Autumn Clover

Catching Up before the New Year!

2011-12-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

Much has happened over the last 6 months. I've been busy with work and starting my own coffee business. I will catch everyone up by starting with Clover's birthday in September. She turned two! She loved having her own birthday party and loved that her family was there with us to celebrate. She had a Dr Seuss theme and instead of a cake, I made cupcakes.

We took her actual birthday off of work and took Clover to the Early Works Museum. She was excited to meet the Talking Tree for story time. When we finally got to meet him, she was scared, but didnt want to leave. After Clover's birthday in September, I had my 42nd birthday the next week. She wanted it to be her birthday again. I just wanted to sleep.

So, in October we started telling Clover about Halloween. We wanted her to understand what it was all about and we found books and videos to show her. I did not want to push it on her, so I asked her if she was interested in going trick or treating. She quickly nodded her head and told me yes. Racking my brain about which costume to get, I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween. I thought she would say a cow or a duck..maybe Dora. She told me she wanted to be the Talking Tree. I thought about it for a second and was so relieved she picked out something so orginal. I got to work on her costume and had it done just in time to go trunk or treating.

The funniest thing that happened was when Clover went up to the first car and said, "Trick or Treat". A woman placed a few pieces of candy in her jack-o-lantern and Clover looked down in it and then looked up at the lady and said, "Thanks, lady!".

About a week after Halloween, Clover and I went down to Sanibel Island. My parents also went and they took their car separate from us. We traveled together and stopped at a hotel for the night somewhere in Florida. Clover loved being in a hotel and she loved that Grandma and Grandpa was there too. She kept asking me to leave our room so we could go see them in their room. We left the next morning and continued on to our destination. When we got to the condo, Clover loved the freedom she had to run around. It was not childproofed by any means, but she had lots of space to run inside and a lanai to sit or play and just look out onto the beach. We were gone for a week and she was so happy the whole trip.

I made these pants for Clover, but didnt have time to do a top.

When we were driving out of Sanibel, Clover looked out the window and said, "NO!". I asked her what was wrong. She told me she wanted to stay at the beach. I told her that I did too.

After we got back, it was time to celebrate daddy's birthday. Clover still wanted it to be her birthday, but she was happy it was his birthday.

As Christmas neared, we did the same as we did with Halloween. We read Christmas books and watched lots of shows about Christmas...and Santa Claus. She loves the book "A Night Before Christmas" and can recite many of the lines. She went to see Santa at the mall and was thrilled. She didnt know for sure what to say to him, so she just started spouting out random words, "Santa, chimney, cookies, reindeer, presents!". She enjoyed finding her presents on Christmas morning and she loved spending time with all of the Wheatley's and King's. She loves her family very much.

So what will the new year bring for little Autumn Clover? In April, she will have a little sister!

Good Fun in Guntersville Over the Weekend.

2011-06-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

We had a nice time this weekend in Guntersville. It was Ava's (Clover's big cousin) 8th Birthday! It was almost 100 degrees outside and we did some swimming too cool off. Clover got to see most of her Wheatley's. MeMe and PaPa came and so did Johnny's cousin Dana (we decided Clover will call her Aunt Dana) and her husband Michael also came out. Mike and Angel did a great job putting on a great party.

Easter Weekend

2011-05-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

Hunting Eggs at Grandma's

I have been bad about posting for holidays this year. I will follow up soon with a post of various pictures taken so far since Christmas. I do have a few I would like to share from 2011 Easter Weekend.

Most Beautiful Baby 2011

We spent Saturday in Guntersville with Johnny's family. We attended the annual Egg Hunt and Clover won first place for "Most Beautiful Baby". Her second year to win. We spent the rest of the day in Gunterville and had a great time with Johnny's family.

Hanging Out and Grandma and Grandpa's after dinner.

Talkative

2011-05-17T00:02:00.000-05:00

Clover has been talking up a storm. This morning, after Johnny passed her she pointed to him and said, "That's my daddy". Then she pointed to me and said, "momma". I said, "Yes...That is daddy, I am mommy and you are our little baby Clover and we love you very much.". She said, "I'm happy.".

It can be very surprising to see what words she has picked up here and there. Johnny handed her a small piece of granola to taste. She looked at it and felt it. Then she said, "rock". She also knows she can "rock" in a rocking chair. When I turned out her light tonight she said, "dark".

Last week I was putting on her shoes and she said, "tight". We took her to buy a new pair and I was embarrassed when the sales lady measured her foot and it was 3 sizes bigger than her shoes.

Last night she seemed to be hiding under her table. I asked her if she was pooping and she nodding her head yes. I asked her if she wanted to go to the potty and she said yes. We went in the bathroom, but it was too late. I told her that she should let us know when she needs to potty and we could help her. Then I told her to tell her teacher when she needed to potty and the teacher would help her then. Today, I got a note from her teacher saying that Clover asked to go to the potty and they tried, but was not successful. I guess Clover was listening to me and did what I asked. The teacher seemed excited for Clover and is going to work with her during the day.

Clover on Christmas Morning...2010

2011-04-13T19:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the late post. Clover had a wonderful Christmas morning and here are the pictures of her discovering her toys that snowy morning. Many of the pictures where captures taken from video.

Clover finds a set of keys in her new purse.

Santa gave Clover a new phone and left her a message on it.

Can you hear me now?

Before Clover saw what Santa brought for her.

Toys under the stockings.

Clover was a natural the first time she picked up the drum sticks.

Peeking inside to see what else might in there.

Looking at the lights.

Clover just starting to discover her toys. She loves her laptop.

Clover checking out her new keyboard.

Testing out the keys.

It makes cat sounds...Clover is making the sign for cat.

Yummy..a BANANA.

Clover was not happy when she realized it was not edible.

new laptop

Clover loves her Dr Suess books.

Clover instantly knew to sing into the microphone.

Clover loves looking at the lights.

...and touching them.

Yay, a REAL BANANA!

Potty Time?

2011-02-18T10:10:00.000-06:00

I guess it is a good thing that I don't have a pic to post with this entry. Clover has been sick this week again..this time with a double ear infection. She has been in a fairly good mood, but last night she had this crazy burst of energy that I had never seen before in her.

Because she has so many toys, I have a few big items stored on the floor of my linen closet. She went to the closet and took out some wrapping paper. She laid the roll on the floor and it rolled out into a large square. She used it as a dance floor for a good 10 minutes. She went back to the closet and rolled out all her big toys..pushing them against the wall in a row. The just giggled and smiled as she danced around the room.

I told her it was time for a bath and we started making signs for "bath time". She was really excited and I gave her a bath. While she was playing, I put together her potty chair. I told her it was her potty. She smiled, stood up and said, "Pee Pee on the Potty" and held her arms up for me to put her on the potty. She kept saying "pee pee" over and over and "potty" and she would make funny faces like she was trying hard to use the bathroom. She kept getting up and checking to see if there was anything in it. Then she got up and ran out into the hall and got back in the linen closet. She took out all the rolls of toliet paper and put them in her toy box. I wonder what she planned to do with all that toliet paper she was trying to hoard. She just gets more fun to be with every day.

King-Wheatley Holidays 2010 Christmas Eve

2011-02-10T12:39:00.000-06:00

Apologies to friends and family that have been waiting for a blog update. Clover was sick on and off for the last 6 weeks and we also had our share of sickness over the holidays. We will have more pictures ready soon.

Christmas eve, Clover went to see the real Santa.

A rough 2 weeks.

2010-12-24T03:44:00.002-06:00

Clover's daycare had an outbreak of a stomach virus and she got it. The poor thing was sick for almost a week. She got sick on a Tuesday night and I stayed home with her the rest of the week. My mom came over Wednesday night to help me give her a bath and put her to bed while I got some rest. I had gotten sick too, but with different symptoms. This caused a chain reaction, and my mom got sick too. It was bad timing, because she had surgery scheduled the next week and needed to get a lot done before Christmas and be in good condition for her surgery.

Throw up is gross, nasty stuff. I'd say its worse than cleaning up poop (like in my last post). It just kind of lingers in the air after you clean it. Icky. But when it comes, you have to react fast. Clover didn't know what was happening. I took her straight to the sink in the bathroom and she was looking like "what the heck?" and didn't get too upset about it.

Clover and I had a lot of good times together although she was sick. She usually doesn't want to snuggle with me (she saves it for daddy). We snuggled up on the couch together and watched all kinds of kids shows on TV. "Little Bill" is my favorite. I watched a bit of the Mickey Mouse Club. It was horrible. I remember loving to watch the old episodes when I was a kid. Now it is computer generated and I was shocked when I heard Goofy say, "Whats up?....CHICKEN BUTT". I remember getting in trouble for saying that when I was a kid. I guess having your first kid at 40 creates a huge generation gap (more like 2 generations). I have friends my age that have grand kids older than Clover.

Clover was back at school by Monday and was eating very bland foods. I was so glad to get out of the house and go back to work. My mom had her operation on Tuesday and we went to see her on Wednesday night. Clover was confused and upset when she saw grandma in the hospital bed, but then calmed down when she saw that grandma was okay.

After being home with her for almost a week straight, Clover has been talking and signing more. Today I was talking to her care provider at day care and I said the word "crying". Clover made the sign for crying and then said, "crying". She also said, "bite" when I was eating my dinner and she wanted a bite. I asked her if she was hungry and she said, "hungry" and made the sign.

So, needless to say I haven't posted any pictures in the last few posts. It has been mostly puke, poop and boogies around here. I'm looking forward to our next post. We are excited about Christmas. Clover has her own tree in her room and she loves both trees. She will point and say, "tree". We are hoping we can find the real Santa before he leaves to deliver presents. We have not been able to get her out to see him due to her being sick or weather, so hopefully things will work out today. Johnny is bringing "The Night Before Christmas" to read to her before she goes to bed tonight and we will put out cookies and milk. We are spending Christmas day at my parents house and then Sunday Clover will get to see all of her Wheatleys.

Merry Christmas!

So Much Fun with Clover

2010-12-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

I always loved spending time with toddlers and had forgotten how exhausting they can be most of the time they are awake. From the time I get Clover up, fed, dressed, and out the door for daycare and then picked up, fed, bathed, play time and back to bed...it seems I am either running after her to wipe her nose, stop her from entering a potentially unsafe room, or trying to get her to stay still when changing her clothes or diaper.

Yesterday morning we woke up to crying coming from Clover's room. We both got up to check on her and when we did, had a great big nasty, stinky mess to clean. Clover had pooped and then taken off her pj pants and then her diaper. Three big balls of poop had fallen out of her diaper and on to her floor...the rest she stepped in and it got all over her feet, legs, crib and linens..not to mention her "Ducky". My first reaction was to laugh and think how smart she was to take off her pants and get that poopy diaper off right away. I contemplated taking a picture of her in the mess and decided against it. Some things are better left to the imagination. I gave her two baths and washed her hair and washed all the linens while Johnny cleaned every nook and cranny of her crib.

Clover has been having fun at "school". She cried the first few times I left her and now she is happy when I take her and really happy when I pick her up. I love it when I get there and she says, "MOMMY!" and runs to jump in my arms and give me a great big hug. She wont let me put her down until we get to the car. Last week, her class had a Christmas party and my mom and I went to be with her during the party. She was so happy to have us there and I could tell she felt special that we came. I had brought some organic muffins and treats for her to share with her class and I also brought her favorite..a banana. Santa came to her class to see the kids, but she acted like he was just another person in the room. She was more happy spending time with us than anything else going on around her.

After her party, I went home and put up our Christmas tree. I also put a tree in her room and a few decorations on the mantle. When I brought her home, she walked into the living room in amazement. She stood in front of the tree looking at all the lights and ornaments. She looked at me and then pointed to a bulb and got closer. She put her finger up to the bulb and looked back at me as if she was asking permission to touch the light. I told her it was okay and she proceeded to touch it and opened her mouth wide and let out a big laugh. She was thrilled.

On Saturday, after hearing a forecast of snow, I ran out and got Clover some acceptable outerwear and waited. There was a little snow accumulation on Sunday and after we cleaned her up, showed it to her from the window. She was very interested in it and we told her it was snow. She said, "no" and pointed to her nose. We later took her out when we went shopping. She really liked it and was trying to catch the flakes.

We took Clover to the toy store to see what she may like Santa to bring her for Christmas. She really enjoyed looking at the dolls and musical instruments. When she saw Elmo she let out a scream filled with excitement and yelled, "Mel-mo!"..she held out her arms...kind of like when she yells for me when I pick her up from daycare. I sure hope Santa will bring her a Mel-mo.

This morning we had a delay because of the weather. I kept Clover home from school for a few hours so I would have a better commute to work. We had a great time hanging out and because we weren't rushed, I really enjoyed getting her ready and feeding her. We even had time to play a little before leaving. When we went to get in the car, there was a little snow coming down. Clover was in my arms and yelling to the sky.."No"..pointed to her nose and looked at me...smiled really big and was trying so hard to grab it.

Even though being a mom is hard job sometimes, Clover is such a joy and is worth it. I'm so glad she is my daughter.

14 Months Old Today

2010-11-22T22:02:00.000-06:00

Last night, we were reading books to Clover. She got up, started walking around, played, and was doing her own thing. Johnny said, "Today, Clover is officially a toddler." I could have cried. She is a toddler.

She is doing lots of things I find really funny. Like she picked up the remote control and put it to her ear. She said, "Hello?". The she turns her head away and says, "HUH?!". Then she pretends to carry on a conversation and jesters with her hands.

She loves to impress visitors with her walking abilities. Over the weekend, my mom came over and Clover called her "Grammy" and my father "PaPa"..she also calls Johnny's father PaPa, but I think she will eventually call my dad, "grandpa".

This last week, Clover and I went to a family night at my work where they showed a movie and had food. Clover was excited to be around other kids and some close to her age. Many were excited to see her and everyone had a great time. I am so glad that my company is so family oriented. I love it.

She had lots of fun at her dad's family get together for Thanksgiving on Saturday. She got to meet lots of people that she hasn't seen yet and then we stopped by her great uncle and aunt's house (Mark and Barbara). She got to sit in Mark's lap with their dog, Andy and eat crackers. This was a big deal and ever since will ask for crackers (saying and signing).

Today Clover turned 14 months and is not feeling so great. I will be calling the doctor's office in the morning to see if she needs to go, but I hope she gets over it soon. I am looking forward to the spending the long weekend with Johnny and Clover...hoping we all get some good rest.

More Halloween Pics

2010-11-22T21:38:00.001-06:00

Before our new post, I wanted to add a few pictures from Halloween that Johnny captured. I think it really shows how happy Clover was to be "free" to move around and play without us worrying too much if she would get hurt. These were all taken at Kid Venture in Huntsville.

Halloween Week

2010-11-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

Clover had a really fun time this year at Halloween. Last week, her dad and I took her to pick out a costume. We went to a few of the Halloween themed retail stores. Johnny held Clover and when she would see a scary mask or statue, she would turn away so she couldn't see or bury her face into his chest. We did find an outfit that suited her just fine and she had fun wearing it. She was a Pink Leopard and would try to "meow" and scratch. She liked wearing the head piece and would sign 'hat' when she wanted to wear it.

The first event I took her to was the Halloween event at Earth Fare on Thursday. She loved it because she could see all the kids wearing their costumes, see her favorite people that work there, and she got to eat a banana while we were there.

Clover has been visting Jane since she was 6 months old. They are good friends.

I have food in my teeth! but enjoying the family time at Earth Fare

On Saturday, we took her to a local hangout called, "The Brick". They had a spooky band and lots of kids and adults were dancing having a blast.

Clover couldnt take her eyes off the other kids' costumes.

On Sunday, we took her to Kid Venture in Huntsville. It is kind of an indoor playground and has a section for toddlers and babies. This enviroment felt so safe and I'm sure she felt very free to get to crawl around and try the different play equipment. She went crazy for the sandbox filled with balls. She also loved jumping on the horse. This event was special for Halloween and we will definitely go back again to play with Clover. After playing, we made one trick or treat stop at her Uncle Sean's before she was too pooped to do anymore for the night. We felt very good that she had a really fun day and we were able to have fun spending it with her.

I also wanted to post a few pics from a wedding of a friend of ours that we attended a few weeks ago. It was a Rockabilly themed wedding at a drive-in movie theater. This wedding made news all over the country and internet for being so unique. We were happy to be a part of their special day.

Daddy Turns 40 next week! Stay tuned...

13 months old today

2010-10-22T18:09:00.000-05:00

Clover is 13 months old today. Last night, she took her first steps. She was walking towards her Grandma. She took one step that I got on video and she took a series of 3 that I didn't catch. I know she will be walking soon. I guess she is almost a toddler and not a baby any more. In fact, she is doing much more that I ever imagined for a 13 month old. Today I put in her favorite signing video. As soon as she realized which one it was, she signed, "signing time". I didn't know for sure what she was signing, so I paid close attention to the video. Sure enough, baby "signing time" was being signed in the intro. She saw a picture of "shoes". She looked at me and made the sign for "shoes". The way she looked at me was if she was teaching me how to sign it..and she said, "shoes". This continued for the rest of the video. She comprehends more than we know. Yesterday my mother said, "One.." and she said, "two...three". I have no idea how she knows this. We haven't gone over numbers, but maybe she got it from a song in one of her signing time videos or from books that we read. I just hope we can keep up with her.

Birthday Party Pictures

2010-10-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

I made Clover's Birthday Bandana Bunting

With Daddy

With Grandma

This was a wild baby fawn that was lost from her mother. She was very shy, but warmed up to Clover.

With MeMe and Grandma

All natural cake just for Clover.

Pure Trans-Fat tub of lard for the guests! I made that cow...it was a first attempt..just wait until next year!

Thanks to everyone for making this day so extra special

First week of October

2010-10-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy and have not even gone thru all of Clover's birthday pictures yet to post. I was feeling run-down from getting ready for the party and working at my new job. I was sick for a few days (and on my Birthday). Johnny was here for most of the week and got to spend lots of time with Clover, which really helped me. He even got me a little birthday cake from whole foods and also got Clover a little cupcake.

Clover has been going to a sitter while I am at work. She loves going to see her and has a new little friend, Jake, who is about 6 months older than she. Clover is loving her toys she got for her birthday and is so cute when she plays with them. We are giving her a few at at a time so doesn't lose interest in them.

She is now saying so many words. Today she said "cracker" perfectly and for the first time trying to say it. She will repeat just about anything you ask her to repeat. She still loves bananas and will ask for one if she is hungry. A few days ago she was walking around, holding on to the couch. She came over to me and started grabbing my toes and laughing. Then she took a little bite with all 3 of her tiny little teeth. Then she laughed really hard. She was also trying to be sneaky by getting behind me and then pulling little fly away hairs from my head..then laughing. I would turn around and she would have a huge grin on her face. I would say, "Clover! What does mommy say?"...She would shake her finger and say, "NO NO NO"..and then laugh.

Clover is definitely daddy's little girl, so I was happy to see that she was excited to have fun with mommy this week. We sang lots of songs together and I was singing "You are so beautiful"..and she would sing the "YOU" part. She held the note and sounded like a dog howling. She also pointed at a picture of her that I hung on the wall. She said, "girl". I said, "that is you, Clover. Can you say "Clover"? " She just smiled and pointed to herself.

So Great To See Everyone!

2010-09-26T09:46:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone that came out to wish Clover a happy birthday! We had a great time and it was everything we had hope it to be. We are so thankful my mom was here to help with the food and decorating. Her lemonade was incredible and so was her potato salad! Clover was also very happy to see everyone. We have lots of pictures to sort through and I will be posting a few this week. We will also make sure everyone gets copies of the pictures. For those who couldn't make it, we missed you and hope to see you soon.

Birthday Party Details

2010-09-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

Clover's first birthday is coming up in just a few days and we are so excited about her party next Saturday. By chance we have rain, we can still have all the activities in the barn.

Location

Gullion Farms is a beautiful, relaxing farm. It is also a real working farm. The farm is located off of Hwy 67 not too far from Brewer High School. Here are links to the directions from each area to the farm:

From Decatur: http://mapq.st/h/7-ATgEKflA
From Huntsville: http://mapq.st/h/7-MwKT4AFq
From Birmingham: http://mapq.st/h/1-wKP9KilY
From Guntersville: http://mapq.st/h/2-r6SXDTwn
From Montgomery: http://mapq.st/h/5-pkFV
From Rogersville: http://mapq.st/h/7-dmX0EGMA
From Atlanta: http://mapq.st/h/9-yKrIgEb4

Time: 12pm-3pm

The party starts at noon and we will have lunch out at that time. All the activities are planned from 12pm-2pm. I plan on having cake at 1:30pm. Please do not feel you need to stay until 3pm. Normally they have parties that last 2 hours, but I have requested an extra hour so we do not have to be rushed and would have plenty of time to visit with each other.

Lunch

I am planning on having sliced turkey from Apple Lane Farms, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, fresh fruit and vegetables and bread. We will also have some PB&J sandwiches. Please let me know if you have any special needs for lunch.

Activities

Though the farm party activities are geared for children, it will be fun for all ages. There will be a roping station, egg gathering, fishing, petting zoo (goats, chickens, bunnies, piglets, goats, sheep), and pony rides. You do not need to bring any supplies like fishing poles.

Photographer

We will have a local photogragher, Halley Winton, for the entire party. She will be snapping candid photos and we will have the rights to all photos. We will make sure everyone gets all the best shots. This will be a great time for everyone to be in the photos and also some group shots. You are also welcome to take as many pictures as you like.

Birthday Cake

I will be making Clover a special cake for her to dig into for her first taste. It will be a healthy cake and I will make extra for anyone else that would prefer that to the traditional cake. We will also have a traditional cake.

Miscellaneous Info

There will be picnic tables outside and there will also be a nice area inside the barn for sitting, eating and visiting. There is also an indoor bathroom in the barn. Please dress how ever you will feel most comfortable. You may want to wear closed toe shoes (not flip flops or sandals).

Please let me know if you need any more information or if I can provide any special needs you have.

If you have not, please remember to RSVP as soon as you can so I will make sure we have plenty of food and drinks. I am looking forward to meeting many of you for the first time, as well as excited about Clover seeing all of her family.

Showing her age

2010-09-09T21:56:00.002-05:00

Clover will be one in less than 2 weeks. She has really taken off with words and walking by holding on to things. She is playing with toys differently than she did before and she has such a great sense of humor.

I have lots of words to add to her list. Today she said, "Sean", "Angel", "Ace". She is still working on MeMe, PaPa, Grandma, and Grandpa. However, she knows who they all are and is trying very hard to say the names correctly. She is also saying "thank you", "water", and "Rachel". Last weekend, when Johnny got her, she saw him before I did and she exclaimed, "Daddy's here!". She is signing more too. Today she learned the sign for "cup". She signed it and then did the sign for "drink" which is cup, but then you act out drinking from it. Then she said, "ah"..as if she just drank and was satisfied. She amazes me every day and we are so proud of her.

She has been not feeling as great as normal because she has started cutting her teeth. She has one coming in on the bottom and it is very sharp. She has been running a little temperature here and there, but is still happy. She shows more and more affection and loves to cuddle when she is tired.

I start a new job on Monday and have been feeling really awful about not being able to be with Clover all of the time. I bet it will be harder for me than it is for her. I'm looking in to daycares now, but grandma will take good care of Clover until we find one for her. I know she needs the interaction with other kids for her development. The great thing is that I will be able to be off work in the early afternoon most days and will get to spend some good time with her before she heads to bed.

We have been extremely busy this month and its going to get busier. Clover's big day is going to be great. My next post will be up in the next couple of days with details for Clover's party. I wanted to wait until everyone that reads her blog has gotten the invitation in the mail before posting about it. It will be a very fun and special time and we are so happy to share it with family and friends.

My Little Feminist

2010-08-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

90 years ago this week, the ratification of the 19th Amendment was completed, granting women the right to vote.

This week, Grandma exclaimed to Clover, "OH, BOY!". Clover exclaimed back, "OH, GIRL!".

I know Clover is destined to become a strong, independent woman.

Chicco DJ Walker

2010-08-22T15:12:00.001-05:00

11 months old on Sunday

2010-08-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

Clover will be 11 months in 2 days! Lately, she has been doing things to get a reaction from us. One thing, she will pretend to do something she shouldn't be doing and see if we will correct her. Another, is she will say random words (like apple or girl) out of the blue if I am focused not on her. She will also make choking noises to see how fast I will react. Now, she has started smiling for the camera because thats what we want. Today, I got out the camera to take pics of her while she was eating. As soon as she finished the banana, she started smiling for the camera. This pic I got of her today shows off teeth we have been waiting to see! They seem more visible on the top right now, but she also has a little white on the bottom teeth.

Tutu

2010-08-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

Last night, after Clover went to bed, I decided to make her this tutu. I had already gone online and found a tutorial and ordered the material (It took 50 yards of 6" wide tulle and some elastic). When she woke up, I tried it on her and she enjoyed touching it, and scrunching it up and fluffing it out.

What is better than a clean baby?...Nothing.

2010-08-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

Clover is loving bath time.

Giving Clover a squeeze.

This week, Clover has shown a lot of develpoment in many areas. She has been trying to say more words and said, "I love you". She has been trying to sign more, but seems to be using the signs that she knows for everything. She has been eating new foods and tried a boiled egg. She is growing so much that we have to keep adjusting her car seat. She wont be in that one much longer. Clover is getting closer to standing up on her own. She tries so hard.

We continued with child proofing the house. I sewed little cushions to fit around the columns on my mantel that cover the sharp edged base. We also got a new entertainment center that is much safer than other one. Clover crawled over to the new entertainment center and was checking it out. She kept looking back at me, waiting for me to say, "No, No, No". She opened one of the cabinets and grabbed something that was inside. Johnny said, "no, no, no". She continued to play with the object. As soon as she saw him coming, she put it back. That was the first time she had done anything like that. She knew she was "in trouble" and corrected herself.

I entered Clover in a model search for Point Mallard. The winner does commericals and other advertising for them for the year. There will be 12 runner-ups that will be in a calander. You can see her and all the other entries at http://www.pointmallardmodelsearch.com/ . Voting is not necessary and each vote costs a buck. I'm not even sure if the money is for charity or not.

on Saturday, we took Clover to her cousin Brian's birthday party. He turned six! Clover was so excited to see her family and all the kids. The party took place at a local park. The heat was really nasty and felt like over 100 degrees. We gave her plenty of liquids and were there for a couple of hours. We were all pretty exhausted later.

I've been busy planning Clover's birthday party. I hope to get a lot accomplished this week. Only 5 weeks to go until she is a year old. We can't wait to share it with everyone.

Birthday Plans and other developments

2010-08-09T08:26:00.000-05:00

We have finally found a nice venue for Clover's first birthday. The date of the party will be Saturday, September 25 from noon to 3pm. All friends and family are invited to join us at Gullion Farms (http://www.gullionfarms.blogspot.com/). There will be something for everyone: petting zoo, pony rides, a roping station, egg gathering, fishing. Also, there is an enclosed area with seating as well as picnic tables outside and we will be serving lunch. We are looking forward to sharing Clover's very special day with everyone.

Clover has been learning so much and she seems very pleased that she can perform tasks that she has been working on for some time. She has been signing for "eat", "more", "milk", "diaper". I woke up one morning last week and she was crying. This is unusual these days. I heard her saying "eat, eat, eat". I went to her room and called to her as I was approaching her room. I asked her if she was hungry. When I got there she said "EAT" and was making the sign for milk with both hands. She must have been starving!

We are teaching Clover about foods as she is learning to chew more (still no teeth). I'm not sure if we are behind on this or not. This weekend we let her handle apples and peaches. While she saw and smelled the apple, I fed her apple sauce. We cut up one peach to eat and she smelled and touched another. She also used a spoon correctly for the first time this weekend.

We made a Babies R Us run for some feeding supplies. One thing we got was a feeder that you put food like a strawberry, for example, into this netting with a handle on it. They can chew and suck on the food without risk of swallowing it whole or choking. We got more age appropriate serveware, some organic snacks, some bath toys and some more developemental toys. I never expected we would have so many toys. I think all of her toys are special and have been helpful in her learning. Johnny has spent a lot of time researching things we get for her and I really appreciate the time he has taken to make sure she has the right kind of toys. Also, I love seeing them play together. She loves her dad so much, and I do too.

Random Blog Photos

2010-08-03T00:43:00.000-05:00

10 months old

2010-07-29T23:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much time to post for the last couple of weeks. I have been really busy running after Clover. A friend of mine told me that the time a baby is between 9 and 12 months are the most fun. I think she is right. Clover is trying hard to stand and say new words. Today she tried very hard to say 'horse'. She could make her lips move, but couldn't figure out how to make the sound yet.

Last weekend, she was in her playpen singing to herself. She had both arms out, like she sees if we watch an opera and when her dad sings to her. She was letting out long high pitched sounds and holding it until she would lose her voice.

She has also gotten much more affectionate. She likes being held and cuddled more and loves to be tickled. She will say "tickle tickle tickle" and tickle herself. I told her to tickle grandma and she was happy to do so.

The day Clover turned 10 months, I got some good pictures of her trying to stand in her crib.

More of Clover getting around the living room.

Clover also had her first real bath in the tub. She just started sitting up really good and I finally decided to let her give it a try. She loved it so much that when I took her out, she was very upset and cried real tears. She quickly made the hand sign for "more" and then pointed to the bathroom. I couldn't wait to get her back into the tub the next night. She loved it even more and was scooting around in the tub from one end to the other. she even tried to put her face in and she turned on her stomach and started crawling in the tub. I hope she loves bath time for a very long time.

Grandma King's Birthday

2010-07-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

Sunday was Grandma King's birthday. Also, Clover's Uncle Tommy's birthday was the same day. We decided to have a little get together at my house on Sunday for Grandma. Uncle Sean and family, Uncle Michael and family, my mom and dad and us (me, Johnny and Clover) all had dinner and cake. It was a nice get together and we all had a really good time. Of course, Clover loves to see everyone, especially her cousins.

We had another pretty busy week. Clover is using her flashcards, slideshows and books more than she is playing with her toys. Today she saw a picture of baby food and said the word "eat". She is crawling all over, sitting up in her crib and playpen and on the floor. If you help her stand up, she will try to walk without even thinking about it. With my help, she took a few steps holding on the the sectional couch. I bet she will be doing it all by herself soon.

Clover spends most of the day in a wonderful mood. The only time she is cranky is when she is tired. She moves and twists around too much when I try to change her diapers and does not liked to be told 'no' when I am doing it. She also doesn't like to wear a bib and is starting to draw with her finger on her highchair tabletop with food from her mouth. She also loves to gargle with her milk, juice or water.

We took her out with us to Longhorn Steakhouse. She had already been fed, but I learned fast that I should have brought her snacks. She was not very happy about not having a plate of food, so we gave her some sweet potato. She enjoyed watching the others in the restaurant. She heard a baby crying, so she decided to make some noise herself. It used to be so easy just to take her in her car seat and everyone would tell us what a beautiful, sweet baby we have. I guess from now on, we will get mean glances and rolled eyes from other patrons and offers from the waitress of chocolate milk to keep her quiet. Of course, we could get a babysitter, but it is more fun to have her with us.

Is this the little girl I carried?

2010-07-14T13:27:00.001-05:00

This morning I was awakened by Clover calling out, "Mommy!...Mommy!..........Daddy!!". She was ready for someone to come get her. Later today, while I was at the gym, my mom was babysitting. My mom put Clover down for her nap and went back to check on her a few minutes later. She had pulled herself up and was almost standing straight up. I'm not ready for her to grow up yet. At least she doesn't have any teeth yet.

New Places and New Experiences

2010-07-12T17:52:00.000-05:00

This week Clover continued with swimming lessons, practiced standing up, read lots of books, traveled to another state, slept in a heavenly crib, met some more relation, danced (and slept) on a rooftop, went to brunch and got to sit in a big girl high chair, and danced in her car seat on the way back home from Atlanta.

Clover is really enjoying going to her lessons. When she sees the pool, she almost bounces out of my arms. She kicks and moves so hard in the water. She is used to going under now and getting more comfortable on her back, but I'm not ready to let go of her yet. She is so tired after the lessons, that one day she took a 4 hour nap and another day, she went for a late nap and then slept all night.

Clover is also enjoying reading books to herself. It sounds like she is reading to someone like we read to her. She also points at the pictures and if she knows what it is, she will say the word and gets excited. She did that with "banana" and "duck". For the words that she can't say yet, she is trying really hard to get it. I can see her concentrating, thinking about how to make it happen. Johnny was showing her pictures this weekend and when he pointed at my mom, she said, "gangy". That's a new one.

This weekend, we drove to Atlanta for the wedding reception of my cousin Justin and his new wife Triona. This was our first overnight trip with Clover. We stayed in a Westin hotel and they provided us with a crib they call "heavenly crib". It is a small crib with a comfy mattress. Clover seemed to like laying in it. Clover has been sleeping alone in her room since she was 3 weeks old, so it was nice to have her next to me for a change.

with Grandma and Grandpa King

We went to the reception on Saturday night. It was on the roof of a loft building downtown. The view was beautiful and they had a Beatles tribute band called The Buggs. Clover may have recognized some of the songs, because we had been listening to Paul McCartney that morning before we left Decatur. She moved her legs to the music and watched the band. We were taking lots of pictures of her and I think she may have gotten a little tired of the pictures, but she loved sitting with Grandma King and watching the people. Clover napped some during the party. The party was moved inside later when it was time to cut the cake. Many people asked about Clover's "hair style". They liked the way it was long in the front and kind of stuck up in the back. They thought I had it cut that way! We enjoyed more music from family members inside the loft. Uncle Sean played guitar for my Aunt Barbara, my cousin played his keyboard a bit and my dad played on of the songs he wrote. Clover loves to watch live music.

We were one of the first people to leave, but we got back to the hotel pretty late and we played with Clover a bit before putting her to bed. The next day we took her to Caribou Coffee. Our first visit to one. It wasn't really baby friendly as far as space to put a baby seat, but we made do and when I finished my hot coffee, she sat in my lap and we people watched. The coffee was very good and so was my cranberry orange scone.

When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and checked out. We met my Aunt Barbara and cousin Justin and his new wife, Triona for brunch at Brick Tops. This was a probably the nicest restaurant that Clover has been to so far. This was also the first time she sat in a regular high chair. She did have a few moments of tiredness from keeping her balance and her head would fall forward. After we ate, we held her in our laps. We had a great time at brunch and then headed back to Alabama. I sat in the back seat with Clover while Johnny drove. We had fun listening to music and when there was a good beat, Clover would bounce to the music. She slept some, but not for long. When we got home, we played some more and she went to bed and slept for 12 hours.

Splish Splash

2010-07-07T03:33:00.001-05:00

It has been a busy and fun week. Clover had her 9 month doctor's visit and weighs 18.1 pounds. She has added a few words to her vocabulary, started swimming lessons, and developing so much that we are having a hard time documenting everything before she is on to something else.

This weekend, we went to Guntersville for her cousin Ace's 9th birthday party. She really enjoyed seeing all of her cousins, aunts and uncles and MeMe and PaPa. She had a great time getting to know everyone more. We went swimming while we were there and she was very comfortable in the water.

Sunday, the Fourth of July, we didn't do anything to celebrate. We spent most of the day child proofing and playing with Clover at home. Around 9 pm, Clover was startled by neighborhood fireworks. I went outside to look and it seemed we had our own personal fireworks display. Clover did not like the noise and was pretty upset. We took her outside to watch the fireworks and she started to enjoy herself. After we came back in, she was in her room cheering when she would hear another firework exploding.

Monday, she had her first swimming lesson. The main 3 things she is supposed to practice now is blowing bubbles in the water, going under and floating on her back. I could not dunk her myself the first time. I asked the instuctor to do it. It just seemed too cruel, but on Tuesday's lesson, I dunked her about 6 times. She is getting more comfortable with going under. She loves the interaction with all the people where we go for the lessons. She was completely exhausted after class today.

Johnny and I (mostly Johnny) made Clover a slide show of people and words. The idea was to make flash cards that are useful to her at different stages in her development. She see pictures of all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and mommy and daddy. We tell her who everyone is and she will sometimes repeat the names. Also, we have some animals, toys and other other items in the mix. She has learned dog and cat and said those yesterday. We are also continuing to show her signs. Johnny noticed in some videos that we have taken, that she has been signing to us and we didn't realize it at the time. She was doing the sign for more when we were feeding her, but I thought she was just clapping. She was asking for more.

Also, this week, she was trying to stand up in her crib. Johnny went in after her nap and she was on her knees, sitting up and her hands on the rails trying hard to pull herself completely upright. Johnny immediately took out the bumper and positioned the mattress in the lowest position. She can stand completely upright on her feet and put all of her weight down. I am sure she will be taking her first steps very soon. She hasn't gotten her first tooth and she still mostly crawls with her stomach on the ground, but she'll be walking before you know it.

Our summer seems to be flying by so fast already. I am going to do my best to help her learn as much as she can take in while she is having fun. I am also in the beginning stages of planning her birthday party. We would love for this to be a good opportunity for her to meet more relatives, especially Johnny's aunts, uncles and cousins that have not gotten to meet her yet because of the distance. The party will be on Saturday, September 19 in Decatur. Details and invitations will follow in the next month, but please let people know to save the date.

Clover Loves Books

2010-06-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Clover has had books read to her everyday since we brought her home from the hospital. She probably couldn't even see some of the pages for awhile, but we did it any way. Johnny brings her new books from the library almost every week, and we buy her ones that are easy for her to hold or have something really special about them. The Lamaze books and Taggies are great because they are soft and washable. I like the board books that can be used almost like flash cards. The ones that have pictures of things she would recognize and then the word for the object. Cat, sock, banana, etc.

While shopping this weekend, we were at Babies R Us and Johnny held out a nice toy for Clover to see. She smiled really big and got excited. He held it close to her and she reached out and grabbed the booklet that was attached to it and started thumbing through the pages in delight. He even got it on video, so hopefully, we will post it soon.

Clover also loves to eat. She eats mostly organic, but we also do conventional baby food. She has started feeding herself some finger foods, like banana and the little gerber snacks...fruit puffs and now little cheese puff snacks. This weekend, Johnny and I had just finished eating our lunch and he was holding Clover. I asked Clover if she was hungry and signed the word "eat". She pointed to Johnny's plate, which still had some scraps on it. This was the first time she has pointed at an object to communicate with us. Johnny picked up a piece of fresh pineapple and said, "Is this what you want?". The took the pacifier out of her mouth and threw it on the ground and tried to grab the fruit. We didn't give it to her, but put her in her highchair and fed her something else.

9 Months Today

2010-06-22T09:35:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe Clover has reached 9 months already. I was nostalgic and looking through the photos and videos. It is amazing how much she has learned in such a short time. She has changed our lives and is such a joy.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

2010-06-20T16:47:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day, Johnny. You are the best daddy to Clover. She loves you so much and so do I. You are so good with her. She is so peaceful and happy when she is with you. I know you will always have a special bond with her. She is very lucky to have you for a father.

Here Clover is getting ready to eat a banana. She recognizes the word 'banana' and has tried to say the word when she has seen photos of a banana. She said, "nun-nun-nun".

So far so good

She even likes the peel.

Baby's Night Out
This week, we took Clover out for a stroll in Downtown Decatur where we saw our friend, Kim Stone performing in front of Vittone's Pizza. Clover is enjoying her juice, the music and just relaxing.

Just In Time for Father's Day

2010-06-15T01:02:00.000-05:00

Clover was jumping in her Baby Einstein Jumper and her dad was sitting next to her. She stopped jumping and looked at him with a sweet smile and said, "Daddy". Not dada. I can only imagine she was just so happy to be with her dad and she wanted him to know. I was moved because it was so sweet and she said it so clear. Later that day, I brought her into the kitchen and sat her down in her high chair. She was looking for Johnny. She turned to see him in the other room and started waving. Then she said, "Heeey Daa-dee!" while she was waving. It made our day.

I can tell she wants to learn more words now. She has lots of books and many are the picture books so they can learn the words. Today, I noticed she was listening very hard to the words. She is trying hard to repeat some words, and she has "moo" down pretty good. (Daddy, Momma/Mommy, Moo, Yay, Hey) She understands lots of other words (no, milk, bottle, baby, Grandma, book). And she recognizes songs and tries to "sing" along by just opening her mouth and making noise. Sometimes, she seems on key.

Ava's Birthday Week

2010-06-06T20:58:00.002-05:00

This weekend, we went to see Clover's cousin Ava at her groovy Birthday party at Chippie's in Albertville. I guess you would say it was a tie dye themed party and Ava turned 7! We had so much fun with all of Clover's family on Johnny's side. She was so excited to see every one. She got to bounce some with her Meme and her cousin Fox. She loved it when the lights went out and then the disco ball and spot lights came on with music so all the kids could dance. Later, we went to Ava's house to visit with all her aunts, uncles, cousins and Meme and Papa.

Clover has been doing some really cute new things this week. She will grab my face and ram her nose up against mine and move it from side to side giving me eskimo kisses. She has also started doing that to her little stuffed animal, Duckie, that Grandma got for her on Easter. She is crawling pretty fast now, but still her stomach doesn't come off the ground. She likes to take off and when you come towards her she will laugh as she tries to escape.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend. We were going to go out to the Daikin Festival on Friday night, but it rained so we took Clover for a night ride and daddy and I got a Chiggie Burggie. We got up the next morning at 5am to take Clover to see the balloons out at Point Mallard. My brother, Michael was going to ride up with his friends that morning, but the weather didn't allow it. We did get to see some of the commercial ballons get blown up and tethered for a bit.

Saturday afternoon, we took Clover to St. Ann's Seafood Festival and Johnny and I had the craw fish. Later that night, we took Clover to a party at the home of our friend Liz in Athens. We had a blast playing American Idol Karaoke. Clover tried to sing along and she clapped for the very first time and said, "YAY". Clover loves music so much and loves to clap.

We spent most of the rest of our weekend shopping for a new crib and doing some baby proofing around the house. She had a crib with a drop down side and those are all now being recalled. Johnny got her a really cute new crib that can later turn into a toddler bed and even a full size bed when she is out of her toddler bed. I didn't have my own full size bed until I was in my 30's. I thought I had arrived.

Clover turns 8 months this Saturday

2010-05-18T19:11:00.000-05:00

I can't believe we are already 4 months from Clover's birthday. That will be something I should start planning for soon.

Clover is getting better with crawling..yesterday she crawled a little higher, not on her stomach as much. She went pretty far from the middle of the living room to the kitchen. She went over to a low drawer and opened and tried to look in it. She is a curious one for sure. Then she shut it back. She hit her hands on the hard floor for a bit and then she got scared of being there on the floor and I had to pick her up and put her on the carpet in the living room.

She is also talking a little bit more. She hasn't said mommy any more. She said daddy once last week, but now says "dadadadadada". This morning she said "mama dada" and was waving her hand. She does say "hey" and "hi" and sometimes "baa", when she is waving her hand.

This afternoon, I walked outside with her in my arms to get some fresh air. There was a toddler standing out there with his dad. He was a tiny little thing and looked just a little taller than Clover. Clover went crazy for this kid. She was so excited every time he glanced in our direction. I think she loves him.

My first Mother's Day

2010-05-10T18:09:00.000-05:00

I got to sleep in on Mother's Day and had a really nice Mother's Day with Clover, Johnny and my mom. We all went with my dad and brother Michael to brunch at the Westin Hotel. We strolled around Bridge Street afterward and I found a locket that I liked. After we got home, Johnny gave me some gifts and one was the locket that I saw, but he had already gotten it. That was a nice surprise. It was a great day and I couldn't have possibly had a better one. I feel very lucky. Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Linda!

Clover had a good day too. She liked going out and when we got home, she got to play with her new jumper. She seems to really love it. We think it will help her build up her strength to crawl better off of her belly and build muscles so she can sit up.

Friday night, we went to Relay for Life and had a really good time. Clover got to see some live dogs for the first time. After a few laps around the track, we decided on some hamburgers and threw a blanket in the grass and played with Clover. We had to leave after the music started because it was way too loud for her ears.

Clover is a babbling away right now and ready for me to get her up from her nap. I'll be posting a few photos later.

Clover's Favorite Word

2010-05-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

While I was at work today, Clover said "baby". Grandma King was there to hear it. I am not surprised because I can tell that is Clover's favorite word. Sometimes, when I say the word 'baby', she will just smile really big. So when I asked her to say baby for me today, she tried. It sounded like baby to me.

Back To Work

2010-05-03T11:02:00.001-05:00

This last week, I started a temp job working for the Census. One good thing about the job is that I can make my own hours, as long as I get the work done. So, it is great to have Grandma King available to take good care of her while I am away. I had training last week and Clover seemed a little hurt by me going gone so much. Over the weekend, her dad and I took Clover to her cousins' (Collin and Cory) band concert. Clover enjoyed the people, the music and the clapping...and she got to see lots of family. Then we went to the Alabama Crawfish Company, in Huntsville for a early dinner.

Johnny picked up some baby signing videos and we watched them. I started using some signing with her this morning and she paid close attention to my signs as I spoke to her. We are working on these words right now: eat, milk, bed, diaper, mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, milk, and hungry.

Clover's First Words

2010-04-27T03:37:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Clover and I were hanging out at home. She was laying in the floor, looking at the ceiling and babbling. In the middle of the babble, she said, "Mommy". She said it perfectly. I thought I was having audible hallucinations. Later, my mother came over and was sitting with her while they looked at a book. My mom told her there was the cow and the cow goes "moo". Clover pointed to a cow and she said, "moo". I wasn't expecting her to say anything for a few more months. She is not sitting up on her own yet, but she has already started talking. Thats my girl! We are so proud of her.

Crawling!

2010-04-26T06:54:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, Clover crawled for the first time. She is still on her belly, but she is moving her arms in front of her. It looked like she was swimming on the carpet. The first time she did it, she moved really fast to get something she wanted. Grandma and Grandpa King stopped by for a visit on Sunday and she crawled for them too.

I tried my hand at making homemade baby food. I got some organic butternut squash, organic bananas and some organic apple juice. I baked the squash in a pan with a little water in the bottom for 1.5 hours at 350 degrees. I peeled and mashed the squash and then put it in 4oz jars. When it was time for dinner, I took a jar and put the squash in a bowl and about a third of a banana and mixed in some apple juice to make the consistency a little runny. At first, she didn't like it. She has liked everything we have given her so far. I think the consistency was too still a little too chunky. She made the funniest face when she tried it. She really made us laugh. Johnny got some great video of it and if we put in online, I will post a link later. She did like it when she get bites with thinner consistency and she never refused to eat it. Today, I will use a food processor instead of mashing by hand to make sure it has an even consistency. Johnny also got another book from the library called 'Top 100 Baby Purees' from British author Annabel Karmel. There are many recipes that I want to try out. Many look like meals I could prepare for us and make extra to puree for Clover to have for the week. I love meal time with Clover. It is so much fun feeding her and she is so happy.

This week, I will be going back to work temporarily. I am not looking forward to being away from Clover all day. Luckily, her Grandma King will be taking good care of her and Clover will love that.

Clover Turns 7 months this Week!

2010-04-19T19:35:00.000-05:00

Clover is changing so fast. This week she has gotten more vocal, babbling in bed after she wakes up. I wouldn't say it is her first word, but she is saying "hay" a lot. She is also making funny grunting and squealing noises. She is moving around a lot quicker, but not quite crawling yet. We are working on baby proofing all the rooms. She is growing out of all of her clothes that I hoped she would be able to wear this spring and already wearing and almost too big for the summer clothes that I have already bought. She is taking longer naps and sleeping even better than ever at night. She gets a little cranky if she doesn't get a good nap.

Johnny got Clover a Vtech Move and Crawl Ball http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2373386 . She really likes it and she has other Vtech products that uses the same voice and some and sayings, so it didn't take much to get her interested in it. When you turn it on, it teases the child to move forward and it will move a little, kind of a little foward and in a circle. She was all over the place. She is starting to put her arms in the right position to crawl.

Clover is showing lots of expression when she is pleased with herself when she learns to play with a toy properly. When she is happy to see someone, she makes really funny faces and shakes her arms and legs. She is loving her high chair and is a really good eater. Soon she will be eating real bananas and graham crackers. She still hasn't cut any teeth, but it seems it wont be much longer.

Ready to crawl

2010-04-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

For a long time now, Clover has been trying to crawl. She has strong legs and moves around on the floor by rolling around or rocking to get closer to where she wants to be. The other day, she was asleep in her crib and in her sleep, she was on her hands and knees with her head up trying to move around in her crib. She just isn't quite sure how to move her arms yet. We are looking into some toys that help with the arm movement in crawling.

This weekend, Clover got a new high chair. We have been researching them since before she was born. I was set on getting an old fashion looking wooden one that would match my dinning room set. We really hated the looks of all the new ones...bulky, bright colors, lots of padding that would have to be cleaned, legs that took up a lot of room. After doing the research, it seemed that newer meant better for comfort and safety. We also wanted a big tray. Finally, we decided on something that I think is going to be perfect for us. It is the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. It is a booster seat with a detachable back with a pretty cover and nice sized tray. It is great for me, because it wont take up any extra space because it sits in one of my current chairs. Clover used the high chair for the first time this morning and she loved it. I could tell she was very comfortable and she was so happy sitting in it. She smiled and banged on the tray as if she was checking it out for sturdiness. I'll post a pic of her in it in my next post and hopefully we will have video of her crawling soon.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-08T00:42:00.000-05:00

We had a great holiday weekend with Clover. She got to see all of her relatives. Saturday we went to Guntersville to her Uncle Mike's and Aunt Angel's house. We were going to participate in the community egg hunt, but was late. We did make it just in time for the "Most Beautiful Baby" contest and Clover won first prize. She was so excited to see all of her family on her dad's side. After the contest, we went over to Piggly Wiggly to see the Easter Bunny. The pig was there as well. After lunch, many went to Ace's ball game, but Clover and I stayed behind and spent time with little Fox (15 months), Tommy and Rochelle. After the game, everyone came back and visited while Mike prepared dinner. It was delicious. Clover loved seeing everyone and I could tell she felt connected to everyone there. She really loved it when Ava would come over and play with her. She wasn't shy at all. She also didn't take a nap because she didn't want to miss anything. Besides Easter, we were also celebrating her grandma MeMe's birthday and her cousin Madison's birthday too. I made an experimental dessert that turned out pretty good. It was a lemon cake with lemon frosting, pastel green sugar sprinkles and fruity jelly bellys on top.

On Sunday, we spent some of the day with the King family. After going out to brunch, we went to Uncle Michael's house and hunted Easter eggs (Grandma King's annual hunt) and had dessert. Clover got lots of eggs some with candy and some with money to start her savings. Afterwards we came back home and let Clover see and play with all of her gifts from the weekend...including the ones from the Easter bunny. Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Before the Weekend

2010-03-31T00:20:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post before the weekend because I figure there will be a lot to blog about with all of our Easter Weekend festivities.

Clover is completely weened now and is eating baby food many times a day now. She is also drinking a few ounces of apple juice mixed with a few ounces of water. I was told that she should be weened from the bottle by 12 months and to introduce a sippy cup starting now with juice. I got a gerber training cup and tried to get her to drink from it. She looked at me like I was crazy. She tasted the juice and made a "yucky" face and then threw the cup down. I picked it back up and tried to get her to take it again and she just pushed it away each time.

We are going to have a busy weekend, looking for the Easter Bunny to get a picture, going to a few family events. It will be lots of fun. Clover can't wait see see all of her family.

14 pounds, 25 inches long

2010-03-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

Last week Clover had her 6 month doctor's appointment. She weighed 14 pounds and measured 25 inches long. Clover was really good for the visit and wasn't too upset after her vacccines. Her doctor was able to check her vision with kind of a miniture version of what adults have to get their prescription checked. He dialated her eyes and then the nurse took a hand-held device that she held up like she was taking her picture. Her vision was "perfect". The doctor explained that he is the only pediatrician in town that does it and the reason he does is because he was legally blind as a child and never knew until he was in high school. Checking her eyesight this early can help prevent blindness and even correct some poor vision. I love her doctor and feel really good about our choice as Clover's pediatrician. She has had a little bit of a cough this week which I probally gave her. The nurse suggested the yellow Triaminic for Cough and Congestion. It has helped and Clover is sleeping much better. The nurse explained that most stores do not carry it after it was taken off the market to be reformulated (you don't have to sign for it anymore). She said Publix and Krogers have it. We got it at Publix.

We were able to get out more during the nice weather this week. I took her to see our neighbor, Sara. Sara was really good to me when I was pregnant. She is always checking on us to see if we need anything and helped me keep up my yard during my pregnacy. She even gets my garbage can in position for me before I can get out and do it. Did I mention that Sara is in her eighties?

Clover got to spend more time with Grandma while I got my taxes done and went to the doctor. Grandma got her outside some and enjoyed the nice weather.

Over the weekend we took her shopping to look for an activity center and high chair. We checked out the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory in Huntsville. I was really impressed with the selection of unique accessories that you would normally not find in local stores like Target or Babies 'R Us. Her dad got her a Jenny Jump Up and a pair of dress shoes for easter. Then we went to Babies 'R Us. Clover had never been to a toy store and she was so excited. When we showed her a toy she really liked, she would shake her arms and legs and smile. We ended up getting her a cell phone and remote control. The remote was for kids 18 months and up, but I read reviews on it and many parents had gotten it for their child before 6 months and had very good experiences. It looks very much like my remote. She went crazy for it in the store. We will give it to her on Easter. We looked at activity centers and high chairs, but want to do more research. They activity centers are really expensive for the amount of time she is going to use them, but she does need to be sitting upright more than she is now. I assembled her Jenny Jump Up when we got home and she tried it out. She didn't seem very interested in it yet, but she was exhausted from our day.

Vote for Clover, Baby Face Contest

2010-03-22T22:05:00.004-05:00

Please give Clover your vote. A monthly prize is given out. If she wins, she would get a $50 savings bond! You can also ask your friends and our extended family to vote. If you would like to send out an email to your friends and family, give them the following link:
http://whnt.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=11095&s=3185792&i=1&m=X#SD
You can also leave a message for others to read.

thanks

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, CLOVER

2010-03-21T23:44:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow at 5:01pm, Clover will have been in this world for 6 months. It is hard to believe that she has been in my life for 15 months, if you include the pregnacy. For some reason, early in my pregnancy, I was convinced that I was going to have a boy. I would have been good with having a boy, but I really hoped the baby would be a girl. I even painted her nursery blue before I knew for sure. At 18 weeks, we went to UAB for genetic testing, ultrasounds and an amniocentesis. We had good news from premlinary tests, so we decided against having an amnio. When we were having the ultrasound, I kept waiting for the technician to tell me I was having a boy. She said, "See, here are the kidneys." I heard, "See, here you see its a boy." I looked at Johnny and told him she said it was a boy. Then she said, "No, I said here are the kidneys." Then she asked me if I wanted to know the sex and she showed us we were having a girl. That was the happiest moment in my pregnancy. I cried for most of the rest of the visit and we left and I started calling all my family as soon as we got to the car.

Now that our little girl is here and 6 months old, she has brought more joy to me than I could have imagined. She has been fairly easy to care for and has been very healthy. She is very easy going and gentle. She loves her books and loves to play. She is a lot of fun and has a good sense of humor. She smiles constantly and is just a happy baby. She has her moments where she can be a little reserved and shy. Sometimes she seems to be just taking it all in, observing and thinking about everything. I'm wondering if we have just gotten really lucky that she hasn't had colic or gone through a rough period that would make my days and nights miserable. Then I wonder if maybe that is still to come. She has slept in her crib since she was 3 weeks old and usually sleeps at least 10 hours straight for the last 3 months. I still don't sleep as much as I would like, because I get up and check on her about 3 times in the middle of the night to make sure she is still breathing. I will probably do that until the day she leaves for college.

Erin Go Bragh! Pictures from St Patty's Day

2010-03-17T21:09:00.001-05:00

Clover's First Laptop

2010-03-15T02:01:00.003-05:00

This week we saw lots of changes in Clover. She has been very quiet this week and more shy than normal around people she doesn't see very often. She seems to be spending a lot of time in thought. I wonder what she is thinking. She has also had some trouble sleeping a few nights and has gotten to sleep in my bed. I think it may have had something to do with a bad thunderstorm we had.

Now, when she wakes up, instead of crying to tell me she is awake, she will look at her musical seahorse...for a long time. We haven't gotten her any crib toys yet, but have been looking into them. Johnny had ordered her a really nice thing called Symphony of Lights. It is a sun with a smiley face that has different colors of rays. You squeeze the a ray and it plays music. When the toy came, it had a sideways smiley face instead of a straight on smiley face. They changed the look of it completely. He sent it back and is trying to find an old one. She has been fascinated by her relefection in the mirror or other glass in the house. She is getting better with eating baby food and better at waiting for a refill on a bottle. I think her eyes may be turning from blue to green. It is hard to tell because some days they will look very blue and some days greenish blue.

Last week I saw a little laptop from Vtech that just seemed what she needed. It has big buttons and plays music and lights up. It seems to be the most simple out of all the toy laptops. We got it for her this weekend and she immediately got very excited. She doesn't usually get excited over anything right away. She knows Mommy and Daddy have laptops and she has tried to play with ours, but now she has one too. She quickly learned how to push the buttons and play with the mouse. The more she played with it, the more excited she got. It made me so happy to see her excited about it and even more happy to see her learning from it.

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

2010-03-08T14:45:00.030-06:00

I'm really happy that the sun is out and we have been able to get out of the house more with Clover. She hasn't gotten out very much because of the flu going around or the weather and now we are ready for some fun. This weekend we got out to a park in town and had a quick lunch and a stroll. It was down by the river and a little windy, so we had to get going. Today it is in the 70's and we got out for a bit. We went and checked out a nursery for childcare for when I go back to work. The daycare was nice and had such a peaceful enviroment for infants. The other babies there were so cute and well developed. I think Clover will benefit from me going back to work so she can have the kind of interaction that she needs full time.

This last week, Clover has really stepped up her babbling. She is making lots of new sounds with her mouth and has been very curious about different noises. When she hears a door open in another room, she looks to see who is coming. She is really loving her books and will look at them on her own for a good while. She holds the back of the book up with her feet sometimes. Clover has been sleeping for 10-11 hours a night, eating rice cereal and a little fruit and vegetables every day. She loves bananas the most, but eats everything she has tried. Johnny brought me some books on making baby food from scratch and I am going to start that this week. She is sitting up really good now in her bumbo chair.

She is also outgrowing a lot of her baby gear. She is getting too big for her swing and her bouncy seat. I guess that means it is time for more new stuff. I decided I am getting her a v-tech laptop for Easter. I'm still looking for a good toy cell phone for her age. I haven't found anything that I really like, but she needs one soon because she is so interested in mine.

Clover had a few visits this last week. Uncle Sean, Auntie Lisa and Grandma King all came. We went to visit Uncle Michael and cousin Olivia...we left with a jogging stroller. We also ran into a few friends when we were out and about for lunch. Clover loves to visit with everybody.

When I was 4 years old I got my first music album. It was Poems, Prayers and Promises from John Denver. Sunshine on my Shoulders has been on 20 other albums since then. This was one of the songs I loved over 36 years ago.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could give you
I’d give to you a day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I’d sing a song to make you feel this way

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a tale that I could tell you
I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I’d make a wish for sunshine all the while
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high

If You're Lucky Enough to be Irish...You're Lucky Enough

2010-03-02T01:08:00.004-06:00

This week I am thinking a lot about Clover's first St. Patrick's day. It is my favorite holiday and I don't have any special traditions to celebrate being Irish. In fact, we really don't need a holiday to celebrate being Irish, we should do it everyday...LOL.

My hope is that Clover knows about all of her ancestry from both parents. I have mostly all Irish from both of my parents, so she will learn a lot about Ireland and hopefully I will take her there when she is old enough to appreciate the beauty of the country side, the castles and old churches. Until then, I will expose her to the music, the dances, the food and the stories from the Irish.

Today I was thinking about what kinds of traditions I would like to start with Clover on St. Patrick's Day. St. Patricks Day is always on March 17. This year that falls on a Wednesday. We will probably go to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Huntsville, have lunch at an Irish Pub with Grandma and Clover can have green milk!

Then I thought about all the Irish sayings and poems that will bring a tear to your eye after having a few Irish beers. So I decided to write one for her. Here it is:

Autumn Clover

I loved my little baby, since the day I knew about her
I could feel her when she moved, I thought she was a dancer
She has no idea how special she is to all of those around her
She's more than an Irish Rose, she's our little Autumn Clover.
Your Irish eyes are mine, though others may claim them
Your smile melts my heart, your frame is thin and tall
You are my hope, faith, and love that came on the first day of Fall
You are never any trouble, never any bother
You're my little girl I call Autumn Clover.

5 months today

2010-02-22T10:05:00.003-06:00

I'm watching Clover sleep while I am typing this entry. She changes so much each day. In the last week, she started really digging baby food. She also is drinking more and more and seems to be having a growth spurt...suddenly she can fit into many of her 6 month clothes...just in time for spring. She has started holding out her arms to be picked up, rolling completely over and sometimes more than one complete roll at a time. She loves her playpen and has started gathering her toys around her while on her stomach and holding herself up with her arms. She will probably start crawling soon. I have also found that she will fall asleep with her arms in the air and sleep like that without letting them fall down. Grandpa King had his 68th birthday this week and we went to celebrate at the King house...ham and bean soup and chocolate cake. Clover had milk and got to play with grandma for hours. She fell alseep immediately when we got home and slept for 11 hours.

Happy Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-14T16:06:00.000-06:00

This is one of Clover's pictures she had taken last week. She has changed a lot in this last week. She is holding her head up much easier. She had her 4 month doctor's appointment and had more vaccinations. She was so good and didn't fuss a bit. She weighed 11 lbs 1oz and was 24.5 inches long. Yesterday, we were watching and listening to an opera at home and she started "singing". She was really holding notes diliberately and had a heart felt expression on her face. Today, while we are having our Valentine's feast of ribeye and lobster, Clover is going to have her first solid foods of rice cereal and possibly a vegetable...of course, pictures will follow:) For Valentines day, she is getting a lamaze cloth book and Sophie the Giraffe. a really nice teething toy that is made out of natural rubber.

Happy 2010

2010-02-03T23:44:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it is already February. Clover is now 4 months old and learning lots of new things. She has been laughing up a storm and has started holding a small bottle. She is more comfortable laying on the floor than being held and is holding up her neck for longer periods of time. Her dad got her a pack n play for Christmas and she has started to enjoy spending a little time in it everyday, playing or looking at one of her cloth books. She has also started making a funny face, with her nose scrunched up and a gummy smile. I hope to get a good pic of that to post before she stops doing it. She likes hearing herself make singing noises. She likes the attention she gets when she does it. Here are a few pics from January.

Baby's First Christmas

2010-01-11T07:24:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas, with Clover being the center of our joy. She developed a lot over the holidays. She is humming, grabbing, holding, and trying really hard to talk and sing. She is holding her head up very good, and doesn't liked to be craddled so much. She has let out a few giggly sounds and is just on the verge of a full blown laugh. Her smiles are getting bigger and longer. She loves all the toys she got for Christmas. Her are a few pics of our first Christmas with Clover.

Christmas gifts from Santa

Daddy helping Clover with her new ball!

This ball is great for little fingers to hold.

This is her slumber bear. It makes sounds like she is in the womb and has a little blanket that captures her mother's scent. She loves the blanket.

Here is her teething rabbit. It is really easy for her to hold and cuddle.

with her PaPa

in her bassinet while mommy bakes

playing peekaboo

in her new dress

Our precious Autumn Clover.

Just a few days old

2009-12-23T18:45:00.000-06:00

Here is Clover at just a few days old when we brought her home from the hospital.

Clover got to see the REAL Santa today.

2009-12-23T17:40:00.004-06:00

Today, Clover and I went to Bridge Street with Grandma to do a little shopping and we ran into the real Santa. He was so lovely. He held Clover and she loved his beard...you can see that she is touching it in this picture. His robe is so beautiful and he was so good with Clover. He has to be the real thing. We also went in to GYMBOREE and Clover loved looking at the clothes. We got her that hat she is wearing and she didn't want to take it off. She loves wearing hats.

Clover's first visit with Santa

2009-12-21T06:50:00.000-06:00

I was hoping for the Santa picture of all Santa pictures. She was in a really good mood and we took her to Santaland at the mall. It was the first time we took her out in her stroller and she was having a great time. While we were in line waiting to see Santa, we saw a price list of the different packages and sample pictures. In the sample picture, this santa had a great big warm smile that made me want to sit in his lap....the girl in his lap was so giddy and happy. We were asked to order the package before seeing the pictures and if we didn't want them, we didn't have to get them. We got up there and Clover was in very good mood. After one picture, the photographer's camera froze and it went downhill from there. They told me to hold her while they rebooted their stuff. After a few minutes, I was told to give her back to Santa. When I tried, he snapped at me and told that they were rebooting the system. I told him they said it was fixed and he told me again in a hick voice (and louder and slower so I would understand) that they were rebooting. Then when he realized they were up and going, he took her. I think Clover may have gotten a bad vibe from this Santa because after this, she was not happy and didn't really want anything to do with this anymore. This was the best pose. And just look at Santa..he looks like he is sitting on a subway train, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. As unhappy as I was with the ordeal, Johnny seemed pleased that she got to see Santa and we got her first pic, good or bad...that made me feel a lot better about it. We still had a nice time, getting out with the baby and browsing the stores. Afterwards, we drove to old Decatur and looked at the decorated houses and the pretty lights.

Clover is 3 months old today!!

2009-12-15T19:29:00.001-06:00

Here is grandma with the little one. I can't believe how much she is changing everyday. She will let us know she was to be sung to by trying to sing herself. She is sometimes amazed by weird things. Like last night she woke up in the middle of the night. I had the tv on while I was on the computer. I went to go get her and brought her out in the living room. An infomercial was on and everytime a lady with long hair was on the screen, she would babble at her. I know, I know, she should not be watching tv.

It looks like we have a big week coming up. Her cousin, Fox is having a birthday party. I hope we are able to make it down to Montgomery for it. She had lots of fun with everyone over Thanksgiving. We also need to find Santa, so I can tell him what she wants for Christmas. We had a little holiday gathering in Decatur, at my house this past weekend and she slept most of the time. We will be posting pics from that as soon as we can gather them and see what we have. My good friends from high school, Alyson and Kim came by for a bit. I had not seen Kim in 20 years and I still didnt get a chance to talk to her because my dad hogged her up :). We hope to spend more time with them soon.

Special pictures

2009-12-09T21:39:00.007-06:00

We were lucky enough to have visitors come and go to keep us company when Clover first came home...and they still come:) Left is Uncle Sean and to the right is my friend Liz. They are both going to teach Clover about the Beatles and their music.

Here is Autumn Clover in her little pooh bear towel. She was swimming in it when she first used it. I had to put it in the too small box this week. I wish she would stay small longer.

This is a pic from Clover's first "real" bath after her umbilical cord came off. She is loving the feel and taste of water. .

Here is a pic of my first outting after the baby was born. We went to Conners Steakhouse at Bridge Street while grandma and grandpa babysat. We celebrated my 40th birthday. I gained 30 lbs of water while in the hospital and it took more than 3 weeks to get that off. It was so hard just walking around, but that night it wasn't so bad. This picture was taken with my new camera that Johnny got for me before the baby was born. It is the new Samsung DualView that takes HD video and has a touchscreen on both sides of the camera so you can see yourself when you take pics of yourself...like this one.

This is the crochet bonnet and jacket that her great aunt Patsy sent before she was born. This was made about 40 years ago

2 month check up

2009-12-05T09:10:00.000-06:00

Clover was 10 weeks old this week. She had her 2 month doctor's appt yesterday and weighed 10.5 lbs. She has really gained a lot since we brought her home. I remember being worried that she would never gain the weight back that she initally lost when she came home. She was born at 7lbs 10oz and her first visit to the pediatrician's office she weighed 6lbs 4oz. She was given her 2 mo vaccines and it killed me to see her get her shots. I remembered when I was little, going with my older brother, Sean, to get vaccines for school. I never cried when I got my shots, but I cried when he got his. He would say, "why are YOU crying, I'm the one getting the shot!". I would say, "because I love you!"...anyway, she had her shots, and then came the fever that followed. The first time she has been sick. She slept really good last night and I had to wake her up to feed her this morning. After feeding her I put her back to bed, which normally she continues to sleep with me after her early morning feeding, but she had no problem falling right back to sleep. She is such an angel.

Yesterday, we got a video of Clover's first good grasp at her rattle and she concentrated really hard to shake it up and down. We are so happy with her progress. Hopefully, we will post the video sometime.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with her father's family last week in Montgomery. She got to meet almost all of her family and enjoyed all the extra special attention from everyone. She was wired from all of the stimulation. I was warn out from the drive. I miss her MeMe's pumpkin pie. I put up our Christmas tree on Black Friday and she loved looking at the lights. Her grandma King got her a sweet Lenox Pooh "Baby's First Christmas Ornament" that is now hanging on the tree.

Since I haven't been blogging until recently, I will be posting older pics as I have time. Here is a link to a video of her a few days after we brought her home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3OjHVKY7EA

2 month portraits

2009-11-20T01:10:00.000-06:00

Today Clover got her first portraits (besides the newborn pic at the hospital) taken. She was really good. We were there for 2 and half hours and we had to take a break so I could feed her. She took a nap while I picked out the pictures I wanted to order and we were on our way. I was amazed at how well she held up her head in some of the shots. She is so precious to us and I am so happy to have pictures to remember these sweet moments.