9 Months Old!

Claire had a Dr. appointment this past monday and here were her results:
Height: 28 inches
Weight: 18 lbs. 2 oz.
She is in the 70% for height and 40% for weight
My baby is growing up to be a big girl! The doctor said that she is very advanced physically, but not to be upset if she doesn't talk soon. Babies who are in bilingual households understand so much, but it is difficult to say what they want or how they feel back to people because they don't know what language to do it in. My Dad swears that Claire is Korean because she understands everything my mom says. She is a ham! She knows what "no" means and she will stop what she is doing, but she looks back and laughs at us. She is hilarious! She can pull up, cruise, crawl, and babble. She is also eating more solids and we are working on the sippy cup! I'm still nursing (I'm breakfast and dinner), but I will probably phase that out at around 1 year. She is just so wonderful and is giving hugs now! I love her!

Staying Calm Techniques

Part of my job as a school counselor is to talk with kids about effective ways to manage their anger, anxiety, frustration, etc. Of course when it comes to me, I stress eat, cuss, and will even complain/shut down. Mature adult, right? So I was thinking, what techniques could I use to calm myself down? These are going to be realistic (I'm not going to put "go for a run" or "read a book." These things just make me even more angry!).
So here's what I've come up with: Laughter, blogging, reading magazines (I love magazines!), watch TV, watch the same mindless movies I love (Legally Blonde, House Bunny, Twilight), play with my baby, and clean. That's right I said it, I love to clean. It's like anorexia to me. I can't control the things going on around me, but I can control my house being clean!

Spring Fling

Here's a recap of SBX!
Monday- Claire and I went to lunch with Jeff, then it was off to Town Center mall to get my oil changed (and to shop!). So we strolled around the mall and Claire cried in her stroller- because she was so tired. I knew if I held her she would want to play, so instead, I forced myself to let her cry it out. I hated that I ruined other's shopping experience and everyone looked at me like I was abusing my child, but after strolling for about 10 minutes, she fell fast asleep for over an hour. Finally, I was able to shop while Claire caught some z's.
Tuesday- I dropped Claire off at my mom's house in the morning and Jeff stayed home from work that day. So we (Jeff and I) started to work on the basement. I painted the media room, while Jeff worked on the wallpaper situation in the hallway. It's no where near being finished, but I love the paint color we used! It's called prelude in Behr.
Wednesday- Claire, my Mom, and I went to Solomon Brothers to get my wedding rings cleaned, inspected, etc. Claire loves the sparkly jewlery!! After that, it was off to Lenox Mall for more shopping! Claire loves Pottery Barn- and so do I!
Thursday- Lunch with Jeff then it was some light shopping and hanging out most of the day.
Friday- A Beautiful day at the park where Claire played on her blanket and watched some kids play soccer. We also ran around town buying presents for Theresa and Nathan's wedding shower that saturday. Being at the park was so much fun, I can't wait to do it more during the summer!

I absolutely loved spring break and I'm excited that Summer is just around the corner! Off we go to Camp Lussier! :o)

Day13- my lovie

My two favorite people... Claire and Jeff!!!

Day 12- Ruby

Ruby means a lot to me. My grandmother's name is Ruby, my daughter's birthstone is a ruby, and now one of my favorite shows stars a woman named Ruby. She is on an inspirational journey to lose weight and I love, love, love her personality. She reminds me a lot of one of my favorite sorority sisters, Brandi Shelnutt. I love how southern she is (the show takes place in Savannah, Georgia) and she is really a fun loving, flirty gal! In this past episode, her counselor, Dr. Jane, challenged Ruby to give up 5 things that are getting in the way of Ruby losing weight. So I got to thinking, what are 5 things I could give up or change? These may be long shots, but I'll list them out- and feel free to slap some of these out of my hand if you see me trying to eat one :o).

1. Sweets- my favorite thing in the world, which is also why I have such a large behindy! That's right sweets, you heard it! I am breaking up with you!
2. Ruby gave up diet drinks and I guess I can too. So as I'm typing this post, I am downing my very last Diet Coke- sad face for me, but happy face for my wallet!
3. My work out routine. First, I don't really have a routine. I play tennis on tuesday and sundays, and I try to walk or do something else during the days in between. Most of the time I'm exhausted from my day, so I try to use every excuse in the book not to get my hindey off the couch and do something. So my new goal is to do something for 30+ minutes 4 times a week. So that would only be adding two more days to my already somewhat work out routine! :o)
4. Get rid of my maternity stuff. So I admit that I still wear maternity stuff, especially pants. I love them partially because they are so easy to get on and off (no zipping or buttoning involved), but I also wear them because I'm afraid I won't fit back into my old stuff. First of all, it's just insanity that I would even think that way because I did fit into my cute old navy pre maternity jeans yesterday, but I also have to stop looking so dang frumpy (which maternity clothes can do to you). So off they go and hello new clothes!
5. Eliminating the word can't. I am always saying, "I can't lose weight" or "I can't run 5 miles." Instead, I need to look at everything as a challenge. I can lose weight, I already have! I just need to be positive and keep it up!
So as I am about to start my spring break week, I will implement these five things and I'll let you know how it comes out!

Day 11- New things Claire can do

So it's like my baby just grew up over night! Within 10 minutes, she sat up from a laying position, then she pulled up in her crib! She is getting to be an expert crawler too! I put her in the middle out our room and went to run her bath. The next thing I know, here comes Claire crawling into the bathroom! I just couldn't believe it- and now she wants to sit up or crawl everywhere! My how quickly she grows!