Westin v Hardwood Floor

I guess you know who won that battle. A hardwood floor really lacks any give for a young tot trying his feet for the first time. What happened? Dada was pulling some clothes out of the dresser, and Westin thought, 'Hey why don't I stand up?!". So, he did. And everything was great, until the little Bean let go and did a full face plant on the floor. When I walked in for lunch, Westin was crying hysterically and Dada looked white as a sheet. My Baby had a swollen nose that was a little bloody and a bump over his left eye. I admit that I had a moment when I cried with my Baby. Did we want to take him to the Emergency Room? Um, YEAH! We are first time parents and so far, this is the most traumatic injury that WestinBean has suffered. After reading the baby book on what to look for for 'traumatic brain injury' (cue the snickering from more seasoned parents), we decided that we were probably overreacting. In the end, Westin, of course, is fine...and for the record, two days later, so are Mama and Dada. :)

Bean's and the Orchard

Happy Native American Day! I know that most of you spent the day as Columbus Day, but not here in South Dakota. They legally changed the day to Native American Day!

Yesterday, we ventured up to Harrisburg, SD to visit the 'Country Apple Orchard'. They have Apple Orchards AND pumpkin patches AND a super fun Pumpkin Festival. The festivities included giant inflatables that you can crawl through, a riding lawn mower-pulled train, a veritable petting zoo, hay rides, ponies that you could ride, ducks and geese to feed, and plenty of pumpkins. It was worth the drive and are plotting next year's adventure. We are anticipating that Westin will be all over Halloween next year. His Halloween outfit is purchased and delivered. Stay tuned for the reveal!

This week's fav reads (in order): That's Not My Teddy, One fish two fish three fish, The very hungry caterpillar.

D-days and On-the-Move

It was a big weekend! It marked our first Dakota Days, aka, D-Days inVermillion. We have been hearing about D-Days since we moved in. Basically it is a week long celebration for USD's Homecoming. I don't know how the game turned out yesterday, but the Parade was a lot of fun (even though it was chilly, bright and during Westin's naptime). We bundled up yesterday morning and went for the first hour. Yes, first hour. We honestly thought the parade was done, then we saw the second wave coming down the street. There are floats and politicians and strange community organizations (ie The Oriental Band..I don't have a picture because they had large swords and lots of musical equipment, so you will have to take my word), and a lot of fun. Hamilton would have parades, but this was the happiest that we had ever been too. You couldn't tell which party the Politicians belonged to, so you could actually meet the people and figure out if you like them. That was refreshing.

Westin is motoring around. No longer can we set him down with toys and expect him to be in the same place, not even for a second. This is in sharp contrast from a week ago. He was getting around, but in the past week, he has mastered speed, and the ability to hone into where he shouldn't be (ie wall outlets). He has two modes of transit: the tripod crawl,and the belly slide. The belly slide is fastest, but the tripod allows the most versatility. CopperDog does not know what to think about Westin's new skills. Copper used to be able to sit just out of reach..well those days are over! Over the past couple of weeks he has also discovered his shadow. This morning, he was particularly interested in it and was singing it a song. Westin's top reads for the week (in order): That's not my teddy..., The very hungry catepillar, and That's not my plane.

Happy 10 Month Old Baby Boy!

Yesterday, Westin Moore turned 10 months old (these pictures were taken during dinner last night in our three season room). He is such a happy baby and charms almost everyone that he meets (especially the elderly folks in Vermillion). His mohawk gets crazier by the day, and I promise that we are not those parents that style his hair on purpose. In fact, his hair is still too thin to style. Westin is still not crawling, but his butt scoot is something to be reckoned with. He can get across a room on hardwoods in a minute or less. He can pull up, but only on something that is dangerous. For example, in our tv room we have this lovely coffee table-not baby proof or safe really. Next to the coffee table is the very sturdy sofa. In the time it took me to help Dalen drain some pasta, he had butt scooted over to the table and pulled up and it fell down--thankfully the table fell off to the side, but it was enough to scare the bejesus out of the parents of one wily Westin Moore. He is now willingly sleeping on his belly (rolling himself over to get there), and sometimes when we go to rescue him from his crib, he is sitting up shaking the rails of the crib. He LOVES food..except he is starting to grow beyond the baby food-and if given a choice, he almost always wants what we have. A surprising like is lentils and rice..LOVES this stuff! Anyway, that's a snapshot of my baby at 10 months. He never ceases to amaze me and he simply gets cuter every single day. I never thought it was possible to love a person as much as I love my baby boy!

Elizabeth R. Moore, PhD, Assistant Professor

Today was my first day at work. Now I went in over the weekend to unpack my office...why? because when you work HARD for ten years to get to a certain place, well, you tend to get verklempt...and I did. Today was still emotional, but there is no crying when you are in charge and running your own lab. Today in a nutshell went as follows: got some things done, some stuff will wait til tomorrow, some stuff will take longer than I thought, I missed the heck out of my baby and my wonderful husband (who mopped the kitchen floor..did all floors downstairs, put up dishes, and did laundry, while keeping a wily Westin in check), but I was really really happy!
I spent tonight with my two most favorite people. At first I felt a little decadent going to Red's..then I totally got over it. Today was a great day.

This Old House

Over the next few years, you will likely see a number of these posts. Our lovely Yale Street House (called the 'Moore House' by our neighbors--okay, okay it is still called the 'Dickinson House', but one day....) has good bones, but has been decorated in a lot of peachy tones and pinks, and let's not forget the odoriferous disaster in the basement. Since we are reluctant Real Estate moguls, these initial renovations are made more out of necessity than anything else, and almost all will be done on a shoestring. Nonetheless, this is how we truly make this lovely house, The Moore House.

Step 1. Remove all carpet (except for the attic...for now). Stinky stinky smelly pants. Now for the Before and After's (feel free to contact HGTV).
Stinky, smelly pants basement:Sleek, modern, stink proof, flood proof basement:
Scary burgundy floral motif in the master:Luxurious, chocholate yumminess:Which room makes you happier? The Bean already cast his vote. Oh and if you thought the old carpet in the Master Bedroom was special, just wait until you see the bathroom! :)
The very tippy top picture are flowers that I collected from the garden. The Dahlias are still blooming, but the roses are almost done. We are going to enjoy them before they slumber for the winter.

The Yale Street House

Welcome to our new House! We finally got to Vermillion on the 8th of September. Moving Day was a bit of a blur. Thankfully there were Grandparents around to keep Master Westin entertained, while Dalen and I directed the boxes and furniture.
I have to say that my baby moves well. :)

The backyard meets CopperDog's lofty standards. He has already made friends with the neighborhood squirrels.
This house is lovely and the bones are good, but it is a work in progress. Since the first night that we have stayed here, Dalen (with the guidance of G-pops) has torn up all of the carpet in the basement (residual horrendous cat urine smell), replaced a garbage disposal, resealed some failing caulk, Kilzed the ceiling where water leaked because of said failing caulk, and Kilzed the downstairs basement. Who needs a handyman?? I can tell ya one thing--I don't :).