After our morning trick or treating, we found a warm pub to set up camp in and ate a hearty meal. (Too bad Mommy can’t have a bloody mary, because she was sure craving one.) As you can see by Charlie’s red nose, we were happy to be inside!!

A word about her second outfit: a Halloween gift from Great Aunt Issy. So fun, right?? Unfortunately, our lunch was not meltdown-free…we seem to be in a place where we can’t get through a meal in public without having to carry Charlie out kicking and screaming. She did “ok” this time (ok being a relative term) because I stuffed her full of candy any time she got squirrelly. Ah well. Sorry friends, if we can’t meet you for lunch until this phase passes. Baby Emma got the prize for being best behaved at the table…isn’t she a doll??

These adorable pups were mascots at the new Steve Quick Jewelers, conveniently located right around the corner. I jokingly mentioned to the men that the Mommies deserved some “treats” as well, but I don’t know that anyone heard me…or maybe they were just pretending not to…

I mean, how cute is she?? Ms. Marla loaned us this amazing costume (handmade by her Mom) and Charlie looked adorable in it this morning. Kelly wore this same outfit when she was Charlie’s age, and all we had to do was pick up a basket for her Toto. I attempted to get her hair in “pigtails” but they didn’t stay in for long. I’m afraid we walked around with one pigtail for most of the morning.

There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home…

We have decided to abandon the second go-round of pumpin carving. Instead, I bought this $5.99 light up sparkle pumpin at Target and it’s what will greet trick or treaters on Halloween. We’ve placed it inside the window so as to avoid any future squirrel maulings. Haha, suckers!!

Yesterday after naps we bundled up and headed out to our local neighborhood square. Charlie loves going there and I admit, we don’t do it enough. There are usually quite a few strollers parked there, and many a toddler can be found running through, often eating some type of yummy baked goodie from the local cafe.

Charlie picked out a black cat sugar cookie (which explains her black lips post-cookie) and I treated myself to half of a pumpkin cupcake (yes, I did share the rest with Vann) and a cup of tea and sat in the square as she ran and threw leaves up in the air.

We met a lovely stay-at-home mom and her 21 month old, and she and Charlie giggled and had a big time. I will miss my neighborhood whenever we finally move. It is worth all the missing linen closets in the world.

What a blessing to have such a nap-happy little girl! 9 times out of 10, Charlie sleeps 2 1/2 to 3 hours every afternoon…and sometimes even a bit more. She’s always been a great sleeper. I don’t know what I would do without this precious ME time.

I am so excited because my sweet friend Emily has a crib (mattress included) and changing table that she is GIVING us. Her little girl just graduated to a big girl bed and she wants it out of her apartment. How is it that we have such generous people in our lives?? I called Vann and told him about her offer and he didn’t hesitate: “We’ll make it work.” Tim Gunn would be so proud!! Now comes the task of figuring out where we will put these new pieces of furniture. Charlie has not attempted (knock on wood) to climb out of her crib, and considering she’s just a petite 25 pounds, we will most likely have use of it for awhile longer. I wouldn’t want to uproot her at this point anyway, she’s going to have enough adjusting to do!

I think we’ll put the crib in the office and the pack n’ play in our bedroom (which is teeny, by the way) so that we have some different options for napping/nighttime. Baby B won’t be taking 3 solid naps for a bit, so we have some wiggle room. The office is a pretty popular room for me and the cats, so I’d hate to have it closed off three times a day! I’m hoping this baby is flexible and will be a great sleeper just like her big sister.

Speaking of generosity, my mom’s group is coordinating meals for us for after our sweet girl’s arrival. Auntie Em did this for us the first time, and I just don’t have the words for what an ENORMOUS blessing it is. After the family has left and life settles down a bit, it is just so wonderful to have your community coming by to drop off a meal and stay for a chat or to hold the baby. It is an unbelievable, overwhelming blessing, and I will cherish each visit.

It’s hard to believe that 3 weeks from Monday we’ll be meeting our girl. I’m still on the look-out for the perfect gift for Charlie from her “baby sister”. I’ve heard of these funky, handmade dolls from a company called Bamboletta (one of my favorites, named Maya, is pictured below) that I’m currently lusting over…so we’ll see if I can settle on something soon. Today Charlie and I got started on Christmas shopping (as I need to be pretty much done by Thanksgiving) and there is so much to be done!!!!!