Okay, it doesn't help that I am watching "One Born Every Minute" or the fact that I am super tired yet can't sleep, but I really feel like crying tonight. No, it isn't because Caleb is gone... I have done that before and I am fine with that. Yes, I know it is different this time around because I have Clara, but even if Caleb was here, I would still be with her all day and waking up with her at night. And at night is where my problem lies...
Clara wakes up in the middle of the night... still... and sometimes it is multiple times a night.
She used to do good (with only waking up once), and then she wasn't and woke up a lot. Then she only woke up once again. There were a few times in there where she slept eight hours straight! But, now I'm back to multiple times a night. Not getting a full night of sleep really wears on me... especially when I can't fall asleep right away to begin with. It makes me feel like I'm not doing a good job at being her mother because, dang it, she should be able to sleep through the night by now! I did. The worst part is that no one else can get up with her... even if Caleb was here: I have the milk.
I don't know what to do. If you have any tips, please share, and thank you for them. I'm sorry for this pity party I invited you to by posting the link.
Goodnight... hopefully!!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
And So Begins Three Daddy-less Weeks...
Caleb left on Saturday. His plane took off at 6:30am, but we left him there at 5:30am so that Clara and I could go back to sleep. I last heard from him very briefly on Sunday, and he officially started Special Forces Selection on Monday. If I don't hear from him, that is good! I just wish I could fast forward to December 16th so that I would know whether or not he gets selected!! I want to know where we are going and when we are going there...
But, back to the rest of my weekend.
On Thanksgiving, we went to Caleb's mom's house. Caleb's brothers, Daniel and Brendan were there along with Daniel's wife Paula, and his son, Michael. Michael is four and one half years old, so he and Clara can't really play together very well this year, but next year should be fun (or interesting). Daniel has a Canon 7D, and I was excited to get to play with that and his external flash. (I want both now... even though I know that that will not happen for a while. A girl can dream, right?) We had A LOT of great food (we only had one meal that day because of it). We went to the park where Clara had fun in a swing for the first time. And, I had a lot of fun with multiple Clara photoshoots.
On Black Friday, we just relaxed at home. I bought my mom's Christmas present online (I almost slipped up and said what it was, but she does read this blog), and I picked it up later that night. We also went out to Buffalo Wild Wings to bid farewell to our friend, Jared Carpenter. He got out of the Army as a Captain, and had spend at least three months trying very hard to find a job. When he got the job in Memphis, Tennessee, he was two weeks away of being homeless because the house he was renting got rented out from under him. He accepted the job on Tuesday, and moved on Saturday. He will be working in the medical supply field. We all wish him good luck on his life's next chapter, and hope that he finds a nice big house with a backyard for his cute puppy. Caleb and I went to Cold Stone for dessert... the cookies and cream shake that I had was delicious.
Saturday started off with Caleb leaving us for three weeks. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing with Clara. I was able to talk to Caleb once he got to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
On Sunday, Clara and I went to church. I put Clara into the nursery for the first time EVER. It was SO awesome to not have to hold her and entertain her during church. She did great, too. She was the only kid in the infant room. And, the nursery worker did great with her cloth diapers. We went to Wal-Mart after church to check on the prices of the Jillian Michaels DVDs to see if it was better to get them online or in the store... online won out. I ended up buying: Six Week Six Pack, 30 Day Shred, and The Biggest Loser: Cardio Max online. I wanted Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, but they sold out of that online before I was able to order them. I also bought some more of my Christmas presents for people in my online order. While I was in the store, though, I did get part of Caleb's present and a little bit more for Clara's present. Yes, I finally decided on what to get Caleb!
On Monday, I worked out with friends in the morning, and Clara ate green beans for the first time for lunch. She is not too sure about them, but I think that that is because of their texture... and my blender not working. I'm done, I WILL be getting a new blender! Making baby food will just be too difficult without one because she needs to eat more than just oatmeal, avocados, and bananas! Then, right before the end of Cyber Monday, I bought a little bit more for Christmas presents. I now have everyone covered except for one more thing for Clara, my grandma, grandpa, grammy, Carl, and Sookie (because she is part of the family after all). I know what I want to get all of them, but it Clara's last part, my grandma and grandpa, and my grammy's presents will all be homemade. I hope that I can get them done before Christmas!!
Today, I went to Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) and had a great Bible study (Guarding Your Child's Heart by Gary Smalley). I will just be playing with Clara the rest of the day. Later today, my friend Amy will be coming by to watch Clara while I go to my personal training session. It will be my last time seeing Amy before she moves back to New York. It will be a sad day, but I am glad that I will get to see her (and I am thankful that she volunteered her time to watch Clara for me).
Well, that was my long weekend in a nutshell. We are getting by here. In fact, I feel a lot more productive when Cale is not around. The only problem I have is going to bed at a reasonable time... I have been going to bed at midnight since Caleb left and it is wearing on me. I hope that I can start going to bed earlier!!
Please keep Caleb in your prayers while he is at Selection!! Thanks!
But, back to the rest of my weekend.
On Thanksgiving, we went to Caleb's mom's house. Caleb's brothers, Daniel and Brendan were there along with Daniel's wife Paula, and his son, Michael. Michael is four and one half years old, so he and Clara can't really play together very well this year, but next year should be fun (or interesting). Daniel has a Canon 7D, and I was excited to get to play with that and his external flash. (I want both now... even though I know that that will not happen for a while. A girl can dream, right?) We had A LOT of great food (we only had one meal that day because of it). We went to the park where Clara had fun in a swing for the first time. And, I had a lot of fun with multiple Clara photoshoots.
On Black Friday, we just relaxed at home. I bought my mom's Christmas present online (I almost slipped up and said what it was, but she does read this blog), and I picked it up later that night. We also went out to Buffalo Wild Wings to bid farewell to our friend, Jared Carpenter. He got out of the Army as a Captain, and had spend at least three months trying very hard to find a job. When he got the job in Memphis, Tennessee, he was two weeks away of being homeless because the house he was renting got rented out from under him. He accepted the job on Tuesday, and moved on Saturday. He will be working in the medical supply field. We all wish him good luck on his life's next chapter, and hope that he finds a nice big house with a backyard for his cute puppy. Caleb and I went to Cold Stone for dessert... the cookies and cream shake that I had was delicious.
Saturday started off with Caleb leaving us for three weeks. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing with Clara. I was able to talk to Caleb once he got to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
On Sunday, Clara and I went to church. I put Clara into the nursery for the first time EVER. It was SO awesome to not have to hold her and entertain her during church. She did great, too. She was the only kid in the infant room. And, the nursery worker did great with her cloth diapers. We went to Wal-Mart after church to check on the prices of the Jillian Michaels DVDs to see if it was better to get them online or in the store... online won out. I ended up buying: Six Week Six Pack, 30 Day Shred, and The Biggest Loser: Cardio Max online. I wanted Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, but they sold out of that online before I was able to order them. I also bought some more of my Christmas presents for people in my online order. While I was in the store, though, I did get part of Caleb's present and a little bit more for Clara's present. Yes, I finally decided on what to get Caleb!
On Monday, I worked out with friends in the morning, and Clara ate green beans for the first time for lunch. She is not too sure about them, but I think that that is because of their texture... and my blender not working. I'm done, I WILL be getting a new blender! Making baby food will just be too difficult without one because she needs to eat more than just oatmeal, avocados, and bananas! Then, right before the end of Cyber Monday, I bought a little bit more for Christmas presents. I now have everyone covered except for one more thing for Clara, my grandma, grandpa, grammy, Carl, and Sookie (because she is part of the family after all). I know what I want to get all of them, but it Clara's last part, my grandma and grandpa, and my grammy's presents will all be homemade. I hope that I can get them done before Christmas!!
Today, I went to Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) and had a great Bible study (Guarding Your Child's Heart by Gary Smalley). I will just be playing with Clara the rest of the day. Later today, my friend Amy will be coming by to watch Clara while I go to my personal training session. It will be my last time seeing Amy before she moves back to New York. It will be a sad day, but I am glad that I will get to see her (and I am thankful that she volunteered her time to watch Clara for me).
Well, that was my long weekend in a nutshell. We are getting by here. In fact, I feel a lot more productive when Cale is not around. The only problem I have is going to bed at a reasonable time... I have been going to bed at midnight since Caleb left and it is wearing on me. I hope that I can start going to bed earlier!!
Please keep Caleb in your prayers while he is at Selection!! Thanks!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Confession Friday -- 11-25!
I confess that Caleb and I actually got to go out on a date on Wednesday. We went to Harry's with a 20% off coupon (because, let's face it, it is too expensive to go there without a coupon).
I confess that my appetizer and dessert were the best parts of my meal. I do not recommend getting the pork roulade at Harry's.
I confess that my meal was very spicy (to me, since Caleb thought that it was just fine) and I was worried about Clara sleeping because of the spice. She slept just fine!
I confess that I am really nervous and excited for Caleb during the next three weeks at selection.
I confess that I am really worried about not having a break in the evening (when Caleb usually takes Clara and plays with her) for the next three weeks while Caleb is gone.
I confess that I will actually have to cook while Caleb is gone... since he is usually the one that does all of the cooking.
I confess that Kim's Facebook status today reminded me that I still don't know what I'm going to get Caleb for Christmas. I should probably ask him what he would like today before he leaves!
I confess that I wanted to participate in Black Friday shopping for the time ever... but instead, I slept in.
I confess that I slept in because Clara slept in! We were gone all day, so she got 8 hours of nap while we drove... and then she slept for 8 hours at night, too!!
I confess that I really hope that the deal I found online today is better than what I could find on Cyber Monday. Are there no Cyber Monday ads that I could check?
I confess that there are three Jillian Michaels DVDs that I would really like to buy... they are in my Walmart.com shopping cart, but I haven't pushed "Proceed to Checkout" yet. I know that they are great workouts because my friend, Danelle, owns most of them and we do some of them every week.
I confess that now that I have done all of the research on the Britax Boulevard 70, I just want to get it ASAP so that Clara can be riding around in it sooner than she needs to. It sounds so much safer than her Chicco Keyfit 30!
I confess that I wrote some of my posts this week on other days and I scheduled them to be published. Bwahaha!! I'm so sneaky!
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| Fancy!! |
I confess that my appetizer and dessert were the best parts of my meal. I do not recommend getting the pork roulade at Harry's.
I confess that my meal was very spicy (to me, since Caleb thought that it was just fine) and I was worried about Clara sleeping because of the spice. She slept just fine!
I confess that I am really nervous and excited for Caleb during the next three weeks at selection.
I confess that I am really worried about not having a break in the evening (when Caleb usually takes Clara and plays with her) for the next three weeks while Caleb is gone.
I confess that I will actually have to cook while Caleb is gone... since he is usually the one that does all of the cooking.
I confess that Kim's Facebook status today reminded me that I still don't know what I'm going to get Caleb for Christmas. I should probably ask him what he would like today before he leaves!
I confess that I wanted to participate in Black Friday shopping for the time ever... but instead, I slept in.
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| Hahaha!! LOVE that lady's face! |
I confess that I slept in because Clara slept in! We were gone all day, so she got 8 hours of nap while we drove... and then she slept for 8 hours at night, too!!
I confess that I really hope that the deal I found online today is better than what I could find on Cyber Monday. Are there no Cyber Monday ads that I could check?
I confess that there are three Jillian Michaels DVDs that I would really like to buy... they are in my Walmart.com shopping cart, but I haven't pushed "Proceed to Checkout" yet. I know that they are great workouts because my friend, Danelle, owns most of them and we do some of them every week.
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| This is the one that I REALLY want to get! I have never done it, but who doesn't want ripped abs? |
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| This is one of the ones I have in my cart, it is a pretty awesome workout! |
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| This is the one I already have. I recommend it. |
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| This is another one in my cart. You don't have to use weights with this one, but it still gives you a great workout. |
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| I believe that this is her newest one. It is more expensive than the others, so I am not going to get it right now. I totally recommend it, though. |
I confess that now that I have done all of the research on the Britax Boulevard 70, I just want to get it ASAP so that Clara can be riding around in it sooner than she needs to. It sounds so much safer than her Chicco Keyfit 30!
I confess that I wrote some of my posts this week on other days and I scheduled them to be published. Bwahaha!! I'm so sneaky!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thankfulness Thursday: Next 10 days of Thankfulness!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Today I am continuing my list of things I am thankful for. I know it is not the 20th, but it is Thursday... and Thanksgiving at that, so it is only appropriate.
11) Blogger friends and visitors: You all read what I write so I am not talking to myself! Haha! And, I can ask questions and you will give me advice. Thank you!
12) Sookie: She has been through everything with me since she was around when Caleb was not. She is SO good with Clara, too.
13) The internet: You would not be reading this blog, I wouldn't be able to connect with people I haven't seen for a LONG time, and I wouldn't be able to do research on products that we buy... and that is just the start of the benefits of the internet!!
14) Clara's jumperoo: It keeps her entertained so that I can eat!!
15) Clara's pediatricians: Dr. Klingler (in Manhattan) diagnosed Clara with Ventricular Septal Defect when she was born, and she put us in contact with Clara's current pediatrician on post (who is a pediatrician and an internal medicine specialist). I am SO glad that she did because Dr. Gish is THE best!
16) TV with DVR: I know it is bad, but I really do love watching TV. And, I like to be able to record programs right on my TV.
17) My 2007 Toyota Rav4 Limited v6 4x4: I bought this car by myself while Caleb was gone (after he did the research on what to get and where to get it). I LOVE it... the heated seats and auxiliary jack are the best!
18) My computer: Without it, I wouldn't be able to do the things in #13. While I would love to have a Mac, I am thankful to be able to just have A computer because there are people who don't even have one.
19) That we live so close to both of our families: We are able to see Caleb's family tomorrow; I am visiting one of my grandmothers, some of my aunts and uncles, and a few of my cousins next weekend; and we are visiting my parents over Christmas. None of those car trips is longer than 8 hours!!
20) That I have many friends that also have little girls: I absolutely LOVE that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for Clara's clothes since I can just get it for free! Thanks SO much Melanie!!
And, an extra: That K18 is 4 LANES again!!! YES!! :)
Until next time!
Today I am continuing my list of things I am thankful for. I know it is not the 20th, but it is Thursday... and Thanksgiving at that, so it is only appropriate.
11) Blogger friends and visitors: You all read what I write so I am not talking to myself! Haha! And, I can ask questions and you will give me advice. Thank you!
12) Sookie: She has been through everything with me since she was around when Caleb was not. She is SO good with Clara, too.
13) The internet: You would not be reading this blog, I wouldn't be able to connect with people I haven't seen for a LONG time, and I wouldn't be able to do research on products that we buy... and that is just the start of the benefits of the internet!!
14) Clara's jumperoo: It keeps her entertained so that I can eat!!
15) Clara's pediatricians: Dr. Klingler (in Manhattan) diagnosed Clara with Ventricular Septal Defect when she was born, and she put us in contact with Clara's current pediatrician on post (who is a pediatrician and an internal medicine specialist). I am SO glad that she did because Dr. Gish is THE best!
16) TV with DVR: I know it is bad, but I really do love watching TV. And, I like to be able to record programs right on my TV.
17) My 2007 Toyota Rav4 Limited v6 4x4: I bought this car by myself while Caleb was gone (after he did the research on what to get and where to get it). I LOVE it... the heated seats and auxiliary jack are the best!
18) My computer: Without it, I wouldn't be able to do the things in #13. While I would love to have a Mac, I am thankful to be able to just have A computer because there are people who don't even have one.
19) That we live so close to both of our families: We are able to see Caleb's family tomorrow; I am visiting one of my grandmothers, some of my aunts and uncles, and a few of my cousins next weekend; and we are visiting my parents over Christmas. None of those car trips is longer than 8 hours!!
20) That I have many friends that also have little girls: I absolutely LOVE that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for Clara's clothes since I can just get it for free! Thanks SO much Melanie!!
And, an extra: That K18 is 4 LANES again!!! YES!! :)
Until next time!
HALLELUJAH!!!!!
And on the third night, CLARA SLEPT!!!
After a night of being up for 3 hours in the middle of the night and then a night of not going to sleep for a few hours, she went down easily, only woke up once, and went straight back to sleep last night!! It was a Thanksgiving day miracle!!
I should be well rested today, right? WRONG! Unfortunately last night I felt like I was being fried in bed. I was sweating, so I turned on the fan... and then I was cold. Plus, I had to finish washing and drying Clara's diapers so that she would have some for our day trip to Missouri. Luckily, I have the three hour drive to Missouri to sleep.
Anyway, just wanted to keep you all updated. Thank you for the advice!
After a night of being up for 3 hours in the middle of the night and then a night of not going to sleep for a few hours, she went down easily, only woke up once, and went straight back to sleep last night!! It was a Thanksgiving day miracle!!
I should be well rested today, right? WRONG! Unfortunately last night I felt like I was being fried in bed. I was sweating, so I turned on the fan... and then I was cold. Plus, I had to finish washing and drying Clara's diapers so that she would have some for our day trip to Missouri. Luckily, I have the three hour drive to Missouri to sleep.
Anyway, just wanted to keep you all updated. Thank you for the advice!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Car Seats and Sleep... HELP!!
At Clara's six month check up she was almost 18 pounds and just over 26 inches. She currently rides in style in her Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat, but that is only good to use with her until she is 30 pounds OR 30 inches. So, we have until she grows just over three more inches (since I'm assuming that she will do that before she gains 12 pounds). I am now on a quest to find her a convertible car seat that can last her a while, but it also has to be safe. Unfortunately, this weekend at Toys R Us there was a 20% off car seats sale and I didn't buy one! I went to Topeka on Saturday, but I hadn't had time to do my research on what is the best convertible car seat. I looked at them while I was at the store and I liked the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1, but it will also be on sale for Black Friday so I thought that I would just come back then and get a better deal on it.
Once I got home, I actually did some research and I was able to decide on the right car seat for us: Britax Boulevard 70. But, I still had the 20% off car seats in store only coupon! I didn't want to drive an hour away to get to the store if they didn't have my car seat. So, I called customer service to see if it was at that store... it wasn't. And, I couldn't use the coupon online. Aw, man!! What makes it worse is that I have a $10 off of $100 purchase coupon and there are sometimes 20% off on one item coupons, but they can't be used on Britax. Gah! Now, we are on a mission to find the cheapest place to get it. Let me know if you can help us out (if you have one that is not expired that you want to sell us, have ideas where it would be cheapest, etc)!!
Last night was one of the worst nights for sleeping in a while now. Clara woke up at 11:15pm and didn't get back to sleep for three hours! I fed her, had Caleb try, changed her diaper, played with her, fed her again, had Caleb try again, and fed her one more time all while giving her a few minutes in between picking her up each time to try to get herself back to sleep. She finally did go back to sleep after the last feeding, and she woke up at 9:30am with a huge blow out... so much so that she had to get a bath this morning! The consensus among some of my friends so far is that she had an upset stomach. If you have any input, please let me know... this mama needs to be able to sleep!
Once I got home, I actually did some research and I was able to decide on the right car seat for us: Britax Boulevard 70. But, I still had the 20% off car seats in store only coupon! I didn't want to drive an hour away to get to the store if they didn't have my car seat. So, I called customer service to see if it was at that store... it wasn't. And, I couldn't use the coupon online. Aw, man!! What makes it worse is that I have a $10 off of $100 purchase coupon and there are sometimes 20% off on one item coupons, but they can't be used on Britax. Gah! Now, we are on a mission to find the cheapest place to get it. Let me know if you can help us out (if you have one that is not expired that you want to sell us, have ideas where it would be cheapest, etc)!!
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| I think it would be super fun to get this in Cowmooflage... but Caleb doesn't think so! |
Last night was one of the worst nights for sleeping in a while now. Clara woke up at 11:15pm and didn't get back to sleep for three hours! I fed her, had Caleb try, changed her diaper, played with her, fed her again, had Caleb try again, and fed her one more time all while giving her a few minutes in between picking her up each time to try to get herself back to sleep. She finally did go back to sleep after the last feeding, and she woke up at 9:30am with a huge blow out... so much so that she had to get a bath this morning! The consensus among some of my friends so far is that she had an upset stomach. If you have any input, please let me know... this mama needs to be able to sleep!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Hail and Farewell, Topeka, and Breaking Dawn
That is my weekend in a nut shell.
Two of the wonderful ladies in 1-4 CAV were farewelled along with their husbands on Friday. They are still around (at least for a little while), but my coffees won't be the same without them. We will miss you Shauna and Bridget!
I had a very proud moment on Friday at the hail and farewell: Clara's behavior was complimented. We were seated in the back of the room since we had arrived after many people (dang K-18 traffic). Clara sat in a high chair and played with her toys while the hails and farewells were going on. When the festivities were over, we walked to the front of the room where one of the guys in the unit commented, "There was a baby back there? We had no idea!" Thanks! That made me feel awesome!
My friend Kaarin needed to buy a dress to wear to a military ball, so we went to Topeka on Saturday. I jump at any chance to go to Topeka because it's mall actually has stores that people would want to shop at, and there is a Red Robin. Going there also makes you start to feel like you actually don't live in the middle of Kansas... although it is by no means as good as Kansas City (Missouri... haha). I was very impressed that she was able to find a dress at the first place that we went (she is due in January, so that makes it a bit harder to find a dress that fits and looks good). And, the dress is not maternity! After finding the dress, we stopped in Burlington Coat Factory and JC Penney just to make sure that we couldn't find something better... we couldn't. And, we also stopped at The Children's Place, Gymboree, Gap, and Toys/Babies R Us just to browse. It was a fun day!
What made it even better was that Clara was not with me! She was having a Daddy Day with Caleb. When I was super excited about not having to take her with me, Caleb asked me, "Do you hate your child?" No, I love her with all of my heart, but sometimes it is just really REALLY nice to not have to lug her around while shopping. But, that did create its own set of problems (my fellow breastfeeding mothers will understand)... I had a painful ride home!
As many of you may know, Breaking Dawn Part 1 came out on the 18th, so some friends and I went to see it on Sunday. (Yes, you guess right: another Daddy Day for Clara!!) It was SO good!! Sadly, I was unable to finish all of the books before seeing it, but luckily, I don't know how it ends. I will be finishing the series soon, and I can't wait to find out how everything plays out. After seeing the movie, we went to Olive Garden for a late lunch/early supper. I had the chicken scampi which I had never had before last night. I will definitely get it again, and I recommend it. Next time, I may ask if I can get whole grain pasta instead of white and grilled chicken instead of breaded.
All in all, I had a wonderful weekend!
Two of the wonderful ladies in 1-4 CAV were farewelled along with their husbands on Friday. They are still around (at least for a little while), but my coffees won't be the same without them. We will miss you Shauna and Bridget!
I had a very proud moment on Friday at the hail and farewell: Clara's behavior was complimented. We were seated in the back of the room since we had arrived after many people (dang K-18 traffic). Clara sat in a high chair and played with her toys while the hails and farewells were going on. When the festivities were over, we walked to the front of the room where one of the guys in the unit commented, "There was a baby back there? We had no idea!" Thanks! That made me feel awesome!
My friend Kaarin needed to buy a dress to wear to a military ball, so we went to Topeka on Saturday. I jump at any chance to go to Topeka because it's mall actually has stores that people would want to shop at, and there is a Red Robin. Going there also makes you start to feel like you actually don't live in the middle of Kansas... although it is by no means as good as Kansas City (Missouri... haha). I was very impressed that she was able to find a dress at the first place that we went (she is due in January, so that makes it a bit harder to find a dress that fits and looks good). And, the dress is not maternity! After finding the dress, we stopped in Burlington Coat Factory and JC Penney just to make sure that we couldn't find something better... we couldn't. And, we also stopped at The Children's Place, Gymboree, Gap, and Toys/Babies R Us just to browse. It was a fun day!
What made it even better was that Clara was not with me! She was having a Daddy Day with Caleb. When I was super excited about not having to take her with me, Caleb asked me, "Do you hate your child?" No, I love her with all of my heart, but sometimes it is just really REALLY nice to not have to lug her around while shopping. But, that did create its own set of problems (my fellow breastfeeding mothers will understand)... I had a painful ride home!
As many of you may know, Breaking Dawn Part 1 came out on the 18th, so some friends and I went to see it on Sunday. (Yes, you guess right: another Daddy Day for Clara!!) It was SO good!! Sadly, I was unable to finish all of the books before seeing it, but luckily, I don't know how it ends. I will be finishing the series soon, and I can't wait to find out how everything plays out. After seeing the movie, we went to Olive Garden for a late lunch/early supper. I had the chicken scampi which I had never had before last night. I will definitely get it again, and I recommend it. Next time, I may ask if I can get whole grain pasta instead of white and grilled chicken instead of breaded.
All in all, I had a wonderful weekend!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Confession Friday -- 11-18!!
I confess that I think all of the pictures in this post are quite silly. Just don't make fun of me too much! Haha!!
I confess that Clara likes the tags on toys sometimes better than the toy. Silly kid!
I confess that I check on Clara every morning and can't help just watching her sleep for a bit. She is so cute and peaceful! And, also funny when she ends up sleeping like this:
I confess that I can't wait until December 17th. That is when Caleb will be done with his selection course and we will have some answers as to where our next posts will be and when we will be going there... or if he will be staying here and deploying instead.
I confess that I'm not really sure that I am going to be done with the Twilight series when I go watch Breaking Dawn this Sunday. Caleb said a month ago that I would have them done WAY beforehand, so I slowed down with the reading. Whoops!!
I confess that whenever I can get Clara to only wake up once at night (the past few nights it has been twice since Clara hasn't been feeling well), Sookie gets scared of the wind and keeps me up. I never win, and I never get REALLY good sleep.
I confess that I really want to subscribe to Consumer Reports. I need to be able to read appliance reviews to buy a new blender, stay on top of all the recalls of child products, and pick out the best convertible car seat for Clara... we are getting close to switching out of the carrier!!
I confess that I found the Pregnancy Journal that I bought to use during my pregnancy, and I have been trying to fill it out 6 months after she was born. I'm not quite sure that this is going to work! This just shows, yet again, that I am the WORST at journaling... maybe that is why I forget to blog sometimes.
I confess that when I see pictures like the one below, it makes me mad that there isn't an "Open Eyes" button like there is a "Red-Eye Reduce" one! This would have been such a great picture!
I confess that I would really like to start making our own bread for sandwiches... if I could actually do it and if I could do it with low calories. I hope to work on talking Caleb into doing this!
I confess that I wrote this yesterday so that I would be ready to post it today. I just had to delete quite a few of my confessions because they were no longer true. YAY!
I confess that Clara has a cough, and when phlegm rumbles in her chest I find myself telling her, "Just cough!"
I confess that Clara has been getting up on her knees (or feet) while on her belly today. While I am very excited for her to crawl.... OH CRAP, she is going to be really mobile soon!!
I confess that Clara likes the tags on toys sometimes better than the toy. Silly kid!
I confess that I check on Clara every morning and can't help just watching her sleep for a bit. She is so cute and peaceful! And, also funny when she ends up sleeping like this:
I confess that I can't wait until December 17th. That is when Caleb will be done with his selection course and we will have some answers as to where our next posts will be and when we will be going there... or if he will be staying here and deploying instead.
I confess that I'm not really sure that I am going to be done with the Twilight series when I go watch Breaking Dawn this Sunday. Caleb said a month ago that I would have them done WAY beforehand, so I slowed down with the reading. Whoops!!
I confess that whenever I can get Clara to only wake up once at night (the past few nights it has been twice since Clara hasn't been feeling well), Sookie gets scared of the wind and keeps me up. I never win, and I never get REALLY good sleep.
I confess that I really want to subscribe to Consumer Reports. I need to be able to read appliance reviews to buy a new blender, stay on top of all the recalls of child products, and pick out the best convertible car seat for Clara... we are getting close to switching out of the carrier!!
I confess that I found the Pregnancy Journal that I bought to use during my pregnancy, and I have been trying to fill it out 6 months after she was born. I'm not quite sure that this is going to work! This just shows, yet again, that I am the WORST at journaling... maybe that is why I forget to blog sometimes.
I confess that when I see pictures like the one below, it makes me mad that there isn't an "Open Eyes" button like there is a "Red-Eye Reduce" one! This would have been such a great picture!
I confess that I would really like to start making our own bread for sandwiches... if I could actually do it and if I could do it with low calories. I hope to work on talking Caleb into doing this!
I confess that I wrote this yesterday so that I would be ready to post it today. I just had to delete quite a few of my confessions because they were no longer true. YAY!
I confess that Clara has a cough, and when phlegm rumbles in her chest I find myself telling her, "Just cough!"
I confess that Clara has been getting up on her knees (or feet) while on her belly today. While I am very excited for her to crawl.... OH CRAP, she is going to be really mobile soon!!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Is that Emily or Clara? ...at 6 months!
Clara got her 6 month shots on Tuesday. We were excited to finally know how big she had grown in two months! She gained 2 pounds 5 ounces from September's visit, and now weighs a whopping 17 pounds 13 ounces (77%). She grew .75 inches and is now 26.25 inches long (68%). And, her head grew 1 inch in circumference and is now 18 inches around (96%). That would be why she fits her 9 month onesies and 12 month pants now!!
Clara got three shots this time. When she got the first one, I thought she wasn't going to cry because she didn't seem phased at all. But, the last two hurt her a little bit more and she ended up doing her cry where she takes a while to breath because she is so upset (the same one she had done in the past). All I had to do was hold her to calm her down, but I fed her, too, just to sooth her. She hasn't felt very good since then, but I hope she gets back to feeling like herself soon!
The pictures of me are also at 6 months old. Can you tell which of each two pictures is me and which is Clara? Don't we look a lot alike? (I'm sorry that some pictures aren't close up, but I had to use the ones that looked most alike.) She is such a cutie... I guess that means I
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Weekend Wrap up PLUS -- 11-16!
This weekend was SO much fun! We went to Illinois to visit my parents, and on the way home, we met up with Caleb's parents and step-mom.
On Friday, we got to my parents' house around 4pm after driving since 7:30am with a stop to eat lunch at TGI Friday's and get a free meal. We had a thanksgiving dinner that night since we will be going to Caleb's mom's house for Thanksgiving this year. Clara ate avocado, although my dad wanted her to eat anything else, like meat!
On Saturday, my cousin Mark and his daughter Rebecca stopped by for a visit. Mark also brought two 9mm Glocks and a .38 Ruger with him. The two 9mm Glocks were two different sizes... I will call them big and mid-size... the Ruger was small.) They were A LOT of fun to shoot. We shot at paper plates, and my first time shooting was my best... I went downhill from there. I also could only not jam the mid-size gun, so that was the one that I shot the most. Caleb mostly shot the big one, and Mark mostly shot the little one.
While we were shooting, my mom and dad were inside playing with Clara. Now, I know most of you haven't experienced a baby in cloth diapers, but it makes babies' butts pretty big and padded. Because of that, if you pat it, they probably won't feel it. My mom decided to put a name to the patting of the padded butt: The Bum Drum. Love.It! My dad had fun patting out some rockin' tunes on The Bum Drum. Clara also tried sweet potatoes for the first time. She didn't really like them at first, but I had her try them again on Sunday and she liked them a lot better then!
On Sunday, we stopped by my grandparents' house before heading to Missouri. We stopped in Columbia to see Caleb's dad. We ate at my favorite restaurant, Ruby Tuesday, with Caleb's dad, step-mom, step-brother Jessee, step-sister-in-law Missy, and step-nephew Benson. They are super fun, and I am glad that we got see them! Upon leaving the restaurant, Caleb missed the turn to go to our hotel, so instead we took a drive through tour of Columbia to see what all had changed. It turns out that a lot had changed since Caleb had graduated (2008), but not too much had changed since I had (2009)... just enough to make you feel old!
On Monday, we stopped by Caleb's mom's house on the final leg of our journey home. I was able to get some pictures off of her computer from when Clara was a week old (I didn't know how to use my camera then, so all of my pictures are blurry), and from all the other times that we had seen her since Clara was born. Clara and I both got naps on the car ride back to Kansas. When we picked Sookie up at the (awesome) kennel, I asked how much she had limped on her back legs (from her patella subluxation). They said most of the time. That makes this momma sad.
We had a great weekend! Tune in tomorrow for Clara's 6 month update!!
On Friday, we got to my parents' house around 4pm after driving since 7:30am with a stop to eat lunch at TGI Friday's and get a free meal. We had a thanksgiving dinner that night since we will be going to Caleb's mom's house for Thanksgiving this year. Clara ate avocado, although my dad wanted her to eat anything else, like meat!
 |
| Not yet, little girl! |
On Saturday, my cousin Mark and his daughter Rebecca stopped by for a visit. Mark also brought two 9mm Glocks and a .38 Ruger with him. The two 9mm Glocks were two different sizes... I will call them big and mid-size... the Ruger was small.) They were A LOT of fun to shoot. We shot at paper plates, and my first time shooting was my best... I went downhill from there. I also could only not jam the mid-size gun, so that was the one that I shot the most. Caleb mostly shot the big one, and Mark mostly shot the little one.
 |
| Rebecca and Clara |
 |
| Mark and Clara |
While we were shooting, my mom and dad were inside playing with Clara. Now, I know most of you haven't experienced a baby in cloth diapers, but it makes babies' butts pretty big and padded. Because of that, if you pat it, they probably won't feel it. My mom decided to put a name to the patting of the padded butt: The Bum Drum. Love.It! My dad had fun patting out some rockin' tunes on The Bum Drum. Clara also tried sweet potatoes for the first time. She didn't really like them at first, but I had her try them again on Sunday and she liked them a lot better then!
 |
| Peek-a... |
 |
| ...BOO!! |
 |
| Hi, Grandpa! |
 |
| Grammy and Clara |
 |
| Pants on the head! |
 |
| Sweet potatoes are... |
 |
| ...not good! |
On Sunday, we stopped by my grandparents' house before heading to Missouri. We stopped in Columbia to see Caleb's dad. We ate at my favorite restaurant, Ruby Tuesday, with Caleb's dad, step-mom, step-brother Jessee, step-sister-in-law Missy, and step-nephew Benson. They are super fun, and I am glad that we got see them! Upon leaving the restaurant, Caleb missed the turn to go to our hotel, so instead we took a drive through tour of Columbia to see what all had changed. It turns out that a lot had changed since Caleb had graduated (2008), but not too much had changed since I had (2009)... just enough to make you feel old!
 |
| Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Mahan |
On Monday, we stopped by Caleb's mom's house on the final leg of our journey home. I was able to get some pictures off of her computer from when Clara was a week old (I didn't know how to use my camera then, so all of my pictures are blurry), and from all the other times that we had seen her since Clara was born. Clara and I both got naps on the car ride back to Kansas. When we picked Sookie up at the (awesome) kennel, I asked how much she had limped on her back legs (from her patella subluxation). They said most of the time. That makes this momma sad.
We had a great weekend! Tune in tomorrow for Clara's 6 month update!!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Confession Tuesday (whoops!!) -- 11-15!!
This weekend, I was at my parent's house in Illinois (yes, I was SO close to all of you in Red Bud!!), so I didn't get my confessions in. Apparently I am really bad about blogging on Friday anyway since the last few confession posts have come on other days!! But, better late than never, here are my confessions!
I confess that I was SUPER excited when I had not one but TWO shout outs on Adrien's Getting There blog this week! Thanks SO much for them, Adrien!! You made myday week!!
I confess that I feel so bad for my child with her runny/stuffy nose. She DOES NOT like me sucking out her boogers even though I know it will make her feel better. :(
I confess that we left Illinois on Sunday and it just was NOT enough time to do everything I want to do there!
I confess that we got a call from the kennel on the way to Illinois on Friday. Sookie was limping (from her patella subluxation). It is things like that that just rip my heart out!
I confess that Clara tried butternut squash on Thursday. She did not like it all!! I will post the videos later. She did, however, LOVE her sweet potatoes that she tried on Saturday. (I let her try new stuff early since she only had a few bites of the squash.)
I confess that we took full advantage of getting our free meal for Veterans Day on Friday. TGI Friday's was SO good!
I confess that I only have a few days left to read the Twilight series before I see the new movie on the 20th, but I am still only 3/4ths of the way through Eclipse! Will I get it done?
I confess that I was SUPER excited when I had not one but TWO shout outs on Adrien's Getting There blog this week! Thanks SO much for them, Adrien!! You made my
I confess that I feel so bad for my child with her runny/stuffy nose. She DOES NOT like me sucking out her boogers even though I know it will make her feel better. :(
I confess that we left Illinois on Sunday and it just was NOT enough time to do everything I want to do there!
I confess that we got a call from the kennel on the way to Illinois on Friday. Sookie was limping (from her patella subluxation). It is things like that that just rip my heart out!
I confess that Clara tried butternut squash on Thursday. She did not like it all!! I will post the videos later. She did, however, LOVE her sweet potatoes that she tried on Saturday. (I let her try new stuff early since she only had a few bites of the squash.)
I confess that we took full advantage of getting our free meal for Veterans Day on Friday. TGI Friday's was SO good!
I confess that I only have a few days left to read the Twilight series before I see the new movie on the 20th, but I am still only 3/4ths of the way through Eclipse! Will I get it done?
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thankful Thursday: First 10 Days of Thankfulness
Again I find myself copying Adrien's blog post ideas. I had no other original thoughts to put together on a blog post, so thank you for this great idea! Everyone on Facebook is sharing what they are thankful for and posting one thing a day. I am ten days behind, so I will just share the first ten of my own now and I will do two more of these kinds of posts on the 20th and the 30th of the month. I have a long list, so this might be difficult. And, here we go:
1) My husband: He puts up with me and loves me. He works hard for our family, but I know he doesn't often get the acknowledgement that he really does need. He helps out around the house (I mean, he cooks dinner 99% of the time). He is a GREAT dad... and Clara is definitely a daddy's girl!
2) My daughter, Clara: She is my world, plain and simple. It is so much fun to watch her learn new things!
3) My family: I am closer to my mom now than before Clara was born, and I have always been a daddy's girl. I miss them a lot when I haven't seen them in a while, and I love to visit them!
4) My friends: My good friends stand by me through whatever I'm going through in my life: Hannah, Danelle, and Kaarin just to name a few... THANK YOU!!
5) My health: Without it, I couldn't enjoy this life that I live and love!
6) My home: Military housing may not be the best, but it is a roof over our heads and a dry, warm place to do our life!
7) This blog: Some of the people who read my blog don't have Facebook to keep up with me, so I like that they can here!
8) Naps: Sleep is always good for me! And, when Clara sleeps, I can get much needed stuff done... unless I am napping!
9) Cameras: I didn't say "my camera" because I have been known to steal pictures that other people take, too. But, I don't know what people did way back when to document their everyday life... write? Yeah, I'm not too good at that! Haha!
10) My washing machine: Without it, having clean clothes would really be a chore and, Clara would probably be in disposable diapers if I had to wash those by hand!!
1) My husband: He puts up with me and loves me. He works hard for our family, but I know he doesn't often get the acknowledgement that he really does need. He helps out around the house (I mean, he cooks dinner 99% of the time). He is a GREAT dad... and Clara is definitely a daddy's girl!
2) My daughter, Clara: She is my world, plain and simple. It is so much fun to watch her learn new things!
3) My family: I am closer to my mom now than before Clara was born, and I have always been a daddy's girl. I miss them a lot when I haven't seen them in a while, and I love to visit them!
4) My friends: My good friends stand by me through whatever I'm going through in my life: Hannah, Danelle, and Kaarin just to name a few... THANK YOU!!
5) My health: Without it, I couldn't enjoy this life that I live and love!
6) My home: Military housing may not be the best, but it is a roof over our heads and a dry, warm place to do our life!
7) This blog: Some of the people who read my blog don't have Facebook to keep up with me, so I like that they can here!
8) Naps: Sleep is always good for me! And, when Clara sleeps, I can get much needed stuff done... unless I am napping!
9) Cameras: I didn't say "my camera" because I have been known to steal pictures that other people take, too. But, I don't know what people did way back when to document their everyday life... write? Yeah, I'm not too good at that! Haha!
10) My washing machine: Without it, having clean clothes would really be a chore and, Clara would probably be in disposable diapers if I had to wash those by hand!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Green Monster...
... looks like this, right?
Good ol' Fenway Park!
But, Saturday night, The Green Monster took on a new identity:
Scary monster, eh?
You guessed it, she didn't have butternut squash. I was totally wanting her to have butternut squash as her next food after oatmeal. Then, she woke up from her nap and I hadn't even started to make her food yet. Butternut squash takes um-teen minutes to prep for baking, 45 minutes to bake, then another um-teen minutes to puree, and I had a hungry baby on my hands. Avocado, however, took about ten minutes total. All I had to do was cut it, de-pit it, scoop out the meat, and mash up with a fork. It was glorious! I do not like avocado, so the smell was not so glorious. But, the little lady LOVED it!! She gobbled it right down! I promise, the next food she gets WILL be butternut squash... I'm making it later today for her to eat tomorrow. I hope she likes it just as much!
Good ol' Fenway Park!
But, Saturday night, The Green Monster took on a new identity:
Scary monster, eh?
You guessed it, she didn't have butternut squash. I was totally wanting her to have butternut squash as her next food after oatmeal. Then, she woke up from her nap and I hadn't even started to make her food yet. Butternut squash takes um-teen minutes to prep for baking, 45 minutes to bake, then another um-teen minutes to puree, and I had a hungry baby on my hands. Avocado, however, took about ten minutes total. All I had to do was cut it, de-pit it, scoop out the meat, and mash up with a fork. It was glorious! I do not like avocado, so the smell was not so glorious. But, the little lady LOVED it!! She gobbled it right down! I promise, the next food she gets WILL be butternut squash... I'm making it later today for her to eat tomorrow. I hope she likes it just as much!
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