Happy Holidaze

Well, Its been a while since I've (Roman) checked in on the Corral. So what better a time than to submit photos from Christmas. The photos are in no particular order but are cute nonetheless. Instead of bringing Crumpton Christmas to Raleigh (where we would ultimately spend Christmas) we celebrated it on Dec 23 in Charleston; Just Mel, Corinne and I. We (Mel, Corinne, Chloe, Terra, and I) went to Raleigh on Christmas eve and stayed till Friday the 28th. We had a wonderful time. We left the midgets one afternoon with he grandparents and went to the movies. Made several trips to the grocery (they have Bell's beer in Raleigh now), and Derek had buddies over for a night of "Roman gives his money to strangers", or as most people call it-POKER.

WHAT A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Derek and Amy for the Hospitality, Gus and Owen for being such good cousins, Pappy and gj for the presence (presents), and everyone involved for such a wonderful time. Enjoy the pics.

Hows appropriate! Pappy (the CPA) giving a little financial lesson to Corinne.

Save, Save, Save!

Uncle Dude with the boyzz (Gus and Owen)

Christmas Morning

Corinne dressed up in her Christmas outfit.

Her stockings were so cute especially when she pooted- Her ankles swelled up ;)


Cousins! (notice Gus' attire- Lizard Boots and Firemans Hat)

Oh My God! itsa, itsa, itsa....

gj and Baby Corinne

So Happy Together

Cousins after Church

(no the boys aren't zombies-the red eye remover tool sucks)

Notice the Pug wrapping... Gee wonder who sent that Auntie A

Auntie A's puppets are a big hit. Got yer nose...

Corinnes attempt to "play along" with the whole Christmas thing was futile. I think she liked eating the bows the best.

Warm wishes

Since our last post, we've been busy getting ready for the holiday season. Corinne attended her first ever Oyster Roast at our friend Berta's. For anyone not familiar with an oyster roast, they are quite possibly our favorite pasttime during the Charleston winters. Prying open steaming hot oysters with blunt oyster knives (without gloves, of course) on a cold night leaves numb hands that need a raging fire to get warm. The hot sauce helps add some heat, too, if you're so inclined. Corinne loved the dogs. Berta has 3 big labs that would happily send a sloppy kiss her way. As you can see, she was eager to join them in their dog run.
We also attended the grand Folly Beach Christmas parade on Saturday along with a holiday parade party from friends from work, Tara and Brad with little Elliott. Many of the children at Tara's were infants. Corinne had a blast with new toys, new people, new stimuli. Corinne decided she wanted to join the parade.

The parade started at nap time, so she didn't last very long. Can you see the obvious whine starting here?

Corinne wasn't much help trying to put up the tree this year. She kept trying to eat it. It couldn't taste that good. I did some figuring and realized that I have had this artificial tree since I lived on my own in Glasgow in 1995! Hard to believe the fake fronds are still hanging on. But, hey, it works!

Roman is ending his last week away for work. Lucky for us gj came down for another bonding week with Corinne. Poor gj. It seems every time she visits the grandkids somebody is sick! Corinne has been battling a fever and vomiting all week. This is the first time we've had to really deal with her not feeling well to where she wouldn't (and couldn't) eat anything. Her spirits have been fairly low with whimpering (and an occasional whine). Of course, we would swim across the Atlantic and back for her if it would make her smile and feel better. After being vomited on for the third time, Mom and I headed to the Pig for popsicles and Pedialyte. Hopefully we'll see her perk up soon.

We're also hoping for some cool, wintery weather. I drove down Folly Road Tuesday listening to 'Frosty the Snowman' on the (cheezy) Christmas radio station with my AC cranked. I kid you not. It was 80 degrees outside. Ahhhhh!

Hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit in your area. Until the next post..... Happy Holidays!

Many Thanks

Ahhh...the relaxing of Thanksgiving, eating large, melting into the couch like so much syrup. We've had a wonderful break just enjoying the daily routine without the hustle of the work week. Corinne babbles more and more these days, the majority of which is 'dadadadadadadada." I'm desperately trying to get that mmmmm sound in there :-) She's really imitating sounds, too. One of her favorites is the "Ah-oh" sound. She'll sing song this over and over to herself. This is one of the more popular spots which usually warrants one of those "Ah-oh's" from mama.


Roman aided the fellow fishermen of Edenton, NC last week as they stocked striped bass 'stripers' to their local waterways. He compared the small town to Beaufort, very quaint and historic. Meanwhile, Pappy and gj were enjoying hanging out in Charleston with the girls. Thanks again to Mom and Dad for helping us out.


Roman only works with 4 other people at the Hatchery, so everyone pulls a holiday shift at some point. He opted to work for Thanksgiving so he can relax with Corinne for her first Christmas and New Year's. We headed to Mt Pleasant to join Joel and Suzi's crew. There's never a shortage of fried turkey, Mandy's butternut squash, Nougettina (sp?) dessert, beer, wine, and extra kids to play with Corinne.

Ka-BOOM!

Jodi and Katie are being prepped for babysitting.

Christopher is thinking PROM in a few years :-)

We are so thankful to have so many good friends. Hope everyone enjoyed time with their friends and family as well. Gobble, gobble!

Walkin???

You see for yourself-
These vids were taken on the night before her 10 month b-day (11-9-07) Sorry for the delay in posting.





On one of the attempts, Corinne fell and hit her tooth/lip to my knee while recording the video and she's been a bit "gunshy" of walking ever since. At this point crawling is not only more efficient, but safer too!

Boogie Fever

The change in the weather seems to have nabbed us all lately. While we have been lucky enough (so far) not to develop pneumonia, the seasonal stuffy head, cough, and chest congestion has run its course through Corinne and me. How does Roman manage escape all of these maladies?!

We picked Corinne up from daycare several days last week for fever and wondered if it was the two more teeth she's cutting not just illness. (This makes #6 and #7).

We headed to a baby shower this past Saturday that was held at a clubhouse overlooking the Folly River. It was a beautiful night. Many of the couples had young children around Corinne's age. I got my first taste of chasing a fast moving baby all night long. Whew. I swear, she could not and would not be stopped. And she did NOT want to be held. We danced to Mystic Vibrations, a reggae band, and Corinne got her first taste of a live performance.

It was great to see old friends, too. Amy and Chris were up from Jacksonville. They lived in our house before we moved in. Glad to hear they are happy and prosperous!

Roman is off to Edenton, NC to play with more fish. Pappy and gj will arrive to save the day again.

Happy Halloween!

What happened to all the trick-or-treaters? Each year we get a littering of treaters at our door, but this year was even worse. We had 4 boys all at least 13 years or older. Corinne gave them some candy and that was the extent of our Halloween. She did dress in costume for daycare though. I think she knew she was wearing a tutu.

Thanks to Mimi for the costume!

The next star of Swan Lake seen here in her studio.

Daddy didn't look quite as cute.

Hope everyone had a fun night!

gj visits

Last week Roman worked in Kentucky leaving me to face life as a single mom for a week. I wasn't too keen on the idea, and lucky for me, gj wanted to visit and help out. Mom stepped out of her comfort zone and drove the distance with Sayla riding shotgun. Way to go, Jane! She quickly found out how fast Corinne can make it to the dogs' water bowl, to the toliet paper under the bathroom sink, and to your pant legs begging to be picked up.

Mom got to witness the arrival of Corinne's 5th tooth and help her master the art of sipping from a sippy cup. Corinne loved the apple juice and began smacking her lips together in delight. She now smacks her lips in anticipation of her next meal or snack. Now we're introducing the toothbrush. She loves how it feels on her gums. I always check to see if there is a gnoothbrush on her toothbrush. Any Suess fans out there?

We had a grand week dining out several nights and shopping for fall clothes. I don't know how I could have managed without the extra hands. Thanks so much, gj, for all of your hard work. Hopefully, we didn't wear her out too badly. She needs her strength as she heads north...On the road again...to the other grandchildren!

Firsts of the Season

It's that year again. The year of the pecans. Every other year our pecan trees provide us with bushels and bushels of yummy pecans. It usually takes us all winter to pick up the backyard. The neighbor kids down the street that used to help us out moved last year. Corinne, can you say "child labor?" Ha. Chloe and Terra join in the fun and choose to eat the pecans that we've already picked up and placed in the wheel barrow. They could at least help us out with the ones on the ground! Chloe particularly dines on pecans as long as you'll let her stay outside.


Now that the weather has finally turned cooler, we can break out the sweaters and afghans. Mimi just sent a fun package with a beautiful new crocheted sweater & hat set. She needed it today as our high reached a mere 62. Perfect timing and perfect stitching, Mimi! They both fit just right.

Corinne would like to introduce you to her first pumpkin. Mom and Dad carved away this weekend making sure that the teeth in the pumpkin reflected Corinne's mouth. She's now cutting her fifth tooth.
Next up...Halloween pics. Trick or treat, folks!

Finished Floors

Roman finished the final trimwork on the fl0ors last week. Whew! Are we glad to be done with this project. He did such a great job. We spend most of our time on the floor now with Corinne and it's so nice to scoot around on a clean, new floor. Here are a few samples of his handiwork:

What's Your Vector, Victor?

Corinne is progressing at unbelievable rates!!! She is free standing, and happy about it. This video shows some of her new tricks

Cute, huh?

Corinne has also earned a new nickname; Vector. That is she carries everything contagious back home from daycare. There's been multiple cases of the common cold, thrush, etc... Most recently when dropping her off in the morning the teachers warned Melanie of a new pathogen infecting not only kids but the 'rents too. Interestingly, in a matter of 24 hours Mel had caught the bug: vomiting, nausea, tired, etc. At the same time Dad caught another version of the common cold (we'll call it 4.0). While Mel's illness only lasted 24 hours, Dad is still battling his and Corinne managed to defeat all! Go figure!?!?

This photo was taken the night Dad began feeling sick-wonder why?

Corinne, happy and feelin' good

Energizer Bunny

Eventually that bunny has to sleep! Corinne enjoys daycare so much that she is exhausted when we arrive home each day. I watch for the window of opportunity to feed her or we end up with a high chair zombie like this.

Corinne enjoys feeding herself contrary to this picture. We're using sign language to encourage her to ask for more food. It could be she's learned a little because she claps (indicative for our 'more' sign) when she's ready for more. Of course, she's also slamming both palms onto the high chair tray which usually ends up slapping the spoon full of food out of our hands all over everywhere. Chloe stands post the minute we move her chair over to begin. At least I don't have to sweep the floor each meal. :-)

Corinne just received a good report card from her 9 month check-up. We are really trying to keep exposing her to new situations. She's had some fun playdates with new friends lately. Chrissy and her little Isabella stopped in one afternoon.

We also head to various state and county parks to walk and play with Michelle and young Cieley. This afternoon at Charles Towne Landing was one of the first cool ones this fall.

Roman and I are so over the heat down here. A few cool days this weekend teased us. The mosquitos aren't dead yet, so it's not cold enough for me. Roman has officially finished the floors and the trimwork. We'll get some photos of his handywork up soon.

Make it a great week! Melanie

Goin' Mobile

Sorry for the delay in posts-but do we have a treat for you, faithful followers of Corinne's cult.








So, as you can see Corinne is becoming quite agile. She's quick like lightning and can manage the small step down in the house just fine. She is a complete JOY!!!!!
Oh yeah-She's cut her third tooth (top).
Hope everyone has enjoyed!

Busy Bee

Corinne is very mobile now, crawling towards everything. Once she arrives at her destination, she immediately pulls up to standing position. The dogs are wonderful with her and surprisingly tolerant. While Terra doesn't encourage Corinne to seek her out, she allows Corinne to pull her ears and succombs to a body hug now and then. Chloe on the other hand, loves all of the attention from Corinne. They are quickly becoming partners in crime.

Who me?!

Wait up, Chloe! I'm coming!

Still a great eater, Corinne now wants to take charge of mealtimes by feeding herself. Just when I thought we had the mealtime feedings down pat, now we'll need to change gears and plan for foods that she can pick up and eat.

More stars, please. In the blue corner, weighing in at 19 lbs 9 oz...