Movin' on Up

We're movin' on up in more ways than one. The first is Rhianwen is involved in "helping" mommy pack for the move into the new house. Also, yesterday we were eating supper while Rhianwen was playing. We weren't paying much attention to her, and all of a sudden we heard a little wimper behind us. We turned around, and she was kneeling on a skinny box and hanging onto the lip of the table above her for dear life as the box was not big enough to keep her balance on its own! This was the first evidence of climbing we have seen!

Helping mommy pack.

Most of Rhianwen's "help" is to eat any paper products that she can find. However, a more innovative idea can be seen in the movie below:




We have been doing tons of work on the "new" house, and at night we have been putting Rhianwen to bed in one of the back bedrooms as long as we won't be making a lot of dust. It's taken her a looong time to finally go to sleep. We've learned that she really appreciates a little consistency in her bedtime ritual. She likes her own crib and her own painting of Moley and Ratty in the boat that hangs above her crib. Really! That painting is like the bedrock that convinces her that she is back in her own room. She looks up at it reaches out a hand and breathes easier just because it is there. We find this a little amusing, a little endearing, and a little...scary...for lack of a better word. We try to tell her what's even better is that Jesus is there to watch over her all the time no matter what room she's in. But she sure does love Moley and Ratty watching over her crib at night!

We finally got a little musical toy for Rhianwen that can serve as her own "piano". At first, she just used it as a teethy toy, but now she has gotten the hang of banging on it. I think she likes the piano better...what a cultivated and tasteful daughter we have!

"Ha, and everyone thought these sticks were for beating this thing up!"

A sweet thing that is new for Rhianwen is that she is learning to kiss. We can ask her for a kiss, put our cheek up to her face, and she will open her mouth and press it against our cheek. A not so sweet thing that she is also doing is chewing on bare shoulders. So watch out!

"Well, looks like my job here is done. Adios!"

Renovation Tracker

To keep up with the latest progress at our new house, click here:
http://renovationtracker.blogspot.com/

Busy as a Baby

Looks like it's early even for Rhianwen.

The week in review: Mommy's and Daddy's wedding anniversary, a visit from Uncle Christopher, Rhianwen's 9 month checkup, and the purchase of a house.

Full? Perhaps, but this 9 month-old has managed to get into all kinds of mischief despite the full schedule. Mommy and Daddy have been accepted into the "Chase the Baby" club as Rhianwen has discovered a faster pace of crawling. No, it's not quite to the jet propulsion stage, but it's fast enough to chase daddy down the hall on his way to the shower, to chase kitty to her food bowl, or to chase mommy to the garage for more boxes. Who did I say was doing the chasing?

Rhianwen still enjoys her favorite chair while chewing on a piece of marble. Yum.

For our anniversary, we left Rhianwen at a friend's house and took off to Hillsborough where we enjoyed antiquing, eating lunch at Bandido's, and buying a bottle of wine. On the way home, Uncle Christopher called to say he was driving through and wanted to drop mommy's birthday gift off (a wonderful painting that mommy loooves!).

Hanging around waiting for Christopher.

Rhianwen was more impressed with Uncle Christopher than with his painting.

Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through Duke Gardens.



Tuesday was Rhianwen's 9 month checkup. There we found out that she is again in the 97th percentile for weight (24 lbs) and height (29.5 in). The Dr. changed his diagnosis on the lump on her head and now thinks it is a cyst. So, he is referring us to a plastic surgeon to get it removed. Our poor baby is going to have to be tranquilized...I mean sedated, injected with a local anesthetic near the lump, and get the lump removed. And the Dr. says sooner better than later. So we are waiting for a referral to get that all scheduled. The Dr. also said Rhianwen is as big as an average 1 yr. old (no surprise there) and could even pass for one developmentally. So overall, good news at the Dr's! As an added bonus, there were no shots this time!

Today, we bought the ranch that is lost in a groovy 1960's timewarp. We have tons of work to do. We also realized today that the deck really needs to be replaced pronto. Big project for us! Rhianwen loooooved the empty house. She crawled and walked around yelling the whole time. Echoes are amazing things. We also got to see her navigate the one step in the entire house.

Not too shabby.

At the end of the day, Daddy and Rhianwen enjoy a constitutional down to the bathroom for devotions and a bath.

Hamming it Up

Hamming it up for the camera.

Yes, she knows what the camera is for! We get this expression a lot these days with and without the camera. You can't help but smile even when you're in the midst of something frustrating.

Since my mom wanted close-up pictures, this blog may be overloaded with them, but the goal this week was to please grandma nanny Kim (hence all of the blurry photos in the previous collage). So, here goes!

4th of July oufit.

For Independence Day, Grandmama and Grandaddy and Uncle Averett came up to see us. They brought along a feast of fresh veggies, fruit, and bread, and Grandaddy made real homemade peach ice cream. Fun! Rhianwen looooved Grandmama's 4th of July pin but was easily distracted by a good book.


"I'm going to flyyy away on a flyyyying trapeze."

We mostly ate too much and played with Rhianwen. The visit was ended with a walk around the neighborhood, which probably looked more like a parade with all of us marching around!

Yes, we intended to clash as much as possible.

Somehow, Rhianwen and I managed to find the time to goof off before church. The bruise is from falling on the corner of her toybox. Once that happened, I immediately went out to Walmart, bought the only corner guards they have (their baby selection is appalling), and stuck them on the toybox. Rhianwen promptly pulled one off and stuck it in her mouth. Thus mommy prevented a bruise hazard by creating a choking hazard. Bravo.

Practicing our cheesy smiles.

Another close-up for Nanny Kim.

The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful b/c I have had a cold. So I've mainly stayed on the couch while Rhianwen's played happily and come to check on me once in a while and to give me one of her huge smiles or to proffer me a toy.

Posing with Daddy.

One cute thing Rhianwen's been doing is she will stick out her tongue if we do.

In this picture, she is looking at Daddy who is sticking out his tongue.

At the end of the day, Rhianwen has her last bottle before bed.

Just who is ready for bed here?

You can't say I didn't warn you! Picture heavy it was! Now I am hearing "Lalala" coming from the monitor, so I must bid you adieu.

Vacation Adventures

We have returned from our journey back in time. Rhianwen really enjoyed the blacksmith's fire and the music. It was SO HOT that we spent most of the afternoons in the pool back at the hotel where we met many very interested kids. The funniest meeting was with a 3 year old Asian girl named Lilly who wanted to meet Rhianwen. She came "swimming" up with her daddy who introduced themselves. She was very excited to see a real baby and exclaimed to her daddy, "Can I pet her?!" to which he answered, "Let's exchange our courtesies once we're out of the pool" (a very wise man).

Pooped after a long morning of historical experiences.

I felt very touristy buying Rhianwen her only souvenir: a bunch of bouncy balls melded together with a light inside that goes on and off when it is bounced. How unhistorical is that? Well, she liked it, it was cheap, and I bought it. So I bought a tacky tourist thing from the Episcopal Church Gift Shop. Apparently it has some significance in the Episcopal church; my mom mentioned something about the colors.

Tacky touristy ball with a tacky touristy outfit.

We went on a carriage ride while in Williamsburg too. Usually I feel bad about carriage rides because the horses look so bored, tired, and unspirited, but all of the horses in Williamsburg seemed happy and well-groomed/cared for so we decided to take a ride. I felt even better about it when we talked to their driver who said on hot days like this one, they only did half of the rides and quit in the early afternoon. The movement of the carriage was a lot smoother than I had imagined though granted, we were going pretty slowly. We even felt a bit like royalty when little kids waved at us as we passed by. It's just too bad that Rhianwen and I had forgotten our pearls and tiaras that day.

"I say, do you need a lift?"

Saying hello to Jack and Jill, the horses.

On the way home, daddy got something called a speeding ticket, and we then realized that we were no longer in colonial times when there was no thing called a speed limit. Once home, Grandma Nanny Kim and Grandpa came for their Rhianwen fix. Unfortunately, I always forget to take pictures when family comes because I am so busy interacting. Maybe I will get better at it. Even though Rhianwen doesn't see the grandparents incredibly often, she still seemed to recognize them. Instead of giving them her cool calculating stare reserved for strangers who are acting a little too familiar; she gave them an expectant little smile when they got out of the car.

Today was an unusually fussy day while we were around. Rhianwen was just an angel in nursery, but the rest of the time, very hard to figure out. I partly think she just desperately needs to get back to a non-vacation schedule. We will see!

"Try to decipher this expression!"