Georgia on my mind

The kids and I just got back from several days at my parents' house in Georgia.  We went to visit my parents, of course, but also to see my new nephew, Maddox, for the first time and spend time with my sister and brother-in-law.

Everyone had a very nice time.  We got there Wednesday afternoon, after a slow and relatively easy drive from Nashville.  We stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel and popped into Walmart for some cheap floats for the pool.  Each day had a nice rhythm to it.  The kids were up at 7am, and after breakfast, I took them to one of the many neighborhood playgrounds.  Emme was down for a nap (and Oliver for a "rest" with the iTouch that has Bob the Builder videos on it) around 10am.  Then lunch, then playtime, then a trip to the pool either before or after dinner.  The kids went down to bed between 7 and 7:30pm every night and slept soundly after a full day of play.  The weather was hot but bearable, and the kids always have fun with the different toys available at their grandparents' house, in addition to the bigger rooms and extra staircases to explore.

Maddox is a cutie, for sure, though he's still settling into his own daily rhythm.  And like my daughter, when she was an infant, he prefers to spend most of the day in someone's arms rather than on his own.  Fortunately there were lots of extra arms around to accommodate him and give his mom and dad some reprieve (though they are doing a magnificent job without any extra help).  We chose to sleep on a different floor than the baby so that no one would end up waking each other, but it sounds like he was quiet at night.

We came home yesterday evening so that we could reunite with Wes, who had spent most of our absence outside of Washington D.C. to attend a friend's wedding.  We are all happy to be back under one roof, but would have appreciated it if Emme (who is already down for a nap) had slept past 6:30am.  It was great to see my sister and her family, and I will be disappointed not to see Maddox more frequently than distance and school/work allows.  Thank goodness I got a lot of cuddle time in.

The new nephew, after his first bath

Singing and swinging

Twirly skirt

The fourth of July: A photo story in food

Strawberry and pineapple smoothies
with Greek vanilla yogurt and whole milk

Smoothie moustache

Made cookies for new neighbors

But then ate some ourselves

Not pictured: 

Our dinner -- "welding sauce" chicken, potato salad, sliced veggies, and watermelon.  For dessert -- ice cream sandwiches made from fresh baked cookies and vanilla ice cream.

And then a first for #2

One day after Emme used the frog potty for the first time, she had her first poop!  I put her on it right after she got up this morning, once again while Oliver sat on his seat, in the hopes that she might have a pee.  Not long after she sat down, she started going.  At first I thought it was pee, but when I looked in, I saw that she'd pooped.  I think it surprised her as much as it did me. 

So still probably not the clear start of anything regular, but a first nonetheless.

A first for everything

We got home late tonight from a work function for Wes -- after 8pm, which for Emme is at least an hour later than she usually goes to sleep.  Her diaper was pretty dry, and she had some gas, which made me think she might need to poop.  So I set her on the frog potty while Oliver did his business at the same time.  And don't you know it, Emme peed in the potty for the first time.  Seventeen months, two weeks.  I'm not sure she has any comprehension about what she did, and just like with Oliver when he started, I seriously doubt her diaper-free days are very near.  (Oliver's first pee on the potty was about 21+ months, and he wasn't in underwear all day until 27 months.  That said, I did a very "wait and see" approach, so I didn't really hurry him along.)  Nonetheless, it's exciting, and yet another reminder that our baby is growing up.

On a Saturday

Our last breakfast -- in which we tried to use up
all the perishable foods

The kids' rocking chair on the porch

The "swing" (glider" that Oliver could make go

A final swing

For Emme, too

Lucy's small space on the floor of the car

Dancing to the Wolfe Brothers

She liked the music, too

Big girl bed

Last weekend, Emme moved out of her crib and into a "big girl bed" -- right now, a mattress on the floor.  She slept on a mattress on the floor at the cabin, and she seemed to do fine.  I also saw her start to be able to lift herself up on the crib rails last week -- not far, but enough to make me wonder how long it was going take her until she could get far enough up to spill over the side.  The crib was at it lowest setting, and so it just seemed time.

We went out on Saturday and bought a mattress.  We looked at beds, but we've been generally disappointed with the furniture stores in Nashville.  I found a bed I like online, and we've ordered it.  It's simple, maple, no box springs so it'll be low.  It won't be here for a month or more, since it's made to order, but I think it's good that Emme gets plenty of time on the mattress first before we put her in a bed.  I ordered her some fun, colorful sheets and a quilt that will look cute in the room but also in less baby-like room.  I think it will look good once it's all put together.

Emme was excited to lay on her new bed -- and Oliver to jump on it.  We've been latching her in the room so far to keep Oliver from releasing her early in the morning.  We're worried he'll come downstairs without locking the gate, and Emme will come tumbling after.  She has had several nights now of screaming at night -- sometimes when she's put to bed, other times (and more often) after she's been asleep for a few hours or more.  Last night, she woke up around 3am after a peaceful night up to that point.  I have to lie down with her for a few minutes, and then she's fine for the rest of the night.  I can't entirely figure out what's causing it, but for now, going to her seems to be the thing to do.  

Watching Wes take apart the crib to store it made me think back to the first time it was ever assembled.  It caused a little pang -- in my heart and maybe a little in my uterus.  But mostly, it was exciting to see my baby girl in her big girl bed.