Nursery Projects.

I have a little bright pink spiral notebook. I got it a few months back when I noticed Claire was doing funny things I never wanted to forget. Unfortunately, that notebook has become a notebook filled with lists. I never would have guessed that I was a list person. Each page is filled with to-do lists, grocery lists, Christmas lists, Birthday lists, lists of goals, lists of names, any kind of list you can think of. It is also unfortunate that my little notebook I cart around with me everywhere is missing.

I've been having dreams about fixing up the girls' room, I'm so excited. Since I don't know if this gal is going to try to come early or not, I'm itching to get started ASAP. For those of you who don't know, a while back Ross told me I could do whatever I wanted in the nursery. Men, it is a dangerous idea, giving 100% freedom to your pregnant wife regarding the nursery.

-Readers, feel free to stop here- I don't have my notebook of lists, so I'm putting the list of things I want to do in the nursery on here, so I don't lose it.

-Finish Claire's quilt
-Start/Finish new baby's quilt
-Paint dresser and crib white
-Find a tall dresser and bed for Claire (Paint those white, too)
-Repaint nursery (Either a neutral or yellow)
-Paint scalloped trim which, you guessed, will be white. (tutorial found HERE)
-Name blocks for new babe and fix Claire's. (Pink with white/brown dots)
- MAYBE paint some frames to hang family pictures in there with brown ribbon. I haven't decided if I want to yet, but seeing how much Claire loves to look at our pictures has me thinking about it.

I have my work cut out for me! My mom is coming out for a visit in January, thank goodness! I'm really excited to get to have some play time with her, but I'm also holding off on all of my little projects until she's here to help me. Hope you're ready, Mom!

Little Girls.

I recently read this article. This will pretty much sum it up for you.

"Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments."

This gal talks about refraining from telling little girls how cute they are and instead talking to them about their interests, things they're thinking, and what they're reading.

I wear make-up daily. Whether I take the time to straighten it, or fix it up in a neat pony-tail, I try to do my hair every day. I have six or seven different exercise DVDs on my shelf that are solely mine. Not only that, but I do exactly what this woman says we shouldn't do. I make a point every single day to tell Claire she is beautiful. And I think it's important.

There is a difference between telling little girls they are beautiful, and telling them they could be beautiful IF... I decided a long time ago that I would never say anything in front of Claire about her or my body, especially about something being "wrong" with it.

I want Claire to KNOW that she is beautiful, even with snot running down from both nostrils, and who knows what smeared in her hair and on her clothes. But that isn't the only thing I want her to know. I also make a point each day to tell Claire that she is smart, that she is important, and that I love her. I want my girls to grow up to be strong, independent, smart, confident women. Ross and I went to see The Help in the dollar theater last week. (Side note -We were BLOWN AWAY!!!! Absolutely loved it!) This little clip made me think about Claire and has stuck with me since.



We read books together multiple times each day. We practice counting fingers and toes, and we sing songs together. Over and over again. Claire also sits on the bathroom counter and talks with me while I put on my make-up. And I love it.

Ross often says he'd be perfectly happy if we only ever had girls. While I still have my heart set on getting some Boy Scout mom jewelry, I do love being the mom of little girls. Being a mom is an overwhelming responsibility at times. Hopefully I'm not screwing up too badly!

Baby Update.

This time around, I really don't have time to think about being pregnant. In fact, I always forget that I am! That is, until I have to bend over or stand up. The only time I really remember is when I get a reminder phone call about an upcoming appointment.

Today was my 24 week appointment. Here were the updates:

-Still no weight gain. Though, baby is measuring just a tad bigger than she should, so we aren't too worried about the lack of weight. (And honestly, I'm not too bummed about the missing weight, either!)
- I was told to watch for the slightest signs of preterm labor. At the beginning of this pregnancy, I was listed as high risk, and then taken off that list a couple of months later. Depending on how this month goes, I might be going back on that list. This is the point with my last pregnancy when I started having issues with Claire. I guess we'll find out if she's just as anxious to come as her sister was and if I'll have to start going in more often for appointments.
- She's not head down yet, and just as squirmy as ever! My midwife has always had a hard time getting a heart rate on this Miss. She doesn't like to be found with the doppler, and is constantly moving. We love active babies!

We're getting more and more excited about this gal joining our family! Only 3 more months before we get to meet our littlest Miss!

Quotes From The Loveland House Part 2.

I'm really glad I write these down, I'm 100% positive I'd forget the funny things that happen in our family if I didn't keep track.

Me: Claire laughs now whenever she farts.
Ross: *Rolls eyes* She definitely got that from you.

Sadly, he's right. I'm 21 and farts are still funny.


I was making dinner last night. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: Hey Ross, how many mozzarella sticks do you want?
Ross: How many do you usually eat?

Uhhhhh wrong question, love. Let's NOT ask the pregnant wife how much of something she eats.


Me: Claire, say "DADA"
Claire: MAMAMAMAMA <-- my dream come true!!!

Ross taught Elder's Quorum last week. After church, I was asking how it went.

Ross: So crazy guy talked to me for a few minutes afterwards about how he found his soul mate in NY and how he knows they're perfect for each other. He said he wants to be better so he can help her and be a better partner for her.
Me: Oh yeah?
Ross: Then I found out he was talking about Madonna.



I suppose I can give you all an update on our family while I'm at it. The last day of classes was yesterday!! Woo Hoo! Only a few finals and Ross is free! Well, kind of. We're staying in Utah for Christmas, our first family Christmas! He'll be working over the break, but we're excited!

Claire's finally over her flu bug, and now she's working on 4 or 5 teeth. A couple of which are molars. Ouch! She can reach the doorknobs now and especially loves opening the bathroom door. (Just a head's up for everyone!)

Since painting the bathroom in our room, I've become obsessed with having a spotless house. I even make the bed upon waking up. It's actually been really nice. Claire makes it near impossible to have a clean house, but I've been trying!




I really wanted to send out Christmas cards this year. However, once I realized the cost of the cards, envelopes, and stamps, I decided I'd rather have a box of diapers. Sorry everyone! So here's our Christmas card. Enjoy! Also, I do realize I spelled "merry" wrong. It took me so long to make the stupid thing, I refuse to go back and fix it. Good thing I decided not to print and send these.

Christmas.

Two posts in one day?! I know, I'm getting a little crazy. I meant to post about the zoo Weds night after we got home, but I was watching the neighbor's boys and didn't get around to it till now. And Claire's napping so I can blog my little heart out as if I have nothing better to do with my time.

We got our tree from DI a few months back for $3. Later we found out the tree had been boxed up still decorated! What a steal! Ross and I have all of our ornaments we've collected through the years and we had a great time decorating our first tree as a family, but little did we know one ornament would be so disturbing and a little haunting.

Yes, we have Santa's HEAD atop our Christmas Tree.

I think it's super creepy and will forever haunt me, but this beheaded Santa tree topper has stolen my heart. Future Loveland Christmas tradition?

This will be our first Christmas in Utah by ourselves. I was excited at first, then skeptical. Now that our decorations are out, I'm excited again. Or at least getting there. Claire has been sick off and on the last couple weeks, I'm not getting much sleep, I feel huge already, and I'm all around just a little more snappy and impatient than usual. Especially while driving. And drivers are substantially more idiotic during the Holidays.

Point is, I could use much, much more Christmas spirit, so I made a list of the things I want to do with my wee little family this Christmas.

1.) Temple Square lights. This will be our third Christmas in Utah, and we still haven't gone. We're going this year.

2.) Take Claire to see Santa. I don't know if I was worried about her getting sick last year, or if I was too sleep deprived to care, but we didn't take her last year. This year I want to dress her up in her adorable Christmas dress and tights (Thanks, Aunt Holly!) and take her. And you can bet her hair will be done in pigtails and bows.

3.) Go for a drive and look at lights. My family has a tradition of piling everyone in the car on Christmas Eve in their jammies, snuggled up with blankets, and driving through neighborhoods looking at lights. We haven't been able to do it yet, and I really want to.

4.) Maybe the Thanksgiving Point Lights. If anyone has gone, I'd love to hear about it and if you think it's worth the money!


Now that it's December, I'm starting to get more excited for Christmas. I think Claire and I might even tackle the Christmas shopping next week while Ross is busy with school stuff. I really struggle with Christmas Lists. I think of everything we NEED and make that my list. In the past, I've had curtain rods, teeth whitening strips, a hairbrush, and sponges on my list. Ross, however, is a firm believer that presents are supposed to be fun and for YOU. Here is an actual quote from the Loveland house last night as we were discussing Christmas lists.

K: Oh, I remember what I want for Christmas!
R: What's that?
K: I want a 24 hour carpet cleaner rental from either Lowes or Macey's!
R: I am NOT getting you a carpet cleaner rental for Christmas.

Any help or suggestions for my Christmas list would be greatly appreciated by Ross, I'm sure!

Claire Is An Animal Whisperer.

On Weds Claire and I ventured out to the zoo. Mind you, we only went because it was free! It was perfect weather, so I was nervous the zoo would be beyond crowded. When we got into Salt Lake, it was snowing. And raining. And it was windy. Being the award-winning Mother I am, I dressed Claire in a T, light sweater, and barely managed to grab her boots before we ran out the door. Luckily, Claire had a little hooded vest under one of the seats in the car. I think I sat in the car for a few minutes debating whether or not we should just drive back home.

After being in the car for an hour, Claire was grumpy and restless, so I decided to brave the weather and see some animals! I'm so glad we did! It was by far one of my favorite zoo excursions with her and we pretty much had the whole zoo to ourselves! Most of the exhibits even had a keeper there feeding, or just talking with us. We were sad Ross had to work and couldn't join us.

Claire's getting older and more observant. She loves to point at things and yell "Uh" to get my attention and make sure I see whatever she's fascinated by, too. She also LOVES our stupid cat. This poor cat spends the majority of the day running away as Claire crawls after her as fast as she can, all while yelling and laughing hysterically. It's pretty funny to watch. Claire can also say Belle's name and says it whenever she sees the cat. I figured with Claire's new obsession for poor Belle, she would love the zoo. She's been maybe 4 or 5 times in the past, but didn't really care about the animals. I'm not sure what it is about Claire and animals, but every time we've taken Claire to the zoo, whatever animal we're checking out comes right up to Claire. This last visit was no different.

It was pretty adorable. We first went and saw the gorillas. I took Claire out of the stroller and let her stand, holding on to the ledge so she could get a good view. The gorilla was playing with his box, and then all of a sudden came and just sat down right in front of Claire! Most of the animals did similar things, coming up to Claire and running in front of her. My favorite was when we went to see the tiger. He was doing laps around the exhibit, passing in front of the fence where we were standing. After a lap or two, he came up to Claire and stopped. Then he growled at her. Claire had no reaction and stared him down. It was pretty funny, but I am grateful for that fence. Claire might have been a tasty snack!

Claire was such a trooper and only cried when I'd put her back in the stroller to go see other animals. She's a tough one! I'm so grateful to have grown up in Oregon where you go on with your plans no matter the weather. We would have missed out on a fun afternoon together. It's a lot harder taking pictures without Ross there, so I didn't get very many.