da da

Claire bear has started to say 'da da'...All the books I read (yes, I'm a book mom) tells me that I'm supposed to answer her when she says 'ma ma' or 'da da'...usually it's in a long string of them,like 'da da da da da da da'...but since I started to answer her when she says it, she usually keeps it to 'da da'...
I was taking her out of the bath today, when she was suddenly really tired (right at her naptime)...She hates clothes to go over her head when she's tired, but it's cold here, so she has to suffer through it so I can put her to bed in clothes to help keep her warm...she suddenly cried out, "Da da!" Like she wanted her da da to come rescue her...

Da da, come rescue me from the mean lady that makes me sleepy and puts things over my head when I don't want her to!

I always knew she'd end up being a daddy's girl, I just didn't know it would happen so fast! My good friend, Melissa is prego with her fourth baby and her two oldest started to prefer her hubby at about nine months! I think I've become a second place mom already!

Pretty, pretty prince...

Well, I just uploaded these pics and who could resists sharing a little black-mail for the future! On New Years Eve, my sister-in-law, Amy and her two kids, Emma and Tyler, played Pretty, Pretty Princess with me...Emma got it for Christmas...Guess who won the first time!?

Yeah, that's right, Tyler...He was so excited to play the next round, but I have a feeling it wasn't for the jewelry and more because it was exciting to win! LOL! What a sport! Emma wasn't thrilled with Ty winning, but she wanted to play it over and over as well...


I won the second round, but I put it all on Claire-bear to take the pic...

Emma, Quincey and Claire...I'm so glad that Claire already has cousins! And these cousins already know to be 'soft' with the baby! Quincey was so awesome with her!

I kept trying to get a pic of Quincey and Elle kissing---this was the closest one! Tim and Jill visited just after Christmas and I came to say, "hellu!" Good to see them...Their little Elle is as cute as ever...I now understand that they want to name their next girl (if they have one and no, they aren't prego that I'm aware of) Emmee and call her 'M'...So, they will have an 'L' and an 'M'...I think that's pretty adorable...



Elle-belle!

Johnny Jumper...

Nick has said from the beginning that we need to have a 'johnny jumper' because he used to put his sisters in that all the time and they LOVED it...Well, Nick has proved his point quite well, because my kid LOVES her johnny jumper too...Claire will bounce in it for hours at a time---until she knocks her noggin against the door frame anyway...poop kid...



She had her six month appointment yesterday:
26 inches (75%---which is weird, in my humble opinion because last time we took her to the doctor, she was measured at 27 inches---whatever)
15 lbs and 4 oz (55%)
I never remember the head, but it is in the 55%, so she's doing great and growing like a weed...Dr. Stevens (who I love), was laughing a lot at her because anytime he tried to get her to stand, she would jump up and down as if she were in her johnny jumper..."she'll have really strong thighs," he said...

Right now she's struggling to take her morning nap...why is it that I have to sit here and debate about what I should do!? This mom thing is always so subjective and hard...Hope I figure it out eventually...sigh

Christmas time is here...

Trying to be up to date gets really hard when you aren't around your own computer...sorry this is so late...

We spent Christmas this year with the Sorensen family in Colorado for their second year there...Really sad not to have Daniel opening a giant something or other of an eagle (krista decided in their Oregon home to have Daniel's bedroom decorated in eagles...he protested it often and it became a standing joke that she would occasionally get him an eagle something or other to put in his room)...It was super neat to have a little girl (claire-bear) with us, though...Grandparents adored her, so did aunties Savvy and Mandee and Uncle Greg (which surprised me a bit...he's way laid back about things and it always made me smile to think that he WANTED to hold Claire)



The Sorensens have tons of traditions...some of my favorite:
-A scavenger hunt for EVERYTHING! This is especially fun when Matt or Greg put the hunt together...the clues are way hard and take people forever to figure them out...One year, they sent the girls on a scavenger hunt that took them all over town to different peoples houses and then at the last house they received a piano bench...they were slightly disappointed until the next day when their long sought after grand piano was delivered! What a trickster Matt is...
-Christmas presents take about six hours to open...girls have to try on clothes and we have to play the games we received...This year Greg, NIck and I received an awesome homemade version of "would you rather"...We had to laugh at some of the suggestions that girls came up with...one of my faves was: "would you rather: moo every time something is funny OR quack every time something is sad?" Greg decided that he would rather quack because you do that less often...I decided that I would prefer to moo because then it would make you and everyone else laugh again---kinda like snorting when you laugh...

-Christmas pictures...Grammie and Grampa decided that they needed to have pictures of themselves with Claire...SHE IS SO CUTE!!! I'm not bias at all...Not only did we have professional portraits done, but Krista is of the mindset that we have to have a picture of ever single present...We've mellowed her out this year and now it's a little sparser, but there are still a ton! I didn't even take my camera out most of the time because I knew krista would get plenty! Glad the historian (krista) likes to document these things because I don't even know if I'd remember to TAKE pictures if she didn't...

We had a great christms...we were so glad to spend it with family...Sad to have missed my family, but that will come next year---hopefully...hint hint to tamme and ben!

thumb sucker...

Claire has become a part time thumb sucker...I know I shouldn't want my kid to suck her thumb, but I really can't help it! It is one of the cutest things I've ever seen...




This morning she let out a daddy sized burp...I had to look around the room to make sure that it was really her! I told her it was a 'monster' sized burp! She laughed at that...mostly because 'monster' is also her name...

Isn't she the cutest thing you ever did saw?? (like my grammar? don't worry, it was intentional)
Her "Rosi" cheeks are my favorite things to kiss! I get 'rosi' cheeks when I wake up, too...I wonder if I look that cute!

cow tied!

Amazing to me how much dads like to play with their kids! This better not change...
Nick likes to have Claire do amazing feats---you know, like hanging by her own grip from his fingers...Or standing all by herself since she was a week old or so!





Last night, she had a hard time staying asleep...even before we went to bed...so I was letting her cry to see if she would go back to sleep by herself...after a while of that, it was decided that she wouldn't---Nick gets up and says, 'can I go get her and help her?' Do I have the cutest hubby ever?? I think so...15 minutes later, he's out on the couch with her screaming in his ear for food---something he has a hard time producing, having no mamory glands, you know...But he was just content to try...I love that boy...one of my most favorite things in the world...

Nick's bday...

Well, I'm a little late in getting this out, but this is what we did for Nick's bday:

1. Made him breakfast...(Usually, because I have to get up with Claire, Nick lets me sleep until Claire gets up...This usually means that he has to get up and ready alone...In four years of marriage, this has never been the case and it makes me a little sad, but necissary for my sanity and therefore, his...ha ha) A Dave (farmstore guy, for those of you that know and care) Tradition: Egg sandwich.

2. Lunch was from Cafe' Sabor with a dozen donoughts to pass out to those he wanted to...

3. A hair cut from our fav girl at the local beauty college and a scalp massage...ahhhhhhhhhhh....

4. Family pics to go on our Christmas cards...I've had the BEST luck with Kiddie Kandids...if anyone has a better suggestion, let me know...We've tried a few others with little success...

5. Presents and dinner

A few weekends ago I kidnapped him for a weekend watching musicals in Utah County while my parents babysat...It was a blast...

Happy Thanksgiving!

We went to Phoenix for Thanksgiving this year...We were able to stay in my sister's friends home (everyone had their own bedroom and bed, there was a pool table, swimming pool/hot tub, theater room, and two huge dogs that Nick adored! K, not really)...Claire sat on the floor in her bumbo while we ate dinner...She's figured out how to grab hold of things and she was swinging her spit up clothe like no body's business! Love that kid...

The car ride was not something I ever want to experience again, and I'm sure it could have been a whole lot worse...Claire was an angel even having to sit in that stupid seat for over 26 hours in six days!
This picture is us in the grocery store shopping for Thanksgiving dinner...Claire is sitting on a scale in the produce section...isn't she cute!?

private, please!

So, after talking with a few of my friends, it has come to my attention that having an open ended blog allows a lot more people than my family and friends to read it. I have, therefore, decided that it is not a good idea for anyone who wants to look at my blog and my baby. I will, therefore, be going "private". Sorry if this inconviences anyone. Know it is not done to drive everyone crazy, but as a somewhat paranoid/protective act towards ensuring that only people I choose may look at my blog. We love you all! thanks for your patience!



Yesterday, after Claire ate her cereal, she was a mess...Nick was washing her off in the sink and she decided she needed a drink...It made us laugh so hard, we had to take a picture...

Presenting: Hula Dancer, Claire!


We were sitting down to eat dinner...Nick keeps trying to teach Claire new tricks, so he gave her his drink...She must have been more hungry than I thought, because she decided to suck on it! she makes me laugh!

first feeding...rice cereal...

Can't imagine what this stuff tastes like, but it sure smells awful!!! Poor Claire, no wonder she didn't want to eat it.

Claire's four month check up was today! 95% for height, 40% for her weight and 75% for head. The WIC office did it for her on Monday and said that she was 80% for height, 20% for weight and 60% for head. I've come to realize that it is all so subjective. She was such a sweety! when those mean nurses stuck her with multiple needles, she screamed initially and then Daddy picked her up and she quieted down to a low whimper. I hate those moments. I could barely watch...she was so brave. She even gave the nurses a smile on their way out the door. I have the best baby! I don't think I could be nurse...I would hate to HAVE to make a baby intentionally cry. And then have to deal with crazy parents who look at them like they did this maliciously! Good work, nurses...thanks for taking care of our kids in a way I can't stomach.

I need to start writing down the conversations Nick has with her. They are the funniest sentiments. His phrasing is key and I wish I could remember one in specific right now, but I will start remembering because I know I get a kick out of them and I would love to have knowledge of the things my daddy said to me as I was a baby so I'm sure Claire would love it, too.

I have started doing coupon clipping. Can I tell you a few of the deals that I got this week? Oh, good...thanks. Dove shampoos and conditioners were $.17 per bottle. Carnation evaporated milk for FREE!!! Vitamin water for FREE! Salad dressings for $.09. All laundry detergent for $.67 per bottle. Can I tell you that I feel like even though I only work a little bit each week, this saves us so much money that I feel like I have a part time job. I spent $38 on groceries that should have cost me close to $300!!!!

I also wanted to mention my take on immunizations...there is a lot of hype about them right now...leads to autism, etc...My biggest reason for doing it: Missionaries have to have them before they turn in their mission papers. I don't know what that means exactly...but that makes me feel more comfortable making that decision. If people have other opinions or knowledge, I would really enjoy furthering my education on the subject.