Surprise Surprise

The verdict is in........ sinus infection. I finally broke down and went to the doctor today and my suspicions were confirmed. I got myself a good 'ol antibiotic and should be right as rain here in a couple of days. The nurse took my temp and I was surprised when she said I had a slight fever. She asked me if I'd been feverish at all and I sheepishly replied that I hadn't even taken my temperature since getting sick two weeks ago. And I feel a lot better today, so I'm sure I did have one at some point (and do right now, I just took it and it's over 100). I guess the nurses in the delivery room when I had Clara were right; I do have a high pain tolerance.

And now, this weekend's recap. Friday we had dinner with Glenn and Becky before they left on their awesome vacation. We're keeping their beagle CJ for them while they're gone. He has seizures, but it's been three days now he hasn't had one. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's so sad to watch him when he's having one.

Saturday morning was Chris and Clara's standing breakfast date. Chris had been very sad since moving to Spring because he couldn't find a good breakfast hangout. Micah introduced him to a restaurant awhile back that more closely resembles his beloved Cafe Texan in Huntsville and he's gone back ever since. They have a huge breakfast buffet and kids eat free, so Clara eats to her heart's content. I'm truly amazed at the quantity that Chris reports she puts down each Saturday. Chris has gotten a compliment on how well behaved Clara is the past three Saturdays. Way to go Clara! (and Daddy!) I went to a brunch hosted by some ladies at church for getting to know new members and I won a door prize. Woohoo! We kinda lazed around the rest of the day.
Sunday, Clara got more compliments at church. The ladies in the nursery just went on and on about how smart and sweet she is and what a wonderful personality she has. One of the helpers asked if she watched a lot of Baby Einstein videos. It felt pretty good to say, "nope, doesn't really like tv". To be fair, she does have one Baby Einstein movie she received as a gift, but she's not really fond of it. I find them to be kinda weird myself.

But, I digress. Sunday was another glorious lazy day (for me at least) and then we met up with Micah and Lisa for a big 'ol Chipotle burrito. You can't get much better than a two pound burrito. Clara sported her pigtails in public for the first time. I think they upped her cuteness quotient by at least 10. She's gotten so many smiles and "how cute!"'s these past two days it's ridiculous.

Today I took my prescription to be filled at Target. When I went to pick it up, there was a lady in line in front of me being checked out by the pharmacist. They both looked over at us and I guess Clara was smiling at them. The lady asked "Is she always this happy?", and then to my surprise, the pharmacist said "Yes, she's very sweet and is smiling and friendly every time she comes in". Wow, I think I've filled one prescription there and asked the pharmacist one question. I guess Clara leaves a good impression. You know, it's really nice when people are so complimentary because she's entering the toddler stage where I get so frustrated with her and the things she does, so it's a nice reminder that she really is a sweet kid, even if not every second of the day.

I read somewhere that as a parent you should take it as a compliment when someone that is around them when you're not, like their teacher for example, tells you your child is an angel. You may laugh in their face and think they're crazy, but children should act differently in public. It shows that you've taught them how to be polite and have manners and self respect when they're out in public. Just like you, when they get home, they want to relax and let loose, but in doing so they may become little brats in your eyes.

And that's about all the excitement going on around here. That and I went to put Clara to bed tonight after a nice bath and she upchucked all over me and herself. So, two baths for Clara tonight. Spit up didn't really bother me at all, but vomit, that's a whole different story. Ok, if you don't want to hear something supremely gross, then stop reading here. I warned you. The entire episode wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't started eating it off of her arm! She wasn't grossed out by it or anything. Methinks she's been studying the dogs. Lord help me if she ever witnesses Dingle eating....... nevermind, I won't go there.

Dentists, Bubbles and Tutus

Like I said, I've been bad about blogging lately, so this post will make up for my lack of recent blogs. Part of the reason I hadn't been on much is because I've been trying to finish reading Memoirs of a Geisha, which I'm happy to report I finally finished last night. I really enjoyed it and we have the movie in our Netflix queue (which is why I had to hurry and finish reading it). I'm glad I read it first. I like to read the book before watching the movie and then see how differenty I pictured it. It'll also be interesting to see how badly I pronouced all of the Japanese names and words. I used to love to read, but kinda got out of the habit, so I've been trying to get back into it so's I can feel smart again. Spending all day with a toddler makes your brain a bit mushy I think.


Also, having a cold, or whatever this is, makes it hard to do much of anything. Some nights I felt sure my head was going to explode. I seriously do not know where all of this gunk that I'm blowing out of my head is coming from. I can blow my nose nonstop for 3 minutes straight. I stepped out of church last Sunday to blow my nose in the bathroom. A lady came in to use the restroom at the same time and I blew the entire time she was in the stall and I was still going while she was washing her hands! I apologized for the extreme nastiness she had to listen to while trying to potty.


Today Clara had her first dental appointment. I have a slight fear of the dentist and I'm a procrastinator, so I wanted to get her into regular visits as soon as possible. I got a brochure at the office that said 50% of 2 year olds have cavities! That seems so high to me. The dentist was so nice and the entire staff was friendly and caring and I was really impressed. (If anyone is in need of a pediatric dentist in the area, go see Dr. Matthews. His office is right off of 1960.) His waiting room had a beautiful hot air balloon mural and there was a neat boat built up against the wall that had steps going up to it and it had places to sit and was filled with stuffed animals to play with.


The dentist just had me hold her facing me, then I put my knees against the dentists and laid Clara back so that her head was in his lap and he did the exam. She cried most of the time. He said her teeth looked great and she has lots of space for her permanent teeth, so she got a clean bill of health. Everyone was very proud of Clara for not using a pacifier and not being on a bottle anymore, too, (which means Mommy was proud of herself as well). After the exam, the dental assistant took her to get a sticker and a balloon! Clara loves the dentist.

Going to the dentist is fun!

We blew bubbles in the front yard this afternoon. Well, tried to anyway. There's not a single bubble in any of the pictures I took. She was able to blow a few, but of course I wasn't ready with the camera.

About to bust a gut blowing bubbles

Bubbles taste yucky!

When Grandma came to stay with Clara in February, she started making a little tutu for her. Of course, I'm just now getting around to finishing it. She enjoyed prancing around in it and I was a little surprised she didn't tear it to shreds. Notice the bow in her hair? It's been awhile since she's allowed me to put a headband on her so I'm excited that she finally has enough hair to put a bow in (barely). We just had to go and buy a few. I thought these few pictures looked really nice in black in white.

Toddlers Gone Wild

I know, I've been a bad blogger. Not much going on to report though. I'm still trying to get over this cold, but I think it may have turned into a sinus infection or something.

It's really hard to type with a toddler in your lap trying to find your belly button, so I'll just share this recent video of Chris, Clara, Micah and Leah jammin' to Guitar Hero.

Pigtails!

I'm gonna show you a picture, but you have to promise you won't laugh. Promise? Alright, here's Clara sporting her first pigtails ever!

Pretty darn cute, huh? And in other news, Clara seems to have a slight bug. She had a runny nose and was sneezing on Sunday, but so is everyone else, so I figured it was just all the gunk in the air, but by yesterday she had a little cough to go along with it and I was feeling pretty out of sorts myself. This is the first time she's had a cough, but it hasn't been a horrible one, though I have heard her some at night and I don't think she napped very well yesterday. We got some Robitussin for her last night and she seems to be feeling better today.

I don't know what's wrong with my kid. Clara does not like to sit still for any amount of time. She really never has. I think she's afraid she might accidentally fall asleep if she sits still for more than a minute. She's never been a cuddler or been able to take a nap on the couch. It's just been in the last few months that she's learned to enjoy story time for more than the length of a board book. (On a side note, I love watching her read. She'll climb up into her little reading chair, open a book and then say, "da da da, da da da, da da" complete with intonation.)

I knew she wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I got her all comfy on the couch with some juice and her blanket and Alfonso the frog, and then turned on a cartoon. (I know, I know, I'm supposed to be the tv nazi, but there are certain times when I believe tv is a good thing....like yesterday.) Not 5 minutes later she was up and at 'em. So the whole day, she just moped around the house, whining, crying, pulling on my legs, trying to play, but feeling too bad to play. It was a lot of fun, especially since I wasn't feeling well, either. Who doesn't just like to hang out on the couch when they're sick? I guess she's just "busy" like her daddy was as a kid. I shouldn't complain too much since I probably won't have to worry about trying to get her off the couch when she's a little older.

Clara is really starting to learn a lot of new things. It's fun to see. The other night, we played Guitar Hero (a video game in which your controller is a guitar), over at Glenn and Becky's house. She went into Leah's room and came back into the living room brandishing a blow up guitar. And today, Chris was singing Pat a Cake to her and she went over to her box of board books and got out the nursery rhyme book and turned to the page that had Pat a Cake. Oh no! She's impressionable!

And Now....The Rest of the Story

I thought I'd post a few more pictures from our trip to Pecos. Linsey and Tanya and the boys left on Sunday, and Momma had to go back to work on Monday, so Clara and I made the drive to Carlsbad to see Chris' grandmother, Margaret. We spent a few hours over at Nanny's house showing her how smart Clara's gotten, going through her whole repertoire of tricks. Then we went and had a nice lunch and headed back home to Texas. We had a nice time getting hugs and kisses from Nanny.





The weather finally started shaping up nicely by Monday afternoon, so Clara could spent a little time playing in Bia's backyard Monday and Tuesday. Bia's backyard is filled with a plethora of fun things to play with, including a bunch of turtles. Clara wasn't a huge fan of the turtles, but she did like the babies. My mom had just found about 10 new babies the day before we got to Pecos.

Tuesday morning Clara and I went to the park and had a snack and then went to visit my grandmother's grave. If you've been around Clara lately, you know she's all about blowing kisses. In this picture, Memaw gets a sweet kiss from her namesake.

My mom had an eye appointment in Odessa on Tuesday afternoon, so we went with her. I decided to have a day off from driving on Wednesday since Clara had been strapped in the car for long periods of time on Monday and Tuesday, but Thursday came and we couldn't put it off any longer. We had to make the arduous journey home sooner or later.

We left Pecos at 6:10 and pulled into our driveway in Spring at 6:13. I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say Clara was not in the mood for a road trip. We made four stops, two of which were about an hour, hence the reason for a 12 hour trip. (That and a "shortcut" I took and hitting Houston at 5 pm)

Anyway, I took a few pictures at our various stops. This is at a rest stop around Junction. I used to love this rest stop as a kid because of the wagon wheels. We would stop at this one for lunch on our drives to Rosenberg and to Garner State Park.

Trying to sleep with the sun in her eyes

Then we stopped in Kerrville for lunch at the park by the river. We walked around some and visited with the ducks and geese. On a side note, look at her hair. It's blowing in the wind! Yay, she has enough to blow in the wind!

We stopped at another rest stop around Seguin. Have you seen these new "safety rest stops"? They're awesome! They have a little nature trail, a nice air conditioned building with cool videos and displays of Texas history, and a nice playground. Look at this bathroom. It's nicer than most any public bathroom I've been in.

Clara eventually resorted to chewing on her feet for entertainment. I think we'll fly next time.

I'm Dreaming of a White Easter

Ok, what was with this past weekend's weather? Hello, this is Texas..... in April. When I got to Pecos on Tuesday, it was 95 outside. Saturday and Sunday it was in the 30's! You'd think that I would've brought some warm clothes, or a least checked the weather before embarking on my journey, but I'm not that bright. I guess I was too consumed with the dread of an almost 600 mile trip with a 16 month old to be worried about something so minor.

My sister in law and her kiddos, Bryce and Wyatt, came in on Wednesday, and my sister Linsey and my mom were off on Good Friday, so Linsey came on Thursday. We just spent time enjoying each other's company, playing with the kids, going to Wal-Mart, and eating Kit Kat Blizzards. Very tasty. You can't live in Pecos without going to DQ and Wal-Mart at least once a day. It's the law, I think.

Here's Wyatt and Clara enjoying the weather and a few graham crackers at the park on Wednesday. We hit the zoo that day too. Yes, Pecos has a zoo. They've got a couple of monkeys, llamas, a walaby and a few other animals, including Paco the donated donkey.

Aunt Linsey, Bryce, Clara and Wyatt fighting over goldfish

It snowed a little on Saturday and was just plain nasty outside. Sunday was slightly better, but it was really windy, so no outdoor Easter pics I'm afraid. Here's Clara with one of her Easter baskets. This one was from Bia and Pawpaw and was filled with summer outfits, toys, Alice in Wonderland, and other goodies.

We went over to Myrt Myrt's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. (In case you were wondering, Myrt Myrt is a person, my aunt to be exact.) The Easter bunny hid the eggs inside so he wouldn't freeze his hiney off.

Clara and Pawpaw

Longing to be outside on Easter

Clara and Big John (and Ebby)

The Easter bunny is notorious for going way overboard when he leaves his eggs to be found by my family. In years past, when my cousins and brother and sister and I were, for the most part, grown, (I use the term loosely) he was even known to put money in his eggs to entice us to hunt. I believe one even had a $10 in it. I'm telling you, you've never seen an egg hunt like that one. Teenage boys fighting over easter eggs is quite amusing.

Anyway, I caught up with the bunny to ask if there was some mistake. Were more children coming that I didn't know about? I mean, he left sooooo many eggs. He informed me that there were not; these eggs were intended for these three special kids, two of whom had no idea what was going on and one of them can't even walk yet. Clara pretty much just walked around with candy (still in the package) in her mouth, me dragging her from treat to treat.

"Aunt Linney stole my Easter eggs!"

Wyatt gouging Clara's eye out to get to her candy

He smiles now that he's got candy

It was a good Easter.

Did ya miss me?

I'm back! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I was in Pecos and we all know they haven't gotten that internet thingy yet. Ok, that was uncalled for; I apologize. My parent's internet was down, so no surfing for me this past week.

After a 12 hour trip home today, I've decided not to try and do my big Easter post, complete with pictures. I promise I'll get them up soon. I will give you a glimpse of our trip home, though. Let's see, I believe this was around mile 500.

Quick Trip

Today we took a quick jaunt to Galveston to see my cousin Mason. He just entered a transitional living facility for people with brain injuries about a week ago and is bored out of his mind. The severity of his injuries from his accident almost 2 years ago are minor compared to many of the other patients, so the rules in place are intended for people that are a lot worse off. He can't have a vehicle or leave by himself, and me and another cousin who lives around Houston are the only family nearby. So, Chris and I went and checked him out for a few hours.

We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which was my first time there. It was a lot of fun. I thought Clara might be slightly terrified of the animatronic elephants and gorillas, but she did just fine. But then again, we did have the forethought to make sure we weren't seated by the gorillas unlike some people we know :) There was someone dressed as an alligator walking around and I thought for sure she'd freak out at the mere sight of him, but she surprised me again and did just fine. He even sat at our table and perused a menu, offering suggestions and she allowed it. She watched him closely, but no fits were thrown.

Clara on safari in the gift shop

We hung out at the beach for awhile. Clara was fearless.... until a wave caught her off guard and she tumbled into the sea. She got over it pretty quickly though and was right back in. We played in the sand and then we tried to pick up some dead jellyfish that had washed up on the beach.

Here's Mason and Clara chillin' on the beach. He's a natural with the babies :) Actually, he is much better since he's been an uncle for almost a year. He's a pro now.

After the beach, we went to The Strand and we got the best parking spot on the street. One right in front of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! Mason and I split a caramel apple rolled in pecans and drizzled with white and milk chocolate. Yummmmm! I shoulda gotten a second one to go. Too bad Chris couldn't have any of it; we had to finish it off without his help.

I gave Clara some change to put in this street musician's jar. She did just that, and then she promptly put both arms around the jar and tried to off with the woman's dough! Little stinker; I bet her daddy put her up to it. The nice lady then played a wonderful rendition of one of Clara's faves, "Old Macdonald".

Then we took Mason back to prison, I mean the center, and headed home. I believe a good time was had by all.