Relief!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a Relief!!!

Upon Corinne's last doctor visit we once again mentioned our concern for Corinne's constant runny nose and nighttime cough. For the past year (yes, it started last August) the doctor has suggested that it is just a minor cold and an artifact of her being in daycare. Honestly, Mel and I were a bit skeptical. Well it has not stopped with her not attending daycare this summer so the doctor suggested removing items from her crib and trying to isolate the "allergy" (i.e. wool, satin, etc). After Corinne has been sleeping with absolutely nothing in her crib except a blanket (a different one every night) nothing seemed to work. Then a couple of weeks ago we were invited to dinner with our friend 'Berta. She suggested we stop using fabric softener and BAM!!! that was the culprit- no more pics or videos of snot rockets to spoil Corinne's baby pictures

-THANKS 'BERTA!

P.S. 'Berta's from Michigan

Young 2's

Corinne has started back to daycare and Melanie is back at work. To our surprise Corinne has been moved up to another room called "Young 2's". We like to think that our daughter has moved up due to her capacity for learning/maturity/advanced manners, but something tells me it was a logistical choice made by the daycare-you make the call ;)

As I was writing this blog, Melanie called me in a mournful tone. Apparently Corinne cried this morning being dropped off at daycare. I'm sure it won't be the last time-Better you than me, Mel.

Thanks Aunt Angie for the books they are soooooo cute!

Best Friends-Chloe is so patient when Corinne wants to put goggles on her

Four of these bad boys grew in our landscaping this year, no doubt from our compost!

Corinne's favorite pasttime-reading, thanks Pappy

Playmates

My time at home with Corinne this summer is about to come to an end. Honestly, it has been a challenge and an adjustment for me to keep her entertained and socialized as well as occupied while I attempted to get stuff done at home. Going back to daycare will be bittersweet. She is really asserting herself as the 'two's' begin to settle in. Roman and I agree that we're going to have to get tough with her now. We'll have to endure some screaming tantrums. Ah, lovely.

While Corinne seems to have a strong will, she isn't overly obstinate about getting her way. I'm learning the art of letting her think she's getting her way :-)

Corinne's favorite playmates are the dogs. She loves to hug and kiss all over them. They love her mealtimes. I loved watching the two of them playing (and, ahem, sharing) Corinne's snack. Just for a quick translation, Corinne is calling 'Ah-ee, Ah-ee' which is her version of 'Chloe.'
We can no longer enjoy the computer by ourselves now. When she gets really quiet, I get worried. Here's where I found her the other day:

The young navigator

Just chillin'

There is no shortage of books at the house, and she loves to curl up with a book either by herself or with us.

Enjoy the weekend!

Dog Days

Wow! Is it already the end of July? Where did the time go? After traveling around most of June, we settled in to the slow, humid days of July here in Charleston and have been enjoying as many outdoor water actvities as possible. Corinne loves the beach. She's content to eat sand and build castles as well as charge forward into the waves. Splash Zone is another outdoor favorite. I have to say that this one is Mama's favorite! I love taking her down the slides and for a relaxing ride on the lazy river.

Corinne's language skills grow daily. As they say of small children, their little brains are sponges soaking up much more than you might think. She's even beginning an interest in 'potty' talk. She now knows what her diaper is and what goes in it! :-) During the day, she'll approach me tugging at her diaper telling me what's in it. Of course, I rushed out to purchase some training potties hoping to expedite the process. (Sigh) But, no. She wants to carry it around the house and won't sit on it. It'll be slow going, I'm sure, since she is so young. But she didn't learn to walk in a week, either!

We seem to get lucky with our neighbors getting rid of toddler items. This time, a Fisher Price Outdoor Castle playground was left by the road for trash day. Yep. Roman and I could be seen at 10:00pm walking up and down our street carrying huge plastic walls into our yard. It's perfect! Corinne is all about the slide. See for yourself:



Lastly, Roman and I have been discussing the need for a new car for months now and yesterday we finally did it! We are the proud owners of a new Subaru Outback. Yes, we are now a Two-baru family.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Delightful Tess

As usual, we all had a grand time watching young children rip and roar through various activities while on a visit to Derek and Amy's home in Raleigh. This particular trip had Mom and Dad visiting at the same time. Tess was a highlight of the weekend as we all delighted in watching her squeal and grin at the chaos occurring around her. She just lights up at our antics easily making us act as foolish as possible to earn one. She is finding her voice amidst 3 older siblings/cousins, four family dogs, and the adults. The weekend culminated with her dedication at the church. The rarity of having all of the Rutledge families together made it even more special.

Pappy: (sigh)

Tess: Mmmmmm watermelon. Just a liiiittle closer there, gj.

Uh, hmm. GUS has my watermelon, gj!

Weekend highlights included:

*wrestling with Pappy and Uncle D

*eating watermelon and ice cream

*riding, no sitting in the red wagon

*wheeling around in new big wheels

*addition of new and exciting headgear for Gus (there's not a pic of him all weekend without the helmet!)

*watching Uncle D-man swat hundreds of flies

Goodbye, Fireman's Hat!

Gus-man to the rescue!

Serious discussion

Things that help keep the adults sane:

*refrigerator full of good beer

*Derek's homemade strawberry daquiris

*Roman's Sweet tea vodka

Flies, Beware!

Love you all!

Pigtails

What child doesn't look adorable in pigtails? We've had quite a time keeping any hair accessories on Corinne, yet she seemed to tolerate the pigtails the first day we tried them. Roman and I chuckled as they flapped up and down with her busy running around.

We just returned from a weekender in Raleigh with Derek's family. Mom and Dad joined as well. I'll post those very soon.

Ah, dirt!

The first day back from vacation is always foggy. I'm trying to get too much done, trying to rest and acclimating to the home again. Corinne wanted to play outside early, and I was more than happy to have her entertain herself for a little bit. As I cleaned the kitchen I watched her playing in the dirt outside. Ah, dirt. Thank you for babysitting my daughter. She is having a blast digging into you and oh...

...eating you!

How 'bout a kiss?

The Road Warriors

School ended once again, so Corinne and I kicked off the summer with our annual girls' road trip. First stop was Greeneville to check in with the Bensons. Corinne had her first encounter with the backyard kiddie-pool. Trina is the queen of backyard water areas. After this trip and a birthday 'spray play' party that we attended (prior to the trip) I am set with ideas for keeping cool (and entertained!) for the summer daze.

We also loaded the kids for a trip to Greeneville Zoo. It was funny to watch which areas the kids enjoyed most. Wesley is a regular tour guide. Max just chuckles and moves with the crowd. Corinne enjoyed pushing the stroller and climbing in and out the wagon hundreds of times.

They all came together at the goat pens. After we convined Corinne and Max that these weren't 'those' kinds of cookies, they stopped eating them and fed the goats, too. It was a mere 100 degrees in the shade that day, but no one cared.

Trina, Wesley, and Max.

On the road to Asheville we were able to stop by the Benson's new family denistry office. Hats off to Benson for starting his own practice. The place looks great, and I know things are off to a good start.

Asheville was a quick overnighter to store up for the Kentucky road the following day. Harlan kept everyone on their toes; if we missed, a growl from Corinne told us that we need to find out exactly what he's into.

Harlan is quite the mischievious one. One toss of that curly head and a smirky grin and we
could only shake our heads. He's very liberal with hugs, too!

This was my first Kentucky trip where I was able to get Corinne with many children her age and visit with old high school friends and their children. Most days consisted of a park/swing visit with a water/pool afternoon. Corinne has really taken to the water and fought for the right to swim on her own at the pool. I thought I might deter her a little by immersing her in the water, but no. She was energized.

Corinne and gj dig into the bubbles.

Once again Corinne and Maren were able to play each day of our visit. Jane Layton purchased this blow up pool with a slide and spray.

(Sorry, Corinne, this is one of those 'aw, mom!' photos).

We had to miss Father's Day with Roman, but she called him that morning to wish him love. She was almost able to say 'love you' with the expanding vocabulary she was picking up over the week. She had no problem with 'Pappy' nor 'Sayla'. She even finally acknowledged me as 'mama'. Whew. It was worth the wait. We'll have to get a video of her talking.

As usual, I just love to get away from home for awhile. Get into everyone else's world for awhile. A warm hug for all of my hosts and hostesses this past week. We had a great road trip!

Melanie & Corinne