First week of October

I have been so busy and have not even gone thru all of Clover's birthday pictures yet to post.  I was feeling run-down from getting ready for the party and working at my new job.  I was sick for a few days (and on my Birthday).  Johnny was here for most of the week and got to spend lots of time with Clover, which really helped me.  He even got me a little birthday cake from whole foods and also got Clover a little cupcake. 

Clover has been going to a sitter while I am at work.  She loves going to see her and has a new little friend, Jake, who is about 6 months older than she.  Clover is loving her toys she got for her birthday and is so cute when she plays with them.  We are giving her a few at at a time so doesn't lose interest in them.

She is now saying so many words.  Today she said "cracker" perfectly and for the first time trying to say it.  She will repeat just about anything you ask her to repeat.  She still loves bananas and will ask for one if she is hungry. A few days ago she was walking around, holding on to the couch.  She came over to me and started grabbing my toes and laughing. Then she took a little bite with all 3 of her tiny little teeth.  Then she laughed really hard.  She was also trying to be sneaky by getting behind me and then pulling little fly away hairs from my head..then laughing.  I would turn around and she would have a huge grin on her face.  I would say, "Clover!  What does mommy say?"...She would shake her finger and say, "NO NO NO"..and then laugh. 

Clover is definitely daddy's little girl, so I was happy to see that she was excited to have fun with mommy this week.  We sang lots of songs together and I was singing "You are so beautiful"..and she would sing the "YOU" part.  She held the note and sounded like a dog howling.  She also pointed at a picture of her that I hung on the wall.  She said, "girl".  I said, "that is you, Clover.  Can you say "Clover"? " She just smiled and pointed to herself.

So Great To See Everyone!

Thank you to everyone that came out to wish Clover a happy birthday! We had a great time and it was everything we had hope it to be.  We are so thankful my mom was here to help with the food and decorating.  Her lemonade was incredible and so was her potato salad!  Clover was also very happy to see everyone.  We have lots of pictures to sort through and I will be posting a few this week.  We will also make sure everyone gets copies of the pictures.  For those who couldn't make it, we missed you and hope to see you soon.

Birthday Party Details

Clover's first birthday is coming up in just a few days and we are so excited about her party next Saturday.  By chance we have rain, we can still have all the activities in the barn.

Location

Gullion Farms is a beautiful, relaxing farm.  It is also a real working farm.  The farm is located off of Hwy 67 not too far from Brewer High School. Here are links to the directions from each area to the farm:

From Decatur:  http://mapq.st/h/7-ATgEKflA
From Huntsville:  http://mapq.st/h/7-MwKT4AFq
From Birmingham: http://mapq.st/h/1-wKP9KilY
From Guntersville:  http://mapq.st/h/2-r6SXDTwn
From Montgomery: http://mapq.st/h/5-pkFV
From Rogersville: http://mapq.st/h/7-dmX0EGMA
From Atlanta:  http://mapq.st/h/9-yKrIgEb4

Time:  12pm-3pm

The party starts at noon and we will have lunch out at that time.  All the activities are planned from 12pm-2pm.  I plan on having cake at 1:30pm.  Please do not feel you need to stay until 3pm.  Normally they have parties that last 2 hours, but I have requested an extra hour so we do not have to be rushed and would have plenty of time to visit with each other.

Lunch

I am planning on having sliced turkey from Apple Lane Farms, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, fresh fruit and vegetables and bread.  We will also have some PB&J sandwiches.  Please let me know if you have any special needs for lunch.

Activities

Though the farm party activities are geared for children, it will be fun for all ages.  There will be a roping station, egg gathering, fishing, petting zoo (goats, chickens, bunnies, piglets, goats, sheep),  and pony rides. You do not need to bring any supplies like fishing poles. 

Photographer

We will have a local photogragher, Halley Winton,  for the entire party.  She will be snapping candid photos and we will have the rights to all photos.  We will make sure everyone gets all the best shots.  This will be a great time for everyone to be in the photos and also some group shots.  You are also welcome to take as many pictures as you like.

Birthday Cake

I will be making Clover a special cake for her to dig into for her first taste.  It will be a healthy cake and I will make extra for anyone else that would prefer that to the traditional cake.  We will also have a traditional cake.

Miscellaneous Info

There will be picnic tables outside and there will also be a nice area inside the barn for sitting, eating and visiting.  There is also an indoor bathroom in the barn.  Please dress how ever you will feel most comfortable. You may want to wear closed toe shoes (not flip flops or sandals).

Please let me know if you need any more information or if I can provide any special needs you have. 

If you have not, please remember to RSVP as soon as you can so I will make sure we have plenty of food and drinks.  I am looking forward to meeting many of you for the first time, as well as excited about Clover seeing all of her family.

Showing her age

Clover will be one in less than 2 weeks.  She has really taken off with words and walking by holding on to things. She is playing with toys differently than she did before and she has such a great sense of humor. 

I have lots of words to add to her list. Today she said, "Sean", "Angel", "Ace".  She is still working on MeMe, PaPa, Grandma, and Grandpa.  However, she knows who they all are and is trying very hard to say the names correctly.  She is also saying "thank you", "water", and "Rachel".  Last weekend, when Johnny got her, she saw him before I did and she exclaimed, "Daddy's here!".  She is signing more too.  Today she learned the sign for "cup".  She signed it and then did the sign for "drink" which is cup, but then you act out drinking from it.  Then she said, "ah"..as if she just drank and was satisfied.  She amazes me every day and we are so proud of her. 

She has been not feeling as great as normal because she has started cutting her teeth.  She has one coming in on the bottom and it is very sharp.  She has been running a little temperature here and there, but is still happy.  She shows more and more affection and loves to cuddle when she is tired. 

I start a new job on Monday and have been feeling really awful about not being able to be with Clover all of the time.  I bet it will be harder for me than it is for her.  I'm looking in to daycares now, but grandma will take good care of Clover until we find one for her.  I know she needs the interaction with other kids for her development.  The great thing is that I will be able to be off work in the early afternoon most days and will get to spend some good time with her before she heads to bed.

We have been extremely busy this month and its going to get busier.  Clover's big day is going to be great.  My next post will be up in the next couple of days with details for Clover's party.  I wanted to wait until everyone that reads her blog has gotten the invitation in the mail before posting about it.  It will be a very fun and special time and we are so happy to share it with family and friends.

My Little Feminist

90 years ago this week, the ratification of the 19th Amendment was completed, granting women the right to vote. 

This week, Grandma exclaimed to Clover, "OH, BOY!".  Clover exclaimed back, "OH, GIRL!".

I know Clover is destined to become a strong, independent woman. 

Chicco DJ Walker

11 months old on Sunday

Clover will be 11 months in 2 days!  Lately, she has been doing things to get a reaction from us. One thing, she will pretend to do something she shouldn't be doing and see if we will correct her.  Another, is she will say random words (like apple or girl) out of the blue if I am focused not on her.  She will also make choking noises to see how fast I will react.  Now, she has started smiling for the camera because thats what we want.  Today, I got out the camera to take pics of her while she was eating.  As soon as she finished the banana, she started smiling for the camera.  This pic I got of her today shows off teeth we have been waiting to see! They seem more visible on the top right now, but she also has a little white on the bottom teeth.

Tutu

Last night, after Clover went to bed, I decided to make her this tutu.  I had already gone online and found a tutorial and ordered the material (It took 50 yards of 6" wide tulle and some elastic).  When she woke up, I tried it on her and she enjoyed touching it, and scrunching it up and fluffing it out.

What is better than a clean baby?...Nothing.

Clover is loving bath time.

Giving Clover a squeeze.

 This week, Clover has shown a lot of develpoment in many areas.  She has been trying to say more words and said, "I love you".  She has been trying to sign more, but seems to be using the signs that she knows for everything.  She has been eating new foods and tried a boiled egg.  She is growing so much that we have to keep adjusting her car seat.  She wont be in that one much longer.  Clover is getting closer to standing up on her own.  She tries so hard.

We continued with child proofing the house.  I sewed little cushions to fit around the columns on my mantel that cover the sharp edged base.  We also got a new entertainment center that is much safer than other one.  Clover crawled over to the new entertainment center and was checking it out.  She kept looking back at me, waiting for me to say, "No, No, No".  She opened one of the cabinets and grabbed something that was inside.  Johnny said, "no, no, no".  She continued to play with the object.  As soon as she saw him coming, she put it back.  That was the first time she had done anything like that.  She knew she was "in trouble" and corrected herself.

I entered Clover in a model search for Point Mallard.  The winner does commericals and other advertising for them for the year.  There will be 12 runner-ups that will be in a calander.  You can see her and all the other entries at http://www.pointmallardmodelsearch.com/ . Voting is not necessary and each vote costs a buck.  I'm not even sure if the money is for charity or not. 

on Saturday, we took Clover to her cousin Brian's birthday party.  He turned six!  Clover was so excited to see her family and all the kids.  The party took place at a local park.  The heat was really nasty and felt like over 100 degrees.  We gave her plenty of liquids and were there for a couple of hours.  We were all pretty exhausted later.

I've been busy planning Clover's birthday party.  I hope to get a lot accomplished this week.  Only 5 weeks to go until she is a year old.  We can't wait to share it with everyone.

Birthday Plans and other developments

We have finally found a nice venue for Clover's first birthday.  The date of the party will be Saturday, September 25 from noon to 3pm.  All friends and family are invited to join us at Gullion Farms (http://www.gullionfarms.blogspot.com/).  There will be something for everyone: petting zoo, pony rides, a roping station, egg gathering, fishing.  Also, there is an enclosed area with seating as well as picnic tables outside and we will be serving lunch.  We are looking forward to sharing Clover's very special day with everyone.

Clover has been learning so much and she seems very pleased that she can perform tasks that she has been working on for some time.  She has been signing for "eat", "more", "milk", "diaper".  I woke up one morning last week and she was crying.  This is unusual these days.  I heard her saying "eat, eat, eat".  I went to her room and called to her as I was approaching her room. I asked her if she was hungry.  When I got there she said "EAT" and was making the sign for milk with both hands.  She must have been starving!

We are teaching Clover about foods as she is learning to chew more (still no teeth).  I'm not sure if we are behind on this or not.  This weekend we let her handle apples and peaches.  While she saw and smelled the apple, I fed her apple sauce.  We cut up one peach to eat and she smelled and touched another.  She also used a spoon correctly for the first time this weekend.

We made a Babies R Us run for some feeding supplies.  One thing we got was a feeder that you put food like a strawberry, for example, into this netting with a handle on it.  They can chew and suck on the food without risk of swallowing it whole or choking.  We got more age appropriate serveware, some organic snacks, some bath toys and some more developemental toys.  I never expected we would have so many toys. I think all of her toys are special and have been helpful in her learning.  Johnny has spent a lot of time researching things we get for her and I really appreciate the time he has taken to make sure she has the right kind of toys.  Also, I love seeing them play together.  She loves her dad so much, and I do too.

Random Blog Photos

10 months old

I haven't had much time to post for the last couple of weeks.  I have been really busy running after Clover.  A friend of mine told me that the time a baby is between 9 and 12 months are the most fun.  I think she is right.  Clover is trying hard to stand and say new words.  Today she tried very hard to say 'horse'.  She could make her lips move, but couldn't figure out how to make the sound yet. 

Last weekend, she was in her playpen singing to herself.  She had both arms out, like she sees if we watch an opera and when her dad sings to her.  She was letting out long high pitched sounds and holding it until she would lose her voice. 

She has also gotten much more affectionate.  She likes being held and cuddled more and loves to be tickled.  She will say "tickle tickle tickle" and tickle herself.  I told her to tickle grandma and she was happy to do so.

The day Clover turned 10 months, I got some good pictures of her trying to stand in her crib. 

More of Clover getting around the living room.

Clover also had her first real bath in the tub.  She just started sitting up really good and I finally decided to let her give it a try.  She loved it so much that when I took her out, she was very upset and cried real tears.  She quickly made the hand sign for "more" and then pointed to the bathroom.  I couldn't wait to get her back into the tub the next night.  She loved it even more and was scooting around in the tub from one end to the other.  she even tried to put her face in and she turned on her stomach and started crawling in the tub.  I hope she loves bath time for a very long time.

Grandma King's Birthday

Sunday was Grandma King's birthday.   Also, Clover's Uncle Tommy's birthday was the same day.  We decided to have a little get together at my house on Sunday for Grandma.  Uncle Sean and family, Uncle Michael and family, my mom and dad and us (me, Johnny and Clover) all had dinner and cake.  It was a nice get together and we all had a really good time.  Of course, Clover loves to see everyone, especially her cousins.

We had another pretty busy week.  Clover is using her flashcards, slideshows and books more than she is playing with her toys.  Today she saw a picture of baby food and said the word "eat".  She is crawling all over, sitting up in her crib and playpen and on the floor.  If you help her stand up, she will try to walk without even thinking about it.  With my help, she took a few steps holding on the the sectional couch.  I bet she will be doing it all by herself soon. 

Clover spends most of the day in a wonderful mood.  The only time she is cranky is when she is tired.  She moves and twists around too much when I try to change her diapers and does not liked to be told 'no' when I am doing it.  She also doesn't like to wear a bib and is starting to draw with her finger on her highchair tabletop with food from her mouth.  She also loves to gargle with her milk, juice or water. 

We took her out with us to Longhorn Steakhouse.  She had already been fed, but I learned fast that I should have brought her snacks.  She was not very happy about not having a plate of food, so we gave her some sweet potato.  She enjoyed watching the others in the restaurant. She heard a baby crying, so she decided to make some noise herself.  It used to be so easy just to take her in her car seat and everyone would tell us what a beautiful, sweet baby we have.  I guess from now on, we will get mean glances and rolled eyes from other patrons and offers from the waitress of chocolate milk to keep her quiet.  Of course, we could get a babysitter, but it is more fun to have her with us.

Is this the little girl I carried?

This morning I was awakened by Clover calling out, "Mommy!...Mommy!..........Daddy!!".  She was ready for someone to come get her.  Later today, while I was at the gym, my mom was babysitting.  My mom put Clover down for her nap and went back to check on her a few minutes later.  She had pulled herself up and was almost standing straight up.  I'm not ready for her to grow up yet.  At least she doesn't have any teeth yet.

New Places and New Experiences

This week Clover continued with swimming lessons, practiced standing up, read lots of books,  traveled to another state, slept in a heavenly crib, met some more relation, danced (and slept) on a rooftop, went to brunch and got to sit in a big girl high chair, and danced in her car seat on the way back home from Atlanta.

Clover is really enjoying going to her lessons.  When she sees the pool, she almost bounces out of my arms.  She kicks and moves so hard in the water.  She is used to going under now and getting more comfortable on her back, but I'm not ready to let go of her yet.  She is so tired after the lessons, that one day she took a 4 hour nap and another day, she went for a late nap and then slept all night.

Clover is also enjoying reading books to herself.  It sounds like she is reading to someone like we read to her.  She also points at the pictures and if she knows what it is, she will say the word and gets excited.  She did that with "banana" and "duck".  For the words that she can't say yet, she is trying really hard to get it.  I can see her concentrating, thinking about how to make it happen.  Johnny was showing her pictures this weekend and when he pointed at my mom, she said, "gangy".  That's a new one.

This weekend, we drove to Atlanta for the wedding reception of my cousin Justin and his new wife Triona.  This was our first overnight trip with Clover.  We stayed in a Westin hotel and they provided us with a crib they call "heavenly crib".  It is a small crib with a comfy mattress.  Clover seemed to like laying in it.  Clover has been sleeping alone in her room since she was 3 weeks old, so it was nice to have her next to me for a change.

with Grandma and Grandpa King

We went to the reception on Saturday night.  It was on the roof of a loft building downtown.  The view was beautiful and they had a Beatles tribute band called The Buggs.  Clover may have recognized some of the songs, because we had been listening to Paul McCartney that morning before we left Decatur.  She moved her legs to the music and watched the band.  We were taking lots of pictures of her and I think she may have gotten a little tired of the pictures, but she loved sitting with Grandma King and watching the people.  Clover napped some during the party.  The party was moved inside later when it was time to cut the cake.  Many people asked about Clover's "hair style".  They liked the way it was long in the front and kind of stuck up in the back.  They thought I had it cut that way! We enjoyed more music from family members inside the loft.  Uncle Sean played guitar for my Aunt Barbara, my cousin played his keyboard a bit and my dad played on of the songs he wrote.  Clover loves to watch live music.

We were one of the first people to leave, but we got back to the hotel pretty late and we played with Clover a bit before putting her to bed.  The next day we took her to Caribou Coffee. Our first visit to one.  It wasn't really baby friendly as far as space to put a baby seat, but we made do and when I finished my hot coffee, she sat in my lap and we people watched.  The coffee was very good and so was my cranberry orange scone.

When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and checked out.  We met my Aunt Barbara and cousin Justin and his new wife, Triona for brunch at Brick Tops.  This was a probably the nicest restaurant that Clover has been to so far.  This was also the first time she sat in a regular high chair.  She did have a few moments of tiredness from keeping her balance and her head would fall forward. After we ate, we held her in our laps.  We had a great time at brunch and then headed back to Alabama.  I sat in the back seat with Clover while Johnny drove.  We had fun listening to music and when there was a good beat, Clover would bounce to the music.  She slept some, but not for long. When we got home, we played some more and she went to bed and slept for 12 hours. 

Splish Splash

It has been a busy and fun week.  Clover had her 9 month doctor's visit and weighs 18.1 pounds.  She has added a few words to her vocabulary, started swimming lessons, and developing so much that we are having a hard time documenting everything before she is on to something else.

This weekend, we went to Guntersville for her cousin Ace's 9th birthday party.  She really enjoyed seeing all of her cousins, aunts and uncles and MeMe and PaPa.  She had a great time getting to know everyone more.  We went swimming while we were there and she was very comfortable in the water. 

Sunday, the Fourth of July, we didn't do anything to celebrate.  We spent most of the day child proofing and playing with Clover at home.  Around 9 pm, Clover was startled by neighborhood fireworks.  I went outside to look and it seemed we had our own personal fireworks display.  Clover did not like the noise and was pretty upset.  We took her outside to watch the fireworks and she started to enjoy herself.  After we came back in, she was in her room cheering when she would hear another firework exploding. 

Monday, she had her first swimming lesson.  The main 3 things she is supposed to practice now is blowing bubbles in the water, going under and floating on her back.  I could not dunk her myself the first time.  I asked the instuctor to do it.  It just seemed too cruel, but on Tuesday's lesson, I dunked her about 6 times.  She is getting more comfortable with going under.  She loves the interaction with all the people where we go for the lessons.  She was completely exhausted after class today.

Johnny and I (mostly Johnny) made Clover a slide show of people and words.  The idea was to make flash cards that are useful to her at different stages in her development.  She see pictures of all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and mommy and daddy.  We tell her who everyone is and she will sometimes repeat the names.  Also,  we have some animals, toys and other other items in the mix. She has learned dog and cat and said those yesterday.  We are also continuing to show her signs.  Johnny noticed in some videos that we have taken, that she has been signing to us and we didn't realize it at the time.  She was doing the sign for more when we were feeding her, but I thought she was just clapping.  She was asking for more. 

Also, this week, she was trying to stand up in her crib.  Johnny went in after her nap and she was on her knees, sitting up and her hands on the rails trying hard to pull herself completely upright.  Johnny immediately took out the bumper and positioned the mattress in the lowest position. She can stand completely upright on her feet and put all of her weight down.  I am sure she will be taking her first steps very soon.  She hasn't gotten her first tooth and she still mostly crawls with her stomach on the ground, but she'll be walking before you know it.

Our summer seems to be flying by so fast already.  I am going to do my best to help her learn as much as she can take in while she is having fun.  I am also in the beginning stages of planning her birthday party.  We would love for this to be a good opportunity for her to meet more relatives, especially Johnny's aunts, uncles and cousins that have not gotten to meet her yet because of the distance.  The party will be on Saturday, September 19 in Decatur.  Details and invitations will follow in the next month, but please let people know to save the date.

Clover Loves Books

Clover has had books read to her everyday since we brought her home from the hospital.  She probably couldn't even see some of the pages for awhile,  but we did it any way.  Johnny brings her new books from the library almost every week, and we buy her ones that are easy for her to hold or have something really special about them.  The Lamaze books and Taggies are great because they are soft and washable.  I like the board books that can be used almost like flash cards.   The ones that have pictures of things she would recognize and then the word for the object.  Cat, sock, banana, etc. 

While shopping this weekend, we were at Babies R Us and Johnny held out a nice toy for Clover to see. She smiled really big and got excited.  He held it close to her and she reached out and grabbed the booklet that was attached to it and started thumbing through the pages in delight.  He even got it on video, so hopefully, we will post it soon.

Clover also loves to eat.  She eats mostly organic, but we also do conventional baby food.  She has started feeding herself some finger foods, like banana and the little gerber snacks...fruit puffs and now little cheese puff snacks.  This weekend, Johnny and I had just finished eating our lunch and he was holding Clover.   I asked Clover if she was hungry and signed the word "eat".  She pointed to Johnny's plate, which still had some scraps on it.  This was the first time she has pointed at an object to communicate with us.  Johnny picked up a piece of fresh pineapple and said, "Is this what you want?".  The took the pacifier out of her mouth and threw it on the ground and tried to grab the fruit.  We didn't give it to her, but put her in her highchair and fed her something else.

9 Months Today

It is hard to believe Clover has reached 9 months already.  I was nostalgic and looking through the photos and videos.  It is amazing how much she has learned in such a short time.  She has changed our lives and is such a joy.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

Happy Father's Day, Johnny.  You are the best daddy to Clover.  She loves you so much and so do I.  You are so good with her.  She is so peaceful and happy when she is with you.  I know you will always have a special bond with her.  She is very lucky to have you for a father.

 Here Clover is getting ready to eat a banana.  She recognizes the word 'banana' and has tried to say the word when she has seen photos of a banana.  She said, "nun-nun-nun".

So far so good

She even likes the peel.

Baby's Night Out
This week, we took Clover out for a stroll in Downtown Decatur where we saw our friend, Kim Stone performing in front of Vittone's Pizza.  Clover is enjoying her juice, the music and just relaxing.

Just In Time for Father's Day

Clover was jumping in her Baby Einstein Jumper and her dad was sitting next to her.  She stopped jumping and looked at him with a sweet smile and said, "Daddy".  Not dada.  I can only imagine she was just so happy to be with her dad and she wanted him to know.  I was moved because it was so sweet and she said it so clear.  Later that day, I brought her into the kitchen and sat her down in her high chair.  She was looking for Johnny.  She turned to see him in the other room and started waving.  Then she said, "Heeey Daa-dee!" while she was waving.  It made our day. 

I can tell she wants to learn more words now.  She has lots of books and many are the picture books so they can learn the words.  Today, I noticed she was listening very hard to the words.  She is trying hard to repeat some words, and she has "moo" down pretty good.  (Daddy, Momma/Mommy, Moo, Yay, Hey)  She understands lots of other words (no, milk, bottle, baby, Grandma, book).  And she recognizes songs and tries to "sing" along by just opening her mouth and making noise.  Sometimes, she seems on key. 

Ava's Birthday Week

This weekend, we went to see Clover's cousin Ava at her groovy Birthday party at Chippie's in Albertville. I guess you would say it was a tie dye themed party and Ava turned 7! We had so much fun with all of Clover's family on Johnny's side. She was so excited to see every one. She got to bounce some with her Meme and her cousin Fox. She loved it when the lights went out and then the disco ball and spot lights came on with music so all the kids could dance. Later, we went to Ava's house to visit with all her aunts, uncles, cousins and Meme and Papa.

Clover has been doing some really cute new things this week. She will grab my face and ram her nose up against mine and move it from side to side giving me eskimo kisses. She has also started doing that to her little stuffed animal, Duckie, that Grandma got for her on Easter. She is crawling pretty fast now, but still her stomach doesn't come off the ground. She likes to take off and when you come towards her she will laugh as she tries to escape.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend. We were going to go out to the Daikin Festival on Friday night, but it rained so we took Clover for a night ride and daddy and I got a Chiggie Burggie. We got up the next morning at 5am to take Clover to see the balloons out at Point Mallard. My brother, Michael was going to ride up with his friends that morning, but the weather didn't allow it. We did get to see some of the commercial ballons get blown up and tethered for a bit.

Saturday afternoon, we took Clover to St. Ann's Seafood Festival and Johnny and I had the craw fish. Later that night, we took Clover to a party at the home of our friend Liz in Athens. We had a blast playing American Idol Karaoke. Clover tried to sing along and she clapped for the very first time and said, "YAY". Clover loves music so much and loves to clap.

We spent most of the rest of our weekend shopping for a new crib and doing some baby proofing around the house. She had a crib with a drop down side and those are all now being recalled. Johnny got her a really cute new crib that can later turn into a toddler bed and even a full size bed when she is out of her toddler bed. I didn't have my own full size bed until I was in my 30's. I thought I had arrived.

Clover turns 8 months this Saturday

I can't believe we are already 4 months from Clover's birthday.  That will be something I should start planning for soon.

Clover is getting better with crawling..yesterday she crawled a little higher, not on her stomach as much.  She went pretty far from the middle of the living room to the kitchen.  She went over to a low drawer and opened and tried to look in it.  She is a curious one for sure.  Then she shut it back. She hit her hands on the hard floor for a bit and then she got scared of being there on the floor and I had to pick her up and put her on the carpet in the living room.

She is also talking a little bit more.  She hasn't said mommy any more.  She said daddy once last week, but now says "dadadadadada".  This morning she said "mama dada" and was waving her hand.  She does say "hey" and "hi" and sometimes "baa", when she is waving her hand. 

This afternoon, I walked outside with her in my arms to get some fresh air.  There was a toddler standing out there with his dad.  He was a tiny little thing and looked just a little taller than Clover.  Clover went crazy for this kid.  She was so excited every time he glanced in our direction.  I think she loves him.

My first Mother's Day

I got to sleep in on Mother's Day and  had a really nice Mother's Day with Clover, Johnny and my mom.  We all went with my dad and brother Michael to brunch at the Westin Hotel.  We strolled around Bridge Street afterward and I found a locket that I liked.  After we got home, Johnny gave me some gifts and one was the locket that I saw, but he had already gotten it.  That was a nice surprise.  It was a great day and I couldn't have possibly had a better one.  I feel very lucky.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Linda!

Clover had a good day too.  She liked going out and when we got home, she got to play with her new jumper.  She seems to really love it.  We think it will help her build up her strength to crawl better off of her belly and build muscles so she can sit up.

Friday night, we went to Relay for Life and had a really good time. Clover got to see some live dogs for the first time.  After a few laps around the track, we decided on some hamburgers and threw a blanket in the grass and played with Clover.  We had to leave after the music started because it was way too loud for her ears.

Clover is a babbling away right now and ready for me to get her up from her nap.  I'll be posting a few photos later.

Clover's Favorite Word

While I was at work today, Clover said "baby".  Grandma King was there to hear it.  I am not surprised because I can tell that is Clover's favorite word.  Sometimes, when I say the word 'baby', she will just smile really big.  So when I asked her to say baby for me today, she tried.  It sounded like baby to me. 

Back To Work

This last week, I started a temp job working for the Census.  One good thing about the job is that I can make my own hours, as long as I get the work done.  So, it is great to have Grandma King available to take good care of her while I am away.  I had training last week and Clover seemed a little hurt by me going gone so much.  Over the weekend, her dad and I took Clover  to her cousins' (Collin and Cory) band concert.  Clover enjoyed the people, the music and the clapping...and she got to see lots of family.  Then we went to the Alabama Crawfish Company, in Huntsville for a early dinner. 

Johnny picked up some baby signing videos and we watched them.  I started using some signing with her this morning and she paid close attention to my signs as I spoke to her.  We are working on these words right now:  eat, milk, bed, diaper, mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, milk, and hungry.

Clover's First Words

Yesterday, Clover and I were hanging out at home.  She was laying in the floor, looking at the ceiling and babbling.  In the middle of the babble, she said, "Mommy".  She said it perfectly.  I thought I was having audible hallucinations.  Later, my mother came over and was sitting with her while they looked at a book. My mom told her there was the cow and the cow goes "moo".  Clover pointed to a cow and she said, "moo".  I wasn't expecting her to say anything for a few more months.  She is not sitting up on her own yet, but she has already started talking.  Thats my girl!  We are so proud of her.

Crawling!

Over the weekend, Clover crawled for the first time.  She is still on her belly, but she is moving her arms in front of her.  It looked like she was swimming on the carpet.  The first time she did it, she moved really fast to get something she wanted.  Grandma and Grandpa King stopped by for a visit on Sunday and she crawled for them too. 

I tried my hand at making homemade baby food.  I got some organic butternut squash, organic bananas and some organic apple juice.  I baked the squash in a pan with a little water in the bottom for 1.5 hours at 350 degrees.  I peeled and mashed the squash and then put it in 4oz jars.  When it was time for dinner, I took a jar and put the squash in a bowl and about a third of a banana and mixed in some apple juice to make the consistency a little runny.  At first, she didn't like it.  She has liked everything we have given her so far.  I think the consistency was too still a little too chunky.  She made the funniest face when she tried it.  She really made us laugh.  Johnny got some great video of it and if we put in online, I will post a link later.  She did like it when she get bites with thinner consistency and she never refused to eat it.  Today, I will use a food processor instead of mashing by hand to make sure it has an even consistency.  Johnny also got another book from the library called 'Top 100 Baby Purees' from British author Annabel Karmel.  There are many recipes that I want to try out. Many look like meals I could prepare for us and make extra to puree for Clover to have for the week.  I love meal time with Clover.  It is so much fun feeding her and she is so happy.

This week, I will be going back to work temporarily.  I am not looking forward to being away from Clover all day.  Luckily, her Grandma King will be taking good care of her and Clover will love that.

Clover Turns 7 months this Week!

Clover is changing so fast.  This week she  has gotten more vocal, babbling in bed after she wakes up. I wouldn't say it is her first word, but she is saying "hay" a lot.  She is also making funny grunting and squealing noises. She is moving around a lot quicker, but not quite crawling yet. We are working on baby proofing all the rooms.  She is growing out of all of her clothes that I hoped she would be able to wear this spring and already wearing and almost too big for the summer clothes that I have already bought.  She is taking longer naps and sleeping even better than ever at night.  She gets a little cranky if she doesn't get a good nap. 

Johnny got Clover a Vtech Move and Crawl Ball http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2373386 .  She really likes it and she has other Vtech products that uses the same voice and some and sayings, so it didn't take much to get her interested in it.  When you turn it on, it teases the child to move forward and it will move a little, kind of a little foward and in a circle.  She was all over the place.  She is starting to put her arms in the right position to crawl. 

Clover is showing lots of expression when she is pleased with herself when she learns to play with a toy properly.  When she is happy to see someone, she makes really funny faces and shakes her arms and legs.  She is loving her high chair and is a really good eater.  Soon she will be eating real bananas and graham crackers.  She still hasn't cut any teeth, but it seems it wont be much longer. 

Ready to crawl

For a long time now, Clover has been trying to crawl.  She has strong legs and moves around on the floor by rolling around or rocking to get closer to where she wants to be.  The other day, she was asleep in her crib and in her sleep, she was on her hands and knees with her head up trying to move around in her crib.  She just isn't quite sure how to move her arms yet.  We are looking into some toys that help with the arm movement in crawling. 

This weekend, Clover got a new high chair.  We have been researching them since before she was born.  I was set on getting an old fashion looking wooden one that would match my dinning room set.  We really hated the looks of all the new ones...bulky, bright colors, lots of padding that would have to be cleaned, legs that took up a lot of room.  After doing the research, it seemed that newer meant better for comfort and safety.  We also wanted a big tray.  Finally, we decided on something that I think is going to be perfect for us.  It is the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair.  It is a booster seat with a detachable back with a pretty cover and nice sized tray.  It is great for me, because it wont take up any extra space because it sits in one of my current chairs.  Clover used the high chair for the first time this morning and she loved it. I could tell she was very comfortable and she was so happy sitting in it.  She smiled and banged on the tray as if she was checking it out for sturdiness. I'll post a pic of her in it in my next post and hopefully we will have video of her crawling soon.

Easter Weekend

We had a great holiday weekend with Clover. She got to see all of her relatives. Saturday we went to Guntersville to her Uncle Mike's and Aunt Angel's house. We were going to participate in the community egg hunt, but was late. We did make it just in time for the "Most Beautiful Baby" contest and Clover won first prize. She was so excited to see all of her family on her dad's side. After the contest, we went over to Piggly Wiggly to see the Easter Bunny. The pig was there as well. After lunch, many went to Ace's ball game, but Clover and I stayed behind and spent time with little Fox (15 months), Tommy and Rochelle. After the game, everyone came back and visited while Mike prepared dinner. It was delicious. Clover loved seeing everyone and I could tell she felt connected to everyone there. She really loved it when Ava would come over and play with her. She wasn't shy at all. She also didn't take a nap because she didn't want to miss anything. Besides Easter, we were also celebrating her grandma MeMe's birthday and her cousin Madison's birthday too. I made an experimental dessert that turned out pretty good. It was a lemon cake with lemon frosting, pastel green sugar sprinkles and fruity jelly bellys on top.

On Sunday, we spent some of the day with the King family. After going out to brunch, we went to Uncle Michael's house and hunted Easter eggs (Grandma King's annual hunt) and had dessert. Clover got lots of eggs some with candy and some with money to start her savings. Afterwards we came back home and let Clover see and play with all of her gifts from the weekend...including the ones from the Easter bunny. Here are a few pictures from our weekend.