Bumbo Seats for Everyone!!!

First, let me tell you that I have a Bumbo seat and have seen the recall. Now let me ask you if you've seen my lovely video here of me feeding Sawyer in the Bumbo seat which was on our table... Well, that was only a few times and I would never ever have left Sawyer on that seat without me being right there in front of him. Now we use his booster seat anyway since he's a big boy :) I still think it's a great invention and it is a lot of fun to use (on the floor) when your baby isn't quite sitting on his own yet. Sawyer is actually sitting on his own now. He tips over all the time but sometimes can catch himself.

Halloween was nice. We had a few friends over for dinner with their new baby. Turns out the Americans in our building don't trick or treat (or at least not here) so we just put Sawyer in a costume and took his picture. I'll put that one up, but it's sideways and I can't seem to fix it right now. Most Thais don't really celebrate Halloween, but at the Embassy they do costumes and it's fun to see everyone dressed up. I was over there on Halloween but just to buy something from the commissary. They have a kids' parade but it seemed a little overwhelming for Sawyer so I skipped it. Maybe next year. I really hope the tradition of trick or treating hasn't completely died off by the time Sawyer is big enough. I'm not really sure why people don't do it anymore. If you think it's unsafe, get out there with your kids and keep them safe. Say hi to your neighbors. Share candy. Dress up in a fun costume. I think it's one of the coolest traditions our country has. Last year we had so much fun scaring the older kids. I'd answer the door and Pat would be waiting in the storage closet next to the kids and jump out at them. A lot of trick or treaters in our neighborhood back home were teenagers, but they were so polite and seemed like they were just having some good, clean fun. If they were causing trouble, I didn't see it. The "alternative" activities are okay, especially for kids whose parents don't have the time to watch over them. I just think trick or treating is a fun part of our culture that has a lot of value.

If my message sounds incoherent, it could be because they're painting our apartment and the fumes are getting to me. Right now our housekeeper is walking Sawyer around in the stroller on the play area floor of our building to give me a quick break. I've been hulled up in the master bedroom with him with a towel at the base of the door to keep the smell out. Brilliant people who work in our building used oil-based paint to give all our doors that glossy, elevator feel. Well, painting over it stinks, literally. They told us they won't paint the trim, only walls and doors. That means we still have gray accents in the house, but it's not bad. The color gray must really hate me after all my complaining.

I'm up to 10 laps in the pool. Pat told me he did 30 this weekend, but turns out he counts each pool length as a lap. Is that how it works? I was never into competitive swimming. If so, I'm up to 20 laps. Doesn't matter. The point is, when I bake cookies and eat casseroles, I don't feel so bad about it. I've made Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cakes 3 times so far. Today I made Sally Anne chocolate cookies. Back to exercise...the gym here is turning out to be a good thing. They play an American radio station (you know Asian gals love their Gwen Stefani) so I can understand the words. And the treadmill only gives me a light, gentle shock when I touch the metal parts. It's kind of a nice way to jump start my workout.