hello fall, i've missed you

We've had a little break from the gross hot weather, with temps in the high 70s and low 80s. For me, this is heaven. I don't do well in heat, I sweat if it breaks 90 degrees, and I prefer sweaters and coats to shorts and bathing suits. I think I may have lived in Fargo in a previous life.

So, Grandma and I went to Target to get Britton a jacket. And wouldn't you know it I found TWO, one is a hoodie and one is a super-cute pea coat. The coat is much heavier, so I bought it a size bigger in the hopes it will fit in the coming months. Truth be told, I scoffed at the sweaters and coats filling up the clothing racks in stores around here, as the idea of "winter" in Texas must be a joke. They don't regularly get tons of snow, there aren't wind chills of below freezing, and I doubt I'll ever have to warm my car up in the morning. But I really do hope it gets cold. I love that cold air, that hits your face and makes your nose run and your eyes water, and it smells so clean. I love fall. Love it. No doubt, my favorite season.




And with fall comes colds, and Britton has got one! She started out with a runny nose and crusty eyes (could be ragweed allergies), and we took her to urgent care on Saturday morning when her eyes were so crusty she practically couldn't see. Wrong move. Because they noticed her ear was clogged and attempted to squirt water in there to make it drain. It didn't. But it did give her a raging ear infection she hadn't had before. And one pediatrician appointment and one ENT appointment later, we're armed with ear drops and the hope that the tube is still in her left ear.

Of course, Britton is feeling better and loves to show it...

let's go mountaineers!

Yes, I went to both Virginia Tech and West Virginia University - two awesome football schools! And whereas Coach Stewart disappoints me on a regular basis because of his own actions, the Hokies are disappointing me on a team level. It's just too depressing for me to watch them now, especially since I attended in the glory days of Michael Vick. And since the hub and I share WVU love, Britton wants to show it off on game days. I hope Britton attends a better school than either one, but at least has as great time as I did at both schools.



Running faster than the receivers!

these are a few of my favorite things

We have noticed that Britton has now developed a need to keep objects of interest in her grasp. I don't know if this is a result of daycare, wherein leaving a desired toy for even a minute means it's gone, but no longer is Britton content to put things down and return to them.

When making cookies with Grandma, she must hold all the utensils. Later she threw a tantrum thinking Grandma was taking away her empty chicken stock bottle (the horror!) while merely trying to undress her for her bath. You know, the bottle's not making it through those armholes. And the other night she wouldn't give up her corn cob from dinner, and proceeded to take it around the living room, playing with it, dropping it, taking bites every now and then. But at no point was she giving it up. It's the same with her necklaces, which she now wears EVERY DAY. I have to let her wear them into the tub, where I hide them under the bubbles and distract her with some washcloths.

She just has this fixation on her prized possession of the moment, and dang it all if she'll let it go. I don't know if this is the next step of development? In the past, she would leave things randomly, only to discover them when she returned. But now she is seeing that other people affect her world, and their actions affect what is in her world. It amazes me that she is putting all this together.

home is where you make it

As you know, we've been squatting with my in-laws while our house in Oklahoma is on the market. We didn't feel comfortable carrying two mortgages, because in this day and age, who knows how long it will take a house to sell? Plus, we're not familiar with the Dallas-Fort Worth area and with 55 miles between those two cities, that's a lot of suburb. So, on weekends the hub and I have been exploring different towns and cities to see what fits. Most importantly, there must be amazing schools and an easy commute for us both. The hub is currently commuting over 1.5 hours home, so anything less will make his day.

At first we were certain we wanted new construction. And those houses are beautiful, 3000 square feet, glistening granite, fancy mouldings, and huge bedrooms. But we started to notice something too. No trees. No yard space. No "neighborhood feel" that you can't put your finger on. These new huge planned communities were phenomenal, no doubt, but they left us yearning for more than a clubhouse and fitness center.

We got nostalgic. And instead of this...



We became drawn to that...



Tree-lined streets, lush landscaping, established older neighborhoods where you can trick-or-treat, or go caroling, and meet your neighbors and know them by name. A place you can put down roots and stay. In this market, it's not so easy to upgrade in house size, so you have to pick what works for now, and the future. Our search has taken on a different sense, spurned on by the fact that this is the first house we will buy as parents. No longer is a fancy fireplace or frize carpet going to impress us. We want established blue-ribbon schools, 100 year old trees, big backyards for cook-outs and birthday parties and playing chase and throwing a ball. The kitchen doesn't have to be state-of-the-art if there's enough counter room for Britton to make Christmas cookies with Grandma. The bedrooms don't have to be enormous if there's enough light to read a bedtime story.

So, less of this...



And more of that...



And yes, that is the house from "Father of the Bride."

priming a princess

We dressed Britton in her new Mountaineers onesie on Saturday and hung around most of the morning playing. Then, the hub and I ran out (not sure of the time but the hub was muttering under his breath that OU had just kicked off) to Target and got Britton some toys. See, she's been pulling my necklaces off and putting them on herself, so I wanted to get her some of those cheapy plastic beaded necklaces. And some stretchy bracelets. And a purse because she's been trying to put bags of any kind on her arm like a purse. We scoured the accessory section, kid section (where we did find a snazzy Hello Kitty purse), and the Halloween section. No necklaces. Then a light bulb went off and I found them in the "party" section for favors. Back to the Hello Kitty purse. I loathe obnoxious character items, and all things glitter when it comes to Britton's things. The character issue is mainly because cartoon character clothing is usually pretty ugly. Let's be honest. And I can't stand glitter because it ends up coating everything in the house. Plus, it just looks itchy. But we went ahead with it because it wasn't glitter, but instead metallic thread.

I will also add that necklaces, bracelets, and a purse were not enough. Oh no. We also went to Journey's Kidz and found the most awesome pair of PINK Converse low-tops and were in love. The hub was pushing for some DC shoes too, but we weren't even sure of her shoe size, so just the Converse.

And wouldn't you know it when we got home that girl was tickled pink! Check out this excited gal covered in her bling and wearing her new shoes!

an apple a day...

Britton was walking around the kitchen Sunday evening, and pointed at the fruit basket. I'm used to this as recently she has deemed bananas the sole reason to live. And asks for it by saying "banana" or "nana" and I'm loving that she's using her words. But she didn't want the banana. No, she wanted the apple. I was skeptical, as I've been told to only give her fruits soft enough to mash. Who wants to eat only pears, peaches, pineapple, and strawberries? Ok, Britton does, but she needs to explore the fruit around her. Life is her buffet line. She's got six teeth, so why not?




She teethed on that apple for the next 30 minutes! Then she refused to let go of it, and I let her take it to the bath with her. Later that night I saw tiny pieces of apple skin in the bottom of the tub. This girl just cracks me up.



Also on Sunday, we (ok, I) made a photo board for daycare. They asked that we put together pictures of the family so that they could hang them around the room at kid-level. Actually, I didn't even get that much instruction, but I spotted one in another classroom and quickly caught on. Turned out great!

a big bite out of life

I got a call today at work from my daycare. I of course missed the call because my cell phone was on "vibrate," which essentially means "ain't gonna hear it." So I called back and Britton's teacher sheepishly reported that Britton had been bitten. Well, actually, bitten THREE TIMES (even though we later counted FOUR). By the same kid. In different incidences. After assessing that Britton was physically okay, even though the last bite had broken the skin, I got off the phone fuming.

Grandma picked up Britton before I got to the daycare so that I could confront her teachers and the director without poor Britton in tow having to watch mommy lose her cool. Instantly her teacher was defensive, ending her explanation with "All kids bite." First, that's a generalization, not a reason. Second, it's not true. Because while Britton has been bitten SIX TIMES while in daycare (five of those times while at this daycare) she has yet to bite anyone back. Though after today I did give her permission to do so. And third, that doesn't negate the fact that obviously someone wasn't doing her job. See, teachers need to be on the alert, especially when this same kid has already bitten my child within the hour.

She also informed me that Britton wasn't the only child bitten by this kid today. I have an idea - get the biter out of here! She's going around, chomping limbs and whatnot because she's mad/frustrated/can't communicate/had a bad day/WHATEVER - this kid obviously has issues and needs to be put in a soft room full of teethers and board books. Not in a room full of toddlers. And I get it that there's something wrong with a kid who is going around teething her classmates, but c'mon. I do my parenting to the best of my ability, even when I'm tired and cranky and don't feel like it. I now have to sympathize and be the bigger person because some kid has crappy parents?

The director wasn't even aware that the biting had occurred. But she was quick to just listen, understand where I was coming from. My argument - I didn't need attitude and defensiveness when it was my child who was hurt, it was entirely the fault of the teachers in the room, and that this would never happen again. I waved the multiple incident reports in my hand and stated, "I won't be getting another one of these." Because if I do, there will be hell to pay. I'll be damned if Britton is going to become this biter's victim, being comforted with cold packs and soothed, without a clue as to why she is being hurt in the first place. Teachers can't figure out a way to prevent it? Get new teachers. Maybe this time, someone not 19 years old with a bad texting habit. The only thing Britton is learning from being bitten is to bite. So, yeah, useless 19 year old who uses the career title "teacher" loosely, try doing your job correctly the first time and I won't have to call you out again.

Left arm-



Left hand-



Right arm-



Right hand-



Strawberries and hugs make it all better-

the friendly skies

Sunrise, Wednesday, over Dallas...



Daddy and daughter...



Orlando, bird's-eye view...



Waiting at the baggage claim...

to disney we go

We started out Wednesday morning with an early flight to Orlando. And by early, I mean 6:30 a.m. As in, the plane left at 6:30 a.m. First mistake. It also made a stop in Houston. Second mistake. And it took all four of us adults to keep her thoroughly entertained in her tiny plane seat the entire way, but we made it. She actually did a great job, better than I do on some flights! We arrived in Orlando and promptly went to our Disney World hotel. The plan was to have dinner with the Disney characters, but the time change wasn't on our side for that one, and we all voted that a much-needed nap for Britton trumped the dinner plans. So instead, after a long nap, we went to dinner at the hotel. And wouldn't you know it that on the way back to the hotel after dinner, Britton discovered her first pool. Still in her dinner attire (with the crotch spaghetti stains I had to explain to a nosey eight-year-old), Britton decided the "Swim diapers and swim apparel required" sign didn't apply to her.




So the hub quickly sprinted back to the hotel room for a diaper and proper bathing suit so Britton could really enjoy the baby pool. I, however, just rolled up my capris, threw off the flip flops, and got right in. Britton loved it! She splashed and waved and had a great time, so much so that leaving the pool began quite the tantrum. Luckily she is easily distracted, and no parents gave us the disapproving stare because, c'mon - this is Disney. Everyone's kid is going to have a breakdown at some point!





The next morning Britton got into her personalized Mickey shirt and Disney barrette, and was treated to the best breakfast at Disney - the Mickey Mouse waffle. She was only slightly impressed, and then decided that my blueberry muffin was more her speed.




We left the hotel, and drove straight to Cape Canaveral, where the Disney cruise ship was docked. We didn't have to wait long, and soon enough we were on the ship in our rooms, after grabbing some lunch. Britton saw the beautiful Florida water for the first time from our balcony. Don't be worried folks - the hub is out there with her, but out of the picture.




This began Britton's walking extravaganza. There are miles and miles of open hallways and deckways, and dang it all Britton wanted to walk each and every single inch of the ship. Holding both hands, holding one hand, no holding of hands, pushing of the stroller, pushing the stroller with one hand - every way this girl could walk she was going to. Which was fine by us because it was like an SAT prep course for walking with all that practice. Plus, it wore her out.




We went up on the top of the ship for the debarking party, and Britton loved the songs, she clapped and danced and had such a good time!



The next morning we got up early to hit up breakfast, then went straight to Britton's favorite spot - the baby pool. The hub and I, both patting ourselves on the backs for remembering to wear our own suits, climbed in with her. I didn't know if that was allowed since it was the baby pool, but later spottings in the pool of 80% parents to 20% kids makes me think it was fine. Some less behaved children (AHEM) thought it would be fun to splash around Britton and run through the pool, and I quickly gave them my best stink-eye. I tried stink-eyeing their parents, but they were too busy doing nothing to pay attention to me.





Which was fine because we got out the second we spotted Mickey and Minnie and went to get pictures. Now, Britton's reaction to them was CLASSIC. She didn't know what to think. Because, you know, they aren't people. They are giant weird-looking things, if you think about it, and when Minnie went to touch Britton, Britton wasn't having any of it. So I created a buffer and the hub moved in quickly for pictures. Maybe this means we won't be stuck buying pet hamsters for Britton when she gets older? One can hope.




Let me just tell you - Hurricane Earl had just passed through, so we were experiencing some big seas on the way out of Florida. At dinner, entire tables of people were leaving from sea-sickness, the bathrooms were full of people getting sick, and the store was selling Dramamine like it was going out of style. Luckily none of us got even the slightest bit queasy, but it was weird to have to hold onto the hub so I wouldn't fall down in my heels, without so much as a drop of alcohol in my system!

Here it is! Britton in Nassau, Bahamas, so she has officially been international! According to the moronic government employee at customs when we left the ship, we're really just playing Russian roulette by traveling out of the country with Britton without a passport for her. Uh, yeah dude. It's the Bahamas. Not like we're going to Slovenia. And no one asked for your opinions on parenting anyways.



More pictures from the boat...








On Saturday we landed in Castaway Cay, the island Disney owns. Little bit of trivia - it was the island where they filmed the scene in "Splash" where Tom Hanks sees mermaid Madison. Also, it used to be used by drug smugglers, but they play that down so it fits in with the "family" theme.

Here is Britton's first time EVER walking on sand! She's smiling because it's only been 5 seconds. Once she realized that sand made walking extremely difficult and stuck to her, she wasn't happy about it. And I don't blame her, because that sand also gave her some serious diaper rash later. Note to self - make sure the Butt Paste is packed.



First time in the ocean!!! Britton preferred being on the shore line, so we hung out there for a while. It was early in the morning and she was coated in 500 SPF sunscreen, so we certainly didn't want to rush her first experience at the beach. But, I have to be honest. I'm smiling here. But the night before the hub and I went to the fancy restaurant for dinner, and I spent the night puking. Probably that high-end Italian food being too rich for my blood, so I was fighting a headache and nausea. But I was not going to miss Britton's first time at the beach, so I put on my big-girl pants and went with her.






Just look at the water. Yeah, it doesn't get much better. And if there is a heaven, it looks like this. We were sad to leave on Sunday, and there are probably still claw marks on our room's door where we had to be pried away and made to leave the boat.