Rock Band

Charlotte is working on her emo image.

Walk this Way

I can't say that I've always been a consciencious walker. Before I met Will, I was one of those free-minded walk any ole' way kind of girls. Then I met Will and learned that there are rules to walking.

1. ALWAYS walk on the right side of the sidewalk
2. Be aware of the path of the person beside you and do NOT cut them off by taking a crazy sharp turn or edging them off the sidewalk
3. Do not walk so quickly that you leave your loved one behind, feeling lonely and unimportant

After ten years together, these have now become second nature to me. So you can imagine my consternation when I crossed paths with a non-rule-followerer the other day. Last Wednesday morning we took Owen to the free kids' movie and then headed to the Fun Forest for some playtime afterwards. We're on the sidewalk at the park, me in the lead, and there are two ladies approaching from the other direction. They are walking side-by-side, taking up the whole sidewalk. I assume that one of them will drop back so that my family can pass. Neither is moving. They get closer. Still nothing. I'm starting to wonder if I am playing chicken with this lady. I will not jump into the pine needles so that she can continue hogging the sidewalk. So I stop. For a second, I think she contemplates just bowling me over and stepping on my face so that she doesn't have to swerve, but finally, she caves. Am I crazy? I know she doesn't know The Walking Rules, but doesn't this particular behavior fall in the common sense category? So I'm taking a poll...are you a sidewalk hog?

Ocracoke

Last week we spent a glorious week in Ocracoke. Will's parents rented a house in the village, and we spent 7 wonderful days being lazy. However, when we weren't lounging around the house, we did have quite a lot of fun...

Our neighbors let us borrow their kayak for the week. All week long Owen talked about putting the kayak in the water. The sight of it strapped to the roof of our car was about to send him over the edge. So on Thursday, Will heaved and hoed, dragged the thing to the sound, threw Owen in the back and headed out into the wild, blue yonder. Yonder being about 40 yards from the sand, because that was when Owen declared, "I want to go back now."
Since Owen was not a fan, Will and I decided to try to go out together. This was not a good idea. This kayak was not made for two adults...hence the dumping that occured when Will tried to get us started. Eventually we did each take our turn kayaking out into the sound. The water was perfect. I could have stayed out for hours, but leaving two babies on the shore while I enjoyed myself seemed a bit selfish. It was fun while it lasted. Oh, and my favorite Owen quote from the week occured on the shore while Will was loading the kayak on the car. We were playing in the water, and I told him that we were going to have to go in a few minutes. He quietly picked up a piece of grass that was floating nearby, cocked his head to the side and declared, "You know, old seaweed is something to think about." That it is.We were blessed to be able to spend an hour on a real boat, one in which Owen was more secure, a large sailboat. Even Will said it was fun (he's not a fan of boats).

Another thing Will is not a fan of, this kite. Notice the face he is making at it. A few things we learned...do not let your three year old pick any ole kite he wants. Also, do not buy a kite that looks like a boat. A kite should not have an identity crisis. It should know what type of vessel it is. Because if it gets confused and thinks that it is indeed a boat, well, then it won't fly. And finally, if the package calls it an "Easy Flier," but it has more parts than your average vehicle, the package is lying.

Just had to show off my husband's culinary skills, not to mention the quality grill he was using (note the cinderblocks holding up the rusted-out back legs). The cornish game hens were so, so yummy. And I didn't have to lift a finger. I love vacation.

And of course you have to see my favorite angelic photo of Charlotte. There was another one with her tongue sticking out, but I just can't resist the sweet little smile in this one.

Learning

She lies on her back, chubby arms and legs wiggling wildly. Without warning, she slams her legs down, heels thumping the floor. She likes the sound. Again and again she pounds on the floor, satisfied with her newfound power to make noise. Suddenly, she discovers that she can make her playmat sing if she kicks the music box. She stares wonderously at the bright lights dancing in time to Mozart. She is thinking, experimenting; she sticks out her tongue in concentration. Then she notices that I am watching her and warms my heart with an exuberant smile.

BBQ and other items of importance

In relation to my post yesterday...

Christy: Why do you ask a question when you already know the answer?
Owen: Because I like to talk.

Also, I made Charlotte laugh a few minutes ago. Almost made me cry.

And now to the reason I wanted to blog...BBQ. Will and I were watching a show on Food Network last night and the subject was barbeque. I watched in horror as they slathered beautifully smoked pork in red, goopy sauces. But then they commited a true offense. They showed someone pouring a dark red sauce on a plate of pulled pork and labeled it as "North Carolina style." Is this some North Carolina in Asia that I don't know about? You know, like Georgia. I have eaten barbeque all over the fine state of North Carolina, and at no point have I ever poured a dark red sauce on that yummy meat. Sure, some of the OPTIONAL vinegary sauces might have a dark hue, but they aren't thick and masking of the barbeque's exquisite smoky goodness. So of course I had to go online and see if there is some new variety of BBQ that I don't know about, which is how I happened upon this. You see, the state of North Carolina takes barbeque so seriously that they are busy discussing it in the House.

Can you tell that I miss my favorite NC food here in Norfolk? And on a related note, here's the song that Will is trying to get Owen to learn next.

Growing

They grow too fast. Tomorrow they'll be going to college. May God grant me the ability to appreciate each day, not wishing for next week (so I can go on vacation) or next month (so Charlotte will be doing new and more exciting things) or September (so Owen can go back to school and stop asking me every single morning, "Where are we going today?!").

For those who want to know, we've had a lot going on with Charlotte and doctor visits. The visit to the orthopedist was very encouraging. She should be a great candidate for pollicization when she is about a year old. We also had a visit with the geneticist. They have connected us with a physician at the NIH who is doing a study on VACTERL. Charlotte only has three of the seven birth defects, but they are still interested in having us participate. This means more doctors, possibly more advanced tests, and hopefully more answers. As for her heart, she will have to have a repeat cardiac cath in July. The scar tissue in her aorta is not stretching as they would like, so the plan is to balloon it open during the cath. Please pray for her. We have so appreciated your prayers up to this point and truly need you to continue to lift us up.

On the non-medical front, Charlotte is doing really well. She has found her hands, so she spends lots of time holding them or sticking them in her mouth or reaching for her giraffe and spider (on her play mat). She loves looking at funny faces, rewarding us with huge smiles, or watching us make noises. What do you call those anyways? Seems sort of crass to call them fart sounds, but that's the best descriptive I've got. She's even pretty good at replying with her own.

As for Owen, he's always very busy. And his mouth seems to be lacking a mute button. I got so tired of the non-stop soundtrack one day that I asked him to tell Charlie, our dog, about it instead. So he did. He's really interested in letters right now. He wants to know every word I can think of that starts with P or B or whatever letter he is currently interested in. Also, we're learning to tell time. Mostly so I can get him to stay in bed until 7:00 am. He's really sweet with Charlotte. He wants to hug and kiss her all the time. Whenever I put her in a dress he declares, "She's a princess!" Such an amazing little boy.

Well, I have a squirming little girl in my lap, so we're off for nap time.

George Clooney

Our nine year anniversary was a few weeks ago. We got all dressed up because we were going out to a nice restaurant and to a Broadway show. I had no idea that a suit without a tie would be much to notice, but as soon as Will walked downstairs with his open-necked button-down and beard, I thought, "Hmm, that's very George Clooneyesque." By the way, the Broadway show was Wicked, which you should consider selling one of your vestigial organs in order to get tickets.