*Wishes*

Every fall I miss my grandparents house in Blue Ridge.  Their "log cabin" was nestled in the trees, surrounded by hills and creeks - landscaped as beautifully as a botanical garden, and tended for 20 years with love.  Eventually, it became too much for my Pa to keep up, so they moved to a smaller acreage on a bluff in Tennessee.  Jack & Kathy's place in Rome is going to fill that void, I think, and it will be for our girls what Blue Ridge was for me.  I'm grateful they'll have that in their lives.  The type of place where you want to spend all your time outside and you never run out of things to do.  A place where the backdrop alone is inspiring.  But PJ and Kiki have something I only dreamed of having at my grandparent's house growing up...horses...and lots of them. 

Today is Veteran's Day.  I hope you hugged a vet.   We did!  We took Popi to lunch and thanked him for his sacrifice for our country.  I've been trying to call my Pa but I can't get him...hopefully he's at the "Steak House" (Cracker Barrel) being honored himself.  Popi took Charlotte back home with him.  She was so excited to see Noni & Popi at lunch...she never stopped hugging one of them (she was back and forth) and then she pulled Noni up in the middle of the restaurant to do 'Ring Around the Rosies'.  That's the thing about a toddler - they keep you laughing and they keep you young.  I'm pretty sure Noni wouldn't have even considered doing the 'Ring Around the Rosies' dance had Charlotte not encouraged her. 

Yesterday we made a Wish List for Santa Claus.  We cut the pictures of what Charlotte wants out of the "Big Book" and then glued them to a posterboard.  Yesterday her #1 choice was Mickey Mouse; today I asked her what she wanted (expecting Mickey Mouse) and she blurts out Ming Ming Duck house.  Oh dear.  It's going to change everyday isn't it?  And we're doing our C'mas shopping tonight.  Last year, Adam was bummed that I did it all, I did it all the year before too.  Well, he's getting to go to Toys R Us this year!  I'm just disappointed he isn't going to get to experience day-after-Thanksgiving Door-Buster like I've had to endure gotten to experience.  Charty was looking out for her little sis too.  "Ruby" wants a horse and sleigh (so that she can ride a hee-haw too).  She keeps grabbing her wish list off the fridge and showing Ruby what Santa is bringing her.  Oh dear.  Charty's so excited her baby sister is going to get to "ride" hee-haw too!  It's cute, her wish list;  play-doh, Mickey Mouse, Wonder Pets (oh dear, more Wonder Pets), bowling pins, puzzles, a stationary giraffe bike and a pyramid/mummy playset. 

There was a dead roach on the floor yesterday.  Charlotte and I saw him and we were both scared.  We decided to leave it for daddy.  She remembered to show it to him when he got home.  He picked it up.  Charlotte's you know, saying 'ewwww' and 'gross' but then she wanted to touch it too.   Now whenever she sees anything black on the floor, like a leaf or a stomped M&M, she picks it up, says eww gross and goes and throws it in the toilet. 

Speaking of which...she's gotten pretty clever regarding going tee tee in the potty.  When she has to go, she jumps up, goes and gets her Elmo potty and brings it to wherever she's playing, sits it down and does her business.  The problem is when she tries to take it back.  She dropped it.  She spilt tee-tee everywhere.  I wasn't aware of this until she came into the kitchen to get me hollering 'tee tee everywhere mom!'  What?  So, she doesn't cart Elmo potty around anymore.  Instead I'll find it in front of her dollhouse or in the living room by her crayons.

Ruby wakes up smiling every morning.  She'll be perfectly content, lying in her bed, watching the fan.  Charlotte loves to go in and get her say "hello" in the morning.  It makes all of us happy to see Ruby grinning up at us.  Ruby has a smile for everyone.  People stop me ALL THE TIME to see our beautiful baby.  Seven people asked to see her at the grocery store Monday!  Charlotte is really very good at talking to Ruby and playing with her.  Charlotte's been gone all afternoon and Ruby is totally bored with me.  Her big sis is much more fun apparently. 

Ruby was napping in her swing this morning.  Charlotte waltzed in, turned on her backyardigans guitar and played her a tune.  Ruby woke up laughing.

Fall in Rome

View the rest of our photos at: http://photo2.walgreens.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4356260006/a=814146006_814146006/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/

More of the same? Not really.

This is one of those weeks that feels the same as last week (eventhough last week was crazy...okay well, yeah...)  Oh - the life of a SAHM. 

Charlotte napped yesterday so didn't fall asleep last night until sometime after 10:00.  She may have still been awake when Adam & I fell asleep.  She slept good.  Then she came barrelling into our room at 7:15 this morning.  I shhh'ed her and told her to whisper and tip toe, so it took her 2 minutes, instead of 15 seconds to wake up Ruby.  Then she told me she was ready to go to school.  Not today, honey.  Today is Song & Story at the library (but not for 3 more hours).  So, Charlotte played with her toys and entertained Ruby; Ruby fell asleep and Charlotte has been playing (and stealing my cereal). 

We got the Big Toybook in the mail!  We've been going through it.  I want to know where the giant 5ft dollhouse was when I was a kid.  How indulgent we've become, right?  Because I'm trying to figure out where I can put a 5x3ft dollhouse for my 3 year old and where we'll park her Barbie "jeep".  Meanwhile, my MIL sends me an email yesterday entitled 'Email of the Year' that has photos of all of the suffering and injustice occurring every where in the world but here...it made me want to adopt a motherless baby but it will have to wait until after the holidays because we're pretty booked up until then.

So Charlotte gets to go ride her pony this weekend!  She's pretty excited about it.  So is mommy because this time, since mommy's not prego, she gets to ride a hee-haw too.  (I hope - PJ told me I could but I really need to ask Kathy.)  Charlotte is very excited about this...I'd had a little too much to help knock the edge off one evening...I think it might have been one of PJ's last visits (CHEERS)...and we started talking about riding hee-haws and I proclaimed to Charlotte that mommy could ride a hee-haw too, and that I could ride a hee-haw fast.  Most of PJ and Kiki's horses at the farm are retired, except for Snickers (Charlotte's pony)...he's pretty spunky.  I don't know how fast I'll be going...

We're been counting down the days until we get to go.  The girls and I drove to Hampton/Atlanta on Monday.  Ruby was an angel.  She slept the whole time.  I put in a new movie, 'Ice Age'.  Charlotte didn't want to watch it.  She was ready to get out of the car five minutes after we started.  It's not the 'Are we there yet?' type of thing it's more - 'MOMMY!  I want out!  I'm finished!  OUT!  Oh no!  IneednoniIneednoniIneednoniIneednoni!  Where Hoppy?  Ride Heehaw!  PJ!  Oh no, were daddy?  DAAAADDDDYYYYYYY!  Two hours.  And then she starts - I want to stop there! Go back mom!  I want to stop there!  I'm engaging her, trying not to sound like a  nag, begging her to not wake up her sister.  We finally arrived.  She got to play in Popi's boat and then they took us to her favorite restaurant type, Mexican.  Then Noni, bless her heart, keeps both girls the following day while Popi and I are doctor-hopping.  When we called to check in Noni was wearing Ruby, Charlotte was walking Noni's elderly schnauzer, Starbright.

Oh, I'm pumping!  I know ya'll are thrilled to hear all about it:  got a pump, industrial strength from the hospital, I feel like a bonified dairy cow but it produces 8oz in like 20 minutes (see?).  Before, I was hand-pumping, 45 minutes for 3oz.  Of course, Charlotte wants to do it too...

Ruby is not rolling over but she's kicking (she really gets to going in that bouncey seat) and talking cooing and smiling.  If she's awake, she just wants to be included and she's happy.  No leaving her to her own in the swing or what have you.  She wants to be sitting with mommy or daddy and sister.  And daddy puts her to sleep most nights.  Just holding her on his chest, she doesn't want to on my chest. 

Reverse psychology totally works at Charlotte's age.  IT IS GREAT.  If there's something I want Charlotte to do, like eat her breakfast, I fix myself something totally healthy...or not really, but mini wheats are the healthiest cereal, I just read it in Time and tell her, it's mine.  And she totally take it as her own.  (Can you believe I'm excited about this?)  Works for almost everything.  Of course, if I told her to 'go wake up your sister', well, she totally would go and do that...

...speaking of which, we need to get ready for the library.                        

Happy Anniversary Noni and Popi!

Man October was a busy month: http://photo2.walgreens.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2208145005/a=28774437_28774437/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/

Happy Halloween

No Time

I feel like that rabbit in Alice in Wonderland (totally what I should be for Halloween. Then I wouldn't seem panicked and stressed, I'd just look the part)-

Running around, I'm late! I'm late! And I'm being pulled in all sorts of directions:

A crying baby, messy house, dinner to cook, errands to run, throw in doctor's appointments (bladder infection, eye infectino, H1N1 vaccine appointment), parties to attend, dogs to walk, floors to vacuum, make time for romance & exercise! volunteer obligations, HALLOWEEN! laudry to fold and a toddler to keep occupied seem to have that effect.

I don't know how women do it that have babies that cry all the time, I'm just not conditioned for a crying baby. Ruby is going through something...if she's not being held or talked to directly, she cries. But as soon as you she can see you (you've got to be about 12" from her) she smiles and coos. Yesterday was frantic. She didn't nap. Today she's napping, thank goodness, so I was able to shower. Of all of the baby carriers I have, the one she prefers the most is the bjorn, which is the least comfortable one that I have. Charlotte has re-discovered the ERGO which is super-soft and comfy and can be used as a back carrier (piggy-back rides just got a lot more exciting, longer and faster.) I'm pooped.

And I've got eye surgery coming up so we'll be doing a lot of running back and forth to Atlanta. Again, Ruby cries if she doesn't have company and with Adam working, she's back there alone, well, with Charlotte but they can't be next to each other because Ruby will sleep for half the ride and Charlotte would never let that happen although Charty could help fetch paci and is super at talking to her and making Ruby smile...catch 22

Ruby was really sweet and relaxed at Charlotte's halloween party (school) and the fall festival (school). We have the Harvest Party Friday night (church) and then trick-or-treating Saturday night. YAY! We're so excited. Charlotte was/is Jo-Jo for Halloween. I bought the costume for her last year because she LOVED Jo-Jo but she was sick Halloween and it was a little big so she's wearing it this year. The problem is Jo-Jo stopped coming on Disney last January. It was fun watching Charlotte at school with all her little friends. Some of the mom's knew who she was.

Last weekend Lisa & Noni came down while Popi, Matt, Adam and PJ went fishing in Steinhatchee. It was fun. We'll have to make it a family tradition. Next year we might have to drive up to Lisa's house though ;)

PJ left Columbus on Sunday. As in he left, packed up and moved on. It was hard. He's been working at Benning since January. So, since January, every week, at least one day a week, he joins us for dinner and a visit and play time. PJ is Charlotte's buddy. She looks forward to his visit all week. I'll ask her who she wants to come over for dinner and she'll exclaim, "PJ!" Whenever the dogs bark or get excited, she runs to a window to see if PJ's truck is here. When she made her first stinky in the potty, she wanted to call PJ. And bless his heart, despite the fact he works a busy day with lots of people, lots of "construction worker" type, tough people, he still sang the potty song with her.

Sunday everybody was at the house, getting ready to depart. Charlotte lined us all up in a circle and had a football and she was directing to whom to throw the football to: Noni, daddy, Ant Weesa, PJ, mommy, CHAR! After about 20 minutes we started our goodbyes. So, PJ sank down to Charlotte's level and she ran into his arms, gave him a big hug, rubbed his head, a big kiss, and told him she loved him. I snuck off to the bathroom because I didn't want Charlotte to see me crying.

PJ has became a special part of her life. He's been our only family in town and he was leaving, saying goodbye for a while. He works hard, long hours (so does his son, I think some people take for granted the sacrifices a lot of men have to make to support their family) and is now working 5 hours from his home, which is 3 hours from our home. So I know our visits will be much less frequent from now on and we're going to miss him. And of course I was upset because I know Charlotte will miss him terribly, and vice versa. Their relationship is so sweet. PJ is undoubtedly wrapped around Charlotte's finger.

And of course she has a close relationship with Noni & Popi but we seem them all the time. ;) And she cries when we leave their house and calls them on the phone and evey boat is "Popi's boat". We take it more for granted, I guess. It was a blessing having PJ nearby for as long as we did -we're thankful for the time we had. He was the first one at the house when we went into labor, and when Charty woke up and he was there she scooted over and wanted him to lay down and go night-night.

Next time I see Adam & PJ's boss, I'm telling him I want Charlotte and Ruby's grandfather back in town! I'll put on the old charm.

Happy Birthday Ant Weesa!