Adventures of the Family Smith

We're moving!

2009-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

We're moving - to wordpress that is. Change your bookmarks, update your info. Thanks for all the fun blogger you can find us now at smithpunkinpatch.wordpress.com.

Birthday Cake

2009-10-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our Darling Daughter

2009-10-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

Cliche though it may sound, Josh and I cannot believe its been a year since you joined our family. So much has happened over the course of this year. We've learned so much more about marriage and love. You are such a blessing and gift from God. We have loved getting to know you this year and watching you grow, develop and explore your surroundings. I pray that God continues to grant us wisdom and grace as we parent you in the years to come. We are so thankful you are our daughter.

October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

February 2009

March 2009

April 2009

May 2009

June 2009July 2009

August 2009

Septmeber 2009

October 2009

Happy Birthday to our darling girl! We love you so much!

Weekend

2009-10-06T20:28:00.001-07:00

Enjoying fall weather and Lola's leash. yum...yum...The "hoo hoo hooing" face enhanced with sweet potato puff stuck to the side of Claire's nose.Sunday we took a family trip to Orchard Nursery in Lafayette. They have events during the Fall like tomato sampling and decorative pot planting as well as music and visiting farm animals. Claire enjoyed the steel drum band along with my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Ross.

Claire and I checking out the baby pigs and their wagging tails.

We loved checking out all the decorations and music at Orchard. Josh got tips on starting a winter garden which he hopes to get started this weekend. I'll let you know how it progresses.

A Story or 1 & 2

2009-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

***Disclaimer*** The subject matter of this post may be considered by some to be a little on the order of TMI.

A story of one. Claire enjoys a bath just about every evening to help relax her before bedtime. After her bath we let Claire play around on the floor in our room before putting her pajamas and diaper on. She is fascinated with this pair of green flip flops I picked up at Marshalls years ago. She loves to put them in her mouth so I have to hide them so she doesn't. On this particular evening I had thrown my flip flops behind me into my closet. Claire played around for a few minutes and then took off into my closet in search of my shoes. As soon as she got into my closet, she sat down, peed, grabbed by shoes and crawled right back out. Thank you Claire.

A story of two. Bath time on another evening. Josh was preparing Claire for the bath and called downstairs to request the camera because he said Claire was looking particularly cute. When I got upstairs Claire was standing at the tub, all ready for the bath with her back to me and Josh was standing next to her. He started in again on how cute she was while I was thinking to myself, she's kind of making a funny face that doesn't look so cute. As I was thinking that, she turned around and there dangling from her behind was poop. Here's how the dialogue went Josh: "Isn't she cute?" Me: "Uh...not so much, she's pooping." Josh, ever the calm one in these situations: "Ahh, what do we do? Do something!" Plop on the bathmat. Now those of you that know Josh and have heard from previous posts, Josh doesn't like mess of any kind, especially the bodily kind. So he's totally cringing as he wraps his hand in TP and disposes of it. Poor Josh.

All in a day's work for a baby.

Thanks Dad, and by Dad, I mean my Dad

2009-09-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday Josh and I escaped to my parent's house to get away from at least some of the heat. While enjoying a delicious dinner of Mexican food with my parents and grandma, Claire shows off a new talent.

We all started laughing uncontrollably. My dad was especially in stitches about the whole thing because apparently he has been doing this very thing in front of her for months and now she's doing it back.

New Poll

2009-09-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

I am currently taking votes on what kind of Halloween costume Claire is going to wear this year. Cast your vote to have your say.

Day with Daddy

2009-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, through an childcare glitch, Josh got an unexpected day off to spend with Claire while I was at work. He chronicled his day and below are the results.

Taking the fire truck out for a morning spin. Checking out her new digs in this hand me down baby back pack. A kind woman in one of Josh's classes gifted us with this.

Getting comfortable and enjoying the sunshade.

Great way to spend the morning, walking with Lafayette Reservoir with Dad and Lola.

Josh stopped some other walkers on the trail, is my daughter asleep?

Gott have a post walk snack for the car ride home.

Lunch time!

Some quality play time after an afternoon nap.

Claire's Photoshoot

2009-09-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

Last week Claire had the priviledge of having pictures taken by Brieanne's wedding photographer Edyta. This is the first time Claire has had professional pictures taken, we are thrilled with photos and can't wait to see the rest.

images courtesy of Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Check out Edyta's Blog to see more of her photos. I'll also be posting a bit more about the shoot later.

Just when you start to get it...

2009-09-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Our routine has been set now for about four months. Claire is really into the food thing, she is a champ about trying new things like turkey burgers, roasted vegetables, cous cous, and pita bread. She has been a lot more laid back around groups of people and even become friendly to others. She can even "say" a couple of things aside from mamama and da da da da, most notably, ki ka (kitty cat) and dog (though the g is usually silent).

Just as I start to think I've got this "thing" figured out, she changes again. This past week its been a game of study and guess what Claire wants/needs. This weekend was a real treat as Josh's workload lightened and we actually got to have a weekend together. Both of us were completely mystified by Claire who refused to take an afternoon nap three days in a row and started crying midway through the meals that only a week ago she cheerfully enjoyed. Friday we were completely puzzled, Saturday we thought for sure she'd sleep after tiring herself out at Waterworld (which she loved - yay for complimentary tickets from work!). She fussed when we put her down and then took to throwing things out of the crib and crying when she had nothing left to throw. Sunday, while Josh was at a field trip, I decided to really try and figure this whole thing out. She took a great morning nap but was still chipper and ready to go after her normal 2nd nap time so I kept her up...until 3. She went down for 1/2 an hour and I doubt she was asleep the whole time.

Along with all this confused sleep, she has been crying as I said before during meals and the clingyness is back. The only other person she likes to be with is my mom - period. Actually she prefers my mom to me at this moment. So, last night while attempting dinner, in addition to the clingy, she didn't want to be put down (unusual for her). So, there I am, its hot, she's been a challenge today and hardly slept, and I'm trying to make couscous and turkey burgers with roasted vegetables. I've got Claire on my hip, bent down in the fridge fishing out the vegetables while dodging Claire's attempts to pull things off the shelf when my elbow knocks the fridge door and knocks loose a shelf that I didn't know could come loose. While I attempt to keep Claire on my hip and stop things from falling out of the door, my contact pops out...really?

Yes, she's wearing my shirt that she fished out of the laundry basket and kept trying to put on. kiss for daddy...

11 months old

2009-09-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

This month has been full of discoveries. Claire has expanded her palatte and is open to new food textures. She likes tabouleh and quinoa pasta, turkey sausage, beans, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Her crawling has improved significantly though she still prefers to motor around on two legs holding onto something. She cruises all over the house behind the stepladder or her fire truck or using walls and furniture to support her. She has taken a couple of steps a couple times on her own but being that she isn't a risk taker, prefers the safety of some "stable" object or person. She and Lola have worked out a food system. Lola waits for the food from her high chair to fall and she eats it unless they think one of us isn't looking in which case Claire will share whatever she's eating. Claire has figured out what Lola has known all along, when Claire gets up from eating there are scraps in the hich chair seat. Lola is quick on the draw to clean that out but now has to fight Claire for the leftovers. Heading into month 11 she has three teeth (all on top).

Labor Day in Tahoe

2009-09-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Summer holiday weekends are open season for family at the cabin. Josh and I have enjoyed spending time with my extended family during those times. We had beautiful weather at the Lake, it was a bit windy for the beach but we didn't really spend much time there. By Sunday evening there was just a tinge of fall in the air.

Just before we snapped this shot Claire dove into the coffee table and cut the inside of her lip. Fortunately she recovered quickly.

As Claire grows more confident in life on two legs she is less intersted in toys and more intersted in her surroundings.

We all learned a new way to wear our hats this weekend. Apparently this is the latest fashion in headwear.

Taylor Creek is a leisurely 1/4 mile walk through the Tahoe visitors center and fish observatory. We strolled around and let Claire stretch her legs. Josh even gets school credit for visiting here and taking some photos.

Claire seems to becoming more confident overall. She is not a risk taker but once she settles into her environment she is friendly and curious. We have observed this specifically with people. I think she is moving out of the "mommy only" phase.

Ahhh...all clean after a bath.

drum roll...the debut of Claire's teeth! We call her bucky..he he he.

Claire & Stepladder Steve

2009-09-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have a stepladder, its name is Steve. Steve was a gift from my parents when I moved into my first apartment in LA. It has followed me as Josh and I got married and moved twice. Steve and Claire were introduced a couple weeks ago. She has really taken a liking to Steve.

Parks and Playdates

2009-09-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

Look closely, can it be? Its hair!

Claire's friend Mia playing at Mia's grandparents house. Sadly the photos I took of Claire and Mia playing together didn't turn out : (

Lola enjoyed running around the park with Josh.

Claire has a love for Lola's collar and Lola knows it. Smart girl she stays just out of reach of Claire.

Relaxing Sunday

2009-08-28T21:13:00.001-07:00

Can you think of a better way to spend the afternoon? A picnic with the family at Pineridge Winery with sandwiches from Dean & Deluca and Cab Franc from Pineridge. Perfection!

Baby Food

2009-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Claire's Dahl

1 can artichoke hearts steamed & pureed
1 zuchini steamed and pureed
1/4 cup low sodium organic chicken broth
1/4 cup organic red lentils, cooked
1/8 tsp curry
1/8 tsp coriander
1/16 tsp tumeric

mix together and enjoy! I modified this recipe from my William Sonoma baby cookbook because I didn't have all the ingredients the other recipe called for. Claire really liked it. I puree stuff because Claire still has a bit of a texture thing.

Meme's "refried" beans

1 can organic pinto beans
1 tsp canola oil
water as needed

heat oil in small pan over medium heat. Add beans and warm through, smash beans adding water as needed to moisten and thin the beans. Add garlic and a teensy bit of salt to taste.

If I don't these to Claire's liking, she'll spit them out and smash them herself before eating them. Any surface goes for smashing, her hand, the tray or the back of her head.

Baby Chicken

Organic chicken thighs (as many or few as you like)
1/4 cup organic low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp 21 seasoning salute (trader joes)

cook chicken in a pan until cooked through, adding chicken broth and seasoning for flavor and moisture.

Grandma's soup modified for Claire

1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup baby chicken (recipe above)
1/4 cup organic low sodium chicken broth
1 organic carrot steamed and pureed
organic green beans steamed and pureed

warm ingredients in pan until at desired temp.

10 months old - big week

2009-08-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

So many things have happened this past week. I intended to post about Claire's 10 month milestone last thursday on the actual day but time has gotten away from me. Claire was 10 months on August 13th, it was the last day of summer with her meme (my mom) as she is back at school this week.

On Friday Claire and I had the joy and pleasure of welcoming the newest member of the crew to the fold (the crew my friends from high school were called). Decklyn Rose was born two weeks ago. Claire was unintersted in darling Decklyn and took more interst in a hula hoop offered to her by Michele's mom Beth and Michele's sister, Jenny. That is significant thing number three. Claire was captivated by Jenny and her shirt she reached for Jenny and did not cry when I passed her off. Perhaps Claire is turning a corner in her mommy only phase.

Saturday Claire took her first ride on BART and was thoroughly entertained by the lady sitting behind us decked out in costume jewelry and bright pink nails. We got to visit with Auntie B and a dear friend that I haven't seen in a long time, Crosby. Unfortunately I left my camera at home so no pictures from the afternoon. She also decided on Saturday that she likes Josh, not that she didn't before but she always preferred me if I was in eyesight. This weekend she played contentedly with him! Yay!

Sunday, Claire makes it through the nursery while Josh and I enjoy Sunday school that I haven't been to in months. I didn't get paged and she was only fussing mildly when I picked her up.

And as if that wasn't enough for a week (well, five days really), Claire is sporting something new in her smiles these days. A tooth! That caught me totally surprised and has Josh lamenting how quickly she is growing up.

Claire's new hobbies this month include walking around the house from fingers to furniture, adding "ma ma ma" to her "word" repetoire and eating ground chicken. I discovered that our step stool makes a great "walker" for her and gives much needed relief to my back.

Claire in Video

2009-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tahoe Encore

2009-08-13T20:47:00.001-07:00

Two weekends, one lake - I love the summer. This weekend the whole family traveled up to Tahoe. Bless Brieanne and Brandon for pretending to be sardines and squeeze in with us on the drive to and from the lake. The weather was a bit more predictable this weekend - no thunderstorms and little cloud cover. We remembered to get the chips so we didn't have to play poker with matchsticks.

Josh was giving Claire an early start in long boarding.

Brieanne and Brandon hanging in the kayak. This was Brieanne's first time kayaking.

Look at that synchronization! Teamwork! Good job dad!

Kayaking at Angora lakes, no Claire did not go out on the Kayak with us.

Angora Lakes hike

A rare snooze in the beco after an afternoon playing on the beach.

Brieanne decided she liked Claire's swimsuit better than her own. Fortunately for Claire, Brieanne has big knees.

Brieanne and Brandon enjoying a beach beverage.

An afternoon walk on the beach with Auntie B.

A tender moment with dad.

A mom moment at the beach.

Claire, you've just been awarded "Super baby" of the year, how do you feel?

I think this was hour four in the car (should have been a three and a half hour trip) and we were nowhere near home. This is Claire's "I'm so tired, are we there yet?" face.

Lake Tahoe...my summer get away

2009-08-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

It has been years since I was at the Lake during a thunderstorm. I had to settle for a few thunder claps and some clouds. It was enough though and it didn't scare Claire which was a plus. I spent the weekend relaxing with my parents. Josh had to stay home and get some work done.

This is Claire's goat cheese face. She LOVES her goat cheese.

Claire gnawing on a piece of french bread...

My dad taught my mom and I a few variations of poker but since the chips were in the room Claire was napping in, we had to settle for match sticks.

We took a nature walk at Taylor's creek. Such beautiful scenery.

My mom got to practice her narrating skills for school on Claire. Claire was enthralled.

Coupons

2009-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you talk with Josh for very long about me he will inevitably bring up my love of thrifty sense of shopping and budgeting. I don't deny that I love a good deal and by good deal I mean something for a great price that was on my list of needs, not my list of wants.

Recently a couple of friends of mine have enlightened me to a couple of coupon websites that I had not known about before and I thought I would share them here.

I was also alerted to a new program safeway offers. Safeway grocery stores now allow you to upload coupons to your safeway club card! How awesome is that, now with a swipe of the card you get the store savings as well as the coupons you've uploaded.

I also discovered this week that my favorite diapers for Claire also have coupons from the corporate website. Seventh Generation has coupons for many of their products including their chlorine free diapers!

If you have any other tips for coupons and money saving, I'd love to hear it! Happy shopping!

Visiting with Grandpa & Grandma Smith

2009-07-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Josh's parents came into town for a visit. While Josh worked, we went to the Solano County Fair courtesy of my grandma. Thanks Grandma!
Claire got to meet these little piglets, she was fascinated by them.Janice and Claire watched the splash dogs jump into their pool.Janice and Claire checking out the baby chicks.Does anybody remember the wuzzles? This bunny reminded me of them. If there was ever a cross between an owl and a rabbit, this is what it would look like.If any of you had any questions about Claire and teeth, let this smile answer it all for you. Nothing but the gums!On Saturday we visited the Lindsey Wildlife Museum. Josh had some passes because he's brought in a number of animals to their hospital. I hadn't been there since elementary school.Josh and Claire watching the bobcat get his food.Claire got a fire engine to play with. She and grandma were checking out all the bells and whistles on it.I've been wanting to cook fish this summer because I love it but I'm just not brave enough. So, I got up the courage to watch Janice cook fish. We had a lemon dill salmon recipe from Sunset Magazine. I thought it was delicious.

Sunday Josh ran in the San Francisco half marathon with my sister, Brandon and Brieanne's friend Tatiana. After their race, we explored Golden Gate park. Claire also got to meet Brieanne & Brandon's kitties, Ben and Stu. Unfortunately we don't have any photo evidence. Ben, true to character was standoffish and hissy (literally) and Stu, while curious about Claire, kept his distance.

Family picnic by the windmill. No better way to end a busy day than a dip in the pool, especially when the temperatures are in the 90s.

Friends & Family

2009-07-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

As Claire grows and becomes more aware of her surroundings, its so fun to see her interacting with others. We are so thankful to have dear friends with little ones close in age that Claire can hang with. Gracie and Madelyn "rocking" baby Ashton.

Gracie hanging out on the couch with her mom.

Claire borrowing Madelyn's horse. She loved it and was especially good at rolling backwards on it.

Last weekend Auntie B and Uncle Brandon watched Claire while I worked and Josh was climbing Mt. Shasta (blog post about that to follow another day).

Last week I visited with Sherry and her son, Mat. Claire loved him and Mat was very good with her.

What are you looking at?

Claire is in swim lessons right now. She loves the water. I guess swim lessons is a loose term. She kicks around the pool and splashes while we sing songs.

Jenn and her son Brodie are also in the class.

Claire having a serious moment in the water.

Carmen and I usually end up swapping our girls at some point during the lesson.
Claire and Carmen hanging out.

Allow me a moment

2009-07-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Josh and I have had a number of conversations throughout our dating and marriage about my goals and dreams. To him I seem to be in short supply (probably the practical side of me) and he is continually wanting to make sure that I'm fulfilled. He is well aware that from the time I was little I wanted to be a mom. My family can testify to this with the way my sister and I used to play with our dolls around the house, turning the stairs into the car, laundry baskets into beds and changing tables. I used to pretend iron my dolls clothes. This is something that is a little difficult to get across to my husband though he tries to understand. Recently, when we are plopped on the couch after a long day and too tired to move or right after we've calmed Claire out of a fussy bout he looks at me and asks, are you glad you're a mom. You're not disappointed are you? My answer is not on your life.

Although my life has taken many turns different than ones I ever foresaw, I am so excited to be where I am at. This stage in life is different than how I envisioned it would be and identical to how I thought it would be all at the same time. I am so grateful and thankful to have our daughter in my life. Parenting is quite a challenge but its one I feel like I was made for. I'm thankful that the Lord has guided my experiences to show me that I have more than just one purpose. I pray that my experiences thus far will help me be a better parent. My life (hopefully) will be used in many ways but I am so thankful I have had the priviledge to be a mom. I have difficulty putting to words what its like to watch Claire discover her world. To watch her imitate us doing silly things. To see her frustration that she can't be on the go right now. To watch her ever changing expressions. I sit next to her in awe as her little personality shines through more and more day by day and I pray that I will guide her well.

9 months old

2009-07-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

As my sister pointed out today marks a day that Claire has spent just as much growing in the outside world as she did on the inside world. She is very curious of the world around her and alert to what is going on. Her current pastimes are "walking" around the house, pulling up on Josh or I, swimming, eating pickles and hooting like an owl.

We are FINALLY getting into the solid food thing. Yesterday she snacked on roasted red bell peppers and goat cheese mixed together. Josh couldn't believe she ate it. I had to remind him that just because he doesn't like bell peppers, doesn't mean Claire has to or will follow suit. We spent part of the morning outside playing. This is my attempt at good photos of Claire. I was channeling my sister, I even solicited tips from her before beginning our session.

Always full of expression.

Claire and Lola, buddies...that was not staged by the way.

I think she may be teething again. This feels like its been an on and off process for months. Perhaps once her teeth come through I'll be able to say what was teething and what wasn't. For now...who knows.

Lola loafing on the cool grass.

Claire "eating" my leg.

Claire is fascinated by Lola's leash. She is always trying to chew on it or "walk" Lola.

Our little owl.

Aside from how cute I think they look together, this picture cracks me up because I caught Lola mid lick..see her tongue sticking out there?

Staring off at something. I couldn't get her to look at me to save my life and then the moment she did she lunged at the camera.

The Fourth of July

2009-07-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the Fourth of July at my grandma's cabin in Lake Tahoe. The weather was lovely, the company great and funny, as always. We didn't see the fireworks this year, they started at 9:45 p.m., way too late for Claire but it didn't really matter.

Claire and Josh kicked off the weekend with little father/daughter nap. Don't they look cute?

Our daughter is proving to be quite the fish. She LOVED the waters of Lake Tahoe in spite of the cold. She was holding Josh's fingers, toddling along the shore, when the waves lapped at her feet she made a b line for the water.

Claire posing on "turtle rock." We have a similar picture of me on turtle rock around the same age, I'll have to find it somewhere.

Claire and GG (great grandma) hanging out at the beach. Contrary to the strange expression on her face, she was having a great time.

Ahhh...nothing like a bath in the kitchen sink. I can only imagine how many Moreira family babies have been bathed in that sink.

Aunt Karen and Claire enjoying a moment before we head off to the annual Meek's Bay Fireman's Pancake Breakfast.

If you look REALLY closely at my shirt you can see what remains of Claire's snack. She took a few nice bites of pear and then promptly turned around and smeared them on the front of my shirt. Thanks Claire.

Happy Fourth of July!

Claire's new favorite activity, "walking" around the room.

Breakfast is served courtesy of Meme.

Enjoying the frigid and clear waters of Lake Tahoe. Her legs were red and gums chattering but she loved it.

Sunday morning boatride, what a great way to start the day.

On this trip, Claire discovered a new love. Pickles. I had to ask the server for more pickles because Claire was going through them like they were going out of style.

The Fourth of July family crew.

Family

2009-07-07T20:56:00.001-07:00

Claire also had the priviledge of meeting more cousins. While visiting Uncle Richard and Aunt Christine, she got to meet cousin Andrea and her husband Tony. They were visiting while on leave from Germany (Tony is in the army).

Mini Heat Wave

2009-07-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend and the early part of this week we saw a mini heat wave. (100+) Josh and I become creative in staying cool in our poorly insulated place. It comes down to us sucking on icecubes by the end of the day. Claire LOVES this pastime and soaks herself thoroughly in the process. I highly recommend those little pacifier looking this with the mesh bag on it. I can give one of those filled with ice to Claire and she is happy for minutes on end.

On Monday, before the temperature climbed too high, we ventured to the park. I took Lola too, I hate leaving her at home and she LOVES the park. I just have to brag for a moment. Lola is a wonderful dog. Stubborn at times but more than anything loving and obedient and good. Knock on wood, she differentiates between her toys and Claires (even if they are all in a pile on the floor together). She is patient with Claire while we teach Claire dog manners (don't pull ears, use Lola to help stand up, pull her collar/tail/fur). Anyway, once again Lola proved to be a great dog. She is very excitable and enjoys the company of other dogs so I was curious how the park would go and how much wrangling I would have to do. Lola was content to be anchored at a park bench and sniff around on the grass while Claire played in the swing a few feet away. When Claire was bored of the swing we relaxed on a blanket in the shade of a big tree that Josh probably knows the name of but I don't. Lola's leash hung on the stroller, not even really anchored but she was content to sniff and lounge in the grass even as other dogs passed by.

For her part, Claire was transfixed by the grass. Now, I had a number of allergies as a child, some of which have carried into my adult life. I am hesistant to let Claire dive into things that I knew were allergies of mine as a kid, grass being one of them but this child would not let up. She kept scooting to the edge of the blanket and attempting to dig up handfuls of grass, leaves and dirt. We finally had to head home because I grew weary of pull dirt clods and grass out of her hands to prevent her from sampling them.

Good things

2009-06-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

I've been working a lot lately. What is interesting to me is that the older Claire gets, the more I enjoy her, the more difficult it is to leave her. That's not to say I'm not grateful/thankful for the work its just hard to leave Claire. For her part, Claire does great. We are very routined people and Claire seems to fall into step well with routine.

So, last week Claire was invited to work for a little while. While having an 8 month old at the office doesn't make for the most productive environment it sure was fun. Marilyn got some great pictures of Claire playing on the floor in her office. Her office is the cool place to be, she has a stockpile of toys for occasions just like this.

Ok, so the other exciting thing (the first being, having Claire at the office) would be that these pictures show one of Claire's latest achievements--HAIR! Ok, its not much but its there and you can actually see it. Props to Marilyn for capturing the hair.

This is her pensive face.

She loves to put everything her mouth.

woo woo woo!

ha ha ha!

AHHHHH!!!!!

Ok...no more pictures.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-22T20:27:00.001-07:00

Ok, so the post is a day late and a dollar short but a heartfelt Happy Father's Day to my dad and my husband! Claire and I are very blessed girls to have you both in our lives.

Around

2009-06-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ok...we're back on the blogosphere. I've been working a little bit more lately and have had a lot somethings keeping me busy and away from the blog. Claire is modeling her new dress from H&M, have I mentioned they have darling, cotton, inexpensive baby clothes? This is what you get when you take the lens cap away from an 8 month old.

My job has some really fun perks. This one was courtesy of Chuck E. Cheese. They are opening a new restaurant in Concord and we got the invite through one of my coworkers. Claire tried out the rides.

Claire on the safari truck. The bob tractor was a little more her speed.

Totally fascincated with all the lights and sounds from the arcade games.

Loving the swing at the park and yes, putting her mouth on that dirty seat. We even cleaned it off some before we put her in it.

Claire is 8 months old

2009-06-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

June 13th marked the 8 month milestone for Claire. Although she has no teeth yet she is scooting all over the place and close to crawling as well as very intersted in walking just not sure how to get there. We had the priviledge of celebrating my dad's birthday this weekend (hence the good pictures). Auntie B was in town to snap some photos of Claire.

Checking out life on two legs....

She's storing nuts for the winter in those cheeks.

Claire has developed an interest in all things that are not toy..hence the carrot she's gnawing on at the dinner table. Other favorite items of hers include a silicon basting brush, spatula, Lola's collar, and spoons.

On our vacation we learned a new trick from another family with a young one. Help Claire drink water with a straw. She LOVES it. She is also loving sparkling water (homemade, no sodium).

Catching Up

2009-06-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the middle of June and I need to catch up on our May adventures. Our family hike this month was at the Lafayette Reservoir. We did the Rim Trail. I guess I didn't read the fine print on the hike or I missed the part that said moderate hills. Holy Cow, pictures don't do this hike justice. Beautiful views and crazy hills. I mean crazy hills especially when you're carrying a baby (which I was).

About 1/2 mile from the end of the trail Lola decided enough was enough.
Thank goodness it was breezy and cool that day, this trail would be extra challenging in the heat.
Lafayette...
Claire and I resting at the top of one of the hills.
We continue to introduce new foods to Claire. To be honest, this solid food thing is a real challenge. Claire does not prefer eating solid food. We have to catch her in a really good mood and it needs to be a bank or international holiday to get her to eat. (well, maybe not that extreme but close). Here she is eating blueberries which went over pretty well but man are they messy and dangerous.

Claire in her t-shirt qui float (life jacket). She's not a big fan of the life jacket but boy is she cute in it. She's already for a ride in a boat this summer.

Summary

2009-06-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

Monday
Pearl Harbor & Punchbowl

Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

Punchbowl

Tuesday
Polynesian Cultural Center

Dawn

Laie

Wednesday
Ko Olina Lagoon

Thursday

Diamond Head to Kailua

Lunch at Kona Brewing Company

From here to Eternity...

Kailua Beach

That speck out in the water is Josh

Sunset

Friday

Pali Highway to Halewa

Botanical Gardens

Laie

Saturday

Ala Moana Mall to the beach at our place

Mmm..breakfast french toast with fresh bread from the bakery and fresh fruit.

Our "house guest" Gilbert the Gecko

Sunday

Aloha Oahu

2009-06-08T14:12:00.001-07:00

Josh and I have been saving our money for a vacation for a while and after long negotiations and discussion we decided that Hawaii would be our destination. After further discussion and weighing logistics, Oahu became our island of choice. The adventurous side of both of us REALLY wanted to go to the Big Island, neither one of us have been there before and there is so much about that island that appeals to us. We went to Maui on our honeymoon and while we weren't opposed at all to going back there, it ranked lower on our list. Kaui was mildly interesting to us as was Oahu. Oahu is however, the easiest island to get to from San Francisco. Our biggest determining factors were price of ticket and how many stops we would have to make. As airlines have cut down their services it is increasingly difficult to get to an island directly. For example, to fly to the Big Island, we had to make at least one stop, sometimes two (one of the stops was in Salt Lake City...uh I'm not going east before I go west). So...Oahu it was. As Claire gets older and we aren't worrying about how a baby is going to do with multiple stops, perhaps we'll be more adventurous.

Next on the checklist was where to stay. I found some great vacation packages courtesy of my old friend expedia (used it to book our honeymoon). Upon further research and a HUGE tip from my mom, I looked into VRBO.com ****warning**** this sight is super addictive so browse at your own risk. It stands for vacation rental by owner. You can find a place to stay just about anywhere in the world on this sight. I loved it. We found a little one bedroom condo to stay in a lesser touristed part of the island. The place was exactly as it had been described on the internet. It was like 30 yards from the ocean - on the beach. Sunset pictures in previous posts were taken from our lanai. Let me put it to you this way, we had to turn up the radio or TV to hear it over the crashing of the waves - heaven. The lady who we rented the place from even found us a pack n play to use while we were there so we didn't have to lug Claire's across the pacific.

Get this, our fullsize rental car was $95 for the entire week. Yep, $95. To give you perspective, I even had a discount for Las Vegas and our rental car there was $80. The rental car we arranged through priceline and what a deal it was.

The final detail of the trip, who do we trust to take care of our other "child", Lola. She was a serious consideration in arranging this whole trip. A dear woman that Josh works with allows Lola to hang out at her house and run around with her dog Katie two days a week and she graciously took care of Lola for the week.

So, after a couple months of preparation we were off.

We arrived on Oahu at 11:20 in the morning. Plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the day on the island. After retrieving our luggage and picking up the rental car we were off. We spent a little of the afternoon at the beach, showing Claire what the warm part of the pacific ocean felt like. Josh even got in a little snorkeling.

Ocean & Crater

2009-06-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

We have experienced many more firsts with Claire on this trip. Its very very different vacationing with a baby but we are so blessed and thankful for the way Claire has traveled with us. Claire and Josh at the Ko Olina Lagoon, a perfect place for a baby to experience the ocean for the first time.

Sporting her UVF protected hat and all sunscreened up, Claire checks out the ocean.

The trail to Diamond head...here we go.
I thought I was going for a hike not using the stairmaster, oh well. no turning back now.

The view makes all those stairs worth it.

Josh taking a dip at Kailua beach.

Another breathtaking sunset, I could get really used to this.

an early morning

2009-06-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

We've been on a pretty early schedule all week long. The other morning we took advantage of the early hour and strolled along the beach. A lovely way to start the day if you ask me.
Smith Family footprints (Josh - right, Jen - left and Claire above us)Claire and Josh enjoying the view first thing in the morning.Family portrait.C
Claire's first canoe right, at the Polynesian cultural center, doesn't she look so happy about it?

Claire and Josh cooling off in the shade during Hawaii show.

Paradise

2009-06-01T22:54:00.001-07:00

Our internet connection is a little slow. I'll be sure to give a full report on our Oahu Adventure upon our return. For now, enjoy a couple of snapshots from today.

Claire got a hold of our Hula pie, a family dessert tradition when we are near a Duke's, Sunnyside or Hula grill. She reached right over and grabbed a fistful of whipped cream. I predict this child will not bashful come her 1st birthday party. She found the spoon much more interesting than her sticky hand. I got her cleaned up before she had the opportunity to taste the whipped cream.

Claire's first boat ride.

First time in the ocean.

The view from our balcony tonight. I will be falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves.

ahhh...

2009-05-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Have a good evening, I know I will.

Look Alike

2009-05-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Over the last few months I have heard a number of characters with whom Claire shares a resemblance. In the following post, I have gathered and combined some of these images. So...what do you think? Who does Claire resemble?

Wallace & Gromit?

Mr. Smee?

A kewpie doll?

Cindy Lou Who ?

her dad's personal favorite, Fred Mertz.

her mommy?

Popeye the sailor man?

I love this place!

2009-05-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

I can walk to Trader Joes from my house. Matter of fact, you can almost spit (not that I advocate for that) and hit it. I'm less than two miles from Costco, three miles to my work , a little over that to Josh's work, we are surrounded by Safeways and Nob Hill. We live 35 minutes (without traffic) to San Francisco, three hours (give or take) to Lake Tahoe, 15 minutes to the Lafayette Resevoir, 1/2 mile to the Canal trail and less than two miles from HARVEST HOUSE.

Harvest House is a hidden local gem. Well maybe its not so hidden but it was to me until I found it about a year and a half ago. I was in search of some random ingredients for Lola's dog food (yes, call me crazy, we make her food). I don't have any idea how it came up but I mentioned looking for bonemeal, nettle leaves, kelp powder (you get the idea) and how I was trying to avoid Whole Foods (LOVE Whole Foods but we can it whole paycheck in our house). A friend from church mentioned checking out Harvest House.

Organic - Check, reasonably priced - check, random stuff - check check! You can buy carob chips (yuck) right next to the sesame seeds, dried bananas, papayas, and soy flour. Not only can I find everything I need to make Lola's grain mix but I have also found a whole host of things for our family. Probiotics for babies - check! Mineral makeup - check! Organic all natural gluten, dairy and soy free teething biscuits - check! This place has almost it all. Today my tab included barley flakes (Lola), rye flakes (Lola), rolled oats (Lola), organic, sulphur free dried apricots (Claire), teething biscuits (Claire), Local honey (Josh - apparently helps with allergies) and peanut butter chips (me - needed something a little sweet) all for the low low price of $14.00.

Life with Claire

2009-05-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

It seems everywhere I turn I run into a mom who, upon seeing Claire and I mutters or says out right, "cherish each moment, it goes so fast." Even being only seven months or so into this adventure, I can see the truth in this statement. She changes almost daily, acquiring new skills, preferences and sounds. Enjoy this compilation of new things picked up by Claire over the last couple months.

Josh's Birthday

2009-05-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday was Josh's birthday. Our family celebration was low key and at home - that's how we have chosen to celebrate with a little baby in the house. We celebrated again on Saturday with Josh competing with Brandon in the Great Urban Race, San Francisco. This race resembles the amazing race except that its done in one day and in one city.

Josh and Brandon have been gearing up for this day for about a month. They were at an advantage having Brandon's knowledge of the city and public transit. Brieanne and I along with Brandon's mom Linda and Josh's dad, Gary were on internet duty looking up anything they needed to help them solve clues. We were also counting on my parents knowledge until we found out the morning of the race that my mom was competing in the race with a friend and my dad had defected to her support team.

Reading over the clues before taking off.

Saturday dawned hot even for San Francisco. The hunt took the guys to several spots all over the city. Brieanne, Linda and Gary were way more help than I was. Claire and I played support to the support team, well, to Brieanne at least.

Team Pizza Pirate Command Post at the Prescott Hotel. Doesn't Brieanne look the part?Claire was more interested in rolling around and chewing on her toes than surfing the internet for San Francisco trivia.

Life back at the command post...carrots.

Josh and Bradon in front of the Transamerica building.

Eating corn for a challenge.

Shaking a dogs paw for one of the challenges.

Great Urban Race Contestants. Check out Brandon in the Orange Wheaties t-shirt.

Seven Months Old

2009-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Last week was an important week in our family. Claire passed the seven month milestone and Josh had a birthday (more on Josh's birthday later). Claire is currently fascinated with Lola's collar. Lola is fascinated with Claire's hands after she's eaten something.

How do you pass the time when the mercury is above 99? The baby pool! (She was totally sunscreened up and in the shad).

Claire and her cousin Keagan got to visit over a day at the Oakland Zoo. Keagan is Mr. Mellow.

Cousins in Vegas Part 3 aka Mother's day

2009-05-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Mothers day to all you mothers out there especially all those celebrating their first mothers day.

Mother's day was our final day in Las Vegas. We celebrated by once again visiting the strip and brunching at the Flamigo. Rubie and Claire sported darling matching outfits compliments of Grandma & Grandpa Smith.

Cousins in Vegas Part 2

2009-05-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Claire continues to expand her horizons. While in Vegas Claire visited new casinos adding to her Lake Tahoe Casino experience. She enjoyed the fish at the aquarium in the Silverton and the Bass Pro shop next door. She scowled at the lions at the MGM Grand and gawked at the Flamigos at the Flamingo.

Look at those bathing beauties. Here you can really see some of the differences between Rubie and Claire. Notice Claire's belly and the absence of Rubies...he he he.

Claire and Rubie relaxed at the hotel by swimming in the pool. We all got to enjoy Rubie's first moments mastering the art of sitting up.

I love the floaties.

Go Rubie Go!

Rubie continued to attempt to play with Claire, this time by putting Claire's hand in her mouth. Claire wasn't too sure about that.

Cousins in Las Vegas

2009-05-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas has never been a destination I saw myself visiting and yet on Friday, there I was, family in tow. A good friend of Josh's got married this past weekend and the Smith family used that platform as an opportunity for a mini family reunion. We met up with Josh's parents and brother, wife, Jen and their daughter Rubie.

First of all, I was completely overwhelmed. I had no idea what to expect from Vegas but as we landed almost quite literally on the strip, I knew this place was crazy. People, lights (I wasn't even there at night), billboards, smoke, cocktails...wow.

The laughing jackalope? I don't think I get this place. Second, how fun to see these two little cousins interact. Claire and Rubie are not even a day apart so Jen and I enjoy comparing notes on the girls. They have such different personalities. Rubie is outgoing, energetic and animated. Claire is expressive, reserved and cautious. Their first meeting almost said it all. Rubie lunged for Claire legs kicking, arms out and face exuding happiness and excitement. Claire leaned back into the arms of grandma, started her pouty face and looked around for me. This picture just about says it all.

Claire and Aunt Jen in front of the Bellagio.Rubie enjoying the view from her dad's shoulders.

Claire taking a nap on her grandpa after an exhausting day of travel and taking in the sights of the strip.

The girls relaxing on the bed at the hotel.

Claire sharing a snuggle moment with her dad.

May is here

2009-05-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Mmm...sweet potatoes

2009-04-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the day for Claire has arrived. Solid food here we come. On the recommendation of Claire's pediatrician and lots of research I did on my own, we have waited six months to introduce solid food to Claire. Josh had the honor of feeding her first bites and what was the meal? Roasted sweet potatoes! She seems to have grown to tolerate them though as we've moved onto pears, she's enthusiastically eating them. Its not with some sadness that I've embraced this milestone. I can't believe we're already at the six month mark.

Six Months Old

2009-04-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Claire turned six months old on our New York trip. She also picked up some new habits while she was away, sitting up and eating her toes were just two of them. Claire is weighing in at 16 lbs 8oz and 27 1/4 inches long. Go Girl!

She also found her twin, kewpie doll from Aunt Josie.

New York Day Five...the Final Day

2009-04-20T20:38:00.001-07:00

Phew...what a trip. Claire was a great sport as long as we were hunkered down for the evening by 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. I was so surprised at how well she did traveling all over the city by Taxi, subway and train.

We planned to swing by the Early Show and say hi to Matt & Meredith since they film right by our hotel but when Claire started playing with my nose and woke me up at 7:45 a.m. we figured we weren't going to get down to the studio in time. I'm certainly not complaining...I LOVED the sleep.

The Empire State Building

The Flat Iron building...way in the background.
Rockafellar Center and NBC Studios.

We met up with Uncle Peter, not a blood uncle but an Uncle nonetheless. It was great to see him and he took over as tour guide showing us a few more sites in NY before we packed up and headed to the airport.

We managed to make it four days without my mom getting into trouble...then came Uncle Peter. We weren't with him but 15 minutes and my mom got in trouble TWICE. Once for going inside the security booth (see photo) and once for standing on the wrong side of the NBC studio window.

This pretty much sums up how Claire and I spent Wednesday after we got back...

New York Day 4...Ground Zero part A

2009-04-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

Life at home with an infant hasn't left me with a whole lot of time to research sites to see in NY. Consequently my must see list was very small and one of the things at the top was Ground Zero. Its now a giant construction site, there is very little that would suggest anything sinister had occurred here and yet even as I stepped off the subway and dodged New Yorkers on their way to work I was surprised by the lump in my throat. This is an event that I will remember as long as I have memories.

If you look closely, in the center background of this photo is the steeple of the church that was very close to the towers and yet undamaged on September 11. Incredible.

New York Day Four...Battery Park, Union Square, Soho, Greenwich Village part B

2009-04-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Three things I learned today:

1. Greenwich village is in New York NOT Connecticut.

2. Soho stands for South of Houston (pronounced House-ton)
3. Martinis are not allowed in playgrounds in New York City

This was our day to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty and the Island proved to be elusive as the line for the Ferry (even though we had tickets) was an hour and a half wait in the frigid wind. Claire wasn't going to go for that.

So, because of the wait and because of Brieanne's flight that day, we opted for a stroll through Soho and Greenwich village.

There's so much brick in NY, I was surprised by that.

After saying goodbye to Brieanne, we decided to have a little New York adventure of our own. We took the subway to Union Square for a delicious meal at Republic, a noodle house. I highly recommend this place.
We all took a turn at trying to pacify Claire during dinner.

New York Day 3...EASTER

2009-04-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

He is risen indeed!

This is the punkinpatch's 100th post....yay for the patch!

We spent Easter morning at mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. I wish somebody would have told me about the Easter parade before I came to New York, Claire and I would have come prepared with our Easter Bonnets.

We had Easter lunch at a darling cafe called Le Pain Quotidien. It is the only place where the bagettes taste just like the ones you can get in France. Delicious. I also recommend their six vegetable quiche...Brieanne ordered it but I wish I had too. YUM!

After lunch we walked over to Central Park for a lovely but chilly stroll.

The talented Brieanne in action.

After warming up with some hot chocolate and seeing Jackie Mason (an old comedian) in Starbucks and mistaking him for a wax figure (honestly, is all that plastic surgery and botox necessary?) We headed to Times Square.

Enroute to Bryant Park, Claire decided enough was enough with the carrier, she wanted to be held instead so we stopped for a mom/daughter photo op.

Bryant Park, this spot made my top five favs of the trip.

Claire had her first carousel ride in Bryant Park...maybe this is why it was one of my favorites.

After a long day on the go, a little playtime and leg stretching helped Claire relax. I'm sure New York has great nightlife. I'll wait to experience that when Claire is a little older.

And to finish off an evening in the city, a warm bath in the soaker tub.

New York Day 2...planes, trains & automobiles

2009-04-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

Day 2 in New York brought rain rain rain. On the recommendation of doorman at the hotel we grabbed a bite to eat at Longwood, a cafe/market/convenience store around the corner. Apparently this cafe/market/convenience store is a common thing in New York. Brieanne described it as a liquor store salad bar phenomenon.

Saturday was the trip to Briarcliff Manor, about an hour outside the city where Aunt Josie lives. Claire was helping Auntie B figure out that map.

Claire has decided to be our NY tour guide.

Claire LOVED Aunt Josie and was enamored with the sound of her voice. It was so darling.

Thanks to Brieanne for some of the photos in this post.

Aunt Josie is my grandpa's cousin's wife. At 94 she is something else. Hilarious as ever, she motored around the kitchen making delicious lasagna and meatballs. She is amazing.

The Hudson river on a cloudy day.Grand Central Station. I felt like I was inside the movie the Untouchables until Josh reminded me that Untouchables was about Al Capone and took place in Chicago...whooops.

New York Day 1

2009-04-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

3:45 a.m. and the alarm went off for my shower before we got on the road to the airport. I didn't really need an alarm, I'd been awake on and off since 1:15 a.m. with anxiety about the trip ahead. Five plus hours is a long time to be on a plane with a squirmy baby and I had no idea how Claire would fare during the trip.

Josh got Claire up and spent a few minutes of precious daddy/daugther time before loading her into the car. Poor baby, she looked so confused and dazed about why we had her up when it was still way dark outside. She sang to us the whole car ride to the airport, surprising us both that she didn't go back to sleep.

Our flight was on time. Preboarding is really overrrated. We got to get on the plane first but it wasn't but two minutes or so before they called everybody else to board.

Claire enjoyed playing with her toys.
She enjoyed playing with the cord to my headset even more. We met up with Auntie B at the hotel.

Essentials for Traveling with a baby

2009-04-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Claire and I just returned from a girls trip (mom, grandma & sister) to New York City. Traveling takes on a whole new side when you are taking an infant along. For the last couple weeks I've been doing my online homework about what to take/have when traveling with a baby. Aside from the essentials that one needs to have when staying somewhere other than home, the following is a list of necessities I found useful when on plane with a baby for five plus hours.

* ziploc bags (for dirty clothes, diapers, etc)
* antibacterial wipes (to wipe down anything the baby might touch)
* toys
* baby medicine (we had tylenol, mylicon drops & teething tablets)
* baby wipes (plenty of them)
* diapers (way more than you think you'd need)
* three or so changes of clothes (you might not think you need that many but after Claire blew out two of her outfits in one plane trip I was grateful to have the third set of clothes)
**a note about the clothes, I clothes that are super comfy for baby and easy for diaper changes
* changing pad - I'm sure the people in our row were thrilled (note sarcasm) that I was changing Claire's diaper on my lap but the bathroom was not big enough to accomodate a rolling baby.
* Carseat (even though we didn't purchase a seat for Claire, we were fortunate that our flight was not completely full and we were able to use her carseat on board the plane. She didn't spend a ton of time in it but it was nice to have)
* birth certificate (they never asked to see it but I had it just in case)
* food
* something for baby to suck on for takeoff and landing (landing seemed to be more of an issue than takeoff).
* blankets to keep baby warm if temperature is cool onboard the plane.

Claire

2009-04-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Goooooooooo GIANTS!

2009-04-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

***DISCLAIMER*** this post in no way reflects the opinions or preferences of the Smith household as a whole.

Claire on opening day of Giant's baseball season!

Claire is much more interested in the fringe on the blanket than the camera.

Long Overdue Family hike

2009-04-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

One of my new year's resolutions was to take a family hike once a month. We were successful in January by scheduling the hike for new year's day. Unfortunately February and March flew by and all of a sudden it was April and we hadn't been hiking in two months.

Our hike today took us to Clayton and Black Diamond Mines. We didn't go all the way to the mines or the ghosttown but we did get a nice little hike in.

Claire smiling in between serenading us on our hike.

Lola on high alert after seeing a ground squirrel.Claire enjoying the scenery and fresh air.

Lola is clearly tired and not wanting to go any farther.

Claire in the beco, she got so comfortable she ended up falling asleep.

All for a good day on the slopes

2009-04-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Friday Josh and Brandon went skiing. Thanks to a very generous man I know through my work, the guys were able to ski Northstar for free. It was a beautiful, sunny and chilly day.

Oh what one will do for a day on the slopes.

April is in the air

2009-04-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Claire has taken an interest in cleaning, she decided to help Josh sweep the floor.

Deep in concentration during tummy time.

ahh...the sweet relief of a teether.

A little cat nap in between teething crying spells and bedtime.

2nd Place

2009-03-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend Josh participated in the Benicia Education Foundation Run for Education. This organization supports the schools in Benicia, the district my mom works in. This was a family event, my mom volunteered with the Foundation to hand out goodie bags, my dad, grandma, Claire and I were the groupies and Josh ran in the race.

Claire is developing an early taste for Cliff bars, at least for the packaging. Josh got second place in his age division. Go Josh! We were getting ready to leave and he went to check his official time, they told him to stick around because he would be getting a medal. Not bad for a race he entered on Wednesday.

Happy 1st Blogiversary

2009-03-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I missed this milestone. The Smithpunkinpatch blog is one year old! This year has brought many adventures and the promise of many more to come. Thanks to all of you that read our blog and join in our lives with us.

Happy 1st blogiversary.

Claire and Friends

2009-03-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

We had a playdate on Friday with some of my friends from high school and their children and babies on the way. We were called "The Crew" in high school, I've decided to call our kids "The Mini Crew". Its been so fun to journey though this season of life with these women.

Unfortunately Claire was a crab from no nap and teething so I didn't get many pictures of all the babies.

Here's Davis, he and Claire are a week a part but he totally has in when it comes to the hair department. He also choose Mia (pictured below) as his prom date because she didn't pull his hair like Claire did. I tried to tell him it was just because Claire was jealous but he didn't believe me.

The lovely Miss Mia, every the lady and modeling a darling striped dress. I also didn't get photos of Tanya's boys because they can walk and are therefore much more difficult to photograph.

Being a Grown Up

2009-03-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Last night Josh and I had a date. If you want to get super technical about it, I guess it wasn't a date because Claire was there but to me, it was a date. We've decided to finish our back patio, make it into a useable space so as the weather warms up, its a place our family wants to hang out (more on that in another post). After a late afternoon stroll through Orchard nursery, Josh and I decided to make the most of the gorgeous evening (it was like 74 degrees at 5:30 at night) beautiful and the lovely town (we were in Lafayette). We had dinner at a restaurant, Pizza Antica, that I've been eyeing ever since I read the review of it in Diablo magazine.

As we lounged on the patio sipping cherry limeades Josh turned to me and said "I feel like an adult again tonight." I quite agree with him. We've been saving our money for upcoming trips, home renovations, and let's face it to pay our mortgage so its been a long time since we enjoyed an evening out. God bless our daughter, she was an angel, completely content gnawing on her teether while relaxing in her stroller and serenading the rest of the patio. After a delicious dinner (Josh rates the pizza a seven - crust was too thin for his Chicago deep dish pizza taste, I'd give it an 8, I like fancy pizza) we strolled up and down Mt. Diablo Blvd enjoying the weather, the evening and most of all each other.

Pictures from the weekend

2009-03-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

I love daffodils...

Claire giving out some Lola love.

Oh yes, that is Claire in Giants gear!

Yeah...check out that serious drool.

This is what Claire does during tummy time...she puts her arms behind her and rolls around on her belly. Silly girl.

Lola, loving the weather and being near Josh.

Family portrait sans mom.

Rolling

2009-03-18T13:19:00.001-07:00

I find myself continually amazed at how I am moved by Claire's little (and big) developments. Today Claire rolled over..we've been watching in expectation for months. Today she didn't disappoint. She rolled back to tummy (the harder way). She was looking at me nonchalantly and then I realized what she'd done and got all excited and she just smiled her gummy, drooly grin. My excited voice triggered Lola and she came running thinking it was play time and started jumping all over me. So, now we've got a roller.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T20:08:00.001-07:00

Around the house

2009-03-15T19:30:00.001-07:00

5 months old!

2009-03-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Claire is 5 months old as of Friday. Its unbelieveable to us. She's growing like crazy and is losing her little baby looks. She drools up a storm and there are some white spots on her gums that look like they could be teeth coming in. Then again they could be my imagination as well. How am I supposed to know?

One development that has made me a little sad, it looks like Claire has inherited eczema. I noticed a little patch of funny skin on her shoulder about a week ago and thought perhaps it was just dry skin (though somewhere in the back of my head my experience as a child with eczema was telling me different). Then I thought, maybe ringworm but it doesn't bear any resemblence to ring worm other than being circular in nature. After a discussion with the advice nurse and a consult over the phone with a pediatrician, we have concluded that's probably what it is (eczema). This shouldn't come as a surprise, eczema runs rampant in my family. I had prayed that she would escape this gene of mine. Until the doctor definitively diagnosis it as such, I'll pray that its just some funky skin irritation. I guess we'll find out at her next check up. Until then, I'll lotion her arm away.

Notice Claire's hand in this picture. She likes to "pet" Lola by running her hand up and down Lola's fur.
In another note, Claire still shows no desire to roll over but she doesn't scream and hardly cries when doing tummy time now (YAY!). She does resemble a seal a bit when on her tummy as she doesn't like to use her arms or legs, preferring to roll around on her rounded tummy.

Beco Butterfly II

2009-03-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've attempted to keep baby items limited to necessity items only. One can easily be overwhelmed by the selection of baby carriers out there. Slings to front packs, back packs, front & back packs, wraps, the list goes on. I would have never known all the options there are out there. And now we arrive to the title of my post.

After polling other mommy friends for what baby carrier they liked best, I arrived upon the Moby Wrap. I love my moby wrap. It was heaven when Claire was really small. She could get oh so snuggly and close to me. The Moby could calm her almost instantly in the first six weeks of life or so. I could wrap her up and go about housework, she would snooze. It was amazing. Its flexible as she has grown. There are several different tying options so I can wear her on my hip, facing out, facing in, on my back. So versatile. Ok, the one complaint I have and I had heard of before I got the moby was the practicality of it. Its essentially almost 20 feet of fabric that you wrap and wrap around you to create these different carrying positions. So if you are out and about its pretty impratical to use. You either have to wrestle and wrangle all this fabric so you don't drag it on the ground while attempting to tie it OR you have to get it all arranged at home. Setting it up at home can be quick and fairly easy but my personal experience was that traveling with it in the car in a seat belt and then attempting to put baby in it didn't work well. So I've pretty much limited my Moby use to around the house and short stints to and from the house by foot.

I had been steered away from the Bjorn because of the uncomfortable arm staps. When one was handed down to me it came as a pleasant surprise. Its ease of use is probably the simplest of all baby carriers except for maybe a sling. Claire seemed to enjoy the Bjorn and as she developed liked facing in and out. I have noticed that as she gets bigger, the weight distribution on the straps does make the Bjorn uncomfortable for long stints.

As Claire continues to grow and our family ventures further and further from home, I was considering how we would transport her. We have one possibly two plane trips coming up and I'd prefer to travel with the least amount of gear possible. (Especially given that one of our trips is to New York and we'll need to be as portable as possible). I considered getting an umbrella stroller but I don't love the idea of Claire being down in a stroller on the busy streets of New York city. I could take the Bjorn but we'll be doing a lot of walking and that's not going to be so comfortable for all the walking we'll do. The Moby is not really a good option for similar reasons. I couldn't imagine standing on the streets in Manhatten trying to tie up the Moby to transport Claire. Enter the Beco Butterfly II. A friend of Brieanne's (with whom I've consulted on many things baby from teething to baby essentials to feeding baby solids, she's a wealth of helpful information) recommended the Beco Butterfly a few months ago. After doing some additional research I decided to give the Beco a try. I'm in love. The features I like best? The soft soft cotton that its made of, the straps are comfy, the waistband evenly distributes Claire's weight. Its almost as simple as the Bjorn to put on. It will carry Claire up to 45lbs (not that I'll be carrying her like that when she weights 45lbs). I can put her in it while she's lying on the changing table or couch or floor and then put it on me. I can transfer her from me to Josh or whomever else without having to take her out of it. I can wear her on my back or front. Its great. So, that's how Claire and I will be gallavanting around NYC...stay tuned for the photos.

March is here

2009-03-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Its been beautifully sunny the last couple of days and we've taken advantage of the lovely weather. Lots of walks, time outside and even a Sunday picnic in the park. Enjoy a few photos from the last week or so.

Academy of Sciences

2009-03-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

A word to the wise. If you are planning a trip to the newly rebuilt and reopened Academy of Sciences, go on a weekday afternoon unless you miss crowds akin to Disneyland trips in July. This place was more crowded than fleas on a dog's back. Navigating the Steinhart aquarium with a stroller was no mean feat.
The academy showcases a beautiful rainforest exhibit, a white alligator, a marvelous aquarium and the planetarium but with the weekend crowds, it was very difficult to fully appreciate all the academy had to offer. After a morning at the academy of sciences, we walked over to a lovely little cafe called Le Velo Rouge for a delicous lunch and some live music courtesy of the Tipsy Gypsy Trio (playing the tunes of Jango Rinehart).
That's Claire gnawing on Auntie B's arm..yum yum!

I caved...

2009-03-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

When we were preparing for Claire's birth I was determined to keep baby gear at a minimum citing our small house and very limited storage space. I figured my parents got by with less than a 1/4 of the inventions that are currently out there for babies so why can't we. The first item I railed against? An infant car seat. When we were shopping around for pack n plays someone passed one along to us and I figured I would pass it along to someone in my family to use while watching Claire. The carseat has never made it into the hands of other family members, while not the primary carseat for Claire it has proven VERY helpful. The next item I was against? A swing. We really don't have the room but nevertheless, a swing adorns our living room and has proven so helpful. Again, this was another free hand me down. The third item I was against was a bumbo. Although the bumbo isn't big it still doesn't compact down to store well and Claire has the bouncer and swing, why do we need a bumbo? Well, last week I discovered why. She has started trying to sit up using her little stomach muscles. Whether it is laying on her changed, sitting in my lap or hanging out in the bouncer, Claire started to pull herself up. That means no more bouncer (a primary sitting place for Claire). SO...after searching Craigslist for a reasonable one, I caved and gave the ok to get a bumbo. In its first week in our home, it has proved to be a very useful item.

Snapshot of Claire

2009-02-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

adelie + the orca

2009-02-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

Brieanne and I have been talking for months about launching our own crafty website to sell the wares that we create. I am proud to annouce that adelie + the orca has gone live via the website etsy. Take a look and see what we've been up to. We'll be adding things to the site so check back often.

Smith Marshall Adventure

2009-02-16T21:34:00.001-08:00

I'm sure there will be many more Smith & Marshall adventures to come. This weekend's adventure took us to SNOWY Lake Tahoe. Saturday morning we loaded up the car and were off. Our first signs of snow came about 15 minutes outside of Auburn and there was a blanket of snow at Gold Run, elevation 3000ft.

After laboring along in chain control traffic we got a tip that taking a frontage road up to Alta would get us around all the traffic and shave a couple hours off our journey. There was no need for chains on the highway - the road was clear for the most part and though partly cloudy, there was no snow in sight.

Brieanne and I made the boys (Josh, Brandon & Brandon's brother Mark) a valentine's dinner of stuffed pasta shells & salad (thank you Giada de Laurentis for the recipe). Sunday morning the guys headed off to ski while Brieanne, Claire and I hung out at the cabin and enjoyed the snowy snowy day.

We decorated cupcakes...see below. Yes those are penguin shaped cupcakes hanging out in the snow outside the kitchen window.

We took pictures as we "traipsed" out in the snow.

Monday morning we cleaned, packed up and headed out, attempting to get ahead of the big storm that was supposed to roll in Saturday afternoon. We were too slow.

Brieanne canabilizing a penguin on the way home in traffic.

Claire being a really good sport about the slow going on the road. It was snowy snowy snowy!

Four Months Old!

2009-02-13T16:12:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrate Claire's fourth month in our home. Its a glorious day...its pouring outside with much needed rain. Claire and I went to her four month check up. She weighs in at 13lbs 8oz and 26" long...long baby. The report from the Doctor's office was all good. She is healthy and growing well. I was encouraged to keep up tummy time for her even though she screams when placed on her tummy.

Although she discovered her "voice" a couple weeks ago she has really been exercising it lately - especially in the car.

Weekend Adventure

2009-02-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of the Smith's company this weekend. Claire got to catch up with grandma and grandpa. She's done a lot of growing and changing since they last saw her in December.

Sunday we had a mini family gathering at church for Claire's dedication. She behaved so well on stage - even without her pacifier.

Little Friends

2009-02-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

January has come and gone, February is here but take a step outside and you'd think it was April. The weather has been gorgeous - too gorgeous. While other parts of the country freeze their tushies' off, we here in California have been "enjoying" 70's and sunshine.

Once again sleeping in the corner, right next to the monitor.

Lola makes herself comfortable wherever.The Smiths are plugging along. Josh started class again for the semester. He's also building up mileage to do some races later on in the year. Claire has been hanging out with little friends and having some quality family time.

Here we are at almost four months and still no hair to speak of.

Claire hanging out with Carmen and her lovely daughter Gracie.

Gracie is all smiles.

Claire and Brody.

Cabbage Patch Baby?

2009-01-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

Some of these really need captions. She's an expressive baby. Enjoy, these are courtesy of the ever proud Auntie B.

Gnomes

2009-01-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

As a child I mistook earring backs for Fairy crowns. One of my favorite childhood books was a compilation of stories called "Elves and Fairies." It seems that such fanciful creatures and stories have followed me into adulthood.

We live with gnomes. They turn the light on, unlock the door and the LOVE to put the toilet seat up. Monday they ventured into the realm of contact lense snatching. Now, I know what you're thinking - there is always a story when it comes to my contacts. I'm one of only a small, elite group of contact wearers that still sport gas permeable contacts.They jump out of my eyes if its too windy, pop out if I get elbowed in the face and fall out if someone hugs me a little too aggressively. Anyway, Monday was just an ordinary evening. I took my contacts out, put my glasses on and went to bed. Tuesday morning as I was getting ready for work I discovered only 1 contact in the case. Josh and I scoured the upstairs looking for it - no luck. Thankfully I have some extra contacts so I used one of them, not without some grumbling on my part - I HATE losing things. Flash forward to Wednesday evening. I'm taking my contacts out, getting ready for bed and there shining up at me from the bathroom counter is my "lost" contact.

The gnomes strike again.

Sleep & Noise

2009-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Josh and I thought I would share what we wake up to every morning. Despite my best efforts to position her differently, she always wakes up in the same spot. Apparently its heridtary, I'm told I did something similar as a baby.

Claire has discovered that she has a voice. Thursday evening she started in on this and now she loves to hear herself all the time.

Snow! Snow! Snow!

2009-01-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

"Yeah, you know something… Vermont should be beautiful this time of year, with all that snow." - Danny Kaye as Phil Davis in White Christmas.

You'd think that visiting Lake Tahoe in January would present opportunities to enjoy the frigid temperatures and fresh powdery snow. In theory you would be right but in praticality you would be wrong. The snow resembled end of season, stale snow and the weather was much more springy - day time temperatures in the 50s. It hasn't snowed there in a month. Nevertheless on our first visit to the Lake in 2009 we sure did appreciate the clear roads and sunny skies.

The weekend was one of the most relaxing that Josh and I have had in a long time. We praticed our Wii bowling skills and our Happy Hour skills - I enjoy a good gin and tonic - that's my grandfather coming out in me. I sure am glad that the makers of the Wii have added wrist straps to the wii controllers and here's a tip. If you are ever playing tennis with a lefty, make sure you are on the right side of the lefty. If you are looking for a way to beat Josh in wii bowling - play him first thing in the morning. His skills improve as the day goes on.

I have two Claire stories from the weekend, well I have many more but for the sake of timing we'll go with two.

#1 Claire and the Casino

After an afternoon of meandering around the shops at Heavenly and enjoying the "balmy" weather visited Harrah's casino so I could feed Claire and everybody else could see if Lady Luck had paid them a visit. Harrah's bathroom has no baby changing table - not that it would be typical to have such child friendly features in a CASINO but it sure would have been nice. So there I am in a casino bathroom changing Claire on a chair only to discover that she's been hanging out for a while in a blown out diaper and poopy outfit. She blew through her diaper, onesie, jumper and fleece bunting. So now I'm completely changing a hungry and impatient baby who is screaming her head off. Sometimes I wish had four more hands. Claire is just in her diaper screaming her head off as cocktail waitresses in short short dresses and casino patrons visit the ladies room. LOVELY. Josh has packed the extra outfit in the diaper bag so what do I pull out? A pair of pants and a short sleeve onesie - nice. Its warm outside but not THAT warm.

#2 Make em laugh

Monday morning we are enjoying our morning cups of coffee except for Josh, he doesn't like coffee. He's entertaining Claire. Then we hear it...ha ha ha. Not from Josh but from Claire. She laughed. One of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard. He made her laugh. I hope to get it on video soon.

Getting into the Routine

2009-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

Week two of being back at work has come and gone. Claire is now 14 weeks old and changing daily. Its 2009 and I can hardly believe it.

Our household is slipping into a routine after months of change. If you know Josh and I, this doesn't surprise you. We are incredibly predictable when it comes to our daily habits. This was actually became a joke when I was working at Tachometry. I arrived at 8:03 daily, it didn't matter if I left my house at 7:57 or 7:50 or 7:45. I grabbed a snack at 10, left for lunch at 12, returned from lunch at 1:03 and was out the door and headed home at 5. Josh and I function well in routine - we are more productive and relaxed with routine. So, I am thankful that we are falling into routine with Claire. We are learning to read her signs and cues and help her get her own schedule going.
Claire began sleeping in her own room two weeks ago. I am adjusting to life with the baby monitor and learning what sounds merit a visit to the room and what sounds I can "ignore" and return to sleep. Josh reads to her each night as I put Claire to bed. Its strange how our roles in her life evolve and I'm feeling more and more parentish every day. I remarked to Josh the first time we put her down and then returned to our evening together that today I really feel like a parent. I think going back to life together after Claire goes to sleep and getting household chores done makes me think of my family growing up and therefore, more like a parent.

Claire has many faces, I've capture just a few of them below.

Back to work...

2009-01-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I returned to the work force. I am working part time at the Concord Chamber of Commerce. I worked there about a year and a half ago. Since the day after Christmas I've been grieving a little bit how quickly my leave has gone. The last three months have been filled with so many memories and new experiences the time has flown by. I am grateful that I was able to take three months off to spend with our little girl.

I made an effort to be emotional before Claire woke up so she wouldn't pick up on anything and be stressed for my grandma. It was not as difficult as I thought to go to work. I know its because I had so many praying for this transition - Thank you! I also know it has something to do with where I'm working. It was good to be in a familiar place with good friends. When I returned home I was greeted with coos and smiles from Claire.

Today was my first day working from home. I can foresee amusing stories in my future - I'm sure similar to other moms. I took the opportunities Claire's naps provided to get work done. As she slept in the other room I made phone calls. Lola found a new perch, my lap at the table. She would occasionally raise her head and lay it on the keyboard. She continued to make herself at home on the chair even when I got up to do grab water or a pen.

Now yesterday was the first day in Claire's little life that she did not poop so today I was bracing myself for a blow out. While making what turned out to be my last phone call of the morning I heard a minor explosion coming from Claire's swing. I finished the call and retrieved my now smiling and cooing little girl to survey the damage. Upon arriving at her changing table I discovered what I could categorize as a class four blow out (out of five). In addition to the diaper area her legs her back, both her onesies, her socks, her pants - everywhere. After assesing the situation I decided it was time for a Ken Taylor (my dad) diaper change - dunk in the bathtub to wash off all the poop. So Claire got an impromtu bath and clothing change. Back downstairs, Claire contented herself in the bouncer but shortly thereafter I could tell she was working on something - it turned out to be a class three blowout. So back upstairs for another diaper and clothing change. Needless to say she made up for lost time. As I got back to the afternoon phone calls Lola resume her perch on my lap...funny dog.

So here we are getting into a routine. More stories to come, I'm sure.

12 weeks

2009-01-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Claire was 12 weeks old on Monday. Enjoy some photos of her hanging out around the house.

Service

2009-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

Saturday Claire and I met my sister in Walnut Creek for a little errand running and lunch. As Brieanne and I were walking to the pet store (Brieanne carrying Claire and me pushing her stroller) a man started calling out for help. We were on north main in front of Valet parking that is across the street from Pottery Barn and there were lots of people around. He's yelling out help somebody help (In a panicked and impolite tone) and lucky for Brieanne and I we were the closest people around. We turn around he says "yes! you! help, my baby is stuck in her seatbelt and its constricting her. Brieanne and I exchange looks like "uh...why us...not a good idea." But at this point we've made eye contact with the man and I feel obliged to check out this situation albeit cautiously. The guy was pulled out in a driveway almost into the street blocking traffic. I motion to Brieanne to stay well away from the man and the car (again lots of people around) and I walk over to the car to find a girl (probably 8) and her brother (probably 10). The boy is in the front seat and the girl is in the middle seat in the back. How she contorted herself to get the seatbelt twisted the way she did is beyond me. As soon as I poke my head into help the girl is not having it. She's been crying and seems incredibly embarassed in the way 8 year olds do that her dad has asked a stranger to help. So the dad begins to explain what he thinks happened and what he'd like me to do and the little girl is protesting and clenching the seatbelt so much so you can't even see it and the brother is going "she's just trying to help, just sit still." The dad starts bossing me around and asks me to go to the other side of the car. Now that the dad is no longer in between us the little girl starts kicking me away and tells her dad she sit still if he sends me away. Not talking to me, the dad explains to his daughter that he needs my help so the seatbelt won't constrict further. So he asks him to make me promise not to look and she comply. So the dad says to me "okay, you hold here and don't look. PROMISE YOU WON'T LOOK." Meanwhile I can hear MY BABY fussing in the background. I realize at this point I should have said, "tell your daugther to stop kicking if you'd like my help or don't talk to me like I'm 8" but I was so anxious to just get out of the situation I kept my mouth shut. So he somehow flips her upside down in the seat to get her untangled (I wasn't looking but you can't ignore when someone's feet are up by your head). The dad gets on the phone, I let go of the seat belt and he offers a quick thank you, almost as an after thought as I'm walking away.

I become more appalled as I reflect on this situation further. I can't believe that a stranger would have the nerve to ask for help from another stranger while being so impolite. I can't believe he wouldn't say something to his child about kicking the help. I can't believe it was more important for him to be on the phone than thank or release the help. I just can't believe it.

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009!We welcomed in the New Year with a quiet dinner at home with friends. I think I was asleep by 10:30 p.m. and wished Josh a happy new year when I woke up at 2 am to grab an additional blanket. I tried a new recipe for dinner, pasta bolognese, a recipe I got off a new favorite cooking show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.

Josh took New Year's Eve off work, he had a floating holiday he needed to use by the end of the year. We decided to take a family trip to Clyde, CA (right next to the Concord Naval Weapons Station). Josh and I had seen a piece on Clyde on "Eye on the Bay" and planned to visit Clyde on Columbus day but were unable to due to Claire's arrival. So, with Claire in tow this time we ventured off to Clyde all bundled up and well supplied only to figure out that Eye on the Bay had to have been talking about another Clyde because the Clyde by us consisted of a few "Welcome to Clyde" signs, houses and a little bus stop depot. What was supposed to be a morning adventure turned out to be a five minute road trip - we got a good chuckle from that.

Last year was the first year Josh and I set some New Year resolutions as a couple. We found it really helpful in making our year a more purposeful year. We decided to do the same thing this year. After some thought and prayer here are a few of the resolutions we have set out for this year:
1. Give Jen some alone/journaling time weekly.
2. Take a family hike 1x each month.
3. Have dinner with friends every other month.
4. Take devotion time daily.
5. Establish a "travel/vacation" fund.
6. Give back through service.

We are very fortunate to be in fellowship with some other couples that are in the same stage of life. We spent New Year's morning together with our kids. Here are some pictures of the darling kiddos.
On New Year's day we took a family hike through Briones Regional Park. Lola especially loved the hike except for the cow sitings. Each time she saw a cow, it set her off barking.
May this year bring blessing and peace to all of you.

Visions of Christmas

2008-12-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of Claire's first Christmas.

Merry Merry Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and have come to worship him."

Matthew 2:1-2
Merry Christmas! I love saying Merry Christmas. It is a glad tiding that seems to have fallen out of fashion but I'll be unapologetic about wishing it. Christmas is a holiday that has changed the meaning of my life. It is because of Jesus, our savior, being born in human form to a virgin that we celebrate this day.

Christmas is my favorite holiday by far. It is a time of family and memory making as well as a time to celebrate the birth of the one who has saved me.

It isn't even Christmas yet and we've been blessed with lots of Christmas memories. Last Thursday Claire had her first trip to San Francisco. She spent most of the day napping, apparently unimpressed by the sales at Union square or the giant Christmas tree and ice skating.The Smith side of the family paid us a visit over the weekend. Claire got to meet her great grandma Doris visiting from Illinois.

Snoozing on Grandma Janice.

The Smiths at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek.Scoping out the Sea Lions at Pier 39.
Posing for a photo with an out of service cable car.Claire visiting the Golden Gate Bridge.
Claire and great Grandma sharing a moment at Crissy Field.

Sick as a dog...

2008-12-17T18:04:00.001-08:00

Upon waking up yesterday morning, Josh and I discovered that we were both feeling pretty crummy. Within twenty minutes of one another we were presenting the same symptoms. The conclusion? The Flu or Food Poisoning. With no fever and the the onset of the symptoms being identical and literally within minutes of one another we concluded food poisoning. I'll leave the details to your imagination.

Being down for the count with a child in the house brings out a whole new set of challenges. We decided to divide and conquer. Josh also has a cold which we are trying to keep Claire from catching so he took Lola, I took Claire. It was a long day. Fortunately Claire is still in a stage where she will sleep a lot if things are low key around the house so sleep she did which allowed us to rest and move as little as possible.

I am thankful yesterday is over. I am trying to figure out how those with multiple children work the whole sick thing. I have new admiration.

A check up

2008-12-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today Claire and I went to her two month check up. We were lucky enough to have the company of my grandmother. We did have to correct a few people who assumed that Grandma was Claire's grandmother. They were astonished to find out that no, it was her GREAT-grandmother. I think it was the girl at whole foods who commented, "oh wow...you look great." I quite agree.

Alright, I digress. So Grandma, Claire and I went to the doctor. I was a little apprehensive about the experience because we were going to be giving Claire her first vaccinations and Josh and I have decided to do an alternate schedule. I wasn't sure how the doctor would feel about that. While he seemed to prefer that I do the regular kaiser schedule, after a brief talk on the benefits of vaccinations and their safety he agreed to the vaccines that Josh and I had previously decided to give her.

Claire was a champ at the doctor. Her eyes got really wide during the shot and she let out a little "aah" but that was it for the crying. Currently she is dozing in her swing hopefully feeling relatively little pain as she has been given baby tylenol. She weighed in at 10lbs 14 oz and 23 inches. So she's gained about three pounds and two inches since birth...go girl!

Joyeux Noel

2008-12-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

I love December. I love Christmas. In our families Christmas is a time for family and giving thanks. We will spend a lot of time with our families this year. Its also a time for starting new traditions as our little family unit. I am excited to read to Claire the Christmas story and share with her what Christmas is all about. As I decorated for Christmas this year I pulled out the Nativity scene that my parents had at our house growing up. When I was a little girl, my parents let me "play" with our Nativity scene. Consequently Mary and Joseph's noses are sort of missing because I used to make them kiss when I was younger.

The other night while Josh was in class I attempted a Christmas photo shoot with Lola and Claire. I don't have the same talent for photography that my sister does and attempting with work a dog and infant was a challenge. I guess you could say I'm learning that especially as a parent, things don't always go as planned. I rearranged the furniture so I could get Claire and Lola in front of the Christmas tree. I found this hilarious little elf hat and holly collar (all felt) at Target for Lola but she freezes when I put it on her. Literally she becomes a poseable dog. You'd think that is helpful for a photo shoot and perhaps I should have been grateful but I found it difficult to work with a dog that becomes a statue. I tried taking pictures during Claire's fussy time and because she can only sit up when propped she kept falling over into Lola the statue dog. Anyway, I did get some laughs about the whole thing.

Claire and Lola..the statue dog.
Here you can see poor Lola's shaved neck. She plopped down right next to Claire. She loves her Claire. When picked Lola up on Sunday from our friend Chris' house, Lola ran right past Josh and I hunting for Claire. I guess we don't matter as much anymore.

Brieanne and Brandon came over the other night, she was much more successful at getting pictures of Claire but refused to shoot Lola in her elf outfit. She didn't think Lola liked the hat. Perhaps its because Lola looks a little sad and pathetic right now. She got a little infection on her neck and so part of her neck is shaved and now she has this big scab. So, I guess lucky for Lola she didn't have to wear the hat again.

Expressive little girl!

The lovely Lola relaxing on the rug.

Trying to keep Claire from crying during our photo shoot.

The pacifier was the only way to keep her happy.

Auntie B with Claire in her sleepsack...

Brandon relaxing by the tree to Christmas music.

Claire loves sticking her tongue out.

Ah...Lake Tahoe

2008-12-08T11:05:00.001-08:00

Ahh..Lake Tahoe. Such a soothing, peaceful place for me and for Josh, its like returning home. We love Tahoe both for the atmosphere and for the environment. We decided while there is still no snow to speak of, that it was time to introduce Claire to Lake Tahoe. (never to young to indoctrinate her). So Friday morning we loaded up the car and headed off. Claire was dozing off before we even pulled away.

First stop, Ikedas in Auburn. A Moreira/Taylor/Smith family tradition. We have been stopping at Ikedas for as long as I can remember. If you are ever in the area, their pies are incredibly delicious.

There was lots of dad and daughter bonding on our trip.

Brr..our stroll around Tahoe City was a chilly one. Josh kept Claire warm and content with an in the coat snuggle. She would have nothing to do with the stroller. This is somebody's science experiment that we found in the microwave. I think it was once called coffee...Ick... Studious Josh worked on homework for his Horticulture class.

Saturday we strolled around south Lake Tahoe. We of course visited the Patagonia and North Face stores.

Claire's first time out of State... she walked all the way to Nevada!

She wasn't even tired!
Ice had formed at the shoreline of the Lake.

Happy Two months to Claire

2008-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate Claire's first two months with us. Some of the new tricks she has learned this month: grabbing my hair, sticking out her tongue, making all sorts of noises and getting inordinate amounts of fuzz trapped between her fingers.

Josh and I marvel at how much she changes and grows on an almost daily basis. How is the transition to parenthood you ask? At times overwhelming, so far almost always a joy, with lots of laughs and laundry. Claire has one outfit (pictured below) that I pray when I dress her in it...everytime she wears it she blows out her diaper. I kid you not EVERY TIME but I love it and can't bring myself not to dress her in it especially because she's almost outgrown it length wise. Knock on wood and thank you Lord, we are spoiled with a very mellow, easy baby. Not that she doesn't cry because boy oh boy come fussy time can she wail but she has been sleeping (9/9:30 ish to 5:30/6ish). Here is her two month old photo. Claire snuggling with her meme (my mom).

2008-12-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday evening we hung out with my parents and Josh's parents for a little Mexican Train Dominos. Josh was the victor of the night.

Claire got to meet her cousin from Nevada, Clint.

The Oakland Zoo

2008-12-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we were blessed to be visited by Gary and Janice, Josh's parents. On Friday the four of us took Claire to the Oakland Zoo for her first time. It was my first time to the Oakland Zoo and I was quite impressed. Now, the Oakland Zoo is no San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park but that would be a tall order. The Oakland Zoo was a manageable size for an afternoon trip. The animals were out and active - especially the big cats. The Lions were roaring - I would not want to encounter that noise in the wild.

One of my favorite animals...the lemurs!Janice and Claire

BIG YAWN!

Thankfulness

2008-12-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

We have much to be thankful for. Josh and I have been reflecting a lot recently on how blessed we are. Times are tough economically and the world seems a little uncertain yet in the midst of all of that we're doing ok. Actually we are doing better than ok. Things are tough at times but we have a wonderful family who is more loving and supportive than we could have ever imagined. We have dear friends. We have our house. We have our darling daughter who brings us joy daily. We have our Lola bean who makes us laugh on a regular basis. Most importantly, we are so thankful for our Father in heaven who keeps watch over us and provides for us and has saved us. SO, I am thankful.

Claire spent her first thanksgiving with both sets of grandparents. What a lucky girl.