Pancakes with Priscilla

"Hello Priscilla!"

I've been a Macy's cardholder since I was 16. Yep, SIXTEEN. It's been our family's department store of choice for decades now, but despite our longtime loyalty, neither my mother nor I had ever ridden Macy's Pink Pig, a Christmas tradition in Atlanta for over 50 years. With the addition of Emma Vance to our family, the holidays have taken on new life, and so my mother invited all of the Shoves to join her in an inaugural ride this past Saturday. The bonus? Not only did we get to ride Priscilla, we got to have a pancake breakfast with the her!

Yes, it was a super early morning to get from Alpharetta down to Lenox, but it was well worth it. In fact, E.V. woke up extra early on her own and was all smiles as we got ready. It kind of felt like she just knew that something extraordinary was happening. We piled in the car with the grandmothers and headed down to Macy's, Emma Vance taking a quick nap during the drive. We had hot chocolate while we waited, personal place settings set for us in a special tent, and a yummy catered breakfast, complete with pig-themed pancakes! After we ate, we rode the Pink Pig for the first time ever, and Emma Vance was enthralled. There's a "no lap" rule, so thankfully she's been working on her sitting up all week. :) After the ride, Nanny bought Emma Vance a plush pig to commemorate the event, and she's been playing with it ever since. It was such an exciting morning that Emma Vance hardly ate a thing and passed out as soon as we began the drive home--as usual! (And, yes, I made her wear a pig hat to the festivities. Ha!) And a very good time was had by all!

One of the best parts of the holiday season is the sense of tradition and wonder that it invites into our families' lives each year. I can't wait for next year's ride, and the year after that, and the year after that...It's exciting to think that we've just begun a tradition that Emma Vance will remember when she's all grown up, and I hope she looks back on these memories with as much fondness that I will.

(How perfect is this hat???)

"We're going to ride a what?"

(E.V. ate a ribbon while we all ate breakfast...)

We deemed her rattail a "pigtail" for the day. :)

(How CUTE is that?)

(Anything she can put in her mouth these days...geez.)

(#7!)

(Checking out her hands while waiting in line...)

Big girl sat all by herself!

(with a little help from Mom)

She loved it!

"We did it!" 

Getting sleepy toward the end...

(Ha!)

The day after...

One Month in Amityville

I was sitting in our master bedroom the other day in the late afternoon, the baby peacefully asleep in her nursery, the dogs gently snoring at the end of the bed, trying to close my eyes for a moment of rest. But I couldn't. It was the first moment that I felt happy in our rental house, and it was fleeting but wonderful.

One of the few things that I've come to love about this house is that our master bedroom does get the perfect amount of mid-afternoon sunlight. There's a tangled little forest off to the side outside one of our windows, and it diffuses the light quite pleasantly. The landlord chose a very pale color for the walls, and it feels airy in the afternoons. I wanted so badly to sleep during that quick moment of reprieve, but unfortunately my feeling of lightheartedness was so unfamiliar in this house that I instead contemplated how much I've missed that feeling so much over the past month.

Since we sold our townhouse, I've had a LOT of homesick moments, and the feeling of freedom that I hoped would come with no longer having a mortgage hasn't quite happened yet. Sitting so contentedly in our bedroom the other day was wonderful because it's such a rare feeling now, but it wasn't in our previous place. Really, this rental house is just that--a house, not our home. And that stinks.

Since today marks one month that we've lived in our here, I've been thinking about the past few weeks and the change they've brought to our lives. (And, man, talk about change!)

Let me step back a moment and remind you of our minimum requirements for a rental house:

1. Affordable: We wanted something that cost less than our mortgage + HOA + storage unit so that we could save some money (since we had to pay to get out of the townhouse).

2. Immediate Move-In: We needed somewhere that would approve us quickly so that we could begin moving our stuff within a few days (since our other rental fell through).

3. Good Location: We needed somewhere in the Alpharetta/Marietta area that was convenient to 400 (since its our lifeline to Atlanta and the airport).

Our rental home definitely meets all of those minimum requirements, the problem is that it stops there. It's old and outdated. The house feels lonely and scary at night. The basement smells and creeps me out, even in the middle of the day, and the huge chain across the door that gives extra protection doesn't give me extra peace of mind. Every time we have someone over, we give the whole don't-fake-excitement-we-know-it's-not-awesome-because-it's-just-temporary spiel to our guests, and even with our decor up, I don't think we'll ever be excited to call this our home. In fact, about ten minutes after we signed our lease, I looked at Ryan and admitted that in my head I'd nicknamed the place "Amityville." I hadn't wanted to tell him that before our moving in was official because I knew this was the right place for us, even if it didn't feel right, and I didn't want him to back out. 

In the past month, we've unpacked nearly everything (save for the basement, which needs to really be dug through and purged, and an untidy garage) and have tried to make this place feel like we live here. (P.S. Initially I thought unpacking and decorating would take a weekend--ha!) We've adjusted to letting the dogs out (because before we had a dog door), have enjoyed Ryan having his own office, and are looking forward to having room in the garage for the cars soon. I've accidentally driven to our townhouse exactly four times, each time feeling panicked when I realize that it's no longer our home. I've been trying to look past all of the bad points about this house and focus on the good aspects: There are heat lamps in the bathrooms, which I never knew that I'd love; we'll be out of our storage unit by the end of the month, which will be a huge relief; the dogs are in heaven having their own big backyard; we can make noise until the wee hours of the night with no neighbors to bang on the walls... I'm trying to overlook that we don't have a garbage disposal, that the trees leak sap all over my car, that single-paned windows hold in exactly ZERO heat, that the dyer doesn't dry and the stove doesn't heat up quickly, that the floors squeak no matter where you are in the house...

Really, this house is my Amityville. I keep reminding myself that it's only for a year (we hope). If it's longer (since all we do is dream about our next house yet still can't agree on the basics of it), I may start finding excuses to travel with Ryan. (Ha!) In fact, I'm not even sure if he understands why this house impacts me so negatively, but since I'm the one spending 99% of my time here, no wonder it bothers me more. Plus, Ryan's much better at adjusting to change than I am, which we've both always known. When we got married, I distinctly remember having a conversation with Ryan about where we were going to live; I told him that it didn't matter, that I'd live in a shack with no running water and be happy as long as I was with him. I suppose God is taking me up on my offer now, seven years later. :)

At the very least, I can say thank you, Lord, for the roof over our heads and the means to pay for it. Here's to one year in Amityville! 

Mystery of the Missing Mohawk

"Where's my mohawk???"

There are some things in life that define who we are against our will. It might be the tenor of your voice, the character of your laugh, the depth others see in your eyes...so many small things that make such subtle but lasting impressions on others about who we are in the world. For Emma Vance, it's her hair, and today we woke up to find that our baby's defining characteristic had become, well, less defined.

This morning I was giving her a bottle, looking at our little lady, puzzled by what seemed unfamiliar about her. I mean, she was wearing new pajamas, but that didn't seem to be it. I couldn't quite put my finger on it for moment, then aha! Where is her mohawk?!? It seems that as quickly and quietly as it appeared, it disappeared last night.

We've been joking about Emma Vance's hair ever since it took on its own personality, but I hadn't prepared for it to simply go away with no warning. I mean, yes, I knew that eventually it would get long and heavy enough to lay down flat, but that time seemed to be a long way off. All day today I felt a little sad when I looked at her; it was like seeing a dolphin whose dorsal fin has lost its use and flopped over in captivity--a bit lonely and depressing. Before, even when she wasn't happy, her hair gave her the impression of being happy and excited, and without it, she seems a bit deflated. I know its just me not wanting her to grow up, but, man, I'm going to miss that crazy mohawk!

I've been avoiding mourning the missing mohawk all day because truthfully I don't know if this is a permanent change or a snafu. There is a little bit of hope left in me because tonight after her bath her hair seemed to be sticking up a little bit (!). Ryan got E.V. ready for bed last night (usually my duty) and brushed her hair more than I do, so we're thinking that might have been the determining factor. The question arises, though, that if tomorrow the mohawk's back and we discover it was in fact the brushing that made it go away, moving forward, do we brush or not brush? To mohawk or not to mohawk, that is the question...

(And if mom gets her way, I think that if it will, we'll let it stick up for just a bit longer. I mean, she has the rest of her life to have pretty hair, but funky baby hair is something you can only do once in life!)

Doesn't she just seem sad without that crazy hair?

("C'mon, cheer up!")

Feeling a little better after a girl-to-girl pep talk about hair.

She's going through a face-grabbing stage...ouch!

(And, man, can she leave a mark!)

I Got Ras'd

Emma Vance was enthralled with Andrew...

Yeah, Ras! The Shove family had a lunch date today with Andrew Rasmussen, who not only is an awesome guy and friend, but who also keeps our financial future on track. It was our first time meeting him with Emma Vance in tow, and she was a great reminder of why we're working on putting away today's money for tomorrow's purposes.

When he got married (three days after E.V. was born), we were sad to miss the festivities but insisted on getting a wedding favor regardless. I'm not sure that it's how Ras intended people to use his koozie, but, hey, we're parents now! :)

...and apparently very intent on learning about her financial future as well. :)

Baby Laughs

Ryan NOT scaring and scarring our daughter...

Emma Vance is such a happy baby, and her laughter brings us laughter. We can't get enough of her smiles, her sounds, her little baby jokes...it's totally addictive, and I understand how parents can become obsessed with their kids so easily. Kids really do bring joy into the world, and Emma Vance seems to take her baby job quite seriously, or rather, not seriously (get it?).

Today, however, E.V. had a truly un-joyful moment. I had left Emma Vance with Ryan while I went to the gym, and when I came back, they were playing nicely together--for a moment. From across the room I heard a cackle from Ryan and then the saddest, loudest crying from E.V. I've ever heard. Turns out Ryan was trying to make her laugh but instead succeeded in scaring her. (I don't think he'll cackle at her ever again!) E.V. doesn't really cry randomly, so it freaked me out and when I learned why she was so upset, it broke my heart a little bit. It was so honest and passionate and pitiful--a cry that we've never heard from her before. A little snuggling and she was fine, but even as she grinned afterward ("Mom, I admit I overreacted a bit..."), she still had tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. Sigh. That will never get easier, will it? Let's just have a moment of relief in knowing that she won't remember the first time someone scared her--or scarred her! :)

After the debacle, Ryan spent a little time making her laugh to make up for the innocent mistake. Love these guys...

Peas, Peas Everywhere...

Pillows and peas...

If you've been following along, you know we've been "battling" Emma Vance only taking 45 minute naps for a while now. We've tried everything within reason to get rid of what Baby Wise calls "The 45 Minute Intruder," but we've failed. We've tried more food, formula, pacifiers, letting her cry it out, jiggling her, swaddling her, noise machines, changing the room's temperature/lighting/noise level...you name it, we've done it. She just can't seem to transition during naps to her second sleep cycle. It's been going on so long that it is now our norm, and since she seems happy as a lark on a 45 minute nap schedule, I've not been too worried about it lately. Truthfully, if I didn't know any better I'd assume that she's supposed to be taking 45 minute naps at this age since it seems so natural for her.

The only successful method I've found for beating The Intruder has been snuggling her in our bed while she sleeps. Now, on occasion, these types of naps can be wonderful and sweet, but I can't just lay around everyday for hours on end watching my baby sleep next to me. Today when she woke up from her nap, I picked her up and sat down in our rocker to feed her, but she passed right back out (meaning that she was in transition--bad mom for not letting her try to go through it!). Naturally, I tried to put her back in her crib, but she cried relentlessly when I laid her down. So I picked her back up and sat in the rocker until I thought she was good and asleep, but as I laid her down again--"Wahhh!" Hmmm. So again I sat down, let her pass out and thought for a minute. The third time I laid her down I transferred the pillow from the rocker alongside her, and lo and behold--success!

Emma Vance is such a glutton for comfort. (Maybe Olive taught her that? :) ) Although the pillow worked this one time, it's definitely a suffocation hazard, so as easy as it was to sit in her nursery and watch her as I did my makeup today, this can't become a habit. What do you do for a baby who loves comfort more than sleep? I dunno. I suppose we'll figure it out eventually, and just enjoy these occasional long naps when they happen. Does Tempurpedic make a crib mattress? Ha!

Oh, and just for fun, here's Emma Vance tonight. Two thoughts: 1. Gee, do you think we need a louder sound machine? Clearly she likes the noise! :), and 2. Is she sniffing that giraffe's butt? Geez.

Goooo DAWGS!

Tonight's game's going to be a nail biter!  

We've said our prayers, crossed our fingers and placed our bets for the Dawgs to beat Alabama in tonight's SEC Championship. All we can do now is believe in our team. Sic 'em!