Peek-A-Do

Slumbering above is Gracen on her trek back from Peek-A-Do, where she received her first "professional" haircut. She was not a good baby. She normally is every mother's perfect-baby-behavior-dreamchild, but somehow we missed our morning nap, and the universe began to crumble as we hit Fayetteville Road. The atmosphere is so festive there, at Peek-A-Do. She was seated in a truck, Dora was playing in her personal TV, bright colors and toys were all around, she had her strawberry apple juice (full strength--none of that diluted mess daddy makes her drink), binkies galore, and yet, she screamed. She screamed more loudly and at a higher pitch than I think I've ever heard her. She had a clean diaper, appropriately positioned; there were no random mama hair's caught around little fingers, cutting the circulation; I didn't see any sharp objects poking lil' thing; she had a full belly; and there was nothing in the eyes. She was miserable nonetheless. Fortunately, the stylists are efficient beings, catering to this "variety" of client and was finished in less than two minutes. And now, Gracen has a straight line of hair. It is beautiful. And as soon as Gracen was placed back in the car seat, she slept.
Is it tackier that she and her Daddy have matching Merrills or that she and her Mama have matching Crocs?

Yesterday, I was off duty, sort of. We have decided that we want to decorate our bedroom. I've saved up a little and was ready to hit the markets and Berkus the heck out of our boudoir. I am, however, cheap and ended up not wanting to buy anything substantial. Instead, I bought duvets for our comforters (Linens-n-Things: King size, duvet and 2 shams for $29 AND %20 off because of itty bitty stain I found!). I also got one for the guest room (pictured above). I'll post pictures of the master later to get some advice. I fear we may just have to repaint in order for us to move forward. I hate painting.

We are looking forward to our upcoming weekend. Ghi-ghi will come to visit and somebody special is turning 30! Ghi-ghi will be taking care of Gracie so that Adam and I can fully celebrate this wonderful occasion with the Doot! Yes, I did call you that on the blog, so you must "comment."

Go Heels!

Oh, it's a happy day indeed. The Tar Heels have won the ACC Championship and have taken the #1 seed in the Eastern Region for the big tournament. At least, I think that's what they've done. Adam's been screaming all day about something related to that, and for all the intensity that has gone into his passion for this, I assume it's a big deal. I'm learning. And I watched a little of the game, even paying attention instead of daydreaming while staring blankly at the TV. AND, Gracen has gone to two bars to watch the tournament over the past few days. She didn't drink any beer or smoke cigarettes, so no worries (and no, she was not around any smoke, for any of you pediatrician friends that may be out there). We're celebrating with fillets, grilled corn and asparagus. I like winning. Gracen was enjoying the celebration so much that she's refusing sleepytime.

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and for those of you who could care less about the Heel's and prefer a glimpse of the princess, here she is...

Some days, my Mama only changes half of my clothes. It's okay though--I love my jammers.

Here is the new booster chair. The high chair, which was so generously given to the family from Adam's boss, seems to collect an unhealthy amount of "crustiness." And as much as it's cleaned, we can never defeat mushiness that is inevitably left in the cracks. And since Gracen likes to suck on the cracks of the chair (weird kid, I know), usually with a mouthful of food, the whole thing just seemed unsanitary and a was a vicious cycle. This one can go in the dishwasher!

She's just pretty and perfect!
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Depth Perception

I apologize for no photos on this post. I'm just having proud mother moments and need to share. I also need to keep a running record of her milestones, as I have yet to begin her baby book and don't want to have to fib like some people I know may have done (Mother!).

Gracen has fallen off a lot of things: couch, bed, chairs, lap, etc. Fortunately we've suffered no injuries or ill effects from our mini-catastrophes. Most of these events have been due largely to Gracie's lack of depth perception and, perhaps, our lack of appropriate supervision. Yesterday, however, we had a breakthrough. Gracen was sitting on the ottoman, and I was standing behind her, making sure she didn't throw herself off the edge, when she laid her little body down flat, swiveled, and put her legs on the ground and stood there. And she smiled, like she had just realized she was a genius for the first time. When Adam brought her to me in bed this morning, she did the same thing. No crawl sprinting at full throttle off the edge like usual, she just wheeled it around and slid off feet first. Brilliant!

And, she has officially learned her "sign" for milk/bottle and is using it consistently. She hasn't asked for it yet, but as soon as she sees us pulling the goods out of the cabinet in preparation, that little hand starts opening and closing. I'm glad she waited until I quit breastfeeding to start this, as the utter imagery may have been a little much for the milk machine I was feeling like.

Happy Birthday Dadadadada-dadada-dada!

It is the Daddyman's Birthday--the Big 31. He and Gracen had a wonderful papa-nugget birthday weekend. They went for a hike Saturday with Matt Jessee and for a run Sunday. Gracie loves her daddy. Normally, Adam puts Gracen to bed for the night--they have their "routine." Last night, some of you may have noticed that UNC took down Duke, again (sorry Hannah, Brooke and Ryan), and Adam was present for the big occasion. And tragically, Gracen missed out on her papa putting her to bed. She called for him and looked for him the whole time we were getting our pjs on, reading our books, and taking our bottle. It was really rather sad. So far, Dada(-dadadada) seems to be the only word that has official meaning. I think we're getting close on "dog," but "mama," which after that very painful day last May should be a top priority for sweet thing, seems to mean anything from bottle to ball to bath to car seat to cheerios. Oh well. I am grateful that Gracen has a man such as Adam for her father. And I am honored to be his wife. Thanks for being here another year!

I would also like to note here that 8 years and 2 days ago, Adam and I started dating (for the second time). Happy Anniversary as well, dear boy. And, no, I am not going to quit celebrating it. Ever. Love you.

My apologies for slacking on the blog of late. I hate checking the blogs I frequent, only to find the same thing, week after week. Some of you have noted the same frustrations of me, so here we are. I am constantly thinking of blogworthy bits throughout the day, but then I forget. I should make a list. Perhaps I'll may one here:

1. Gracen ate her first rice cake today.

2. She has learned to throw. And this is beyond dropping and rolling--this is true propelling of objects through space. It makes her laugh.

3. Aunt Belle has a sinus infection. Thanks to us. Sorry, sis.

4. Gracie is refusing to fall asleep at the moment--she's turning her music machine on and off and giggling about it. Perhaps we should remove from crib.

5. "The Kite Runner" is the best book I have read in a really long time. I just realized that this is probably the source of my blogcrastination.

6. Gracie got a new car seat, as the other didn't fit so well anymore. (pictured right)

7. Jessica and Myron taught us that Crocs shoes are some of the coolest inventions ever. Thank you for your brilliance.

8. Athena and Harley have decided that full moons mean they need to go out and play at 2 AM, 4 AM and 6 AM.

9. Gracen has a crush on Mario Lopez. She rarely watches TV, but was glued to Regis and Kelly this morning (Mario is sitting in for Regis today). She smiled and giggled when he talked and started screaming when I turned it off so that she would finish her yogurt. It must be the dimples.

10. I'm running my first 5K in less than two weeks. I should add that I can't run 5K. Fortunately, my friend Alison will be there to drag me along. Thanks Al.

11. Gracen has learned how to climb from the floor into the lap of someone sitting on the couch. She is a very talented baby.

12. I want to apologize to my readers for the profanity that has been displayed on our site the last few weeks. I have made every attempt to keep my potty mouth in check on our blog, and if you know me or knew my father, you might appreciate the effort. My dear 31-year-old husband pointed out to me that in our "About Us" section, I had referred to his occupation as a dam removal specialist as a "dam%" removal specialist. Oops. So in the future, anyone--if I know you or not--please inform me of such errors. I really was not venting subconscious frustrations with his employment. I love his job, especially since it means I don't have to "go" to one myself!

13. Gracen, Renu and I were in a WRECK. Okay, it was really just a fender bender in the parking lot for Marshalls and Michael's, while travelling at less than 2 MPH. It was NOT my fault, and there was no damage. We were backing out at relatively the same time, though I technically began first. After freaking out for a moment and embracing the stranger, we left, only to discuss for the next 5 minutes how it was NOT my fault. My last wreck occurred in my parent's driveway when I was 16. I almost ran over my father. Fortunately, he jumped out of the way before I rammed the back of Mama's minivan. That wasn't one of my prouder moments.

Our Little Longhorn! Thank you, Matt!

AND, we're back...

Colorado Visit '07

I'm pretty sure this will have to be an annual event.

Thank you so much Jessica, Myron and Rylie for a wonderful week. We love you so very much!

Riggsbee Family getting ready to head back to NC. This is the view from the Carr Family's yard. Yeah, it really is that beautiful. We may have to move in. Myron and Gracen. (Happy Birthday!) He's practicing for when Ry gets a little bigger and squirmier and goofier.

Gracen and Shannon. This is one of my and Jessica's best buds from our early years at WCU. We've been out of touch for a good, ummm, 10-ish years (shameful), but thanks to MySpace, we're back on the friend track. We met up in Salt Lake City on our trek home. It's amazing how friends that are once so close can lose touch over the years. But it's even more amazing that when they are found again, it's just as great as before. We just have to fill in the details of what we've missed out on. I'm so glad you're back in our lives, Shannon. Love you mucho y siempre!
Rylie Jayne. I love her. I miss her. Think I may go back and steal her...

Adam cross-country skiing with Myron. Poor kid was hurting the next day, but he managed to pull it together for some fly-fishing.
Jess and Rylie in a coffee shop in Durango. Such lovely ladies. I may steal Jessica too.
Shanna and Gracen in coffee shop. We had to stop off for Gracie to have some dinner and a diaper change, which we did both on this little couch. I'm not sure how they feel about patrons changing diapers on couches in establishments such as these, but I figured we were transient guests, and if they did mind, we'd be gone the next day.
Adam and Rylie. They've got matching haircuts!

The girlies. Makes me wanna cry...moving on...

Does Gracie need a baby sister?!

Self portrait of Daddy and Gracie on hike. She loves her pack, and Adam loves having his favorite little lady in tow.

Chimney Rock

Myron cross-country skiing. He was not quite as sore the next day.

Mama and Gracen. She is in the midst of a mini-nap before the 6 mile hike. She awoke before we hit the trail and refused to fall back to sleep.

Gracen and Red playing. It was about 6 in the morning. Gracen was still on EST, so Adam and I, enthusiastically, took turns waking with her in the wee hours of the morns. I suppose I could have just left her with Red and gone back to sleep. Think I might try that next time.

Gracen and Vincent

It's a little ridiculous that two kids can be so cute together. This is Gracen with her buddy Vincent. They went on their first movie date on Valentine's Day. Very appropriate for the occasion, we thought. While they did like to talk, squeal, and spit at one another periodically, they were beautifully behaved nine-monthers.

Are any other bloggers having issues with their pictures showing up in code? It is making layout creativity impossible. Help?!

Saturday Nothingness

Weird thing are transpiring in the bloggerverse today. Codes are popping up instead of pictures, videos are doing nothing, spellings are atrocious (this is my issue, not the blogmaster)...so I'm not going to write anymore. I'll write something tomorrow.
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gracen and daddy have matching shoes!

Test.

I'm going to try and make a link for the new video right here:

Girls Gone Wild!

Considering we were sans papa all week, we ended up having a wonderfully perfect weekend. Ghi-ghi was here for the majority of the week, and Annie (Aunt Belle) flew in from Atlanta on Friday. Then Aunt Hannah came over from the big city of Morrisville Saturday for a slumber party. And it should be noted that Annie, Shanna and Hannah have been having sleepovers for over two decades. And in this time, the slumber parties have remained pretty much the same: eat pizza, wear comfy clothes, talk about the beauty and wonder of Prince, paint our toenails, talk about boys, analyze friends that aren't there to defend themselves (you know who you are), discuss baby names, etc. Seriously, the same thing we were doing twenty years ago. And to make such a lovely evening even better, as if that was possible, the "I Love Prince Marathon" just so happened to be on. The only thing that might have come close to topping that would have been "American Anthem" followed up with a little "Weird Science" and "Pretty In Pink." I love all my ladies, those that were here and those in absentia. And thanks for loving me back ;D

and the photos...

Ghi-ghi and Gracie...they love each other!
Gracen doing a headstand in her Pack-n-Play?
And somebody had to get an official snow suit for their upcoming adventure to Colorado!
These are Gracen's two new favorite toys: broken computer keyboard and ball. Ghi-ghi taught her how to roll a ball back and forth. She can do it for hours. Seriously.
Umm, who's the cutest kid in the whole universe?!?!?!?!

The new snow suit is actually a 12 monther, so it's a little big for sweet thing. I wonder if we know any babies who might be 12 months next winter who live in a colder climate. Hmmm...must think...who lives where there's snow?

Dear Daddy,

Dear Daddy,

I miss you.

You're not in the closet. I keep checking.

Mama gave me cool whip and chocolate pudding.

Ghi-ghi came over to play.

Harley ate my cereal again.

Athena ignored me.

I got new pacifiers.

I sang the acorn song on TV.

Mama thinks I'm brilliant.

My ear infection may be back.

Or Mama and Ghi-ghi are paranoid.

Aunt Belle is coming over too.

Please come home soon.

I love my Daddy.

Love,

Gracie

Blow this picture up--do you see the teeth?!?!?! (little, but there!)

Just chillin' with my bottle...

dadadadada's gone away

Happy Monday Night! I hope all have had a pleasant day and that you're ready for the next hour of 24. Tonight, I will be watching it alone, as Adam took off for Washington State today. He is presenting at a conference, River Restoration Northwest, on Thursday and will then spend the weekend with his good friends Jeff and Justin. I think they plan to do a little snowshoeing and playing in the woods. Be good, be careful and have a fabuloso time! So we'll be all alone until Wednesday, when Ghi-ghi comes to entertain and love us. I've been singing Gracen very dramatic renditions of "All By Myself"--very bridgetjonesesque. For those of you who have heard me sing, you will appreciate the humor of that. It made Gracen laugh too.

Gracen is tempting Harley with a Biter Biscuit. She's already given her two of them today. With her new teeth busting through, we've found that these ease a little discomfort. And she's obviously such a generous child; she just wants to share some with her puppy.

I told both of them "NO!" repeatedly, but Gracen acted like she had done nothing wrong, and I ended up prying it out of Harley's very slimy jaws.

And then Harley proceeded to pout for the next hour. Poor dog. She gets no love.

Baby-sitter!!! Yep, we finally got one, and she's wonderful. She lives in our neighborhood, and we met her at the homeowner's association potluck. Unfortunately, Gracen has been struck with another cold, and she cried for an hour and a half after we left. We got the call as we were leaving the restaurant. By the time we returned home, Gracie had fallen asleep on Hannah. I should add that she never does this anymore--she's a crib baby--and I was a little jealous of missing out on it. I suppose the sitter deserved a little sweetness after listening to her drama for that long. I really hope we didn't scare her off. Dates with a cute boy are kinda nice.

I got my first vacuum, a green Kenmore, when Adam and I first set up housekeeping together, which was over 7 years ago. It was a gift from Gaga, and I was pretty upset that it had to die. I replaced it with another Kenmore, and I managed to blow it up in a year. I don't even vacuum as often as I should, so I'm not real sure where things started falling apart. But after growing tired of bagless dirt, the constant smell of something burning, the 17 pounds, and the refusal of the spinning devices to spin, we determined it was time to take a new direction. Fortunately, my mother-in-law is a brilliant woman and recommended the Oreck, all 8 pounds of it. I had to stop myself from buying the hot pink version, and I think Adam is still a little confused about the bright green. I think she's very pretty. And she does her job so well. And she has a really long cord. And she came with a free canister vacuum. And they gave me $50 for my old broken Kenmore. Win, win, win, win...

we miss the papa.

SNOW DAY, SNOW DAY, SNOW DAY!!

And maybe ice day too. But this one, we were prepared for. I taught Gracen the snow dance in honor of all my education friends, who are so deserving of a day off (you're welcome Lisbeth!), and she was a natural at it. We added in a few extra moves to try and turn the impending ice into the fluffy stuff. They are calling for 1-2 inches of snow, followed by a quarter inch of ice. I'm not a huge fan of the ice. Our neighborhood has buried power lines, which one might assume would make the chance of power outages less. This is not, however, the case. So if our little life loses the juice, we have our 10 gallons of store bought water, our canned goods, our firewood covered and protected, plenty of baby food, candles handy, maybe enough diapers, and we shall be ready for the what comes our way. Right now, it is beautiful, and it makes me smile.

The Jasmine continues to bloom, no matter the weather. I've never met such a determined plant, except for our tree philodendron, which I keep killing but refuses to die.
And Gracen is far too cool for sleep. She may be exhausted, she may be yawning, she may be signing sleep, her eyes may even be closing while she's standing, but nope. She just doesn't need it. Her mother and father, on the other hand, do still need it and would appreciate her cooperation in letting them have a little more!!!!!

Happy Snow Day!