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Well, where to start!? November has been a very hectic month for our little family-- a month of firsts and a month of hellos and goodbyes. We are finally back home and settled in after a car trip to Baltimore, a plane trip to Albany and hosting my family for our first Thanksgiving at home, all within 2 weeks! I will make posts about each event in a bit, but here is a summary of our adventures:

Our crazy two weeks started off with Sean's first Notre Dame game... a moment we've been looking forward to since we found out I was pregnant exactly one year ago! The three of us piled in our car with more baby stuff than you could imagine, and drove to Baltimore for the Notre Dame-Navy game. Along the way we stopped in Richmond and stayed with our dear newlywed friends Luke and Andrea in their beautiful new home, and stopped in to see friends from law school in Gasperini-ville--- a small town in Richmond. We arrived in Baltimore at the ever-hospitable Tom and Colleen Galloways and had a wonderful weekend. Sean met his cousins Ben, Brendan and Kacie for the first time, met a ton of our NDLS friends and baby friends at the game and saw ND march onward to victory against Navy! It was a wonderful weekend full of firsts for our little Irish fan and he did AWESOME staying on his napping/eating/being happy schedule. We were so proud of how well he travelled.

However, it was with sadness we returned home to find out only the next day that my grandfather Jack passed away after 8 months of battling cancer. Almost immediately after we left Baltimore my dad and his six siblings were summoned to Albany to say goodbye to their father. Jack lived well and died well, taking his last breath as his wife of 56 years finished the last Hail Mary of the rosary by his side. Sean is Jack's second great-grandchild (Eva is the first), and we are so so thankful for the intense week of bonding Jack and Sean experienced up at Knobby Knoll this summer. Emmy and Jack accomplished so many things in their life and with their family, and the last few months were no exception. When Jack was diagnosed back in March Emmy and Jack made it their goal to spend one last summer at the Knoll and meet Sean Brendan, and they did! As we all gathered together in Albany last weekend it was amazing to see the life Emmy and Jack built together. It inspired Cody and I and the goals we have for our little family and gave us much to talk about and be thankful for.

Two days after we returned from Albany we welcomed my sister, mom and Pete and a surprise guest to host our first Thanksgiving. Little did I know that my mom arranged for Eva to come to SC for thanksgiving! what a wonderful and unexpected surprise! This week has been great-- relaxing, low key, full of bonding for the first cousins and Mama Peggy with SB and a wonderful thanksgiving meal :).

Stay tuned for illustrative posts about each event to come ....

Update

Mom and Dad were up no less than 5 times with an angry baby last night. We "took his hands away" by putting hand socks on Sean last night before bed so he couldn't get to his thumb. Unfortunately, every time he realized he couldn't get to his thumb he let us know. One of us would go in, re-set the paci and stumble back to bed. finally, at 5:00 a.m., with one precious hour left to sleep, I gave in, hastily pulled of the socks and let Sean at his covetted thumbs. He was happy as can be when I went in an hour later.

Any ideas to help our thumb/paci/crying situation?

What's the Daughter-In-Law of a Dentist to do?

There's no two ways around it: Sean has become a thumb-sucker. We are informed that this is not a good habit for the development of his little mouth, teeth, and nasal passages, but I dont know how to stop it!

What you don't see in this picture is his discarded paci, spit out in disgust in favor of the familiar thumb.

We have been trying (inconsistently) hand socks for bed time, but I think that has been the source of some of the middle of the night crying -- SB can't find his thumb to put himself back to sleep.

How are we to teach Sean how to soothe himself back to sleep while trying to break this little habit early on? Any ideas?

A New Friend

Sean is just starting to discover toys. Tonight at dinner Sean showed us his new Elephant Friend. It was the cutest scene ever.

First Dental Appointment

Doctor Jamie, also known as Grandpa in these parts, gave Sean his first dental exam this weekend... in our living room.

The Doc confirmed the buckets of drool, uncharacteristic late-night wakings and attempts at eating his own hands all point toward one thing--- Sean is starting to teeth.

He finished the appointment by trying to feed Sean cherry pie. I hope Dr. Jamie doesn't pass on his sweettooth to his grandson!

Long and Lean

Today at Sean's 4 month appointment he had the following measurements:

Weight: 15 lb, 11oz
Height: 26.5 inches.

This puts him in 50th percentile for weight and 90th for height!

Happy All Saints (and All Souls) Day!

Yesterday was Sean's first All Saints Day. Naturally, he asked that we dress him up as St. Francis for the parish Parade of the Saints (which we missed b/c we were late for mass!). Here are some pics of Baby St. Francis making his debut...

The Making of St. Francis... Mom and Dad figured out the secret to the Franciscan habit about 15 minutes before mass-- a brown pillow case, and ....

Super Glue! (Dad's idea).

Even St. Francis got grumpy and needy his paci once in a while.

Contemplating poverty, chastity and obedience.

All the Church Ladies loved St. Francis yesterday.

Today we go to Mass on All Soul's Day. We woke up early this morning (love daylight savings time!) and talked to Sean about Uncle Sean and brother Oliver whom we will offer our mass for this morning. Without Oliver our sweet baby Sean Brendan wouldn't be here. We lost baby Oliver on July 1, 2007 and we met baby Sean (ex utero) on July 2, 2008. As we were praying for baby Oliver on his anniversary I was having contractions with baby Sean. God is so good! As I repeated to myself many times over the course of that eventful year, He knows the desires of my heart and He is faithful!

We contemplated dressing baby Sean up like Uncle Sean for All Souls Day (in his Grateful Dead onesie!)-- maybe after church :). I tell baby Sean about his Uncle in heaven and I hope that our sweet baby will show some of Sean Peter's strong traits-- leadership, authenticity, honesty, a genuine search for God and Truth. We also hope that one day baby Sean will be the wonderful big brother that Sean Peter was to me and Denise-- always kind, fun, protective, honest, inclusive, challenging and loving. Sean Peter was so influential on me and Denise -- I am grateful for the 17 years I knew him and loved him and received his love in return. I am even more grateful to know that I will meet him in the communion of Saints today in the Eucharist and one day in Heaven.

Other prayers for All Souls Day: Nanna Groeber, Grandma Martha, Grandma Joyce, Uncle Philip and Uncle Joe, Aunt Alice, Mame and Pete.