Happy Halloween!

Here he is- our ferocious lion! Isn't this costume so funny. When I first put it on to show Ryan both of us laughed so hard. Chase's face is priceless with that lion mane on. We went to our first Halloween party- it was pretty crazy. There were lots of kids running around with grown ups chasing after them, not quite what I am used to.
All is well- no big news. We have just been busy staying afloat.

New Mom Truths

Recently my Baby Talk magazine featured "71 New Mom Truths", I wanted to share a few of my favorites.
1. You will be able to shower, wash and dry your hair (or in my case pull it up) and get dressed in less than 10 minutes.
2. You will fantasize about what you would swap for a good eight hours of sleep.
3. You will wonder if it possible to get all of the crud out of your baby's skin folds.
4. You will forget all about your difficult day with your baby when you see him sleeping peacefully at night.
5. You will pretend you don't smell your child's dirty diaper as you hand him to Dad.
6. You will feel naked when you walk outside alone.
7. You will pack everything your baby could possibly need for a weekend and forget you own toothbrush or eyeglasses (or pajamas).
8. You will marvel at the volumes of unconditional love you have for your most wonderful achievement- your baby.

Moving on, we are doing great! Recovering from a month full of birthdays (and a half-birthday)! Some of you may already know, but for others who didn't realize, someone in the household has hit the big 3-0 (I can't say who). We made it through the day without any tears, YEAH! Actually it wasn't that bad. We are excited about all of the new challenges and life experiences that the next decade of life will bring. Chase did have his 6 month shots but I have a great method that makes them virtually tear free (if you need my secret recipe send me an email). Chase has almost mastered the roll over. He does really good from back to front and can (when encouraged) go from front to back. We are looking forward to our first Halloween party next week. We have the cutest costume.

Bring It On

For weeks now I have been reading that soon my child will start showing a preference for certain toys. He would start reaching for one toy and pass another up another one, showing he likes one more than the other. But up until this week it seemed he liked anything that you would shake in his face. Then like a switch was turned on- Free Will appeared. He has started purposely leaning to reach certain toys. Then yesterday, Chase was eating in his high chair everything is going great and then he reached for a rattle. Of course I had to take the rattle away because we were in the middle of eating and Whoa BIG MISTAKE- he started screaming and thrashing about. He has also taken to throwing his body backwards (sometimes for fun and other times in protest). I just keep thinking - Here we go :) This is where it gets really interesting. I know you are looking at that picture thinking that sweet face could do no wrong and for the most part you are right. He is still so sweet and snuggly. He just wants to test the water and see who is really in charge- I think it's me- Right?

Sweet Smooches

Our little man is passing on the love- it is so cute! He loves to feel our faces so he will reach up and rub our cheeks (he also pulls hair, pokes eyes and picks noses but we won't highlight those). This fascination with faces coupled with his obsession with putting everything in his mouth has led to giving kisses. Chase will grab each side of our head and pull us down to his waiting open mouth. It is so adorable (and sloppy)!
Kissing aside, Chase is the sweetest, smiliest baby! He gives a smile to everyone he sees even when they are not smiling at him. It is so fun to watch his personality come out :)
My parents have come for another round with our home renovations. Our house may someday be fully updated- we still have hope :) We will forever be indebted to them for all of the work they have done for us. Chase is loving the new faces to explore and excitement of company.

Show and Tell

Here are our lastest videos. One has Chase talking and playing with his feet and the other is in the exersaucer. We really love the excersaucer. Chase is able to play with almost all of the toys now. He has even figured out to lean and turn himself to get a new toy. I think he likes being able to stand up by himself for a while, too. Enjoy!

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=130613&cdate=20061007&ctime=140118

Our Daddy

All is well in the Cortner home this week. Chase has been making great strides in the sleeping department. He was having trouble staying in his own bed for a few weeks but has gone back to sleeping most of the night in there. He even slept for 5 hours straight on Tuesday!! He might have slept longer but when I woke up and realized that he had slept that long already I panicked and got up to check on him, all the floor squeaks woke him up. I have also made some new friends, women from my music class, and have been out social a few times. It has been really fun to get to know other moms.
Ryan has made it home before bedtime several times this week and I have to say it is the best part of the day. Chase loves getting in some Daddy playtime before bed and I get to make dinner in peace. It is so wonderful to see how much Ryan has taken to being a Daddy and how much Chase loves him. Chase's face just lights up when Ryan smiles at him, and no one gets more giggles than Ryan.

Chase's First Blog

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Chase watches very intently as I type my blog and has even composed a few of his own emails. He sits on my lap and pounds away. I have to watch very carefully because he always finds these strange keys and short cuts for turning the computer off or deleting programs. Anyway, I would like to provide a translation for his typing. I believe it says- I would like to send love out to my many wonderful family members who continue to be part of my fan club. I am very grateful for your support. I would like to send out a special thanks to my Uncle Randy and Aunt Jeanine for the funny t-shirts and of course my good looks.

The Big Apple

Chase has finally gotten a taste for the Big Apple. We have ventured into the city several times now and each time he has been excellent. He loves checking out the new sites and manages to take pretty good naps despite the noise. Kara came in late Friday night and then Saturday we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. The weather was perfect and the city view was amazing. We spent a few hours downtown before coming back to watch our victory over Alabama.
We are still battling problems with excessive drool despite having no teeth or prospects of teeth yet. Chase's hair is starting to grow back but we think it is much more blond than red- sorry. That is probably a good thing knowing what a handful a red head can be.