Claire's Christmas 2016

- She loves the porcelain tree in her room.

- Her favorite lights are the color lights on her play room tree. 

- She's not super in to our Shepherd's Treasure this year, but we are still doing it. 

- She loves the baby, mommy, cow, donkey and camel from her nativity. 

- I'm thankful that I only put her ornaments at the bottom of the tree. 

- She sings along with Jingle Bells, but loves all Christmas songs. 

- We read The Christmas Story every night and she can fill in some of the blanks: a baby named "Jesus", Mary rode a "donkey", there was "no room", she lifts her arms when the angels talk to the shepherds, the wise men follow a "star". 

- Her favorite activity has definitely been cookie decorating.

- She got a doll house with people and furniture, an "All Better" book, an echo microphone and an umbrella chair. She was happy! Her favorite was probably the candy canes in her stocking. 

- She did exceptionally traveling for our Curtis Christmas! She didn't get much sleep and was only a little whiney. She had a great time playing with her cousins! 

Baby Number 2 - First Trimester!

Back story: I stopped nursing Claire January 1, 2016. My doctors office suggested I start birth control for 3 months to get my cycles back on track (I had not had a period for the 13 months that I was nursing). I did just that and did have normal periods, but it made me crazy. I stopped after the 3 months (April), but we weren't ready to be pregnant. We decided in June to join a new insurance. We had to wait 30 days after that before we could conceive. I continued to have normal periods with a slightly longer cycle (30ish days) during this time. I started taking plexus and I truly think it helped to get my body on track. At the beginning of August, we were ready! I told myself not to stress and panic. No ovulation tests. No timing. I paid attention to my bodies clues and that's it. Wouldn't you know it...we.got.pregnant. 

I had set a reminder on my phone that 8/19 would be day 30 of my cycle and therefore a safe day to test. I didn't really talk to Andrew about it. I didn't really think about it a whole lot, until the night before. I couldn't go to sleep because I was so nervous. I knew that the next morning could be a huge new journey for us, or a disappointing morning that I knew all too well from trying to conceive Claire. The song "king of the world" just kept playing in my head. "When did I forget that you've always been the king of the world? I try to take my life right out of the hands of the King of the world." My life has already been planned by my Heavenly Father. He knew when the right time would be to have our second child, and he knows who our child will be. 

I woke up at 5:30, kind of nauseous, but didn't want that to get my hopes up. I tried to go back to sleep. I knew Andrew would be up soon to go run and I didn't want him to know I took a test. If it was positive, I wanted to surprise him when he came home from work. I couldn't sleep and at 5:45, I got up to test. I sat there waiting and genuinely had a peace about me. I just decided to look at the test, and there it was POSITIVE!!!! I was so happy, couldn't contain it. Andrew woke up 1 minute later and I blurted it out!!! 

I spent the rest of the day searching for a BIG SIS tee and worrying about weather or not I was ready. God is so good. We are so thankful!! 

Curtis baby #2, due to arrive at the end of April/ beginning of May 2017. God bless and keep this child. 

8/20/16: weight 133 lbs 

- a little cramping and sore boobs

- a couple of times I've felt nauseous 

- mostly just tired and normal! 

- I cry all the time 

- Started getting very nauseous most days. No throwing up. 

- Had our 8 week prenatal appointment with Gina to discuss payment and have blood work done. I have group B strep and have to take antibiotic. 

10 weeks 10/1/17: weight 136

- I finally took a prenatal vitamin and didn't feel like I would vomit, but still have nausea. 

Psalm 86: 11-13 

Hebrews 10:23 (special verses) 

11 weeks 10/8/16: (after a small stomach bug and losing 4lbs) 135

- Big sis is sleeping better, so I'm able to take the unisom/B6 and feeling much less nauseous

- I woke up Sunday and there was absolutely a baby bump. It's usually flat in the mornings and bulging by the evenings. 

- Had our first real appointment with Dr. Hinton. 

  - blood pressure 120/80

   - heart rate 156

  - I have a bad bladder infection. The meds make me queezy. 

12 weeks: weight 133

- I'm not eating or snacking as much.

- We made our public announcement by taking a posting a sweet pic with a "baby" pumpkin 

- I've had some weird stomach and acid reflux/heartburn issues 

13 weeks:

- having some constant ache type pains in my pubic area, along with a dull cramp in my back a lot. 

- I had one horrible cramp that I had to call Andrew and ask him to come home. 

10/27 - I went to see Dr. terry for symptoms that were concerning me thinking I might have another bladder infection. Turns out it's just your normal second pregnancy discomforts. Heard the heartbeat again AND got to see our sweet baby with an ultrasound! Hands were clasped liked saying a prayer at first and then baby switched to picking it's nose! I wanted to make sure everything was ok at this appointment so that I could enjoy our Curtis family weekend getaway in Branson. 

14 weeks: weight 134 

- still have occasional nausea, but nothing horrible

- I've had a few bad evenings of heartburn

- I most definitely felt a little kick on 10/29! 

- There's certainly a baby bump!

Claire's Second Birthday

Our girl is TWO! I really can't believe it, but at the same time it just feels natural and like not that big of a deal. She's growing up so beautifully. She's her own person now with a personality that SHINES through all the time! 

Daddy was still home when she woke up, so he was able to go get her and love on her for a second. She helped me make special pancakes, and we face timed with meme, Michele and Annie to sing her happy birthday. She still got embarrassed by it, but she LOVES BLOWING OUT CANDLES! 

Unfortunately, I had a lot of cleaning and errands to take care of because we were leaving for thanksgiving vacation the next day. We went to the mall to see Santa just like last year. She wouldn't sit with him, but she didn't cry! He gave her a candy cane and she sat in my lap for the picture. We got a cookie and rode the mini ferris wheel before we left. She got a cheeseburger and fries for lunch and got to eat it while we walked around Hobby Lobby. 

We came home for her nap, and spent the rest of the afternoon playing and getting ready for the week at Meme and Poppi's. Andrew got to come home early, so they played while I cooked. The only way we could get her to take bites was to let her blow out the candles after she took a bite! We went to small group where she had fun playing with friends, and then it was time to go home and go to bed! 

I hope she always knows how loved she is, even if her actual birthday wasn't filled with all the activities that she would ever want to do. 

You are so wonderful Claire. We cannot wait to see what your third year will bring us! 

Months 23-24

Things I'm so thankful for: 

1. Her passion for her friends and family. She knows the names of people that belong to the various places we go. 

2. Her strength. Her little 2 year old body can do so much already! A worker in our church nursery said "she's the climbiest baby I've ever seen!" 

3. Her manners. She's very quick and doesn't have to be reminded often to say please, thank you or sorry. 

4. Her listening and obeying skills in public places. For the most part, I can count on her to do what I ask when we are somewhere other than home. 

5. Her lack of attachment to objects. I'll never have to worry about taking something away from her or getting her to stop doing something because she's attached to nothing! 

Things she loves: candy (specifically suckers), elephants and cows, sliding, playing outside, toodles

- She woke up with her first night of vomit in the crib. She was just whiney and it took me a while to get in there. Once we started cleaning her up, she got upset. Then she got a pedialite Popsicle, and got to watch frozen on the couch and was fine. 

She threw up again that night and again the next afternoon, and then it turned into a cold/croupe sounding thing. And Andrew got the stomach bug! 

- She finally put a puzzle together correctly on her own! 

- She says "fry" every time we drive by or through a fast food restaurant. 

- A new phrase I've been having to use way too much: "we don't eat books."

- She throws herself on the ground or hits things when stuff isn't going her way. 

- She doesn't like getting her nose sucked, so what night after I did it (she had a cold) she slapped the mirror. I gave her a stern look and she looked at me innocently and said "a bee". (She likes to pretend to kill bugs.)

- She has assigned seats for people at our table. She walks around and names who the chairs belong to (daddy, mama, Lolly, papa, claire)

- She looks for people saying "where are you" /sounds like Ariel/

- She's very good with colors now. 

- We have a shapes book and she can point to the correct shape on each page. 

- She's in a new phase where she wakes up at 11:30 and screams. The only thing that will get her to stop crying is an episode of a show and a snack. These are night terrors. 

- She says "no" and "yeah" in the most enthusiastic way. 

- She started saying "mine". 

- Now loves cheeseburgers 

- She has started saying "ummmm" sometimes when asked a questions. 

- All in the same day, she ate a bug, a flower and drank from Brody's water bowl. When asked about the bug she said, "a bee. Mmmm mmm." 

- She will willingly stick her whole face in the water. 

- She has started wanting a nightlight (projection of fish) on while she sleeps. 

- She runs like a normal person now

- She wants to hold our hand rather than just a finger.

- When she cries, she tells us "I sad" and points to her tears. 

- When she's throwing a tantrum, she spits and says "I spit". 

- She's a big daddy's girl right now. 

- Anytime we ask her if she wants a sister or brother, she says sister "Didert". She can say both of the names we like most for each gender. 

- We had a Curtis family vacation in Branson. Her attitude was definitely shining bright, but she had a great time. She LOVES rides at Silver dollar city! 

- We trick-or-treated at our church's trunk or treat and then around our neighborhood with Jack and Know. She never said "trick or treat" but did say "thank you". She mostly just wanted to sift through and eat the candy she had. 

Months 21-22

She loves dancing in circles and falling down on purpose, Disney princess movies, Popsicles, being chased, donuts, covering her face to sleep

- She likes to play in her room with the lights off.
- Every night when reading stories, she plays a "night night" game with Andrew. He will say night night and close the door, and she will shout "night night" and he will peep back in. She loves it.
- "My Nannie" came to stay with us for a couple of days.
- We took family pics in August. Worst idea, but we did get some great pics!
- She referred to herself by her name. She pointed to me and said "my mama" and then pointed to herself and said "derr". Close enough!
- Anytime she dances, she falls down (on purpose).
- She got her top incisors (completing her teeth other than 2 year molars) by mid August.
- She startles easily. If she hears a loud noise, her eyes get wide and she runs. She usually shouts out the name of whomever made the loud noise. She loves to be scared.
- She interacts and laughs at appropriate parts in movies.
- She is getting very good at saying and identifying colors.
- When she says "I don't know" and "where did he go" she puts up her hands and says "no" or "go". So cute.
- She would play on our bed all day if I'd let her.
- There are several words that stand for multiple things. Bup: cup, book, block, bird, help, up. Mao/moo: Mail, spoon, balloon. Mimmie: Minnie, swimming. Ninnie: kelly Anne and ice cream. Baba or dede: universal word for anything she's unsure of.
- She says "yeah" in the cutest possible way.
- Her new go to is to say "owwie" or "Tay" after she does anything that purposefully falling down or splashing, etc. It's very important that her audience responds with "are you ok?" Or "I'm sorry!"
- She picked up a little summer cold (runny nose).
- She was sweet at Uncle Matt and Aunt Kristi's baby shower.
- She started saying "m'on" for come on. She will say "daddy, m'on" and signal for him to come with her hand.
- She wants to go to bed at night now. I'll be rocking and ask "are you ready to go night night" and she quickly replies "yeah"!
- We got to watch and play with Ethan and Macy for a day.
- She's going through a picky eating phase.
- She started KDO (along with Tuesday morning bible study, small group and church). She doesn't do well at all at drop off! I'm hoping she becomes used to it very soon!
- She can jump multiple times in a row getting both feet off the ground.
- On a bed or trampoline, she jumps really high, gets her legs in pike position and lands on her bottom.
- Her favorite game is "get you" where we play chase or tickle.
- She's going to be a big sister!
- She is not sleeping well if she goes to bed a little later
- She likes to sleep with her pillow on top of her, but doesn't want blankets. She's no longer in the sleep sack.
- She learned to do "knuckles".
- Her new most used word is "na-by-da". She says it with a very serious face when she wants something. I have no idea.

Top Products: 20 months

- Good bibs. She's independent when she eats and that gets really messy!

- Big toys: Kitchen and accessories. She plays with her kitchen every day without fail. Cozy coupe and/or other riding toy. Baby doll stroller and shopping cart!

- Little people toys. She loves them and carries them every where! They are small enough to take places for entertainment.

- A backpack instead of a diaper bag. It's easier to tote around while chasing a toddler.

- Crocs and/or Keens (or an off brand). They cover her toes and are easy to slide on. They're water proof and she can run in them.

- Some kind of play equipment outside. We have a kangaroo climber and a playhouse (found on a yard sale site). Andrew recently built her a swing, too!

- Playtex (insulated) sipster cups. They don't spill and they keep drinks cool! That deserves a gold medal!

- A good time-out spot. She's a hitter, so it's hard for me to hit (spank) her for hitting. Time out has been a game changer!

- Educational things. She now copies or tries anything we do an say. Shape sorting, color matching, animal sounds, letters and beginning sounds, counting, etc. Books are always great and easy resources! There are also tons of APPS! (Right now Claire finds videos that she likes on YouTube...whatever.)