Back to work tomorrow for me.....

What a busy week we've had with Santa and all. We picked up Tim and Deb from the airport during the week after their trip to New York. Deb was pretty hapy because it snowed while they were there and that was what she really wanted to see while there. Also during the week Grandpa Traynor was in town until Christmas with a load going through to North Carolina. Christmas Eve we ventured over to La Cantera to get the girls photo with Santa. Unfortunately after lining up Amy was not having any part of a Santa photo. It was so strange because as we lined up she seemed all excited and even tried to walk up to Santa with the group of girls in front of us. But when it got to her turn she was clinging to me for dear life. Since I used to be that way myself when I was younger I wasn't going to force her to have a photo taken so she got some jingle bells from Santa and happily waved bye-bye to him from the safety of Aunty Deb's arms. Meanwhile Uncle Tim and Mummy had their photo taken with Santa. Last time we did that together I was 17 and heading off to Uni. So after our long morning at the shops and picking up last minute groceries we came home and decorated Christmas cookies that Grandma Mary-Ann had sent Amy. You can see from the photo that Amy did a great job decorating these. She must have because we left the cookies out and some milk for Santa and to Amy's surprise in the morning Santa had been!

Amy wasn't too sure what to make of it at first but Caitlyn seemed to enjoy herslef all morning. Although she did take a nap about half way through the present unwrapping. Everyone did really well with presents from Santa and family. The girls now have a complete playroom with furniture, storage and toys. Daddy Daycare will be in full swing starting tomorrow. The rest of the day Deb and I cooked the ham, turkey, sides and dessert for Christmas dinner. Needless to say with a 3lb turkey and 6lb ham you can imagine what we have been eating ever since Christmas day. The day after Christmas Deb and I went and had manicure/pedicures done and then went out for a coffee. In the afternoon we all went down town for a walk along the Riverwalk to see the Christmas lights. Uncle Tim also wanted to stop at Coyote Ugly and then Aunty Deb had some last minute shopping at Macy's before they had to leave. Tim went to visit the Alamo but it closed at 5:30. Good to know for the future - luckily he had been there before. So we all headed home for some Christmas left overs while Tim and Deb packed their bags for Fiji. We dropped them at the airport on Saturday and we all then came home for a nap. Tim rang from Dallas airport and told us they had a 2 hour delay in San Antonio but should still make it to LAX and onto Fiji in time. I'm assuming they did or we have heard from them again by now. Today has been a lazy day too as I have my last day before going back to work :-( Jerad and I have installed the car seat in Jerad's car so now both vehicles are equipped to take both girls wherever they need to go. This afternoon we may head out to the Christmas sales so that Jerad can spend his Christmas gift certificate.

5 sleeps 'til Santa comes

Where has the year gone? I can't believe it is only 5 more sleeps until Santa is here. It doesn't seem like it has been a year already. I also have only 1 week left of maternity leave! Monday was a busy day - a lady I used to work with in Australia was in San Antonio at a breast cancer conference so we picked up Dianne and started the morning with a late breakfast at Mimi's cafe. Of course we had to have the pumpkin spice pancakes :-) Then we went to La Cantera and did some Christmas shopping. It was a very cold day (especially for San Antonio) so the mall was pretty much empty. Made it much more pleasant to walk around. Tim and Deb then got back home late Monday night after their trip to Dallas. Unfortunately for Tim the Giants didn't win. Tuesday was pretty quiet for us around home but we did manage to go to Bobby J's for dinner. Amy was occupied there with her burger and for some reason a little plastic cup that she kept putting on her head and then letting it fall off kept her amused for days. Wednesday we had a make-up class at Little Gym, so Aunty Deb, Jane, Caitlyn and Amy went to that. While we were doing that Tim and Jerad went shopping for baseball gear. Wednesday and Thursday were more shopping days for us. You can see from the picture that Amy was all dressed up (sunglasses) and all ready to hit the shops and have her morning Starbucks to get her through the day! Friday we took Tim and Deb to the airport as they are headed to New York for the weekend. It seems from the weather reports that it is going to be very cold up there with snow/ice as well. I know Deb is looking forward to the snow but let's hope there isn't too much ice - not very nice to walk around in that. This weekend is going to quiet again for us and we are just avoiding the shops as their are LOTS of people doing last minute Christmas shopping. I figure we can go on Monday or Tuesday when they aren't as many people. Some of the furntiure has arrived that we ordered for the girls playroom so we'll concentrate on buying some pictures for the walls and other little accessories. We also found out that Grandpa Traynor has a load coming through San Antonio, so it will be fun to have him for Christmas with us all too.

Watch me on my Sit'N'Spin!

What a busy week we have had - so much so I am writing in the blog twice this week. For those observant readers, you will notice that I have updated the blog and added some features to the left hand side of the blog:

For some of us working out the time difference between San Antonio and elsewhere is sometimes a little tricky. So I have added a feature "Is it OK to call now". It shows the time and date in San Antonio and also the time and date of our friends and family in Australia and the UK. My brother Tim also told me that he and Deb also have a blog so I have added a link to their blog. Lastly I added a gadget whereby you can list yourself as a "Fan" of this blog (or follower). Just thought it may be interesting to see who keeps up to date with the Clay Clan.

Amy is still getting over her cold so we are all having a day at home today while Tim and Deb have gone up to Dallas. We were in the girls playroom this morning and Amy went and grabbed her Sit n Spin. She has had it for a few months and typically we need to sit her on there, hold her there and spin it for her. But not today......you'll see in the video that she has mastered spinning herself around and pressing the button so that the music plays.

Yesterday we all went to Little Gym and Amy had to show off her Aunt and Uncle to all the kids at the gym. She was having a great time showing them her forward rolls, hanging from the bars and using the balance beam. The funniest part was at the end with the good-bye song she was off playing with Uncle Tim when we all started singing the song and she started doing all of the actions for it then walks up to the middle of the red mat (in front of everyone), sits down with the instructor and shows everyone how to do the actions for the song. It was hilarious to sit and watch.

Anyway, just wanted to share more video and alert you all to some new features of the blog!

Uncle Tim and Aunty Deb arrive!!

On Sunday night we went to the airport to pick up Uncle Tim & Aunty Deb. They had had a LONG flight from Sydney, LA and Dallas. Monday they had a lazy day at home basically. I took Caitlyn for her 2 month check-up and also dropped by work to deliver some Christmas presents. Amy and I had made some gingerbread men and rumballs for my co-workers. Caitlyn is doing well, she now weighs 10lb 13oz and is 22in. She does have some dry skin and the doctor is concerned she may be a little allergic. So we have changed bath soap and lotion and we'll see how she does. Tuesday we took Tim and Deb around to the stores to pick up some Christmas bargains out at Alamo Ranch. Deb also had fun buying candy that she can't get back home in Australia. Luckily for Deb most of it contains peanuts so it sucks to be Tim!! (He is allergic)

Unfortunately this week we had a sick little Amy :-( Mummy has had the Vicks Vapor rub, suction bulb and tissues working overtime and went out and bought a humidifier for her room. It seems to have helped, but needless to say she skipped swimming this week. On Thursday night we all went out for dinner to Joe's Crab Shack and had so much food and leftovers - it was a fun night. Today was more shopping of course. Tomorrow is Little Gym and then we'll take Tim and Deb to pick up their rental car so they can head up to Dallas for the Giants game.

Little Miss Amy has had a real blast showing Tim and Deb around the place. You can see in the picture she has her Uncle Tim wrapped around her finger. She has also been helping Deb look through the different catalogues and plan our shopping days! I think she will miss them when they go to Dallas and then for their trip to NYC.

Well we'll just keep on counting those sleeps until Santa comes :-)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This week certainly had its' ups and downs. We all had a nice day at the zoo again during the week and Amy seems to be enjoying herself more and more each time we go there. We also went and had our holiday photos taken and as always Amy looks the best in all the pictures. I really liked the girls having matching little red dresses!! After the photos is when the day went south. Mummy had stopped at Walgreens and not only did she lock the keys in the car.........but also the girls. I ran like a frantic woman into Walgreen's to call Jerad to come with the spare key (he is of course on the other side of town). He made it there in record time though. This is the first time I have ever locked keys in a car - so of course I top it off by locking the kids in there too! Amy was distressed over the incident, but a trip to Applebees with some chocolate milk and burger made her all better. Mummy of course had a beer.

Also during the week we had swimming and Little Gym. Amy did really well at swimming this week, especially with her kicking. Caitlyn attends for moral support too. Caitlyn is off to the doctors on Monday for her 2 month appointment. She must have gained another 3-4lbs at the rate she is growing (we'll find out soon). Yesterday Amy and I made gingerbread and today we are making rum balls. Today we are also just doing some housework as Tim and Deb arrive tonight. Not sure what we will do while they are here - we'll see what they feel like I guess. Jerad is off to play golf on this chilly morning and I need to go and the girls ready for the day. I'll post again soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a Happy Turkey Day! Since the last post we have been busy with Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas. As you can see Amy has got into the Christmas spirit with her Santa PJ's. In case you can't read her shirt it says "Whatever Santa doesn't bring me Grandma will". Thanksgiving was pretty quiet with just the four of us but we still indulged in all the good food :-) The girls and I have done more Christmas shopping and today Amy was a HUGE help to mummy with putting up all of the Christmas decorations. Of course when it came to decorating the tree she would put all the decorations on one branch (at her height) and kind of throw them at the branch thinking they would somehow magically stick to the tree. It took some convincing from mummy to explain that we needed to spread out the decorations.

We've also made progress this week with converting the upstairs game room into the girls playroom. We sold the pool table so now we just need to sell the gamepod chairs and the girls will have about 1/3 of the top floor to use as their play area. I've started looking for furniture and activities for them up there. It will truly be a Daddy Daycare!

On Tuesday this week we are all going to get some professional photos taken. So you guessed it - they'll be included on our Christmas cards! Well not much else to report this week, will post again next week.

Dad and his girls

I finally have been able to post a picture of Jerad with his hair cut-off!! The bonus is that his two girls are in the shot too. It's a pity Amy had her eyes shut though. Another quiet week for us - we pretty much just stayed home. I worked on some odd jobs around the house and both Jerad and I cleaned out our closets and donated 3 trash bags full of clothes to Goodwill. I have my 6 week post-partum follow-up this morning, so hopefully all is well there.

Caitlyn keeps growing and changing each day. We can really see a difference in her face as it fills out more. She has also started to smile a lot which is very cute. She is starting to outgrow some of her newborn clothing because her legs and arms are too long. It's also great to see Amy interacting with her all the time. She is always wanting to give Caitlyn kisses. She also helps with diaper changes, dressing her and holding her (with help from mummy or daddy of course). While I don't want them to grow up too quick I am looking forward to a time when they can play together. I think they will be really close with each other. I was worried that Amy might be a little jealous of Caitlyn but she has adjusted really well.

Next week I will be planning on finishing most of the Christmas shopping, now if only I knew exactly what I was going to buy.......Then before we know it Tim and Deb will be here for their vacation. They arrive on the 7th and then they have a trip to Dallas planned to see the Giants beat the Cowboys (I'm not a Giants fan but no-one in this household is a Dallas fan, that's for sure!); they also will be flying to Washington DC to see some friends and while there have a side trip to New York planned, then it is back to San Antonio for Christmas before heading home again. They certainly have a busy schedule while they are here. I also have to start planning what to do for Christmas dinner for all of us. So it looks like a lot of planning for me next week.

Too cute not to share

Just recorded this today as Amy showed us her big sister skills. I was warming up some milk so we could see for the first time how Caitlyn would take a bottle. While I was doing that Amy helped look after her little sister. What was even cuter but we didn't get on camera was Amy sitting on the couch feeding Caitlyn the bottle!

Can't believe it's November already

No photos this week I am afraid - we've busy and I've been slack and haven't really taken any. I promise I'll do better next week. Our week started on Monday with taking Grandma Liz to the airport so she could go home. Amy was pretty bummed that she left but she handled it well (for a toddler). Tuesday we all just stayed at home until it was time for swimming lessons. She is getting better but still apprehensive about putting her little face in the water to blow bubbles. Since it was such a nice day on Wednesday we all went to the zoo with a packed lunch. We had fun walking around the zoo and showing Amy all the animals. It was a busy day there with a number of bus loads of school kids, but it was still fine getting around and seeing the animals. Jerad then went for a ride on the train with Amy while Caitlyn and I went and found a table in the park for us to eat lunch. Thursday was just another day at home.

Friday was Caitlyn's 1 month check up - she now weighs 8lb 12 oz (so nearly 3 lbs in a month!) and is 21 inches long. She is certainly growing like a weed. The doctor was very pleased with how she is doing and commented how strong she seems to be with holding her head up and her firm grip she has. She warned us that Caitlyn may roll over etc sooner than average - so we need to be careful. I took Amy to the appointment as well so that she could see that not every time you go to the doctors you get needles. That is all poor Amy associates with the doctors at the moment as she has only ever been for her regularly scheduled check-ups which at her age involve vaccinations (i.e. never been sick to go to the doctor for any other reason). Saturday was of course Little Gym. Some sad news there - Miss Vickie is leaving after next week to go into the air force. She has been Amy's instructor since we started going there, so that is a bummer. On the plus side though Amy was invited to Blake's 2nd birthday party next week out at Medina Lake. Looking forward to that, although mummy will need some help in selecting a gift for a 2 year old boy - I have no idea what to get! Lastly, Sunday started with the girls walking to the park then coming home and helping daddy plant some flowers in the window boxes. It's hard to believe it's November already and before we know it Christmas will be here.

Halloween 2008

Another busy week for the Clay Family. During the week Mum and I took the girls to the San Antonio Zoo. It was a fun day for all (Caitlyn slept the whole time basically). Amy was a little unsure of most of the animals and mainly observed them from a distance. I have paid for a family membership there so we can go as many times as we want until the end of October next year. I think it will be a fun thing to do throughout the year and they have different activities on over the year too. After we had looked around the zoo Amy and I went for a ride on the train around Brackenridge Park. It was well worth the wait and Amy enjoyed it too.

But the highlight of the week would be Halloween of course. Amy dressed up in her Little Red Riding Hood costume in the afternoon and then hit Welsh Valley to go trick or treating for the first time. She was so adorable and even though she couldn't say "Trick or Treat" she smiled, waved and blew kisses to everyone. She certainly was able to fill her little basket with candy. We then came home so we could hand out candy to the other trick or treaters. Amy helped me hand out candy to the first three or so but then was sick and tired of getting up and down to open the door so just sat on the stairs and watched from there (still waving to people though :-) Caitlyn also enjoyed the festivities by sleeping on Grandma's lap. You can see her stash of candy too!! Amy also got to have her first taste of chocolate and loved it!! Our neighbors also stopped by earlier in the evening with a basket FULL of candy for Amy. We were shocked, we thought they were going to let Amy just take a piece or two but the whole basket was for her. Needless to say I am sure her father will help her finish off some of it.

This is Mum's last night with us and she heads home tomorrow. I'm not sure who'll be more upset - her or Amy. I think they have both enjoyed the visit. It will be a shock for poor Amy to not have her Grandma here to wait on her hand and foot.

2 week check-up

Another busy week for our household. The picture I attached this time is Caitlyn in her crib with the doll that we bought for Amy when Caitlyn came home from hospital. The doll is bigger and heavier than Caitlyn!!

Monday was Caitlyn's 2 week check-up - she is doing just fine and had gained 1 lb (now 6lb 13oz), although this was with her diaper on and I had just fed her. So maybe she is a few ounces less. She needs to go back on the 7th November for her 1 month appointment and will get some vaccinations then. Tuesday was Amy's swimming lesson and she is doing so well. She certainly seems to be enjoying it more each week. On Wednesday the girls, Grandma Liz and Mummy went up to San Marcos to the outlet malls to buy Amy her winter wardrobe as she is outgrowing all the clothes she has. We certainly found a lot of bargains and in the process I was able to get both girls really cute matching red holiday dresses for our Christmas photos. Thursday I had a dental check-up in the morning and Friday I had a follow-up with Dr Washington. All is fine, he is happy with the healing of the incision, blood pressure is fine and I only have 3 lbs to lose to be back to pre-pregnancy weight (was already back in my jeans after 1 week!) Thank heavens for having little girls :-) I have to go back and see Dr Washington in about 4 weeks for another check-up and then that should be my doctor visits done. Saturday was of course Little Gym and then we all went down to the local park for Harvest Fest. Amy got to try on her Halloween costume for the first time and she looked so adorable. The festival itself was a bit of a disappointment but I think Amy enjoyed seeing the baby animals in the petting zoo they had set-up.

Settling in at home

On Monday Caitlyn will be 2 weeks old, time just flies by. Each day we are getting more settled at home and have somewhat of a routine. Amy is adjusting really well and is always wanting to give Caitlyn kisses and help mummy with diaper changes etc. She seems to really like being the big sister. Caitlyn is doing well and is feeding / sleeping well. Although she of course prefers to sleep in mummy's arms rather than her crib. But each night she is getting better at sleeping for longer periods in her crib.

On Thursday Jerad had a job to do in Fredericksburg so we all went for the drive up there, looked through some stores and had lunch before driving home. Today Amy is off to Little Gym (as we do every Saturday morning) and today we will take Caitlyn along too. Monday will be a busy day as I need to see Dr Washington for my 2 week foll0w-up appointment, then I need to take Caitlyn to the TNI building for her follow-pu newborn screening tests, then in the afternoon take Caitlyn to her pediatrician for her 2 week follow-up. Very much a Dr day on Monday. Not much else to report this week...........

Amy's officially a big sister!!

The last 2 weeks have gone by so quickly. I spent most of my time just doing last minute things for the baby's room and trying to get things finished up at work before I go on maternity leave. Jerad and I have also been trying to explain to Amy that her little brother or sister would be arriving soon. Grandma Liz arrived from Australia on the 4th October and is going to stay for 1 month to help us with Amy and the new baby. Amy certainly likes have Grandma Liz giving her full attention and doing whatever Amy wants to do each day! Somehow I don't think Grandma minds though :-)

Well the wait is over................on Monday night at 6:34 Amy's little sister arrived!! Caitlyn Taylor Clay was delivered by c-section and both mum and baby are doing fine. Caitlyn weighed 5lb 13oz and is 19" in length. We will be getting discharged today. I have attached 2 photos - one is of Amy kissing mummy's belly before we drove to the hospital. We'll see how excited Amy is to have Caitlyn at home vs just visiting her at the hospital. The other of course is Caitlyn. Will write more later :-)

Only 2 weeks to go.............

It's been a while since I updated this blog and September has been a busy month for us it seems. I guess the most "shocking" news is that Jerad had all of his hair cut-off!! He went out one afternoon after telling me he was getting a hair-cut (i.e. trim) and he comes home with his long hair all gone (13" pony tail). He's donating his hair to locks of love. I'll have to get a photo of him to post for everyone as I'm sure most people are only used to seeing his long pony tail.

In the last few weeks Amy has also started going to swimming lessons. There is a local gym near us that has the infant classes, so Jerad takes her on Tuesday afternoons. We thought it was a good idea to get her used to the water since a recent trick of hers in the bath tub is to try and put her nose/face in the water. The first lesson she was a bit unsure which makes sense with it all being new and it is noisy in those indoor pools. Her lessons last through the end of the year so I'm sure each week she'll get more comfortable with it.

I of course have continued to have follow-up doctor appointments. They did an ultrasound the other week and everything is going fine. I still measure small but not that small that they are concerned etc. I now go every week for an appointment until I deliver. I can't believe it's only 2 weeks away. It will be interesting to see how Amy reacts to having a new brother or sister. She cuddles and kisses my belly each night but i don't think realizes the belly will be gone soon and she'll have a little person to cuddle and kiss.

For the last couple of months I have had trouble uploading video - so I have included a test one here to see if it is working. It's not the clearest video but it is one of Amy taken this week "dancing" to one of kiddy shows on TV.

Enjoying the long weekend

You have to love long weekends - so yay for Labor Day weekend. I had another trip to Boston this week for a meeting on Wednesday. Once again we were delayed on the trip up there but fortunately while stuck on the plane I sat next to a nice gentleman (Jeff) who is a VP of Mergers & Acquisitions with Johnson & Johnson. He has a grand daughter who just turned 1 so we spoke a lot about Amy and his grand daughter Mackenzie! It was good to get home though and know that it would be my last trip before I go out on maternity leave.

School went back this week in San Antonio and Amy was supposed to start at Mother's Day Out. Unfortunately on Thursday we found out that there had been an error made and the class she was enrolled in was overbooked. So she didn't get to start there. Jerad and I will keep looking to see if there is a similar program at another church nearby. Amy did however start in the Beast class at The Little Gym. It's the next class up which includes children 19 months to 3 years. The class is much bigger than her Birdies class but she still seemed to have fun and does know some of the other kiddies already.

I spent yesterday putting together the crib, change table and chest of drawers for baby #2 - so the room is coming together. I also am in the process of sorting through Amy's old clothes she wore as a newborn and getting some of those ready too. Amy and I had a big shopping day yesterday too. After Little Gym we went to Best Buy to pick up Daddy's birthday present (TomTom - GPS navigation for his car). We thought he would appreciate it when he has all those deliveries to do out to the middle of nowhere. After that we stopped in at La Cantera and using some of Mummy's birthday money from Grandpa Jeffrey we bought some Clinique cosmetics. Then on Sunday morning Jerad went to play golf so Amy and Mummy went out for breakfast before we did the grocery shopping. Amy enjoyed her raisin toast and cup of milk while Mummy essentially had the works! The funniest thing happened after grocery shopping as we were loading up the car though. There were 4 teenage boys collecting all of the grocery carts - Amy thought she would be cute and wave to them. They were all smiling at her and waving back until a group of teenage girls came by - I guess it wasn't too cool then to be waving and cooing at a baby.

Well not much else happening - just catching up on jobs around the house and will be enjoying the day off tomorrow. On Tuesday I have my next follow-up with Dr Washington and have another ultrasound then.

18 months old

Our little girl turned 18 months old this week!! She therefore had another visit with her doctor and another vaccination. She wasn't too happy about that part of the visit! She has now broken the 20lb mark and is 21lb 8oz / 31.5 in tall. So she is average height for her age and in the 10th percentile for weight.

Mummy also had another doctor check-up this week and things are going well. I did pass the 3 hour glucose test (in fact all 4 samples were within normal range). Dr Washington is still wanting me to gain more weight (well the baby really - I am measuring a little bit small). At the next visit they will do another ultrasound so I guess we'll have some more measurements from that.

This week I ordered the new crib, change table and chest of drawers. I was going to get cherry colored but decided to get white (mainly because we have the plantation shutters in the room and they are white - so this will be a better match). The furniture should arrive in 7-10 days. We also all went this morning to have some photos taken since Miss Amy is now 18 months old and also had some updated family pictures taken. We didn't get as many shots as we would like since Amy was not too impressed today with posing for the camera (very unusual for her :-)) But we'll get more photos taken later in the year when the new baby arrives and hopefully she'll be more into it then. Other than that it has been a quiet week - Jerad had a few long distance deliveries to do so Mummy stayed up and watched the Olympics during the week. It was fun last night seeing some of the swimming finals and see Australia win the women's relay. Also very impressive seeing Michael Phelps win 8 gold at 1 Olympics. Of course I say all this while I eat my bowl of chocolate frozen yogurt on the couch!!

Bikini Babe

The weeks seem to be flying by. I had an uneventful trip to Boston (well actually Framingham) in the middle of the week. There were some delays on the trip up so I had an extra 5 hours to kill. I ended up buying a book and so far am really enjoying it - The memory keeper's daughter. I probably won't get to finish it until my next trip to Boston in 3 weeks time.

While I was away the new stroller arrived so we put it together on Thursday night. Amy seemed to really enjoy riding around the kitchen and living room in it. Hopefully she'll enjoy it just as much when there is a second little person in there with her.

Well the weather is still very hot here in San Antonio and not expected to change any time soon. So yesterday I went and bought myself a maternity bikini so I could go for a swim with Amy. Don't you love the picture of her in her little swim suit scrunching her face up for the camera! My mum had sent me a birthday card with a picture of me at about the same age in my pink bikini and I guess she is right - we look similar. Amy and I also went shopping yesterday and found her the perfect little pair of red shoes to go with her dress I bought for next week when she has her 18 month photos done. I'm sure we'll see a big difference between her 12 and 18 month pictures. She also has her 18 month doctor appointment this week too. So we'll have to see how much she has grown. Nothing much else happening the rest of the week - Jerad and I are just enjoying watching the Olympics on the big screen TV. I have to say it is pretty awesome and there are so many channels to choose from here to watch the games that it is hard to decide sometimes what to be watching.

Another busy week

It's been another busy week for us. This week we enrolled Amy in the Mother's Day Out program at Helotes Hills Methodist Church. Starting in September she will go there on Friday's from 9-2. It will give Jerad a little break and when baby #2 arrives it will give him some time just with the new baby. It will also be good for Amy to interact with other kids and adults (who are not her parents). We didn't want to put her in full time day care so but wanted to have 1 day a week in a more structured environment. So this should be the perfect solution.

I also got the results of my 1 hour glucose test back and failed it by a few points so had to go for the 3 hour test on Friday. Hopefully I will pass that - the same thing happened with Amy, so I guess I just don't do well on the 1 hour test. It has also been a week for healthcare issues......I had an eye exam during the week and need glasses. So Amy and I went out today and bought a nice new pair of glasses. We'll see how I do with them and whether I decide to get contacts later. I then spent part of the afternoon (while Amy was napping) downloading songs to my iPod. Jerad had quite a few deliveries to do this afternoon so it was pretty quiet this afternoon around the house. When Amy woke up we went and checked the mail and her little Halloween costume had arrived - it looks so adorable, I can't wait to see her in it :-)

Next week I am heading up to Boston Tues-Thurs, at least it won't be as hot up there as it has been in San Antonio. Hopefully there'll be no travel delays and I'll be back on time Thursday afternoon.

11 weeks to go

Another busy week for us. Thankfully we got some rain this week in San Antonio (which was very much needed - but I'm sure those on the TX coast didn't need Hurricane Dolly). The rain really brought our lawn back to life. On Tuesday we had the front and back aerated and compost/top soil put down. So the rain on Thursday and then fine weather since that has really made a difference.

We have also cleaned out the upstairs guest bedroom and sold my old computer desk and the queen bed we had in the room. So within the next month we will go and buy a new crib and change table etc. During the week I also bought the Cadillac of all double strollers - a Phil & Ted's Dash with the double seat. It is way more than I thought I would ever spend on a stroller but I was dead against buying a side by side one and I hate the idea of having a double length. So the fact that this converts back to a single stroller once Amy is walking everywhere was very appealing to me. This one is also very light weight. I was going to hold off until the baby was born to see if we have 2 girls (in which case I was thinking of getting a pink camo one!!). However, this is a newer model with various extra features and for the introductory week it was $100 off - it only comes in red or black so we chose the red.

I had another regular check-up with Dr Washington this week and everything is going well. I didn't enjoy having to swallow the glucose stuff for the 1hr glucose screening test so hopefully I pass that and don't need to go back for the 3 hour test. I only gained 1lb in the last month and Dr Washington would "like to see if I can grow a bigger baby this time." I guess he's concerned because Amy was less than 6lb at full term and based on my weight gain with this pregnancy and the fact that the c-section will be done at 38 weeks. I'll have to see what I can do - but given the fact that I was only 6lb 4oz and Jerad was under 7lb it's not likely I'm going to have a big baby.

Today while Amy was taking a nap I also went online and bought her a costume for Halloween (I really have had a shopping week haven't I?). I bought her a cute Little Red Riding Hood costume. Now I just have to get her a little basket and I was going to try and dress Buka up as the wolf to go trick or treating with her :-)

Back home and back to reality

The Clay family reunion on 4th July was a success and I think everyone had a good time catching up with each other. Jerad, Amy and I stayed another few days with Traynor and Donna-Ra before heading back to TX. The picture I have included is Amy sitting out Donna-Ra's garden near the fountain. On the way back we decided to take a different route home and do it over 3 days rather than 2. The first day we just drove to Albuquerque (so only about 3 1/2 hour drive). We checked into the hotel and then headed to the Old Town Plaza for lunch and look around the shops. I of course found something to buy! While in Durango I had bought some sterling silver and amethyst jewelry (ear-rings, ring, pendant and necklace) and in Albuquerque found a sterling silver bangle to go with it all. The second night we stayed in San Angelo - it was a long drive that day and we came to the conclusion that the rest of New Mexico was not that exciting and we especially would not recommend Clovis!! We had trouble even finding something to have for lunch. We made it back to San Antonio by lunch time on Thursday so it was nice to have time at home before going back to work. It was also a pleasant surprise to find that there had been some rain in San Antonio while we were gone so our lawn had not completely died as we had expected but rather there were a lot of patches of new green grass.

Summer vacation '08

Once again I have not done well with my plan to update this blog each week. Initially I was having problems uploading video to this website so I haven't been able to add the video of Amy when she first started walking - I'll keep trying though. Then I just seemed to get too busy. We left last Saturday to head to Durango, CO - Jerad, Amy, I and the 2 dogs. We took 2 days to drive there and stopped overnight in El Paso. We arrived at Grandpa Traynor and Granny Ra's on Sunday afternoon. It's certainly nice to have a break from the constant 100 degree weather in San Antonio.

On the 4th of July is a Clay family reunion and there will be about 60 people here to celebrate. Yesterday Amy helped Jerad mow the lawn using the ride-on lawn mower and she loves playing with all the puppies here. Poor Buka didn't have such a good time on Tuesday when she thought "playing" with the horses would be fun only to find out when they kick you in the mouth it hurts! Yesterday I went shopping with Donna-Ra and she bought Amy a pair of pink cowgirl boots. They are a little big right now but she will grow into them.

Our little cowgirl

Don't you love our little cowgirl!! She loves her rocking horse that she was given for her 1st birthday. She rides it each day and is even getting used to the hat (although I think this was just for the camera).

Amy is just growing up so fast - each day she is more and more like a little girl rather than a baby. She is now confidently walking all over the place (much to the dog's delight!). It is so funny when she walks though because she has her arms out for balance and while doing that has her little pointer fingers sticking out like antenna. We do have some cute video of her walking at home however, I am currently having some problems downloading the footage onto the PC. Hopefully I'll get that sorted out this weekend and I can post it next time.

On the weekend we did the usual in taking Amy to Little Gym. Next week will be her last week of the Spring semester and they have "Showtime" and she will be getting a ribbon etc. I'll definitely take photos of her showing off her Gym skills for you all. She will still go the Gym in the Summer so I'm sure she'll keep learning new things. This weekend I also bought her some swimming diapers to go underneath her bikini and I took her down to the community pool. They have a really nice covered baby pool so I thought she might to have a little paddle in the pool. She was a little unsure of it but hopefully she'll get used to it and start to enjoy it - especially in this Texas heat. She did look absolutely adorable in her bikini too!!

Last week I had a follow-up with my doctor and they have scheduled the c-section date - so the little pumpkin #2 will be here on October 6. Everything is going fine right now with no more illnesses etc so fingers crossed I stay well for the next 17 weeks. We are all looking forward to our vacation that is coming up. We will be driving to Durango, CO to visit with Grandpa Traynor and Granny-Ra. It will take us a few days to drive there and back but at least we'll get to see some places we haven't seen before.

15 month milestone

As usual the time flies by and I forget to post every week as I originally intended. Since the last post we've had a busy couple of weekends. One Sunday we took Amy to the Helotes festival (Cornyval) and she got to see some baby ponies which she seemed to like. While there she also got her first taste of cotton candy and somehow got some pieces of peanut from either mummy or daddy's ice cream. Of course we freak out because you're always warned not to give kids peanuts due to allergies. Well needless to say - she was fine and had no reaction. She of course liked the cotton candy because she could shovel that into her mouth and it just kept dissolving!!

I had a follow-up doctors appointment with a hematologist to look at my arm and it appears there is a superficial blood clot. They will not be treating it and my body will apparently dissolve the clot on it's own - it just might take 3 months I'm told!! Amy also had her first boo-boo while trying to take some unaided steps she ran into the coffee table and has a nasty little cut above her eye. Hopefully it won't leave a scar - but we'll see.

During the week Amy also had her 15 month check-up. She is now 19lb 12oz, 30in. So she only gained 11 oz since her 12 month visit but the doctor said this is not unusual given she is more active these days. Amy did not enjoy the vaccination she had to have but I am told her 18 month appointment will be the last shots she receives until she is 4.

I went out this weekend and bought paint to paint the new babies room. I of course had to choose a gender neutral colour since we won't be finding out the sex of the baby - so I have gone with a yellow colour. Now that Amy is napping I am going to tape the room and then once Jerad is home I can paint the room while he looks after Amy. It occurred to me the other day that I only have 10 more pay checks coming before the baby is born so I am starting to look at cribs, change tables and double strollers. I guess here on out I'll purchase something each pay. Luckily we won't don't need to buy everything again as we can re-use a lot of stuff Amy had like the high chair, swing, pack'n'play etc. But still there always seems to be so much you have to get.

Lots of news to catch up on........

Well so much has happened since I last posted....... I guess the exciting news is that Amy will have a little brother or sister arriving in October!! I'm due on October 20 but as it will be a scheduled c-section because of the complications last time I will probably deliver a couple of weeks early. We're going to have this one be a surprise too and not find out the gender. Many people think this one will be a boy but if you believe the old wives tale about a high heart rate in the baby means it will be a girl - well it may be a girl, the heart rate has consistently been between 150 and 170. Of course things haven't gone as smoothly with this pregnancy as last time. Two weeks ago I was admitted to hospital for 4 days with a kidney infection. I needed a lot of fluids and i.v antibiotics etc. So that wasn't too nice - and it seems I now have some irritation/infection of the vein where the i.v was inserted. So back to the doctor's on Monday for another follow-up visit.

Amy also had her first haircut last week. We really had to get it trimmed as it was in her face and uneven at the back. She did fine to start with but then started to get a little fussy. Very exciting day for a little girl!! The next day it was Luke's 1st birthday party. Luke goes to the Little Gym with Amy and that is where the party was held. I've included video of Amy at the party using the bars.

Climbing stairs

Once again I have been slack and didn't update the blog last week - sorry about that. It's been another 2 busy weeks for us and today Amy turns 14 months old!! As you can see from the video she has mastered climbing up the stairs. Jerad is trying to teach her how to get back down but she hasn't quite mastered that yet (hence the gates we have put up). Of course the dogs don't particularly like the gates but they'll have to get used to them. She is also really good at pulling herself up and cruising along holding onto the furniture. I'm sure it won't be long before she is walking on her own.

I was supposed to travel again this week but fortunately I don't have to now. It's tough being away from my little girl all week. As with any Sunday, Jerad played golf this morning while Amy and I decided to go out for breakfast to IHOP and share some yummy pancakes before going to HEB Plus to do the grocery shopping. Then we came home and baked some brownies together. This afternoon I'm sure we'll be watching The Masters.

Well not much to add this week - just wanted to share the video of Amy climbing the stairs.

Hole in One, Cruising, More teeth..........

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted - time just flies by. Since my last post a lot has happened. Jerad was very proud of himself one Sunday morning playing golf when he called me to tell me he had got a hole in one. I guess that means he needs to keep going back to play each weekend to see if he can get another one! I had another week away for work this time in Atlanta and I'm heading back there again tonight. So Amy and Daddy will have another week together.

Amy is certainly growing up more and more each week. She is crawling all over the house and pulling up on furniture cruising around the living room. Buka of course likes having a playmate who is more active :-) Amy has also started to get more teeth - she has 10 now and is of course enjoying biting into her food and mummy's finger sometimes. She is still going to the Little Gym each Saturday and enjoys seeing her friends. She seems to really like exploring all the different gym equipment and following the other kids around. She particularly likes to music and songs they play - she does like to "dance".

I have also gotten with the times and actually bought myself an iPod nano (of course I got the pink one). Since then I have had fun downloading songs from our huge box of CDs. Now I just need to workout how to make playlists etc - I'm sure it's not that hard. I can't believe how much fits onto such a small device. I'm also looking forward to downloading some of the audiobooks (particularly Harry Potter). I remember when I was little and had a Walkman (i.e. with cassette tapes!!) I'll be taking it with me tonight to Atlanta so that should make the trip go by.

Bubbles are fun

Sorry I missed posting last week - I meant to do it Sunday night but then time got away from me. It's been another fun 2 weeks in the household. Amy is certainly getting better and faster at crawling. We need to put up the safety gates now so that she doesn't "explore" up and down the staircase. We of course have kept taking her to the Little Gym where she seems to have come out of her shell more and more each week. You can see her getting comfortable with the other kids and their parents. She is also starting to use some of the sign language she has been learning. Now when she has her meals in her high chair she will use the sign for "more" if you stop feeding her. It is so cute to watch - especially with her little hands.

Nothing new for Jerad and I. Just the usual working and Jerad playing golf on the weekends. We did all go out on Friday night for a nice dinner at a local Thai restaurant though. Amy and I went out this weekend to Babies'R'Us to get a gift for a girl I work with. There is a group of us from work who all pitched in and since it is her first baby she had a lot of stuff to choose from on her registry. I have some work to finish up tonight so nothing exciting planned for the rest of the weekend.

I have added a new video as it was just so cute last night we had to tape it. Amy was getting ready for her bath and before I took her up we were playing with her bubbles. For some reason she thought it was hilarious to see Buka chasing and eating the bubbles. She gets a real little belly laugh going.

Happy Valentine's Day

Another fun week in our household. Amy continued to receive birthday gifts this week - a package arrived from Uncle Tim and Aunty Deb with more clothes and toys, a package from Grandma Mary-Ann with more clothes and her first doll, some money from Grandpa Traynor and Granny-Ra and a gift from Jackie with a toy pony and Babies'R'us gift voucher. So more shopping to be had next weekend!

Wednesday was Amy's actual birthday and she played a round of golf with Jerad then played at night with mummy. On Thursday Jerad had a delivery to Fredericksburg so we all drove up in the afternoon and had dinner at the Brewery. It was a nice drive and Amy got to have some of Daddy's dinner. On the weekend we had the gym on Saturday where Amy learned to do more front rolls and play on the air-track. She really enjoys going there and playing with the other kids - I am so glad we enrolled her in the class. On Sunday Amy and I went to have a late brunch with Jackie at Mimi's then we went and did some shopping. In the afternoon I went to the gym and Amy played in the Kid's Club. She seemed to enjoy that too. After her nap in the afternoon while we were playing downstairs Amy has finally started to crawl. She seems very pleased with herself and was clapping when she was done. She is also getting better with 'walking". When we hold her hands she can now take bigger steps, seems steadier on her feet and walks a little faster than before. In no time we'll have to put up the safety gates.

I have today off work because of President's Day so this afternoon I am taking her to get her 12 month photos done. Then on Thursday I will be taking her to the doctor to have her 12 month check-up and vaccinations.

Amy's 1st Birthday Party

Another pretty quiet week in our household. Although Amy does have 2 more teeth (one on the top and one on the bottom, both on the left side). The three of us did go to Little Gym yesterday where Amy learned how to do a wheelbarrow handstand and how to do front rolls. She did really well - some of the little boys there were kind of scared about putting their hands out in front of them and tucking their head under - but Amy did great! She of course got to explore while she was there and played on the mats and with the balls. Then we all went grocery shopping (mainly to buy party supplies).

We just finished celebrating Amy's first birthday party. She was such a good girl and had so much fun with her birthday cake. Jane Martin did a great job ordering the cake and the little polka dots matched her birthday invitations. It was just a small gathering (Mr & Mrs Young, Jennifer, Roy and Nicholas Garner, Stephen Eckert and Jane Martin - Irma and Jackie couldn't make it). She had her own miniature cake to eat and at first wasn't sure what to do but then she got the hang of it and ended up with cake in her hair and everywhere. She got some really nice gifts too - another collectible Barbie Christmas ornament, Gymboree clothes, Laugh N Learn Piggy bank, book and ride on pony with a cowgirl hat!!

After everyone left I was talking with Jerad and commented how I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. It doesn't seem that long ago I was pregnant and now she's 1. She of course gets cuter every day and I can't imgaine life without her. We are truly blessed to have such a little angel for a daughter. She may not remember much of her first year but we sure do and I have taken plenty of pictures to show her and also kept up with her baby journal. Hopefully one day she'll appreciate it.

Amy starts at The Little Gym

Today was Amy's first morning at The Little Gym! She had a great time. There were 5 other little kids there ranging from 9 - 18 months and she was fascinated watching them all. Hopefully by watching some of the others crawl and walk she will pick up what to do. During the morning they sang songs, played on the gym equipment (hang from the cross bars, partner log rolls, played with balls and bells and blew bubbles). The semester lasts 20 weeks and we'll do something different each week. Apparently next week they teach the kids some basic sign language. I've attached a picture of her before we left this morning. She was all ready to go in her track suit and sneakers! Unfortunately Jerad had to work this morning so he couldn't make it but we'll see if can get there next week.

I am continuing to plan for her first birthday party. One of the ladies I work with (Jane Martin) has offered to buy Amy's cake. So we will have a large cake for all the guests and she will get her own miniature version to eat (smash, play with ....whatever).

Our little girl was sick during the week with a cold - she of course shared it later in the week with Daddy. Even though I'm sure she felt crappy with her runny nose etc, she was a real little trooper and didn't get that fussy. The main difference in her behaviour was that she wasn't eating as much. She seems back to her normal little self now so that's good.

The rest of our weekend will be pretty quiet as I have some work to do this weekend and I'm assuming tomorrow Jerad will go somewhere to watch the Superbowl. He's cheering for the Giants (my brother will be too). I don't really care either way but it would be amazing to see the Patriots go undefeated.

Mummy's first week away from her little girl

I am back from Boston after being there all week and it was so good to see Amy and Jerad waiting at the airport. I have traveled a lot with work in the past and it is always great to get home but it seemed like I was away so much longer with not seeing Amy each night. It was fun though because Jerad would call each night as he was giving her a bath and he would have me on speaker so I could still talk to her and hear her playing in the bath tub. From what I hear she was a good girl for Daddy and slept through the night for him too. When I arrived back in San Antonio both of them were there to greet me at the airport and she was full of smiles and cuddles!!

While I was away her dresses arrived (pink/white birthday dress and a red/blue dress for 4th July). I didn't realize the bottom of her birthday dress was white but it is very pretty. So on Saturday Amy and I went out shopping (of course) and bought birthday shoes to match. After that Jerad met us once he finished his golf game and we just did the grocery shopping. Not much else exciting this weekend - Amy and I went to the Washtub to get the van washed and then all three of us went to Babe's for lunch. Amy and I also delivered her first birthday invitation to Mr and Mrs Young (neighbors across the road).

Yesterday was Australia Day - so I guess I should have done something Australian to celebrate but I was slack. So I'll have to make up for it and have a vegemite snadwich for lunch tomorrow :-) In the week that I was away Amy has also learned how to "feed herself" with her spoon. When I say feed herself I mean help you hold the spoon, take a bite and then hand the spoon back to you.

On the trip to Boston I read Iris Johansen's "Stalemate" and then I have started Jodi Picoult's "Plain Truth". They are both OK I guess but I definitely prefer Plain Truth so far.

We can't believe she is nearly 1

I didn't get a chance to update the blog last weekend so I'll try to remember what we have done for the last 2 weeks. Work has been pretty busy for me but not too much for Jerad. He hasn't had too many long distance deliveries lately but has had a few local ones all over San Antonio. He has also been able to fit in a few games of golf (from his Christmas gift - we bought him 21 games at Alamo Golf Course). He took Amy a couple of times in her stroller and pushed her around the course. Grandma Liz thinks his game was improved because other players were distracted by how pretty his caddy was ;-)

I am getting ready to go to Boston for the week next week for work. From what I hear it is bitterly cold up there at the moment but I am hoping there is not any snow as my plans are to walk from the hotel to the office each day. I'll certainly miss my little girl and this will be the longest I have been away from her since she was born. I'll be calling home every night to say Hi of course. It will also be the first time Jerad has had her all day and night on his own too. I'm sure Buka and Domino will enjoy Mummy being away as they can share my side of the bed.

We've also spent a lot of time over the last week starting to plan for her first birthday. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some cardstock and ribbon etc and have hand made her invitations. I have also bought her a pretty pink organza party dress. (see picture). I still have to get her some little shoes to go with it. Next we will be choosing which cake to make. I'm thinking of buying a "1" pan but we'll see what other ideas I come up with over the next week. Today Amy and I are off to have her 11 month photos done and then next month I'll get photos done in her party dress. She's growing up so fast - I can't believe how quickly the months have gone by.

Happy New Year

I can't believe it is 2008 already! We had a pretty quiet New Year's Eve - went to Brian's house late afternoon and had a couple of drinks and appetizers. Then I dropped Jerad at Steve's house while I came home to give Amy her bath, went back to get Jerad. Amy was down in bed by 9 and then I crashed at 10:30. Jerad at least made it until midnight and then came in to wake me up and wish me Happy New Year. There were plenty of fireworks in our neighborhood (as usual). In fact, due to the dry weather we have been having and the strong winds that night there was a small fire on some vacant land 2 blocks away from us. No damage was done to property and no-one was hurt, but I must have been out of it because I didn't hear the fire trucks at all. What party animals we are :-)

I'm starting to plan for Amy's 1st birthday since it will be here in a few weeks. Nothing too big, just invite a few friends over on a Sunday afternoon. I am thinking about handmaking the invitations so went to Hobby Lobby on the weekend to look for some nice paper and decorations. I'm also deciding what cake to make. Since I am not an expert cake decorator I thought I'd keep it simple and bake a number 1, then ice it and decorate it with pink, white and red M&M's (an advantage of a birthday near Valentine's Day means I can get a packet of them all in those colors). I found a neat gift I think I will get - it's a stack of 5 pink tins and the idea is you use plaster to make a handprint each year until she turns 5. I was also thinking of getting her a little sterling silver baby bracelet with her name engraved on it. I realize she won't remember her 1st birthday but I still want to have a special little celebration for our baby girl.

Everything else is pretty much the same here with us and the dogs (although they do miss Barry taking them for walks each day). Jerad has a load to Laredo tonight so it will be a late night for him and then he has to get up early in the morning to take me to work since the van is at the dealership getting an oil change and tire rotation. I'm sure he'll be tired tomorrow night. We did rent a movie on the weekend (Evan Almighty) - something we rarely do - neither of us liked it at all. I think because we enjoyed Bruce Almighty so much we were really looking forward to this one and unfortunately we were disappointed. I'll have to see if we can find something better next time.

Anyway, if anyone has some ideas for Amy's birthday just post a comment.