Raleigh is 19 months old!

• Height: 32.25 inches
• Weight: 22.7lbs
• Development: According to the doctor's note Raleigh is "growing great and everything looks great!" She impressed the doctor with her verbal skills and saved her loudest yowls for the nurse with the immunizations.
• Likes: reading Curious George stories; going for walks/stroller rides
• Dislikes: the usual stuff – being told no, having her hands washed before and after meals, putting on a diaper after bath
• Communication: She’s talking up a storm and can repeat almost any word she hears. Her favorite phrases are “Mommy, look!” “No want that.” “Go outside*.” “Mine.” “Me!” “No!” Monday night I said “awesome” during bath time and she repeated it. It was, well, awesome. :-)
• Skills: The hopping is getting a little better. Her spoon/fork movements are more controlled so she doesn’t spill as much food when feeding herself. She likes to help clean up and knows where things should go. Last night, Raleigh sang “Happy Birthday” spontaneously in the car. Magic, I tells ya.

Happy mirthday, sweet baby getting-bigger-every-day girl! (That makes me happy and sad at the same time.)

* Outside can mean literally outside but often she means she wants go “outside” the bedroom to the living room.

Yes, please!

Old Gringo Boots. Bonnie, Ellie, Eden… Any and all of you are welcome to come live with me. I just need to sell an organ or win the lottery to pay for you. *sigh*

Run For Your Lives! A Zombie Infested 5K Obstacle Course Race

I’m totally doing this. So far I have talked my coworker, Heather, into joining me. There’s a possibility that my cousin, Emily, and her husband will come down for the race, too. If you want in on the action, let me know.

Ruche. Feminine, vintage-y, girly-girl stuff. They’ve got an Anthropologie vibe that’s more in line with my spending sensibilities. Andie Walsh could be one of their buyers.  (Um, did you just wonder who Andie Walsh is? For shame! Stop everything and watch Pretty in Pink right this moment. Go on, now. I’ll wait for you.) 


Side note: I do not like the feature model on the website right now. She looks like she might be 14 at the oldest. These are not teeny bopper kids’ clothes, y’all. This isn’t Urban Outfitters. I can see a woman of my age in some of these clothes. Can’t you? Granted, some of the skirts are a bit short. I wasn’t including those… unless paired with some cool leg-hiding tights - patterned or fuschia perhaps. Please let me know if I am a complete deludinoid, people. You’ve got to help me with these things!


Colombina Coffee Candy. One of Raleigh’s teachers, who is from Colombia, started a new job and gave these to all the families in farewell goody bags. It’s not too sweet, it’s not too bitter, and they’re the perfect size.

Bert’s Bees Lip Shimmer. I have one of these cuties in Watermelon and it’s awesome. It has a minty undertone that doesn’t overpower or irritate and it lasts a good amount of time. I’m a minimal make-up user, especially when it comes to lip color. This stuff gives you a little more polish without feeling high maintenance. I like to think I’m not. High maintenance, that is. Hey! Here’s another opportunity to indulge in a When Harry Met Sally moment!

Harry:  There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.

Sally : Which one am I?

Harry: You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.

Sally: I don’t see that.

Another mirthday for Rowan

Four months until Rowan turns 4. Yeehaw! 


We've all moved past the broken arm incident. It's like that month was a lifetime ago. Time marches on.


One of my favorite things about Rowan lately is his regular expression of love toward Jeremy and me. There's nothing that compares to a big hug along with "I love you very much, Mommy." The day he voluntarily gives Raleigh a big hug and "love you" is one of the only things that could top that.


Sure, we're working on regular pre-schooler issues (patience, listening skills, the golden rule, etc.). Yes, it's aggravating sometimes. Despite those things, maybe because of them, I find parenting to be such a thrill!


What does the next month bring? Who knows. I do know this: It's gonna be an interesting ride.


Happy mirthday sweet boy!

Raleigh is 18 months old!

Hooray! Raleigh has reached the 18-month milestone. Her check-up is scheduled for the end of next week so I will have physical stats after then. For now, you will have to make do with other updates. 

• Likes: singing, beans of all kinds, cleaning up, shoes, taking off her diaper (yar!), playing with Rowan - when he's in the mood
• Dislikes: being told no, diaper changes, putting on a new diaper, brushing teeth
• Communication: She is starting to say 2-3 word phrases and sentences. Examples: "I ate it." "Thank you, Raleigh." "No, mommy!" "All done!" "Go outside?" Her favorite word right now is G-Daddy. She says it all the time. She can also say G-Ma (sounds like Nina) but prefers the sound of G-Daddy. It is a fun word I suppose. 
• Skills: She's got some pretty good dance moves. She really likes to walk in a tight circle as fast as she can go. She's still working on a hop. She can drink from a regular cup when she feels like it. Sometimes she gets cheeky and lets the milk fall back out of her mouth instead of swallowing but I don't think that's really a cup issue. She feeds herself 95% of the time and will accept food from others only if she wants to or if you are offering something irresistible. She can point to just about anything you ask her to and her vocabulary expands weekly.
• So big! Shirts and pants: 18 mos. Shoes: 5 or 6 depending on the brand and style. 

We went up to north Georgia today to visit the pumpkin and apple farms. At the apple farm they had a small petting zoo with goats, sheep, kittens, chickens, a calf, a pig, and bunnies. Raleigh was beside herself with glee. She loved the goats, especially the babies. She would reach out to pet one and then get so excited she would totally miss them. Then she would put both hands up to her face and squeal with delight. When she finally made contact with this one baby goat she started ooh-ing and aah-ing. There was an older girl there, around 10, who was holding one of the babies. The girl bent down so Raleigh could pet the goat and Raleigh thought she was going to get to hold it. She reached right for it and started to pull him on to her lap! She did the same thing with one of the kittens. She truly likes animals, even ones on TV. 

Jeremy has called her our Elly May. I guess we should see how her wrastlin' skills develop as she gets older before we let that nickname stick.

Stories from the Road

Yarrr!

I saw a black truck with dark window tint on the highway this past weekend. On the back window, the owner had applied a white skull sticker. I pointed this out to Rowan because he likes to see interesting vehicles.

   Me: Hey, look at that truck over there.

   R: (matter-of-factly) They must be pirates.

AKA Dave Matthews

On that same trip, we encountered some road construction and slow moving traffic.

   Me: Uh oh. Traffic jam.

   R: Got more cars than a beach got sand. (For those of you who don’t know, those are lyrics from “Too Much” by DMB.)