The ugly side of show business

When Taylor and I were visiting my parents in Iowa this past fall, my Mom insisted, INSISTED, on taking Taylor toy shopping. And when I reminded her how spoiled her grandbaby already was, not to mention the lack of space we had in our returning luggage, she simply turned her head, mumbled something under her breath and proceeded to stroll T through the toy aisles, chirping, Pick out WHATEVER you want, baby girl. Your Ya-Ya is going to buy you a special toy. And, of course, Taylor’s eyes and arms darted to the most obnoxious toy in the entire store, a mini-music machine, complete with keyboard, microphone and barking-dog joystick. And my Mom smirked and put it in the cart, as if it was retribution for me picking percussion in band when I was younger. Because nothing’s worse than living under the same roof with an eighth-grade girl who releases her teenage angst while practicing snare drum in her room. Alright, I get it now. Are we even yet?

So Miss T played with her revenge-toy for a good week, and then in typical toddler-fashion, moved onto another treasure to covet for a short amount of time. And after residing quietly in the bottom of the toy-bin for a few months, Taylor pulled out her music machine yesterday to give an impromptu performance for Ruby and I. BUT, someone wasn’t in the mood.

And like any artist who has been heckled or interrupted during a show, Taylor reacted in true diva fashion.

I guess we’re gonna have to work on this sensitivity thing before trying out for American Idol, or else T’s gonna be the kid sobbing her way through the cameras outside the audition, and I’ll be the crazy stage-mom going after the judges with my drumsticks.

Multi talented

Go Bulldogs

So a few nights ago Chris decided to treat his ladies to a night of hoops, by scoring us some tickets to the UNCA Men’s Basketball game. With our local Bulldogs competing against Big South Conference rival Winthrop, and with the Justice Center mostly providing general admission, we got to the game about a half hour early to score some good seats and had a few stadium dogs for dinner. As always, the hotdogs were delicious, and we actually managed to get front row seats right behind the dance squad. And our little girl couldn’t have been happier.

And even though the Justice Center is about the size of the gym I played high school basketball in, the tight quarters allowed lots of noise and action as our local favorites proceeded to thump the opponents. UNCA’s head coach is known for it’s fast-pace of play, which is always fun to watch.

And because the game started at seven and ended around nine, we were worried about Miss T having a come-apart around halftime. But she was a total trooper, and was extremely adorable and lively the entire time. Which I assume was a combo of all the action and the game-time snacks.

We’re adventuring

When Chris and I moved to North Carolina seven years ago, we ultimately became residents of a state that boasts award-winning barbeque, year-round mild weather, mountains and beaches, frequent use of the word y’all and mandatory annual car inspections. And with exception to the last, we were fully aware of what we signed up for, and fully excited for our new, Southern lifestyle. But the last one was a bit elusive to us – Until we got an outrageous bill in the mail because we had been North Carolina-residents for six months and had failed to get our cars inspected. We were all, But we just moved here from IOWA. You know... the HEARTLAND. Go Hawkeyes! And why do you need to inspect my car anyways? And they were all, You owe us $250. Pay it. NOW. And then go get your car inspected. Word to the wise – Don’t mess with the NC-DOT.

And because we are no longer dumb college kids, we now schedule our annual car inspections far in advance of their expiration, and today the Cadillac was due for it’s yearly. And while my wonderful husband usually takes care of all automotive issues, he had a last minute appointment come up and I was put in charge of going to the dealership to get my car inspected. Correction – Taylor and I were going to the dealership. At eight o’clock this morning. And since T’s normal rise-and-shine time is around 7:30, I had to gently wake her up with hugs, kisses and cartoons a bit early in order to get her fed, dressed and ready to leave. Oh, remember the days that you could set your alarm a mere five minutes before you needed to head out the door? And then you have a baby and have to plan all outings at least an hour in advance.

So we left the house at 7:45 and had to fight the morning commute to get to the west side. In the rain. Ugh. And while I miss the convenience of traveling solo, I most certainly do not miss driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic five mornings a week. But, Hey, T and I were on an adventure, and with my giant to-go coffee and bag full of toys with us, we were going to complete our mission with, hopefully, very few tantrums. Because, as I have mentioned, Miss Taylor is a bit irritable in the hours following slumber, and any straying from our normal routine generally prompts a melt-down.

But my girl surprised me. Shocked me, actually. She was such a good girl in the waiting area, and spent the majority of the time exploring the room, checking out all the chairs and nooks and crannies. Oh, and she discovered one of the best magazines of ALL TIME: Highlights.

And after the car inspection was done, I decided to take advantage of being on the west side and treated my little girl to her very first-ever Krispy Kreme donut. And, needless to say, it blew her 21-month old mind.

It’s like a heatwave

Asheville has been blessed with sunshine and mid-sixties weather for the past few days, so Chris and I have been taking advantage of this wonderfulness and bringing Taylor to Azalea Park every afternoon. And may I just say how much fun T is at the park now. Last year at this time, she would just sit in the baby-swing and look at everyone, but now, NOW she is running around all over the place and testing out all of the equipment ALL BY HERSELF.

And while her love of the slide keeps her attention for a few rounds, after about 15 minutes in the tot-lot, T’s eyes start wandering over to the big kid area and all of the loudness and out-of-controlness that comes with it.

And even though she can still go up and down the stairs to the big castle and cross the draw-bridge, the majority of the curvy slides, monkey bars, fireman poles, rope swings and tire shoots are still a bit out of her league. And THAT drives her bonkers.

But we still manage to have a good time.

No shirt. No shoes. No problem.

Looking through some of the recent pictures I’ve taken of Taylor, I’ve noticed an emerging fashion trend for our toddler:

And just so you don’t think we encourage nakedness in the wintertime months, let me tell you that the reason T is topless for our latest pictures is mostly due to us taking her shirt off when she eats dinner. Because if you have seen my daughter eat, you know her love of food and how fast and furiously she’ll shovel it in her mouth. And to cut down costs on stain-stick around our house, we just strip her down and let her paint her body with that night’s entree.

And after we finish eating and cleaning up, Taylor always refuses to put her shirt back on. She actually runs away from it going, NOOOOOO! And since we’re only an hour or so from bedtime at that point, we just let her run around half naked because, A. It’s not worth a tantrum, B. We love marveling at how big her belly is, and C. It allows good tickling opportunities.

Elliot turns two

Miss Taylor’s BFF, Elliot, turned two this past weekend, so Saturday afternoon we went over to the Scully house to celebrate. Paige and Danny threw their birthday girl a dance party themed bash, complete with sequins, cupcakes and lots of lots of boogying.

As you can see, it was a serious cuteness overload. Elliot was so jazzed about her birthday party, and when it was time to sing Happy Birthday and blow out her candles, she just stopped and savored every second. AH! My precious Elly-bean has turned into a little girl.

And then it came time for presents, and I don’t know who was more excited to open the gifts, the birthday girl or T.

So let me take a quick moment to explain the present we got Elliot – An inflatable Sesame Street themed ball pit. I know Elliot pretty well, and the girl is OBSESSED with Elmo and the gang. And, Yes, it is a rather large present, not to mention that I have silently been cursing my parents EVERY DAY for buying Taylor that gigantic Dora the Explorer tent for Christmas, but the moment I saw it I knew that Elliot HAD TO HAVE IT.

Here is a photo-montage and narration of Elliot and Taylor when the birthday girl opened her gift from us:

T: Dude. I can’t wait for you to open this... You are gonna FREAK OUT.
E: Really? Is it better than the new kickball I just got?

T: Uh, YEAH. It’s AWESOME! Can you see it? Do you know what this is? Do. You. Know. What. THIS. IS?
E: Seriously, calm down, Tee-Tee. Let me finish opening it...

E: OH MY GOD! Is this for real? Elmo? Big Bird? Lots of small rubbery balls? This is the best present I’ve ever got!

T: Told you so, buddy. Happy birthday!
E: Love ya, man.

Sorry, Paige and Danny. I fully expect you to pay us back in April. BUT, just think of all the giggles and squeals our little girls will have with it over the next few months. You’ll be thanking me later. Maybe.