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The Eyes Have It

A girl this cool demands to be carried!

Today we had Violet's follow-up eye doctor appointment. Remember at her 18-month well-check how she failed her vision screening? Well, today we headed to the expert to see if she would needed glasses or (gasp!) a patch.

I was sweating it big time. We're talking full on sick to my stomach dread as we sat in the waiting area. This sweet girl is just too young for glasses. How would we ever keep them on her head? Would she ever look cute again? (Yes, these are the horrible, shallow thoughts going through my mind.)

Fortunately... the doctor didn't see any problems! Yay! She thought it was probably just a faulty test result the first time around, the machine picking up on Violet's slight astigmatism. She did say that Violet will definitely be near-sighted and need glasses in the future (thanks to her excellent genes), but for the time being (at least the next two years) we are good to go! Thank God! (Seriously, I'm thanking Him big time!) I am so relieved.

Vacation from the Ordinary

This weekend, Matt and I took a little vacation. We didn't travel far and we didn't stay long, but it was exactly what I needed to recharge and refresh.

We left Violet with her grandparents on a bright, sunny Saturday and then headed to Atlanta for a whole day's worth of fun.

Superstar Violet, ready to spend the day being waited on by her grandparents.

First up, lunch with friends before heading to the Fabulous Fox to see Wicked. Lunch outside on the patio was lovely. It was so good to catch up with some of our friends. We've gone from college days to weddings to baby showers with these couples, and it is still bizarre to me that we're now sitting around chatting about jobs and kids. We are getting old. But it's nice to still be on common ground.

Al fresco dining with friends - there's nothing better!

After lunch we headed to the theater, and Wicked was just as good as everyone has raved. Both Matt and I really enjoyed it, and it's always fun to do something outside our usual routine. Heading to the fancy downtown theater definitely qualifies as outside our norm!

After the show, Matt surprised me with a room at the W hotel!

Once again, talk about being outside our norm! The W is super modern and sleek, like nothing we'd ever have in our own home. That's one of the fun things about visiting - we get to live for a night in a decor we'd never have in our own place. The room's color scheme consisted of dark gray (almost black) walls, a purple leather couch, a plum-colored bathroom, bright chrome light fixtures, and a shower in the middle of the room with glass walls and no door. Crazy. And fun.

Swanky lobby ceiling fixture - more shiny chrome.

We checked into the hotel, poked around the pool and bar (we definitely did not have enough cool factor to stick around) and then headed to Grant Park to have dinner with my brother Lukas and Danielle. They've just moved into a new place after their stay in Chile and it was fun seeing their adorable apartment and grabbing some dinner at a restaurant down the street. Poking around their neighborhood reminded me of when we lived in the city, ages ago before we bought our house and had our child and became boring respectable. I love our life now, but I'm glad we have some city living under our belts! Anyway, the four of us shared a wonderful evening together, sharing and laughing and eating. I love my brother and his wife, and I love that I can say that. Over the years we've gone through periods where we've had more in common and less in common, but right now I feel a special closeness... Danielle is heading back to school to start a whole new career path (sound familiar?) and Lukas finds himself in a new job he's trying to navigate (again, heard that before?) so we had a lot to talk about.

We finally retired back to our hotel, enjoyed a good night's sleep uninterrupted by any baby drama, and awoke to the sun reflecting off the glass buildings in downtown. We skipped over to one of our favorite coffee shops, Octane, and shared what might be the yummiest bagel in the history of mornings before finally heading back to Peachtree City to collect our daughter (who didn't seem overly impressed to see us, by the way!)

Octane on a Sunday morning.

It was such a nice break from the usual, I didn't find myself once fretting about work or bemoaning the fact that the weekend was already drawing to a close. It really proves you don't have to go far or spend a week's vacation to get that extra charge in your batteries. It was exactly what I needed, and hopefully it won't be the last time we get to take a mini-vacation away from the ordinary.

You Raise Me Up

There is a story in the Bible that basically goes like this: The people of Israel were in battle against their enemies. Moses, their leader, stood on hill above them, and As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. (Exodus 17: 11-12)


I have so many people holding my arms up for me this year. They are lifting me up in prayer, prayers that I crave, I covet. I'm greedy for them. These prayers, and the people who utter them on my behalf, are keeping my arms steady. They are the reason I'm able to even get up in the morning and face another day.

So to J, a fellow teacher who was brave enough to start a prayer group at our school so we could gather together and lift each other up, thank you. Thank you for emailing me your encouragements and reminders that you are still holding my arms up for me, even as they grow too weary for me to lift on my own. To the small group members I've gotten to know over the last few weeks, thank you for bathing me in your grace and prayers even though we'd never met before. To my sweet friend Jen, thank you for your texts of encouragement, celebrating with me how far I've come (a whole week! my first month!) To those of you who send prayers Heavenward on my behalf, thank you. Keep them coming. I need them, I covet them.

It's been a harder road than I ever imagined. But with so many of you raising me up, I know I'll hold steady until sunset.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

- Josh Groban

Slumber Party with Elmo

Have I mentioned how much Violet loves Elmo? When I spotted these on the cheap at a big box chain store, I couldn't resist buying her a new pair of pj's featuring her favorite pal. She loved them just as much as I suspected she would. In fact, the first night she wore them, she slept a whopping 12 hours straight! I love making my little girl happy!

Violet loved showing us where Elmo was - all over!

She even wanted to share her milk with Elmo!

Around the House

Now that I get a fancy new paycheck, we've been doing some upgrading around the house. This post may not be that interesting to most of you (no Violet pictures, sorry) but I'm feeling a little dorky and want to show off some of the new things we've picked up.

First up, we finally replaced the ugly, outdated light fixtures that were above the garage and by the front door. Improvement? Much. Added bonus - my handyman husband did it all himself!

Before:  ugly, tarnished, gold.

After, by the front door.

And over the garage. Loving the lantern, and it makes cool shadows on the side of the house when it's on.

In addition to these, we continued to support our big box fixer-upper store and bought some new door knobs. The majority of the knobs downstairs had already been replaced when we bought the house, but our bedroom was still sporting the cheap gold look. And let me tell you, I had no idea how expensive door knobs are - what a ripoff! It makes me all the more thankful that the nine in the kitchen/sunroom were already done for us! It will be a while before we replace the ones upstairs. I just don't care that much. (No pictures of these, because even I'm not that interested in looking at them - I'm just glad they all match now.)

Matt also replaced our mailbox, because ours was mysteriously dented one night and the door kept falling open. Again, not exciting enough for pictures, but hey, it deserved a shout out.

Next up, the new bed! Here is the picture Matt sent me after the furniture delivery. Love! It's our first real bed. Now that we've painted and gotten the bed with new covers, the next step is coordinating the rest of our furniture (right now it's a hodge-podge of random pieces) and accent colors. But for now, we're resting comfortably in our new sleigh bed.

Sleeping tight!

And finally, here's the latest addition to our living room. We have a lot of wall space in our living room and it's so neutral-colored it could rival Switzerland so I am loving this new pop of color over the fireplace. I couldn't help but bust out the fall leaves on the mantel to continue the hue, and I love the way the painting brings out the other little touches of red we have around the room. Also, I have this general rule that when Matt and I both agree of something art/decorating-wise, we must immediately follow through, since who knows when that bolt of lightning will strike again.

Anyway, that's the latest from Casa de Loughman. Don't you love the way a few new things can transform your whole space? Have you done any sprucing up lately?

Just Kidding Around

This place is right up my alley! (Ha! See what I did there?!)

We made a little trip to Ikea over the weekend. Alas, our car isn't big enough to haul anything substantial home, so purchases will just have to wait until we can borrow something larger (or at least take out the car seat). But regardless of leaving relatively empty-handed, Violet still managed to have a good time. In fact, she had more fun running around the parking lot for five minutes than she did the entire time we were shopping. Oh, to be a kid again!

Pantry Thief

I tweeted about this over the weekend, and finally captured the proof I needed on camera. Violet is obsessed with sneaking into the pantry and pulling out packets of instant oatmeal, which she then runs around shaking with delight before pretending to pour in her snack bowl. Why?

What a weirdo! (Love her!)

Pause

Violet decided to sport a new hair do the other day - look how grown-up she seems with her hair all pulled back!

Don't let her fool you, she's only pretending she doesn't love the attention. (Note the double ponies she came home from school with.)

Why yes, I am cute, even with a mouth full of food!

I love the fact that I get to eat dinner (aka have someone else cook for me) with my neighbors four nights a week. But sometimes it's nice just to share the table with my two favorite people. On this particular evening, Violet was on a roll, sassing it up (must have been the new hair-do) and making us laugh all over our Chick-fil-a (because when the neighbors aren't feeding us, we spiral into a fast food frenzy - thank God we only have one night off during the work week!) It was one of those small, every day moments that I tried to stop and cherish as it moved by us and through us like water in a stream. As much as I want to push pause on life and just dwell in that happy night forever, I can't, but at least I can treasure my sweet girl's smile.

Sleep Study

You snooze, you lose I win.

Cross your fingers, folks, but I think Violet's sleeping issues are finally behind us. For the last several nights, she has gone straight to bed like the good ol' days. The first sign of a turn-around was when she whimpered when I left the bedroom, but at least I didn't have to pull a Super Nanny and scoot my way out the door - I walked out like the proud and tall homosapien I am. The next night, there wasn't a peep as I left her darkened room. And finally, the crown jewel, when I asked Violet if she was ready for bed the other night, she said yes and led the charge up the stairs and straight into her crib, happy to plop down with Elmo and Night-Night. As an added bonus, she has also stopped waking up in the middle of the night, demanding hours of attention.

I'm not sure what eventually did the trick. The fact that we ditched the night light? Having that darn tooth finally pop through? The dawning realization that The Parents rule this house and she must submit herself to our superior will?

All I know is, I'm sleeping more soundly (well, not really, but it has nothing to do with Violet and everything to do with first grade) and hoping it sticks!

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

We took Violet to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time this weekend. Our neighbor Christian was celebrating his third birthday there in style. I think everyone had a pretty good time! That place is like a mini Vegas for kids, and they have things down to a science, from the kid-friendly games to the way they orchestrate 14 simultaneous birthday parties. Violet spent most of her time going down the slide in the toddle play area... she must have taken a ride down that thing 400 times and showed no signs of stopping (until she had a total Terrible Two meltdown minutes before we headed home. She crashed hard after that!)

A little overwhelmed by all the games, trying to decide where to go first.

Helping dad win some tickets.

Can't tell who had more fun!

This has to be the most awkward first date ever.

My neighbor outdid herself with the homemade Cars cake!

Happy girl.

Georgia Saturday

 

My Bulldog, on a sunny Saturday in September.

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

EDIT: whoops, link is fixed, sorry!

I stumbled across this amazing interview with Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. It's long, but so worth the read. I'm not gonna lie, it had me in tears. This guy was amazing.

The Late Great 18 Month Update

I can't believe Violet is a year-and-a-half already! I also can't believe the date totally passed me by. It wasn't until someone asked me how old she was the other day and I casually replied 18 months that I stopped to check the date and realized, yep, it's finally true. Where do the days go?

So the official stats are: weight - 26.6 lbs (75th percentile), height - 33.5 inches (90th percentile). Based on the roundness of her belly, I'd have guessed she'd be topping out more than she is, but according to the doctor, it's all about posture. Her head circumference, by the way, is also in the 90th percentile, which explains why getting her shirts on is such a struggle. I got to answer negative to all the autism screening questions, which was a relief, and other than her runny nose and congestion, she is in good health.

In the packet of information we got, it suggested moving toddlers out of cribs and into real beds once they reach 35 inches. We are only an inch and a half away from this mark, folks, and there is no way I'm ready to set this tiger loose into the night! No thank you! I didn't even know there was a suggested height for such things, but I guess the fear is that she will learn to climb out once she gets tall enough to swing a leg over the rails? I'm keeping this one locked up tight until she proves she can escape on her own. Thankfully, it doesn't even appear that she's been trying, so we might have a bit more time. I can't even imagine the battles we'll face once Violet can hop out of bed whenever she pleases. Good grief. Banish the thought!

In other news... Violet totally bombed the vision screening they gave her. Once it was over, the nurse casually asked if Matt or I wore glasses. I confirmed both, and a relieved look passed over her face. "Yeah... she failed," was her response. I'm not surprised, and pretty much counted on glasses for Violet as a given one day, but at 18 months?! I have to admit, I am freaking out a little. We're being referred to a pediatric specialist to see what the problem and potential solution might be. At this point, it looks like one of her eyes is stronger than the other, which needs to be corrected lest the weak eye give up altogether. We will know more once we get another appointment, but in the meantime, I'm sad. I feel like once she gets glasses, she'll be wearing them the rest of her life, and 18 months makes for a long, long, four-eyed road ahead of her.

Don't Drink the Water

An idea forms...

World's largest water fountain?

Just a little... bit... closer...

Bliss!