So Proud!

One of the things I've had on my list to do is to get Claire to sleep without rocking or other "sleep props" as Babywise puts it. Yesterday I decided I've put it off long enough and that I need to just buckle down and start letting her cry herself to sleep. I was dreading the 3-5 days they say it takes for a baby to change their sleeping habits and knew I would have to listen to hours of endless crying.

Today's afternoon nap was my first shot. I changed her diaper, bundled her up in her Swaddle Pod, sang the first verse to I Am A Child Of God, set her in her crib and went downstairs with baby monitor in hand, prepared for the worst.

5 minutes went by and no noise. Then another 5 minutes. I waited a total of 15 minutes and decided I better check on her. Maybe the monitor wasn't working I thought. I opened the door and was amazed when I saw this:


My little "Claire Bear" sound asleep. I literally started to cry - I was so proud of her! I only hope this isn't just a one time thing. We'll see in a few hours when she goes down for another nap.

A Day Full of Accomplishments

Sometimes Claire has her days when she doesn't let me get anything done, but today, she was an absolute joy! She let me shower, do my hair, put makeup on, paint my nails, and even exercise for the first time in a LONG time. I've realized now that with a 2 month old baby, days like these are one in a million.

We did have one little mishap though. I fixed myself a turkey sandwhich and went upstairs for a minute. Well...it was a little too quiet. By the time I got downstairs, I was left with this -


This is exactly how Khloe left the plate. Somehow she managed to eat only the turkey and havarti cheese and left me the bread, lettuce and sprouts. "Thanks Khloers." :)

Family Outing (minus Khloe)

Last weekend Claire and I joined Erik on the golf course for a quick 9 holes. I decided that it's never too early to start teaching Claire the art of being a perfect golf companion. I must say, she caught on very quickly and she's on her way to being daddy's little caddy.

Here are the rules - first of all, there is no talking (or crying) while someone is hitting the ball. Second, driving the cart is an art form. Take the quickest route to the ball and try not to start/stop the cart abruptly. Third, tend the flag if called upon and lastly, while Erik (daddy) reflects upon all of his shots for what seems like hours on end, look at him with your big blue eyes and pretend to listen.


Claire's got this down pat!

Oops!

Motherhood is exhausting and it finally caught up to me yesterday. I put Claire in her crib around 11:30pm last night and then went in my room to go to bed. She had been asleep in my arms for the past hour and of course as soon as she was placed in her crib, she woke up and started crying. I was going to wait 15 minutes before going in to console her, but I was so tired that I accidentally fell asleep.


I found out this morning that Erik went and got her around 12:30am because she was crying (he had been all the way downstairs and couldn't hear her screaming). He said her hair was drenched from all of her sweat. Oops! She was probably crying for an entire hour! I felt terrible! Poor girl. Guess I need to try and get some more sleep so I don't accidentally neglect my child. :)

Claire's Favorite Things

...sleeping with her arms up...

...going on walks with her big sister (Khloe)...

...shopping at places named after her...

...sunbathing at the pool...

(I promise she had lots of sunscreen on)
...doing anything outside with Mommy. Gotta love this girl!

Things I am Enjoying About Claire

the way she smiles with her eyes closed

her little button nose

watching her stretch as she wakes up

how she always has her arms/hands by her face when she sleeps

the calmness that comes over her as we walk outside

cuddling with her as she sleeps

watching Erik interact with her

the "horse" noises she makes when she relaxes

seeing her grow up every single day

staring into her little eyes

knowing she's mine forever

Claire's Newborn Pics

Having Claire has been quite an adventure. Like everyone says, I never thought I could love someone so much. She's been an absolute joy (when she's not crying) and even though I've become extremely sleep deprived, I wouldn't change a thing.

Even though I spent years babysitting as a teenager, I'm learning new things everyday and after 2 weeks, I now understand why it takes mothers so long to get anything done. Today it took me 4 hours to pay bills and getting ready now takes all day. Nap 1 - shower. Nap 2 - put clothes on. Nap 3 - well, you get the idea. I'm hoping as Claire gets on a schedule and decides to sleep more than an hour here and there, that I can become more efficient. I did manage to figure out how to nurse and reconcile bank statements simultaneously today. :-)

Last week I FINALLY got around to taking some newborn pictures of Claire so I'm going to put off blogging about her birth until later. One thing I will mention is...can you believe all of her hair?! Here are my favorites- ENJOY!

***New Addition***

Will I Be Pregnant Forever?

Don't look at the pregnancy toolbar above this post, I promise you, it'll put you into a deep depression. :) I've been trying to get my mind off the fact that I am still pregnant (due date was Friday) and with my family in town, it's been slightly easier. On Friday we went to Hogle Zoo. I always love going there, taking pictures of the animals and reading about them. This is my favorite picture from the day:


When I look at the picture, it makes me think not only of patriotism, but faith. Faith that a situation will improve and get better. That is exactly what I need right now; more faith. Because I feel like I am going to be pregnant forever!

An Afternoon For Khloe (Our Current Baby)

To get my mind off the fact that I am still pregnant, I thought I'd blog about a fun afternoon we had a couple of weeks ago. Erik, Khloe and I went down to Thanksgiving Pointe for Dog Days. We only spent a couple of hours there, but we did manage to catch the Splash Dogs (something I've always wanted to see).

At this event, the owner throws a toy off of a platform and they see how far the dog can jump. The winner jumped almost 24 feet; it was amazing! Check this out!

We tried to get Khloe to jump off the platform but she didn't want anything to do with it. We walked around to all of the booths, got some free dog treats, Erik won a toy armadillo (which she loves), and she got her nails cut for free. Oh, the things that make me excited these days. Overall, it was a fun day out as a family and Khloe had a blast! Based on her smile, she can't wait for next year. :)

Last Baby-Free Getaway

Over Memorial weekend, Erik and I went to St. George for our last "getaway" before the baby arrives. It was so relaxing; just what we needed. The trip started out with what else, golf. Erik played nearly 100 holes of golf that weekend and I tagged along for most of it. I know what you're thinking - that's a lot of golf. Thankfully the scenery was beautiful, my book (Baby Wise) kept me semi-occupied, it wasn't too hot, there were cute little rabbits running around everywhere and I got to see Erik hit some great shots.

When we weren't on the golf course, we spent some time with my sister and her family who came up from Vegas. We laid out at the pool, watched the kids play in the water, went to the sprinkler park and by the end of each day, were extremely happy to get back to our king size bed to get some much needed sleep.

I was so glad it wasn't scorchingly hot while we were there because I really wanted to go on a short hike. We decided to hike the Red Cliffs trail which only took a couple of hours. My giant belly and I made it to our destination without any complaints. Well, maybe a few. :) To round out the day, we drove by the temple which I had never seen up close before. It was gorgeous!

Sadly, the getaway came to an end and it was back to work on Tuesday. Hopefully it won't be too long until we can sneak away again.

Unexpected Changes

Erik and I aren't the only one experiencing changes around here. Poor little Khloe has had her favorite seat in the car taken over by a strange, foreign object...my giant belly. She hasn't quite figured out how to adjust to the new surroundings. :)

Progress

It seems like I am finally getting things accomplished around here and it's a good thing because I'm exhausted. The baby's room is finally complete, minus the glider that hasn't arrived yet and of course the cute baby pictures that will be displayed once our little one arrives. I only have 6 weeks left and it's getting a little scary. I can't wait to meet her and see all the joy she brings to our lives, yet I fear the unknown and feel best in our comfortable 2 person + 1 dog life.


The room is done,the diaper bag is packed, and I've settled on a pediatrician (thanks neighbors) but I'm hoping our nameless little girl will stay content in my belly until at least a few days before she's due (June 25th). I need one final baby-free vacation over Memorial Weekend, time to pack my hospital bag, and a few more weeks to help Erik prepare for the huge changes to come. :) Fingers (and legs) are crossed!

Preparations Underway

Only 9 weeks left! I can't believe it! I've been getting emails saying things like "Last Minute Baby Preparation Ideas" and it's kind of starting to scare me a little. I feel so unprepared.

Thankfully, the nursery is starting to come together. We have the crib, dresser, bedding, a few decorations and we finally ordered a glider.One of my favorite things in the nursery is this bucket with stuffed animals. The big white bear was mine when I was a baby and the smaller brown bear was Erik's. I am SO glad our parents kept these for us. They are great reminders of our childhood years.

My belly seems to be in the forefront of the baby preparations. Everytime I go back and look at the prior month's picture, I can't believe how much I've grown. Only 2 more belly pictures to go!

Khloe is even getting in on the action. She tested out our BabyBjiorn Babysitter and based on this picture, I think it will work perfectly. :) Adorable!

Total Randomness

I know this is strange, but I love the sound of lawnmowers. It makes me think of Spring, gorgeous sunny weather, birds chirping, and best of all...the smell of fresh cut grass. Ahhh!

This is a picture of Khloe's food bowl. She's as precise as her mother. :) A line straight down the middle. She decided to save the rest for later. So funny!

Here is an updated (as in last month) preggers pic for my out-of-town sisters. Only 10 weeks to go! YAY!