October update

Well another month has gone by already and I am now 2 months old!

2 months old today

What an action packed month it was.

To start off, Alyssa and I went to the Big E in Massachusetts. Grandma and Grandpa brought us, but Mommy came along too. It was really fun. The weather wasn’t great, but I think that kept a lot of the people away so it wasn’t very crowded. When we first got there, Alyssa went into the petting zoo. She was really scared at first, but then she warmed up and started feeding the animals. I am too small so Mommy wouldn’t let me near any of the animals. Later in the day, Alyssa had a great time riding on the Bumble Bee ride. She loved going up and down. Again, Mommy said I was too small. That’s OK though, I loved being snuggled up with Mommy all day in the chest carrier. Mommy wanted to take Alyssa on the Giant slide, but because it was raining on and off they shut it down. Mommy was really disappointed because she thought Alyssa would have loved it. Oh well, there’s always next year!

Riding with Grandpa

Wow look at this goat!

Alyssa looking at the map telling us where to go

That weekend my cousin, Brendan, had his first birthday. It was a great time. Alyssa loved playing with all of the Duarte cousins. She is getting to be such a big girl. She was playing ball with all of the big kids, getting filthy in the fields, and loving every second. I was able to meet a lot of the family that I had not yet met too.

Michael sure was excited to be at the party

Michael and Aunt Teresa

Alyssa playing with the big kids

The following weekend we went pumpkin picking at Jones’ tree farm. Alyssa told me it was going to be fun and she was right! There were tons of pumpkins everywhere and we even were able to ride on a hayride. Alyssa’s Godmother, Laura, was able to enjoy the beautiful day with us as well. Alyssa picked out 4 little pumpkins for us that Mommy put on our mantel. Of course Mommy and Daddy had to take the silly pictures of us in the wood cutouts!

Michael's first hayride

Alyssa swinging with Laura

The family picture!

Then the next weekend we had a party at Uncle Joey’s house. It was to celebrate Papi, Erin, and Sydney’s birthdays. I had a fun time with Great-Grandma Josie and Great-Grandpa Russ, smiling and cooing at them. Alyssa was crazy as usual tackling Johnny and playing with Erin’s sister, Alex. It was fun to see the whole family

Michael cooing at Great-Grandpa Russ

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Alyssa and Johnny playing

Just 4 days after that great party, we made the fabulous trip to Myrtle Beach, but I already wrote about that. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t yet. When we got back from Myrtle Beach I had my 2 month checkup. The doctor said that I am doing great. I weight almost 11 pounds and am almost 24 inches long. I am in the 50th percentile for height and weight. I also had to get my first round of shots. I got 3 shots and one oral vaccine! I did NOT like the shots! The nurse said she felt so bad, but that didn’t make me feel any better. I was wiped from getting all those shots, so I slept for pretty much the rest of the day.

Well fall has officially come to the Northeast. We still love playing outside. Alyssa is having a ball playing out in the backyard and jumping on her trampoline. I can’t wait until I can join her in the fun. I pretty much just relax in my chair while her and Mommy play.

Alyssa loves that trampoline!

It's been a little rainy, but Alyssa has her cool raincoat and boots

Like all Octobers in the past, Halloween has come and gone. Alyssa helped Mommy make her Halloween cupcakes. She had a great time in the kitchen and of course licking the spoons.

Alyssa helping Mommy make cupcakes

This year Johnny joined us as we went to the Maritime Aquarium. They had free admission to anyone who was wearing a costume, plus they had stations where you could trick or treat. Of course I didn’t get any treats, but Johnny and Alyssa got some. They had fun looking at all the fishies and running around in their costumes.

Michael's ready to go to the Aquarium
Johnny and Alyssa at the Touch Tank

Look at that penguin swim!

Halloween morning, Mommy and Daddy packed us up and we went down to a professional photographer’s studio to take some portraits. It was a fundraiser for Toys for Tots. I did AWESOME, however Alyssa had a minor meltdown while they were trying to take pictures. Mommy and Daddy are quite curious to see how the pictures come out. I’m sure Mommy will post them when she gets them in the mail.

Halloween night was great! Mum, Papi, Uncle Joey, Erin, Johnny, Uncle Scott, Grandpa Jack, Cindy, Joey, Ali, and Alessio all came over! I was able to finally wear my Superman costume, and Alyssa wore her cheerleading outfit! It was a fun time, trick or treating around the neighborhood. I had such a great time meeting all of the neighbors. They were all so surprised at how big I was already. After trick or treating we all hung out and Johnny and Alyssa attempted to have a sleep over. That didn’t pan out though. They tried to sleep in the same bed, but they were just too silly and eventually Uncle Joey and Erin just took Johnny home. It was a fun time. I can’t wait until next Halloween when I’m running around with them.

The attempted sleepover

Well other than obviously being busy, things are going well with us. I am up a lot more than before. I love looking around and observing everything around me. Mommy is working with me to help me grow strong neck muscles. It is working too, I can hold my head up all the time pretty much. I am much more vocal now as well. I smile and laugh all the time! Cooing is one of my specialties! Mommy says it is so cute when I coo at her. I love doing it. Mommy has been trying to take a video to post, hopefully she can get a good one soon so you can see for yourself.

Alyssa is making great strides as well. She is doing pretty good in tumbles. It just started this month, so we are still making adjustments. Boy oh boy does she love playing with her blocks. Daddy says she is going to be an engineer like him, we'll see : ) She is also learning her alphabet. She knows 6 letters already! Mommy works with her a lot, but she also LOVES watching Sesame Street, so Mommy thinks that that helps too! Her vocabulary is expanding by the day as well. She loves learning new words and telling them to anyone who will listen! She is such a little chatter box.

Well as if that wasn’t enough! November doesn’t seem to be quite as busy. Hopefully we can get some time to rest in! Be sure to check out the rest of the pics that Mommy has posted below.

Until next time,
Love,
Mike, Jen, Alyssa, Mike Jr, and Sammy

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