Big Mouth Luella

When we were in Austin for Smithers and Joy's wedding, we ran into Marcia Ball's son, who mentioned that his mother had a song about a girl named Luella.  He cautioned us that it might not be the most flattering song... Marcia was inspired to write it when she found the phrase "Why'd you go and tell Luella?" written in the margin of an old hymnal.

We looked it up on YouTube this morning, and it's fantastic!

Happy belated Mother's Day!

We celebrated Mother's Day with giddy excitement last year while Lu was still in my belly, but this was my first official Mother's Day, and it was fantastic.  Ben Sollee just happened to be playing an outdoor show in Knoxville (for real! the timing was incredible!) so we went and Lu not only stayed awake for but enjoyed the whole show!  And we went to say thanks afterwards, and she was quite keen to touch his cello...  here's hoping that she wants to play it - a lot - for me - in a few years.

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my mom for never really understanding how important Mother's Day is.  I know, I know, it's a holiday dreamed up by the greeting card industry, but man oh man!  All gifts, cards, flowers, etc aside, it's wonderful to have a day that recognizes what a great thing it is to be a mama. And it's truly an honor to be Lu's.

First Camping Trip!!

After our time in Texas, we went on our first camping trip since Lu's arrived. We packed up the car and drove into the mountains of West Virginia to camp at the New River Gorge (an NPS unit, of course!).

Despite a rainy night on Saturday, we had a fantastic time hiking, hanging out with friends, and relaxing in the woods. As always, you can find more photos of Lu's adventures on flickr.

Granddaddy, get better!

We took an unexpected trip to Texas last week to visit my dad ("Granddaddy" to Lu) in the hospital. Dad was very lucky, and I'm glad that we could be there with him and the rest of my family. I think Lu hugs were the best possible medicine for him.

We hope that he's feeling better and getting healthy so that he can keep up with Lu for years to come! (This sweet pic was taken a few weeks ago when we saw him in Austin under less worrisome circumstances.)

Food issues

At about the same time that her first teeth made their appearance, Lu began to refuse to be spoon-fed. It was a gradual trend, but one that became a full-blown issue by the end of April. (Apparently this is not unheard of: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/baby-refuses-to-eat-food-with-spoon.htm)

So we tried letting her feed herself the pureed fruits and veggies that she'd so loved just a few weeks earlier - to no avail. We finally discovered that she wanted to eat big kid food all by herself. So we gave in. The purees stayed in the freezer and we now toast bread, roast whole carrots, peel whole pears, slice avocados... and Lu loves it.

We've intermittently been trying to reintroduce the spoon to see if she's interested, and lo and behold, she ate pureed sweet potatoes AND peas last night. The only thing that is predictable about this parenting thing is that it's totally unpredictable.

Travels Part 1: TYS-CLT-AUS-CLT-TYS

It's been quite a while since we updated - my apologies. Life has been a little crazy, and we're just settling back in. The day after we posted the yellow chair pic, we flew to Austin to attend Smithers and Joy's wonderful wedding. Lu's quite a seasoned traveler by now, but we have to work to keep her entertained on flights.

She loved being at the wedding, but insisted shortly after the ceremony ended that she head home to be tucked in bed. Allen stayed to represent the fam, and I popped out after Lu had gone to sleep (thanks to expert babysitters Victor and Kim) to meet the wedding party for some post-reception shuffleboard at the Horseshoe Lounge.

Aside from wedding festivities, we saw lots of friends and family, and that means lots of hugs for Lu. She charmed everyone, including her uncle Warren, her Grandaddy, and even little Eli! We flew back to Knoxville on Tuesday and snuggled the dogs for a few days before our westward adventure!

Travels Part 2: TYS-CLT-LAS-SFO-CLT-TYS

(That's Knoxville-Charlotte-Las Vegas-San Francisco-Charlotte-Knoxville for those of you who don't traffic in airport codes)
After our amazing time in Austin (we can't wait to move back) we turned our attention to our next adventures in Las Vegas and San Francisco. My youngest brother Baxter turned 21 on April 3, so my family all congregated in Vegas (on Easter weekend no less) to help him celebrate. Since I had to be in San Francisco for work the next week, we had a "weekend layover" in the brightly-lit desert. (Side note: this was my first trip to Vegas. I don't know how to write about it, other than to say I'm glad I've seen it but I'm not in a hurry to go back.)

I'll admit that I really wanted to get a photo of Lu with an Elvis impersonator, but this one of a slot machine at the airport will have to do. This was taken shortly before the airport casino pit boss booted us out for bringing a young 'un into the den of sin and iniquity.

I know we're not supposed to talk about what happened in Vegas, but the city was notable for Lu because her first tooth popped through while we were there! (Bottom left, I think). She also had her first virus and fever, and let's just say that we went through several changes of sheets and towels. However, Lu was a trooper and we were still able to walk around and be overwhelmed by the sights and sounds.

After our celebratory weekend, Mom and Lu and I flew on to San Francisco, where I had a training all week. We had some amazing meals, and took a little time when my training ended on Thursday to check out Golden Gate park and some beautiful San Fran views. We even rode the cable car!

We woke up early on Friday morning for the cross-country flight home, which I admit I'd been dreading as this 6-hour flight was just the two of us. However, Lu was totally charming, and only got a little fussy for about the last hour.

After that long flight, the leg from Charlotte to Knoxville was a piece of cake. She and I were exhausted - I think we slept almost all day on Saturday! It's been a bit difficult to get her schedule reset to
East Coast time, but we're almost there. We made it back just in time to see the dogwoods in full bloom!