What do Halloween and oatmeal have in common?

Clara's first tastes of both were last night!!

First, Halloween:

Clara slept for the first hour of passing out candy, but when she woke up, she was as cute as a pumpkin!

We had 100 bags of candy made up (consisting of a blow pop ghost, twizzlers, and tootsie rolls)... but we ended up needing to use the candy that was left over from putting the bags together, too.  LOTS of cute kids in costumes came by... and some big kids who I think just wanted some candy!

Then, it was time for the lesser known first supper:

At first, Clara seemed to like it.  She would "help" me feed her.  It was super cute!  But then, after a while, she started to not like it so much anymore.  I'm hoping that it will help her sleep better at night (although that was not the case last night).  I can't wait for her to get to try bananas, sweet potatoes, and other tasty foods!  Stay tuned, tomorrow there will be a video... be prepared to laugh!

Weekend Wrap-up -- Happy Halloween!!

This past weekend can be summed up in two words: sleep deprivation.  Needless to say, today, I am putting together Clara's high chair and she is going to start eating solids!  (Sorry Mom, I need to be able to sleep!)  So, tonight, Clara will get her first oatmeal meal TONIGHT!!  I REALLY hope that she sleeps better tonight if she has a little bit more food in her... I'm totally crossing my fingers on that one!

But, I digress...

On Friday, I worked out with my friends Kim and Danelle.  Clara and I had our normal day of playing and napping for her (reading for me).  Then, we watched the Cardinals become World Series Champions before going to bed.
 
On Saturday, we watched the Mizzou-Texas A&M game at the USO.  We have Dish Network at home, and in our package, we do not get FX.  Unfortunately, the USO has DirecTV, so we won't be able to go there anymore to watch the games either.  Sad day!  After watching the WONDERFUL game that Mizzou won, we went to Caleb's work to walk through their Halloween decorations.  Supposedly, Apache Troop and Bandit Troop had scary decorations (aka people jumped out at you and what not... all I know is that I heard screaming when we walked through Commanche Troop), so we did not go through those... I didn't want to get scared and drop Clara!  Then, it was a day of playing with Clara and watching college football.  I also was able to take a nap... it was GLORIOUS!!

On Sunday, we went to church.  Then, we went to Best Buy to pick up the cable needed to hook up my iPod to my car.  We also were able to scout out some Christmas presents, external hard drive prices, camera lens availability and prices, and Photoshop Lightroom 3.  I don't know if Best Buy is just dumb or if they know something I don't, but the only Photoshop Lightroom 3 that they had was the Student and Teacher Edition.  It is $90, but Adobe requires you to send in proof that you are a student or a teacher before you install it.  I am not a student or a teacher (SHOCKER I know!!), so even though it was super cheap I can't get it.  Best Buy, I really hope you have smart customers because they will be very sad when they can't use the software!!  Then, we came home and after I ate, both Clara and I took naps.  After I woke up, I went to the gym for an awesome workout on the StairMaster (my hips and abs are SO sore)!

Confession Friday -- 10-28!

I confess that my lovely child has not been sleeping very well at night the past three nights.

I confess that I have been staying up late reading for maybe a week now.

I confess that the reading and waking up in the middle of the night is taking a toll on me.  I'm taking a nap... tomorrow... if I can... or not.  Haha!


I confess that I CANNOT WAIT for World Series Game 7 tonight!  Oh. My. Gosh!  Last night's game was super fantastic!  I woke up Caleb with my quiet (or not so quiet) cheering while I watched and he slept last night!!  GO CARDS!!

Yeah, Freese!  (Compare this picture to the one below.)

I confess that even though Clara doesn't sleep well at night, she still sleeps like a champ for her naps... like she is doing right now.

I confess that every time I eat lately, it feels like something stays stuck in my throat.   It is driving me crazy... and starting to concern me! 

I confess that the one thing I'm looking forward to while Caleb is gone is being able to cuddle with Sookie.  She can't wait to lay by me in the morning once Caleb leaves and she is allowed on the bed.  She's warm and she smells good!

I confess that these pictures crack.me.UP!!

Bahahaha!!

His face just cracks me up.  I laugh every time I see him running in place in the Rangers' dugout.

Have a good weekend everyone!!

Clara's Rolling... broken down

Weekend Wrap-up plus some tidbits!

Yes, I know that I am a day late in my weekend wrap-up.  Like I said on Friday, I have been reading the Twilight series and I would like to get it done before I see the next movie in theaters.  Well, that is what I have been doing every time that Clara naps now, so I have been falling behind in many other things.  Stephenie Meyer, you write good books!! 

So, let's see, what did I do this weekend?  Well, Friday night Caleb, Clara, and I went out to Old Chicago with his friends.  I TOTALLY recommend the artisan pizza they make there.  I had mine with chicken, pineapple, mushrooms, and red onions... YUMMY!!  My night was ended by reading Twilight in bed. 

Saturday, I went to the gym and worked out while Caleb stayed home to watch Clara.  It was SO great to just work out and not have to worry if Clara was staying happy.  Boy, I felt the burn!!  I did a lot of crunches, too.  When I got done with them, an older lady told me, "you have a nice floor routine."  Um, gee, thanks, I guess.  I got back home to Caleb watching college football and tracking the Mizzou game on the computer since it was on FX, but that is not one of the channels in our TV package.  Later that day, I went to my church's (Crestview Christian Church in Manhattan) Fall Fun Day.  I took my friend/neighbor, Kaarin with me, and I worked some on Clara's scrapbook.  It is coming along nicely, but I have yet to totally finish any pages.  Seriously, Hannah and Celeste, I need scrapbooking time!!  Then, I got home and we watched the Cardinals game before going to bed.  As much as Texas fans want to say that the blown call at 1st base cost them the game, I don't think that is true at all!  There was only one out at the time and the ending score was 16-7 with Cardinals on top.  So, even if that runner would have been out, the score still would have been 15-7!  Again, I read Twilight right before falling asleep.

Sunday felt like Monday, which is no good!  I slept horribly Saturday night, so I took a nap from 8 to 10am (when Clara was sleeping).  Caleb left for work at 9am (he was on staff duty), so that left me and Clara at home like any other day.  (See why it felt like Monday to me?)  I didn't get to church since I was napping when I usually would be at church.  Caleb came home for lunch and then later in the evening he stayed to relax and sleep for a few hours.  We watched some NFL games and the Cardinals game.  I love the Cardinals, but the Rangers' pitcher Holland was pretty darn good!!  I finished up Twilight and moved on to New Moon that night.

Yesterday, I had a nice day.  I had a workout with my friends Kim and Danelle (plus all of our kiddos).  Then, I had a commissary run, watched the first part of Kim Kardashian's wedding with my friends Kaarin and Meghan, and went to one of the most well attended FRG meetings that there have been in a while.  We ended the night watching another Cardinals game.  And, right before going to bed, I read more of New Moon.

 Today, I went to PWOC... well I was late, but I caught the tail end of fellowship time and was able to be there for all of my class.  Between the dog keeping me up at night because she is scared of the wind, staying up late reading, Clara waking up at 4am wanting to eat, and Caleb waking up at 5:30am to go to PT I really didn't sleep very well.  That meant that I didn't wake up and get out of bed until after Clara was awake at 8am, and we took our morning very slowly.  I came home from that and took Caleb lunch, since he couldn't get away from his office, while Clara napped at home (Kaarin sat with her while I was gone).  Then, I was able to get almost 100 more pages read in New Moon!  Yeah! 

Some other little tidbits:
I realized this weekend that in order for Caleb to be around when the Christmas tree goes up and have it be up for Christmas, we will have to put it up the day after Thanksgiving!  (It just feels SO wrong to put it up before Thanksgiving... it even feels wrong to put it up so quickly after, too.)

My tree never looks this good...

 I also came to the realization this morning that Clara will be 6 months old in three weeks from yesterday!  Man, time is flying!!  (Which reminds me, I need to schedule her well baby appointment so she can get her shots.) 

I REALLY need to get some picture frames so that I can put pictures of Clara on the walls. 

Also, Clara doesn't like to roll over some days.  I don't understand why... I make a HUGE deal about it every time!

I am kind of sad that the Parent Educator from the Parents as Teachers program had to cancel her visit this week.  She is sick and going to the doctor today, so I am GLAD she is not coming.  But still, I was looking so forward to it.  Next week she will come though!  :)

Okay, I think that that is all for today!  See you tomorrow, friends!!

Confession Friday -- 10-21!!

I confess that I wanted to put lots of pictures of Clara on here, but of course my computer's SD card reader bit the dust today (which means I can't upload pictures at all).  Can I get that Mac now?  (Caleb still says no.)  :(

I confess that I just got done watching the first three Twilight movies... and now I'm reading the books.  (I didn't realize just how different the movies are from the books until now!!)

I confess that I have tried to read the books before and only gotten to halfway through the second book.  People who have read these books know, the second book kind of drags.  But, I MUST read them all before I go see Breaking Dawn, Part 1 on November 20th!

I confess that Caleb is not quite as excited as I am about my sudden love for Twilight.  Haha!!

I confess that I have 7 pounds left to my pre-pregnancy weight!!  And, 13 pounds left to my overall goal weight!  The last time I was at my overall goal weight was April 2009.  The last time I was at my pre-pregnancy weight was August 2009.  Really, all I want is to be able to fit into my pre-pregnancy pants, and I currently fit (almost) comfortably in one pair of them!!!

I confess that I feel bad for skipping out on the end of my workout this morning.  Not being able to put down Clara without her crying since she was hungry and tired was not making it a very good workout!!  Sorry Danelle and Kim!

I confess that after confessing that I wanted to start Clara on solids now, I am chickening out and going to wait until we go to Illinois.  I'm scared... mostly about the poop changes!  Haha!!  But, blame it on my new found respect and love for my mom (not that I didn't love her before, but having Clara has changed how I view her), and I really do want her to be there for Clara's first solid food!

I confess that Clara is really liking this rolling over thing... except for the fact that she doesn't know how to roll from her back to her belly, so she is stuck on her back unless I help her back to her belly.  But, just today she did learn how to roll to her left side instead of just to the right every time.

I confess that sometimes, if I'm not done with something that I'm doing and Clara wakes up from her nap and is happy, I will leave her in her crib for a bit before I come get her.  (Like she is right now!)  :)

I confess that Caleb and I met 6 years ago today!!  We have been "together" for six years tomorrow.  (Although, I told Caleb yesterday that today would mark 6 years having known him then he said, "and Saturday marks 6 years of Facebook stalking me."  Thanks honey!)

2006

2010

Clara ROLLS!!!

Yesterday morning, just as Caleb was about to leave for work, Clara surprised us by rolling over from belly to back for the first time!!  I yelled to Caleb what had just happened, but he didn't believe me; he thought that I had helped her, like I had done many times in the past.  I put her on her stomach again for him to watch, but she didn't perform for him.  And so, he left... then she rolled again and again!  A few of you got texts saying she had rolled over three times since I had confided to many that I was worried about her not rolling over at five months.  Caleb's text back said, "We have a video camera, you know."  Why, yes indeed, I do know.  So, without further ado, here is my greatest accomplishment doing her greatest accomplishment (so far).  :)