Yes, There Is A Guidebook!

"Why doesn't my baby come with a guidebook?"

Congratulations mothers! I found one!

Back when I was pregnant, I read book after book after book. I wanted to be prepared and know everything I could about how to raise a baby. I am a devout follower of the "Babywise" series and read Babywise I & II multiple times. Despite my avid reading program, questions, concerns, doubts, and issues still constantly arise. After much searching on the Internet, I came across this website: www.babywisemom.com.

I absolutely LOVE this website. It is a "quick reference to find answers to questions you encounter while implementing Babywise...". It has tons of posts on anything you want to know about and the best part is that you can submit questions and in about two weeks, the author will reply with some guidance. I've never posted on the site, but anytime I have a question about an issue Claire is having (currently we are working on separation anxiety), I look to this site for advice.

Obviously, despite my wishes, Claire is still going to have many problems that even the "babywise mom" can't solve, but I will take all the recommendations I can get. So take a peek! Next time you are wondering what to do with your child, I assure you, she will have great suggestions.

Introducing...

EMMA LANE

2 weeks ago, Erik's sister gave birth to a beautiful girl they named Emma Lane. She is so adorable and we love having another niece to play with...I mean look at. Claire and Emma are going to have so much fun together in years to come. Welcome home Emma!

Daddy / Daughter Time

During the week, Erik only gets to see Claire for about 30 minutes everyday because of how much he works. I know it's hard for him and he misses his little Claire Bear. On Wednesday's he sometimes doesn't see her at all because he has to go to Young Men's after work which is sad. I heard somewhere recently that time is a depreciating asset. So true!

Yesterday at Young Men's, they were having a combined activity where they played Wally Ball. Erik really wanted me and Claire to go with him but Claire normally goes to bed around 7:30 pm so my initial answer was 'no'. Erik persisted since he hadn't seen Claire that day so I made an exception. I was hesitant because I knew Claire would be very fussy since we would be out late, so I made a deal with Erik. If we were to go, he had to hold Claire the ENTIRE time. Usually when we are out doing things I hold her when she gets fussy. Erik wanted to spend more time with his daughter so even if she was tired and cranky, it was his choice to keep her up, so he had to hold her. I thought we would have been out of there in less than an hour. I was wrong.

There was so much commotion around us that Claire didn't fuss a bit. Erik even held her as he played a couple of games with the youth. She had so much fun watching the ball go back and forth. I was so glad he got to spend time with Claire and that she was happy even though it was two hours past her bed time. She sure loves Daddy!

Remember Those You Love

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Today is a wonderful day where we get to celebrate the love we have for our spouses, children, pets, siblings, nieces/nephews, grandparents, and friends. In years past, I've focused solely on Erik, but now that I have a child I feel an urgency to express my love for everyone in my life.

Erik, you are the most wonderful husband and an even better father. I love you more than life itself and I am so happy that I get to spend eternity with you. Claire, you are such a joy to have in my life. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to raise you as my daughter and my love for you grows every day. Khloe, my four-legged child, you give me unconditional love and I hope that some day when we are in heaven together, you will understand how much you have meant to me and our family. To the rest of my family, you inspire me everyday. You have provided me with so much in this life and I will always be grateful for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

A few weeks ago, I took these adorable pictures of Claire. I think they perfectly capture the diversity of emotions we often feel on Valentine's Day. As we've grown through the years we have probably felt every extreme from happiness and true love to sadness and despair. Thankfully, the years of being sad for me are gone. I am so grateful that I get to be happy every year on Valentine's Day.

I appreciate the love you all have for me and want you to know how much I love you in return. Have a great day today and don't forget to remember EVERYONE you love.

Somebody Loves Bath Time!

The Best Babysitters Around!

Erik's younger sister, Kari, is due to have her first child later this week; a baby girl they are going to name Emma. We are all so excited for her and Tom. They are going to be such great parents. Erik and I have made sure to take advantage of their childlessness recently and for selfish reasons, I'm slightly disappointed they are going to have a baby of their own. No more babysitters available 24/7. :)

Kari and Tom are so sweet with Claire and they are genuinely excited to take care of her. A mother's dream! Tom has already tried to teach her how to draw...with unlined paper of course. He says lines limit a child's imagination. So cute! (A little background...Tom is an architect.)

Emma, you are going to have wonderful parents and we are so excited to meet you! I know Emma and Claire were friends in heaven and Claire can't wait to see her again and show her around town.

Wordless Wednesday - Is It Summer Yet?

Claire Bear - 7 Months

Yet another month has passed and our little Claire Bear is now 7 months old. Not much has changed since last month; she's just as adorable as ever! Lately she has been:

• Sleeping 12-13 hours straight at night
• Making screeching noises anytime she can
• Folding her hands in her lap; it's so cute
• Chewing on her toes when she doesn't have socks on
• Showing glimpses of being a shy little girl; she'll try not to smile and then turn her head away...yesterday she even buried her head into me for the first time
• Crossing 2 of her fingers on her left hand just for fun
• Smiling with her cute teeth showing; she has 2 of them
• Wearing her too tight 3-6 month clothes and her too big 6-12 month clothes
• Being the best 7 month old baby around!

Each month I take the bear pictures it gets harder and harder. Claire used to sit there so still with a cute little smile on her face. Not today. :) First, I had to take the bows off of the bear's ears because she kept pulling at them, then she wanted to grab the bears nose, and after that she got the bear in her lap and was trying to chew the tag. It takes about 20 pictures before I even get a slight smirk. Oh well; you can still see how much she's grown which is the whole reason I do these pictures. Here are some outtakes and then her "official" bear pictures:

7 month official bear picture 4 months

2 months

Insanity - Am I Insane?

Three weeks ago I jumped on the new years resolution bandwagon to lose weight. After 6 months of hoping the remaining baby weight would fall off by itself (and it didn't), I realized I'm going to have to actually work to get by body back. Yuck! :) I started the Insanity workout program a few weeks ago and I am finally seeing results. Thank goodness! I wish I would have started it a lot earlier. The problem is that prior to giving birth to Claire, I was at the lowest weight I've ever been. This makes getting back to my pre-baby weight very difficult. I've heard people say "it takes 9 months to put it on so give it 9 months to get it off". Since I started the program, I've been losing a 1/2 pound every 5-7 days. Yay for me! I hope I can get the rest of it off by March 30th (9 months after Claire was born). I know I can get back to my old self eventually, but it is slightly depressing to know that I didn't get it off sooner. I guess I was hoping for a miracle and the weight would just disappear. Wishful thinking.

I know a few Moms that got the weight off after 6 months and even weigh less than they did to begin with. Depressing! So I want to hear from the rest of you Moms out there. How long did it take you to lose your baby weight?

Better Late Than Never

Claire will be turning 7 months old on Sunday and I finally took her "6 month" pictures. Normally, I am on the ball with this stuff, but I got hung up on her outfit. Silly, I know. Since it is January, I wanted an outfit that would reflect winter. All of her 3-6 month clothes are too tight and all of her 6-12 month clothes are too big; so I went searching all over Fashion Place mall for the perfect outfit, but everything was spring...bright green, yellow, pink. Ugh! I finally found this cute outfit from Janie & Jack (that store is totally overpriced) and took the pictures today with my Mom. She is a wonderful assistant despite the increasing difficulty of getting Claire to crack the perfect smile when I need her too. These are my favorite two shots:

"Don't Forget About Me"

Khloe has taken a little bit of a backseat since Claire was born, but we've tried really hard to still give her tons of attention and play time. Throughout the past 6 months, she's become the best "lighting tester" in town. :) I know she's grateful that my photography skills are constantly improving 'cause after a while, she gets really tired of staring at the camera flash. Love you Khloers! Thanks for sitting there so patiently.

Proper Etiquette

Lately, Claire has been practicing how to sit appropriately. I promise you, I did not teach her how to do this. Sometimes Erik and I look over and she has her arms folded in her lap. It's so precious! I hope this means she is going to be our little angel. :) Just like her shirt says, "Claire Bear" is "unBEARably cute"!

Missing Daddy

Claire was really sad yesterday when Daddy had to go into work, even though it was a federal holiday. She asked me if she could send him a fax to tell him how much she loved him. Isn't she cute?! :)

New Book

I just finished making the cutest book for Claire. It's called "The Happiest Dog Ever!". Of course, it features her favorite dog, Khloe. It's amazing to see how much Claire already loves her four-legged sister. As soon as she hears Khloe's collar shake from a far, Claire looks around to see where she is. I can't wait until Claire is old enough to read it. For now, I'm sure she will enjoy the pictures.

Take a look at the book here:
http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/pets/the-happiest-dog-ever-5118749

Claire Bear - 6 Months

Our little girl has passed the 6 month mark and I cannot believe it! She's not my little newborn anymore. This last month and a half has been a little rough because she has been teething and switched from three naps to two, but nevertheless, she has been such a joy. Lately she has been:

• Sitting up a lot - she doesn't really like to lie down and play with her toys anymore
• Balancing while standing up - she barely needs any support
• Taking a binky for the first time ever - but only when she's happy. If she's upset, she won't even open her mouth if you try to put the binky in.
• Sprouting 2 teeth - I can't believe she got them so early!

• Growing steadily - she now weighs 14.5 lbs (20th %) and is in the 10th % for height. She's a petite little thing that's for sure.
• Eating solids regularly - she doesn't like carrots and loves sweet potatoes
• Getting attached to Mamma - she usually screams if I leave the room
• Sitting in a high chair at restaurants - she doesn't like laying in her carseat anymore
• Reaching for things if they catch her eye - especially Mamma's jewelry
• Snacking on little puffs - she absolutely LOVES them
• Playing with her feet - she likes to move her toes around and pull at her socks
• Learning sign language - she hasn't copied me yet, but I've been teaching her diligently

It seems like as soon as I get the hang of this parenting thing, Claire throws me a curve ball. I still haven't figured out exactly when she wants her second nap and I've gone from about 6 hours a day by myself down to about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. It's been quite a shock to adjust my schedule and managing my time has become even more important.

Claire's 6 month visit with Dr. V went well and he said she is a very strong baby and will probably end up around my height and weight. Dr. V also said I need to start teaching her how to crawl. That should be fun seeing as she hates being on her stomach. Time has been going by so fast; I'm going to have to start baby proofing soon. Yikes! Our little "Claire Bear" is getting so big!

6 Months

3 Months

1 Month