I must confess that I have a new obsession…making bows! They are so stinking cute, how could I not!? I love them! They don’t have to be for Chloe either (although she has a ton–don’t worry); they can be for anyone! I now want all my friends to have baby girls so that I can give them bows. Here are a couple of pics of recently made hair accessories! (If you need bows, let me know! I can’t wait to make more!)
Chloe Faith has officially been a part of our lives for 4 months! Incredible! It is hard to imagine what life was like before having a living, breathing human to take care of all the time. I am sure we had a lot more free time, but a lot less kissies! Chloe’s favorite things right now include the afore mentioned kissies, her swing, screaming and/or squealing at the top of her lungs, drinking lots of milk, eating her hands, attempting to get her toes, playing with mommy’s hair, giggling, taking in all of the lights and colors at Target, and playing with daddy. She is very much a perfect combination of both Jeremy and I. She has his zany desire to talk to herself and make up songs–I can’t wait until she actually has real words to do this with, and his general love to laugh. She has my love of Diet Dr. Pepper (I had an empty can resting in the same arm as her, and looked over to see her licking up the DDP on the rim) and Ryleigh (our golden retriever–Chloe loves to grab her hair and then bury her face in Ryleigh’s coat…so cute!). Chloe is an oh so expressive child and you never have to wonder what she is feeling. When happy, she is an absolute joy. She is full of laughter, giggles, and smiles! It is so heart melting! When not so happy…we’ll just say she is not shy. She scream squeals and stares you down until you have distracted or comforted her. It is slightly humorous and earsplitting! We love our precious baby and the addition she is to our world! Both Jeremy and I are amazed at the way she has added to our love for one another and our love as a whole! Yay for Chloe!
This past week, Chloe caught her first cold! It has been so sad to hear her little sniffles and sneezes! The good news is that the cold is almost gone, and she is getting back to her happy little self. I am convinced that part of her speedy recovery was due to three things: 1) elevating her mattress (a trick learned in the NICU) 2) the cold relief bath from Johnson & Johnson (thank you to Jeremy’s mother) and 3) my diligence with the bulb of doom. What is the bulb of doom you ask? Well, as I wrote in one of my earlier posts, it is the squeezable bulb that sucks out all of the little boogies from inside of one’s nose. It is kind of like an advanced nose picker if you will. If you recall, Chloe hates it and believes with all of her little heart that I am trying to suck out her brains instead of her boogies and acts accordingly. As she has gotten bigger, however, her fight has grown too; so a raging battle ensues each time I try to clean her nose (which has been 5 times a day during her cold). Let me illustrate the scene:
Me: I place smiling, happy baby down on changing table.
Chloe: Smiles and laughs because she thinks she is getting changed and loves to be naked.
Me: I remove bulb of doom from the drawer.
Chloe: Sees the bulb and begins to growl.
Me: I ready the bulb and begin to lower it towards Chloe’s nose.
Chloe (who is apparently rather attached to her boogies, begins to do 3 things): 1) Swat at the bulb and my arm trying to divert it from her nose 2) Sensing failure on the first avenue, tries to sniff all of the boogies that I am sucking out back in 3) In final attempt at victory, tries to eat the boogies that are now just above her top lip.
Needless to say, the whole episode is part hilarity and part madness. Usually, I win the war by pinning down her flailing arms with the hand that contains the nose bulb and having a tissue in the other hand to quickly keep her from sucking the boogies up or eating them. However, once in awhile she is victorious and gets to keep her boogies. One day, she will thank me…
I wish that I could install a camera on my head that would allow me to post all of the precious things about my daughter. A photo just doesn’t do everything justice. I would capture the way that she giggles and squeals when her daddy comes home. I would snap a photo of her chubby little legs all squeezed inside her baby leg tights. I would take a picture of the way she looks at me as if to say “What?” as she nibbles on her toes at bath time. There would be a photo of her dimpled little bottom, the way she rubs her eyes when she is sleepy, and the crooked half-smile she gives when something is slightly amusing to her. I would publish a shot of her pouty face and the look she gives Mr. Owl as she climbs into her carrier. There would be a picture of the bright-eyed smile she gives when she wakes up from her nap and the sleepy grin she gives as she drifts off in my arms. My daughter is a blessing and I will treasure these simple moments forever.
It has been such an amazing year and we are so thankful for all of the blessings in our lives! Thank you for your love and support throughout our entire pregnancy and Chloe’s little life! We are so thankful to have friends and family who surround us with love and prayer. Have a blessed Christmas!
So the other day, Chloe found herself in the mirror, and lots of flirting ensued! It was so cute to watch as she smiled and cooed at herself for almost 15 minutes! Here is a short little clip of her hamming it up!
As you can tell from the photo, it has gotten super chilly here in Norman, Oklahoma. For the past 2 days, it has been under 32 degrees outside. So, because of that, I have been forced to take my outdoor strolls inside. Luckily, the YMCA here in Norman allows strollers on their indoor track. The catch is that the track is upstairs and there is no elevator. Usually, Jeremy meets me there to help me carry the stroller up the stairs and to walk with Chloe and I. However, today, he was busy, so I decided that I would try to brave the feat myself. I successfully carried both Chloe and the stroller up the stairs and was feeling very proud, and then it happened… I was bundled up from being outside, and decided to just go ahead and remove my outer layers on top of the stairwell (that is open to the entire gym) instead of trying to hassle with doing it on the track. As I went to take off my sweat pants, I grabbed both my pants and my shorts, and you guessed it…pulled them both down! It left me standing in just my sweatshirt and my skinnies. Yup. Embarrassing. VERY EMBARRASSING! I turned bright red, quickly amended the situation, looked around for spectators, and then rushed in to the track to pretend like nothing happened. Needless to say, next time, I will be much more careful. Hope you can succeed in keeping yourself fully dressed in this busy holiday season!
Yesterday as I was bathing Chloe, I realized that she was completely unashamed about being buck-naked in front of me. This may come as no surprise to you (as babies are supposed to love baths), but it struck me and made me think. As I sat there watching her chill in her little tub, I realized that she is completely unabashed about everything with Jeremy and me. She has no qualms in letting us know when she is happy, mad, sad, scared or in need of being held. We are her sole source of everything right now, and she has no fear of us disappointing her or failing to meet her needs. She is completely vulnerable with us and completely trusting.
As I gave thanks for the privilege of getting to meet her needs, I realized that my heavenly Father wants to do the same for me. However, unlike Chloe, I rarely approach Him in full vulnerability. Like Adam and Eve, I try to conceal my nakedness from Him, fearing His response because of my insecurity. How foolish that seems when I think about how I, an imperfect and flawed person, love my daughter! There is nothing she could do that would cause me to turn away from her or to love her less. Yet I often approach God with those fears in the back of my mind. Whereas Chloe rests in our love and depends on it, I attempt to earn God’s grace through my “good” works and dutiful service. I pray that I may learn to come before Him without fear and in full dependence. I pray that I may stand in His grace and love and feel His sheer delight in me. He is good, so much better at love than me and I can stand before him unashamed.
So, this weekend is the big game of OU versus A&M. Even though we cheer for OU during every other game of the season, we become bitter enemies of them during this game! Here’s our family pic showing our Aggie support! Farmers Fight!
Chloe Faith has officially been a part of our lives for 4 months! Incredible! It is hard to imagine what life was like before having a living, breathing human to take care of all the time. I am sure we had a lot more free time, but a lot less kissies! Chloe’s favorite things right now include the afore mentioned kissies, her swing, screaming and/or squealing at the top of her lungs, drinking lots of milk, eating her hands, attempting to get her toes, playing with mommy’s hair, giggling, taking in all of the lights and colors at Target, and playing with daddy. She is very much a perfect combination of both Jeremy and I. She has his zany desire to talk to herself and make up songs–I can’t wait until she actually has real words to do this with, and his general love to laugh. She has my love of Diet Dr. Pepper (I had an empty can resting in the same arm as her, and looked over to see her licking up the DDP on the rim) and Ryleigh (our golden retriever–Chloe loves to grab her hair and then bury her face in Ryleigh’s coat…so cute!). Chloe is an oh so expressive child and you never have to wonder what she is feeling. When happy, she is an absolute joy. She is full of laughter, giggles, and smiles! It is so heart melting! When not so happy…we’ll just say she is not shy. She scream squeals and stares you down until you have distracted or comforted her. It is slightly humorous and earsplitting! We love our precious baby and the addition she is to our world! Both Jeremy and I are amazed at the way she has added to our love for one another and our love as a whole! Yay for Chloe!
I wish that I could install a camera on my head that would allow me to post all of the precious things about my daughter. A photo just doesn’t do everything justice. I would capture the way that she giggles and squeals when her daddy comes home. I would snap a photo of her chubby little legs all squeezed inside her baby leg tights. I would take a picture of the way she looks at me as if to say “What?” as she nibbles on her toes at bath time. There would be a photo of her dimpled little bottom, the way she rubs her eyes when she is sleepy, and the crooked half-smile she gives when something is slightly amusing to her. I would publish a shot of her pouty face and the look she gives Mr. Owl as she climbs into her carrier. There would be a picture of the bright-eyed smile she gives when she wakes up from her nap and the sleepy grin she gives as she drifts off in my arms. My daughter is a blessing and I will treasure these simple moments forever.
As you can tell from the photo, it has gotten super chilly here in Norman, Oklahoma. For the past 2 days, it has been under 32 degrees outside. So, because of that, I have been forced to take my outdoor strolls inside. Luckily, the YMCA here in Norman allows strollers on their indoor track. The catch is that the track is upstairs and there is no elevator. Usually, Jeremy meets me there to help me carry the stroller up the stairs and to walk with Chloe and I. However, today, he was busy, so I decided that I would try to brave the feat myself. I successfully carried both Chloe and the stroller up the stairs and was feeling very proud, and then it happened… I was bundled up from being outside, and decided to just go ahead and remove my outer layers on top of the stairwell (that is open to the entire gym) instead of trying to hassle with doing it on the track. As I went to take off my sweat pants, I grabbed both my pants and my shorts, and you guessed it…pulled them both down! It left me standing in just my sweatshirt and my skinnies. Yup. Embarrassing. VERY EMBARRASSING! I turned bright red, quickly amended the situation, looked around for spectators, and then rushed in to the track to pretend like nothing happened. Needless to say, next time, I will be much more careful. Hope you can succeed in keeping yourself fully dressed in this busy holiday season! 
