walk like a ham

The Vandervoorts are here (yay!) and I knew our gal would take her first steps while they’re here to attempt to keep up.  Franny is extremely sweet, big sisterly and patient with Susanna and you can tell it is appreciated by her.  They were playing in Annie’s room a few nights ago and Franny was down on her knees teaching Annie the word “racket” (because rackets are such a staple around here) and Annie just walked right over to her smiling and laughing.  Luckily I was hiding behind her so I got to see it.  She did the same thing to me last night, but she still prefers to be dragged everywhere by her upstretched arms.

jim beam

Since we have to have Jim Beam in the house I’ve made it a requirement to save the bottles for pocket change for Annie’s college fund.  This is now a family tradition since I got the idea from my dad who had many full JB bottles lining the wall of his closet … behind his enormous shoes.  So tonight, after many attempts at making Annie take her afternoon nap, I decided to lock her in our room with me so I could get some work done.  I laid out several of her favorite toys … the phone, the out-of-season bag that looks like a giant pillow with zinnias all over it, the iron, a clock, pictures of grandma/doodad/gigi/mema, screwdrivers, tampons, etc.  She was thrilled to have avoided another boring nap so she let me get about 30 minutes of work done … then I heard the clinkity clank clink, and, tripping over my laptop cord, made it to her mouth before she swallowed the funds for her first Art History textbook.  Ok, so that part was scary/funny enough, but then as I was trying to get all the dimes out of her reach, she grabs another bottle of frat-house scented coins and “takes a swig.”

I think Ben and I weren’t as ready for parenting as we thunk.

s(h)it

Our sweet baby says “shit.”  It started when she realized I always make Lugnut sit before he comes inside to show him who’s in charge (haha).  But now she says it when she drops something or when she’s going through her repertoire of eastern European words or when she needs to boss someone around or when she’s climbing the stairs or when we’re in the car or at church or at Wal-Mart or when we’re just sitting around breathing.  It doesn’t help that she’s encouraged by the uncontrollable laughter from her mommy or that DooDad actually tries to get her to say it, and when she does, congratulates her with clapping and “Good girl, Annie!”  Thanks, Dad.

No matter what comes out of her sweet little rosebud mouth, she is so much fun and I can’t help but laugh at anything new she does.  I do need to practice some self-control for future use, though, because I know it’s only going to get worse … her cussing I mean.

sty

I don’t mean to gripe about aging because I’m thrilled I’m not dead, but now I have a sty in my left eye.  I looked this up and do you know what it is essentially?  A zit mixed with an allergy.  Of course, I suffer both of these afflictions, especially during the warm months, but why?  Why must they mix to form a hideous eyesore, pun strenuously intended?

Ben is so sweet.  When I rant about silly things like this (moles, zits, allergies, non-boobs, three kidneys, facial hair, glow-in-the-dark skin, bug bites in the netherregions, butt freckles, monkey toes, bird legs, gassiness, smile wrinkles) I wonder why he sticks around.  But he always hugs me and says that my weirdness is one of the reasons he does stick around.  Let’s hope there are many more because my list will surely lengthen.

bicentennial babe

So today is my 32nd birthday.  This is how it went down…

Earlier in the week I was staying at Momoo’s where there is natural light aplenty.  I thought there was a one inch hair in the middle of my forehead so I kept picking at it until I nearly broke skin.  It wasn’t a hair.  It’s a giant wrinkle.

Today I was trying to track down my slippery mother on her cell phone and oddly enough one of her housekeepers answered.  I said, “Hello?” and Sue said, “Sammie?”  I said, “No, this is Robin.”  Sue said, “I always get you and your grandmother mixed up.”

Then tonight I finally broke into my new David Sedaris book and what did I receive from amazon.com?  The LARGE print version.  I swear the shuttle Discovery could see the print in this book.

Either I am ultra-sensitive today (duh) or the universe is telling me something.

On a much sweeter, happier note, Ben sent me gorgeous flowers at work today and took me on a date to Devito’s where we got to drink wine, order an appetizer and dessert/coffee!  I never knew how much something so simple would mean to me.

I also never knew how much I admired and respected Tim Russert until I learned of his death.  What a man.  I’m really going to miss him and what he contributed on a daily basis to the political process and American history.  He really had it together.

the vandervoortex

Mom and Dad just returned from their trip to CT/NY.  I’m thrilled they’re back, but heartbroken they had to leave the Vandervoorts.  Franny always cries now when you say goodbye and it just about kills us all.  It’s not a whiney annoying cry; it’s the sweetest, quietest, sincerest (I’m sure these are not real words) cry that makes you want to turn your body inside out.  I love her like she was mine, along with that gorgeous 3 year old Henry whose birthday we have missed yet again.  I hate mailing gifts.  I want to be able to drive into their driveway and it not be a big deal that I’m there.  I wish they were tired of me or used to me being around.  It really sucks, but it’s also really great to love them like this.  I get so jealous of Ben’s family because they’re all here and get to borrow each other’s weedeaters and powerwashers.  Jess, I know you’ll never have either of these tools, but I would love to think that if you had one I could come get it.

2 days off

The past two days have been so fun. Yesterday we played at Gigi’s, then had our first playdate with Gavin and Tara Coker. Gavin is in Annie’s class at the Baptist Church Mother’s Day Out program. She’s the only girl in the class so she gets spoiled by all the teachers … and all the boys. When I go pick her up in the afternoons there is usually at least one boy kissing her or helping her with toys. Pretty cute to watch toddlers socialize. Anyway, so then we went to Western Sizzlin with Gigi after a big nap and ate a huge meal. Her favorite was mac and cheese and lima beans.

Today we ate breakfast with Gigi and Mema, then played outside with Scout while the great grandmas were at the beauty shop. Marsha and Olive Holcomb stopped by for a visit. Olive and Scout seemed to like each other … not as much as Annie and Scout seem to like each other lately. They’ve been sharing food and toys and kisses and pats.

None of this sounds very exciting, but that’s just how we like it. I guess if it all falls apart someday we’ll have the pictures to prove it was once this way.

You can view these pictures by clicking “Seymore Photos” on the right side of the screen.

happy birthday gigi

We have four generations at Gigi’s house today, as we have had a lot lately. Annie and I stay here about four nights a week and Mom comes over for meals since my idea of a good meal is rotel and cereal, then a pint of haagen-dazs about an hour after that to really seal the deal.

Today is different because it’s Gigi’s 85th birthday and Mom is baking Gigi’s famous, top secret chocolate cake for the first time. This has been almost painful to witness because it’s obvious that Gigi doesn’t want to share the recipe with even her own flesh and blood, and also because her way of cooking is so foreign to me and Mom. So there have been many spills and mistakes. Who knows how the cake will taste since it didn’t come strictly from the hands of the master of all delicious food in our family.

We really miss Dado. There’s not a second that passes that he is not thought of. He was always here so he is still always here I guess. He would have so much fun watching Annie make her weird faces, Mom attempt to bake and Gigi attempt to teach. And we would have so much fun listening to him laugh and watching his eyes twinkle.

crap.

I didn’t realize how much different it would be when the crawling began. I know it’s cute and all, but it sucks that I don’t have complete control over where she is anymore. Yeah, I hear ya, just wait till I catch her riding around in some horndog’s pickup smoking cigarettes after telling us some lie about who she’s spending the night with. I guess there’s a chance she’ll be one of those good kids. I hung out with some pretty crazy people, but most of the time I’d rather have been home playing double solitaire and watching a Cary Grant movie with my mommy. Please be like me, Annie.

i just…

can’t believe how fast this is all going. Even my hair seems to be growing faster. Or maybe I need to change razors?

I guess part of the reason time is flying is that Jess, Franny & Henry arrived last night and (get a bedpan) they are so incredibly beautiful and sweet. I have to stop myself from staring at them and taking bites out of their cheeks … Jessica not included. Although Jess is looking gorgeous even on her third day of a migraine. I’m so glad she’s grown her hair out … now if we can just get her to wash it.