HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Henry is celebrating his first Halloween with Meme in Stoneham. We have a beautiful autumn New England day for the occasion. Though he might not participate in many Halloween activities (no candy for baby), he does have a little pair of jammies to wear with pumpkins, ghosts, and "Boo!" on them if he makes it past his bedtime to greet a few trick-or-treaters.

For those who may be going through withdrawal because I haven't posted lately, we've had a few obstacles to internet access and blog time.

In summary, here's the October news from the Wisconsin Leydon family:

• We've officially moved! We now live in our new house. It is a strange, yet pleasant feeling to unpack boxes with a permanent attitude. No more apartments. No more temporary or make shift spaces. And more importantly, no more RENT! Whew, what relief to know that the apartment is cleaned and the keys turned over. What a job. A big thank you, once again, to my mom and sister, Jessica, for all their help. We'll have to be creative to find a way to express our gratitude for all they've done (I'm thinking Jessica will cash in an I.O.U. for painting assistance in her new condo soon!).

• Henry and I are keeping Meme company as she recovers from total knee replacement surgery. We are happy to report that Claire is having a speedy recovery from this operation. Everyday she feels better - less pain (or at least fewer pain killing drugs with tolerable pain), more mobility (in the knee and in general) and more strength. She is being a very good patient and following instructions from the visiting nurse and physical therapist. We are all so glad that things are going well for her!

• Henry has been a very active boy. He continues to explore his world by crawling around, pulling himself up on EVERYTHING and tasting this or that. He is ready for the Wisconsin winter now that we've purchased a winter coat, snowpants, hat, mittens, fleece jammies, and his first pair of shoes! Just before we left for Boston we saw our first taste of winter with a few flurries. A note about Madison: last year they had record breaking snowfall with 109 inches through the winter. Apparently, the Farmer's Almanac called for 110. So that was a fairly accurate prediction, right? This year's prediction? 120 inches.