Identity theft by the pink bow wearing bandit

Posted on June 12, 2008 by carly

Earlier this week, I finally bit the bullet and joined the dreaded gym. Aside from the fact that I have to wear a bathing suit in less than a month, I thought the gym’s child care services would be good socialization for Mary Reese. So, for the past three days, I have dropped MR off at “Kid Zone” and gone about my huffing and puffing on the elliptical machines.

After my daily dose of the View (don’t ask, MR got me watching the show because she adores Whoopi), I routinely head back to Kid Zone to pick up baby girl. Each time, I have noticed bits of sticky paper on her. Some in her mouth; on her face; on her hands. Pretty much all over her body. Because I am a scattered-brained mom most of the time, I have never really questioned how the sticky paper got there. Until today…

As one of the sweet caretakers handed MR off, she told me two things: 1) MR had hit a number of kids. I quickly corrected her and told her that MR does not “hit”, but rather “love-pats”; and there is a big difference between hitting and patting. And 2) MR likes to go around stealing the other kids name tags. The name tags are placed on the backs of each child and apparently Ms Mary Reese spends the majority of her time in Kid Zone crab crawling from victim to victim, stealing identities as she goes.

I had to laugh. We have known from the minute MR was born that she was going to be a mess; but, identity theft at 8 months, that one never crossed my mind…

The Perpetrator:

Another milestone–Mary Reese pulled-up for the first time today in her crib.

Posted in Uncategorized, mary reese, milestones | 4 Comments

Happy baby, not so happy baby, and bottle envy

Posted on June 10, 2008 by carly

Its hot. And muggy. But MR is all smiles. Thank God for this sweet and happy little girl! 

The hot weather kept us indoors for most of the day. Our only outing was a not so quick trip to the grocery store. Not so quick, meaning we spent at least 30 minutes in the Kroger deli eating free samples of cheese and picking off pieces of a not yet purchased rotisserie chicken in order to bribe a hungry and fussy eight month old.

The whole experience brought me back to a shopping trip during the latter stages of my pregnancy. I was at the very same Kroger when my hunger got the best of me. Noticing a display of beach chairs for sale in a side isle, I parked my buggy and began eating my way through the groceries. I opened up a bag of chips, ate a banana, and munched on a box of Cracker Jacks. All while watching busy shoppers zoom by me in a beach chair that I swore would break at any minute…

Our Kroger experience was not the only highlight of the day. Later in the afternoon, we got a visit from Hendley. The girls had a great time playing in the backyard, but refused to cooperate with the traditional cousin photo session. Here are the best of the best of Hendley (15 months) and Mary Reese (8 months).

Hendley could not understand why MR got a bottle and she did not. She would shake her head and say “no, no” and then reach down to get the bottle. As you can see, MR was totally oblivious to the altercation.

                                              

Posted in mary reese, memories | 3 Comments

A Southern Fried Weekend

Posted on June 9, 2008 by carly

When we crossed the South Carolina line into Georgia, we watched the temperature jump from 98 to 101F. It was hot. And muggy. It was home and we were glad to be back!

On Thursday, Big Daddy grilled up some of the biggest and best pork chops we have had in a long time. Friday was spent shopping the children’s consignment shops, visiting with my great-aunt Manie, and eating wings at a local favorite–Loco’s.

MR had her first “big girl” bath at Gran C and Big Daddy’s

On Saturday, MR visited her first south Georgia produce stand. Although I’m not a big fan of tomatoes (I know, I must be a Yankee at heart), I heard that the ‘maters were some of the best around. G spent most of the afternoon in the pool with a beer in hand. I had to beg him to get out around 5, so we could head to Jefferson, Georgia for a wedding. The wedding was outside. Hot. But beautiful. Gran C and Big Daddy came too to help out with MR. We all had a good time visiting with old friends and enjoying the good ole Georgia heat with BBQ, pasta salad, and sweet tea.

Sunday was leaving day. A day that always comes too fast. Packing up for the eight nine hour trip, we reminded ourselves that we would be back in a few weeks for yet another adventure with the grandparents. And then we proceeded to eat our way home–Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast, Zaxby’s for lunch, and Olive Garden for supper…

Posted in family, mary reese, memories, milestones | 1 Comment

I’ve been called worse

Posted on June 4, 2008 by carly

I haven’t always disliked going to the dentist. When I was younger, my mom would drive me down to Eastman, Georgia so I could get my teeth cleaned by my uncle. These trips spark fond memories because they involved visiting with family and picking out a toy from the “Clean Teeth Club” treasure box.

However, as I’ve gotten older and moved too far to travel to the deep south for dental checkups, I have begun dreading my 6-month visits. Today was no exception. It had been a year, yes one whole year, since my last cleaning. The hygienist could not believe that I had waited so long to make an appointment. After lecturing me on the importance of dental hygiene, she proceeded to tell me various stories of patients who had lost their teeth due to poor care. Each story ended with “now you don’t want to be like that, do you hun?” 

When she wasn’t trying to scare me with stories of toothless twenty-somethings, she was going on and on about how much I looked like “Brushetta”, the toothbrush superhero who wards of plaque and decay with her sidekick Flossy. She could not believe how much I resembled this character and it was obvious that she got a kick out of it. Before I left, she rounded up several dentists and hygienist’s to show off our resemblance. They all got a good laugh at it, but agreed that Brushetta would never wait a year between cleanings.

As I was leaving the office, I was given a complimentary copy of  “How to care for your toddlers teeth” and a final lecture on the importance of regular dental visits. I guess they didn’t want my negligence to affect my daughter. The whole ordeal was bizarre to say the least. If anything else, we have got to move back south so I can return to “normal” dentist visits. A visit where I am not scolded; a visit where I am not compared to a dental superhero named Brushetta.

NOTE: I’ve spent the last hour trying to find a picture of Brushetta on the American Dental Association’s web site. Much to my dismay, Ive been unable to locate one. However, I do have some cute pics of MR playing with an oakleaf hydrangea on the front porch. She played with the flower long enough for me to clean out the car, water the outside plants, and sweep the porch. I’m seriously considering cutting down more the whole bush for her to play with on our 8 hour trip back to Georgia tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in mary reese | 6 Comments

The Crab Crawler Strikes

Posted on June 3, 2008 by carly

Well, it’s official. MR’s a crawler. A crab crawler. She scoots from room to room and couldn’t be any cuter. G and I are so proud of our little mover. Sadie not so much. I think she preferred the days when MR was unable to use her as a personal climbing wall or punching bag.

Here are some pictures of little crab crawler in action.

Shortly after this picture was taken, the crab crawler snuck up on an unexpectant Sadie and sunk her claws deep into poor Sadie’s fur. Sadie’s been in hiding ever since. Notice the look of determination on MR’s face.

Posted in Uncategorized, mary reese, milestones | 4 Comments

Did someone call Donna Reed?

Posted on June 2, 2008 by carly

For the past few days, I’ve gotten D.R.S.–not so commonly known as Donna Reed Syndrome. I have been cleaning, cooking, and baking up a storm. It kinda reminds me of nesting. But let me assure you, I am NOT pregnant.

It all started on Sunday. After church, G and I had our usual “what are we going to eat” conversation. This dialogue (which can last for hours) usually leads us to some sort of greasy, cheap fast food establishment. But not this time. For some reason, I had the urge to cook–very, very unlike me. I stayed in my Sunday best and cooked Parmesan Chicken with my monogrammed apron and three-inch high heels. I then proceeded to clean every inch of our kitchen. Again, very unlike me.

Much to my surprise, my D.R.S. was back again today. I hit the grocery by 8:30 this morning, took MR and Sadie on a marathon walk by 11:00, swept the patio and front porch by 1:00, and had supper ready by 5:30 pm. At 8:00 pm, the disorder had taken full control of me. I swept and dusted the house, did five, yes five loads of laundry, a load of dishes, mopped, and baked three dozen homemade cookies (no worries Julie, Donna has a special plate of cookies waiting for you).

It’s now midnight and I think it’s safe to say that my D.R.S has finally run its course. I’ve spent the last hour stalking blogs of people that I’ve never met and eating way too many cookies…very unlike Donna. Looking forward to returning to my roots tomorrow…lounging around the house until 10 am., dirty dishes, and leftovers. Sorry Donna, it’s been fun.

Little Donna in Training…

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Mama said

Posted on June 1, 2008 by carly

My mama always told me that tan fat looks better than white fat. Taking her advice, I decided to lay out on Saturday to prepare for a wedding that G and I are going to this weekend.

With the promise of instant weight-loss, I headed outdoors. I put on last years tankini–never mind that it was my maternity bathing suit that I wore when I was 7 months pregnant–and grabbed an oversized beach towel, the newest US magazine, and an old rusted beach chair, which felt like it could collapse at any minute.

Laying on my stomach, I caught up on all of my celebrity gossip. I read about Ashlee Simpson’s confirmed pregnancy and learned how Christinia Aguilera lost 40 pounds in 4 months. Great job Christina, but with a personal chef, trainer, and nanny, I think I could manage to loose my baby weight too. Anyways, before I knew it, I had been outside for several hours without applying a drop of sunscreen.

Well, at least I’ll be tan, I thought. Heading upstairs to show off my new insta-slim tan, I felt like a million bucks. I could hardly wait to plow through my drawers in search of the pre-mama tank tops that I swore off the day MR was born. After a quick fashion show, I settled on an outfit and hit the shower.

As soon as the water hit the backs on my legs, I knew I was in trouble. I yelled for G to come assess the situation. His face said all I needed to know. I was a mess. And have been since Saturday. I can barely sit, much less walk. And the worst part is, I can only blame myself. This happens every year. Like my Italian brother-in-law, I forget that I do in fact get sunburned. Well not anymore. This is it. In with the SPF and out with the maternity tankini.

Ok, enough about me. In MR news, at 8 months, our little one is finally getting her first tooth. At least we think she is. It’s her lower left tooth and G and I couldn’t be more excited. We celebrated by giving her her first taste of spaghetti and telling her all of the fun things she can eat when her much anticipated tooth arrives. I think we sold her on the idea; we expect to see a tooth in a few days.

Another exciting milestone came after church today–MR got up on all fours and crawled to retrieve precious pink poodle. Because she only did this once, I’m going to hold off on documenting it in the baby book. However, my pen is ready. Our little one is growing up and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she’s not crawling by weeks end. I’ll keep you posted!

I walked away for 2 seconds and came back to find MR half way across her room and tugging at her bedskirt. This was her expression when I said “no”.

MR had so much fun with Aunt “Reba” this weekend

Posted in mary reese, milestones | 5 Comments

Take 3

Posted on May 29, 2008 by carly

Getting MR to smile for the camera these days has proved to be quite the challenge. You have no idea the extent I go to get her attention. While jumping up and down and singing “Reesta Lavista” in my best opera voice, these were the pictures I captured.

Take 1: Shocked

Take 2: Still not having it

Take 3: As good as it’s gonna get

My performance paid off. In the end, I got my picture and a round of applause! MR clapped for the first time yesterday and guess what, I just happened to have my camera to capture it all!

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments