It's GREAT to be a
Tennessee Vol!

Tennessee Basketball Vols made it to the Elite 8 for the first time in history. Unfortunately, the buck stopped there. They lost by 1 point and didn't advance to the Final 4. We are proud of them for going as far as they did and Daddy decided we should go to the airport and show our support.. and set the good example of supporting our team win or lose. We got the opportunity to meet up with many of the players and the head coach even held Grace Anne. To top the night off, two local news channels asked for our interview... so, Grace Anne was quite the star. Check out the news clips and pictures below!

Grace Anne and Coach Bruce Pearl

Grace Anne and Steven Pearl

Swiperboy, Liz, Grace Anne, and Emmanuel Negedu

Bobby Maze holding Grace Anne

Hopkinsville, KY native Scotty Hopson

Skylar McBee holding Grace Anne

JP Prince, Grace Anne and sick Mommy

Interview with WATE news
Click: Video of Interview

Interview with WVLT news
Click: Unedited Video of Interview

And one worn out baby!

"Grace Anne"...
Her name is "Grace Anne"..
we call her "Grace Anne"
(not Grace, not Gracie, it's GRACE ANNE)

So it didn't bother me too much at first.. I wasn't totally annoyed by the thought that Grace Anne might one day be something besides Grace Anne... Kris on the other hand was adamant about calling her Grace Anne and correcting those who referred to her as anything other. Well then she arrived and we called her Grace Anne, the name was fitting.. she's worthy of a double name and now I am just as adamant. I feel bad correcting people at times, but Kris insists that we correct them ASAP! So, please call her Grace Anne and save our nerves! (You'd think the whole Double Name concept was something new and completely crazy... its not.. its been going on for centuries-- unfortunatly with all the soap opera names and nick names people forget that our precious baby is deserving of BOTH names and she should be called Grace Anne. So like it or not, respect our wishes and call the little one by her name.)

Another pet peeve we've encountered again this week is the bow situation. I love the big bows, I think they are precious and I love the headbands. She may hate bows one day, she may fight me to keep them in her hair and on her head, but at 4 months old she doesn't seem to mind them and I think they are sweet. I know not everyone shares this opinion.. and I know that some of her bows are rather large... BUT if I wanted randoms opinions on how to dress my child (bow or not) I would ask for them.. and I'm warning you now.. I don't need nor want your opinion on how my child needs to be dressed. So, lady at Kroger take note if you happen to be reading this blog (which I'm sure you aren't because you are a complete stranger)! Oh yeah and Kroger lady-- the bow is not as big as her head, thank you.. maybe half the size... but still!

Okay, sorry for the built up rage-- I'm just passionate about a few things ... :)

Last night we took a little trip to the ER at Children's Hospital. Grace Anne has had some poo-issues and seems to have a tear from straining. Nothing too serious luckily and we have a few tricks up our sleeves to alliviate pain and heal the tear. The picture above is her drinking apple juice in the hospital room.. she loved it!

On a lighter note, this morning Daddy got a text from Granddaddy and Grandy saying there was an Easter Egg hunt for Grace Anne in our guest room. As odd as it sounds, it was quite clever! When Granddaddy and Grandy came to visit a few weeks ago they hit an Easter present for Grace Anne. Since Grace Anne is only 4 and 1/2 months old, Mommy and Daddy had to search for it. It took them a little while... I suppose that we've gotten out of practice in our old age (since we are soooo old). But, the surprise was a precious Easter outfit we had seen at a boutique when they were in town! She will look fabulous in it this upcoming holiday!!


We did get a jogging stroller! We really can't jog until she is 6 months and has even more neck control, but the doctor said that walking was fine and we also have the added support to help her stay still. The pictures above are from our first time trying out our new jogger!

Oh and the VOLS are in the elite 8 and play tomorrow afternoon, and the little kitty cats from KY are headed home!

the slobber machine is... on.

As nasty as it sounds, its so true. We went to the doctor for the 4 month check up (10 days late because we changed doctors). The new doctor couldn't have said it better than..."there is something about the 4th month, the slobber machine just turns itself on." Grace Anne lives up to that statute for sure!
She weighted in at a whooping 12 lbs and 7 oz.! She is now in the 19th percentile for weight. She measured 24 inches long (which is good news for her owl outfit from Kristen because it fits--length wise atleast!) and that made for 32nd percentile for length. Basically, she is still our little runt! But, she is really growing in our eyes! And the picture above looks like she has a double chin... promise she doesn't at all!
The doctor had nothing but good news and wonderful report on the health of the little one. She handled the toe prick with smiles and giggles, but the 3 shots weren't as smooth. The first shot brought on a quivering lip and by the second one she was all out screaming and balling her eyes out. Luckily the nurse was quick and she was safe in Mommy's arms within minutes. She calmed down quickly and was asleep by the time we got to the car. She hasn't had a fever (we dosed up on Tylenol beforehand this go 'round), but she has been a little grumpy. The picture below shows her little band-aids. The one on her toe came off ASAP since she puts her feet in her mouth so much-- we don't want any late night visits to the ER!

The picture below shows her trying to scoot. I'm going to try to upload a video of her scooting and grunting!

Spring has sprung...

Well... the time has changed, the days are longer, and the calendar says its Spring... and the best part.. it feels like SPRING! We've enjoyed walking every pretty day! Some days its just Grace Anne and Mommy.. other days we get Elaina and/or Alyssa to tag along. Sometimes Daddy even meets up with us after work.

This week was very busy and I had every intention of blogging more than I did! Sorry. Grace Anne's closet has been reorganzied once again and now has new storage boxes that are labeled in a very teacher-esque manner. (clip art and fun fonts to boot!) She also has a whole stash of headbands due to my recent headband-making-spree. (they go along with the gazillion bows I've now made as well!). She still needs a few more hats for summer though.. and I've not figured out, or even tried for that matter, a way to make sunhats. She has a couple from Zutano and the 0-6 months fit well.. so I think thats probably what we will get more of... I think they are adorable and will come in super handy when the hot sun and her fine blonde hair. Yes folks... for all of you that said she'd have dark hair... well you are wrong. I know its hard to believe that people thought she'd have dark hair (as an infant at least).. BUT, they did. We have a blonde hair, blue eyed beauty on our hands. Her hair is coming in rapidly. Now don't get me wrong she doesn't exactly have a whole head full and she isn't ready for ponytail holders quite yet... but she isn't completely bald either!
The warm weather has allowed us to pull out some short sleeves. If Daddy dresses her you can bet she won't have socks on.. he gets a kick out of her feetsies! She is still wearing lots of 0-3 clothing to give you an idea where we are size wise. We struggled to find an Easter outfit as so many of the dresses we tried on her were too big. Her slender upper body fit well in NEWBORN (yes, I know we are going backwards), but the length was a little to risque for a 4 month old! Finally, we had some luck yesterday at a local baby boutique.


The warmer weather has brought along one challenge... blankets. Our child loves to snuggle in a blanket and rarely falls asleep unless cuddle up in a blanket, but she has the body thermostat of her Gran Gran. She is very warm natured and doesn't do well when the least bit hot... these two aspects make it very difficult as the weather gets warmer. The solution seems to be cotton knit blankets rather than fleecey ones. Which isn't a huge epiphany..right... warmer weather... lighter fabrics. Probelm? We don't have knit blankets!! No one reminded me that it'd get warmer and I should register for them... geez! So really we do have one knit blanket (zutano none the less) but one isn't enough with Little Miss Spit-up. So, now we need knit blankets... and if you know a pregnant gal tell her now, register for knit blankets and for fleecy ones! There are multiple seasons, not just the one your baby is born in! I love love love this blanket. Also, the Kissy Kissy brand (love their clothes too) blankets (couldn't pick one to use as an example because these are all cute, check them out: 1 and 2) are extremely soft and light weight. They are pima cotton and actually feel cool, much like cold sheets on a summer day! Maybe we should tell the Easter bunny.. about this one!

This week Grace Anne goes to the doctor for shots and her 4 month check up. I took it upon myself to try feeding her cereal, which suprised Daddy since I never do anything without asking the doctor... but it turned out to be very messy as the picture above shows! (She also tried an orange at the Riggs' house the other night.)Last week, we got approved to change pediatricians. Mommy is very excited because we have seen this pediatrician several times and I really like him! Unfortunately, Daddy won't get to meet him this week since we have to go during Daddy's work hours. We are very anxious to see her percentiles and find out how long she is and how much she weighs. We will keep you posted!

PS... Our Basketball Vols are going to the SWEET 16!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Everyone is Irish on march 17th. We all know that green is a fashion must on this day and as you expect, Grace Anne took the holiday in style! She sported her "Baby's First St. Patty's Day" onesie (that her Aunt Shell gave her) along with a beautiful green bow.. we think she was the cutest little lucky charm...
The above picture is just too funny.. and not an uncommon scene! (well besides the fact that she is sleeping during the daylight hours.. she rarely sleeps.. day or night.. haa) She really isn't big on sleeping.. I think that must be from the Cashman side... :) But, if and when she does sleep, she has started sleeping on her side.

Fianlly, she loves seeing Daddy when he gets home from work. Today she played with Daddy and Brewski, well until Brewski left because she grabbed his beard and pulled him down to her face. He was no longer interested in playtime. But, as you can tell... he has come so far and truly loves his little sister!

BORN to SHOP

(at least we know Mommy was! haha)

So, the end of last week was busy. Thursday I managed to hit a huge consignment sale in Knoxville, and let me be the first to tell you-- consignment shopping isn't my style. I never thought it was, but with all the hype I thought I'd check it out. Plus, we are in need of a joggin stroller and we are poor, remember, so I thought I'd look there. No such luck! I'll just say that I'm much more a baby boutique shopper than a consignment shopper... asnd I don't like used stuff... not that this is a surprise to me or anyone else.

We had a great weekend in Owensboro, KY and spent some long over due time with Aunt Beth. We drove over to Evansville, Indiana which is about 45 min from her house. (Grace Anne visited her 4th state on the day she turned 4 months.. we are off to a good start!). We managed to find some adorable gymboree and zutano outfits, including her first swimsuit! To top it off, she got the cutest summer nautical outfit ever. (pictures above are just a couple highlights) Boutique shopping is FUN! Plus, we found some sunhats, bibs, and socks-- all things she needed!

Grace Anne is doing well. She is very smiley and has really started laughing A LOT! Its pretty cute! She loves pushing the keys on the computer. Also, her hair grew overnight I swear! Gah-lee

Now Mommy is a quest to find a jogging stroller. Jogging strollers aren't cheap and I don't want to invest in a cheapy one! There are lots of factors to consider-- tires for example...size, swivel or fixed, rubber or plastic, air filled, etc. etc. And, thats just the tires. weight, folding size and many more factors also come into play! Then infant seat compatibility comes into play as well.

Let's win the lotto...

So, I'm quite the coupon Mom and that made losing my coupon holder a devastating event! I'm pretty sure I left it at Kroger, but no one turned it into the lost and found! I had tons of great coupons in it and lots of diaper coupons that Kris' grandmother had collected and sent me. I searched the house, the car, the diaper bag.. everywhere imaginable. I also had Kris search everything. After repeating our search about... oh... 10 times, no luck. I think it is gone! So annoying, disappointing, and frustrating. Kris assured me that I could get a new one and our neighbors saved their Sunday coupons to help me "rebuild" our coupon stash. But, its not the same and losing it makes me sad. I love getting a good deal, there is something internally rewarding to find something we normally buy or have to have at an exceptionally good deal (especially now that we are poor.. well you know what I mean.) Nonetheless, I bought a new coupon organizer (for $1, which is a good deal) and I've begun to rebuilt my stash. If anyone comes across Pampers coupons ... I love those! (hint hint)

In other news, the weather has been fabulous and we've walked everyday since like Thursday of last week. I always put Grace Anne in the Baby Bjorn and that has been the best method. Yesterday when we got to the track at Catholic she had just fallen asleep, I didn't want to risk waking her up from a rare mid-afternoon slumber so I left her in the carseat and hooked the carseat into the stroller to go on our merry little way! We began walking and I soon learned that our stroller is perfect for shopping; it handles aisles and passing bargain hunters quite well... it does not handle outdoor activities as nicely. She might as well have been off roading in a Jeep with no shocks. The mid-day slumber was quickly shortened by the bumping and jarring of the trail. Keep in mind, this track is paved and very user friendly-- we aren't hiking rough terrain or getting extremely adventurous! So, needless to say, it is back to the Baby Bjorn until... we get a jogging stroller (which that may never happen so we might ought to be thankful she is a runt and I can still manage to carry her in the baby bjorn!)

Why can't we just win the lottery? We'd buy a jogging stroller, a Britax carseat (which we will be buying regardless..), and a FlipIt (which we discovered via a Babies R Us flyer). It is definitely the coolest thing ever!!!! You can make baby face out or face you by just moving the handle... it is so simple and I had once imagined a stroller that would do this very thing. Why didn't I market the idea before Graco? So, after an in-store inspection, this Mommy is officially impressed! Daddy was in love with the idea because he has always been obsessed with her being able to face us, which she can in her current stroller (that will be of no use once she outgrows her carseat carrier). It's amazing how your lottery winning dreams change when you have a sweet little girl.. (and your poor). Now we want baby gear instead of a new car or trip to some exotic locale.. well lets be realistic here.. we are travelers.. we want the baby gear and if there is money left --it's the lottery for pete's sake-- we also want a trip avec bebe (of course)!

so you've heard that BIG girls don't cry...

we clearly have a little girl!

Let's start by saying we met a little girl named Harper that was less than a week younger that Grace Anne. She was pushing 14 lbs and was much longer than Grace Anne. She was definitely much bigger than Grace Anne and it was further confirmation that Little Miss Sunshine is a runt..

We've also all heard that big girls don't cry.. and this week the neighbors are probably ready to tell us to move.. yes, the windows are still in tact but its by mere luck. We recently changed formula and got new medicine for reflux... but something is till going on. She hasn't cried much until this point and Mommy is here to tell you... she knows how to cry, scream, and give us a headache! The horrible part is that wedon't know what will make her stop. She loves baths so that gaurentees a whole 20 to 30 minutes of happiness. We've taken several walks because she enjoys the baby bjorn and the movement... we have tried rocking.. which works on occasion, reading stories.. which works on occasion, swinging.. which works on occasion... and the jumparoo.. which works on occasion. The tylenol bottle has been hit up by both Mommy and Daddy... and we are hoping this will pass. I am still thinking this all goes back to the reflux, but we can't seem to get that to disappear!

She is very giggly and smiley (when she is happy)! She has dicovered her feet and this week she has played with them nonstop. I'll often look back in the car and see her feet sticking straight up in the air with her hands reaching toward them. I suppose she is practicing her toe touches! She has also gotten where she grabs and holds things within reach. Unfortunately, Mommy's hair has become a favorite! A couple nights ago Daddy had to unpry her fingers from a wad of Mommy's hair. I really thought it was coming out. She loves reaching toward Brewski, and even grabbed and pulled his beard the other day. Daddy rescued him also! (Daddy didn't know how long Brewski would let her little fingers pull his facial hair!!) She has been grabbing at toys for a while but now she really grips them! It's so funny to watch, not fun to be the one under her grip!

She truly is a joy! We love that she is such a cuddle bug and watching her cuddle into her blankets and her Dollie or blabla is precious. She smiles when she sees Daddy or Mommy and follows our movements as soon as we walk into the room. Brewski also keeps her entertained. She will watch him jump up and down from the furniture. He is really good about checking on her if he hears her cry.. for instance if she is in her nursery and begins to cry he will walk to the door. He looks in and usually goes back to where he was and lays back down... on occasion he'll walk in her room and stay a couple minutes but when she is crying he usually doesn't stick around.

Mommy managed to find and purchase the perfect Easter Basket (since pottery barn won't put Grace Anne on anything because its 1 letter to long because the space counts...)! Who knows what the Easter Bunny will bring a 4 month old.. but regardless she has a basket! The hunt for the perfect basket was fun, the hunt is always fun to a true shopper like Mommy. It's times like that I miss my Mom even more. Gran Gran would have a hay-day looking for Easter baskets and any other thing we decided Grace Anne "needed." She'd be all about keeping this little one eqipped with all the necessary accessories and clothing (Daddy said he can't imagine how many outfits and dresses she'd have with Gran Gran and Aunt Beth shopping together!). Even though Gran Gran isn't here, we sure do talk about her a lot and Grace Anne will always feel like she knows her... much like I felt like I knew my Granddaddy that was gone before I was born.

This coming week looks to be busy! Daddy hasn't managed to get a job job, thanks stinky economy! But.. he has picked up a second job. He will be working at Continental ExpressJet Airlines. He is traveling to Houston on Tuesday for an orientation thing. We will miss him being home and hate that he will have to manage working two jobs, but after many discussions this is the best way to manage things for the time being! Hopefully an opportunity will come along for him to do something full time that he enjoys (thanks for continuing to send job leads, friends). He is truly worthy of a great opportunity! He's an amazing Daddy and husband! He has made it clear that he will do whatever it takes to take care of his girls! Then, Friday we will be heading to Owensboro to visit Aunt Beth for the weekend! We are pretty excited to take Grace Anne to see her and Kris is pretty excited to get to finally make it to her house!

PS I hope to blog more this week!

you + me + baby = three

Yesterday we celebrated our anniversary. It was a snowy day in Knoxville. Two years ago when we got married on Linquist Beach in St. Thomas, USVI it was far from chilly! The sun was shining and the weather and waves were perfect. This anniversary didn't bring diamonds or bling.. no major gift giving and no trips... just cards, dinner, and TCBY.. and a small flower bouquet-- because Kris had to break the rules and couldn't stand to not have flowers for me! :) We have to thank the stinky economy and other factors that have lead to our lifestyle of acting poor! Nonetheless, the simplicity made it fabulous! We got to spend time together as a couple with our newest addition! We know more and more each day that we don't need material things because we have one another-- something we strive daily to not take for granted!

Grace Anne is really struggling with reflux. Friday we saw the on-call pediatrician. He suggest that we switch formula. We were a little hesitant, but over the weekend we made the change in hopes that it would relieve some of her pain. We did notice taht she wasn't arching her back as bad or straining to make a dirty diaper.... BUT, she was spitting up just as much, possibly more. The spit up was more forceful and last night was officially miserable. The poor kid cried off and on for an hour and a half! For some kids that may not seem like a very long time, but for her that is probably the longest she has ever cried. Mommy and Grace Anne will probably be making a trip to the pediatrician today in hopes of a reflux medicine change. Something has to work!

On another note, I've finally managed to get decent at making bows! I've always liked messing around with crafty stuff, to me its relaxing and fun... but the whole bow thing was frustrating me because I just wasn't happy with what I was making. Finally at the end of last week I mastered the bow making thing. I'm even going to attempt selling bows on etsy and hopefully I'll make enough to pay for the materials! In turn it will allow Grace Anne to have tons of bows!! (I made the one she is wearing in the picture above!) I'm even working on headbands and tutus too! So tell your friends!