Leaves

In Madison, they have a great system for picking up leaves around town. All you have to do is form piles at the edge of the street (not in the street, so as not to contaminate the lakes or clog sewers). This saves a person from bagging and dragging barrels of leaves around. As an aside, let's recall that I grew up on a farm, where leaf raking was simply not done. Unless, of course, it was for the pure pleasure of forming a big pile for jumping. That's what ditches are for, right, to collect the leaves where the wind blows? So I really can't complain about this aspect of home ownership.

George, however, has experienced first hand the hassle of yard clean up in the fall. So the video includes Henry supervising my raking, and the photos are the equipment used by the city for pick up. Henry was fascinated watching both my manual labor, and their high-tech methods.

One Man Band

Here's a video of Henry with his most recent favorite toy. It is funny to see him jammin' to the tunes he produces on this thing! At least he has his father's sense of rhythm, if he lacks a love of dance.

Happy 9 Months!

Henry visited Dr. Smith today to celebrate his 9 month birthday. We would have gone without shots, except that he received the flu vaccine. Bummer.

Per usual, the comments were all about how he is growing and developing normally. We're so happy to report that Henry is a very healthy boy.

Height: 29.75 inches (91%)
Weight: 22 lbs 7 oz. (79%)
Head circumference: 46.5 cm (83%)

Here is Henry with his most recent stretch tactics.

Keep your eye on the birdie!

This is a picture of the first dusting of snow - note the neighbor's roof is white. Its not the best picture of Henry, but let's keep in mind I was holding Henry and the camera and preventing the two from meeting in the middle!

We had a bit of a bird watching session today. Unfortunately, it began with the untimely meeting of a little birdie with our big window. I went over to see what the noise was when I realized there were a few tiny feathers stuck to the window. Sad. I know. Looking past the tiny little fluffy headstones, I saw there was a group of little birdies in the trees. They were flitting back and forth among the wispy branches. Henry actually saw them, too. Usually, he has no idea what I'm pointing at, and why I'm so excited. Yes, I'm another crazy mother waving my arms at squirrels, rabbits, and other urban wildlife in the hope that Henry will take note of his surroundings. They stayed close to the window (my guess is they were confused about the demise of their leader) so Henry followed their moves as they were contained in a small area of branches. I wish I was more of a birder. I think most likely they were either dark-eyed juncos or black-crowned chickadees. Chickadees are probably the most common, right?

I only mention this because I then took Henry for a walk and didn't realize I was continuing a birding expedition.

We saw:
- a pair of cardinals (Mr. & Mrs.)
- an owl (not even going to guess a species on this one)
- a red headed woodpecker
- a herd of Canada geese (yes, easy to spot, but they are still birds, so I get to count them)

Just more reasons I like Madison...a walk in the park complete with wildlife.

Hibernating

I feel like Henry and I have been hibernating. Its suddenly turned cold here in Wisconsin, and there is a light coating of snow on the roofs and streets this morning. Twinkling in the sunlight - oh Mr. Sun, its been so long! - it is quite lovely outdoors in our new neighborhood.

I'm in full soup mode now that the chilly weather is here to stay.
Here's the list for the season thus far:
*Chili (though I cheated with a box mix for a starter)
*Potato vegetable (with German dumplings...my mother's family recipe)
*Cheesy Broccoli Potato (made with bleu cheese - Henry loved it!)
*Winter soup (Mmmm, my favorite. Made with leeks and a home grown zucchini)
*Tortellini soup (Erica Smith's recipe - it makes an annual appearance)

Overall, we're doing well as we continue to settle into our new house. I wrote in an earlier post that it was strange, yet pleasant to be unpacking permanently. That's not entirely true 100% of the time.

Let's see, for eight years I've been picking up and moving at least every two years, if not more frequently. Yes. That's eight years, and seven states...from Iowa to Minnesota, then Wisconsin (ok, just for summer camp, but still...), California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Michigan, and now Wisconsin. Again. During that time it was imperative that I save cardboard boxes. I'm having a hard time saying goodbye to the boxes. There, I said it. I suppose that if my life was somewhat transient for so long, naturally, I'd feel a little uneasy about shifting gears and staying in one place for a while. After all, it is still early in the adjustment period, so I'm trying to be patient with myself. Rather, I should say George is trying to be patient with me while I drag my feet to get everything pulled out from every box and placed where it belongs (if only I knew where that place was!).

On another note of permanence, the furniture arrived today. Oh happy day! So we now have a new couch and a table and chairs to seat everyone who is coming for Thanksgiving. This is very exciting, and also helps make me feel like I never want to move again. It is heavy stuff.

Wickedly Cute

Halloween photos to share - Henry and I enjoyed our visit to Stoneham, and we wish Meme continued success in her recovery from knee surgery. Oh, and I almost forgot, my favorite part is that the little tag on his jammies says "wickedly cute" -- get it?

An explanation for those a little slow to make an amusing connection: Bostonians occasionally use the word "wicked" to mean "very." As in, "Dude, that's wicked awesome" or "its wicked hot outside."

Hidden Talents

Henry had his first introduction to a piano at Meme's house. Both George and I play the piano, so most likely lessons are in Henry's future. He was quite pleased with himself as he pressed the keys to make the sounds. Thankfully, he was very gentle during this lesson. Though I'm sure that will wear off as he becomes more comfortable with the instrument!

On the other hand, perhaps piano playing will not be his true talent -- here he shows us a trick with a cucumber stick. Silly boy.

8 Months, already!

Time to catch up on a few pictures of Henry. Here's a picture I took on the day he turned 8 months old. As you can see, he is always very busy exploring his surroundings. He pulls himself up against anything that might hold still for two seconds - long enough for him to get his feet under him!

This picture of Henry in the mirror makes me laugh. First of all, this mirror is just the right height for him. Second, I love watching him learn about ordinary things. Long ago he's been interested in his reflection, smiling at himself and touching the glass. This time, I added his hat halfway through his experience, which was enough of a disguise to throw him off for a minute. The kiss, however, was a complete surprise to me, and I think to him. Not the soft skin he was expecting! This fall season flew by as we were busy with the move, but we took a few moments to enjoy the beautiful color on the trees. Our new house has great windows for viewing, and the colors inside our home also reflect nature's seasons. Unfortunately, the leave are now gone, but I'm sure it won't be long before the brown has a beautiful coat of white!

Barack the Vote

That's my favorite slogan so far...
My fingers are crossed for Tuesday's election!

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.