Happy Halloween everyone!

Because Bryan was at the station with duty on the actual day, we dressed Zach up yesterday for a photo op. Zach's too little for trick or treating this year, but he did wear his monster costume for a little while today. I tucked him into bed at 7, and the trick or treaters didn't arrive until shortly after that.

I was taken aback by one of the kids - I hand out handfuls of candy, not a piece or two, and I had one kid, probably about 10, actually say "Gimme more."

Huh?!

If I'd done that, my parent would have made me apologize immediately and trick or treating would have been done for the night. But the parent just stood there, like I was the one who should be embarrassed for not forking out massive amounts of candy in the first place. I was so shocked I said "I'll give you a couple more pieces, but I need some for the other trick or treaters." At least his friend politely asked "Could I have more, too, please?"

Unbelievable.

When I tucked Zach in, I left a bowl of candy on the stoop with a sign that said "Putting the baby to bed - please help yourself. Happy Halloween!" Zach was beat after taking a minimal nap today, so he was zonked pretty much immediately. I heard what sounded like teenagers come to the door, and when I went to retrieve my bowl, it was almost emptied. I didn't hear any other kids at the door, and I wasn't in with Zach for more than 5-7 minutes. Can't say I'm super surprised, but still. It kinda ruins your faith in the next generation, you know?

Oh well, one more year down, and Bryan will have a big bag of leftover candy to take to the station next week.

We got Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull from Netflix on Wednesday. We watched it last night and it was absolutely awful. As in, I'm shocked-Harrison-Ford-agreed-to-do-it-awful. The stunt doubles were laughable and it just seemed obvious that as much as I like Harrison Ford, he's getting a little long in the tooth to be playing an action hero. I'm glad we didn't see it in the theater and actually pay the money for it.

Don't waste your time.

Zach had his first (real) haircut last weekend. I had trimmed some of his randomly long locks a month or so ago because they were totally out of control, but he was starting to look shaggy, so we decided it was time for a professional cut. We took him to Kids Cuts in Rohnert Park, figuring that a kid-oriented salon would probably be best able to deal with a fidgety one year old. It wasn't as traumatic as I was afraid it was going to be, but it was remarkable how much older Zach looked with his big boy haircut. Instead of just getting peeks at what he'll look like as a little boy, now we can see it!

It's strange how quickly he's growing up. I'm sure experienced parents would tell me it's just how things go. Zach wants nothing to do with baby food anymore, and is totally on table food. He's switched over to whole milk and he walks and runs like a champ. He's more interested in his books, he can point to various body parts when asked (the way he pats his tummy is always good for a laugh) and he will follow simple instructions (when he's so inclined).

My baby's not a baby anymore.

My one consolation is that he has learned to give great hugs when asked, and he's still giving big, slobbery baby kisses. He still likes to snuggle when he's tired and at bedtime. When we sit and rock at bedtime, he'll even rearrange your hands so that they're exactly where he wants them.

There were times in the past year when I wasn't entirely sure I was going to survive it, and now I look back with nostalgia. I have a feeling time will pass at an exponential rate from here on out.

Bryan, Zach and I took advantage of the cool weather yesterday (it was only in the low 70s - brrr!) and enjoyed a drive out to wine country. We made a stop at the Valley of the Moon Winery and picked up a few more bottles of our favorite, their Rosato di Sangiovese. We'd gotten several bottles when my parents were in town, but those have mysteriously disappeared, so we needed to restock.

In our limited time here, Sonoma county has been very pretty, but right now it's gorgeous. The vineyards are turning yellow and red (and some are still green), and the trees are turning colors as well. We haven't been out to Napa in a few weeks (and truthfully I prefer Sonoma, for wine, wine tasting and scenery), so I'm not sure what it's like out there.

Zach has outgrown his rear-facing baby seat (too tall!), so he now has a big boy carseat and he gets to face forward. He seems to get a kick out of it, at least right now while it's still a novelty. I have to say, it's much easier to check on what he's doing when he fusses, or pass things back to him. I know rear-facing is safer, and we kept him in his baby seat as long as we could, but we did some research and felt that the Nautilus was a good compromise, keeping the 5 point harness (for now) and a seat that would grow with Zach.

So that's the rundown for now. Today's supposed to be back up in the upper 80s, so we may head out to the park, or at least play in the backyard. Got to take advantage of these final days off! Hmm, I think it's time to go chill some wine...

I've accepted a position with an Ear, Nose and Throat group in town here, and I'll be starting in mid-November. It's three days a week, which should allow me to have some work/life balance and I'll have more responsibilities than I did at my previous position, so it's exciting to have new challenges ahead of me. I'm looking forward to becoming part of their team and contributing my expertise.

But I'm sad that I won't be able to be home with Zach full time anymore. We're looking at preschools/daycares, and though I think it will be good for him to get a chance to interact with other kids on a regular basis, there's still a part of me that wishes I had the option to stay home with him. Which is funny, because I NEVER expected I'd want to be a stay at home mom.

At any rate, the next few weeks will be busy, as we get everything lined up for my return to work and while I get squared away in my new position. Wish me luck!

Hooray! Hockey season has started! Bryan ordered a tiny (12-24 months) Wild jersey for Zach, and he had his first chance to wear it tonight. Zach managed to stay awake for two periods, but went to bed during the second intermission. Derek Boogaard got some decent ice time and regular shifts. He had a few passes, but no luck, which is too bad, because I suspect that if Boogey were to score at the X, the place would absolutely EXPLODE. Two periods of good hockey, one period of...not quite as good hockey.

I'm hoping it'll be a good season. There are a lot of new players this year, which means I need to learn 8 or 9 new faces and jersey numbers. I'm not sure if we'll be able to make it to HP Pavilion for a game this year, since face off is after Zach's bedtime and he's now at a pretty restless stage. It doesn't seem like it'd be much fun for one of us to have to miss the game to chase him around the concourse to keep him occupied while he's overtired and cranky. We'll see, though, something could work out. My Derek Boogaard jersey still remains unsigned (by him at least), so the quest continues...in a scaled-down way. Zach already has jerseys in a slightly larger size, so even if he hits a growth spurt during the season, he's set!

Zach had his 12 month checkup yesterday, and he's doing great! He's 30 and 3/4 inches, which puts him in about the 80th percentile for height and he's just under 24 pounds, which is about the 70th percentile for weight. He obviously gets the height from Bryan and the weight from me! :)

Unfortunately, yesterday meant four shots, the MMR, flu, pneumococcal and varicella (chicken pox), so he wasn't a happy camper after getting four injections. Poor baby.

That's the quick round up. I'm going to take advantage of his naptime to get a few things done around the house. I'm constantly shocked by the laundry's ability to multiply exponentially when I'm not looking.