Brigid's Big Break

Brigid is in the newspaper!

Ok, so it's not like she's in the AJC so much as she's in the Dawson News and Advertiser (Which is apparently Dawson County's oldest and most read newspaper.  So there you go...).  And she's only in the paper because we submitted her picture as part of the paper's Halloween pictorial, and if you submitted it, they used it.  And she didn't make the front page, which is just wrong, and Steve has already promised to file a formal complaint about that little oversight.

But still...

Brigid is in the newspaper!

Awesome.

State of the Brigid

Brigid is starting to take to this whole walking thing. She's still not that consistent, but she can finally cross the room unassisted when she puts her mind to it. For some reason, this also involves walking with her arms straight up in the air, like she's still holding my hand or Steve's, but we'll go with it for now because it seems to work for her. At least she's not still trying to walk on her toes. That didn't seem to go as well...

Also, since Steve told me that the 6 1/2 minutes of Brigid falling down just wasn't going to cut it in the baby video department, we have some video from Sunday night of the actual progress she's making. And if I can ever figure out how to upload something like video out on this here internet, maybe I'll post that someday. If not, you'll just have to come to my house and see it for yourself.

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I think we have more teeth coming in. Finally!! Steve thought I was making things up, but I could see them on Friday. I swear, right below the gums, the top two teeth were just barely visible. But, since I couldn't get the kid to sit still, with her mouth hanging open, long enough for me to verify, we had to wait until they became more visible. Well, last night, they (or one of them, anyway) finally pushed through, and Steve was all smug with his 'did you see the tooth?' attitude.

Yes, dear. I saw the tooth. Friday. REMEMBER?!?!?

So. Annoying.

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I got a lot of kisses this past weekend from Brigid. A LOT. I think she may be buttering me up for something, and I'm starting to get a little nervous.

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I'm really starting to wish that I could keep a video camera on Brigid all day, every day, just to show you all what a funny little person she is becoming (and also so that I can go back and watch what a funny little person she is when she becomes the bratty big person I'm expecting her to become...). She's starting to mimic kissing noises, and I think we're only a short time away from teaching her how to blow kisses to people. When she's eating, she'll randomly throw her arms in the air and make the noise we've come to associate with 'touchdown', and she expects Steve and I to follow suit. She points at food and drink that other people are holding and makes the 'nom nom' noise when she wants a bite or a sip. She plays jokes on us, offering us food or a toy, only to pull it away at the last minute, laughing the whole time. She feeds the dogs from her high chair, laughing when I tell her no, because she already knows it's something she's not supposed to do, and she does it anyway.

She's funny, that kid. Thank goodness she inherited my personality...

Weekend in Review

I finished Brigid's Halloween costume! Actually, Steve put the final touched on the main costume, and I worked on the accessories. But it's finally done! I think! And Brigid hates it!

In her defense, I think I'd hate it too because it just seems...itchy. But I think I've taken the correct steps to rectify that, so we'll see on Sunday. Yes, there are pictures of Brigid trying on the costume, and no, you don't get to see them yet. If I showed you now, what would I have to share with you next Monday?

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Steve and I went to the Falcons-Bengals game on Sunday, since Steve is a diehard (although extremely beat-down) Bengals fan, and we don't get to see them every weekend like we used to. Seriously, when we lived in Cincinnati? Season tickets to the Reds games. Season tickets to the Bengals games. Season tickets to Xavier University basketball games. The miscellaneous University of Cincinnati event thrown in for good measure. A couple of trips to South Bend each football season and maybe a Colts game in Indy if we could arrange it.

Good times.

Now? Nothing. Atlanta sports are a little boring (In fact, the Falcons actually employ a D.J. whose sole role for the game seemed to be getting on the big screen to remind fans that it was no longer halftime, and they needed to make some noise. What kind of football fans need to be reminded to make noise?). Add to this the fact that Atlanta sporting events are ridiculously difficult to get into and out of, because traffic in Atlanta is a nightmare. As is parking. It's sad, but we just don't have the time or the energy to deal with it. Except for special occasions.

And Sunday was a special occasion. Unfortunately, the Bengals didn't see it that way, and they failed to show up in the first half of the game. They came back in the third quarter, only to disappoint Steve all over again when they apparently left early to beat the traffic with the rest of the Atlanta crowd. And when we finally got home late Sunday afternoon, we were officially exhausted and ready for bed at 6pm. In other words, while it's still a ton of fun to attend live sporting events, once a season seems to be enough for us these days.



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I did not go to bed at 6pm on Sunday night, however, because now that I am done with Brigid's Halloween costume, I have moved on to Steve's. And it is proving to be a much bigger task than I had anticipated.

Of course it is. My judgment sucks.

But I think it will be cool when I'm done with it, and I'm excited for the big unveiling. And if I'm wrong? Lie to me? Please?

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Only one more week until I can start listening to Christmas music without feeling like a complete fool! I'll still feel like a partial fool, perhaps, but that's something I can work with (or 'something with which I can work', I guess? damn grammar police living in my head...). I just hope our current 80+ degree weather holds up, because I'd love nothing more than to listen to Christmas music while driving home from work with the top down on my car.

Who needs cold weather? I've always felt that seasons were overrated, anyway...

Sleeping Beauty

Did I ever post the crappy cell phone pictures of Brigid I took one afternoon when I had to go wake her up because her afternoon nap time was stretching awfully close to her down for the night time?

No? Well here you go then...

You're welcome.

Just call me Grace...

I've been really tired in the evenings lately.  Something about my days over the last month or two have completely exhausted me to the point that I can barely get through what I need to do to keep my house running with some semblance of order, let alone squeeze in anything extra before I collapse in bed.  And that anything extra includes the running program that I started earlier this year.  And while I never thought I'd be the type of person to say this, I've actually missed it.

So, to make up for my general lack of motivation in the evening, I've started getting up early in the morning to squeeze in a run before work.  I even downloaded a kick butt Nike+GPS app for my iPhone that tracks my time, pace, distance, and route, just because I'm enough of a control freak that something like this makes the whole process that much more fun.  And things were going well...

...until yesterday morning, that is.  Yesterday morning, this happened...

Yes, this is a terrible picture, but that would be what is left of the skin on my leg, after I wiped out on Tuesday.  Just be happy that I spared you from what is under the bandage, because it is not pretty

See, my HOA is still running the sprinklers in October, because that's what they do.  They also set the sprinklers up on the small strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street, meaning that they are watering the sidewalks when I'm off and running.  So, yesterday morning, I headed into the street to avoid getting watered myself, at the same time that somebody on their way out of the neighborhood was driving towards me.  And since running towards traffic isn't high on my list of smart moves to make, I moved closer to the curb to avoid the car.  Unfortunately, the spot I moved towards happened to be the spot where the storm drain is built into the curb, and given the uneven/sloping pavement in that spot, I lost my balance and hit the ground.  The best part was that I did all of this in the spotlight created by the oncoming car's headlights, so the driver had a perfect view of the crazy face and inelegant sprawling that occurred when I went down.

Awesome.

He was nice enough to stop and make sure I was ok, and really, I felt fine.  At the time, that is.  Apparently, the 45 degree temps were enough to keep the pain at bay, while I finished my run, but once I got back home, all hell broke loose...and I've been whining about it ever since.  Because it really, really hurts.

A non-stick wound pad, gauze square, and gauze roll, plus some first-aid tape, regular band-aids, and anti-bacterial cream later, and I don't think it will ever stop hurting.  Because I am a big baby when it comes to pain.

(Yes, I am surprised I survived childbirth, too.  Yay for drugs.)

Can I take the rest of the week off to recover, now?

And so it begins...

Brigid is walking!!!!!!

Well, sort of. 

I mean, I guess it's walking...

Basically, she's toddling around the house, holding on to either my hand or Steve's (mostly Steve's, because I think she's afraid that I'll actually pick her up and put an end to all of her fun...), before letting go for one or two steps, realizing she's walking unsupported, and then drop to the ground. 

She can stand by herself!  She can walk by herself!  She's just not particularly excited about it.

But on Sunday night, she was able to walk slowly, while holding on to both of my hands.  It was about all she could do to keep herself upright with only one hand for support.*  By the time I came home from work last night, she was practically running all over the house with a toy in one hand, my hand in the other.  Goodness knows what I'm going to come home to tonight.

I just hope I can keep up with her...


*There was one moment on Sunday when Brigid was leaning against Steve, while he was sitting on the ottoman in our family room.  She took a step and a half away from him, then dropped to the ground.  In my excitement, I ran to get the video camera, because damn it, I was going to record her first steps.  I now have 6 1/2 minutes of film showing Steve holding Brigid up to steady her on her feet, then letting go, resulting in Brigid dropping immediately to the ground while Steve and I laugh at her.

Forget college...I should probably start saving for the poor girl's therapy bills.

Baby's first PB&J

Hey, Steve?  Maybe letting her feed herself on this one wasn't the best idea you've ever had...

 

Could we just go ahead and call this one 'Baby's last PB&J', too?

Twelve Month Check-Up

Well, all bets are off.  Steve wins.  I lose. 

I have to start letting go.

Brigid and I went in to the pediatrician's office today for her next round of vaccinations plus flu shot, and everything that Steve has wanted to try with the baby, that I've told him she's not ready for?  Apparently, she is ready.  And she's been ready.  And I am very, very uptight.

Steve was shocked by this revelation.

Anyway, forward facing carseat?  She's ready.  No bottles, only sippy cups?  She's ready.  Whole milk instead of formula?  She's ready.  Egg whites, shellfish, and peanut butter (things we've avoided as significant allergens so far...)?  Oh yeah, she's ready.

I'm not ready, but apparently, that doesn't count.  Whatever.

Beyond the doctor laughing at me for being ridiculously anti-change, the appointment itself kind of sucked.  Brigid basically started screaming the moment the nurse pulled out the stethoscope to listen to her heartbeat, and she didn't really stop until I got her back home and put her down for a nap.  Throw in the exorcist baby moment we faced while Brigid was getting her shots, and it was not a pleasant afternoon.  Also, I seem to have re-tweaked the back muscle I pulled last weekend* while wrestling a pissed-off baby into her carseat.

Steve is sooooo on the hook for the fifteen month check-up because I don't think I can handle this again!

Key measurements?  Length of 30 and 1/2 inches (90th percentile!!!), weight of 22lbs 14oz (70th percentile), head circumference of 46 1/2cm (85th percentile).  So some of the baby fat seems to be wearing off, and she is definitely stretching out.  She's becoming a toddler, I guess. 

Boo.


*Did I mention that I pulled a muscle in my back last weekend?  Did I mention that I pulled it getting dressed?  In my defense, it involved knee high, pull-on boots, which can be difficult to deal with, but still...  

Hellooooooo thirty!  Thanks for playing!

Birthday Party, Year One...

My husband?  He is a cake baking/decorating wizard. 

My kid?  She knows how to eat cake.  And she loves doing it.

Perfect match, no?

The cake...a work of art!  Steve, I should probably tell you, no matter how long this took to decorate...you're on the hook, now.  We're going to expect big things from you every year.
 

Coordinating cupcakes?  Why not?

Oh, the tissue paper poms.  Damn you, Martha Stewart!

These things are being clumped together and hung from the ceiling of Brigid's playhouse in the basement.  Because I am NOT throwing them away. 

The birthday girl!

Yes, this is another special outfit we bought for her before we realized it was going to be almost 90 on her birthday.  Last year, it was 60 and rainy for a week+ at this point.  

This weather would have been helpful when I was shuttling a newborn to and from the hospital for bloodwork every other day...

Brigid found a new favorite toy in her pile of presents...and Peyton agreed, wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, this might not last long as a baby toy, if the dogs have any say in the matter.

Red icing?  Possibly not the best choice for baby's first birthday cake...

Brigid seemed all right with it, though.

Sugar rush!!!!

It doesn't taste as good if it's not all over your face and in your hair, right B?

Such a thoughtful kid...

Just kidding!

This kid?  Went directly into the bath when this was over.  And once the sugar wore off?  Let's just say she slept pretty well on Sunday night...

Thank you to everyone that came over on Sunday for Brigid's birthday party.  I know baby birthdays can be a little awkward, with all of the standing around and staring that takes place, but Steve and I really appreciated everyone coming.  Hope y'all enjoyed it at least a little bit!

Now, to get started on next year's party...

Cumming Country Fair...

...otherwise known as that place I go for kettle corn!  And corn dogs!  And elephant ears!  No, not funnel cakes, you crazy Southerners.  Elephant ears!!

Fairs are fun.

Oh, I think Brigid enjoyed it, too...

...although, it doesn't really look like it here, does it?

  

Doot-de-doo.

 There's the smile!  Love the hair, kiddo...

Baby's first carnival game!  $3.00 for one duck?  Sure, why not...

I am SUCH the SUCKER!
 

Look, Bug!  You won!  A very small stuffed frog that looks more like a dog toy than a baby toy, judging by Peyton's obsession with it.  But, uh way to go, anyway?

I love the fair.

Tomorrow?  Party pictures!  Woo!

Pumpkin Patch!

The first day of Brigid's birthday weekend (Yes, I said birthday weekend...that's how I roll, people!  When she gets older, we'll probably expand it into an entire birthday week, because any excuse I have for a week of cake, I take it.) was her actual birthday on Friday, and Steve took a half day of vacation so we could take the kid to the pumpkin patch for the afternoon. 

We missed the sign that said 'no sitting or standing on pumpkins'.  Also?  I got yelled at for hovering at the edge of all of the pictures, because I was scared Brigid was going to fall off...I kind of wish we'd seen the sign earlier.

Brigid loves pumpkins big enough to double as her bedroom!

We bought the birthday girl a special outfit for the cool fall weather of the north Georgia mountains.  It includes a long sleeve dress, boots, leggings, and a sweater coat.  It's adorable.  

It was also 85 degrees at the pumpkin patch.  

So much for fall weather...
 

Happy family!  Ignore my blurry hand, please.  This was the only picture of about ten we took that had all three of us even looking at the camera.
 

What else does Brigid love?  Brigid loves riding in wheelbarrows!  With pumpkins!
 

She does not so much love the medium pumpkins, it seems.

But the tiny pumpkins?  Oh yeah, buddy.  That looks like lunch!
 

Oh, for the love of all that is good in the world, there are many, MANY kinds of pumpkins.  And we had to take pictures next to EVERY.  SINGLE.  ONE!
 

Because, of course we did...
 

And hay?
 

Yeah, she approves...
 

Tractors!
 

Obviously, this kid needs to spend more time in Indiana farm country.
 

Farming suits her, no?

Coming tomorrow, birthday weekend day two:  the one where we go to the fair!

Twelve Months

Twelve months.

One year.

I honestly can't believe how fast this year has gone.  I can't believe how much you've grown, how many new skills you've picked up along the way.  How many new experiences you've handled like a pro. 

At the same time, I can't believe how much I've grown, or how much your dad and I have changed.  You have become the most special part of our lives in such a short time, and I can't imagine loving anyone else the way I love you.

Someday, you may tell me you're not a baby anymore.  Someday, you may say you hate me.  Someday, you may think that I am the worst thing that could have ever happened to you.  Someday, you may think I am the most terrible mother, ever.

But you will always be my baby.  I will always say I love you.  I will always think you are the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me.  I will always try to be the best mother, ever.

(And there's a good chance you'll always be my favorite.  I do have a soft spot in my heart for the oldest child spot, after all.   Just don't tell any future brothers or sisters, ok?)

I love you, bug.  More than anything.

Happy birthday!

And thank you for the best year of my life...


Maybe we could just go ahead and take this next year a little bit slower, though, ok?  For mommy?  Please?