Sippy Cups and Growing Up

Today is AG's last day in her preschool class, or as I like to call it, the class of crying non-crawlers. Seriously, every time I go in there, they all start crying.  Either A) I am horrifyingly scary to look at in the morning (v. possible), or B) my presence reminds them that their own mommy isn't there to pick them up yet.  I'm starting to get a complex about it.

Anyway, next week, Ally Grace is moving up to the crawler class, despite the fact that she's not ACTUALLY crawling yet. 

And then the following week, I'm pretty sure she'll be going off to college.

So, in the crawler class, not only do the babies sleep on mats and eat real food, they drink from sippy cups!  Now, we've done some playing around with the sippy cup (and by playing, I mean throwing it, biting it, and hitting mommy in the face with it). However, AG has made it very clear that she strictly prefers her milk in a bottle, thankyouverymuch.

Which means I need some advice.  How do you teach your baby to drink from a cup instead of a bottle?  And what if your favorite time of day is giving her that first bottle, while you drink your morning coffee (mommy's sippy cup) and watch tv?  And what if you want to freeze time right where it is, refusing to allow her any more growing up? 

Just hypothetically, of course.

Listen, you don't even have to have a baby to give me some advice.   If you EVER babysat, had younger siblings or cousins, or have even just seen a baby and have some really good ideas on the matter, you're more of an expert than I am. 

Help!

Projects, Farmer's Market, and Martha-ness

In the last three days, I've chased dogs, chased babies, and been asked if I was a Marine THREE times!

Why, was it the noodle arms, and obvious love of clothes and hair products that gave it away?

(Or maybe it had something to do with the Marine t-shirt I was wearing.  I'm not sure.)

As we speak, John is once again working his sanding magic on that old dresser we're trying to strip and paint.  Apparently, a dresser that has been painted purple (with bible verses on the drawers, I might add), and THEN later painted green isn't very easy to sand.  Who knew?

Personally, I think he's just trying to show off his power tools expertise.

I AM super excited about this little project though.  I'll have to take  picture of the finished product, but here's a little sample of what I'm planning to do to the knobs:

Is that not so cute?  Since the budget doesn't include Anthropologie knobs, I'm just gonna have to get creative. 

(Speaking of which, shouldn't Anthropologie be a line item in any budget?  Clearly.)

I also went to the Chamblee Farmer's Market this weekend with my friend, Eryn.  It's still pretty small, but had some great things.  Like vegetables.  And farmers.  

I bought one of their totes, because there's a slight chance that I may have a tote addiction.  Which is characterized by owning approximately 537 tote bags.  When I got home, I realized, hmmmm, that might have been what John likes to call "an unnecessary purchase."  Or, what I like to call, "supporting the local community."

Then I had the "could have been bad, but fortunately it worked out" idea to actually cut the logo off of the bag, and frame it....I think it turned out pretty cool, since the logo has sort of a vintage-y feel to it.  

Finally, in another burst of Martha-ness, I made dinner again on Saturday night. (And if you think this isn't noteworthy enough to record on the blog, you would be wrong.)  It's what I like to call "a Farmer's Market feast."  Or what John likes to call, "this is great, babe, but where's the protein?"

Men.

Um, Yeah

Yesterday, I ate a jar of baby food.  Just because it was good.  PLEASE somebody tell me that they've done this!  I mean, come on, what doesn't sound delicious about cinnamon raisin granola? 

Exactly.

This Weekend.....

This weekend.......

......AG had her first co-ed bath.  Scandalous!

See how Brooks is being a total gentleman, and avoiding looking at any lady parts?

Good job, Brooks, good job.

.......we had a fantastic time at dinner with Betsy and Brad, while AG and Brooks clearly got their baby flirt on.

.......John may or may not have become jealous while watching Brad toss little Brooks around, and just might have tried to do the same with AG.  Who promptly screamed, and gave him a look like, "excuse ME?  What the heck do you think you're doing?  Can you not see that I am a dainty little girl?"

John then informed me that we will need to have a son.  I promised him I would teach AG how to be a tomboy instead.

(Which obviously I know a lot about.  I mean, tomboys love things like shopping, pedicures, and the Bachelor, right?)

......we said goodbye to a Habersham tradition, The Steak House.  (Bobby Joe's, if you're really in the know.)  It's been around for more than 50 years, and growing up, we ate lunch there every. single. Sunday.  Which means that it's a sad day for all the Baptists in town.  It also means that I've had more fried chicken in my life than anyone probably should.

Can you see how excited AG was to be there?

Three generations, loving The Steak House!

......AG spent Saturday night with her Grandmama and Granddaddy, while......

......John and Sherri had a baby-free night out!  WOO HOO!  I mean, we were able to stay out past 8.  Clearly, we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. 

(Almost, but not quite.  Because we very quickly managed to figure something out.  And by "something" I mean, we went to a fabulous Italian dinner with Rod and Kristin, then on to Whiskey Blue, the rooftop bar at the W Buckhead.  Where we may or may not have been highly entertained by some cougars ladies of a certain age, gettin' their swerve on.)

(And I'm sorry.  Did I suddenly revert back to 1993?  Does anyone say "gettin their swerve on" anymore? Should anyone have ever said it in the first place?)

.....we slept in on Sunday!  I know, I shouldn't admit this.  What I should say is that we got up and went to 9am church.  But, I feel that the Lord wanted me to enjoy the gift of rest on Sunday.  So I did.  And it was fabulous!

.....we sanded and painted a dresser that I had in college.  It was really just an excuse to watch John use power tools.  Sexy.

Work that sander, baby!  WOO!

Happy Monday!

Sinus Infections & A Recipe (Say What?!)

(Well, with a title like that, who doesn't want to read this post?  Mmmmmmmm.)

So, last Friday I learned that it's not really a good idea to run into a minor emergency clinic shouting "help, my brain is exploding!"  Even if you have been laying in bed all day, hearing little pops in your sinuses, and feeling that your eyeballs are about to pop out of your head from the built up pressure. 

Be prepared for "who let the crazy lady in here?" looks.  Not that I know from experience or anything. 

Except that I do.

You should also be prepared to receive antibiotic shots (in a place that will not be named), from a doctor who is not amused to have to keep reassuring you that your brain is not, in fact, exploding.

You may have noticed that we've had a string of sickness around here.  And by "we," I mean, "me."  Something else I learned on Friday was that my doctor should've given me antibiotics SIX WEEKS ago.  And didn't.  And the final thing I learned is that I will not be going back to said doctor ever again.

Anyway, since I got the magic shots that made me feel like a human again, I tried to be very Martha-like and cook last night.  My sweet friend, Jessica, gave me a recipe for some amazing pumpkin chili she brought me back when I had AG.  Since it has all the things I look for in a recipe (namely, dumping cans of stuff into a crock pot), I made it last night. 

And guess what?  It was AMAZING.  Yes, I am bragging.  But only because most of the time when I cook, it's either unedible, or a possible culprit of food poisoning.

Here's the recipe, for anyone else who wants to make something delicious in 5 minutes that will absolutely impress whomever you decide to share it with.

Pumpkin Chili: 

(Except I could NOT find pumpkin anywhere in my grocery store, so I decided a can of yams would work instead.  So really, this recipe is called "Yam Chili."  Which sounds much less inviting than Pumpkin Chili).


1 package lean ground beef

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can "chili hot beans," not drained (pinto beans in hot chili sauce, Kroger brand)

1 can chili beans in mild chili sauce, not drained (Bush's brand)

1 can store-brand pinto beans, drained and rinsed  **I left these out because pinto beans are the devil, and I had to limit the amount I was putting in my body.

1 small can tomato sauce (no salt added kind)

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin) **2 cans of candied yams, if you want your chili to taste like a delicious plate of diabetes.  1 can if you're not a sugar monster, like me.

1 packet McCormick's chili seasoning

1 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of garlic powder

dash of oregano

cheddar cheese for topping

salt and pepper to taste


Put everything except beef, cheese and 1/2 of McCormick's packet into the crock pot and cook all day. 1/2 hour before serving, brown beef in olive oil and season with the rest of the McCormick's packet. Once fully cooked, add ground beef to crock pot and let simmer 1/2 hour more.

Now, go put your feet up and congratulate yourself for being extremely Martha-like.  Enjoy!

Just a Little Adorable for Your Thursday

Completely obsessed.

Also, AG loves giving kisses.  Open-mouthed ones.  We're going to need to work on that before she gets to high school.

 

 

The Human Petri Dish and More NYC

In case you were wondering, having a baby is like inviting a giant petri dish of germs into your household. (A really adorable giant petri dish.)  I'm just starting to recover from my SECOND round of nasty cough/hacking up a lung while cracking a rib in the last month.  It's been SO enjoyable.  Or not. 

(To be fair, I don't actually think that I got this from AG.  I think I got it from this lady on the plane who refused to cover her mouth while coughing.  Um, rude and gross.  And I've been trying my best to keep from passing it to AG, but my doctor's suggestion of wearing a face mask while interacting with her is, in my opinion, a dead giveaway that he doesn't have kids.  Because, hello?  That big white face mask is like a fun new toy for my curious little bambina. Which may or may not defeat the purpose.)

So, last week, John and I were in New York, aka one of my very favorite places in the world.  He had to go for work, and he just really needed me to tag along and enjoy the free hotel room.

We arrived on Wednesday around lunch, and he didn't have work until Thursday.  So, what did we do?  Went shopping, of course!  Someone, whose name starts with a "J' and ends with an "ohn," bought TWO things, while someone else, whose name starts with a "S" and ends with a "herri," was super frugal and bought nothing. 

(Notice how I am recording this moment for posterity, girls.) 

We had lots of fun riding the subway........

(I would like to point out that I was NOT the immature person who put a piece of gum on this model's face.  But I may or may not be the immature person who pretended to be picking her nose.  Soooooo..........)

Gorgeous lighting, am I right?  I love that sickly yellow glow.

Not even a clue what I was doing here.  Literally, I have no idea.  Obviously being very shy and reserved.

Mmmmm, pizza...........

The taxi rides may have been extremely horrifying slightly scary......

So, we were really glad to have these handy straps to hang on to.....

I would like to note that all of these photos were taken with John's iphone.  As he is the only one in our family who has one. And hey, wouldn't it be so sweet of him to get me one, since the NEW iphone just came out?  I thought so.

I WOULD upload some of the other photos from my camera, but I am A) unaware of where the USB cord is at the moment, and B) too lazy busy to go find it. 

A couple of other thoughts before I leave you to enjoy this 4th of July weekend...

1.  How in the world do people travel on airplanes with babies?  I am so intimidated by the thought of trying to get AG's 5,000 essential items onto a plane.  While NOT having a panic attack about flying in general. 

(We are not traveling anywhere this weekend, I was just curious. And random.)

2.  WHY oh WHY do jeans shrink in the wash?  I hate the first wear after a wash.  Anyone with me?

Enough random....happy 4th everyone!