BOO!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

3-0

Iowa (4-5) is 3-0 when the Aalberts men are in the stands. Time for Iowa Athletics to pony up with some comp tickets for their good luck charms? I think so.

Owen, meanwhile, is 4-0 for having a good time on our football-weekend trips to Iowa City. The weather was great over the weekend and we got in some good play time at the park and around his grandparents' house with the cat, the dogs, and two sets of grandparents.

Amy, Owen, and I left Illinois early on Friday and were in Iowa City mid-afternoon. Owen and I played at the park and took a long walk. He's very curious. We found a rabbit's warren, very similar to the one described in one of his books. We looked at all of the tufted nesting, which Owen thought was marvelous.

Owen was all over commanding the domesticated animals at his grandparents' house to "stop," "come in," "go out, " "go away," and more.

It was 32 degrees on Sunday morning, so we took Owen over to the play area at the mall when it opened to get some energy out of him and help him nap on our drive home. He had an amazing time climbing up and sliding down the slide (see Oct. 15) and running a million miles an hour around the perimeter. He gets a great look on his face when he's running, like he's trying to hold water in his smiling cheeks. I love it.

Amy is doing better. Her rib doesn't hurt as much, but at 18 weeks she is really showing. We've started buying some new maternity clothes (her warmest winter clothes from her first pregnancy in Arizona aren't going to get her much farther than the early fall); She even found a new dress to wear to my brother's wedding in December.

Speaking of, last week I became a "Reverend" last week through the Universal Life Church as Daniel and Erica are asking me and her sister Ingrid to perform the ceremony.

And, lastly, another highlight from the week for me happened at dinner last Tuesday. Amy was out with some mom friends and Owen and I were just finishing dinner when he asked for a lollipop. I gave him one for dessert, but his request got me singing the '50s song "Lollipop" by the Chordettes ("POP! Ba-dum-bum-bum). While I was singing, Owen looked at me with subtle amusement, as I'm always making up one-word songs. But when I ran downstairs for my casette of the Stand By Me soundtrack to play him for the original, he was astounded

"They wrote a song about my favorite food!"

Have a great week and a happy Halloween!

Big boy bed

Owen spent his first night in his transition toddler bed last night. He was so excited about his new bed and hopped right off my lap at the end of our storytime to hop in and get comfortable. He went right to bed and didn't make a sound all night. Amy and I kept waiting for the door to his room to open, but it never did.

I snuck in as we were getting ready for bed last night and shot the above video. Too cute!

Thanks to our good friends Doug and Kris Johnson for handing down their daughter Bailey's bed to us. It's a real hit!

Things that go snap!

It's been quite the two weeks since the last post!

A week ago last Friday, Amy woke up in the middle of the night in a coughing fit, a familiar occurrence as we both continue to try to rid ourselves of a late-summer virus. Amy had been feeling a little tug in her back along a rib for a couple of weeks, but this bout of coughs was the straw that broke the camel's back (or, better said, "cracked Amy's rib"). We called Owen's Auntie Pam who came over at 12:50 am while we went to the ER. The doctor gave Amy a pain killer and took an x-ray to make sure the rib hadn't violated the lung, but basically said the recovery course was the same whether it was a crack or just a pulled muscle: REST, REST, REST.

Amy is feeling some better, and the baby is fine, but it's going to take at least six weeks for her to heal.

Amy's mom came down for the weekend and my mom was down from Sunday through Thursday to help around the house while Amy recovered. Their visits led to some very fun opportunities for little O. A trip to the Tanner Orchard (hands down his favorite place) was the highlight of last weekend. He also made several trips to the Discovery Museum, and scared many-a-person with his sneaky descent from upstairs and running shouts of "Surprise! Surprise!"

Amy's need for R&R also played into our plans for this past weekend. Owen and I had a wonderful adventure driving into Iowa City. All of the grandparents converged on the Ives and Owen had a great time while I went to the football game with my dad. We left Bloomington at 8:00 on Friday night after going to my work for the start of the Riders in the Sky "Gene Autry Centennial" concert. I had arranged to have the Sheriff of McLean County come and "deputize" the audience. Owen and Amy came. Owen brought his cowboy hat, got his deputy star, and stayed for the first strains of Riders in the Sky music before we spirited him off to the Box Office to change him into his PJs and hit the road.

The weekend really was great. He had lots of fun playing and cheering on the Hawks (who snapped Illinois' 5-game win streak). We also visited his Auntie Meg at work and enjoyed a rainy Sunday morning playing in the play area at the mall.

Driving fast, getting wet

It's been a week and a half since I last posted. I've been hesitant to post anything new in case there are stragglers still coming to the blog in response to my emailed invitation. If you are one of those people, enough with the subtlety, AMY'S PREGNANT. More here.

Owen is excited about his new helmet. When he's in his car, the helmet goes on.

I write this because it will make you more comfortable as you watch the opening few seconds of the following video. The first time I watched it my skin prickled in that every-parent's-worst-nightmare kind of way.

He's safe. Don't worry.



We had a great time in Iowa City over the weekend (despite Iowa's lousy performance in the football game). The highlight was the fountain in the ped mall. Owen and I have been visiting the neighboring playground all summer. He runs, he slides, he pays the coolness of the adjacent fountain no attention ... until the last day of September. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous day. Warm. Perfect for stripping down to your underpants and weaving through the coeds passing by.