Eh

Not much going on around here, except for me losing my mind. I was supposed to meet 3 friends tonight at the Melting Pot for ladies night. I TOTALLY forgot about it. I can't believe I missed fondue. Duh. Sorry again to Sherry, Harmony and Diane!
I'm back at work, and things are going well. I've done some neat lessons with my 2nd graders, and the other classes have been fine.
Gracie is doing just fine. She had a couple nights earlier this week when she decided to scream and carry on instead of going to sleep. I don't know what her deal was. She has gone to bed ok the past 2 nights so let's hope that was just a fluke. I can tell that she really wants to crawl, but just can't figure out how to get up on her hands and knees. Won't be long. She's up to 3 solids meals a day and down to 3 bottles- she'd much rather have the solids but I know she still needs the nutrition from the formula. She's outgrowing clothes like crazy. Randy pointed out that she is almost half my height! Lovely.

NOT a relaxing week off.

I feel like I've spent half of my week off in the damn dentist chair. I DID spend at least half of Tuesday there. Luckily I don't remember ANY of it (yay drugs!). I had my root canal, crown and veneers done, and I guess it went ok. I did NOT anticipate the pain that I would be in afterward. I ended up having to go back yesterday to get my bite adjusted. THAT was not fun. I was a ball of nerves and a sweaty mess. At least it is over. My teeth look MUCH better, but I'm still really sore in the back of my mouth. Here's a pic of my new smile:


I'm on my own this weekend- Randy, Fantasy Football Commissioner Extrodinaire, is hosting The Draft at the beach this weekend. So Gracie and I are going to go visit Ella in Greensboro, and I might get my hair done at some point, and I'll probably do some shopping. And I'll probably be bored and lonely. =(

Swingin'

Carousel Ride

A Day at the Park

We took Gracie to Pullen Park today. They have a carousel, playground, train, some kiddie boats... she had her first ride on the carousel! I don't think she knew what to think about it. We enjoyed it, though! She did, however, LOVE the swings! Check out our videos of Gracie's latest adventures!

Beach Baby

Well, not really. Just front-yard-in-a-swimsuit baby. But she's cute regardless!

Three years

Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary, our 4 years-since-engagement anniversary, and our 5th first date anniversary! To celebrate, I've found a new blog skin. I thought it was very appropriate for my dragonfly obsession. Hope you like it!
I am off work for a week! My first track out. I don't feel like I really need it yet, as I'm not burned out, but I will take it nonetheless! I am nervous about turning my classroom over to someone else for a week- I've worked REALLY hard to get those kids to behave in there and follow my strict procedures, and I don't want to lose that. I've gotten a LOT of compliments on how my room is controlled and organized. I really like my new job, and it has gone swimmingly so far. I even experimented with the SMART board with the 2nd graders today- we had a good time! That is a cool piece of technology. It basically turns a whiteboard into a computer-interfaced touch screen. I let the kids help create graphs by dragging icons to the correct columns with the touch screen. I really want to use the board more- the kids seem to pay really close attention to anything new and neat.
We're going out to eat tonight for our anniversary- to the Melting Pot! Yummers. And this time I'm not morning sick or having gall bladder issues, so the scarfing is ON. Gracie is spending the night with Grandma, since we'll probably get home late.
Not much else going on. I have my big dentist appt. on Tuesday, and Gracie's 6 mo. checkup Wed., so let's hope that goes well!

Razzzzzzzzberries!

Half Birthday!

These aren't fabulous pics (she just wasn't in the mood- she kept trying to eat grass!), but here are the latest monthly photos. I cannot believe Gracie is 6 months old!!!

We'll try to get some better outside ones soon- I have something in mind! We also want to get "real" photos done of all of us here soon.

Welcome Eleanor Victoria!!

Kelly and Jon have finally welcomed their baby girl to the world! They had to go in and fish her out of there. Kelly had a c-section yesterday evening and Eleanor was born around 6:07 pm, cute and healthy! I think Jon said she weighed almost 7 and a half pounds, and she has a lot of dark hair. There's a couple pics on their blog. We're heading over to see them shortly. SO glad she is finally here, and Gracie can't wait to meet another honorary cousin!-

Update 7-14: We got to see precious Eleanor yesterday! She has so much hair! She is just adorable, and you can tell how thrilled Kelly and Jon are. Here's one photo I got- excuse the horrible blurriness- I didn't want to turn on the flash and wake her up... I think she looks more like Kelly, for now...

Little Miss Fancy Pants

Here are some cute pics of Gracie all dressed up in some cute dresses sent to her by Grandmama and Great-Grandma Amos:

I've been slack with my posts since going back to work- I've been a wee bit busy! Gracie is making all kinds of progress. She sits up alone pretty reliably now, and is a pro at rolling over. She has the grasping thing down pat, and we're working on the sippy cup, since she can have juice now. She rides in the shopping cart and had her first real experience in a restaurant high chair last weekend, at Bogart's of all places. She is more fun everyday!

In other news, Kelly is at the hospital as I type, trying her damndest to have a baby! She was more than a week overdue, so they checked in Thursday night for induction. Check out her blog for updates, but I'll be sure to post as soon as the little stinker is born.

Gracie had her first experience on a boat last weekend. We went with Randy's brother's in-laws on their pontoon boat on Kerr Lake. They did fireworks over the lake, and they were beautiful. Gracie is now the proud owner of her own baby lifejacket- I have a video I will try to post later. She did pretty well on the boat- I want to be able to put her in the water sometime. She has the cutest bathing suit!

My job is going well! I like it, though I miss adult company some. And I'm tired of giving my "rules and procedures" speech. I'll be glad when the real classes start. I've worked really hard and gotten a lot done. My first track-out is the week of the 21st.

Gracie turns 6 months (!!!!) tomorrow! I will post some 6 month pics soon, I hope!

Happy 4th!

Independence Day. Does anyone ever stop to think about the meaning behind this holiday anymore? Besides fireworks and cookouts, I mean. Don't worry, I'm not going to go there, but it is interesting to me how many holidays are celebrated just out of habit anymore. Whatever.
We went to eat with Randy's family tonight and then went to watch the fireworks in Franklinton (a small town north of Wake Forest). We were not so impressed. They weren't shooting them high enough. Gracie did watch them, and seemed intrigued- I imagine they were pretty for her. We should have gone to Raleigh's show, but it is good we didn't, as a huge thunderstorm had rolled in. We'd have been pretty wet. I had sparklers to do, but the poor kid was passed out when we got home. Maybe we'll do them tomorrow.

Mobility

Look out world, Gracie is mobile! She has gotten SO good at rolling, just in a week! She can now reliably roll both ways, and can get from one place to another by rolling. I don't think she necessarily picks a destination, but she can get across the living room floor with remarkable speed for her age, IMHO. We gotta start babyproofing. She's also getting quite good at sitting up all by herself. She definitely can balance herself, but knocks herself over if she reaches for something. Won't be long!
I started my "new" job this week- sans kids. And I love it! Everyone has been so supportive and excited for me, and I've gotten the room set up and data entered. I do wish I was getting paid more, but it is great experience and I think I'll enjoy it, which makes it worthwhile. It is a task in organization, too, which I really enjoy. I'll have to see how it goes once I actually have kids to teach.