Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

Gareth experienced his 1st Halloween a few weeks back. After a great deal of deliberation, he decided to go with a Dad-pleasing costume . . . The Green Lantern!


As this picture attests, Gareth was shocked to learn about the Halloween tradition.

That's right, free candy!

Hearing the word, "candy," Gareth jumped right into the action.

He's still struggling with the concepts of "candy" and "not candy." Still, he seems to enjoy trying to eat everything and anything.


After a quick Halloween card snack, we headed off for tricks or treats!

He was obviously still a little stunned by the whole concept. Still, we gave it a good go. Here we are making the rounds at one of the Luther residence halls.


Yes, Gareth, that's a wig. Mom's hair hasn't been blonde in quite some time.

Rounding a corner, we found ourselves attacked by a bat!

Good thing Batty Bat won't bite!

Ubiquitous Prunes

Autumn, a friend of ours from Aurora, offers the following Haiku as a response to Gareth and his new food adventures.

Luke, be not spoon-fed
By the Dark Side of the Force
Ubiquitous prunes.

Almost Obi-wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the Dark Side. Gareth must obey his master! Or his dad, whichever the case may be. Together, we will rule the galaxy as father and son!

The Food Dude

Exciting news in the world of Gareth over the last couple weeks. First, he passed his four month doctor visit with flying colors (15 lbs 3 oz, 25 inches). Second, the doctor gave him the okay to start solid food. The old school approach to feeding a child suggests holding off on the solid stuff until 6 months; the new school approach says your child is ready when he or she is ready. The new school approach also says there are no rules regarding what to feed your child, provided the food is well smooshed. So, we made our way to the store and picked up a variety of smooshed foods.

Some parents report difficultues getting their infants to eat solid foods. We have no such problems. He started with pears . . .

and devoured the fruity delicacy as fast as we could shovel the goods into his mouth. In fact, you'll note his hand on Kathleen's wrist. When we're not feeding him fast enough he screams, grabs the spoon hand, and shoves it toward his gaping maw.

While he likes pears, his present food favorite--by far--is prunes. Yes, prunes.

Make sure you take note of Gareth's cool Darth Vader bowl. Only the best of geek dinnerware for our child. Prunes are bit messier than pears.

Actually, the color of the prunes makes the process look messier. Feeding an infant is not a task for those who can't stand a mess.

Look, Dad, a prune goatee!

Very funny, kid. Very funny.

To date, Gareth's list of food experiences includes:
pears
prunes
sweet potato and apple surprise
rice cereal.

Next week we venture into green vegetable territory. Stay tuned!