Oh Baby

We are smitten.



We love you so.



We want to kiss you.



And hold you forever.



We're so lucky to have you and your wonderful mama and daddy in our lives.


More of that beautiful baby here.

Coming into the world

Tonight I'll be on my way to join my best friend and her husband as they welcome their daughter into the world. I've been to three other births (including Grace and Julia), and the emotion of those moments is beyond my wee brain to describe. If you read here, and you're so inclined, please send your warmest wishes to baby Ada for a healthy and happy birth.

people, I'm back

from Charleston, and it was good, very good. If I had to describe my trip with one word that word would be food (followed closely by afternoon naps and walking). And let me tell you, thank god for the walking because otherwise I would not have been able to button my pants: the food, the FOOD, THE FOOD. Yes, we came, we ate, and we left. I think forevermore I will mark a vacation's success by the amount of dessert and cocktails consumed. My one regret? That I didn't have buttermilk pound cake for dessert at breakfast. Yep, you read that right, dessert for breakfast (well rather, after my breakfast of eggs benedict ala Charleston with crab cakes and fried green tomatoes). Of course, I had no room for dessert after breakfast (and I didn't feel the least bit relieved after our death march around the city--it was hot).

I have no word from Sarah, so she either left the airport to become a permanent food taster at S.N.O.B. or was stuck somewhere on the eastern seaboard because of rain or she's searching Boston for coffee. I hope it's the first option.

Go see Sarah

I really needed to laugh today--it's been that kind of day. In any case, I went to see Sarah's earth day post, and instead I found this.

Now, go see Sarah. I mean it. It's really funny. Especially for those of us who have been married for awhile.

Joy

I'm not that much of a saver, and by saver I mean one who keeps everything. I regularly clear out my closet (and the girls' and Craig's) and take loads to Goodwill. Clutter kind of drives me nuts, however, there is one exception to this rule and that would be baby/maternity stuff. I have at least twelve containers of baby/toddler clothes stored in our attic and one bursting bin of maternity clothes. Saving baby clothes I can understand. There's a ton of sentimental value loaded into Grace and Julia's newborn onesies, and I do have a younger sister whom at some point, one hopes, will settle down and have a family (if she wants). And I'm not without some limits (I did sell $300 worth of clothes and gear at a consignment sale a couple of year ago). It's the maternity clothes that boggle my mind (because my sister and I aren't the same size, pregnant or otherwise). After all, Craig got the ol' snip-snip back in December: what am I saving maternity wear for?

I got my answer this last weekend when my best girlfriend came into town for an overnight. Quentin's four months pregnant, and her once enviably flat stomach now has a little bump. I've sat on my hands for the last three months, willing myself to be restrained about all things baby. Quentin's pregnancy is very high risk. She's already lost two, and she's been understandably tentative about this one. On Saturday she gave me the go-ahead to lavish her with all the baby-minded attention I wanted, and so out came the bin of maternity clothes. As she sorted through the tops and dresses and pants, I knew why I had saved this stuff, why I had sold the worn out items, and kept the best. I kept it for her. I hugged her when this realization came and tears streamed down my cheeks.

I've petitioned the Universe: keep Quentin safe, keep her well, and let this baby come into the world. If you had ever seen Quentin with my kids, with Grace in particular, you would know this woman should be a mother. We can go months in between visits, and the love between Grace and Quentin never diminishes. Grace watched Quentin all day, often rubbing and kissing her belly. At one point, Grace lifted Quentin's shirt and laid her head down. Quentin and I met each other's eyes, and I whispered my silent petition, "keep her safe, keep her well, and let this baby come into the world". Let baby come so Grace can love and hold him or her, and I can indulge this child as Quentin has indulged mine. Nothing would bring me greater joy.

Look, look, pictures...

We went away for the weekend, and Grace, being concerned about the recent break in, decided to fortify the premises. No one would dare enter after reading these words.



As a snack for the drive, we ate some chocolate covered pecans. These come from the 175 pounds of pecans we harvested from our yard. Yes, you read that right: 175 pounds of pecans collected from our yard by us. And yes, that's a A LOT of pecans.



We went to Augusta to visit my best friend. I miss her terribly. When Craig and I lived in Augusta, I saw Quentin nearly every day. Grace christened her "Aunt Pontoon", and Quentin was the first person to ever make Grace laugh.



Quentin and her husband, David, have THE BEST DOG EVER, Freida. I'm not kidding. This dog is one in a million. We've been telling Grace that when she turns seven, we'll get a dog. On Sunday night, as I was putting her to bed, she said, "Mom, I've been thinking, and I think I'm ready for a dog now."

Grace in small things: 17 of 356

1. Driving north on Friday night, leaving the kids and husband behind.

2. Five friends arriving at the same destination: Athens, Georgia.

3. Talking until I can't talk anymore with friends who know every little bit about me.

4. Grand Marnier Margaritas.

5. Playing Wise or Otherwise, my new favorite game, with some very wise women.

This is a test.

A test to see how quickly I can write a post. Can I write it before our internet connection goes down? Probably not, since I seem to lose the connection every two minutes or so. I’m on the verge of using a lot of profanity, but my relatives read here—I must practice restraint.

Anyway. I have two weeks of stuff to report. I wrote nothing about Grace’s fabulous fifth birthday on August 7, a day when her Grammie-Bonnie came all the way from Indianapolis to see her. A day when we went out for Pizza at her dad’s least favorite place in the world—lucky him, he was in San Francisco. It was her second day of Kindergarten, and she was understandably tired. We still managed to have a great time. She received more presents than I can remember (and we didn’t even have a party for her). The best part of that day was watching her dance down the driveway towards school that morning. She waved her arms in the air and sang, “I’m five, I’m five, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Grammie-Bonnie spent the entire birthday weekend with us, and she was a tremendous help. We did a little shopping. We watched movies. We played, and we ate. It was my kind of good time. I did take a few pictures from the visit, and I’d love to post them. Not so easy with the incredibly crappy internet connection however. They will come soon, I hope.

Moving on. Next up came my mom’s surgery, which I’ve already written about. She continues to do well but is very bruised and swollen. Her voice sounds much improved since last weekend. I don’t know when her radiation treatment will begin, but I’m guessing early September.

Which bring us up to last weekend. On Sunday, I boarded a plane for Boston. All By Myself. No kids. No husband. Can you feel how much I’m smiling when I write those words? I went to see my friend Sarah (and her husband, Andy, Craig’s cousin) and to meet their new baby girl, Thayer. As a bonus I got to hang out with Thayer’s big brother, Murdoch, and see his grandparents, Bob & Talli, his Uncle Hugh, and cousin, Liam. Yep, vacation for me is seeing other people’s children. It’s true. I love the babies, especially when I can leave them behind. I can hold them and hug them and love them and even change diapers. But I don’t have to discipline them or worry for their future. It’s seriously awesome. Add to that Thayer and Murdoch’s mommy, Sarah, who in the last few years has become my confidante, and you know I had a really great time.

The other good thing about the visit: not once did my ovaries send messages to my brain like “don’t you want another one?” or “don’t you miss this?” Nope. I don’t. I have two children of my own, and though they are growing—no longer babies—I don’t need to travel that road again.

And now for today. This morning Julia went to school for the first time. We were prepared for tears. We expected them. And just to prove how unexpected parenting can be, Julia, my shy little person, said goodbye without a worry. Three hours later, when I returned to pick her up, she didn’t come running. She was engrossed in the classroom. When she finally came to the door (after being called four times by the teacher and me) she was happy to see me, but not overjoyed. She had a good time, she said. She wants to go again.

I have pictures of Julia’s first day too, but those will have to wait (damn internet connection).

Two words

1. Home
We're back home after three weeks away. The house looks pretty good, minus the enormous piles of cat hair. It almost doesn't feel like home, but I know that feeling will dissipate with time.

2. Thanks
To all those who emailed, called and commented, I deeply appreciate your kind words and thoughts. If I didn't email you back, please don't take offense. I was without regular internet for two of our three weeks away. I was also a little overwhelmed with my mom's news. My inbox is pretty full, so it will probably take me some time to respond, but I will in due time.

Girlfriends and Dadfriends

Our friend Bryan and his daughter, Iris, came into town for our annual trip to the Georgia Aquarium. It was a love fest between the girls, and it was pretty nice to have some time with one our closest friends too. This deserves a much longer post, but waffles and sleepy morning girls call.

More pictures here.

If this doesn't make you smile

You're a grouch. And I'm an expert on being a grouch. I'm generally grouchy, even more so when suffering from PMS, but these images, these girls, they make me smile. These girls are happy, really, really deep in the bones happy. Happy without any qualifiers. If I remembered being four, I would probably really miss those days. As is, I miss being nine.



More princesses here.

Happy Birthday, babe.

The Birthday Man, originally uploaded by phocina.

Craig's party tonight will be girls gone wild--not in the way a 16 year old would appreciate, but most certainly in the way a 34 year old husband and father of two girls would love.

Special Delivery

Remember this.

Well, yesterday a package arrived in the mail containing this. As soon as I opened the envelope and exposed the contents Julia squealed and put it on her head. She stayed like that all afternoon, even through dinner.

I'm thrilled. What was lost is now found (in brand new condition), and more importantly Julia has a hat that she will wear. Much to my frustration she refused to wear any other hat (on her near bald head) for the last three weeks. .

Thank you, thank you, Ardis.

I think I like this

We went out of town over the holiday weekend. My best friend Quentin had her birthday on Saturday, so we used that as an excuse to hit the road. We had a great time (in part thanks to Bryan who let us crash at his house while he was burning), though we are a little overtired.

While shopping and eating great food and drinking wine was fun, the highlight of the trip came courtesy of Grace. As a treat we decided to let Grace spend the night with Quentin and David alone. She was thrilled! She got to stay up late and watch a movie and hang out with her favorite godmother!

Before Craig and I left for the night I tucked her into bed, and she quietly said, "Mommy, I really like being four years old." And I knew just what she meant. She loves gaining independence. I love it too. I also love that she still falls asleep in my lap on occasion or tells me "I love you so much" each morning in bed. Independence is good. So is being my little girl.

Recommendations

Thanks to everyone who commented and/or sent me recommendations via email. Five people told me that I needed to read Three Cups of Tea so that is my first read from the list.

Other recommendations include:

Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth
John Grogan's Marley and Me
Anything by Jodi Piccoult
Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells
Comfort Food and Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Marisa de los Santos' Love Walked In
John Shors' Beneath a Marble Sky
Lee Smith's The Last Girls
Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City
Stephen King's The Mist
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series
Gilda Radner's It's Always Something
Richard Russo's Straight Man
Jane Smiley's Moo
Augusten Burroughs' Possible Side Effects
Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex
Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner
Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle
Elie Wiesel's Night
Phillipa Gregory's Boleyn Books
Alan Brennert's Moloka'i
Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies
Jennifer Finney Boylan's She's Not There

In addition I received recommendations for book sharing and/or review sites. Sydney recommends GoodReads. Ani hooked me up with Shelfari, and Sarah introduced me to Bookins. Thank you all.

.....
In non-book related news, Julia is finally walking just two days short of her thirteenth month-day. I captured video of her new skills this morning, but Dropshots is being funky. Video of that milestone will be up soon (hopefully).

Craig was elated that she started walking prior to his departure for Albany, NY this afternoon. He'll be gone for four and a half days to meet with colleagues about their National Science Foundation Grant. Needless to say I'm going to miss him terribly. He is due to arrive home just in time to celebrate our wedding anniversary (good move, Craig, missing the anniversary would make for a very unhappy wife).

T - 17 hours

I'm a wee bit excited. Well, more than a wee bit, I'm THRILLED because Sarah and Murdoch are due to arrive tomorrow. Yes, they are coming to see us, me, the girls. Woo-hoo. Ever since the birth of little Mur, Sarah and I have been trying to arrange for a meeting, and as you can imagine with busy lives and kids and soaring travel prices, this hasn't been the easiest prospect. Sarah diligently kept searching for good flights and found one in April.

Once a person passes his or her early twenties and college life, it becomes increasingly difficult to make great friends. Not that it doesn't happen, but marriage and work and home ownership often drain what little time is available for meeting new people out of our lives. Through marriage I was fortunate enough to meet Sarah (she's married to Craig's cousin, Andy), and we clicked. Though we live over 1,000 miles apart, we've been able to maintain a friendship by email and phone. Sarah is often the first person I email when my conscience is burdened, or I want to share news of the girls. She's been a thoughtful sounding board for me, and I value her judgement and often need her support.

The fact that she's getting on a plane VERY EARLY tomorrow morning with her little man in tow is pretty wonderful. I know I've told her half a dozen times what her trip means to me, what a big deal I think it is to travel with an infant to Georgia of all places, but I can never say it enough: Thank You, Sarah. We can't wait to see both of you.

One is old enough for power tools, right?

Thanks, Evan and Alex, for the fashionable eyewear!

fish tales

Three adults, three girls, thousands of fish and a few marine mammals. Other pictures from the 2nd Annual Byron-Moore trip to the Georgia Aquarium here.

aquarium girls

The internet never fails

Thank you, Sydney, for this!