Lullaby Medley
Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl
Tiller’s rendition of our three favorite night time songs, as performed this morning on the basement hearth. These are the three songs that she refers to as “Bitsy,” “Sunshine,” and “Twinkle.”
Archive for the ‘Parenthood’ Category
Lullaby Medley
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008Lullaby Medley
Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl
Rollie’s Fifth Birthday
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008So, I already did the sappy letter post, but here’s the fun stuff! We had Rollie’s party at the pool. Not a lot of folks could make it, since it was a holiday weekend, but we had fun anyway!
Lightning McQueen cake, which had to be fixed when they put “Happy Birthday, Bollie” on it.
The boy eating cake.
Aunt Lisa and Baby Dash
The Chef and Chef Senior (a.k.a. My Favorite Father-in-law)
Paul, Rollie, Tills, and Gabriel
Virginia chats with Harmony and Paul, which Chase hangs.
Grandma tries to hog Luci during my Luci time.
Tiller and Rollie
Me and Luci
Me and Mama
Birthday boy in the pool, looking happy.
Me and Tills in the pool.
Happy birthday, buddy. We love you!
I’m a Slacker
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
I have really neglected old Dogwood Girl this week. I guess getting ready to go to the beach and trying to get all my workouts in, while doing laundry, and being a singlish mom (what i call myself when Todd has a busy shoot week) has put DG on the back burner. Sad, because i had lots of ideas and thoughts i wanted to get down.
Anyway, this photo doesn’t take much explanation, but it is a significant milestone.
Anyone who is a parent can identify with the horrible feeling of trying to watch young kids around water. It is kind of like constantly having lost your keys or purse. You feel slightly naked or vulnerable, and you have a little panicky feeling scanning the area to keep tabs on both children.
Or maybe that’s just me.
So, when we are at the Lake, the kids have to wear their life jackets whenever they are near the water, on the dock, in the boat, etc. But this past 4th of July weekend, the water was low enough for both kids to stand on the bottom near the seawall. (Our lake level, unlike many in GA, has not been affected by the drought.) That means that, with their life jackets on, and their feet on the bottom, Todd and I could SIT ON THE DOCK AND WATCH THEM SWIM.
This may not seem like much, but you try to relax and drink a beer, while standing in lake water with two kids arms clinging tightly around your neck. Normally, one of us has to be in the water to drag their butts back when they start flowing downriver.
It was like glimpsing a bright, sunny, relaxing future. My future. With children who can stand up on their own.
On another note, this is also one of very few pictures where both kids are a) looking at the camera and b) smiling, rather than trying to beat the shit out of each other.
Okay, maybe this photo did require some explanation.
Roller Coaster
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008P6280074
Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl
This kind of cracks me up. What a wild ride! Tiller and my favorite father-in-law in the front car, with Rollie pulling up the rear (that’s where you get the most Gs, you know?)
Kind of sad that I missed my kids’ first roller coaster ride, but I did have to be around for my little nephew to come into the world.
Tiller Loves Lisa
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008Tiller Loves Lisa
Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl
Since Tiller and Rollie can’t see their new cousin for a few weeks, and Lisa bought Tiller this outfit before having the baby, Tiller felt that she needed to say thank you to Lisa through video.
Lisa, she flipped when she saw the new Hello kitty shirt. She loves it.
Also, it didn’t come up in the video, but Tiller and Rollie are completely ignoring the fact that Mark and Lisa named the baby Dash; He will always and forever be what they wanted to name him: “Monster Truck.”
As in, “Did Lisa have Monster Truck yet?” That just cracks me up.
Stream of Consciousness Post
Friday, June 27th, 2008
This is one of my ultimate favorite pics of the boy. I think this was probably around Memorial Day or 4th of July at the Lake. (Note old boathouse – Outta there!) I guess he was about 10 months or so.
Damn, he had some serious rubber banding (rubber banding is the term used to describe fat rolls so deep that it looks like you put a tight rubber band on the kids arm) going on. Here’s to his new cousin Dash carrying on the fatness tradition. Nothing worse than a skinny ass baby. I like’em fat!
He’s sitting with Aunt Lisa. I love how he has a little hawk going on, and the Idol sneer. Lisa looks like she is just trying not to get sunburned and crack under the weight of him sitting in her lap.
That shirt she is wearing was hers in high school and then I stole it, because it was soft and awesome and I worked out in it. Then, I was wearing it coming back from Brant’s wedding two weeks after my own wedding, and Todd and I were hit by a drunk driver and my face got all broken and there was blood all over the shirt and everything else. And then we just washed it and I still wore it, even with blood stains, which, let’s face it, is completely tough.
Not sure why Lisa is wearing it, though, as she does nothing but ridicule me for my inability to throw out any piece of clothing, no matter how completely and totally fucked it is.
Walter, Jr. here. Or Lena Mae, if you prefer.
Love me some fat Rollie.
Might have to go find a pic of my face after aforementioned car wreck. Talk about tough-looking.
Fast Friends
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
My sister is pregnant and is in the ‘get the baby out” stage, or maybe it is the “I think i changed my mind. I don’t really want to have this baby” stage. Either way, i was thinking that after bombarding her labor stories, which can be kind of scary, I would write about a good/fond memory of labor/childbirth/the aftermath.
With Rollie, my best memories are:
When I first had him, they had the specialists to come in and suction him, since he was not breathing well, and then they let me hold him for a second before taking him to the transitional nursery. I had him for maybe ten seconds, not enough to even take it all in, but my mom was in the room by that point, and she got to see me hold him for the first time. And I got to see her face when I told her that he was named for her father and brother. Now that I have kids, that means more to me than I thought; I can only imagine that looking down at one of my kids and seeing them holding their newborn will really do a number on me, and even if Mom is not around anymore, that memory will be pretty special, and really she will be there, because I will undoubtedly think of her standing down looking at me, her first baby, holding my first baby.
The day I brought him home from the hospital was humid and rainy, but when we pulled into the drive, I got out, and carried Rollie in his carrier onto the porch. my mom came out and while Todd unloaded some stuff, Mom and i stood on the porch with the baby, and we looked up, and the rain had stopped, the sun poked through, and we saw the biggest, most beautiful rainbow ever.
Introducing Rollie to Quint (the dog). I sat on the bottom stair and had Rollie in my arms and we let Quint in and he bounded over to see me, and nuzzled Rollie gently, smelling him. And then Rollie let out a big cooing/crying sound and Quint jumped straight up in the air like a cat, and ran and hid behind the couch.
The first time Lisa changed Rollie’s diaper, he peed in her face. That image never gets old.
Tiller:
Having a great labor experience and her coming into the world almost on the dot of midnight, and being healthy, and getting to hold her and have Todd there, and they didn’t take her away from me and it was just wonderful.
McDonald’s, rather than crappy hospital food, after her birth. It was one of the best meals i have ever eaten. The second time around, i knew that I could get takeout menus from the nurses station, and I knew to send baby to the nursery while i ate and not freak out about it, and pretty much the whole hospital experience was like a vacay.
Rollie came to the hospital to meet Tiller and he was totally unimpressed with her – all he wanted was my milkshake, so he climbed up in the hospital bed with me, and we shared my milkshake and watched cartoons, and I was so relieved, because I realized that my heart really did have enough room for two.
We had Tiller on a Saturday, but had gone into the hospital on a friday afternoon, and so the first day she was in the world, we sat around in the room and had football to watch all day! It was awesome, and i loved watching Todd, his dad, Rollie, and Tiller sitting in my hospital room and watching football together. I loved watching UGA beat the vols that afternoon, with Tiller in my arms asleep.
My Dad falling asleep in the room, with Tiller in his arms.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Monday, December 10th, 2007If this doesn’t get you into the Christmas spirit, you are dead inside.
The Strut
Sunday, September 16th, 2007That’s the name of the festival in my neighborhood. I miss the days when we lived within walking distance of the village, where we could come and go throughout the day, drink as we please, and not worry about it. I also miss my nanny. Oh, wait. We’ve never had a nanny.
Todd and I woke up at 6 a.m., in time to grab a snack and a coffee, get the kids going, and break up a cat and dog fight, before leaving for the 5k. We thought we were running late, and we were so early that they gave us numbers 10 and 11 – Gotta love my slacker neighborhood. It was nice to be in a small race, with neighbors and people I know. It was Todd’s first race, and we were both pleased with the weather, and the fact that we both beat the Dachsund running the race. It’s the small things. Also, the shirt is the coolest!
I wasn’t happy that we had to head over to Grant Park to get brunch, but we hit Ria’s for a brunch without kids. Awesome. Love me some kid-free meals.
Afterwards, we headed back home to start the grill, put on the beans and hit the showers. My sister and Mom were around after watching the kids for the morning. (Best sister EVER for coming over at 6:15 a.m. to watch the kids.) Matt, Ned, Nessie, and Scarlett showed up, and we started the margaritas at about noon, then watched the Auburn game. (Yikes.) I listened to Larry on the radio while the kids ran around. Afterwards, mom and Lisa went home and we all went up to check out the Strut. I got an supercool, ultra cheap creepy shrinkydink necklace for 3$! And a handmade bib for my niece Luci. V. pretty.
Amazingly, i had two margaritas and one beer all day until after bringing the kids home and putting them to bed (they were pooped.) I’ll be honest. I could have really tied one on. But these days, I am more likely to drive my kids safely around (okay, except for the mailman roadie incident!) and then pound some beers on the couch.
I know. Totally glamorous.
Seriously. It was a good day.
Insidious Infiltration
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007So, I have been listening to the Girl Talk album, Night Ripper. Total and complete fun, in a Paul’s Boutique kind of way. Lots of recognizable samples, but used in a really creative way. The song, “Hold Up” is probably my favorite running mix song of the year – How can you go wrong with a song that samples James Taylor and The Pixies? “You still want to hate? Be my guest.” Totally fun album.
Anyway, I am listening to it, and the kids are playing, and I hear a sample I hadn’t heard before. It was familiar to me. “I’m on it,” the voice said. Where had I heard that voice before? Why could I not place it?
Shrek. It was fucking Shrek. The damn Shrek figure from McDonald’s.
The insidious ways that the children infiltrate every corner of my life. . . .