And On the Sixth Day God Created the SEC

has been lovely Saturday ... Mississippi State game against LSU not pretty but not nearly as ugly as some had predicted ... Annie has had fabulous day with her daddy (and me) and her most favorite puppy dog sisters and, of course, her newly discovered feet ... shall be out and about day tomorrow ... perhaps will tote camera to Publix ...

bon appefeet

and for week's end we have some lovely pictures of Annie, most of her eating her own feet ... we'll save so much on baby food ...

The Not So Tiny One

will be short blog as has taken a long time to get on this webpage today for some reason ... pediatrician visit went great: Annie is now 25 1/4 inches long and 14 lbs. 2.6 oz. (compared to 23 1/2 inches and 11 lbs. 14.4 oz. on her last visit July 28) dr. officially confirmed our suspicions: Annie is beginning to cut her baby teeth, explaining her unpredictable sleep patterns, fussiness at mealtimes, etc ... due to all my food allergies, dr. suggested being very slow to introduce new foods to Annie and refrain from the ones I'm allergic to (i.e carrots) Annie had four shots today, so spent much of the rest of the day sleeping ... was a little fussy, but all in all, did very well ... shall see how playgroup goes tomorrow ...

Pretty As A Pitt

is Wednesday and self is tired (I know, cry me a river)... energy level wanes (read: nosedives) as week progresses ... have come to realize that motherhood has absolutely no downtime (know this is as profound as saying Brad Pitt is oh-so-pretty)... even when precious child is sleeping, and you have time to eat a make-do meal or unload the dishwasher ( in a really paranoid quiet way) or read (HA!!) or lay on the couch whilst eating bonbons and drinking champagne (sure), you're still "on the alert" as my mom calls it ... suppose this will go on for rest of life ... not necessarily complaining as love Annie more than life itself, just making an observation ...
have 6-month well baby pediatrician visit in the morning ... Anthony and I will both be taking the not-so-tiny one as have some questions ... why has sleeping through the night gotten a little unpredictable lately (her sleeping, not ours) why is Annie suddenly not so interested in solids? and the list goes on a bit ... look forward to talking to pediatrician as is wonderful doctor (has three sons so has seen it all) am also very interested to find out if my extensive food allergies could potentially be passed on to Annie and if we should be watching for that even now (for example, self is allergic to carrots, which are right up there with first foods to introduce to babies, but they don't seem to go down so well for her)...
feel questions will best be asked with Annie looking super cute and wearing her precious little pink hairbow ... is important to instill good values now ...

From the Goddess

10:45 AM am having Martha Stewart type day ... am stay-at-home mom goddess ... lovely child has had breakfast, appropriate burps, poops and play time and is down for peaceful nap; self has dinner in crock pot, bills organized, latest news reviewed for thought-provoking discussions with not sure whom just yet, excellent breakfast of scrambled eggs and will now be heading downstairs for soul-reviving bird-watching to be followed by 200 sit-ups ... shall be grand ...

1:20 PM goddess day has gone into pooper ... Annie's peaceful nap ended at 11 AM so only had time after blogging to check headlines one more time and discover Emma Watson may not be playing Hermione Granger in the 6th Harry Potter movie ... sadness, sadness ... Annie is asleep once again after a big lunch, so now heading downstairs to eat my own lunch and perhaps lay on floor like warthog ... hard to maintain level of motivation from just 2 1/2 hours ago ... considering possibility that constantly excited and energetic Martha Stewart is cloned ...

3:45 PM lunch of cheez-its and Mountain Dew would certainly not make Martha's menu but at least have done exercise of 5 leg lifts whilst laying in living room floor with Hopie listening to Spiderman soundtrack on XM... exercises ended abruptly when self caught sight of living room ceiling fan and its extensive design of dust and cobwebs ... day has really gone downhill ... must get out and do necessary errands tomorrow ... walking involved in grocery shopping will cause self to just shed weight right in the middle of Publix ...

8:25 PM day has ended ... about to drag self to bed ... pot roast was excellent and so grateful to have husband who comes home from work loving his daughter and being such a hands-on dad ... self very, very lucky indeed ... morning's enthusiasm is mere memory but tomorrow is another day ... even the best day with a baby is exhausting ... how do people do it with more than one child? (hypothetical question, Aunt Mar) as quote sent by good friend says: "Sometimes courage does not roar; sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'".

KinderMusic and Beyond

KinderMusic great fun, despite Annie's fussiness ... too close to her morning naptime, I suppose ... got her home and she was asleep before she even made it into the crib ... pictures are of just after she woke up ... ah, to wake up in such a jovial mood ...
KinderMusic really cool concept ... babies use little egg-shaped "shakers" and scarves and all kinds of things while listening to really simple songs and allowing moms to do motions (for example, caboose song with moms helping kids go "choo choo") ... ok, in retrospect, is really just aerobic workout for moms ... still fun ... have at-home CD, etc. ... goes until January ...

Who Let the Dawgs Out?

has been lovely weekend with obligatory trips to Lowe's and Target ... always feel so compelled to engage in home improvement project after seeing all the paint, tile, etc. at Lowe's ... feel need to add room onto home. ok, perhaps project is too huge. can barely remember to put on shoes when leave house these days ... maybe will concentrate on not-so-tiny Annie instead as is such a hoot these days ... has discovered her sweet little feet and is fascinated with them ... for all pregnant "friends" out there, enjoy every second once precious children arrive ... I swear they grow so fast ...
Annie shall begin KinderMusic tomorrow morning ... geared toward babies from age 3 months and up, this is a "class" that focuses on movement, listening, vocal development, literacy and making music with others ... yes, should be interesting but have heard from other friends what a great experience this is so am very curious ... lasts from 10:45AM - 11:15AM ... have big week ahead as have pediatrician appt. Thursday morning and playgroup Friday morning ... must go to bed early tonight ... probably should already be in bed but as Annie is still up would not be good idea ...
** almost forgot, continuing dark days for Ole Miss (sorry, Kel) but State actually won a football game ... miracle of miracles!! also, shout out to Coach Day!!

Waking Up With Annie

The Peace That Passes All Understanding

had blast in Gatlinburg ... only bad thing was that Mom spent most of the trip sick; otherwise, days were spent enjoying shopping, gorgeous mountain views and a bit of black bear viewing ... bear was in stream three floors down from our condo ... really, really close but gone before we had time to get a picture (however, see upcoming pictures of us with pretend bears for idea of what bear friend looked like) ... Annie had great time being mountain woman ... loved to go sit by stream and "talk" to it ... don't have many pictures of her from Gatlinburg, though, and not sure how that happened ...
Anthony had fabulous time hiking up Mount LeConte and spending night atop mountain in rustic (will be polite) cabins ... have hiked mountain myself and found cabins to be somewhat frightening but alas, this is what sets self apart from true hikers I suppose. Perhaps it was the peace and quiet he enjoyed just as much as the views ...

Pictures From Gatlinburg, Part 1

Bidding You Farewell

will be leaving tomorrow for family trip to Gatlinburg so have posted lots of pictures of Annie to hold everyone over til we return ... will be back Wednesday night ... expect pictures of Annie rafting, horseback riding, hiking, golfing (of the putt putt variety), wine-tasting, etc. wishing everyone well until then ...

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Laughter Makes the World Go Round

alright, big apology, but I can't conclude last night's blog ... the whole thing makes me cry, which gives me a headache, but I'll finish it soon ...
as annie is now eating solids (why do they call it solids when food is still liquid?) and entire feeding hoopla is HUGE production (as in 75-act Broadway play), am concerned she'll never learn any other skills!! can picture her dragging herself on her little arms to high school and busting out jars of baby sweet potatoes and bananas for lunch with infant fruit juice as a chaser. how is the child supposed to ever learn to crawl (much less walk) when feeding her takes forever??? she even commandeers the spoon from time to time, and it is surprisingly difficult to get a little spoon back from the surprisingly strong grasp of a 5 1/2-month-old who smiles at you even as sweet potatoes are flying all about ... the best tool a mother can have? a really, really good and readily available sense of humor. doesn't hurt at all if the baby has one, too ...

September 11

Ok, so I'm very unsure what to write about on this day of all days ... I've spent much of the day trying not to focus on the events of 5 years ago and the rest of the day going over it minute-by-minute ... I still find it difficult to even know how to feel. The thought that keeps coming to me over and over is how very fragile life is ... September 11 always ties in very closely to the day my Grandma Calvert died (September 17, 2001.) Life is just so short ... I think maybe we're supposed to really love the people around us and be grateful they're in our lives. I didn't see many of the specials on TV about the people who were lost on September 11, but what I did see had family members and friends talking about the people with great affection ... I think that's the big lesson. If you've got somebody really amazing in your life or somebody you're grateful for, tell them. Don't wait ...
(disclaimer: the next part is a bit Academy Awardish, so please feel free to skip it!)
As for me, I can't think of my life without getting tears in my eyes, and that goes for everyday. Anthony and Annie, the loves of my life, I love you always; Mom and Dad, there aren't any words for how much you mean to me, and how you continue to support me and love me and inspire me; Ms. Alicia and Mr. Henry, you're family, and I could never thank you for all you've done for me; Kelly and Kate, my sisters, is it possible to love you more than I do? I admire y'all so much and absolutely treasure all the memories we have ... Bubba, I love you, too, and I can't wait for your next role in life ... Mandi, Jim and Michael, the "in-laws" who are so brave to come into our crazy family: good luck and God bless you! Aunt Mar and Uncle Lar, my second parents, what can I say? Aunt Mar, your strength is something I look up to, and I love when we have a chance to really sit down and talk, Uncle Lar, you've always been there for me, and I love y'all both; however, I must continue tomorrow night (don't be too disappointed) because it is bedtime as Annie had a waking-up-a-lot night last night ...

Go Lions

ok, this week's People contains nauseating pictures of new celebrity moms who have dropped their pregnancy weight JUST LIKE THAT ... some exercise, yes, but mostly just from chasing their kid or breastfeeding ... exactly where am I supposed to chase Annie? she isn't exactly mobile yet ... personal pregnancy weight just hangs around, despite self's constant running up and down stairs, toting constantly growing child, fighting off predatory hawks with bare hands, caring for entire family, dancing to 'N Sync DVD for entertainment of not-so-tiny Annie, etc. sigh ... at least winter is coming ... have extra weight all stored up.
on unrelated note ... have decided bitterness over yesterday's frustrating loss to Auburn is not good reason for self to create new personal history to include brand new alma mater of USC or Texas or any other school AT ALL with a competitive football program ... still, can it possibly be that hard to throw and catch?? actually, no, self can throw and catch ... am tired of rooting for school with horrific football record year after year ... but will stick it out. must find fresh enthusiasm for State ... is not (ha ha, Kel) dark time ... ok, is dark time, but will find light ...

Auburn vs. MSU (Rebuilding Year LXXXVIII)

has been lovely day visiting friends and their little girl in Clarksville watching alma mater Mississippi State not win another game ... sigh. has been two SEC games in a row that State has scored zero points. honestly, how many "rebuilding years" can a football program have??
on brighter note, was great fun watching Annie and Aubrey together ... Annie seems to really like other babies ... she just completely passed out in the car from the excitement of it all ...

Especially for Aunt Mar from Lucy Tooter

With much joy and love and a
belief in God's abounding
gifts ... thanks for a
perfectly timed e-mail ...