Video and picture

Hi friends! I haven't blogged in a while. Trying to unpack a house, take care of two kids and stay calm is hard. Needless to say, i haven't had much time to sit at the computer! Luckily both kids went down for a nap at the same time today! Claire is doing good. She is saying so many new words. She needs me as a translator though! Luke is growing. He is putting on weight and finally looking a little more healthy- he was pretty skinny! Jeff is loving is short drive to work! As for me, I am trying to adjust. Fort Worth is ALOT different than Dallas. I have had lots of friends come over and help me unpack the house... thank you guys! You don't know how helpful that was! Well, I will leave you with a new video of Claire, and a cute picture of Luke!


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Uh Oh!

Just a few minutes ago I was sending out a quick email to my family with a few new pics of the kids attatched. As I was typing a quickly as I could (because Claire was playing in the other room by herself) I was thinking to myself "I really should wait to do this at nap time". Yup, I should have listened to myself. Just as I finished the email she came around the corner saying "mommy, mommy!" I looked up and she was carrying my giant cup of coffee and it was sloshing everywere. Don't worry, it had cooled off! So, after I calmly took it from her I went and mopped the whole entire living roon and hallway! My house smells like Starbucks now! What a fun morning! Yesterday we went to the doctor. Claire has Eczema... poor thing. She walks around saying "itch, itch!" Hopefully it will go away with her new medicine. As for everything else, we are just packing up and getting ready to move over to Fort Worth! Here are a few new pictures of the kids!

Long time

Well, I'm back! I haven't posted in a while, because having two kids takes up all of my free time. Even with extra help. I had no idea how all consuming two babies could be... wow. Luke is a very sweet little guy. He loves to be held and cuddled. He is waking up about two to three times a night to eat, so I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. Claire LOVES her little brother. She love to help me take care of him. She brings me his diapers, blankets and passy's. She even likes to hold him (supervised of course!) In other exciting news- We sold our house!!! We have also bought another one in Fort Worth. The big move day will be July 13! Yeah!!! Well, I'm off to get some sleep! Here are some new pics of Luke... i will try to be better about updating.

Baby Luke

He's here! Luke Emerson arrived at 12:26pm on Wed. May 25 (our anniversary). I went straight to labor and delivery after my doctors appointment and had my c-section an hour and a half later. I was much more coherant for this surgery than the last, making it a little scarier. Plus, after Luke came out I got to watch the nurses trying to regulate his breathing, and then make the descion to move him to the NICU. Not very fun to watch. He only spent a day and a half there... for IV antibiotics, fluids and breathing treatments. When I finally got to keep him in my room I was so happy and relieved. He is a very sweet little boy, so far a lot like Claire was. Very quite and laid back, but Luke seems a lot more snuggley. We came home on Sunday afternoon, and are just trying to rest up. Here are some pictures of Claires new baby brother. PS he weighed 6# 13 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.

Ugh...

My Mom and I just went on a very slow walk around the block... I really don't know how people have babies without medication. Tommorow morning I am going to go to the doctor and hopefully have this baby. I am so excited to see him, and SO ready to not be pregnant anymore. Tommorow is also mine and Jeff's 4th anniversary! It is amazing how time goes by! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband... Well, just thought I would leave a quick update. Hopefully sometime tommorow we will have a baby, otherwise I will leave another update!

At Home...

Hi! I am writing from home... I really thought I was going to be put in the hospital yesterday, but I ended up getting to come home! I am still at 2cm, and my doctor took me off the horrible medication that I was on. It was making my heart race, so he thought it would be best to quit taking it. He wants me to make it one more week, and then if I go into labor after next Tuesday I will have my c-section. Luke will still be premature, but the doctor assured me that he would be ok. Yeah!!! I really hope I can make it one more week! On another note, Claire learned how to spell her name yesterday! Well, kind of... She imitates me spelling her name. She has a hard time saying the 'R' and 'L', but she can sure say her vowels! I will try to get it on video soon!

No.

I hope you all had a fun Mothers Day. I did! I had to sit on the couch all day, but it was still a nice day. Jeff and Claire got me flowers, and a bunch of stuff to keep me occupied while I sit. Yesterday, Jeff got us all dinner. I guess you could call it our Mothers Day dinner. One of my favorite foods is buffalo wings, so that's what we had. My favorite wing place closed, so we had Hooters! Ha, Ha! How many people can say that they had Hooters for there mothers day dinner?!! Don't worry, it was take out. On a different note, Claire has been learning so many new words lately. One of them being "NO". She loves to tell you "NO" any time you ask her a question... and it is very hard not to laugh when she says it. Here is a new video of her using her favorite new word... I hope it makes you laugh too!

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update

I just talked to Jeff, Apparently Claire is having a delayed allergic reaction to amoxicllin. Who knew? He said she would be ok... please keep praying though.

Not so good...

Well, this post is mostly to just occupy my time. Today was just a normal day... the house showed 3 times, Claire was a happy girl, I was semi- compliant to my bedrest, and my Mom ran around and picked up after Claire all day. Unfortunatly when Claire got up from her nap at 5:00pm she had a very bad rash, so bad she wouldn't let us put clothes on her. Then when it came time to eat she refused... NOT typical Claire. Then while I was holding her, at the dinner table she threw up every where. I've always heard that when your own kid throws up you can handle it... I must say that I did pretty well. I just held her and Mom and Jeff cleaned up. To much info... i'll stop. Jeff and Claire are at the pediatric urgent care right now and I am waiting to hear from him. Anyway, I would ask all of you to pray for us, the whole family. I really feel that we are being attacked. Bed rest, the house not selling, Claire being sick... please pray for protection for us. I am a strong believer that Satan can attack us at our most vulnerable times, But I also know that God is our strength and protection...

New movie...

Well, all is going fine here. I am getting very tired of sitting, laying down and doing nothing. I go to the doctor tommorow, so I will update you all after my appointment. I am anxious to see what has happened in a week. In other news... we finally decided on a name. Drum roll please... His name is Luke Emerson Turner. What do you think? I am so excited about it. Luke means "light", and has so much Biblical meaning. Ben and Liz and Grant came over for dinner the other night. We had so much fun. Claire loves playing with Grant. Here is a new video of Ben and Jeff singing while Claire and Grant dance. I don't know which part makes me laugh more... the Dad's or the kids! Enjoy. I will update tommorow.


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new news...

I went in for my two week check up yesterday. I really thought I would just go in, hear the heart beat, get weighed and go home. Nope. I mentioned that I have been having contractions, and some other symptomes, so the doctor ran a test and checked me. Unfortunatly I am already 2cm dialated. That is not a good thing, seeing that I still have a whole month left. So, as a result, I am now on bedrest. Yuck. With Claire I was on "partial bedrest". Basically, I just had to make sure and take breaks in between doing little tasks. This time though I can't do anything. I can take a bath and treck to the bathroom. No lifting Claire, no cooking, no cleaning...you get the idea. Your probably thinking- sweet deal! Not for me... I HATE sitting. I think I might be a little ADD, because it is hard for me to even sit and watch a movie. Luckily, I have a wonderful mother, and she is flying down tonight. She dropped everything to come down and take care of Claire. Please pray for my patience with having to sit all day, also pray for Claire, she does not understand why I can't pick her up. Also, please pray for the baby. He is fine, and healthy, but please pray that he can hold out for another 2 weeks. We need 2 weeks for his lungs to develope a little more. Also, pray for Jeff. He is so sweet to me, but I know this has to be stressful for him. Last night he had to cook, clean and put away toys, all after being at work all day. (Thank you Jeff!) Well, I will update soon. Have a great day.

Long time

Well, I haven't blogged in over a week. There are lots of excuses... mostly I never know when I am going to have to drop everything and leave the house so that it can be shown. I am very ready for our house to sell. It is difficult to be gone for long periods of time with Claire... i feel so bad for her. Yesterday the house showed 5 times!!! Someone make an offer already!!! Let's see, what other events have happened this week... Well, for one, Claire fell and landed on her nose. Blood was flowing, and of course it happened at 9pm. I took her to the doctor the next morning and her nose is not broken. She does have an ear infection though... i had no clue. She is on antibiotics for the first time. Jeff's new job is going well. He has been getting to spend so much more time with us, even with the lengthy commute! We can't wait to get over to Fort Worth so that he can be home even more! I only have about 4 1/2 weeks until the baby comes. Some friends of ours just had a baby boy, and after visiting them in the hospital it became so much more real that we are going to have a baby too! I am getting really excited! Well, II hope you have all had a great weekend. I am including a new video of Claire singing. Every morning we watch the Wiggles, her favorite show! This is her rendition of "The Flower Song."

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Not so sweet...

Well, these last few weeks have been very fun, but also stressful. Jeff and I signed a contingency contract on a new home in Saginaw. We love it! It has tons of space, a great open kitchen, a huge backyard, and 2 guest bedrooms! Now we have to just wait until our home sells. Please pray for Gods timing... I am so anxious for it to sell. I want to move in to the new home before the baby comes. That is only 6 1/2 weeks away by the way! My Mom left today. It was so nice having extra hands to help me with Claire and keeping the house spotless. My belly is getting so big, that it makes it difficult for me to do simple things like hold Claire, or put her in her crib. Another new development in our lives is that Claire is not the sweet little angle that she was 2 weeks ago. Maybe she is still getting over a cold, or she is getting a tooth, or she is hitting the terrible two's way to early... who knows? I do know that she growls at me and hits me when I tell her NO, or disipline her in any way. We went to Macaroni Grill for dinner on Wed. night and Jeff and I had to take turns keeping her outside becasue she was throwing such a huge tantrum. Please pray for my patience, and Jeffs too. On a happier note... Jeff likes his new job! He even has his own office with a window! He is commuting to Fort Worth everyday, so it will be very nice when we can make the transition to the new house! Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! Here is a picture of Claire getting her hair cut for the first time this week!

So much fun...

Claire has been having SO much fun playing with her Grandparents these last few weeks. This week my parents came to visit. My Dad was only able to stay over Easter weekend, but my Mom is still here (until Friday). For Easter we went to church, and then came home for Easter lunch. After nap time it was off to the Easter egg hunt at church. Claire had a lot of fun picking up eggs... To round out the day Claire got to play in the sprinklers out front while we were watering the yard. Here are a few pictures of her fun day.

Big Post...

Jeff's parents were in town all last week. We had so much fun. We were able to finish all of the major projects around the house so that we could list it. The goal was to get the house in "show quality", and I think we did a good job getting it there. It has shown 3 times since Friday! Claire had a lot of fun with her Papa and Mimi... we adapted the names so that she could say them! On Friday Jeff and I went to Fort Worth with our realtor and looked at new construction homes. I am so excited about getting to pick out a new house! We found several that we liked, but we are still looking. On Saturday we went to Dallas Blooms at the Arboretum. It was beautiful! Claire had a blast chasing the birds and squirrels and playing in the grass. Along with Saturdays pictures I am also including a video of Claire playing you a tune on her harmonica. She learned how to play it this past week!


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Update...

For those of you who have not heard, I wanted to fill you in on what is new in our lives... Last week Jeff was offered a new job! It is a really great opportunity for him and for our family. He accepted the position this week, and we will be starting the process of selling our house. The new job is in Fort Worth, so we will not be moving far. This job will allow Jeff to be home every night for dinner, and even get to be home on the weekends! We are so excited about this opportunity, it is such a blessing. Please pray for us as we make this transition. As I am now almost eight months pregnant this will be a very tiring time for me. Luckily Jeff and I have wonderful families that are able to come down and help us! Also, please pray for Claire. She is 16 months old, and I am not sure how a move and a new baby will effect her. She is a very well adjusted child, and I really don't want this time in her life to change anything. Well, I hope all is well with you, my blog readers! Here is a new picture of Claire...

Tag...

So, my friend Carolyn blogged about being tagged and how she doesn't play by the typical blog tag "rules." I usually ignore the tag games... sorry about that for those that have tagged me (Matt and Andrea). So to redeem myself I thought I would join in on this fun game... here are Carolyns rules: This tag game requires one to list five quirks/peculiarities/weird habits about oneself. Shouldn't be too hard. I think.
Here it goes...

1. I do not like to eat sandwiches. Wierd I know... I don't like how the bread gets stuck to the roof of your mouth, and I don't like lunch meat... so put them togather, and I am not to thrilled!

2. I would rather scrub the toilet (any toilet) than do dishes. I really think that old- soggy- half eaten food is gross... especially if it is someone elses!

3. I LOVE wierd documentories... my current favorite: Standing tall at Auschuitz. A story about a family of 7 dwarfs that survived the concentration camps because they were used as medical experiments. Any show that contains information on abnormal human or non-human life I am fascinated with!

4. I have two toes that are partially webbed! EWW... I guess they could make a documentary on my feet!

5. Lately, I have been extremely forgetful (maybe because I am preggo?) For example... I have left the refrigerator door open for over an hour, merely because I forgot to close it! I have done several loads of laundy without laundry detergent, once again, because it just didn't cross my mind to put it in! And my favorite... Jeff was watching a baseball game on tv, and the announcer made a comment about it being 2:00. The stadium was all lit up, and the sky was dark, but don't worry, I did ask Jeff if he meant AM, or PM! WOW. Jeff didn't answer my question... his eyes just got real big.

So now that I have told you some really ridiculous things about myself, I expect some fun info about yourself!
Have a great day!

Playing

Grant came over to play today. Claire had so much fun chasing him, and being chased! I love hearing them squeal and laugh. Here is a video of Claire and Grant running around the house and acting silly... enjoy.

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Big Mama...

Hi friends. So, I really shouldn't be taking the time to blog today, because I am supposed to be cleaning my house. However, I have a few funny things to tell you about. On Tuesday night Jeff got to come very early again, so we went to dinner at Double Daves Pizza. Yum! It was my turn to go up to the buffet line, so I grabbed two pieces of pizza for me, and one for Claire. I am heading back to our table, and this man says to me "It looks like your eating enough for two!!! Ha, ha ha!" Oh, my gosh... I just stared at him. Was he kidding? Nope, he was seriose. Ok, people, I am not THAT big. The funny thing was that he was huge. I could have said to him "Well, it looks like your eating for three, too bad your not pregnant." But, I didn't. I just walked away. It is unbelievable what people think is appropriate to do and say around pregnant women... Do you all have any funny prego stories to share? We would all love to hear them! And on that note... my friend Holly emailed me the link to a very funny blog that had a great video clip on it. I thought it was worth putting on my blog too. Enjoy. P.S. If you EVER see me wearing anything like this, please tackle me and strip me down! Ha, Ha, Ha! (click the link below to watch the video!)
Mom Jeans

Throwing things...

So, last night Jeff got to come home very early from work! He went and played basketball, and then came home to watch Claire for me while I went to Bible study. All went well, no tears and no accidents! However, Jeff informed me that while I was away he taught her how to throw things. What??? It started out as an innocent game of "toss the blocks in the bucket". However, that is quite advanced for a 15 month old, so it ended up being a game of throw the blocks at whatever is closest. So, my question to Jeff was... "how do you suppose I teach her not to throw things at others, when you are teaching her it is a fun game?" His response... " Um, I don't know, you can handle it though." So, thank you Jeff... I can't wait to take Claire to the nursery tommorow to play with all of her little friends!

Dancing

Well, I haven't posted in a while. I also found out that ya'll could not see the photo I posted of Jeff holding Claire when she was tiny...oops. I guess I have a true case of pregnant brain. For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a severe case of flighty-ness. Just ask Jeff, I'm sure he would be the first to tell you how flighty I have been lately. I worked in the nursery this morning, and Claire got to play with her friends. As we were leaving Grant and Kiegan were on both sides of Claire holding her hands. They walked around the nursery and giggled... SO CUTE. When we got home it was naps all around, and then we played outside. Here is a video of Claire dancing for you. I must say, she gets her skills from her Daddy!

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Not so little...

Today I went to a huge childrens consignment sale with some of my friends. It was very fun. I think every mother from the entire DFW metroplex was there, including there children. There were big kids and little kids, and lots of preggos! Seeing all of those tiny babies kind of got me excited about having our son. Not that I was not excited before, but I guess reality hasn't hit me yet. Anyway, I thought I would post a picture of Claire from when she was first born. This was taken right before we took her to church for the first time. I thought it would be fun for those of you who didn't get to see her when she was that tiny. I wasn't blogging back then! Well, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Blanket Monster

We have had so much fun in the last few days. Jeff was home with us all weekend. He had to do some work from the house, but at least he was around the whole time. On Friday night we stayed home and played with Claire... she loves playing with her Daddy. I hope you all had a great weekend too! Here is a new video of the "Blanket Monster".

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Giggles

Howdy! For those of you who don't live in the great state of Texas... yesterday it was 93 degrees here. Wow, it was actually hot! Claire and I played outside, she had so much fun playing in the grass barefoot! I am including a video of her laughing at me. You probably will laugh at me too when you hear me in the background- just try to ignore me. It is her cute laugh that you should listen to! Today I had a doctors appointment. I had my glucose screening for Gestational Diabetes. Basically you drink a very sweet orange soda-ish drink, and then one hour later you get your blood taken. If you know me well, you know that I DO NOT LIKE NEEDLES. So, I was already aprehensive about it. I walked in and they informed me that the phlebotomist wasn't in today, so I was going to have to go next door to Quest Diagnostics. Ok, I can handle that... maybe. After two people poked around under my skin someone finally found my vein in the top of my hand! YUCK. It was horrible. Oh, well... at least that is over, and Claire was very good through the whole process! I hope you are all having a great day!

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Yeah!!!

OK... Who is SOOO excited about the Bachelors choice? I know I am (and so is Melissa, for the record!) I wanted him to pick Sarah from the beginning, and he did! Ok, I won't go on and on about it, i'm just glad that for once the Bachelor chose a good girl. I hope I didn't ruin it for anyone! Umm, mostly today Claire and I just played. We got to have lunch with Jeff, which was very fun. Well, enough for now. Here are a few new pictures of Claire! I haven't heard from any of my "cool" friends about how the Coldplay concert was! Was it fun?

Happy Friday!

I love it when it rains! It makes everything seem so peaceful. It also helps that my house is clean and Claire is asleep! We will see how long the clean house thing lasts. Last night my computer savvy Mom sent me this short video that she made of Claire. It is a compilation of videos from the first year of her life. Because it was made on my Moms computer, I do not have access to the HTML... you will just have to click on the link to see it! I hope you enjoy it... it made me cry, but then again she is my child! Claires Video.

Catching up...

Hi friends. I haven't blogged in a few days. I have been trying to wait until I had a fun picture, or video to post. I guess you can't force those kinds of things. Claire is getting a new tooth. It is no fun for her or for me. New tooth= no sleep and whining. I feel so bad for her, i wish there was more to do for her than tylenol and ambesol. This weekend is the spring Womens Retreat at FBCOC. It is only one day long, so if any of you are free, I encourage you to come. My good friends Liz and Holly are in charge of it, so it will definatly be good. On another exciting note: Frisco is giving away FREE trees! How cool is that? You can request up to two per home! They aren't even little twigs, they are supposed to be 8-10 feet tall! Very exciting! Anything else exciting... let's see... I am now 25 weeks pregnant. My stomach is getting big. Jeff always makes comments like " yup, your definatly pregnant!" Ha, Ha. I go to the doctor next week, so i will make sure and update you more then! I hope you are all having a great week. This is a picture of Claire in her special hat and coat that she got from her Opa and Oma (great grandpa and grandma in German.)

Trying SO hard...

Today Claire and I spent time at home. At lunch Claire practiced eating with a fork. She practically refuses to eat unless she has a fork or spoon in her hand. This makes breakfast, lunch and dinner a very long process. I am posting a video of her using her fork. After her nap we played outside... I can't wait for the cold weather tommorow! I'm not ready for summer yet!

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I have a question for a few of you (those of you that read my blog that do not have kids.) Is it boring to read about what someones kid does on a daily basis? I love reading about what my friends kids are doing... but sometimes I wonder if that is just because I can relate. Do you wonder to yourself why a kid using a fork is so fascinating, or why i am constantly trying to get Claire to make a monkey noise? Just wondering... i want your honest opinions on this. I know that I haven't had a kid for that long, but this was never something I thought about when I didn't have kids. Does that make sense?

Valentines Day...

I just put Claire down for her nap. I am sitting at my computer, eating my lunch and reading my blogs... all before I clean the house. Today is a GREAT blog day. I decided to link you to a few of my favorites today. For sweetest post of the day please visit Allison's blog. And unfortunatly there is a tie for funniest blog today... to see them youself please visit Sarah's blog, and Melissa's blog. Jeff got home last night at around 8:00pm and we had dinner togather. I was doing the dishes, and he mentioned that he had left something in his car. When he came back in he had a rose, card and a Micheal Buble cd for me. I was so excited... what a sweet husband I have. We had said that we were not getting each other gifts, but he said that this did not count because the cd wasn't wrapped! Cute! Did you think I could post without mentioning Claire?! She is learning how to smell things, so Jeff let her smell my rose. She didn't quite get the concept! Here is a short video of how Claire smells flowers... Happy Valentines Day!


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What's new?

Hi! Let's see... there is not much to blog about today, but here goes! Claire and I did erronds with our friends this morning, very fun! Now she is sleeping. I made sure to get home in time for an expected phone call at 2:30, and it never came. Annoying. The Nutrition program at ACU is being acredited again and I was asked to do a phone interview on my experience graduating from the program. It's not very nice to say you are going to call someone, and then not do it! So, tommorow is Valentines day! What does everyone have planned? Jeff and I are not doing anything tommorow. Instead we are going to take advantage of free babysitting at the church on Wednesday! We are going to go out for dinner, just the two of us! I bet there will even be eating and talking going on! Amazing. When you eat out with a one year old you don't get to do much of either! Let's see, what else... Jeff got to be at home all weekend! On Saturday morning we were having breakfast togather like always and when we were finishing Claire looked at me and said "bye, bye, Dada!" SO cute. She knows that when we finish breakfast Jeff leaves for work, but on that day, she had so much fun playing with her Daddy! So, I guess I lied... I did have a lot to blog about! I hope you all have a very romantic day tommorow!

Kissing in church

As Valentines day is coming up, I thought this was an appropriate question to post... your probably thinking... wow two posts in one day!!! I couldn't resist! Thanks for sending this to me Lisa!

Skills

I am attempting to teach myself how to manipulate HTML! This is my fist attempt... what do you think? Is the white background too boring? I want your honest opinion! This weekend should be fun. Jeff probably won't have to work much! Yeah! Tonight I am making him a nice dinner, and then we will probably just play with Claire! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Live from Texas... It's the Claire show!!!

So, when you get tired of videos, just let me know. I have been taking a lot of video of Claire lately because she is doing so many new things. It is so fun to see her grasping things that Jeff and I teach her. Lately, I have been trying to teach her how to hug and kiss. That way, when the baby comes she will be able to show him that she loves him... let's hope she does! Anyway, this is a video of Claire and her pink bunny! Enjoy! P.S. Try to ignore me talking... I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut when I press record! :)

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Silly girls...

Today Claire's friend Natalie came over to play. They had so much fun making each other laugh. I hope this little video makes you laugh too!

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He's my son...

For the last nine months I have been following a blog of a family in Brooklyn, NY. I am not personally aquainted with them, but we have mutual friends. There son Ira was born with some very severe medical problems, which you can read about on there blog. http://brooklynchurchplant.blogspot.com/ As I was doing my daily blog reading today I felt very compelled to ask all of you to pray for this families child. Please pray that Ira will grow stonger, and that he will be able to go home soon. Please pray for his parents and his big sister, give them stenghth Lord! Being pregnant is a very emotional time, not knowing what the Lord has in store for your child. As I pray for our new son, it is hard to imagine having to encounter such obstacles. If you have time, take a minute to watch this video of Ira. http://homepage.mac.com/jaisbell/Ira_Hays/iMovieTheater62.html It is very touching. I am at a loss for words... so I will leave you with that. Please pray for them.

Picture #2

This is the proof!

Picture #1

This is a picture of the babies spine, skull and partial profile!

It's a...

BOY!!! My appointment went well! The baby is healthy, and so am I! We are so excited that Claire will have a baby brother! Thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts today! I am posting a few pictures of the baby. The first one is the proof that he is really a boy! The second is the closest we got to seeing his little face. He is already head down and the doctor could not get a good view of his face. I'm sure he will be adorable though!
Update: for some reason I am unable to uplaod the sonogram pictures. I will continue trying! Sorry!

Animal sounds

Claire has learned to make an animal sound! It doesn't matter what animal you ask her about, she will make the same noise over and over. A cow, sheep, snake and lion all make a growling noise! Who knew? It is very cute, and I wanted to share it with all of you!

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Kisses

Is this the cutest thing you have ever seen or what!!! Claire's friend Grant came over to play today. They were both looking out the window, so I thought "hmmm, that is a cute picture opportunity!" So, I went and got my camera. When I came around the corner Grant was smooching on Claire! SO CUTE! Tonight I am making dinner for Jeff. I haven't cooked in two weeks! I don't like cooking for myself, but I love cooking for others! We are going to hang out at home and play with Claire! It should be a very fun evening!

We LOVE Jeff!

I just wanted to take a minute to let everyone know how awesome Jeff is! He has been working very hard in the last few weeks... 16 days straight to be exact. That means no weekends and 80 hour weeks. This is all without complaint. He comes home and tries to be in a good mood, and in the morning he spends time with Claire. I know it is hard on him not being able to spend a lot of time with her, but he makes the most of what he has. I am so thankful that I have such a hard working, caring and loving husband. He is such a good provider, and such a caring Dad. This is just a small way to tell him how much his girls love him!

I did it!

I had my AFP blood test this morning. I layed down, held out my arm and didn't pass-out! Yeah me! Claire was good too... she just sat and watched! I scheduled my ultra-sound for February 3. That should be the day that we find out the sex... if the deuce is cooporating. Wait... have i posted about that? Jeff likes to call this baby "Deuce". I can't remember the exact reason why. Ask him... i'm sure he would love to tell you. You want to hear something else that will make you laugh? The other day when I posted about Claire getting mascara all over the carpet Jeff decided he would post a comment. He had never commented on my blog before, so while going through the set up process he saw that you can link your name to a website. Being the funny guy that he is, he linked a "phrase.com" to his name just to be funny. He didn't look up the website before posting, but went to it after the fact. Come to find out it was a very explicit, nasty website! This is why I did not give you the phrase that he used! So, after I frantically stepped him through how to remove his post we had a good laugh! Lesson: NEVER type in random phrases on the internet without first checking them out! Even if they do sound innocent... you never know what you will find! YIKES!

Sweet Girl

More drama...

Today I was getting ready for the day and Claire reached up on the counter and stole my mascara. I didn't see it happen, and if I had, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. She's only one, she can't take lids off of things. HA! She walked into the living room, sat on the white carpet and proceded to unscrew the lid. She then smeared it all over her cute little outfit, the carpet, her hands and just about everything in sight. When I came around the corner she got really scared and started to cry. She knew she did something wrong. She didn't get introuble though... I shouldn't have let her play with my things, and I should have been watching her. Oops. Does anyone know how to get mascara out of carpet?

Weekend Update

Well, we had an eventful weekend. After my last post I came down with some sort of horrible flu or cold. On Friday morning I went in for my doctors appointment and ended up being addmitted to the hospital for dehydration. I stayed in the hospital all day hooked up to IV's and other medications. It was not very fun. Jeff had to leave work and come stay with me. Claire got to play at her friends house... which I am beyond thankful for. During my hospital stay i would wake up and wonder if Claire was OK, or if she was being good. Well, come to find out when Jeff went to pick her up she cried because she didn't want to come home. I don't know what we would do without such good friends. I am very thankful for them. So, the rest of the weekend I was mostly out of commision. I feel better, but very tired, and still a little nauseated. I will go in next Friday for the AFP test. In the midst of all that we managed to let Claire have fun playing at the park! Wouldn't it be nice to be one again and have no cares in the world!

Tommorow

Hi friends! Tommorow I have my next appointment with the OB. I am having my Alphafetoprotien (triple screen) test done. It is a blood test that determines if the baby has genetic defects such as Spina Bifida and Down Syndrome. Most all pregnant women have this test, i also had it when I was pregnant with Claire. It is a simple blood draw, and then results follow in a few days. I wanted to ask you all to pray about this test. I am very nervouse about it, for two reasons. The first one: I am very phobic about needles and having my blood taken. As this is busy season, Jeff will not be able to be there to hold my hand... please pray that I can be brave. Next, I am nervouse because I have had a reoccuring dream since I was a little girl about this topic. I always dream that I am a mother, but that one of my children has Down Syndrome. I have this dream sometimes as often as once a week. It's not that I would be devestated if this baby did have Down Syndrome... It is just that this dream is so vivide and it makes me nervouse. I know that whatever God has planned for Jeff and our family will be for the best. I would really appreciate your prayers tommorow... my appointment is at 11:30 AM. I will post on my results as soon as I get them.

New Computer

Over Christmas my Dad gave Jeff and I a new computer. He used it at work, but doesn't need it anymore... so today I am trying to teach myself how to use it. I can hear what your saying already. Is she dumb? Why doesn't she know how to use a computer? Well... I grew up a MAC person. I have ALWAYS used a Mac. My new computer is a PC, so you can see the problem. So far I am doing ok... this blog entry is a test to see if I have figured it out! My Dad is in town today from Colorado, so Jeff, Claire and I are having dinner with him tonight, should be fun! I finally got some Christmas pictures in the mail last night. This is a picture of all of us snow shoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park. Poor Claire... she did not like the powdery snow blowing in her face. I think she will enjoy herself much more next year! Well... more later. I still have a lot to learn on my PC!!!

girly girls and geniuses...

Well, it look like Claire is going to turn out to be a girly girl. Her new favorite things are my purse and a cell phone. She will carry the purse on her arm and hold the phone to her ear as she walks around the house. If you listen closely you will hear her chatting with someone and giggling. Example: "Hi, ahhh, hmm, he he he, hi..." etc. It always makes Jeff and I laugh. On another note... this morning as I was getting ready for the day I had a thought. Do you have a list of people that you consider to be genius? Well, I do. It is a short list, but I plan to add more people as I see fit. My list as is follows: Martha Stewart. Why? WHY NOT??? She is amazing. Everything she does is perfection. You can really learn alot from her! Second on my list: The person who invented the CHI. For those of you who are unaware it is the best hair straightening device ever made. I just got one and I can't figure out why I didn't get one earlier... it is AMAZING! So, there is my list- so far, short and sweet. What is your list... I would love to know!

Friday

I'm so glad it's Friday. That means that I get to spend the whole weekend with Jeff. It is busy season now for him at work, and this will be the last weekend that he won't have to go into the office. I am really worried about Claire. She is sleeping so much lately. It could be a growth spurt, or that she is teething. What normal one year old asks to take a nap. She sleeps 9-10 hours at night and then take two 2-3 hour naps during the day. I am taking her to the pediatritian next week. Just to make sure everything is ok. I still don't have any Christmas pictures of Claire... hopefully soon. I also go to the doctor next week. We only have to wait 4 more weeks to find out if we are having a boy or a girl! I can't wait. It makes it more real to me to know if i am having a boy or a girl... almost like I can picture the baby better. I am hoping for a little sister for Claire, because I always wanted to have a sister. But whatever the baby is it is a blessing from God... we'll just have to wait and see!

Back in Texas...

Well, we are back. It was a long and very fun trip. We were in Colorado for 10 days and then went to Missouri for 2. We got to see my family and Jeff's family, so it was a very productive trip. I will say though, being in the car for 14 hours while being prego--- NOT fun. I only maanaged to get sick one time in the car though (in case you wondered.) Claire had a great time... both sets of Grandparents and enough presents to fill a Toys-R-us! I don't have any cute pictures to post yet. I let the people with the fancy cameras take all of the pictures this Christmas. I am waiting for them to send them to me. When I get some I will share them with you. Last night (New Years Eve) Jeff, Claire and I had dinner with good friends, and then we came home and sat on the couch. No alcohol was involved, and we went to bed before midnight. Sounds fun huh? Well it was, really. I just don't get what is fun about staying out late and drinking yourself into sickness?!! If you can explain it to me, feel free! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

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.