the hopper family blog

Valentime's Day!

2012-02-14T18:48:00.001-05:00

My little "love bug"

It is a love fest up in here! Valentime's Day is always a fun one, but more so now that Jeremy is a bit more aware of what it means. He and Brian snuck out over the weekend and got me a little treat. How adorable is it that Brian could not find a vase and put a single rose in a huge pitcher? Love that man. And he noticed the other day that I do not have any "nice" copies of Jane Austen's books. All of my copies are paperback, full of underlined passages, my thoughts in the margins, and sticky notes sticking up all over the place (hey, I did my thesis on her 6 novels, it happens). So, he got me a super great hardback version of all the novels. He even wrote in his own little message and quoted a Jane passage that he has remembered for years.

Jeremy and I made heart cakes, which turned out very yummy - so I am told. We made 4 little ones (one for each family member) and one big one for the whole family to share. Once they were completed, I left and took a shower. I came back and and low and behold only one small cake was left. I immediately commented to Brian that he must have been hungry, and Brian was shocked thinking that I had taken one of them. I asked young master Hopper who happily told us he ate his and Violet's. About an hour later, I heard Brian laughing. Turns out, 2 was not enough. My cake had been licked of all icing and little fingers had dug out most of it. And a certain little boy's smiling face was COVERED in chocolate. Note to self: keep cakes out of reach of children.

Jeremy, Violet, and I also had a great time making Valentine's for their classmates at school. Jeremy's had a train theme, of course.

Violet's had a more romantic feel. I do love that I have access to RA supplies at work - it makes craft time so much more fun!

A photo of his class today sent by Jeremy's teacher:And here is my precious girl on Valentine's Day: she wore a pretty dress and her fancy coat for the occasion. It is great to finally have a little doll I can dress up for holidays!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Parties and Pretties

2012-02-11T19:15:00.002-05:00

I have so many random photos that I need to get them posted (since this is the only photo album I keep up with). There is no real theme or story here, so just roll with it.

The most unflattering photo I have taken of my kids in a while. I love it.We have attended several birthday parties for Jeremy's friends lately. Here is Hallie's 5th birthday at Pump It Up. Jeremy had a blast! This is by far one of his favorite places in the world. And Will introduced Jeremy to air hockey, which he very much enjoyed!And here is William's 4th birthday at Tataru's Gymnasium. This was Jeremy's first time in a real gym like this - and his first time on a trampoline, but he did really well. Violet is also a great party guest. At both the Gym and Pump it Up, she happily watched everyone around her play and smiled at the other parents.And here is my pretty girl. She just looked super cute one day so I started snapping away. And then she shocked me by standing up* at the train table to finally make her presence known on the Island of Sodor. She was so excited to be there, it was crazy. Jeremy handled it pretty well, I was rather proud.
*she did not stand up on her own, but for the first time, she remained standing when I put her up at the table and held on by herself and played for a long time And there you have it! A random assortment of photos for your viewing pleasure!

Never a Dull Moment

2012-02-06T22:49:00.005-05:00

I have recently taken part in many parent-teacher meetings. I love my kids, but they do present some challenges outside the norm. I will start with Miss Viley.

I was called in to meet with Vi's teacher about her Ages and Stages Chart. It is an evaluation young kids do that helps you track their development progression to ensure they are on the right path - they score in the white (good), gray (mild concerns), or black (need professional help) in areas like gross motor, fine motor, communication, problem solving, etc. Apparently, Lizzie saw some things that concerned her in Violet's latest evaluation, so she set up a meeting with me. As a point of reference, when we initially had Jeremy tested for his original speech issues, he scored in the black area in almost EVERY SINGLE category - for years. Needless to say, I started hyperventilating a bit at the very thought that Violet had developmental issues as well.

Turns out, she is looking pretty good, but she is in the gray area (yay - not black!) for her gross motor skills. Young Viley has never rolled over. Yeah, I know. She should have done that 5 months ago. Lizzie says that without learning to roll over, Vi will miss out on some of the great problem solving development that occurs when infants learn how to use their bodies intentionally to get toys, turn in different directions, etc. I was smiling to myself that she was overreacting until Lizzie said the words "cognitive development" in her list of concerns. It is a minor thing in the grand scheme, but it needs to be fixed. My crazy-serious-psycho Mommy skills kicked in as I felt myself gearing up for a return to the development battlefield - though for a much more minor concern.

So, our new mantra around the house is simple: "Roll, Baby, Roll!" Vi now spends her time on her back or her tummy. She HATES it. Tummy time typically lasts 3 minutes or less without screams. Back time is basically her doing Pilates or crunches as she desperately tries to sit up. She will have an amazing core. And she looks at me with those eyes that say, "Mommy, you know I don't like this. Why are you doing this to me? Don't you love me?" Yes, Violet, I do love you, and that is why I am doing this.

Here are some photos of our homework time. I think she is making progress, and she does reach across her body now to grasp toys and will pivot around, and she rolled from tummy to back the other day, but I think it was rage-induced and therefore does not really count. Next, we have Mr. Jeremy. I actually called this meeting myself after he came home for the fourth time with scratches on his face and stories of biting and fighting with one particular classmate. I mainly wanted to talk about how to keep him from engaging in that type of aggressive behavior. Long story short, we now have a full team of people - us at home and several teachers both inside and outside Jeremy's class - doing formal observations of him and noting when he seems to hit a trigger moment that manifests itself as anger, anxiety, etc. The goal, of course, is to hopefully find a pattern that will help us identify and eliminate the trigger, thus eliminating the need he has to behave in these ways.

I was taken aback a bit by the long conversation with the teachers because they had more concern over his perceived anxiety issues than the occasional biting. He does have an unhealthy obsession with Mr. Moo (it is usually fine and cute, but when he sits by the washing machine crying and frantically bestows kisses and hugs before another tantrum waiting on the dryer - it is unhealthy) and his finger sucking is persistent and not at all abating. He has always struggled with transitions, particularly to unwanted activities like bedtime, etc. Little man should be outgrowing these things naturally soon, but as we all know, young Jeremy does things in his own way and on his own schedule, so we may need to provide a bit of assistance. Hence, the note-taking and observations we are now in the midst of.So, we are in the middle of development projects for both of our kids. I will be honest and say it is not my favorite parenting time right now. I want to be called into a meeting where the teachers tell me my kids are perfect, right where they should be developmentally, and my, what a great job you must be doing as a parent. But, it is what it is, and we are tackling the gross motor and anxiety obstacles before us. Come back soon and I am 100% confident you will read about our amazing rolling and behavior progress!

Viley: 8 Months Old

2012-01-28T19:10:00.005-05:00

Why has this month been soooo loooong? I really thought she was 9 months old by now. January is by far my least favorite month.

Luckily, Viley is by far my most favorite daughter. Here are her pictures. I could not choose just one, so I am putting up the entire series. She does love a photo shoot. Love a happy girl.This month, Miss Violet Cordelia has been quite active. She is learning to use her body to move around a bit more, though she is still not crawling or rolling. At the doctor's advice, we have lessened her formula intake in an attempt to make her a bit less rotund. She now drinks 4 six ounce bottles a day and eats 4-5 jars of baby food. A stomach bug went through her classroom and while she did not get it in full, she did go off food for a few days. It was interesting. I have never seen her not want to eat, and needless to say, she was not pleasant. All appears to be back to normal now, though her appetite is not quite as voracious as it once was; I think that is a good thing.

Vi is laughing, smiling, and talking all the time. Her favorite words are dada, mama, and baba. I still cannot believe she says things at 8 months that Jeremy did not say until 2 and a half. Perspective. Anyway, Violet is a good-natured kid still, she loves her laptop and remote control, her baby doll, her rings, and Jeremy's trains. She also loves music and dancing - that's my girl. We are working with her on being on her tummy and back more often (at her teacher's advice) to encourage more movement. She has begun picking up finger foods and can feed herself (sort of). She sleeps like a champ, and her bed is full of her favorite things (don't judge all you bare crib people out there) like a turtle star nightlight, a glowworm, her favorite purple sock monkey doll, and her two favorite blankies. 9 times out of 10, she goes to sleep with a smile on her face, and wakes up the same way.She is a pretty good kid - if only she would potty train. Maybe next month?

Weekend Weirdos

2012-01-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

My kids are total weirdos. I love them and embrace their oddness.

First off, now that Christmas is so over that even the kids announce "Christmas is closed", I remembered we have a train gingerbread thing. So, we made it and it lasted approximately 4.5 minutes before we ate it. Every single crumb - gone.Jeremy has taken to stealing Violet's toys. Here he is reading her favorite book. You would think he is reading to her, but he kept pushing her over so that he could have alone time with her lift-a-flap baby book.My girl. Orange stained face from sweet potatoes, bare legs in winter, pretending a bathing suit cover-up I got on clearance is a real dress, playing with trains and a baby doll, oh and sweet potatoes on her socks and fake dress as well.We are classy here in the Hopper House. That's right, girlfriend, get comfy. This is her favorite position when eating.I got tons of advice when we began our train journey to super glue the tracks down, number them, screw them to the table, etc. Parents told me how much they hated having to fix the tracks for the kids, etc. Well, I gotta say I disagree. This is how we spend our weekends. We do a new track layout and act out new stories with the different destinations. This one was downstairs for two weeks before we created a new layout upstairs on the train table. And it is not that big of a problem because Jeremy does it himself. He set this one up on his own. Some of the tracks don't go anywhere and some turns are not possible and overpasses too low, but he loves it and was crazy proud of it.Jeremy has finally taken an interest in learning how to play baseball. I am signing him up to play on a team with William, coached by William's dad Ben! It should be fun, but I have from now until April to get him to step and throw off the correct foot, catch with two hands, stop swinging a bat like an axe, and refrain from falling on the ground in an attempt to emulate a diving catch every time a ball comes his direction. Wish me luck.We introduced Jeremy to Netflix this weekend. He got the movie Space Buddies (ugh) and watched it 45 times in one day. I got sick of it so I pretended the mailman needed it back on Sunday. I am that mom. He then picked Unstoppable online and after clicking the button he immediately ran to the mailbox to see if it was there. Obviously, it was not and Space Buddies was, so that took some explaining. He checked the mailbox no less than 20 times.He is obsessed with Unstoppable. My parents have it in Memphis, but I have refused to buy it since he is so obsessed. This will be the first time he watches it in our home. There is a train in every single shot of the movie. He started watching previews of it on youtube, so I decided we might as well give in. He thinks the characters, Frank, Will, and Connie, are his friends and he talks about 1206 and 777 (the trains) at school so much that his teachers have asked me what it means. Normal kids talk about cartoons or real friends. My son talks about Triple 7 careening down the tracks attempting to kill people. Jealous?And finally, yesterday Jeremy fell asleep on me at 4pm. I let him go to bed with the intention of getting him up for church around 5:15 (we usually attend mass at 6pm since it fits Vi's schedule better). He was so dead asleep that I stayed home while Brian and Viley did the church duty without us. I tried two more times to wake him up to no avail. Finally, after Brian was in bed and I was on my way, I hear a little monster running down the stairs -fully awake, full of energy, ready to play. "Sniff, sniff, Something smells tasty!" Jumps on the couch. "Oh, football!" Grabs his football and falls on the ground. "Mommy, I need some food. I want bacon." Runs around in circles like a maniac.

He got a peanut butter sandwich and was sent back to bed. He slept until 7am.

Weirdo.

Reading

2012-01-12T17:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I have been flooded with questions about this whole Jeremy reading thing (how crazy that anyone reads this blog). Even his teachers at school are a bit flummoxed. Then, I got the Baby Center weekly email about Jeremy and it was called: "Your 4 Year Old: Reading". Basically, at 4, he should now BEGIN to recognize a few letters. After that, he will begin to learn their sounds, then by age 6 or 7 he should be reading sentences. Hmm. I suppose since Jeremy is our first I did not really realize how odd it was that he can read sentences now. So, here is a quick rundown of what got us to a just-turned 4 year old who can read:

We read to Jeremy every single night before he goes to bed. His entire life - that is not an exaggeration. At 2 weeks old, we read books to our kid. I think this is the single most important thing. He has to know that books are awesome, and the fact that we read an average of 5 books a day to him his whole life developed that love.
We let HIM pick the books. We read some of the same books every day for a year. It was so boring, but it is not about me - I already love to read - it is about him discovering what he wants. The fact that he had an opinion about what we read was great, so we did it.
We offered a variety of books and put them at kid level. I have seen some kid bedrooms where the books are neatly arranged on a high shelf collecting dust. They are all the same size and shape and look oh so pretty. That's called decorating, not reading. We have over-sized books, books that fit in the palm of your hand, cloth books, hardback books, board books, pop-up books, sticker books, magnet books, musical books...And Jeremy can reach them all, grab what he wants, and mix and match. It is not neat or tidy, but it is pretty fabulous to me.
We challenge him. Say Jeremy chose to read The Cat in the Hat and Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble. Ok, we would start bedtime by reading those two books. Then, when he would agree to anything to postpone going to sleep, I suggest we read Beowulf (the kid version we got from Aunt Cheri). Excellent. A whole new conversation about Grendel emerges, imagination ignites, and Jeremy will ace Senior Year literature class. Win, win, win (I miss Michael Scott). The next night, I guarantee he will choose Beowulf as one of his books.
This guy. My dad did it for me and all of my siblings - voices, dramatic reenactments, constant recommendations for new books. Our entire family reads voraciously and that began with my Dad who reads like 4 books a week. Find the idol of your kid's family and have that person read to him. Pop walks on water to Jeremy, so if Pop says reading is the bee's knees, then it is. Period.
It starts as a game. Young kids need it to be fun and engaging. These Melissa and Doug puzzles are amazing. We kept ours for Violet and it is hilarious - the pieces are chewed on, peeling, gross, and warped with slobber. He was around 18 months when Jeremy would empty it out and we would systematically put all of the pieces back with me saying, "A is for aaaapple." He loved it and we would do the entire puzzle four or five times in a row every day. Soon, I realized I could tell him to bring me the K and he would pick up the correct letter.
We surrounded ourselves with letters. The puzzle was only one of many. I made this border for their room from the RA supplies in my office at work, we had this ABC mat that he played on and we would jump from letter to letter. I also got this poster at the dollar store and it has been hanging in the room for at least 3 years, if not more. Not a day went by that we did not review letters, mostly as part of play time in the room. I once noticed him muttering after he went to bed, and realized he was staring at the letters on the wall and reciting them - the alternative to counting sheep!
Speech therapy. This was huge. As everyone knows, Jeremy had a severe speech disorder and did not begin speaking at all until he was 2.5 years old. In our early speech sessions, if we managed to get a single grunt or sound from him in an hour we considered it a successful session. Brian and I were given tons of "homework" to work with him on producing different one syllable sounds - anyone with kids with disabilities, it is so true that 90% of your success is dependent on what you do at home when there are no therapists or doctors around. Well, it seemed like the easiest way to do it was to use the alphabet. So, we drilled the alphabet daily as part of our speech routine. Once he mastered the letters, we worked on the sounds the letters made, which progressed perfectly with where he was in therapy at that time. We had us as parents, his speech therapist, his early interventionist, his classroom teachers, and for a while an occupational therapist all working on this. I do not think this is necessary for a kid to learn to read, but for Jeremy it helps to explain why he knows every letter (capital and lowercase), every sound, differing vowel sounds, etc as second nature. He knew that stuff back before he turned 3. This picture makes me miss Jennifer so much - best speech therapist in the world!
We listen to him. Once we noticed that he was beginning to sound out his letters to form words, we began to provide more opportunities. He would spell out and read words in the bathtub, read billboards while in the car, and then we began reading "together" at bedtime by offering for him to read the first word of every sentence and the subject words - like "train", "dog", whatever the book was about. Soon, he was asking to read more words and that progressed to full sentences.
We go at his pace. We never said, "Let's push Jeremy to read at an early age." We wanted him to love books and enjoy reading, but he set the pace himself. Now that we are reading chapter books (we are on Chapter 11 of Harry Potter - "Quidditch"), we only do about three pages a night. He wants to do the reading sometimes, we read sometimes while he lays down. Whatever. The other day he looked at me and said, "Mommy, you read fast and I read slow." And it was said with a smile; he was reprimanding me for reading too fast. We ask him if we wants to read a picture book instead, but he has so far always said no and cites the last part of the story (troll boogers, throwing the quaffle, wingardium leviosa, etc) and his need to see what happens next. I discussed it with his teacher, and she said it was great and he still gets plenty of variety since they read picture books at school.
He is awesome. He just is. We had nothing to do with that.

My basic advice is to listen to your kid, go at his or her pace, and surround them with the opportunity to read. Kids can't create opportunity from nothing, but they can and will seize the opportunity if you provide the environment for them. There were times when I never wanted to see that Alligator at Saw Grass Road book again, let alone read it for the millionth time. I have every single Dr. Seuss book memorized. I am sitting here reciting them in my head. I can perform Skippyjon Jones word for word without opening the book. Provide the opportunity, the tools, the fun, and most importantly, the time. They will thank you for it.

Hmm, speaking of: Thanks, Mom and Dad!!

A Glance Behind, A Look Ahead

2012-01-10T07:34:00.002-05:00

I have done lists of resolutions, set goals, and made grand plans for new years. I have had good intentions, accountability partners, and color-coded charts. Some have been resounding successes. Others have failed miserably. Luckily, I tend to live on the positive side, and each new year I have an uncanny ability to only focus on the things I did well and not wallow in the missed opportunities, gained pounds, and unorganized closets. Either way, I have decided to take a different approach this year. I will take a look back at what made this past year the amazing one that it was (challenges included - they serve to make our successes that much more successful), and then I will look ahead to what lies in store for the new year. I think it will be interesting to see how my fortune telling pans out a year from now.

2011 - A Glance Behind

Jeremy met his idol. This has been a popularly revisited subject all year, and I am so glad we were able to do this. We almost didn't since I had a baby 1 week later, but we knew the little man needed his own celebration before becoming a brother. It also provided me with one of the most precious photos of my man - the moment we told him where he would be going later that day!
Chef Brian! It has been so much fun watching Brian turn into a culinary genius. I admit I am not always excited to try his new concoctions, but he has proven me wrong with every delicious bite. Also, I hate to cook, so this new hobby has been a dream come true!
Surgery. Turns out this was a year for surgeries in the Hopper house. There was one point I remember talking to my mom and I said that if I have to say the word surgery one more time I will kill someone. In total, we had 5 different surgeries this year. Two for Jeremy's mole, one for Violet's birth via c-section, one for my tongue, and one a week after the birth for the lovely complications that I so happily got to experience. And, with surgeries comes medical bills - a fun new development we will be bringing with us into the new year.
Travel! I was preggo for both of these trips, but a free trip is fabulous at any size. Since we can never afford a vacation, I love the little perk my job offers of conference travel. I attended professional conferences this year in both Mobile, AL and Philadelphia, PA. We even sprung for a treat and Brian was able to make the trip to Philly with me - one final adventure just the two of us before becoming parents of 2!
New car! We didn't really plan on this, but I cannot tell you how much of a relief it has been to have two working cars in our family. We have been married 5 years and lived 4.5 of those years with only one or one plus a broken one. We cannot actually afford it, even at the amazing price we got, but our twins are now part of the family!

Potty Training! Finally! At three and a half years old, Jeremy woke up one morning and asked to wear underwear. A request he had NEVER uttered before. I had decided to quit pushing it now that Vi was here and my hands were full enough, but I jumped all over that request. He has not worn a single diaper since that morning and he has had a grand total of three accidents since (why one had to be at Thanksgiving in front of family I will never know). In true Jeremy fashion, he waited until he was ready and took matters into his own hands without looking back.
Speech and reading. Really? Really?! This kid never ceases to amaze me and surprise me in so many ways. It appears that Mr. Jeremy will be speech therapy free and not hampered by a disability label when he starts kindergarten. I simply cannot process that idea in my brain. So many tears, sweat, and time went into this and I am FOREVER grateful that all has apparently turned out okay. And while I am on the topic of amazingness, my barely 4 year-old can read. Legitimately read. Crazy. I have gotten so many questions and comments about this I will have an upcoming post about it- stay tuned.
5 year wedding anniversary. I love my husband and I am pretty sure he loves me too. We have built a pretty great family in 5 years, and I am proud of every moment of it.
Baby Girl. Saving the best for last. This is what 2011 will always mean to me. She has only been a part of our lives for 7 months, but she has been a part of our lives forever. (That makes sense to the parents out there.) Our little ball of chub who loves watching her brother play trains, snuggling with her daddy, and dancing with her mommy has been a game changer for all of us and we couldn't be happier. Sure, I almost succumbed to the postpartum depression haze, but we survived. And just look at that face. Totally worth everything and more.

2012

Holidays! We will be spending the 4th of July in Nashville with all the fun Hopper babies - it should be insane this summer with all 5 of the little ones walking and being crazy. Thanksgiving will be in Memphis with the Carr/Boldreghini clan, so a house crammed with 50-plus loud and hungry family members bursting with laughter and sarcasm awaits us. I simply cannot wait!
Big boy! I would never have predicted the huge strides my baby boy took this year, and I hope to be equally impressed this year. Let's see, what is left for him to accomplish?? I predict by the end of the year he will be solving complex math equations and proofing the first draft of his novel. Seriously, though, we will begin looking at kindergartens and beg the question: Catholic school or public?
Vi's first birthday! Oh, I cannot believe it. This year will be a big one as our little girl goes from baby to toddler. 2012 should see her crawl and take her first steps. I have a feeling I will barely recognize my Chunkster by the end of the year, and possibly I should stop referring to her as a chubby chunk. I just don't think I am ready to let go of the smooshy cheeks that simply beg to be smothered in mommy kisses. The roly-poly baby months are too short!
Dani's wedding. That's right, folks. My 8 year-old sister is getting hitched. I am told that by this summer she will actually be a 22 year-old college graduate, but I am not convinced. I had to do some fancy (ie horrible) editing to show this without spoiling the Dan in a Wedding Dress Surprise, but come on, is there anything better in life than sisters? (don't worry, none of these are THE dress, not even the bridesmaid ones - these are just us being ridiculous in the store)
Dr. Cheri! My older sister is earning her PhD in Philosophy this May. Dr. Carr. Sounds crazy. She has worked so hard and is the smartest person I have ever met, and I have met some pretty amazing people after working in higher education for the past 12 years. I am so proud of her and will not miss her walk across that stage for anything.
President...? I am not the most political person in the world, but any election year is a pretty significant year. I am not looking forward to the mudslinging, but I am looking forward to some progress for our country.
And what am I looking forward to most of all in 2012? Family time at home with my kids and the man I love. Because, really, is there anything better than curling up with your kids to watch PBS cartoons? Or spending an entire weekend building a new train track layout that takes up the entire living room floor while you watch the wheels spinning in his brain as he figures out the complicated puzzle to make it all fit? Or repeating the same fake burp sound 20 times in a row to hear her laugh just one more time? Absolutely nothing.

Here's to the new year! May it bring us all one step closer to our heart's desires, and keep us safe, healthy, and wise along the way!

All Work and Some Play

2012-01-07T20:21:00.007-05:00

We opened the residence halls on campus today for the spring semester - well, 3 of my 6 buildings never close since they house athletes and international students, but whatever - so we have been in full RA training mode the last week since returning from the holiday. The training committee came up with a super cute old school Nickelodeon theme, and it really made me miss cable TV for the first time in years. Each presentation had a fun tie-in, and the staff did a great job making their sessions fun and engaging for the students. I love seeing the staff in their element teaching and learning from the students they love so much.My main role was to smile, answer questions, show support, and talk about fainting goats. No Goats, No Glory!Today, I took the kids to campus to visit the 6 halls in my area so that I could be present on opening day should they need me. Luckily, no one really did since how much help could I really be with two kids in tow? I try, but life is life and this is how I roll. Anyway, the kids were amazing! We spent over 3 hours roaming campus saying hi to RAs and new students and taking pictures of the awesome RA bulletin boards and lobby decorations (for my afore-linked RA blog). Since I am a nerd, I also took a photo of Violet perched on each of the front desks. Luckily the RAs know I am crazy and were not phased by the random baby booty being unceremoniously plopped right on their work space in the middle of spring opening. I love how some of the RAs ran and hid and others posed with her. Violet looks rather grumpy in some, which is odd because she was actually in a great mood all day, and Jeremy appears to be doing his best drunk college student impression in several of them. Love it.
Laurel HallClement HallVolunteer HallMassey Hall Apartment Residence Hall (she is totally distracted by Daniel hiding in the corner)Gibbs HallAnd Jeremy is always fascinated with this bridge, so I snapped a photo on the pedestrian bridge between Clement and Massey.I am sure it sounds odd to others, but my kids have 7 homes. Our real one and their 6 residence halls. Not every kid gets a grand welcome every time they enter a college dormitory, with college students falling over themselves to hold them, give them candy, and let them play with their iPhones. I do love a good reminder of why I love my job so much! Happy Opening!

(And two other exciting things today: my parents celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary, and our nephew Jude had his first birthday party! We love you!)

Vacation Fun

2012-01-02T16:53:00.010-05:00

We don't really take "vacations" in this family, so the past 10 days have been a real treat. I have been home with the kids since UT is closed for the holiday - and since it is administrative closing, I don't even have to take annual time! Brian has been lucky enough to be home with us for much of the time as well, so we have been totally spoiled with family fun time. Here is a sort of photo journal of what we have been up to, having a grand ole time staying quietly at home:

Camp Out!
Jeremy loves his new tent from Santa, and combined with his new sleeping bag from Nana and Granddaddy and the Thomas pillow pet from Aunt Dani, it is no wonder he has been sleeping downstairs in the tent for the last few nights. The first one, I was worried he would be scared so I slept downstairs with him. Turns out, not scared. So, I have returned to my bed while he remains happily curled up in the tent. He plays in there all day, and has even deigned to allow a visit from his little sister on occasion.Snotty Nose!
Violet has had a minor cold for ages now, and it is simply one of those annoyingly long-lasting colds that does no real damage except for turning her nose into a leaky faucet. In an interesting turn of events, young Vi has taken a liking to the aspirator. I have to use it at least once a day to clear her out, and when she sees it she smiles, leans her head back, and flares her nostrils for me. No whining, only love for the nose suction monster. Odd child.Musicals!
Somehow, people have gotten wind of the fact that I show the kids musicals (not sure how). I got a few new ones for Christmas, and we have had a blast exploring some new classics. How odd that my kids have never seen The Wizard of Oz or Mary Poppins! Well, now they have, and both were big successes. Violet sings all the time, no joke, she really does, and all it takes is a hummed tune to bring on a big smile.Play Dates!
William got a new house (!), so we have gone over there a few times to play in the last week, and new house is even more fun than old house. We have also had play dates with Mr. Joel and my friend Melissa (who Vi adored). Below, you can see the cutest look on Violet's face. She is being held by Elizabeth, William's mom, who says her hair looked bad (it did not) so I cropped her out. I am lucky that I have friends who love my kids - and vice versa.Crawling...Almost!
We are not actually crawling yet, but in a huge step, Vi is now holding herself up and rocking back and forth. Yay! For a kid who has never spent more than 30 seconds on her tummy, this is great news!New Furniture AND Granddaddy!
Granddaddy and Uncle Dave stopped by to bring us a new dining room table and chairs and a desk from their old house. It was a very brief visit, but any time with Granddaddy is a blessing, and we were so happy to see them. And we love the new furniture. Good luck to Dave who is now the 3rd Hopper son to use the old table!New Toys!
As always, these last few days have been all about exploring and testing out our new toys. Jeremy, of course, is obsessed with his new trackmasters, and Violet loves her peek-a-boo bear. It plays peek-a-boo when you press its foot - so cute. Also, I got a new gift that I love as well. Nana contacted my mom to send her recipe cards filled out by members of my family that she had framed. It is beautiful and perfect. And I now have some of my favorite family recipes written out personally by my mom, my Aunt Judy, and my Nona preserved forever. What a lovely idea!Sorting Hat!
As we continue through Harry Potter, we have been getting very excited and hands-on. Jeremy was so intrigued with the Sorting, that he took it upon himself to sort everyone in the family by placing Mr. Moo on our heads, yelling out a house, and exploding in laughter. He put himself in Hufflepuff (because he is a nutter), me in Gryffindor (because I am awesome), Brian in Ravenclaw (because he is super smarty pants), and despite my protestations, he put Violet in Slytherin three different times. Oh well. Hopefully she will not turn out totally evil.Hugs and Kisses!
I was so looking forward to this break and spending some quality time with the kids. I get some flack for not wanting to travel during the holiday, but we travel for every single other holiday and all of my birthdays. I am so excited that we are forming our own family traditions and I do not get to spend full days with my kids very often when laundry and dishes and grocery shopping do not take up 3/4 of our time together. So, I took advantage of every opportunity to squeeze a squishy thigh, ruffle a head of hair, kiss a yummy tummy, tickle a monster until he gasped for breath, and nibble tiny toes to squeals of laughter.And yet, is it bad that I am super excited about going back to work tomorrow? I must say, as cute as they are, those kids are way more exhausting than a full-time job. Kudos to all the stay-at-home moms out there, I take my hat off to you! Here, Violet wants to give you a hug...

Viley: 7 Months Old!

2011-12-27T22:16:00.000-05:00

Wow. She is closer to one year old than she is to newborn. How did this happen?

Check out her monthly photo, and politely ignore the puffy eyes and tears. We are struggling with teething right now, and non-tear streaked photos are not possible. She does look cute in her new sweater, onesie, and jeggings, though right? Throw in some sparkly red shoes and girl is stylin.At 7 months, crazy girl is doing very well. She went to the doc a few weeks ago and got an excellent bill of health. She is 17 pounds (60th percentile), 25.5 inches long (35th percentile), and her head is 16.5 (25th percentile). She got a bunch of shots, so naturally, I had a lot to do at work and Brian handled the visit himself. Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have a husband who allows me to be a coward and does not judge me?

Vi is eating 3 to 5 jars of babyfood each day, along with 4 to 5 six-ounce bottles. Umm, yeah, chunkster. She takes two naps, a short morning one around 9:30 and a nice two-hour one around 1pm. She sleeps wonderfully at night from 7:30 to 7. She puts herself to sleep and other than right now with the teething, she still wakes up happy and cooing.

Per doctor's orders, we are trying to increase solid food and decrease formula, so we have introduced puffs and yogurt melts. It took several tries, but she finally understands they are food and chews them without choking.Jeremy was kind enough to provide a tutorial for her. He thinks it is hilarious that she does not know how to eat. I love his random pjs - star wars shirt and thomas pants.7 months is interesting so far with the new vocalizations and the teeth, but I think we will stick with her for at least one more month to see how things go. :)

"What?!" Too Much Christmas!

2011-12-26T19:30:00.012-05:00

Well, it was Christmas yesterday. I don't know if time stood still, minds were blown, and kids went into trances in your house, but that is what happened here. It all began on Christmas Eve, when Jeremy simply could not contain himself any longer. The front door was pulled open at least 40 times to see if Santa was approaching, the tummy was full of nothing but sugar, and presents teased him from under the tree. Add it all up and you get a monster tantrum around 3:30pm when your 4 year old did not have a nap and refused to go to church. A huge fit and tears from both buddy and mommy later, we arrived at church later than planned and low and behold, Violet unleashed her bowels on the car seat. Nasty. Her brand new tights looked like sausage casings - and I am not talking about her chubby little thighs. It was rank. So, Vi and I had a little triage in the parking lot because there was simply no way to even get her inside to the bathroom. When we finally entered the church we saw Jeremy and Brian headed out, in full second tantrum mode. Yay!

Sometimes we love our kids just so much. I heard not one word of mass, I saw not one part of mass, I did, however, pass out snacks, read books, sing songs, make potty runs, and smile calmly at first-time parents of tiny babies in the packed cry room who looked to us as "experts." Heaven help us all. Here is our photo, post-mass, so sans tights and hair bow.We made it home and had a lovely feast with my friend Joel before opening Christmas Eve gifts (aka pajamas) and leaving out cookies and milk with a note for Santa.In what is now my all-time favorite Christmas activity, Brian and I then helped Santa get the gifts set up for the kiddos. Jeremy has been asking since April for trackmaster trains (motorized Thomas), so Santa was happy to provide. He put them inside this fun huge Thomas tent that was on sale at Toys R Us. Violet got some fun toys, though if you know my family well you will note that all but one of those things once belonged to Jeremy. I don't think she will mind.I have to note the stockings here. I made Jeremy's in time for his 2nd Christmas (he was born one week prior, give me a break), and I finished Viley's two days ago. I have been working on it since I found out she was a girl on January 6th. Clearly, I suck at sewing. Jeremy got a hold of it about 6 months in and cut it to ribbons on top, so I had to add random holly leaves and then a whole new top panel. Anyway, I am shocked and immodestly proud that I got it done in time. She did not care, but she will one day. But, how cute is it with a brother and sister spying on Santa as he lays out a teddy bear and a train? Perfect.So, here is the Christmas video. "What?!" "What?!" I think he was mildly annoyed that it appeared at first sight that there were no trackmasters awaiting him. He is a special child. I love the shout out to Target at the end. That's my boy.

Anyway, we started at 7am and finished opening presents 5 hours later around noon. We had to pause for bottles, a short nap, the assembly of an impromptu downstairs track for the new trains so that baby sis could sleep upstairs, etc.

Anyhoo, it was a lovely, perfect, frantically-relaxed day with the kids. They are spoiled rotten by relatives, and Brian and I are the luckiest parents, and kids, on earth. Jeremy was able to tear himself away from the new trains long enough to open a few presents and discard them as not as fun as his trains.Violet got her first real baby doll.And I looked down at one point and she had a gift bag slung over her arm like a purse. Love that girl.And Brian took Jeremy out to play on the trains, so here he is at the CSX sign with his engineer hat. We could not give him a real CSX train, as was his latest request, so we tried the next best thing.Happy Merry Christmas!!

The World of Books and Imagination

2011-12-21T23:58:00.000-05:00

Ever since I found out I was going to be a mom, I have dreamed about the books we would read. The adventures we would have touring Pemberly and falling in love with Mr. Darcy's arrogant charm, antagonizing Boo in Maycomb with a note stuck to a fishing pole, forging the Mississippi River with Jim, hiding out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the Kincaid kids, running through the moors screaming "Cathy!" with all our might, grabbing the Golden Snitch to secure the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor, putting a girdle around the world with Puck to wreak fairy havoc - in 40 minutes or less! The list is endless.

Some of my best friends growing up were those who lived in the well-worn pages of my books, alive and thriving in my imagination. Oh, how I wanted to be a kindred spirit of Anne's and walk on rooftops with her at Green Gables. I dreamed of setting Sara free from the attic at Miss Minchin's school, dancing in the secret garden with Mary and Dickon, and I cried my eyes out with Jo, Meg, and Amy at Beth's last smile. Even as I grew up, I would simply close my eyes to see myself witnessing Louisa Musgrove's fall from the wall in Lyme, or take in a bull fight (Bocanegra!) with Jake and Lady Brett Ashley while full of ennui as an expatriate in Europe. Most recently, I have survived the 74th annual Hunger Games while leading Panem to revolution, and I am now once again revisiting my eleven-year old self as my Hogwarts letter arrives by owl to wisk me away to a magical future.

I have always known my kids would be given every opportunity to develop their imaginations in a similar way. I am so happy they have embraced it so soon! As my parents did for me, unfailingly every night, Brian and/or I read to the kids before bedtime. One would think it is a time to calm them down and send them gently into blissful slumber. Right. Our bedtime renditions usually look more like dramatic plays and most often end with sweat, laughter, and desperate pleas for more. Even Violet is engaged with books, though it may just be that she will gladly do anything if it means she can sit by Jeremy. Recently, Jeremy's teacher told me they read Skippyjon Jones at school with a knowing smile on her face. I laughed and asked if Jeremy stole the show. Turns out he recited the whole book for the class, complete with songs and a Spanish accent. That's just how we roll in the Hopper house.

In the last few weeks, we have upped our game and graduated to reading chapter books. I vividly remember my dad reading us The Hobbit when we were kids, one chapter at a time. I think it teaches patience, anticipation, imagination, and definitely strengthens vocabulary and critical thinking skills. Jeremy was excited to take on the challenge of "no pictures" and Brian and I have worked to create the pictures for him with how we read and gesture. We usually read about three full pages then pause and ask questions and recap to help with comprehension and attention.

And what book are we reading, you ask?

Why Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, of course! We are on page 113 right now, and he is LOVING it! Since he has a scar on his own face, he loves the lightning bolt scar thing. He also thinks Uncle Vernon is funny for stealing mail, wants to eat the cake Hagrid brought Harry, loves saying the word "Dumbledore" over and over again, and was beyond fascinated with the idea of Chocolate Frogs and beans that taste like boogers. We are about to be sorted, so some real fun is soon to begin!

My favorite part, though, is that he totally reads in earnest now. Full sentences. I will be reading and he will stop me and point with his finger on the page and read. A couple I can remember are "Harry sat down on the couch" and "The train left London." Only a week into being 4 years old, and he reads at such a high level!

Violet, meanwhile, is a bit more of a romantic. She and I have been sharing a love of all things Jane since back in the day when we stayed up all night together - and watched the BBC Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, etc. Viley recently asked me if she could dress up like her idol. How could I refuse? I think the likeness is uncanny.In a society where most female role models have the last name Kardashian or start off strong only to nose dive into Lohan-type disasters, I am placing my hope in books to provide my daughter with the mentors she needs. Who wouldn't want their kid to be as smart, loyal, and brave as Hermione Granger? As witty, strong, and loving as Elizabeth Bennet? As caring, mischievous, and ultimately humbled as Emma Woodhouse? As imaginative, creative, and innocent as Catherine Morland? As wise, mature, and passionate as Anne Elliot? As close, thanks to their differences as much as their likenesses, as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood? (I am omitting Fanny Price, as she is my least favorite Austen heroine, but I do still love me some Mansfield Park).

Long story short, I am so excited to open up the world of literature for my children. I want to see them discover places that exist only in dreams and people who overcome obstacles and fight for what is right in the face of overwhelming opposition. I want Jeremy to slay dragons and unlock secret codes. I want Violet to dance in the moonlight in a spinny dress and then go slay some dragons herself. I want it all. And the world I grew up in, the world of books and limitless imagination, can provide that for them.

Any favorite titles I need to be sure to include on their already-overflowing book shelves? I do love a good book recommendation!

Happy Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T07:27:00.001-05:00

This is how Jeremy greets people these days - 'Happy Merry Christmas!'

I don't even know how to begin in describing the fun and frantic nature of our holiday festivities. So, I will let the photos do the hard work:
Our card photo shoot - this took forever and this was the best I could get. I am happy with it!Jeremy is SO excited about Christmas this year that we put up our tree 2 days after Thanksgiving. I have never put up a tree in November before, but the kid could not be denied!Here he is with the letter he wrote to Santa. He really wants Trackmasters - motorized Thomas trains. I initially said no, but then I realized they work on the regular Thomas track, so it seemed ok. We'll see if Santa brings them... (please note, we did vacuum, this was right after the tree went up)Speaking of trains, we went to the Holiday Express at the UT Gardens this past weekend. This is our 3rd year, and Jeremy's knowledge base of trains continues to overwhelm me. I made the colossal mistake of wondering aloud if they were standard gauge models. I was quickly informed they were G gauge. My bad. We saw all his favorites: Chessie System, Santa Fe, Southern, Union Pacific, Thomas, etc. We were a bit disappointed not to see a pantograph, but that's ok. (I just love throwing out the train lingo - anyone know what a pantograph is? Jeremy sure does.)As if the Holiday Express were not amazing enough -FREE for kids- they added Santa Claus in the garden pavilion. Also FREE! He was a funny Santa and since there was no line, Jeremy rambled on for ages about the trains, tracks, and more trains he wanted. When Santa asked what Violet wanted, Jeremy initially blanked then decided she wanted a teddy bear.When we got home, both kids were a bit train obsessed, so we headed up for some play time. Also enjoy my photos of Violet in random places. I don't know why I took so many pictures of her that day, but she sure is cute! I do find it hilarious that Vi loves Thomas. She will bypass her own toys to grab Thomas. Jeremy always grabs him back, but she thinks it is a great game. When he is not looking, I always sneak it to her. :)Finally, here are some of our projects. We are a bit low on cash this year, so we have been creative with our gifts. I made our Christmas cards completely myself - FREE - and way easier now that I know my way around Publisher like a pro. Also, we baked and decorated tons of cookies. I have a few more homemade projects I completed, but I will wait to post them after the holiday to not spoil the fun.

School Days

2011-12-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

Jeremy and Violet both currently attend school at the University of Tennessee Early Learning Center. I feel like when I refer to the school here I am mostly complaining that they close for a week in August and March, and while that does epically suck, the other 50 weeks of the year I love them. Some people smile when I say the kids are at school, but it really is a learning environment and so much more than a daycare. There are no TVs, the kids have a set curriculum, and all the teachers have master's degrees in Child and Family Studies, or a similar field. It is also a teaching school, so undergraduate and graduate students do field work in the classrooms for semester-long stints. This offers our kids some amazing opportunities to be a part of different classroom experiments and studies (that sounds weird, but by "experiments" I mean the kids experimenting, not that they do experiments on the kids themselves).

So, that sounds like a commercial for the ELC, but really I just want to document this moment in time for the kids. They LOVE school, and that is no small thing. So, here are a few of our favorite things about school:

Friends
Jeremy and Violet both have some very close friends at school. When William moved out of Jeremy's class for preschool, we were upset and worried he would not adjust well without his little buddy. But, then Will arrived on the scene. Same name, same friendliness, different kid. One of the great things about preschool is that it is a mix of ages, so Will is a year older than Jeremy. They share an obsession with trains, so are naturally joined at the hip, but having an older friend has also helped Jeremy to mature his social skills a bit. No more frequent biting or tantrums - yay! Jeremy's teachers say one of his strengths is how friendly he is with everyone. Violet is in an infant classroom with 7 other babies. Jeremy says her best friends are Tilly and Iris, so we'll just go with that. Teachers do report that Violet will sit next to Iris and talk nonstop while Iris looks at her and laughs. I guess that is considered friendship at this age.

Teachers
The other day Jeremy wanted to stay home and watch his new train DVD, so I began asking him some questions about everything he would miss if he did not go to school. The first thing he said: "Well, I do love Emily." What? Not the toys, or Will, but Emily. She is one of the student teachers in his classroom. I told her what he said and she looked so genuinely touched. I really feel like the teachers actually care about the kids, like for real. Jeremy's main teachers are Tracy and Jennifer, who are both wonderful. Violet's teachers are Lizzie (Jeremy's old teacher) and Whitney. What is also great is that everyone knows my kids - Viley's teachers know Jeremy and Jeremy's teachers know Vi. And, I can list a million other teachers like Erin, Tiffani, Katie, etc that are also favorites with my kids. Jeremy went sprinting across the playground the other day into Erin's arms for no reason - he just loves her.

The Blue Roof
Ask where Jeremy goes to school and he says "the school with the blue roof in Knoxville, Tennessee!" What is special about the roof, though, is what is underneath it. The classrooms themselves are lovely, fun, educational places for the kids. Sure, I hate that I have to take my shoes off to get Violet, but it is wonderful that I know when she face-plants on the carpet it is clean. Each classroom has special stations for the kids to work on different skills: in preschool they have stations for computers, reading, group play, blocks, imaginary play at the loft, a sand table, a water table, an art area, etc. In the infant room they have a tent, soft toys, loud toys, anticipation toys, a gross motor area with mats for the kids learning to walk and crawl, and lots of cribs!

The Activities
I love that each day I know the kids are working on a new skill or experience. In the preschool class, they have been learning all semester long about buildings. They have gone on field trips, studied blue prints, explored different tools, and built their own house that they voted on and constructed completely themselves. In Violet's class, they have worked on different textures by exploring pumpkin goo at Halloween and reacting to the crunching of paper bags. They also played in water and explored different tastes with fruit varieties. The teachers then do a full PowerPoint presentation for the parents to see what the kids learned and got out of each activity. Jeremy got to help present and spoke about hard hats and how they are used to protect your head while building. Obviously, he was the best presenter in the class. It is fun to see it come to life with them. Jeremy now points out characteristics of buildings as we drive (that one has 12 floors, that one is made of bricks, that one is old and rusty and condemned), and Violet lights up when she sees a paper bag and immediately wants to hold it, taste it, and try to make sounds with it.

The Individual Attention
I love that I meet regularly with the teachers and get full progress reports on the kids. They give me lists, charts, development outlines, milestones, achievements, and goals. I am sent papers, pictures, and videos of my kids regularly. We recently sat down for semester conferences and I now know that Violet excels at eating, sitting up, and enjoys playing with her feet. Jeremy excels at literacy, memorization and recall, and friendliness. Violet needs to work on her sleeping and expressing her needs in ways other than screaming. Jeremy needs to work on his fine motor skills like writing and quit stalking Will. I also learned that Jeremy once tried to sneak into the infant room and talks about Viley a lot. Emily said he told her that "Violet is my sister and she is perfect." *Love*

Considering this has been our first and only foray into schooling for our kids, I am pretty darn pleased. Yes, it is massively expensive (I just try not to think about that part so I won't spontaneously burst into tears) but my kids are loved, happy, and thriving.

Jeremy's Birthday Project

2011-12-12T20:26:00.007-05:00

For his birthday project at school, I am supposed to bring in photos of Jeremy and the things that he loves. I am a bad mom and put it off until the last minute and have an early meeting tomorrow, so I am making a blog entry and will show the photos to the class via the i-Pad. I hope that is not cheating, but we have no printer and I have no time. :)

So, here is the first ever photo of our boy, taken by Aunt Cheri moments after he was extracted via emergency c-section, a trouble maker since birth.Here is the photo that represents baby Jeremy to me, all crazy hair and slobber. People wonder why I called him Crazy Face Chicken Fingers. This is why:Here he is on his first birthday. Yum!Here is his second birthday, Elmo themed:Here is his third birthday, Thomas themed:Here is his first meeting with Violet, his biggest fan. Please note that he had a black eye. Gotta show off for his lil sis.Here he is at four years old:Fun Facts about Jeremy

When he was born, Jeremy lived in a residence hall on UT's campus. He was the only boy in a hall of 500 teenage girls. He has been a ladies man his entire life!Jeremy loves trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine, who he got to meet in May!Jeremy also love to swim, swing, and go bowling.Jeremy has a very manly scar on his face from surgery he had to remove a yucky mole:And, we musn't forget Jeremy's best friend: Mr. Moo!

Violet: 6 Months Old!

2011-11-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

My little munchkin is 6 months old! We have managed to keep her alive for half a year! I remember when Brian and I would seriously congratulate ourselves each month for successfully keeping Jeremy alive. Oh, the joys of first-time parenthood.

Anyway, Viley (as Jeremy now calls her) is a very active little gal at 6 months. She now sits completely unassisted, holds her own bottle (when she feels like it), has two teeth, sings in the car, and wakes up with a smile on her face every morning.Two of my favorite new things from this month: First, when I pick up my little squirt, she grabs my face in both of her hands and leans in with her mouth wide open to give me a huge kiss. It is super gross, but I LOVE it! Second, I wake up in the mornings to the sound of Jeremy going to the bathroom (classy, I know). He used to then run into my room. Now, he goes back into his room and stands at Violet's crib and says some or all of the following: "Good morning little Viley. Did you have good dreams? Mommy's coming to get you. Don't worry. Mommy is coming." It is no wonder she never cries in the mornings - she has her big brother there for comfort. He will sometimes reach in the bars to tug on her blanket, which causes her to giggle. Love it!

I tried to get a happy morning picture on two separate occasions, and it proved rather difficult. This blanket was made by my Nona, Violet's Great Nona. She loves it and will not go to sleep without it. Unfortunately, she enjoys putting her fingers, toes, arms, and legs into the holes and now it has huge holes in it. But, she loves it and I am sure she will continue to love it until it is a big ball of unraveled yarn.At 6 months Violet is happy and healthy. She has huge cheeks that you just want to kiss and kiss and kiss all day long. Her weight is probably (ie definitely) on the high end (we have a check up in 2 weeks) but I am not concerned. She loves baby food of all flavors (even the meats, which is gross, so thanks to Melissa and Anderson for giving us a year's supply of Gerber meats) and when she sees a bottle she will practically jump out of your arms to grab it and shove it in her mouth. She weaned herself this month and refuses to nurse at all. I was sad, but let's be honest, she is a healthy eater and I could not keep up with the demand. You would think we never feed her, but no, she eats 5 bottles a day and 3 jars of baby food. She is chunkalicious. And I love it.

We are thankful for...

2011-11-26T16:14:00.008-05:00

Family
We spent Thanksgiving this year with the Hoppers in Nashville. We love spending time with Grandaddy, Nana, Uncle Dave, Uncle Graham, Uncle Rob, Aunt Katherine, and Aunt Jennie!Food
Katherine hosted and set a beautiful table for the grown-ups, and a delightful one for the kids! I do love a good kid's table! Katherine's turkey was amazing and all of the food was great. I made my mom's Cherry Almond Creme Pies because it just is not Thanksgiving without them. What is Thanksgiving without way too much food?Cousins
We now have 5 kids on the Hopper side. A year ago, we had 2. In age order, we have Jeremy, Philip, Jude, Pete, and Violet. These are the best photos I managed to snap - aren't they a cute bunch?Babies
These three were adorable (when they were not crying). They are going to be thick as thieves when they get older.Teeth
Right before we left town, Violet's first teeth poked through! Her two front bottoms came through at the same time. You cannot see them here, but this was when I first saw them and tried unsuccessfully to take photos.A Helpful Girl
Violet has begun sitting up unassisted and holding her own bottle. I can now enlist her help to do the laundry and change the channel when I feed her. Such big steps for my little girl.Trains and Pancakes
We stopped at rest stop on I-40 so Jeremy could go to the bathroom. He came running out to see me and Violet and show me the cards he got from the big display case. He is nothing if not predictable, that kid.Lots and LOTS of Soap
I debated leaving this out, but it started off our Thanksgiving in style. Violet pooped in the car after school on Wednesday. I heard it. When I tried to pick her up, I was arrested by the poop seeping out of the neck hole of her onesie. Yes, the neck hole. Her entire front was covered with poop. To get it off her, she ended up with poop on her cheeks, hands, feet, and hair - I had to contort her body and lay on her bit to keep her hands and feet out of her mouth. I went through 8 wipes before I even removed the diaper. I threw her in the tub and dumped soap on her. I am pretty used to my kids' bodily functions by now, but that was GROSS. Those of you without children, consider this a free and highly effective form of birth control. You're welcome.And there we have it! Poop, babies, pies, and fun! What are you thankful for this year?

November 18th

2011-11-18T07:18:00.000-05:00

November 18th is a big day for our family. Brian and I officially started our family 5 years ago today. He wore a skirt and I felt like a princess.I am so happy to be able to spend my life with my best friend as my partner in crime, and I am excited that we have expanded our family unit with our amazing kids. We are blessed to have the life we do, so humor me and fawn over my precious children!Happy Anniversary, Brian!

It's Official

2011-11-09T21:16:00.006-05:00

My kids have grown up.

Violet can eat with a spoon:And no longer needs the sling in her bathtub:And plays with cars.College is around the corner. I hope she stays out of frat houses.

Jeremy was sick this week so we had a mommy/son day at home. At one point, he walked up to me, hands in his pockets, and said, "Mommy, let's have a conversation about Mr. Moo." Ok. I learned that Mr. Moo loves TV, her brother is Jeremy, her favorite food is chicken salad, her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite place is Pop's house. Intriguing. But, seriously, he said the word conversation, then proceeded to have one. Crazy!

Jeremy also got a much needed haircut this week. I think we cut off the final ties to his toddlerhood and are officially left with a young man. (yes, I made pancakes for dinner)And finally, most exciting of all, those random letters he stares at all the time are finally coming together to form words. All on his own. Much of it is sight recognition of familiar words, but I heard him sounding one out the other day - by himself - and he got it right ("milk", not a word he sees written very often, unlike "train"). I seriously am so proud that my son is beginning to read at 3 years old. Its totally time for Harry Potter!

As excited as I am to see them growing, I am so sad to let my babies go. And yes, I realize how stupid that sounds considering my daughter is all of 5 months old, but I can't help it - I love those kids something awful!
Ugh, cuteness. How could I not?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:08:00.000-04:00

We had two fun Halloween adventures this year with both Trunk or Treat and Trick or Treat experiences.

We started on Wednesday night with the annual Trunk or Treat sponsored by the United Residence Halls Council at Circle Park on campus. This is organized by the wonderful housing student group and they do such a great job each year.

We got ready in my office and Jeremy donned his engineer costume for the 2nd year in a row. He insisted on being this same thing again and did not want to even hear about anything else he could be. Works for me - free costume!Violet clicked her sparkly heels together to transform into baby Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Super cute. She only threw up on the dress a little bit, so I was impressed.Student organizations sponsor a car and decorate their trunks to give out candy. The UT students are so cute and creative. Jeremy had a blast!We ran into William, and since the boys are no longer at school together any reunions are hilarious. There was a slow motion running into each others arms while they called out their names.Family photo my boss Jerry took. We are all sort of facing the same direction! Success!Jeremy got his face painted at the booth. I was chatting with parents and not paying attention, but then I turned around and saw that Jeremy had a tree on his face. Yes, my son requested a spooky tree. Every other kid had ghosts, witches, pumpkins, etc. I love that he is unique and has an overactive imagination. Of course he wanted a spooky tree, why not?Tonight for real Halloween we went to William's house since he lives in an actual neighborhood rather than an apartment complex. Last year Jeremy threw a tantrum in the street and we had to leave after only 2 houses, so I had high hopes for this year.

I was not disappointed. They posed for pictures, then took off! Notice William is now Dracula!William and Jeremy were quite good at begging for candy, and mostly polite about it. 90% of the houses got a "thank you" and 10% got a raspberry blown at them. Proud parent.Violet had to change since the weather was cooler, but she rocked out some gorgeous headgear! The owl hat was handmade for her by one of the gals from my work, Kristina. Isn't it cute?What better sign is there of a night well spent? Happy Halloween!

Violet: 5 Months Old

2011-10-29T20:38:00.000-04:00

Girl, you'll be a woman soon.Violet's 5 month photo shoot includes two different outfits since she threw up halfway through. It is hilarious taking her photo now as she is starting to react and understand the "cheese!"At five months, Vi is really active. She is on the brink of sitting up on her own, she has rolled over (and promptly freaked out because her arm was stuck), has begun sucking her thumb while sleeping, eats almost 3 jars of baby food each day plus 3 bottles plus nurses twice. Suffice to say, she is still quite the little chunker. She still wants to be held 24/7 and since I spoil her rotten, I do it. She smiles a lot, giggles, squeals, and loves when Jeremy plays peek-a-boo with her in the car. She hates her carseat, but is beginning to love her play gym and likes watching TV, especially when there is music, be it Dora and Diego, Thomas, or the random musicals I force upon my children. Her hand coordination is getting better, and she puts everything in her mouth. The spitting up is still pretty constant, but now it comes in fun colors thanks to the baby food, so that's cool.She continues to be pretty amazing, and while this may sound immodest, she loves me. She does. We are pals, and I am so excited about that. I have until she turns 14 to be her fun mom and I am looking forward to the spinny dresses, dance parties, pigtail braids under baseball hats, and mud pies to come! Love that little gal!

Jeannie's Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad Day

2011-10-28T12:50:00.002-04:00

Do you ever have those days where you somehow find yourself just sitting back and watching as you make bad decision after bad decision?

Have you ever felt the urge to call Child Protective Services on yourself so that your kids can be given a chance at living a good life?

Do you ever find yourself screaming in your car, in front of your kids, and just can't seem to stop the downward spiral?

You haven't? Well, consider yourself lucky. Here is my day and why I am writing this at home in a bathrobe rather than at work doing my job:

I spent last night in blissful excitement watching one of the best World Series games ever. It went into 11 innings and demanded I jump up and down on the couch several times in my giddiness and frustration. So, even when the game ended, there was no way I was going to fall asleep anytime soon.

After about 3 hours of sleep, I woke up to get my kids ready for school. Today was field trip day, so I had to time everything right and provide proper outdoor attire for the kiddos. Today also happened to be negative 30 degrees and pouring down rain. As I was pulling out the parking lot, actually on time - shocking, I backed right into my dumpster. Hard. Jeremy politely informed me that I broke the car and Daddy would be mad at me. Thanks for the support. There is a huge crack/hole in our bumper now.

I yelled a bit, still high with the adrenalin of getting two kids into the car with extra clothes, bottles, baby food, Mr. Moo, rain gear, and my work stuff. After the yelling, which involved some punching of the steering wheel, Jeremy started crying and told me to stop being bad.

That did not make me feel at all guilty, horrible, or immature.

Oh, and Violet's new thing now is to scream bloody murder anytime she is placed in the carseat. So, that lovely background noise did nothing to help the situation.

I proceeded on my drive, hit a red light, paused, and made a right turn. Oh, fun! A police car. Jeremy was thrilled. Then he thought I was going to jail, and again told me to stop being bad. Luckily, I managed to suppress my rage while the cop informed me I did not come to a complete stop before turning. The screaming baby did nothing to invoke sympathy. Thanks.

So, I was late. I missed the carpool to the field trip. I headed to Halls on my own with the kids to find the pumpkin patch. And find it we did. I strapped Violet to my chest and watched Jeremy jump in every single mud puddle around. The incredibly helpful other parents and teachers made extremely nice and supportive comments like, "Why is your son the only one without rain boots? All kids need rain boots!" "Oh, that poor little baby! She will catch pneumonia out here." "I'll sit by Jeremy on the hay ride, I can see you can't handle it." "You know, that coat is fine but in the rain, he really needs a rain slicker, not just a coat." "I would never bring my newborn baby out in this weather!"

Really? Well, your kid is ugly and eats paste.

Is what I wanted to say.

Instead, I silently fumed as my son got wet feet, fell out of a hay ride, and suffered immeasurable indignities while wearing only a coat and my daughter silently died of pneumonia in my arms.

None of that actually happened, but I was certainly led to believe it would.

I finally gave up and left the field trip without a pumpkin (I could not carry it anyway). On our way back to school, we were literally run off the road by a car. I had to swerve onto the shoulder/grass when some idiot pulled right into my lane. I should mention again it was POURING DOWN RAIN. AND I WAS DRIVING MY KIDS BACK FROM A PUMPKIN PATCH. COVERED IN MUD.

Back at school. I took Violet to her class and her teacher told me the classroom was a safe space if I needed to cry. Bless her. Too bad I was too busy yelling at Jeremy to keep his muddy feet (sans the magical rain boots) off the infant carpet area to appreciate that she was honestly trying to help me.

I tried to take Jeremy to his class and found I only had extra shorts, not pants, in his cubby. Back in the car. Back home. Screaming for Halloween candy. Strip change in the hallway, frantically digging in the dryer for clean pants. Success. Back to school.

You would not believe how much that kid wanted to get away from me. He made a beeline for the classroom door and did not even say goodbye. I managed a half-hearted wave.

At this point I finally looked at myself. Mud and water up to my knees. Hair soaking wet plastered to my face. Coat collar half straight up, half stuck under. Crazy eyes.

I decided to go home and just skip work. Thank God. Otherwise, I would probably be adding "got fired for screaming at innocent students and making them cry and eat their hair" to my list.

I have been wallowing at home ever since. Here are my thoughts. I made some bad decisions. I stayed up too late. I did not organize the kids stuff the night before. I should never have taken Violet out in that weather (in my defense, she was completely dressed properly). I certainly should have been paying attention and not backed into the dumpster. I should have stopped completely at the red light before turning. I should not have let my bad mood affect the children or myself so much.

That being said, I never had rain boots, I think I am fine. I don't own a rain jacket, and I think I am fine. Will Jeremy die because he does not own these all-important items? No. Will I be guilted by other parents into buying them? Yes. Was it too cold for Violet? Not really. She was actually quite happy the entire trip and never once cried, other than when I put her in the carseat. I have good kids, I do my best, I am not always perfect (or even close), but I am not a bad mother.

Today, however, was most definitely a bad day.

But, tonight is Game 7 and tomorrow morning is Saturday. I am looking forward to both!

monster attack!

2011-10-13T18:30:00.000-04:00

So, I wrote a post a bit ago about how my kids are monsters. I have further proof.

Context: Saturday mornings are special for me and the kids. Brian works almost every Saturday, so I try to spend quality mommy time with each kid and do nothing on those mornings but play, play, play. No cleaning, dishes, nagging, etc. Some of my absolute favorite kid moments are on these mornings. I am planning a "Saturday Morning Musical" post later to describe one of our favorite activities, so stay tuned for that.

Suffice to say, our Saturday mornings are sacred and fun.

This past Saturday, however, Jeremy made me break one of my rules. I scolded, disciplined, and yelled (after I took a picture because under my anger I was laughing uncontrollably).This is an ENTIRE large bottle of baby powder. It was virtually brand new. Look at the footprints - those puppies were deep. The spots on the photo are the powder particles in the air. I had to take Violet back upstairs and nurse her on my bed because I was legitimately scared she would die if she inhaled that much powder.

To his credit, my monster helped me clean it up, even though he is still terrified of the vacuum cleaner. Btw, it is super hard to vacuum powder. I had to wet down the entire living room and wipe off every single surface - there was powder everywhere! But, it did smell quite nice.

...You know, for some reason, ever since this incident I have had an uncontrollable urge to revisit an old friend of mine by the name of Ramona Quimby. Hmm...

memphis

2011-10-10T18:09:00.000-04:00

Fall Break was at the end of September and since the kiddos were out of school, I decided to transport them across the state to visit our family in Memphis (Pop's House!). I was terrified of the screaming that would ensue in a 7 hour drive with a 3 year old and a 4 month old with only me to assist since Brian had to stay behind and work. But, I was shocked. Both ways, there and back, neither child cried even once!! I feel crazy even typing that sentence, but it is true, despite all laws of common sense against its possibility. It was a sign of a great trip, and this post is mostly a ton of photos to showcase the fun we had.

Aunt Cheri and Mr. Ted took Jeremy to the "Big Backyard" at the Memphis Botanical Gardens.
Violet had her first bites of solid food, with a sort-of successful rice cereal attempt. It was also her first time in a high chair.Aunt Judy came over and brought Violet some new bathing suits (she is our official bathing suit connection) and Jeremy a new plane that my dad launched across the street onto a neighbor's roof.Nona and I took Violet on her first real shopping trip for clothes. Aunt Dani works at Stein Mart so we went to embarrass her and buy some clothes in their clearance sale. Strap her to your chest and Violet is an angel for literally hours. She even paid when we checked out!I cut off all of my hair again. I can't be bothered to brush it, so it had to go before I got fired for looking like a slob.Violet got to hang out with her Great Nona, who loves her and made her a new blanket!Nona had her birthday party a week early so that we could be there, and we had a campfire, s'mores, and hot dogs on the new patio at my parent's house. With about 50 guests, in true Carr over-the-top fashion:
Mom's birthday cake (a s'more cheesecake made from scratch by Cheri)Mom and Violet (yes, we bought that crazy feather head thing at Stein Mart for her to wear at her party - because that is what you do, duh)Pop's BFF, Steve, with my baby girlNona, Violet, Chris, and Uncle Joey's face Making a fire with PopUncle Joey and Aunt Megan (perfect godparents helping get Violet to sleep)My brother Joey and my sister CheriMy other sister Dani - we Carr kids look nothing alike, do we?Back massages with Aunt BarbaraAnd finally, an attempt at a family photo before we headed home to hug daddy. We had a blast in Memphis hanging out with crazy family and sharing in Nona's birthday celebration, and though I am sure the house is much quieter and cleaner without us there, we hope we are still invited back for our next random trip!

Violet: 4 Months Old

2011-10-09T10:50:00.004-04:00

This is a little late, but Violet is indeed 4 months old. That seems so matronly of her.

According to the doc, our little lady is absolute perfection. Mostly. She weighs 13 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile), is 23 3/4 inches long (35th percentile), and her head is 15 1/2 (12th percentile). So, she is a bit chubby, but that is how I like her.

Our only real concern for the doctor was about her hair. She has really bad cradle cap, but he said that was totally normal and we just need to use Selsun Blue or brush her scalp often. I have never brushed her hair since it is so non-exisitant, but apparently I should have been doing that. Her bald spot is mostly just funny looking, so we did not really bother the doctor with that.

Side note: I keep saying "we" when in fact I was nowhere to be found on the doctor's visit. I have a talent for not being present when the kids have to get shots. I can't help it, I am a complete baby when it comes to pain for my babies. So, thanks to Brian for being stronger than me.

I am happy to say that Miss Violet is completely sleeping through the night now. She goes to bed around 9pm and sleeps until I wake her up at 7:15 for school. It is amazing. She still hates being on her tummy, but she is getting better at playing on her back, though she still prefers to be in an upright position most of the time. She grabs at toys all the time and puts everything in her mouth. She drools a lot, but just recently the amount of spit-up has decreased. Yay! She still loves to be outside and in her Baby Bjorn thing, and she can still watch Jeremy play for eons. We began feeding her rice cereal and in the last few days carrots and squash (thanks Melissa and Anderson). She loves them!! She opens her mouth for the spoon, but still pushes her tongue out quite a bit. But, she is such a chunker that she will eat an entire #2 baby food jar in one sitting. I also, unfortunately, had to begin supplementing with formula for 2-3 feedings a day. I still nurse, but I cannot keep up with her massive appetite. Oh well!

The funnest thing about her right now, though, is that she totally loves music and dancing. She sings (I am not kidding) along to music in the car, and I have reinstated "Saturday Morning Musicals" and she loves to dance around the living room with me and Jeremy. She has gotten out a few squeals and giggles, but we are still waiting on full-on laughter.

Basically, she is kind of amazing, and 4 months is my favorite so far!

Little Talkers

2011-10-04T19:44:00.005-04:00

Violet started blowing raspberries the other day. It was precious and Brian and I were all excited about her little spit bubbles and the adorable cooing and gooing that went along with it. Then, it hit us. We had never experienced this part before. Jeremy never hit this step.

Apparently, the problem we did not identify until he was 23 months old started before he could even sit up on his own. Violet is 4 months old and talks all day long. Jeremy is almost 4 years old and still struggles to blow a raspberry. Brian has helped him out by teaching him to do it on his arm (gross, I know, but it really is an important step). He has come so far that I sometimes forget how hard he once had to work.

I would be lying if I said I have not lost sleep fearing that Violet would have the same struggles as her older brother. Or worse ones. When I was pregnant with Jeremy, I didn't have a concern in the world. With Violet, I was convinced she had every birth defect and learning challenge imaginable. We lost a baby in between and that just added to my paranoia. Turns out, we have been blessed with one of the most healthy and amazing little girls ever. And we do not take it for granted.

Jeremy was recently re-evaluated by his current speech therapist to set up his schedule for the new academic year. She mentioned that he may graduate the program this year. What?! That means he will start kindergarten on par with his classmates. No special ed, no disability label. You have no idea what this means to us. There was a time not too long ago when we were cautioned that he may never have "normal" speech, he may not be able to attend "normal" school or learn the same way as his peers. I forget that it was only a year ago this past May that he said "mama" for the first time - at 2 and a half years old. I look back at that video and realize he barely said it, but I was so excited for anything that I jumped on those mumbled syllables as if my very life depended on them.

Today, you can barely tell that Jeremy has a speech problem at all. His sentences are jumbled and he repeats things a lot as he self-corrects to make his words come out right. Mostly, though, no one even notices this but us since we know what to look for. He has some behavioral issues playing with other kids since the social cues most children learn at 2 years old, he did not begin learning until 3, etc. He struggled to make friends for a while since he could not communicate with them, so he is a little behind the curve, but he is making up ground fast. So different from those early days of autism testing, frantic grunts from a 2 year old who could not tell us what was wrong, agonizing speech therapy sessions 3 times a week teaching him how to blow through a straw and lick his lips (simple motor movements were not working for his mouth naturally) while he mostly just screamed and got frustrated.

I feel like we have survived some sort of epic battle and Jeremy is his own little version of a war hero. I still get some emails and visit websites about apraxia and hear from others struggling with it and my heart goes out to them. It is so hard to explain to people why your 2 year old has no words or to explain to your son why the other kids don't want to play with him after he grunts at them rather than saying hi. Looking back at old home movies just make me cry as I see movie after movie where he just looks at the camera and says nothing at all - waaay past the age where that is even remotely ok. But, thinking about those times also makes me really proud. Both of my boy and of us as parents. It sucked, but we made it. We pushed him when he did not want to be pushed (he violently fought back quite often), but I firmly expect that any day now we will get the medal for completing the race when Jeremy is officially released from speech services.

I sometimes get annoyed at his constant jabbering in the car or get embarrassed when he sings Rocky Horror songs at school. I see Violet speaking more at 4 months than Jeremy did at 20 months and get that hollow just-been-punched feeling in my stomach. But mostly, I am just so happy that both of my kids are constant little talkers. They have so many stories to tell, and I cannot wait to hear them.

Keepin' It Real

2011-09-26T07:26:00.001-04:00

So, I often take to the blog to share how cute, lovable and all-around perfect my kids are.

Well, here's the flip side. They are total monsters. I often call them monsters in public and especially at school. Their teachers and total strangers stop me and tell me they are not monsters. I calmly explain to the teachers and strangers that, yes, they are monsters. Adorable monsters, but monsters nonetheless.

Here is my boy monster after 5 minutes of a play date with William:Yep, that is everything he owns on the ground. All the books, toys, trains, stuffed animals, even the rocket that hangs from the ceiling were on the floor.They were leaping from the train table to the bed. How they did not break both I have no idea.

After an hour of clean-up (and I still have not put that train track back together, that is a whole nother hour):And here is my girl monster from the back.Yep, that is a bald spot. My little monster refuses to sleep like a normal child and still sleeps in a chair. She has rubbed all the hair off her head in this one spot. It is completely, totally bald, not one hair. It is really, really ugly. So cute from the front, so crazy from the back.

Yesterday, I got to clean vomit off the bald spot because what Violet is really good at is vomiting everywhere. She goes through an average of 6 outfits a day. Laundry is a nightmare in our house. I smell like vomit every single day at work. I just try not to stand too close to people.

And Jeremy is on a mission to break all of our furniture, along with his head. He leaps around the living room without ever touching the ground. Flailing himself from chair to couch to ottoman as if he were avoiding bombs. Monster.They are total monsters, but I love that about them. Rooms are supposed to be messy if play dates are any fun. What is a couch for if not to be jumped on? Who needs hair when you are only 4 months old?? ....thinking...nope, no defense for the vomit - it is just gross. But, you know what? It is alright. My monsters are not perfect, they are real.

Weekend Fun: Forts, Dress Up, Books, and Letters

2011-09-20T07:17:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I really wanted to focus on my kids. And in a good way. Not my usual frantic I have to feed, bathe, dress, and throw toys at them while I am actually thinking about and doing other things. Actual quality time with my two favorite people. It is shocking how much fun they can be when I tune out everything else and just focus on them.

First up, Jeremy asked to build a fort. These photos do not do it justice, it was pretty cool. Our living room did not provide enough depth for me to get the full photo experience (it went all the way to the back wall and had an "upstairs" with the chair and a back door to the couch).Both kids loved the fort and we played in it for hours.

It was also the weekend of the annual slaughter known as the UT-Florida football game. BTW, I do remember a time when UT actually won this game. So, I decided to pull out some of the UT swag I have received from friends and co-workers for Violet. This is not even almost all of the UT stuff we own for this kid.Then, we dressed her up like Jeremy. He thought it was hilarious. She does look a lot like him at that age.Next, in my efforts to provide attention and not simply turn on the TV, we enjoyed some books together. I read at least 2 books every night for bedtime, but we have not been reading enough in our spare time for my taste. Jeremy's current favorites include Skippyjon Jones the Siamese cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua,all of the Smithsonian animal books like Alligator at Saw Grass Road and Ladybug at Orchard Avenue,anything and everything by Dr. Seuss of course, 1001 Pirate Things to Spot aka let's make cannon shot sounds,and many, many more. I love reading to him when the goal is fun, not going to sleep. Violet was also quite engaged in the books, which makes me super excited. I keep asking Brian if he thinks Jeremy is ready for a chapter of Harry Potter each night even though I know he is still too young. I just can't wait!

For our next activity, we did floor play with Miss Violet. She is not a big fan of being flat (on her tummy or her back), so we have been working on this. Jeremy showed her many times how to roll over, but though she got close a few times, she is not quite there yet. She did, however, recently discover her feet and loves to play with her toes.At bath time, I passed off Violet and worked with Jeremy on his reading. Again, bath time has recently evolved into dumping soap on Jeremy with one hand while I hold a screaming Violet in the other, so this was nice. We pulled out his old bath letters and worked on some words. He knows all the sounds each letter makes and he successfully sounded out/read a few words without much help at all: stop, go, no, fox, box, cat, hat, etc. He even began to create the words himself and when I needed to go get his bed and pajamas ready he declined the trains I handed him and wanted to keep making words. Love that kid.Oh, and look at how great his face is healing!

Daddy was home with us on Sunday and we survived Mass and watched the Titans win, then made cupcakes. Unfortunately, when we weren't looking someone defiled the cupcakes by licking off all the icing.It was a wonderful weekend. I don't stop and have fun with my kids as much as I should, and this was a good reminder of how great these two little people are and how much fuller my life is when I let go of my stress and give in to their smiles.

Best Friends

2011-09-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

I do love a good friend. They are there for you when you are sad, happy, crazy, and nutso. Here are some best pals in our lives right now:

Jeremy and William
They have been besties since birth, both born in residence halls only 2 months apart. They are no longer in the same class at school, but they still have regular play dates to keep the friendship up!Jeremy and Violet
They really are friends. I am not kidding. Jeremy talks to her about his day, shows her things he is playing with, and genuinely cares about her. I was in the bathroom the other day and he came running in and said, "Something is wrong with your angel. You need to fetch her." No joke, that is a direct quote. There was nothing wrong, she had whined for one second and Jeremy wants her happy and engaged at all times.Jeremy and Mr. Moo
I don't want to beat a dead horse on this one. But seriously, their relationship is the cutest thing in my life. Here, he was having a conversation with Mr. Moo and Violet (notice they match). He spoke for both of them. They were talking about Robin Hood and Violet got overwhelmed with excitement. Weirdos.Violet and Red Bird:
This is Violet's first toy friend. She lights up when she sees him (I think, him? her? who knows?) and he can always make her stop crying. She grabs at toys now, so we'll see if there is a new best friend later, but right now she just loves to grab and chew on this one.Jeremy and Robin Hood:
As alluded to above, Jeremy has discovered the joys of 1973-vintage Robin Hood. We have owned this movie since before he was born, but he just tried it out and we have now watched it about 100 times in the last 2 weeks. I love old Disney movies. Jeremy now says things like "Oh that corpulent cleric!" and "I am a minstrel, you know, a folk singer."Finally, a shout out to MY bestie, Wendy, who is expecting her first baby next year!! She is the one who brought Mr. Moo into our lives, so the pressure for a good baby gift is pretty darn steep. Regardless, I foresee a new best friend pairing for Violet in a few short months...

Shocking News

2011-09-14T06:53:00.000-04:00

I have shared this with a few close friends and family already, because I quite simply needed to talk it out and get over the initial shock.

A few days ago...bear with me, this is hard...Jeremy was talking to me, and he let a bomb drop...are you ready for this...MR. MOO IS A GIRL.

Up is down, hot is cold, Brian hates books, Violet never cries, and Mr. Moo is a girl.

That's right. A female. I asked him a thousand times, and he calmly looked at me like I was insane and proceeded to tell me that Mr. Moo has always been a girl. He has always referred to Mr. Moo as a "she" or "her" but I thought he was just mixing up his pronouns like he does sometimes.

On my 247th time questioning him about this, Jeremy proceeded to give me a withering look with the matter of fact statement: "All cows are girls." D'uh Mommy.

Now I know. And I still love my transgendered 3rd child as much as a did before.

A Thank You

2011-09-09T06:17:00.000-04:00

Every couple of years I have these moments where I look around me and thank my lucky stars for the life I lead. Usually these epiphanies revolve around the work I do with college students: getting to know them both inside and outside the classroom, reading their papers, cleaning up their vomit, sending them to the hospital, evicting them from housing, giving them a hug, lending them goofy clothes for a party, watching them babysit my kids, seeing them understand, watching them step up to the plate when things are hard, writing them letters of recommendation for graduate school, celebrating with them when they get into medical school, and no matter what giving them the time to talk and learn from all their mistakes and experiences.

In recent years, I have grown to have the same thoughts about my staff. It takes a special person to want to work AND LIVE with college students every day. The student and professional staff members I work with are all so passionate, articulate, and earnest about making a difference in students lives. They spend 4 hours in the middle of the night searching through underwear drawers for marijuana, they respond to countless fire alarms, they are all handy with a fire extinguisher, they all can dress up and act like crazy people while lip syncing to Glee songs, they all drop whatever they are doing to sit with a student at 2am who just found out her grandmother died, they can all effectively disarm two roommates attacking each other with pots and pans, and they all wake up every morning after 3 hours of sleep to fill out paperwork, get yelled at by parents, and do it all again.

So, I have a few thank yous to hand out as I assess my life and realize how grateful I am for what I do and who I am:

To my parents

THANK YOU for making me share a room with Cheri and then with Danielle. I never attacked my roommate with a skillet, and I credit that to your training.
THANK YOU for teaching me the soup and sandwich song. Let's face it, a career as a higher ed administrator will never make me rich, but who needs a steak dinner when grilled cheese and tomato soup come with a song and a dance?
THANK YOU for realistically teaching me about drugs and alcohol. I never needed a friend to hold back my hair or woke up not knowing what I did last night.
THANK YOU for dressing up in costumes, throwing theme parties for no reason, and being the "fun" parents. I use the energy and creativity I was raised on daily in my job as I work to keep students motivated and enjoying their time in college.

To my husband

THANK YOU for listening to me vent almost every night. It is wrong to scream at students and staff or smack them upside the head when they do something stupid. Thanks to the outlet you provide, I don't have to succumb to my primal urges.
THANK YOU for understanding what I do. How many husbands would happily spend their first two years of marriage living in a residence hall? And help out the freshman girls by killing harmless moths for them as they scream in utter terror.
THANK YOU for showing me the power of one on one student interaction. I am still humbled by the work I saw you do with your students, spending so much time with them to force them into realizing their potential as writers.

To my staff

THANK YOU for loving what you do. So many of us fall into this profession by accident based on a mentor who helped us along the way or the experience we derived from helping a student in need. I could not do what I do if I worked with people less dedicated or passionate.
THANK YOU for being more flexible than Stretch Armstrong. Our jobs are nothing if not unpredictable, and you simply cannot be successful if you do not embrace (or at least tolerate with good spirit) 4am fire alarms and crying students interrupting your dinner plans.
THANK YOU for teaching me something new every day. Literally each day brings a new situation we have never handled before, and you all bring such creativity and intelligence to the table as we find solutions.

To my students

THANK YOU for bringing me into the 21st century. Seriously, one of the RAs was shocked that I did not have tab browsing. I didn't even know what that meant. He just laughed, updated my computer, and showed me how totally out of date I was.
THANK YOU for reminding me of my own journey. I do many of the same activities in my freshman class each year, and seeing their faces light up as they at first tentatively then proudly share their stories is so inspiring.
THANK YOU for making mistakes, both big and small. I do not enjoy evicting people or sending them to the hospital or giving them an F or terminating them from their jobs. However, I know that in doing so, I am helping them to grow, take responsibility for their actions, and become better people. Too often, I do not see that growth take place, but in the few times I do run into these students later and get a thank you of my own, I know that the hard decisions I made were the right ones.

I do not love my job every day. Sometimes I hate it, particularly when people are down, overworked, and lost in the sea of red tape. But there is always a reminder of why I chose this profession, and for that, I say thank you.

Surgery

2011-09-03T09:22:00.000-04:00

I hope I don't have to title many more posts in a similar manner. Jeremy had his surgery on Monday to fully excise the mole from his face. As I stated in an earlier post, we had the mole shaved and tested a few months back and it was just concerning enough for the doctors to want it fully cut out. They told us we had "months, not years" to take care of it before it became something to really be worried about. So, we took a few months to have a baby and pre-approve the insurance, and here we are.

The entire experience can be wrapped up in one thought - my baby is actually a brave young man. I was way more traumatized by this than he was. We had to be at the hospital early, so we took both kids straight out of bed to the car, and something about seeing him in his little pajamas at the hospital made me so nervous. I took him back to get prepped while Brian did paperwork and baby duty. Jeremy met the nurses, got weighed, had his blood pressure taken, and watched cartoons all with a smile. He made conversation with the ladies and did not act scared at all! It was not until he realized they were going to take him away from me that he started to panic. It was like a scene from a movie - he is frantically grabbing me and the nurses pull him away while he screams my name, arms outstretched, legs kicking. I almost cried. Luckily, even though I could not go back with him, Mr. Moo was allowed to go along to offer the protection I could not.

After he woke up from the anesthesia, the nurses came and got me and said he woke up in a panic and was shaking, screaming, and could not catch his breath. They thought having me there would help. What a sight to see my little man wrapped up in a blanket, huge bandage on his face, tubes coming out of his arms, being cradled by a nurse as he simultaneously moaned, screamed, hiccuped, and gasped for air. Mr. Moo in a virtual death grip with one hand, while the other tried to pull out the IV. Oh, the emotions of being a mom.

As soon as I had him in my arms, though, he began to calm down. I told him I loved him, and he looked at me through his tears and between hiccups said, "I am a very brave boy. You so proud of me." It took about 10 minutes, but we got his breathing under control, the tubes removed from his arms, and some sprite and graham crackers into his tummy. And, literally, the minute he calmed down, that was it. He looked at me again, tried to slide off my lap, and said, "Whew. I all better now. I need to calm my body and now I all better." We got home and even though he was a bit wobbly when walking, he went straight up to play trains, then to watch his new Cars movie from daddy, then refused a nap, and played all afternoon and evening like nothing had happened. He even took his medicine without complaint and never once touched or made reference to the big hole on his face or the bandage covering it. Big boy.Dr. Becker said they got it all out, he needs to keep his fingers off of it as it heals, and he should have a small 3 cm long scar on his cheek when all is said and done. Right now, the wound is about the size of a quarter, but since we used a plastic surgeon, I am confident the scar will look great once all the healing has taken place. The nurses said he was incredibly well-behaved and brave after the initial panic of being taken away from me to head into surgery. He was complimented by everyone and I have a feeling we did not really need the 12 nurses gathered around him cooing about how cute and sweet he was. But, I do appreciate their kindness and care. Especially when they told me that despite rules to the contrary, Jeremy was allowed to keep Mr. Moo wrapped in his arms the entire time.

Funny how that raggedy old cow provides so much comfort for us both.

Violet: 3 Months Old

2011-08-31T18:06:00.000-04:00

I have a smorgasbord of fun photos of my girl for her 3 month post. She is beyond smiley right now, which makes this super fun.

So, at three months old, Violet is a happy girl. She literally smiles all the time, and always when someone smiles at her. She is talking quite a bit, and when I say "hi" I swear she says "hi" back. Brian heard it too, so I am not making it up, and it has happened several times. She likes to have conversations that last several minutes where she will make sounds back and forth with people. She is sleeping pretty well through the night and taking about 2 2-hour naps a day, plus a few cat naps here and there. She still eats every 3 hours when she is awake, and I am proud to say I am still nursing a full month after returning to work. I was very worried I would not be able to handle it, but yay for having a private office and an understanding boss. She takes the bottle very well, and has adjusted wonderfully to school, where she is five days a week 9 hours a day. She is still obsessed with Jeremy and has started grabbing at toys and reaching for rattles, etc. She tries to eat her fists at least a hundred times a day and is extremely damp all the time from slobber or spit up. Overall, she is a good baby and we have decided to keep her.

I love putting her in "big" places, like Jeremy's big boy bed. He saw this and thought it meant he could sleep in her crib. Oops.This cracks me up because Brian was attempting to introduce her to punk rock, listening to the Ramones and telling her about the history of the genre. Meanwhile, she is in a fru-fru pink and tulle outfit and completely fell asleep while he was talking and the music was blaring.My kids on a Saturday morning watching cartoons together.I think she looks like a mouse.And finally, here are my two official three month old shots. I cannot decide which one I like better, and I can only choose one for the frame and the project I am making for her birthday. So, you decide! I think I am leaning toward the first one, but that smile in the second is killer. Let me know what you think!

The Pool! The Pool!

2011-08-28T18:24:00.004-04:00

We have lived in the same apartment complex for over 3 years now. Jeremy has been TERRIFIED of the pool pretty much that entire time. Our first summer here, when he was 6 months old, was the only time I could get him in the pool at all, and he was a baby so it didn't really count.

Then, last weekend, we went on a walk to calm down the baby girl (we do this a lot since she screams bloody murder every evening from about 7pm to 8pm). Jeremy led the walk and directed us toward the pool. He asked to go inside the gate (something he NEVER does). Then he asked to put his feet in the water (a virtual nightmare in previous pool visits). Then, he looked at me and said, "Mommy, I can swim like a fish!" Well, ok. I let him get in the baby pool in his clothes because, how could I not?

We have now been to the pool 5 times in one week and Jeremy will jump from the edge of the pool into the 5 foot water without hesitating. Kinda scary since he obviously cannot swim still, but what the heck?! This kid is an overnight decision-maker. 3.5 years of hating the pool, and BAM overnight, he is a swimmer. 3.5 years of diapers and potty tantrums and BAM overnight he is potty trained (seriously, he has had NO accidents since he decided diapers were passe, even at night). He is an odd child, but I'll take it.
Here are some fun shots of us at the pool.Jeremy and Daddy:Jeremy and Mommy (yes, I support my child so much that I have worn a bathing suit in public 3 months after a second c-section - it is beyond attractive):Violet in her bathing suit from Aunt Judy:Violet in her sunglasses from Amy:My inept attempts at keeping a hat on an infant:So, we are now a pool family. Our average pool time is 7pm on a weeknight or 9:30am on a weekend, so it is usually pretty perfect and just us! I only wish Jeremy had made this overnight decision a bit sooner so that we would have longer to enjoy the fun!

Siblings

2011-08-22T18:59:00.000-04:00

Is there anything better than having a sibling? You love them, you hate them, you bite off a chunk of their ear fighting over a Barbie tutu. It's what life is about. I love my little man, but I always knew I wanted a little brother or sister for him. He has taken to this new role amazingly well, and I am so proud of him. The photo above is from their first day of school last week (one of many future first school day shots). He loves dropping her off in her classroom before he goes to preschool. I always pick him up first so that he can then get Violet himself. It is quite cute. He told me the other day that he looked out for her on the playground. Meaning he spared her a glance as he ran past the teacher cradling her on his way to the stick pile.

But they really do have a great bond already. Violet can literally sit and watch him play trains for ages. Look at how she locks in on him with those eyes full of idolatry. He is very patient with her and loves getting her to smile. He discovered that she loved this squeaky rattle the other day and spent about 30 minutes straight dancing it in front of her making her smile.And then there is my sibling. My own brother who stopped in for a quick visit this past week. Uncle Joey is a big love of Jeremy's, so having him in his house was pretty major for our young man. Joey gave him a bath and put him to bed, reading the bedtime stories with more gusto than I have been able to manage of late. Joey is Violet's godfather (wow, I have not posted the Baptism yet!), and he is a wonderful uncle. We miss you, Uncle Joey!!

Gorgeous Girl

2011-08-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

I know it is not nice to be braggy, but come on. This is seriously the cutest little girl ever to grace this earth. How can you not smile at this face? I have no words, just adorable photos to share with my friends and family as my little angel grows up before my eyes. Enjoy!See, you are smiling aren't you?

Caregivers

2011-08-17T22:16:00.002-04:00

As my last post almost a month ago stated, I am back at work. And, I am for real back at work. The last few weeks have been insane: working weekends, nights, retreats, etc. I love my job and the people I work with, but it does take a toll every August when I am forced to virtually ignore my home life for a month while we undergo intensive training of our new staff and then open all of our halls for 7500 new students. This was not an issue when I was single, living in my residence hall, and staying up all night making door decorations with my RAs. It became only a slight problem when I was married and had to set boundaries that the RAs could only bother me after 8pm if it was a medical emergency or a drug search. Then, I had a baby boy in a freshman female residence hall and immediately started looking for a new job that would not require me to do any more drug searches or clean up vodka-fumed vomit in the middle of the night.

So, here I am. I have not lived on a college campus in 3 years, I rarely handle drugs or vomit anymore, and I am in a good place professionally 11 months of the year. That one month, though, it is a doozy. To survive these last few weeks, Brian and I had to enlist the help of many different caregivers for our children and barely saw each other as we passed in the night or early morning. Violet did not start "school" until this past Monday, so I had to get 3 weeks of help with her. The lovely UT Early Learning Center, where both of my kids are happily placed now, closes each August for a week. I love the teachers and the curriculum at this place, but come on. A whole week? Closed? And I pay $1500 a month for 2 kids closed or open? You are the UT daycare and you close at the busiest time for UT? Is this a joke? A mean trick?

Anyway, to survive this closing and my work schedule, we had to ship Jeremy to Memphis for 9 days. I sent my little man away for 9 whole days. I couldn't send Violet away since she depends on me for survival, so we enlisted 2 different amazing helpers: Kristen and Ms. Debbie. Without them, we would have gone crazy and I probably would have been fired. Kristen watched Violet for 2 full weeks and even accompanied us on an overnight retreat with 200 RAs and staff members. Violet was officially inducted into the UT Housing family and enjoyed her first experience with sleep-away camp at the age of 10 weeks. Once Kristen had to leave us to go student teach, we turned to Ms. Debbie, who lovingly took care of Violet along with her adorable 18 month old grandson, Anderson. I think Violet liked having Anderson around to fill the void left in her life when Jeremy disappeared for over a week.

Both Kristen and Ms. Debbie were AMAZING and I think Violet preferred their care to mine. We so appreciate your help and are thrilled that we had people like you to turn to for our precious baby girl! Here are some photos Kristen took while she was watching Violet:And here is Violet painting the Rock at UT with all of the RAs in my area at 11 o'clock at night (she is the tiny one in the front):Violet and Anderson at Ms. Debbie's house:And finally, to my family in Memphis who agreed to watch Jeremy literally three days before he showed up: WE LOVE YOU!! Mom, Dad, Cheri, Dani, Joey, Megan, Ted, Aunt Judy, Velita Marie - you guys are fabulous and Jeremy has talked of nothing but going back again immediately.

We are so lucky to have such amazing people to help us as we try to do the best for these kids. Thank you so much!!

Back to Work

2011-07-25T21:52:00.000-04:00

Today was officially my first day back to work. Maternity leave is a thing of the past. I was out for 9 weeks, 1 before Violet and 8 after. My girl turns 2 months old this Wednesday. I have never really been one for staying at home and I will be totally honest and admit that I find newborns to be both frustrating and boring at the same time. I love my job and have had my head back in work for a while. The RAs come back soon and we open the halls in a few short weeks - the most exciting time of the year at work.

And yet...

For all my complaining about being imprisoned at home, lack of sleep, and whining about needing adult conversation, I am really going to miss this face.Despite all of the vomit, screaming, and projectile poop, I will regret missing a single smile.Violet,
I love you and would not have changed a moment of our precious first weeks together. You are an amazing little gal and I am thankful I got to be here as you discovered how to pump those arms and legs, get your fist in your mouth, swat at the toys on your chair, coo and gurgle, and smile those wide toothless grins. Now, be a good girl, learn to sleep at night rather than in the day, and don't do anything cute or new until I get home from work.
Love,
Mommy

A Boy, a Girl, a Potty, and a Mouse

2011-07-18T13:35:00.004-04:00

My kids in a nutshell: lying on Thomas sheets with a Thomas stuffed animal, Mickey and Minnie, a monkey, and a Thomas catalog. He is cheesing and she is gazing at him adoringly.

My boy is 3 and a half years old. He is exceptionally tall and looks like a 5 year old. This makes the whole potty situation seem even worse. For the last three and a half years, Jeremy has VIOLENTLY refused to have anything to do with the potty. Then, out of nowhere, this past weekend my 18th try at putting him in underwear/naked finally paid off. He peed in the potty 8 times, pooped in the potty once, and even wore his Thomas underwear to the bookstore and Kroger. And, he peed in the public toilet in Kroger. No accidents. Who is this kid? Sunday was not so successful, but I was still riding the high of Saturday to care. We made cupcakes to celebrate.Notice the chocolate on Violet's face after Jeremy gave her a random kiss.My girl is 7 weeks old and has finally begun to smile in earnest at her mom, dad, and brother. She smiles when I sing to her (don't laugh, Danielle), when Brian does anything, and when Jeremy gives her trains. And, I realized yesterday, she saves her biggest smiles for Mickey and Minnie. We bought these two on our honeymoon and they caught Violet's eye when she was playing on Jeremy's bed, I think due to the bold colors rather than the normal pastels of the other animals. She was smitten!I still think her first love is Jeremy, though. She seriously will follow him all around the room with her eyes and pumps her arms and legs like she is trying to fly out of her seat when he talks to her.I suppose it is getting redundant at this point, but I do love these kiddos to pieces.

Random Cuteness

2011-07-13T13:11:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the quality, my video camera is not really meant for this purpose, but I think the cuteness shines through the grainy quality. Our little gal is getting bigger and though she has lost some hair and still crosses her eyes a bit and has four chins, she is beyond adorable.

She has begun to love the vibrating chair that was Jeremy's favorite as well. It tends to bring up vomit, but it keeps her happy for hours while she sits and watches Jeremy play trains.We are really trying to push the pacifier since Jeremy has a finger-sucking addiction, and it is going well so far.
She still likes the bath quite a bit, though I have started doing them around 2am to kill time and keep myself awake while she thinks it is 2pm. We are still working on that...I just thought she looked like a ballerina in this outfit, so took an extra pic.I don't think I will ever tire of taking photos of these two together. Jeremy ran up to me and told me that Violet wanted him to pick her up. So, I let him hold her and he managed a full 2 minutes before he let go and she nose-dived into the carpet. That's my boy!

Road Trip Blues

2011-07-11T22:34:00.002-04:00

Remember when riding in the car for hours was so hard? All you want to do is get to your destination, and no amount of toy trains, Thomas books, or Mr. Moos will make it faster. Six hours in a car is hard for anyone, but it is downright torture for a three year-old who can't wait to see his Pop. We went to McKay's Used Books the night before and let him pick out three new books (free! we have soo much credit there) and I am proud to say he really did spend hours "reading" these books, playing with his trains, and giving us Violet updates.

But, inevitably, sleep began to take over around hour 5. And the memories of trying to get comfortable in a car during a long road trip came back to me as my poor baby struggled to find a spot that would allow him to sleep for more than a minute while his head bobbed around.And like any good mom, my sympathy only went so far as I pulled out the camera, took photos, and laughed instead of helping him out.I think he managed to get 17 minutes of sleep total. I was impressed. He was not. One would think the infant would be the headache on the trip - oh no, 3 year-olds are a special breed.

We'll bring a real pillow next time. :)

Jeremy Hopper, meet Casey Jones

2011-07-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

On our way back from Memphis, we stopped in Jackson to visit the Casey Jones museum and train museum. Yeah. We realized that we had been passing this particular spot every time we drove to Memphis and it is kind of like denying a pig his mud or a beaver his sticks. There is a train museum that Jeremy needs to see, so we took the plunge.

He LOVED it. We got out of the car, he took my hand, and walked around the parking lot saying, "I love this, I love this" over and over again. Pure joy. And that was just the parking lot. Luckily, Violet enjoys trains as well (read: slept the whole time), so we were in good shape for a long visit. Here are some photos of him with some trains, in the museum store (which is really a train playground), and with his new Gordon, the train we let him buy because he is so good (read: to avoid a tantrum for the remaining 5 hours in the car). We had fun and now every time we get in a car Jeremy fondly reminisces about this wonderful trip (read: screams for us to go to the train store to buy him things).

Happy Hoppers Ham it Up

2011-07-07T21:46:00.005-04:00

This past holiday weekend, we traveled to Memphis for my family's annual Hootenanny and Shindig, which I will get to in a later post. On the way to Memphis, we stopped in Nashville to visit the Hoppers. Since we alternate our holidays, we missed the Hopper reunion, but we were able to make a quick stop so Jeremy and Violet could see their grandparents for a bit - with a surprise cameo by Uncle Graham.

Grandaddy got some great photos of the kiddos being hams on our two stops (coming and going from Memphis). He and Nana gave us some great food, uncovered the wooden train, played Thomas videos on the computer over and over again, and showered a little girl with kisses. They are kind of amazing and we love them!!

Violet: 1 Month Old

2011-06-29T16:21:00.001-04:00

My little nugget has turned one month old! I seriously feel like we just brought her home - has it really been a whole month? I think my brain is slowly starting to reemerge now that she is sleeping a little bit better at night and all of the sudden my newborn is a real baby.I stole this idea from my friend Melissa who did it with her son. Each month, I will take a photo of Violet in this same chair with the same toy so that we can see how much she grows! She looks tiny and I felt bad leaving her in that chair alone while I took the photo (we are back to using the video camera for photos since someone broke the brand new camera).

Here are her 1 month stats from the doctor:
Weight: 10 pounds, 6 ounces - 90%
Height: 21 and 1/4 inches - 75%
Head: 14 inches - 25% (apparently she has not inherited the Hopper head)
He basically said she was perfect and that breastfed babies weigh more at first, so her weight is good even though she is a chubster. He was very impressed and so was I - she did not cry at all! So different from her brother!

At one month, she is holding her head up fairly well, she likes to go on walks outside, likes the bath, and calms down best with daddy. She tracks things with her eyes pretty well, and Jeremy is an especially favorite thing for her to stare at. She does stare a lot, and makes pretty good eye contact. She sleeps usually in 3 to 4 hour increments, though we did have one 5 hour stint that sent me over the moon with joy. She sleeps in her crib now in the kids' room, though she prefers the car seat in the crib still to being flat on her back. She is a good eater and doesn't spit up too much, though we have experienced a few pretty good drenchings when I let her eat too much. Oops.

Overall, she is doing an excellent job and I think we'll keep her! Here are some photos from the month that I managed to salvage from the now defunct camera:

At First

2011-06-24T15:17:00.001-04:00

At first, having a new baby is painful. It is gross, expensive, exhausting, confusing, scary, and guilt-ridden. You love that baby more than anything in the world, but your brain keeps jumping to worst case scenarios, your eyes keep tearing up, your body is in literal pain, and you just want to sleep, for the love of God, please let me sleep.

At first, that precious baby who you could not wait to meet is all squished and funny looking. She does not recognize you, she does not smile unless she has gas, and she cries all the time. She vomits in your hair, thinks day is night and night is day, and screams on the rocker, the swing, the chair, the car, your lap, your chest, on walks, everywhere. And then there's the projectile poop.

At first, you feel like you just cannot do it. There is no possible way you can balance two children, two daycare tuition payments, two baths at night, two screaming kids at the same time. You just want to give up, and for the love of God, please let me sleep.

At first, you are up until 4am with a wide awake newborn, finally get her to sleep and are awoken at 6am by a 3 year-old ready for breakfast. You want to snap at them, hide under the covers, and sleep, for the love of God, please let me sleep.

At first, every molehill looks like a mountain. Your sanity is gone, your hands shake all day, your house is a frightful mess, and you look like a zombie. Simple things like taking a shower and doing the dishes seem to be just too much to handle. A tree falls on your car during a storm and you react as if your home has just blown up. Your toddler breaks your new camera and all you can do is sit on the floor and sob like a baby, not a mommy. Perspective is not on your side.

At first, you think it is all too much. You question everything and analyze even more. You drive yourself insane with worry, stress, and exhaustion.

But, it is only at first.

Any day now, at first will pass and life will resume. I can see glimmers of it on the horizon - distant, but there. We'll get there in one piece. It may not be pretty, but we will get there. At last.

In the meantime, I am going to stare at this precious face and pretend the gas smiles are for me.

"Mine Daddy:" An Interview with Jeremy Hopper

2011-06-22T15:45:00.003-04:00

I realize Father's Day was a few days ago, but really, isn't every day Father's Day when you have a great dad? I know it is for me, as my dad continues to bring tears to my eyes with his kindness and concern for me - even as an adult. I got a bit behind this year and did not get this posted in time, but this is a little interview I did with Jeremy about his daddy:Mommy: Hello. Can you tell me your name for the record?

Jeremy Hopper: I'ms Jeremy (sounds like there are a few extra syllables, but I can't figure out how to spell what he said)

M: Who is the best daddy in the world?

JH: Mine Daddy!

M: Really? Why is that?

JH: Mine daddy is the best daddy of ever.

M: What types of things do you do with your daddy?

JH: I ride on real Thomas with mine Daddy! (he then went on for ages about Thomas)

M: Does your daddy like trains?

JH: Daddy loves trains, just like Jeremy. We play actual trains in mine room. (more monologuing about trains...)

M: What else do you do with your daddy?

JH: Umm, daddy drives a car and goes to work.

M: Interesting. Did he take you anywhere special in his car last week?

JH: We climbed a mountain! (Incoherent excited sentences followed this statement)

M: Did you have fun with daddy on the mountain?

JH: Yeah! I like mountains.

M: Sounds like your daddy is very nice. Does he read you any good books?

JH: Umm, yeah. 1001 Pirate Things to Spot, umm, Alligator at Saw Grass Road, umm, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss.

M: Do you know what special day is coming up for Daddy?

JH: Happy Birthday to Daddy!

M: No, but close. It is almost Father's Day. What do you think about that?

JH: Father's Day.

M: That's what I said. It is a special day for Daddy.

JH: I love mine daddy. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to daddy. Happy birthday to you.

M: Well sung. Anything else you want to say about daddy?

JH: Umm, nope!

And there you have it! To the "best daddy of ever", we LOVE you!

Boy Face

2011-06-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

Anyone even remotely familiar with Jeremy will know that he does not have the personality to simply roll over and let someone else steal the spotlight in the family. My little man has done is darndest to remain top dog around here despite the new addition.

First of all, one day before our scheduled delivery, Jeremy got a black eye at school thanks to some heated playing in the wooden block area. So, every single photo of him meeting his sister and our new 4-person family is with Jeremy and a black eye. Kinda perfect, actually.He loves Violet. I was hoping for this, but was not really expecting it. He asks to hold her, he tries to pick her up, he gives her trains to play with, and he sings her songs. The other day, I left them alone in the same room for a few minutes and came back to see Violet's bouncy chair (which she was in) filled with trains, and Jeremy singing one of his Thomas songs to her.Shortly after we brought Violet home from the hospital, my potty-terrified boy peed in the potty ON HIS OWN two days in a row! This is huge since he has stalwartly refused to go near the potty for months.

He got a new haircut and looks way older and more like a kid than my baby. Sad day.He got a special treat from his daddy and climbed to the top of the highest point in Tennessee - Clingman's Dome. It is paved and not really a hike, but still, he did it and had a blast. They also stopped off at the exact spot by the Chimney Tops where Brian proposed to me. Aren't these photos of my boy gorgeous?Needless to say, despite our home being overrun by a certain precious Girl Face, our rambunctious Boy Face continues to preside over the household. This change in his life has brought out a new sense of wonder in him, and it is so lovely to see him staring at her and wanting to spend time with her.

Now, we will be moving her into his (their) room this weekend, so all this loveliness will most likely go up in flames. Wish us luck!

Girl Face

2011-06-14T18:13:00.001-04:00

I have finally decided to come out of hiding and share my baby girl with the world!Violet Cordelia Hopper was born at 6:02pm on Friday, May 27th. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 20 1/2 inches long. She has blue eyes and brown hair. Brian and I think she looks like my mom, which is excellent news!We did have a c-section again this time, since she was breech and my previous c-section put me in a bit of danger for another emergency one, which we really wanted to avoid. Other than some blood pressure issues on my end, everything was wonderful and Miss Violet has been a great baby.

Jeremy has LOVED having her around. He still goes about his regular day, but talks to her, offers her toys, and holds her when he can spare time from his busy train-playing schedule. He insisted on pushing her during this entire walk even though he could not see above the stroller.I have taken to calling her "Girl Face" for no reason whatsoever. But, there you go. She does have the best face: when she is trying to wake up, she raises her eyebrows as far as they will go to help pull up her sleepy eyelids. It is super cute. She also has a precious little mouth that is constantly making little contented smiles.

At two weeks old, she weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces having gained a a whole pound in a week. She is an overachiever already. She is on a 3 hour feeding schedule and takes after her brother in preferring to sleep in her carseat or on someone rather than lying flat in her bed.

So far, she is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. My sister Cheri and my mom spent a lot of time here helping us for the first two weeks, and they are AMAZING! I am very lucky to have them take time off work to move to Knoxville for weeks at a time to put up with my crazy.Here are the photos from the birth/hospital/early days (HUGE thanks to my parents for the new camera):

Almost Ready...

2011-05-26T15:11:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow. TOMORROW! There is going to be another child tomorrow. It has not really become a reality in my head, but it certainly has in my home.

In order to prepare for Baby Violet, we have had to do some rearranging, building, cleaning, etc.

At first (we hope), she will sleep in our room in the bassinet:After a bit and once nighttime sleeping is a bit more successful, she will move into her permanent assignment: sharing a room with her brother. We had to move some things around, but both the train table and the fireplace are still present in the room.

We ended up buying a new crib, and it is cute I think. The bedding was all Jeremy's, and in remarkably good shape. We are also reusing his infant seat, strollers, swing, vibrating chair, bottles, etc. See, he IS good at sharing!Check out how full her dresser and closet are. That is an insane amount of clothing. Everything 12 month plus is in boxes until we have room. Thanks to Nicole and Erin for sending me tons of baby girl clothes and to everyone else in the world for buying her cute outfits. I think we will have a fashion show every day!Diapers. Seriously, is there a better gift? This photo does not do it justice. I have two baskets full of the diapers from the diaper cake, and the entire floor under the crib is covered in bags of diapers and wipes. Love it!People keep asking me if Jeremy is excited about his little sister. I honestly think so, but we'll see. He talks about her, organizes her toys, and this week, he started climbing into her bed to play. I have a feeling having two will be interesting...As we get the house ready and prep for baby, though, nothing has made me feel more ready than this:Cheri is here (and is apparently doing workout videos with Jeremy). She came when I had Jeremy and was our life saver. She has come again and I seriously almost cried when she walked through the door. Living away from family sucks, so when a sibling is willing to spend 2 weeks helping you with a toddler, painting the toe nails you can't reach so you don't feel quite so ugly, and staying up at night with a newborn so you can get 2 hours of sleep, you feel incredibly lucky.

Alright, Miss Violet. The crib is up, the bottles are washed, the brother is excited, and Aunt Cheri is here. Mommy and Daddy are ready.

See you TOMORROW!

A Day Out with Thomas!!

2011-05-22T16:00:00.007-04:00

THOMAS! THOMAS! THOMAS!

We told him this morning. The jumping and screaming commenced immediately. He grabbed the remote control, turned off The Cat In the Hat, and ran for the door. In his pajamas.I got some clothes on him, got him his engineer hat and his train whistle, and he was ready to go with Daddy! I have literally never been more jealous. I knew going to Chattanooga 38 weeks pregnant was not possible, but come on, this is the biggest moment of his little life so far and I missed it.But, the boys had a blast! Brian struggled to get good photos due to the crowd, the sun, our lack of an actual camera, and trying to keep up with Jeremy, but I think he did an excellent job.The REAL Thomas.Jeremy and Thomas (the sun was behind Brian, so he could not get Jeremy's face very well).Jeremy ON Thomas.Jeremy playing in the toy tent. Jeremy is smaller than a train wheel. This was held at the Tennessee Valley Railroad in Chattanooga, and Brian said when they got out of the car a freight train was going past and Jeremy just stood in awe and trembled. While on the actual Thomas ride, same thing. Silent, serious, and awestruck. Trains are serious business to this kid. For others, it is a time for running around and acting like a toddler. For Jeremy Hopper, it is LIFE. You do not fool around with life, you treat it with respect while absorbing every last ounce of awesomeness. It eventually became too much for him (look at this 12 year old in Jeremy's clothes!).When he got home, he could barely get the words out to tell me all the things he saw. He was still trembling as he told me about how big Thomas was and how huge all the other engines were. Then, he informed me he was going back tomorrow for another ride. Hmm.I have a feeling this is a day locked away in one Junior Engineer's memory forever!!

Nothings

2011-05-19T19:47:00.002-04:00

So, I am supposed to be writing thank you cards and helping Brian clean up the kitchen right now. What better time to play around on the computer despite a lack of things to share with my avid readers? Here are some fun things happening around the Hopper Homestead recently:

Jeremy told me that I could save 15% on car insurance with Geico. I said thank you and thought with wonder about this time last year when my 2 1/2 year old could barely say the word "mama".
I ran into Jeremy's old speech therapist, Jennifer, last week at the bookstore and today at the doctor's office. Yet again, thank you thank you thank you for the amazing progress this kid has made! Much of it solely due to Jennifer.
I went to the doc and Violet is perfect. She is sideways and we have decided to do a c-section on May 27th to take out the risk of another emergency surgery (which sucked, don't try it), so if she does not arrive before next Friday, the 27th will be her birthday!!
May 27th is also Graham's birthday (Brian's brother and Jeremy's godfather). It is also the day after my Nona's birthday (my mom's mom) and the day before my grandmother's birthday (my dad's mom). Perfect!
I have lost about 10 pounds in the last few weeks. I was told to stop it and gain weight. I have never been told that in my life. Naturally, I was not trying to lose weight, and I totally blame having a chunk of my tongue removed, but still, how fun to be told to gain weight! I will probably never hear that again.
Brian made homemade calzones for dinner. For real. He made the dough, the sausage, and the filling all on his own. It was super yummy. I love him.
We bought a new crib for Violet since the old one is so wobbly. The old crib survived 4 Hopper men and 40 years, but it is not quite up to par for the newest Hopper lady.
My last day of work is tomorrow and I am so tired and ready, but I also know I will miss my job and the craziness of it while I am home for the next 8 weeks.
Violet has 3 times more clothes than Jeremy did when he was born.
Brian is taking Jeremy on a surprise trip to RIDE THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE this Sunday in Chattanooga. Like the real Thomas. We have not told him yet for fear of his head exploding. It is a treat for the soon-to-be big brother. I am sad I will miss it, but I am so looking forward to a relaxing day at home sans boys.
Jeremy wore big boy underwear all day on Saturday. We scrubbed the carpet 4 times. It IS progress, though it doesn't seem like it. Right?? Please??
We told Jeremy Aunt Cheri is coming to stay with him next week and his head did explode with excitement. He randomly opens the front door (umm, probably a safety concern we should address), and says, "Nope, not here yet." When I ask, he says he was looking for Aunt Cheri and Aurora the cat. I have tried to explain the cat is not coming, but oh well.

Jeremy has now eaten a whole jar of peanut butter in front of me calling himself the Peanut Butter Monster and making Cookie Monster sounds. I should probably clean him up and actually help Brian clean the kitchen. Then, I will finish the thank you cards, I swear.

What's going on in your life today?

Cannons!

2011-05-13T18:40:00.001-04:00

Jeremy's latest obsession is cannons. He got a pirate book from Nana and Granddaddy a year ago that he has just recently discovered, and has grown very fond of the many cannons the pirates use to attack innocent people. He demands that only Brian can read him the pirate book and I fully believe he thinks that Mommy, as a girl, could just not understand what he and Daddy understand about pirate life.

Which leads me to my next point - this kid is currently obsessed with his Daddy. Every time I try to do anything, he wants Daddy to do it. I offered him sprite, he said, "No, I want ginger with Daddy." What? Sprite is his favorite drink that I rarely offer him and he turns it down for ginger ale?? Daddy plays trains better, Daddy makes bath more fun, Daddy watches TV better, Daddy reads books better, Daddy's car is better, etc.

Hmph. I think this has to do with the fact that Mommy's lap is not as accommodating and she can't quite run around and play the way she used to. That's ok, I'll be back on top soon.

Brian, in his super dad way, took Jeremy to Fort Something (I am proving the point that I just don't get it) to see the cannons. He loved it! The final picture is my favorite. Brian asked him to shoot the cannon, so he slapped it on the back. So cute.I am excited about my little girl, but I do so love my boys.

The Violet Side of Life

2011-05-10T20:47:00.001-04:00

This week, while still new, has already been marred by uncomfortable and unspeakable pregnancy symptoms, Jeremy vomiting all over the car, the one pair of shoes I can fit in breaking while on the side of the road trying to clean up the vomit with the sweater off my back (note: keep towels in the car!), and a very slow healing process for my tongue, which was biopsied last week (results wonderful) and now has a chunk missing out of it and stitches.

BUT, despite the yuckiness that life is choosing to throw at our family right now, guess what? We don't care. We will smile amidst the sea of vomit on the couch and wear old lady house shoes to work while only eating soft foods for over a week. We are happy, relatively healthy, and excited. Life, throw us all you've got - we can handle it. You know why?

We have a miracle on the horizon and she is keeping us grinning from ear to ear!

I feel like crap most of the time physically, but then a colleague stops by with a big pink bag full of diapers. Jeremy threw up on Mr. Moo and could not cuddle with him, so we "borrowed" Violet's Mr. Moo (that's what Jeremy calls her purple lovie) and it totally saved the day. Brian has been fighting a horrid cold for two weeks now and coughs 95% of the day, but he ends each day talking to his little girl and trying to figure out which body parts are kicking and protruding at any given time.I had an amazing "baby sprinkle" for Violet when I was in Memphis in March hosted by my sister, and I was shocked at the outpouring of love for this kiddo. I pretty much have the best family ever. Look at the homemade invitations Cheri made for this joint sprinkle and 30th b-day party:And then, Anna threw me an amazing shower this past weekend with tons of yummy food, fun games, and way too many gifts. I work with some really great people, and times like this remind me how lucky I am to have my job at UT. The Central Office even sent a huge basket of goodies and a Build-A-Bear certificate for Jeremy. Funny note: the shower was held at my boss Jerry's house, but notice Jeremy was the only male present. Why are men so scared of baby showers??Getting huge.

Getting cute clothes.

Gotta love crazy baby shower games!

Jess, Jasmine, and Katie made this diaper cake! I am so impressed!

My favorite photo: Jeremy and Kate under the kitchen table playing the train game she got him because she is great and knew he would need some love at his sister's party.

So, yeah, I am hungry for solid food and the vomit smell in my car almost knocked me over this morning, but I can't seem to stop grinning. Life is good, and Violet is coming.

Mommies

2011-05-07T23:01:00.000-04:00

I am lucky enough to have 2 amazing women to look up to as mothers in my life. One I have known since before I was born and the other I have known for about 7 years now. I forget that not all people have such great women in their lives, so I hope I never take them for granted. Here is a little tribute to the 2 great mommies in my life!

Mary Campbell Hopper
My mother-in-law is the exact opposite of all the stereotypes you read about and see on TV. She is warm, loving, supportive, and fun. Ever since the first time I met her, which was back when Brian and I were dating in graduate school, she has been nothing but amazing to me, treating me like a real member of the family. She is a great person to sit and chat with, and she has been there for me to cry on when I needed some parental support dealing with Jeremy's early speech and behavioral issues. I will never forget how she dropped everything to come be with us during a time when our heads were literally spinning. She always offers great advice, a loving hug, and just the right amount of compassion and sympathy along with a healthy dose of realism.

She is also super creative and smart, which I don't think I could do without in a female role model. She is a retired high school English teacher (hello, after my own heart) and is always reading, which I think means we are kindred spirits. She spent a year making me a gorgeous quilt that she could have done in less than half the time except that she wanted to make it perfect and special. Anyone who managed to successfully raise 4 sons is obviously a strong woman, but I admire her relationship with those sons and hope Jeremy will look up to me the way his dad and uncles love and admire their mom. We named him after her family and I already see some great characteristics in him that can be traced directly to his Nana.

So, Mary, thank you for taking me into the Hopper family so completely and making me a Hopper daughter! I am so excited for little Violet to meet her Nana and and hopefully bring some girliness into a family of men - because Nana deserves a precious little girl to watch Parent Trap with and twirl in princess dresses. Happy Mother's Day!!

Velita Nadine Boldreghini Carr
Don't worry, I will not repeat my luminous comments from a year ago, though they still hold true! My mommy is my best friend (other than Brian) and rather than focus on when I was a kid, I want to honor her for what she is to me right now. My mom is my rock. Anytime I am frustrated,upset, excited, nervous, thrilled, or simply bored, she is the one I call. I don't get to see her much since she is 6 hours away in Memphis, but she remains a huge part of my day to day life.

Her voice still makes me cry, even when I am happy. When I called to tell her I was pregnant with Jeremy, she said hello and I immediately began sobbing. If I am having a rough day, she is there to let me vent, scream, or cry. Just a few weeks ago, I was so frustrated with Jeremy that I had to walk out of the room and call her simply to allow myself to calm down. What is great about my mom is that she will literally stop whatever she is doing to provide this ridiculously high maintenance support for her fully grown daughter. I say I need a minute to talk so that I don't hit my kid, and she lets me talk. I say I don't know what to do and she lets me talk until I reach a solution (she does not solve things for me - she still makes me get there on my own, as a mommy should).

Just as when I was a kid and curling up in her "big bed" made everything seem all better in life and the world, when I can find a quiet place in my house to curl up with the phone and her voice, everything else seems to melt away and fall into order. I guess moms are just magical like that. My mom is also still a great source of creativity and fun for me. She dressed up as Wonder Woman for her 50th birthday party, hosts murder mystery dinners, takes tequila shots with my friends when they come to visit, and always has the best costume and game advice for any and all occasions (because, yes, costumes and weird games are always appropriate, even without an actual holiday or event).

So, thanks to my crazy mom - the one who loves math and science (yuck), who can fix anything MacGuyver style with a piece of lint and a paperclip, and who remains the most open and genuine person I have ever met. As I get older, I see more and more through my interactions with other people that the parts of my personality they value the most are things that I can see clearly as things I learned and mimic from my mom. Thanks for giving me my nose and my hair, teaching me all the moves to the final dance in Dirty Dancing, showing me the hard way how to lead off 3rd base in an attempt to steal home, and finally for being my ultimate role model as I fumble and juggle my own way through motherhood. I love you!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, aunts, sisters, and grandmothers who provide love and support to those in their care!

Go Vols...VIP Style!

2011-05-02T17:32:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Brian, Jeremy, and I went to a UT baseball game. It was staff appreciation night so I was able to get free tickets for me and Brian and if you donated a children's book you could get free admission that way as well. Plus, it was $1 hot dog night. Perfect.

Well, the perfection got even better. As we arrived at the game, a gentleman came up to us and said he had 3 tickets in the VIP section right behind home plate that he was trying to give away - for free. He said we looked like a nice family and did we want them? Umm, yes please. We jumped at that and (after we still donated our books), we went to see our VIP seats. This is a photo - we were second row right behind the plate.Best part - our tickets entitled us as VIPs to enter a secret room and have free food and drinks for the whole game, as much as we wanted. It was completely catered with BBQ, hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, salad, ice cream, and sodas. Since I already felt like that country cousin accidentally invited to hang with the rich people for a day, I was too embarrassed to take photos, but it was awesome.

This is by far the best way to see a game with a toddler. He was invested in the game since we were so close - we could hear everything the catcher said, etc. He was happy with the never-ending drinks, popcorn, and ice cream, and therefore mommy was happy since we made it through all 9 innings. I got to keep score for a complete game with my son present. That has never happened before. Unfortunately UT lost, but it was a great night anyway! Moral of the story: I recommend you attend games looking like a cute family in need of rich people treatment and perhaps you too can fall into someone else's corporate seats and become an MVP for free!

Easter!

2011-04-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

Holidays keep getting more and more fun as Jeremy gets older. I do struggle with the religious part of this holiday for a toddler, though. We did well with Christmas and Jesus' birthday party, but I just don't know how to explain a crucifixion and rising from the dead to him. So, we skipped that this year, I hope that is ok. The Easter Bunny is also still a strange idea to him, and when I told him about a possible chocolate bunny appearing in his basket, he looked at me like I had three heads and said, "nooo, that's silly, mommy."

But, a chocolate bunny did indeed arrive, and Jeremy now understands the joy of such a thing. He also got some huge eggs with matchbox cars inside from Nona and Pop, a Batman t-shirt, a casual Easter outfit, tons of candy, and a few little toys. The book and extra little bag are from Aunt Katherine and Uncle Graham. Funny, we sent the exact same book to their son (though ours was mailed late)!A few days before Easter I took Jeremy to the annual Eggstravaganza on campus, which is organized by our student leadership group in Housing. When I originally thought I could not make it, I told some of the students and they were very concerned about Jeremy missing it. I was not important, but Jeremy being there was a must. So cute. He was totally treated like a VIP and didn't even have to wait in the hot dog line - his was brought right out to him. Because he is awesome. It was a lovely event and Jeremy was able to meet up with some friends from school: Natalia, William, and Audrey. Kendall also came but missed the photo.I was proud of my little man during the egg hunt. He did it all by himself (some kids had parents hunting with them) and got 8 eggs (a very good number considering the huge number of kids hunting and their ages). He got free food, a free t-shirt, played a duck pond game to win more candy, and continued his fear of cotton candy (he just does not understand how it is food). He could have had his face painted and done some races but a huge storm hit so we headed home a bit early.On Easter Sunday, we went to Ben and Elizabeth's house (excuse me, WILLIAM's house) for an egg hunt and dinner with friends. To prepare, Jeremy and I made a bunny cake and potato salad. The potato salad is Cheri's recipe that everyone loves and the bunny cake is a childhood memory of mine that I was super excited to introduce to Jeremy. He loved it!I am thrilled at how wonderfully he now plays with other kids. Put him and William in the same house and they jump up and down and run away together. For hours. Literally. It is magical. The only hiccup is his still active train obsession and his dislike of sharing said trains. He seems to be good with everything else in the world, but ask him to share a Thomas train and get the earplugs out. Other than that, though, he was a perfectly behaved gentleman for the holiday.We had a lovely Easter with great weather and friends. Thanks to the URHC officers and members for a great Eggstravaganza, to Ben and Elizabeth for inviting us to spend the day with them again, to Joel for making yummy deviled eggs, and to William for sharing his trains with Jeremy!
(ignore the horrid quality of most photos - I am still without a working camera, so I have been taking video and then stealing snapshots from the video)

Oh Dear...

2011-04-21T07:19:00.000-04:00

So, I am having a baby, right? She is a cute little bugger, but a bugger nonetheless. I have an extra ultrasound scheduled for Monday since she is measuring so large and will most likely be told a regular birth is no longer an option for me so we will be extracting rather than birthing once again. The doctor told me that I grow very healthy, stout babies. No little scrawny babes for me! But, this means that she is already big enough to be delivered. Like now. And that is not a joke. I am having trouble moving around and my arthritis has taken this opportunity to rear its ugly head. Oh, and my 3 year old is still in diapers with no end in sight.

Add that up and I have been more than a bit uncomfortable of late. As I attempted to get up off the floor in Jeremy's room last night, he looked at me and said in his sweetest voice, "Don't worry, mommy. It's ok."

Then he looked straight at my stomach and said in a stern voice, "Baby Violet, get out! Mommy is tired!"

Sometimes I just love my kid(s). But, I would prefer Baby Violet to stay put for a bit longer. :)

Danielle Christine: 9, no, 21 Years Old!

2011-04-20T00:03:00.000-04:00

My baby sister turns 21 years old today.

How is that sentence even possible?!? Frightening thought indeed!Danielle Christine Carr came into our lives on April 20, 1990 with joy from Mom and Dad, nonchalance from a 6 year old Joey, excitement from a 9 year old Jeannie, and tears from a 10 year old Cheri who feared she may have to share a room with the baby. Mom and Dad let us choose her name, and now she is stuck forever with a middle name inspired by the horrible B movie and Stephen King book, Christine the Killer Car.Dani was a crazy cute kid and quickly began to show traits that were decidedly unique in our family, and luckily did not include murdering people as a car. She did not exactly take to sports, which the rest of us enjoyed to extremes, but she was loud, musical, and theatrical. I remember a kindergarten production she was in at church and though the whole group was supposedly singing, the only kid you could hear was Dani, and she was singing loud enough for the big guy and all the saints to hear in the heavens above. It was like The Dani Show with a few back-up singers who are there to take up space while the diva does her thing.This, of course, was only the beginning of her love of performance. Now a theatre major in college and a veteran of the stage with more than 20 shows under her belt, this kid is no joke. Unfortunately, since I live out of Memphis I have only seen a handful of her performances but it is an understatement to say she steals the show every time she walks on stage. She has even begun directing, helping children in their first attempts at theatre, and is now pursuing her interest in the historical aspect of theatre as a dramaturg.Honestly, though, when I think of my baby sis I think of when she was little. Dan and I shared a room for about 7 years. When she had nightmares, she crawled into my bed. When she got sick, she threw up on my bed. When she got scared of lightning, she slept in my bed. I remember a recurring nightmare I had as a child was that our house would catch on fire. These dreams only got worse once Dani was born and I used to wake up at night in a sweat and panic trying to figure out how I would save that tiny little girl if there was a fire and we were trapped in our room. I had some pretty elaborate plans. I left home at 18, when Dani was 9, and have not lived in Memphis for more than a few months since then. So, to me, she will always be my little baby sis - 9 years old and scared of thunder and lightning. Surely she still plays with Santa Bear, snores like an old man, and watches The Power Rangers, right?But, in reality, she is a lot more than that. She is a fiercely intelligent young lady, independent, quick witted, and creative. She is emotionally invested in all she does and feels things deeply because she cares so much. Dani has had to deal with more than most people of her age, but she has never let her disease get her down or rob her of what she wants to do. I admire that and I probably don't tell her that enough.Dan Quayle, Daniel, Quail Dog, Dog, Dani, Danielle: Happy Birthday. I am sorry I can't be there for the Carr family 21st birthday traditional trip to Tunica, but you better believe I would have made the trip if I were not 8 months pregnant. You are a great sister, a good friend, and a beautiful young woman. I am lucky to be your sister, and I am so excited for this fun milestone in your life. Have fun!!!

Dixie Stampede!

2011-04-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, Jeremy and I were asked to chaperon a trip to the Dixie Stampede! One of the residence halls I work with took their International Roommate Program group (American students who live with foreign exchange students) to give them a taste of southern culture - Dolly Parton style. I have never been and single tickets are normally like $50, so I jumped at the opportunity. Plus, I find it hilarious that we take international students to such a tacky and hilariously redneck place.

I am super glad I said yes. Jeremy was extremely well behaved, which eased my fears of taking a 3 year old on yet another outing with college kids and his presence kept the students in check (we placed the trouble-makers in my van so that they would be better behaved - and it worked! Wow - I sound like I work with kindergartners, not 20 year-olds.) We started with Jeremy posing with the "princess." She was very nice and Jeremy was shy in speaking to her but kept telling me the princess was pretty. In the background you can see Kurt and Akshitha, the RAs who organized the event - love them.Then, they usher you into a room where you take commemorative photos. They brought us ours and they were $25!! So, Mona, my lovely GA, deftly took a photo of the photo so that I could keep this cute pic of my boy and his band-aid face.Basically, the Dixie Stampede is just a dinner show with horses. We were seated on the "South" side, and were instructed to cheer for the south and boo the north. This was the night they would finally decide which side is actually better. Classy. We were served enough food to feed an army - each person got a whole chicken, soup, rolls, corn on the cob, ham, and a potato. Then, we got an apple turnover for dessert. The only catch - no utensils, so we ate with our hands. Jeremy, however, did not eat at all because he could not tear his eyes away from the action in front of him.He was mesmerized by the horses, lights, birds, buffalo, pigs, miniature horses, trick riders, and general craziness. They have audience participation, so we were thrilled when one of our international students and one of the RAs got called down to do a race - and won! They were adorable. It was a hilarious event and I think the students enjoyed it - and I know Jeremy did. He even got to pet the horses at the end! Oh, and I am sad to announce that the North won, once again. Maybe next time. But, as Dolly herself reminded us at the end while wearing some sort of sequin American flag, we are all Americans, north and south, and we are proud to be so. Gotta love that Dolly... and America.

The Mole

2011-04-10T21:37:00.001-04:00

I have fallen massively behind in my blogging again, so this week will hopefully make up for that. First up, a quick update on Jeremy's precious little face. About a week ago, we had his mole assessed for the first time with a pediatric dermatologist (we highly recommend Dr. Elizabeth Anderson). She went ahead and shaved it off and did a biopsy. Luckily, I was at work during this and Brian was the one who had to hold him down as they repeatedly stuck a needle in his FACE and then cut into his FACE. He was a brave boy and 2 nurses and Dr. Anderson have all told me over the phone that he was the cutest kid they have seen. :) And even with a band-aid on his face, he is quite handsome, dontcha think?Anyway, the biopsy showed that the mole was a Compound Spitz Nevus and most likely nothing to worry about, but with my history and the chance that it could grow back and become a more complicated mole later, they recommended we schedule a full surgery to have it completely cut out. Since it is on his face and he is so young, Dr. Anderson would like him to see a plastic surgeon and we have our first appointment with him on April 28th. Wish us luck and pray I have more meetings at work and do not have to witness my little man being put under and more cutting into his tiny little precious FACE. I can't help but feel a bit guilty that it was my genes that passed along the fun mole issues, but oh well, he will have a cool scar to impress the ladies with later. I think we will make up some fun stories of dare-devil bravery to make it seem more impressive.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Surprise: Twins!!

2011-03-29T20:13:00.001-04:00

We never expected it, but who does? We knew we were happy with one, so can two be a bad thing? I must say, they do look adorable together don't they?

What?

Yes, we now have twin cars. We had to get a replacement for the Mazda quickly, so we spent a few days hunting down deals, and low and behold, this PT Cruiser was selling for a steal from Car Max. We certainly did not intend to get matching cars and it is incredibly dorky, but who cares? For the first time in our marriage, we own two dependable and reliable cars. I am happy.

Plus this one is newer than mine and cost less. Tell me you would have passed that up.

We bought it while Jeremy was in Memphis, so when we got home, he looked very confused. He got out of the car, and stood looking from one to the other. Then he smiled and said, "Jeremy's car, and Daddy's car - Match!"

Works for me! But, now that I think of it, if Jeremy has a car and Daddy has a car, when does Mommy get one??

Murder in the Carr Family!

2011-03-26T09:42:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are THAT family. We dress up as random characters, speak in weird accents, frighten little children, and throw accusations of murder, adultery, and mayhem at one another - all in the name of fun. Murder Mystery Dinner Parties have been a staple of my life for, well, as long as I can remember. My parents are weird and creative people, and it somehow spilled out onto all four of their weirdo children as well. I hosted my own first murder party in high school, followed by several more with my crazy IC friends who were apparently just as nerdy and fun-loving. I then bought more in college and forced SIX different staffs that I worked on to do them as team builders. And you know what, they all loved it!For my last night in Memphis, my mom had prepared a lovely night of murder for our immediate family using the game she had received for Christmas from Joey and Megan. This one was set in Napa Valley and revolved around a winery. Here is a quick rundown of our cast: Mom was Bonny Lass a Scottish mystery writer, Dad was Papa Vito an old Italian winery worker in the fields, Joey was Ralph Rottingrape, the shady owner of the winery since the old owner got murdered, Megan was Tiny Bubbles, Ralph's wife, Dani was Marilyn Merlot, a movie star, Cheri was Heady Shablee, a rival winery owner, Jeremy was Bud Wiser, an FBI agent investigating the crime, and I was Otto Von Schnapps, a fat German wine buyer.Yep. That's me. A fat German man. That's cool, I am huge and have no need for self esteem during this delicate time in my life. Sniff. At least I am not a murderer, like someone we all know...I kid. It was hilarious. I think I stumbled upon 14 different accents during dinner and never once managed to achieve a German one. I did, however, get to have an affair with Cheri (Heady), which was clearly a highlight of my life. I don't want to give away too much in case anyone ever wants to play this game, but I will say we have some amazing acting talent in our family. If your family or staff or friends need a fun diversion on a Saturday night, I say pull out the dress up clothes and concoct yourselves a murder!Oh, and Jeremy was terrified of my mustache. Hee Hee.

Walking in Philly

2011-03-23T18:35:00.002-04:00

Brian and I went to Philadelphia for several days two weeks ago so that I could attend a work conference and interview 30+ people for our Hall Director position. Since I am in the third trimester of my pregnancy, I could not fly and therefore we drove 12 hours there and 12 hours back. I am being completely honest when I say that the drive was one of the highlights of the trip - Brian and I actually got to talk, play, and have fun together without a toddler. A novel idea.

Jeremy was sent packing to Memphis to spend a week with his Nona, Pop, and Aunt Cheri. I will have a later post on this, but they are incredible and he was so happy he did not want to come home.

Brian and I meanwhile, took this trip as an opportunity to reconnect a bit before our lives run completely out of control with the arrival of baby #2. The car ride to Philly sealed the deal. I love my husband, but more importantly I really like him a lot. I think the day to day drill of work, diapers, chores, and sleep deprivation can make you forget about your loved partner. Brian is quite funny, smart, cute, and silly - all things I knew but have not had a chance to enjoy in quite a while. We played every single car game I could think of, from license plates (37 of 50 states!) to Hi-my-name-is-Amy-and-my-husbands-name-is-Andy-and-we-live-in-Alabama-and-we-sell-Apples. 12 hours is a long time, but 12 hours with a smile on your face is nothing!

We stayed at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, which was ok. It was a bit disappointing in that they were doing renovations on the floor above us so it sounded like airplanes were landing on our ceiling - at midnight. The valet gave us bad directions, our door lock broke, and it advertised a mini fridge that did not actually exist. Oh well.I spent most of my time at the Philadelphia Convention Center interviewing people at TPE (The Placement Exchange) and attending sessions at NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education - yeah, I know, that acronym makes no sense). It was a nice center and the security was insane. Since Brian was not registered and had no name-tag, he could not get past the front door. Crazy!When I was not meeting candidates or pretending to be an important student affairs administrator, I played tourist with the hubby. Here are some historical places we visited:
The Liberty Bell (smaller than I thought, but free!)Independence HallCarpenter's Hall (I had never heard of this place, but Brian informed me it was where the first Continental Congress met)Betsy Ross's House (apparently she liked cats and ran an upholstery business before being the flag lady)Elfreth's Alley (the oldest residential neighborhood in the country - and super narrow! People actually live here, it was really cute.Christ Church (we sat in Ben Franklin's pew)One of the best parts of the trip was the food. On our way in from Knoxville, we stopped in Baltimore for dinner at a dive Brian had seen on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Chap's Pit Beef was really good and totally worth driving through the scary part of Baltimore in the dark (the restaurant shares a parking lot with a strip joint advertising free lap dances - tempting). We almost even stopped again on our way back home.The Reading Terminal Market is a really cool market in downtown Philadelphia that is so huge and packed it is kind of overwhelming, but the food was all amazing - and we went several times to try different things. They had grocery-type food, fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade pastries, ice cream, chocolates, pig's feet, seafood, asian, southern, cheese steaks, pretty much everything under the sun.Ralph's is the oldest family-owned restaurant in the United States. It is the second oldest period, but the oldest still owned by the same family. 5 generations have owned it and it was AMAZING Italian food. Expensive, only takes cash, and tiny, but seriously delicious. I highly recommend.In the same neighborhood as Ralph's is the Italian Market, which Brian went to when I was working and he loved all the fresh veggies and fruits and specialty foods.I had been told by all my northern friends that I had to try a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's. They said they were basically life-changing drinks. So, I tried. It was pretty good, basically a mint vanilla milkshake. The problem was that we somehow found the shadiest and creepiest McDonald's in the entire country. Worst service and cleanliness I have ever seen. Kinda ruined the experience a bit for me.And finally, the vaulted Philly Cheese Steak. We decided to try Sonny's Famous Steaks since it was highly recommended by the locals. My assessment - eh. I guess I am just not a cheese steak gal, but it was lackluster to me. Oh well!Overall, Philadelphia was fun, but I must admit I am not really in the proper physical state to enjoy it. 7 months pregnant and with arthritic swollen feet is not the way to walk miles in a large city looking at old historic houses. My husband is a saint for putting up with me needing to rest every 3 blocks so my feet would return to normal size.

Philly was fun, but I am glad to be home, and boy did I miss my little man!!

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...To My First Car

2011-03-22T19:10:00.000-04:00

We met almost 8 years ago. Our eyes met across a crowded parking lot and we both instantly knew what it was to love. We had an immediate connection that could not be denied. Countless trips, adventures, mishaps, arguments, and makeups later, I finally had to say goodbye to my first big girl purchase - my car. My 2000 green Mazda Protege.

Here we are on our first day together in June 2003. Isn't she beautiful? (note: this is not actually us. I got this from google. My camera broke and I can't take a photo of the photo in my album. Use your imagination.)I needed a car once I knew I was staying in Knoxville for graduate school. Most of my friends who had been so nicely driving me back and forth to Memphis the previous 4 years were gone, so I had to grow up, save all my graduation money, and learn how to finance a car. My dad introduced me to the credit union, the secret lot, and finally to my first car! I realize most people I know got their first car when they were 16 and did not have to save any money or finance anything. That's wonderful for them, but I doubt they had the same connection I did. I earned that car. I went a LONG time without one and knew what it was to need/want my own freedom. I paid all my bills and put a lot of love into that used green vehicle. I attended countless Braves games in that car, we drove back from our wedding in that car, and we drove our baby home from the hospital in that car.

And she treated us well. I paid her off over 3 years ago, and it was not until I made the last payment and had the title in hand that I had to do the first real repairs on her. And that was after numerous trips to Memphis and back each year and then Brian using her to go to and from Chattanooga when he used to teach at UTC. Needless to say, she did us proud and lasted way longer than I ever anticipated. She has been sick for about a year and a half, so I knew the goodbye would be soon, but I hoped it would be on our terms. Alas, that was not to be.

As my last post indicated, we had flash floods across the city a few weeks ago. Nowhere had it worse than North Knoxville off Broadway near Fountain City. Exactly where my car was parked at the lot outside Brian's work. The sad part is that Brian's job takes him hours away during the day in a different vehicle, so when he got a call from a colleague that the car was in the flood zone, there was nothing he could do. He was told later that the water got so high it covered the hood of the car and all the lights were blinking on and off until they finally shorted out.

When Jeremy and I went to pick up daddy from work (he obviously could not drive home), I saw my baby for the last time. The water line in the car went halfway up the upholstery on the seats, every cup holder was filled with brown water, and under the hood Brian found all kinds of trash and tree branches that somehow washed in. And it smelled like sewage. The car even moved in the lot, as the water made it float a bit in the parking spot. At least it was not hit by the floating dumpster, like another car only a few feet away.

Shortly before we left for Philadelphia Brian took the title and the keys with him to the gentleman who asked to buy it (why??), and I will never see it again. I hope he gets it running and it makes someone else happy.

Thanks for 8 years of keeping me, my husband and my baby safe! We will miss you!

We have been out of town for eons, so I am way behind in posting about life here in the Hopper family. Check back often this week, as I will be posting a lot to catch up!

Really??

2011-02-28T17:10:00.004-05:00

Do you sometimes feel like the universe has transpired against you? Like the fates are looking down on you laughing their heads off at the many curve balls they keep throwing at your head in rapid succession?

Today was one of those days. You know, the days when nothing goes right, your plans are not only ruined but completely obliterated, and you just have to laugh to stop yourself from crying in frustration.

It started on a high note. I even arrived at my 8am meeting bragging about how my kid was not the one screaming when I left daycare (a rare occurrence). I should have known not to crow to loudly, or it would all come crashing down around me. I had a really busy day at work but a very productive one, so when I looked up and saw it was 12:30pm, I was shocked and almost late to head out to get Jeremy in time for his Monday commute to speech therapy. I arrived at the daycare without even turning on my wipers, but as soon as I opened the car door, the fattest rain drops I have ever seen came crashing down on me. I arrived in the classroom during what is normally the beginning of nap time (yes, speech is during nap, yes, it sucks) and saw the kids and teachers in disarray. I was quickly told they were moving the kids to the interior room for a tornado drill. What? I grabbed Jeremy and headed out the door, where the rain had increased 100 fold.

Now, picture it in your mind's eye. I am in my 7th month of pregnancy and am carrying quite large. I did not want Jeremy soaked, so I perched him atop his baby sister. I had my purse and my umbrella and was wearing a dress and flats. Oh, and the rain was coming sideways in buckets rather than drops now. I was parked a good distance away since there is no more parent parking at the center (gotta love UT), and by the time I reached the car Jeremy was sliding off my hip, my dress was caught up around my armpits, my umbrella was inside out, and I lost a shoe in the mud at the curb by the car. Not my best look. But, I smiled and laughed with my boy to keep him from crying as the thunder and lightning raged around us.

The rain abated as we drove across town to Bearden Elementary. Then, as soon as I opened the car door, I kid you not, the heavens unleashed their fury again. Perched atop his sister as before, we made a mad dash to the school, and it was not until we turned the corner in the hallway that I realized how odd it was that so many cars were lined up out front waiting at the kindergarten wing. Of course, I had walked right into another tornado drill. Jeremy and I were accosted by the principal, got our visitor badges and took cover in the hallway with a class of 2nd graders, one of whom is our neighbor and happily kept Jeremy giggling. Then, I got in trouble. Apparently, they could not release the kindergartners due to the funnel cloud that had been sighted, and a bunch of upset parents saw me run into the school and felt they should follow my lead. Teachers had to practically barricade the doors to keep the parents out until the watch/warning (I still don't know the difference) expired. It lasted 30 minutes. We missed speech therapy.

As I ran through my third downpour in one hour with a not-at-all-speech-improved three year-old sliding off my pregnancy-distorted hip, I started laughing hysterically. I don't really know why. What I do know is that inside the car, I made some phone calls. First, Brian had left me a message to call him. He was concerned about us since so many cars were stuck in flash floods around town. Oh, and our green car was flooded in the parking lot of his work. You know our green car. The Mazda I have had since grad school that I just switched to liability-only insurance two months ago since I have two kids now and can't afford two full insurances. That's the one. Flooded. I laughed some more and continued my calls. I told my boss I was going home, my assistant to cancel my afternoon meetings, and Jeremy's teachers he was not coming back today. Turns out the road outside the daycare was totally flooded anyway, so unless he wanted to swim to his classroom he wasn't going to make it anyway.

Well, we waited out the rain in the parking lot for about 20 minutes before I drove on. It took us about 20 minutes to get the 3 miles to our house, and I took some clever detours to avoid water covered roads. Happily home, I took off my completely soaked dress and shoes, all of which were saturated with water and mud. I got the monster to nap, returned a million work emails, and heard a knock at my door. Odd, right? Who even knows I am home in the middle of the day?

Turns out, it was our apartment manager. I had left my keys in the lock when I arrived home two hours before.

Really?

So, fates, here I am. Today I have flashed my underwear to everyone at daycare and elementary school (luckily they are my cute blue lacy ones), I have bathed in mud, my umbrella has been ruined, I have missed three important meetings at work, my son has not had speech therapy, I have participated in 2 tornado drills with people under the age of nine, I have compromised the security of my home, and I have lost a car.

But, the sun is now shining, and Jeremy is having a conversation with both Mr. Moo and his stuffed cat on the couch. He is even doing voices for them. I can't help but smile and feel the urge to laugh again.

Tomorrow is another day. Who knows what it may bring?