Willa Ann Is here!

Elizabeth Ann Wilson Hiatt was born February 5th weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces and she was 19 inches long. We are calling her Willa Ann after my parents; Willa is for Wilson and Ann is what my mother goes by. Charlie Mac is a wonderful big brother and calls her "Baby Sisair" sounding a lot like Inspector Clouseau of Pink Panther fame.

Here is a link to the kodak gallery slide show from the hospital.

if it doesn't work, copy and paste this into your browser: 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=18olu605.8wf6gtil&x=1&y=jinu5b

if that doesn't work, email me and I'll send them to you!

Charlie Mac is TWO!

Charlie Mac celebrated his second birthday at Catfish Point with us, his grandparents Wilson, Augusta, Brooke and Leland and Roberts and Frankie. We made him a little cake--to which he said as it was taken away "bye, Two Cake" and he had fun opening presents and chowing down. 

I can't believe he is TWO! He is talking so much and is such a sweet boy. He loves to have "roll call" where he asks where everyone in his family is. He loves to have "hahgs" and "ixs" with all three of us in a huddle--heart melter! He has learned a lot of letters and can count almost all the numbers up to ten. He likes to make letters with his noodles and anything else that he can bend. Os, Cs and Is specifically. 

He loves to paint ("pit") and glue ("boo stick")--especially "Goo goo eyes." Sometimes he likes to talk on the phone and won't give it back, other times he acts like it's going to burn his ear and runs away upon the offering of it. He gets "bobos" and is miraculously healed with kisses. He likes to "pway" and makes sure that we are all holding hands with our eyes closed and says "amims" at the end.

I can't cut his hair. I just can't.

    

Christmas 2007

Christmas was wonderful riverside this year. We went out into the woods and really unplugged for a couple of weeks. 

Santa Claus knew exactly where to find our little mop top and delivered a kitchen for Charlie Mac to "coook." His favorite recipes are "zoop" and "atch" and I must say that they are delicious! 
This is just too cute: 

He has had so much fun playing on the train set that his grandparents Wilson gave him...so has Bradley! OK, so have the rest of us...

He had a great time hanging out with his Mum: 

I actually got him to hold still for a mere moment for this shot: 

He absolutely lives for Teensy--a dog just his size!!!  We hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas too!!!

Love, Elizabeth, Bradley and Charlie Mac

Bradley is the greatest

OK--so I KNOW I haven't been the easiest to live with this pregnancy. The first trimester was a roller coaster of exhaustion and nausea. We had some relief from month four through the third week in November--then we got hit with the whole "signs of premature labor" drama that pretty much knocked me out of being much help around the house at all, including being able to pick up Charlie Mac at all for about three weeks until things settled down again. I still can't hold him for more than a few seconds, but I keep trying (I know, I know--I'm not supposed to). On top of all of this greatness, I've become a slave to the most vicious mood swings--I am like a toddler myself; if I am tired or hungry--watch out! It's truly embarrassing!

Bradley has trooped right through it. He has always been a very hands-on daddy--which wasn't so easy with the school and work schedule he's had--but during the first trimester and now he is doing almost everything. He's the one who gets up as early as 4:30 with Charlie Mac and fixes us all breakfast. When we get home from work he's the one who's bathing, dressing and reading stories to Charlie Mac while I sit nearby. He's the one who fixes our supper while I sit nearby, often grumpy. He's the one who has rearranged all the furniture and built the nursery. He's the one who patiently waits for Hurricane Mood Swing to pass on over and somehow manages to love me just as much--and for all this I love him even more.

Thank you Bradley!! You are the best husband and father in the world!!!!

Willa Ann is SO busy--she takes my by such surprise a lot of the time! We are getting her room ready (a 8X9 walk in closet in our room with a window that we pulled all the shelves, etc out of--perfect!). It's three colors of purple with plans for a mural of flowers and vines below the chair rail. Her bedding/curtains will be sage green. We got a hood for her bassinet, so, it will be a little dressier than it was for The Iddle. I've been told I can't do much of anything by my doctor, so Bradley is putting it all together while I'm annoying him sitting in the doorway.

Charlie Mac is becoming such a little boy! He lives for cars, trucks, trains and tractors (gwaks, trachks, choo choos and traches)and you'd be amazed how many tractor advertising videos are on Youtube--serious entertainment. Try it--it's shockingly addictive. He has a pair of boots we got him for winter at the hunting camp that he wears all the time. He eats with a fork and spoon and puts his napkin in his lap. He refuses meat except for two occasions: once with fried catfish and once with a chicken nugget. He goes to ceramics twice a week where he paints a bisqued piece and he goes to story time at the Bookstore and Library twice a week where he has friends named Graham (Gam), Luke and Thomas. He had a playdate with Mamie and now asks for her all the time (Meme). We got him a lot of unbreakable Christmas ornaments that he hung on the bottom of the tree. Mostly on one particularly stunning branch. He had the best time! We decorated gingerbread men two Sundays ago and that was seriously a blast too. Raisens make great "eyyyes." He recognizes the letters "O" and "I" and the colors "rojo," "boo" and "gee." All blonds are named for his aunt "KayKay." But purely for the sake of convenience--he certainly knows who the real one is! When he talks to his Aunt Augusta on the phone, he asks about "Teensy." And when he hears my voice on our answering machine he says "Muhm" which is what he has named my mother. (Our voices sound alike, and since I'm right there in front of him, he figures that Muhm is calling out from that machine.) He also recognizes his Pawpaw on the phone. He calls my dad "dada" or "nahdada" (not dada), I can't wait to see what he ends up calling him! Roberts is Rara, and often so are fellas on TV that look like him. He also has called his Aunt to be, Frankie, "Rara", so who knows where that's going! "Augusta" is hard to say, but he probably will call her Teensy until he figures something better out. Maybe if she spends less time sleeping and in front of the TV over Christmas than she did at Thanksgiving, he will come up with something.....hmmmm Bee?

Thanksgiving catchup

Allrighty, the Cowboys are 7 and 1, Ole Miss is, well, ahem, and we are just dandy!

We have been working on Willa Ann's nursery when we can--Bradley is still working at Square Books and I found that permanent job I was looking for at Senator Lott's Oxford office about a month and a half ago. I can honestly say I've never loved a job more. We have cleared it out and on Monday Amber H. and I textured down to where the chair rail will be. I'd never done that before and as my daddy put it: "y'all are having fun playing with mud pies in here." It's so easy I am tempted to start a side business. If we ask Charlie Mac where his baby sister is going to sleep he leads us in there and points to her bassinet. So sweet. I'll post pictures when we get it finished.

For those of you we haven't talked to about it, we are naming our daughter after her mother as is our family tradition (where else would we have gotten the 3 Roberts, 7 Elizabeths and 10 Augustas?), but are calling her "Willa" for Wilson and "Ann" after my mama. I thought I was being so original with the "Willa" but learned that some Elliotts named daughters that back around 1900 (I guess after they'd already named one Augusta? Ha!) as a feminine form of William. I chose it in lieu of "Willow" which was a little crunchy-even for us.

Bradley's birthday and the LSU game are this weekend and we are so excited! Our friend Susannah is coming in from Dallas for her first ever Grove experience (It's like 'the lot' for grown ups) and we just can't wait! Roberts and Frankie are coming in from Colorado for the first time since they were engaged and we are so happy to get to hang out with them as much as we can. Maybe they can get it together up in D.C. and Augusta will be able to make it down, too!

We are headed to the Delta for Thanksgiving and then to Dallas for our friend's Lauren and Chad's wedding the weekend after and it's going to be so great not only to see two wonderful people start their lives together, but to see some old friends and our Texas family as well--things ain't slowin down around here! I'm sorry that the posts have been lacking in imagination and frequency lately, I'll try to be better about it!!!


XOXOXOXOXOXOXO,
Elizabeth, Bradley and Charlie Mac

Punkin Time!!!!






ok.

Talking, Dancing, Playing and Painting

Sounds like I'm writing about myself, I know--but I'm writing about our Iddle Biddle. Over the last couple of months we have seen a developmental explosion from which Charlie Mac has emerged quite the party guest. He not only is talking so much more, in a wonderful combination of English and Iddlese, but is so EXPRESSIVE! Two days ago, he pointed at his lamb that my dad gave him and with his eyebrows up, nose down and a very serious tone informed me that "dis is Baa" wherupon he tucked the newly christened critter under his arm and requested to be removed from his bed.
Yesterday I heard music coming from the back of the house and through very little investigation found a rave going on in our bedroom--Charlie Mac and hid daddy were jukin' up a storm with impressive moves that included spinning, arms in the air like you just don't care and a head twist that could only be accomplished with a mop of golden curls. Mama and her belly joined in with what she could---let it suffice to say that Charlie Mac looked a lot better snapping his fingers than I did.
His favorite song is that Wilco song about walking by yourself and within the first three beats he is rocking out like nobody's business. I need to get that on video for sure. He sings along with the bass at the end "duh duh, duh duh, duh duh" while nodding his head in time and I swear it makes me want to scream like I'm face to face with Jerry Garcia. Like I've told him since he was born, he's better than any band I ever saw.

PLAYING! Everywhere all the time--he especially enjoys Falkner's yard where he literally blows kisses to and says "bye" to every tree before he leaves (where does he get that?) and the swings at our church. He goes to story time every week with his nanny Amber H and a paint your own ceramics place too. He picks his project and his colors and goes to town.

Well, it's time for me to get ready for work now--I'm going to post some pics that Amber H. got amongst the oak trees the other day very soon!

Much love,

Big Boy with his fork

Wow! We have sure been busy in our new town! I am almost thankful for the threats I have received from Augusta re: this blog because otherwise I may not have sat down to post for another month!! We are getting settled, Bradley is loving working for Square Books, I loved my time in Senator Cochran's office and have started permenant job hunting (hunting for a permenant job that is, not permanently job hunting I hope!), Charlie Mac has made some friends at the church nursery and beyond and will hopefully start his music class at the Yaknapatawpha Art council soon. I hope that suffices as an excuse for the lack of frequent updates here.
SO, without further ado...




Here we are on our way to church--lots and lots of young families that we are getting to know!




















Charlie Mac loves to get into the doggie treat cabinet and Guero loves it too!


















We still love choo choos....















Ole Guero can get his lean on like no other dog I've ever seen....

















Big Brother would like to show everyone how his new little brother or sister is growing...