The Name Reveal.

I've been debating for a while now about whether to just come out with our littlest miss' name, or to wait until she's actually here to do the introduction post. With Claire, we kept the name a secret and formally introduced our newest Loveland. And I loved it. I know we hurt a few feelings along the way though. Last night we decided it wasn't really a secret and we know this is definitely our gal's name, and I got the OK from Ross to do an announcement post.

We've had the name picked out for a really long time. At 16 weeks, we just couldn't wait any longer to find out what we were having. We decided to pay for an elective gender ultrasound and went in a month early to discover we were having another lady! (I have been wrong both times. Both pregnancies I would have sworn that we were having a boy, especially this one.) We really didn't have any girl names thought up yet, and we had a lot of work to do.

As you all well know, I am in love with "old lady" names, while Ross is a fan of "unique" names. This one is a compromise. We've told a few people the name we've chosen already, and I really haven't loved the reactions we've gotten. Maybe it's a good thing we're doing an announcement post rather than an introduction, so we can get all of the shock and bewildered faces out of the way before she arrives.

Ok, I've given enough back story and jabbered on enough, right?? Here we go. Our littlest lady will be named...



Please forgive the green wall. The flash makes the color more shocking than it really is. But there you have it.

Aoife (EE-fa) Elaine. NOT Eva.

We are fully aware she will be forever spelling and pronouncing her name, but we love it. Here's where it comes from.

This name is obviously off of Ross' list. He has quite a bit of Irish heritage. Before we even came up with our lists, he mentioned how much he loved Irish names. After I had looked at a few, I decided I really did, too. When going over Ross' list, at first I passed this name by without even a second glance. I just had no idea how to say it. After Ross told me how it was pronounced, I was in love.

Elaine is my Grandmother's name. I truly adore this amazing woman and am so excited she's letting us use her name.

Well, the secret's out! In just a few short weeks, Miss Aoife Elaine will be joining our family! We couldn't be more excited!!

Claire's Tutu Tea Party With Tutu Many Cookies.

Claire got a Disney princess kitchen for Christmas. We weren't sure if she'd even like it, but there was an awesome deal and we couldn't pass it up. So we got it for her, in hopes that she mights play with it in the coming months.

Christmas morning proved us wrong. She LOVED the kitchen! It makes a bunch of different kitchen sounds and came with a princess cookbook that Claire loves to flip through. The real prize, however, was found in the tea cups and Mrs. Potts tea pot. We got started right away teaching Claire all about "chinks" and practiced pouring tea. For weeks Claire has loved to bring us her tea cups to do chinks with us. I decided she was ready for a tea party trial run.

Claire put on her finest tutu and I set up her toy box as our table. The tea party was anything but dainty, girly, and polite. Claire started as a lovely host, pouring my tea and performing the chinks, but then the dishes started flying.

She also has this little tray that holds a couple plastic muffins and cookies. Those were displayed on the toy box table as well. Claire was even gracious enough to hand me one when I would ask. I'd pretend to eat it and place it back on the tray. Of course, I kept asking for more. She obliged for a few minutes, but then I made the mistake of asking for just one more cookie. It must be frustrating, accommodating a guest with such a large appetite. She took the tray full of goodies and threw it while telling me in loud terms how she felt. (It was HILARIOUS, really. I might have reacted the same way.)
She then decided the tea party was OVER and swept the dishes off of our table with her arms while running to pick up the fallen dishes and throw them again. It was everything I hoped for and expected in sharing our first tea party. Though we'll have to have a few more practice runs before we invite friend's over for a toddler tea party play day.

We've been practicing our manners recently. Claire has become quite the manners police when it comes to saying "excuse me". I'm not really sure how it got started, the gesture was probably something I was doing without realizing it. Whenever I'd burp, I'd look at her, cover my mouth, and say excuse me. Claire picked up on that. Whenever someone burps or "toots" Claire will stare at you with her hand over her mouth until you politely say "Excuse me" Friends and family, you have been warned! However, heaven forbid Claire make some bodily noise. She will proudly laugh and smile right at you. Hypocrisy will be our next lesson.

Be Careful What You Pray For...

Claire's screams and cries are the most stressful sound in the world to me. It's like a switch gets flipped and I go into psycho mode. Not only do I question my ability to handle two rugrats, but I also question my sanity in wanting and choosing to do so.. I know I'm going to be functioning on VERY little sleep, and there will be a lot of adjustments to be made in our family. A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to work on being more patient with Claire when she's upset, so I'd be *more* ready to have two kiddos around.

So what did I do? I did something I swore I would never do. I've heard stories of what happens when people pray for patience, and I didn't want to get into that mess. But I did. I prayed for patience. And what did I get? Almost overnight Claire turned into a real toddler. An independent, opinionated, talking, running, climbing, maniac that seems to have a death wish as she dives off of the couches, runs into furniture, and tortures the poor cat. And she started getting teeth. A lot of teeth. Seven of them to be exact.

Claire has always had a mind of her own. She knows exactly what she wants. I suppose that'll be a good thing when she's older. Yesterday, she even started telling me "No." It was a shock, and I laughed because of how stinking cute she was, and she really doesn't understand what that word means. She's also just like her mama and can't wait to grow up. We had planned on taking away the beloved binki when Claire hit 6 months, however, just before Claire turned 3 months, she refused to take a binki. I was relieved I'd never have to go through the trauma of taking it away, but we also had to get more creative with our soothing methods. I wanted Claire to stop using bottles completely by 14 months. After she turned 1, we'd give her whole milk in her bottle less and less frequently until she only had a bottle before bed. At 13 months, she refused to take a bottle any longer. (Again, relief to my soul, avoiding the trauma of taking it away.)

Now she's almost 14 months old. And she likes to feed herself. Neither Ross or I are able to help feed her ANYTHING. I've had to get creative and think of foods I could throw on her tray and let her feed herself. Let me tell you, it's hard! I miss the days where I really only had two choices of food for her, either nursing or formula, and Claire really couldn't have cared less which I chose!

I started to get really concerned and felt like a terrible mom when all Claire had eaten for two weeks was apple juice, bananas, cheese sticks, and some lunch meat. Oh, and let's not forget her favorite Gerber cheetos and fruit snacks. That girl would live off of cheetos and fruit snacks if I'd let her.

We've NEVER had this problem before. Until now, Claire would eat everything in sight and still ask for more. What happened to my amazing, nonpicky eater?! I caved and went to the library to find every book on toddler nutrition I could find. What I found was this.


I had gotten the first book, The Girlfriend's Guide to The First Year, after Claire was born, and completely forgot about it! I love these books. They are quick, to the point, and humorous. I mean, hello? With my own toddler running around, I don't have time to read anything!

"They are the urges, frustrations, desires and fears that all of us feel... It's as if your most egotistical friend mated with your worst date in high school and their baby shared DNA with Evel Knievel. Maturity is really just a matter of learning clever ways to cover up the lively toddler in all of us."

Claire really is a big spirit with a big personality trapped in her *little* body. I doubt I'll be praying for patience again any time soon, but it really has been a humorous couple of weeks of creativity and discovery. I am grateful for lighthearted mothers who can write books like this so that I can get advice, as well as comfort knowing I'm not a horrible mother if my daughter only wants to eat grapes and chicken dogs for a week. I'm actually really excited about having this little person running around, and even more excited we'll be adding more crazy to the mix in just two months!

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.