Thursday, May 28, 2009

Clara's Eight Month Update

I woke up last Monday thinking there is no way that Clara can possibly be eight months old - already! Unfortunately, the calendar doesn't lie, and time just keeps marching on, despite my reluctance for it to do so.

Here are some of her recent milestones:

She cut tooth number two, just few days after the first one. She is working on getting some other teeth closer to the surface, and seems to have a constant runny nose, despite not being sick. Overall, she has been pretty good-natured about teething, with just a few grumpy days (and nights) here and there.

Clara is on the move! She has learned to drag herself around on her stomach with her arms (the army crawl) and is getting quite fast. She can whip across the room in just a few seconds at the sight of something appealing (paper, a plastic bag, electrical cords, an open staircase, etc.). She's very close to real crawling, but every time she gets up on all fours all she does is rock back and forth.

Clara could have 100 baby toys in front of her, but will ditch them the instant she spies a marble, a piece of lego, a bug, paper, or any other choke-able or inedible item. She can spot any of these things from a km away, and will have them in her mouth in a matter of seconds if nobody is paying attention enough to stop her.

She's still sucking on her 2 left fingers, and has graduated from the cradle, finally. She is getting bigger and more fun to play with every day and is a pure joy to have in the family!

On a totally unrelated note, I just wanted to mention that we have 12 Play On! events happening this summer, 9 of which are in June. So, I guess this is a warning that I may go missing for a while.

Thankfully, my Mom flies in tomorrow. Not a moment too soon, as we had our Winnipeg event last weekend, the kids have started into soccer season, and things are starting to get even more chaotic around our house. (Didn't think that was possible, did you?)

I will try to pop in periodically for a little update here and there whenever I can. For those of you fellow bloggers out there, I will be checking my Google Reader daily, so keep the posts coming!

Friday, May 15, 2009

10th Anniversary

Scott and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary today.

It's hard to believe we've been married for 10 years already! You know what they say - time flies when you're having fun... On the other hand, when I think of all that has transpired since we started our own little family one decade ago, it seems more and more like an amazingly short period of time.

One thing I love about Scott is that he is very thoughtful. He planned for us to celebrate this day a little early, with a surprise trip back in April, since he knew that this time of year is a tad busy (read: we don't sleep for 6 weeks straight).

He made arrangements for the kids, and we flew down to Salt Lake City for the weekend of General Conference.

I can't say enough about how much I loved that trip! It was the perfect Anniversary gift. The absolute combination of relaxation and fun, as we had 4 days with just the two of us, some old friends to reunite with, five sessions of Conference, a lovely hotel, and a bit of time leftover to sight-see and shop.

Also worth mentioning was dinner at a restaurant with a gorgeous view, heavenly cuisine, and, best of all, not a single chicken finger or plastic bib in sight.

After all that, we still got to celebrate today with lunch downtown and a fun date together while Lindsey & Jeff watched the kids. (Thanks, you two!)

Some highlights of the past 10 years together:

Becoming parents to our five amazing children (Best thing we've ever done, but definitely the hardest, bar none. Well, at least for me. Scott's such an awesome Dad that he often makes it look so easy.)

Scott graduating from a rigorous 2 year MBA program at UWO.

Starting up a business from nothing. Working and sacrificing to try to get it going, only to shut it down 3 years later.

Scott working 18 months in a job he couldn't stand for the benefit of his family.

Being blessed to go back to the job he enjoys and able to make it work this time around.

Traveling across this beautiful country together several times. From Halifax to Vancouver, and now, finally, Newfoundland in a month!

Also, more traveling to Dubai, Florida, New York (State and City), Utah, and enjoying time in Alberta for many summers.

If there's one thing we've learned, it's that we LOVE to travel together! Looking forward to many, many more trips in our future.

Having wonderful parents, siblings, in-laws, grandparents, nieces, nephews, and extended family. We love spending time with both sides of the family.

We have been blessed with so many fabulous friends. And fun traditions like Cookie Night on Sunday evenings. Good times.

Going up to the cottage in Tobermory. So many amazing memories, starting with the day we got engaged up there nearly 11 years ago.

Several church callings and service opportunities.

Being close to Scott's Mom as she has battled cancer. Watching in awe as she continues to press forward with an amazing attitude and zest for life.

Knowing that no matter what lies ahead, we have each other, and really, that's all that matters.

Happy Anniversary, Scott!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Clara's First Tooth

Clara cut a tooth last night!

It's on the bottom, left side. She was a little bit fussy for a couple of nights, and she's had a slight fever and runny nose, but overall she's been a trooper.

I was worried on Friday because she refused to take a bottle for about 10 hours straight, and I thought she was loosing interest in formula altogether. But now that the tooth is here, she and her bottle are happily reunited, and I've stopped freaking out.

(Well, about that, anyway)

Sorry - no picture. I just wanted to document this day so I can tell her she got her first tooth at 7 1/2 months!

Oh, and she reached another milestone today as she sat in her high chair and fed herself two crackers. This is the first time I've let her feed herself anything. Just one of the things I'm taking a little slower this time around because I'm a bit sentimental about my baby growing up too fast.