Uncle Travis's Antics

Uncle Travis loves his little nephew Hamilton, and he's so good with him. He does, however, like to play little "games" with him.

Rolled Eyes

Because Mollie Brooke's wedding is the day following Thanksgiving, her family combined their annual Thanksgiving meal with the rehearsal dinner. Mr. Morgan and I attended the family/wedding event today. Mollie Brooke's family is so friendly and fun; however, they have many family traditions that can be "embarrassing." One such tradition earned an eye roll from Mollie Brooke today.

As Mollie Brooke's mother was introducing the couple, highlighting various family members, and saying how excited and thankful she was, she mentioned the "Crisp family tradition" of singing a few Thanksgiving songs before eating. The song mention evoked a huge eye rolling from the bride and a chuckle from me, as eye rolling is one of Mollie Brooke's signature moves. The compromise became one song instead of a few.

Meeting the Relatives

Yesterday Hamilton met my aunt and uncle, Linda and Billy. They drove up from Florida to spend Thanksgiving in Mountville. Linda and Billy already hold a special place in Claire's heart, as they are always so sweet to her, doting on her as their own grandchild. Hamilton was no different.

On the Play Mat

Hamilton thoroughly enjoys his play mat now, entertaining himself with coos, gurgles, and the hanging toys.

Bridal Party

Last weekend Mollie Brooke's aunts threw a bridal party for her and all the bridesmaids. We enjoyed coffee and hors d'oeuvres on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon. It was a fun occasion to get together and celebrate Mollie Brooke's upcoming marriage, and any party thrown by Mountville women is always top-notch. All of us "Mountville girls" hadn't been together in years.

Governor's Race

I'm always excited and interested to read national writers highlighting South Carolina. I found this link to a Washington Post article. Ignoring the description of "bubba-land" for our beloved state, the article introduced me to Nikki Haley, a state congresswoman running for governor.

The Big House

I've been so excited to spend more than a week in Mountville, since usually we just come for a weekend. Hamilton and I stayed at the farm while Mr. Morgan and Claire returned to Charleston for work and school. Because of Mollie Brooke's wedding this Friday, I knew there would be lots of wedding prep and festivities, which are always so fun to help with. Deb and I headed to "the big house" late this morning after Hamilton finally woke up from his first nap. We helped decorate and clean up for the upcoming reception.

Hamilton was a trooper, spending his playtime on the floor near the heater because the big house is usually so cold. Perrin kept him company for a little while. Perrin nearly rolled on Hamilton as he was trying to sit himself down right beside Hamilton. Perrin has a little brother on the way, and he's still getting used to babies.

Hamilton also had to brave Perrin's petting.

Last Tailgate

With our weekend spent in Mountville, we were able to enjoy Presbyterian College's last home game this season. Hometown boy Sam Wilson played the last game of his football career, and we tailgated with the Wilsons, the Whams, and everybody. Sam is a great player, though unfortunately PC has had their worst season ever. Seeing all our friends and "family" made a fun day of catching up with dear friends, playing keep-away with Claire until our lungs hurt, eating delicious tailgate grub, and cheering for Sam.

The day was chilly, so we all bundled up. Mimi recently bought Hamilton a cute hat for our upcoming family ski trip, and our cold, outdoor day called for a test-drive.We weren't the only out-of-towners at the tailgate; the Thompsons from Iowa made an appearance with Mary Ellis, who was born just eight days after Hamilton. Though Mary Ellis is several pounds bigger with more head control, talks of an arranged marriage abounded. Hamilton gazed at his "betrothed."

Mary Ellis did the same. She seemed taken with Hamilton's hat. Hamilton was a great sport all day, taking two naps in the back of the car and wowing everyone with his cuteness.

Mimi watched Hamilton during most of the game, so I was able to enjoy catching up with Bess and Anna.

Following the game, we tailgated again with even more folks dropping by to finish off the food. Claire made a friend, and they played football and tag until hunger drove them to the chili pot. With the sun's going down, Mr. Morgan got chilled, so Claire took it upon herself to help warm him.

Insane

This morning Mr. Morgan joked for Claire's benefit that we were tired of the name "Hamilton" and that we'd be changing it. He suggested "Edward" and "Jason," and Pops said, "I wonder how many babies will be named Barack."

Since Claire hadn't been fully listening to the conversation and looked confused, Pops repeated and explained to her, "I wonder how many babies will have the name Barack--after our President."

Mimi then added, "Or Hussein."

Claire dismissingly said, "Hussein? That sounds like 'insane'."

Exactly.

Little Banjo Picker

Mr. Morgan enjoys letting Hamilton pick a little on the banjo. I'm sure we'll be buying a Ham-sized banjo before long, and I'm expecting some great duets.

Crawling up on a Lap

Abby Koch is still obsessed with Mr. Morgan, and she loves Wednesday's small group because "her Seth" is there. She's always interested in whatever he's doing: This past Wednesday all the guys were watching a video, and Abby crawled up on Mr. Morgan's lap to watch it too.

New Things

Hamilton has more control over his hands and arms now, reaching for anything that dangles. He loves to grab my hair when I go in for a little kiss on his cherub cheeks. The other night he grabbed my cheek, and his sharp talons sliced me. He loves grabbing at the camera, too.

Tummy Time

Sadly, Hamilton doesn't enjoy "tummy time" much, so he's not comfortable for long on his belly. I'm trying to add more time on his belly to each day, so he'll get stronger and then enjoy it more. Pictures on the belly are so cute but only if he can hold his head up high enough for it. These are as cute as it gets for now, since he's having to concentrate so hard on not eating it face first into the blanket.

Favorite Toy

One of Hamilton's favorite toys right now is his rattle. He loves shaking it, gumming it, and eyeing its bright colors.

Four-Month Checkup

I loaded up Hamilton on Wednesday and headed to his four-month checkup. My sweet friend Christie watched Grady for me, so I didn't have two babies in the doctor's office. Hamilton hadn't gained as much weight as I thought he would have since his last appointment, but the doctor didn't seem too worried. He weighed 12 pounds 8 ounces, and he was 25 inches long. For comparison, his best bud Grady, at nearly three weeks Hamilton's junior, weighs 17 pounds. Grady's enormous!

I got the go-ahead to start Hamilton on solid food. The doctor--despite my questioning and disbelief--assured me I should start with fruit, suggesting bananas first. Thursday morning I smashed up a few bites of banana, mixing with water, and I gave little Hamilton the sign for banana. He LOVED the sweet, watery mixture, and now he gets so excited every time he sees my banana sign.

Claire-isms

Of all the things I like to blog about, Claire is probably the most challenging and fun. To capture her voice and spirit in a good story can be tough, and she says such quirky things because of her perspective on the world. I usually have to hold back my laughter or smile, while also replaying her words in my head, so I don't forget. Some readers refer to these stories as "Claire-isms." And I have two new ones.

A few weeks ago on Saturday, we were eating a lazy breakfast together. We usually talk about our day on Saturday mornings around the breakfast table, discussing what we'll be doing that day and the weekend. On that particular Saturday, Claire had a soccer game that afternoon, and we were visiting friends for dinner afterward. While going over these plans for the day, Claire asked a little apprehensively, "But this morning we can just be ourselves, right?"

******

This past weekend Mimi and Pops came to visit us. Mimi and Claire went shopping on Sunday evening. Mimi called me this morning to pass along this Claire-ism.

When we were checking out at The Dollar Tree, an enormous man was behind us. He was 400-plus pounds and neatly dressed. He had lots of skin and fat hanging down below his belt. As we walked out, Claire said, "That man was so fat!"

"Yes, he was. It's so sad," I said.

Then Claire said knowingly, "I sure hope he doesn't have a bladder infection."

Four Months Old

Today sweet Hamilton is four months old. His favorite things are blowing spit bubbles, gumming his cellophane-laced book, sleeping swaddled, wrapping his arm and hand around my shoulder while I'm holding him, hanging in his highchair with me in the kitchen, laughing at his daddy's barking (mmrrff!), and uttering sounds at all decibels.

10-Year Celebration

This past weekend our church celebrated ten years of existence. It was so fun to see old faces who'd come back for the festivities, and it was good to recount God's goodness to us as a church. Because I was on the planning committee, we spent many hours at the church on Saturday setting up and then many hours on Sunday enjoying the fruits of our labor. Hamilton did so well rolling with the crazyness, sleeping in a strange, girly-pink crib, and looking so adorable especially on Sunday in his sweet outfit from his Grandma Judy and Papa Joe.

Halloween Party

Last Friday we attended a Halloween party in our neighborhood that had more little kids than adults. It was a crazy scene, but we knew what to expect since we'd gone last year too. Last year Claire was able to go with us, and we also took Abby Koch along. This year we had Hamilton, and we also invited Abby Koch to go again. Tiff says Abby remembers the party--and "going down the slide with Seth"--from last year when she was only one year old. Is that even possible?

We dressed Hamilton up in a cute, borrowed pumpkin costume.
Abby was a reluctant ladybug because of her thick, hot costume and the 80-degree heat. She quickly asked for the hooded part to be removed--after the obligatory picture, of course.

Phoebe Kisses

West comes over on Thursdays to hang out with Hamilton, but I think it's Phoebe who enjoys him more for now.Hamilton's high chair provided lots of entertainment for West last week.Hamilton was playing in his own little world, and I was able to check my email.

Small-Group Kids

Every week at small group we have loads of kids hanging out together during the Bible study portion. Last week I was helping our paid babysitter and had a great time with the little ones. The kids are so cute. There's two-year-old Abby, seven-month-old West, and the three boys born in July '09.