Picnic

It was nice to have a break from the monsoon weather. Andrew's chemistry department had a picnic/awards ceremony that Claire and I joined. We had a great time!

Brother and Sister Talk

This was actually the first (and only) time Claire has responded positively to the question, "Do you want a little brother or a little sister?" I guess it's good that we got it on record. (We get some of our best footage at the dinner table.)

Our Nature Girl!

Claire loves to touch and smell flowers. While walking past window boxes on Chestnut Street, she will move her hands through the dirt. She waves her hands through blades of grass. So, when we got yesterday's incident report, all we could do was laugh. It read, "While playing outside, Claire picked up a small bee and it stung her." Fortunately she's not allergic to bee stings which allowed the incident report to be so amusing. Our little biologist.

15 Weeks, Happy Easter!

Well, 15 weeks marks the end of lent, so I fully expect my weight to jump here the next couple of weeks. It has been difficult, but I'm pretty sure that's the point. I'm feeling good and eating a lot of new snacks...rice cakes, soy nuts, Baby Bell cheese, yogurt covered raisins...I was really needing some ideas other than fruits, veggies, and granola bars which I still consume regularly.

Weekly weight change = +2.0 lbs.
Total weight change = +9.0 lbs.

Six years ago on Easter Andrew proposed to me by hiding my engagement ring in a plastic egg in the bottom of my Easter basket. We were married on the Saturday before Palm Sunday a year later. Claire was born two weeks before Easter two years ago. We like to really celebrate Easter because we have so many fond memories around it. This year, when Claire found her Easter basket, she kept saying, "Wow, look at this!" It was adorable. She really got into the egg hunt at church (which was in the Chapel due to rain). Unfortunately, the camera malfunctioned on the way to church, but some friends took some for me that I've included. Claire is wearing a dress that I wore as a child. We'll pull it out again on Mother's Day. Maybe she'll let us put clips in her hair then.

Egg Dying

Looking forward to May 23rd!

I heard the baby's heartbeat this morning--strong and beautiful. My next appointment is on Monday, May 23rd at 1pm (EST) for an ultrasound. If the baby cooperates, we'll know the sex! We'll bring a DVD to record the ultrasound and post it on the blog for everyone to see. I can't wait!

I've been having some serious smell aversions. It began with eggs, then it was burned popcorn (someone in the Science Building at work), but most recently it has to do with preparing Molly's dog food. It isn't actually the dog food, but the canned mixed vegetables that we mix in with the dry dog food that I CANNOT stand. I try to hold my breath as I prepare her food or hold the can at arms length away when opening it. Yuck!

More Spring Photos

14 Weeks

On to the second trimester....wow! I have been feeling more and more flutters from Baby Garrett since Thursday and it's very exciting. We go for our next appointment on Thursday, when I'll be 15 weeks exactly. I haven't gained any weight this week, but I suspect when lent is over I'll make up for it. Just one more week of "no sweets," and it was much more difficult this time than when I was pregnant with Claire. With Claire I knew that she would arrive before Easter, so I had the excitement of her upcoming birth to take my mind off of not eating candy.

Weekly weight change = 0.0 lbs.
Total weight change = +7.0 lbs.

Claire absolutely loves brushing her teeth. We really think she just likes the tooth paste, but whatever, it helps the process.


She also really loves to get in our bed, so she combined her two loves and brushed teeth while in the bed. She also wanted me to join her. She was also saying "cheese" a lot for the camera which she rarely does, so we took advantage of it and took a few photos.

Snack Time

Claire likes to eat her snacks in Daddy's lap.

13 Weeks

I've been feeling good this past week. A little nausea from time to time, but nothing memorable. What has been frustrating this past week has had to do with my wardrobe. I don't fit into any of my non-maternity clothing and of my maternity clothes, the pants are either stretched out, so that they keep falling down all day, or are just too big from the start. They also are mostly fall/winter clothing, so last week I ended up wearing corduroy pants in April! So, this morning I did a little shopping for maternity clothes that fit and I love my new outfits. (Notice the tree outside budding for the first time this spring.)

Weekly weight change = +1.5 lbs.
Total weight change = +7.0 lbs.

Claire has been doing some adorable things that I should get on record. Last Thursday when I went to get her up in the morning, she was awake, but not ready to leave her crib. I wasn't in a rush to get to work, so I asked her if she wanted me to come back to get her in a little bit to which she replied, "Yes." Then, as I was walking out of her room she said, "Close the door." It was hilarious! She is two!
Another cute thing she has been doing for a few months now is her response to injuries. For example, if she hits her head she says, "Boo boo on my head. Kiss it." As soon as we kiss it, she replies, "All better." But one day she hit her head really hard and was still whimpering when she replied, "All better." So cute.

Claire loves to read books. Of all of the comments we hear her make, "Claire read a book." "Daddy read a book." and "Momma read a book." are repeated the most. She counts frequently and loves to tell what sound animals make. She repeats almost anything we say (depending on her mood.) She loves being outside more than anything. She will touch everything she can reach. She pets the pedals of flowers, she wipes her hands around in dirt, she picks up acorns, rocks, and sticks. It's adorable.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Andrew made a delicious pork and pepper spinach salad for dinner. Claire counted objects on the table, so I asked her to count again for the video.

What a Beautiful Day!