Okie-dokie...

Formal Excuses for Blogging Absence:

1. Laptop hates me and no longer wants to connect to the Internet consistently.

2. We have another computer from which to work, however, I'm reorganizing our lives, and it hasn't been a true "safe zone" for a crazy toddler.

3. I could blog during Gracen's nap time, but I keep falling asleep.

4. I'm pregnant, and my brain's not working properly anymore.

5. Gracen keeps distracting me.

6. I could also blog after Adam gets home from work and puts the baby to bed, but he's cute and sweet, and I'd rather hang out with him. Carolina basketball just started back up (and he has season tickets again), so I should have more alone time on my hands.

TAG--I'm it! 10 random facts about me:

1. I once hiked the Grand Canyon from rim to river and back out in one day. It's not something I recommend doing.

2. I used to have a pet goat named Barley and a pony named Sam. I rode them both, but Barley didn't seem to appreciate it as much.

3. I once broke up with a boy because I got a dog (Athena).

4. I drink a pint of water in about four seconds (out of a beer glass). I can't sip it. I believe in efficiency of hydration.

5. Before Adam and I started dating, I would follow him around the library and observe his hottiness. He was always wearing tie-dye shirts and had long, lovely hair.

6. I scored 200 points higher on the math section of the SAT than the verbal, however, I decided to be an English major and didn't take a single math class in college.

7. In high school, my sister and I would wake up an hour earlier than necessary, wash our hair, and go back to sleep with our heads hanging off the bed. This was to make it curl properly. We were eventually introduced to a diffuser, and realized we could achieve the exact same, if not better, effect in about 7 minutes.

8. I have always been hopelessly ignorant in matters of popular culture. I have recently discovered Perez Hilton (thank you Amy), and feel a little more in the know.

9. I have Sirius Satellite radio in my car. I got it because I had been commuting an hour a day at my last job. I now travel in my car 20 minutes per week, maybe. But during this whole time that I've had the 200 or so channels of commercial free entertainment, I keep it on two channels: Sirius Hits One (to help in the aforementioned pop ignorance) and the Coffee House because it makes me happy. And Adam comes in and starts playing with all the settings and channels and gets me all mixed up. I like my little box. Please let me stay there.

10. My favorite sound in the world is Gracen saying, "Mama." She says many other things too, but nothing gets me like that one.

So now I must tag others, and you must post 10 little known facts about yourself. So, I tag Annie because she's an inconsistent blogger (she's probably forgotten her password again), Robert because he's silly and needs to step up on the blogging as well, Shannon because she's pregnant and wonderful and so far away, Leigh because she makes me giggle and I need to know her better, Brooke because her posts always have very cute pics of Lily Grey and I miss them both, and Adam because this is his blog too and should be responsible for contributing.

Lil' Riggle cousins from early Thanksgiving festivities Saturday. Gracen is a huge fan, and they seem to love her back just as much. To quote little Jon-jon, "That baby loves me!"

Gracen and Ghi-ghi being silly. She is very good at saying "Ghigh."

Cuteness.

Gracen in her new chair. We're having a hard time getting her to smile for pictures. We're also having a hard time getting her to keep her pants and diapers on. Any suggestions?

Don't Let Babies Play With Cameras

I have been noticing for the last few weeks that my pictures have not been looking particularly fabuloso. I assumed it was because Gracen sometimes plays with and also licks the the camera, lens included. After a thorough cleaning, I realized that dried saliva was not the issue after all; rather, the child seems to have adjusted my resolution settings. It should be noted that I do not know how to set my resolution without my handy-dandy owner's manual. I think we're fixed now, so upcoming pictures should be much more vibrant. Silly baby. Maybe she wants to be a photographer some day...

For Halloween, Gracen was a frog (naturally) and Walker was Curious George. Sadly, the pictures were few and did not completely capture how devastatingly precious they were. We went Trick-or-Treating at the homes of some friends and then went back to our neighbors' house for dinner. Amy made a butternut squash lasagna, which may have been one of the best things I've ever ingested in my life. We had a lovely time. But with two toddlers, two prego-ladies, and two beer drinking papas, we were quite the tired bunch by 8:30.

(Above: G sporting Mama's Oprah boots)

I thought I may have moved past my pukiness this week. I had one completely normal day, followed by two semi-normal days. I forgot how much I liked my former self. I had energy, I smiled all day, we played nonstop, I didn't take naps. But it returned, this new hormonally-challenged me. I know I'm coming to the end of it, and it can't get here quickly enough. We went to the midwives on Wednesday and listened to his little heart. Gracen went with me, which may never happen again. She HAD to sit with me during the exam, so when the midwife was checking for the heartbeat, Gracen decided to play Ride-the-Mama, jumping and laughing like a maniac. We could never get the doppler to hold the tone long enough to count. Based on my fine medical skills (and my OCD listening of Gracen's heartbeat with my rented doppler), I'd guess it was about 140 bpm. We go for our 18-week big ultrasound on December 21st. So grandparents and aunts and uncles, you may want to go gender-neutral for this little one for Christmas.

Somehow Gracen is still thriving, despite the fact that she eats about four bites, three times a week. Last night, however, I fed her some plain whole wheat spaghetti noodles, which turned into 45 minutes of the best eating experience of her life. She was amazed by them and ate tons. While I realize there is very little nutritional value in plain noodles, perhaps we are turning a corner in our palate development. Towards the end, she decided to throw the remaining pasta high into the air. It really is very pretty when it flies.