Fine!

I don't want to spoil you all with frequent posts, but my husband is bugging me to update! Update! He gets pictures off my blog to use as his background on his computer at school. The students see the background projected on the tv when he minimizes their bellringer, and he wants them to be able to see a new picture EVERYDAY! Chris, there's, like, 180 days in a school year!A new way to dispose of junk mail.

"Why am I just now wearing this awesome shirt? Because Sir Wesley and Lady Sam just brought it to me from the Georgia Aquarium in Hotlanta!"

You can tell she enjoys her new tee. Thanks Wesley and Sam!

Give me a P!

P! You got your P, you got your P! Go West Ridge Middle School Patriots!
Chris' school beat Good Hope Middle (their big-time rivals) for the first time ever! Man, that new defensive backs coach really knows what he's doing! They'd better keep him! So inspired was I by their win that I made these for Caroline to wear to the games:

I don't normally take pictures of Caroline with her shirt straps hanging down (risque!), but when she came up with this idea to wish her uncle Phillip a happy birthday I had to snap a pic.

Anyway, next week Caroline starts going to a sitter and I start student teaching (although I don't know where. If they tell me early, they "have to tell everyone else, too.") But I need to know if I'll be allowed to pump at all or if I'll have boobs the size of small watermelons by sixth period. Oh well, maybe the boys will pay more attention that way. I'm just kidding! But here's what's serious: Caroline has an eye doctor apointment next Wednesday morning, and although I haven't noticed any problems as of late, we would still appreciate prayers. Other prayers that would be appreciated include those supporting our attempts to get Caroline to take naps or go to bed without the aid of nursing. Last week we were doing so good. I could wrap her up (while singing my "Wrap You Up" song) and rock her to sleep (singing my "Whose That Baby's Mama" song). Then I could gently put her in her crib and have about 30 mintues to myself...or the bills...or lunch. THIS week she refuses to take her pacifier, even when she's happy. That pacifier was crucial in the wrapping up/rocking deal. She'll fall asleep while nursing, but every move I make, no matter how small, is going to wake her. I swear she knows what I'm trying to do and she's fighting it with all 14+ pounds she has! However, her daddy was able to come home and get her to take a nap without nursing on him. She knows what I have, and I'm being used. Anyway, advice and/or encouragement is welcome. I'd be fine nursing her all day long, but next week things are going to change a lot, and I want it to be smooth sailing.

Well, before I go, I want to say goodbye to our friends Will and Jennifer who are moving to the Dallas area. They are a really cool couple that Texas is lucky to get. Remember, folks, to take advantage of the friendships you have while they still live close by. Will and Jennifer, this was Caroline's reaction when I told her you guys were leaving:

The Return of Tuttle and Bad Mothering

Every time I see Tuttle I think, Will he come back? I'd like to pretend that he loves us and considers us his new home, but I figure we're just his convenience store where he refuels on kitty food on his way home from work. BUT, Caroline and I were hanging out on the couch yesterday and I saw something pass the window out of the corner of my eye. That Chloe, I think, "she's so silly," I say (because Caroline likes to hear it). So we get up I peek out the window and who do I see? Tuttle! But this time he doesn't need me. He's helping himself right on top of the kitty bowl:
(By the way, if you're wondering, we use a plastic salsa and chip dish for kitty food. TIP: Fill the chip ring with water so ants can't cross to the food. That was Chris' idea.)

Anyway, Bad Mothering? I was arranging some fake flowers into two hanging baskets and Caroline was watching. She started getting bored so I let her play with a set of the flowers. So...I didn't know that the dye from the flowers would come off all over her face and clothes, with the potential to cause some kind of skin reaction. Luckily, I got her cleaned up so fast, I didn't even have time for a picture. That's too bad-she was really cute with her first real mess.

Oh, the joys of motherhood...and the not so joyful days of stay-at-home motherhood. Don't get me wrong, I do love it most of the time, but we have our ups and downs. The downs primarily being me going crazy at the house all day watching the second hand tick away on the clock. I would continue my painting hobby or make some cards or something, but Caroline (bless her napping little heart) wants to be played with 59 of 60 seconds of every minute! I look forward to Chris coming home all day. The first couple of months I thought, It's time to nurse AGAIN! Now I think, When do we get to nurse again? I'm just one of those people who needs a job. But I desperately want to witness everything she does this fall. I got a sick feeling in my belly thinking about leaving her with a sitter (although we have a great one, I think). My heart aches thinking about it. So, yes, I do go crazy during the day, but here's what makes it ALL worth it:

For Your Viewing Pleasure

The videos in the sidebar should be updated periodically! So enjoy!

Tuttle the Turtle Takes Tidbits of Taurine

A while back, we backed out of our carport to find a box turtle hanging around underneath our car. Oh! How cute! We had to get out and see him. He scuttled along and we left. Chris continued to see him every now and then just hanging out with the kitties, Chloe and Oliver. So we named him Tuttle the Turtle. I hadn't seen him in a while, so I thought Tuttle had moved along to the next Soup Kitchen. But yesterday, Caroline and I walked out to water our tomato plant that will never bear fruit (we need to get him in to hear Dicky's sermon on that), and to our surprise, there stood Tuttle the Turtle! We brought him a special treat-kitty food with the amino acid taurine essential for kittywitties-and he gobbled it up. Here you go:


And to those of you who are SO glad we've "started solids," we haven't officially started solids. That runny cereal mix can hardly be considered a solid. And really, we just give her a little bit before she nurses around suppertime. I'm afraid to stop now, though, because I really think she might get mad. She wants our food SO BAD! But, Michelle, if you are around the house at "feeding time," you are more than welcome to help. Just don't put your hand inside the cage.

Here is a pic of her napping. The easiest way is to wrap her up really tight while singing a "wrap you up" song.

We are in serious need of some video on this blog. Someone tell me how to do it please, without going through photobucket...

The Return of Happiness and Faked "Firsts"

We had to do it. Chris and I both NEED reliable internet access at home, so we got DSL again, which is great-we couldn't be happier!-but we have to pay for it, too. Yes, we really do need it. Chris needs it for work outside of school and I'll be needing it for my classes this fall. So lucky for you ducks, you get Caroline pictures more often!

We've all been doing wonderfully. Chris LOOOVES his new job, and everyone loves him. He's had two sets of parents request that their kid be in his class, just after meeting him, not even knowing his teaching capabilities. And I've just been hanging out with Caroline all...day...long. New babies are fun, especially Caroline (!), fun to hand over to her daddy when he gets home! No! I really do enjoy it, but I'm excited about working, too. She can be a handful and the cause of a little back pain.

Caroline is set for her first eye doctor visit on September 4th. We're going in to check to see if her little eyeballs are developing correctly. The camera flash takes her by surprise sometimes (can we say googly), but lately I haven't noticed it as much. In any case, we want to make sure every thing is okay early on. In other Caroline news: a friend recently gave us a Johnny Jumo Up that her baby has outgrown. I was skeptical at first, but it is some kind of sturdy! Check out how much she likes it.


We also gave her a little cereal recently. Partly because she shows the signs of being ready and partly because I was super jealous when our friend Natalie announced that her little cutie, Isaac, had started on it. I also wanted to see how she reacted to being spoon-fed, since she'll be getting a little bit of it from her sitter come September. She loved it! She grabbed the bowl at one point. I guess I was holding it a little too close! Here is a picture of her "first spoon feeding." Actually, it's not a true first. The camera went dead on her real first. So this is the second day.

I also said I'd never put a headband on Caroline, until I played around with one. She is the cutest thing ever. Evidence:

I want to send a shout-out to my faithful readers. Milton. Thanks!

I'm typing REALLY fast...

to get this in before I lose my connection and/or Caroline starts fussing! SO many things have happened:

Caroline is now 4 months old. She weighs 14lbs and is 25 inches long! That’s the size of a six month old! She is doing great, smiling and laughing, especially in the mornings. She definately knows the difference between naps and bedtime (bedtime requires our presence, apparently). She LOVES to be told she's cute (what girl doesn't?) and that she's a silly...billy...goat! She's a master nurser, now, and can get the job done in 5 minutes sometimes. She has become really social and wants interaction during all waking hours. And she was wounded on the battlefield the other day. The Civil War battlefield in Vicksburg to be exact. Just a small scrape on the foot. I will be posting more pics, but it ain't easy on this kind of connection...

Chris and I completed our first real home improvement project yesterday, replacing a couple of warped boards on the back of the house. And I succeeded in spilling an expensive gallon of white paint on our back porch, on which Mally insisted on running and leaving white doggy prints! Luckily there was enough left to paint the boards.

Being at home all day with Caroline gave me a hankering to start a hobby, so I've been painting little things for Caroline and Abby. And I convinced Chris to listen to the last Harry Potter book with me so I could hear it in the car, and now we've gone to listening to it while eating lunch. Oh, and Chris loves his job at Westridge Middle, and I’ll be student teaching in the fall.