So Busy!!

This month has flown by!! It seems we have things going on every day of the week, especially lately. We are trying to get all our good-bye's in and tying up loose ends around here.

We have also had some pretty big events happen recently.

First, Clara turned TWO years old this past Sunday!!! We didn't have much of a party, but a good friend came over with her little boy and then later on we went over to some friend's house to swim. Clara had fun opening her presents and cards, but she was not happy when we sang 'happy birthday' to her. I'm not sure if it was the candles on the cake or that I was video taping the whole thing, but she was in tears until both things stopped. After that little outburst, she was happy again and loved her chocolate cake and ice cream.

She really got into opening presents. Her Aunt Melissa and Uncle Brent got her a really nice baby stroller. She loves pushing this around the house and we take it out on walks too. Clara also got a winnie the pooh packback from Grandma and Grandfather Trent which she barely took off the first 24 hours after getting! She wears it out on walks and around the house.

Swimming with Daddy across the street on Clara's birthday and Father's Day.

Going home after swimming...pushing the new stroller and wearing her new backpack.


It was also Father's day on Sunday, so Tom had a special day too. He got a new pair of plaid shorts and a new shirt which he seems to really like. He enjoyed his day off from work and relaxed a little here, ate some good food, and went swimming with his little girl. No complaints from him!

Monday was Tom's LAST shift as a resident!!! Wow - we didn't think this day would be here so soon!! The last three years have gone by so fast. It's hard to believe that Tom will soon be an attending at a very busy ER and working pretty much on his own. It's definitely not a job I could do, but Tom works really well under pressure and a constantly changing environment. Congratulations!!

Today was the big day for signing all our paperwork on our new house. We are closing long distance, so even though we do not technically close and own the house until Friday, today was our day to sign a ton of paperwork and get everything notarized. It's all in the mail and pretty soon we will be homeowners in two states!

Friday morning the mover's come to load up all our stuff. I have been doing a ton of packing and the house is about 90% packed. Have I menioned how hot it has been here?!? The heat index has been in the high 90s and low 100s and boy are we feeling it. I forgot what this heat was like. Plus today the electric company was working right behind the house and the electricity was off a couple of times for a while. Being pregnant doesn't help much in the way of feeling cool either. I'll try to update at least one more time before we move...after that I'm not sure when we will have internet again. I spent some time today trying to figure out how to get high speed internet there...there is no high speed internet through the phone company and we can't get cable out there either. Living out in the country is going to be interesting...

Biker Chick

Clara is really getting into this bike riding. She is getting the steering down a lot better than just a few days ago which means (hopefully) there won't be any (more)new dents in my car. I'm really impressed by her coordination and strength. The video isn't great...My camera skills on this video leave a lot to be desired, but this gives you an idea of Clara's progress over the past few days.



Clara turns two on Sunday! Here's a picture from today and then one from last year on her birthday.



Clara's last day of music class was today. We have been going for a year now and she really enjoys herself. Here is a picture of Clara with her teacher, Ms. Julie.

A good laugh

Clara came walking into the office giggling this morning and I thought this was about the funniest thing I had seen in a long time. Doesn't she look like something that could be in the Wizard of Oz?


In case you can't tell, this is a child's floaty thing that a kid can sit in to stay upright in the pool.

Reflection on our life here

We have about two weeks left in our house before the big move. I thought I would compile a list of what I will and will not miss about our life here.


What I will miss about P-town:

1) The friends we have made in our neighborhood, church and through Tom's residency.
Truly, they have been like family here - we have spent Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas dinners, birthdays, and many other special days together when our families were far away and we couldn't get home, not to mention all the times we just get together for no reason at all.

Good Friends Paul and Kathy

Our Sunday School Class on our goodbye cruise on the Spirit of P-town Paddleboat

2) My Mom's group at church. Every Tuesday morning I would get Clara and I up to my church where Clara got dropped off to excellent childcare and I got two hours of bible study and getting to know other great moms. It was so much fun and Clara and I both have made some good friends from my small group there.

3) YMCA workouts. The past 6 months or so, my friend Camille and I would meet up at the Y to workout together. Her son Carter and Clara are close in age and they went to the childcare area and Camille and I got about an hour to ourselves. The motivation and friendship from Camille is what I will miss because, let's face it, if I have no one to meet up with, I probably won't make it to the gym. Plus, Tom's residency paid for our gym membership the whole time we were here. So nice!

My workout buddy, Camille

4) Clara's nursery. Tom and I spent hours and hours before Clara was born getting her room ready. We painted stripes, put up wainscoating, painted trimwork, hung up quilts and pictures and shelves. My Mom and I spent a lot of time picking out fabrics, and sewing her curtains, bumper pads, diaper stacker, pillows, and several quilts. I love her room - it's so sweet and girly.

Sadly, I couldn't find a great picture of the whole nursery, but this gives you a glimpse...

5) Clara's music class - For over a year, every Thursday Clara and I go to her Music Together class with Ms. Julie. Every semester we get new CDs to play in the car and the class is so much fun with lots of different activities and songs. Clara really enjoys herself and it's been neat to see her progress and develop in the class and to learn the songs.

6) Our neighborhood. It's safe, pretty, and there are sidewalks all over. We go on daily walks with Clara and Chelsea and I'm thinking it won't be the same in our new place. We usually stop and talk to neighbors along the way which I enjoy after being home alone with only a toddler to talk to...which is fun, but just not the same.


What I won't miss about living here:

1) Living in an older home. This place needs a lot of TLC. It's a great house with a lot of character, but the upkeep can be time consuming.


2) The LONG winters. It is way too cold here for me and for way too long!! The winters seem very long and gray. I really look forward to a HOT summer and a much more mild winter.

Clara is thinking here...'When will this winter end?'

3) Lack of Restaurants. We haven't found too many places we really like to go out and eat here. Not that we will go out that much in our new place, especially once the new baby is here, but at least we will have the option when we are able!

4) The constant sirens. We live close enough to the hospital and off a busy enough road that we hear sirens throughout the day and night. We are looking forward to living in the country where it's just us and some neighbors a few acres away.

5) Having Clara's room right next to the master bedroom. Clara is a light sleeper and we tiptoe around upstairs while we're getting ready for bed and using the bathroom. Waking up a sleeping child is pretty frustrating to me! In our new place, Clara's room is upstairs and ours is on the main floor :)

6) The basement - It's partially finished, we do laundry down there and store a lot of stuff. There is constant worry when we're out of town if the sump pump is working and a host of other things.

Tricycle Ride and a Family Update

Clara is growing up! Later this month she turns two years old and I can't help to think my little baby is pretty far from that now. She will tell you she's not a baby, she's a toddler. To show how much of a little girl she is, Clara let me paint her toes yesterday and I think it's the cutest thing!!

She is also really into riding her tricycle now. She's been working on this for a while, but has gotten the hang of it now. Kind of. Her steering abilities are questionable, but she's not even two yet and she can really peddle this thing.


In other family news, Tom's new job is becoming more and more a reality. Last night was Tom's residency graduation dinner where he received a diploma for completing his residency. Then today he received his Missouri license in the mail. Congratulations honey!!

In other very good news, we had two couples look at our house today!! One couple seems pretty interested and is coming back tomorrow. While out on a walk tonight, Tom and I think we spotted them driving very slowly by our house several times. They did this a few times and the car they were in had out of state plates. Hmmm....hopefully they really like our house! How could they not...it's so cute! We are praying for a reasonable offer so we don't have to maintain two houses for any long period of time.

20 Week Sonogram: It's A...

Surprise!!

Sorry to get your hopes us, but Tom and I decided recently to wait on finding out the sex of this baby until his or her birthday. I had my 20 week appointment today and the sonographer said the baby looked wonderful. She counted 10 fingers and toes, saw the 4 chambers of the heart, looked at the spine and stomach and the facial features. She thought everything looked healthy which was all we really wanted to hear. I may not feel as much movement with this baby as I did with Clara due to the position of the placenta. I'm a little disapointed about that, but I'm feeling little flutters so hopefully I'll still get my share of kicks throughout the next four and a half months.

Here are some pictures from my visit today.

My doctor thought the baby was a girl with a heart rate of 186 beats per minute.