Why does this make me laugh so?

At some point I know that we really need to stop laughing at this but right now I can't help myself. We encourage Clem to feed herself and she's great at the food to mouth part BUT then she has food on her hands and an itchy nose, eye brow, chin and hair. By the time she's done, the food is everywhere! We're taking an awful lot of baths these days!

See? She's itchy!


Yes, there is mac and cheese IN her eye!

Registering with Sissy

My Bossy Older Sister talents were finally put to good use last weekend. Sissy went a-registering! She brought me along to be that wise, experienced, smart, intelligent, witty and clever voice telling her what to do...and who am I to deny her this advice?
Just as Janna did for me over a year ago when I went to register, I steered Meg away from the frivolous (i.e. car bottle warmers, stroller organizers, car mats, etc.) and toward the totally necessary (wipes warmers, bottle sterilizers, the best binkies, etc.). It was fun reliving the olden days before I had a wee one of my one. I remember the excitement of creating a whole set of belongings for this new little one and the confusion I felt as I thought "Where will I put all this stuff?"

I know what everyone really wants to see. Sissy's belly. She says it's huge and I snort. She says this little one is very active and I reminisce. She says "I still don't have any stretch marks!" and resist the urge to pull her hair or pinch her arm--really hard! Don't rub salt in my wounds Sissy!

Here it is:
Clem got in on the action, too!

After we registered, we went to Macaroni Grill. We love our carbs in this family! Once again, Clementine got in on the action! I swear this child ate half of my chicken/artichoke/tomato and asparagus ravioli! It was really really good, too.

She was such a good girl at the restaurant! She loved all the delicious foods (she ate bread as well as the veggies, chicken and pasta) and the new sights and sounds. Can you believe how well she wrote her name on the table!!!?? She's a genius!

It's Official (*sob*)

Clementine has been a great eater for a long long time. Around 6 months, we introduced baby food to her repertoire (remember these pictures?)



and at 9 months we started introducing "big girl food" i.e. lots of pasta, cheese, tortilas, little bits of chicken, peaches, pears, apples, peas, cheerios, waffles, cooked carrots, etc. She loves it all!

But there is one thing that she has not been loving of late. Nursing. Several weeks ago, Clementine made it clear that this nursing business was really for my benefit. She would sigh and grudgingly latch on but these sessions were very short--she certainly wasn't getting her fill! I have tried everything I could to make nursing a routine we could carry on for a few more months. Clem wasn't having it though. She whittled the nursing sessions down to twice a day on her own; one nurse in the morning, the other right before bed. This worked for me and seemed like a good compromise. But then without telling me, she started refusing breast before bed. She wanted a delicious 8 oz. bottle instead.
"Ok," I thought. "I still have that morning nurse to look forward to."

But then last week I realized what was really going on. I was holding Clementine in an anaconda grip at 5:45 am trying to convince her to latch on. She was much more interested in the squirrel outside and what Jack was doing, pulling my hair and watching Cam typing an email to a coworker. She was literally spinning in circles trying to get out of my arms and put down on the floor. This was making for a frustrating morning. On top of this, I was feeling sick but refusing to take the decongestants, cough syrups and throat sprays because I wanted to keep nursing.

I did finally get her to latch on but I knew this was it: our very last nurse together. It was a very bittersweet moment knowing that Clementine has become so independent and our fears of nutritional deficiency can be put to rest (seriously, all this girl has apparently needed in her life was some carbs. She has certainly filled out lately!). At the same time I am so sad to close the book on this time of our lives together. There is nothing more beautiful than looking down to see my girl dozing off in my arms or more tender than a newly awake Clementine waving to me as she nursed.
Our road to nursing was bumpy to say the least (if you saw us the first week we brought Clementine home, I'm sure you can remember the syringe/finger feeding we had to do) and I feel so fortunate to have been able to breastfeed for 10+ months. The consultants at Evergreen were so helpful as we got started on nursing.

Now it is official: Clementine is weaned. She is busy eating other foods, taking bottles and sippy cups and bulking up on carbs.

Last Friday we went to the park to enjoy the perfect sunny evening. We took a walk around the park then put Clem in the swing for her first ride. I think she liked it...



Then we tried out the slide. I think she liked that, too!

Table Manners

Do these pictures need any description?

I wish I could make a diagram on these pictures. I would draw an arrow to the green been stuck underneath her chins and draw attention to the banana smooshed into her hair. And who hasn't noticed the pasta sauce drool down her face and chest?

Update-orama

Here are a few more pictures from Sissy's house last weekend. Look how content Clementine is playing with this lid of some sort. Marvel at how straight Clementine's posture is! But really, check out those adorable shoes!! YaYa got these for our darling girl and they are a new favorite.


Strangely, this is usually how I look in pictures; mouth open and at some weird angle, too. I guess she inherited more from my than just my large elf ears.

Some updates:
**I had the loveliest, most blissful experience of my life yesterday. I had a Spa day and I've decided I need one of these monthly. I had a hot stone massage that made me feel like I was melting into the bed, a facial that made me look youthful and rosy cheeked and a mani/pedi that made me look like I actually have time to paint color onto my nails.

**Cam and Clem, however, did NOT have a blissful experience while I was gone! Clem has gone and decided to sprout upper teeth...and we're all suffering for it! These ones must hurt a whole lot more than the bottom two teeth. Clementine is not sleeping for more than 45 minutes at a time these days and it's a drag! Our poor baby!

**Clementine is eating mostly big girl food: bananas, peas, peaches, apple chunks, peas and green beans. Pasta has also been recently introduced with mixed reviews; pasta + cheese =delicious (everyone knows that!) but pasta + tomato sauce = sketchy. We're going to keep working on that girl.

**Speaking of food, Clementine said "Banana" this morning. While eating her breakfast of bananas and waffles, she ran out of bananas and began screeching. I said "Clementine, say 'More BANANAS, please,'" and she looked right at me and said "Na-nanas".

**Onto daycare--she still loves it but she also knows that I leave after a few minutes. That part she does NOT like. She will wrap her monkey fingers up in my hair which always delays my departure by a few minutes. Around the same time that I figured out it would be smart to pull my hair back, she figured out that it's hard for me to set her down if she doesn't put her legs out. That little rascal will curl her legs under her ribcage and refuse to be set down. She's a smart girl but I won't be outwitted! Now I hand her off to her teacher for some snuggles while I sneak out. That seems to be working for now...except when I forget my purse in the classroom and have to come back in! Oops!

**My work is going well. I am full time now which means great benefits and a house of our own in the near future. Right now I am crunching a lot of data and going to a lot of meetings. I don't have classes up and running but that should be worked out in the next week or so. Cam's work is the same old same old (or at least that what he tells me). He is taking some time off this week which strangely coincides with the release of a new video game he's been really looking forward to. I refuse to connect these two events.

YaYa's Birthday

For YaYa's birthday today, we went to Alki beach. We all got Obama buttons. Clementine's button says "Obama Girl" and mine says "Obama Mama".
There was a band playing and Clementine and I busted out some of our best dance moves. She loves to dance.
Then we lounged around in the backyard at Sissy and Bunny's house. There was a lot of kissing and snuggling happening.
With chubby cheek's like Clem's you just can't help yourself!

Then there was some binky stealing! Great Granny has issues with binkies. Here's Clementine justifying her argument with tears