane! I pray it lasts when the new baby gets here because I could certainly see myself taking advantage of that extra morning sleep!! But like with everything Brady (and child) related, I'm sure this, too, is but a passing phase. It is my favorite passing phase to date, though!

Looks like he has a beer gut!

Today is Rick and Terri's anniversary, yet they were kind enough to spend the better part of their afternoon with Sir Brady. I got a lot done while they doted on their grandson: the room that will soon be Brady's is officially all cleared out, the upstairs is spic and span, and my school work is all caught up. It's rainy and cloudy which is the perfect recipe for a nap (which is what Brady is doing now...) but I have to be strong and resist the urge! The first trimester (today begins my 12th week!) is draining for me and being sick on top of being pregnant really wiped me out, so I was used to lying down for a bit with Brady. It's a hard habit to kick, especially with that heavenly new mattress...but I will persevere! All my candy winnings will surely keep me awake :-)

My boys need a hair cut!!

This coming weekend, Zach and I are going to see Bill Cosby at Heinz Hall. We're pumped! Sunday we'll celebrate my cousin Lauren's 15th birthday, and then Monday, Brady and I both have doctor appointments. Hopefully there will be a new baby heartbeat and a height/weight update to speak of after said appointments! I'm excited to see how much Brady has grown; I'm less excited to see how much I've grown :-) Until the numbers are in, enjoy the slide show!

Surprise!

Welcome to Brady's office

 Even though our calendars won't flip over to November for another couple of weeks, and even though my actual (30th...) birthday isn't until the 14th, I was surprised with an early celebration this weekend!

Apparently Zach had been planning this shindig for months, and his attention to every detail made his preparation obvious. 

Daddy and Brady on the boat

We met Derek and Kim at their place, and then made our way to Station Square where I was told we were going to eat at Buca di Beppo (I was so prepared, too; brought a coupon and everything!!) When we started walking in the direction of the Gateway Clipper fleets, I was a little confused. Derek covered it up by saying he and Kim wanted to surprise us with a dinner cruise. Meanwhile, Zach had managed to get our immediate families (including Brady!!) into the city and onto one of the boats, and they were there waiting for us when we boarded! When they yelled "Surprise!" and I saw the birthday balloons, I really thought we were celebrating Terri's birthday which is this Tuesday. It took me a while to realize everyone was there for me!

Parenting at its finest

The cruise was very...entertaining! We spent the majority of the time enjoying the sights and sounds of those who were dressed in prom attire, sweating on the dance floor, and/or singing in the band. The food was good, the company was great, and unbeknownst to me, the night was just getting started!

I had gone to the bathroom only to return to Zach's urgent pleas: "Get your jacket! We're getting off!" Yet again I was confused, but obliged because I was kinda enjoying the whole surprise thing :-) I panicked for a minute when I realized it was getting late and Brady would need to get to bed, but the grandparents assured me they would handle it. So off the boat I went with Zach, Derek, and Kim, and into the casino they led me!

As we walked in, I joked that had I known we were coming, I would have rubbed my friend Lisa's head for luck--the girl wins EVERYTHING! Surprise number two: Lisa WAS there, along with so many others! Zach had invited (and recruited some help in inviting!) my college roommates, former colleagues, and our very best friends. He even reserved a little lounge for us where we (well, everyone but me!) had drinks and feasted on the biggest cake I'd ever seen in my life! Even though I didn't win anything (lost almost everything is more like it...), most everyone else went home with heavy pockets. My gal pals took pictures; once they give them to me, I'll post them!

The place started clearing out around 12:30 when I realized our poor dogs had been cooped up inside since 4:00 that afternoon. I asked Zach if he had thought to ask anyone to let them out since we were gone so late and he just smiled. Surprise number three: not only had he arranged for someone to take care of the mutts, but he booked us a gorgeous room at the Hilton (the hotel formerly known as the Hilton!) right in the city. We have to give credit to Derek for this one, though; he got us one heck of a deal AND he upgraded our room to a little suite. It was WONDERFUL--the view wasn't too bad either!

This morning, Derek and Kim picked us up (they also drove to Station Square, dropped us at the hotel the night before, and taxied us around the city today!!) and we went to the Strip for breakfast at Pamela's. We shopped around a bit before saying our goodbyes and heading back to Sir Brady who had stayed with Zach's parents. It was such a perfect birthday surprise and I am incredibly grateful for everyone who was a part of it. It really makes a girl feel loved to know that so many of my close friends and family were willing to spend the evening making my birthday special. Even if it was a month early :-)

Zach really outdid himself, though. He told me he wanted to incorporate all of my favorite things into one night: my family, our friends, and sleep!! From arranging help for Brady, the dogs, and transportation, contacting and inviting everyone, and keeping every single facet of the night a surprise, he certainly impressed me! He even thought to bring a thermometer since I wasn't feeling well earlier in the day. Well, that's an understatement: I was so sick I almost didn't get out of bed at all on Saturday; that would have put quite a damper on the evening! Fortunately, my fever was no match for two Tylenol (OK'ed by the doctor, of course!) and gallons of orange juice, so I was able to enjoy the thoughtful, generous, and successfully surprising night my never-ceases-to-amaze-me husband planned. I was pretty exhausted today, but the Party Planner was down for the count within five minutes of our drive home :-)

Sleepy Zachary

In addition to my birthday-come-early, Zach and I both were lucky recipients of a Grandma Barb surprise: she has concluded that we're having a girl! When we were pregnant with Brady, Grandma Barb was the only one to adamantly believe we were having a little boy. As many times as I told her she was wrong, she smiled a knowing smile and turns out--she was right! 

Brady signing, "More!"

Brady signing, "All done!"

Speaking of our new addition, we're making room for HER by making a room for BRADY! while it's been fun picking out little boy "stuff," it's not been so fun cleaning out the spare bedroom, but we are making progress. Hopefully the next post will be full of those "progress" pictures, but until then, feast your eyes upon Our Mess!

Introducing Morgan Carrlee Wirtz!

Sandy and Kevin have officially joined the esteemed club known as Parenthood! On Thursday, October 7th, San was induced because of high blood pressure, and in retrospect it's a really good thing that she was. Poor San hasn't moved from her labor and delivery room at West Penn because she now has preeclampsia and has to be constantly monitored and given medicine. Even though Mama is still on the mend, Miss Morgan is doing beautifully! All us roomies went together to meet her yesterday.

Brady couldn't wait to get his hands on that baby!

I absolutely love Morgan's name, especially the middle; San and Kev paid homage to their parents by spelling Carley a little differently: the first four letters represent the names of each of the grandparents, Cindy, Al, Rose, and Rick. And Lee is Sandy's middle name, so Carrlee is just perfect!

Morgan Carrlee Wirtz!

Zach was actually ready and willing to hold her (which is unlike him and "stranger" babies!), but he said he wanted to get some practice in before "Brady's sister" comes. Apparently, his money and hopes are on us having a girl. Since we're not finding out again, we won't know for sure until May. Although, I do have to say I've been craving anything sweet, have had small boughts of nausea when I'm hungry, and am currently sporting some teenage-like pimples. Only time will tell! Anyway, while I was admittedly very wrong when guessing my first child's gender, I am proud to announce that not only was I one of the few who thought Morgan was a girl from day one, but I also won the Wirtz Baby Poll! I'm about $100 richer--the next roomie dinner is on me!

Someone really wants a little girl!

In other news, I had an appointment and our May 9th due date was confirmed by both the ultrasound and the doctor. My blood pressure is low (100/62!) which may account for some of the nausea, but all is well...except for the fact that I do not care for Dr. Bummer. Yes, that's his real name and it's quite fitting: the man is a downer! He was just doing his job in relaying the risks of VBAC to me, but he continued his tirade fully aware that two other doctors, plus a midwife, had already run down the list with me. He's also the only one who said we'll have to have an ultrasound toward the end of the pregnancy so we can "guesstimate" the baby's weight. If he/she is bigger than Brady was (8 pounds, 3 ounces), he wants me to schedule a repeat C-section. BUT he confessed that the ultrasounds could be off by a "pound or two." I will certainly do whatever is best for the sake of the baby's, but I will be beyond upset if I end up with an unnecessary repeat. See, Dr. BUMMER really is a BUMMER. I've decided I don't want to see him any more, and Zach says that's the ONLY guy I should see because he's a "realist." Well, until Dr. Realist has a uterus, I'm pretty sure he can't understand how I'm feeling.

I had my first official craving last week: I wanted the relish tray at a country restaurant called the J-Barn. Using my pregnant womanly charms and persuasion tactics (and really, how hard is it to get Zach to eat?!), the Barones joined us for an amazing dinner! Brady really enjoyed everything, too...and I mean everything:

Gross!

We even got some cute shots of Brady and Grammy in front of the J-Barn's fall decor. 

Being a trouper for Grammy.

The photo session didn't last long, as the little pig was more interested in the food than being festive.

Can a warning glance from Dad do the trick???

Nope!

This Monday, Oct. 11th, marks the first time of my 10th week and I know it won't be long until I'm counting down the days in single digits until this baby arrives. I hope I can enjoy this pregnancy as much as I did my first...if only I could get some energy back. I think the second trimester brings more oomph, so until then I shall wait patiently and nap. And I think I know someone who won't mind joining in my afternoon siestas...