The House of Hood

Sabbatical

2010-07-05T20:52:00.000-04:00

Hello fans of the Peanut -
It's been almost two months and I haven't said a word. I know, that's a long time to go without Amelia updates, but I needed some space. I've been writing about every gory detail of our lives since October of 2007 so I figured I was due a break, a small sabbatical if you will. But, I promise, I won't let you miss anything. I've got pictures and stories piled up from the past two months just waiting to be written about - the Peanut's second birthday, our summer vacation, general cuteness, and lots, lots more. Just hang in there a little bit longer and your patience will be rewarded.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-05-23T22:02:00.001-04:00

The pool is open and we took Amelia down for her first swim of the season last week. It was a little chilly, but she loved it, especially when she discovered this swimming Nemo fish.
- Meggan

Little Helper

2010-05-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

Amelia LOVES to help me cook. Alan is a great sous chef in the House of Hood kitchen, but Amelia is quickly trying to take his place. She loves to help in any way she can - she stirs and mixes, rolls dough and adds ingredients. She even has a big step ladder that she stands on so she's counter height and can help even better.
- Meggan

Happy second birthday Amelia!

2010-05-09T22:23:00.001-04:00

Two years ago tonight we were here...just meeting you for the first time.

Last year, this was us, celebrating your first birthday.

And look at us now, two years later! Happy birthday to our Amelia! We love you our beautiful, sassy, smart, and hysterically funny two-year-old girl!

XOXO - Mommy and Daddy

365 Days of Amelia

2010-05-04T20:36:00.000-04:00

It's not new news that I LOVE dressing Amelia. She's like my little doll and rocks everything I put on her. So, in honor of my Peanut's utter fabulousness I've created a new blog project called 365 Days of Amelia. It's a yearlong chronicle of Amelia's outfits. Every day, for one year, I will take a picture of what the Peanut is wearing that day, write up a brief description and post it. Nothing too fancy or too complicated. I'm going to use our camera phones and mobile blogging applications so I'll be sure to do it every day. I started the project on Saturday, 5/1/10 and will continue it until 5/1/11. You can check out Amelia and her daily toddler fashion show here.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-04-25T21:22:00.007-04:00

We finally got around to some Spring cleaning and general sprucing in the front of the house and I'm happy to report that the letters from the HOA may actually be avoided this season. Horray! In the midst of our tidying we found a little treasure nestled in the tree behind the swing, a teeny tiny bird's nest with a single, empty egg inside. It was just too cute to leave hidden so we moved it into the fern so Amelia could check it out.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-04-18T22:26:00.003-04:00

Just another beautiful Sunday here in Atlanta so we enjoyed some play time at the PDK airport playground where we got to watch lots of cool jets fly in and out. You can see that Amelia is pretty distracted and captivated by all the cool activity on the taxiway in the pics above. Maybe she'll end up in her Daddy's line of work.
- Meggan

Evening Play Dates

2010-04-18T22:15:00.005-04:00

Amelia giving baby Max some sugar

Our little daredevils jumping off the rock

Now that it's light out so late Amelia and Jack can reinstate their evening play dates. This is good on many levels including parental sanity. Have I mentioned how much I love Spring? This week the kiddos discovered jumping off some low rocks in the park, with help from their Mommies of course. I'm pretty sure they would have done this for at least three hours, or until their legs fell off, but eventually it did get dark enough to make us all head home. Jack's baby brother Max even joined in on the fun, check out Amelia marking her territory in the pic above.
- Meggan

New Addition to the Trib

2010-04-18T22:04:00.003-04:00

Amelia and Jack's sleepover at The House of Hood

Maxwell Leo - born 1/14/10

Big brother Jack meeting Max for the first time

I just realized that I never mentioned that Amelia's BFF Jack got a new baby brother! Maxwell (Max) Leo was born back in January and he's just adorable. Jack is still getting used to not being the only child, but he's a great big brother. While Jack's parents were at the hospital having Max, Jack got to stay with us for a night until his Grandpa arrived. It was their first sleep over and Jack and Amelia had a great time staying up late, reading books together and playing like two peas in a pod. Max is almost four months now and growing like a weed, he's even started to join Amelia and Jack for their evening play dates, even if that means he's still strapped in his Baby Bjorn on his Daddy's chest.
- Meggan

The margaritas are all she's missing.

2010-04-18T21:46:00.004-04:00

This girl LOVES guacamole and cheese dip. She loves it so much that an ordinary fork just won't do, that takes much too long to get the delicious green stuff in her face. Instead, she grabs fistfuls of it and shoves it in as quickly as possible. We've stopped ordering her dinner at Mexican restaurants because it's a waste of food. She'll have nothing to do with anything in a Mex establishment except guac, cheese dip, chips, and flour tortillas. She won't even sit in her high chair until the cheese comes. And belive me, she knows what she's waiting for because every time the waitress passes by she asks "deeeeeeiiiiiip?" She's incredibly patient that way. Occasionaly we can get her to take bites of our entrees, but that's rare. This girl gets laser locked on what makes her happy and why oh why would anyone even try to change that?
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-04-11T21:19:00.005-04:00

It was another beautiful Sunday here in Atlanta so we got out and enjoyed it down at Serenbe with the Erwins. While exploring the grounds Amelia and Noah decided to take in a game of toddler croquet which consists of two-year-olds hoarding balls, swinging mallets at each other and running.

Low Key

2010-04-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

I took the day off on Friday and had big plans for my three day weekend. I wanted to paint our bedroom, purge the closets, spread pine straw out front, plan dinners for the week, and go grocery shopping. Well, Spring came along and convinced me that all my plans could wait, and I decided to listen. Instead we ate out, took walks, played in the park, hung out with friends, slept in late, and took long, leisurely naps. I'm so very glad I listened to Spring...she's a genius.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-04-04T22:38:00.002-04:00

Amelia and her Mommy in their Easter finery enjoying the front porch swing.
- Meggan

Death of a Peep

2010-04-04T22:28:00.004-04:00

Still blurry eyed, her seventh sense takes over - sugar sense

...she quickly spies her prey.

The attack is swift.

A quick analysis of the prey.

Success!

The attack was swift and painless. Poor pink, bunny-shaped Peeps had no chance. Unfortunately, real Peeps were actually harmed in the making of this blog post.
- Meggan

Happy Easter 2010!

2010-04-04T22:24:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter everyone! Hope your day was as fun and sugar-filled as ours.
- Meggan

We love us some Spring!

2010-03-30T21:09:00.006-04:00

Spring is here in Atlanta! The temps are finally holding above 60 and the sun is staying out super late in the evening. Beyond the obvious happiness this glorious season brings, it also means that after dinner we get to play outside, take walks around the hood and collect rocks...before bedtime...on a school night! I can't figure out who's happier about the arrival of Spring - me or Amelia. Holy moley I love this kid.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-03-28T22:08:00.004-04:00

Ahhh, young love. Check out Amelia and her older boyfriend Evan enjoying some of Yaya's birthday cake. They even got a little wedding reception practice in too. By the time these two lovebirds are actually ready to get married we're going to have miles and miles of sweet foreshadowing like this. :)
- Meggan

Bad Behavior

2010-03-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

There’s been a lot of bad behavior in Amelia’s class recently. No, don’t worry, Amelia isn’t getting bit, but she has been doing her fair share of biting. Sometimes it’s for no good reason like a classmate who may have been sitting too close or maybe they looked at her funny. And, some days it’s less random and more “deserved” like a power struggle over a favorite toy or someone who wore the wrong shoes with an outfit. After three consecutive days of biting notices from school we started asking a lot of questions and it turns out that there’s been a lot of aggression throughout her class lately. The teachers say that they are all going through an aggressive phase. There’s been lots of hitting, biting, pushing, pulling, and my personal favorite spitting from all of the kiddos in room four. Yes, SPITTING. So nasty.

As a special added bonus, these lovely new habits have made their way home with Amelia. So now when the Peanut gets particularly peeved with me for pairing her black Converse shoes with her stripped dress instead of her pink Converse shoes she spits at me. She showcased her new trick at brunch with our friends the Taylor’s this morning. Amelia wanted to feed the dog, but I stopped her so she made a nasty face, tried to hit me and then spit at me. Michel about fell out of his chair laughing. Luckily I kept it together, stared her down and Alan and I were able to make her apologize for her nastiness. It was either that or laugh right along with Mike, but I’m pretty sure I made the right decision this time. The only upshot here is that Amelia hasn’t actually figured out how to spit real saliva. She makes the noise and the movement with her mouth, but nothing comes out and believe me, I am NOT going to be the one to tell her she’s doing it wrong.

- Meggan

School Pictures: Spring 2010

2010-03-24T20:54:00.003-04:00

Amelia had her first school pictures taken and they are freekin' ADORABLE! I love her sweet, angelic smile in the first shot and her sassy pout in the second. But, the best part of these sweet mementos, the very best part, is that nobody told her to cross her arms and to tilt her head like that. She did it all on her own, no instructions needed. Her teachers were there, they watched it all go down and they're still talking about it. Must be all that Project Runway and Top Model we watch around here.
- Meggan

Potty Training Update

2010-03-17T20:47:00.003-04:00

This update is going to be really simple. There's no potty training happening here at the House of Hood, none at all. Every once and a while Amelia requests to use her potty and occasionally she will actually go in it, but that's it. We haven't pushed her because we don't want potty training to be a negative experience. We've talked to her teachers and we're all in agreement, when Amelia is ready she'll let us know. Meanwhile, two funny things about the Peanut when she does decide to use the facilities:
1) She almost exclusively poops in the potty, she hardly ever pees. Weird, I know.
2) She doesn't like to use her small potty, she prefers to use the big toilet with her toddler sized adapter seat for her tiny toddler sized tush.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-03-14T21:28:00.006-04:00

Amelia and I went down to Ft. Stewart this weekend to see Lindsey and the kiddos. On Saturday we all hit Savannah to fill up on St. Patty's Day festivities and candy. More on our big trip soon, but for now, just a couple pics of our Sassafras cold kickin' it in the River City.
- Meggan

P.S. Alan just informed me that he does not approve of Amelia's eyeware. I told him too bad, they are fabulous, and were perfect for our girl's weekend!

Sunday Sweets

2010-03-07T21:22:00.004-05:00

It was a relatively busy weekend here at the House of Hood. I took a photography class all day Saturday while Alan and Amelia stayed here in the Trib and went to story time and then our park. Today we took Amelia to a friend's birthday party followed by a trip to Costco, a nap and then dinner with more friends. A little busy, but completely manageable and our Peanut was perfection for the majority of the weekend. Would we expect anything less? The sun was out all weekend and the temperatures crept up past 60 today. This means that I think I can safely say that we're FINALLY headed into Spring. Whoooo hooo!
- Meggan

Painting

2010-03-05T20:21:00.001-05:00

Alan finally let Amelia paint! She was naked and there was a giant trash bag under her and we probably washed her hands 15 times during this adventure (at her request), but she LOVED it. She used two brushes at once and created quite the masterpiece with red, yellow and blue paint. So talented our little Peanut, so talented.
- Meggan

Sassy Goes to School

2010-03-04T19:35:00.007-05:00

Each day, when I pick Amelia up from school, I am given an activity sheet that is completed by her teachers. The sheet details what Amelia ate, when she slept, her diaper changes, her activities for the day, and any other notes or anecdotes her teachers decide to share. Today's notes made me laugh out loud.

"Amelia enjoyed playing with her doll. She laid her doll on top of a blanket where she was playing and when another classmate came along and attempted to pick it up she stomped her foot, got up in her face and said "stop! stop!" as if to be saying don't you touch it. The classmate went to another activity to play."

Our little Sassafras has no problem asserting herself. I'm just glad she's now using her voice instead of her teeth. And, yes, YES, I know...this is without a doubt my child.

- Meggan

Will Work for Beads

2010-03-02T21:20:00.004-05:00

Our neighborhood loves a party and any reason to have a cocktail before 5:00. So, in keeping with that spirit we had our very own Mardi Gras here in the Trib. There was a parade around the main park complete with cars throwing beads and candy and a party at the pool after. Amelia loved her first Mardi Gras "parade" and caught on very quickly to the bead gathering portion of the festivities. Her huge collection of plastic, colored beads are now her obsession. Some mornings it takes quite the negotiating to get her to leave them at home. The tutus are a reasonable toddler fashion statement, but 23 strands of Mardi Gras beads may result in a call from her school's director.
- Meggan

Snowmageddon 2010

2010-03-02T21:00:00.006-05:00

Amelia and Jack ready to play in the snow.

"It's okay Amelia, I'll keep you warm."

Checking out the neighbor's snowman.

Snowballs are delicious!

It's snowing in Atlanta...again. What a weird sentence to write. This is the third time it has snowed here this winter and that's got to be some sort of record for our fair city. Amelia got a chance to play in the snow we got right around Valentine's Day and she was generally unimpressed. On the first day, when it was really coming down, she pretty much stood still and watched Jack play while throwing me nasty looks. Are we DONE yet Mom? Have you taken ENOUGH pictures? But, on the second day when the sun was out and the falling snow was no longer accosting her sweet face and freezing her nose, my Southern Belle actually enjoyed it. We made her snow balls (BALLS!) which she tried to throw and then ate. It's been about three weeks since the last snow and here we go again...it's snowing. A snow shower in March is not unusual for Atlanta, we typically get a last little blast of winter before spring comes along, but this year this one is just adding insult to injury. This winter has been brutal. Cold and rainy and unrelenting. I live in the South for a reason and Old Man Winter needs to pack it up and move on out. We're all done here, it's been fun, thanks, buh-bye. Don't let the daffodils hit you on the way out!
- Meggan

Dear Amelia: 20-22 Months

2010-03-02T20:54:00.004-05:00

Dear Amelia,

It’s the first triple edition of your monthly letter. Why? Well, honestly, I lost track. You turning 20 months and then 21 completely snuck up on me, and now 22 months is just around the corner. The holidays ate up much of month 21 so we’ll just blame that one on Santa and Jesus. Month 21 and 22 prove once again that when my job gets busy this blog, and in particular your monthly letters, suffer. The Winter Olympics have been on for the last two weeks so we’ll blame the delay of month 21 on cancer and Apolo Ohno.

So, where oh where do I begin? Well, let’s start with the holidays. Your second Christmas was very different than your first. For one, you could unwrap your own presents this year, not that you had any real interest in doing so. One of the first presents you opened on Christmas morning contained various adorable outfits I had painstakingly coordinated and packaged up for you. After you stripped away the bow and paper and opened the box to reveal the clothing you moaned “nooooooooo,” shut the box and ran away as if you just unwrapped Malaria or a box of Algebra books. You’re not a fan of getting dressed right now (more on that later) and this was a slap in the face. After that horrible, scarring incident you were much happier watching everyone unwrap your presents for you while you awaited to be presented with your new toys. Princess.

This winter we signed you up for music classes. We thought it would be a good way to spend our Saturday mornings during the cold, rainy winter months. You loved dancing and playing with all the instruments in class. But, your Dad and I have had a hard time with it because your teacher is a bit judgmental…at least in our heads she was. This class required us to listen to and practice the music at home. Yes, your weekend class came with homework, HOMEWORK! And, if we didn’t know every song or you wandered during class your teacher would give us looks. You loved the class, but your favorite part was socializing with the other families. You spent the majority of class wandering from child to child, greeting them and their parents, always keeping a safe distance from the teacher and her judging eyes. You had to make sure everyone had been greeted and played with before the end of class. Daddy and I decided that we won’t be signing up for another class this Spring. I don’t need to spend $130 for you to hang with friends. Instead, I can sing and dance with you on Saturday mornings (in our pajamas) and if we start to miss your class Daddy can cast judging eyes at me when I sign the wrong words to a song.

I can’t list all the words you say anymore because you add new ones by the minute. I don’t have a list all the tricks you do because there are so many. You don’t just say words, you actually talk and you don’t just do tricks, you have emotions and actual responses to situations. You have a memory like an elephant and opinions suited for a super star diva. But, you have a heart of gold and I’m convinced more than ever that you truly are a student of the world.

You do a lot of cool things that entertain Daddy and me on a daily basis. You can count to 10 now and are starting to understand what the numbers mean. You are particularly good at counting when it comes to the amount of cookies/candy/sweets you are given. When given just one treat you immediately demand “TWO!” You catch on very quickly my Peanut. An interesting result of music class has been all the songs you now know and you subsequently have turned me into your human jukebox. Any time we drive in the car you ask me to sing your songs to you and now request them by name. Want to hear the train song? Just say “choo choo” and motion your arm like your pulling the train horn. Wait, what’s that? Your adult didn’t respond immediately with the correct song? Well, just repeat your request LOUDER and don’t stop requesting it at this increased volume until he/she sings. Take it from Amelia, your adult will always sing if you follow this simple regimen.

Our first babies here at the House of Hood have finally adjusted to your presence and Darby seems to have taken a special liking to you. She follows you everywhere and races me to your room to get you in the morning or after your naps. You love them all and now have distinct names for them all. Gracie is Day -cee, Darby is Dahb-dahb or Dahb-do and O’Malley is My-my. You call them all by name, call for them, talk to them like they are your friends, and insist on kissing them goodbye in the mornings before we leave. You love to feed them from your plate when we’re not looking and you give them kisses and hugs anytime they will allow it. I think we’re finally settling in nicely to our new family arrangement and it only took 22 months.

In the evenings we have a routine that try we stick to before bedtime. If you are really dirty we give you a bath, but we try not to do it every night because we’re pretty sure your sensitive and fair skin would fall off if we did. So, after your bath (or not) we read you a book of your choosing. Your favorite books recently have been “Goodnight Moon,” “Goodnight Georgia,” and a collection of stories in a book called “Love You.” After a book you attempt to “brush” your teeth – which is really just you sucking the water off the bristles – then I sing you a short lullaby while Daddy rubs your back, you give us both kisses and hugs and then I put you in your crib. Before you can go to sleep I must kiss Baby Bunny, Oooh Oooh (your monkey blanket who is a new addition to your lovey collection), your pillow, your blanket, your crib, and pretty much anything else you can point to in your room. Everyone and everything must be kissed goodnight. But, I can’t complain because this whole process (without the bath) takes about 15 minutes and you go right to sleep. Occasionally you talk and sing for a couple minutes after we put you down, but it doesn’t take long until you are cashed out and dead to the world.

This evening routine may sound delightful, and it is, but your mornings are a whole different story my love. Mornings with you are not nearly as routine and easy as the evenings. You start each morning the same; you get up, get a fresh diaper and then snuggle into bed with Daddy (or Mommy and Daddy on the weekends) to drink your cup of milk while we watch the morning news. This is always the same and great, we get to cuddle and love on you, and I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s what comes after that has become our daily test of patience – yours, mine and Daddy’s patience. In the mornings you want nothing to do with getting dressed. But, let’s be clear here. When I say you hate getting dressed it’s not because you have an obsession with being naked or hate clothes, you actually LOVE clothes and shoes and all of the accessories that go along. We’ve decided that it’s a control thing with you. So, I decided to let you participate in picking your clothes. I thought that if you were able to pick out your clothes there would be less of a struggle. Well, this worked like a charm, but it also meant that you went to school in a tutu for four days straight. You looked adorable, but layers of crinoline and fluff aren’t the easiest surfaces to get applesauce and paint off of. We’ve now changed to putting cartoons on the TV as a distraction while we get you dressed. It’s working for now, but every couple of days you insist on picking another tutu or a particular pair of shoes. You also love accessories and insist on having your own when you see me put on a necklace or bracelet. Thankfully we got your some Mardi Gras beads and hey have taken the place of my real jewelry for now. I’m pretty sure this is just the beginning of our clothing and accessory negotiations Miss Sassafras.

The Winter Olympics took place last month and we taught you to say luge and ski and skate. You’ve loved watching the athletes slide and sprint over the various frozen surfaces up in Vancouver. The Olympics are one of our favorite events. We love the Summer and Winter games and don’t really see a difference when it comes down to it. When else do you get to watch such a crazy variety of sports played by athletes with such passion and heroics? It’s fascinating and intoxicating. We’ve even found ourselves watching curling. Yes, we’ve been watching people in slick shoes sliding big rocks across the ice. It’s like a frozen version of shuffleboard and we’ve been captivated. I have a special affinity for these games because they are taking place in Vancouver. It was just a year ago that I was in Vancouver for work, my first extended trip away from you. Where did THAT year go? Last week you wore the pink Vancouver Olympics t-shirt I bought you when I was in Canada for that trip. I remember buying you that t-shirt thinking that you would never fit in something so big, but now it fits you just right.

You have gotten so big and you really are a full blown toddler now my sweet Peanut. In two months you will be two years old and I cannot believe I will be the Mom of a two year old! I love you more than my luggage Amelia, forever and always.

XOXO,
Mamma

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-03-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

Alan's Banana Pudding Krispy Kreme donut cake

Happy birthday to the best husband, dad and friend these two girls could ever have. We love you Alan!
XOXO - Meggan and Amelia

Slacker

2010-02-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

Dear Internet,
I have neglected you and left you stranded without new Amelia pictures, videos and stories. For this I apologize. I promise I will do better. This week I will get you caught up on all the Peanuty goodness you have been missing and craving. I'm even working on a power-packed, double issue of Amelia's Monthly Letter. Just hang in there a couple more days fans. I'll do my best to find time to blog somewhere between the curling, ice dancing and hockey. Dang you Winter Olympics and your nonstop broadcasting.
XOXO,
Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-02-21T21:20:00.003-05:00

Amelia loves bubbles (BUUUUUH-BUUUUULES), always has, but now she can blow the bubbles all by herself - double fun!
- Meggan

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:27:00.002-05:00

The Peanut's Pad

2010-01-31T21:20:00.007-05:00

I was looking back through pictures today it occurred to me that it's been almost two years since we finished stage I of the nursery. We haven't changed a lot since we first put it together back in 2008, before the arrival of our precious Peanut. We have added some girly touches of pink, lots of dresses to the closet and toys, oh the toys. I still love her room and have loved the evolution of it. It suits her perfectly and doesn't feel too babyish...yet. I'm sure she'll have an opinion about this too, soon enough.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-01-31T21:09:00.003-05:00

Our very sweet god daughter Marisa has always wanted a baby sister. So, when Amelia was born Marisa's Mom told her that Amelia was her god sister, hoping that would suffice. On Saturday we went up to Lawrenceville and spent a very fun evening letting Marisa play with her "sister." It only took Amelia about three minutes to warm up to Marisa and her brother Trevor again and then they were off. After a very rich chocolate dessert the three kids went crazy chasing around the house and playing in the curtains. A good time was had by all!
- Meggan

Ouch.

2010-01-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

We're not real sure what happened here, we were given multiple versions of the story from Amelia's teachers and the school's staff. We do know it happened in her room and it had something to do with climbing on the furniture, it somehow involved a play sink, and ended with our Peanut slipping and bonking her head on a table, a solid wood table. Her teachers called me immediately and said that she appeared to be fine and was already singing and dancing around the room. Such a trooper that little Amelia. Wooden table - 0, Amelia's giant noggin - 1.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2010-01-17T19:44:00.004-05:00

We tried to give Amelia a healthy breakfast this morning. Homemade oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, a little something to fill her tummy and start her Sunday right. She usually loves oatmeal but this morning she wanted nothing to do with it, especially once she saw the Krispy Kreme box. When I brought it over to her she said "Mmmmmmm!" and then insisted on the chocolate glazed, custard filled donut. The ONLY chocolate glazed, custard filled donut in the box. The donut Alan and I were going to split because we both love that kind so much. Turns out, we love our Peanut more. She chowed down on that super delicious, chocolate glazed, custard filled donut and loved every minute of it. This is what Sundays are for.
- Meggan

Little Artist

2010-01-15T21:19:00.000-05:00

One of Amelia's favorite toys from Christmas is her art easel. It has a chalk board on one side and a wipe board with paper that pulls over top of it for painting. As I was unpacking the paints, brushes and paint cups Alan informed me that Amelia is not ready for painting (read: Alan is not mentally prepared to handle the mess of paints in our house). I shouldn't have been surprised. This is the same man who constantly cleans Amelia while she eats, refuses to let her play in sandboxes and still gets a little antsy when we break out the play-dough. So, instead of causing Alan a complete anxiety attack we decided put crayons in the easel's paint cups and let her color on the paper for now. Eventually I'm going to have to hunt down a full smock and drop cloth and then arrange for her Daddy to go out for a drink so we can paint.
- Meggan

The battle begins.

2010-01-14T20:08:00.003-05:00

She got dressed with little fuss on this morning, a nice change from the screaming, gator rolling tantrums she's been letting loose when she gets dressed lately...until the boots. The dag gum boots. It was cold outside, really cold, freezing actually. It was the kind of cold that calls for warm boots, boots with fur and leather. But Amelia wanted to wear these boots, her hot pink, polka-dotted rain boots. Who was I to stand in her way? She was right. They looked fabulous with her outfit.
- Meggan

Baby Bunny

2010-01-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

World, please meet Baby Bunny. Baby Bunny is Amelia's most favorite toy in all of the land. She sleeps with him every night and refuses to leave her crib without him every morning. This is the first object Amelia has really attached to and it's pretty darn cute. She never took a pacifier, never had a favorite blanket or cup, but for some reason, about two months ago, she dug this little guy out of her toy bin where he was buried among tons of other stuffed animals and toys, and has been in love with him ever since. She even gave him his name. Welcome to The House of Hood Baby Bunny, you're family now.
- Meggan

Snow!

2010-01-10T20:49:00.001-05:00

Snow! Did you hear? It's going to snow in Atlanta! Do you have bread? What about milk? Where are our matches and candles? Did you pick up some beer? You gotta have beer. These are the kind of conversations you have when there is even a warning of cold dew in Atlanta. In our defense, our fair city is not equipped for ice and snow and I wouldn't want my tax money to go to such absurd things anyhow. And lo and behold, on Thursday night it started coming down. By Friday morning we had 1/4 - 1/2 inch of fluffy white goodness. Every school system in metro Atlanta was shut down and Alan played it safe and stayed home from work too. We took Amelia outside to play, but the frigid temperature (6˚ with the wind chill) didn't allow us to stay outside more than 10 minutes. By Saturday afternoon most of the snow and ice were gone but something tells me that we'll see some more before this Winter is over. Bbbrrrrrrrrr.
- Meggan

Who doesn't love the Peanut?

2010-01-09T20:37:00.002-05:00

Amelia and Van playing monkey-see, monkey-do at dinner

Our friend Van is a little leery of kids. He likes them as long as they behave and he can give them back when they cry or need a new diaper. So, when he (and his lovely wife) agreed to spend a long weekend with us and our little Amelia in the mountains for New Year's Eve we knew it would be very interesting. There was no telling what kind of mood our Sassafras would be in and we could only hope and pray that she behaved. Well, we should have known better, because Amelia not only behaved but she adored Van...and we're pretty sure he liked her too. The two of them played and cuddled and swapped spit all weekend. I think I can hear someone's biological clock starting to tick (hopefully!).
- Meggan

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T20:10:00.005-05:00

"Happy New Year Blue Ridge!"

our cabin in Blue Ridge, GA

Jenni giving Amelia her first manicure

The Kilpatricks

the boys

The Taylors

The Hoods

chilly stroll around the cabin

Peanut Popsicle

Daddy and his Peanut

pretty view from the cabin

The House of Hood spent this New Year's Eve in Blue Ridge with the Taylors and the Kilpatricks. It was really cold, but we stayed warm with big fires in our fireplace and stayed busy in our cabin playing games, cooking, watching football (War Eagle!), and playing pool. The house we rented had three levels and Amelia had her very own closet in out bedroom to sleep in. That's right, we put our baby in the closet. It was a large, walk-in closet and we cracked the door open. Did I mention how HUGE it was? Don't judge people, it was perfect and she was a happy girl in there.

During the long weekend we ventured out of the cabin twice, once for a short stroll around the cabin during which Amelia's nose turned so red we thought it was going to freeze and fall off, and once for shopping and dinner in downtown Blue Ridge at a new restaurant with no pouring license yet. We decided not to tell the boys about the no alcohol issue until we sat down for dinner. They got past the lack of adult beverages quickly once the delicious food started to arrive at our table. Amelia was a trooper sitting through a two hour dinner with the six of us during which she took a couple laps around the restaurant and entertained all the guests and staff with her dancing and giggles. Thankfully we were in a very casual and kid-friendly place and they all adored our Peanut.

It was a chilly yet perfect weekend in Blue Ridge and the ideal way to welcome 2010. Happy New Year everyone!

- Meggan

Christmas - part 2

2009-12-28T22:01:00.001-05:00

Amelia and Olivia checking out Livy's new chair

Meggan and Clay

present opening craziness

Clay helping Amelia with her new school bus

We spent the rest of Christmas day at Yaya's house and it was quite a contrast to our quiet morning at the House of Hood. Between all the presents, kids, dogs, and cooking Yaya's house was nuts. There were gift bags and wrapping paper strewn as far as the eye could see and Hayden and Damien were so hopped up on sugar and gifts that they were going about a mile a minute. An Allen Christmas is like crack for little kids, a veritable bacchanalia of holiday overindulgence. Waaaaaay too many presents, tons of food, lots of drinks but lots and lots of love and fun. It's the way it's always been for me and it's the way Yaya likes her Christmases.

Amelia got a crazy school bus ride-on toy from Yaya but her favorite was a new Toodee doll that talks and sings from her favorite show, Yo Gabba Gabba. It was hard not having Steven here to celebrate with us, but Lindsey and the kids got to talk to him on Skype that morning. Thnk goodness for technology! For dinner we continued the tradition we started last year with another pork butt and a slew of Southern sides including mac n' cheese and Mo's jell-o. Yay Pork Butt Christmas!

I hope everyone got just what they wanted for Christmas and had at least half as much fun as we did this year.

- Meggan

Christmas - part 1

2009-12-28T21:34:00.002-05:00

table and chairs from Santa

Christmas pajamas

Christmas morning kisses

sweet Darba-do with her new Christmas bone

beautiful Gracie-lou with her Christms bone

Grandpa and Amelia opening presents

Amelia and her favorite pig

My new Slanket - it's like a super powered Snuggie
note: the Glenn Beck book is NOT mine, it's Grandpa's (ugh)

Amelia's new art easel

A little after 8:00 a.m. on Christmas morning our little Peanut finally woke up and we took her downstairs to see what Santa had left for her. Grandpa had spent the night and he was already downstairs inspecting Santa's work. There were lots of presents under the tree, a big gift by the fireplace and a brand new Amelia sized table and chairs set. She immediately ran to the table and chairs and started stacking presents on it and demanding that we all sit down with her. Santa did great!

Before we unveiled the big present by the fireplace we unwrapped all the gifts under the tree. Amelia got lots of great presents but especially loved her stuffed pig and music set with a drum, maracas, clapper and tambourine shaker. Yes, that's right, Amelia got loud musical instruments that we actually REQUESTED. She adores music and it was a perfect choice for her, she started banging away as soon as we pulled the set out of the box and hasn't stopped yet. The Peanut didn't have a lot of interest in opening gifts, but she really liked throwing away the paper. After all the presents were opened we unwrapped Amelia's big one - her new art easel complete with drawing/painting paper, a wipe board and a chalk board. Amelia loved it, thanks Nanna and Skee!

While Amelia, Alan and Grandpa all played with the new toys I made a big breakfast complete with the Barefoot Contessa's french toast, yummmmm. After breakfast Amelia and Grandpa were worn out and both retired to their respective beds for afternoon naps. While they were taking naps, Alan and I cleaned up the house and took showers and prepared for Christmas part two at Yaya's house that afternoon. To be continued...

- Meggan

Twas the night before...

2009-12-24T23:32:00.002-05:00

It's my family's tradition that we spend Christmas Eve with the Smith family where we all stuff our faces with delicious lasagne, have an adult beverage or two and somehow Santa always makes it for a short visit to double check his list and say hello to all the kiddos. My family has been going to the Smith's Christmas Eve party since I was six years old and it's something we look forward to every year. When Santa arrived our little ball of Sass wanted nothing to do with him, "Nooooooooo, NOOOOOO, NO!" was what she moaned when Alan tried to take her up for a visit. No dice. But, she sat dutifully on Alan's lap, took her gift and even gave Santa a high-five. Not too shabby. This year Lindsey's neighbors April, Violet and Damien joined in on our Christmas fun. Their Daddy is deployed with Steven and their family is far away so they agreed to join in on the chaos here in Atlanta that is an Allen family Christmas...brave souls! After the party we returned home where Grandpa joined us to read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then he supervised Santa's elves as they got all of Amelia's presents ready. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!
- Meggan

Visit with Santa 2009

2009-12-21T20:25:00.006-05:00

This year we didn't mess around with long lines at the mall, screaming children and germ infested beards. We opted for the primo Santa, the Phipps Plaza Santa and he was well worth it. Now this just isn't any run of the mill mall Santa. This guy is an Atlanta tradition and he's the perfect Santa. He's got white hair, a real white beard, a classic and understated wardrobe, a beautiful backdrop, and he's reservation only. That's right, we had to make a reservation to see Santa...in SEPTEMBER! You think we're nuts? Well, we're not, and here's why. We only had to wait about 20 minutes and Santa took his time with our Peanut. No rushing and sweating, and if Amelia were a little older he would have read through her entire wish list and discussed it with her, in detail. We watched him do it with all the other families, kids from two months to 22. This Santa and his elves were calm and patient it was everything a visit to see St. Nick should be.

While we were waiting our turn to see Santa, Amelia watched the other children take their turns with great curiosity. She pointed and smiled and said "ho, ho, ho" and looked interested. But, when it came time for our Peanut to take her turn she froze...literally. She took three steps toward him and the turned into stone. I gently picked her up and placed her in Santa's lap and she stayed in the exact position I sat her down in, frozen. The only thing moving were her eyes, back and forth from Santa to me and Alan, and the fingers on her left hand. She kept rubbing her fingers together like she had some sort of disorder. It was strange. Santa and his photographer did their best to coax a smile, but Amelia wasn't giving it up. This continued for about five or six minutes until she turned and looked at Santa and then glared at me with a look that said "get me out of here now lady!" I quickly retrieved Amelia from Santa's lap before any crying ensued and thanked him profusely. He nodded his head, gave me a smile and told me that she was the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen. Swoon. To top off our perfect visit, the next morning we woke up and discovered a healthy, happy baby - no pink eye this year. We'll be back next year Santa, consider us part of your Atlanta tradition!

- Meggan

St. Simon's Round-up

2009-12-21T15:34:00.008-05:00

This is pretty much what we did all week at the beach. We took a TON of pictures...Hayden took pictures, Clay took pictures, I took pictures, Dad took pictures, Amelia would have taken pictures if she could be trusted to operate anything more complex than a wooden puzzle.
The beach was cold, but it was absolutely beautiful. In the evenings, when the tide went out, the beach tripled in size. We loved walking and searching for interesting lifeforms (holy jellyfish!) and shells. Hayden and I even found a whole conch shell, complete with live conch inside. Clay and Alan took care of that later. Ew.
The kiddos got along really well. Amelia was surprisingly sweet with Olivia and loved to watch and help her eat. There was a biting incident with Hayden (Amelia bit him) and we learned quickly that Hayden probably shouldn't try to tell Amelia what to do.

The big kids got along too. With Lindsey being so far away it was great to spend time together.

Clay even squeezed in some frisbee golf. There was a small course right on the island.

We didn't do a whole lot, just lots of hanging out, laughing and relaxing.

And then there was this. One night Clay had the great idea of taking a walk on the beach...at night. I was fully, completely, wholeheartedly opposed to this. Especially when I discovered that we had no flashlights. The beach at night is creepy and scary and I have a wild imagination and can cook up about a thousand things that could go wrong. But, Clay and Alan convinced me to go with promises of safety and iPhones lighting the way. Everything was going fine, the moon was bright and no giant crabs were attacking me through my rain boots. Yes, I wore my giant rain boots, there are crabs people, giant crabs with pinchers! Anyhow, everything was fine until we walked up on this. I saw it without the help of the iPhone flashlight and it was bizarre. These words, this warning, was scrawled in the sand. The tide had obviously washed over it and it was still there. Have you ever written something in the sand? Have you EVER seen it survive the tide washing over it? Um, no. No is the answer you are looking for. This was all I needed to hightail it back to the safety of our cottage. Hood out!

Sunday Sweets

2009-12-20T14:42:00.002-05:00

All gussied up and ready for the LPA company holiday party.

Hey Mom and Dad, don't forget me!

It's time....

2009-12-19T17:11:00.000-05:00

Today we went out and bought two of these...but under duress.
Amelia has been hinting that she may be ready for potty training, but we've been avoiding the topic and her declarations. So, she decided to escalate her demands to her teachers. They heard her loud and clear and have informed us that we (school and parents together) will begin to potty train Amelia. To really drive her point home, our little Sassafras pulled up her dress, grabbed herself and ran to the bathroom in her classroom while Alan was there for her holiday party. Okay, okay, we get it already. Which brings us to today. Today we bought Amelia her very own potties, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. We considered the ones that sing, applaud, light up, and talk but we settled on a kind that is a bit more subtle. It's the best I could do, Alan will have to sing and dance for her if that's what this is going to take.

After her nap we decided to give the potty a try. Little did we know that Amelia would love going pants/diaper free so much. She refused to put her diaper back on and informed us that she would be running around nekkid all day. Um, no. We needed to get ready for Alan's company's holiday party so we put the potty in our bathroom, put the baby gate up and let her hang out, pants-free while I got ready. Eventually she peed on the tile floor and a little in the potty and then she finally let us put her diaper and jeans back on. I'm SO not ready for this.

- Meggan

Then and Now: Christmas Edition

2009-12-15T11:54:00.004-05:00

Christmas Tree Love, 2008

Christmas Tree Love, 2009

There are some very noticeable things going on in these pictures...
1. Amelia STILL has no hair.
2. She's WAY bigger, you can't even see the floor that she was (barely) sitting up on last year.
3. There are no Wah-Wah balls within reach this year.
4. My new camera is AWESOME.

Amelia really loves all of the Christmas decorations we've put up this year, but her favorite is the tree - hands down. Every time we walk into the room she yells "TREEEEEEEE" and demands that I turn it on. She likes to touch all the ornaments and put them on and take them off of the branches. We put all the nonbreakable, nonstuffed (too tempting for the dogs) ornaments down low so our Peanut can play with her tree as she wishes. Because Amelia loves balls, and must have them all (BALLS!), I was very hesitant to put my great grandmother's handmade ornaments on the tree this year. I just knew we would end up with the tree on the floor because Amelia tried to climb up it to get the balls. So, I found a new home for them on the mantle and the banister among the garland and stockings. They look great and their new home really showcases how beautiful they are. I miss them on my tree, but they are safer this way. I'll post more pics of the rest of the decor later.

- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-12-13T23:31:00.002-05:00

Alan and his Mini Me, so very sweet.
- Meggan

Dear Amelia: 19 Months

2009-12-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Amelia,

Hello my love, my sweet and salty little Peanut. You’ve had quite a 19^th month! Your vocabulary is exploding and it’s arrived fully prepared with it’s own set of sassy luggage chock full of opinions. Yes, you’ve had opinions for some time now, but now they have words to match and now they mean much more. We’re having conversations and debates and we’re even starting to negotiate a bit. I can’t wait until you can be fully bribed and negotiated with, then the fun will begin.

I love the way you scrunch up your nose when you doubt or question something, the way you pout your bottom lip when you’re upset, the way you pucker your lips out when your being sassy…these are all your signature looks. It’s these moments, these little glimpses into your mind, where I can see my DNA knitting together with Daddy’s, making you the wonderfully complex little creature you are.

You are incredibly ticklish, under your arms, on the tops of your knees, on the back of your legs, under your chin…pretty much everywhere. We love to tickle you because you laugh uncontrollably and loud and from your belly. It’s a great laugh. And, if Daddy and I tickle you long enough you get the hiccups. It’s adorable and that makes it impossible to stop tickling you. Usually you end up sounding like you’re going to choke on your own spit or throw up so we stop because we’re in the running for the parents of the year.

Your fine motor skills are getting better each month. You’ve started drinking from an open cup and, when you pay attention, you can do it perfectly. But about half of the time you miss your mouth because you get distracted or pour the milk all over your lap because it’s just so darn fun. This month you discovered the joy of play dough. We bought you your first jars and you love squishing it in your hands and rolling it into balls (BALLS!). You also like to cut it into shapes with cookie cutters and you have a particular fondness for wearing long strands of it like a necklace.

Over the past six months we’ve been blessed with lots of new babies in our world. It started with your cousin Olivia who got her very on post on your blog. Lilia, our little miracle baby, followed Olivia and Baby Roxie up in Buffalo came next. Most recently, we added sweet baby James up in Richmond to our clan. You are more than a year older than all of these precious babes but that year won’t mean anything in a couple years. Dad and I can’t wait to watch you play with all of these babies, the children of some of our oldest friends. Time is an amazing thing, the way everything can change with it’s passage, but how so much manages to remain the same. We may move away, change jobs, have kids, and grow older, but friendships endure and grow stronger.

When I write you these letters sometimes they make me laugh as I recall all of your latest antics and sometimes they are frustrating because I’ve got writer’s block and don’t think they do the last month justice and that you deserve more. And sometimes, well, most of the time, they make me cry. The tears come when I begin to gather up all of your important moments and it makes me realize how quickly they are passing by. It’s easy to forget how special you are and how blessed Daddy and I are to be the ones to raise you and experience this life with you in it. When I write these letters to you each month it’s my chance to slow everything down for just a minute and remember that there is beauty in the simple things and that the tiny moments really do matter. I love writing these letters to you my Peanut, and I love you even more. Happy 19 months!

XOXO,
Mamma

Sunrise at St. Simon's

2009-12-11T17:38:00.003-05:00

For some ungodly reason my darling daughter thought it would be awesome to wake up early each morning while we were on vacation. She said it was because she wanted dibs on the good cereal and the perfect spot on the beach. I tried to explain to her that this was unnecessary, but she insisted. I took these pics one morning while we were on the porch enjoying the sunrise...yes, the sunRISE. Good thing she took lengthy, luxurious naps in the afternoon that I may or may not have participated in too. Yay vacation!
- Meggan

Purdy Pictures

2009-12-08T21:34:00.006-05:00

Christmas came early for The House of Hood thanks to Nana and Skee. While we were up in Buffalo they gave Alan and I our present...a fancy-dancy new digital SLR camera. It's big and fast and all fan-dangled up. My Dad has the same camera so he's been giving me lessons about F-stop and points of focus and lots of other photography stuff that's making my pictures looks pretty darn good. It's amazing what a good camera and a little know how does for photos. I've only had it for a week, but I LOVE this camera. I love it so much I want to french kiss it. I'm also thinking about naming it. It's definitely a girl and needs a creative yet sophisticated name...something like Esmerelda. I don't know, that's no quite right. We're still getting acquainted so I'm not sure about her name yet, but suggestions are welcome. Meanwhile, check out some of my latest shots. Thanks Nana and Skee, we LOVE the new camera.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-12-06T13:32:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we arrived on St. Simon's Island for some R&R with Grandpa, Aunt Lindsey, Hayden, Olivia and Uncle Clay. So far it's been overcast and chilly, but we're still having a great time.
- Meggan

Sweet baby Olivia all bundled up at the beach.

Amelia twirling with Mommy.

This shot makes the boys look like scientists in the Artic.

It's cold, but we still heart St. Simon's Island.

Strong National Museum of Play

2009-11-30T02:38:00.003-05:00

While we were up in Buffalo for Thanksgiving we skipped on over to Rochester for an afternoon at the children's museum, officially called the Strong National Museum of Play. What a great name and it is well suited. The place is huge and has something for pretty much every kid. Amelia and Emma were equally entertained by all of the exhibits and Alan loved the old school arcade. It was fun for all ages! The girls played in the Sesame Street area, shopped in the kid-sized Wegman’s, flitted around with the butterflies and had a great time. We were even joined by our friends Jill and her two girls for a while. We will definitely put Strong on our to do list next time we’re up in Western New York. We spent 2.5 hours there, didn’t even get to see everything and could have probably spent two more.

- Meggan

Thanksgiving 2009: play-by-play

2009-11-30T02:25:00.009-05:00

This Thanksgiving we went to Buffalo to visit Alan’s family and childhood friends for a long holiday weekend. Yes, it was cold and no, it did not snow. Thought I would go ahead and get that out of the way. The next questions are just as easy – yes, we flew up and no, we didn’t have any travel trouble because we flew on Thursday morning and Monday night. So, there are the basics, now let’s talk about the trip.

We haven’t flown with Amelia since she was nine months old which was before she could walk and long before she had opinions. We didn’t get the Peanut her own seat because the flight up to the frozen tundra is only about an hour and a half and I just can’t justify the cost or use of precious Sky Miles. On the way up we had two seats on a side by ourselves and we were definitely cozy. She sat nicely on our laps for about 30 minutes but then she wanted up and we broke out the supplies – food, books, DVDs, and more. We had hoped that she would sleep, and she definitely tried, but she couldn’t get comfortable and that meant that we missed out on her daily nap, more on that later. Besides the non-nap, Amelia really did great. There were no major meltdowns and she even managed to make some new friends with the nice ladies sitting behind us. The only complaint I have about our flight up was that a man on the plan called her a boy and I had specifically dressed her in a bright pink on pink princess shirt. Well, a Paul Frank princess, but still (see above). Really dude? Really?

We arrived in Buffalo on Thursday afternoon, sans nap, and after a short stop at Nana and Skee’s house we headed to Uncle Charlie and Aunt Kim’s house for a turkey day dinner. All of Buffalo family was there except for our cousin Julie who was at her home in Phoenix. Miss you Julie! Amelia was sweet and friendly to everyone and liked playing with her cousin Victoria, but wasn’t very good at sharing toys or staying away from the appetizer buffet on the coffee table. While at Charlie and Kim’s, Amelia managed to throw some pretty solid hissy fits over some pretty silly things. Yay for no naps! Ugh.

Over the rest of the weekend Amelia played with her cousin Emma, Aunt Jen, Uncle Steve, Nana, and Skee. We all ate and talked, watched football, did a bit of shopping, and went to the children’s museum in Rochester. By Friday Amelia knew everyone’s names and could even say Nana and something akin to Skee. We also got to spend some quality time with the Jahnke’s and their adorable daughter Alli and Steinagle’s and their new addition Roxy.

Friday night we attempted to go out to a nice dinner with Alan’s family. All the travel and new places had put Amelia a bit off kilter and she was not amenable to a fancy meal. I blame it on the white table cloths, they were giving her the stink eye. When we tried to sit at our table Amelia kicked and screamed and proceeded to have a couple giant meltdowns in her new dress and white tights. It was very uncharacteristic for our Peanut and immediately sent Alan and I into a panic. We weren’t sure what to with a demon child and we were quickly running out of tricks while trying to entertain and contain her. Thankfully she settled down to eat and after dinner she finally let Alan take her for a walk. I’m not sure exactly what calmed her down, but I’m pretty sure it was portraits of Santa and Baby Jesus hanging in the hall outside of the women’s bathroom. Yes, you read that correct. Giant, framed prints depicting Saint Nick cradling a sweet, naked baby Jesus in his red velvet clad arms. There were multiple versions of this glorious art. And, in every version, Santa was crying…CRYING! They were awesome. I’m seriously considering purchasing one for our house because I know if I was having a bad day and I took a gander at that bad boy I would snap right out of it. Who can be upset after looking at Santa and the baby Jesus?

The plane ride home was pretty much like the trip down, but this time the nice folks at Delta got us into a three seat row so Amelia had her own little seat. Heavenly I tell you. She even let us buckle her in for a while. While I’m heaping praise on Delta I should also tell you that when we deplaned in Buffalo they had her stroller unfolded, set up and waiting for us. I heart you Delta. My neighbor Amie also gets a thank you for the use of her handy tray table organizer, it was a life saver and kept Amelia very entertained. Lastly, my Dad also gets a shout out for ferrying us to and from the airport and saving us lots of parking drama and inflated costs. Thanks Dad!

Our Thanksgiving weekend was quite an adventure, but it was great to see all of our family and friends! We have so very much to be grateful and thankful for. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

- Meggan

Hello handsome!

2009-11-30T00:19:00.000-05:00

After much debate, and lots of honest to goodness begging from me, Alan finally agreed to grow a beard. It didn't take him very long and it's just about the right length now...and it's delicious! I love when he has facial hair, it makes his eyes all sparkly and adds a little ruggedness to his sweet baby face.
- Meggan

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-11-29T00:11:00.000-05:00

birthday lunch with my favorite girl

Bday dinner at M&T. Cheers!

November 25th was National Meggan Day. What? You missed it? Well, that’s okay, we had a nice little celebration here at The House of Hood and we’re still accepting presents, cards and candy in honor of this momentous occasion.

This year I turned 33. How on earth did that happen? After my birthday debacle last year, or the non-birthday as I now refer to it, Alan and I decided that we would reinstate birthday gifts and actually make an effort to celebrate our birthdays. Since every day is Amelia Day our birthdays are extra special now.

Amelia and I started my day with lunch at Johnny Rockets, mmmmm real cherry coke, and then some shopping. Later that night our little family of three went to one of my favorite restaurants, Muss & Turner’s. We stuffed our faces with way too much food and even taught Amelia to cheers with her sippy cup. Alan got me a new Ina Garten cookbook and a rockin’ purse I had my eye on from Etsy. It was the perfect 33rd annual National Meggan Day.

- Meggan

18 Month Stats

2009-11-23T08:24:00.002-05:00

Last Friday Amelia had her 18 month check up with our favorite pediatrician, Dr. Sells. She checked Amelia's ears, eyes, reflexes, and all the other normal stuff and told us she looked great. Her tubes are still in place and her lungs sounded great. This was reassuring because Amelia's had a small cold for a while now. When the nurse weighed our Peanut she let her stand on the big kid's scale. No more laying down on the baby scale for our toddler! New stats below.

weight: 26.2 pounds (77th percentile)
length: 34.7 inches (99th percentile)
head: 19.7 inches (99th percentile)

Did you notice the percentiles above? Did ya, did ya? A couple of things got me pretty excited. First, her weight is starting to level out, she's down to the 77th percentile. Our little butterball is starting to thin out, which also explains her height being in the 99th percentile. We think she's going to be long and gangly, just like her parents. The second exciting point is a very subtle one, and you have to have been paying close attention to catch it. Figure it out yet? Yup, it's her head...it's actually ON the charts now! She's always measured >99% but now she's just plain ole' 99%. Whoo hoo! She's finally growing into that giant noggin.

At the end of our visit Amelia got three shots and screamed like a normal kid this time. No silent freak child this time. Once she got the first prick and saw the other two needles coming her way she tried to squirm away and screamed nice and loud. Luckily she calmed down right after it was over with some help from the toys in the office. After it was over Amelia got to pick out a sticker and waved goodbye and blew kisses to the doc. I can't believe we don't go back for another check up until May!

- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-11-22T22:13:00.003-05:00

Fun at The Little Gym. There were bars to climb on...

...and parachutes to play with...

...and birthday girls to hang with...

...and rings to swing from...

...and delicious cupcakes to eat!

This weekend was jam packed. On Saturday afternoon we took Amelia to The Little Gym for her friend Andi's second birthday, which was birthday party #1 of 3 for the weekend. Amelia had a blast running and climbing on everything. It was the PERFECT spot for our little monkey. It's as if some parents sat around one day thinking, wouldn't it be great if there was a place where our kids could run around like lunatics and climb on everything but never get hurt? Yes, and let's call it the Little Gym and charge people to get in! Brilliant I say, just brilliant.
- Meggan

Southern Thanksgiving + Meggan's Birthday

2009-11-22T21:49:00.006-05:00

Sweet Olivia

Clay preparing to carve the massive turkey

the master at work

Me and my favorite boy

Are you sure this isn't my kid?

Olivia is such a happy, smiley baby

Amelia and her Aunt Lindsey

Olivia and Uncle Clay

Tonight we celebrated my two favorite things...Thanksgiving and the day of my birth, also know as National Meggan Day. We held round one of both events a little early this year so we could celebrate with my family while Lindsey is here with Hayden and Olivia. Lindsey managed to pack up both kids and drive all the way to Atlanta by herself, bless her! We're headed up to Buffalo for Thanksgiving this year and Hayden is going down to his Dad's house so we had Thanksgiving part 1 tonight at my Mom's house. And, since my birthday is on Wednesday we also lumped it into the celebration tonight.

Mom made all the traditional fare - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. - and we had two pies, a caramel cake and petit fours for dessert. Mmmmm, I was in heaven. At dinner we set a special place for Steven. It was hard to be without him, but we all made toasts for him and are always thinking about him. I just love Thanksgiving...what's better than a holiday centered around loving your family and pigging out? Mix that with presents for me and it's a home run holiday.

Thanks Mom and Lindsey for all the great food, Dad for the yummy dessert, Clay for just being awesome, Hayden, Olivia and Skip for being super cute, and everyone for the presents and a great night.

- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-11-15T21:16:00.004-05:00

We've recently retired Amelia's blow up duck she used for baths and have upgraded her to the regular tub. She absolutely LOVES it. When we tell her it's bath time she dances around and claps her hands. Once in the tub she puts her face in the water and blows bubbles, floats and kicks on her tummy, splashes everywhere, and just generally moves around a lot. Oh the freedom...sweet, bubble-filled freedom!
- Meggan

Dear Amelia: 18 Months

2009-11-14T20:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Amelia,

You are now one and a half years old! Look at you, my big toddler! Right now we’re driving to the Lawrence’s to watch the Auburn-Georgia football game and you are NOT happy. You’re ticked actually and you have been all afternoon. You refused to go down for your nap and then only slept for an hour. When we put you in the car seat you threw a fit and you have been crying and giving us the stink eye ever since. And, you’re making this noise, this awful noise that comes from the back of your throat – mmm, mmmmm, mm, mm, mmmmm – and you are doing it over and over and over and over. Well, I think you get the idea. We’ve had a rough day and are just hoping you’ll conk out on this car trip so Daddy and I can locate our patience and inner peace before we get to our destination. The point of telling you this story is not to emphasize how difficult you are, it’s actually quite the opposite. Today was a challenge, but it’s rare that we have these days. You are usually a happy, easy and sweet little girl. Yes, you have your moments, as all toddlers do, but on the average you are really a great kid…except for right now. If this behavior continues please remind me to have you pay for my hearing aids and therapy sessions once you are out of med school and making the big bucks.

I’ve been trying to keep a list of all the words you say now and it’s become impossible. You learn new words every day and have a pretty big vocabulary. This doesn’t mean that you don’t still grunt and point and scream like a cave woman, you do…a lot.

This month you had your second Halloween. It was cold and rainy and gross, but we had a great time. Yaya came over and we cooked a big pot of vegetarian chili for dinner. After our bellies were nice and full your friend Jack and his parents came over for some trick-or-treating. Neither you or Jack were quite sure what trick-or-treating was, but you did get the hang of the routine; walk to front door, nice neighbor offers candy, take candy and put in bucket, smile, and wave goodbye. You dressed up as a skeleton, but in all hot pink so nobody would confuse you for a boy. Yeah, it didn’t work, but you still looked adorable! Jack was an astronaut and your friend across the street Andi was Mini Mouse. You three were definitely the cutest toddlers in the Trib this year.

The Pink Pig is a ride that Macy’s department store puts up at Lenox Mall during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. It’s been around since Yaya was a kid and was originally hung from the ceiling in the downtown Rich’s store. It’s a REALLY old ride, who knew they even had electricity back then?!? He he he, tell your Yaya I’m just kidding! On opening weekend of the Pink Pig we took Yaya with us for your inaugural ride. On the first lap around you sat pretty still and soaked it all in, but on the second lap you pointed and smiled and tried to say pig. After the ride the nice ladies at Macy’s gave you a special Pink Pig piggy bank because they thought you were so cute. I’m not making that up, it’s really what they told me, and no other child who rode with us got a bank. This was very nice, but here’s a little life lesson my Peanut; looks and charm can get you free stuff, but only a college education will pay the bills.

The Pink Pig wasn’t the only place you went this month. We went to Serenbe, Blue Ridge, the GA Aquarium, and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. We also go to the park a lot, Chastain and Centennial are two of our favorites. You’re so active and inquisitive now and we’ve found that it’s good for all of our mental health if we get out of the house and find something fun to do. During the week we take a walk after dinner and on the weekends we like to send most of our time outside in the neighborhood playing on the playground or pulling you around in your wagon. Now that you’re a big, bad toddler we really understand the value of our neighborhood. It’s perfect for you with all its sidewalks and parks and millions of kids for you to play with. We don’t really like living in the suburbs, but we know we made the right choice for you. I love you Amelia, even if you made me move to Douglasville. Happy year and a half my sweet and sassy Peanut!

XOXO,
Mamma

More Halloween

2009-11-13T19:25:00.000-05:00

It's never too late! Some more pics from our Halloween in the Trib.
- Meggan

Amelia checking out her pumpkin

Really not excited about the pumpkin insides

Taste testing all our candy with Yaya

Coolest skeleton in the Trib

Amelia and her friend Andi, aka Minnie Mouse

The Hoods and The Hadsocks

Andi, Jack and Amelia

trick-or-treating with Daddies

Yaya, Amelia and Daddy in his awesome mullet wig

More Toofas!

2009-11-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

Amelia had a really crappy night Monday night. When people ask what she got Alan and I for our anniversary I tell them she got us what every toddler gives best - a sleepless night. She never did cry long enough for us to have to go in her room, but she woke up no less than five times throughout the night. And let's be clear about something here...when I say "woke up" I don't mean soft cooing, I'm talking about something more akin to a fire alarm going off directly next to your face. Her late night cries made me sit bolt upright in bed. Yes, I do keep her monitor turned up a bit loud, but Monday night it was all her. By the time I realized that no, this is not a dream, and yes, I am responsible for that thing wailing in the next room, she was already asleep. Just repeat that scenario about four more times and you have my Monday night. On Tuesday morning, as Alan was making my little howler monkey giggle, I discovered the true culprit...another tooth! Her bottom left tooth finally broke through. I felt pretty guilty for being upset that she woke me up all night, until I discovered the lovely bags under my eyes. Thanks Peanut! Amelia now has all her molars, four teeth on the top/front and three on front/bottom which makes 11 teeth total. Nicely done my little monkey, nicely done!
- Meggan

Forever and Always

2009-11-10T21:03:00.011-05:00

Eight years ago today I made my best decision yet, I married this guy...
But our story started long before that. We met when I was just 18 years old and he was a whopping 19 years old. We were young, stupid co-eds at a college in the plains of Alabama, but (luckily) we knew a good thing when we saw it.
After six years, two bachelor degrees from Auburn University and two first-time, full-time jobs, we decided to make it official. On November 10, 2001 on a quiet, sandy beach on Amelia Island we promised to love each other forever and like each other always.
And we continued to have a ridiculous amount of kid-free fun.

Until seven years later, we made this amazing creature....

And our definition of fun and family and love completely changed. Alan and I have been working on our little life together for more than 14 years and it just gets better every year. Happy anniversary Alan, I'll love you forever and always.

XOXO,
Meggan
(aka: The Happiest, Luckiest Baby Mamma Ever)

Sunday Sweets

2009-11-08T20:35:00.003-05:00

Today was a picture perfect Fall day in Atlanta and we soaked it in at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. We've never been and it turns out they have a fantastic spot just for the kiddos called the Children's Garden. Amelia and Noah had a great time running, sliding and playing in the dirt and foliage. We also enjoyed the visiting exhibit of Henry Moore sculptures throughout the garden.
- Meggan

Dance Party in Blue Ridge

2009-11-06T14:18:00.003-05:00

Some videos from our Blue Ridge trip. The babies really liked the built-in sound system in the house, made for fun dance parties. You'll have to excuse our jammies, it was a breakfast dance party. :)
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-11-01T20:29:00.004-05:00

Some more Sunday afternoon cuteness courtesy of Grandpa. Hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend!
- Meggan

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:06:00.001-04:00

No tutus or sparkly girly-girl outfits this year. Amelia is very serious about her costume selection and upcoming candy gathering. I also think the skull cap made her feel like a bad a**. More about the Peanut's second, and very wet, Halloween later. We're off to gorge ourselves on her candy.
- Meggan

Escape to Blue Ridge

2009-10-27T21:16:00.013-04:00

Amelia enjoying the view from the train

Fall leaves from the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Pumpkin pickin'

After a very long and stress-filled work week The House of Hood packed it up on Saturday afternoon and headed to North Georgia for a brief weekend getaway. What began as a Sunday afternoon excursion with friends quickly morphed into an emergency vacation. Our friends the Erwins and Dobbses joined in our escape plan, all courtesy of the Dobbses mountain hospitality. It was a perfect remedy for what was ailing us - the babies played, the adults played, we talked and laughed, and we all ate, a LOT. After a late Saturday night, and a consequentially lazy Sunday morning, we were also joined by the Hadsocks. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch and then headed downtown for a ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.

It was a beautiful Fall day. The leaves were starting to change to vibrant shades of fire engine red and burnt orange and the sun was shining. Once the train got going the babies all loved the ride. Amelia clapped and laughed each time the loud horn blew. The ride lasted about 20 minutes and then we were deposited in a field full of pumpkins, mud and hay. Amelia loved trying to pick up the big orange pumpkins (or balls as Amelia called them...BALLS!). She wasn't successful in picking up a pumpkin on her own, but she did manage to pluck off a couple of their stems. Whoops!

On the way back we all enjoyed the scenery from our seats in the open air train car while Alan and I took turns trying to keep Amelia from melting down. It was SO nap time for the Hoods. On the way back to Atlanta Amelia and I both napped while Alan drove us safely back to the Trib. Bless him. Our little getaway was just what we all needed to reset and recharge.

- Meggan

Paparazzi

2009-10-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

"Excuse me? You're a photographer for which magazine?"

"No, wait a minute, I need to call my agent."

"Didn't we settle this earlier? No pictures!"

Dear Amelia: 17 Months

2009-10-20T08:28:00.007-04:00

Dear Amelia,

I’m late. Yes, I know, I’m very late, 11 days late…late, late, late! More than a week ago you turned 17 months old and there was no letter written to you, none. I don’t have a good excuse. Call it sidetracked with life, runny noses and work stress, or maybe blame it on writer’s block. Whatever my reason may be, this month I’m writing your letter very late, plain and simple, and I’m sorry for that.

Let’s start with the basics my sweet Amelia…you’re getting very tall. This is no surprise to me since I’m so tall that I’m practically a circus freak. At the doctor’s last week they measured you at 34”, that’s almost three feet tall! With all this stretching out your tummy is starting to shrink. Now, don’t get too excited thinking that you’re ready for skinny jeans; we’re FAR from that. You still have to wear your pants under your little belly and I buy all your t-shirts a couple sizes bigger than normal so they cover your belly. But don’t worry, you’re still incredibly cute, buddah belly and all.

Speaking of growing…your feet are FINALLY growing. Yes, Peanut you still have midget feet (barely a size 5) compared to your overall size, but it means that I can finally buy cool big girl shoes for you. Saddle shoes and boots and mary janes, oh my! I’m in heaven. I don’t care if you ever get hair, as long as I can buy you shoes – beautiful, glorious shoes.

An update on food. You are willing to try anything we give you (yay!), but you don't always like it. Your favorite foods are cheese (any kind, your not picky), cottage cheese, goldfish cheese crackers, white cheese poufs…starting to see a pattern here? And, fruit…you LOVE fruit. Our trip to the apple orchard was like heaven for you. I’ve decided that we’re going to take you fruit picking every chance we get. We’ve got to keep your fruit infatuation going because you cannot survive on cheese alone.

Baby Girl, you have so many words now it’s hard to keep track. You tend to favor one word for a couple days and use it over and over again. Lately it’s been ball or bubbles, for a while it was cheese and before that it was shoes. Last week you even put two of them together – more cheese. In total you have 19 words now. Here’s the full list:

Mamma
Dadda
Dog
Cat
Ball
Bubbles
Cheese
Shoes
Bye-bye
Milk
Up
Night-night
Apple
Flower
Duck
Yaya
More
No
Yes

Since you were a little tiny baby I’ve always talked to you. I talk about what we’re doing, what’s next, what’s going on in a room…all this in an effort to build your vocabulary and understanding of language. I’ve never gotten a response, or even expected one, but all of the sudden you’ve picked it up. Not only do you understand but you also respond and even communicate back. For example: I ask you if you want milk, you nod and say yes, and then you walk over to the sippy cup drawer and then to the refrigerator to get the milk. Another example: When we tell you it’s time for a tubby you go to the stairs and pull on the gate. My Sassafras, we’re really starting to communicate better. Instead of hitting and biting me when you need attention or disagree with me you now say my name, take my hand and lead me to the thing you want. Or when you just need love you climb in my lap and kiss and hug me. It’s so much fun to be able to understand you and communicate with you…FINALLY.

It was a stress-filled month for me because things at work were; well let’s call it questionable. The economy still hasn’t recovered and we’re looking at another year where people’s donations to charities are going to be down again. Why does that matter? Well, the work I do depends on nice people all over the country giving my company money. So, when they can’t give as much we have to find ways to do more work with less people. Lots of people lost their jobs last month and it put a lot of stress on my work and on my heart and mind. I’m just so grateful that I still have a job and that I get to keep doing the great work I do. We’re not out of the woods yet, nobody is, but hopefully the worst is over.

I hope you didn’t suffer from the stress I was feeling. I tried to hide it, pack it away until you went to bed or I went back to work. But, I know you saw it. I was tired and frustrated and it showed through, no matter what I did. This wasn’t the first time I had some bad days, and it won’t be the last, but I promise you this. I will always put you first. Raising you and loving you is the most important job I’ll ever have. I love the work I do, but I love you more and I always will. Happy 17 months my little Peanut!

XOXO,
Mamma

Two words - TOGETHER!

2009-10-18T21:11:00.003-04:00

Amelia said two words together today, her first mini-sentence! And the words were....drum roll please....more cheese! She asked for "more cheese" while we were having an afternoon snack of cheddar cheese and Wheat Thin crackers. Genius I tell you, genius!
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-10-18T20:58:00.009-04:00

We had a lovely Sunday at the GA Aquarium and Centennial Park playground. Grandpa got a great family pic of us. You may be wondering why Alan's sunglasses are a bit askew. Well, he had a bit of a challenge situating himself on the faux rock wall. Heee hee hee hee, HA HA HA HA.
- Meggan

Hair Watch

2009-10-18T20:03:00.002-04:00

Amelia's hair is really starting to come in now. Unfortunately it's REALLY blonde (white really), pretty much stick straight (except for her occasional pig curl in the back) so it's pretty hard to see. But, we've found the perfect solution - static electricity! All you need now to see her flowing locks is a good, long playground slide and a nice dry day.
- Meggan

Blues Prodigy

2009-10-12T21:21:00.001-04:00

Amelia has a new and amazing talent. Check it our for yourself....
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-10-11T21:38:00.004-04:00

An extra special Sunday post...today's is in video format! Our Peanut loves bubbles - catching them, hitting them, blowing them, twirling under them, and especially saying their name...she REALLY likes saying their name.
- Meggan

Teething Update

2009-10-10T13:34:00.002-04:00

They've been slow and painful, but we're extremely glad to see them...bottom molars! Both of Amelia's top molars have broken through and are just about settled into place and her bottom right molar followed closely behind. Now, the Peanut is working on her bottom left molar. Not much longer until she's ripping through a big steak. Amelia's new friends haven't been without some pain, diaper rash and screaming but we still welcome them with open arms. For those of you keeping track out there, Amelia's total teeth count is at nine going on 10.

- Meggan

P.S. Full disclosure: no, Amelia wasn't actually crying because her teeth hurt, she was having a toddler tantrum, more on that later. But, I thought the view of her pearly whites and the look on her face went well with the post. :)

Kanuga 2009

2009-10-08T20:43:00.001-04:00

Beautiful lake at Kanuga

Cabin #10, the House of Hood/Webb Kanuga style

Emmy and Amelia rocking on the front porch

Amelia enjoying the fruits of Daddy's labor

The House of Hood apple picking

The Webb Family apple picking

The Girls and their bounty

Dr. Webb and her patient

Tubby time!

Last weekend The House of Hood packed it up and headed to the mountains of North Carolina for our very first Kanuga, a church retreat with All Saint's. Now, before you start picking out monogrammed bibles and decorative crosses for me let's be clear about what Kanuga actually is. It's a weekend of food, drinks, socializing, and fun, with a bit of prayer and study. Kanuga is situated on a beautiful lake and is full of sweet little cabins, an Inn, multiple gathering halls, and all the requisite "camp" activities (tennis courts, playgrounds, hiking, etc.). We shared a cabin with the Webbs, whose daughter Emmy is Amelia's age, and the girls had a ball playing together. They loved running up and down the long hall in our cabin and we loved listening to their little squeals and laughter echoing off the narrow walls. The cabin was built in the early 1900s and was very rustic. No heat, no phone, no TV, and no internet. Just some bedrooms, bathrooms, a living area and a screened in porch. It was glorious.

We arrived Friday afternoon, settled into the cabin and had dinner in the dining hall with everyone. That night we took Amelia to watch the singer/storyteller with all the kids. She was much more interested in running around and rearranging the furniture on the pavilion, but a nice night was had by all. The next morning we awoke to a beautiful day. After a big breakfast we dropped the girls off at the nursery and we went to the "adult" class. The boys lasted about 2.5 hours and then went to gather up our girls. After the lunchtime cookout, and much needed naps, we drove out to Sky Top Orchard where we picked Fuji and Staymen apples. Amelia and Emmy loved wandering up and down the "isles" and noshing on fresh picked apples.

That night the girls participated in the Halloween parade. Amelia was the patient/skeleton and Emmy was her doctor. They were definitely the hit of the night. That night we discovered that the Webb's super baby monitor reached to the hall behind our cabin where they were showing the Auburn/TN game. Serendipity! It was an extra added bonus to get out for a couple hours of adult time.

Sunday morning we attempted to go to church, along with all the families and children attending Kanuga. Amelia lasted until the sermon and then Alan had to take her outside. It was a lovely service, well...the 30 minutes we made it through. Since it was nearing nap time we decided to head home for Atlanta.

When Alan and I first talked about going to Kanuga we were both hesitant. A church retreat? All weekend with Jesus in the mountains? But, what we found was that is was an incredibly relaxing weekend, time spent with really great people, and just good old fashioned family fun. They can count us in for next year!

- Meggan

The End of Summer

2009-09-27T22:58:00.008-04:00

Tonight we had a cookout at Yaya's in honor of Steven before he is deployed next month. The weather is beautiful here and we're squeezing every last bit out of our summer. We had all the traditional cookout fare, burgers, dogs, brats, potato salad, baked beans, and watermelon....oh the watermelon. Amelia ate no less than seven slices of the sweet red stuff and only stopped because we refused to give her anymore. As we were cleaning up dinner she pulled a bag of it off the table, opened it up and had one more slice. She couldn't get enough! This girl loves fruit. For breakfast she had blueberries, for lunch it was strawberries and grapes, and for dinner it was pretty much watermelon. By the end of the night she was covered from head to toe in fruit juice so we had to give her a bath at Yaya's, plus we're still boiling water here so it all worked out.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-09-27T22:05:00.004-04:00

This Sunday's pics truly are sweet. Check out my cake! I made this bad boy from scratch AND decorated it too! This is a big darn deal because I am Jackie Allen's daughter and that makes me genetically unable to bake. But, I have cracked the code, I have broken the spell...I can finally bake! It's taken years of practice, and hours of Food Network watching, but it paid off this weekend. I made this lovely Flag Cake for Steven's going away party. I thought this star spangled treat was appropriate for our brave soldier. Hey baking gods - take that!
- Meggan

Atlanta Flood of '09

2009-09-27T21:51:00.009-04:00

Downtown Atlanta - 75/85 connector

Collapsed road in Douglasville

Six Flags under water

Downtown Atlanta - Krog Street tunnel

Homes in Austell, GA

I wrote a post about the flooding in Atlanta last Monday, but didn't publish it until tonight. I thought I would go back and edit it, update it with the full story of the flooding, but I didn't. I published it as is because it was an accurate account of what was happening in that moment. Now, almost a week later, I'm feeling a little hesitant. I'm not sure what to say about the flooding or how to describe what's happened. It was all so strange and so quick. I could rant and rave about all of our inconveniences (lack of water, traffic, etc.), but they were just that...inconveniences. There are so many people here that have lost too much and it feels petty to complain about having to boil our water in our nice dry house. I'm incredibly thankful we are safe and dry and in awe of what nature can do in such a short amount of time.
- Meggan

Atlanta Underwater

2009-09-22T08:25:00.002-04:00

For years, literally YEARS, we've been begging for rain. Atlanta has been in a drought since 2007 and this summer finally brought us some relief. But, it never let up. It's been raining all month and Sunday night it all came to a head. After weeks of rain, and night of torrential downpour, large portions of metro Atlanta are now under water. The House of Hood is fortunate enough not to be flooded, but as of today the majority of our thoroughfares are flooded (I-20 and I-285) and hundreds of roads in Douglasville are washed out...oh yeah, and we have no running water. We're living off of gallons of purchased drinking water, imported yesterday from my Dad in Buckhead, and gallons of pool water from the neighborhood pool to flush our toilets. It's pretty much like camping, but with electricity. Douglasville got 18-21" of rain in about 24 hours. That rain caused flooding which put pressure on roads and water lines, causing them to collapse throughout the county. There are so many breaks in the water lines that Douglas County is telling us it may take up to a week to get the water back on. Awesome. Now the Chattahoochee River and Sweetwater Creek (both of which are just miles from us, but thankfully far enough away) are cresting and flooding out roads and highways. It looks like it's just going to get worse before it gets better. We're just hoping the rain steers clear of Atlanta this afternoon.

Jaw Pain Mystery Solved

2009-09-17T22:08:00.006-04:00

Dear Wisdom Teeth,
We've been together for more than 10 years, and now, my dear wisdom teeth, tomorrow we shall part. If you just would have let me keep you clean, if you could have kept it together, we could have remained together. But alas, one of you got a lazy, got a cavity and broke your top off. So tomorrow you shall all be removed, taken from my sore and angry mouth, never to cause me pain again. I always knew the four of you were a bunch of trouble makers. Goodbye evil wisdom teeth. Wise you are not and tomorrow you shall be gone. Good riddance.
Love,
Meggan

------------------------------------------------------

A quick footnote to get everyone up to speed - for the past two weeks I've had awful, really AWFUL, pain throughout the left side of my face and jaw. I've been to two docs and to the dentist twice. Finally today, after weeks of shifting pain, a round of antibiotics and pounds of painkillers, the dentist found my problem. Tomorrow it will all be over. Yay!

Sunday Sweets

2009-09-13T21:26:00.000-04:00

I love these pics because you can actually see Amelia's hair. There isn't much, but it's more than she's ever had. Whoo hoo! Running out to buy hair bows now!
- Meggan

High and Tight

2009-09-11T20:38:00.004-04:00

In honor of Auburn's game against Mississippi State this weekend Amelia decided to wear her hat the same way Mississippi State's old coach liked to. Exactly what was he hiding under there? Snacks for half time? His secret plays? Well, we may never know now. This one's for you Coach Croom.
- Meggan

It's Football Season

2009-09-11T20:24:00.008-04:00

Daddy and Amelia ready for the first game.

Peanut practicing her brushing before the big game.

Amelia heckling our Bama neighbors.

I'm about a week late writing this (bad Auburn graduate, bad!), but college football is upon us and our Auburn Tigers have begun their season in an excellent fashion. Last week our new coach lead his boys to a 37-13 victory over LA Tech. Not a bad way to start a new job. We celebrated the beginning of football season with a cookout at the Hadsock's house dressed in our Auburn finest, despite objections from our Florida Gator hosts. Jackson wore an awful bright blue and orange Gator jersey. We're pretty sure Amelia and Jack's romance will have a very short shelf life if he continues his foolish ways. War Eagle everyone!
- Meggan

Dear Amelia: 16 Months

2009-09-09T21:26:00.005-04:00

Dear Amelia,

Today you turn 16 months old and today has got to be your lucky day. Today’s date is 9/9/09 and it’s filled with your lucky number. When you were born all of your important stats were filled with nines – you were born at 9:09 p.m. on May 9^th, you weighed nine pounds and were 19 inches long. I told Daddy to buy a bunch of lottery tickets today. If we’re ever going to win, today is the day!

It’s incredible to me all the things you know and understand now. Which fully explains how incredibly frustrated you’ve become with the world around you. You grunt and point, squeal and nod the very best you can but it doesn’t always yield the exact thing you desire. I can’t imagine how maddening it would be to exist in a world where everyone can tell you what to do and how to do it but you can’t even ask for a cookie. You’ve learned some new words this month – up, duck, and cheese – and they help with communication, but I think we can all agree that we (you, me and Daddy) are desperate for you to talk. I’m sure I’ll regret having said this in a year when I’m begging for a minute of silence amidst you’re endless questions and demands. And no, I’m not being presumptive here, I know it’s coming. Long ago we discovered that you have my personality so I’m just preparing myself for the inevitable.

Speaking of personality…you continue to ooze with it. I was talking to a friend at work the other day and we concluded that the best word to describe you is measured. I’m sure I’ve used it before to describe how your mobility developed, but I’ve decided that it’s a great word to describe you all around. You approach new situations and environments with caution and reserve. You’ve begun to cling to me a bit more when placed in new situations but you always acclimate quickly and then you shine. You laugh and smile, and toddle around like you own the place, charming everyone you come into contact with. I’m pretty sure you’re initial reservations are not because of any shyness. I can see you surveying the new scene, taking a mental tally of the people and stuff in the room. I do the exact same thing in new situations. I often think it would be great to be able to burst into a room and shake hands and speak with authority, but I’m much more comfortable if I take a moment and digest my new surroundings and the new personalities. After watching you for the past 16 months I’m now confident that I come by my approach naturally because you do the exact same thing.

I had to travel this month, and it was the most painful trip I’ve been on yet. Leaving you has never been so hard and I’m worried that my next trip will be even worse. As usual, and against Daddy’s begging, I woke you up early the morning I left. I changed your diaper and snuggled your soft neck and kissed your fat cheeks and round belly. You were still sleepy and fighting a cold so you pushed me away and pouted when Daddy took too long getting your morning cup of milk. It wasn’t the goodbye I had imagined and it made it so much harder to leave you. For three days I missed picking you up from school and having you show me your new favorite toy. I missed feeding you dinner and watching you get food everywhere but your mouth. I missed putting you to bed and having you blow kisses to me as you snuggled down into your crib. It was only three days but it felt like living without my heart for a year.

As you get older we’ve had to upgrade your toys to keep up with all of your new skills. Recently we bought you toddler sized leggos and you and Daddy have been in heaven ever since. You are really good at fitting the chunky plastic pieces together with little or no help from us. You like helping Daddy build big skyscrapers, and you LOVE to knock your creations down and then rip them apart. You do it with such delight that Daddy is happy to build it up just to watch you take it down. We’ve named you Amelia the Destructor.

I love you my little Destructor, happy 16 months!

XOXO,
Mamma

Gratitude Challenge - Day 21

2009-09-08T14:57:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day of my Gratitude Challenge and I'm going to end where I began. Today I'm grateful for this challenge. Am I insanely happy and joyous all day, every day now? No. Has it completely overhauled my outlook on life? Nah. But, it was everything I thought it would be. It was my small reality check, every day. My reminder that my life really is good, and darn it, even on the darkest days I can find something to be happy about. One of the most unexpected parts of this challenge is how it has spread. I've even had friends adopt it as their own, from post-it notes on an office door to Facebook status updates, gratitude it spreading throughout my world. I've loved sharing my daily gratitude with everyone and appreciate all of Amelia's fans hanging in there with me. I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 20

2009-09-07T21:58:00.000-04:00

Late last week my jaw started hurting. My dentist dismissed it as TMJ and said we would discuss later. That was Thursday and on Sunday morning the pain was so bad that I took myself, and my whacked out jaw, to the Douglasville ER. No, don't worry, this isn't a post about health care reform, we'll cover that later. The nice (and surprisingly efficient) folks at the ER didn't know exactly what was wrong, but they loaded me up with good pain killers and a referral. I'm not good with pain so I was grateful for the relief and this little stint got me thinking about my health. I've never broken a bone, never had a major injury or illness and have never needed surgery. I rarely get sick and didn't even get a cavity until I was 23 years old! I've been extraordinarily lucky and blessed with good health, so today I'm grateful for my very good health.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 19

2009-09-06T21:25:00.002-04:00

Tonight we had dinner with one of my oldest friends, Meghan, and her family. Meghan and I met in middle school because our math teacher always mixed our papers up. We bonded over our mutual dislike for the air-headed teacher and have been friends ever since. Together we survived puberty, school dances, spring breaks, moving away for college, getting married, having babies, and now raising those babies. There's a special kind of comfortable silence with old friends and a simple ease to how you can just pick up wherever you were last, no matter how long ago it may have been. Today I'm grateful for friendships, especially the old ones.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-09-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

"Hey lady - more donuts please!"

Gratitude Challenge - Day 18

2009-09-05T22:19:00.002-04:00

Here's another assignment from the official Gratitude Challenge.
Be grateful for everything around you. Instructions: Send thank you notes to five people who deserve a little recognition.

Letter #1:
Dear Lindsey,
I am so proud of you and the life you have created. You made it through Steven's first extended absence and you did great. I can't imagine how hard it is to be alone with two kids in a strange place, but you're doing it effortlessly. I love you so much.
- Meggan

Letter #2:
Dear Jeanine,
I think you are incredibly creative and much smarter than you give yourself credit for. You are an endless fountain of ideas, one always better than the next. I just wish that I had the time and money to make them all a reality.
- Meggan

Letter #3:
Dear Jennifer and Laila,
A new baby! You are in the thick of some of the most stressful and sleep deprived months you'll ever know, but you're doing great. Just remember there is a light at the end of this tunnel. In no time your new baby girl will be driving.
- Meggan

Letter #4:
Dear Teachers of Room 4,
I don't know where you find the energy or strength each day. Working with children is a rare talent and you do it with passion and grace. I know my Peanut is safe and happy with you and that means all the world to me.
- Meggan

Letter #5:
Dear Alan,
The past 16 months have been hard and crazy and you deserve a huge thank you. You make me laugh, you bring me drinks with straws, and you watch Twilight with me whenever I want. You're a great Dad and an even better husband. Thanks for keeping me sane and making me happy.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 17

2009-09-04T21:17:00.000-04:00

Amelia has been fighting a late summer cold and it's made her nights very challenging for everyone here at The House of Hood. She's got the classic symptoms - runny rose and a cough - and for the past two nights the cough has made her sleeping impossible. About an hour after she goes down, with absolutely no problem, she wakes up coughing and crying and really ticked off. The only thing that has calmed her down is riding in her wagon...in the house. It's bizarre but it works. We pull her around the downstairs in her red wagon - around the kitchen island and around the dining room table and around the couch. She smiles and claps and then 20 minutes later she goes back to bed. Today I'm thankful that Alan and I are so resourceful and I'm thankful for that red wagon.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 16

2009-09-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

Before last October I had never been exposed to military life or even known someone who was serving in active military duty. Then my sister married an Army guy and the learning began. There's so much I didn't know. Did you know that when they're not deployed that soldiers still go to work on base every day? Did you know that they paint everything with camo paint on base, even the Coke delivery truck? These are some of the more superficial and silly things, but here's what I have really learned. The men and women who serve this country are brave, loyal and extraordinary selfless human beings. These people are not like you and me and thank goodness for that. These soldiers fight for those who cannot. They protect our freedom across the country and throughout the world without a question or second guess. They obey their orders, leave their friends and loved ones, and serve our country with pride. Military life is hard and challenging for everyone involved and these men and women and their families deserve our thanks, but more importantly our gratitude.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 15

2009-09-02T21:11:00.000-04:00

Home! I'm finally back home in Atlanta. I've only been gone for three days and two nights but leaving my Peanut and her Daddy is not one of my favorite things. When I'm away I also miss my pets and my soft bed and my big shower. I could go on and on. I love my house and all the things that make it home and coming back to it after a trip makes me love it even more. Today I'm grateful for my home.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 14

2009-09-01T21:01:00.001-04:00

I've been working as a "non-profit professional" for more than three years now and I continue to be amazed at the generosity of the creative industry. This week I've been filming a new TV commercial that will encourage kids not to smoke. This has been a pet project of ours for a couple years and has an extraordinarily low budget. This means that a lot, and I mean A LOT, of the services it takes to make this little masterpiece were deeply discounted and even donated. This was not the first time this has happened. For the past three years I have been lucky to work with some of the most talented professionals, the best of the best, and I am so grateful. They make our life saving message come to life in brilliant ways. From the ad agencies to the production companies, the actors to the wardrobe stylists, the list is long and varied. Today I am grateful for the dedication and generosity of professionals.
- Meggan

Gratitude Challenge - Day 13

2009-09-01T13:30:00.002-04:00

I'm a day late writing this, but I promise I was SUPER grateful yesterday. Early yesterday morning I got on a plane to head out to Los Angeles for three days. I've traveled a bunch since having Amelia, but this trip, this time, it was really hard leaving her. So, last night, between pre-production meetings, wardrobe fittings and dinner I got back to my hotel for a couple hours and talked to Alan and Amelia on the web cam. It made my day. We've used the web cam with Amelia before but she had no idea what was going on and barely noticed me on the computer screen. But, not last night. Last night she totally understood - she laughed, and waved, and blew me kisses, and said Mamma, and even told me night night. Today I'm grateful for technology and it's ability to connect people together even when they are so very far apart.
- Meggan

Sunday Sweets

2009-08-30T20:57:00.009-04:00

Like father, like daughter. Amelia watching the planes at PDK Airport.
- Meggan