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.