Our sweet little monkey!

Seems like I'm on a roll...a post every month. Sorry about that, folks. I really try to post more often, but our little time vortex (aka Noah) just makes it kind of hard.

We had a great Thanksgiving--we went to Knoxville and spent the afternoon with Nana, Granddad, Brenda, Dan, Janet and Rachel, and had a really great meal and enjoyed each other's company. That night we stopped by Granny & Grandpa's and had more food.

The trip was made more fun by the zippy Mazda Protege 5 Wagon that we are now the proud owners of. It's yellow. Bright yellow. Like "Speed Ticket" yellow. It's highly visible. The interior is leather--black with yellow inserts. No, I'm not kidding. It's quite sporty, and Patrick has had lots of comments from strangers--guys, mostly--saying things like, "Sweet ride, dude." To which Patrick replies, "Uh, yeah. Thanks." But, as it's a wagon, it has a bit more room than the Altima, so that makes going on trips much easier, and we don't have to beg a vehicle from my parents. It also has a sunroof, which pretty much sold it to me. Patrick has named it the Electric Love Banana, but I'm trying to dissuade him from that moniker. I'm sure we'll have a post of it at some point in time.

It is fun traveling with a baby. You don't just get in your car and go like you do when you're single. Oh nooooo. There's the pack-n-play that must be taken down, folded up in a very particular way (that seems impossible once you unfold it the first time) that must be packed. Baby needs a place to sleep, after all! Then there are the acoutrements for the baby--15 bibs; 10 long-sleeved onesies; 5 short-sleeved onesies; 4 pair of cotton pants; 1 pair fleece pants; 1 pair sweatpants; 3 nighties (the onesies would do in a pinch); 5 pair socks; slippers; 25 diapers; hooded sweatshirt; 1 pair jeans; 1 t-shirt; 2 long-sleeved button-up shirts; 10 receiving blankets (i.e., urp cloths); a tote o'toys; the diaper bag to carry the bare essentials (more diapers, wipes, an extra long-sleeved onesie, and extra pair of cotton pants; an extra pair of socks)...yes, we were only gone for 3 days and 2 nights. What's your point? And then, you must pack the food. We had an insulated tote for that. We had about 10 bottles of milk; a few jars of green beans, peas, pears, carrots, squash...and some pre-mixed apple juice. I had to pack my pump (all 10 lbs of it...), of course. Then we take clothes for US. All of this fit very well into the Electric Love Banana, and we even had room for Noah's magic VibraChair. Can't forget the VibraChair.

We packed up, got out later than we intended, and were on the road by around 9:30. About an hour later I realized that I forgot to pack Lorraine's maternity wardrobe. Lorraine and Bill are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet, with a darling little boy, Skylar. When Lorraine found out that I was pregnant, she sent her husband to Rachel's house with the biggest bunch of maternity clothes (and some really great books!) that I'd ever seen. Those clothes saved my wallet, let me tell you!!! Anyway, I've been trying to get those clothes back to Lorraine for about 6 months now. *Sigh* Lorraine, if you're reading this, I swear I have not sold them--they are here, nicely packed up, just waiting for a time when I haven't lost my mind and will actually put them IN the car next time we go to Knoxville!

A little after I realized that I forgot the maternity clothes, I realized we forgot our cameras. Yes, we were heading to Knoxville to see family, and didn't have our cameras. Oh well. I'm sure there will be other times to capture priceless family moments on film.

A little after that, we realized we forgot something else, but I can't remember what that was.

Oh well.

On our last shopping trip to Target, I found some monkey pajamas by Nick & Nora--the same company that made MY monkey pajamas that Patrick bought for me, so of course, I had to have them. Here are some pictures of Noah in said pajamas. If you notice his feet, you'll see the cutest slippers--they're made to look like red sneakers with white athletic socks. My dear friend Lori made those for Noah--and they are just the cutest things ever!!!

I also put some pictures on of Noah & his kitty. They're good friends. They bonded. That happens when you get barfed on. Apparently kitty fur is very absorbent, though, and Mouse is okay.

Fresh News! New Pictures!

Let me begin at the beginning, as they say. My last update was October 6, which seems so long ago, even though it's only been a month (give or take). And even though it's only been a month (give or take), I can see such changes in our little NoMonster. Makes me cry if I think about it too long...

The biggest news that I need to report on is WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!! Hurrah!!! The angels have sung! St. Joseph finally came through for us!!!! (Though it pains me to say that we could not find him to remove him from his earthen crypt, and if that weren't bad enough, I think he's upside down, too. How's that for gratitude???) We received an offer early-mid September, and it was a good, solid offer, money-wise. However, the buyer was a first-time buyer, and I think he asked for more than would normally be asked for. Like a home inspection AND a home warranty. To be paid for by the seller. Now, here's a tip, boys & girls--if you want a home inspection, pay for it yourself. Otherwise, the home inspector is working for the other guys. In our case, the home inspector worked for US. Now, we weren't selling a faulty home, or a money pit--far from it. I would have been really surprised had the home inspection revealed anything major (which it didn't, by the way). But still--if you're buying a house, wouldn't you want the home inspector working for you? Anyway, we gave the buyer pretty much everything he asked for...which I'm sure cut into our profits, especially since the house appraised for a bit more than we expected (I'm chalking that up to superior upkeep & upgrades! *Smile* ), but it was so worth it for us to not have to worry about a 2nd mortgage anymore that we were willing to do just about anything.

We closed on October 16th--a day foreverafter to be known as "Happy Dance on Main Street, Henderson, USA Day." (Actually, the dance of happiness took place on Crook Street, which is funny, as it's the street that the Courthouse & office of the closing attorney--also one of the Judges in Henderson County--are on. Okay, so maybe I'm the only one who finds the humor in that.) We had borrowed Mom & Dad's Subaru & trailer (thanks, Mom & Dad!!!) to haul the rest of our stuff back. We didn't think we had that much...we were wrong. We'd forgotten about a whole cabinet full of dishes. There were lots of things under the kitchen sink & various items in the laundry room that we had forgotten about, too. So, we loaded up the riding lawnmower (as it wasn't mentioned in the sale proceedings, and we were willing to sell it with the house, but as it wasn't mentioned--we were taking that sucker back with us!); another lawnmower that we're not sure will ever work, though I am optimistic; a dead iMac; the previously mentioned dishes, undersink and laundry room items; and various other bits and pieces of, well, crap. After we loaded up the Subaru & trailer, we headed to Bells. We had this great plan of going up into Jackson, just to see how it's changed, eat lunch at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants...well, that didn't happen. The loading took much more time than we thought, and so we really had about 40 minutes to eat and get to the closing. So, since there isn't another Bells anywhere, we had burgers and fries (and I had to get a chocolate milkshake to go). We went to the closing, and 20 minutes later, the house was sold, and we had a nice little check to take home. Let the Happy Dance commence!

Now on to my next story, which I like to call "And on the 8th day, there was giraffe." See, we got back to Greenville and returned the Subaru and trailer at night, and it was raining, and we were tired. We came in to Mom & Dad's and I set the diaper bag on the floor. In one of the outside pockets we'd stuck the little padded lion & giraffe car seat strap covers--Noah had spit up and some spitup got on the covers, so I took them off to be sure to put them in the laundry. Well, one thing led to another, and Shaka had seized his opportunity to eat a giraffe. Unfortunately, this was not a giraffe that should have been eaten. I don't know if you've seen those padded car seat strap covers, but they're not tiny. They're about 4 inches top to bottom, with a stuffed animal head on it. They're nice & soft & cushy and NOT suitable for doggie consumption. Well, Dad kept an eye on Shaka, and everytime that dog went out to do ANYTHING, there was Dad. For seven days, nothing. No sign of the giraffe from either end of Shaka. Until the 8th day, wherein the Giraffe made his appearance. What we surmise is that Shaka had, well, urped the Giraffe up & just kept, uh, re-eating it. Luckily, on that 8th day, Dad was faster than Shaka, and the Giraffe was laid to rest in the garbage can. Dad said that the Giraffe looked remarkably unharmed, and asked if we'd like him back. We declined. And no, there are no photos documenting this poor Giraffe's countenance.

I think we're up to Halloween now...Noah was a bat, and I must say, was pretty darn cute. After our photo session at home, Noah & I went to Mom & Dad's to trick-or-treat. Pictures are posted below. I've also posted some pictures of when Noah met his Granddaddy Hardin for the first time, as well as some other various photos of the cutest baby in the world.

We went for a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway to look at the fall colors--Noah's first fall! I think we may have just missed peak color, but it was still pretty great.

Hopefully this has caught us up to date...forgive me for not posting more frequently, but Noah is a virtual time vortex. I don't know where the time goes, but when he's around, it disappears so quickly...We are starting to settle into somewhat of a routine, and he is sleeping through the night, which helps. I still hate having to spend my days away from him, but we're doing what we can right now. Enjoy the pictures!!