A whole lotta sugar with a little bit of salt

My uncle’s girlfriend used to make these chocolate chip walnut cookies that were to die for. I mean, a plate of them were gone in one day at our house, they were that good. So good you just couldn’t get enough of them. They were sweet, but salty. And they were delicious. Every time our family got together they always asked where Suzette’s cookies were. Everyone just loved these cookies.

Claire reminds me of those cookies. She is so darn sweet, but has this little unexpected salty side to her. That little bit of salt obviously comes from her Daddy, as I am nothing but sweet. Everywhere we go people can’t get enough of her. She is so cute and flirty. She is so playful and lovable, but oh man, when she doesn’t get her way, that “salty” side of her comes out. But she can’t be 100% perfect all the time, right?

I have my baby back. Those teeth have finally come through and she is back to her old self after 3 weeks of not so fun times at our house. I had almost forgotten how fun she is. How sweet and smiley and playful she is. Honestly, I have had the best two evenings with her. Just fun times. Playing on the patio, walking her and chasing her around the house, actually sitting and playing tea party (which, I LOVE—it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever, ever seen), just the normal day to day stuff that happens – without whining that it. Ryan has been working some major overtime since he went back to work, so lately it’s been just Claire and I after we get home. I have her all to myself and I love it. Even though when Daddy IS home she still only wants me – which I love too!

No one said that this whole parenting thing would be easy, and the manual that we were sent home with from the NICU did not even touch the fits, tantrums, refusal to eat anything but goldfish, whining, standing in the bathtub, throwing toys, removing her from the stairs 5,482 times a night, teaching her not to eat dirt off the floor, or the teething, oh the teething. But we’re figuring it all out.

I suppose the tea parties, hugs, smiles, laughs, giggles, sideways looks, sharing her binkys with us, story reading, piggy back rides, climbing up my leg, and “helping” me unload the dishwasher more than make up for it.

I love this baby…

4 Days

I just came off of a 4 day “vacation”. I took off Monday to make my 3 day weekend a 4 day weekend. I was so looking forward to this “vacation” to spend time with Claire. I have exhausted all but a few days of my vacation time on sick days or dr. visits for Claire this past year. I haven’t taken one single day as just a vacation day, so I was pumped and so ready to get some serious face time with my baby. Our days were going to go something like this…sleeping in until 9, chocolate chip pancakes and strawberries on the patio for breakfast, a nice morning walk, naps for both of us, a little pool time in the afternoon, followed by another nap, BBQ chicken and asparagus on the grill for dinner, followed with a glass (or 2) of wine while Claire played in the grass until it was time for bed.

The above paragraph was apparently a dream.

Claire woke up Thursday with a fever. Great. I HAD to go to work on Thursday, which means I HAD to bring her to my mom’s. She was a monster at my mom’s house that day. She was up a few times Thursday night crying – which she never does. Friday she was up bright and early – 7:30. Breakfast was a N.utri Grain bar that I chased her around the living room tossing bites into her mouth because she pitched a Royal Fit when I tried to get her in her high chair. We then retired back to my bed to watch D.ora where she fell back asleep for 2 hours. I cleaned and cooked as much as I could because we had a few friends over on Friday for dinner and fireworks. And it’s pretty tough to clean glass doors that are covered in dried drool and (precious) hand prints or bathroom toilets or anything really when you have a 14 month old attached to your left leg. Who is whining, of course.

When she got up and we ran to W.al Mart for some things and she was NOT happy about being there. She didn’t even eat the cookie that I got her from the nice bakery lady…so I ate it. We were out of there in record time.

We got home and I tried to play with her, but she would have none of it. She whined and cried and chewed on her fingers the entire afternoon – she is getting her back molars and she is miserable. I put her down for her afternoon nap, which only lasted about 45 minutes and she was up. My mom and dad came over for the party to hang out with us, but also to keep an eye on Claire. We tried to get Claire to stay up for the 9:15 fireworks, but she was a crabby mess and they had to leave at 8:45. As I watched the fireworks, I only half enjoyed them because I knew that she would have loved them. They were so close we could almost touch them and she would have squealed in delight the whole time.

I love these pictures...some of the only smiles from the day...



Saturday we woke up to rain. We were stuck inside the house the whole. entire. day. The rain did let up for about an hour that evening and we went to watch another firework show and she loved them. She screamed when she seen the first ones, then after about 2 minutes she lost attention and was more interested in the cars around us. Figures.

Sunday we work up to more rain. We were stuck inside the house until about noon. I decided that we needed to do a little shopping, so I called up my mom and sister and we went to lunch, where Claire was an **ANGEL** the whole time. The restaurant was packed and she watched some older kids and actually ate some lunch. We then strolled through H.ome Goods and TJ M.axx and got some cute stuff for the house and a few pair of pants for me (uh um, did I mention that they are a size FOUR!!!!!!). She was pretty good the whole day…it may have been the M.otrin that I was injecting into her every 6 hours on the dot.

Monday my sister and I took Claire to get some new shoes. I have looked high and low for cute, summery sandals for her. I can’t find any that don’t look like crap and they are all so stiff. I gave in and we went to N.ordstrom where I got her a darling pair of sandals. Two things. One, I was squeezing her into a size 3 shoe, they measured her at a size 5. Poor kid. Second, the damn things put me back $50. Yup, the kid’s shoes cost more than most of mine. We went to R.ed Robin for lunch afterwards and she was fairly well behaved although she only ate one fry and nothing else. I can’t complain though. When we left the floor didn’t look like a small tornado had just blown through and knocked everything off the tables in the whole restaurant and dropped it under her high chair.

Her balloon after getting new shoes


Having lunch with the girls


Tuesday morning. I was up at 6:30, showered, dressed and ready to go by 7:30. I was never so glad to drop her off at my mom’s and come back to work. The four days of pure bliss that I had so looked forward to were not like my dream...

I was not cut out to be a stay at home mom.

My Yankee Doodle Baby

It just doesn't get much cuter than this...






Happy Birthday America!

America's Sweetheart

Check out America's Sweetheart here.

Happy 4th of July America!

The terrible...one's???

Remember before you had kids and you heard that screaming child at a restaurant or store? You know the screams that made you look at that poor mom in the store with the look of either 1) you poor, poor woman or 2) control your child.

I am now THAT poor woman. I mean the back arched, legs kicking, arms above her head, ear piercing screaming, tantrum. I feel my face flush with embarrassment, I see people passing by giving ME those looks. Usually mom's with kids of their own look at you with the sympathetic look of "I've been there, and I will now just look away" and others stare and look at you like you're beating your kid with a stick in the middle of the store. I feel my heart rate pick up and I start to sweat. "Please Claire, please stop this," I whisper through my clenched teeth under my breath, all the while smiling while I try to find an empty isle or corner of the store to go and save face. Binky in, nope. Sippy cup, nope. Even my phone doesn't make it stop. And I will/have done anything to stop it. I get everything in the diaper bag out to try and stop it. I have even opened up boxes of goldfish, teddy grahams and puffs in the grocery store to stop them. But it seems like these tantrums, and my child, have a mind of their own. I know what she wants. She wants out. Out of the cart. Out of the stroller. Out. Out. Out. But you have to understand that she is not walking yet. She is "walking" holding onto our fingers...and that's All. She. Wants. To. Do.

I don't mind walking her at home, but it is quite difficult to navigate the crowded isles of Wal.Mart on a Saturday morning with a 14 month old at your feet, holding onto one of your hands while you try and push the 75 pound cart that is overloaded with gallons of milk, mega-boxes of diapers and enough blueberries to feed a small army. It is almost impossible. And the moment you try to put her back IN the cart to check out...the tantrums start all over again.

I finally end up pushing her up to the check-out with 2 new balls, a new baby, some bubbles, and a pack of M&M's, all up front with her.

And now, she is smiling.



I love this baby...but Daddy is doing the shopping next weekend!

This must be how Angelina, Britney, Gwen, etc feels...

I submitted Claire's picture to a magazine for their 4th of July story. Five photos were chosen, and Claire's was one of them. I am one proud momma, I am just beaming!!!!

Here's the link , her picture will be featured on Friday, July 3, on their homepage.

Yeah, my little piece of Hollywood ( :

Wordless Wednesday

Lazy days at the pool