Mmmm...Mmmm...Good!

Our friend, Tina, from our small group is also a teacher.  She knows how crazy the first day of school can be.  And she knows that the last thing any teacher wants to do on the first day of school is come home and make dinner.  So last week at small group she handed us a pan.  Full of yummy lasagna goodness.  All I had to do yesterday (the first day of school for me) was thaw it while at work and stick it in the oven for an hour when I got home.  It was delicious!  Cate loved eating (and wearing) it.  She promptly took a bath while Mommy promptly vegged on the couch in order to digest her three servings.

 

 

I also thoroughly enjoyed leftovers at lunch today!  Thanks Tina!


The first week of school-- all 2 days of it-- went really well.  My students seem like nice kids, I feel incredibly organized this year, and am confident that this year will be a good one.  Cate has been a little clingy when Eric drops her off at our sitter, but she seems to get over it quickly.  Hopefully as we settle more into the routine of school, she'll be less clingy when getting dropped off.  I think it's just because she actually recognizes us leaving and coming to get her every day (I'm greeted with "Hi Mommy" every afternoon).  But I'm stickin' to what I said in this post: Working makes me a better mom.  This week was a reminder of that.  (Sidenote...that post was in no way intended to offend all you stay-at-home moms out there, so I hope you weren't offended.  I love my job-- most days-- and that is how I find balance and what makes me better.  I couldn't be a SAHM-- it's just not in my personality...at least not right now).

Next week is a full five-day week of school.  Time to rest up this weekend.

Happy back to school everyone!

~Melody

Back to Work We Go!

One of the best things about being a teacher-- and I'm sure I've said this elsewhere on this blog-- is that I get be a stay-at-home mom during parts of the year too. There are times at my job when I wish I just stayed home with Cate and I start to think about resigning. But then there are times when I've been home with Cate for an extended amount of time and I realize that I'm actually ready to go back to work. The bottom line: I love teaching and I love being a mom. I'm thankful that I'm able to do both. Since Cate doesn't go to our sitter until 9ish in the morning and I pick her up between 3 and 3:30, I figure I'm not missing too much. She plays, eats lunch, naps, and then comes home ready to play with me.

And once she's in school full time anyway...oh wait, I'm not ready to think about her growing up that fast. In the last 24 hours she's gotten a lot better at the sippy cup (she doesn't cry for her bottle and will take about half of what's in the cup now) and we turned her carseat forwards (I know you're not technically supposed to do this until they're a year old, BUT Cate is tall for her age and her knees were bending up a lot when she was rear facing because her feet could touch the back of the regular seat...I just didn't think she was safe that way and when she kicked she really moved her seat no matter how tight we had it latched in).

The last two weeks have been great. Eric has worked very few days so we've managed to fit in a lot of fun family of three time-- especially at the Children's Museum (man that pass was a great gift). On our second trip this week we explored the water table. Cate soaked both of us while Daddy took our picture.
We spent this weekend with my parents, who came down for a quick visit. Cate wore one of her new dresses from Nana to church this morning.
Look at that goofy grin. :-) My favorite part of the ensemble were her tights...specifically the rear-end of her tights:
And now the time has come for both of us to return to work. I'm getting ready to teach some of my favorite units, so hopefully the time until spring break (my next extended time off) will go by quickly.

~Melody :-)

Messy Face

Cate had a lot of fun making a mess with a biter biscuit, as the pictures below show.  The good thing is that she is learning to mash food with her jaw.  As she'd soften up pieces of the biscuit by gumming it, the pieces would break up and she'd continue to gum/chew them even though her only two teeth are in the front (on the bottom).  

Tomorrow begins my first day of school with new students.  I recognize several last names as siblings of students I've already had.  What's even crazier is that the students I had my first year of teaching 8th grade are seniors now.  Yup, this is year 5 for me.  

~Melody :-)

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!

I'm really considering today my first official day of summer vacation. I realize that my students finished last Tuesday and I finished last Wednesday, but we left on Wednesday to head to Hudson for my sister's graduation and didn't get home until late Saturday night. Now that we're back at our house with a big pitcher of sweet tea, a stack of library books, fresh strawberries (grown locally), and Cate is settling back into her routine, summer vacation can finally begin. Our trip to Hudson served as sort of a mini-vacation for us. We decided to forgo the trip to Hilton Head this summer since Cate is so little and we didn't really think we'd get our money's worth. Plus, my parents are in the process of selling their house and moving to Atlanta- so if they get moved before school starts again, we'll be heading that way for another mini-vacation later on.

Anyway, here are some of the highlights from our trip:
My sister, Catherine (Cate is named after her), graduated from Hudson High School Wednesday night. It's weird to think that all 3 White children are now HHS graduates. She'll be heading to Akron University in the fall to study athletic training and is thinking about walking on to their track team, which would be really cool...we'd love to cheer her on at the collegiate level!
On Thursday we got together with my friend, Jenn (who was in town because her younger brother was also graduating). Cate met Jenn before (at Easter), but we forgot to take pictures. Jenn has been my best friend since middle school and was maid of honor in our wedding. We both share a love of books (I check her iRead on Facebook frequently looking for possibilities since she reads way more than I do right now) and have been through a lot since we first met in middle school. It was great to see her and catch up.

Cate also got to meet another friend of mine, Melisa, and her adorable son, Logan, who is only a couple of weeks older than Cate. We walked around Hudson Springs Park, but forgot to take a picture...next time.

Cate turned 4 months old while we were in Hudson, so above is her 4 month picture. She's in her little pop-up tent here (which is our new favorite thing so that we can get her outside, but out of the sun! And in honor of her 4 moth birthday, we gave her her first taste of cereal.
She's actually gotten the hang of it more since being in Hudson. We're only giving it to her once a day for now as Cate (and I) both still prefer to primarily nurse. But the cereal helps her feel full in the evenings and sleep a little sounder at night (she's always slept through the night just fine, but usually wakes up wanting her pacifier at about 3 in the morning....she hasn't been waking up for the pacifier the last couple of nights though).

My mom held my sister's graduation party on Saturday, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to take some new pics of our little family. Daddy was playing around with the camera on the first one.

So now we're home and hiding in the AC since it's a typical Cincinnati summer- hot, hazy, and humid. I'm starting to work towards my +15 at school (15 graduate credits beyond my Master's to get the next bump on the payscale) and found a great distance program that's actually affordable. My materials for my first class should come in this week and I'm hoping to wrap up all 15 hours by January (in time to get the bump midway through the year). Once the weather cools down a little later this week, Cate and I are hoping to head to the zoo. Eric was super-excited to bike to work this morning since he doesn't have to worry about dropping Cate off at a sitter for the next 10 weeks. And since Cate is taking a great nap right now, I think some sweet tea and a book are in order. :-)

~Melody :-)

Mommy/Daughter Weekend (Part Four)

Eric comes home tomorrow and we couldn't be happier! I think today I kind of hit my solo-parenting wall...probably because I had to go to work. I'm completely exhausted and worn out (but it was also field day at school today). But- tomorrow is also the last day of school :-) And then I'm home for several weeks with Cate :-)

On Wednesday we'll be heading up to Hudson for my sister's graduation. It's hard to believe the youngest of the three White kids is joining her brother and sister as a Hudson alum. I remember more about her being a baby and growing up than I do my brother- mostly because she's 7 and a half years younger than me. So it's weird to see her coming into adulthood, but also cool. Growing up we were as close as you can be with the age difference, but as we continue to get older, we continue to grow closer.

Eric, Cate, and I wish her all the best as she starts her studies in Athletic Training at Akron University in the fall!

For now, I will leave you with this picture. A week or so ago, Eric and I decided to put Cate in her high chair to see how she'd do since she'll be starting cereal and baby food soon. Her balance still isn't all that great, so we had to prop up her sides, but otherwise she looked like a natural.

~Melody :-)

Ready to come home

So, After a pretty long weekend with expansive views, sheer cliffs, exhaustion and sunburn and a smattering of emotin, I am ready to come home. The team did very well. Overall, the Society raised about 7.5 million for this one event, and brought about 1800 riders from across the country. When I was driving yesterday, I was kind of worried about some of the climbs for our participants, but after the hills of Lebanon and Wilmington, they had no problems with Emerald Bay and Spooner. And I was thinking that I would be out a little longer but everyone from TNT came in within about 13 hours. In Tucson they were out for closer to 16. But after talking with Ryan and talking to mel everyday, and hearing Cate's little cries in the background for almost 4 days now, I am ready to come home, and enjoy some time off with the fam.

I will admit, however, that even a long weekend away is still a better work arrangement than when I worked in retail. At most stores I worked, I would have at least 2, if not 3 or 4 night shifts a week, and there would be some weeks where I would only get to see Mel for 30 minutes in the morning. Now I am working for something that is a great cause, and I get to see my family a lot!! God has blessed me and my family.

For now, I will leave you with some pictures from the lake. They can't really do justice to the breathtaking expansiveness of it all, but they look great, just the same.

- Papa E

Stir Crazy in Nevada

So, for the first time since Cate has been here, Daddy gets to take a trip, and he has to be away from all of his girls. I can't believe how much I miss them all already, and it has only been 1 full day. I am so busy out here, and I know that I wouldn't get to see them much, but I stilll miss their presence. It was so hard to leave Cate on Friday morning when she was still half asleep, and just kind of smiling in her usual morning way. And it was hard to leave Mel while she was doing so much on her own. But I know that all of my girls, including Sierra and Zoey, are very capable without me, and they will all get along fine. I will just pray for them daily, and hope that I can bring home some of the sunshine of the west for them all. Pray for me, and pray for my family back at home. Thanks to everyone who reads this blogs and does think of us or pray for us regularly.

PS, I will try to get some pictures from Lake Tahoe posted to here before I leave, if I am able.

- Papa E

Busy Busy Busy

I apologize to all of our faithful readers. I went back to work this week, so you might have to go a little longer in between posts (at least until summer break). Thankfully, the weather cooperated during my last little bit of time home with Cate. We were able to spend some time at the zoo and sitting outside on the front porch. She has so many cute spring and summer clothes, and I was excited to get her into a few of her outfits this week.
This romper was a present from Jane when I was newly pregnant. :-) I love the "I pulled an all-nighter" on the front, but thankfully Cate doesn't pull any of those.

Going back to work actually wasn't too bad. Of course it's hard to leave her. But I have to keep thinking of the benefits of continuing to work. We can save more for retirement and her college, provide more opportunities for her, and she gets to spend time with family (my grandmother is watching her until school is out) and will learn how to socialize with other kids (she'll be at a sitter with 3 or 4 other kids next school year). And teaching really provides a great schedule...I'm home by 3 (and she doesn't even go to a sitter until 9) and have weekends, summers, and breaks off. It was nice to be back at work after 9 weeks off. The timing is nice too since summer is only 7 weeks away.

Besides mom going back to work this week, Cate had some other things that kept her busy. She had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday too. We're up to 11 pounds, 8 ounces and are 23.5 inches long! Cate had to get shots though. Eric and I are both thankful that she is a good, easy, mellow baby. She was smiling and laughing at the doctor's until they stuck those needles in her thighs. I have never heard her cry so hard...it was awful. I cried right along with her seeing her like that as I held her little hands. It was the first time she actually blinked out tears and had them roll down her face. At least she won't remember it. I hope.

She recovered well though and on Friday she got to meet her grandfather Riggs (Eric's dad) for the first time. He is in the process of moving from Texas to New York and stopped in Cincinnati to visit with us. Here they are:Also, with the on-again/off-again warm weather we've been having, Cate is getting to wear some more of what my mom calls "keepsake clothes". She saved all of the special dresses I wore as a baby- dresses that were handmade by grandmother or really expensive and unique). I was a spring baby though, so Cate is a couple of months older than I was when I wore them and is quickly outgrowing them. But here is a picture of her in a dress and mommy wearing the same one almost 26 years ago.
And finally, for those of you that haven't seen Cate in awhile, I'll leave you with a video of her taken tonight. She's awesome at holding her head up, as you can see. (Remember, if you're reading this post from Facebook, you have to go to our blog site at http://growingupriggs.blogspot.com in order to watch the video.)



~Melody :-)

Cate's First Road Trip

We made it back from Nashville and Cate has officially earned her traveling wheels. We had a great trip down and despite a bus fire on 65 coming home that had us stuck in traffic for two and a half hours, we made it there and back with no baby issues.

Here are a few pictures from our trip:
This is Eric and Cate enjoying "tummy time" on the bed when we first checked into our hotel. The sink was the perfect place to give Cate a bath later that night.
While Daddy was at his conference, Cate and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather (it hit 70) and walked around downtown Nashville, taking in the sights. One day we went with her in the wearable baby front carrier and the other day she hung out in the stroller, where she spent most of her time like this:
So she missed some of the sights like Ryman Auditorium:
The replica of Fort Nashboro:
And the Tennessee Titans stadium, LP Field:
She was awake for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe one night though, and she did a great job there. One couple asked to be moved when they were seated next to us and saw the stroller, but we showed them, as Cate was on her best behavior.

So now we're home, safe and sound. We'll be hitting the road again on Good Friday to head to Hudson in northeast Ohio to visit my family and introduce Cate to some more of my friends (our friends Jenny and Jimmy in Nashville loved meeting her). We're hoping that trip will be a repeat success. :-)

~Melody :-)

Take your daughter to work

Yesterday was a teacher work day at school. So I figured that since there weren't any students around to pass on leftover flu germs to Cate, it would be a good day to take her up to meet the team of teachers I teach with (and who graciously put up with my complaining and whining each of the days that I was overdue and still at work). We got her dressed in her fleece hoodie outfit (a gift from a fellow language arts teacher) and her baby Uggs (courtesy of the other language arts teacher on my team). I think she looks pretty stinkin' cute. She was wide awake when we left and for about half of the car ride. But this is how she spent her visit... Oh well, they'll just have to see her pretty eyes and her smile another time.

~Melody :-)

Taking back the weekend

So, in my career quest of the past 4 years, I've had some huge ups and downs. And after 3+ years in full time retail, I've finally attained a wonderful job and I'm taking back the weekend. It was wonderful in the last part of 2007, it was nice to chill with Mel and prepare for the new addition. We also took advantage of the free time by playing the Wii. Now we are happy to be entertaining our wonderful daughter on the weekend. In either situation, it is great to have that feeling of a set weekend that I can look forward to, that I can get rest from. Even if I have something with TNT on the weekend, it doesn't feel like work. So, it doesn't change the wonderfulness that is Saturday and Sunday.

It is also wonderful to have all of the same time off with Mel. So many times in the retail world, I would have the opposite schedule of her workdays, and I might have a week where I only saw her in the morning for 30 minutes, 5 days of the week. Having dinner together every night was such a foreign thing for me that it was hard to get used to the first month. But now that I've been on this schedule for a while, I relish every night I'm with my girls.

And let's be honest, who wouldn't want to come home to this on the weekends?

- Papa E

El Tour De Tucson

So, a month has gone by in the new job, and it seems like a dream. I can only thank God and pray that it continues to be a good career, with many future blessings. I went to Tucson in the middle of November with Team in Training as a Staff person, and had an amazing time. I think I had a total of 3 hours free time, but it was well worth it. The team did an amazing job (they raised over $100,000 with only 19 people for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and each one of them finished well under the time limit for closing the course). There were a few logistical things that were hectic (rental cars being foremost) but all things considered, for my first event, it went well.

It was kind of strange for me because it was the first time that I ever left my wife at home for more than 2 days on business. She's had professional development, trips to see her family in Hudson, and a few others that I couldn't attend with her because of my retail schedule, but now I have crazy flexibility. And with the flexibility, I have the tremendous blessing of being with my wife all throughout the week and all weekend. I've seen more of her in the past month than I did in our first three years of marriage. God is Awesome.

I will end with some cool pictures, and my Greg Lemond story (for those of you that don't know, Lemond was the first American to win the Tour De France and has a brand of bicycles named after him). At the beginning of the Tour De Tucson, the elite riders were given about a 5 minute head start. Greg pulled up in an SUV literally about 10 feet away from me and another southern Ohio staff member after those riders had already left the gate. When we finished snapping pictures of him, we asked if there was anything we could help with (since he was already more than 5 minutes late for the start of the race). He handed my coworker the keys to his SUV and asked her to give them to the race director so that it wouldn't get towed. (And yes, that is him in the picture to the left.)

BTW, for those snooty LA types that used to room with me, my brush with fame may seem trite, but to the rest of you midwesterners, it was pretty dang cool. ;) Peace Out.

- Papa E

The Countdown Begins!

Today is the first day of my third trimester...weird. I still don't feel like I'm all that pregnant-- mostly because I've been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy and apparently (according to the doctor), the reason I'm not HUGE at this point is because of all the running and cycling I was doing right up until I found out and even some in my first trimester (until we had that whole dehydration issue).

Incidentally, we did have another little dehydration scare, but when we went to the doctor about a week and a half ago we were told there is nothing to worry about. They did another ultrasound just to check fluid levels-- it's all normal. I'll post pictures once I get a chance to scan them in somewhere.

Cate is measuring average size for how far along I am. She is also moving around like crazy! If I'm still for more than 10 minutes, she starts wiggling around in there. It won't be too long before she's out of wiggle room and has to wiggle her way out.

The reality of becoming a mom is definitely setting in. In a good way though. I'm excited for her to be here and I'm ready for the awesome responsibility that is being a mom. In the beginning, I'd go back and forth between being ready to be a mom and thinking that I was way too young and immature for this. But in the past 7 months God has blessed me with a peace and understanding that everything is going to be fine. There is no perfect parent, but with His help and guidance, Eric and I will do our best to raise our little girl.

We received another blessing not too long ago as well. As many of you know, Eric had been sort of casually looking for another job. He loved where he worked, but retail hours aren't exactly the best when you've got a family at home. Back in August he gave his resume to the Executive Director of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (both of us have run marathons through their Team in Training program and I was training for a century ride before I found out about Cate and had to quit about halfway through-- apparently crashing at 25 mph isn't so great for baking a baby). He knew there were some openings with Team in Training and figured it couldn't hurt to let someone know he was interested. As of Wednesday, Eric will be a Campaign Manager for Team in Training with his primary focus being on the cycle program. And he couldn't be more excited. He even gets to go with the cycle team to the century ride in Tucson in a couple of weeks! Aside from some weekend travel and some evenings during recruiting periods, he'll work mostly normal 9-5 hours. And he won't have to miss a Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter again!

So as we countdown these last 12 weeks, we continue to thank God for everything he's blessed us with and the blessing of our daughter to come. At this point we're just a couple of baby showers, a labor and delivery class, and a little under 3 months away from becoming a family of 3!

~Melody :-)

We'll keep you posted...

As many of you are aware, Eric has been trying to find a job outside of retail since the beginning of the summer. While he loves his job at Walgreen's, he wants to be able to be home regularly in the evenings, on weekends, and on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. He'll eventually get to that point with Walgreen's, but not for a few more years because of the way their management program works.

Eric has applied at a few different places and the job he'd most like to hear back from is one as a music director at a West Chester retirement center. This job would not only give him the schedule he has been looking for, but also allow him to do what he loves- music.

So we'll keep you posted on what happens. Eric is fine whether he gets a new job or not. Whatever happens is God's will for him and he trusts in that whole-heartedly.