Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we headed up north to celebrate with Audrey's family in Kent, WA which is right outside of Seattle. Zane did very well on his first 3 hour road trip. We planned to stop in the middle for some lunch and to let everyone stretch and other than that he slept the entire way.

For those who don't know, Audrey is our future sister-in law. She and Mason's brother, Matt, are getting hitched this summer! YAY!! Her family was so generous and welcoming and we had a great time getting to know everyone. They had quite the food spread with everything from the traditional turkey, potatoes, and green bean salad to Swedish meatballs and a roast! Needless to say, after 2 pieces of pumpkin pie Mason and I were about to burst!

Audrey's cousins were awesome and stepped in to hold the little man for us the majority of the day. Mama and Papa's arms need a break! Zane was very comfortable with both of them and slept most of the day. Below Emily and Zane snuggle on the couch...you can't see it but he'd managed to get his hand INSIDE her shirt. I don't think there's a place in the baby book for "first copped feel". Thanks for being such a good sport Emily! :)

Me & Audrey.

The Rippey boys.
Audrey's mom, Shirley, gave us the guest room to use in case Zane needed be changed or fed or chill out. Here he is enjoying some leg lifts courtesy of Papa.

The next day we avoided black Friday crowds with a late breakfast and then a jaunt to Carkeek Park. It was a sunny, but chilly day by the water. It was a gorgeous view of the Olympic Mtns.

Here's Zane tucked in his carrier all nice and warm.

Oma & Opa's visit

Oma and Opa just left and Zane is missing them already. He had such a great time listening to all of Oma's crazy songs and walking up and down the hall with Opa!

Judy and Blase hadn't experience Portland before so we tried to get them as much exposure as possible with a baby and wet weather. We did make it to the Rose Garden for a stroll and surprisingly there were a few blooms left. Zane did very well in the Bjorn with Papa and was nice and cozy in his monkey fur suit!

On Wednesday Zane had his 6 week doctor's apt. and we found out what we'd known all along: he's a large boy. Weighing in at 14.9 lbs and 23 inches long. The doc said we can expect him to gain an ounce a day for the next several weeks. Overall he's very healthy and is right on cue for a 6 week old. We made an apt. for a pediatric eye doctor in early Dec. to get his left eye checked out. It looks like it's just a problem with his eye lid since the eye itself is responsive and tracks with the right eye.

After his apt. Mason, Blase and I stepped out to watch the Blazer's beat Detroit at the Rose Garden while Oma bonded with little Zaney. It was a lot closer than it needed to be, but the team likes to deliver exciting finishes.

We miss them already and of course wish they lived closer...or if someone could invent a transporter that would be great. We'd love the opportunity for Scrabble games and delicious home cooked meals more often!

Zane is bored by tummy time.

Gripe Water to the rescue!

Lunch yesterday with our neighbor was a learning experience. She has 2 kids, 4 and 1, and was a wealth of information. She recommended a natural tincture called Gripe Water for fussiness and gas relief. We gave some to Zane last night before bed and had the best night of sleep yet! He went to bed at 10pm, which was a sure improvement from the past 2am bedtime, and stayed down for 3 hour blocks!!! YAY!

So Mom and Dad are feeling rested this morning and are busy getting the house ready for Oma and Opa's arrival this afternoon. Zane can't wait to meet 'em and show them how big he's getting.

A few days ago we had Mason stand on the scale and then I handed him Zane. A whopping 14 pounds!! Whoah! That's a big boy. His 6-week apt. is on Wed. so we'll get a more accurate weight, but it can't be too far off.

Rippey visit

Zane spent the past few days getting to know Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doris! They flew all the way from Arlington, VA just to see him.

Zane found his Grandma Doris very soothing and entertaining. She got more smiles out of him than either myself or Mason has seen so far! (I can't get this NOT to be underlined...)

Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris came from Boulder, CO too!

We were lucky enough to have Doris out during her birthday! We went out for German/American fare at the Widmer Brewery where schnitzel and sausages were enjoyed by all. And of course no birthday is complete without cake!!

And of course no visitors can escape without a trip to the Flavour Spot, or Waffle Hut as we like to call it, for some maple sausage waffles. YUM! I think Chris and Megan are now thinking of starting their own cart in CO.

After waffles a long walk was needed so we headed to Forest Park where Zane did a fabulous job in his EllaRoo carrier. Go Zane, you're a natural!

The little man is much more calm these days since his diaper rash is the best we've ever seen it thanks to Grandpa Dave. A little corn starch goes a long way in the healing process and definitely has improved it better than any of the over the counter creams and prescriptions that the doctor has recommened. We now have Grandpa Dave on speed dial.

Fall Photo Shoot

Yesterday we took advantage of what's looking like the last nice day for a very long time. We set up the tripod in the backyard for some photo family fun! Zane slept the entire time...of course.

Z enjoys time with Papa. Check out the arm girth--Popeye would be jealous.

Me and my little bug.

Then today we had some tummy time on the boppy. Check out that head control!! He's still working on getting that left eye open all the way, but he's made tremendous progress. Way to go little man!

He munches on his fists a lot, even when he's not hungry.

More Halloween Photos

Yay, more Halloween pics! I was a cattle rancher. Clearly my herd was out of control.

This is the posse. From L to R: Clara, Silas, Langston, Graham, and Z.

Thanks to Graham for lending a shoulder to Zane!

Zane the socialite

Zane has had a very social past few days. His buddy, Maggie, brought her parents Brad and Annie over for a visit. Maggie is 3 months older than Zane so we're watching her closely so we can learn what's in store for us. Luckily she's very chill and we're hoping that Z picks up on her cues!

Then the next day we went over to Maggie's house and met her friend, Arthur. Arthur is 6 months old...again we're watching him closely! It appears they do more than eat and sleep at that age...hmmm.

And of course yesterday was Halloween and Zane was eager to get dressed up. He made the most handsome cow I've ever seen!

We went to a Halloween party with all sorts of little ghosties and ghoulies at our friends Stephen and Sara's house, but of course my camera battery died so I have to wait to get pictures from other people before I can post them. We lined up all the kiddies on the couch in their costumes. It was the cutest!!

And I leave you with a family photo: