Blue Ridge and Charlottesville VA

Blue Ridge Overlook

We're back from a week in western Virginia touring presidential homes and the Blue Ridge Skyline Drive. Great weather for the most part, and we seemed to mostly avoid the one big storm that blew through with high winds and heavy rains. We stayed in one of a variety of small cabins sprinkled across the wooded property at Shenandoah Crossing, an RCI resort in Gordonsville VA. There are horse pastures on the grounds with plenty of horses to ride, lots of family activities, a lake, a golf course, etc. It was very nice, though we were roaming around western VA most of the time. We visited Monticello (Jefferson), Montpelier (Madison), Michey Tavern, and Ash Lawn-Highland (Monroe), several vineyards for some tastings, and explored some Civil War Battle sites near Fredericksburg. We also went into Charlottesville to see the University of VA and the Rotunda and Academic Village designed by Jefferson. Fall was just beginning to set in so it wasn't until we were on our way home in PA that we saw some Fall colors.



Jefferson's Monticello




Fall Harvest ready to pick



Carter Mt Winery over Charlottesville

To tour these restored homes was instructive and you not only got a better sense of what life was like 200 years ago, but also developed an impression of the personalities of these men. Jefferson, for example, while brilliant in many ways, must have driven his employees, family, and slaves nuts with the constant make-overs he imposed on his property, always ready to try the next new thing. None of these Presidents died wealthy and in fact generally had to sell off their estates after they passed. It has only been through amazing detective and archeological work and some good luck, that recovery of many original artifacts and restorations to the 1800 period have been possible. It was also interesting to note the expanded acknowledgment and reconstruction of "enslaved" people. It used to be that no one would talk about slavery, but now it's part of the historical narrative.

Skyline Drive was beautiful with great views toward both east and west, but for hiking you needed to remember that you're already on the top. Almost all trails go down to various water falls and view points from which you then have to come back up. This is the same catch as at the Grand Canyon, where visitors plunge down the trails with great energy and then die a slow thirsty death trying to get back up! Nevertheless, the views are spectacular.

We walked through several battle sites and were able to follow along with the progression of the troop movements leading up to the battles. It was reconstructed and laid out very well for visitors, but chilling to visualize the horrific slaughters that were experienced. The soldiers lined up and marched toward cannon and musket, and as the front line fell a new line would move into the fusillade. Yikes.

She Walks

I finally got it on camera and it is the furthest she has walked yet!

I also caught her snuggling her giant bear, it's pretty cute...

Evelyn stands!

She's changing so fast!

8 months and mobile!

Lots of new things have happened in the past month. Evelyn got her first tooth on June 10th (much to our relief). She was miserable for about a week and a half before it finally came through, but she seems to be back to (nearly) normal again. 

Mike is in Germany collecting data for his dissertation and will be gone for 5 weeks total so Aunt Caity, Grandma and Grandpa B and Uncle Ben are pitching in to help us out as I still have to work. Evelyn had a blast with Aunt Caity and I think she is missing having music played for her all the time. She really seemed to love listening to the her play the ukelele and trying to play her own. Now she is hanging out with Grandma B and have lots of fun getting into mischief and taking dips in the backyard. 

On Monday, Mom went to get Evelyn from her crib after a nap and found her standing at the crib side! Having just lowered the crib because she was sitting up, I was not expecting to have to lower it again so soon. She's determined to be as mobile as possible!

Today, while making dinner Evelyn managed to crawl over to Sabbath's water dish and tip it over. Yes, I said crawl! Watch out, she's mobile! I'm going to have my hands full keeping her out of everything. Who knows, by the time Mike gets home, maybe she'll be walking.

Our Family

It has been a beautiful weekend here in State College. Thanks to Mom and Dad, Mike and I decided to go to the Nittany Lion Inn for brunch today and because the forecast for today was "abundant sunshine", we decided to take some family pictures at the duck pond before brunch. Evelyn fell asleep on the walk there, so Mike and I took a few of just us and then we were able to get some really great ones of the whole family.  This time without anything in her mouth (put one on the wall Mom!).












 


After our delicious brunch, we got home and Evelyn made a daring escape attempt off the changing table.

Take That Dad

Evie and I were sitting on the chair, waiting for Mommy to come down for our walk. Evelyn had recently been fed, and she and I were making silly faces at one another. I lifted her up to kiss her belly and I felt something wet hit my forehead, but as her arms are often slobbery, I thought nothing of it. When I pulled her away I noticed spit-up on her lips and then felt something warm dripping down my face. I looked at my shirt and noticed the dribble of spit-up and knew the slimy culprit on my face. She definitely got me. But at least she looks so remorseful about it.

On a different note, Evelyn has started to 'creep' and can inch forward a bit on the floor. It won't be long before she's completely mobile!

Getting bigger

Evelyn got a ride down the stairs in the laundry basket and then proceeded to soak the clean sheet. She's certainly gotten much more drooly lately. Who would've guessed that so much drool could come from so small a person?

We hiked Mt Nittany today. This was our first hike post pregnancy. It was also the first time we were able to use our hiking pack for Evelyn. It fit Mike better than me, but it is really nice. It will certainly come in handy. Evelyn really liked it too. We can't wait to be able to use it more often!

Our new car...

Here it is, our shiny new car! Any thoughts on a name for our new addition?

She laughs!

Evelyn's first solid food!

Evelyn tried her first solid food today! It went pretty well too. She seemed to like the rice cereal, hopefully she'll be as happy about it tomorrow for round 2.

Growing So Fast

My favorite picture of Evelyn. We went for a walk to the state game lands and what started out as a gentle snowfall, ended up in a white-out. It cleared up just before our walk ended and this was the resulting picture.

On a side note I made my first few jars of baby food, beets! We've been getting them from the farm and I couldn't think what else to do with them. Mike says they taste good, I'm just glad I don't have to eat them, they smell like dirt. Tomorrow we'll make carrots. These are preparatory, since we're likely not starting solids for another 2 months. Best to be prepared. Hopefully she'll like them!

Five Little Monkeys

Among other things, I started my first fieldwork placement this semester. I found out a few weeks ago that I was being placed in a preschool program for kids with speech and language delays. And then almost the next minute I was thrown into the fray. Ready or not, here we go!

The preschool program is facilitated by Speech Pathology students, and I am the first music therapy student they've ever had, so it's been an interesting experience collaborating with another discipline on my first run. My mind is racing all the time thinking of ideas for activities that incorporate multiple sensory experiences. I've been having to practice deep breathing and counting backwards from 100 at night to calm my mind, so I can fall asleep!

Last night found me creating this storyboard to go with the song about the naughty monkeys who were jumping on the bed. I am quite proud of how it turned out and the kids LOVED pulling the monkeys down and then watching them spring over the board when they let go. Success. But note to self for next time: start the creating process earlier than the night before. Contact paper is a beast.

Chit-chatting

Just one of our daily conversations...

Mike's birthday

I meant to post this a while ago. I got Mike an apron for his birthday because he is always wearing the one Jennifer made me, which is a rather feminine pattern. We've come to enjoy a cooking show called chopped, where the contestants are given a basket of mystery ingredients each round and they have a certain amount of time to make an appetizer, entre and dessert. The winner is called the 'Chopped Champion' and Mike has started seeing what ingredients we have here and trying to incorporate them for a meal and therefore, he calls himself chopped champion. So for his first meal he decided to make the 'man-cake'. It is in the same family as the 'mountain man sandwich'.

Three and a half months...

Evelyn rolled over for the first time the other day, but I was at work and missed it. So this morning I thought I'd try to capture it on camera and she rolled over before I could even get it! So this is take two.

Unhappy Accident

The bottle of face wash with tea tree oil says in all caps "AVOID CONTACT WITH EYES" (as most soaps do).  But this one you really should go to great lengths to keep away from your eyes.  Trust me.

I inadvertently splashed some into my eye in the shower and nearly collapsed in the tub clutching my eye it was so painful!  I immediately tried to blink in some clean water to wash it out, but all the muscles in my face were working against me trying to keep me from opening that eye.  I turned off the water, groped blindly for my towel, and cried while little daggers seemed to be working my eye from all angles.  A few hours later I'm sitting here trying to do my homework with a red, swollen eye, feeling sorry for myself, I'll admit.

So my advice is that if you must use tea tree oil, wear goggles. 

And so it begins..

Spring semester is already racing down the track!  Will I have enough hours in the day for all of this week's homework?  Unclear.










And finally we got some snow for skiing!  I used to lay out my wet clothes on the fireplace or radiator.  Now I have neither.  I guess I'll have to live with the winter debris once in a while.

Evelyn 3 months

I finally got a video of Evelyn cooing and smiling away. She's growing so fast!