Last weekend, we went to nearby three cedars farm to enjoy the fall festivities and pick out our pumpkin. It was a gorgeous day, and we had a fun time taking the hayride, wandering the corn maze, and choosing our pumpkin.

This was the first major test of the Baby Bjorn, and I can’t quite get over what a fantastic invention it is. We were there for 2+ hours, and he spent the whole time riding around kangaroo-style with nary a complaint.

When it was over we hit the donut hut for donuts and cider. There’s nothing quite like homemade donuts on a crisp fall day. All around a gorgeous day. The full set of pictures is here.

A while ago, I promised a family photo from my mom’s side of the family. Here ’tis:

From left to right:

Seth and Meredith. Mer is my mom’s brother’s daughter.

Tom and Ryna Moss. Tom is the aforementioned brother.

Jon Eddy, hovering over Ryna. Jon’s my mom’s sister’s son.

The usual suspects: my brother Mike, his wife Michelle, Shannon holding Connor, me trying very unsuccessfully not to block my mother (who is completely hidden behind me), and my dad in the back. Then my brother Matt.

Linda Eddy, my mom’s sister and Jon’s mom, followed by her husband Tim and their daughter Catherine.

As you might expect, we’ve been listening to a fair amount of childrens’ music lately. Most if it is perfectly fine (and the Disney stuff is just wonderful), but every once in a while I’ll hear something that makes me wonder who this music is for, anyway.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a deep-seated, but vague, affection for the Peter, Paul and Mary album Peter, Paul and Mommy. I’m told I just loved this record when I was a kid, and I can’t help but get the warm fuzzies when I see the cover. My parents gave it to us on CD when Connor was born, and I was excited to have it again, excited to revisit these songs.

When was the last time you actually listened to this music, though? Yes, much of it is fine, great even, but every few tracks I’m struck by… well, you’ll see. Let’s hit the highlights. Links go to lyrics.

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It’s hard to find energy to do much of anything when you have a new baby. That’s a pretty lame excuse for not posting for almost two months, I know, but I’ve honestly been too exhausted to do much of anything lately. When I’m at work, I’m, well, at work. And when I’m home, I’m either taking care of Connor, or sleeping, or sneaking in some TV or a book while Shannon (who is a saint, and who does much more than I do, so I shouldn’t complain, but I’m not going to let that stop me) takes him for a bit.

Anyway. Sorry. I’ll try and be better now.

And today seems like as good a day as any to sort-of re-initiate the blog: he’s 3 months old today, and it feels like we’re finally starting to come out the other side of the baby-rearing slog. He’s starting to sleep longer and longer each night, sometimes going as long as 5 or even 6 hours. He still requires to be held at all times during the day, which is kind of a drag, but over just the past few days, he’s started to smile and react to things, which completely makes up for it.

Here’s a rundown of the last couple of weeks, shamefully under-documented on this site. Incidentally, even though I haven’t been blogging, I have been uploading photos to the flickr page, so when in doubt, it’s always worth a look.

On his two-month birthday, I took a bunch of fun pictures with him.

For his two month birthday, he got some fancy new toys. He got this playset, which is sort of fine, but what he really enjoys is the bizarre toy we’ve come to call the Doggerpillar. It’s got the body of a caterpillar, but the head of a dog, and when you squeeze it, it plays ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ at a pitch that drives dogs to distraction. It was the first thing he ever paid any obvious attention to. Any time the music starts, he would instantly start trying to seek out the sound, as though it were the greatest sound he’d ever heard. I have real concerns bout this kid’s taste in music.

In late September, he took his first long car trip, driving to Louisville for his aunt Kelly’s baby shower, and he got to meet his great-grandmother. We call her GG for short. Lessons learned: long car trips take around 30% more time than they used to. Also, there’s nothing quite like changing a baby’s diaper in the handicapped stall of the men’s room of a rest stop in northern Ohio.

Last week, we bought a Baby Bjorn. This is the Best Invention Ever. I can now hold him and still have two free hands. It can be killer on the back, though.

Our good friend Tracy made him a cute little hat with bunny ears, and a little stuffed bunny to go with it. Hand-made stuff is awesome, as is Tracy.

And that’s about all the news that’s fit to print at the moment. Here’s the obligatory three-month movie.

(Postscript: this quick little return to blogging took about 3 hours, including throwing together the movie. Note to self: blog faster.)