THA, here we come!

We have great news!! Number one, McCanless is home!! She looks and acts so grown up. Secondly, Ms. Susan called yesterday and has an opening for Mary Clare!! (Whew!) Soon, McCanless and I will be going to school together. I’ll begin teaching middle school part time again at THA and she will begin 4K at THA. Mel gets the duty of getting Mary Clare dressed, fed and to Ms. Susan’s every morning (as he did with McCanless), while I have the wonderful task of waking Princess Grouch every morning before dawn, something she has NEVER done! (This while Mel and Mary Clare get to sleep in…that’s going to be fun.) I guess we should start bedtime boot camp soon for all of us.

The girls and I visited THA yesterday. Thankfully, Mary Clare fell asleep on the way and I was able to carry her into the school office, place her on the couch (with Ms. Patti watching her) and get a bit of work done in my classroom! McCanless played the part of “teacher’s child” well by busying herself playing school, drawing on my board and re-arranging my room.

Although it has been a wonderful year staying at home with Mary Clare, I think I’m ready to get back into a school routine…well, at least half of the day! I’m also thrilled that I’ll be at school with McCanless. While I thoroughly enjoyed being at home with Mary Clare this past year, as I did with McCanless when she was a baby, there comes a time (for me and my children at least) when we all need that time away from each other, even if it’s a just a few hours! I’m hoping that Ms.Susan can help me get Mary Clare motivated to NAP! (or walk or talk) The little stinker is just not interested!

McCanless adjusted extremely well and loved Ms. Susan, and I know Mary Clare will do the same. I’m looking forward to those days of walking up to Ms. Susan’s house finding Mary Clare playing with friends and seeing those little arms stretched out to greet me. What an amazing feeling. I know that first day will be so hard (on me, anyway) but so worth it. (Who am I kidding? The entire first month I’m sure I’ll cry every day, but at least Mel is the one dropping her off…I would be a basket case!)

Gotta love “Hand-Me-Downs”

Just for a comparison, I found this photo of McCanless in the same size 3-6 month dress. McCanless was 5 months old and Mary Clare is just now wearing it at 13 months old. Such different little people! (Although, it certainly helps with the hand-me-downs! McCanless was big for her age and Mary Clare is small, so the 6 months difference (season wise) in clothing works! It also helps that McCanless had so many clothes that she barely wore any outfit twice! (That is baby Connor Newsome beside McCanless, by the way!)

“Bored Mom” should be an oxymoron…

Okay, so I now realize that I’m best suited to be a mother of at least two! Although there has certainly been enough going on around here, I’ve found myself “finding” things to do because I’m accustomed to total chaos! McCanless is still at Camp Mimi, and I have yet to even say hello to her in almost two weeks now. (She has never talked to anyone on the phone. EVER. She refuses to even breathe one word to her own mother. I’ll remind her of this in about 10 years when the phone will most certainly be a permanent fixture on her head, or worse, when she wants her own cell phone!)

In true Mel fashion, he mentioned to me this morning that he decided to fly out today to NY to the men’s fall clothing show. (Thanks for the warning, sweetie.) And finally, the huge tree removal, large and loud stump grinding trucks have left our yard, leaving lots of wood grindings in their wake. All is quiet around here, for once, and it’s driving me nuts!

Mary Clare and I went to the pool yesterday and I actually had time to put sun block on her BEFORE we left for the pool. I even had time to put her in these adorable flip flops!

Today, I organized the girls’ armories while Mary Clare climbed in and out of a dresser drawer on the floor. This, after she emptied every single pair of panties, socks and tights. Feeling a little sentimental, I almost cried as I folded each little burp cloth and bib and tucked it away for the attic. (Until I realized Mary Clare had single-handedly pulled the spread off of the bed knocking off several neatly folded stacks of baby clothes, just before pulling the bow holder off of the wall sending bows flying.) My sentiments were short lived and so was my temper!

As a result, I also made a new bow holder. I counted her 80 bows, then organized them by size and color. 80 bows! Can you believe it? I can’t believe I counted them. I can’t believe I had time to count them. Mary Clare and I also went back-to-school supply shopping for McCanless, visited my mom at work, TWICE, and even visited cousin Reese at BB’s house. I washed all of our bed linens and even polished my silver candelabras. Most of this while holding Mary Clare. Okay, so I didn’t get finished with the candelabras. One armed polishing is tough.

McCanless is finally coming home tomorrow, Mel home on Monday, and “normal” life will resume. I know I’ll once again be wishing my life was a little less hectic, a little more organized and somewhat time managed, but right now in this quiet moment as I sit in my quiet, organized, boring house, I’m thankful for my usual chaos. I actually miss it. I know soon Mary Clare will be exactly like her Daddy and big sister. (I already see it coming.) Most of those who know me best, know that Mel and I are opposites. My children and I are opposites. Who would have thought? The loves of my life drive me crazy, and I can’t function without them!

A virus, tree removals, and a funeral director’s convention…

There is so much going on around here, I can barely keep up with myself! Mel, Mary Clare and I just got back into town from Charleston. McCanless is still having a ball at “Camp Mimi” in Hilton Head. So much so, that I’m a bit worried that she’ll not be home before the beginning of school. I guess that’s what I get for allowing her to call the shots on when she wants to come home. Oh well, I guess I’ll worry with that when all is clear around here or in August, which ever comes first.

Mary Clare had a virus this weekend, and I wasn’t satisfied with my pediatrician’s diagnosis of simple virus, congestion…treated with 3 days of antibiotic “just in case”. So as luck would have it, Mel had a funeral director’s convention in Charleston this week, so we packed up and headed down. Two birds with one stone…we made it to clinic to see our favorite cardiologist on Monday morning and the convention for a few days of fun in Charleston!

Mary Clare’s feet have been turning blue more and more lately and her stats were running low so I wanted to get Dr. Forbus to check her out. She did have a virus and hopefully that is the reason her stats were lower, and as far as the blueness more often, we’ll have to monitor that. We return to MUSC in two weeks for a sedated echo and a more thorough “numbers” check, and will know more then. Dr. Forbus said that he wasn’t as concerned about the blueness in her extremities just yet. We’ll see. It just feels better to hear that she is okay from him. So for now, we’ll just be happy that she is feeling better!

She certainly had a great time at Charleston Place and at the funeral director’s convention! While Mel was attending classes, we were able to enjoy Charleston for once, not just run in and out of MUSC. We were able to visit with Annabelle’s mom, Rebecca while she delivered baskets to PC-ICU on Tuesday! Always so great to see her! We also found a new favorite children’s shop, Jackson and Madeline on King Street!!! We shoe shopped and bow shopped and ate ice cream and had more Mary Clare/Mommy time. When Daddy was available, we ate and shopped more! Mary Clare was even the belle of the ball last night at the Farewell Party! She danced all night with Mr. Posey from Posey Funeral Home in North Augusta, and chatted away with everyone until I finally decided that the band was probably not helping lull her to sleep as I thought. She’s already a lot like McCanless and her daddy. If the party is going on, they will be the last one standing!

Oh, and about those tree removals…today there are several huge trucks in the yard because we are having 6 HUGE trees removed! What a full week, and it’s only…. Wednesday, I think!!

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, Bets! I also turned “30ish” on Monday!

Life on the creek is good…

Mary Clare time…

McCanless is in Hilton Head with her Mimi and BaPa, so I’ve had a great time with Mary Clare this week. We’ve gotten lots of much needed baby-mommy time and I’ve also had a few moments to catch up on the blog, and write long overdue birthday thank-you notes!!

I tried to capture Mary Clare on my video camera doing all of the new “tricks” she does now. Of course, when I have my camera out, not much happens, however the little stinker did exactly as I asked her when she was watching herself on camera and listening to my voice!! She was watching herself and clapping, blowing kisses and even said, “bye-bye” when I turned my camera off! Uggh, they never show off when you want them to, but boy do they “show out” when you don’t want them to!!

4th of July Week with the Woodhams!

Not only did we celebrate Mary Clare’s birthday yet again, we made it to the beach almost everyday, shopped a bit, made it to Hard Rock Park and Garden City Pavilion for arcade games and rides, celebrated the 4th with a family cookout (plus Nicole, Alston’s girlfriend and McCanless new best friend) and ended the week with fireworks on the beach the night of the 4th! What a fun week with our crazy Woodham family!!

Mary Clare…one year old!

A few things about Miss Priss,…My little cotton top, hazel-eyed, 19 lb. one year old baby girl!

She has never slept through the night! Not even once! She still sleeps best on Mommy’s chest.

She has three teeth. She has her two front bottom teeth and one fang, with the other fang about to pop out any day now. I swear she is a vampire…

She isn’t walking yet, but can stand on her own. She’ll also squat, stand, squat, stand, etc., but no steps yet. She has taken one or two toward me, but is a bit wobbly.

She loves sweets! She’ll also eat anything I give her, but LOVES sweets!

She still points and nods/bobs her head when she sees something she wants, but now will also add, “MOM-MOM,” which we think is her version of “MINE” or “I NEED THAT.” She also screams, “MA- MA,” when she cries. I’ve also heard, “MOMMY” a few times. One of her very first baby babbles a few months ago was Da-Da, but she doesn’t say it at all anymore, which kills Mel. He’ll grab her every afternoon now and point to himself and repeat, “Da-Da” a thousand times. Obviously, there is a definite trend with her words, “Ma Ma” seems to get her exactly what she wants, when she wants it.

She is very vocal, and babbles to McCanless all day long. She sometimes yells at her, which is funny. McCanless annoys her at times (many times) and it’s so fun to watch them interact. They laugh at each other one minute and the next they are both yelling at each other.

Mary Clare is a feisty little thing, and so impatient. She will let you know exactly when something is not suiting her. She’ll arch her little back and throw her head back in a fit.

She has also learned that if she throws something on the floor enough times, people will eventually laugh after they have picked it up 12 times. She is a little joker.

She continues to be such a happy girl and smiles at everyone. She really is a good baby, if you don’t count the sleeping through the night part!

Mel calls her Clary, McCanless calls her MC.

She still loves to plunder and get into EVERYTHING!! I don’t know what I’m going to do with her! When I give her a bag, shoe, lunch box, etc, she’ll throw it over her shoulder like a purse! When I give her a strand of beads, she knows exactly what to do with those too…over her head they go! Too funny.

We love our little one year old mess!

2008 Fall Photo Shoot for Pennington & Bailes!!

Whew! What a night! Mel has been trying to get a photo shoot together for a while, but of course in Mel fashion, he decided to spring this on me just yesterday! Steve Roos (Plug for Steve… www.steveroos.com We also happen to be on his portfolio page!), our wonderful and FAVORITE photographer “found” a gap in his busy schedule, so we rounded up the new P&B fall kids samples and a few of our friend’s kids and hosted a fabulous photo shoot! I can’t wait to see the real photos from Steve!

These are just a few Mel shot…

Can a girl have too much birthday cake?

We continued the birthday celebration while at the beach last week…

These are the tie-dyed shirts that the girls made at Prestwood Pool last week!