The Shirt Says it All

And then the glasses came off.
One last thing, just so you know: Nobody puts baby in the corner.

Bronwen In Wonderland

Bronwen fell down a "rabbit hole" of sorts when she flew on the plane and arrived in Shelby. One day, as she was crawling about in the house, she found a table with a little bottle on it, and tied around the neck of a bottle was a label with the words "Drink Me" beautifully printed on it in large letters.

Bronwen ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice (it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavor of cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roast chicken, and sweet potato), she very soon finished it off.

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"What a curious feeling!" thought Bronwen, as she had yet to utter her first real words aloud. And so it was indeed, as the mysterious liquid had caused Bronwen to shrink to the size of a very little girl. The chair was enormous; even the TV remote was too much for her to handle.Bronwen knew this was not the most pleasant of situations. How could she do anything being half her original size? She slid carefully down from the enormous chair and went back to the table. The table was now impossibly high. She tried her best to climb up one of the legs, but it was too slippery; and when she had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing sat down and cried.

Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words "Eat Me" were beautifully marked in craisens. "Well, I'll eat it," thought Bronwen, as she had inherited her father's penchant for eating and was always hungry.

She ate a bit and waited to see what happened. "Curiouser and curiouser" thought Bronwen, for when she looked down at her feet, they seemed quite far off.Yes, Bronwen had grown to an enormous size! Luckily she noticed a tiny cup on the table beside her and took a sip.
Thankfully it worked! Soon little Bronwen was back to her usual size.
The End.

Easter Trip Pt 2

Back into the narrative. Since Mimi was kind enough to send some of the pictures she had taken during our visit, I can freely continue with the shenanigans, as my friend Tory Hoke would say.

We tried to keep in our usual routine as much as possible. TJ continued to give Bronwen baths, (his big toe, not mine may I point out. Take note Tiff)and Bronwen continued enjoying her meals.
She still ate her cheerios, stopping only to wave a casual hello at passers-by.

We celebrated two holidays whilst in Shelby: St. Patrick's Day and Easter. Mom made an amazing corned beef and cabbage dinner for us to celebrate our Irish heritage. Okay, so Mom is Polish, but we think dad might be 1/144th Irish. Might be even less. Who knows--we just enjoy the food, color green, and the ability to hold our whiskey. Plus that cereal really is magically delicious. Bronwen, our very own lucky charm, wore her shamrock dress and kissed a blarney stone or two.
Easter was wonderful--went to mass where Bronwen was a star and then had a lovely Easter meal together. Luckily my dear Laura and God child Sienna came to visit and helped us snap an Easter picture. A special thanks to Sienna for her help in making Bronwen smile!One last Note:
Many afternoons we would spend outside.
We discovered the deck in the back is basically a giant playpen. The adults would sit and enjoy wine and cheese, and the baby crawled around without danger of falling off the edge. Granted, there were hazards: Pine straw (she only tried to eat it once), dirt, giant cracks, nesting rattlers, and deadly splinters, but other than that, it was a perfect area to explore.










I'm just kidding--there wasn't really that much dirt.

So much more happened--visits with Joe and Sarah, a trip to Charlotte to see Jill and Dylan, gelato, chainsaws, a spin in Rhonda's chair, walks around the neighborhood with an empty stroller, card games, Judge Judy, immigration debates, visits with friends, pedicures, and more. Sadly, I don't have the time to write it all out. Thanks to all who came to visit and who spent time with us. We had a blast!

PS--We will miss you Flat Sam!

Things I learned in NC

1. How to eat enormous cookies
2. How to ride on shoulders3. How to say "Ma ma"
4. How to grow top teeth (Just barely poking through!)
*No photo currently available

5. How to kiss Mimi6. How to drive farm equipment
Anyone else learn something new?

Easter Trip Pt 1

I will publish several sections since there is just so much to share.

Part 1:
Saturday, March 15th we awaken at an unGodly hour and drive to the airport. We board our plane and have an uneventful ride to Atlanta. Bronwen is a champ on the flight, reading her Elmo book that Michele gave us and playing with the velcro parts. Atlanta isn't as smooth--we have to hustle to make the connection and then end up sitting for an hour on the runway. We make it to Charlotte an hour late, meaning no visit with Jill and Dylan as they have to crawl through pubs at 1:00. TJ and I are jealous; we could really use the pint of beer at this point.

We arrive at Mimi and Dja Dja's house (my Mom and Dad) and Bronwen is so excited to explore the house. It was a little colder there, so Bronwen's hot pink hoodie (thanks Veronica) came in handy. Sam was keeping an eye on things from a safe distance.I just realized I need copies of Mimi's pictures to continue with the narrative. Sigh. Okay, so I'll work on a different post, publish what I have of this one, and add to it when I get more pictures.

Preview

I had every intention of posting a blog yesterday, but alas, foiled by my own husband! TJ had his first photography class last night and had to take....the camera; The camera that had all the pictures still on it. Sigh. Last night I made him upload all the pics to the computer, and during nap time I shall begin the narrative.

Right now I have to motor to the grocery store due to severe lack of edible bits in the house.

Be back soon!

What a Strange Trip it has Been

Can't wait to post pictures when we return--but it won't be today. We are scheduled to arrive late tonight. Ugh. I'm sure she will be a star, but I know we'll all be tired.

Back in NC

Bronwen, TJ, and I are in the grand ol' Tarheel state for Easter. I know you all are in major cuteness withdrawel, but never fear, Bronwen will return soon to tell of her adventures!

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?

Bronwen and I spend our days going room to room playing with toys until one of us gets bored. This nomadic existence is not nearly as exciting as it would seem, considering we only have a couple of rooms to explore, and Bronwen's favorite "toys" are the exact things with which she shouldn't be playing (read: cords, phones, and chargers, oh my!). After a particularly exciting foray into the world of office supplies, we decided to head back into the nursery where we discovered a squatter had taken possession of the crib.

What I saw:

What Bronwen saw:What Pepper Saw:
(ie: the back of her eyelids)

What fun! Bronwen thought this was hilarious. I thought it was extremely nice of Pepper to keep the bed warm for the baby before her nap time.

No words Necessary

I originally had this post as the picture only, but after some concerns were raised in the comments section, I decided to clarify. In this moment in time, TJ is carrying the baby from her bath to her room for diapering and "Pajama Time." She has been dried off and baby oil has been thoroughly rubbed into her skin. I assure you, my readers, that no babies were harmed in the making of this photo.

Taking a Leap

It was February 29th, a day that only comes around once every four years, and Bronwen managed to mark the day as her own by learning yet another skill: Clapping those tiny little hands together.
Now she is happy and she knows it!






While I was working on getting some good clapping pictures, I noted that she was extremely smiley and happy--per the usual--so I told her to pose and hold it:Trouble is that the red eye light ends up making her blink, so her eyes aren't as smiley as the usually are. I tried valiantly once again to get the perfect picture. Instead, Bronwen realized how much fun the camera was and decided to go in for a closer look. Much closer. Photo session over.