About Time

Geoff says it is about time for me to update the blog again. I posted a beach photo recap below this post, and here are some recent pictures taken from my cell phone.

Carrying two of her favorite things - a stuffed bunny named "Trey Rabbit" in honor of a friend of Mommy's, and her baby doll.

She has a cabinet we call Claire's cabinet that she's allowed to get into in the kitchen - this is the first time that she's pulled out all of the tupperware and decided to actually see if she could get into the cabinet itself.

Enjoying the fall weather - all she ever wants to do is play outside! Here she is peeking into her playhouse which we jokingly call Nani & Pop's house since we've all said we need to build them a house in our backyard (and they helped us purchase this playset for Claire's birthday).

She loves her booster seat more than we ever realized she would. In the morning, she likes for us to put it on the floor so she can climb into it with her milk, two blankies, and baby doll.

Mama thinks she is just GORGEOUS in this blue shirt - here doing one of her favorite things, playing in the leaves next to her fort in the backyard.

UH-OH: Almost 14 months old and our first episode of poop in the bathtub. Luckily I had Geoff's help to clean the tub while she played in the (tiny) bathroom sink.

Sunday morning and what does she want to do before church? Wear one of Daddy's nerd hats from computer training and get in the laundry basket. Well, she always keeps us guessing (and laughing). :)

Speaking of laundry, this morning she decided she wanted nothing more than to try on mommy's clean socks - one on her foot and the other on her arm.

Beach Trip Recap

Here is a brief photo recap of our family beach trip to Myrtle Beach, SC with my family. I hope to post some family shots when I get them from my brother in law. We were a little too busy to take too many pictures. :) Claire loved everything about the beach, and she was fearless when it came to the waves!

Fun family times in the sand.

Following in mommy's footsteps.

Playing in the waves with Daddy.

Packing up to head home (you think this box is big enough to ship me in?)

Staying entertained on one LONG drive!

Olan Mills Portrait

I've got to figure out how to share the slideshow, but here is one of the close-ups from her one-year photo shoot. Enjoy!
Image Center - Olan Mills Portrait Studios

Cell Phone Pics from Birthday to the Present

Trying to catch up a bit on pictures, but with a toddler running around busy and being over halfway through another tiring pregnancy, I just haven't been great about taking pictures lately. Here's some of the best of what I do have...

The Telltale Signs of a Great Day

So, what are the telltale signs of a great day? Well, sadly, a great day doesn't involve taking pictures or videos - we were FAR too busy for that!

• We had breakfast at Cracker Barrell with Mimi (Geoff's mom) this morning;
• Claire and mommy took a wonderfully long morning nap;
• We went to monkey park where Claire played in the creek, climbed through some tunnels back and forth to mom and dad, swang, and tried the slide a few times;
• We had a fresh fruit salad for lunch (Claire really liked the grapes - cut up of course);
• All of us took a good afternoon nap;
• We played outside in the backyard - to include Claire checking out the new playset (still not fully assembled), playing on the slide which was flat on the ground but still loads of fun, and ending up so filthy that mom stripped her naked and put her in her little pool (she LOVED playing with the waterhose);
• We had a yummy roast dinner, courtesy of Geoff, and found that Claire is really getting to the point where she doesn't want to eat unless she gets to use her fork;
• We played outside some more - running around chasing the dogs and saying hello to PawPawMike from next door;
• Claire had a really thorough bath after getting filthy from all the outside time;
• And she's now sound asleep.

What a great family fun day!

Update in Words (for Photo Update, Scroll Down)

CLAIRE AT 12 MONTHS
She's a walker. One week she wasn't, the next she was. She started walking pretty much full time about two weeks before her birthday and hasn't looked back (or forward for that matter - which means she walks right over any obstacles in her way)!
She's a talker. She says lots of words here and there, but isn't consistent in her real word usage. She babbles, that's for sure! She will occasionally say Mama, says "DAD" (capped because it's usually said loudly and with enthusiasm), kitty cat, dog (usually followed by "bark, bark, bark"), this, that, yes, uh oh, juice, brush (of the hair or tooth variety), bite, and eat. There are probably more I've forgotten.
She has a few fascinations. She loves the neighbors' two mini dachsunds and wants to visit daily. She is VERY interested in the toilet and already shows signs that she will be interested in potty training early. (She will often bring me a diaper or go to her changing table when she's too soggy for her comfort). She loves the computer, especially the wires and cables - yikes!
She's independent. Claire is already self-feeding with a spoon and fork. I am actually surprised to see just how well she does eating cereal and apple sauce with a spoon and handling all sorts of things with her fork. She has actually gotten to where she doesn't want to eat things unless she has a fork or spoon to eat with.
She's small. She actually didn't show growth from her last doctor's visit, which is unusual, but we're not alarmed at this point. I think she'll hit a late growth spurt. She's 28.25 inches tall (25th percentile) and 18lbs. 4oz. (25th percentile). However, considering she has been weaned and started walking between the last check-up and this one, that may explain it all. She can still wear many 9 month outfits and is just beginning to wear some 12 month, throwing off some of my careful planning on wardrobe for the fall/winter. I guess we'll be hitting the consignment sale for her as well as for Evie!

20 WEEK UPDATE ON EVELYN
At 20 weeks pregnant, I have gained around 5 lbs. I have had remarkably good blood pressure (really low) so far, which is a great start since with Claire mine got seriously high toward the end and stayed high for nearly 2 months post pregnancy. Evelyn is proving to be a real wiggle worm. I can actually see her movements already in addition to feeling them, and even Claire has been able to feel her move from time to time (though, of course, she has no idea what it means).
At our last doctor's appointment we were told that Evelyn's progress will be monitored week to week starting at 32 weeks and that the delivery will come whenever the tests show that she has stopped thriving in the womb. We are hoping that delivery will be post-week 35, but planning ahead for an arrival as early as Thanksgiving. For now, I'm just trying to enjoy this trimester as it is much less complicated than the other two.

7 YEAR UPDATE FOR MER AND GEOFF
Today is mine and Geoff's seventh anniversary. It has been a full and interesting 7 years and all I can say is, "so far, so good." We're happy, we're healthy, and we have a growing family. Our cup overflows!