FALLing in love with the third trimester!

It's been far too long since I've posted, which is pretty much the standard, so I'm sure no one is surprised.  A lot of things have changed since my last post, mainly the size of my belly.  So, we'll start with the recap on Baby Stew # 2.  Officially, I am 30 weeks and 3 days pregnant.  Sidenote: I had to stop writing that sentence to eat a fun size twix bar at my desk.  Hello third trimester!  This pregnancy has flown by.  I attribute that to time spent chasing the busiest 14 month old I've ever seen (I haven't seen THAT many, but she IS extremely busy) instead of time spent checking the pregnancy trackers to see how far along I am.  Anyway,  things have not slowed down at all in the Stewart house.  Clayton is still in the midst of football season and going strong.  The Wildcats are winning and of course, officially, already in the playoffs, so the madness shall continue at least one more week after this one.  There are several things that are slightly different about this pregnancy than what I remember from being pregnant with Kimber.  You might ask, can you really remember your first pregnancy?  The answer to that is, yes, of course.  When you have 2 babies in 2 years, you haven't forgotten much yet.  :) 
1. My back hurts.  haha.  I don't remember this with Kimber.  Key to this symptom: I also wasn't carrying a 22-ish pound 14 month old Kimber around when I was pregnant the first time.  Mystery solved.
2. I actually resemble a basketball rather than a watermelon.  With Kimber, I was just BIG all over.  I'm definitely still big and feeling even bigger (if that's possible), but my belly definitely has a different shape, even though the two babies are the same sex.  Interesting. 
3. I have NO BRAIN CELLS.  There are always comments and things you read that say you become forgetful during pregnancy.  I did not have that with Kimber at all.  I thought I was clearly just very alert and on top of my game I guess.  Not so with this time.  I can't remember ANYTHING.  I'm always good with names and numbers.  No clue.  It's horrible.  I've never forgotten Kimber, but I've forgotten everything else.  I do an okay job of keeping it all together, but don't ask my my mom's social security number or a client's name.  I have no clue.  It's strange.  I also constantly have that feeling that I've forgotten something.  You know the feeling.  The fun part is, that I have the nagging feeling, but I may NEVER know why or what it is I forgot because it never comes to me.  I just think, well when it blows up in my face, I'll remember.  Until then, I'm blissfully  unaware. 
4. I THINK I have more energy.  I think that's because I have to.  Anyone who has had a toddler can vouch for this.  There is NO DOWNTIME at all.  ever.  ever. ever.  Except when she's sleeping and you somehow need to clean up the house, do the dishes, work, or just take half a second to actually SIT DOWN.  This could also be related to the fact that at this stage in my pregnancy with Kimber, it was like 1,000 degrees outside and who wants to do anything when it's that hot?  Not saying it's cool or anything outside yet, but it's not summer, which is a definite improvement.
5. This little sister in my tummy is a MOVER.  I felt it much earlier, which I think it pretty standard with a second baby.  But, she moves pretty much all day.  I feel it much more than I remember with Kimber.  I'm able to successfully freak out the single guys I work with because it looks like there's a little alien in my tummy.  Hilarious. 
6. I'm sure there are other things but see #3.  I can't remember them even if I wanted to post them.

Okay, let's see.  Now an update on my little wigglebug, Kimber.  She is SUCH a character.  She turned 14 months this past Friday (Nov 2).  She amazes me every day with how much she picks up.  There is truly something new she does every day that she didn't do the day before.  Yesterday, I dropped her off at Clayton's mom's for a bit and she told me "Bye Mama".  That's a sentence people.  It was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.  This morning, she picked up my bracelet and said "Pretty Mama".  Smart as a whip (unbiased opinion).  Along with the 14 month-ish mark came the discovery of throwing a fit when we don't get our way or are told "no".  This is not fun.  Not sure I can make any other comment than that.  It leads the parent to wonder where the sweet angel-child went.  Kimber is getting better.  She doesn't know who she's messing with in the battle of wills.  Or maybe she does.  The child is so much like me it's scary.  Ah, the joys of parenthood.  We still love every minute.

Over the past week or so, Kimber has started "dancing".  It's too cute.  I took a video last night.  She has never hammed it up for the camera (yet) but I think she was fascinated with the light on it.  Too cute, even though I didn't capture much "dancing".

Kimber is still a good eater and is communicating her wishes pretty well.  She tried her first PB&J last week and loved it.  She absolutely loves fruit of any kind.  Her love for vegetables from younger stages seems to have faded, but I'm sure it will all change again.  And, as long as she's eating fruit, I'm good with it.  She still loves pickles and loves to have one from the concession stand at the football game.  That's a tactic I save and then use (occasionally) during later stages of a Friday night football game to ward off the I'm sleepy fit stage or the I'm restless and will crawl around the stands and bother people in front of  us stage.  :))

I guess that about sums up life in the Stewart household these days.  Kimber was a bumble bee for Halloween and charmed everyone with her black and yellow tutu and bumble bee leg warmers.  She was a little afraid of her wings, but adapted well.  I've included some recent pics below.  I love this time of year and the excitement of looking forward to the holidays and times with friends and family.  9 weeks to go to prepare for the arrival of our newest and I haven't even ordered a crib yet.  I need to get on it.  The guest room is finally showing signs of being cleaned out, so I have to get to work.  It's all fun!  I can't wait for Kimber to see Christmas lights and the tree and all that goes with the joy of the season.  I'm betting our tree looks rather interesting this year.....decorations at the top and empty on the bottom??? 

Hope all is well with all of you!!! 

Author's note:  After I finished typing this blog post, I went searching in my purse and found the yogurt I brought with me this morning to have for a snack.  It's been in there about 3 hours.  I'm telling you:  no brain cells.  It's scary.  Don't worry, the yogurt is now in the fridge. 

Author's note #2:
7.  (from above) HUNGRIER!  (I remembered another one.  I'd be impressed with myself except I forgot about my yogurt.  See note above.)

Playing at Grammy's house.  She looks so long here.  Growing so fast! :(

A rare moment posing for me.  She loves to walk around on the couch.

 





The pickle eater :))

Homecoming (the anniversary of her first ever attended football game)

Looking at ducks at the fair with Koko

A pig!

 

 Cutest bumble bee ever!

Hanging out in her golf cart chauffer (for the parade in our hood)

The conversion continues

The conversion of our home office to a playroom continues.  Over the weekend, I got one set of drawers/shelves and the closet cleaned out.  I moved a large shelf out of the room (well I cleaned it out and Clayton moved it when he got home bc preggers belly doesn't need to move that).  So, it continues.  Still have a desk to empty and move out, then it'll be ready for some fufu female playroom decor.  So far, it's working out well.  Kimber loves to play in there with her toys, and soon we'll mount a TV on the wall, and we'll be set to go.  Fun stuff.  And my living room seems human again.  Almost empty.  But human.  And, I kind of like it. 

Here's Kimber in her new will-be playroom. 

 

I think I might have mentioned that Kimber got a pink cozy coupe for her birthday.  It's still in the living room, by the way, not the playroom.  But, she loves it.  Here's a video.  Hilarious.  This girl seriously has personality oozing out of every pore.  Oh, and yes, that's what my living room USED to look like before the "playroom" conversion began.  See why I like it?

 



 

Mickey is her favorite cozy coupe passenger.  She also sometimes brings along her baby, a strawberry shortcake tea cup, a plastic plate, a spatula, or of course, her cell phone.

 

Football season continues as well.  The first home game was last Friday.  Although I didn't get a picture of Kimber at the game (slightly difficult with world's busiest one year old who has apparently 18 hands, and a diaper bag and a pregnant mom), she had a great time and did great.  We made it through halftime, which was really all I was hoping for.  She enjoyed climbing the bleachers and eating bites of pickle from the concession stand.  She loves pickles.  Too funny.  She also tried to eat dirt, old popcorn, and anything else on the ground in the stands.  But, she did so much better than I could have hoped for, and I was super grateful.  Here's our family picture from the football program. 

 



 

I am the pregnant lady in the program picture....again.  But, way less pregnant than last year at this time, AND the baby in the picture proves that I did have the original kid.  I'm just pregnant....AGAIN.  haha  By the way, whose child is that in the picture?  She looks so grown up!  And light headed....and BIG.  Crazy.  Anyway, it turned out much better than I thought.  My hair is all messed up because she was playing in it, but hey, you get what you can.  She wasn't screaming, so it's a plus, right? 

 

Not much else to report.  We have another home game this week, so Kimber will get to go again.  This time, she gets to go out on the field with her daddy because he's getting inducted into the Angleton Athletic Hall of Fame.  Very cool.  So proud of him and all that he's accomplished, and of the fact that he's an amazing teacher and coach at the very high school we graduated from. 

 

If you go to my facebook page, you can see some of the amazing pictures that Lindsey at Lindsey McAlpine Photography got at Kimber's one year photo shoot.  I don't know how she got so many good ones, because, as I detailed in an earlier post, it was not all roses.  But, she did amazing and the pictures are so good.  This one takes the cake because it pretty well sums up her mood the day of the shoot.

 







 

Seriously though, the pictures are awesome.  Go check out my facebook.  :)  Hope everyone is having a great week!!

 

I almost forgot - yesterday was Kimber's one year checkup.  She weighed 21 pounds 3 ounces and is 30 inches tall.  She's grown a little over 4 inches in the past six months.  She's really getting tall now.  She had to get four shots so this morning was rough, but other than that, all is well.  She's still true to size in clothes, wearing a 12 month.  She's a size 3 in shoes, but good luck getting them on her feet.  Her pink crocs, size 4/5, are the only shoes she will wear.  I don't really mind as long as there's something she will wear, plus those can be cleaned in the sink at night.  She wears a size 3 in diapers, and has again remembered she hates laying still long enough for me to change her diaper, so that's always a fun battle.  A healthy growing little girl!  

Kimber's 1st Birthday

Wow, what a weekend it was at the Stewart Casa.  Clayton's game Friday night was in Montgomery, which is quite a hike, so I opted to stay home and get ready for the party and more importantly, spend some QT with our sweet girl.  After we put Kimber to bed, my mom helped me sort through about 350 pictures to narrow it down to 60, in chronological order, throughout Kimber's first year.  I used tiny clothes pins to pin the pictures on ribbon that was strung up around the house.  It turned out so good and I think people loved seeing pictures.  Between that and a few other preparations, I crawled into bed around 12:30.  I had planned to go to bed early given what the weekend had in store, but I kept finding things to do.  Clayton rolled into bed about 2:30. 

Saturday, the day began for me at 6:10 am.  Kimber had 12 month pictures at 8.  A good friend of mine from school, Lindsey McAlpine agreed to take the pictures since her family was going to be in town visiting her parents for the long weekend.  In hindsight, 8 am was not the best time to select.  We needed good natural light, so it was either early morning or evening.  For some reason, I figured Kimber would be happy in the morning and we could get the pictures done and then spend the rest of the day getting ready for her party.  Not so much.  Poor Lindsey, poor Kimber, poor me.  UGH.  It was so hot and sultry it was miserable.  Kimber was not at all pleased to be in a long ruffly outfit and I can't say I blame her.  She got sleepy and was hot and it was the worst combination ever when you're trying to take pictures.  Needless to say, it was super frustrating (for me at least) and we agreed to meet again Saturday evening at 6 to try again.  Lindsey was so patient and understanding.  I was so annoyed haha.  Not necessarily with Kimber, just in general.   I don't know why it's been a year and I still have a hard time handling when things don't go according to my plan.  Hello Kaysie, they never do.  It's called motherhood.  Get over it!  Anyway.....I spent the day prepping for the party.  Clayton had to work all day on 4 hours of sleep...not that I got much more, but still.  The culmination of the fun was a screaming fit (Kimber's that is) at 3:00 because she didn't want to take a nap.  I'm sure I forced the issue because I was super concerned about getting some smiles for pictures and no nappy = no happy.  So, I put her in the car and went to pick up some party items that I had to get before 4.  I drove around a little hoping Kimber would fall asleep and she did.  So, I drove around Brazoria County for an hour in the rain with flower arrangements in the front seat and a sleeping almost one year old in the back.  I probably honestly needed that hour of quiet time for my sanity at that point.  Note to self and to readers:  it is somewhat hard to plan and prepare for a one year old's birthday bash when you are 5+ months pregnant with a one year old and your husband is a football coach and therefore gone ALL THE TIME.  But, these are the moments that not only make you stronger, but they make life more fun, whether it seems like it at the time or not.  Plus, I think I did an okay job of putting everything into perspective.  The weekend was about Kimber.  So, we put on our smiles and kept going. 

At 6, when we met back for pictures, Kimber was better.  Still kind of iffy about the ruffly outfit (because at 6 it was still like 1,000 degrees) but when we changed her clothes into a cooler outfit, we got some great smiles that showed her sweet little personality.  Then, it was home for a bath and bed for Kimber and the house shifted into party mode (for me and Clayton). 

Sunday, Kimber's actual birthday, was a much better day than Saturday.  The party was at 4.  I told myself that I was going to spend the morning playing with Kimber and doing only that because it was a special day.  I didn't feel the need to stress myself and her out when really she deserved a fun relaxing birthday.  Perspective.  So, she toddled around the house in her diaper and pink crocs.  She likes her birthday suit the best, so that's what she got to wear.  We played and watched Mickey.  At noon, my mom picked her up so that I could make some final preparations for the party and take a shower.  My friend Lindsey and her sweet family came over and helped me pull everything together in a little over an hour.  They brought dishes, helped cover tables, arranged decorations, picked up balloons and cookies for me, and were all in all a huge part of the party.  I could not have done it without them.  While we worked, Kimber got to charm Grammy and Uncle Koko with her naptime antics (she fought sleep and naps ALL weekend).  Lately when she's trying to fight sleep, she practices all the words she knows, but she adds a lot of "Mama" and "Dada".  The girl is no fool.  She'll melt your heart with a tiny grin and a sweet soft "mama".  Works on me every time.  She showed off her skills to my mom, but did eventually go to sleep.  Major thanks to my mom for all of her help and for keeping K for the early part of the afternoon so that I could get everything ready!

The party was great.  We had so many friends and family come, several from out of town, so it was really special.  Kimber wasn't sure what to make of all of it.  She's a total ham, but even the total ham was a little overwhelmed.  She got numerous and wonderful gifts - so many that we immediately realized that we needed a playroom.  That conversion began yesterday.  Our house will no longer have an "office".  Anyway, she dove into her cake without hesitation and I'm still finding red icing on the bath mats in my bathroom.  We had hot dogs and cake of course.  We also had some snacks made by friends and family, and some other treats that I made.  There were strawberry shortcake skewers and brownie strawberry shortcakes (both compliments of Pinterest).  Lindsey's future sister-in-law Haley made white chocolate covered strawberries with pink and green sugar.  They were delicious and it was so sweet of her to make them.  The food definitely added to the presentation.  And, the cake, made by Christie Lostracco, was beautiful!!  Not only that, but it was one of the most delicious cakes I've ever tasted.  Big thanks to Christie too!!!  My cousin Allison and her family drove in from RoundRock for the party, so they stayed the night with us and Kimber got to play with her cousins.  :))  Super fun day.  Second note to readers and to self:  Set aside a reserve of food for after the party.  Neither Lindsey, nor Clayton, nor my mom, nor me really even got to eat.  Seems like it always happens that way.  A food reserve will serve you well.  You'll have something to eat once all the guests are gone and you realize you're STARVING!

Here's a video of K eating her cake. 

Yesterday was reserved for some serious playtime for Kimber.  My mom got her a cozy coupe, which is of course in the middle of our living room, and she must've gotten in and out of that thing 100 times yesterday.  She loaded up her baby and cell phone, along with some eating utensils from her new tea set, and went to town.  I even caught her carrying on a conversation on her cell phone.  The car was sitting still (she just sits in it at the moment) but it was still hilarious.   

All in all, although exhausting, the weekend was a success.  I can't believe it's been a  year since I met the most perfect little girl I've ever known.  She's beautiful, sweet, funny and so smart and I am so blessed to be her mommy.  Clayton and I are richly blessed and you just can't ignore how cool it is when God weaves together all the details of your life.  Kimber is truly a gift from Him! 

What could be better than not having to wear clothes and being able to watch Mickey on your birthday?

 Spending her birthday in her birthday suit. :))

 

 

About to try the cake

This is yummy!!

Toys galore

 

:))

Cousins pic.  Karly (2.5), Mary Nell (6), and Kimber (1)

 

 

I have several pictures still to load, so I'll be posting more soon.  I thought the decorations turned out cute.  Won't be long before I'll be doing the whole she-bang again for baby stew #2. 

A walker...such a big girl

I'm way behind on posting this, I know we're all shocked since I'm never behind on blogging....

BUT, our little princess is walking.  Well now it's more like running.  Too cute.  She took steps at about 10.5 months, but the week of her 11 month bday she was full fledged walking.  I'd say she really took off over the weekend....like Aug 4th or 5th.  I'm writing that so I'll remember.  haha.  She's so funny....she has had several milestones on birthdays or shortly thereafter.  Of course we took a video of her walking.  :))

Now, after dinner, she RUNS around and plays with Ranger.  He's still adjusting to not being an only child, but he tolerates her well.  Especially now that she can feed him peas or other goodies from the side of her high chair.  That's how we know when she's done eating, although she occasionally sneaks him bites during the meal.  She's no fool....gonna win that dog over for sure.  He sometimes has to wait out her meals outside since he's so tall and can basically put his nose right on her hands and give her the puppy dog eyes.  He's no fool either...  All in all, it's pretty much chaos, but we do love every minute.  We spend so much time laughing at Kimber's antics...she's too funny.  Here's a phone conversation she had at her sitter's house.  Homegirl wants to make sure the person on the other end of the phone can hear her!!  The video is a little blurry so don't feel like you need to adjust your computer.

 

 

 

We're transitioning from baby to toddler a step at a time.  It's harder for me than I thought it would be, but every age and every stage is fun.  She just seems to be growing so fast.  All of a sudden she looks so big on the monitor sleeping in her crib at night.  When did that happen????  Clayton and I agreed she was still so small just a few weeks ago.  She's such a beautiful smart sweet little girl though and it is SO FUN experiencing life with her. 

 

 

She mainly eats with her fingers off her high chair tray.  The main reason for this is that she seems to thrown the spoon full of food when I hand it to her.  And, being a coaches wife, I am alone with her and don't have enough hands to manage her AND cleaning spaghetti off the wall.  But, like I said, she's growing.  This week, she had some mac and cheese, which would be too messy with fingers, so we used a spoon.  She is so independent and had a ball feeding herself.  Here's a video.  I mean is she not just the cutest kid ever???  :)

 

 



 

 

I can't believe this Sunday, September 2, she will be one.  It seems unreal.  People told me time flies, and it's no lie.  There were moments when she was an infant that I thought this day would never come, but it has and it's here and I'm a tad sentimental.  This could also be pregnancy horomones lol.  But, I know I'll be a bit misty-eyed as the weekend approaches.  But, most of all, I'm so lucky to be Kimber's mommy.  What a blessing it is to have such a wonderful gift and to have life's purpose as a mom.  It's a huge challenge and responsibility, but it has such great rewards.  I mean just look at that face.  Too precious.  Here are some recent pics.  I'll be posting about her party sometime next week, and I'll have stats from her 12 month checkup.  Can't wait to see what they are!!

 

 

A 9 month pic....love that smile

(photo credit: PaigeBailey Photography)

 

Ready for football season!!!  GO CATS!

 

With "Rommy" at Target...she gets whatever she points to...dangerous...

 

No morning nap, church, lunch = tired little girl

 

At Ms. Gwen's - sitting in a carseat inside with her purse and phone....ready to go. 

 

What we do on Saturday mornings while Daddy's at work



 



Our little sprout keeps sprouting!

I think I should just deem myself a failure at blogging.  But I refuse to give myself that title.  I keep saying/thinking that I'll become more consistent.  Maybe I will. 

Kimber is 10 months (well 10.5 now) old!!!  She is the sweetest, cutest little girl and I love her so much.  She is such a social little thing and says so many words I can't even believe it.  As of today they are: mama, dada, ball, kitty, night night, baby, dog, bee, bye bye.  I think she actually said dada first, then two days later she said mama, but that's ancient history now as it was like 2 months ago!  Now she's a little mimmick.  She's obsessed with cats!  Loves them!  She picks them out in books or on TV or in real life and just goes nuts (especially for a real kitty).  She did point at Ranger the other day and excitedly exclaim "kitty!" which I thought was hilarious.  Other than that, she's right on.  We are planning to take her down to the pet store soon so she can see some more kitties.  We don't really want a cat. 

Yesterday she took three steps and the report from Miss Gwen today is that she took four!  Big girl.  She will be walking around any day now. 

So far this summer, she's been swimming several times, been to and swam in the Blanco river which was part of her first family reunion, been to the Sea Center in Lake Jackson to see the "fishies" (pretty sure she said that too, but it's unconfirmed), gotten her 9-12 month bloodwork done (in the ARM - I was mortified), been on countless golf cart rides, played with all her girl cousins and had tons of fun. 

We found out last Tuesday (July 10) that Baby Stew #2 is going to be a little sister for Kimber.  :))  We had the first trimester screening on July 3 and went ahead and did the blood test to find out the gender early.  We were too excited to wait.  So far, the reports on little miss number 2 are good, although she already seems to be the complete opposite of Kimber.  She's very still and "chill" in the womb and was even called lazy by the ultrasound tech.  Kimber was busy and "dancing" around in there from day 1.  This sweet girl seems to be much more mellow.  We shall see.  Kimber held true to form from the womb! 

Here's an ultrasound pic, and the picture of Kimber when we told her she was getting a sister!

We are so excited.  Kimber loves kids and babies so we know she will have lots of fun with her new baby sister. 

Here's a video of the almost walker pushing her little car on Friday.  She's so much closer now than she was even then to walking.  It could be anytime now.  So much fun to watch her grow and I can't believe she's growing so fast!!!!

I'm feeling good.  Still pretty tired in the evenings even though the first trimester is officially over.  Except for the obvious things to avoid, I'm trying to forget that I'm pregnant so that it will go by faster.  Waiting for a sweet little baby is hard!  I just want to meet her already.  haha.  My official due date is January 12, 2013.  So far there haven't been any revisions to that date, but we'll see as the time draws closer.  For now, we're just enjoying Kimber to the fullest!  So far my only craving is chocolate chip cookies from the Great American Cookie Co. place in the mall. So funny.  I've wanted veggies and fruit more than I did with Kimber.  For the first trimester with Kimber, I didn't think I could even stomach a vegetable, but it's the opposite this time.  I've been wanting a lot of salad and fruit.  And the occasional slice (or 3) of pizza.  :))

Clayton starts football on July 30 or so, which will be hard on both of us.  Dada is arguably Kimber's most favorite person so I know it will be hard on her not seeing him.  They've gotten some good bonding time this summer.  I always hate the beginning of football season - such an adjustment from having quality time with my husband, but thus is the life of a coach's family!  The season always begins again.....  I love football season and I'll definitely enjoy taking my sweet K to the games this year! 

Happy Memorial Day!!!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

How many hands does she have?

Kimber. is. into. everything.  haha.  It's hilarious.  I swear she has like 5 hands and I've spent the last almost 9 months as a mother thinking how much simpler life would be if I had just a third hand!  One more.  That's all I'm asking.  I'll definitely need it now that I know we're expecting another baby Stewart.  Exciting?  yes!  Scary?  kind of!  Do I have moments of panic?  yes!  Overall, we are so blessed and it's always funny to me how God reminds you that he's in control.  As control freakish as Clayton and I both are, God also reminds us that He has a great sense of humor.  I started double stroller shopping yesterday.  haha  It's still REALLY early, but due to some circumstances, this one wasn't kept secret.  So, it's out.  Thus the blogging.  I went to the doctor Tuesday 5/22 and my due date is January 12.  aka FOREVER from now.

Back to the current littlest Stewart (although not for too much longer...tear...)
She has her nine month checkup June 5th so we'll get official stats then, but as of now she's about 19 pounds.  My arms are feeling that when I hold her for an extended period of time.  Good side effect:  My mom muscles are getting more defined.  Or I just feel like they are.  haha. 

Here are some pics of our little munchkin:

She wriggled her way into the pantry when the door was open (she's FAST what can I say) so we played in there for a  while and had quite the time throwing chips, sugar, baby food, etc. on the floor

Took a nosedive into the laundry basket on Sunday, which was full of her clothes so she felt right at home. 

I'm sure you're noticing that the pictures are no longer perfectly posed.  This is because I can barely get a diaper on this girl.  You haven't lived until you've dressed a moving target.  I think it's the age.  It's a workout for sure.  So, I snap a pic when I'm not reaching simultaneously to keep her from hitting her head and grabbing a cup of water and spilling it and wiping some of the endless stream of drool.  Full. time.  :))

Here's a recent video.  Ignore my annoying replies and babble to her - hers are much cuter.  Point is, she's social like me and this is how we communicate lol.  Also ignore the dish sounds in the background.  Sweet Clayton was doing the dishes while we played.  :)

Food mouth post-dinner.  Love this sweet girl. 

Sibling action shot.  Kimber still likes Ranger more than he likes her.  He's warming up to her though - I think he just tries to act indifferent to remind us that he was the only child for almost 4 years.  She LOVES seeing Ranger when we get home and let him in from the backyard.  She giggles and kicks her feet.  It's adorable how happy she is to see him.  She's taken a fascination with his tail here lately, but he does well.  When she comes over to him, he pretty much gets up and moves but occasionally, they have a moment.  It's a relationship in progress.  Sidenote:  I remember not too long ago she was short enough that her face was in danger of hitting the side of this activity table thing.  Now she towers over it.

My favorite picture yet (although not great of me as my face looks weird).  Mother's Day 2012.  So cool.  Will cherish this one for years to come. 

Hope all is well with everyone!! 

Bargain shopper

We've been busy! Kimber turned 8 months old last week. Time has certainly flown by! Kimber is as busy as ever and each day I think she learns or picks up on something new - super fun to watch!!

I did a mini- photo shoot on her 8 month bday.

Another exciting thing happened last week too - Clayton was named the Angleton High School Head Baseball Coach. I am super excited for him. He's had some great coaching role models and I know he's prepared and excited for this new challenge! :)).

Yesterday, Kimber got into the ads that accompany the Sunday paper. She was having so much fun throwing paper on the floor and giggling - so I just let her go, and I took pictures. Maybe she will learn to be a bargain shopper, although she won't get this trait naturally from either of her parents. Clayton and I both have an uncanny knack for being able to walk into a store and pick out the most expensive thing, without looking at the price. It's one of the reasons I married him. :)))

Epic fail! But now I'm back

So, what does one do when one has not made a blog post since February 27 and it's April 19.  Sheesh.  Epic fail.  That's bad.  I offer no excuse except that I've actually been so busy and scattered that I actually missed a few meals in the last few months.  Anyone who knows me knows that's a BIG deal.  I NEVER miss meals.  NEVER.  Well, I never used to.  Honestly, balancing an intense and busy work schedule with a new baby and a baseball coach for a husband is the hardest thing I've ever done.  The past two months have been a blur when it comes to everything except Kimber.  My friend Amy explained to me last week that for all the period of time when her kids were young (3 of them) she felt like she did everything halfway, meaning she could never give full attention to one thing for too long.  That totally describes how my life has been.  I have felt like I'm not giving enough at work because it's less than what I'm used to.  But, every time I give extra at work, I'm sacrificing time at home with my little angel, which I HATE.  So, it's been a complicated two months for me.  A delicate balance.  I will say that motherhood teaches you so much.  I've learned that I can handle things far past what I thought was my breaking point.  It's a strength you have when you're a mother that I can't describe.  I thank God for that strength because I have needed it.  I haven't handled every situation with the grace that I would've liked, but I made it.  We made it through tax season and busy season all rolled into one.  For that I am grateful.  Ah, the perils of a working mommy. 
Back to the most important topic: our Kimber girl.  She is still absolute perfection.  She is so feisty and such a challenge at times and I love it.  I love it because I see so much of myself and Clayton in her.  That doesn't mean it's easy, but gosh I love her.  Let me recap the past 2 months.  On March 2, Kimber turned 6 months old.  That was also the first day she sat up on her own without falling over.  This busy mommy loves that because I never have time to write in her baby book.  I'll have no problem remembering the date.  Kimber's official 6 month old stats at the doctor were: 17 lbs 7 oz, 26.5 inches long.  For Kimber's 6 month pics, I wanted to take them outside at the baseball field, so we had a wonderful friend oblige.  They turned out great!  I love them. 

Kimber still loves to eat (duh, she is mine).  Her favorite veggies are peas and sweet potatoes.  She loves apples too.  April 2 (her 7 month birthday) was the first day Kimber crawled successfully on her hands and knees.  Before that point, she was just doing a military type crawl on her belly.  Yet another milestone on a birthday, thank you Kimber. :))  Now, she's super mobile and crawling everywhere.  She wants to play with everything she's not necessarily supposed to touch (of course).  Everything goes in her mouth.  Typical 7 month old.  It's perfectly adorable and she is perfectly busy!!  Busy busy. 

(exploring at my mom's house)

Our first Easter was fun.  No egg hunting this year but we did put Kimber in her Easter basket at the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  :))  Then we took the obligatory family Easter picture, which by the way means so much more now!!

a pic with her Easter bunny from Grammy :))

Easter afternoon was so much fun.  We spent the better part of the day at Clayton's mom's house with all of our family sitting outside after we enjoyed a yummy meal.  The pool was heated so we took Kimber swimming, and she absolutely loved the water.  I think the weightlessness of the water is really neat for her because she gets so relaxed.  She might take a nap in her little float if there wasn't so much going on.  Here are a few pics of her swimming.  :)

Now, at 7.5 months, Kimber is pulling up on everything and wants to stand so bad.  She stands up in her crib now and looks at us (and chews on the rail).  Of couse, we already have a few bo-bos from being a tad too adventurous. 

Here's a video of her standing (a day before she fell doing the same thing and got a shiner right by her eye)

Raggedy Ann and Andy are some of Kimber's favorite people - I am pretty sure she thinks they're real, and I think she likes Ann's hair.  Cracks me up.  In all seriousness, sometimes the Raggedy's save us from some crying near bedtime.  She just loves them so much.   Other notable dates:  yesterday (april 18) was the first ear infection (boooooooo), Monday April 16, she said "Da-da" and last night (April 18) she said "Ma-ma".  Yes, I nearly melted.  She was even looking at me when she said it.  So perfect.  I guess that somewhat brings us up to speed.  I'm hoping to be better about blogging and to do some major catching up around the house.  Of course, most importantly, I'll be spending a lot of time with Kimber!!!  :))