Busy, Busy, Busy!

So...yeah the last couple of days have been ridiculous. Isn't this supposed to be a "break"?

My aunt Pam was supposed to fly in from Virginia on Saturday, as is her custom, to spend the Christmas break with us. She hasn't seen Charlotte in like, forEVER, so we were super excited...until whoever is in charge of the weather decided to dump fifty thousand inches of snow on the Northeast. Even though WE knew the storm was coming by like, last Wednesday, the airlines apparently missed the memo and were woefully underprepared. When Pam's flight was canceled on Saturday, we were disappointed, though not especially surprised. No big, though, they rescheduled her for the same flight Sunday.

Sunday rolls around, we get up, get the baby ready, check the flights...and, about an hour before her flight was due to take off, it's canceled again. So we wait...and wait...and wait...poor Pam is stranded in Washington National Airport until like 10 pm that night, all to be told that she can basically wait until Wednesday for the next available flight or...wait until Wednesday for the next available flight.

So it's Tuesday, and we're crossing our fingers that nothing happens tomorrow!

In other news, we had new floors put down on Monday, thanks to my incredibly awesome in-laws! Here are a few pictures...please ignore the clutter; we're still moving things back into place.

Today, Tara and I went and got tattoos (we're klassy, ya'll). She mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she wanted a new one: 3 stars to represent her daughter and two step-children. I'd wanted on with Charlotte's name or initials for a while, despite my husband's inquiry about whether I was going to forget about her. Whatever. So after wanting this for over a year, I figured it was something I really wanted, and decided to go for it. The design is Charlotte's initials, CEW, in the shape of a heart. It takes a minute to see it, so it just kind of looks like a zig-zaggy heart until you see the letters. I pretty much drew the design myself, after seeing another intials/heart design, and then the tattoo guy tweaked it until it was the way I wanted it. I will admit that I had a totally different picture in mind when I went in there, but it just wasn't working. I must say, however, I am quite pleased with the final product!

Here are some pictures from our day!

Tara's stars:

Waiting for my turn:

My turn!

The outline:

All Done!

The finished product--the pic is small, but you get the idea.

Mommy's Little Helper

Well, with 13(ish) days until Christmas, I finally got my Christmas tree up! Charlotte was, as usual, lots of help:

The past week or so with her has been...interesting. I don't know if it's the teeth, or her attempting to assert herself and test her limitations, or what it is, but she has been one big ball of fussy baby. Crying, screeching, unhappy, fussy baby. The teeth are definitely part of the equation, that much I do know. I wish I could make it stop...none of the remedies that other moms have suggested seem to work with her. Poor baby.

On the other hand, she's like the cutest fussy child ever. Tonight she was playing in her room after her bath, and she found her shoes on the shelf of her dresser. She grabbed a sandal, plopped down on the floor, and tried to put it on her foot. A few minutes later, after I finally wrangled her into her pajamas, I decided that her feet were cold and she needed socks. So I got them out, and went to put one on...and she picked up the other one and tried to stick her foot in it! I have no idea if she's supposed to "know" that her shoes and socks go on her feet at 14 months, but I think it's adorable.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

OK, I know that was maximum cheese...but I can't help being a little cheesy. While Charlotte is far from old enough to really know what's going on around her, she's learning so much every day, and having lots of fun with the lights and sounds of Christmas that are going on around her. Tonight we took her to her very first Christmas parade--I'm not sure she had any idea what she was watching, but she was very intent on every float that went by. A couple of "floats" consisted of people walking dogs, and she lit up like the Christmas lights when she saw them--she's definitely Brian's daughter!

I've got some pictures, but first, in other news--we have not one but TWO new teeth! Molars this time, which probably explains why she's been a bit on the bratty side this week; I've heard that molars are particularly uncomfortable when they're coming in. Thankfully I don't remember my own experience.

Baf Time!

Everyone tells me to enjoy Charlotte while she is this age...and I agree, it's so neat to watch her grow and learn new things every day. Sometimes it's almost like you can see the light go on in her eyes when she "gets" something new. But let me tell you, it's not all cuteness and new learning--Charlotte is developing her own little personality, and she's QUITE independent. The last couple of days have been interesting, to say the least.

I think the worst part for her is that she has so much going on in her head, and she can't communicate it to me. You can tell in the way that she babbles--her tone of voice and facial expressions are quite intent. She knows exactly what she's saying, even if no one else does! I wish I knew what was going on in her head! I think the next couple of months (years???) will really test me as a parent. I hope I pass! In the meantime...it's bathtime Moo!

The Best Thing About Today...

Is that I finished my last ESOL class, and I am now DONE with my 300-hour endorsement!

That's about the only good thing I can say about today.

Oh....and it's over. Whee.

The End of an Era

So...after a dramatic roller-coaster ride of a season, Bobby Bowden has announced his retirement from the position of head football coach at Florida State University. He has been a fixture at the school for the 34 seasons he served as head coach, and it's a sad day for many of us to see him go.

To those of you out there running off at the mouth about "good riddance" and the like, I say to you that Bobby Bowden has done more for the game of college football than almost any other coach out there, certainly more than any University of Florida coach ever did. It's easy to come into a position as coach and ride out a winning season, it's easy to resign when the going gets tough, but it is NOT easy to build a championship program from the ground up and see it through for 34 seasons.

I know there are plenty of people out there ready to point fingers at some of the troubles that the team has faced in the last years, and I'll be the first to agree. To those members of the team who participated in the events that led to the loss of 13 (I think?) wins over the last few seasons, shame on you. I know it's only the most recent in a series of scandals and disappointments in FSU's football program, but still. It's bad enough to cheat, but then, when you get on the field and act like a second-rate team no on'e ever heard of, it really begs the question--what's the point here? Why strut around acting all big and bad like you're SO athletically talented that you can't be bothered with a simple music theory class if you're not going to prove it on the field? Who do you think you are, Deion Sanders? Let's be honest here, people--I took that very same Music Theory for Non-Majors class. If you showed up, you passed it. There is NO reason to cheat, and for anyone to do so is not just ridiculous, it's downright shameful. But don't just be ashamed at having so little self-respect that you cheat in a freshman-level cakewalk, be ashamed that you let down your supporters, those boosters who donate the millions of dollars that allow you to participate in the program you are in, and the fans who spend their hard-earned money to buy tickets and travel to watch you play. Be ashamed that you let down your teammates and your coaching staff. Be ashamed that you let down the head coach that built the program that you've snubbed, that gave you the opportunity to not just get an incredible education, but to play a sport you love for a team that has a tremendous history and legacy.

I say at this point, Bobby Bowden should be allowed to leave on his own terms, in his own time. Jimbo whatshisname can wait until bloody 2015 if he needs to; there wouldn't BE a Florida State football program for him to inherit without the man he's so eager to replace. If Bobby wants to give his critics the middle finger, or ride Renegade around the stadium in a loincloth and ceremonial headdress, or die on the damn field, I say that it's his prerogative. At this point, the man has earned the right to do any damn thing he pleases.

Don't get me wrong, Florida State is a beautiful university with hundreds of amazing academic programs, but let's face it: the school is on the map because of Bobby Bowden's contributions to its football program. It's often hard for us "academics" to accept that we owe much of our financial backing to the athletic programs, but there's really no denying it. In this case, I don't mind so much. For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of Florida State football, and I never wanted to attend any other university. The two have always been linked for me, in a large part because of Bobby Bowden. I've never been ashamed to support the Florida State Seminoles, even in losing seasons, even when we lose to Florida or Miami, because no matter what we did, we always did it with class, and I felt like that meant something.

I suppose that's enough for now. I'm so sick and tired today of hearing crap from people--mostly Gator fans, and most of whom have never even set foot on the University of Florida campus--all the smack talk only goes to show that they will never in their lifetimes have the class that Bobby Bowden has in his little finger. Bobby...you will be missed.