Happy Halloween

Nathan was very serious about carving his first pumpkin.

Gift from God

The name Nathan means "Gift From God." And what a gift he is. This weekend he was baptized, and we were really touched by the lengths our family came to witness this event. Just about our entire in-town family gave their Sunday afternoon to be with us; Aunt Kristen and Alex came in from Rochester; Grandma and Grandpa from Eau Claire; Aunt Katie and Uncle Graydon from Cleveland; Uncle Ray all the way from Florida; and even Angie and Theresa drove in from school. Nathan was a real trooper. He slept through his first Mass, and was quietly alert through most of the baptism. It was downhill after the oil - but really, who wouldn't fuss at oil on thier head, messing up his fine 'do? Later he fell asleep sitting up - just like his grandpas. He's still recovering from the busy weekend.

Visitors from the North

We had a great visit this weekend with Mom and Dad Bollinger and Kristen and Alex. Alex and Nathan had a great time getting to know each other with fun trips to the Magic House and the Zoo. Alex was joined by Andrew for a Halloween parade around our neighborhood Sunday afternoon. Nathan can't wait to get in on the action next year.

It was nice while it lasted

Well, we enjoyed 5 blissful nights of all-night sleep - including a stretch of seven hours and 15 minutes one night. And then back to reality. It's been touch and go since Tuesday. Wednesday he got his shots... and a subsequent fever that kept us up just about all night. I finally got him to sleep more than 15 minutes at a time around 4 a.m. by rocking him to sleep on my chest. Poor little man. The last couple nights it seems he might be working back up to all night sleeping - three hour stretches without eating in between. Here's hoping for more progress...

2 & 2: Two months for Nathan; Two years for us

Last Saturday we went for a drive and a hike at Pere Marquette - the park in Illinois where we were engaged. Then we stopped at Eckert's for some apple cider and caramel apples. What a great way to celebrate our anniversary (10/7) and Nathan's two-month birthday (10/11). Comfy in his Bjorn (courtesy of Aunt Kristen), Nathan is on his way to becoming quite the little outdoorsman.

Shhh... don't tell Nathan, but he slept through the night!

I'm absolutely certain that I'm jinxing ourselves as I type, but I have to share: Nathan slept through the night! He went down about 11:30 last night; he squeaked a bit around 12:15 without opening his eyes, so I just popped his Nuk back in his mouth and he drifted back off. Next thing I know I'm waking up to the numbers 5:49 on the clock, and the sound of peaceful slumber. Nathan didn't make a sound until about 15 minutes later. We celebrated by going to the park with Andrew and Bridget - where Nathan did his best Grandpa Jack impersonation, snoozing under his ball cap.

Here's hoping we have many more nights like last night...

Great Pumpkins

The pumkin patch reaches a new level on the fun-o-meter when you go with a whole group of kids you know.

Smile!

After a particulary loong night, Nathan is in a fantastic mood today. Definitely smiles!

Bear Masesames

Brad's budding director skills continue. This time we're joined by guest star Andrew Keenan, sitting around the chiminea on a pleasant fall evening and educating us about bear masesames and baby bumble bees.

Ozark Visit

Went to the Ozarks this weekend - Nathan's first getaway. He did really well for the first 2.75 hours of the 3 hour drive. At the condo, he had loads of fun playing with his aquarium friends. I think we're starting to see real smiles from him. Check out the handful of photos and see what you think.

Calling Ari Gold

With much thanks to Mom and Dad Bollinger for our new video camera, Brad is working on his movie credits. Following is his first film. Lookout Mr. Scorsese...

Amy's Window Goes Cyberglobal

Welcome. With family and friends located all over the country, I'm hoping this blog will be a helpful tool for sharing photos, news, and interesting* tidbits. Those who have received Amy's Window emails in the past will quickly see there is little correlation between this site and the emails by the same name. Here I'll be quite a bit more self-indulgent. But hey - I'm a big chunk of my own target audience.

Love love love for you to share comments - but please keep it clean. My son's grandparents view this blog...

* The term "interesting" is relative. I think this stuff is interesting. You may think it's news from snoozeville.

Best Aunt Ever Quest, Part 32

In my continued quest for the Best Aunt Ever title (when you're one of 8, you have to stand out), I took my nieces for a St. Louis Playday. Trying to dream up something new, I thought ... hey - I'm always posting nuggets about what's going on Outside Amy's Window at 200 N Broadway, how about I get out there and BE one of those specks on the landing. Sure, the girls had been up in the Arch. But the riverboat cruise was a first. They were naturals. I like to picture Becky Thatcher with flaming red hair...

We started with lunch at Caleco's. Miranda does love her steak. Then we took a spin through the Old Courthouse. What a spin - those stairs to the top level! After a respectful nod to the Old Cathedral (of course they'd already been there at my wedding), we headed on down for our Main Course. Boarded the steamboat, and prepared to set sail.

It was just a short trip up and down the St. Louis Coastline, but what a great view of our fair city. The Eads Bridge is even more impressive from underneath.

So - what's next in The Quest? Stay tuned...