Seven Years Ago

Today seems to be a big day for history, not only is it Memorial Day but...

Seven years ago today Sarah and Paul got married. I remember the day being beautiful, both in the weather and the ceremony. They were married at the North Oaks Golf Course in St. Paul Minn (if you visit their web site the gazebo where they were married is on their home page :) ). Lunch was served and then there was a game of S&P Trivia. I was lucky enough to be the Maid of Honor and made a speech about how our family was now like a double stuffed Oreo – Andrew and I were the cookies and Sarah was the cream filling but now that she was married we were even bigger and better, thus the double stuffed Oreo.

Another thing I remember about their wedding is that during lunch I noticed the butter was shaped like golf balls, how cute! Sarah immediately sighed, they had golf balls with their names on them for all the guests and she’d forgotten them at home!! Oh well, there was always brunch the next day for people to get their souvenir golf ball. Sarah has a basket full on her mantel, I have one in my kitchen, Dad has one in his car and I’m sure others that were there have them around their homes and remember the day and smile like I do.

Happy Anniversary Sarah and Paul!!

Three Years Ago...

Three years ago this weekend the summer of 2007 began. I was excited for summer and relieved that the busy spring preparation was over, the pools were finally open and running – mission accomplished. My friend and co-worker Sarah left South Suburban to work for Boulder her going away party was at The Fox and Hound in Lone Tree. I had gone home early in the afternoon for a bike ride, my new favorite activity, and then went to the party; I arrived a little late but figured it was better late than never.

I remember sitting and talking with friends and drinking a diet coke. I knew the guy sitting across from me, but nothing more than his name and where he worked. He was wearing a navy blue Better Than Ezra t-shirt and khaki shorts. He didn’t have much to say, but then again the conversation between myself and the other person wasn’t very interesting. Sarah must have ordered up some shots because some arrived; I wasn’t real excited about it but whatever. I remember him telling me that I probably wouldn’t like it, he had already drunk his and he didn’t really like it. I tried to politely pass, but Sarah was having none of it. After a minute or two of my not drinking it she turned and to talk to someone else, I took this opportunity to see if anyone else wanted mine; he kindly exchanged glasses with me so it appeared that mine was gone and drank mine for me.

A while later this guy asked if maybe I’d like to go to dinner sometime. I was floored! I recall my answer being something similar to ‘sure, why not!’ After all, we all know I like to eat. I wrote my phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to him; a few minutes later my phone rang showing a number I didn’t recognize, it turned out to be a number I would come to know well.

Three years ago today I went up to Summit County to ride my new bike, I was so excited to finally have a bike again and wanted to see if I could hang with the real road bikers of Summit County. I set out to ride around Lake Dillon and ended up riding 25+ miles on some of the most beautiful roads and trails of Summit County. I stopped at one point because my phone was ringing and I needed a break. The number that came up was the same number that I’d received that Friday night. My stomach sank, I was too nervous to answer so I let it go to voice mail. He left a message saying that he was out walking his dog and wondered what I was up to and to give him a call. My first thought? Oh Lord, he has a dog!

I finally got the nerve to call him back and we talked briefly, it was apparent that neither of us were real keen on talking on the phone. We arranged a dinner date for Thursday and agreed that we’d talk again and decide upon a place and time. Thursday finally came and we met for dinner at CB and Potts. I arrived a few minutes early, plenty of time for me to get worked up and nervous while waiting for him. He finally arrived and we sat down for dinner. The food was OK the drinks were kept full and the conversation was easy and lasted all evening. I have no memory of what time it was, but we were the last people in the dining room and had to be asked to either leave or move to the bar area as the restaurant was closing. We decided to end our evening there but we did agree that we should get together again.

Three years ago I wrote my number on a piece of paper for someone I didn’t know, that piece of paper is still in the kitchen drawer today. Three years ago I received a phone number that I now know by heart and smile when I see come up on my phone. Three years ago I went to dinner with someone I didn’t know and had a great time. Three years ago this weekend I met the most important person in my life and I have never been the same.

Three years ago this weekend Jeff and I started dating. For the last three years I have been happier than I knew I could be and have learned more than I could have imagined. I am forever grateful for that night at the Fox and Hound, had I not gone I would have missed out on meeting my best friend and the love of my life.

This is the first picture of the two of us, taken at the Rockies-vs-Yankees game. I e-mailed him earlier that afternoon asking if he liked baseball, little did I know he loved baseball and that we would be spending many hours together at Coors Field. I didn’t actually have tickets to the sold out game that afternoon, I figured I’d see if he even wanted to go before tracking down tickets. I paid a pretty penny for those tickets, but it was worth every cent, I recall he was impressed that I had tickets (I hadn’t told him I didn’t have tickets until that afternoon). A funny note about this game - - The people sitting behind us picked up a copy of the Rockies magazine they found on the ground and asked if we would like to read it; Jeff replied that we were good and no thanks. The guy then asked if his wife would like to read it. Jeff looked at me and said ‘get used to it’ :)

Thank you for a wonderful three years. I can't wait to see what the next three years brings us. I love you!

Smile

A beautiful thing happened today, possibly one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen. Clare was in her chair and we were talking about our day ahead, what we were going to do and where we were going to go. As we were talking Clare looked me in the eye and smiled, a real full-blown smile. My heart melted right there. Having her smile at me and make eye contact like that is something I’ll never forget. If I wasn’t completely in love before, I am now.

Fortunately the camera was near and I was able to catch another. You can sort of see the dimple in her right cheek, just like her Dad.

Is that not the sweetest smile you've ever seen?

Happy Birthday!!

As many of you know, and for those that don’t, today is Jeff’s birthday. I hope he had a happy day and this is just one of many birthdays he’ll share with Clare. Our day was pretty low key, as most of our days are. There were no surprise parties (we’re saving that for the big 4-0!), no clowns, pony rides, ladies jumping out of cakes, or fancy new cars in the driveway. There was however the worlds cutest baby there to smile at him when he woke up. Clare did her best to help him have a good day, not hard to do when you’re Clare.

Clare and I met Jeff for lunch, Chinese of course, and then he went to play golf. Overall a pretty good way to spend your birthday if you ask me. Clare and I did not go golfing but rather went on to the grocery store to get the supplies necessary for Peanut Butter Pie. Those of you that have made it before will notice that I did forget one ingredient! Oh well, back to the store tomorrow and we’ll have pie one day late.

This is the first year that I didn’t have a gift for Jeff, it feels weird to me that he doesn’t have something to unwrap. I realize that birthdays may not mean anything to other people, but I try to make them special for those around me, they are important to me if nobody else. I can remember my 5 ½ birthday, yes you read that correctly, I celebrate my ½ birthday, we were in Europe and my Mom picked up cupcakes to celebrate. I always felt special and enjoyed the day even more, even if it was just another school day or day I have to work. I hope that I can help Jeff and Clare enjoy their many birthdays to come; they are the two most special people to me.

Jeff, I hope you enjoyed your birthday, even if there weren’t packages to unwrap and pie to eat. Clare and I love you very much.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Sleepy Saturday

Clare's favorite place to sleep.

Camp Tia

Clare has been so busy these past few days!!

Tia (my aunt Ann) arrived on Wednesday morning to spend a few days shopping, going for walks, laughing and getting to know each other; I like to call it Camp Tia on location Colorado 2010.

Thursday we went to the outlet mall in Castle Rock, Clare’s first shopping trip. It wouldn’t be a visit with Tia without shopping till you drop. We went to the Coach outlet where Tia bought a purse, and I bought a wallet for the diaper bag. Both items had the Coach “C” logo design, although I’ve decided that it really stands for Clare. Clare convinced Tia that she ‘needed’ the purse and that the “C” would remind her of her first visit with Clare. We hope Tia enjoys her new purse, even if it doesn’t have a shiny penny in the pocket.

Thursday night was Clare’s first trip to a restaurant; Jeff and I were pretty happy to have dinner outside the house for the first time since April 16^th. Andrew and Sabrina joined us for dinner at the Bonefish Grill. We enjoyed mussels, soft shell crab, calamari and some tuna it was wonderful! Clare slept the entire time and was the perfect baby – no one can ever say she was the screaming baby at the restaurant.

Friday was filled with more shopping and her first visit to Nordstrom’s, Tia’s favorite store! There were lots of cute things, however I restrained myself and didn’t purchase anything – only made a return so now we have store credit, which means we’ll HAVE to go back. I shouldn’t be allowed to visit Baby Gap and Pottery Barn Kids, I can’t seem to get out of those stores without something in a bag – kids clothes are just too cute! Clare expanded her already full wardrobe with a very cute dress that will be perfect for her trip to Missouri this summer. Clare seemed to enjoy her trip to the mall, all that walking really puts her to sleep.

We also stopped at the scrap-booking store so I could pick up a scrapbook and some pages to begin Clare’s baby book. I’ve been collecting things and putting them in a zip lock bag. I can’t wait to start putting things together into a book for her to keep.

I am so glad that Tia was able to come out and visit, meeting Clare and spending time with her has been so special. We don’t get back to Ohio as often as we’d like, so having her come to us was a real treat.

Dad's Helper

Clare and I have decided that the days go by a little easier when we get out of the house, so we’ve been trying to make an outing each day. Today we went to work for a little bit and then had lunch with Jeff, after all lunch is the most important part of the work day, right? I think it’s safe to say Clare has a number of job opportunities with South Suburban should she want them, she’s already probably more attentive than some of the lifeguards.

While at Jeff’s office he had her help with the next soccer schedule. Wonder if he’s added her to payroll??

Apparently Jeff allows nap time when you work at the Dome.

1 month

Parents say it all the time, and I knew it would happen, but how has time moved so quickly and MY baby is one month old already?!? While it seems as though she’s been with us for longer I can’t believe a month has already passed. It has been the most exciting, tiring, eye opening, fun, enjoyable, stressful at times, educational, and down right the best month of our lives. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Just a few of the things Clare has done this month… been born, met both sets of grandparents, visited with my entire immediate family (I’m so glad Sarah was able to come out and visit J), conquered jaundice, been to the Dr. nine times, had her first tornado warning, seen snow, slept for 7 hrs straight, gone back to waking every 5 hrs, proven that sleeping in her crib is easy, completed a 5K walk, shown us her smile and dimple, rolled half way over (front to side), been to a winning Rockies game, grown out of her newborn clothes, learned to love her puppy and all the barking, read countless books, been to work, and most importantly taught us what true love is all about.

April 19, 2010

May 17, 2010

I love my Dyson

If you know me you know I love my Dyson; I’d use it everyday if it wouldn’t drive Kai and Jeff crazy. Being home for the past month I’ve realized just how much dog hair and dirt accumulates in the house, I find myself wanting to vacuum more than just my regular Sunday afternoon cleaning spree. It’s safe to say the Dyson is my favorite household appliance.

Evenings have been difficult lately; Clare fights sleep pretty hard after 6pm. Some nights are better than others; some nights it can take 2+ hours to get her to sleep. Tonight Jeff took the first shift of helping her get to sleep. He discovered, after standing in the bathroom for 5minutes, that the bathroom fan is a white noise that she likes. Unfortunately she didn’t stay asleep. I took the next shift; Jeff figured he’d make dinner while I gave it a shot. We sat in the bathroom for a good 10 minutes, but no luck, not even the shower helped. I then decided to see if maybe the vacuum would work, after all it is Sunday and the floors always need vacuuming. Low and behold, the sound of the vacuum calms her down! Only my child would be calmed by the sound of the vacuum. I spent nearly 20 minutes vacuuming the upstairs; there isn’t a dog hair in sight up there!

As happy as I am to know that the sound of the Dyson calms her down, it would be even better if she actually fell asleep to the sound. She is finally asleep, but only after much rocking, walking, shhhh’ing, swaddling, and many I Love You’s from both Jeff and myself.

Go Rockies!

Today Clare went to her first Rockies game, her first of many. Jeff thought it would be a good opportunity to see how she would do at a game; it was an afternoon game so it was warmer and we were able to get tickets on the club level so if we needed to walk around we had plenty of inside space to do so. Andrew and Sabrina also joined us for the game. We’re happy to report that Clare loved the game!

Clare slept the entire car ride to the game, and then until about the 5^th inning. We were in the shade so it was a bit cool, but it didn’t seem to bother her. Once awake she didn’t seem to mind all the loud noises, we were sitting under a speaker which made for an especially loud game. She very much enjoyed the 7^th inning stretch, a little standing up and moving around put her right back to sleep.

The game ended with a score of Rockies – 2 Washington Nationals -1. So far she’s good luck at the ballpark; Jeff and I might start taking her to more games so we can keep our winning streak going.

Bed Time

Slowly but surely I’ve been working my way through The Happiest Baby on the Block, a book about the 5 S’s. Swaddle, Side/Stomach, Shhhh, Swingin/Swaying, and Sucking. Apparently this is the foolproof way to get your baby to sleep without a lot of fuss. A number of people have recommended this book to me, including Clare the Nurse Practitioner; they all swear by it. I think I’ve got all five down at once, and you know what, it works! Clare has been fighting sleep, but this seems to do the trick, after about 10-15 minutes. We’ve gone from an 11pm-ish bedtime to an 8:30pm-ish bedtime, it’s wonderful! Now, the drawback of her going to bed earlier; she gets up more often in the night. Hopefully our nights of 7-8 hours of sleep aren’t far off.

Another thing I’ve figured out about Clare is that the sound of the shower helps put her to sleep. I laughed when I discovered this, I should have known! When I was little my parents would turn the shower on, my crib was in the bathroom, and the sound of the water put me to sleep. Maybe she’ll be a water baby like her mamma.

Jeff was home from work today, it’s so nice to have him home. I really enjoy our laid back days, I could get used to this. Jeff has been playing some old school Oregon Trail; he’s become quite the bear hunter. We have also been watching a lot of Rockies baseball; too bad they aren’t doing a little better. I think we’ll make our first trip to the ballpark this weekend. Sunday is an afternoon game so it should be warm enough for Clare.

So, now that she's asleep I should go to sleep; it's only a matter of time before she's awake looking for a snack.

Goodnight :)

I am happy to report that today has been a MUCH better day for Clare. While we aren’t sleeping through the night just yet we are only waking up once, maybe twice, during the night for a snack and clean diaper. I’m so grateful that Clare generally likes to sleep. Sarah pointed out today that our happiness would most likely be directly related to her sleep schedule for at least the next year – here’s to hoping she continues to be a good sleeper.

We had our first session of real ‘tummy time’ today and surprisingly she didn’t hate it. She was able to move her head from one side to the other, pausing for a few seconds with her face looking forward. It looked like quite the workout. I keep reading that one should position themselves on the side where she isn’t looking and call her name, that she should start move her head in the direction of your voice. So far Clare doesn’t turn her head to look for me, maybe she figures I’m not going anywhere so why look.

Clare clearly enjoys books, must be her fathers daughter. Today we spent some time reading and looking at pictures. Her book collection is forever growing, we have lots of reading to do before I get to the point where I know the words before turning the page. Many of the books she has I’ve never heard of.

I am also happy to report that Clare and I left the house today, and it felt so good. Clare slept the entire time; she probably didn’t even realize we weren’t home. I almost felt like a 16 year old with a fresh drivers license, anxious to go anywhere and run any errand that needs running. Maybe Jeff will want to meet for lunch someday so we’ll have another outing.

Over Tired

Everything I read indicates that babies this young should be awake for 4-5 hours per day on average. Clare must be striving to be some sort of over achiever as she's been asleep for maybe 5 hours today. I heard my Mothers voice in the back of my mind this afternoon, telling me I was tired and if I were to just take a nap I'd feel better - being the child I was I refused to believe her. I now know how right she was as this is what I found myself telling Clare this afternoon. What happened to our good sleeper??

Our first day on our own was filled with lots of screaming due to being overtired and my trying everything I could think of to calm her and get her to sleep. We tried looking in the mirror and talking about how beautiful she was, reading some books, listening to music, watching TV, sitting in the bouncy seat and lying down together. We did get two short naps in – long enough for me to take a shower and eat some lunch. It’s the small victories that matter as Jeff pointed out.

Jeff went back to work today, both Clare and I hated to see him leave this morning. It hit me around 11:30 that this was it, just the two of us; there wasn't anyone to help or take turns with. We both missed him and were very glad to see him come home.

Tomorrow Clare and I will venture out on our own for the first time. Car rides, and rides in the stroller; seem to help her get to sleep – if you see my driving I-25 to Ft. Collins tomorrow you’ll know why. I doubt we’ll get a walk in as the news is talking about snow for tomorrow and Wednesday. I’m hoping a trip to PetsMart and Target do the trick and she has a better day tomorrow.

Kai has been a good dog, but you can tell she’s missing the attention. Tonight as Clare was on the ‘baby channel’ (video monitor) Kai was all sorts of confused, she could hear her screaming but she was nowhere to be found. She’s tried to help, even went upstairs to check on Clare, and offer her a tennis ball; unfortunately it didn’t stop the cries. I try to throw the ball for her every afternoon but that alone is not nearly the attention she’s used to or wants, hopefully the weather will warm up and we’ll go for lots of walks.

It seems as though Jeff has been successful, he's got the touch, and Clare is asleep, for now. Let’s hope she sleeps well tonight and has a better day tomorrow.

First Post

Well, here we are, joining the wide world of blogging. Never before did I think I had anything nearly interesting enough to blog about, then I met Clare. We'll keep this web site up to date with all of her goings on, changes, adventures and life happenings. Should you choose to follow us we hope you enjoy reading, and seeing, her grow.

So, welcome to our life on the web.