Rockabye Baby

Sheila has been after me for a week to do another blog entry so I am finally taking the time to get it done. I wanted this one to have a few videos of her to prove that she is actually starting her mobility. Crawl-walking is the best way to describe her sometimes odd movements. She is getting very good at just plain crawling from point A to point B but sometimes she tries to stand up and crawl at the same time. It is quite amusing to watch her figure out different ways to move. In the video that I made to go with this posting, I included music from a new source. It is called Rockabye Baby and it is quite unique. They have taken many of the artists that us generation X'ers grew up on and made their songs into lullaby's. I thought it was a novel idea.

Our transformation into full blown parenthood made another giant leap. We traded in our sporty Rav 4 for the much less-sporty, minivan. All three of us are excited to have a bit more room for our trips to the ocean and the zoo. In order to make the transition a bit easier on me, we are talking about adding a scoop on the hood and possibly some 20" spinners. I'm pretty sure Sheila will veto that idea.

Claire and I have been gearing up for hockey playoffs this past week. We watched the WCHA tournament and the first round of the NCAA frozen four. She is really getting excited. She has already asked to wear my Wild jersey for our hockey nights. It will be fun and I can't wait to take some pictures.

We have begun baby proofing the house. The outlets are covered and I have started adding cabinet locks. Once you get going it is amazing to find all the small things that children can get in. The marble afghan rack that Larry made can be pulled on top of an inquisitive baby. The dog's food dish cannot be left alone (not that there is ever food in it for more than 10 seconds). Toilet bowl brushes look like they would be fun to stick in the mouth. Tile floors are not very forgiving. We use to worry about Claire flipping on to her stomach when she was sleeping. So much worry that Sheila would check on her 4-5 times per night. Now we have to worry about her climbing out of her crib and falling to the floor. I can already see the headline, "Baby falls the equivalent of two stories". (thank you onion) I guess our baby proofing will gradually turn into toddler proofing and eventually teenager proofing. Sounds like we are going to need more locks.

Here comes trouble!

Well, Claire has finally mastered the art of crawling. She gets frustrated at times, but overall, she is doing wonderful at getting to where she wants to go. It continues to surprise me when I leave the living room to go into the kitchen to do something and before I know it, Claire is under my feet. I forget sometimes that she is now mobile!

Claire enjoys playing with measuring cups and spatulas...who would have guessed that toys are overrated? Today we spent over 40 minutes in the kitchen and the entire time I was cooking, she was playing with two measuring cups and a spatula. It amazes me how some simple kitchen utensils can be so entertaining!

Today we tried kiwi and Claire loved it. The only food she doesn't care for so far is mashed potatoes. I guess if I put some butter on them like Nanny tells me to, she would like them!

We have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and spend lots of time outside. Claire loves to go for walks and sit by the pool playing toys. She also loves hanging out in her swing. We are still waiting for the pool to warm up enough to go swimming. Before we know it, the weather will be too hot to even want to be outside.

Claire's new babysitter starts tomorrow. She came today for an hour to spend with Claire so hopefully tomorrow will go well. Wish both the new sitter and mommy luck on making it though the day!

9 months gone by

Claire had her 9 month check up today with her pediatrician. She weighs 20 pounds 10 ounces and is 27.75 inches long. That puts her in the 75-90% for weight and 50-75% for height. She is holding steady in both areas and following the growth curve perfectly. The best part about today's visit was that she didn't have to get any shots. She didn't care for the exam and was very clingy but made it through the visit.

About two days ago Claire really started to get the hang of crawling. She is now going all over the place and easily gets to where she wants to go. Today we did webcam with Nanny and Papa and she had to show off her new moves! They had a good time watching her move all over the place.

The weather is getting so nice now so we have been going for lots of walks and doing lots of swinging. As you can see from the pictures, Claire loves her swing. Thank you Nanny and Papa!

Time is Funny

I was trying to think of my next blog theme when I heard the song "Times" by Tenth Avenue North. I have already done a video to that song but it got me thinking none the less. Time is a funny thing when you really think about it. There are only two wishes for time; more of it or for it to move faster. When you are sitting in class waiting for 3:00 p.m., it cannot move fast enough. When you are watching your baby girl as she touches the ocean for the first time; it cannot go slow enough. People always make the comment that time speeds up when you have children. We all know that is scientifically impossible but it does not feel that way. I use to want time to move faster so that I could reach the next stage in my life, i.e. teenager, driver's license, 21, marriage. Now the only thing that I want time to do is give me a few more minutes with Claire falling asleep in my arms. A few more pushes of the swing. A few more silly looks as she learns how to use her voice. A few more seconds to enjoy her before she rushes towards her next stage of life.

Our trip to the zoo and the ocean

We were lucky to spend the past week with the Gertgen family. They drove down to visit us from MN. We all had a great time together and Claire got very spoiled by all of the attention! One day we went to the zoo and to Galveston to the ocean. It was so much fun watching Claire take in all of the new sights! I wanted to share a few fun pictures of our busy day. Hope y'all enjoy!

A few fun pictures

Just wanted to share a few fun pictures we have taken in the past couple of days. Hope you enjoy them. Today it was so nice out that we decided to take some toys outside and play by the pool. Before we know it, we will be able to jump into the pool and we cannot wait!