Today

Today I am going to do a little bit more Christmas shopping. It is hard to do it all at once, because the munchkin doesn't like to sit in her stroller for very long. Can you blame her? I am going to the OB this afternoon for a check up. I'll update you later on how it goes... i'm sure everything is fine. Tonight we are going to dinner with a bunch of friends! I am very excited about it... going out to dinner is my favorite past time!!! I am so sad about the weather. At the beginning of the week they were predicting snow- now all we are going to get is rain. Yuck. I love this picture that I came across... maybe we will get to see some of this when we are in Colorado! Only 3 more days to go!

Funny questions to ask yourself...

Do you love these silly questionaires or what! I know I do! This one is the longest i've seen in a while, but it made me laugh a lot, so I thought it was worthy of replying to. I hope it makes you laugh too!

SOME STRANGE QUESTIONS:

Something purple within 5 feet of you: my purple iMac

If the Matrix existed, would you want to know? Yes, but i still wouldn't get it.

How long can you hold your breath underwater? I don't know. At least five seconds.

Your nails were last painted? paint my nails? I don't have time for that!!!

The weirdest thing you've ever heated in the microwave? A clothe bag full of beans.

Ever done the Electric Slide? Oh yeah. All the time.

What japanese words do you know? Saki, koneishie wah, and karate kid.

Sparkly things? LOVE sparkly things, especially for Christmas!! :)

Ever crash a car, been in accidents? Only when I ride with my friend Sarah!!!

Do you look good in yellow? Nope

Do you sing? Only in the car, or to makeClaire laugh!

Ever sang in front of a crowd? No Way!!! Oh, wait... does church count, when other people are singing?

Do you dance? Only to make Jeff and Claire laugh!!!

Is your hair long enough to chew? yummy. yes it is!

Least favorite color? orange

Favorite kind of pizza? cheese

Ever had Dippin' Dots? nope

Ever played an instrument?: Yes. i was one of those band dorks in jr. high and high school. (oboe, flute and piano!)

How old were you when you got a cell phone? 18

Do you want to get married? I am married silly!!!

At what age do you want to get married? See above.

Have you ever been married? Only to Jeff!

At what age do you want to have kids? I already did that too!

How many kids? Who knows!
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1) I am... tired.

2) My ex-boy/girlfriend was...uhh...I don't remember... (thats the politically correct answer!!!)

3) If I had one wish i'd get...My boobs done :)

4) Maybe I should...be doing laundy.

5) I love...God, Jeff, Claire, My friends, My family... etc.

6) Budder-tup is... huh?

7) Looking for... my black sweater, do you have it? It has disappeared.

8) I don't understand...Lot's and lot's of things

9) I lost my...sweater, remember?

10) My boy/girlfriend is a(n)... my husband.

11) In darkness...i listen to Jeff sleep while I cannot.

12) Why do I... not know an answer to this question.

13) Is there such a thing as.... a person who can do all of your chores for you?

14) Do the... hustle!

15) People say I'm...short.

16) Love is...God

17) You make me wanna....shupe, shupie, dupe and reapeat!

18) Somewhere, someone is...sleeping.

19) Is it true that... people actually lived without cell phones and DVR's???

20) I will always...love Jeff!

21) Forever is...waiting for pictures to be developed.

22) I never want to... eat peas.

23) I hate... doing the dishes!

That's all.

Santa

Well, Claire got to sit on Santa's lap on Friday night. We waited in line for 30 minutes and then it was our turn. Jeff plopped Claire on his lap and they snapped the picture before she could even react. As you can see from this picture that I took she was not too excited about the experience. It is not the best picture in the world, and I'm sure $30 at the mall would have produced an even better picture... but, oh well. She is only One and Santa isn't the "reason for the season" is he? The party wasn't that great... long lines for food and tooo many people. On Saturday morning we went to a Birthday party for a little Two year old. It was at Mc Donalds, so the older kids had a blast. Claire had small bites of her first happy meal. It will not be a habit though. I am still determined that she will not eat that stuff. That's all for now... i need to finish laundry. Only 6 days until Colorado!

Christmas Party

Tonight is Jeff's Christmas party at work. It is a family party (the only one of the year) so we are taking Claire. The best part is that she will get to have her picture taken with Santa. I am too cheap to take her to the mall and spend $30 on one picture that she will porbably cry for. So this is a great alternative. After that the evening will go as follows: 29th floor: eat and small talk. 30th floor: the same. 31st floor: continued. 32nd floor: and again. Should be a fun night! Actually I really do look foward to these things because it is a chance for me to be around real- live- adults. I'll try to post a picture of Claire and Santa tommorow!

Ice and snow...

Today turned out to be great. Last night was NOT great though. I woke up at 2AM with a migraine and spent the rest of the night and following morning hugging the toilet (gross i know, but i thought that was the nicest way to descibe it.) I never get morning sickness in the middle of the night, so last night was a first, and hopefully a last. I feel so much better now. Claire had her 12 month well baby check up today. It was so sad. She got her MMR and Chicken pox vaccine and then to put icing on the cake, she got her finger stuck too. She is still has anemia. We are going to try a new supplement, pray that it will render the situation. The best part of the day was Jeff coming home early. He didn't even call, just showed up at 12:30. He worked from home today because of the weather. It was nice having him around all day. Oh, and who loves this weather? I DO!!!! It is great! I love hearing the sleat on the windows, it is so cozy. I wish we could have a fire in the fireplace. That would not be very baby-proof though. Well, I'm off to an early bedtime, I am SO tired from not sleeping last night! Good night! P.S. This is a picture of Claire all bundled up before we left for her doctors appointment!

Birthday

Claire's first birthday was on Saturday. We had a party for her and all of her little friends came. She had SO much fun. When it came time open presents she helped and got excited about each one. When it was cake time she shoved the whole piece in her mouth and loved it! It was a very fun day. This is a picture of Claire with her Grandpa Gerry and Grandma Sara in her new red wagon! She got to go on a long walk on her birthday. smething that she loves!!! What a lucky little girl!

I guess i'm weird...

Ok... Do any of you like those shows on Discovery channel, or TLC- the ones about medical miracles and people with ultra weird conditions? I LOVE THEM! This morning I watched "The woman with half a body!" Very cool. My favorites- "Ferrel children,""The 160 pound tumor," "The boy without a face," "The boy who's skin fell off"... OK, except the last one, even I had a hard time watching. It was so graphic and sad that I couldn't handle it. I think it was because I knew the boy was going to die. Most of the other ones are about how these people do a rare surgery and save them! Maybe I was supposed to be a doctor, oh wait, that requires really good grades! Ha, Ha! It's not that I like seeing people in pain or deformed... I think it's because I admire them so much. Every single one of them is so strong and peaceful. They have accepted who they are and what they have been given in life... something I think most of us can't even do! So next time you see one of those shows advertised, know that it will definatly be recording on my DVR!

Busy Week...

Thanksgiving was great! We went to a hotel brunch with some close friends and there family. It was very posh... champaigne, turkey, dressing, sushi, chocolate fountains, every kind of dessert known to mankind. Basically whatever your heart desired! Then to top a great day off, I got to see the new Harry Potter movie- SO good! They left a lot out, but nothing I would miss. Friday night I made Jeff Thanksgiving dinner Harrow style (very traditional). He insisted that he needed left- overs. Saturday we went shopping and bought a new dining room set, which I am so excited about. And yesterday we did stuff around the house, including putting up the Christmas tree! I just got back from the doctor... blood work- YUCK. This afternoon I go to the chiropracter. Ok, my whole entire week is like this. Some where in there I have to find time to clean, order a cake for the big birthday bash, get party stuff... on and on... My Mom and Dad are getting in on Friday morning- very exciting. So, this should be a very fast week! Yikes!!!

Thankful...

I thought I would post a list of all the things that I am thankful for. I have read so many blogs in the last few days with similar lists, and I think it is a great idea. First, here is a picture of what our new baby probably looks like. It is not really our baby, just a representation. Today I am 12 weeks pregnant, 28 weeks to go! Anyways, here is a list of things that I am thankful and greatful for... My relationship with God. Jeff, because he loves me unconditionally and because he can always make me laugh. Claire, because she is the sweetest little girl in the whole world. Our new baby. Mom and Dad, because I can always depend on them. Home. Friends. Sarah and Ryan because they were so thoughtful to include us for Thanksgiving. FBCOC. Good neighbors. Grandparents. Jeff's job. Being able to stay at home with Claire. Ben and Liz, Kevin and Angie, Paula, Melissa, Halie and Katie, Jeff and Lisa. Little friends for Claire. Ok, I could go on and on, and I know I have left some things off. These are the things that I have been thankful for today. I hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving with people you are thankful for. Don't eat to much!!!

update...

So, Claires fever is gone. Yeah. I think she might be just getting a tooth, fianlly. Jeff gave her a ziplock bag with an ice cube in it and she went to town on it! Whatever works! My doctors appointment went ok. He couldn't find the heart beat, and that was very unsetteling. He could tell it made me nervouse, so he did another ultrasound. Sure enough we got to see the little heart beating away. I think he said 160 beats per minute... wow. So, all in all today turned out to be a good day!

Fever...

Poor Claire. She woke up this morning with a 103 fever. It broke my heart... she just layed on the floor playing with one toy. She has no other symptoms, so i just gave her tylenol. She is sleeping right now, i hope she feels better when she wakes up. Please pray that she gets better soon, it is so horrible to watch your baby not feel well. This afternoon I have my second OB appointment. Jeff is going with me, and we should get to hear the heart beat. Last time we only got to see the heart beat, so this should be very exciting today. I'll update later after my appointment...

Ponytail

Here is a new picture of Claire. She finally has enough hair for me to do something with it! All of her little friends have tons of hair and teeth... not Claire. She is somewhat lacking in the hair area, and as for teeth... well, they are non- existant! Having no teeth doesn't slow her down when it comes to eating though. For lunch she ate a whole entire can of carrots... i think she gets that from Jeff! I'm sure she will really enjoy Thanksgiving dinner! Enjoy the weekend!

I am Wonder Woman!!!

Your results:
You are Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman 67% The Flash 60% Robin 57% Superman 55% Spider-Man 50% Supergirl 47% Green Lantern 40% Catwoman 35% Hulk 35% Iron Man 35% Batman 25%

You are a beautiful princess with great strength of character.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Funny... but not.

For those of you that know Jeff, you will totally understand this funny comment he made last night. We were standing in our bathroom, at our own sinks getting ready for bed. Out of the no were he turns to me and says "Ya know, once you have kids, they never go away." Ok, so at first I was like- "JEFF, that is horrible..." which i say a million times a day. but then he went on to say that he would never want it any other way. He can't imagine not having Claire, and either can I. He then went on to ask me if I ever thought of how our life would be now if we didn't have Claire. No, actually I had not pondered that thought. He had... vacations, two incomes, etc... my response "yeah, that stuff is nice, but would you rather go to Cancun, or have the sweetest little girl in the whole world lick your face goodnight (her version of a kiss.)?" He chose the wet kiss. That made me feel great, it is a very sweet thing to see a Dads love for his Daughter.
Ok, for the not so funny part... after our conversation i could not sleep. I layed in bed worrying (which I do well) about if I were ever to lose Claire. What would I do? It makes me teary just to think about it. So enough of that... i finally fell asleep and woke up to Claire chattering in her crib. Not a bad way to wake up!

Claire's New Coat

My Mom made Claire a new coat for winter! It is SO cute... I hope it starts getting cold here, otherwise she will never get to wear it. Today I made an outfit for Claire. I wanted to make her a Christmas outfit, something special that you wouldn't see any one else wearing. It turned out to be a success, kind of... it is so big i think she might be able to wear it when she is 4. I guess I have some re-sewing to do!

The park...

Claire and I went to the park today. She had a great time swinging and playing on the slide. She was NOT happy when it was time to go home. Last night she learned that her shoes go on her feet. She spent a very long time sitting on the floor trying every- which- way to get them on her feet. It is so fun to see her actually learning new things. I knew it would happen eventually, but you never know when she will surprise you with something new. Another new thing... seeing a shampoo bottle or a lotion tube and rubbing her hands togather! Thats my girl... a product junkie in the making! And last but not least, and my favorite: when I sing Bah, Bah Black Sheep to her she will yell BAH, BAH until I sing it again... over and over and over again! What a fun little girl...

No Soccer Mom Here!!!

Yeah! No mini vans for me! Update: on Thusday night i became the proud owner of a Chevy Trail Blazer! It is perfect! I am just getting used to driving it. Compared to my other car it feels like I am driving a semi! I even got leather seats... a first for me! I can't believe how well our little trip to the dealership went. When we bought our first car it was a disaster. The salesman leached on to me, he could tell that I was a sucker! But, this time the dealer was so friendly and didn't even try to throw us any lines! Most people think that car dealers are shady. I beg to differ... my Dad currently resides in the car business, and he is anything but shady. So, give them a break people... they are just doing there job. Ok, i'm done ranting... see you on the road!
On another note... Did you think I could post without talking about Claire? This weekend we went to three costume parties. Wow, Claire had so much fun. She loves playing with other kids. Tonight Jeff is going to take her to a few houses on our street while I stay behind and pass out candy. It should be a fun night! I'm not really a big Halloween fan... but who can resist cute little kids in there fun costumes? I just love opening the door and seeing smiling little ones so pumped about one piece of candy (maybe two if they are really cute!) I hope everyone has a fun night!!!

The Mini Van...

Ok... Those of you who know me know that I have sworn to NEVER drive a mini van. Well, now that i am expecting again we will need a bigger car. I want an SUV. Jeff wants me to have a minivan. So, tonight at 8:00pm we have an appointment to see a MV. I'm a little sad that I will more than likely be driving a MV and I am only 26. I guess my fate is to be a soccer mom. I wonder if I can get some of those decals printed with Claires name on them to stick to my back window. That would make the transformation complete! I guess it could be worse. I could have a station wagon... so much for an H3 or a Tahoe. Maybe I can drive one of those when the kids go to college.

Oma

Today is my Grandmothers birthday. She is Claires Great Grandma (obviosly.) However Grandma prefers that Claire call her Oma, and Grandpa is to be called Opa. These are the German words for Grandma and Grandpa. Of course, Claire can't talk yet. She has no concept for labels except for every animal being a Kitty and Jeff and I being MAAA and Dada. So we go along with Oma and Opa and this makes them VERY happy. It is amazing how when we get older little thing, and little people can make our day. I think we should all try to be more content with the small things in our lifes, and not try to wait for happiness in the big things. If we look closely it's amazing how many little things God puts in our way to show us His glory... you just have to have your eyes open to see them. Happy Birthday Oma!

Donkey

This past weekend we traveled down near College Station to visit Jeff's Aunt and Uncle. They live on a ranch with various animals and a huge pond. Claire LOVED it! She loved watching the donkey's and the ducks... so much that she didn't really wnat to waste her time sleeping! I think this is our last planned out of towner until Thanksgiving. Jeff's parents are coming to visit on Thursday... that means lot's of eating out and shopping!

Home again... Home again...

We left Baton Rouge yesterday at 2:30pm, and we didn't get home until 11:00 pm. It was the longest most miserable drive, mostly because Claire cried the whole time. Remember what I said about her being a good traveler... I take it ALL back. She was an angel on the way there, but it was a different story on the way home. It was a very fun trip though. We ate lots of seafood, and Claire even learned how to cajun dance! She loved the music.

Baton Rouge

Tommorow we are driving to Baton Rouge! We have old friends there that we haven't seen in a while, and we are finally going to visit them. Apparently it is a 6-8 hour drive depending on whose driving. I have a feeling that we will be in the car for 8 hours. Jeff calls that "Claire Time". Everything takes more thought and more time when you have a baby! I'm hoping that once again she will be a good sport. Yesterday i wathched "Super Size Me". WOW. I will never eat Mcy D's EVER again! And Claire will definatly NEVER eat it. I would rather go down in history as the worlds meanest mom, then have my child eat that crap. Now the hard part is going to be... what do you eat on road trips? It seems like no matter were you are driving that is the only option. I think I will just starve tommorow.

Talk, talk, talk...

Today was SOO fun! My friend Sarah and I spent the whole day togather talking! We went to the mall, walked around and talked. Then we came back to my place and talked some more. I love chatting with old friends, it's so refreshing not to go through the whole small talk blah- blah before you can really have a conversation. Anyway, Claire has been sick the last few days... we are going through diapers like mad (if you know what I mean). Her Daddy would say that she is not being very cost effective (he's an accountant you know!) I'm supposed to go work in the nursery tommorow, but I think we will stay home and let Claire rest. Oh, guess what we just heard on the news... Facial skin sagging when you are old is not caused by the elastic in your skin failing. Apparently it is caused by your bone structure getting smaller. I guess this is the first time in history when it pays to be big boned! You can't have plastic surgery to get that done!!!!

Wierdos...

Yuck... Why would a total stranger post on my blog about a dating service. Yuck. Does anyone know how to prevent this? I don't really know all the ins and outs of bloging yet. Claire is napping, and I just finished watching MARTHA. In my opinion she is a genious! I taught myself how to crochet last night. Very fun. Look out, your all getting scarfs for Christmas! J/K! Here is a cute pic of Claire and Shelby helping me in the kitchen last night. I guess I dropped a piece of chicken and they were both interested in it... Shelby won in the long run! Thats all for now...

Abilene

Yesterday we (me and Claire) went to Abilene with Sarah... Claire did well, only cried a few times. The last time I blogged we were on our way out of town. It seems like we travel a lot. Good thing Claire doesn't mind. Tonight I am hosting a wedding shower for a couple that I have never met. A little out of my comfort zone, but it will be ok. The couple is from Mississippi, they are Katrina victims. It will be fun to make some new friends.

travel...

today i am packing. do you know how hard it is to pack for a baby? hard. there are so many things to remember... spoons, bibs, food, bottles... on and on. it will be fun to see jeffs parents though. we havent been to indy since before i was pregnant. i hope claire doesn't cry on the plane. it's so funny traveling with a baby. the minute you step foot in the planes cabin people start giving you nasty looks. it always makes me laugh when we land and countless people pass by saying "your baby is so good, she didn't make a peep!" i guess that is a good lesson in judging people that we don't know...
we will be back next thursday... happy fourth of july.

first times

today was a day of firsts. claire pulled herself to her knees for the first time to stare at the cat. I am "blogging" for the first time. some of the blogs that i have read are so deep. this is just a place for me to write what i am thinking. i had dinner with laura tonight. she has made friends finally. i think she is even gaining her self worth back. she told me about a woman that came up to her at walmart on the day of her divorce. the woman told her that God had great things in store for her. AMAZING. i do believe in prophecy, you just have to be willing to listen when you are spoken to. speaking of God, He answered my prayer yesterday. i was so down because i felt alone in all of my friendships. 3 friends called ME yesterday... i didn't have to call them first. it was a great feeling, i slept so well last night. i hope tonight is the same. jeff comes home on thursday, 2 nights to go. i miss him so much...