Zoo Trip

Claire and I went to the zoo this morning with our friends Jennifer and Hunter. We had a great time and enjoyed the cool weather in the morning. I figured I had a ton of zoo pics already but just couldn't help myself. Me not taking pictures is like... well, I can't think of anything witty so it'd just be crazy to think I could do that!

Jennifer and Hunter - this guy was VERY friendly!

"What 'cha lookin' at Willis?"

Claire brushed every goat! She would pick up a new brush for each one and was so nice to pass them out to the kids when they'd come into the petting zoo. She'd say "Brush this goat"! She was taking charge and being the coordinator of goat brushing. I wonder what that tells me!?

What a cool picture! Thanks for taking it Jennifer! If you're wondering, that's a hippo tail and bottom on the right. How cool is that?
I've never seen this flower before. A young girl told me it's called a purple passion flower.

Eden's Nursery

I've been looking at crib bedding sets for MONTHS...pretty much as soon as I found out I was pregnant and I had the hardest time deciding. Did I want it to be completely different than Claire's? I felt like I was stuck with pink because of the pink walls until Neil said we could repaint if I found something else I liked - what a hubby! Well, that only gave me more options! I was going towards green and pinks again until I found this one! I love it and I'm so excited! I found it at Burlington Baby Depot and they have all kinds of cool matching accessories. I LOVE the brown and red. I think we are repainting the room red one of these next few weeks. I want to feel like we're ready for Eden's arrival =)

I put it on the crib this morning just to see how it looked!





This is the quilt - it's so soft I had a hard time getting Claire off of it!

First Official Haircut

Claire got her first official haircut today! It only took 2.5 years! She was incredible and listened to all the instructions of "look at me","look down", etc. I had her bangs trimmed late June but they were really starting to bother me with them hanging in her face and I'm getting her pictures taken sometime this week. The place I went to last time cut them crooked so I went to the place in Walmart called Smartstyles. I like it but it's definitely shorter. The lady suggested layering it a little so it would curl even more. We'll see how that works out... it's just hair anyway so it'll grow back!

She wanted to take a picture with her baby Madeline before we left so here are some before shots and after shots:

Claire was so good she got to ride the Mickey truck afterwards!

Trip to Austin

Wow! What a weekend! We had such a wonderful time visiting with "Aunt" Heather & Jeff and Aunt Heather & Uncle Mike (my brother and his wife).

We faced the traffic on Friday and it took us about 3 hours to get there - not fun but Claire was pretty good as long as Neil was back there playing the part of Ernie (He's such a good daddy!) We spent the evening with my friend, Heather and her boyfriend, Jeff. We had a great dinner from the grill and a nice time visiting. Claire was asleep by 9 p.m. and was pretty good through the night but was up and ready to go at 5:30 a.m. What a little toot! We were exhausted that day!

Saturday morning we were off to Heather and Mike's place. We had a nice visit and walk before we left Claire there for our little get away. In return for watching Maggie (my niece that very much resembles a golden retriever) for a couple weeks throughout the year, they took care of Claire and gave us a night in a beautiful hotel, The Renaissance Marriott and dinner. It was so nice of them and much needed time as a couple! Thank you so much Heather and Mike!

After leaving Claire we took advantage of the babysitting and registered for a few things at Babies R Us before hotel check-in. We then took a nap, ate dinner at Manuel's which is a great Mexican restaurant, hung out at Barnes and Noble, picked up some carrot cake cheese cake from the Cheesecake Factory and took it back to our room to watch a movie called "2"1. It was a WONDERFUL evening and best of all we got a good night sleep - sleeping in till 8:15 a.m.!

I'm so glad we got to spend some more time with Mike and Heather before leaving town. We hung out and visited about there most recent trips, looked at pictures and of course, blew bubbles on the balcony. Claire did wonderfully at their place waking up a few times at night but going right back to sleep. I think Heather might have caught the baby bug even more after this weekend when she was just trying to get her a fix =)

Here are some pics from the weekend:

Claire hanging out with Heather at Jeff's house! Thanks for my bubbles Heather!

"I see you...."

Claire with our "niece" Maggie a.k.a Mag Pie

"Here you go daddy!"

"I'm not really in the mood for this..."

Claire was insisting we close the door until we told her she could see the picture after we take it! We thought it was too funny - she was in there for about 20 minutes

Childless at Manuel's - well, kind of! Eden wasn't moving too much!
The Carrot Cheesecake was FABULOUS!
Prego watching "21" - we liked it
My angel blowing bubbles - I love this picture


I think she just tasted them =)
Worn out from the fun weekend
Uncle Mike and Claire - she loved cuddling with him which is funny because she doesn't do that with us at all! She has to be really sick for her to do it at home! She must really love him

"Thanks for the fun time away from mom and dad!"

Posing with her last goodie from Aunt Heater - oh, she got spoiled with her sweets!

Doctor's appointment

First of all THANK YOU to my dad who was able to watch Claire this morning while I went to my appointment for Eden. She isn't clear of the pox yet so she had to stay home.

I'm 25 weeks and 4 days today and feeling pretty good. I'm still measuring right on, gaining my lovely weight and Eden's heartbeat was in the 140's - nice and strong! She said there is a big chance Eden will also be born early if I delivered my first early so I'm praying for her to come between the 15th and 20th of December. I don't want her birthday too close to Christmas and I want us to be home from the hospital on Christmas Eve and day for Claire.

The past month has probably been my most difficult. During my 23rd week I had a weird day where I had a lower right pain and in hindsight, I think some contractions. I didn't even know how bad everything was until the next day when I felt like a new woman and everything had subsided. The pain was similar to the cramp you get when you drink too much water before you run. A few days later I had my first migraine ever and spent a lot of time in bed with the lights off. I don't know how people deal with those regularly. It could've been so much worse so I thank God for helping with the pain of it. Last night I got another super strong headache and I got worried but prayed for relief and was feeling better within the hour. God literally gave me peace of mind! My dr. said headaches are very common for the 2nd trimester. Here's hoping that was my last one!

Well, for those who know Claire, you know she isn't on the calm side but is always going, going. She's sweet and gentle but very active. She was so good to me in utero - I felt her push on me but she rarely ever gave me sharp jabs and movement. Well, not this little one! Eden is SUPER active and has fast movement so it's been a lot more uncomfortable this time around. This doesn't surprise me since she is always moving on our sonograms and made it difficult for them to sometimes catch her heart rate. We'll see how that translates to her personality when she's out and about!

We are feeling VERY excited and I've definitely started nesting. I've gone through a lot of Claire's clothes and put them in Eden's closet. I'm trying to get her room going and decide on some bedding. I can't wait to see her! I'm so much more excited this time around because a lot of my fears aren't lingering knowing I've gone through it before. The rush of emotion you get when you first hold and see your baby is indescribable and I can't WAIT to experience it all over again. I love her so much already!

Here I am after my appointment. This is my bad side but thought I'd post it anyway!

Claire just had to be in a picture too!

Chickenpox

Just got back from Dr. Gulde's office and found out Claire has the chickenpox! He said it's rare when they have the vaccine but it can happen. It is a very mild case - she isn't even irritated by them so I was shocked to hear that's what it was. We first saw some bumps on Monday evening and they've slowly spread to a few under her chin, one on her scalp, a couple in her armpit, a number in her pantie area - at least they aren't bothering her. We have to wait for all of the bumps to scab over till she isn't contagious so we'll be here a lot. We are still planning our trip to Austin this weekend b/c all the adults we will see have already had chickenpox (well, we're waiting to hear from one).

This is certainly going to make life a little bit interesting! I was going to be taking her to a Dr. appointment on Friday with me but guess that's out! We thankfully were told that I needed to wait another week for BSF - Thank God because she would've been there this morning with a group of kids! He knew what He was doing by not getting me in right away even though I was disappointed. Hopefully she will be all scabbed over by Monday for MDO because I really have to work that day - we'll see how that works out!

Please pray that God heals her quickly and that she continues to feel her normal self!

I have a question for anyone who knows - I've had chickenpox before but does this mean I also need to stay away from adults who haven't had chickenpox before and other kiddos? Could I give it to them simply by being with Claire? I tried looking it up online and forgot to ask my doctor. Let me know if you have any answers!

Pictures

Here are a few pics I've taken the last week. She has really gotten the pose down! She is now requesting me to take her picture with her toys. Guess she is loving pictures as much as her mommy and daddy! Can't wait to get her first camera in her hands.

Being silly with daddy as usual!

Claire loves her new travel inflatable bed from "Aunt" Heather!!

Now that it's a bit cooler (the low 90's) we can spend some time at the park!


Posing with her dolly
I love this picture! I caught her in a little dance pose!
Rollo's such a trooper - that's why we love her!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Wow... that's all I have to say! I have tasted one of the most delicious drinks involving the coffee bean and wanted to let everyone know!! Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte. Most know that I really love going to coffee shops but I have recently been making my Starbuck's trips a treat for myself. Well, I have an hour and 45 minute break in my teaching day so I've driven to Starbuck's to get things done or read. This morning I enjoyed this splendid beverage while I read the newest book I'm attempting to finish Who Stole My Church by Gordon MacDonald (so far, so good - we're reading it for our Worship Committee). So, if you're ever looking for a wonderful seasonal drink stop by - it's worth the whopping $3.40 plus tax!

Her name shall be.....

Yes we decided on a name!! Eden Noel Lewis!! I think we're doing pretty good deciding at close to 24 weeks considering we waited till 32 weeks to agree on Claire Elise! I've gotten mixed reviews but all that matters is that we love it! It's amazing how opinionated some people can be about names - oh, I know that once a name has a face to put with it they become that unique name and you know no different. She will be beautiful and perfect!

We love you already our sweet Eden and can't wait to hold you!

First day at work

I had my first day back at work on Friday. I will be teaching private voice at Bush Middle School only one day a week, Mondays, but since Monday was a holiday I made it up Friday. Most of you know that I LOVE my job and I miss it during the summertime. Not that I don't love being with Claire but when I get as little as one day away to do something different than mommy, I come back refreshed and rejuvenated!

My first day went really well. I'm teaching 14 kiddos in one day which is the most I've ever done. My new students were super nervous but our time together went well and I have some incredibly talented students. I love getting those kids but even more I like getting kids who aren't the brightest star so I can see huge improvement in as little as a year. I was a bit tired vocally after my packed afternoon schedule but it works and I only have to drive there once a week which helps with gas. I left my house at 7:10 a.m. and was home by 4:30 p.m. Unfortunately, I hit terrible traffic and it took me 50 minutes to get there so I will be leaving earlier on Monday!

I'm excited about our fall schedule! I'll teach Mondays while Claire is at MDO, Claire and I will do BSF Wed. mornings and then we do MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) or church playgroup on Thursdays. I look forward to taking in the cooler weather and pumpkins before I start seeing red and green. I've already spotted Christmas gear in the stores - YIKES!!

Funny words

I LOVE some of the things Claire is saying these days! When something happens or we say no she will say "Ahh maaaaaannn..." Anyone who hears it has to turn their face the other way because it's HILARIOUS! I want to remember her words so badly but I know I won't get it on video. Here are a few of our conversations from this week:

Me: Mommy needs to go potty.
Claire: I wanna watch!
(she gets her stool and sits right by me till I'm done...)
Claire: Good Job Momma!
Me: Thanks
Claire: Wash your hands....

She's so funny!

This happened this morning... for some background, last night was a little tricky at 3:30 a.m. when she wanted us to turn her teddy bear music back on and she didn't want to go back to sleep easily. Daddy had to put her back in bed (I think only once) but he had told her she needed to be a big girl and go back to bed....

Claire: (yelling from her bedroom when she woke up at the appropriate time) Daddy I did it!!
Us: (opened the door) What'd you do?
Claire: Went back to sleep

A little bit later....

Claire to me: Have my sticker now?
Me: Oh honey you got up out of your bed last night so you can't have one this morning...
Claire: (with the poutiest face you'd ever seen and longest pause....) that's mean.
Me: Oh Mommy's just following the rules (as I tried not to show her my laughing!)

They pick up everything! It's amazing how young they can be to have a whole conversation with you...