Merry Christmas!

Babygirl and Babydog

Busy busy busy

Ah, where to begin...

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We certainly did. Best one ever! Busy, busy, busy though. Babygirl was a trooper through it all, though she was completely worn out every night.

Babygirl had her 6 month checkup a couple weeks ago. Still long and lean, but healthy and a very happy little baby. She entertained the doctor with her toe sucking trick, all while the doctor was trying to talk to me. Slurrrrrp! The big item that came out of the checkup is that Babygirl has outgrown her infant seat (she’s too tall for it). Huge shock for Mapgeek and I who were not expecting to invest in a new car seat for a few more months. So, I bought a new seat that was recommended by many and now we can’t figure out how to install it to our satisfaction. And no, fire departments don’t install car seats anymore. Liability of course.

Babygirl is also crawling! Full on, pedal to the metal, get out of my way, CRAWLING. Not only that, she also pulls herself up. So we’ve also had the big investment of a gate for the top of the stairs and the Superyard XT, which is a bunch of gates linked together that you can form a circle with (like a playpen). In our case, I stretched it from one wall, across the fireplace and TV (including cords) to the other wall. Makes a nice Babygirl barrier and she loves to pull up on it and watch the fire or the TV. I love this thing!

So that’s our biggest news for the moment, though I have tons more to write about. It will have to wait until another time.

Happy New Year’s!!

I'm ethnic!!

My ethnically enhanced global village name is Aneko Chiyo.
Take The Global Village Multi Culti Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

As we're on the anniversary of this significant event in our history, I just wanted to remind you all to remember those at Pearl Harbor. Please look through the link above to refresh your memory about all the men and women that fought so hard to keep the world free. Thank you!!

Never forget...

What exactly is a "Holiday Tree"?

A great op-ed piece from Mike Adams (UNCW professor) appeared in Townhall today. It seems that my beloved Auburn had a "Holiday Tree" lighting this past weekend. *sigh* I'm VERY disappointed in our current SGA (student government association) for allowing this nonsense.

HOWEVER...

Several members of the SGA at Auburn spearheaded a movement to counter this by putting a resolution out. And, rather than me attempting to vent my disappointment and then getting more and more ticked over political correctness (don't EVEN get me going), I thought I'd share the resolution since it says it all (and in a nice manner). I'm inserting this below for those that don't want to follow the link.

RESOLUTION

Whereas, a decorated tree is the traditional, historical symbol of Christmas; and

Whereas, the Christmas tree is a decorated tree celebrating and symbolizing the historical Christmas season; and

Whereas, a tree has historically been known as a Christmas Tree in the State of Alabama, the United States of America and around the world; and

Whereas, the tree has historically been known as a Christmas Tree on Auburn’s campus; and

Whereas, calling the tree a Christmas Tree preserves historical correctness and embraces religious diversity; and

Whereas, in pursuit of Auburn’s spirit of diversity and tolerance of differing ideals, the Student Government Association Student Senate maintains that traditional symbols, religious and otherwise should not be suppressed; and

Whereas, labeling a Christmas Tree as a “Holiday Tree” appears to be religiously intolerant toward those who celebrate Christmas; and

Whereas, the University Administration and the Student Government Association have promoted a spirit of diversity and religious tolerance on campus; and

Whereas, the name of the tree is not a legal issue rather an issue of preference and historicity; and

Whereas, even the display of a manger scene by a government body has been held to be constitutional to celebrate Christmas and its origins;

Therefore be it Resolved, that the Auburn University Student Government Association Student Senate recognizes the decorated tree on campus during the Christmas holiday season by its historical name of “Christmas Tree”; and

Therefore, Be it Further Resolved, that the decorated tree re-labeled a “Holiday Tree” be properly reinstated with its original, historical, traditional, intended, and common title and identified for what it actually is, a “Christmas Tree.”


War Eagle! and Merry Christmas!

Babygirl making faces with Daddy. Curleyboys in the back watching football (what else!).

Babygirl and Uncle Thugg. I just don't know what to say about this one. :)

Babygirl jumping with Grandaddy P. Boing, boing, boing.

Check out the "all fours" action! Almost crawling (shiver).

Turkeys and stuff

Well, we tried to go to Indianapolis to visit Mapgeek’s extended family (two grandparents, three uncles, two aunts from both sides of the family). We left the Friday night before Turkey Day to make it to Nashville (half way) for the night. Four hours later, we pulled into a hotel north of Nashville and got a phone call informing us that part of the family was sick. Seriously enough to not want to get Babygirl involved. Sooooooooo, we had a cozy night in a Holiday Inn Express, complete with wi-fi, a six-pack of Guinness, and a six-pack of Krystals. And we came home on Saturday. Long way for a much needed pseudo-date. We’re rescheduling for January and greatly looking forward to introducing Babygirl to her family.

Turkey Day was yummy, of course. Lunch was at my parents house. The whole gang including my siblings, Mapgeek’s parents and siblings, and all the spouses came. It’s fun having everyone there. It’s like a big traditional pilgrim-fest rather than just a few people, though it’s a lot of work. Luckily, my brother shopped with Mom P and convinced her to get a 20-lb bird. It was HUGE! I should have taken a picture.

The rest of our much needed long weekend was spent painting the 2-story foyer in our house. Borrowed an extension ladder and another folding-type ladder thing AND a power roller from my I-own-every-power-tool-and-anything-else-you-can-think-of dad. Power rollers rule. Especially if you’re two stories up and trying to paint a large expanse of drywall. Still took us two whole days. I think we’re going to take a break from painting for a while.

Whew. I need a beer just talking about it.

Let me tell you a little story 'bout a man named Jed...

I thought you guys might get a kick out of this. In the mail the other week, I received a bunch of junk mail (as usual). However, in the spirit of trying to save money, I’ve been going through it scouting for sales and coupons. I came across this scratch off thing from Marietta Dodge. Got a coin and did a quick scratch to see if I won a shopping spree (no free cars). There were nine boxes and if 3 match, you win whatever is in the boxes. I matched for $1000 shopping spree! A $1000 ONLINE SHOPPING SPREE! Right before Christmas! How lucky! Then rationality set in, and I thought “well that was too easy.” So I called up the phone number at the Dodge place and was told that there was no gimmick and congratulations. I won $1000 shopping spree. I was only responsible for shipping and handling and a processing fee. All I had to do was drive over to Marietta Dodge and claim my gift certificate.

So, Mapgeek and I loaded up and headed on over to the car dealership. We actually didn’t have to listen to a sales pitch, which we thought was part of the thing. And, to top it all off, the guy said just to show their appreciation for us coming in, they would DOUBLE our shopping spree. $2000!!!! Unbelievable. So, we got our gift certificate and left, plotting our shopping spree all the way home. Big screen TV, Ipod for me, the best baby toys, etc.

We get home and I get the laptop booted up to start my shopping extravaganza. First thing I noticed is that there are no big screen TV’s, that being the first item to shop for. Then I started noticing that it’s all these generic company’s items and most are things we’d never buy, much less use. But no matter, it’s still free money so I’d find something. Then, I decided I’d better go see what this “processing fee” was going to be, especially if I was going to order a bunch of junk. For spending the full $2000 on our shopping spree, it was going to cost us over $600 for S&H and a processing fee! That’s over 30%!!!! And the less you spend, the more the fee is!

So, in a nutshell, y’all are all getting fruitcakes for Christmas. Sorry.

(Clark Howard would be so proud!)

Quote of the Day

I read this amazing quote from Teddy Roosevelt that was posted on Boortz's news this morning. I'm going to post it here for your entertainment and thought.

"... if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American ... There can be no divided allegiances here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag,... we have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Teddy Roosevelt -- 1907 (www.cacp.info #548)

Mairin's Day

Yip yip yip, all the way home (see y'all!)

My Tigers did it again! I love to beat Georgia! Boy, what an even matchup though. We were looking at the stats on SportsCenter and they were almost dead even in passing, rushing, and points. Auburn is hanging onto hope for getting into the SEC Championship. A pipe dream especially since the Tide couldn’t manage to beat LSU. Figures. Stupid elephant things.

And I can’t BELIEVE that South Carolina beat Florida! Woohoo! How bizarre too that Spurrier beat his beloved Gators. You know Columbia was rocking last night.

I have my list of teams that I love to see get beat. It changes from year to year depending on how much I pity them or whether there’s some tenuous connection, such as someone that went to that school that ticks me off. Florida topped my list for years because of Spurrier. Oh, how the times have changed (did hell freeze over??) now that he’s at Carolina. And I pity Florida now, so they aren’t at the top anymore.

Ok, I know you are all waiting expectantly for my Beat the Crap Outa’em list so here it is:

#1 Georgia – I live in Georgia and I’m tired of hearing “Go Daaaawgs” (appropriate hick accent here). I’m also tired of hearing how great their football team is. Doesn't seem like they've been delivering on this.

#2 Southern Cal – REALLY tired of them. They need to lose. Plus, they get put on top of the pack by the powers that be and screw the rest of the undefeated teams out of the National Champion title (refer to Auburn last year).

#3 Florida State – Primarily because of Bobby Bowden. That's because of his son, Terry that did some damage to the Auburn program in the mid-90’s.

#4 Clemson – Primarily because of Tommy Bowden. That's because of his brother Terry. Anyone else as sick of the Bowden’s as me?? Other reason is our adoption of South Carolina as one of our Teams That Must Be Cheered For.

#5 Florida – It’s hard to let go of bitterness. :)

I know many of you are wondering why Bama didn’t make the list. At the moment, I’m still recovering from the pity years they’ve had recently. I’d say they are in the Top 10. Other honorable mentions that are inching their way close to the top 5 – Michigan (I’ve got a long-standing disdain for Michigan), Miami, UNC, and Nebraska. I’m still thinking about adding Texas to the list.

My list of Teams That Must Be Cheered For is pretty obvious. Though there are only 4 teams that are non-negotiable. Everyone after that is subject to be put on the Beat the Crap Outa’em list.

#1 Auburn
#2 South Carolina
#3 NC State (long family history here)
#4 Indiana (This is actually Mapgeek’s alma mater. Carolina was grad school.)

Honorable mentions here are teams that I’ve always liked for whatever reason. Penn State, Tennessee (they are here mostly for the strong pity factor this year), and Notre Dame (also the pity factor, though if they revive their glory years, they might be switching lists).

Babygirl's Big Day

Babygirl had her first of many big day last week. She was baptized in the church. And, even more special, was that she was christened by the same wonderful minister that married Mapgeek and I. We opted to go Methodist instead of Catholic, since neither Mapgeek or I are not particularly active (and I’m not Catholic anyways) in the Catholic church.

Babygirl wore a BEEE-utiful dress that Grandmommy P made. It was an amazing labor of love. And she wore her little bonnet and looked like a little angel. Not that I’m partial or anything. The ceremony was very sweet and I got all teary as Mommy’s are prone to be with a baby’s milestones. After church, Mapgeek and I had the family back over to our house for lunch.

The next weepy event will probably be Christmas. Babygirl has started sitting up for longer periods. She has to be sat up, but will stay that way and play. I think crawling is just around the corner. I’m really looking forward to Santa coming and bringing lots of Babygirl toys!

The morning after too much booze

If we'd only had aerobics class the night after! I'd have never missed those classes.

I especially like the helpful hints at the bottom of the article. Wonder what just-out-of-college journalist wrote these.

-Don't drink cheap liquor.
-Have a cheeseburger and fries, three glasses of water and two ibuprofens before going to sleep.
-Drink lots of water.
-To brave the hair of the dog, start drinking again.
-Eat a big breakfast, take two Excedrin Tension Headache, then take a hourlong nap (if you have trouble getting back to sleep, you're not really hung-over).
-Have a Bloody Mary for breakfast.
-Check into the spa for the day (after eating something to soak up the alcohol).
-Homemade lemonade using the coldest water, tons of sugar and fresh lemons.
-Red beer (tomato juice and beer).
-Pepperoni or cheese calzone.
-Take two Tylenol before passing out.
-BC Powder: pour packet on tongue and chase with water.

Halloween!

Ok, so Halloween itself was the last of the week-long festivities that Babygirl and I attended. Somewhat of a letdown. We trick-or-treated the Mega-family across the street and the Next Doors. Then Babygirl fell asleep, while Megamom and I chatted on the front lawn and watched the neighborhood munchkins. There was one post-puberty and very tall young man that showed up at our door. I gave him a handfull of loot. Mapgeek and I were talking about the last time we went out. I remember feeling really stupid knocking on doors. You know you're too old when you start feeling stoopid. It's been a fun week and I'm sure next year will be even more exciting!

We're trying to get ready for our busy, busy weekend. There is a fundraiser for the Foundation Fighting Blindness on Friday night. One of my favorite fundraisers...a wine tasting! And I get to partake this year! It also includes a silent auction, which I always manage to spend a ton of money in the guise of "getting a good deal". Babygirl is also getting christened on Sunday. The wonderful minister that married Mapgeek and I will be blessing the Babygirl. It means a lot to us to have her there. So, Uncle Markiejo and Aunt Niki are coming in town (Mapgeek's brother and wife) as well as my Aunt Wufpakgrl and my Grandmother. We've got family meals out the wazoo this weekend. Plus, we're having everyone over for lunch after church on Sunday. Lots of fun!

Not sure what's funny, but hay... :)

OOOOOO! Mommy's got hay!

With face paint that is now smudges

At the zoo (no face paint this time)

Will and Babygirl Cat

Pre-Halloween Festivities - Take 2

The next big festivity that we did this weekend was Boo at the Zoo. It’s at the Atlanta Zoo and all the kids show up in costume. We went with the Next Doors and their babygirl and some of their friends. Ended up being five couples and five little girls. Babygirl was fascinated with the activity. She was especially fascinated with the lemurs. Mapgeek held her (as we did throughout the zoo – she likes to be held, not ride in the stroller) and they looked at the lemurs play and jump around. I think it’s because she can see them since they’re black and white. And we meandered around for a couple hours.

It’s been several years since I or Mapgeek have been to the zoo. It still depresses me, though there have been a lot of improvements in the last 10 years. Willie B isn’t there anymore, but Atlanta has two panda bears now. I can’t wait for Babygirl to be a little older and take her back! Atlanta is also getting ready for the grand opening of the new aquarium. I think it’s the largest blahblah-something in the US or world. Now, aquariums I love!

Sunday afternoon, we met up with the Grandparent P’s for some lunch and prime photo ops. At their church, there is an annual pumpkin sale, where they pile hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins out on the lawn with hay, etc. Looks like a big pumpkin patch. So, we dressed up Babygirl in her little cat costume and took her over to get some pics in the pumpkins. Unfortunately, she can’t quite sit up straight and doubly unfortunate, she was enthralled with the hay she was sitting on. So, most of the pictures have her pitching forward grabbing at the hay. But she’s cute as always!

This weekend, our neighborhood is having a Halloween party for the kids, down at the club house. We’ll dress up Babygirl yet again and head on down for the kid-fun. And lastly, Halloween is Monday! We’re definitely getting use out of this costume. I’ll let you know how the trick-or-treating goes!

Babygirl, Grandma C, Megamom and Co.

Cat Woman

Pre-Halloween Festivities - Take 1

Wow! We’ve had a busy and fun week! Having a kid opens up a whole new world of stuff to do and photo ops to take. Events that I’ve never paid attention to are now the number one Saturday (and Thursday!) event. And it’s so much fun! I also never realized how much I love kids. All of them. Little angels can do no wrong.

Megamom and I are still doing the Stroller Striders thing on Tuesdays. I have decided that Stroller Striders is the absolute BEST thing that I’ve done recently. Not only am I supposedly getting into shape (haha), but it’s a huge social outlet. The women in my group occasionally get together for a Mom’s night out. And then there’s other get togethers and play groups that meet periodically. It’s really fun. And you have a ready made group with at least one thing that you know you have in common. It actually doesn’t matter if you have more in common….you always end up talking kid.

So, Megamom was telling me last week about this Halloween thingy that Roswell Parks and Rec was having. It was on a Thursday afternoon from 4:30 to 7:00 and for kids 8 and under. Have I mentioned before how much I love Roswell? They had it at the community center at the park we walk in. Kids were to come in costume for a costume contest among other festivities. One gym was set up with a little plywood house town with hay bales and little plywood houses. Nothing elaborate, but it was free! Different companies sponsored the houses and the kids went “trick or treating”. The other gym had all the moonwalk, blowup things that the older kids could play in. Then, in the various classrooms, there was a cake walk, face painting, a magic show, and a craft room.

I bought Babygirl a cute little black cat costume, complete with ears and tail. Grandma C came over and the three of us plus Megamom and her 4 boys went. Babygirl was in complete awe of all the kids and activity. And she was a big hit in her costume. We ran into a couple of our fellow Stroller Striders too! We pretty much just walked around and looked at everything. Babygirl did get whiskers and a little pink nose painted on her little cat face. Which ended up in a big black smudge by the afternoons end.

I can’t wait for Halloween!

Resting with Grandma C. All that shopping wore her out! 

Babygirl ready for the big Auburn-South Carolina game (note the Auburn socks)!

Irish Baby Blessing

May all the blessing of our Lord touch your life today.
May He send His little angels to protect you on your way.
Such a wee little fit, sent from above.
Someone so precious to cherish and love.
May sunshine and moonbeams dance over you head
As you quietly slumber in your bed.
May good luck be with you wherever you go.
And your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.

Happy 4-month Birthday!

Once again, two weeks have passed without a peep from Moi. I think of all these great things to share and then when I sit down to blog, Babygirl wants to play. At the moment, she’s sleeping, so I’ll try to catch up.

We went to Hilton Head last weekend for Grandpa C’s birthday. It was nice to get away with the family and we stayed in a neat townhouse in Sea Pines. It overlooked a lagoon and there was a preserve on the other side of the lagoon. There were two alligators that sunned themselves (or rather clouded themselves) on the banks during the day and cruised around in the morning and evening. In the evening, the egrets would come in to roost on the far side of the lagoon. So, we all spent our evenings on the back deck, watching these huge white birds fly in while sipping a cocktail and keeping an eye out for gators. Beautiful scene. Babygirl spent her time rolling around on the floor. Yes rolling. She’s figured out the fine art of immediately flipping whenever she’s put down. Everyone spent their turn rolling around on the floor with her. I think we might even have some good film of it all. Babygirl and I also got twinkie outfits from the Salty Dog. I’m hoping some of her cuteness will rub off on me.

Today, Babygirl and I went for her 4 month wellness checkup. I can’t believe it’s already been four months (as of today)! Seems like yesterday. Babygirl has previously been around the 50% on weight and height. She has now apparently shot up in height and coming in at the 75%, but still at 50% in weight. Long and lean. Sounds like Granddaddy P’s genes. We also have a new doctor as our old one left the clinic. However, I like the new Doc even more, though she went to med school at Tennessee. Boo! (ok, I’m really a closet Vols fan). The Doc asked all the typical developmental questions. It turns out that Babygirl is pretty strong for her age and apparently pretty active too. Doc said that we’ll probably have an early crawler. And not to be surprised if I put her down one day and she moves. She’s already scooching around using a roll/toe-push combo. We’ll have to start baby-proofing soon.

I still have to come up with Halloween costumes for us all. Maybe the Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. Think it’s been done?

Immortalizing Babygirl

Babygirl, Grandmommy P, and I went today to have the first “official” pictures taken of Babygirl. As I mentioned before, Babygirl is on the verge of outgrowing all her 0-3 month clothes. It’s been a somewhat traumatic event for me as I look at her cute things. The very FIRST things that I’ve ever bought for her and realize that she’s never ever ever going to wear them again. It makes me very sad. So, we’re immortalizing Babygirl in her cute dresses. And then I’ll have them professionally tucked away for who knows what. Maybe I can stick them in the box with my wedding dress (whenever I get *that* sealed up). Then in twenty plus years, when she opens my wedding dress to wear at her own wedding, she’ll find her first babygirl dresses and we can be all nostalgic all over again. A great Mommy/Babygirl moment. It’s making me teary just thinking about it.

Anyhoooooo….

We went to the Bern Art studio in Northpoint. I found them when I was wandering around one day. They had a framed example of the body parts pictures. Body parts is the black and white photos that are taken of the baby’s body parts. Hands, lips, feet, butt, ears, etc. A good friend of my mom’s introduced me to the concept when she showed me her grandson’s 100 or so pictures or his parts. You then can make a collage of the parts. All for remembering them young and small. (tears again here) So, I decided to make an appointment with Bern Art just because time’s running out and I didn’t know what else to do. The people that run the studio are super nice and hopefully the pictures will be awesome.

I’d say the most important pictures we got were of Babygirl in her christening gown that was made by Grandmommy P. This is the most amazing christening gown ever and I wish you all could see the detail that went into it. An absolutely AMAZING heirloom. Mairin will be the first in it, but it’s intended for all the clan’s children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Hopefully someone down the line will put together a big composite of all the babies that were christened in it.

And then we came home and got the washing machine repaired. All in all, an exciting day.

Slacker is as slacker does

Wow! Has it really been two weeks since I blogged? I've been so busy or maybe it just feels that way. Nothing super spectacular going on except for Babygirl.

Just random thoughts today....

Whirlpool's automated "customer service" stinks. After finally getting through all the voice activated stuff, I finally got put on hold to talk to a live person. After over 20 minutes of that, I hung up and looked for a service person online. And why do I have to have an 8-hour window? And the woman at the repair shop was very helpful in suggesting that I leave a key for the repairman just in case I'm not home. ????????? All for the want of a washing machine spin cycle.

Ventured to Publix again and saw a pregnant guy parked in the pregnant lady (person?) parking space. Miracles of modern medicine.

I've been clipping coupons to save a little money. Millionaire next door ya know (the book for those that missed the reference). It cost $2.50 for the newspapers to save us $5.00 today. And I actually made a conscious effort to be honest and ONLY buy stuff that we needed. Are coupons really worth the effort or is it the same difference to buy store brands and stuff that's on sale (pork tenderloin was $2.99/lb today!)?

We took Babygirl to two parties on Saturday. She was such a trooper! Except for the hunger meltdown in the car in between the two, she was happy and social all night. She also discovered last week that she can make a lot of noise. For about 3 days there she chirped and squawked for hours. Not having experience with young infants, I wonder if she's doing normal things or if she's spe-shul. She's also in the process of outgoing her 0-3 month clothes. It's very traumatic for Mommy. We have an appointment with a photographer this week to capture the cute dresses that she won't be able to wear again. :(

After having a record wet year, we're now having the driest September on record. Not to mention that it's still hitting the upper 80's. Must be that global warming thing that Bush caused. At least when we go to Hilton Head this weekend for Grandpa C's birthday, we'll be able to enjoy it. Boy, I'm ready for fall!

Football season is in full swing. I now compete for the TV with Mapgeek on Thursdays thru Sundays. I have to take the remote with me if I walk out of the room, just in case he wants to "check" scores during commercials. Haha! Though I am learning a lot about the Falcons.

All of our very nice neighbors have either had us over for dinner or have brought us dinner. And our one party we had was during the neighborhood progressive dinner. Can you say poor planning? I hope to have a neighbor-gathering sometime soon, though our falls always seem so busy with several trips in October, Babygirl's christening in November, another trip in November, and then we're into the hoidays. It never seems to stop. Please forgive us neighbors!

I think I've covered the random. Babygirl says "Ahhhhhhccchhhhkkkkkmmmmmmmmaaaaa!" (Hi and bye in Babygirl-speak).

Babygirl Bunny Monster 

On a happier note

It's been such a downer kind of week. I hate to dwell on everything. So, here's a quick Babygirl update. She's growing so fast! We believe she's also started on the road to a full set of teeth. I call her the Little Monster as she grabs at everything which immediately goes in the mouth to be gummed. Not to mention the drool. She's also starting to recognize words. When she gets hungry, I tell her that she's going to get some BBJ (boobyjuice for the uneducated) and she immediately quites down. Babygirl is also laughing and smiling on cue. It makes me laugh!

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy week!

Mardi Gras stunk anyways

I read an interesting editorial today by Robert Tracinski and I believe that several news sources are also reporting the same facts. It seems that rather than evacuating the jails in New Orleans, the government there just let the convicts go. What the hell?????? So, coming to the same conclusion I did, it appears that the people that were “left” in New Orleans were a bunch of convicts and those that were homeless, poor, or had nowhere to go. I’m beginning to understand why rescuers are getting shot at and looters are rampant.

A woman in Cobb County was killed today during a carjacking incident. To make a long story short, the bad guy hit a cement truck, which killed her. He was then shot and killed by another guy that saw the initial carjack. Yay! In addition, the bad guy is the prime suspect in a rape that happened in Cobb County yesterday morning. It was reported that the bad guy was an evacuee from New Orleans.

Update (September 18)
As commented, the bad guy here was NOT an evacuee. He was an Atlanta-grown bad guy. Rape, child molestation, burglary, car jacking, etc.

Moving on and continuing my train of thought here. Early Saturday morning (or late Friday night…I’d guess the AM part), a neighbor here had their house broken into. Now, you must understand that the said neighbor left their garage doors open and probably the door from the garage to the house unlocked. (Hey yall! Come on in!) Regardless, someone walked into their house and stole wallets, IPods, and several other items. The burglers also proceeded to drink beer and leave the bottles behind in his garage (smart ones these guys). This neighbor printed out flyers for everyone in the ‘hood describing the incident and who to call if they saw anything. During our party, I walked out of the Man Pit (Mapgeek’s basement area) and discovered that someone spray painted a smiley face on one of our deck supports. And, Mapgeek also discovered a mostly empty bottle of rum in the front yard. When the detective returned my call, he said the “Beer Bottle Bandits” had been hitting several neighborhood houses and raiding garages and drinking beer. Most likely teenagers.

The conclusion…..there are several families in our neighborhood that are hosting displaced NO families. The Beer Bottle Bandits have just recently started raiding. See where I’m going? After reading all I’ve read, does this seem reasonable? The reality is that we probably have a couple teenage hoodlums in our ‘hood. Don’t they realize that these “pranks” could ruin their lives? I sure hope their parents notice and turn them in. Before they get shot by an itchy-trigger homeowner for walking into their house in the middle of the night. Or gets run over by the person that FLIES through the ‘hood at 5:30 every morning.

The sad part of all this is that most people are generally good. The few bad ones (and apparently really bad ones) are ruining everyone else. I’m now hesitant to donate any money or goods to any organization supporting NO. I wonder how many others feel this way. I’d rather give directly so my support doesn’t go to the bad guys. Of course, I’m a sucker, so I’d probably be giving to the bad guys anyways. *sigh*

Go Chicken Peoples!

Babygirl was initiated into southern football this weekend. We had a semi-party to watch the South Carolina-Georgia game. Since we didn’t have our annual BBQ in June (busy having babies), we decided to have a small gathering for the game. My beloved Tigers won after a very disappointing loss last weekend to Tech (boooooo!). So I was glad that Babygirl got to see a great game, even though the Dawgs managed to squeak it out. I think the Curse of Spurrier still reigns in Georgia. At least it’s good for intimidation purposes. I’m just glad that Auburn doesn’t face him too often, though October 1st this year will be an interesting weekend with the Curley Clan. Auburn hasn’t faced the Chickens in a number of years. Luckily, Babygirl, typically dressed by Mommy, will be decked out in her orange and blue like a good girl!


Munchkin watching the Gamecocks with Grandpa Curley (ok, so she's dozing...it's halftime!)

As long as you have your health

Our co-worker, neighbor, and friend, Derek was suddenly put in the hospital last Thursday night with a bleed in his brain. I've heard aneurism, stroke, AVMs and other terms that I don't fully understand. It has been touch and go since then and will continue to be for another 4-5 days. Mapgeek and I are praying for him, his wife, Susan, and his family. Derek is one of the most amazing persons that I know. If you could ever have a technology prodigy, Derek would be it. Derek and their roommate, Swoopy run a website and Podcast called Skepticality. They have a huge following and people all over the world have been sending them good vibes. After hearing about the lack of humanity during the New Orleans fiasco, my faith in humanity got bumped up a notch reading all the posts on their site. And yes, I know everything I "hear" is on the news and we all know how reliable that is. (And please don't reply with any feelgood stories. I'm aware of the good and that wasn't my point.)

Anything regarding the brain scares the bejeezus out of me. It reminds me again how thankful I am with my life, husband, and babygirl. I am so humbled everyday hearing about other people's problems, primarily health and more recently Mother Nature issues. You hear the saying "as long as you have your health....". Anyways, I'm thinking a lot about Derek and am praying for him.

Sorry for the deep post. I had to get it off my chest. :)

Fashions by Mairin - Take 2

Well, Babygirl and Grandmom C have been at it again. Once again, y'all are going to have to humor my posting of pictures of the Munchkin. I think she loves to play dress up. When I was growing up, the girl across the street had tons of vintage clothes. Stuff from the 20's. We used to spend hours and hours playing dress up in these old wedding dresses and gypsy skirts and hats and shoes. I'm going to have to invest in something like that for Babygirl. Anyone out there have vintage clothing they want to give up?

Looking more and more like her Daddy. :) 

One of my wonderful roommates, Elise, from Auburn sewed this for Mairin. It's so beautiful with all the smocking (not to mention the Munchkin!) 

I don't know what to say about this one except HOW CUTE!! 

Kari and Evan, Mommy and Babygirl, Deidre and Logan - lots and lots of babies! 

Grandmommy E on the left, Grandmommy P on the right, and my Great Aunt D in the middle with Babygirl - best looking women in the crowd!  

The Curleygirl v1.0 Clan (aka, the Abernethy's) 

Katrina fallout - thoughts and ideas

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. Having been a hurricane victim and sometime evacuee, my sympathies to the gulf coast. Actually, I take that back. I’ve never been a victim of anything remotely close to what’s going on down south. I had trees fall down in my yard during several hurricanes and I got stuck at my house without power during an ice storm (ok, so it was only for a few hours). I hope to do more than offer my sympathy. That’s not going help anybody.

No “I told you so’s”, but you got to admit, you knew New Orleans was a total gamble. It was only a matter of time before something devastated the city. Are they going to rebuild the city? How about moving it above sea level?

Those poor people stuck in the Super Dome. I don’t think that I would ever go to a government shelter after seeing that. The water is rising and now they are busing them to Houston to the Astrodome. And then there are looters stealing out of homes and stores. The lowest form of life.

Today, there are huge lines at the gas pumps, rising prices, and most likely panic from the masses. I heard on the news today that the EPA is lowering their refinement standards so that oil can be created more quickly. I think that the one good thing that may come out of this hurricane is the unbelievable, in your face, need for more refineries. Perhaps the in-denial environmentalists will back off. Maybe it would be a good time to just go ahead and take over Iraq…it’s all about the oil ya know.

Where’s our foreign aid from other countries? Is anyone going to send in help? Are we going to get money to help alleviate our suffering? Maybe an oil tanker or two? Maybe they’ll give us cut rates on hybrid cars. Or some coupons for Walmart.

I sure would rather our hard earned, hard paid tax dollars stay at home to deal with our problems. Let the other countries deal with their own. I’m tired of the wonderful people of this country, that care and help the unfortunate others, be repaid by insults, nastiness, and violence. I say let them care for themselves. Let a little Darwinism take place. How’s that for hard line? :) Ok, not really. We'll continue to give and continue to be abused. That's the American way.

OHHHHHHH!!! Bush just gave a press conference. He ended with “God bless you”. I’m offended.

Surprise!

Mapgeek, Babygirl, and I headed to Hickory for my Grandmother’s 85th surprise birthday party. But, first, we swung by Charlotte to visit Nato and ‘Manda, since we weren’t supposed to be in Hickory until Saturday (wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise). We got to Charlotte, packed up the stroller, and WALKED to dinner. I sure miss being able to walk anywhere. They live in a great townhouse downtown and in walking proximity of lots of restaurants and bars. Best yet, we got to take the dog too and eat outside at a great pizza place. Then we headed back to the house and up to the rooftop terrace for drinks and watching the beautiful Charlotte skyline. We had a great time! Nato is off for Iraq in a few weeks and we wish him well. Be safe and hurry home! We miss you!

On to Hickory…

My aunt, Wufpakgrl and my mom planned and executed a great party! Well, executed as well as can be expected for a typical family party. My Grandmother seemed to be surprised, though she was probably wondering why all the family members kept showing up out of the blue and all at the same time. The party was at a city park. Wufpakgrl reserved one of the pavilions and the men folk grilled hamburgers and dogs for the party. Yum!

And then there was the reunion aspect of it all. Two of my cousins have new babies. My cousin, that is 3 weeks younger than me, has a new son that is 2 months older than Babygirl. I think they’re gonna be the Tree Monkeys reincarnate. Then, another cousin has a little boy that is 11 months. Cute, cute! Baby Central.

After the party, we all hiked it back over to my Grandmother’s house and “visited”. We “visit” down here in the south. Plopped a quilt down on the floor, put the 2 youngest babies down, and all gawked at them to see if they were going to do something interesting. I don’t know why watching wriggling infants is so fascinating. Then we watched Nascar and popped a couple brews (the Atlanta crew has tainted the fine art of drinking Bud by bringing Scottish ale, but you get the picture).

And my poor Grandmother. Not expecting to house 8 people and feed breakfast to the entire crew on Sunday. My southern hospitality lesson for the weekend…always change the sheets on the beds after guests leave. That way the beds are ready for the next guests, that may show up for some surprise party you don’t know about. My Grandmother rules! She even had tomatoes, her homemade bread, and liver mush ready for us for breakfast!

All in all, a great weekend!

Feet!! I have feet!! 

Tired out from all this vacationing. 

Sunbathing with Mommy! (Ok, not really, I only had her out for a minute because she was crying...please no lectures!) 

Ready for the beach. 

Sweet surfin'! 

Babygirl and Daddy being hotel bar flies. 

Is it hot enough for ya?

I know you have all been anxiously waiting for the update from our vacation to Hilton Head. We had such a great time! Though things were somewhat slower and we didn’t have as much beach/pool time as normal. Just as well, cause it was HOT, HOT, HOT. I hear it’s that way all over the south lately.

We left our house Thursday morning. I got up early figuring it was going to take us a while to get moving. Babies sure do take a lot of coordination and timing to mobilize. Got to account for the feedings and diaper changing. We dropped of the granddog over at Grandmommy P’s and then we were finally beach bound! Of course, it’s like 11:30 by this time. Anyway, uneventful trip.

We stayed at the Crown Plaza Resort on Shipyard Plantation. Nice hotel with all the amenities we wanted if we needed to stick close to home. Having never gone on an official vacation with Babygirl, who knows what was going to happen.

When we got to the hotel around 5. We dropped off our stuff (and we had A LOT of stuff – parents have one bag, baby has five) and headed with Babygirl down to check out the surf. The hotel itself is set back from the beach, so we walked down the hotel paths and boardwalk to the sand. We took a quick look and decided to head to the hotel bar for some Happy Hour appetizers and drinks. Babygirl was a hit with the English waitress. On a side note, all the waitresses in the hotel seemed to be British. Not sure what’s up with that…. We then went to Steamers in Coligny Plaza, which has been one of my favorite places to eat since they have cheap oysters and beer. Babygirl got fussy right at the end, but I think I’m finally figuring out that 8-9 is her fussy time and we were there a little late.

We got up Friday morning and headed for the beach around 11. We put Babygirl in her carrier that then fits in the stroller. Luckily the east coast has more packed sand, so you can push a stroller relatively easy. We walked about 15 minute down the beach, then headed back, deciding that Babygirl was too hot all cooped up in the stroller. We headed back to Coligny for lunch and then had to deal with the feeding thing, so we didn’t get back to the pool until after 4. The first day at the pool was pretty easy. We found a couple chairs in the shade. We also figured out that Babygirl may be too small to ride in the stroller, but it sure makes a nice, covered play area for her. So we hung out at the pool for an hour or so. We then showered and headed back to the hotel bar for more Happy Hour treats before retiring to our room for some yummy room service and TV.

Our last day, Saturday, we decided to get to the pool “early” and claim a primo spot in the shade for the afternoon. We quickly discovered that “early” in kiddie-land is not at 11:00. All the parents and their kids had already claimed the shade areas. We did find a couple chairs in the shade, which became more sunny as the day progressed. Babygirl napped in her stroller while Mommy and Daddy read and took quick dips to cool off. All was fine, hot as heck, but ok until Babygirl either got bit by a fly or got too hot and woke up. So, back to the room at 2 for the afternoon. Getting smarter as the days went on, we decided to head out earlier for dinner since Babygirl seems to nap in the late in the afternoon or early evening time. So, we went back to Steamers for oysters and then to Wild Wing for Daddy’s fix. Babygirl was a champ. By far, the best kid in the place. I’m still trying to figure out why we go all the way to HHI for vacation and end up eating at Wild Wing.

Anyways, that was the trip! Got up Sunday and came home – nothing exciting except for me trying to pump in the car (just let me know when we pass someone). We’re looking forward to our next vacation, though I hope it’s much cooler than this one….temperature speaking of course.

(On a side note, I finished the new Harry Potter book. I loved it and can’t wait to read the final one! On another side note, Mapgeek and I both started reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I believe my friend Jaygee gave it to me at a shower. Good book for parents and I highly recommend it if you’re having problems with an infant. Which we aren't, but it is insightful.)

Smelly cat, oh smelly cat!

Ok, I was just watching the Friends episode where Phoebe and Chris Isaak sing Smelly Cat. Seemed appropriate here. :)

I have to blog about this. I often wonder what people are thinking. The woman that is protesting in front of the President's ranch...what's up with that? I pride myself on being able to somewhat understand and empathize with most sides of an issue. And then there's reality.

I don't see anything wrong with protest, or sitting outside the President's front door in order to make a point. What if this woman actually gets what she wants? What if the US pulls out of Iraq? And Israel out of Palestine? Does anyone honestly think that this will stop terrorism? I mean really? If so, then we'll have to agree to disagree because I don't think it will make any difference. The terrorists will find some other reason to hate us and try to kill us and I honestly don't believe they will stop. Peaceful religion ya know.

And as far as her not paying taxes...that'll show 'em!

Take your best shot

I officially do not like booster shots. Especially when they aren't mine. Babygirl got her 2 month shots today. Her first round, at one month, upset the poo out of me. She screamed bloody murder. I think I thought it was going to be more like the dog's shots. In and out before the dog can react. Not so.

In anticipation for her FOUR separate shots that she was going to get today, Mommy got teary. I held poor Babygirl's hands while the mean old nurse did a BAM BAM in one leg, and then a BAM BAM in the other leg. Babygirl immediately started crying, though it didn't seem as loud as it did at one month. When it was all over, I picked her up, did the "poor baby" thing, and cooed at her for a minute. I laid her back down to dress her, so I could coo at her poor pouty face some more. Babygirl started laughing instead. So much for baby pity. I guess she's not old enough to realize that at times like these, it would be in her best interest to work it a little.

On the other hand, the checkup went great! She's up to 10 1/2 pounds and 22 inches. Smack in the middle of the percentile pack. The doc said her head has a "beautiful shape" and did we "rotate her"? I also got the lecture about having nothing in the crib besides the baby and the mattress. I didn't have the heart to tell the doc that there are 5 stuffed animals, a pillowy thing, 4 blankets, and an aquarium. So far, Babygirl has avoided choking on the aquarium so we haven't been too worried about it. We've also given up swaddling her. She never liked it much to begin with and now she screams at night if she can't stick her fingers in her mouth. She'll hardly take the pacifier anymore either, having discovered the joys of fists.

Now that we are "free", Babygirl and I made our first official outing to...where else...the grocery store! Needed more diapers and Mommy needed lunch. Tomorrow, we're off to our exercise class again. I think we may finally venture down to the office to see Daddy and all our coworkers that have been so sweet asking about Babygirl. Then maybe we'll finally be able to go to the pool!

My favorite toys!