8 Months

Chloe, it's January 28, 2011 and you are eight months old today! 

8 months
1-28-11

It's a new year and this is the year that you will turn 1. It's four months away but I'm already planning. We won't do anything big but it's going to be fun!

swinging at the park

still swinging at the park

You are finally on a schedule! Here's a quick synopsis:

• 6:30-7:30 - wake up (it varies) and drink 8oz.
• 8:30 - eat solids (oatmeal & fruit, a little egg yolk)
• 11:00 - drink 8oz. & nap until 12:30ish
• 1:00 - eat solids (rice & yellow veggie)
• 3:00 - drink 8oz. & nap until 4:30ish
• 5:30 - eat solids (rice & green veggie)
• 7:30 - bath, drink 8oz., story, bed

This varies a by 30 minutes to an hour but typically speaking, this is your day. Looks like all you do is eat and sleep (like Uncle Josh!).

please note the destruction in this photo
(clean) diapers in disarray, puzzle floor pulled off...

reading to yourself

You've tried some meat but I refuse to give you pureed meats. It just sounds disgusting. So instead we give you tiny pieces of shredded chicken or chopped egg yolk. You really dig picking up the food and putting it in your own mouth but it's MESSY. You're starting to try finger foods. I gave you some cucumber to hold and chew the other day. I just have to pay close attention that you don't bite off more than you can handle and choke.
  

You have FIVE teeth now and I'm sure the sixth isn't too far behind. You're going to have a mouth full of chompers by your first birthday. 

Physical development wise this has been a big month for you. You learned how to sit up on your own. -----It totally freaked me out one early morning. You were fussing so I went to check on you. You were sitting up in your crib half asleep. You couldn't figure out how to lay back down. I wasn't expecting you to be sitting up and I jumped when I saw you.----- You also learned to crawl a few days ago! Now you're all over the place and you only want to play with things you shouldn't (dirty shoes, vacuum cleaner, space heater, fireplace screen, etc.) I'm exhausted. You'll be pulling yourself up soon, too. You can get to your knees and put one foot under yourself. We're just waiting on that second leg to get with the program.

You're personality is starting to be evident. You are very social. When we go to library time, you want to play and talk with the other babies. You are a rougher than the other babies. Maybe because you are bigger than most of them or maybe it's because you play with stuffed animals so much and you can't distinguish between another baby and your toys. I like to think it's because you'll be a sports girl. You're also an entertainer. You're already giving your daddy and I lots of laughs. You know when you're being funny and you'll try to do it again.

jogging stroller

We are having so much fun learning about you.

We love you, Miss Chloe!

Going for the shoe. I said, 'no.'

Dear, Sir Elton John:

Congratulations on the birth of your son, Zachary!

How do you feel about arranged marriages? Maybe you will at least consider an arranged play date?

This Tiny Dancer is the perfect match for your Levon.


Kindest Regards,
Kim and Chloe

haha. doesn't this SCREAM Elton John?

Broccoli Wars and The Chloe Crawl

I have two videos to share.

The first is Chloe eating broccoli and she's going to let you know what she thinks about it. It really is super funny (to me at least).

 The second is her learning to crawl. I am soooo excited that we got it on camera! I'm even more excited that Mark was home to see it!! She did it tonight right after we got her out of the bath and into her jammies. I was beginning to think that Chloe was the only 7 month old that wasn't crawling. Now I can relax a little or maybe not. Guess I shouldn't have put off baby proofing?

Knock Knock - Who's There?

New door knobs!

I wish I had known a few things when we bought our house. For example, how much new door knobs cost. Had I known, I would have negotiated that into the contract or taken it out of the price of them home...haha. We spent about $300 on these knobs and that was very cheap!

I wouldn't have replaced them but when the previous owner painted all the doors, they took off the knobs and didn't put them back on properly. Most of the knobs were on the wrong doors (Mark's closet had a lock!) or they were just plain missing pieces and didn't work.

It's better we replaced them anyway. Few things dated our house worse than the door knobs and lighting fixtures (which were replaced when we moved in).  See for yourself!

circa 1980's

So much better!

sloppy

fresh and clean

Yummy in My Tummy

Ok. So excuse the title. LAME. But, I had to share this recipe. It's delicious (Mark hates fish and he loved it) and it's so easy and quick to make. Seriously, it only took me 10 or 15 minutes.

I got this recipe from this website (food on the table). I've tried three recipes and all three have been fantastic. Not to mention the site can organize your grocery list for you and pull coupons to match what you'll be buying!

Pan Seared Salmon with Bell Peppers

ingredients

1 t butter

4 (4oz. fillet) salmon

2 t vegetable oil

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

2 t garlic, finely chopped

1 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

directions

1. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt the butter and fry the salmon fillets for 3-4 minutes per side, until fish flakes easily with fork.
2. In a small skillet, saute the bell peppers (in the oil) until soft, about 3 minutes
3. In a small bowl, combine garlic and lemon juice. Drizzle over the finished salmon fillets. Place cooked peppers on top of the fillets. Serve immediately.

I made some adjustments. I used the whole bell pepper and added a green one, too. 

Also, we served with couscous.

Sorry, I didn't take picture of the food. We scarfed it down to fast!

Poster Child for Girl Scout Cookies

She found them and pulled them closer.

She flipped them up to get a better grip.

Who wouldn't want to buy these cookies?

She is very proud of herself.

Shorty came for a short visit yesterday!
Chloe's cute zebra outfit is courtesy of my mom :)

Attack of the PeePee Monster

Chloe is having issues. Or rather, her diaper is having issues. I spent a few hours with some girlfriends yesterday while Mark watched Chloe. When I came home, she smelt like urine. (gross, I know) I interrogated my poor husband. Did her diaper leak? Did she wet on her blanket or clothes while you were changing her diaper? Are you sure? Why does she smell like that? 

I decided it was because her diaper was wet and changed her. (Normally, the smell is not that strong when she's wet) I thought the issue was resolved. Then as we were loading up to go to Target...I smelled it again. I took her out of the car seat and realized that we had a diaper explosion (think ruined blanket, jacket, pants and shirt) on our hands of the #2 sort. A quick change and we were off to Target.

Fast forward a few hours.

Bath time. Pull Chloe from the tub. Wrap her in a towel. Lay her on her bedroom floor (because it's easier to dress her and change her diaper there). Quick McGraw Mark didn't slap the diaper on fast enough. Mark shouts, "so much pee EVERYWHERE." Chloe has created a pond on her bedroom floor. After I soak it up and put salt on it (a trick we use to soak up the moisture), we feed Chloe and put her to bed.



Fast forward a few more hours.

4:36 a.m. Chloe is screaming in her crib. I go to see what the fuss is about and find her on her tummy. I lay her on her back. Problem solved.

9:00 a.m. Chloe and I are playing in the living room when I notice the smell again. Another bath and a whiff of her sheets later, I have determined that her bedtime diaper leaked all over her crib. Poor baby was upset because she was laying on wet sheets at 4:30 this morning. Bad Mom. How did I miss that detail in the pitch dark while I was half asleep (that's sarcasm)?

Let's hope the Huggie Dam can contain the Urine Stream from here on out. I have had nothing but trouble from the those diapers since Chloe came home from the hospital. I prefer Pampers but they don't sell Pampers at Costco.

BLOG frustration!

I am not happy with the design of my blog. Excuse the mess...I am working on it. 

 That is all.

How Awesome is this STUFF?

Chloe doesn't need anything else. But if she did, this is what I would be buying her. How cool is this stuff?

Source

Source

Source

Lap Time at the Library

Chloe and Kennedy had a grand time at the library this morning!

photo courtesy of Ashauntee and her iPhone

As if you needed proof

that she's mine...

Ouch!

Again? Of course, you're my daughter.

 or proof that she's her father's?


Strange game.



Goofy child.

If you don't know me, then you don't know that I spent most of my childhood with bumps on my head from crashing into things. Looks like the gravitational pull of one's cranium is inherited.

Num Nums

Chloe loves, what I call, her num nums. They are peach flavored Gerber treats that dissolve almost as quickly as she gets them in her mouth. They help her practice her pincher grasp and they give her something to bite (that's not my arm).

She spots the num nums.

She reaches for the num nums.

She wants them so bad!

Chloe fail. Chloe SMASH!

Mom, will you please give them to me?

Pretty Please.

Got it!

Got you where I want you...now I'm gonna eat you.

Dance, Baby, Dance

Here is the head bob thing that Chloe does whenever music is on...or she thinks music is about to be on. Sometimes she does this when I sing. She did it yesterday while we were at the grocery store when a particularly loud, catchy song came on. She does it when she sees her musical toys. You get the idea!

In other news, God is really testing my commitment to the pass it forward concept. haha. Today while Chloe and I were out on our run, I saw a letter in the middle of the road. It was a handwritten note and judging by the size it was probably a thank you note (speaking of which, mine are going in the mail TODAY).

I thought, 'here's a great opportunity.' I picked up the letter and headed down the street of the house it was addressed to. Or so I thought.

When I got to the end of the street, I realized it was the wrong one. So I had to go back the way I came (thank you, Austin, for making your streets twist and turn instead of run in a grid pattern....grrr).

Anyway, right as I got to the correct street a women started yelling at her two dogs. They were running amok and headed towards a busy road. Change of plans for Chloe and I.

We raced down the street to catch the dogs. After I flagged down 2 other cars to help, we finally got one dog into the lady's van. I chased the other one back to his house where I opened the door to let him in. Then off Chloe and I went to return the mail. Quite an adventure.

Overdue on Pictures

First time to play with a pot and wooden spoon.

Not sure what to do with it.

Her expression speaks for itself.

Her favorite toy from Uncle Josh...move and crawl ball.

Peek-a-

Boo.

Playing with her dog from Aunt Ellen.

Chloe has learned to clap her hands and wave. We've only been able to get her to wave once but clapping she can do pretty consistently. If you look at her and say 'clap your hands' and clap, then she'll start clapping her hands. It is so amazing to me that she is copying our behaviors. I guess I didn't realize it starts so early. Blows. My. Mind.

Reflecting and Projecting

It's 2011. 2010 will be a hard year to top. As I posted on Facebook New Year's Eve, the number one event of the year was the birth of Chloe. That event ranks number two to the day I married her father. Mark is the pole that holds this freak show's tent up.

We had a low key evening. We stayed at the house, played Michael Jackson Experience on the Wii and enjoyed some vino. One thing Mark and I did this year was write out some resolutions. It's normally not my thing but we both wanted to make some changes this year.

I don't want to share Mark's list...that is for him to share. I will share some of mine. A few of these cross the line into our shared resolutions.

1. No more cursing. I developed some bad habits in college and choice explicit words are not the exception. As Jamie Lee Curtis put it, (paraphrasing here) a curse word here and there from an adult is one thing, but there is nothing endearing about a child using curse words. I would hate Chloe's first word to be dammit.
2. Read the Bible everyday. It lays by my bed but sometimes (a lot of times) I just don't pick it up.
3. Pray everyday. I'm pretty good about this. I pray periodically throughout the day. But what I really mean here is: I want to spend time everyday meditating in prayer.
4. Find a church home. We have been going to a Methodist church by our house. I like it but I don't think it's where we need to be. I want to put more effort in to finding a church home. It's hard to do it a city the size of Austin. And, as I learned in Amarillo...sometimes churches are not very accepting of outsiders. I learned this when our family switched to Paramount Baptist in Amarillo from our community church in Lake Tanglewood. We are going to push past this hurdle this year.
5. Lose 10 pounds. I'm already below my pre-pregnancy weight but the balance has shifted. I think 10 pounds will do the trick.
6. Run a 10k. It's time.
7. Run a 1/2 marathon. Marathon next year?
8. Make Chloe 1 outfit. The real goal here is to work on my sewing skills. I love how good my mom is at that stuff and I want to learn.
9. Travel more. 2010 is the first year we didn't take a vacation. Mark and I are thinking of taking a cruise this year but I want to take a family road trip, too.
10. Implement the 15 minute rule. I can't remember where I read this (Kelly's Korner?). Before Mark and I go to bed, we will take 15 minutes to tidy up the house. This should help us keep a more orderly house. Our house is clean but cluttered and it wears on me.

I leave you with this. My number one goal is to do one thing every week to make someone's day better, easier or happier. (i.e. roll the neighbors trash to up their driveway after pickup, pay for the meal for the person behind me, etc.). I want Chloe to have a good world to live in and I've become increasingly cynical since I had her. Nobody ever made a positive change with negative thoughts or actions.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

-Mahatma Gandhi