Chloe turned 9 months old on Saturday. Wow. I have a 9 month old. And soon, I will have a one year old. It truly doesn't seem possible. But, this year has flown by at warp speed because it has been so wonderful. Isn't that always the case? But, either way, we have many blessings to be thankful for so far. And MANY more to come before the year is even over!
Because it has been so long since the last post, I thought I would update everyone (all two of you), on what Chloe has been up to these days. She is crawling, pulling up and moving ALL over the place. You literally cannot leave her alone for five seconds without her disappearing and/or getting into something that I should have put away long ago.
She has already survived her first 'mommy is an idiot' moment when she cut her finger on my beer can. That's right, folks. You read it correctly. But don't worry, I nominated myself for mother of the year , already. It was a minor cut on her finger and major blow to my ego. I felt like a horrible mother and my dad helped out by whispering in my ear, "you know you're a redneck when..." But, she survived.
She is not currently able to walk, but doesn't exactly know that. As a result, things get a bit nerve-wracking around here.We no longer have a coffee table, the bottom shelves of all furniture are cleared and there is no longer a need for 'accessories.' Why? Because no one will notice anything except for the primary colored toys thrown throughout the house. I was once a member of the 'no toys outside the playroom' club (pre-motherhood). now, the fastest way to get her occupied while i do anything is the name of the game. in fact, toys in every room is ideal. don't worry, i still pretend we aren't a toy store when people come over.. but its allll a lie.
But anyway, she's moving and shaking and we couldn't be more excited. I'm not sure if she'll be walking before her first birthday, but signs are pointing to YES!
The craziness doesn't stop there. I'm still juggling a career (albeit, part-time at this point) and I'm now teaching a class at St.Mary's this Fall. I'm really excited to be back in the classroom teaching and St.Mary's gave me a great opportunity to teach Masters and Doctoral level students. Teaching students who actually care... who woulda thunk it. It is refreshing to have these students because they are eager to learn and I think most will be great therapists. Therefore, it becomes exciting to contribute to their education. I'm not sure if I'll continue to teach because it takes me away from family time in the evening, but for now, its a fun thing to be involved in. And don't you worry your pretty little heads, there is plenty of time for Pinterest. Because, honestly, I know my priorities.
Example #1:
My private practice is going well. I'm as busy as I would like to be right now, which is a good thing. When Chloe heads to school (and if I decide I won't be going with her everyday...haha, I kid. Sort of. But, I've got some time to work on boundaries), I will pick up speed with my practice. For now, I'm trying to push my client load into three days a week so that I can be home with Chloe two days. It's really nice, but I must admit, I'm WAY less tired on the days I work outside of the home. I think a lot of parents can relate, especially when you have super active children. But, Chloe days will always be my favorite.
In the meantime, Andrew, my dad and brother-in-law are riding in the MS150 in a few short weeks. *YIKES*. Although, I haven't been training. And by 'haven't been' I mean, REALLY haven't gotten on a bike. I'll be fine (so says my dad). I have run into some serious problems with finding time to ride hours at a time. The problem at hand is Chloe. I'm still breast-feeding and would need to ride early in the day, so as to beat the heat. Because she's usually asleep and not many people want to show up on Saturday morning at 7a.m. to babysit, it's usually Andrew that gets to ride. It's not a problem now, but my calves may call 'mercy' at about mile 50. We shall see. I'm super excited though. On top of that, I'm still trying to prepare for the Rock 'n Roll half marathon in November. I'm not really training hard for that either yet... 4 miles is about it..................Oh, never you mind.
On a more positive note, however, Andrew is still amazing. He is the best father to Chloe and I cannot imagine going through this journey without him. Her face lights up when she sees him (almost as much as mine). He's working hard and enjoying what he does. I actually feel sorry for him because he doesn't have Chloe days like me. I'm very, very, very lucky and I know it. For example, tonight as I finished up this blog he came into the room, threw a godiva dark chocolate square at me and said, "Congratulations on being awesome" and promptly left. Just me and my chocolate. He knows the way to my heart. Hottie Husband rocks.
And we are busy bettering our home by FINALLY getting grass in the backyard. I've decided I'm tired of the ugliness and so Patrick (www.theperennialpotter.com) is helping us out tremendously by having his guys spend some time at our house putting in new grass. We thought.. what a better time to put in grass than in the middle of a Texas summer drought? Am I right?!? Haha, nevertheless, its looking great. Here are some pictures of the day they started putting it in. I need to go back and take some 'after' pics. It's looking nic e.
So, here's the recap. We are great and we have great grass. But, this year and all things coming are great, too!
We are looking foward to the upcoming arrival of Chloe's cousin, Luke (Patrick and Andrea's son) who is due November 20th. We are hoping for a turkey baby because Thanksgiving in the hospital would be a fun little adventure. Plus, I bet they have good pumpkin pie. It just seems like something a hospital could do right. Jello and pumpkin pie. We'll see. We are also looking foward to my sister-in-law, Amanda, and her fiance Joe's wedding, November 3rd. Lots of fun showers and parties surrounding both events to finish up the year. And then next year, February 2nd, is the fabulous wedding of Taylor & Alisha. I am so eager to see what beautiful concoctions they come up with for their big day. They are both so incredibly talented and creative. I adore all six of my siblings. We are so pumped!
Lastly, I'll leave you with a few Chloe facts and some of her latest pictures. We need to get some family pictures done, but I'll figure that later. Maybe before she leaves for college...fingers crossed.
Chloe at 9 months:
-1 bottom tooth and 1 on the way
-loves bathtime (only because water faucets are her new best friend)
-favorite chew toy: anything by david yurman. (not kidding)
-favorite foods: anything mixed together that sounds disgusting (i.e. turkey, mango, spinach & pears)
-rolls her R's when she's angry (like she's speaking Spanish)
-is no longer sleeping through the night (thanks, tooth)
-only likes to read books if she can eat them while you read.
-loves people. anyone. everyone. she will go to anyone (thank heavens).
-flaps her hands when she's happy. maybe she's a bird- i haven't checked.
-loves drinking water out of straws
-is wearing 12-18 month clothing. lord help us.
-says mama when she's angry and doesnt know it
-loves playing airplane with her daddy
-is the cutest baby ever (oh, did i write that?)
So now that she's 'pseudo walking' we have to put up walls. This was Uncle P's solution.
*which did not work whatsoever*
this is now standard: she must hold the sippy cup on its side, while eating anything. obviously, she is a bit strange, she is, afterall... my child.
she who stands, can do anything. including, mess with a 8 foot painting
which is now going to need a new home in the house.
contrary to popular belief, no animal was harmed in the baby kissing act. just cuteness.
love my girl. and her fly away bow.
playing airplane with daddy. yes, we know this airplane is currently upside down. you have to be ready for anything at our house.
Here I am reminding Chloe that she can still attend Southwestern AND be a Longhorn. That's completely acceptable and recommended.
However, tuition has at least doubled, and thus,
she will need to either be a genius or play women's golf.
Hook 'Em Horns! Chloe's first UT game.
Always amazed by everything. I hope this never changes...
My favorite moment...
Talking. Constantly talking. She must get that from her father's side.
And now, i'd like to take a brief moment and show you a few pics from the monica/chloe/bow photo shoot. Auntie Mon wants Chloe to wear a bow for a cute picture. Chloe had a different idea....
Results: Auntie Monica- 0, Chloe- 1
We took a quick trip to Austin to hang out with Andrew while he attended a conference. It was an absolutely perfect day filled with lots of time with amazing friends.
peace, erin
