Each month, I always read the previous month’s post to recall what has happened in the last month. I will have to tell you that France feels like it was forever ago, but it has only been a month…so as Allison is continuing to grow and change each month, at least it doesn’t always feel like life is going fast! 
During this month, we went on vacation to Florida. Wait a minute, let’s replace the word vacation with “trip.” We have been on several vacations whether it is an all-inclusive beach resort or wine-tasting in San Francisco or New Year’s Eve in New York. It appears that from now on, if we take Allison, we are going on trips. We were just naïve to all the work it was to get Allison from one place to the next with all of the necessary equipment for her. On top of this reality check, there was a tropical storm that basically kept us inside for 3 of the 4 days. 25 mph winds and rain just isn’t something you can have an infant on the beach! We were trying to find things to do, but how much fun would Allison have at a movie or museum? And going on a pub crawl just didn’t seem like a good idea! I’m sure Deb felt the same way, but I just had a new appreciation for the “vacations” I went on as a kid and all of the work my parents did to make those happen.
Allison actually did really well on the flights. Deb did a good job getting us the best available seats, so we had plenty of room with the bulk-head or first-class on the planes. Her naps were a little off all week and since we don’t really have a consistent nap schedule each day (daycare puts her down at random times and on the weekends we do a more consistent job), we were sometimes stuck at the condo waiting for her to nap before we could leave. We did get her in the ocean and took daily walks (sometimes 2) on the beach regardless of the weather and just put a towel over the front of the jogging stroller we rented to block the wind. We had some great dinners at recommended places (Captain Kurts, Phillippe Creek, The Hub and Lobster Pot). On the last day, we took a walk and the weather was still breezy and overcast. At lunch, it wasn’t raining, so we had 13 beers left in our fridge and decided to take another walk. As our walk ended, Allison was asleep in the stroller and we stopped in front of our hotel and put a towel down. The sun came out, Allison slept for 3 hours and we each drank probably 3-4 beers and got a little sunburned! It was just enough to show us what Siesta Key had to offer and I think we will be back at some point!
We participated in our 4th “Light the Night” fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on October 15th. We have done this each year since Dad was diagnosed in 2008. For obvious reasons, it was a little emotional, but we enjoyed each other’s company. The Vandervaarts made it back from Ohio, so we were able to spend some additional time with them this weekend as we hadn’t seen them since they moved to Ohio in August.
Allison had her 6 month appointment and seems to be doing great. She weighed in at 15 lbs and 9 ozs and was 27 inches long. She is currently eating 4-5 times a day and is starting to do better with the solids. Now really, why call it “solids”? I know it is more “solid” than milk, but it sure seems to have the consistency of a milk-shake and on a side note, it doesn’t smell that great!
We got a hand-me-down Halloween costume from a friend that was a “pea pod” and Deb decided she was going to be a “Sweet Pea.” We also took her to a local pumpkin patch and took some pictures. She did well in the costume as we wore it to a Halloween party at my work. Deb and I went as “Colts” to that party and I borrowed a neck brace to look even more like Peyton Manning (when your team is 0-8, you just need to laugh at it)! 
During this month, we went on vacation to Florida. Wait a minute, let’s replace the word vacation with “trip.” We have been on several vacations whether it is an all-inclusive beach resort or wine-tasting in San Francisco or New Year’s Eve in New York. It appears that from now on, if we take Allison, we are going on trips. We were just naïve to all the work it was to get Allison from one place to the next with all of the necessary equipment for her. On top of this reality check, there was a tropical storm that basically kept us inside for 3 of the 4 days. 25 mph winds and rain just isn’t something you can have an infant on the beach! We were trying to find things to do, but how much fun would Allison have at a movie or museum? And going on a pub crawl just didn’t seem like a good idea! I’m sure Deb felt the same way, but I just had a new appreciation for the “vacations” I went on as a kid and all of the work my parents did to make those happen.Allison actually did really well on the flights. Deb did a good job getting us the best available seats, so we had plenty of room with the bulk-head or first-class on the planes. Her naps were a little off all week and since we don’t really have a consistent nap schedule each day (daycare puts her down at random times and on the weekends we do a more consistent job), we were sometimes stuck at the condo waiting for her to nap before we could leave. We did get her in the ocean and took daily walks (sometimes 2) on the beach regardless of the weather and just put a towel over the front of the jogging stroller we rented to block the wind. We had some great dinners at recommended places (Captain Kurts, Phillippe Creek, The Hub and Lobster Pot). On the last day, we took a walk and the weather was still breezy and overcast. At lunch, it wasn’t raining, so we had 13 beers left in our fridge and decided to take another walk. As our walk ended, Allison was asleep in the stroller and we stopped in front of our hotel and put a towel down. The sun came out, Allison slept for 3 hours and we each drank probably 3-4 beers and got a little sunburned! It was just enough to show us what Siesta Key had to offer and I think we will be back at some point!
We participated in our 4th “Light the Night” fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on October 15th. We have done this each year since Dad was diagnosed in 2008. For obvious reasons, it was a little emotional, but we enjoyed each other’s company. The Vandervaarts made it back from Ohio, so we were able to spend some additional time with them this weekend as we hadn’t seen them since they moved to Ohio in August.Allison had her 6 month appointment and seems to be doing great. She weighed in at 15 lbs and 9 ozs and was 27 inches long. She is currently eating 4-5 times a day and is starting to do better with the solids. Now really, why call it “solids”? I know it is more “solid” than milk, but it sure seems to have the consistency of a milk-shake and on a side note, it doesn’t smell that great!
We got a hand-me-down Halloween costume from a friend that was a “pea pod” and Deb decided she was going to be a “Sweet Pea.” We also took her to a local pumpkin patch and took some pictures. She did well in the costume as we wore it to a Halloween party at my work. Deb and I went as “Colts” to that party and I borrowed a neck brace to look even more like Peyton Manning (when your team is 0-8, you just need to laugh at it)! 
