Vaca day 3

On Monday of our vacation Mary Lawton played very hard in the pool again--so hard she fell asleep in Sissy's arms and slept that way for over an hour.
She missed the first event of the decathlon--the bellyflop contest. Ike won. No photo, but it was impressive.
Sweet LJ flopped. I was a little slow taking the picture, but here was his splash.

Liv also flopped. Good form.

Two years ago Sweet LJ and I brainstormed a competition consisting of 10 events and named it for my grandmother: The Jeanne A. Decathlon. Each event is worth points, and the person with the highest number of points at the end of all 10 events wins a trophy. The competition is fierce. My grandmother passed away last year, but she got to participate some that first year. She thought it was pretty cool.

Later that day was cornholing. Due to the number of people and time, we don't play actual cornholing rules. Each person gets 5 throws and 5 points for each beanbag in the hole. Susan won.
The sand was so blazing hot that the competition turned into how many people can fit under a standard beach umbrella.

Andrew showed up in style wearing Gail's hat.

Vaca day 2

On Sunday Mary Lawton had her first dip in the Gulf of Mexico. She was very observant watching birds and people go by, but didn't seem too impressed by the water and sand. She played in the pool for a long time then went in for a lunchtime nap. She had lots of fun swimming with her cousins. I wish I had some photos of them teaching her the backstroke and butterfly. They are so sweet and patient and LOVE her.

First time in the gulf

Poolside with Biffy

Poolside with Dad

Before we made it outside, Mary Lawton learned how to pull all of the paper towels off the roll.

Sunday night all 40 of us went for dinner at Ruth's Chris. Mary Lawton was passed around to lots of different people and didn't complain once. She ended up falling asleep in my arms, and then slept in her carseat until we left. This was the latest she has ever stayed out, I think. We left the restaurant at about 9 PM.

Biffy and Padaddy

Bruce and Jan

Heath, Sissy, Mary Lawton

Olivia and me

Vaca Day 1: The trip down

We left for sunny FL yesterday around 8 AMand got here in about 9 hours. Mary Lawton did pretty well. I ended up spending most of the trip in the backseat with her because she wanted OUT of her carseat and didn't understand why she couldn't roll around and play. We didn't have to stop too much more than we did pre-Mary Lawton. We did take our time at lunch to give her a chance to stretch and hang out outside of her cage (as Sweet LJ started calling her carseat).

We packed so much stuff that we barely had room for Mary Lawton.

Last night there was a pizza dinner for all the family already here, and they keep rolling in. Mary Lawton got lots of cuddling from her Biffy and Padaddy. Some of my dad's grandkids call him Grandpa and one calls him Granddaddy, so we think maybe Mary Lawton should try out Padaddy.

Questions to ask your mother

A friend was telling about these awhile back, and I just found her email again. I plan to ask my mother these in person during our family vacation next week--so get ready, Mom!

1. What's the one thing you would have done differently as a mom?

2. Why did you choose to be with my father?

3. In what ways do you think I'm like you? And not like you?

4. Which one of us kids did you like the best?

5. Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have?

6. Do you think it's easier or harder to be a mother now than when you were raising our family?

7. Is there anything you regret not having asked your parents?

8. What's the best thing I can do for you right now?

9. Is there anything that you wish had been different between us -- or that you would still like to change?

10. When did you realize you were no longer a child?

What we've been up to

I've been on accidental hiatus for over a week. What's been going on:

• Mary Lawton made her first trip to Benihana for Erin's birthday. Mary Lawton didn't catch a shrimp in her mouth.
• We went to Stone Mountain two weekends in a row. Mary Lawton and I ran around the mountain, and Sweet LJ biked. He can bike around the mountain twice in the time it takes me to run around once. We've now visited enough to pay for our annual pass.
  
• Mary Lawton has added sweet potatoes to her diet. I steamed and pureed organic garnet sweet potatoes, scooped tiny portions on a pan, froze the scoops, stored them in a bag, and she eats a scoop every night or so. She seems to like cereal more than sweet potatoes.
• Lots of playing. Tons.
  
• We are soooo ready to go to the beach next week.

Greetings from the couch

Well, 9 years in, we finally entered the 21st century and have wireless Internet access in our home. I'm blogging from the couch. Over a year ago, Sweet LJ gave me a laptop (minus a network card). I kept thinking and reading about building a wireless network but didn't think I knew enough. This weekend I finally went out and bought a network card and a wireless router, and it was all so easy that I'm embarrassed I thought I couldn't do it. Now the desktop and laptop are sharing an Internet connection, and I have one more thing to do before I can print wirelessly from the laptop. hooray!

From your girls

We miss you, Dad/Sweet LJ, and hope you're having a good week.

What's been going on:

• Finally seeing the bird that lives in the house outside Mary Lawton's window
• Getting a delicious homemade chocolate cupcake from a nice neighbor
• Borrowing a Johnny Jump-Up from the same nice neighbor
  
• Watching Mary Lawton figure out how to creep forward on her belly
• Finding a big dead rat in the backyard
  
• Waking up at 6:30 AM when I usually wake up at 5:30 AM [gulp!]
• Regular rice cereal dinners
• Loading up everything and everyone and finding out the car battery is dead
• Eating too many peanut M&Ms
• Trying to hold a squirming baby and get a good picture
  

Can't wait to see you this weekend! xoxo

5 months old

Our girl is wide open every day. Now that she can roll over in both directions, we can't leave her alone for a minute. She logrolls herself wherever she wants to go. Recently I heard a "thunk," and turned to see she had rolled herself into a wall and clocked herself on the head (she was fine), and another time I left her playing on the floor of her room for 2 minutes and came back to find her with her head under the crib, feet kicking the little wooden rocking chair, looking like she was trying to chew on the crib leg. No, I'm not making any of this up, and yes, I'm starting to learn my lesson.
Mary Lawton is loud, funny, smiley, and constantly in motion. Did I mention loud? She screams, squeals, yelps, and chirps nonstop--especially when she has an audience. Her daycare teachers laugh as they tell me stories about Mary Lawton chatting with them all day. We laugh a lot a home, too.Everything goes in Mary Lawton's mouth--the usual (toys, her hands, her feet) and anything else within licking distance--my watch while I'm wearing it; the edges of the Bumbo, which she leans over to chew; the straps of the stoller and highchair; the arm of whomever is holding her. Sweet LJ was sitting on the floor next to her one day, and she was eyeing his foot. I made him move it.
She can't sit up on her own yet, and I "coach" her by sitting her down and putting her hands out in front of her to hold herself up. She seems to like being able to sit up and look around, but she likes falling over even more. So much fun! She also likes playing ride the horse on her dad's leg and playing flying baby with me. We play peek-a-boo a lot, too, and she can pull a cloth off my face and her own--mainly because she wants to chew on it. She's obsessed with Coqui and watches him constantly. She's also started to roll toward him to get closer, because she likes touching him.
Mary Lawton seems to grow an inch and gain a pound every night. I think if I stared long enough I could watch her getting longer.
You are so much fun, Mary Lawton! You keep us laughing and rolling our eyes and wondering what's coming next. Keeping up with you is going to be a challenge, but we're ready. Love you like crazy.

Food pyramid, 6-12 months

Andrew sent me this.

Adventures in cereal

Mary Lawton has been giving us the stink eye when we eat, following every forkful with her eyes, looking left out and curious. We decided to let her try some cereal last Wednesday night (July 8). It was a bust. She was either shocked or not quite ready to pull it back into her mouth and swallow it--or both. The bright side is that she was interested and seemed to like it fine.

First try. Looking terrified.

We tried again Saturday night. She ate bite after bite, opening her mouth for more, then finally let us know she was finished by spitting it out and fussing. Great culinary adventures lie ahead.

More, please.

Savoring every bite

The Squealer

Enjoying a milk popscicle

4 months, 2 weeks, 6 days old

Happy Independence Day!

What a great day. I started the day by running the Peachtree Road Race. I was in time group 2. Hooray! Hopefully next year I'll run a good qualifying time and get back into 1-B or 1-A. My fab husband dropped me off about 1/4 mile from the start so I wouldn't have to take MARTA, which meant we left the house at 6:45 AM for the 7:30 race. For the past 4-5 Peachtrees I've had the good fortune to start near the front, right in front of the Ritz-Carlton. Let me tell you the best-kept secret of the Peachtree Road Race: The Ritz-Carlton restrooms. Why wait in line for a port-a-john when you can enter the Ritz-Carlton (door held open for you by a bellman), go directly to the ladies' room (no line), and enjoy marble-tiled facilities with TP and paper towels? I love you, Ritz-Carlton.

There's always a lot to see and hear during the race. Some highlights:

• Seeing the man dressed in a Spiderman costume--full-length lycra unitard. He was walking and carrying his mask at mile 2, probably because his spidey senses were tingling, telling him he had heatstroke.
• Hearing Axel F and thinking how I haven't heard it since 1985 when my brother used to play it on his keyboard.
  
• Getting very excited when I realized it was a club remix version of Axel F! I love a remix!!!
  
• Liking the "Thanks to all our veterans" sign a spectator was holding up.
  
• Seeing three spectators dressed like Chippendales dancers (They were reminiscent of Chris in the Chris Farley/Patrick Swayze Chippendales SNL sketch.)
  
• Getting to mile 4 and realizing I wasn't going to break 60 minutes and not feeling bad about it at all.
• Thinking about my Sweets LJ and MLJ and feeling so peaceful knowing her daddy was taking good care of her.
  
• Happy to get to Midtown because that's where good shade starts.
• Hearing Chariots of Fire blaring as soon as I hit Midtown, which was exciting by itself, and then being SOOO excited because it was a club remix version of Chariots of Fire!!!
• Thinking about running the race last year while about 7 weeks pregnant and not remembering much about it except being very nervous I'd get overheated, and also that Sweet LJ was holding up a poster that said, "Valdosta loves you!"
  
• Getting to mile 6 and realizing I was going to break 60 minutes! yee ha.
• Finishing in 58:36 (official chip time).
  
• Getting a mist in the face by a volunteer who brought along her personal misting fan.
• Not hating the t-shirt for a change (first one on the left).
• Meeting my biggest fans under the big balloon.

All the times I've run this race, I've never stayed for the awards. We did this year because I had a chance to win a trip to London (didn't win).

Unofficial time

When we got home, Mary Lawton showed us how she can roll off her mat.

That afternoon we headed to Jan and Bruce's for a cookout. I planned to take lots of photos, but I only got one of Gail and Mary Lawton.
We had a wonderful day and hope you did, too. Happy birthday, America!

Hello, ladies!

In case you're taking time out from sunning yourselves and eating tasty snacks to read blogs, hello to all the ladies at Folly Beach! Mary Lawton hopes to cruise the washout when she gets a little older.