Claire's New BFF.

Claire and Bells have a perfect relationship. Claire flails her arms and legs for Bells to "attack" and shares her toys, and in return, Bells lets Claire squeeze her, poke her eyes, grab her ears, and pull her whiskers. To be honest, we think Bells actually likes Claire abusing her so. Over the last couple days, they've decided they're best friends.

They love to play together on Claire's play mat. Claire's great at sharing and loves to take turns with Bells swatting the dangling toys.

They love to cuddle and watch Baby Einstein together. Sometimes Bells gets tired of watching and would rather swat at Claire's kicking legs or scratching fingers. She never sticks her claws out though when playing with Claire. I'm sure she knows Claire's the baby and we like Claire more than her.

Claire loves having a BFF to play with all the time!

My Amazing Husband.

I already knew I had a great husband, but this weekend was incredible. Saturday was my 21st and Ross made sure we partied hard. I'm not usually thrilled for my birthday. I get more excited about other people's birthdays and surprising them. I think after this weekend though, I'll be counting down till my next birthday already. Thursday morning, Ross asked me if I'd need the car the next day. I figured he'd just be swinging by the store on the way home to pick something up for Saturday.

Friday came around and he took the car to work. I had a cleaning/laundry day at home and went for my long afternoon run/walk with Claire. When I got out of the shower, Ross had texted me. I don't remember exactly what it said but it was something like, "I hope you're excited for this weekend, it's going to be a lot of fun. But it's a lot of fun to fit into one day. Oh wait, it won't fit in one day. You should start packing an overnight bag soon."

Needless to say, I'm glad I showered and actually shaved for once. Around 3 some of our really good friends came by to steal our baby for the night. I am so so grateful for Michael and Jessica! Thank you!

Ross came home before Claire drove off for the night, and he said we actually had 45 min or so till we could leave. I was too curious and excited to do anything else, so I just sat on the couch with my bag for 45 minutes while Ross packed his bag and got ready.

We finally got in the car and started heading towards downtown Provo and ended up here. They weren't quite ready for us, so we got to walk around and take a peek at the other rooms while they finished getting ours ready. We stayed in the Library Room which was so cool. There's a spiral staircase that leads to a jetted tub under a skylight, a secret wall you push on that opens up to the bathroom, the room was scattered with rose petals, and there was a bottle of pear sparkling cider for us to share. Oh, and she brought us up some strawberries and home made whipped cream. :]

After we got settled, we went off downtown to find some grub before we headed back to our room. The next morning, breakfast wasn't going to be ready till 9:30 so Ross decided to clue me in on the next surprise. We got in the car and ended up at Petsmart to pick out our first family pet!

Unfortunately they weren't open yet, but at least we killed some time! We went back to the mansion for a three course breakfast, and went back to Petsmart. Petsmart always has cat adoptions going on, but they're usually older cats. Much to our surprise there was a cage with three kittens. We asked to hold them and we were sold.

Claire loves Belle. When we first introduced them, Claire grabbed the cat and started laughing. They've become fast friends and this poor cat hasn't learned to stay away from the baby yet. Claire loves to hold Belle too tight, poke her in the eyes, grab her ears, pull her whiskers, and just over all bug the poor thing. But Belle loves it. She stays right by Claire and doesn't do a thing.

I am amazed at how unafraid this cat is. She's explored every inch of the house and loves to cuddle and be around people. It's been so fun and her personality fits right in! Now we're a real family with a pet and everything!

Ross never ceases to amaze me. I'm so spoiled. I had the best birthday ever! I loved the romantic getaway and break from Claire. (Though I did dream about her that night.) And the surprises just kept coming! I am so grateful for my sweet husband. He's so incredibly thoughtful! And sneaky!!

The Random Man At Costco.

So I was standing in line with Claire at Costco this morning. She was a little grumpy so I was playing with her and making her laugh. This guy in the line next to me I guess had been watching us for a while and he came up and went:

"You have the best job in the whole world. It's the hardest, but it's the best. I have so much respect for mothers and what you do. Thank you."

He was so kind; it just totally made my day. I love people that go out of their way for strangers like that.

Helmet Flower And Bow Holder.

Claire's appointment is in the 25th. I think she's just getting measured and having the helmet cast and we'll pick up the helmet a couple days later. (Just in time for my birthday. Boo)

Anyway, to make myself feel a little better about it, I made her flowers and bows to go on the helmet or on a hat. I also made her a framed holder. I decided to go with Velcro so we could easily switch out the flowers or bows.

First stop was JoAnns to load up on ribbon and flowers. After we went to a thrift store to find a big ugly frame for cheap. Unfortunately they didn't have anything big or ugly, so we did our best.

Here's all of our supplies.

Then I took the frame outside and spray painted it hot pink. The color turned out pretty well. It matches the wooden letters on her wall.

While it was drying, I set to work on the actual board that would hold the flowers. I found a quarter flat of black and white fabric at JoAnns. I cut it out to be a little bigger than the board that was already inside the frame. Then I hot glued it down on the back, pulling the edges tight.

I measured out the spacing I wanted between the ribbons. All I did was hot glue the same way I did the fabric. After I spaced out the Velrco to make all of the flowers and bows evenly spread out. I still wanted to use the board after Claire graduates from the helmet, so I got Velcro with a sticky back so I wouldn't have to glue or sew it down.

When I finished with the board I got to the fun part. Making flowers and bows. The flowers were easy. I just plucked the stem off, trimmed the leftover stem, and hot glued the Velcro on the back.

The bows were super easy, too. I made two loops on each side, used a needle and thread to hold the loops in place, wrapped the thread around the bow a couple times to pull it tight, and then hot glued on the center. For the center, I took a short piece of ribbon, tied it in a knot, and wrapped it around the center of the bow. That probably didn't make much sense, so let me know if you actually want to know how to make them. I don't think I'll buy bows again now I know how easy and cheap they are to make.

Here's the finished product. I really should have been more patient to find a bigger frame, but I really just wanted to get started so I'd have something to focus on.

Honestly, I'm actually really impressed with myself, especially with the bows. I probably went a little overboard with the ribbons, but I'm excited to make a ton of bows for Claire!

Plagiocephaly Gone Fancy Nancy

I am so grateful I have such an incredible, wonderful mother in-law, though I've never actually called her that. Mother in-law just sounds so ugly and has a negative connotation. She's just 'Mom'. She has helped my in so many ways, I can't even count.

Claire has been going to physical therapy for three months now for plagiocephaly and torticolis. Basically she has a pretty good flat spot and the muscles on one side of her neck were tighter and not as strong as the other side. Her muscles are almost back to normal, but her head shape has been getting worse. At her appointment yesterday I found out she would need a helmet.

When she started going to physical therapy, I assumed that the therapy would fix everything and that was the way to avoid the helmet. Helmet was a taboo word for me. I spent yesterday morning in hysterics. I finally got myself slightly under control before calling Mom. I swear, this wonderful lady can make the worst situation imaginable like anticipating a vacation.

I'll admit after talking with her, I was a smidge excited about Claire's helmet. She suggested I decorate the helmet and come up with a good story as to why she had to wear a helmet. Ninja in Training was among the suggestions.

Immediately I started researching Plagiocephaly, found parent support groups, and people who sell helmet bling. It's like a whole parent community of support I get to be a part of. (Not that I don't already have incredible support.) Today I am off to JoAnns to get ready to make this little gal's helmet fancy.

Fancy Nancy is one of my favorite little girl children's books. If you've never seen or heard of it, this is the cover.

Since Claire joined our family, I have fallen in love with all things pink and frilly, and girly. Later today I'll be making the appointment for her helmet casting. (They special make each helmet, so she'll get to keep it!) We'll have to see what I can come up with to fix it up!

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Claire!

I can't even believe how time has flown. To celebrate, Claire and I went to Petsmart (for the SECOND time this week). They have a cat adoption on the side where you can go into where the cages are and see the cats close up. There's one grey cat that always tries to play with Claire. The first time, Claire screeched and lunged for the cat. This time, she screamed, grabbed the cat, and started laughing. She LOVES that poor cat. It's really sweet, and so fun to watch her laugh and try to grab him.

Afterwards, I thought we'd go explore and go to the lake. However, I ended up missing my exit so I drove downtown for a while till we got to a park. There were TONS of moms out with their kids and it looked like fun. (Guess we found out where they all go!)

I put her in the swing and she laughed the whole time. It was hilarious. She shrieked at all of the babies and tried to make friends. We had a good time. There were lots of trees and shade so we just camped out, had a chat, and ate grass. Only a popsicle to share could have made it any more perfect.

Claire is six months, bursting out of her 12 month clothes. She is so fun and aware of everything around her. She's pretty close to rolling, though she's content to stay put and talk. We're looking forward to her getting mobile. She is still very much a Daddy's girl. The past three months she has developed into an incredible sleeper, though some days she fights her naps. She still eats like she's never seen food only now she also goes for our food! We love to share with her and watch her experience new flavors and textures. As always, the faces are priceless. So far her favorites are fudgesicles, bananas, dad's yogurt, apple blueberry, and applesauce.

I've been trying to take her on an outing each day. It's been so fun being able to get out of the house and explore. We've had a good time. Her appointment is on Monday, so I'll have to update with her height and weight. She is one BIG girl; I'm really curious!

We just adore little miss Claire and couldn't imagine life with out her. The past six months have been an amazing fun adventure. We're so grateful for her and her personality. She's definitely a perfect fit!

Man, It's Good To Be King. Or So I've Heard.

Ross has his own room. It's actually a man cave, complete with futon and legos. And the rock band gear. I love that futon. I've actually slept on it for the last two weeks.

Don't judge my marriage, but it turns out that both of us sleep better when we have our own bed. It might have something to do with the fact that my husband is 6'4". Or it could be that I am a distant relative of both Sasquatch and Chuck Norris. The real kicker is that both of us sleep stretched out. I mean diagonal across the mattress, arms out, legs out, spread eagle, the real deal. But two people can't really do that on a queen as we have discovered.

That was probably the hardest part of being newlyweds. You spend your whole life sleeping in your own bed with your own space with no one touching you or getting into your "bubble". We watch mattress commercials with couples sleeping cuddled together. They even have a slight smile on their faces. But the real honest truth is that cuddling time is great, everyone loves to cuddle, but not when you're trying to sleep.

Then I had a brilliant idea. Claire will be 6 months tomorrow and I will finally be eligible to sell plasma. I always vowed against it, but that's our spending/date/fun money. I was originally going to save up to get my hair highlighted, bushman eyebrows plucked, and toes done, but instead we decided to save up for our very own king size mattress.

My first appointment is Saturday morning. I absolutely love giving blood or having blood drawn. (I know, FREAK, right?) but I'm still nervous. I'll have to let you all in on how it goes and see if I really want to get poked for a mattress. I might just take my $30 and RUN.

[Just to Clarify: Ross and I are happily married and we love each other. We even like each other. Honest. With his surgery and waking in the night for pain meds I just got in the habit of sleeping on the futon. Really.]

Copycat Claire. Copycat Claire.

I remember when Claire was a newborn and people would say she was cute, and then they'd add how much cuter she'd be when she was older. I wanted to punch them in the nose right then and there. I thought she was the cutest thing on the planet and didn't think she could get any cuter. There was no way. And I hated thinking about her getting bigger.

Well, those people were right. Looking back at a few of her pictures, she does indeed look like an alien. A very cute alien. I thought she was so fun and I was simply in awe of her. However, as soon as she hit 4 months, the fun REALY began. It was night and day different.

Claire will be celebrating her half birthday on Friday and it seems like she's turning a corner again. I can't believe how much fun we have. She's always all smiles and squeals, just excited bout everything. And she copies us.

It's really funny. If we smack our lips or stick out our tongue to spit, she'll do it right back. But my favorite is when she sees someone laughing, she automatically starts laughing too. Claire laughs are probably my favorite sound in the world. I just can't get enough!

Hello, Summer.

Nice to finally see you!

CORRECTION: The NONFiction Section, Who Knew?

Ross and I made our own book club. I used to really enjoy reading, and haven't had a ton of time to indulge. We were looking for things we could enjoy together and that was one of the ideas we came up with. It's been so fun, and what could be better than doing it with him? I always forget just how many books there are until we go and I come back with an arm load.

I've never spent much time in the non-fiction section of the library, but I made a library run a few days ago for Ross and decided to poke around a little and I'm so glad I did! Our first book was a biography, (Catch Me If You Can) but I just ran right up to the biographies and found the book without really looking around at the other books. This last trip I found cookbooks, books on sewing, crafts, home decorating, parenting, fitness, piano music, all kinds of things. I think I'm going to have to at least make a weekly trip. I'm so excited to learn and try out a bunch of new things.

I also found this gem. The Must-Have Mom Manual. I wish I had found it before Claire was born, but I'm still so glad I came across it. One of my favorite sections talks about clean houses. "Only dull women have immaculate houses." These two gals talk about how your kids won't remember how clean the house was. What they're going to remember is how their mom played go fish, went for a bike ride, and just played with them.

I'm not saying that cleaning and doing chores isn't important. I love a clean organized house as much as the next gal. However, I think if it came down to it, I'd choose playing dress up or barbies over mopping any day. I can say I do remember whining and fighting about chores, but I also remember my mom playing kickball with us in the street, baking, and playing board games. And I loved it.

I'm really looking forward to all of the fun perks of being a mom.

Yeah, I'm That Kind Of Mom.

I am convinced making faces while Claire eats DOES in fact help her eat and actually swallow the food. I didn't notice I was doing it until yesterday. Embarrassment at its finest.

A Claire Filled Morning.

Honestly, nap time is still one of my favorite times of the day, second only to bed time. I feel like a horrible mother saying that, but it's true. I get a minor break where I can shower, clean my house, and actually eat with two hands rather than one. But I think the part of nap time I look forward to most is hearing Claire's squeaks when she wakes up.

And then I get to go in to this.

She is the most talkative right after waking up. While I change her and get her dressed, she tells me about her dreams.

And then she sits patiently while I get her food ready. All with a smile on her face.

I can't think of a better start to my day, and end to my breaks.