A Love/Hate Relationship

For as long as I can remember I've had a love/hate relationship with running. I love how runners look when they are mid-run, looking healthy & strong...and runners always have the best legs...I would love to look this way. However...I HATE running. I tried a few years ago to participate in a 5K training class. I faithfully showed up for class and did all the required running...until I found out I was pregnant with Ruth Ann and I immediately dropped out. I know research says I could have kept up with the running...but I'll be honest and say pregnancy was the only excuse I needed to drop out and drop out fast. But now that I'm finished with having babies I want to get in shape and try to stay there. So for my birthday I asked Arch to take me to Fleet Feet to get a new pair of "running shoes"...or "walking with the hope of one day running shoes" in my case...saying it my way probably would take up too much room on the outside of the box and they might not sell as well either.



Besides just wanting to get in better shape, in 6 weeks and 5 days my mom, Toni, Ada, Ruth Ann and I are headed to the Happiest Place on Earth...Disney World. About a year and a half ago my mom planned a Christmas Disney trip for all the girls for the same week we're going this year...but in May we got the exciting news that Tripp-man was on his way...making me 8 months pregnant for the trip. Clearly enough time had passed between my 2 pregnancies that I thought nothing of the idea of going for a week to Disney 8 months pregnant...the hormones either clouded my memory or had me feeling like Super Woman...either way, my mom had the good sense to re-arrange our plans for a Halloween trip for 2010 and we postponed the Christmas trip until 2011. Before anyone plans a trip to Disney they should be warned that you will not be "resting" or "relaxing" while you're at Disney...especially if you're taking children...and if those same children like to be held throughout the parks. Last year we...the adults...left exhausted and all agreed we needed to start a Disney Training program to prepare for our next trip. So far my mom has lost 50 lbs since last year and I guess I've technically lost 30 lbs since I'm no longer pregnant...but the key to being in shape for Disney is doing a lot of walking to built up your endurance before you go...this is where I've fallen behind and my mom is WAY ahead of me. She has a fabulous tread mill at her house keeping her on track...but now that I have my new shoes I thought since we don't live far from the dam I would go walk there last Sunday...this is leading to a 2nd title for this blog post "The Day I Nearly Died Walking Across the Dam". For those from my hometown you know the walkway I'm talking about. For those from outside of my hometown, we have an "earthen dam" that was the largest in the country when it was completed in the 1930's...I'm not sure where it ranks now. They reinforced it a few years ago and added a walking path connecting the two sides and is a great walk...3.4 mile from one end to the other and then back again. I set out pushing 50 lbs. of children and 20 lbs. of stroller...midway I thought I was going to die...and then I realized I had to walk back. I was thankful I had brought my cell phone along because I came close to calling Arch to come pick me up. I also came very close to asking a complete stranger to push my stroller for me as I was about to pass out. I called my mom when I finally made it to the car and told her I'm not even close to being in shape for Disney...my goal is to kick up my Disney training in the next 6 weeks...we'll see how that goes!

A million and one pictures

So by now, those who know me personally or don't know me at all may have noticed I like to take a few pictures of kids. This weekend was unseasonably warm so I grabbed the chance to take a few pictures of my kids in some of their warm weather Auburn clothes that we may never be able to wear again. Once more I'm reminded of how difficult it can be to get 2 kids, 2 years old and 9 months, to look at the camera. I also don't know how my photographer does it and am convinced I would turn to alcohol or prescribed drugs if I had to do this for a living. However, this morning I had a well behaved 4 year old in the booth testing her hearing and she was doing just fine. It's not uncommon for a 4 year old to need some repeat instruction or some positive reinforcement to get through a complete hearing test, but I could tell the mother was concerned about whether or not this sweet girl was behaving herself. I reassured her mother she was doing just fine and then told her if I ever had to test my own children I would be beating down the glass window demanding they pay attention...clearly, mom's don't always have the same level of patience with there own children as professionals do!

Anyway...I usually take about a million pictures of my kids...most of which get deleted because they look like this...



or this...



And now matter how many times I ask the 2 year old...who in my opinion is completely capable of simply looking in the direction of her mother...I get this...



Which isn't really all her fault because it must be a genetic flaw she just can't fight. I give you exhibit A:



But if I'm anything, I'm persistant when it comes to getting a picture...even if all my neighbors may or may not have heard me yell/threaten my children to just look at the camera! And sometimes that persistance pays off with some sweet moments...





These two can be little boogers sometimes...but they're my little boogers and I love them more and more every day!



And for my Auburn friends out there...I made Tripp's outfit and he wore it approximately 1 time thanks to a cool Saturdays and me procrastinating when it came to putting the buttons & button holes on the is outfit. It's a size 12 months (but Tripp is comfortably wearing it at 9 1/2 months) and up borrowing to the next Auburn Momma to have a baby boy!

Out with the old...in with the moo...

There are lots of daily reminders that my sweet baby boy is growing up way too fast for my liking. At Tripp's last doctors visit he weighed just under 22 lbs. and since the weight capacity on his infant seat is 22 lbs. and his feet have been dangling out of the end the infant seat for a while so I thought it was time to change out the seats...

So, out with the old...



And in with the MOO...



I live on the edge when it comes to car seat installation...since I have 6 years of higher education under my belt I figure I can install a car seat all on my own...no fire station for this momma!  Britax car seats are also super easy to install so I felt confident in my ability to get it in the car safely.  This is the same model car seat that Ruth Ann has but they've updated it and it does look a little different...and secretly that bothers me a little. But I'm not going out to buy another seat for Ruth Ann when hers is perfectly fine...I need to just get use to it. When I told Ruth Ann I had to put Tripp's new seat in the car she asked if his seat was a flower seat too...nope, couldn't do that to my baby boy. She was jealous of the cow pattern for a few minutes, but she'll just have to get use to it too!

The things I'm going to miss

I use to never dread the change of seasons...that all changed when I had children and now new seasons mean new clothes. Not that I'm opposed to shopping for new clothes...I'm opposed to the impact it has on my pocket-book. But almost as much as I hate buying new clothes, I also hate knowing that I'll never see my sweet children in the outfits I've grown to love...here's one of my faves...



It's by Matilda Jane...and to say I LOVE Matilda Jane is an understatement! I was invited to my first home show party a year and half ago. I had never heard of this brand before so I checked them out online to see what they had to offer. Looking online I didn't really think it was my style and kinda thought about not going to the party at all...but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! In person it's hard not to fall in love with everything you see. This has been one of my favorite outfits and I love that we have gotten nearly 2 years of wear out of it...the prices may be higher than what you usually pay for kids clothes, but most everything can be used for more than one season...which is worth the cost for me.

From the very first time I dressed Ruth Ann in a Matilda Jane outfit I knew that one day if my fabulous friend Amanda ever had a baby girl this is how she would dress her. I called her shortly after this party and told her I was going to start saving all my Matilda Jane for her in the hopes she would one day have a little girl...I knew she would love and appreciate it...and now Amanda is due to have a little girl in December. I can't wait to see how cute her sweet baby girl will look in these clothes!

You can browse what Matilda Jane has of offer at http://www.matildajaneclothing.com/ You can't always order online...they periodically open the website up of online orders, but usually you have to order through one of their trunk keepers.  If you live in the Columbia area leave me a comment with your email and I'll be happy to put you in touch with the trunk keeper I use here in town. 

Dressing baby boys in the South

When I found out 3 years ago that I was expecting a baby girl I had no doubt in my mind how I would be dressing her. I knew her closet would be filled with smocked dresses, dresses with big white collars, a-line dress, lots of monograms and bows in a variety of sizes & colors. Basically, dressing little girls in the South is easy and LOTS of fun!

When I found out a year ago I was having a baby boy my world was rocked by a lot of silly and unimportant things...but rocked none the less. How was going to dress this little boy? When I first started shopping for newborn clothes it was completely boring...everything I found for baby boys was blue...and although I love light blue (it's one of the best colors for both my kids to wear)...a closet full of blue eventually looks BORING! As Tripp has grown I've started making more and more of his clothes. My sewing teacher will admit that she much prefers sewing for girls rather than boys and with each student who tells her she's expecting a baby we all know she starts hoping for a baby girl...but she made the comment the other night that I've really embraced sewing for boys. I realized that boy projects are all I've really been working on for months. I've found I love sewing & smocking for Tripp just as much as I ever did for Ruth Ann.

It took me a few months, but I've come to the opinion that dressing boys in the South can be just as much fun as dressing little girls...but to dress boys correctly and be a good Southern Momma you must embrace and appreciate the following...

Jon-Jon's...or Long-alls



Smocking...



and Camo...



All of which Tripp looks precious in and all of which should be staples in any good Southern little boy's closet. I had some opinions about the length of time little boys should wear smocking/jon-jon's/long-alls before I had a little boy...all those rules flew right out the window once I saw how cute my chubby little boy looks when he's dressed in them...he'll be wearing them until I can no longer find a pattern in his size!

Dad's Night

Last night was Dad's Night at Ruth Ann's pre-school...here is my favorite Daddy/Daughter pair before they left for their big night...


(for anyone wondering who Ruth Ann looks more like...the answer is right in front of your face.  For moms who have children who look like you...please tell me what that feels like...neither of mine seem to have inherited any of my looks...which is 100% unfair since I was the one pregnant for 9 months and Tripp should be my little twin considering how terrible labor was with him!)

After they left the school he took her to Yummilious...which is her fave so I know he was trying to make the night extra special for her. When they got home I asked all about the night...because part of me was a little jealous they have Dad's Night in October, but Mom's Night is not until January. I try not to be a "helicopter mom" but I really want to know all about how Ruth Ann is behaving/playing/participating/etc. while she's at school. I thought they would be in their own classrooms doing activities with their teachers...but I was wrong. They served Chick-fil-a and then went into different classrooms for different activities. Arch complained the lines were too long to do all the stations and he thought even at Ruth Ann's age...and she's in one of the youngest classes at this school...the activities were too simple. Then about 15 minutes later he turned to me and said "You know what, Ruth Ann really does not like to wait in line." Seriously...where do you think she inherited that??? I reminded him of what he had just said 15 minutes prior to which he had no response. They both had fun and Ruth Ann went to sleep asking if tomorrow could be Dad's Night too...I think Daddy/Daughter dates are going to have become a regular activity at our house!

Hair Care

Ruth Ann gets lots of compliments on her hair and I've said before that I prayed for many months that she would have the same good hair her daddy and her older both have. Well, she got it and came into the world with a head full of blond hair...the blond part was a complete shock to me since I had black hair when I was born. Anyway, as much as I love that I've always been able to put a bow in that full head of hair...it's a mixed blessing...as a baby it was a chore having to keep food out of her hair but now styling an active toddler's hair is one of the most stressful chores of my whole day! Her hair seems to constantly be getting thicker and thicker. Each time I can finally get all of her hair out of her face...more starts growing in and for months she looks like she has thin bangs. I've been able to french braid since my own childhood, but I've been trying to master a tiny french braid across her forehead to get all those little hairs out of her face...today we did it...



But I think I must have said "keep your head still", "look straight ahead" and "stop moving your body" a hundred times before it was all over. In the ENT practice where I work we see a large pediatric population and when I see a black mother come in with an 18 month old little girl with lots of perfect little braids in her hair I'm in complete awe. How in the world do they do this?? After 2 years of taking care of Ruth Ann's hair I'm convinced the black mothers of America are sitting on a well kept secret as to how to get their daughters to behave and sit still for hair styling. A secret by the way that white mothers would probably pay a small fortune for it were ever to be shared in print! I read an article about a mother who adopted a little girl from Africa and learned all about styling her hair because she knew that in their culture this was a bonding time for mother & daughters and she wanted to share that sweet time with her daughter...believe me when I say there is no bonding going on when I'm trying to put my wiggly little 2 year old's hair up in a pony tail. I'm pretty sure she'll have no sweet memories of the time we've shared fixing her hair in the morning. I'm reminded of a summer when I was 4 years old...we went to the beach with my grandparents and I'm told I would not allow my mom to put my very long hair up in a pony tail all week. This resulted in a head full of tangles and I'm sure lots of tears on my part. My mom vowed to cut it all off when we returned home...and she was a woman true to her word. I went from having lovely long hair to the popular at that time, Dorothy Hamil cut. This is example 483 of how I sympathize with the decisions my mom made as a mother of 2 small children and am convinced I'm just going to keep reliving my own childhood through my mother's eyes!

What's with the tears???

I guess only a mother thinks their babies are cute even when they're crying. Do you think his sister just pinched him...nope. Do you think his sister just took his very favorite toy out of his chubby little hands...no, wrong again. This is how Tripp reacts each and every time he's finished eating...which may make you wonder if I'm feeding him enough. Rest assure...I am. Here is his regular lunch...



At Tripp's 9 month check up he was 21.6 lbs...putting him in the 80th percentile for weight...clearly he's well fed! I love that our doctors office has all his vitals for weight listed on the same page. At birth, Tripp was 6 lbs, 6 oz...putting him in the less than 10th percentile. On one and it's amazing to see how much he's grown...on the other, when you consider how much both his parents love eating, it's no surprise to see him following in our footsteps!

9 months

...and a few days. I promise I love this baby boy from here to the moon and back...but sometimes I don't love to blog promptly.



I can't believe this little guy has hit the 9 month mark. Having a baby turn 9 months old is a milestone for me because he is now the same age out of my belly as it took for him to grow inside my belly...and that's just crazy for me to think about. If you've ever been pregnant, you know those 9 months seem to move at a snail's pace...but in a lot of ways I feel like I was just coming home with this new baby boy and now he's 9 months old!

Here's what Tripp-man is up to...
~can you tell by the color of his orange nose that he LOVES orange veggies? I can get him to eat the green ones...but apparently I'm the only one. Both his grandparents and his daddy claim he doesn't eat anything green for them. In person the orange is not so obvious...but in pictures it really stands out.
~he's not just a crawler anymore...now he's pulling up...and pulling everything off of any low lying surface in sight! Ruth Ann was 14 months old before she started walking and I fulling expected the same from my second child...but I think he wants to keep up with the crowd so he seems to be ahead of Ruth Ann when it comes to motor skills...although I think that's pretty normal between girls vs. boys. He has also increased his crawl speed...he's a little motor man now. He follows me from room begging to be held...which is cute and sweet for about 5 minutes and then I've had enough when I'm trying to keep up with the house work, 2 little ones and working. His favorite moments are when all of his family members are in the same room together...but if one of leaves the room he begins crying and tries to crawl after you. Again, very sweet...but you grow tired of the crying quickly...I promise.
~still babbling away. He currently loves the cats...and so far they're loving him right back. We're lucky to have 2 really friendly cats. Lacie will rub up against him over and over when the mood strikes her...we call it "hugging" in our house. Because of all the love our cats are showing him he seems to be trying to say "kitty", which is a new addition to his vocab. I've tried letting him watch Baby Signing Time, but he doesn't seem as interested in it as Ruth Ann was. We'll keep trying...there really isn't anything cuter than watching a little one use sign language.
~along with being a power crawler this little guy has fallen in deep love with all kinds of balls...he'll chase one around the living room, into the kitchen and back...



~he's also a drooling machine...I keep thinking teeth are going to pop through those little gums any day...but so far we haven't seen any.



~and just when I think he can't possibly get any cuter...he looks up at me and he's cuter than ever...

Back on the Train...

...the potty train. Before reading, be advised the words "poop", "potty" and "panties" are used frequently throughout this post. If you are offended or grossed out by any of these words you should stop reading now...but if you're a parent I'm sure you're numb to the use of these words!



18 months ago Ruth Ann started showing interest in potty training (that's when the picture above was taken), so 18 months ago I bought a little potty, little panties and we set out on the road to potty training. 18 months ago I sat on top of my VERY high horse and proclaimed I would NEVER put my child in Pull-ups and deemed them "over rated diapers". 18 months later and rivers of tears later (rivers filled with tears belonging to both myself and Ruth Ann) I have spent countless dollars on Pull-ups, new undies and shouted "JUST POOP ALREADY!" more than I ever thought humanly possible...another shining example of how humbling parenting can be...humbling to the point it brings you to your knees in defeat.

As I type the following words I'm knocking on wood, crossing my fingers...whatever it takes in the hopes that I don't jinx myself...since last Thursday afternoon when I picked Ruth Ann up from pre-school she has been wearing wear big girl panties (except when sleeping...don't judge unless you've potty trained) and she's been CLEAN & DRY! Now when she goes to my in-laws tomorrow and back to school next week she'll be back in a pull-up...I'm not ready to send her into the world without a pull-up just yet but we have gone out of the house on several occasions this weekend and she's managed to either use the potty where ever we were or she was able to make it home...success is very near my friends **I began typing this post on Sunday, it's now Tuesday...let me modify this to read she was dry all day Monday while with her grandparents, who rewarded her with a shiny quarter, but she pooped in her undies both yesterday and today...I'm still counting dry undies as a serious improvement!**

Along my 18 month journey I've sought out and received a lot of advice on the subject of potty training...and if you're reading this and you've potty trained a human being you've probably heard all the same advice. What I offer you now is not to be perceived as advice...but rather comfort for those who are fighting, have fought or will one day fight this battle...

1. Pull-ups aren't so bad...they're expensive, but sometimes necessary...so don't judge!  I vowed I wouldn't use them and I probably judged those who had...because before you have kids you think you know EVERYTHING about what you should be doing to raise children correctly...another humbling moment. If I had the luxury of being a stay at home mom I probably would not have used them at all. But since I work 3 days a week and have family keeping my children I didn't want to burden them with the chore of changing dirty panties...if given the choice of changing a dirty pull-up vs. dirty undies...I'll take the pull-up please. Over time Ruth Ann developed a very expensive pull-up habit and I realized I was buying a box of pull-ups nearly once a week...which meant I had to go to Target once a week and once I'm in Target I always need just a few more things & oh the dollars I started adding up in my head...that was when I realized I had to get serious about potty training & fast! I just couldn't afford the $100 cover charge to Target any longer!

2. Every child is different...I know I heard people say this once or hundred times...but it's really true and until you start potty training I don't think there is any way of knowing whether your child will be easy or hard to potty train. I've had friends who practically potty trained they're kids over night...and I HATED hearing their success stories...happy for them, but seriously jealous that I would no longer see them in the diaper isle at the local Target. Ruth Ann is strong willed...with a capital "S". I already see a little leader emerging and one day this strong will is going to take her a long way...and help afford the best nursing care possible for her dear sweet parents...but in childhood her strong will is often times in direct opposition with the plans of her equally strong willed mother...I'm big enough to admit that I know exactly where that strong will came from. I've learned just because they may show interest does not mean it's going to happen over night...for some it might, but I'm here to say I tried IT ALL!! I used rewards...first candy because we usually don't keep sweets in the house, but that didn't make an impact...then I had toys displayed on the back of the potty for months as a reward for going the whole day with clean undies...after being taunted for months by those barbies, which to me were proof of my continuing failure, I took them to the beach on our family beach trip and told my niece & Ruth Ann if they could go the whole day without having an accident then I would give them a barbie. Ada has been potty trained for a while so I knew she would get a Barbie each night...I thought a little competition might push Ruth Ann in the right direction. Each night Ada got a Barbie...Ruth Ann never got one. She cried for a minute or two, but soon forgot and went back to her un-trained ways...clearly competition and bribery weren't working. I tried putting her in cloth training pants and regular undies...she would just mess them up and not tell me until I found the mess for myself later. One blog suggested taking 1-2 weeks of staying home all day every day and doing nothing but potty training...but I have a limited amount of vacation time off and if you think I'm spending 2 weeks of my precious vacation time potty training then you've lost your mind!

In the end I think she just wasn't ready. She couldn't hold it and she wasn't going to the bathroom completely when I made her sit on the potty. My friend Brantley gave me the best piece of advice about timing...leading me to my 3rd tip...

3. When you notice they are waking up from nap time and bed time dry then it may be a good time to start potty training. So I started making sure she went to the potty before nap time and bed time and I limited her fluids after supper time...success! She was waking up dry...so we started talking more about going to the potty again...the tears returned but mostly because I was interrupting what she was doing, but last night she actually stopped what she was doing and told us she needed to go to the potty! Behold, I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

If you're in the middle of potty training and would like some moral support...please feel free to contact me...I'll offer no advice because I'm seriously the last mom on the planet to offer potty training advice...but I'll be happy to offer you what ever sympathy you may need...because really that's all we need some times as moms...someone to listen to us and take their turn to try to guide us in the correct direction.  I'll also share with you my own horror stories in the hopes to cheer you up and encourage you that you will make it through the potty training years...and hopefully your child will survive them too.  I was fully prepared to send Ruth Ann off to college with her Depends in hand...but I'm finally to a place where I believe she may actually be potty trained by then!

These days...

In the last few weeks my life has been consumed by what seems to be a million little chores. After finally getting through weeks of consignment sales...which I'll post on and offer some tips for future consigning...and finally feeling like my house is clean and somewhat tidy...I feel like I'm starting to regain some of my sanity. I don't know where I heard these words...I read a lot of blogs and I check Facebook frequently so I probably picked it up in one of those two places...but throughout my most stress filled days in recent weeks, my mantra has been...

These days may seem long...



But these years are short.



As frustrated as I get with the blond headed child...I know I only get a few brief years with her...although I've told her she can live with me forever...we just haven't cleared that with her daddy yet. I'm trying hard to look past the messy house, the drama-mama tears and the defiant moments...which is hard...and enjoy these short years I get to spend with my little ones.

A day at the "lake"

For as long as we've been friends with Graem and Brantley Clark we've heard stories about "Travis"...and if you know Travis you understand the need for quotation marks.  At most all the Clark events they've hosted we've always told he's going to be there but he's either been a no-show or his arrival was well after we had left the party. Travis is a childhood friend of Graem's and a few years ago purchased a "lake resort" in their hometown. A few weeks ago Graem mentioned Travis would love to have us all come down to Richardson's Lake and spend the day. Unfortunately warm summer weekends were limited and since Saturdays in the Fall revolve around football games we weren't able to stay as long as we might have liked. Arch claimed we would actually be swimming in a "pond" not a "lake"...which ended up being the truth...but it's not the first time I've gone swimming in a pond...and it's definitely the most fun I've ever had pond swimming! We arrived to a warm welcome from Travis...with free admission and the best seats in the house. The weather was fantastic...which I don't think Travis had anything to do with, but he might actually take credit for it anyway!

Here's our host and Roper...



The girls did a little sliding on the baby slide...





I'm not sure if this was breaking any rules...









But there was minimal supervision...



Graem had vacated his post when a much larger 10-ish year old little girl came down the larger slide right on top of Ruth Ann...she wasn't hurt, but mostly just scared. Imagine an angry bear stomping entering the water...that was me. I picked Ruth Ann and lectured the little girl about being more responsible. She apologized several times but I didn't care...I was seeing red. Another mother came up and asked if it had been her son that had caused the accident.  I told her no and explained what had happened...but from the shore Sally and Brantley thought this was the momma of the little girl I was scolding and perhaps things were going to get ugly. I'm not violent in anyway...but in the famous words of Graem Clark "It felt like good fighting weather." Had I been approached it most definitely could have turned ugly quickly...but that little girl's mother either didn't mind having a stranger scold her or she was noticeably absent...or maybe both...who knows...but the fun did continue on...

The boys played...



Travis passed out treats for the kids...



And the men played too...





The walkway looks really close to the end of the slide...even in person...but Travis said the goal of the kids who slide is to be able to touch the walkway with their feet. We saw one little kid get close, but I think you have to weigh less than 100lbs to achieve this goal...adults who slide look like this upon entry...



Then we sat down to eat a quick lunch and the ladies spotted a hot ride coming our way...



Oh wait, that's just our men being chauffeured by Travis in his baby blue El Camino...I'm told it also a sweet sound system...a boom box...classy!



We finally headed back to Columbia so some of Gamecocks in my life could get home in time to watch their football game...even though I missed the first 3 quarters of mine, but I'm willing to make sacrifices for a good time...and a good time was had by all! We're looking forward to more time spent "pond side" next summer! Thanks again Travis!