The first tooth

Sam has had a loose tooth since before Steve left. I am historically grossed out by body parts that aren't firmly attached to their intended areas. I was so hoping it would fall out before Steve left (so he could deal with it), but no such luck.

One morning before school, Sam was standing next to me talking about how wiggly his tooth was. I looked briefly, just to get a handle on the timeline of this situation and saw his adult tooth popping through behind. Completely nauseous from the sight, I texted Steve. He told me that it would come out when it was ready. I began to text back that if I had to assist I was going to barf all over both of us, but before I could even hit send, I heard a plink on the floor.

I turned to Sam and asked what he dropped. He bent down a picked up a piece of a Cheerio (the size of a tooth) and exclaimed, "Ahh! This is what was bothering my tooth so much!"

This might have been plausible had it not been for the fact that Sam hadn't eaten breakfast, and also he no longer had a tooth in his mouth! I said, "Sam! Your tooth! It's gone! Did it seriously just fall out?! OMG!! I was JUST telling your dad about this!! We gotta find it!"

So we were all on the floor with the flashlight under the couch, searching through the (seemingly dozens of) discarded Cheerios pieces to find the tooth. Finally found it and immediately facetimed Steve to show him.

Sam was SO PROUD. And could there be a more perfect way to lose a first tooth?! With Molly as his witness, this was the most calm, gentle tooth loss one could hope for. So hopefully the precedent is now set- wiggly teeth are nothing to worry about or be scared of. Just don't involve Mom in any way because she's a weenie.

I had a tooth pillow that I had gotten either right before Sam was born or right after, and cannot BELIEVE that it has somehow survived every purge and move, AND I was able to locate it when needed. Truly some divine intervention there. I looked around on Pinterest to see if I was missing any cute (and easy) tooth ideas and saw that there was really nothing I was interested in doing. Mostly because whatever I do now, I will have to do every time someone loses a tooth from here on out. That's 79 more teeth I gotta perform for. No thanks. BAR IS SET LOW. SUPAH LOW. So come Tooth #80 I am not cursing Jenn-excited-over-Tooth-#1.

I know some folks go all out and stuff like, actual green money under their kids' pillows for tooth loss, but I did the math and absolutely not. Multiply by 20, times four, carry the 1, and factor in the inevitable cost of braces we are bound to incur and there is no way this tooth I'm going to toss in the trash is worth more than a quarter. But the first one is worth a little more because I'm not a total monster.

terrible cursive equates to whimsical and fairy-like, yes?

Then I went to bed and left the tooth sitting on the table directly next to the note. Luckily I was recapping for Steve via text after I got in bed and realized my mistake. I have no intentions of keeping any baby teeth, but when it came time to throw it away, I just couldn't. I blame literally everything these days on my out-of-control hormones, but this tiny little piece of him grew inside of me and now he's big enough to start losing teeth?! That realization coupled with the fact that Steve was missing yet another first and I just stuck it in the top dresser drawer. "So Steve can see it." Steve can throw it away after he marvels over its tiny size and weird shape and hopefully by that time I will be well over the fact that my baby is growing up a bit. (Yeah right, but a girl can dream!)

Belated Baptism

Well, we finally got Will baptized.

I knew we were really behind on the baptismal schedule, but it was really an in-yo-face kinda moment when I went to order a baptism outfit and the only two sizes were 0-3 months and 3 months.

Luckily I was able to find something in size 24 month. I will say though, you pay a premium for being a belated baptismal heathen. Doesn't he look adorable though?? He hated the little cap but I think he looks like a doll baby with it on. Stay tiny forever please?

We had him baptized on a Saturday because we just moved here and how embarrassing that he's 13 months old and we are just now getting around to doing this. And since we know almost no Catholic people anyway, we had to ask our neighbors (and friends, luckily) to stand in for Will's godparents. When explaining to the priest who his godparents were and where they were, it was slightly amusing to watch his face. "Welllllllll, they are stationed at Ft Riley, Kansas, but he's in Korea and she's in NYC, which is not where I met her but we did get to hang out a lot while we were both there and anyways, it's not possible for them to be here so can we use a proxy?"

Will looks thrilled, yes?? We have been so blessed to know such wonderful people everywhere we've lived, and Terri and Pete are no exception! They gladly said yes when we asked if they could attend in the middle of a Saturday. I didn't take any pictures during the actual baptism since it was just us and the kids and Terri and Pete and the priest. I spent most of the baptism cutting threatening eyes at Sam and Molly and whispering all sorts of threats to them to be still and quiet. Didn't feel so holy leaving there. Felt like I wanted to dunk my kids in holy water in-the-river style. DEMONS BE GONE.

We had dinner that night with Rick and Monica- they got this massive farmhouse table and we obviously needed to test its capacity. They cooked up some amazing homegrown burgers and his parents gave us all farm fresh eggs before we left. (#spoiled)

We had mass the next morning and, as usual, pure chaos.

Will started feeling a little sick. He was running a low grade fever, clingy, whiny, and very still in general. Not his normal AT ALL.

He did not want to be anywhere but right on top of me. At first, this was fine. Sweet, even. I do not have snuggly children so when they want to, I tend to soak it up. But then it lasted f-o-r-e-v-e-r  (days!) and my butt fell asleep and he whined if I dared to move or try to escape to pee for five seconds and while I still felt so sad for him that he was sick, it was also bordering on Really Annoying. Spoke to the nurse and saw the doctor and it was confirmed that the rash he had was in reaction to his vaccines the week prior, and he probably had something viral at the same time as well, causing the low grade fever and irritated throat. Thankfully, no meds. I love a low intervention doc!

Despite all my time sitting on the couch underneath Will, time did not stop. In fact, I think it sped up! Where has this adorable baby gone and who is this girl child in her place?! Also up for questioning- how did we manage to keep track of this same bow for three years and however many moves?! Incredible. Time, please slow down a bit. These babies don't keep.

We got the hell out of dodge

So being sick and never sleeping and performing as the resident cow for the past year was really wearing on my sanity. You probably couldn't tell that from my last post though. So cheery as always, right? Anyways, my parents picked up on my impending trip to Crazytown and offered for the kids and I to come to Alabama instead! Which sounded like a FABULOUS alternative. I actually cried while my dad did a Santa voice on the phone with the offer. And I think that might have confused him a bit because he told Santa to scram and came on like, "Hello? Are you there? Do you understand what's going on?" Yes, I am just OVERWHELMED BY LOVE and can't make words right now. As much as I hated to leave Steve home for Thanksgiving, we both knew the trip would be good for everyone. So we loaded up and headed to the airport the next day for our flight down to Atlanta.

The last time Will flew, he was 5 months old, I think. A much easier, much more potato-y-er age than 10 months. He wanted nothing to do with anything that I brought. We ended up standing in the back with the flight attendant most of the time.

My mom picked us up at the airport and immediately took the kids to the bathroom. Bliss! We then drove just outside of Atlanta to a pickup truck and camo-packed Chick-fil-A where I got to go to the bathroom by myself and felt for a moment that I was on some sort of vacation. I mean, technically I was, but I feel like maybe life is hitting new lows when going to a CFA bathroom alone qualifies as a vacation.

I thought we had a while to go before we had to buy Will his own meal at a restaurant, but at the rate he requests chicken and bread, it appears I might be wrong.
We eventually made it home (about 4 hours south of Atlanta) but I lost my voice completely along the way. My throat didn't even feel scratchy! Just all of a sudden it started cutting out while I was talking to my mama in the car. And then sure enough it was completely gone. And it stayed gone for a solid 3 days. Let me tell you how hard it is to parent with no voice. I was mostly clapping like a seal or snapping my fingers and waiting on them to notice me before I could whisper yell and correct any behavior. Very frustrating. My mom told me on the way down that the other half of my Christmas present was that she and my dad put the crib in their room and they would be getting up with Will during the night while we were visiting. And I could sleep. By myself. With no baby. No breastfeeding. What. A. Gift. I honestly can't even think about it without getting choked up. Because it's not a gift you can just go buy at a store and be done with. It was a solid week of getting really crappy sleep and then getting up and "performing" all day. Big kids requested swing pushes and a million books and snacks and then cooking Thanksgiving dinner and hosting my four other siblings at the house, a football get together, etc. It was definitely the most meaningful gift I have ever received and I doubt anything can ever top it. I feel so undeserving of something as big as that, but I am so grateful to my mama (and dad) for giving it to me anyway. I like to think that one day when I'm logging a solid 8 hours a night, I can offer something like that to my kids. (Thank you, Mama. You really recharged my battery.)

The kids got straight to work watering flowers (and dirt) and digging up my mom's flower beds out front. If they weren't digging out front or having races, they were swinging nonstop on the swingset in the backyard.

A break for Sonic, of course

A quick stop to see Pops at work

completely fascinated by a door he can sit down at and still see out of- not a normal thing when you live on the second floor

My younger brother and his wife (and dog!) arrived a day after we did, late at night. And he was still up bright and early at 6:30 to play and read books with the kids. I was thoroughly impressed. His baby is due in January and I think he will make a great dad!

constructing something complex

who knows what all she's writing about us over there

He did special voices and everything!

he has no clue what he's doing

some pre-Thanksgiving artwork

this man child is the only reason I know Steve- incredible, isn't it?

Molly is his BFF because he spoils the snot outta her and is always up for a full body contact hug. Molly is a powerful hugger. Some would say a body slammer, but I think she just thinks she's loving you extra hard. (Oof)

Alabama in late November- trees kinda sorta changing, clothes out on the line, shoes (and pants) are optional

Will and Griffin- the dog with endless energy

Trix yogurt- not sure I'll ever get him back on regular ol' Greek

Just for one day I want her hair. (Ok, I'm kidding. I want it forever.)

On Wednesday evening, my older brother and younger sister arrived. Or as we like to call it, "fresh meat."

Notice the tower is taller and more elaborate than ever. Still can't get enough books. Bless his heart, he read them a million.

Turkey Day!!! We had a turkey the same weight as Will. We all agreed that Will has his weight proportioned much nicer than the turkey. A bit easier to carry around. It was the best turkey I think I've ever had, and I'm not a huge turkey fan. But this was great. Will wholeheartedly endorsed this meal by having two slices of turkey, two servings of stuffing, some peas, mashed potatoes, a roll, and a yogurt. I don't know how his stomach didn't just explode after the last bite but I've never seen him happier. We got him down from his highchair and he just rolled around and laughed and smiled at everyone. If this is the key to a happy Will, then our grocery bill just got a lot higher. *gulp*

Also worth noting- Will was completely weaned by Thanksgiving Day. A modern-day miracle indeed! I have a lot of thoughts on that but will save them for later. So SO happy to be DONEZO.

Holidays are no excuse to slack off on yard work, of course. Sam watered while this random neighborhood kitty acted unimpressed.

Black Friday came and I had big plans. My best friend from high school picked me up at 9 (what can I say, we like to get an early start) and we headed to CFA for coffee and then the Christian Mission for bargains. We used to hit up the Christian Mission all the time in high school for various costumes for school projects and also just for clothes to wear because we were poor and bored and had time to browse the endless racks of stinky clothes. This time though, we laughed our way through the ladies section, stopping to comment on how great this dress would have been for this class. We didn't pick anything up for ourselves this time. We did find quite a few good children's deals and I bought a China doll that I could have sworn was mine anyway but could not get confirmation from my mother on whether or not my actual doll had been donated or not. I bought it anyway. For $2.50 I was gonna have my memory secure. If I find mine in the attic, I'll just donate the duplicate right on back.

My mom, the kids, and I hit up Lowes to look at Christmas decorations and attempt to get some 99 cent poinsettias. No luck with the flowers, but the kids had a big time looking at everything!

Will enjoys this "no-shoes required" lifestyle. Might be why he hasn't really been bothered to walk yet....

Brittany and Haley came over later to run out some energy in the backyard with the kids. They *love* her. Pretty sure they are more careful and treat Haley nicer than they do Will.

Hello Kitty was a Christian Mission Black Friday find- and such a hit!

fair-skinned babes!

Night Two of Thanksgiving dinner. My final sibling arrived Friday evening and joined us for first leftovers. His wife is pregnant too and had schoolwork to finish (they live in Idaho) so he made the trip alone.

Oof.

Saturday was my sister-in-law's baby shower. Two of my aunts were able to come down and some of my mama's friends that I've known forever were there so it was really nice to catch up and talk with everybody.

Molly was SO EXCITED to attend this shower. This is her first real "girls only" event and I think she thought she might burst waiting for it to arrive. When she realized that it was mostly a bunch of ladies sitting around talking and eating, she seemed a little less than enthused to be there but some waffles and orange juice cheered her right up. I gave her my phone to take a few pictures too. Upon reviewing them later, it appears she had the camera set to time lapse, so there are tons of one second videos that will really make you sick if you aren't holding onto something while watching. She captured a lot, and in a very creative and bold way. Ahem.

Later that afternoon was the Iron Bowl. I can't remember the last time I got to watch it live but the kids made sure that 2016 wasn't that time either. Watching football to Molly is "bohring" so she, Will, my mom, and I hightailed it to Hobby Lobby to look for Advent candles. Or kill time. Something like that. Auburn ended up losing anyway. The lone Alabama fan was a very gracious winner. I guess when you're used to winning all the time, you get good at winning graciously. Every Auburn fan hopes for that "miracle" year where they can possibly upset Bama but it rarely happens. And when it does, I don't think we are the most gracious winners. lolz War Eagle anyway!

the whole gang (minus Steve and Celia, my brother's wife)

Will loves his Hodgie!

One of my younger brothers (and wife and dog) left Sunday morning and my older brother and little sister left Sunday afternoon. Sam was absolutely devastated by this. He lost his soccer pal, racing buddy, reading partner. All of my brothers were playing with Sam, but he took to Daniel for some reason and was especially sad when he left. So my dad busted out the riding mower for some leaf removal and let the kids take turns driving!

But you know I can't reach the pedal, Clark.

That evening we loaded up the suburban and took the kids to see Mr. Trawick's lights- a Christmas tradition since I was little. Sam and Molly were tired (gee, probably from waking up at 5:30 every morning) and thus, quite grumpy and underwhelmed by the drive thru light display that was a staple of my childhood (INGRATES), but Will was thoroughly pleased by everything he saw, which absolutely delighted me. Naturally, I forgot to take his 11 month photo, so when no one was right behind us in line, my brother hopped out to help me snag this photo.

Eleven months old?! How on earth is he turning ONE in a month?! It has flown by. And yet, when I think about how much I haven't slept, it kinda seems about right that we are approaching one year. I do feel like I haven't slept in a year. So I guess I'm ok with this natural progression. He is pushing himself up into a sitting position, crawls (in his own special way), eats everything in sight (including appendages if you don't move your hand in time), fist bumps, has THE GREATEST cheese face I've ever seen, and claps when he sees something he likes. We love him despite his poor taste in sleeping habits and look forward to his first birthday!

Eventually we had to make our way back to Atlanta. Sad faces all around. Molly kept telling me on the plane that she didn't want to leave Alabama. I told her we were already in Georgia. She maintained that even so, she still didn't want to leave.

My brother was flying back to Idaho shortly after our flight was scheduled to leave, so he helped us through security and bathroom trips and watching baggage as I ran around trying to get everything done before we boarded. A huge help! I realize now that I kinda took fewer and fewer pictures as the trip wore on, and I don't think I got any of this brother with the kids. Definitely regret that. His wife is having a baby in March and I think he is well suited for fatherhood too. (My brothers with babies on the way are twins and I think they will both be great! Can't wait to see the similarities and differences in their parenting though.) Our flight was delayed by an hour, and then a bathroom door broke on the plane, so we sat there for another 20-30 minutes waiting on them to fix that. During that time, Will decided to take a massive, incredibly stinky dump. Perfect.....

Will had another poop on that flight that took out his pants. This was unfortunate because I don't carry extra clothes when traveling. Not because I enjoy being unprepared but I literally don't have the bag space or arms to carry one more thing. Clothes won't fit. So if you have an accident, you have to suffer the consequences as well. Sounds a bit harsh for an 11 month old but it was 57* when we landed so he wasn't in danger of hypothermia or anything.

Exited the plane in style, wearing nothing but a jacket and some shoes. Doesn't he look thrilled to be alive? Sam looks like he's seen some shit too, but that's because he has (literally) and Molly can't understand why everyone moves SO SLOW and to be honest, I CAN'T EITHER. IT'S BEDTIME, PEOPLE. LET'S MOVE WITH SOME PURPOSE. Steve picked us up outside and we drove straight home, bathed everyone quickly, and they were all in bed and passed out by 10. Steve and I talked til midnight (idiots!) and Will actually slept through until 6. I hesitate to even share that because I know the events leading up to the 8 hour sleep stretch make it a total fluke, but what the hell, it needs to be documented. I got 6 hours of sleep and it was pretty heavenly.

So that was our Thanksgiving saga. It was a whirlwind but it was also super relaxing and fun! I'm not up for air travel anytime soon, but I do look forward to our next trip south. Now Steve is picking up our sad little Charlie Brown Christmas tree so we can have some Christmas in our house for the next two weeks, then we'll pack it all up and drive to Philly, then Steve will drive to Minnesota! Hard to believe it's all happening so fast. I've prepared by making last minute Christmas cards and writing this blog post! Really contributing to this move. What can I say, I'm a team player! Team Documenting Memories, that is.