Chloe Post: Lady Bug

Look at this neat outfit that Aunt Rachel sent me for my birthday! I was the hit of day care in my new lady bug duds. You can't see the t-shirt in this photo, but it says "Love Bug" which Mommy said I am.


I'm also a good helper bug. I was happy to help Mommy put away the groceries. By scattering them on the floor and then running away.

Chloe Post: New Toys! Fun!

Wow! New toys for me! Tonight when we got home, Mommy bust out the screwdriver and put together two of my new toys. They are so cool that I don't know how I got thru without them before.

Check out this new garden bench that Aunt Helda sent me. I can sit on it, play with shapes, open the lid, water the flower and play music. It's really cool!

I'm also having fun with this pretty pink stroller that Aunt Jo Jo picked out. It helps me to be a good mommy to Teresa. I like to take her for walks around the living room. Mommy said that when the weather is nice, I can take her outside for a walk.

Until then, we'll stick to the living room - it works for me and Teresa!

Thanks so much for my new toys - they are awesome!

Chloe Post: Look out world, I AM ONE

Can you believe it? Yesterday, I turned one year old. Mommy and Daddy can hardly believe it! They threw me a really fun party to celebrate. Grams and Granpa came up from North Carolina and spent the whole weekend with me. Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop came with a friend of theirs, plus Aunt Jo-Jo and Uncle Craig, Sam and Scott, Pattyanne and her Mom-Mom and friend Barb, Aunt Patty and Uncle Donnie, Kate and Sean, Aunt Barb, Uncle Chris and Mikey and Nik, Miss Stella, Aunt Jennifer, Aunt Lucy and Adam! We had a full house!

Everyone had a lot of fun visiting in our new house, eating the yummy food and eyeing up this neat cake that Mommy made. Mommy said she was sad to cut it! But she and Daddy made sure that I got the first taste!















I LIKE CAKE! This is great! I can't believe that M & D let me make such a big mess. When I got ice cream in my ears, they just laughed!


After my adventure with the cake, Mommy and Daddy said I needed a costume change, so I put on this pretty dress that Aunt Rachel sent me. Miss Stella said she liked it a lot. Miss Stella spoiled me and brought me lots of toys.















I especially liked this neat birthday cake - Mommy said I could play with it as much as I wanted... no icing to get in my hair!

I also really liked this dolly. Aunt Barb made matching princess skirts for us! I was the belle of the ball and I loved wearing my skirt. Everyone brought me such nice presents. I am a really lucky little girl.















I was so happy. Mommy and Daddy and I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives. We had a really great day.

***

Of course, my party was just one day and we were busy all weekend long! On Saturday, Mommy and Grams and I went shopping to prepare for the party. We also went to Panera where I had my first PB&J! It rocked!

I had so much fun playing with Grams and Granpa - they like to do all sort of cool things with me! I wish they lived closer so I could see them more... they should start a blog so I can see what's going on in the woods!

Chloe Post: I Love my Baby Girl

This is my baby girl, Teresa. I take very good care of her because I am a very good Mommy. I give my baby hugs and kisses, I read her books, I sit with her in the blue chair, and I pat her head.

Well, sometimes, I grab her by the hair when I'm in a hurry. My Mommy says I shouldn't do that because she never does it to me, but Teresa doesn't complain. She is a very good baby.

Mommy said that my taking care of her is very good practice for the day when we have another baby living with us. I don't know what she means. I am the only baby that lives here. Teresa is a DOLL, Mommy. She's just a doll. I'm the only baby. I am. Chloe.

Chloe Post: Cloudy, with a Chance of...

...Meatballs! Mommy made these yummy meatballs for me. I like eating them. And throwing them on the floor. I'm not sure why that bothers Mommy so much - I would have come back for them eventually.

Presents!

God, this kid is spoiled. It's not even her birthday yet! Aunt Diane stopped by this weekend to give Chloe all her birthday presents since she will be traveling and will have to miss the party. Outfits from Hawaii, ABC flash cards from Hawaii, two new outfits and this amazing caterpillar make for a very happy Chloe...



"It is true," Chloe asserts. "Aunt Diane sets the bar high. A girl does need her outfits... and how cool is this caterpillar! I can't even pick him all up! I do like to give him kisses and hugs, though. Bring on the birthday!"

Chloe Post: Do the Baby Snarl

Whew.

I am getting four (count 'em) BIG teeth coming in across the top of my mouth! It's crazy. My mouth is getting all filled up. It's so weird... so sometimes, I have to make a little room and stretch things out.


Mommy and Daddy laugh and laugh. I don't know what they think is so funny!

PS. The other day, I was not watching where I was going and pitched head first into my dresser. Hence, the bruise on my cheek. How nice of Mommy to dress me in a matching color so it would emphasize my bruise. Good thinking, Mommy. Sheesh.

Another Cute Story

Daddy is funny - he invents games. Last night, she was reaching for a treat and we couldn't tell if she wanted Cheerios or Yogurt Melts. Daddy held an O in one hand and a melt in the other and asked her to pick. Then, he switched hands. And then again. All three times she went for the melt (regardless of what hand it was in). At the end, he gave it to her and she gobbled it up. He repeated the reps three more times. Melt. Melt. Melt. She was all giggly and peachy-smelling with all those melts.

Then, he tried it with quantity and did one hand with one O and one hand with two Os. That was confusing. So, he tried to show her that whatever she picked, she could eat and whatever she didn't pick, he could eat. She laughed at him and just grabbed whichever hand looked better for no particular reason.

She clearly got that it was a game, though, and she was laughing because she won everytime!

Good night light and the red balloon

I do have some pictures to share... but I still need to upload them. To keep Grams satisfied, though, I will share a really cute story from last night.

***

Chloe really loves books. She will go and find one she likes and bring it to you. She then wants into your lap. When you are finished, she will take the book, climb down from your lap, look at the book on her own for a moment and then go find a new book and repeat the process.

Last night, she did this a few times before bringing me "Good Night, Moon" (her fave). We read it once and then she looked at me like we weren't thru yet, so I read it again. She then climbed down, walked over to Daddy and put up her arms so he would pick her up and handed him the book. Which he read to her.

Finally sated, she climbed back down and brought me a new book to read, but GNM is the clear favorite. We ended up with two copies, so I brought one to school for Miss Stella.

I can practically recite it from memory...

"In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of...

... the cow jumping over the moon! There were three little bears, sitting on chairs. There were two little kittens and a pair of mittens..."

Miss Stella is a Bully

So, Miss Stella totally tells me what to do. She pushes me around. She tells me when the Family Tree she requested I make is very pretty, but doesn't provide enough information and therefore, I must bring a second one. She tells me when Chloe is low on formula or clean bibs or when I have been negligent in not changing up the spare clothes to be season-specific. But most of all, she tells me when I'm holding Chloe back.

The other day, she instructed me that it's time for Chloe to have "real food." And I said that yes, we are giving her table food at home and letting her try things. And she said, "yes, you need to bring to school." And I realized that each day, I drop off my almost 1 year old kid who's running around and taking prisoners with jars of food that have pictures of babies who can crawl as the developmental marker.

So, yesterday I showed up with strawberries and green peppers. (Don't ask me. The kid is weird. She likes what she likes.) And my girl destroyed them and refused to eat "baby food." Today, I chopped up more strawberries and some green squash and Ed said "she still has the other food, there, too, right?" And I said "yes, but this is actually a large portion. If she eats this, she's good." And he said, "yes, that's true."

I think we both can't quite believe that she's done (or almost done) with baby food... then I realized that it was also Miss Stella who told me when I should be feeding her more than just cereal all those months ago!

I swear, I don't need a baby book or the internet. I just need Miss Stella to live in our house and organize my life.

PS. I'm totally kidding. Miss Stella's not a bully. I mean, she hasn't pushed me down to steal my lunch money. Yet.

Smart Girl

Chloe has started doing the cutest thing. If I put lotion in my hands to lotion her up before getting dressed, she rubs her belly as if she is putting on lotion.

I don't know why that tickles me so.

Screaming, teething howler monkey (TSHM) by night... delightful colorer by day

"This might happen if you were stuck in very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid object."

(My current status on FB... playing a game about the 5th sentence on page 56 of the nearest book. In my case, the owner's manual to my car.)

But, also appropriate for last night's events.

In this case, we have four "solid objects" - 4 teeth all coming in at the same time, in a line across the top of Chloe's mouth. This poor baby last night - we didn't know what to do with each other.

Thankfully, her demonic possession (TSHM) is reserved for evenings. I mean, it would be truly horrible if it happened during the day. When people are being paid to care for her. And I'm at work.

Proof that she's happy as the proverbial clam: coloring this morning with the Pandas. While Miss Stella and I discussed the bags under my eyes.

Haiku, Your Name is Desperation

Mommy had a rough
day and Chloe won't stop her
screaming. Teething, bah.

Big Girl...

...Two weeks to Chloe's 1st Birthday!

The (Emotional) Cost of Formula, Part 2

Some of you may remember that I was unsuccessful at breastfeeding due to my previous breast reduction surgery (at least that's what we're assuming led to the problem). In any case, over the course of Chloe's life, I have found myself letting go of the guilt and feelings of failure associated with understanding that a choice I made as a junior in high school would affect my life as a mother.

But, as Ed and I are thinking about adding another baby to our family, I've started thinking about it again. And I find myself overwhelmed by the questions in my own head: "Do I just assume that it won't work and start with formula from the beginning?" "If I do, does that make me not as good as a mother to Baby#2 since at least Chloe got SOME breastmilk and colostrum?" "Should I man up and just try, but keep in the back of my mind that it won't work?" "If I do that, will I go through all the feelings of failure all over again?" "If I do try, will I get frustrated with Baby#2 because it will be even harder this time around to manage all the pumping time plus caring for TWO kids?" "What about my breast pump, sitting in a box in Chloe's closet? Am I letting down the friend that bought it?"

Then, today, on a message board I frequent, a woman who had her baby a week ago was asking for some support about the fact that her milk has not come in and was looking for advice. A bunch of people wrote supportive posts about things to try or what their experience was, but also made sure to tell her not to beat herself up if it didn't work out.

One person wrote this:

I assume because you are asking bfers for advice I am going to assume that you
are looking for advice on making bfing work, and not simply to be told 'you
tried your hardest, it is okay to quit". I hope you will come back and clarify
so if you do want to make your nursing relationship work, we can help.

And I tell you, it just about brought me to my knees. She wasn't writing to me or about me, but in a way she was.

One of things I wish I could eliminate from motherhood: the judgment from other mothers. I've been guilty of it, too, so if I'm casting stones, I'm throwing them at myself, too. But sheesh. This is all hard enough by itself. I don't need people on the internet adding to it! LOL

EDITED TO ADD:
On the message board, some other posters thought some of us were taking the remarks wrong and as I was responding, I realized what most irked me about the post. Her remarks make it seem like the original poster had a choice ahead of her. I understand that successful breastfeeders often feel that way. But, what sometimes people miss is that our choice doesn't come down to "Do I want to breastfeed or bottle-feed?" but rather "Do I want my baby to eat or not?"

Mommy hearts clothes

So last week, the fam and I went shopping to do some last minute Christmas shopping for some of our friends' kidlets. ET and I agreed on this adorable sequined heart shirt as a gift for our friends' daughter...

...and then Monday night, I had to go and buy another one for Chloe because it's just too cute!

Chloe Post: Visiting Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop

On Sunday, I got all dressed up in this new dress (another Aunt Diane selection!) to go and visit Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. We always have so much fun together!

Mom-Mom said that I looked like a little princess in my pretty dress, but that didn't stop me from playing hard with all the fun toys she had out for me! I like to make music on her pots and pans, play with Pop-Pop's big truck and wrestle with the big teddy bear.

I also like to wander out to the kitchen to see what Mom-Mom is up to in there. I'm so glad I did - she introduced me to greens! They were so yummy! She said that some grown men are afraid to eat greens because they are too spicy. Grown men are silly!

I also spent a lot of time hanging out with Pop-Pop. I was cheering him up because neither the offense nor the defense showed up for the Eagles on Sunday and he was sad. It's a good thing I was there!

I love Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop!

(and greens!)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you!!!

xoxoxoxo,
Chloe and Mommy

Reindeer Romp - Uncle John REPRESENT

Oh my my.

After I saw Gretchen, Monica and Lindsay sing in their reindeer antlers, I almost closed this... I am oh so glad I didn't, or I would have missed "Sexy Santa" and Chloe's Uncle John as the Rudolph conductor.

Thanks, Melanie, for the forward - this is too funny!

Chloe Post: Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays! Mommy, Daddy and I are back from North Carolina. We had a really nice Christmas with Grams, Grandpa and Uncle Josh. I had fun running around the cabin, stealing the coasters, eating cookies and playing with all my new toys. Santa really hooked me up.


Here I am, all dressed in the pretty outfit that Aunt Diane bought, all ready to go to church. I was very well behaved and had a nice time visiting the nursery and meeting Pastor Don.

Here I am with Mommy on Christmas morning. Don't we look cute in our matching PJs?

Daddy helped me learn all about my new toys. Mommy said he should use his Elmo voice when demonstrating this neat book, but he said it was too early in the morning and he needs coffee to do Elmo justice. I don't know what that means.

Here I am with Uncle Josh. He is really funny! We had a good time playing together before he had to head home to sell houses.

Whew - hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone - we had so much fun! When we got home, we visited with some of our friends and tomorrow Mommy and I are going shopping with Aunt JoJo, Sam and Patti Anne. Sunday, we'll have dinner with Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop and then Monday, it's back to reality...

...but the good news is that it's only 3 weeks until my birthday party.

"Three weeks??" Mommy just exclaimed... and then she passed out. I must go revive her.

xoxoxoxo

Love,

Chloe