Baby Pense On The Way!!!

Congratulations to Jenny and Andy who are expecting their first. We're excited to have another baby in the family! They are leaving today for an extended trip to Taiwan, and we wish them safe travels and loads of fun. We'll be thinking about you guys!
And yes, that is Gracen with a sippy cup, which she is holding and drinking from all by her big self!!!!!! You might also take note of the hair situation. I don't know what to do with it. I've tried it all--headbands, hairbands, clips, products--and I have absolutely no control. It's so long, especially in the back, but not long enough for true piggies or ponies that will stay in longer that 5 minutes. The bald spot is starting to grow back. I kind of miss the Michael Bolton mullet/comb-over we had going there for a while. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them. The hair is in her eyes all the time, and I've been told not to cut it until after her first birthday. I realize that she has an abnormal abundance of hair for her age and should ignore this rule, but something about me holds onto superstitions, even when they're ridiculous.
the ladies of the house...

shall we jazzercise in our velour?

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving. We took the entire family, including pups (thank you Hannah!), to Weaverville where we met up with Ghi-ghi, Pops, Mimi, Papa Jim, Aunt Belle, Uncle Robbie, Aunt Melissa, Kevin, and the Seal Family. Gracen was the center of the universe, as always, and was cheezin' it up for the camera. Take a look at the new photo link for examples! The girl likes to smile, and we feel blessed to have such a happy little lady in our lives.

So it is Sunday, three days past Thanksgiving, and I'm ready to start decorating for Christmas. I'm realizing that I have a few hindrances here: 1) all Christmas decor is, beautifully organized, in the attic of our previous home, 2) Adam's leaving to go to Connecticut for work this week, and 3) I can't decide if I want a real or fake tree. We debate the tree thing every year. Adam hates the idea of killing trees just for our aesthetic pleasure and would prefer to decorate our house plants. We have compromised in past years by purchasing trees with a root ball so that we can plant it after the new year. We have killed all of those trees before they've made it into the ground again. We finally got Annie's old fakie, but the top is broken and leans to the side an extra 20 degrees, which gave it a little extra personality. We gave it to the PTA thrift shop last year. So now, the big question is does Gracie get a nice, freshly cut, beautifully smelling blue spruce for her first Christmas (my preference)? Do we decorate the 9 foot schefflera plant? Do we head to Lowes to check out the reusables? Or, and I forgot about this option, do we get an upside down tree, which is BY FAR Adam's first choice? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

Turkey Day Comes Early 'Round These Parts

Happy Thanksgiving, a few days early. We spent a wonderful afternoon in Winston-Salem with the Riggbee/Nichols/Diaz/Tayloe/and Other's Families for an early Turkey Day. The weather was lovely and the people even lovelier. I ate too much, but I guess it's good to start stretching the ol' stomach out for next Thursday. One should always thoroughly prepare for big endeavors. Mama claims that she's going to take it easy on cooking this year and not go overboard, as she does and says every other year. I love the holidays. I'm ready for a Christmas tree, and egg nog, and poinsettia punch, and cookies, and fudge, and Elvis Christmas carols, and a stocking to hang for Gracen. Something about this holiday season has a new magic about it that I haven't truly felt in years. I guess it's having Gracie here...

Gracie loves her Mimi!!

Jonathan, Lauren, and Katelyn Riggsbee (aren't they beautiful?!?!)

Papa Jim and cousin Ana

Four lil' Riggles and Jon. He handles 4 nicely. Perhaps they need another?

All the Riggsbees!

Aunt Judy and Gracie. She's so pretty and sweet--I'd be staring at her too!

Gracen and Ana (excellent child care provider!)

And then we came home, and someone pigged out on some sweet potatoes!! We're up to 2 meals a day, and we're constantly crusty or slimy. I've given up trying to figure out the foreign substances caked on me throughout the day.

The Bidding Starts at $500

You can pretty much count on Adam being in a good mood. That's one of the reasons I married him. But once a year, this jolly guy gets an even bigger boost of the happy buzz. It's when UNC basketball steps foot on the court once again. I try to be a good supportive wife in this, even though I have the attention span of an eight year old and most plays all look the same to me. We did watch Coach Carter the other day, and I feel I may have a new found appreciation for the sport. Of course, I thought that after watching Hoosiers many years ago, and I think that lasted half a season, and I was rooting for Duke (sorry babe). Anyway, this year is an especially special year for my sweet husband. Adam and his big brother Jon decided to get SEASON TICKETS. It only makes sense as we do live in Chapel Hill, really. I'm rather impressed that this is the first year he's gotten them after living here for 4 1/2 years. He deserves them, and Gracen and I love that it makes him so very happy.

Weaverville People

Gracen and Mama headed to Weaverville this week while Daddy was in Baltimore. We had a grand ole time, as always. Ghi-Ghi, Pops and Aunt Melissa were all doing well. Gracie loved all the attention, especially since she gets so little at home! It was nice to get back to the mountains, though the leaves were almost gone. We missed peak season by a couple of weeks, but it was still beautiful. Judi and Jim are continuing to make great progress on the land that their house will eventually sit on. It looks like a park on the side of a mountain, with amazing rock walls and spectacular landscaping. They're talking about starting building in the spring.

Gracen got her six month vaccines yesterday and is being puny today. Adam went with us for the first time to have the shots, and I thought he was going to pull Gracie away from the nurse and the pain. He's not a big fan of the shots. You'd think a guy that could handle rabies vaccinations could tolerate anything, but I guess it's different when his little nugget is being put through the torture. I don't expect him to go back, and for the sake of the family, that is probably best.

More "Birthday" Photos

Happy Half Birthday!!!!

Happy Half Birthday to Gracen!!! November 9th and our sweet thing is SIX MONTHS OLD!! We can't believe it has gone so fast and how much has changed. We've gone from a precious, quiet, tiny baby to a laughing, crawling (sort of: please refer to linked video), talking in her own language, sitting, almost hugging, absolutely perfect and beautiful child. For this splendid occassion, I thought I'd attach a few pictures from that wonderful, and rather painful, day. I'll attach more pics when I get back to Chapel Hill. We're visiting in Weaverville this week, and all I have are Mama's copies.

Yes, She's Gifted...

As if anyone could imagine she would be otherwise! Here is Gracen in the midst of a 10 second sit. No mommy. No boppy. Just baby. Her sits don't necessarily last very long (12 sec maximum so far), but she loves doing it and giggles when she falls down. That is unless she plummets into something uncomfortable, in which case we have a tragic situation on our hands.
Notice how we're up on our knees and forearms?

Now see how we got what we wanted?!?! It's a very exciting time here at the Riggsbee household. Sweet thing is on the constant move, and she's not even crawling yet. We propel. Launch. Grunt our way to our goals. As soon as she figures out that the hands work in this situation too, life will be a changin'! I don't think I'm quite ready for it, but I don't see her slowing down anytime soon.

Gracie and I are working on getting out of the house more these days. We're going for long walks through the neighborhood, taking drives (especially to Target--where she can now SIT IN THE BUGGY!!!!!), and we've just joined the Mothers Club of Chapel Hill-Carrboro. We're supposed to be put in a "playgroup" soon with other babies Gracen's age, which we're very excited about. We'll keep you posted! Love you all...

Oh my...

Oh yeah, baby! I'm wearing my hotpink velour in honor of my Aunt Belle, who lives so far away from me. I hear she has a matching suit, and I'm hoping she brings it home for Thanksgiving so we can coordinate. I'm really hoping that she can find some yellow socks. They really pull the whole ensemble together.

daddy's girl

Gracen and I wanted to say thanks to our guy for being so wonderful. We got lucky with this one! Gracie and I have been sick this week, and papa has kept us and our home from falling apart. We are most grateful for his dedication and love. We love you too!

VOTE NOW.

So, what do you think I should be for Halloween? The jester outfit is a bit small (made for a newborn) and the chicken outfit leaves little pieces of yellow fuzz all in my hair (mama is lazy and hasn't washed it yet). Please take a moment and help us decide...