Family Time

This morning we spent a couple of hours together-- finally getting some much needed family time. This happens far too infrequently so it is especially sweet when we do get to plan something fun for Carver and escape together--even for a morning.

Today we headed back to the aquatic center in Gainesville for one last water-excursion before everything up here shuts down for the Fall and Winter.

The weather was perfect and Carver loves any activity that involves playing in the water.

Meet Lucy's Baby

Some of you might remember that for our 5th Anniversary I gave Daniel a cow, which he named Lucy. You can read about Lucy here.

Well, just before our 6th anniversary Lucy had her first baby-- a girl! Baby cow is so far unnamed because Daniel wants to see her before naming her. I am glad he takes this whole thing so seriously (bestowing a name is a big deal!) and I'm also glad that we will be in Bartow in just a few short weeks to get to meet the little one.



Now Daniel is well on his way to a herd of his own. (Not that this is the goal or anything. Several will be plenty. No farmer's life for me...).

Fun, right?

20 Months

Carver and I have had a really good month. I'm not sure why things have seemed easier in general, but it is probably due to a number of things. He spent most of the summer teething which led to a complete set of teeth but were accompanied by a lot of fussiness-- which was new for us. (Fussiness due to teething that is, not fussiness in general-- we are somewhat familiar with that). These last few weeks have been calmer and I think it is largely because he feels better. Daniel has also started being around a little more regularly, which is fun for Carver, and gives me the occasional break from single-parenting. And, I've had a three week break from teaching which has no doubt changed my overall temperament as well.

So, month 20 has been good for us.

The fun facts:

1) As mentioned, Carver has a full set of teeth now. Crazy how fast they all came in at the same time.

2) Climbing has become a true passion for him. He climbs on everything. Last week he learned to climb up onto our tall kitchen chairs. Said chairs now reside in the garage. Visions of Carver falling and splatting on the tile led us to move them immediately.



Carver also learned to escape from "baby jail." Fortunately, it has only happened once so far. Unfortunately, he was able to lock me out on our back deck during his one successful escape. I had a ridiculous moment of telling Carver to "push the latch up...Carver, push the latch up....Carver-- unlock the door!", before accepting that I would have about the same amount of luck if I was asking Delia to open the door. Which wouldn't work anyway since Delia was outside with me at the time. Thank the Lord for an old, barely used, almost forgotten, spare key. The thought of Carver loose and unattended for any length of time in our house makes me shaky.

3) We are getting close to needing a first haircut. Sorry Daniel, we aren't quite there yet. On good hair days his hair looks totally fine. On bad hair days, well...



4) New words: "stick," (occasionally) and "please" (regularly). Please sounds like "dees" so it took me a little while to catch on. So, Carver technically has 20 words or so now. He tends to not use them very often and to completely drop words for weeks at a time. Which can be a little frustrating.

5) Can I just say that naptime and bedtime are two of the easiest times of my day? I'm not referring to his actual sleep time which is, obviously, not hard. But, rather putting him down for naps and at night. For naptime I just say "Ok Carver, it's time to take a nap" and he stops whatever he is doing and heads to his room. We turn on his music, sing a song or two, I lay him down and he wakes up 2 (or so) hours later. Piece of cake. Bedtime is about the same. I tell him it is bedtime, he runs to his room and immediately sits down on his rug so we can read our bedtime stories, turn on the music, turn off the light, sing some songs, lay him down-- see him about 12 hours later. No fights, no fussing, no struggles. This is an incredible blessing, and I promise I do not take it for granted. Especially considering he never napped without being held until he was about 4 months old and he didn't sleep through the night until 10 months old. We fought hard for a schedule to work for us and I am so very thankful we are here.

6) We had our first MOPS get-together of the new school year last week. Carver spent two hours playing at the park and ate his first popsicle. And, I burned a lot of calories chasing him while he ran around like a maniac. Win-Win. I'm looking forward to the biweekly MOPS meetings-- I love for Carver to get to interact with other kids his own age (Ellen, maybe next time we visit you Carver will know that it is NOT OK to steal Emerson's food). And, I like a reason to get dressed and leave the house.

7) Carver and I have started taking some walks in the evenings. Usually up to the mailbox. He has really become a lot steadier on his feet though he runs most of the time now, which inevitably leads to tumbles. Last night we walked around the upper circle in our neighborhood and were greeted by an elderly man who brought us each a Klondike bar. Seriously. I have never seen anything so sweet in my entire life. I feel like my opinion of humanity has been reaffirmed. There really is good in the world.

8) We've also spent some time out at camp, visiting Daniel on days when he would otherwise not have seen Carver that day.

"Helping" clean up after dinner.

Carver's favorite part of visiting Daddy at work...

Classic Carver-- he has made a variation of this expression since birth.

9) Carver adores playing outside.



Well, I think that about sums up this last month. We've got some fun things planned in the next few weeks so his 21st month should be really fun. Oh how I love this stage, but how I hate inching closer and closer to the big 2. No longer will I give his age in months, but rather in years. It is inevitable, but the thought stings a little, I won't lie.

Carver Jacob, you make every day worthwhile for me. Every single day.

a day with daddy...

Recently Carver was able to spend an entire morning hanging out with his daddy :) Sometimes it is hard for me to be away from Carver for any length of time (even half a day)-- but I LOVE it when he gets to spend time alone with Daniel. It is just so good for both of them. I know it is only a short time before they will start spending an enormous amount of time together (playing sports, camping, hiking, etc), but for the most part, during this "baby" phase of Carver's life so far, they haven't had too many chances to do things just the two of them.

While I was busy one morning, Daniel and Carver started the day with breakfast at our favorite local (breakfast) place-- Stoney's. Carver loves breakfast-- he gets this from his daddy.

Then they headed to Gainesville to the aquatic center where Carver got to play and play in a super kid-friendly water "park." It looks like he had a fabulous time....


I think I'll have to tag along next time.

Reunion

A couple of weeks ago Daniel, Carver, and I headed to Winston-Salem for Daniel's high school reunion. This was the first time we had been to Winston since Christmas (I think), so it was nice to be back there for a quick visit.

Daniel seemed to enjoy getting to catch up with some old
friends, most of whom he had not stayed in contact with at all since graduating. And, I enjoyed getting to meet his friends, hear stories of his high school days, and we always enjoy introducing Carver to new people :)

Friday night, the adults all met for dinner at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant.

All of the couples.

The Classmates

Saturday we spent, with kids included, at the park. (Sorry, no pics...too busy chasing Carver around while Daniel helped grill burgers).

It was a quick trip, but I'm glad Daniel was able to attend his reunion. As always, it was also nice for us to get to spend some time as a family-- that hasn't happened much in the last 4 months.

(Disclaimer: the pics from the reunion were stolen off of Facebook)

19 Months

I am shamefully late posting Carver's 19 month blog. Yes, I know he will be 20 months in a mere 4 days...

Never fear, I've tried to really think about what to actually include in this posting versus the next one I will do next week. And, it is actually a little difficult to remember what new/different things he was doing in month 19 and what he is doing now in what I consider month 20. It's a little confusing.

Here is my best attempt at documenting month 19.

1) Carver is still mostly non-verbal. When I can force his pacifier out of his mouth he gets very chatty but, really, all of it is indistinguishable. He does have a list of words he can say, he just doesn't normally choose to. It can be a little frustrating. His new favorite word is "hot." He has probably heard this word more than any other this summer. Every time we walk outside I complain that it is hot; or I tell him we can't play outside because it is "too hot." Now everything is "hot." He does seem to have a general understanding of the meaning. He often says it when we are outside, or in reference to the oven (though not necessarily only when it is actually hot).

2) We had a quick visit with Ellen, Terry, and Emerson toward the end of June. It was SO GREAT to see Ellen-- our visits are rather infrequent, and it was really fun to get to spend a little time with Emerson and watch her and Carver together. (Sidenote: I also really enjoy getting to see Terry. I don't know him super well, but he is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He has a way of making you feel so important and welcome. It is a really great quality.)

Notice Carver's tan lines.

I adore this picture. This is probably a typical response to some of Carver's antics. Emerson is clearly saying, "What on earth are you doing???"

3) We spent the 4th of July out at camp but, unfortunately, with darkness falling after 9 p.m., the little one did not get to see any fireworks :(

Playing on this piece of machinery is Carver's favorite thing to do at camp. He could sit here all day...

A little 4th of July pool party-- notice the festive suit.

4) The temper is still very present and part of our daily lives. I will say, however, that I think things have been a little better. My patience has improved some and I've been reading some parenting books. (Don't laugh-- they really are pretty good). I'm still working out a strategy for discipline so I'll let you know when that happens. Carver is never really "bad," it is just a matter of needing to curb certain behaviors, you know?

5) Favorites: breakfast, playing outside, sidewalk chalk, Wheat Thins Chips (garden veggie), milkshakes, kitchen cabinets and drawers.

6) Least favorites: brushing teeth, being told "no," diaper changes (still?!?), highchairs and shopping carts.

7) Sleeping patterns: Nap: (1) 2-3 hours; Bedtime: 8:00, Wake up: 7:30-8:00.

8) Visited a local petting zoo with Nana and Papa (and me)!


Carver and I have had a really good summer. I feel like his transition into toddler-hood has been apparent these last weeks. He is fiercely independent but still likes to be held and loved on. (for brief moments). With Daniel busy all summer we had even more bonding time than usual. I feel like he is my little sidekick. He goes everywhere I go and though I get really tired and frustrated sometimes, I wouldn't change a thing.

My cup is full and I am overwhelmed. In a good way.

Back to my happy place...

In July I met Mama and Jules for a weekend in Asheville, which is, of course, my happy place. I miss it. I lived there for 2 years and I have lived here in Georgia for 6...but I still want to go back. I love the mountains, and the atmosphere of the city, the shopping, and especially the restaurants.

I'll stop there before my usual bitterness takes deeper root.

Julia was finishing up her two weeks at Crestridge so Carver and I headed over to see her choir musical on Thursday night and then the closing program on Friday morning. Returning to Crestridge is still partly like going home and partly like returning to a place you never wanted to see again. It's a weird dichotomy. I love it and I hate it. As soon as I drive through the gates I'm flooded with memories, good and bad. It will never be normal to me, to be there without Daniel.

But, alas, it is what it is.

Carver had an enormously good time exploring the creeks of Crestridge, making it impossible for me to see much of Julia's musical. He gathered rocks, splashed in the water, and ultimately, just sat in it and let the water flow all around him. I could barely drag him out of it.


On Thursday night Carver and I stayed at the Ridgecrest Conference Center, where Carver spent most of the night in bed with me and I got almost no sleep. Friday morning we headed back over to Crestridge for their closing program. It was fun to see a few old camp friends and watch Carver play there-- a little surreal actually.

Former camper and one of my favorite girls ever. She is on staff now and I could not be prouder of the beautiful woman she has become. Love her.

Jules and Carver after Closing

After the closing program we headed into Asheville for lunch at, of course, Tupelo Honey Cafe. My favorite place ever. Later we checked into our hotel, Carver took a short nap then we did some shopping and ate dinner at McAllister's.

Carver really loves luggage carts...

Bedtime story at the hotel

On Saturday we started the day with breakfast at Moose Cafe. Then we spent some time downtown, drove by my old place at 25 Baird St, went to the Grove Park Inn and, on the way out of town, ate lunch at the Lucky Otter.

The Grove Park Inn

I really enjoy this new tradition we have of planning an Asheville weekend each summer. I hope and pray that within the next couple of years we can get rid of our renters and keep our house in Asheville for just our own personal use. I think having that house to go to for weekends or mini-vacations would make living in Demorest a little less unappealing...

We need to build a house out at camp so we can see Daniel more regularly, and then we need to have a "second home" in Asheville. Then the stars would align, my world would be at peace, I could relax, find a little comfort in these things, and just be content.

I think.

Let's try it and see.

The BIG Event-- Baltimore, Part 5

The Final Chapter.

As I have stated before, I absolutely loved the venue that Courtney and Michael chose for their wedding. I mean, who wouldn't love a historic 18th century mansion? I love that indoors the rooms were filled with period pieces-- and we had free use of the entire house for the event, which was great!

However, there were some major issues that arose at the "eleventh hour" so to speak and we had to get them addressed and fixed super quickly. Which ended up being much more stressful, frustrating, and somewhat infuriating than you would think.

Let me take a minute to give some background information on the Waverly Mansion. Apparently, the mansion is owned by the county/state but used solely as a venue for events. There is a company that specifically plans weddings and other events at this locale. And, I won't be so tacky as to say how much the venue cost (nor do I know exactly), but let's just say that it is...pricey.

On Thursday, two days before the BIG DAY, we went to the Waverly Mansion to do a final "run through" of the house, tent, grounds, etc. Court and Michael were there, along with Jenny, me, mom, and Carver.

What we found was shocking, horrifying, irritating, and ultimately infuriating.

The grounds were a disaster. The front flower beds were filled with weeds and sad dying pansies. The large planters that flanked the front entry to the house were filled with weeds and cigarettes. I mean, hello!, this is the location of an OUTDOOR wedding in 48 hours.

Front flower beds.

Bench out back, those are all weeds...

Large planter-- 1 of 2 that flanked the front entrance to the house.

A closer look at the contents of the planter.

Bushes around the back entrance to the house and tent, with cords running through them.

We (all of us got involved) had to actually ask/demand that the grounds be weeded and the beds re-planted before the wedding. The second person we spoke with, the actual person assigned to Courtney's wedding specifically, actually stated that they had hosted 17 weddings already this season. Seriously? And, no other bride found the the state of the landscaping and grounds to be appalling. How is that even possible?

And, this person, who shall remain nameless because I forgot her name not to protect her identity, seemed extremely put out by our requests. It was an enormous stressful ordeal, with repeated visits, phone calls, and words exchanged in order to get the grounds looking wedding-ready for Courtney's day.

While I (and all of us) sincerely appreciate that the beds were weeded and replanted, this is a situation that never should have been an issue. Courtney and Michael should never have had to request these most basic of things. And, more importantly, we should have never been made to feel like we were making outrageous demands of the wedding company-- THIS WAS AN OUTDOOR WEDDING-- doesn't it seem reasonable for the grounds to be weed and cigarette free?

The newly weeded and planted flower beds, and Jenny's flower pots.

An enormous shout out must be given to Jenny who helped tremendously with this whole process as well as so many other pre-wedding issues. Jenny made phone calls, talked to the grounds crew (who spoke little English), and stayed on top of the whole thing until it was finally wedding-ready. She also went to Home Depot and personally purchased the flowers for the front planters and replanted them herself about two hours before the ceremony. [This was necessary because they only planted sad, small, dying white petunias in them].

I feel slightly guilty that the wedding weekend might not have been super fun for Jenny. But I (and my whole family) are so thankful for how she jumped right in to help with everything. She, seriously, was such a big help with so many things. Unlike me, Jenny can stay calm and reasonable when dealing with ridiculous people or irritating situations. [Sidenote: I do not stay calm in these situations. For example, on Thursday afternoon Jenny and I were running around trying to get Court's dress steamed. One place wanted to charge us $100 to steam her dress. WHAT?!? I almost flew over the counter and choked the lady. I have no self-control in these situations. Good thing Jenny was there to keep me from an assault charge]. I love it that Jenny is part of our family and is willing to just see a need and take care of it. I loved spending those days with her, and seriously, she should get a Most Valuable Player trophy for her part in getting ready for the BIG DAY.