Chloe = 1!

On March 19, this sweet baby celebrated her 1st birthday. In recognition of the day, mother nature decided to grace Miss Belle with a stomach bug which resulted in her being able to spend the entire day at home with mommy. Thankfully, her spirits were untouched. In between loads of laundry (and I probably did 3 loads of just Chloe clothes) I was able to capture these shots of Chloe on her birthday.


How old are you, Chloe? Her response:

Yes, she is a genius! Besides this lovely trick (okay it was mere coincidence) she also says "uh oh" "mama" "dada" and I swear she said the word "sock" one time. She also tries to put on her socks by placing them on top of her feet. She signs for "more" and says "mo mo mo" and also just started shaking her head up and down for "yes" which is probably about the cutest thang eva! She also stacks blocks 2-3 high and holds a pen to paper as if to draw. But what she really loves to do is place objects inside a container and then dump them out. She can spend 20 minutes doing that over and over again.

She knows where her belly is, and yes, that is a bloated belly that is suffering from what will be a 5 day episode of Montezuma's revenge.

Here Chlo says "What up fool?" to the dog. Okay, really she was scratching under her arm, but I like to pretend there is a little attitude under all that sweetness.

Chloe is getting pretty good on 2 feet. Her dr. commented that she does get both heels on the ground when she is standing and that is usually the last step before they take off. She is starting to creep with more confidence and will stand next to me with a fist full of my shirt in her hand and nothing else to support herself. She is capable of balancing on her own two legs for a few seconds and she does squat to pick up an object off the floor and then stand back up again.

Chloe is just 17 lbs (and that was before this stomach bug) and sits in the 5th percentile for weight and the 50th for height at 29 1/2 inches. She still wears stage 2 diapers, and most of her clothes are 9 months, although in sleepers she can wear 12 months because of her length. She still hates it when we put anything on her head, bowbands and hats are a waste of money and time at this point. She's a petite little thing, but don't let that fool you, she knows how to get her way and is quite the screamer when she wants something.

She's eating just about anything we give her now days. We are getting bolder with her foods and I'm relaxing a bit on the "only organic" thing so that she can opportunity to try some of the things that the rest of the family is eating. She ate her first jar (yes, I allowed her to eat food from a jar) of applesauce yesterday. Her dr. said that apples will help her firm up, and I didn't have the time to make my own applesauce, so thank goodness for Earth's Best. Chloe has also eaten Cheerios, although she still prefers her puffs, and we can go through 1/2 a can in a day. It doesn't help that Camdyn really likes them too, which is so odd because they have no flavor at all.

Look at those teeny tiny legs!

Alright, my little Lovie, I know you are exhausted from all the gloating that mommy just did on your behalf, so why don't you just rest awhile and I'll put down the camera and join you....

Like the Ocean the Cuteness is Endless

Excuse me while I drip mommy slobber all over this disgustingly cute picture of my family. Last weekend the weather was gorgeous (although a little cold for my liking) and we decided that we should pack up the fam and head to the beach. This would be Chloe's 2nd (yes, folks that's only 2x in her 1st year of life) trip to the beach. Since we discovered last week that she has an affinity for sand, I couldn't wait for her to see this giant sandbox! So, we beached it up and I even brought the "good" (understatement here) camera to catch the moment.


I didn't take many pics for fear of getting a sand granule on the lens, but did capture this adorable picture of my lovies. Chloe is the focal point and Cam and Chris are blurred in the background. Chris is particularly thrilled with this being that he still is carrying around 10 lbs that he would like to lose. Me too, babe, me too. If only every one could see my image with a slight blurr. It would probably help those 2 red pre-period zits on my face too.

Anyway, we can't wait to go back when the weather is warmer and we can actually get our feet wet without fear of hypothermia, and we can wear swim gear and tanks instead of pants and hoodies, and yoga sessions aren't necessary just to keep the blood warm (I give you the picture below).

Chloe in the Sand

There are several things I love about this picture of Miss Chloe Belle, just 10 days shy of her 1st birthday.

Firstly, the 3 teeth hiding in that smile. Yes, baby girl has 3 teeth now and her other top tooth is breaking the surface. Secondly, the tufts of hair above her ears. I think I likened her to a Chinese Crested yesterday. You know, those dogs that have no hair on their bodies, but then have sporadic hair all over their head. Yeah, she's kinda like that. It's weird and cute all at the same time. Thirdly, she was playing in the sand and so happy to be throwing sand in her eyes, in her hair, and all over herself. We even found a few tablespoons in her diaper. I have no idea how she managed that. She was just really content to sit and play, so I let her get as sandy as she wanted. She was so happy and that smile shows it. Fourthly (yes, that's a word, look it up), I love that she is rockin the black and white polka dots and baby legs. She looks as gender neutral as you can get, but she's still all baby girl to me.

Thanks for bringing your camera and taking the picture, Miss Becky. You bring out the Zoolander in Chloe. Well, heck, most people smile when they see you :)

The Wailing Wall

This is the wailing wall. Well, at least it was yesterday, for me. Yesterday, we closed on the old house. We officially don't own this home now and while that has been a long awaited "YEE HAW," the reality of it was much more complicated. I avoided facing some of these emotions and the house all weekend. But, yesterday the Realtor went over to the remove the lock box and the sign and found a few goodies of ours. I decided to go and pick them up and have one final moment, alone, in the house. I found myself standing in the doorway of each empty room, flooded with years of memories. It's amazing the things that came to mind, I suppose it must be like what people experience when "their lives flash before their eyes." I saw myself laying on my bed, reading The Cat and the Hat to Camdyn when she was just 3 months old. I saw her as an energetic 3 year old bouncing on the bed and then snuggled in tightly watching Dora. I saw Kenzie scampering through the house, wet from the tub, and running and rolling like a maniac trying to dry off. I saw Chris playing horsey with Camdyn in the living room. I saw Chris running Camdyn in to the bathroom the day she choked on an apple and I had to give her the Heimlich. I saw Camdyn holding Chloe on the couch the day she came home from the hospital. I saw Gramma and Cam dying Easter Eggs at the kitchen table. The memories are endless.

However, the nursery and the wailing wall were the hardest to say good bye to. Okay, so we never called it the wailing wall before, I'm just calling it that now because this is where I finally broke down and allowed myself to wail.

This wall was painted when I was 7 months pregnant with Camdyn. Chris was home from baseball and he surprised me by taping out the entire wall while I was at work and then had painted half of the squares. He didn't paint them all because he wanted to do some of them together (awe, how sweet). So we did. We painted those squares together giddy with baby anticipation and excitement for the months to come. When the wall was finished I would sit in the rocking chair and just stare at it and day dream about what it would be like to hold my baby in this room, and put her to bed here every night. There was so much uncharted territory ahead of us and we were nervous, but excited, really excited. And, then the baby came. I spent more time in this room, rocking, and soothing, and partying with her all night long than I care to admit. I watched Camdyn grow from an infant to a toddler and have scores of after bath time memories of Cam running around this room wearing nothing but a smile as I chase her with a diaper and her jammies. And then, Camdyn moved to her "big girl" room and we prepped this room for a 2nd little girl. Same wall, different furniture, new baby.

So, when I think about this room and the wall and all of the life that happened in this tiny room, it represents progression, the way life carries forward whether you are ready or not. Chris and I were different people that day we painted that wall. We hadn't experienced the sweetness that is parenting children, and the frustration and the exhaustion that is...parenting children. We were younger, more innocent, more naive, and the world to us was a different place than it is today. Now, cars drive too fast, music is too loud, and I find myself saying "eat all of your veggies please." What used to matter, careers, happy hour, who got a brand new car, doesn't. We are changed for the better. We are parents, we are a team, and while I savor the memories of what life was like when it was just the two of us, I wouldn't ask my time machine to take me back to those days. So, Wall, you are symbolic to me, and thanks for letting me cry on you for a moment, but we are moving on. There is more life to be lived and more memories to be made, and I have a feeling that we are just getting started!

PS: The new buyer said he is not going to paint over this wall....REALLY? Although I thought it was cute for the nursery, I totally wouldn't fault him for splashing some tan paint across it. However, the thought of it staying the same does make me smile.

PPS: Liz, thanks for the sweet tea and listening to me choke back tears. Man, that was harder than I thought it would be. Thanks for being there.

Sunshine Award

Well, this little ditty is being passed around and although I'm not one to follow processes to a "t," I will at least make an attempt. Thanks, Liz over at Tickled Pink
, for brightening my blog with this beautiful flower and for the big shout out for my blog and our friendship. We have some cute kids, don't we? In some friendships, the graduation to motherhood drives you apart and in some it brings you closer. I'm so glad it's the latter for us. I don't have any sisters, but if I did, I'd wish she were you :)

Now, this is the part where I should be passing this award on to 12 people and instructing them to do the same. I can't really do that because a) it seems really cumbersome b) I don't follow 12 blogs religiously c) I just don't wanna.

So, I will pass this beautiful flower (um, award) on to one other recipient that hasn't yet received it, is deserving, and just because I love her blog. The winner is Kate at Kate and Khan. She is relatively new to motherhood (aren't we all), shares a lot of the joys and grief that we all do, and her ability to tell a story always inspires and impresses me. She's an exceptional writer, unknowingly comedic, and an inspiration to anyone who feels like they are often "fumbling through parenthood." Now, hop on over there and see what Kate and Khan are up to!

In the field with friends

So, it's a 2 for 1 Monday. Enjoy it, because this probably won't ever happen again! On Friday, Chloe turned 11 months old and in recognition of that moment I brought the "big camera" (you know the one that shoots in 15 mega pixels and should have it's own insurance policy attached to it) to the park.

Now, going to the park isn't really an "event" that is noteworthy because we go nearly every day. But, somehow my sanity is directly linked to weather or not we go to the park and that is noteworthy! In fact, I would wager that it is just as beneficial to me as it is to the kids. Yes, they need the fresh air and to get the wiggles out, but I too, need the fresh air, and the mommy gab which is basically the bread and water that is keeping me alive. It just might be my most enjoyable 45 minutes of the day!

On this particular Friday, we headed out to the softball fields with the babies, balls, and dollies and gabbed as the kids ran around.

Chloe says "just one more puff please, mommy."

Abby discovered that her tongue can wag

around outside of her mouth

Becky with her troublemakers (her words, not mine)


Love this picture, and the lighting! If only we could
see all of Madie's head instead of Strawberry Shortcake's...

Love Sawyer's little grin

"man child"

Miss Abby watching the big girls run around
(she is sitting like a big girl)

Ahh, there she is! CUTE!

Camdyn refers to any field as "the ballgame" So, yes, we were

playing at the ballgame.

I love her puffy cheeks. We now call them her

"puffy puffies" and we kiss them endlessly!

This is the House...

This is the house. It's not THE house, as in the be all, end all, of all houses. But, this is the house, my house, that over the course of 7 years somehow became a home. In a city where we knew no one, in a place thousands of miles from our closest relative, this little structure became our home. As we prepare to move on and leave this house behind, I can't help but to remember some of the times that we have had in this house. And, in my all too familiar way, I'm a little sappy and nostalgic about some of the memories.

This is the house that we bought as newly weds. Six months after our wedding, in a place we never thought we'd like, we settled down in this little house. Okay, so maybe the settling down happened several years after we signed the mortgage papers, but nonetheless, we settled here. This is the doorstep I would stand on every year at the end of March. Teary eyed, I would wave good bye to Chris, knowing he wouldn't be back in our house for 6 months. I'd walk inside, sit on the couch, and think "now what am I going to do with myself." Oh, to have that kind of time on my hands again. I would have spent more time being productive then feeling sorry for myself and lonely. If only I knew what the future held.

This is the house that our baby girls would first call home. Those exciting trips home from the hospital with our precious new baby and the pure relief of seeing HOME. Baby's homecoming pictures were snapped on this walkway. Tired, overwhelmed, and brimming new parents, with our new bundle of responsibility smiling to mark the moment. I spent hours rocking Camdyn in this little house, singing her songs, and soothing her to sleep. She learned to walk, talk, and played for hours in this little house. Here, under this roof, she's developed in to her own little person and I'm sure at some point she'll miss it here. It's the only home she's ever known.

Here under this roof, I developed in to mommy. I traded my 4 inch heals and short skirts, for tennis and jeans. I learned what true love and responsbility is. I learned what it is like to be committed, to a marriage, to parenthood, to living a life that is based on goodness and basic biblical principals. In this house, I finally figured out who I am. I figured out that friendships shouldn't have stipulations attached to them, that my girlfriends are just as important to me as my husband. I learned that you can hurt and forgive, that time heals all wounds, and that I shouldn't place my expectations on others. I learned to ask for help. Life is too short. People matter. God is good.

So, while I am leaving this house behind, I'm taking the memories with me. It's been a great 7 years in this little house. And in it, we became a family. And in it, this town became our home. We are better for having lived here and although, I am excited to have more space, a better floor plan, and a nicer neighborhood, I am grateful for all the wonders of life that we've experienced in this little house, the house, my house, that became a home.