First Belly Shots

17weeks

There ya have it! The first belly shot. I kind of wish I had started taking pics sooner even though there wasn't much to look at. It's just fun to see the progress. Claire is at her Uncle Tom & Tia's house having her first sleepover with them. This should be exciting for them all. We went out for sushi appetizer and now we are home preparing our 2nd dinner of steaks, shrimp, and corn on the cob. Can you say FAT?! We can't believe how quiet it is to be home alone. We definitely miss her but we are enjoying this solitude.

Saturday Soccer

Soccer class has begun. I honestly feel calling it "soccer" class is a slight exaggeration...it's more like a fundamentals class with the use of a soccer ball! They don't play games at this age so it really is about learning the basics. You have to start somewhere right?! It was only 80 degrees outside at 9am but we were sweating (I was sitting and I was sweating!) so that made Claire pretty tired out but overall she did great and hung in there til the end! They ran laps (see the second pic. if you click on it up close you can see her determined little face), jumped over hoola hoops, and other coordination tasks. We can't wait to see how the class progresses as the weeks go on (and the temps cool down!).

The rest of the weekend was spent with family. My sis in law, Carol, was in town for a few days so we shopped, ate lunch, and had a family dinner. Now if I could get rid of this annoying sinus crap in my head I'd feel a lot more social and energetic! If that's my only pg complaint though I'll take it because everything else is going good. Belly shots to come soon. I think I finally have something to photograph. =)

Cali trip

We took a little family getaway trip to Cali for Labor Day weekend. We started our trip in Oceanside, CA at a beautiful resort owned by Wyndham (Eric works for Wyndham). We spent 2 days there checking out the beach and the Carlsbad area. Our last day we went to San Diego and ventured around the Seaport Village area in downtown and checked out the Children's Museum. Claire LOVED the museum. We shut the place down!! It was a nice trip to Cali. Cooler temps...not much sun which was a bit gloomy but overall the low temps were nice. It doesn't seem to stop people from hitting the beach in their bikinis! This AZ/TX girl is a wimp and wore a sweatshirt most of the day! Claire did great in the car (6-7 hours each way) and loved the beach. This may be our last trip as a family of 3 before baby is born so it was nice to just be together even if there were crazy moments and very little relaxing with an almost 3 yr old! The next time we travel I will need to be able to have a cocktail!! haha!

Big Girl Status

We have achieved "big girl" status officially over here! The bed is out! She napped for 3 hours in it today. We haven't yet decided about a headboard or if we will do a daybed/trundle (which is probably our choice) but for now this will do just fine to get the transition rolling! Sometime between now and February she will be moving rooms too. The baby will get the little room and she will get the guest room. One transition at a time though right?! Once we find out the sex of the baby it will help us move onto the next phase of decorating.

We are hoping tonight goes well too. We are putting up a safety rail tonight too. This whole transition makes me nervous....will she nap everyday? will she terrorize her room? I am sure all these fears will be met but worked through but I can't help but be a bit scared of her new found freedom. At the same time I am super excited for her. We kissed through the rails of her crib last night and I knew it would be the last time. Bittersweet.....but we'll be doing it all again soon! Just not with my baby Claire anymore.

Our little fig

Our little "fig" was moving and kicking this morning. 11wks and 5days along! I only had 2 ultrasounds with Claire. One at 6wks and at 20wks so this was a first for me. It was so cool to see an 11wk old baby moving around. I couldn't believe he/she was moving it's legs and arms. Crazy! So happy to see that baby is looking good and measuring great with a good heartbeat! Go baby Go!!

Other than lack of sleep due to a very noisy 2 yr old who is teething and waking a LOT and me needing to pee all night, we are good over here. The lack of sleep is making for some cranky tired tantrums before nap and bedtime but like everything else this too shall pass. We signed Claire up for soccer and it starts in September. She is SOOO excited. She has her tennis shoes and soccer ball ready to go. I will post pics soon! She is practically sleeping in her new shoes she loves them so much.

A little trip

Can I just again that I am not in a blogging mood with this pregnancy. I just don't even want to sit and type or think about anything to write! Or take pictures which is horrible because my baby needs documentation! The good news is that I am feeling pretty good. The pregnancy is going as smoothly as my first! Maybe it's a girl again???

We had a nice little weekend last weekend. We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned on Saturday. So on Sunday I thought we needed to be spontaneous (which we aren't really known for!ha!) and go explore some of Arizona. We took a little day trip up to Payson, AZ. It was raining like crazy on the drive up (monsoon season) but once the rain stopped it was a high of 70! You can't beat that in the summer heat of August. It was nice to escape the heat if only for a little bit. We also stopped at Saguaro Lake for a quick look at the water and boats. Neither of which Claire had seen before. Since we didn't go for the outdoor activity due to the rain there wasn't much to do in Payson but I am still glad we made the drive.

the wooden bears in payson. she loved these bears!

saguaro lake

In other news, school is back in session and Claire couldn't be happier (and so am I!!!). It's so nice to get a routine back. I have also been hitting the gym (pick your jaws up off the ground, it's true!). I hope to keep this up and go 2-3 times a week. Just walking on the treadmill has made me feel so much better. I was getting super sluggish and blah feeling. I needed a boost! Claire loves the daycare so it's been win win!

July

yes, she is in a toy stroller, naked, in a kiddie pool. that's how we roll.

she thinks you need to read a magazine to poop (wonder where she gets this?).

now if she would just poop!

July has been hot, tiring, and full of 2 yr old craziness. We have the summer time blues and Claire really misses school. One more week to go of summer break. YEEHAW! I have just been pooped with this pregnancy so far. I guess having a toddler will do that do your energy level. Especially a toddler who likes to lay on the at-ti-tude. Ov vey...it's a struggle lately and she is for sure testing the boundaries. Wearing me down to the core!

In other news, Claire has been potty training. She has been peeing in the potty since December but hasn't been wearing undies. So proud of my little potty trainer. Now if we could just take that elusive poop IN THE POTTY we could all play a game of Candy Land (this is the grand prize for a poop but no go so far). I am dying to play this game and see if it's everything I remember it to be! Actually the game Life was my all time fav but I digress.

Throw in some daily naked time (for Claire only. she refuses to wear clothes at home), bowling with friends, swim class, and just hanging out and you have yourselves July in a nutshell!