Otis.

Otis has had a hard go of it lately. In addition to being demoted by Liam from his place on my totem pole, his ongoing dental problems have become greatly exacerbated. A healthy canine mouth contains an average of 42 teeth. Otis has only 6 left. At this point, despite being well taken care of, his dental issues are so severe that we are strongly considering having the remainder of his teeth removed. If we remove his teeth, the source of the problem will be gone and Otis will no longer be in constant pain. Also, if we remove the teeth, he will no longer be in a continuous state of infection that could (and most likely will) spread to other parts of his little body as he ages. Obviously, no owner wants to see their dog without teeth, but I definitely do not want to see my dog (or any animal) in pain if there is something I can do about it, even if the best remedy is somewhat drastic.

The infection is currently being treated. For now, we are going to keep an eye on these last 6 teeth, but I think we are only prolonging the inevitable. I just want him to have teeth for as long as he can.

I feel so bad for the little guy. Please keep him in your doggy thoughts.

Morgan

A Very Merry (and Late) Christmas.

We had a wonderful Christmas in Bastrop. I already miss my parents so much. Who wouldn't miss these adorable faces?



They really need to move closer. Moving on . . .



Santa was very good to Liam.



Santa ate his yummy cookies.



Santa left Liam not only useful toys (yes, Santa gave Liam Duct tape). . .



But fun toys as well.





Santa left his hat for me to wear.



All in all, it was a great day. I was super excited about Liam's rocking dino and his tricycle, but of course, Liam was much more excited about his new abundance of plastic food items. To think I could have done Liam's Christmas for only $10.00. . .

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Vroom Vroom, Blankie.

We had a wonderful Sport family Christmas in Auburn this past weekend. In addition to a rockin' Handy Manny tool set (that sings and dances), Liam got his very first Tonka truck.



He loves it! We've been saving our Handy Manny tools from disaster all week.

In other news, Liam is cutting two molars. This explains the last few days of his general grumpiness and refusal to sleep past 5:30. Thank God for this:



Meet Blankie-our saving grace. Liam has had this blanket since he was born, but it has just recently become a very necessary part of our day and night. When all else fails, Blankie usually does the trick.

I hope nothing ever happens to Blankie-I would be a mother lost.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Morgan

Days of Slumber.

So, I have once again been absent from the blog, but this time it has been for a good reason. I have been a little under the weather with walking pneumonia (again) and have been sleeping non-stop for about 2 days.

Christmas is almost here! I've got to get the last of my Christmas cards mailed (without holiday stamps...don't even get me started on the post office). Otherwise, we are just waiting on Santa to get here.

YAY, Santa!

I also need to do some major blog layout updating. Anyone want to do it for me? Pretty please...

It has snowed pretty much all day in Birmingham today, but it isn't sticking. I hope we get one more good snow day so Liam can make his first snowman. I wonder if he has Dow's talent at making snowmen?

Anyway, here is my little sweet pea. He's getting so big!



Morgan

War Eagle!

Dow and I had a great time in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Even though we didn't have tickets, we had a blast watching the game at a huge sports bar right next to the Georgia Dome.



I hope we can somehow find championship tickets in our price range. But, even if we don't, I am still so excited that we are in the championship! Liam is excited, too. He even learned to do "touchdown."

War Eagle!

A Wonderful Break.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I had a great break. Mom and dad came to Birmingham on Wednesday, and we celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Sport family on Thursday. Family, mountains of food, a beautiful lake, a somewhat pleasant toddler-what else could a girl ask for? Oh, lime cake, I could ask for more lime cake, but I digress...



As usual, Liam pigged out.



We also played outside.



I'm pretty sure my expression at this moment could be translated as follows: "What is your deal, Squawker?" Liam is in the mommy and daddy only stage-no Emme and Popi, no Grandma and Grandpa, no Aunt Heather, and double no to strangers (which he expresses in the form of a high-pitched squeal that literally makes my dog bark in pain). He finally warmed up to everyone after about 2 hours of me holding him.



We spent the rest of the week watching Auburn win the Iron Bowl (and, as an added bonus, watching LSU choke) on our amazing new flat screen (thanks, Emme and Popi), decorating, napping, and eating leftovers.





Yep, we had a great Thanksgiving break.

Morgan

Lump of Coal.

Santa may be bringing Liam a lump of coal after our visit with him on Saturday. To put it mildly, Liam was not a fan of Santa. He threw a fit when we put him in Santa's lap, and none of the pictures came out worth a flip. The best two were still blurry, and I wasn't willing to spend $30 on a blurry picture. I guess we have to go to plan B for Christmas cards this years. I'll get back to you once I figure out what plan B is.

On a brighter note, I did get some other things accomplished this weekend. I am pretty much done with my Christmas shopping. Once I pick up two or three small things for our neighbors and a birthday/Christmas present for a friend, I will be home free. YAHOO! I did a lot of shopping this year online (only at stores with free shipping because I'm cheap like that), and it has made my life much easier. Also, I split shopping up between me and Dow. Unlike the past couple of years where I was responsible for all gifts (and, consequently, a total crazy person), I am handling the girls and my dad. Dow is in charge of the boys. And, because I know Dow will wait until the last minute (and by last minute, I mean Christmas Eve) just like he does every year, I have imposed a gift deadline. Yes, the gift deadline is probably a little much, but I know how Dow likes to procrastinate. He will probably ignore the gift deadline, but at least I tried.

I also got my tree up (just lights and ribbon). I think we'll hang ornaments next week when my parents are here. I'm on the fence about my mantel-maybe I can talk my mom into doing it this year. To be honest, I'm a little bummed about putting the tree up before Thanksgiving. I'm a big believer in no Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving, but I just didn't know when I'd have the time to do it all this year. I would actually like to relax just a little during my Thanksgiving holiday.

Finally, we joined our church. Everyone was very welcoming, and we had a great new member luncheon with some other new members. And, Liam behaved the entire time (gasp). I am still in shock.

I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving!

Morgan

My Little Artist.

We had our first parent-teacher conference this week. To be honest, I was not expecting much from the Peppy Poppies conference (that's the name of Liam's class), but I was pleasantly surprised. His teachers had notes and were able to discuss Liam's development and transition at school with me in detail.

He seems to be doing as well as we could expect for his first month at school. I am really glad I made the decision to send him. His teachers are adjusting to his fascination with all things hinges and his climbing tendencies. They said he is playing with the other children and is overall a happy baby (except when he is tired, hungry, or I leave the room). They even suggested ways I could help him with developing his language and curb his temper. We'll see how that goes...

But, the best part of the conference was this:




Liam's art! I'm so proud of my budding artist :)

Liam also has a girlfriend-Libby from down the street.



She helped babysit him in the bike buggy last week at her little brother's birthday party. I think Liam is in love. He must like blondes like his daddy.

Now, I'm off to make it through this day of work and enjoy my weekend of no football. We have lots to do: possibly start putting up Christmas decorations, getting Liam's picture taken with Santa, and officially joining our church!

Also, Heather (Dow's sister) is having a girl! Baby Anna will be here in April. I can't wait to hold a newborn again and to buy something pink and girly!

Morgan

Getting behind.

I'm getting behind in my blogging.

And, to be quite honest, I'm not too concerned about it. I haven't really been in the blogging mood lately, and with my "to do" list getting longer and longer, I'm doing good just to get the laundry and the grocery shopping done on a somewhat timely basis.

Maybe one day in the next week (or two...or three), I will sit down and write some beautiful posts with equally adorable pictures of Liam. But, don't hold your breath :)

For now, Liam's proofs will have to suffice. Check them out at www.carsonstudios.com, enter the website, go to proofing, and then click on Liam.

Morgan

Pasta and Peas, Please!

Morgan

Trick-or-Treat: It's The Plague.

That's who came to trick-or-treat at our house-the plague. At least, that's who paid me a visit. On my favorite holiday of all year and Liam's first trick-or-treating experience, I was in bed at 4 p.m. praying for a quick death. Stomach bugs are the worst.

But, all was not lost. Dow stepped up to the plate and took our little munchkin treating-or-treating with some of our friends in the Crest'hood. Liam kept his mane on all night and got lots of yummy treats. I think our fellow neighbors did a great job with decorations and candy for the children.

But, I think this little pumpkin had too much fun last night.







These are our neighbors, Stephen and Rebekah (well, Stephen isn't in the picture but you get the idea). Their daughter, Libby, was a cowgirl and her little brother, Noble, was a cowboy--the sheriff to be exact. But, notice baby Murphy wrapped up with her mom-she was their horse!

Now, I guess I just have to wait 364 more days until I finally get to take my child trick-or-treating.



Morgan

Scary Little Monsters.

Liam's class party was full of scary little Halloween monsters today.



Aren't they cute?!?



I guess my eyeballs weren't half bad.



I guess the cupcakes weren't half bad either.



Our trick-or-treating party got cancelled. Boo hoo. I guess we'll take Liam around the block once or twice and call it a night. He doesn't under what trick-or-treating is anyway. I just want to get some good pictures and a couple of pieces of candy.

Hope everyone has safe trick-or-treating!

Morgan

Evil Eyes.

We are so ready for the class Halloween party and parade tomorrow!

I decided to find my inner domestic diva and make some homemade evil eyes (i.e., chocolate-covered doughnut holes).



I think they turned out pretty good!

More pictures to follow from the party and trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween!

Morgan

Nap Mat.

A nap mat was also on the list of things I needed to buy Liam for school. I have been searching for just the right nap mat at the right price. I found some adorable custom ones online, but they ran upwards of $150. I just couldn't spend that on a mat for daycare.

I recently found this one at a very reasonable price from www.preciousandprosperous.blogspot.com. I couldn't be happier!

Don't ask me why I'm so excited about this nap mat, but I am.




I mean, how stinking cute is this thing?!?

Snazzy Shoes.

It seems like I've had to buy Liam a ton of new things these past couple of weeks.

One of those things was a new pair of tennis shoes. He can't wear his Roobez to school because the playground wood chips give him splinters.

So, here are Liam's new Keds. I love Keds. I may even get some for myself (and, yes, they'll look totally dorky, but I don't care).




Send hugs and kisses to my sweet baby. He is still on the bumpy road of getting used to school.

Morgan

Week In Review.

The first week of day care is over. Overall, it went about as well as I expected. The first day Liam did fairly well, mainly because I'm pretty sure he thought it was a one time thing, or maybe that he was at Sunday school. Dow dropped him off on Wednesday, and for some reason he doesn't seem to get as upset when his dad drops him off. Thursday and this morning were a different story. Liam got very upset when I dropped him off. Today, he even started crying in the parking lot. He was so upset that one baby brought him a toy and another baby gave him a hug. It breaks my heart to see my baby cry, but it was so sweet to watch these other babies try to comfort him.

His teachers told me that about 10 to 15 minutes after we leave, Liam cheers up and starts playing. In fact, he even finger-painted his first picture. I can't wait to hang it in my kitchen! And, Liam always seems happy when I pick him up. The ladies there are so sweet, which makes me feel much more comfortable sending Liam to this school. I can't really put my finger on it, but this place just has a better feel to me than the other place where we briefly sent Liam when he was an infant. I hope Liam warms up to it and starts to really enjoy making new friends.

The Big Day.

Today was Liam's first day at school (you all know I don't like the "d-word"). Apparently, all went well. He cried for a bit when I first walked him into his room, but as soon as he realized he had new toys to play with, he was off like lightening. He painted his first picture, actually sat still in circle time, played outside, and even napped on a cot!



His teachers said he did exceptionally well for his first day. I'm a proud mommy.

Morgan

The Pumpkin Patch.

Emme and Popi came this weekend, and we had our adventure to the pumpkin patch. Other than the weather being a little warmer than expected, we had a really good time. I've never been to an actual pumpkin patch before, and Liam, mom and I really enjoyed picking out our pumpkins. We rode the hayride, got some caramel apples, and just enjoyed the festivities.

Here are some pictures from our outing.












In other news, Liam starts school on Tuesday. I'll keep you posted on the tear-fest.

Morgan

Tick Tock.

Sorry for my absence, but it has been a busy couple of weeks. We were out of town last weekend, and this weekend Emme and Popi are coming from a visit.

On tap: THE PUMPKIN PATCH.

Yes, my friends, this weekend we are making an hour drive to Clanton, Alabama for a family outing at the pumpkin patch. I see smiles, melt-downs, some overpriced pumpkin purchases, complaints about missing football games, and funnel cakes in my future.

Pictures will follow.

Morgan

Right Concept, Wrong Place.

At least someone in this house is putting their shoes up (just maybe not in the right place).