For Meema...

Hayden modeling her new outfit, a recent gift from her Meema. It reads, "I love to SMILE", and that she does, although she is exhibiting her willfullness already in her refusal to do so for this photoshoot. I think that comes with the territory of raising a little girl though, so we take what we can get.

Thank you, Meema, for our gorgeous new outfit! Just in time for Summer! We love it!

Run, Hayden, Run!

This is what Hayden does when she wakes up at night, or from a nap, or when she's just excited to see you, or when she's bored... just about any time, all the time... she runs in place.



What can I say? The girl loves to kick. If she doesn't play soccer, or run track, I'd say it's a waste of some mighty fine feet...

The Taste Test

Yesterday was Hayden's first taste of rice cereal - her very first venture into the wide world of food beyond breastmilk. It was a bittersweet moment for me, another baby step for her into independence and loosening of her ties to me. Due to her reflux issues, Dr. V recommended we begin thickening her bottles with cereal to help keep the milk down at night, and protect her throat from the aggravating acid that has recently been keeping us all up at night.

I wanted to be there for her first taste of a new food, and since she doesn't take bottles from me, we mixed some milk with the cereal in a bowl and let her try it out with a spoon. Unfortunately, the one or two baby spoons we do have for her had not yet been unearthed following our move, so her first taste of 'big kid' food was with a 'BIG kid' spoon! As you can see, she did pretty well with it, and loved every bite. I just sat on the floor feeding her and laughing. Watching her experience her first taste of food was almost as much fun as watching her nurse for the first time. Seeing the sensations come over her and watching her expressions change with the realization that, "Yum! This is good stuff!" was priceless.

Chris played photographer, and while he was, I'm sure, equally impressed with her interest and reception, he was not so much with her technique. He just kept shaking his head, saying "I'm not ready for this... I just don't think I'm ready for this." Somehow, I have the feeling that will be his mantra from now on, and probably mine too... Not ready for the first day of school, the first bike ride, the first sleepover, the first date, the first kiss... any of it. Just as she's shown us that she's ready to roll over, to sit up, and now to take her first bites, I have a feeling Hayden will be leading the way for us for some time. At the same time my heart breaks a little watching her become more independent, less in need of me, it makes me so very proud, so very excited to watch her confidently moving forward, growing into her own unique little person, that I can't help but be happy with each new milestone she reaches.

By the evening, eating cereal with a spoon had become old hat for our little prodigy. I'd finally found one of her spoons, and she'd figured out exactly what was going on with that thing. When I would start to bring the spoon to her lips, she would reach out and grab it and help me guide it into her mouth, where she would slurp and gobble it up right away. When I would take it away to get another spoonful of cereal, her little legs would go into overtime and she would leeeeaaan and reach from her Bumbo chair to try to get that spoon back as fast as possible. She was not used to waiting between bites! All in all, I would have to say our first feeding experience was a rousing success, and I can say with a fair degree of confidence that Hayden is eagerly anticipating the next time!

Steam Day

Yesterday was the 3rd annual Steam Day at Jeff's place, and I have to say, it was probably the best one yet. This is Chris's big deal - an opportunity to bring the Hudson (our 1909 car), the Peerless steam tractor, and his love of bluegrass together along with some good old-fashioned beans, cornbread and homemade ice cream. Throw Hayden and I in the mix, and I think it's fair to say all his favorite things were in one place. I'm not sure how he contained himself.

For those who haven't been exposed to Chris's "addictions", a Steam Day is an opportunity for all the boys and girls who play with old steam engines, tractors, hit and miss engines, old cars, antique machinery and all manner of rusted-out junk to get together, play with one another's toys, make a lot of noise and basically just have a big ol' time.
One of the big attractions is the saw mill, which is belt-driven and powered by one of the old steam engines. Scott, who is a sawyer by trade, comes to help run it, and they cut up a bunch of trees into boards. Then, there's a cut-off saw, usually powered by some manner of smaller gas engine, where they cut the boards and logs into smaller boards and logs. They they take these smaller pieces and use to fire up the big steam tractors, which they drive around the field, giving rides and blowing whistles.

In amongst all that fun, they have a big shed where everyone gathers to watch the festivities, jaw about the good ol' days, and eat some home cookin'. There's a pot of beans as big as the trunk of your car, mounds of cornbread and fried cornbread, fresh onions, hot pickled peppers and homemade pound cake. While everyone eats, Chris, Poppie and crew take a break from the steam operations for a bit to crank up some bluegrass, and we have a little live entertainment.
It is in honor of Jeff's granddad, Lewis, that we started these, for his birthday, and it's proved to be a great success every year. We have friends come from far and wide to visit, play and celebrate. Mom and Dad came this year again, as did our friends Carrie and Joel, to help with the musical goings-on, Chris's parents even stopped by for a bit, and even little Hayden had her first experience with Daddy's toys. She was, of course, all decked out for the event in her little overall dress, and we brought earplugs to help protect her ears. Those didn't last long, but it was worth a shot. She actually wasn't too bothered by the whistles and steam pop-offs, and of course enjoyed all the attention she got from friends and family. She was as much an attraction this year as the tractors, I believe. And boy, did she sleep good Saturday night after all that fun!

There is life out there!

We have internet, people!!! AT. OUR. HOUSE. Seriously, I am sitting here in my master closet/office (whole other story entirely) typing to you on our brand spanking new wireless internet connection. Who needs jewelry, or cable, or ice cream??? I have INTERNET! After 8 1/2 loooooonnnngggg, dry months, we're back online! Wooooo freakin' Hooooo!!

We're pretty jazzed about it. I'm just sayin'.

Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias is one of my all time favorite movies - probably my absolute favorite. I have watched it at least a hundred times, and can quote every line from heart. In college, we would watch it at least once a week, and Katie and I finally had to buy our house-mates a copy so they'd stop borrowing ours. When I bake wedding cakes, it's always on in the background - the armadillo cake as an inspiration, of course.

Friday night, while Chris was in the throes of preparing for the big Steam Day, Hayden and I found ourselves alone with not much to do. I got a wild hair and decided we should go see the play Steel Magnolias, that the movie was adapted from. It was playing in Tate, at the historic gym where Hayden's Grandma and Daddy played basketball when they were growing up. Jasper's own Tater Patch Players were performing, and an acquaintance of ours was playing Ouiser, so I was dying to see it.

The night was a first for both Hayden and I - our first play together, our first time seeing the TTP's perform, and our first time watching Steel Magnolias together, our first "girls' night out". Hayden was an absolute doll (of course!). She watched the play for a bit, had some dinner, and napped through most of the play. She never so much as made a peep! I am sure some of the people in line thought, "oh great, a baby!", and I want to make it clear that I am not, and hope to never be, one of those parents that doesn't understand when and where appropriate places for children are. If Hayden had lost her cool, we were positioned at the very back of the auditorium, poised for a quick exit. I knew my gal would be fine though, and she did splendidly! As usual, she even got a little audience of her own - everyone always loves looking at my 'living doll'.

For anyone that hasn't seen a Tater Patch play, I highly recommend it. It is a staple here in the North Georgia Mountains, and almost everyone has been in a performance or had children, nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters, mothers or fathers in a performance. They are working hard to raise the money to purchase a playhouse that will be a home for them finally, as they have been a bit of a gypsy troupe until now, always having to find a venue for performances. I hope they are able to buy the building and establish themselves there - I would love one day to see little Hayden up there playing a convincing Juliet Capulet, Anne Boleyn, or even Shelby Eatenton Latcherie!

Martha would be proud

At some point, I swear I'll get some pictures of the house now that we're (dare I say it?) finished, or something pretty close to finished.

For now, I am excited to present my new kitchen. We finally have the finishing details completed, which includes the big light, the light that cost Hayden her college tuition, the light that ET boarded at the end of the movie, the light I thought we were crazy for getting, but am SOOO happy with now that it's up. THE light.

The only thorn still in my side for this room is the stove. This, you may remember, is the second stove we bought for this room (by the way, I have a gorgeous new Dacor perfect for someone who has natural gas - willing to sell VERY reasonable!), and when we got it installed, it started tripping the circuit breaker. Grrr. The joys of a "floor model - sold as is." Eh, life's a crap shoot... A service call later, I don't know any more than I did, but the very nice repairman promises to be back at my house next week with a part that should, should, fix my stove. So, barring any more issues, which knowing us, we're bound to have, we should be grilling steaks on my gorgeous new grill as I bake a lovely souffle by next weekend. And those of you that know me well know that is about as likely to happen as Chris getting over the antique car obsession. But we'll probably slap some wienies on there and call it a night. Hey, live big!

This is, all jokes aside, in many ways my dream kitchen. I have a walk-in pantry, a huge island - love my island! - an amazing convection oven and great stove, a beautiful centerpiece of a light (did I mention it is BIG?),a great refrigerator, tons of storage space, and even a pot filler! Oh, and one of my favorite features, a mixer shelf! Right there in my island - I can just whip my mixer out anytime the baking bug hits and voila!, we can have cake! or pie! or cream cheese icing (just for you, Chris)! All without me having to lug my big heavy mixer out of a cabinet somewhere. It will just appear as if from nowhere! That's the dream!!

Come on over. We'll do dinner Martha-style. I'll crack open a box of mac and cheese, grill a few dogs, and we'll use my handy-dandy mixer to whip some ketchup for a gourmet flair! (Hey, just because I have the kitchen doesn't make me any better at using it. One thing at a time, people.)

You snooze, you lose

So, I went to meet my Haydie-pie for our daily lunch date (she eats, I snuggle, it's bliss! Have I mentioned how much I love being 5 minutes from her daycare?!) and this is what I found.
What I wouldn't give to sleep that soundly. She was out like a light right in the midst of babies screeching, crying banging, playing. Remember when we could nap like that? It brought back memories of college, of Katie and I coming home between classes, knowing we only had an hour before we had to be to the next one, and flopping face down on the bed - shoes, clothes, everything still on - and just CRASHED. I came home more than once to see Katie sleeping just like this (maybe with more drool...), and I'm sure she could name a time or two where she had to roll my butt out of bed just to get me conscious. Ah, good times...

Take a deep breath

Per Dr. V's orders, we started breathing treatments for Hayden last night. She was not really crazy about the big, weird mask strapped on her face, especially when the motor cranked up and it started blowing this fog up her nose...


Being the happy-go-lucky kid she is, though, by this morning she was singing to me as we sat there misting (hope that stuff is okay for me too, because sitting above her, I sure do get a lot of it myself!), and when she got restless I pulled out old faithful - my camera phone. You can see by the last picture she's starting to mug a little for me, cheeky little monkey! Never let go of that paci, either!

I'm happy to report that we're already seeing some improvement - she slept much better last night, although there was still a good bit of coughing and hacking in her sleep. Still, we were only up 2 times last night, and she ate and went right back to bed. Onward and upward!

Why?

I just can’t stop thinking about this family. Read this, and this.

It is beyond impossible to understand these things. You know, so many people say that there is a higher purpose in everything, and I don’t know if I believe that. I do believe that God is in everything, but not necessarily the cause or purpose for the events of our lives. Sometimes, yes, of course he is, but sometimes I believe that it is much like that poem – Footprints – he’s there to carry you when you’re in your lowest hour, but it doesn’t mean that he’s the cause of your lowest hour or that he can keep you from going through those times. Just that he’ll be with you when you do.

Understanding why we have to go through those times, understanding why these people had to lose their sweet daughter, is another thing altogether, and I just can’t wrap my mind around it.

Just pray for them when you pray.

I love you all.
B

Namaste

Taken this weekend on one of our many outings.

By the way, don't you just love her little 'strap buddies'?! Those are her 'yittle doggies', as her daddy and I call them. She has just adored them from the beginning. She is always trying to grab them and gnaw their yittle ears off. Now she's gotten big enough that they rest on either side of her neck. When we first put them on, she was so little they sat on either side of her cheeks. What's sweeter than a baby stuffed between two wee doggies?

What's up, doc?

Hayden and I took a little field trip down to see Dr. Vicki again today.

On the good news side of things, she is up to 12lbs, 15oz - 11oz in only 6 days! Also, the nurse saw her sitting up (on her own) in my lap, and was impressed that she was doing so well at nearly 6 months old. I informed her that this willful little baby was just barely 4 months old, and determined to do things on her own!

On the not-so-hot-but-could-be-way-worse side of things, Dr. V is pretty sure that Hayden does indeed still have reflux (AND another cold), which is likely what is causing the constant coughing, gagging, and struggle to breathe which has kept our little family up for most of the last four nights. So, back on the reflux meds we go, and this time, for good measure, and to help relieve her inflamed airways, she'll be going on breathing treatments for the next few weeks. We've had to rent a nebulizer and little mask, which Dr. V assured me she will love (note the sarcasm?) to give her the medication that will help (hopefully!) her breathe better.

All in all, not a bad visit. I feel much better to have some idea of the issue and a plan for getting us all feeling much better. Here's hoping that these measures give Hayden some relief so she can sleep tonight, which might just give Mama and Daddy a chance at the same. I'm calling Mr. Sandman now!!

A Mother's Love

On Friday, Chris, Hayden and I went to our storage building to pick up a load of items for the house.

As we drove in, I noticed a bird sitting in the middle of the gravel, almost completely camouflaged in the grey and white granite. As we drove towards her, she took off running to the left of the car. As she rose and began teetering off, I saw four tiny baby birds pop up from underneath her and scatter to our right. My attention, however, was focused on the Mother bird. She was fleeing as fast as she could, but my heart sank as I watched her totter left and right, fluttering her wings, obviously injured. We slowed down as I contemplated what our choices were if we decided to try to help her.

Suddenly, I saw her wings and tail straighten and off she tore, whole and healthy and unhurt. What on earth was that about, I wondered? Just then, as I turned to check on her brood, it struck me. She was luring our attention away from her babies long enough to ensure their safe getaway, even if it meant risking her own life. Once she knew they were in the clear, she dropped the ruse and fled for safety herself. I was amazed to see in this tiny bird the same ferocious desire to protect her family as I feel burning in my own breast.

As we left, we had to again disrupt the family gathering that they had unfortunately chosen to locate in the center of the drive, and as mama and babies scurried off, I couldn't help but admire her bravery, and feel compassion for the terror I'm sure that struck her when she saw our great beast of a car approaching her little clutch. I was again awed by the selflessness of this mother to risk her own life to save her children, but I knew that were Hayden and I ever in the same situation I would without hesitation lay down my life for hers. That is, I believe, the price of becoming a mother.

That little bird family was such a beautiful expression of how my life has so quickly changed. I've heard many times people say that once you become a mother, your life is no longer your own. I've interpreted that many ways over the years, but never truly understood it until I was holding my wee one in my arms. My life is hers in a sense you can never explain to someone who is not yet a parent. It doesn't mean that I won't ever tell her "no", that I won't make time for myself or my hobbies, that she'll be given every little thing she wants. It's not like that at all. Somehow, growing her inside of me took part of my spirit, my soul, my heart and irrevocably intertwined them with hers, just as my mother is joined to me.

Book Fair!

Growing up, one of my favorite events each school year was the book fair. Those were some of my first independent shopping experiences as a child, money in hand, going eagerly to the library in search of an adventure waiting between the colorful cardboard covers that lined the shelves. Almost as much as I loved the fairs themselves, I loved the flyers that fortold in BIG! BRIGHT! WORDS! the impending event, and shared exciting snippets from the tomes they peddled. I remember sitting indian style at the base of one of the bookshelves, with a stack of books in my lap, flipping through one and then another, trying to figure out which ones I couldn't stand to leave behind.

This week, Hayden's school had a Scholastic book fair, and I could feel the giddy excitement building inside me when they handed me the flyer on our way out the door last week. Hayden, it's your very first book fair! I couldn't wait to get home and pore over the choices just like I'd done so many years ago, in part because we only have a few books for Hayden so far, gifts we recieved at her showers. And, while I love and appreciate that someone bought us books, reading the same 3 or 4 over and over gets a little old (at least for me - Hayden still loves looking at all the colors and grabbing them, trying to see how far she can get them into her mouth).


This is one area that Chris and I are in total agreement on - money spent on books is rarely wasted. We love books - car books, reference books, historical books, do-it-yourself books, fictional books, novels, non-fiction, you name it. Collectively, I'm sure our books number in the hundreds, if not 1,000. So, this wonderful opportunity to begin building Hayden's library just made me so very happy. Yesterday at lunch, when I was in some desperate need of 'happy', I went to her school, scooped her up in my arms, and we went perusing the book fair down the hall from her classroom.


We found some excellent new additions to her collection:

Ten Chirpy Chicks has these great little 3D chicks (which are just cute as buttons), and they all take off on their own little adventures one by one until you're down to just one chick. (Don't fret, though, they all make it home safely in the end).

This book has some glittery, glossy effects, but I got it specifically because it's a book about a hedgehog, and what on earth could be cuter? Except maybe a hedgehog in a wee slicker and galoshes!

This book is about a little llama that, as the title indicates, gets mad at his mama. It's got a great moral and teaching lesson, and hey, how can you go wrong with a baby llama book?

This is short, but fun - a counting book with sound effects. Hayden lit up immediately when I pushed the 'croak' button, and was fascinated by the bright colors. I think this will be one I may 'lose' when she learns to push the button all the time on her own.

By far my favorite book, and a must-have, Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. And this one is illustrated by Mary Engelbreit, who I love as much for her name as her illustrations. I love the color and style of her images, and they just bring to life these wonderful nursery rhymes so well!

Chris and I were trying to remember and recite some of these rhymes last week, and couldn't, and I had told him of my Mother Goose book, tucked away in one of our many boxes, and how I couldn't wait to read it with Hayden, so when I found this, I was so thrilled. And we read it last night, as the great finale, after the frog book and the chick book and the hedgehog and llama book. It was a wonderful way to end our day, little Haydie-pie propped in my lap, soaking in the pictures and laughing at my voice and the sounds of the animals.

I can't wait to go home and do it all again tonight!

What really matters

It is natural, in our daily lives, to get wrapped up in the details. In the mundane issues and challenges and problems that are a normal part of life, and we sometimes forget to step back from that and remember what is truly important - our faith, our families, our health, and the thousands of blessings that we are given everyday that we take for granted.

I often think that if I were to just focus on the blessings in my life, and being thankful for those, I wouldn't have any time or energy to waste on all the nothings that I sometimes let occupy my head and heart. I wish I were better at living that way. I am trying.

Every once in awhile though, we run across someone who is truly suffering. Who has real pain, real trouble, real problems. When that happens, it causes the worthless, non-existant issues we have built up and given more than their fair share of our lives to evaporate. And when that cacophany of banal worries is lifted from us, we can see what really matters. It always makes me feel about this small when that happens, but I try to take the opportunity to embrace my blessings and let go of the worry and fear and anger I pick up along the way. That really is too heavy a load to carry.

This morning, I came across the story of this family that stopped me in my tracks. (also, the dad's story, here.) This is a family that is suffering a loss no family should have to endure, and although I don't know them from Adam, their pain has become my pain. I have grieved this morning for their loss, and struggled with them for understanding, and wept for the baby they'll never get to see grow up.

I am sharing this because although it breaks my heart, and will surely break yours, I believe we all need our hearts broken from time to time. To keep them soft and raw to the suffering of those around us, so that we can be compassionate, and sensitive, and grateful for what we have.

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

I love you all so very much. I'm off to squeeze my baby girl...

4 Month Checkup

Hayden and I had a little visit with Dr. Vicki today for her 4 month checkup. Can I just say first of all, how much I LOVE Dr. Vicki?! The woman has been great since the very first visit (and we've had a lo-ooottt of visits), and is very attentive and takes time to listen and answer questions thoroughly. She's just wonderful.

Hayden came through with flying colors. It's so great to come out with a good report and no follow up visits, except the next well-check, scheduled.

She weighed 12lbs, 4oz which Dr. Vicki was very pleased with. Her weigh-ins always make me cringe. We've had a few that have been on the low side, and it was such a relief when Dr. Vicki told me that she's jumped to the 75th percentile for weight! Snort, snort, my little piggie! I'm loving it!

She was 24.5" long, which puts her in the 90th percentile for height. Totally crazy to me, since for the longest time, they kept telling us she was on the petite side. Who knows where she'll end up?

All the nurses had fits over her, as always. They just love her little highlighted hair, and she gave them a show this morning, talking, laughing and grinning - right up until the point they started in with those darn vaccine shots again. Then it was a purple-faced, breath-holding show she put on. Don't worry - that lasted only as long as it took me to scoop her up and start feeding her. The second she realized she was getting breakfast, the tears turned off, the fists unclenched, and we were back to 'noodle baby' status. She was asleep before we got to the car. Such ado about so little!

Oh, and for those worried about her congestion and coughing and such, which has been going on since shortly after we started daycare, some more good news. Dr. V said that she has no concerns that it's anything other than several colds back to back and the dairy allergy she's had since birth. No other crazy issues or diseases to worry about, is the short version. She said to expect for the next couple years that 2 out of every 3 days will be snotty ones (for Hayden, not me), but because she's in daycare, in the long run it will be a benefit to her because her immune system is learning to fight real illnesses and viruses and diseases, instead of focusing on innocuous things like pollen and shrimp and peanuts. Being in daycare should reduce her chances of having airborne allergies and asthma, and the trade off is a runny nose for much of the next couple years. I think we can swing that.

Have a happy hump-day! I know we will!

Bathing Beauty

I swear, I want to just inhale this baby like a great big pink cotton candy... Is she not the cutest thing ever?!

I may have mentioned before Hayden's love of the shower. I know many babies enjoy being bathed, but as we have experienced on several occasions, despite having the very cute, very popular, high-tech little sling bath tub designed for wee itty babies, Hayden generally wants nothing to do with it. If I put her in that thing, she stiffens up, turns red and starts that terrible screaming that eventually turns soundless as I watch her battle her desire to breathe long enough to let me know that, hey Mom! This bath thing? I am NOT down with this. At all.
She typically will only endure a bath under two circumstances - 1. If I use the spray hose on her while in the horrific baby bath contraption, or 2. If I fill a real bath and have her in it with me.

This reaction to her baths, along with my desperate need (just ask Chris) for a shower prompted me very early on to grab Hayden and bring her into the shower with me. It was like magic. The kid LOVES the shower! We started this when she was probably only 2 weeks old, and she instantly loved it - it could stop a crying fit immediately. She loves to lean back and let the water stream down her head and face, and then comes up sputtering and blinking, and immediately dives backwards again for more.

Don't get me wrong - trying to take a shower with a slippery, wriggly baby has its challenges, especially if I want to make sure we both actually get clean, and not just wet. We've worked out the kinks over the last few months, and when Chris is on hand to come get her and dry her off after I've washed her, that works especially well, but even when it's just Hayden and I, we manage okay.

Despite having gotten a bath last night due to a minor explosion of sorts, we had another type of explosion this morning that called for a shower this morning (actually, maybe this was payback for the bath last night). So, it came to pass that Hayden had her first shower in our new house, and of course she loved it. Mommy loved that we have a seat in there, which helps with the wet baby wrangling. Afterwards, we wrapped up good and warm in our elephant hoodie towel before coming out into the cool bathroom (in-shower towel hook, another of Mommy's new favorite things), which kept us from having a meltdown over the temperature change.

Then, came another of Hayden's favorites - getting her hair dried. This little one has so much hair that we don't have the time to let it air dry, and another very early discovery was that she loved the sound of the hair dryer when I dried my hair, so we tried it on her, and found she loved the sound and the feel of that warm air all around her. She used to just close her eyes and tilt that head back and let it stand all that hair up on end. These days, she's more focused on trying to help with the process (and watching herself in the mirror!) than laying back and zoning out, but I tell her that if she'll just wait til she's my age, she'd give anything to be able to chill out for a little while and let someone else fix her hair.

I think we definitely have a spa date or two in our future... This little gal likes the pampering!

Things that go *bump*, *beep*, *crash* in the night...

Last night, our second in the new house, we were awakened several times to play the fun new-homeowner game of "What was that noise?" Actually, more accurately, Iwas awakened by the sounds; Chris was awakened by me.

First off was a loud crash as we were drifting off to sleep. Never truly figured out the source of that one, but we think it was our new oven vent damper. Maybe. Hmmm...

At about 2 am, we were awoken to a shrill, intermittent beeping noise that sounded suspiciously like our smoke detectors. I got up and followed the sound to the kitchen, thinking that perhaps it was an alarm on the stove or refrigerator. I got into the kitchen just in time to hear it beep again and realize it wasn't coming from those appliances, then it stopped entirely. Weird. Back to bed I go, and just as I'm drifting back off, BEEP. Seriously? This time, I made Chris come with me, because I was getting pretty jumpy (those of you who know me well aren't at all surprised by that, I know). I told him it was just too suspicious that as soon as I walked into the kitchen, the noise stopped, and as soon as I got back in bed it started again. Coincidence? I think not! Chris agreed. He told me that it was a device and plot hatched specifically to push super-paranoid overly anxious women (or their husbands) over the edge. He said they probably sold a kit. Nevertheless, the came with me, and we were able to track it down to the dining room - where there was NO smoke alarm - before it stopped again. See? I'm not crazy after all. Then I remembered the carbon monoxide alarm I stuffed into a box as we moved out of the old house that probably was getting low on batteries about now. Okay, so maybe I am crazy... Mystery solved, now I just had to find the darn thing in one of the boxes. Half asleep. At 2:30 in the morning. Piece of cake.

Ah, the joys of new home ownership!

Love Letter, Month 4

Dear Hayden,

Happy Easter! Today you turn 4 months old. It is amazing to me how quickly you have outstripped that 'newborn' title, and are now, as your Poppie says, a real baby! This has been another wonderful month, full of new discoveries, new activities and many more firsts!

This weekend, we moved into our brand new house! We're still getting settled in, and I'm sure the new environment will turn our schedules upside down again. Thankfully, though, we don't have much in the way of schedules at our house - every day is a new day, and since you don't know life any other way, you've learned to roll with the punches.

You are a pretty laid back little girl, until you get mad, and can make yourself at home just about anywhere. You are happy to tag along with us as we've run to and fro getting last minute items for the house, visiting friends, doing business, you name it. Now, when you decide you aren't getting what you want (mostly food or sleep or Mama), you have no qualms telling us exactly how you feel! We can always tell it's coming because that adorable little bottom lip starts to quiver... then rolls down... then come the waterworks and plaintive wails of a frustrated baby girl! As soon as you have what you want, you are immediately all smiles again. I swear, sometimes it seems you're laughing at how you can make us jump. I'm sure that's just previews of coming attractions.

This month you really found your feet, and they have been a frequent source of amusement for you. You love grabbing one in each hand and pulling them up toward your face as far as you can stretch. It's very helpful when I'm trying to change your diaper - the trick is getting you to let go of your feet long enough to get the new diaper on!

You have also begun to give everything you can get your little paws on the 'taste test'. If you can reach it, grab it, and pull it to you, it goes straight into your mouth! Your expression is that of a baby bird reaching eagerly for a worm - the mouth goes open long before the object gets there, and you pull it to you with a fervor of a drowning man clinging to a life raft. Any object that passes within reach that you think might end up within range prompts the little bird mouth to gape open and you start leaning in for the kill. This new trick is a constant source of amusement for your dad and I, who (I'm almost ashamed to say) enjoy baiting you with books, fingers, toys, your paci, blankies, and just about anything else you spy.

You are a little chatterbox, too! You love 'talking' and 'singing', and recently squaking your thoughts to the world. There is nothing sweeter to my ears than your adorable coos and chitter chat. Many times at night, I'll wake up to see little arms and legs pumping away, and hear you talking to your little teddy bear mobile, happy as a lark. Your teachers at daycare say you talk all day - to them, to the other babies, to the walls, to yourself. They laugh at you in your excersaucer - they tell me that you kick back and lounge in the seat, arms out and face toward the ceiling and just babble away. You also love to chat while we're in the car, going up the road. Often, I'll sing to you - usually the ABCs or Itsy Bitsy Spider, or Skinnymarinkidinkidink, and you've started chiming in, which just tickles me to death. I'm sure your Poppie and your Daddy are excited to see you following in their musical footsteps. Let's just hope my attempts at singing with you don't hamper your natural talent!

One of my absolute favorite things is the way you've started lighting up when I come into a room. You would often smile, hesitating, at me when I'd come pick you up from school, but these days, you break into a wide grin and start squealing and wriggling with sheer delight. You wiggle around until I can scoop you into my arms, and then you just bury your little head in my chest and fling your little arms around my shoulders and you just melt my heart every time. At night, when you wake up, your dad or I will lean over to check on you, and as soon as you see us, your little face just lights up and the kicking and arm-pumping go into overtime. I love that when you get upset while staying with someone, oftentimes me just picking you up soothes you and settles you down. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be needed that way - just for being your Mama. Not because I'm smart or talented or beautiful, but just because I'm yours and you're mine.

Your little personality just continues to emerge, and you take such an interest in everything around you. You are so aware and alert all the time, and I can see your little mind making new connections every day. It's such a wonderous thing to watch, and I feel so blessed to be your Mother.

Happy first Easter, Happy 4th month, and Happy Sunday. It's good to be home, finally, and I can't wait to watch you grow up there. As your Poppie said this weekend - we're going to build a lot of memories here. The first of which is going to be putting your nursery together - finally!

All my love,

Mama

Daybreak

Our first morning in the new house - Easter morning. We were greeted with a gorgeous sunrise, one of God's reminders of his love and power, which we soaked in from our bedroom and from the back porch. How good it is to be home.


You know, I can't see a beautiful sunrise or sunset without wanting to call my mom and share it with her. Growing up, on road trips when we'd travel overnight, she'd wake us up in the morning to peer out the rear window at the fiery colors exploding across the sky. On nights there was a full moon, we'd shuffle outside in our PJ's to see it's glittery brightness, and if there was ever a meteor shower or other celestial event, we'd drive out to a dark field somewhere, climb up on the car and huddle together under blankets to count the shooting stars.


Somehow it seemed fitting to wake up our first morning in this new house, with the beautiful rainbow of colors streaming into our room. I turned to Hayden and told her to look outside at this wondrous morning God had created for us to enjoy and celebrate, and I thought of Mom. I love that I have a daughter now to continue that tradition with, and I know that no matter how old I get or how far away I am from my mother, she'll always be close by me at least twice a day - when the sun rises and sets. I love you, Mom. Thanks for all the memories. Good times, good times...

Moving Day

Today was moving day at the Padgett household. My folks and our nephew Kyle pitched in and helped us haul all our MANY, MANY belongings from the Woodstock rental to the new residence! Chris's parents took babysitting duty and kept Hayden amused while we lugged stuff, and they made an amazing barbeque lunch for us all (complete with a banana pudding!). We earned it, though. With one major Uhaul load from the house, and two from storage, plus the 100+ year old butcher block from Chris's parents' house, we were WIPED when we finally got finished! Then, Chris and I had to go fetch the doggies from the rental, for our first night together in the new house.

Thanks to everyone who helped us move - we could not have done it without you.

Now, seeing all the stuff we toted into the house, it looks more like a garage sale in here than a new home. I may just have to have a yard sale to get rid of some of this junk! Where did it all come from?!? I swear, I think all our stuff just multiplied like rabbits while we weren't looking! After 8 months in the rental with just a fraction of our belongings there with us, I have to say, we can definitely make do with less.

Oh, and one other thing we've decided we can do without a bit longer - TV. We've not had cable since we moved to the rental house, and we've decided we don't miss it. We have a TV in our room for the occasional movie or DVD of Friends (my one TV addiction), but we don't want one in our living room. In part because we don't want to waste the money on cable, in part because we don't know where to put it, and in part because when people come to visit, we want to spend time with THEM, not sitting shoulder to shoulder letting the cable wash over us in hypnotic waves.

One thing we can't do without any longer: the Internet! Our new addiction! That's one I'll be happy to have back!

For now, good night and sleep well (I know we will!).

Fingers Crossed

Breath held, 4-leaf clover in hand, lucky stars counted, prayers said - we're supposed to close this afternoon! I am trying not to get my hopes up just yet, but if all goes well, we'll be the proud new owners of a brand new bank note this afternoon! Oh, and a house about 30 years from now!

Retro Baby

This morning, I suppose I was a little inspired by Cousin Abbie's stripy socks from the other dayand decided to dress Hayden in her little leg warmers (I just love that they have baby leg warmers!! Who thinks of these things?!)

Actually, I think the mittens are a dead-on match for Abbie's socks, but those are just to keep Little Bit from scratching herself to death in her sleep.With the cute top that 'Aunt' Tamara got us, she looks a little 1980's. All we need is an off-the shoulder onesie, some bangle bracelets and a crimper for her hair to complete the look!

Mother Nature, a word if you don't mind?

About yesterday.


See, we live in GEORGIA.

It's APRIL.

It's SPRING, for goodness' sake!

Just so you know, we don't live here because we're fond of the occasional pop up snow storm. That's why they call this the 'Deep South.' Now, I love snow as much as the next person. There's nothing more exciting to me on a chilly Winter morning than to wake up to soft, fluffy flakes floating down onto the trees, but come on, already! Also, after the drought you put us through last year, I'm the last one to complain about any kind of precipitation that comes our way, but if you could at least bump up the thermostat a bit. Or just be consistent! I was in light pants and a tshirt on Sunday, and then Monday it felt like we were in an icebox!

Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, could you hold the rain off until after this weekend? If you haven't heard, we're MOVING!

Kindest regards and WARM wishes,

Bonnie