Constant Beginnings

Wow, 46 days to go. This pregnancy has flown by, most likely because our lives have been too chaotic to even put much focus on it, yet I am amazed that we only have 46 more days as a family of 3 (humans, that is!). Chris and I have been trying to spend as much time with Claire as possible. We've been reading, cooking, walking, talking, and playing with her constantly. I know she'll be ready and welcoming when the next baby arrives. However, we recently took Sophie and Claire to the playground. Claire was busy playing with Chris while I walked Sophie around the area. Claire was less than pleased when kiddo after kiddo came up to see/pet Sophie. Jealousy was in the air! I expect a few bumps in the road, but I know Claire will be a great sister. We had a doctor's appointment last week. It was Chris' first since the baby was only 12 weeks. He came to nearly every appointment with Claire, so this has been a big change. Everything went well. Although I feel HUGE, she said I a...

before we headed out the door for church this morning, i thought we'd take a quick family pic with our newest member. now we just need to work on claire smiling on command and we'll be good to go.

since we got sophie, claire has been fascinated with sophie's kennel. so much so in that she loves to climb inside and sit for awhile. could this be a less expensive daycare option?

Since we put Harvest down, Chris and I have been discussing getting another dog. Claire loves dogs like no other. Everytime one walks by our house, she is yelling "doggie, doggie!" She stares out the window and watches them. She loves to pet any and all that she can. Because we are a little insane, we decided to bite the bullet and get a rescue dog. Her name is Sophie. She is an adorable, 10 week old black lab. Claire loves her. They chase each other and Sophie tries to steal Claire's pacis. Such fun. Last night went well, but we are all a bit tired today. Sophie started out in her kennel, but amidst the barking and crying, Chris nor I could sleep. Chris, being the push-over that he is, brought her into the bed. She nuzzled up right next to Claire and I as if we were one big litter of pups. Cute, huh? Again, a little insane. Anyway, Chris took her out at 1:00 and I took her out at 5:00. All is well and we have had no accidents to speak of. Hopefully, we can push through t...

Chris and Claire going down the slide. zoooommmm! riding the T claire in the chaos that is our backyard claire modeling her new Ireland sweatshirt from daddy We are together again! Life is good. Claire and I picked up Chris late Wednesday night. She ran to her Daddy in the airport, which had to make Chris feel great. He was a bit concerned that she wouldn't remember him or want anything to do with him despite the fact that we had been talking via video while he was deployed. She wouldn't let him put her down. When we arrived home from the airport, Claire wanted nothing to do with Chris. If I left the room, Claire cried. She awoke on Thursday with an attachment to her Daddy and nothing has changed since. If Chris leaves the room, she consistently asks, "Daddy go?" She no longer wants me to do anything for her, but is all about Chris. Cute, but annoying. I do realize that this will change, so I am okay. We had a great weekend. I worked a half day on Thursday, so Claire ...

Wow. I just did the math and although it could be quite worse, the number of days we've been separated as a family is just over 100. Sad. That is basically one third of a year! One third of a year that Chris has not seen his baby. He's missed out on many doctor appointments, many firsts, seeing her little personality develop and of course, the best part---the glorious, everyday experiences that come with having a little darling. Although I have cherished and will miss having every moment of Claire's undivided attention toward me, I am so happy to say that our separation is ending. Hallelujah! Chris is nearly home and we are thrilled. He wasn't sure if he'd make it home tonight or tomorrow, but I've been preparing Claire. We made a "welcome home" sign together complete with balloons, shopped for some little activities that we can do as a family, cleaned a bit (she loves to vacuum and wipe things), and talked excessively about "daddy coming home....

our baby is looking less like a baby these days and more like a little girl (sniffle, sniffle). she is definitely 19 months going on 13 years. this week i was getting ready for work one morning when claire reached for my container of blush. i gave it to her thinking there isn't much she can do with it. next thing i know she has it opened and is reaching for the blush brush. she knew exactly what to do. moments later her little cheeks and chin were covered in a rosy hue. my kiddo. i showed her what she looked like in the mirror and thankfully, she was totally unphased. a quick wash and we were on our way out the door. today we got ready to grab some groceries/medicine. we are battling a bit of a cold. poor thing has the glossy eyes, runny nose and cough. i can't complain too much as she loves to snuggle when she's sick so it is bittersweet for me. i love that lovin. anyway, she is great about allowing me to do her hair, so today i attempted a ponytail. her little locks fit. ...

Miraculously, the results from my bloodwork on Thursday showed blood sugar levels in the range of normal! However, I am anemic, which is kind of funny because I haven't been aware of any of the symptoms. I guess I am tired, but I thought that was a normal symptom of being pregnant and chasing a one year old around all day! My doctors are recommending iron supplements in addition to an iron rich diet. No big thing, just another pill. Anyway, I am counting the hours until Chris comes home! Yippee! I am so excited. I miss him so much.

i enjoy reading blogs, mostly as someone lurching in the background--incognito. i have come across several that have raved about the movie "fireproof." chris watched it a couple of weeks ago and liked it as well. curious, i rented it last night. it was great. a bit over the top emphasis on religion, but excellent message. chris and i have a good marriage. we've worked for years on becoming open communicators as this hasn't always been the case. jessica--i'm sure you remember sitting in silence at applebee's! yes, we've had our glorious moments. anyway, we reflect on our relationship often and talk about things we like/don't like in others' relations. this passion to better ourselves and our life was really heightened by this movie. so much, in fact, that i am going to order the book--Love Dare. it is all about what you can do for your spouse to strengthen your love and becoming less selfish. definitely a key component for any great marriage. it al...