No more naked dollies!

I just had to blog about this. All toddlers get great pleasure from undressing. Both themselves and their toys, dolls, pets, etc. It's the re-dressing that's the difficult part. Due to this little issue, Elizabeth has toted around two dolls in various states of undress, since Christmas.

Tonight after dinner, as mommy and daddy were fixated on DIYnetwork, Elizabeth was putting the jammies back on her baby doll. Ever so gently she pulled the arms through, and even velcroed the back closed.

To add to the absolute cuteness of it all, a few minutes later, she had a paper towel over baby's face, saying "Blow! Blow! Good job!" as she wiped its nose. Lucky for Elizabeth, the plastic baby doll doesn't squirm and scream when she wipes it's nose. I'll bet it doesn't kick her in the face when she changes its diaper either. But that's another story.

The "Beach" at last...

We took our annual trip to Florida, in mid-February. After a marathon all night drive from Chattanooga, we arrived at the "beach". Elizabeth's pronunciation is improving, thankfully, so it sounds more like "beach" now. We LOVE Marco Island. It's very peaceful, no crowds (esp in February), and laid back. This year, we stayed on one of the canals, and watched the fish under the dock day and night.


Elizabeth, of course, had a blast. She loved playing in the sand and swimming in the pool, especially the pool at a friend's complex, which was nice and warm. The ocean...not so much...She's terrified of it. She wouldn't even let mommy go in, for fear mommy would get swept away. We're going to have to work on that. She stood, horrified, hanging on to grammy yelling "No, mommy, No! No ocean, no ocean!"

While in Florida, dad took Jeff, Karen, and I to this place called Goodland. "The little drinking village with a fishing problem." Live music (which we never really heard b/c they were setting up for 2 hours), bar food, lots of alcohol, all on a Sunday afternoon. What more can you ask for?

We enjoyed an afternoon on John and Sue Siegfried's boat, and Elizabeth is now quite the seasoned boater. Not timid at all, she ran up and down the boat looking for dolphins, which we saw quite a few of. We tooled around the canal, to say hi to papa, who stayed back at the condo.

After a week hanging out at Marco Island with grammy, papa, and auntie Karen, mommy and daddy headed off for some time on their own. Stayed for a few days at the Hilton Clearwater Beach, quite a nice hotel that nickel-dimes you to death. Luckily we weren't too keen to hang out on the beach, b/c 2 beach chairs were $31/day. We thoroughly enjoyed our sunset cruise on Captain Memo's Pirate Ship, though. Probably a little too much...

On our way home, Jeff and I stayed overnight in Atlanta to have dinner with Ian. We stayed at the Hotel Indigo in Midtown, which is a totally neat old hotel. Went to this great little wine bar called Eno. Spent Saturdayshopping at Ikea, Harry's Farm Market, and Trader Joe's. Luckily we didn't have Elizabeth, as she wouldn't have fit between all the loot.

All in all, we really enjoyed the break from reality. And have been quite productive since returning home.

Wishing Nemo Would Get Lost

I'd like to take this time to publicly thank Grammy and Papa for bringing a copy of Finding Nemo over the holidays. I'm sure that, by now, I'm a foremost authority on all things Nemo. I can recite the whole movie. In my sleep. Backwards.

For instance, Marlin and Dory have just been sucked in by the whale(one of my favorite scenes)...it goes like this...
Whale: Makes big loud whale noise
Dory: Oh, that one was a little tougher, he either said he wants us to go to the back of the throat, or he wants a root beer float.
Marlin: Of COURSE he wants us to go to the back of the throat, that's EATING US!!! How do I taste Moby? *slapping whale's taste buds with a fin*

Catch my drift? (sorry...bad pun...)

One day...we watched it 5 times in a row. 5 TIMES!! Now, I know, it could be worse, we could be watching Barney reruns. And Nemo on a large TV with a great sound system really IS cool beyond words. But, after the 50th run, it gets a little old. So Nemo is going on a little vacation. To...well...somewhere.

From the top of Mount Wannahockalugee...NO MORE NEMO!!!

Amen. Hallelujia. Has anyone seen Wall-E?

The saga of the beach continues

You know, I read somewhere that toddlers don't have any conception of time. Not until age 3 or 4 can they understand the difference between tomorrow and two weeks from now.

So...last night, I was getting some of Elizabeth's things together for the beach, packing up the swimsuits, etc. Of course, she wanted to put one on NOW. But that's not the best part. She goes into the closet and grabs her coat, and says "bye- bye". I asked her where she was going, and she says. "B*tch!" For the next hour or so, she was insistent on going outside, so she could go to the "B*tch!" Why did I mention the trip again???

Later in the evening, she comes up to me, jacket zipped up, and says, "B*tch!!!" (you know, if we tell her it's a bad word, she's just gonna say it all the time...) I say, "B-ee-ch", sounding it out. Then she walks up to daddy, who's not heard the rest of the conversation. "B*tch!!!" So, daddy says, "I know mommy is grumpy, but is it that bad?" Thanks, daddy.

Elizabeth goes to a Lutheran preschool. I can see it now, as she puts on her coat and saunters up to Miss Emily, and says, "B*tch!" My kid is going to get expelled from preschool.

Out of the mouths of babes

I know I need to post the holiday pictures. But first things first.

Elizabeth, who has the smallest feet of any two year old, is finally outgrowing size 4. We were talking about how we'll need to find her some shoes for the beach. (we're headed to FL in a month)

Elizabeth says, "B*tch!!" (I'm thinking, oh, boy we're gonna have fun with this, especially because "SIT!!" sounds like "S*it!!!")

So, we're sitting at dinner and I say, "Elizabeth, show daddy how you can say 'beach'!"

"B*tch!!" says Elizabeth

Daddy follows with, "Elizabeth, can you say you'd like to see the 'Sun on the Beach'?"

'Nuff said. I hope you're laughing so hard you're crying. I know I was.

The Christmas Tree Adventure 2008

It's been raining for nearly two weeks here in Chattanooga. And with all the work in the basement, we STILL didn't have a tree. So...the sun peeked out for a mere 30 minutes this AM which tricked us into thinking we could have a pleasant drive through north Georgia.

As we got off the interstate, the perpetual fog rolled back over Lookout Mountain, and by the time we neared the Blue Goose Christmas Tree Farm, it was misting. Again. As we got out of the car, it was starting to rain. Lucky us! Despite the weather, we found a nice tree.Here in TN, the cypress grow better than the pines, so we picked a fairly tall Leland Cypress. Taller than my car is long, in fact. And quite heavy. Hefting this tree onto the car was an interesting event...especially because by this time it was starting to pour.

All in all, we got the tree wrapped and properly tied to the car. Where it remains. It's STILL RAINING!!!!

Our giggle bug

Elizabeth loves to be tickled. Everywhere. Daddy's gotten the best of her this time!

The basement is no longer a "basement"

Though not completely finished - the trim still needs to go in, the floor needs touched up, the TV isn't here yet, and the entertainment center is therefore not finished, and the backsplash needs to be tiled. OK, that's still a lot to do. But, it's ready to be lived in. In fact, we had the UTFP Holiday Party here on Friday night. 30+ people was nothing for our ground floor living space.

Where did it all come from? Well...I designed the kitchen area and entertainment center with a tool from HGTV.com; Jeff gutted the space of paneling, old carpeting, removed the linoleum floor, cleaned off the glue, and finished the concrete floor with products from Behr/Home Depot. The cabinets and countertops came from Southeastern Salvage, and were assembled and hung by Jeff and Casey. The drywall/framing/electrical/plumbing/carpentry were carefully mastered by Jeff with help from Casey (and a few tips from my dad). Did I mention that Jeff did all this while watching Elizabeth? The range was upstairs and we replaced it with a salvage model from the Habitat store until we redo the space upstairs. Our groovy vintage stove that was just too big to save went to the Habitat store. The dishwasher also came from upstairs, and we treated ourselves to a nice new Kenmore Elite for upstairs, which we worship daily. The fridge was in the house when we bought it, and will be replaced with the french door stainless fridge upstairs when we remodel the kitchen.

Before: Can you say dated and dark? And who puts carpet in a basement?











After:




This project has been 2.5 years in the making, and I think that we never thought it would be done. The office furniture will move down here once the trim is in, and we'll never need to be upstairs...This is why the "great room" idea is so functional. We're already enjoying spending time together as a family, instead of all of us in different parts of the house.

In fact...I'm sitting at our cool new mod pub table as I type...

Did I mention that we have a guest room down here? And that once the bathroom is finished, it'll be nicer than the Hyatt? And much cheaper...we're easily bribed with food and wine...

Fly away with me

Elizabeth now loves the beach. And the sand. And most certainly her "sto-l-er". It was so windy last week on the Isle of Palms that her jogger didn't need a "jogger". Nevermind the sprint it took to catch up with it before it headed for the surf.

One...two...four...

Elizabeth loves The Count. A few weeks after watching Sesame Street, she started couting all by herself. She just hasn't quite mastered the order of the numbers yet. Check out these two videos - one week makes a difference! She still has issues with three and eight...why is that?

Drowning in the shallow end of the gene pool

You know your dog is a moron when...he leaps to catch embers in his mouth as they waft out of your fire pit.

Never said he was bright.  But I didn't think he was THAT stupid.  I can see it now: "So, how did your dog get third degree burns on his tongue?"  DUH!!!!!

Going back out to enjoy the chimnea.  And an adult beverage.  With my hubby.

The birthday party - of sorts

Well, the theme to our party was...there was no theme. We had brats, homemade and homegrown mashed sweet potatoes, beer/"juice", cupcakes and presents. A good time was had by all. Especially when Auntie Karen "Ti-Ti" and Grammy and Papa all called at the same time and sang to Elizabeth collectively on speaker phone. (wish I had THAT on video!)

A newfound love of opening presents - For the first time she's got the realization that something fun is in that wrapping. I have a few "present opening clips", but we'll put the "un-PC"' one with Jeff and Casey making snide remarks on the back burner for now.

Despite the fact that her forehead bruises belie her inexperience in walking and her cheeks are proof she got in a fight with the cat, she looks good for two. At least it doesn't set a flawlessness precedent that she'll never be able to live down. We'll wait a few years to give her THAT complex.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

She's "two" today, and is happy to tell everyone just how old she is. Hasn't gotten the fingers thing down yet, though. Her birthday t-shirt is laid out on her dresser, and mommy needs to go get a little cake (wish I had time for baking one, but she'll never know...). And wrap her presents. And go to work. And hopefully get back in time for Uncle Casey and Auntie Kim to come over. Small "party" tonight, maybe we'll have a big one once the basement is done. When she's "three". ha. Gotta go make the salsa. Can't believe she's two.

ELIZABETH WALKS!!!

While at grammy and papa's, Elizabeth broke free from her baby walkers. On September 23, she walked from one side of the living room to the other, bribed by grammy of course. Here's a cute video proof. She loves to "wear" her bathtowel. It's wonderful to have her walking. Even in the few days she's been home, we can do so many more things. She can help put stuff away. She can follow mommy down the hallway. She can play on her baby slide without help. She's not running yet, so I'll get back to you on how wonderful walking is in a few weeks.

Weddings, basements or "why I spent two weeks without my kid"

A week after the KC incident, we packed up the Outback for a trip to Ohio for my cousin Nick's wedding. Elizabeth got to spend some quality time with Grammy and Papa. For pics from this stay, where she got to have an early birthday party, see: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QYtGbRy4aMXEw

Nick and Allie's wedding was a lot of fun. The first time Jeff and I were back at Our Lady of Peace since we got married nearly 5 years ago. Then we checked into our hotel room at the Hampton Inn downtown, which ended up being a lot of fun. To see downtown from a tourist point of view was something we hadn't done in a while. But back to the reception. Held at the Union Club, a beautiful old private club in downtown Cleveland, Jeff and I had our jaws wagging at the architecture, paneling, stairways, art, blahblahblah. That was, until they started the swing music. For pics from the wedding, check out my Shutterfly album: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QYtGbRy4aMXIA

Monday morning, Jeff and I left little Lizzy Beth in Cleveland and headed back to Chattanooga to "hit it hard" on the grim task of plowing through a huge chunk of work on our basement remodel. In case you haven't noticed, there is nary a day here at Casa DeFlinnerFranco where we aren't fixing something. Unfortunately for Jeff, I had to get back to work, so he was left to toil alone in a VERY QUIET house. Mudding, sanding, painting. Rinse. Repeat. We have an enormous basement space, and it's an enormous job for one man. And one can't do these things with a toddler. Mud, paint, sandpaper...hmmm...sounds like lunch for most toddlers.

If there's one thing you think we'd have learned in 6 years of home renovations in two different homes, it's that things take at least 3 times as long as you plan for. And they cost at least that much more than you planned on. This makes Visa happy. Oh, yeah...and they NEVER improve marital bliss. Until they're done, then there is much rejoicing. Needless to say, not done yet.

Two weeks without my kid. Now that she's back, I could sleep in her room I'm so giddy. See next post for Elizabeth updates

Adventures in KC

In early September, I headed to KC for a recruiting fair at my medical school. Usually, I'm quite excited to head to KC, but I wasn't feeling so good (thanks to a colleague passing around another stomach bug - my third one since February!). So things were not looking good as I headed out on my favorite, Southwest Airlines.

Despite "weather", we had an uneventful flight to KC. Where it was raining, and would continue to rain the whole 28 hours we were there. So, suffice it to say, this trip was shot. Anything fun to do to waste time in KC is outside. What to do when it's raining and cold? Eat, Drink, and go to the mall! Note that eating wasn't high on my list that week.

Went to the biggest Marshall's I've ever seen. Found a gorgeous red Italian suede purse on clearance, which lifted my spirits. Mistakenly celebrated purchase with large piece of cake and coffee, which would haunt me for the next twelve hours (remember, eating was a no-no!). Then spent next twelve hours in pure agony.

Managed to eek out standing for 2+ hours at recruiting fair (thank god my resident companion was NOT ill and took over for me!). Then headed back to said mall to waste 3 hours until flight back.

This is where it gets good. Standing in the KC airport, a friend from TN calls and says, "Aren't you in KC? There are TORNADOES in KC!" Hmmm. really. Sure enough, huge front showing on TV. Note, I don't do "weather" when I fly. And at this point was too sick to use the gin-and-tonic Xanax substitute. gack. So, what to do? Head to the bathroom! In the KC airport, there are no hooks to hang a purse on. Just this teensy little shelf above the toilet. I'm in this stall with a suitcase, a tradeshow display case, and me. So...the new-aforementioned dreamy soft suede purse is placed precariously on the shelf. I shift weight (no turning around possible here) to take care of the job at hand when I hear "Plop". No. no. Insert expletive here. Multiple expletives. There was my prized purchase, bobbing in the bowl. Quickly I snatched it up, in time to save my camera and cell phone. Furiously attempting to dry inside and out with thin airport toilet paper, I nearly forgot why I was there. The only thing my mother asked when I told her the story was "was the water, um, still, um, clean?" Yes. Thank God for small favors.

Now, back to the tornadoes. We sit a the gate, watching this horrid front on the TV monitors that are conveniently placed every 15 feet. Though late, they call us to board. We hear "Tornado warning, northwest Clay County". hmm. That's us. Like little sheep we hand over our boarding cards and head down the gangway. Only to turn around. Halfway down. Pilot says"they've evacuated the control tower, perhaps we should follow!"; Mentions something about three small sets of wheels in a vehicle meant to fly, but not horizontally. Gotcha.

Then they evacuate the terminal. To the adjacent underground garage. (In KC, the terminals are separate with walk-up gates) Thank god for imodium. Despite the seeming grim circumstances, airport personnel did a fabulous job, as well as Southwest Airlines personnel. Once the all clear was sounded, we were herded with priority back to the gate, used the passenger list and ID's to check us back in, both at the security point and at the gate, and had us in the air within 45 minutes.

What a day. We won't even talk about getting lost trying to find my hotel in Nashville.

Did I mention that book about my air travel adventures? Someday...

Did we mention we're busy?

After multiple comments that blogs need to be updated, I'm making an effort to update the last month of Doctor Mom-dom.

July through February is pure nuttycakes at work, because this is prime time for recruiting new residents to our program. So every few weeks or so, I head to some random city in the southeast to tell any student who will listen how wonderful it would be if they did their family medicine residency in Chattanooga. Though fun, this absolutely disrupts my life to no end. Add to that hours of reviewing applications on my computer at work, and, well, I just don't have much time for blogging.

It's not just a fluke!

She's done it twice...which is better than not at all. Elizabeth successfully went pee-pee in the potty on two separate occasions. *yeay* one step closer to not filling the landfill with Huggies (now into size 5!). The next kid gets cloth diapers from day one.

She also started crawling - for real - this weekend. For those who know Elizabeth's lack of gross motor skills, this is huge. We really feared she would never crawl, but Grammy and Papa did the trick, and got her going across the living room carpet. Now, hopefully only a few weeks from independently walking, I doubt she'll ever use crawling as a mode of transportation, but it has helped her to learn to climb onto furniture, and go up and down steps.

She also has words for everything. Purse. Wipes. Water. Milk. Wine (oops! well, it's better than calling it mommy-juice). Bed. Bath. Potty. Towel. Hurt. I could go on and on. As long as her next word isn't "margarita". :-) I'm sure her teachers at parent's day out think we're heathen alcoholics!

If only we could get to to say "grammy" instead of the incessant "papa". Like Grammy says, she just needs to learn that Papa doesn't change diapers! (which, of course, won't work when she doesn't need diapers anymore)

We also came one step closer to having cabinets in our basement! The third coat of mud is drying as we speak, and the mock up has been drawn in chalk on both the walls and the floor. Think we can have Elizabeth's 2nd birthday party downstairs? Your votes are welcomed.

Jeff and the Donald Duck impression

OK...ready for a REALLY good laugh? Got this video while we were trying to get Elizabeth to say "EARMUFFS!" and cover her ears. She wasn't in a performance mood, but she liked daddy's impression of Donald Duck. Until he made this horrible nasty horking noise. Which even Elizabeth found to be gross. (I love embarrasing videos of Jeff...see below for him power washing the pink flamingo)

How'd you like to be THIS garbageman?

OK, so every time I get frustrated with my job, I say I wish I were a garbageman, because they don't have to manage people, or solve complex problems. They just pick up trash. Until I saw this guy. This clip is from the city garbage pickup in Cumberland Gap, TN. Cumberland Gap is a wonderful teensy town on the KY/TN border, home to Cumberland Gap National Park. But apparently they only have one city vehicle, and this backhoe is it. This dude gets the privilege of touching the trash...no little compactor for him. Can you imagine the mess if a bag toppled off? He's probably the only city employee as well. Unfortunately for him, we got a good giggle at his expense. And hopefully, so will you.