The Beach Redux, 17 Months, Cookies, and Halloween

Update: Three days have passed since I first started this on Sunday, which means bonus video at the end...

Jake is down for an early nap (thanks daylight savings time) so I'm going to try to blog about October in one big post. Jake's sleeping over the past month has been hit or miss (which is much harder now than it was a year ago because we are so accustomed to that blissful 11 hours). One culprit is tiny tooth #7 which has emerged on the bottom. We also think we are spying some molars coming in - at least bulging gums making way for molars.

Jake also weaned this past month, which went easier than I thought it would. I gave serious consideration to nursing him through the winter to provide him with more antibodies to stave off colds and flu, but in the end, we were both ready. Jeff and I think Jake is now even more clingy to me, but so it goes. He's a mama's boy for now. I'm sure daddy's day will come.

At the end of September, Jake went to his first football game. It wasn't the Big House, but it was fun (and NC State actually won).

We headed out to the Outer Banks for a weekend and somehow hit the coldest weekend yet. Rainy and in the 50s. Didn't stop Jake from enjoying the beach!


And we found the crossroads of his genealogy...


I was out of town for work (first time for me to be away overnight since Jake came home from the hospital). Jeff did a fantastic job without me (who doubted?) and even took the 17 month picture...


We had a great Halloween yesterday (Michigan football debacles notwithstanding). Jake dressed up as a leopard (the bear costume will have to wait for next year) and even went trick or treating at our neighbors. (yes, that is chocolate drool running down his chin...)


If the leopard hadn't worked out, Jake's back up costume was sumo wrestler...


This year's pumpkins included an homage to our new computer, a ghost (yes, I can carve something besides a happy face!), and a bear (of course)...



Finally, for Halloween my mom sent her amazing sugar cookies. This was Jake's first time for them...Needless to say, they have been a hit!




And second finally, Jake has started imitating the vacuum (you may need to turn your volume up to hear the "vroom vroom"). He also seems to have figured out how to ham it up for the camera...