Chicago Seidlers

Mathias and Lester take in the Chicago winter.

Lori’s mom came into town in early October to visit her little guy (and free us up to catch some Ricky Gervais stand-up). Aunt Sara even showed up to join the fun; by the end of the weekend, we had a clean oven, full stomachs and a very happy baby.

Click the photo to see the slideshow.

Back in October: Mathias crashes at the table after overindulging in rice cereal.

Chicago received its first major snowfall this past weekend, which has entailed some extra bundling for the dude. While James slept, Lori and Mathias set out for coffee early Sunday morning. (The dude still hasn’t learned the concept of “weekend.”)

The snow accumulation was a bit much for the stroller. (Our sleigh dogs are on backorder.)  So, the two set out kangaroo style. Armed with the baby Bjorn and a beloved over-sized Notre Dame stadium jacket, Lori and Mathias went out in pursuit of caffeine. The two Irish fans were greeted with smiles from strangers throughout their snowy trek.

The little guy’s been a pretty frequent traveler, heading out to South Bend and even Florida is search of grandparents to snuggle with. Here are a couple pics from a visit with James’ family back in late September.

Snuggling with grandma.

Reading a book with cousin Aubrey and grandpa.

Aunt Adrian gives him some style!

The little guy isn’t always the best sleeper (he still likes to call us in to hang out with him at the wee hours). But he does look cute taking a nap… Here he’s snuggled up on the floor with his pal Lester back in September.

Mathias is realizing the regular baby milestones – sitting up, chattering away, eating solids. But one of the most welcome new behaviors has been the take-charge attitude he’s taken toward his own bottles. He can now hold them and pretty much feed himself (well, most of the time), which can make for an easier mealtime.

Here’s the little guy taking charge for the first time, back in late September.

Of course, just because he can handle a bottle doesn’t mean we’re averse to snuggling up for a meal…

To complement our video of Mathias and Lori enjoying some polka time at our local Germanfest, here are a few photos of the same event (click to see the slideshow).

Lori and Mathias made the most of Chicago’s warm season, toodling around the neighborhood for fresh air and Frappuccinos. These photos are from back in September, and they mark Mathias’ first day in his big-boy stroller AND the sunglasses his mom bought him.

Big boy stroller? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Starbucks? Check.

No autographs, please.

This was around the time that Rod Blagojevich graffiti was appearing all over our neighborhood. In addition to this one, there was also a pretty sweet silhouette subbing in his head over the famous Air Jordan pose.

He loves his hair.

Our friend Eileen, owner of Traditions Photography in South Bend, took the four-month photos of our little guy, and they are super cute! Check them out.