23 weeks old: Meeting Aunt Kate, Scarecrow Fest, and Chicago

Oliver's first visit to Chicago happened during a very exciting time in Cubs history. We were right in the middle of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and on the final day of our visit, won the series. That's the first time in the almost 100 years that the Cubs have been playing at Wrigley Field. Chicago has always been a city with a lot of pride in the sports teams, but it was electric to be there during this time. Everywhere we went we saw people wearing Cubs gear, flying "W" flags, etc. And when the games were on, the cheers were deafening. Oliver got his first Cubs t-shirt to show pride in his roots.

Last Saturday, Oliver got to meet his Aunt Kate and her two kids at her house before we left to go to the Scarecrow Fest in my hometown of St. Charles together. Her daughter, Izzie, is 5 years old and her son, Oliver, is 3 years old. Her son Oliver is sort of our Oliver's namesake, in that when he was born I fell in love with the name and it never waned.

Sunday we went back to St. Charles alone to see more of the Scarecrow Fest. Oliver got his first experience in a petting zoo, although his view was from the front carrier.

We spent a lot of time at Shelly's house laying low and just getting to spend time with her and Oliver's Uncle Kevin. I didn't take many pictures during those times but trust me, he got a lot of love. 

On Monday night we had one last visit with the Orals family and had dinner at a local Italian restaurant called Moretti's. It's nothing special for the area, but it would be a great place in Portland I think. The Italian restaurants in Chicago are just so far superior. And there are a lot more of them! I really enjoyed the food in addition to the company. Oliver slept through a lot of it in his dad's arms. You can see just his baby head on the right side of this picture. And that's his namesake sitting next to him!

In developmental news, Oliver continues to explore toys with his hands and mouth. And, has been saying the letter G! I tried to capture it on video but only got some excited noises. Still, it was cute. The password is Oliver2015.