Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Claire's been sick - like 104 fever sick...but I won't use that as an excuse for not updating the blog since that only happened this past weekend. Things have been a bit crazy. Dan and I created a HUGE diaper cake for my sister's baby shower and made the cutest little favors too. That occupied a ton of bloggin' time. Here are some cute photos to tide ya'll over. Claire's driving a classic, my 20 year old VW Rabbit convertible. I'd venture saying that it's cooler than Grandbob's new one, heehee.

Shhh! Don't tell my grandfather he appears in these photos without his shirt on, he'd kill me! I have a few more sweet ones of Claire and Pop that I'll have to post later.

Another LI Picture

How did I miss posting this one? Here's Kelly with the girls. Look at what a bully Claire is, she kicked Kaitlyn out of her own stroller!

Swimming on the G'Island

It's confirmed, Claire is definitely a water lover! As if we hadn't known that before. Kelly's in-laws invited us over to use the pool and what a great time Kaitlyn and Claire (and their mothers too!) had in the water.

The weather last week was perfect for swimming and the girls got a good two days in the pool together. Yes, they ARE wearing matching swimsuits. Aren't they sweet?

There was a great assortment of flotation devices to experiment with. I of course brought Claire's float, but Kaitlyn seemed do enjoy it most (which is like the Cadillac of baby floats , and is by far LESS expensive at Babies 'R Us if you want one for yourself).

The A's had life vests and swimmies and a very sinister looking floating turtle. Kaitlyn spent most of the time in the pool nervously looking around for it, "No turtle Mommy!" I was surprised at how comfortable Claire was with water-wings on. Obviously she's not ready to swim alone, but she was comfortable enough to put her face in the water and lean on her back. Kelly was a swim instructor so we received lots of great tips!

     

There are some great photos of our day in the pool in my Picasa Album here. I haven't had a chance to edit them yet, but there are some cute ones to see!

NoseFrida...

Christina left a comment to try out an alternative to the boogie grabbers I blogged about yesterday.

Eeekh! I have tried all those battery operated gizmos, but the noise scares my kid to death.... Finally my doctor, who has three girls herself! said I had to get a Nosefrida, whew! Much better, and easier to lug around. I think you need to add that one to your collection!

- Christina

Ok, I'll bite. I'm all for things that make it a more comfortable for my daughter. I just have to know - is it a gross at it looks? I know, I know...there are reassurances all over the site that you're not slurping up your kiddo's snot as your next snack - but weren't you just a little nervous that first time?! Laurie has a boogie phobia (due to childhood trauma, nothing to do with me ) so I can't wait for her to this post!



Here's a link to the Nosefrida site (while you're there ask them why they labeled their photo "bad haired mom").

PS: If you're totally grossed out, don't worry - I'm ending the boogie posts here (although yesterday there were 30 unique visitors with some out of the country - you readers seem to love the gross stuff!) I'll be finishing up my blog entries about LI this afternoon.

Ode to the Snot Snatcher

Boogie grabber. Nasal aspirator. Bulb Syringe. Snorker. Snot Snatcher. Super sucker.

Call it what you like. A cute name, a clinical name, a made name - it's no glorious thing, but it's part of my arsenal and I'm darn proud of it. I have THREE, because one is obviously not enough. There's the one we brought home from the hospital which has "sentimental" value. It is after all what sucked the first bit of yuck from Claire as she took her first breath - that's worth keeping, right? Then there's the aspirator which came in a kit full of other torture devices I received at my baby shower. My personal favorite? The battery operated, super sucking snot snatcher to end all childhood runny noses. Except it doesn't work. And Claire is terrified of it. The product description sounded too quaint, let me share it!

Cleanoz® the first and only battery-operated child nasal aspirator designed to eliminate bacteria build-up inside the mechanism. With standard nasal bulb syringes, bacteria and germs get trapped and can remain inside the syringe after use, even after they are rinsed. Cleanoz® was developed by a Pediatric ENT for the special needs of newborns, infants and toddlers. Its innovative, hygienic design and technically-advanced features make breathing easier by providing a fast, efficient and safe way to clear baby's nasal passages. It's ergonomic design also makes it much easier and more convenient for parents to use.

Ergonomic...whatever. You try using a nose vacuum around a squirming 11 month old. We bought this because Claire had a few sniffles before California we were gullible first-time parents. I wanted to make sure Lil' Miss had clear nasal passages for the flight. Thank GOD I didn't have to whip this out while at 35,000 feet. I can just imagine the horrified looks from other passengers as Claire shrieked in terror.

Claire seems to be over the worst of her cold, she's almost back to her happy self. Of course tomorrow's trial class at The Little Gym near our house will probably cause another cold. If she doesn't catch one tomorrow, I'm sure Wednesday's playgroup will seal her runny-nosed fate. Oh well.

I've got my snot snatcher. I'm prepared.

Brunch with Kaitlyn & Kelly

I'm posting in reverse here - these photos of the girls are from Tuesday morning after a class at The Little Gym. I have a sneaking suspicion Claire caught her cold from sucking on the uneven bars there. Great fun was had all around though, what a great program they have! I especially like the names of the groups - Claire's age group is referred to as "birds" and Kaitlyn's as "beasts." We wound up taking our trial class during the "SuperBeast" class which is a multi-age group.

Fridays's Film - Sept 12

In lieu of the traditional Friday film starring Claire - check this out! High heels for baby girls, what will they think of next. How strange!

In other news, Claire has a horrible cold. Her little nose is running like crazy and she's having a heck of a time nursing. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday for a regular checkup, so the cold is confirmed. Claire still hasn't broke the 20 pound mark, she's 19 lbs and 14 ounces and 32 inches tall - I'm signing her up for basketball as we speak.

I have tons of pictures to share from this past weekend on Long Island, but my camera battery is dead. While I'm waiting for it to charge, enjoy the video (weird as it may be) below.

Water Play

A Sneak Peek!

Hmmm...I wonder what the next group of photos is going to be about?

Here's some hints:

• they take place outside
• they take place in the buff
• it was very hot
  

I'll post 'em later today, we have a little excursion to the outlets in PA planned. Check back later tonight for the "full monty."

Friday's Film - September 05

I officially resigned from my job back in April, but was able to work out a consulting gig with the school - a perfect fit. The beginning of the school year has kept me pretty busy and Claire has been very cooperative, playing with her toys quietly while I type away on my computer. On Thursday she was a little TOO quiet and here is what I found her doing:





PS - Lest you think I'm neglectful, I was actually working with her in the same room, she was around the corner and just out of sight. She's a little sneak, isn't she?

Life's A Beach

Our local lake season is winding down, but the weather was perfect for a swim today. I will of course be editing the photo below to list Claire as the newest lifeguard in town.

Today while I was working on the computer, Claire managed to swipe a box of tissues from the couch's armrest. One hundred and eighty stealthy pulls later, I have a really cute video to post tomorrow. And I wondered why she was so quiet...

September's Desktop

Just like last month, here is Claire to brighten your desktop! I don't know which photo I like better, the snoozing or the smiling. Enjoy!

Dining, Sleeping & Playing Al Fresco!

We're back from our yearly trap shoot/camping trip! Things went so well with Claire, I'm really glad we did a trial run recently. Having the pack 'n play was awesome, but
the biggest difference was the other kids and teens for Claire to play with. Ginny, 15, was especially helpful (thank you AGAIN if you're reading this!) and Claire just adored her. I wish I had snapped a photo of the two of them, we'll have to wait for next year!

Most of the families camping had dogs so Claire had lots of animals to chase after, not to mention all the kids. She slept so well while camping, probably a combination of cool air and tons of exercise. We upgraded from a thermarest to a twin air mattress making things much more comfortable for Mommy & baby while nursing at night.
Our friends James and Cat watched Claire on Sunday so Mommy and Daddy could terrorize the orange birdies on the trap field together, and we even found time to ride the old Yamaha dirt bike. Cat got her first dirt bike lesson and next year she'll be zooming around with the kiddos

Enjoy the captioned slide show below, my time for posting with commentary is limited - Claire is pulling on my pants looking for some attention.