Claire loves to build block towers! She likes to knock them down too or have us build them so she can knock them down. Her jammies have Christmas Stockings on them. So cute!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Our Little Tall Girl!
Wow! Look how tall Claire is! She can reach her cup on and off of not just the table, but off her highchair tray on the table!
Wow! Look how tall she is. Nothing is safe now!
Claire loves her big Elmo toy that her Uncle Richard gave her for her Birthday! Claire likes to give kisses!
Claire also loves to give hugs to not only her toys, but other little kids, people, and babies!
She has trouble walking with this giant toy, but she sure tries! She loves to run around and say "Elmo!"
This morning we went to the Broad Ripple LLL meeting and the topic was weaning and nutrition. Basically weaning starts the moment solids are introduced. So it was really perfect for us! Even though the topics repeat, the questions and discussions are always different at the LLL meetings.
Wow! Look how tall she is. Nothing is safe now!
Claire loves her big Elmo toy that her Uncle Richard gave her for her Birthday! Claire likes to give kisses!
Claire also loves to give hugs to not only her toys, but other little kids, people, and babies!
She has trouble walking with this giant toy, but she sure tries! She loves to run around and say "Elmo!"
This morning we went to the Broad Ripple LLL meeting and the topic was weaning and nutrition. Basically weaning starts the moment solids are introduced. So it was really perfect for us! Even though the topics repeat, the questions and discussions are always different at the LLL meetings.
I asked about gagging and choking. Apparently choking is only when the child cannot breathe and you have to do the Heimlich Maneuver. So I guess Claire has never truly choked. I thought that when she spit-up/vomited from gagging badly that THAT was considered choking, but I guess not. So her regular gagginess is just her saying she's not breathing the way she wants, but she's doing fine! Babies are good at getting their airway clear! We had pizza tonight for dinner, and she actually bit some off and ate it! She loves the tomato sauce and cheese!
Back to the meeting...they really stressed that you as the mother know the best way to parent your own child as you know your child best and to follow your child's lead. They are also huge on letting the child self-feed (sort of like nursing on demand). I have lately been letting her sit on my lap and eat off of my plate per suggestions at other meetings, and she seems to do better this way (eat more), although it's really messy.
Oh well!
Pictures from Hancock Group
Here is a photo of some of us regulars that attend the Hancock group and our kids!
(Kiddies: Elle (7), Claire (16 months), Catrece (7 months), Alex (11 months), Emma (16 months/same bday as Claire!) Mommies: Me, Christy, Sarah, Melissa)
Here is Claire playing with her friend Catrece. Claire is into noses right now. She loves to touch everybody's nose! Don't you love both of their outfits!?!
(Kiddies: Elle (7), Claire (16 months), Catrece (7 months), Alex (11 months), Emma (16 months/same bday as Claire!) Mommies: Me, Christy, Sarah, Melissa)
Here is Claire playing with her friend Catrece. Claire is into noses right now. She loves to touch everybody's nose! Don't you love both of their outfits!?!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Busy Day!
This morning we had our last story time before Xmas Break! We also played at the library play area before and after! Claire loves all their puzzles and little chairs they have! We don't have Story time again until 2009!
Then this afternoon we had a weight check with Dr. H. She weighs 24.1 which is only 1 ounce more than the last time we saw him a week after Dr. W labeled her as FTT for weighing less at 15 months than she did at 9 months. She should be gaining on her own chart. So I'm glad she gained at least an ounce...at least she didn't lose anything! I saw a Family Practice Doctor for her weight a couple weeks ago as well. He was alright, but I think we'll go back to Dr. W or H in the future. I like the aspect of Pediatricians specializing in children...what's the real difference between a pediatrician and a Family Practice doctor?
Some kids don't even take their kids to well-child check-ups, but I guess as first time mom, I still am! :) I don't even know about trying to get her to fatten up...I just want to get her to eat for me. She eats decently for other people (Josh, my Mom, crackers while running around the library ;) hehe!) but when it's just me and her...it is a battle! They'd like to see her up to 25 lbs at her 18 month appt. which is in about 6 weeks. (Wait! Didn't she just turn 15 months 6 weeks ago!)
It seems like there are A LOT of breastfed babies that have fallen off the charts somewhere after 6-12 months. Or they are low...but a lot of people I talk to ... their kids aren't even on them. So when I say Claire got FTT at 60% for her weight they are a little confused. Anyway First Steps is coming to our house Monday afternoon so I think that will start to ease my concerns more. She ate pretty well all morning. I was trying to fatten her up for her appointment this afternoon! (As I've been doing the past 6 weeks!)
Then this evening we went to the local Hospital Breastfeeding Support Group/aka Social Hour and feasted on some awesome Pumpkin Brownies! YUMMERS!
Then this afternoon we had a weight check with Dr. H. She weighs 24.1 which is only 1 ounce more than the last time we saw him a week after Dr. W labeled her as FTT for weighing less at 15 months than she did at 9 months. She should be gaining on her own chart. So I'm glad she gained at least an ounce...at least she didn't lose anything! I saw a Family Practice Doctor for her weight a couple weeks ago as well. He was alright, but I think we'll go back to Dr. W or H in the future. I like the aspect of Pediatricians specializing in children...what's the real difference between a pediatrician and a Family Practice doctor?
Some kids don't even take their kids to well-child check-ups, but I guess as first time mom, I still am! :) I don't even know about trying to get her to fatten up...I just want to get her to eat for me. She eats decently for other people (Josh, my Mom, crackers while running around the library ;) hehe!) but when it's just me and her...it is a battle! They'd like to see her up to 25 lbs at her 18 month appt. which is in about 6 weeks. (Wait! Didn't she just turn 15 months 6 weeks ago!)
It seems like there are A LOT of breastfed babies that have fallen off the charts somewhere after 6-12 months. Or they are low...but a lot of people I talk to ... their kids aren't even on them. So when I say Claire got FTT at 60% for her weight they are a little confused. Anyway First Steps is coming to our house Monday afternoon so I think that will start to ease my concerns more. She ate pretty well all morning. I was trying to fatten her up for her appointment this afternoon! (As I've been doing the past 6 weeks!)
Then this evening we went to the local Hospital Breastfeeding Support Group/aka Social Hour and feasted on some awesome Pumpkin Brownies! YUMMERS!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Mom's Night Out
I went to a Mom's Night Out tonight. We went to Olive Garden for some food and a Secret Santa gift exchange that wasn't so secretive. ;) It was fun enough, but everytime I go out, I miss my little baby-boo! I feel like I'm missing an appendage! She did alright without me, but the minute I walked in the door she started shouting, "Nummie, Nummie, Nummie!"
Daddy did a great job...he got her to eat some dinner and gave her a bath. Since she was already in her jammies, I just nursed her right to sleep. I love how soft and silky her cheeks are! I love how fuzzy and fluffy her hair is right after her bath. I love how she gives such real hugs now! I just love her so much! I feel like I've been away from her a lot lately (3 evenings in less than 3 weeks!) LOL! I can't imagine working full-time and being away from her for an entire day. I would never see her! :(
Sometimes there are moments like right when she's fallen asleep so close to me that I want her to stay a little baby forever!
Daddy did a great job...he got her to eat some dinner and gave her a bath. Since she was already in her jammies, I just nursed her right to sleep. I love how soft and silky her cheeks are! I love how fuzzy and fluffy her hair is right after her bath. I love how she gives such real hugs now! I just love her so much! I feel like I've been away from her a lot lately (3 evenings in less than 3 weeks!) LOL! I can't imagine working full-time and being away from her for an entire day. I would never see her! :(
Sometimes there are moments like right when she's fallen asleep so close to me that I want her to stay a little baby forever!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sugar 'n Spice 'n Everything Nice!
"What's up homey!?"
"Uh, duh!"
"CHEESE!"
"I can has eat a cracker!"
"I can has pose perfect for your Xmas Card!"
"I can has be a goofball!"
"Oh you stop!"
"Seriously mom, you are burning up my retinas here. TOO MANY PICTURES!"
"I'm going to get out these clothes now!"
Sunday! Pacers Game!
My eyes are shut, but she looks great! We are on our way to church here!
We were doing "so big" so that she'd smile!
I tried to get her picture in the little chair, but she wanted to run around!
Sunday evening we went to see the Pacers play Boston. Our seats sucked compared to last time!
The game was back and forth...it was great. They went into overtime! We ended up losing 117-122. BOO :(
We were doing "so big" so that she'd smile!
I tried to get her picture in the little chair, but she wanted to run around!
Sunday evening we went to see the Pacers play Boston. Our seats sucked compared to last time!
The game was back and forth...it was great. They went into overtime! We ended up losing 117-122. BOO :(
Playing with Oma and Opa!
Claire had an ice cream cone when Oma and Opa were babysitting. My mom just gave her a small scoop, but when she started to eat it, it got pushed down in the cone, and she got mad since she hasn't figured out you can eat the cone part. So then my mom was going to trade her cone with her, but Claire decided to keep them both.
"YAY! I GET 2! YUUUUUUUUUUUMY!"
"NOOOOOOOO! (Stewie voice if you know the show!) MIIIIIIIIINEEEEEE!"
"YAY! I GET 2! YUUUUUUUUUUUMY!"
"NOOOOOOOO! (Stewie voice if you know the show!) MIIIIIIIIINEEEEEE!"
"That's right, folks. You better step away! And nobody will get hurt!"
"Yeah, I have my own ride WITH a sippy cup holder AND 2 ice creams! "
"Sup fools!?! Go ahead and try to take one of these away from me. I dare you!"
Our little girl loves to wear hats...or buckets! This sweater was made by my late Grandma LaVerne.
"Oh you can't take a photo of me now, I have something on my face!"
Reading a German book with Oma called OUR FRIENDS.
She also loves pushing around her toys in her little shopping cart! VROOM!
Claire had a blast and didn't even cry the whole time we were gone Saturday night! She actually ate some food too...well...who wouldn't eat ice cream! She can say Oma really well now and has asked for her OMA several times. She reportedly said OPA while we were gone, but I haven't heard it yet. She also picked up the word, "Daisy," over Thanksgiving weekend...much to my chagrin. She likes dogs!
"Yeah, I have my own ride WITH a sippy cup holder AND 2 ice creams! "
"Sup fools!?! Go ahead and try to take one of these away from me. I dare you!"
Our little girl loves to wear hats...or buckets! This sweater was made by my late Grandma LaVerne.
"Oh you can't take a photo of me now, I have something on my face!"
Reading a German book with Oma called OUR FRIENDS.
She also loves pushing around her toys in her little shopping cart! VROOM!
Claire had a blast and didn't even cry the whole time we were gone Saturday night! She actually ate some food too...well...who wouldn't eat ice cream! She can say Oma really well now and has asked for her OMA several times. She reportedly said OPA while we were gone, but I haven't heard it yet. She also picked up the word, "Daisy," over Thanksgiving weekend...much to my chagrin. She likes dogs!
And I don't. Well...I'm allergic, but I'm also terrified she'll get bit by one. http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Translation-Johnson-Catherine-Grandin/dp/0739455303/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228869050&sr=8-3
Read that and you'll agree! Temple Grandin has autism and wrote that book which turned out to be mostly about animals and their behaviors rather than autism. I picked it up to read about 3 years ago thinking it would help me work with autistic students.
Anyway, she talks extensively about why dogs bite people and especially moving people and small children. Hmm...let me count the people just in my family who I know who have been bitten by semi-familiar, friendly pet dogs...1) my little brother Richard when he was little, maybe 2, by a friend's dog 2) my sister Holly in college while walking with a friend and pet dog and 3) Josh when he was about 5 by his Uncle's dog resulting in the scar which still can be seen on his upper lip. So these 3 cases confirmed what she wrote about basically stating that it's not "if" a dog will bite but basically a matter of "when." Daisy seems like a tame dog, but...
Monday, December 8, 2008
A Holiday Party!
On Saturday, Josh and I attended his company Holiday Party. My parents came down to Valpo to babysit Claire. Here we are before leaving! It was a nice date for us!
The party was downtown in Indy. It was at an awesome hotel. http://www.crowneplaza.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/INDDT?&gclid=CLuw0bfKspcCFRyenAod1BdKjg&dp=true They have train car "rooms" that you can rent. We didn't stay the night, but my parents stayed there last year and watched Claire on site for us. They are so awesome. That way I could just slip out to nurse her a few times without worrying about her not taking a bottle. Here we are in the hotel lobby. These pictures suck because they are with my camera phone.
Here are some people we played Black Jack with, which we played forever. I <3 Blackjack. The theme this year was Casino night. It's a rocking theme because you can learn to play all the games for free! Plus, it's fun.
The party was downtown in Indy. It was at an awesome hotel. http://www.crowneplaza.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/INDDT?&gclid=CLuw0bfKspcCFRyenAod1BdKjg&dp=true They have train car "rooms" that you can rent. We didn't stay the night, but my parents stayed there last year and watched Claire on site for us. They are so awesome. That way I could just slip out to nurse her a few times without worrying about her not taking a bottle. Here we are in the hotel lobby. These pictures suck because they are with my camera phone.
Here are some people we played Black Jack with, which we played forever. I <3 Blackjack. The theme this year was Casino night. It's a rocking theme because you can learn to play all the games for free! Plus, it's fun.
Our dealer was awesome. She was totally letting us all win since it wasn't for real money. We started with "$2,000" in chips. By the end of the night we were able to cash in our chips for about 20 raffle tickets which cost "$1,000" each. Too bad it wasn't for real cash! We also played some roulette. They also had Caribbean Stud Tables, poker, and craps. We didn't get around to any of those this time. We didn't want to leave our favorite dealer! :) Josh actually won one of the raffle prizes, which was a $50 Kroger gift card. Yay! We can definitely use that on some stuff! I took a picture of my big old pile of gold chips. The gold ones were worth $500. Oh, and the other fun thing about the Holiday parties: FREE DRINKS! :) Notice my empty glass ;)
The food was also incredibly awesome. They had a buffet with several stations of food including Jumbo shrimp the size of a small child. They had a mashed potato bar, a pasta bar, a stir-fry bar, and traditional meats (turkey, roast beef, pork loin stuffed with spinach and lobster, or ham, all carved just for you). They also had salads, fruits, cheeses...and desserts to die for...included mini-cheesecake bites, various big cakes, and my personal favorites...strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. Yes, we shall find time to attend this yearly event! Plus Josh got his Christmas bonus check at the party. Yay! It was a great night, and Claire had a ball with my parents! :)
The food was also incredibly awesome. They had a buffet with several stations of food including Jumbo shrimp the size of a small child. They had a mashed potato bar, a pasta bar, a stir-fry bar, and traditional meats (turkey, roast beef, pork loin stuffed with spinach and lobster, or ham, all carved just for you). They also had salads, fruits, cheeses...and desserts to die for...included mini-cheesecake bites, various big cakes, and my personal favorites...strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. Yes, we shall find time to attend this yearly event! Plus Josh got his Christmas bonus check at the party. Yay! It was a great night, and Claire had a ball with my parents! :)
Not everyone can!
This is an interesting, informative site, about a condition where women truly cannot breastfeed: http://www.noteveryonecanbreastfeed.com/index.html The number of women who have this is something about 2%.
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