Back to Bama

I say this almost every Monday - but - what a weekend!
This glorious weekend, we went back to Birmingham (for the 1st time) for JuJu and David's wedding. We had a lot to do, and a lot of people to see... needless to say, the trip was a whirlwind...

We left Santa Rosa around 11 o'clock on Friday. Much to our surprise, Chappell did extremely well on the drive up. I brought an arsenal of toys in anticipation... as she played... we kept on a-drivin', and we only stopped once. Is that child abuse? She seemed happy so we didn't feel the need to stop. Her cheery attitude finally faded, however, about 20 minutes south of Birmingham. So we decided to make a pit stop at the Summit - and Banana Republic brought her back to life!

After our quick trip to the Summit, we headed over to Marlee's house. Marlee is one of my dear KD friends from Alabama. She has a six month old baby girl, Eleanor... we have a lot in common these days.
Chappell and Eleanor ate a lovely dinner of squash and fruit together. Chappell loved Marla's home grown sun flowers. Like most things, she wanted to eat them.

Eleanor loved her new hat from Miss Chappy.

Some of my favorite peeps (Heather, Mags, Caitlin, Russell & her fam, Hunter, Wes, Stuart & Anna Belle, Charla & Andrew) came over to Marlee and William's for a cook out. Blue cheese burgers... um, yum!

Chappy and Baby Julia had some quality bonding time before Chappell had to turn in for the night. They shared toys, a quilt, and even a bottle.

On Saturday, we visited Reed's cousin Ginna and her family. Ginna took some adorable pictures of Chappy with her cousins, Rhett, Buddy & Laura Lacy.
*As soon as I download the pictures I will post them.

After our visit with the Gardners, we decided to hit up one of our most favorite places for lunch: Nabeels. It's about a block away from our old house, and I can't tell you how many times Reed and I went there. Ugh... it's too sad to think about.

Since we were meeting a few of our friends at Nabeels, and were running a little early, we decided to drive by our old house... I snapped this picture through the window, then decided I should take another one, sans glass. As I held the camera up to my face, the current owners walked out the front door and caught me red handed. It was a little awkward. I'm secretly glad it happened, anyways, because I got to go inside. I realized that I miss that house, and I really, REALLY miss my chandelier.
PS: I think the house misses me and my cute window boxes. :(

Here are a few pics from Nabeels. ReeRee AKA Daddy thought that Chappell would enjoy chewing on a (seedless) lemon...

and she did, until it got in her eyes. Poor baybay!

Hunter Chapman joined us for lunch - and I finally got to meet baby Sims! He's such a sweet baby... he slept through almost the entire lunch. How I miss those days...

When we got back to the house, Chappell took a nap. When she woke up, she had a play date with Marlee's golden retriever, Jayber. He licked her head until her hair was soaking wet. Although it was icky to watch, I didn't intervene because she was cracking up the entire time.

She loved that dog!

I mean... this is pure bliss. I'm a little sad to say it, but I think dogs are in our future. The entire time, Reed kept saying, "I can't wait to get her a dog."
Perfect.

Eleanor woke up from her nap and the babies held hands...

Look at Chappell's face. My mom says she looks like Reed when I get "on to him." Ahahah, she's so right. I should add, however, that this isn't often.

Saturday night, we went to JuJu and David's wedding. JuJu, you looked incredible and the reception was beautiful! We had a great time. I don't have any pictures, because I would've looked like I was a part of the photography crew with my dad's big ole' camera bag.
After the reception, we headed back to Marlee's, and hit the hay.
Sunday, we were all ready to to pack it up and drive home when we saw that tropical storm Claudette would be hitting our house around 4 pm. Since we didn't think we would make it home before the storm hit, we decided to spend the night with Reed's parents in Ozark. Although unexpected, we had a good time. We drove to Dothan Sunday night for dinner with Bryant and Danielle.
Here are some pictures from Sunday night at Bryant and Danielle's new casa in Dothan.

Chappell and Emmy...

Mary Parker and Buddy...

Brody playing some kick ball (?)...

A little floor time for the girls...

All in all - Great weekend.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry. I miss B-ham and our friends so much!

Emily's Onesie Couture

Today was Chappell's first official modeling gig!
My friend Emily recently decided to start a little side business, Onesie Couture. She makes adorable onesies and matching burp cloths -- yesterday I received a call saying that we could have a free onesie if Chaps would model for a few pictures. It was our (Chappell's) pleasure.
Here's Chappell in the Kate Spade onesie:

Shleepy Shleepy

I'm falling asleep as I type...

but...

I'm about 99% positive that Chappy will be getting her second tooth within the next 24 hours.  48 hours, max?  But then again, you never know... whenever I think I have this whole parenting "thing" figured out, C throws me another curve ball.  Reed, I bet you're diggin' the baseball analogy...

Poor thing's been droolin' like a faucet... and I can see tooth numero dos (lower right central incisor - ha!) just barely beneath the surface.  

I really shouldn't complain - Chappellina has been quite a trooper throughout the entire teething process.  Poor, poor thing... I meant to give her a dose of Tylenol before bed last night (Monday)- and of course I forgot.  I'm an idiot.  For the first time in over four months (literally), she kept waking up - tossing, turning and moaning.  We finally decided to sneak into her room to give her some medicine around 10 o'clock.  After that, she was fine.  

SO, all things considered, Chappell did quite well at her 8 month photo shoot.  She was quite the diva... lots of over the shoulder action.  She can work a camera.

I can't wait to see the proofs.  

For Re while we're gone...

Weekend Recap

Ahh, Monday.

We had such a great weekend! Liz and Taylor arrived Thursday night around 7:45. They were shocked that it took them less than 3 hours to get here from Montgomery, AL. Hopefully this means they will come back soon.

Friday (while Taylor & Reed were hard at work), Liz and I shopped around Rosemary and Santa Rosa Beach. Around noon, we met ReeRee for lunch at George's in Alys Beach. It was my first trip to George's, and I think I will have to add it to our "go-to" restaurant list.

Before dinner Liz and I made (what was supposed to be) a quick trip to Wine World in Sandestin. It was my first trip to W.W. - and I was impressed. They had my favorite wine in stock (which can be hard to find), so they're top notch in my book. PS, I made Reed aware of this as soon as I got home, so there are no excuses... for special occasions, of course.
While at W.W., Liz and I opted to give the wine sampling "carousels" a try. The wine carousel is a magical machine. You prepay at the register and they give you a credit card, of sorts. You simply swipe the card and press the button that corresponds with the wine you want to try. You can sample as many wines as you want... until your card runs out of money. I first saw this incredible machine on an episode of Samantha Brown... you know, the girl from the Travel Channell? Anywho, we thought this was quite fun.

For dinner, (Friday night) Reed cooked six filets O' grouper, Greek style. I think he calls it Athenian Grouper... but I might be making this up. It's really good, and seems to be pretty easy. I will post his recipe soon. Our friends JuJu and David joined us for dinner, and a wonderful time was had by all!

Saturday began w/ a much needed trip to Another Broken Egg at Baytowne Wharf (in Sandestin). The place is good -- but we were less than pleased with the 45 minute wait. Not cool. Already feeling a little under the weather from the night before, I was almost certain that I was going to die. One heaping serving of Eggs Benedict and two Advils later, I was ready for more shopping with my partna in crime.
Lizzy and I hit some pretty cool spots while Reed and Taylor stayed home with Chappy. Smiths Antiques, KiKi Risa, Saks Off 5th, Restoration Hardware Clearance Center, and Scavengers to name a few. It was hard to restrain myself...
You know what else was hard to restrain myself from? Setting the outlets on fire. Sometimes I cannot stand the tourists around here.
*I didn't really want to set the outlets on fire. Maybe just trip a few people?

Saturday night we got a babysitter for Miss Chappy and had a night out on the town. If any of you are ever down in this area, you should check out Basmatis. They don't appear to have a website, so I cannot include a link. I'm sure many of you have been there... it's been around for years, but MAN, it's delish. I'm a lover of all things Asian (food-wise), so this is one of my favorite places. We made a quick trip to Bud and Alley's and called it a night.

What a fun & relaxing weekend! Chappell bonded with Taylor and Liz immediately - it was hilarious, she really had a thing for Taylor. We now refer to T as "the baby whisperer," and Chappell is very sad that he's gone.

Tomorrow we are off to P-cola. I have a haircut and Chappell has her 8 month photo shoot with Cook Images.

PS: Yesterday was Chappy's 8 month birthday-- Happy Birthday, Chappell!

Nap Time D-Rama

SO, we all know from the (adorable) pictures a few posts ago that Miss Chappell has become quite mobile.

She is crawling now and can go from lying down to sitting in about two seconds flat. I thought this was pretty awesome, and was oh-so proud, until I realized the problems this progression and new-found (word?) mobility has caused.
I must tell you that nap time has become quite a challenge around here.
This is a problem, because I love nap time. It's my alone time. It's when I check e-mail, clean, or just sit by myself... the list goes on and on.
Now that Chappell can sit up on her own, this little gal has realized that she doesn't have to nap when I put her down.
And unless she is really, really tired - she usually chooses to play.

So, in response to this new development, a new routine has evolved.

It goes like this:
1) Put Chappell in crib. Offer lovie. For those of you who aren't parents or just don't know, a lovie is basically a small blanket with a stuffed animal's head attached to the corner. Weird concept, I know.
2) Cover her body with thin receiving blanket (I'm still paranoid), rub her head and leave.
3) 15 minutes go by. I watch the monitor as she plays and talks up a storm. I'm serious, A STORM.
4) Return to room, place Chappell on her back.
5) REPEAT

This is driving me crazy. It used to be so easy. I'd put her down... and off to dreamland/ville she'd go. Thankfully, this is just a daytime issue. This has been going on for a few days now and I'm not sure what the best action is to take. Leave her up there to play until she crashes?

Advice is welcome on this one. Help a girl out.


*Ironically, as I finish this post, baby G is finally fast asleep.
* Also wanted to note that Chaps ate green beans w/ rice today for the first time. She didn't seem to mind them. Finally, a green veggie!

Blam's a Dram

I just wanted to put up more pics of me w/ Liz because I'm so so excited to see one of my bestest friends tomorrow.

I think I sound like a twelve year old going on about BFFs & such. But, (I think) you know what I mean. Friendships change and evolve with each stage of life. I'm very thankful to have a small handful of people that I know I can call anytime - day or night.
Anywho, can you tell I'm excited?

Once again, I was too lazy to get out the scanner... that old piece of junk is going to rot in my closet.

Ahh, serious night. That really feels like forever ago. Weird.

Fiji Dome. Liz, I'm really not sure what you are doing.

The day of my wedding... on the floor before hair/makeup. Looks like a few of us had too much fun at the rehearsal dinner.

I love that crazed face you make sometimes. And look at Waltrix asleep in the chair. Lordy.

I think this was before a ball in Mobile.

Why am I drinking that? It really ruins the picture...

Olden days make me smile :)

Getting Excited

This morning I woke up to "mama mama mama mama" on the monitor.
I know I've said it before, and I know I'll say it again - but this stage really is the best. She literally does something new every day.

SO, I'm super-duper-pumped about my BFF Bloom coming to stay with me this weekend. Lizzie and T-Dub (I guess he has a real name, Taylor) are coming Thursday night, and staying through the weekend. This makes me SO happy. We found a babysitter for Saturday night - uh oh, it might get craZay.
I love living closer to my family, but it's been really hard being away from all of my close friends... so visits like this are a must!

Big Baby G (g is for girl)

Tooth Fairy Came! and other things...

This weekend we went to Jacksonville.
It was a busy weekend... and after being in the car for seven hours, I am wiped.
Don't expect too much from this post!
Seriously, this is going to be a grammatical mess.
{I should note that even though Jacksonville is only about 4.5 hours from Santa Rosa Beach, the trip was much longer since we had to meet my mom in Fort Walton to get Miss Chappy... and it stormed all the way down I-10}


The sole reason for writing this post is: Chappell got her first tooth today!
Her first little pearly white made its way through the gum line... and I can't believe it.
It's her bottom (left) tooth - or lower left central incisor, as my mom (the dentist's wife) told me over the phone.
Of course she cut her first tooth while I was away. Just my luck, huh?

While I'm writing, I'll go ahead and say that Chappell's pretty mobile these days. She will crawl a few steps forward/backward and rolls all over the place. She can easily get to the sitting position from lying down or the crawling position.

Chappell currently loves to say "baba." We hear a lot of "dadas" and "babas." She has also said "mama." However, I've only heard her say "mama" once or twice. Hopefully she will start using that word more often!
She talks all the time - and it's the cutest thing ever. Looks like Chappell is following in her mama's footsteps... I was constantly in the "chatterbox" at school.