Baby, it's cold outside!

I can't believe that December is already here in full force. It has been freezing here lately, and Natchez is predicted to get 3 inches of snow tonight. Now I know how weather predictions go, but the fact that we're under a Winter Storm Watch is uncommon.

I swore that when I left Boston I never wanted to see snow again. It was fun for about the first year or two, then it continually got old. I can probably attribute that to the fact that my snow got shoveled for me the first few years. Shovelling snow--and I mean real snow, feet of snow, can't open the front door of the house snow--is not fun (unless you don't have to be anywhere anytime soon and you can enjoy a few toddy's with your pals in the midst). Makes it seem not so cold, and you don't even realize you're breaking your back.

I thank God for the deep South. I will sleep soundly tonight knowing that our 3 inches will probably melt before I open my eyes tomorrow morning!

Anyway, let me stop yapping so you can look at pics of the most important member of our family. Here's your favorite lady:

Happy Thanksgiving, Momma!

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Bitchin!

So, last week my dear Uncle Kelly celebrated his birthday. If you don't know Kel, you're missing out. He is very cool & very real. He's one of those guys you just want to hang out with. Ben & I are so lucky to have grown up with him & Sue a few doors down from us.
Anywho, you remember a few weeks ago when Dotti had a b-day, and I outed her for being a former Soul Train dancer?? Low & behold, old Kel also had some good times on the Soul Train, himself. Hell, after watching his moves in this video, let's just call him the Conductor.
Hope you had a bitchin' birthday, Kelly! We love you!

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Hey, how come you never wear that red tank top anymore??

I have a 7 month old.

Wow. Time really flies. Helen will be 7 months next week, and it really seems unbelievable. Girl is almost crawling, and definitely getting into everything. If she knows she is not supposed to have something, she nose-dives for it. And puts it in her mouth. Kevin & I are having a lot of fun with her, but I can tell we are going to be pretty busy when she really starts to crawl...and I don't even want to think about her walking. She is a very determined baby. So, here are some pics of our big girl. She is now over 18 lbs & about 26 inches.

Halloween, etc.

We had a very busy Halloween day. Since it was such a beautiful day, and he wanted to practice for a tournament next weekend, Kevin spent most of Saturday golfing. Helen and I went to Vicksburg to spend the day with Dotti & Jerry, and of course their dog, Sundae. Helen is her biggest fan! When we got home we went to the store to get some candy for potential Trick-or-Treaters. Mind you, last year we had one. Yeah, I mean ONE kid came to get candy. I was skeptical about this year, but I decided we better have some candy than none. Surprisingly, we had about 10 kids come by. I'm surprised any of them stuck around for candy, though, as our ferocious dog thinks even 6 year old kids are threatening our safety. Goo.

Our little mouse

Helen & her best friend, Sundae

If only Bob would love her so much!

Dear Momma

I'd like to give a shout out to my wonderful mother on the day after her birthday! Yesterday was Dotti's birthday, and we love her more today than yesterday(...err...mom, we definitely loved you on your b-day, but, you know, our love grows daily ;)
In all sincerity, we love you Dot. My mother has been my rock for the past few years. She was there for me when I was Bridezilla & then when I was Pregzilla. She has seen me at my best and my worst (she braved the delivery room), and also everything in between. Yet, she loves me and forgives me still. What a strong role model I have had. A woman of faith and strength who raised two children with minimal assistance...something I cannot imagine. By her actions & words, Dotti has shown me what is important in life...family, loyalty, loving, and of course laughing (ever wonder where I get the wacky from?). I am so grateful to call her my mother, but I am even more grateful for my daughter to have such a wonderful woman to call grandmother.
So, not only is this blog is dedicated to Dotti, I am also dedicating my musical selections to her. Yes, you heard right. For Dot's b-day week, I will be playing those soft rock hits of the 60's & 70's. (And you know I've got to throw in the classic "Dear Momma", by Tupac.)
But before you start bumping the oldies in your cubicle, take a look at the clip below. For those of you who don't know, my mom used to moonlight on Soul Train back in the late 70's to make ends meet. Take a look.

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Well, I've been busy. Kind of.

I've got to start coming up with good excuses for my lack of blogging. I know.

We have had a lot more going on than usual around here, though. Two weekends ago we made a trip to Birmingham for our early anniversary celebration & to see The Allman Brothers & Widespread Panic. We had a great time, and got to spend it with Neil & Katie. Such a shame we have to travel 5 hours to see them! I don't have any pics to post from that trip...and no mom, it's not because we were on drugs. ;)

Last weekend was the Balloon Races here in Natchez. We had an awesome time, even though it was freezing! Helen came with us for most of the day & I think she slept on her daddy most of the time. She didn't miss much, only one balloon flew since it was so windy. I can remember being there and pregnant a year ago--can't believe I made it!

Here are some pics from the Balloon Fest & the Giants embarrassment the next day. Eli who? Anyway, during the game Oscar, who is completely jealous of Helen, actually came up to her and licked her! Well, Helen was sitting on the floor and got so excited that she tipped over and hit her head. It felt like she cried for an hour! Got to take the good with the bad, I guess!

Hanging with Ali. Helen just stared at her the entire time. I swear, she has seen children before! Like every weekday of her life!

Too much fun!

Helen mocking Eli during the game. Nail-biter? Yeah, right! Go Saints!

Right before the head injury...you can see Bob on his way lick her (you can also see Pepaw in his slippers back there). I guess he was in a giving mood.

What an exhausting game!

Daddy's Girl

Kevin and I are really good about splitting baby duties 50/50, but lately I have had a lot going on, and I feel like he has been doing a lot more than me. Well, in my absence, Helen has become quite the Daddy's girl. She loves Kevin. I mean, she thinks I'm funny, but she thinks he is hilarious! If they are sitting together on the couch and he is looking at his computer, she will just stare at him. Ha! I've got to come up with some new tricks!

SMTTT!

So on Saturday we took Helen to her first USM game. Kevin's whole family was going, so we figured it would be a great opportunity to take her (not to mention let her watch her Uncle Ben's school lose to the CUSA, since his favorite team is too scared to play us). We had a great time, although it was HOT. I mean H-O-T-T (you can tell by my nasty fro below). I don't think Helen fussed once, though. There were adults there fussing more than she did! (Myself included.) I even saw some of those crazy girls who wear heels to football games carrying on because of the muddy tailgating situation. If y'all ever see me in heels at a football game, call the cops 'cause I've been doing drugs. Okaaay!?

We stayed the entire game...the first time I think we've ever done that. Kevin and I agreed that if we can take her to a loud, crowded, burning up stadium, we can take that girl anywhere.

Finally!

Well, after trying a few types of fruits & veggies, we've finally got a winner. Helen loves sweet potatoes! I hate sweet potatoes! With all the foods we've tried so far, she has just kind of been like whatever. She always pulled the spoon into her mouth, but I think it was just to gnaw on it. With the sweet potatoes, girl was going to town. Thank goodness. I thought I was doing something wrong for awhile there. Especially because everyday at daycare the ladies say, "She is such a good eater!" :/

Wordless Wednesday

I'm a blog slacker, but at least I have a cute baby!

I know, I have been away too long...again. My apologies. Especially to my mother (the only one who cares!)

Anyway, we have been doing a lot lately. Helen is now 4 1/2 months old, and getting bigger by the second! At her 4 month appointment she weighed in at 15.3 lbs and just about 25 inches long. (Her head is also in the 90% percentile...Kevin was so proud.) About a week after that we started her on cereal. Yeah, she hates it. I can't blame her, have any of you tasted that stuff? Terrible. I have let the daycare ladies take over that duty, since she seems to eat it better in the late mornings. She is loving tummy time these days, and also wants to sit up all the time, too. She's not a little baby anymore!

Here are some recent pics that I owe you.

Run, don't walk...

I know, I know, I'm one to talk. When I go to Walmart, most of the time I look like I just woke up. And most of the time I did. I am always walking in with my greasy hair in a ponytail, pajama pants dragging, and sunglasses still on hoping that no one calls out my name. But seriously, we all know there are some fugly people that shop there, not to mention the weirdos. Well, we finally have a website that has captured these rare beauties who love a bargain. Visit this site NOW: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/.

Ride'em Cowboy!

A sad day...

It looks like we've really reached the end of the rainbow. There are reports that after 26 years, PBS' Reading Rainbow will be off-air starting this week. The show stopped production a few years ago, but they were showing the old episodes on PBS. But PBS' contract with the show expires on Friday and they aren't renewing it. This means LeVar Burton will no longer be there to gently stroke our soul by reading a story about a flying pony or a happy mushroom. Yeah.
And Reading Rainbow will go down in history for having one of the top 10 theme song of all-time. Watch their trippy intro below and try to tell me that it didn't take you higher for a quick second. You can thank Reading Rainbow for getting you buzzed for the first time. It will be missed.

I had to move...really had to move!

For those of you wondering, yes, I can find a Grateful Dead lyric to be a title for any blog post. Here's my little Helen on the move! Not so graceful yet, but you get the picture. When she lays down on the floor now, she has to roll over.

The wheel is turning and you can't slow down...

Lots of people have told me in the last few months to cherish this time with Helen because she won’t be this little long. Well, they were right! In the last few weeks she has really seemed to be growing fast! She can now sit up with her head straight in her Bumbo seat, push up on her arms during tummy time (she hates it, but she does it), and roll over! Yes, my little baby rolls over! I think she is getting some teeth in too, due to the sudden drooling and finger-biting. I have even caught myself in conversations about her saying “when Helen was little…” Ha! It just seems to have happened so fast, pretty soon she’ll be fixing me a drink! ;)
Anyway, while I am really excited (and a little sad, too) about all of these milestones, it makes me want to spend all my time with her! The day after she rolled over I went into her daycare and bragged to the ladies about it. Yeah, this was old news to them, apparently. She had been doing it for days! Ugh. As much as I want to stay home with her, I am reminded that my working is providing her with a better life. That thought gets me through it.
So, here are some gems from our afternoons together. Enjoy! (She’s getting so big!)

Twinkies

She loves those damn cloth diaper things that we use as burp cloths...won't go anywhere without one.

Helen and her monkey

I could "Yearbook" myself all day long!

For those of you who haven't gone, go now to http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ and see what you would've looked like in 1976. Laughs. Lots of laughs.

Circa 1984

Channeling my Grandmother

And here I am as my mother's yearbook picture...

And in the mid-70's...looks kind of familiar.

"Your husband might as well have given birth to that girl!"

Yep, Helen still looks exactly like a Smith. Even the daycare ladies think so (see above quote). On that note, daycare is going really great. Helen seems to enjoy herself, and the ladies think she's a sweetie. Here are a few pics of our photoshoot today. I know I am biased, but girl is cute! Even if she doesn't look like me.

Shots? We ain't scared of no stinkin' shots!

Helen had her 2 month doc appointment yesterday. I was sweating it, of course, because my baby had to get 3 shots! I was prepared for the worst...it was like I was the one getting them. I hate shots, needles, etc. You've all heard my birth story... Another classic is when I broke my arm at a skating party when I was in the 2nd grade. Well, my mom was out of town, so they just took me to the emergency room on a Saturday morning and the doctor on call set my arm. When we went to the orthoped the next week to get the cast, he discovered that my arm had been set wrong. He was going to have to re-break it. Yeah, I hated shots so much that I refused the anesthesia and he just grabbed my forearm with both hands and twisted. Yeah, I hate shots. Geez.
As far as everything else, she weighs 12.1 lbs and is about 23 inches long. She is above average in length & weight...and yes, her head size is above average, too. Thanks, Kevin! The nurse actually measured her head, and then had to come in the room to measure it again because she thought she had made a mistake!! Wow.
Anyway, my girl Helen was a trooper! They gave her three shots in her thighs, and she might as well have slept through them. She gave out one wail and then went back to sleep. No kidding. Here she is chilling out on her jungle mat sporting her tweetybird band aids.

Helen with her monkey

H & her bodyguard

They love each other...so far