Go ahead and sit yourself down...

This will probably be a long one.

We've had a lot of craziness going on in the Riggsbee household of late.  Our hope is that the drama is dying down and that our lives will get back into a groove of normalcy.  Here's hoping...

AVERY

I'm going to try and combine several posts that should have been written before now.  Life has been nutty, and the blog just doesn't rank very high on the priority list these days.  For poor Avery's sake, I need to start keeping records of her life again, as I still haven't gotten into that whole baby book business.

For that record, Avery started taking her first steps on Easter Sunday (10 1/2-ish months).  She's a full on runner by now, and has completely given up crawling.  A few weeks after walking, she got her first tooth.  It was a painful and ugly experience for all, which seems to have started again last night.  Fun.  She has also begun sleeping through the night occasionally.  I shouldn't even write that down in case I jinx the progress, but she was down from 7:45 PM until 7:20 AM night before last.  Pretty damn awesome.  I also forgot to open their door, so it is entirely possible that she woke up, and I didn't hear her.  I prefer to assume that she just slept through.  You might recall that Gracen was sleeping a good 13 hours straight by 5 months or so.  She is learning so much these days.  She waves, blows kisses, brushes her hair and teeth, climbs stairs, loves her Daddy and sister, and is really starting to understand a lot of what we say.  She has also learned to sign for milk.  She'll run at me squealing, opening and closing her little hand, jump in my lap, and proceed to pull down my shirt.  Brilliant, I tell ya!  

GRACEN...a letter

Dear Gracen,

You turned three while we were in Utah, somewhere on the road between Salt Lake City and Moab.  There are so many things about that day three years ago that I recall so vividly. They say you forget--that we are chemically wired to forget.  My dear child, a mother does not forget that sort of pain, that sort of fear and that sort of bliss.  I'm in the midst of writing out the full story, but you and your baby sister seem to take up all of my waking energy, and your story will just have to wait a little longer.  I'm pretty sure you don't care yet.

We had your Chapel Hill party the week prior to your big day, and you had a blast.  You have largely broken away from your shyness, and can handle the spotlight.  All of our friends and your grandparents came celebrate with you, and it was such a powerful reminder of this amazing community we are a part of. Living in a town without family close by, it's pretty awesome to feel like you are a part of one huge, glorious one anyway.  This place is good, and these people who lift us up absolutely rock. You are a lucky girl to be loved by so many.

You are about to finish up your first year of preschool, and we have come a long way from the crying mess we started out as. Your love of all things animal and outdoors continues to grow.  You spend most of your time at home and school putting families together. Your ever faithful Froggy, which you initially called "Dodgie" because you couldn't say Froggy, has morphed into Doshi.  Doshi was then broken into Baby Doshi (the original frog) and Clean Doshi (the backup frog purchased on eBay that you found and refused to give up).  You now have several little frogs, referred to as Baby Doshi's Baby or Clean Doshi's baby.  And most recently Baby Doshi is occasionally referred to as Mommy Dosh.  It's complicated.  It's also a big, fat pain in the ass for your father and I, as the favorite Baby Doshi's baby, a dark green 3-inch knitted one that hardly resembles a frog at all, is almost as important as the original.  We are having late night freak out sessions because this little booger is missing.  We're contemplating throwing him away, and I haven't noticed him around for a couple of days so your Daddy may have just taken matters into his own hands.  

You continue to be kind and attempt to be gentle with your baby sister, whom I should start referring to as a toddler. You still carry her around and do your best to keep her away from tiny toys, yelling, "NO AVIE!  DAT'S A CHOKING HAZARD!!"  You still don't quite understand what an "inside voice" is, though you tell Ave and Harley to use theirs several times a day.

I have started napping with you again (as it's the only way you'll stay in bed to sleep anymore, and I need to go do it RIGHT NOW, as you are not cooperating with my blogging), and it's such a reminder of this time last year when I was so pregnant and so miserable that the only thing that gave me peace throughout the days was curling up with you for a couple of hours.  If I have something to do and tell you that I can't rest, you'll always say, "But Mommy, I need you to snuggle me up."  And you use that voice, and I just can't say no.  It is, however, messing with my Clean House Initiative, so we're going have to find a compromise.  I just find it impossible to lie down with you and not fall asleep.  It's always been this way, and while it diminishes my productivity, I completely love it.

And I am completely and hopelessly in love with you, my three year old girl.  Even when you're cranky and whining and a little bit spiteful, you are my sweet baby girl, and I couldn't be more grateful to be your Mama.

Love,

Mama

 

MOAB

It's taking so long to upload pictures that I'm just going to direct you HERE for vacation pictures.  There are 466 of them.  You're welcome. 

 

We spent an AWESOME vacation in Moab, Utah with the Haynie siblings and their families. Tom and Kim did well!  I think we're going to have an annual"Out West" trip, so get ready to join us.

Adam was in Salt Lake City the week before the vacation, so the girls and I flew out to meet him.  We started the week by heading to Lisser and JPs for the first evening, and thankfully, they were there on the plane to help me with wrangling the little people.  Gracen loved flying, especially the taking off, saying, "This is my favorite part," as if she was a world traveler and flying in airplanes were second nature.  I really couldn't have asked for more perfect children, and it was much less painful than I imagined it would be.  Thank you Lisser and JP!!  

We spent the night in SLC and headed out to Moab the following morning in our rented Suburban.  I had a little crush on the car and felt like I was cheating on Old Blue.  Adam woke the Riggsbee clan up EARLY Sunday morning for Mother's Day to go see the sunrise at Dead Horse Point, which was probably the most magnificent thing I saw the entire week.  He and the girls presented me with my present, a polished sandstone necklace that I love.  It turns out that I left our big camera sitting on the sideboard in Chapel Hill.  Thankfully, Adam had his small one, which I conveniently left at the house that morning.  Adam took me off camera duty after that.  We met up with the rest of our crew and headed to Arches National Park and learned a lot about air pressure in tires.

Monday was filled with Jeeping in the backcountry of Utah.  Gracen often exclaimed, "I want more bumps!"  We took the girls out of the Jeep for the "questionable" areas, but overall they loved it.  I think it was my favorite part, and I'm feeling pretty certain that we need to invest in a 4-door Rubicon.  

Tuesday the boys went mountain biking while the ladies and kiddies playing in Moab.  Gracen and Rylie had some good girlie bonding time.  It will be fun to see how their relationship develops throughout the years.  

Wednesday we said goodbye to the Coates' family and headed to Kane Creek Canyon for a night of camping.  It's really sort of crazy that you can just roll into places like this and set up camp.  Gorgeous.  And the G is ready to camp some more with her friend.  Ave likes to eat the sand.

Thursday we sad a tearful farewell to the Carr family and went to Canyonlands National Park. Adam was determined to see every square inch before traveling north to Park City.  We ended up spending 11 hours in the car.  Owie.

We spent Friday hanging out in Park City, doing nothing of much significance.  We played at an awesome city park and met up with our friend Brian for dinner and ice cream.  We took one very bad picture, packed up the car and went to sleep.

Saturday, we hopped on the plane and traveled home.  Gracen made sure that we and everyone else on the plane knew which part was her favorite.

I'll be back soon with The Garden update...

Moab

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Salt Lake City, my family asleep around me. We leave tomorrow for Moab to meet up with the Carr family. Lisser and JP held my hand (and my children) through our adventure travelling cross country without the daddyman. Adam's been in Salt Lake all week for a conference. Seriously, I don't see how people take multiple children on airplanes alone. I had four extra hands helping me, and I was still frazzled. Coates family--I am forever in your debt!

Oh, and also, THEY LOST MY LUGGAGE (only one of them)!!! I took two suitcases, one with our clothes/toiletries and one with our gear and diapers. We'll be backpacking the kiddos naked.

It was supposed to have made it to me by 4:30. It's 9:48 and no sign. I've called 3 times, so I think they get my urgency.

My baby is 3 tomorrow. More on that later...

Picture Day.

I'm just going to throw a few pictures up here in hopes of regaining my blogging momentum.  These pics were courtesy of our friend Danell Beede.  If you need some rockin' portraits, this is your girl.  Visit www.danellbeede.com, and you might even notice someone you recognize on her portfolio!  Thanks Danell!!

Spring Fevers revisited.

So yesterday, our dear Ave got another fever, which culminated in a night of coughing, moaning, and dripping snot all over my chest.  She could only half-sleep if I was holding her upright.  I have not slept.  At all.  I may be a little bit crazy.  I'm breaking down and using the electronic babysitter so that Gracen will at least hear some coherent thoughts today.

And also, we're getting new HVAC today.  Oh yippy.  Forgot that was on the agenda for today.  Not really how I was wanting to spend our savings (or this Monday), though thanks to the stimulus package, you get a "true" tax credit with your '09 taxes if you are green enough in your choices.  If you need a new system, this is the time of year and "the" year to do it. Still, no amount of incentive makes this anywhere close to exciting, except that maybe we'll have a power bill out of the $350 range.  We're also getting a fancy shmancy thermostat, which I'm hoping will at least amuse us enough to help us forget our depleted account.

Hope all are having a snotless, feverless Monday.  

spring fevers.

The little ladies are enjoying spring fevers. Literally. Avery had a fever for four days with no other symptoms, and now Gracen is on day two or three. It's an odd little bug, but I guess a good one to have considering there is no puking or crazy snot falling out of their faces. I can't believe we're STILL dealing with sicknesses. I suppose this is normal if you leave the house during the winter, but seriously! I'm over it already.

We've been busy around here. We're in the process of building up our garden. We're doing Square Foot Gardens to maximize space and production while eliminating excessive work. I've been sadly attempting small gardens for years, but I give up, get lazy, get bored, get hot, get frustrated, and end up with two half-eaten tomatoes. This year Gracen is my inspiration, as she's eating up the whole process. She got her very own wheel burrow today to go along with her gardening tools. She's actually quite handy for a nearly-three-year-old. Avery likes to eat the twine, vermiculite, and turkey poop (also, wildly helpful).

Fortunately, Adam climbed very high betwixt two trees and hung a very large chain so that our swings could, in fact, swing. So now, Avery can be swinging (and, more importantly, contained and happy), and Gracen and I can rush over to her for a push while we're gardening. After he put them up last weekend, Gracen couldn't get over how amazing her father was. For example:

Mama: "This is a really good apple. How's yours?"
Gracen: "My Daddy's so cool."
later:
M: "G, you need to go take a nap now."
G: "Adam's awesome."
later:
M: "Can you go get the dog bowls for me?"
G: "Did you know that my Adam made a horse swing for me? I fink he hoves me."
later:
M: "Do you and Ave want to go swing for a while?"
G: "Daddy's my favorite."


Strong work Papa.

I'll post more gardening pics as things progress. Gracen and I hung the deer netting around the posts this morning. We have a lot of deer. I love them. Daddy hates them. Gracen just wants to make a cage for them and give them speeches about not eating daddy's plants. She has it all rehearsed for them.


In other news, I am now a Mac user. My old laptop should have been tossed out a few years back, but I just kept hoping it would somehow heal itself. It did not. I never actually took it to anyone to fix it, which I'm realizing now may have been helpful. But, oh my, I am in love with my new 'puter. Completely. If anyone is having doubts on if they should convert from a PC, let me be the first to say, YES. You will not be disappointed.


The real reason for getting this lovely new machine is that I wanted to get back into a writing groove. There are blogs, novels and poems to be written. Now I just need to get out of the yard and start writing them. Maybe I'll just put a comfy chair in my garden and write out there...

And we love these people...(especially when they let us come to play whilst contagious and gross)

twelve.

Another year has gone by, and I don't really miss him any less.  I think after having babies of my own, it gets even tougher because I know how much he'd be in love with these little girls.  They're lucky that they have their amazing Pops and Papa Jim, and they'll never really know just how much is missing from their lives.  But I do.  

Today's weather was identical to the sunny, breezy day back then.  An absolutely perfect spring day. 

<----Check out that little piece of cuteness.  That baby makes gorgeous grand babies. 

daddy and baby annie belle

daddy and a newborn ronny mac

me and my papa

2 week shanna and daddy

sisters loving on daddyman

daddy and shanna christmas morning

Roomies

Avery's room is now the guest room. Gracen's room is now the girls' room. Daddy's room is now Daddy and Mommy's room.

When I get overwhelmed with procrastination of basic chores (e.g. laundry, dishes, bathroom caulking), I often move furniture. This is not a new thing in my life. I remember as a young child moving dressers and beds in various configurations in an attempt to feel like I was accomplishing something, while not actually doing what I was supposed to be doing. I think it was my way of being rebellious. I'm also pretty sure this is a psychological disorder. I can lie in bed for hours and go through all the possible scenarios of where things might possibly go to maximize efficiency and aesthetics. Anyway, this is the latest attempt and it seems to be working well.

After nine months of sleeping next to Ave, I'm now encouraging her to stay in their room. She's actually sleeping longer with this new arrangement. She had begun to wake up during night nursings and wanted to play or she would just nurse ALL NIGHT. Now, she wakes when she's hungry, and I feed her. If she falls asleep with me that's fine. If she starts getting silly, I put her back in her bed where she falls asleep without much of a fuss. Gracen still manages to end up with us by morning, which I'm fine with. This morning all four of us were there. It's manageable, and I seem to be a little more rested than I was, even though I miss the baby snuggles. Adam, dear boy, is probably less rested, but is tolerating us sweetly nonetheless.

Avery woke up with a fever of 102.2 and is in the running for the most pitiful baby in the universe award. Can we get a break already?!

Gracen is busy being attached to her Uncle Sheppie. He may need a vacation from his vacation.

A beautiful mama friend came over last night to watch the ladies so that Adam and I could both go out on the town with some friends. Thank you!!! I'm not sure if I have a stomach bug or just a little hangover. Mama's a lightweight these days.

Adam and Robert will be going to the UNC vs. Duke game tomorrow. Preparty started at noon today. These boys are ridiculous, but I love them.

Pukefest '09, parte deux

We're on our second stomach bug of 2009, and it is U.G.L.Y over here. Gracen had one in January, which has now become a distant blur of holding hair, changing towels, roll over to nurse, hold hair, flush, roll over to nurse. It was several nights of chaos, but she was fine during the day. And Avery never caught it, which was shocking. This new beautybug, however, struck after naptime today with the big girl and has continued until now (8 hours later), attacking every 10-30 minutes. Ave just pukes when I attempt to feed her. Both are asleep now, and we've got towels in the dryer, pedialyte in the fridge, and hairbands on my wrist.

We're officially parents.

Randomness

Another month? What is wrong with me?!?! I was really feeling like I was getting back into a groove with the whole blogworld. Sigh...

I'll be better this time.

Maybe.

Let's make a list of our happenings, shall we?

1. Our strollers have found new homes, and we have found this rockstar. If you're in the market for a stroller, consider this one. It is a single stroller, but with a simple backseat attachment can turn into a doubledecker. Phil and Ted, thank you for your brilliance. Seriously, go to this website and check out the capabilities of this thing. It's worth every penny!!

2. Avery is going through nine month sleep regression , and I'm bordering on crazy. For the last week and a half, she's been nursing 4-6 hours a night. Last night we got away with only 4 sessions, and she actually detached in between, which is a step. Yes, I realize I could let her cry it out and that this might be over. But we're not doing that for many reasons, so I'm trying to make peace with profound exhaustion. Trying.

3. Gracen has a visitation with her possible new school next week. I'm really not excited about the idea of leaving her current school, but there's a lot to be said about proximity. And this is an amazing school too. I just don't know if I'm ready to let her be gone from us 5 days a week yet, and that is our only option there.

4. Avery is getting closer and closer to walking. She's standing for short periods of time and will "walk" if pushing something. Sister needs to slow this mess down! She also has no teeth, which may be part of her current misery and clinginess.

5. I need a new computer. Desperately.

6. Ghi-ghi came to visit after her month in Rwanda and Tanzania. The pictures are amazing and worth the time of a slide show if you're around her. Gracen was quite impressed with the safari pictures.

7. Mama needs a nap because I'm having a really hard time writing complete sentences. Both babies are in bed at the moment, and if I want to make up for the 3 hours a night I'm averaging, I should probably go put forth a solid effort.

8. Avery Ana just woke up. Dang it!!

Snow Angel

Happy Thursday! We've been hit with snow, and though it is melting quite quickly, I'm still a little giddy. This just doesn't happen here. When she awoke, Gracen stared out of the window for a few minutes silently, until she said, "Dis is awesome!" Yes, it was. She talked to her Aunt Belle on the phone last night. When I told her to tell about making snow angels, she said, "I do like this (hike dis)," and she dropped to the bathroom floor to make an angel. LOVE this child.

We spent Inauguration day with the neighbors, eating, drinking, playing, and welcoming our new President. Gracen and Walker spent much time sledding under the guidance of Adam. Both told me that they went "too fast."

I am hoping to take the girls out this afternoon, but Avery and I have cold. I think the ick is clearing out, so perhaps some cold fresh air will just heal us up already. It's a shame to let these inches go unplayed in. We've made three batches of snow cream so far, and I'm pretty sure some will be on the menu for dinner tonight.

(Adam, if you're reading this, please pick up some vanilla and diapers on your way home).

Strollers for Sale!!!!

These two lovelies are soon to be auctioned off on Craigslist if no one here bites. You'll get a better deal if you know me. The first up for grabs is the Baby Trend Expedition Travel System. It sells for $200 and we have an extra base ($40). We'll be listing it for $150. I LOVE this stroller and it has gone many miles. One of its best features is the sun shade, which rotates all the way forward to keep the sun out of the wee one's eyes. Most do not do this. And it is very nice having the option of putting the infant seat in there when you're wanting to go for a walk and not wanting to wake a sleeping baby. And some babies just want to look at their Mama and Papa whilst strolling.

The bases can be used with the lock system or a standard shoulder or lapbelt.

This bad boy is a heck of a stroller. Unfortunately, we don't have storage space, so both strollers are living in my Tahoe. When the groceries were piled on top of Avery in the back seat the other day, I finally accepted that we need to downsize. I love the side-by-side concept, and the girls love it. I just don't really want something this large anymore. It is great for a jogger because it is much higher than most, which takes away some of the awkwardness of running while pushing. There are a few mildew stains above the footrest from spending a week on our sunless, damp porch (not bad, but the vinegar and oxyclean won't get it all out). We bought it for $350, have a $50 sun/bug cover and an infant padded insert ($50). We'll be asking $300.

So, if you're interested, let us know and make an offer. If you're in Asheville, we'll be making a trip within the next month or so and could bring it your way!!

Nerdfest '09

The daddyman is off at an intellectual retreat where the discussions will be centered around fluvial geomorphology and all the glorious things that may encompass. He's spent this past week reading 19 academic papers in preparation for his event. Let me be clear: this is not a work related event; he's doing this for pleasure. If you ask Gracen where her daddy is right now, she says "Adam's gone to Nerdfest."

She's calling us by our first names right now.

About a week ago, Gracen started coming into Avery's room to sleep in the middle of the night. Since the boy has been gone, I've just kept the Ave up a little later and put she and Gracen to bed in the same room. Gracen will tell her baby stories to "help her not be sad." It's worked out great so far. (Let us not go into Avery falling out of the bed the other morning...) We have been discussing the idea of them sharing a room at some point, so perhaps we're already there. Gracen shows no signs of wanting to return to her room. My hope is that soon Avery will drop her midnight feedings, and I'll be able to stay in "Daddy's room" all night. Even a king size bed seems awfully small with two little people attached to you all night.

My mother and step-father are in Africa for the month. They're helping to build a village in Rwanda through Rotary International. At the moment, they are on safari in Tanzania. Gracen has been pretend 'going to Africa' for the last couple of weeks. Judi and Jim seem to be having an amazing time, as we've been able to get occasional email updates and newsletters. I've not heard anything for a few days, so I'm hoping my mother hasn't decided to go for a run in the jungle and gotten herself lost. We tried to emphasize that while she's a quick little runner, big animals might still see her as prey and they run a hell of a lot faster than she does. I don't feel normal if I don't talk to my mommy at least once a day.

Daddy--Pease come home quickly and safely. We miss you. Love--your girls

Hiya.

Avery Ana just wanted to say hello, as she was left out of the blog the other day. Here she is, being adorable. We went to the doctor for a nurses visit for shots (we're still doing the alternate vaccine schedule), and she has been pitiful today. She needs to be held constantly and is refusing all non-mommy food. Poor, sweet girl. Gracen told me I wasn't nice for giving Avie shots. She's probably right.

She's also up to 16lb 13.5 oz--more than a pound in a month!

Plans are in the works to make our first family vacation of 2009. We will hopefully be heading to Moab, UT in May to hang out with the Carr crew. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Jessica and I are excitedly searching for campsites or cabins that can hold all of us!

Have an awesome week friends.

Blogger doesn't believe in 'spacing' today, and it is driving the former English teacher in me crazy!

Umm, happy new year?

Dude, what happened to 2008? I'm living in a serious time warp these days and show no signs of escaping. If anyone is still out there bothering to read this, Hi. I've missed you.

I'm not even sure where to begin, so let's just jump in, shall we? Our dear Athena Marie has made a fabulous recovery, perhaps even spunkier than before. It is unknown still if she has a raging cancer that her diet, vitamins and meds are controlling for the moment, or if she was just poisoned. I'm hoping for the poison. Whatever the case, she's happy and hungry and slightly neurotic. We love it.

Our dear Harley, however, seems to have come down with heartworms in spite of our monthly Heartguard treatments. We either forgot it at some point or she puked it up after pigging out on grass and deer carcass. Either scenario is highly likely. We’re trying to decide between the fast kill method (2 months of restriction, large amounts of drugs, and potential cardiac arrest) or the slow kill method (2-4 years of continued REGULAR heartguard, potential cardiac arrest, uncontrolled expulsion of the little buggers). At this point, I think we’re leaning towards the slow kill approach, as she is asymptomatic beyond a heart murmer.

Gracen is doing well, considering she's 2 1/2, has a sister who follows her everywhere, and has been the center of the universe for the last month with holiday festivities. It is not always pretty around here, but we're working on it. We're having to come to terms with discipline and routine, and deciding what works best for our family. There are no perfect answers, and we are learning to accept that we'll just screw up periodically until we get into our groove.

Gracie continues to amaze us with the love she shows for her little sister. She's not always the most gentle of creatures, but her heart is usually in the right place. I was putting clothes away in her room the other day, and apparently Avery took it upon herself to leave the room and crawl down the hall while I wasn't looking, so I called out for her to return (as if she knows what I'm saying and will oblige my requests). I hear Gracen saying, "No, no AvieW(r)oo. H(l)et's go this way." And then Gracen emerges at the door, HOLDING AVERY under the arms, drops her to the floor (head crashing, mind you), and say's "Here you go, Mommy." And Aves starts laughing.
Avery is a wild one. She looks like her head might break if she smiles any wider. She is still more selfish with her laughter than Gracen, but will still chuckle over her sis and pups on most days. The giggles are certainly worth waiting for. She's crawling everywhere, very quickly, and I'm having a hard time keeping up. I had finally gotten into a good groove with napping, cleaning, playing, and it all fell apart with this new mobility. She's also pulling up on everything and everyone, so we're having to be extra vigilant with her constant desire to climb Gracen and Harley. She also has a new love of Harley's eyeballs, so that's another one to work through. At her last doctor visit, she was 15 lbs. 12 oz (down to 50% from well over 100% at birth) ) and 27 1/2 inches (>97%). She's long and skinny, and so damn cute. We're eating solids, but she's still not real excited about it. The doctor wants us to be doing 2 solid feedings a day since she's steadily dropping in her weight percentages, but Ave is more of an occasional taster than an eater. She's still loving the mommyjuice, so that's good. She has days that she's not interested in nursing at all, so she makes up for it with eating all night. But then she has other days that she eats every few hours during the day and can make it 10+ hours a night. I find that I'm not as concerned about this as I was with Gracen and am fine with an "on demand" schedule.

::::::

Okay, I started this post four days ago and it's still sitting here unpublished. Let us just post away and try to regain our rhythm next week, shall we?


I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and you're getting your new year started off strong. My hopes for the new year are to eat better, chew my food more slowly, exercise my body and mind more rigorously, listen more attentively to others, love my children as powerfully as possible, go on dates with my beautiful husband, and to make some time for myself.

Dear Playgroupers--Thank you for coming over today. You make me normal. Love, Me

::::::

So, Blogger is vehemently pissed off at me and won't let me add pictures right now, perhaps due to my neglect. If you'd like to check out some Avery Ana cuteness too, head over to our Picasa site.

Merry Flippin' Christmas...

Dear Santa,

You're a little bit scary. We hope you come and visit us anyway, even though we were lacking our usual charm and good manners. We'll leave you cookies and hot chocolate.

Love,

Gracen and Avery

sheeeesh!!!

What a friggin' month. This will be a post with no pictures because I don't have the time or energy to get the camera out. As I am using this blog in lieu of a baby book, I need to keep up with our milestones and other happenings. So, some randomness from the last month:

1. Avery started rocking back and forth on her hands and knees a few weeks ago and has officially started pulling herself across the floor. Sometimes, it's an official "crawl" for a few steps, but it quickly turns to the slither. She's also sitting up for extended periods of time. Her favorite position is "down dog", and I fully expect her to be a proficient yoga practitioner by the age of two. We also started solid foods once a day beginning about a week ago. I'm not okay with any of this. I'm not sure where my little baby has gone.

2. Gracen is a nut. She doesn't stop talking EVER.

3. Adam and I ran the half marathon in Kiawah last Saturday, along with my sister Annie Belle and cousin Sabrina. I was VERY slow, and I'm still in pain. We're planning on doing another race this spring, though not certain which one. I'm going to be working on speed until then. My lungs actually felt great during the race, but my legs felt like I was carrying an extra ton by mile nine.

4. We spent last week in Kiawah with my side of the family for our holiday gathering. I'm not sure whose idea it was to have a vacation that included running a half marathon, but it sort of takes the relaxation factor out of the whole break thing. We had a blast though. Avery thinks her Uncle Ronny Mac is the funniest person ever.

5. Our Athena Marie is not doing so well. She has been slowing down over the past month or so, and while we were out of town, she took a turn for the worse. We had a home vet come out last night, and it looks like she's getting close to the end. We could spend an exorbitant amount of money finding out exactly what is wrong with her, but there would be no real treatment for any of the worst case scenarios. We'll treat the other possibilities with antibiotics and steroids. The vet is assuming it is a cancer that is causing her to be severely anemic and jaundiced. We're loading her up on protein and iron right now and hoping she stays comfortable and content. She has no energy and just looks sad. This is my first baby, and my heart is breaking a bit. I would write more on this, but it makes me cry.

6. Aves goes for her 6 month well baby check in a few hours. I'll report back with very cute pictures and our growth gains.

Love you all. And we miss you!

hold on a dang minute.

I'll be back when the screaming has stopped, the fevers are down, the snot floweth less and the coughing subsides. Until then, and because my mother is sick of hearing how proud I am of America, I finally uploaded October and November pics to Picasa. Love you all!!