gROsS

As gross as this is to admit. Claire is a nose picker. I mean a constant nose picker. All day long I am saying "Don't pick your nose". It is to the point were I should just record it and let it play all day. While it drive me crazy, I can deal with the nose picking, it is the eating it that completely grosses me out. I mean everyone has to pick once in a while, but eat it? YUCK. Well if that isn't bad enough it gets worse.

We were driving in the car the other day, when I looked back to check on the girls only to see Claire picking her nose and feeding it to Ella. (BARF!) Of course Ella was eating it right up. (DOUBLE BARF) Then Claire says "yum its good huh?" Needless to say we quickly pulled the car over and moved Claire's car seat so the they were not sitting by each other any more. I think this will be permanent. Well at least until Ella is old enough to know not to eat some elses boogies.

That was probably more than you wanted to know, but I had to tell someone. Lucky you.

Bay B Cs

I love having her sing her ABCs. Some times she gets stuck in a loop. At the end when she sings now I know my ABC then she keeps going and sings the whole alphabet again. It makes me giggle. After 3 or 4 times I help her finish it. I was hoping she would get stuck in a loop while I filmed her, but no luck. She is learning so much so fast. I can't believe how big she is getting.

Ella loves Claire

Ella loves Claire so much. Claire just has to look at her and Ella will start laughing. I was trying to get the girls in jammies for the night, but Ella could only focus on what Claire was doing. Ella only laughs like this for Claire. Some day she will love me like that.

gOOdbYE cHErry

I sold my car tonight. I know it is silly, but I got a little teary about it. I've had my car for 6 years, and her name was cherry. I'm pretty sure the 16 year old boy who bought isn't going to call her that anymore. Don't worry girl you'll always hold a special place in my heart. :(

Halloween

How did we celebrate halloween?

we made cookies

We carved pumpkins

We colored hair pink and dressed like a witch

then decided we had enough of being a witch and went back to being last years chicken

We also had a banana at our house

It was good.

How did you celebrate halloween?

for wade

As per your request we give you ......

BANANELLA

YOU HURT ME!

I don't think I have posted much on Claire's asthma. We have had some really serious asthma attacks. We were really lucky on the last one not to have to admit her to the hospital. It is so scary when she can't breathe. Its even worse when the Doctor tells us they think they will have to admit her. I'm still not sure how she stayed out of the hospital on the last one. Since then we have started some new medication and they referred us to a specialist. They had a wait a month after this last attack before seeing the specialist so she could evaluate how Claire is responding to the new meds. Today was her appt. She is responding well to the new medication. Her lungs sounded clear. We were given an action plan to follow. The Doctor thinks we will have to up her medication for the winter months. So we will go back in 6 weeks to follow up and see if do need to increase.

While there I had them give Claire her flu shot. The flu is very dangerous for asthma. The nurse had me hold Claire on my lap and hold her hands. I thought it was so she would try to grab the needle. Claire watched as they gave her the shot. After they were done she started to whine a little, then got very angry and yelled "YOU HURT ME!!! DON'T HURT ME AGAIN" Had I not been holding her hands she would have slapped the nurse. I think that is the real reason they make me hold her hands. She then looked at me and gave me the sad face and said "mama, she hurt me." I explained that it was only a little hurt so she wouldn't get sick later. Well, we also had Ella's 4 month check up today. We went back for it a couple hours later. It was at the same clinic but with our regular pediatrician instead of the asthma specialist. Claire cried when we pulled into the parking lot and reminded me "doctors hurt me". Then when the doctor came in she screamed and dove under the exam table and slide to the back corner were we couldn't get her. She proceeded to yell at the doctor saying "You hurt me. DOCTorS HURt ME!" I couldn't help buy laugh. Dr. Pruitt tried to convince her he didn't hurt her and even bribed her with a sucker but she wasn't buying it. She also had to tell Daddy the doctor hurt her when he got home. I don't think she is going to forgive them any time soon.

Ella is doing well. Is growing so big. She is in the 90th percentile for height, 80th percentile for weight and 60th for head size. She now weighs in at 15.5 pounds. She is a really sweet happy little girl. She only cried for a couple seconds about getting her vaccines. The nurse said that she was the bravest little baby she had ever seen. I have to agree, she stares danger in the face every time Claire gets near and smiles the biggest cheesiest grin you've ever seen.

I love my girls

I guess time has gotten away from me. It has been almost 2 months since my last post. Let me check you up on what has been going on.

Ella Jane is getting bigger every day. She has a very mellow easy going personality. She absolutely LOVES Claire. Claire can do whatever she wants to that girl, and she just smiles at her. As you can see from the picture. I seriously just went upstairs for a couple minutes. Ella has started babbling, and giggling. She has the biggest cheesiest grin that melts my heart. I can't believe how fast she is growing. They don't stay little long enough.

Claire is getting bigger too. She had her first dentist appointment. She did really good with the hygienist. She opened her mouth and let her clean her teeth. But when the dentist came in she got really nervous and he only got to see her teeth when she cried. Claire is still determined to be the baby and not be potty trained. It is going to be a battle of wills. She says the funniest things. Some times it is just absolute nonsense. I am still trying to figure out what a "pongo wongo" is. She is starting to sing all the time. Some of the time I can actually tell what song she is singing.

Mark and I are both doing well. We have started going to the gym 5 days a week. I have lost 13lbs so far and Mark has lost 5. I am trying very hard to become healthier. I really want to teach my girls healthy habits, and be an active fun mom. I still have a lot of weight to lose. I wish I would have made the effort to lose all the weight I gained during Claire's pregnancy. I was careless and gained too much. I did so much better with Ella. I was careful to watch how much and what I was eating. I have lost everything I gained with Ella. Now I am working on the weight from Claire. It is a challenge for me. I love food. If I could eat all day long, I would. I am going to keep working at it. I'll report on my progress.

We are well and happy. I can't promise I'll post on a regular basis. But I will try to go this long in between posts

R.I.P Dorothy fish

She was a good little fish. Don't tell Claire she's dead. :(

Dorothy

Claire is now the proud owner of Dorothy the goldfish. Every time we go to Walmart Claire asks to see the fish. We spend at least 10 minutes looking at the fish and her yelling "MAMA ITS DOROTHY, IT A SISH. For you who are lucky enough not to have to watch Elmo's world. Elmo has a pet goldfish named Dorothy. Claire and I were once again looking at the fish while Mark and Ella were doing other shopping. . Claire yelled DOROTHY!!! over and over again. When an employee asked if we needed any help getting a fish. I guess he thought any little girl that excited must be getting a fish not just looking. I looked at the price once again 28 cents, and decided that Claire was going to get a fish. Claire finally broke me. As the man was catching a fish for us, I heard a "WHATS GOING ON HERE?" I was busted. It was Mark. I was hoping that Claire would carry her Dorothy up to him and show him and leave me out of it. I wasn't that lucky. As Mark went to find a fish bowl and some food I could see him shaking his head. Next time I am going to send him to look at the fish with her while I do other shopping. It was only a matter of time before I gave in. He is stronger and can resist that Claire charm. I cannot. Claire had to have Dorothy sit next to her in the car seat. She put her arm around the bag, like they were best buds. She kindly asked "You alright Dorothy" as she poked the bag. I'm surprised she made it home alive. She did, and is now swimming around her new home. I guess now I'd better learn how to take care of a goldfish

.

Photo shoot

I decided to have a photo shoot with the girls. Here are the ones that turned out the best. Our camera does not take very good photos. I made Claire and Ella coordinating dresses. There were a couple of super cute pics of them together, but they turned out blurry. I will have to try again another day.

Learning Curve

It has been 3 1/2 weeks since Ella joined our family. I feel like there should be some sort of motherhood manual out there for adapting to 2 children. Having Claire and going from none to one was a little overwhelming, because I was a new mom and nervous about breaking her. I innocently thought going from one to two wouldn't be that hard, because I wasn't going to be as nervous. Lets just say, I am not adapting so quickly. For 8 hours a day I am outnumbered. I find that my girls like to do things at the same time for example : poop, cry, want to be held. The only thing I can't seem to get them to do at the same time is nap. For some mom's it seems they are naturals at balancing their children. I on the other hand have a lot of learning to do.

Its silly but of all the things I miss most is being able to sit at the table and eat a meal. I dream of the day when I will be able to sit down and eat a whole meal, with both hands. Right now I do most of my eating with either one hand while holding Ella and spilling some on her (sorry girl but you insist on being held) or I don't actually eat a meal, just grab a bite here and another one there.

On another note, we have been trying to teach Claire to say gesundheit when someone sneezes. The other day in the car Mark sneezed. I told Claire to say "gesundheit daddy". She looked at me for a moment, then said "Hold on tight Daddy" Oh I love that girl. I guess that as close as she could figure I was saying. Now when Daddy sneezes he is told to "HOLD ON TIGHT".

Ella Jane

Its been a week since Ella joined our family. It is amazing how this little stranger belongs so completely in our family. I can't imagine not having her here with us. Although at the same time we are just getting to know each other. Some of the things I have learned are: she is the slowest drinker. On the few occasions we have given her a bottle it will take her 45 minutes to drink 1/2 an ounce. This explains why nursing takes so long. She hates having her diaper changed. She loves having her hair(fuzz) washed especially when I use a toothbrush. I look forward to learning more about my little one.

Ella has arrived

She was born Saturday May 22nd at 6:40 pm . Weighing in at 7 lbs 12 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Her eyes are dark grey. I think she will get hazel eyes like Mark's but we will have to wait and see. She has light brown fuzz on her head. It will probably fall out and she will end up being a baldy until she is 2 like Claire was. She is a snuggler. The internet here at the hospital isn't the greatest so I will have to add some pictures after we are home.

At my doctor appointment this week we set up an induction date. I was hopeful that I would be making progress and Ella would be coming soon. But it looks like she is very content to stay in my tummy. We will be induced on May 22nd. I am so excited for her to get here. Only 9 days left, or less maybe she'll decide to make her appearance before then.

Painting

Mark started priming his "man cave" today. I went down to see how things were going. Claire followed me down. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been. Next thing I know she is helping daddy paint. If you notice the floor she dripped walking back to the wall after dip dipping her brush and her little feet painted the floor very nicely for us. I took some video because she was jamming to the music we had playing. You can't hear the music very well, but it is still entertaining.

Why are the last weeks the longest ones?

I've made it 37 weeks being pregnant. The "I'm so done being pregnant" feeling hit me this week. I know 3 more weeks isn't really that long, but it feels longer than the whole rest of this pregnancy. I have to keep reminding myself that this is so going to be worth it when our little Ella arrives.

Dip Dip

Pizza dipped in milk anyone?

Claire's verdict "mmmm thats good"

some of her other favorites:

grilled cheese in apple juice

french fries in milk

Toast in Milk

and any type of sandwich in milk.

Spaghetti in milk (this one really grosses me out, because she will drink the saucy milk afterwards)

Tree hugger Claire

We planted 3 trees this weekend. Claire was so excited. She has official claimed them as her trees "CLAIRE'S TREE". After Mark planted them I was in charge of watering them. I had Claire help me. She watched me water the first one then said "Let me try that". I handed over the watering can. She loved watering the trees. She has asked to water them every day since. She also tells the trees bye when we leave. She is so funny.

I finished it.

I finished her skirt. I have to say I understand why they are selling for $80. Its not a very hard sewing project, but tedious and time consuming. I figured a few things out in the making this skirt that would have made the process easier, and faster. I will put those to use when I start making Ella's. Claire was so excited. She wore it to church on sunday. We had stake conference out in Ogden. The whole drive there Claire kept saying "look at me, beautiful dress." She is such a princess. It was hard to get a good picture of her. We had conference at the tabernacle which is next door to the Ogden Temple. She was so excited about the water fountain I couldn't get her to hold still long enough to get a decent picture. But the one of her running is super cute.

Pettiskirt

I saw this pettiskirt online the other day. I fell in love with it. I wanted one for Claire and Ella, but there is no way I was going to spend that much money on one. I started googling tutorials for them. I decided I was going to attempt making them one. I had to order the Nylon Chiffon online. I have been waiting a week for it. It arrived today, and I started the process of making the skirt. . I'll have to let you know how it turns out. If only my belly wasn't so big, I could stand to sit and sew for a longer period of time.

I know its been forever since I have updated our blog. I can't really say I have a good excuse, but I am going to blame it on the baby. Mark says I blame everything on the baby. But when you get this far along in pregnancy it takes lots of extra effort to do stuff. We have 6 weeks left, and my belly is big. In fact it is big enough that people feel the need to comment on how big it is where ever I go. I'll just say I know my belly is big, I don't like being told HOW big it is.

Easter was fun with Claire. She didn't really understand the concept of the Easter Bunny. I tried to explain it to her, I talked it up and let her choose her own easter basket. She Picked a green bucket with bunnies on it, because it fit best on her head. Then proceeded to wear it on her head through the rest of the store. Which worked out great because she couldn't see me putting the things to fill her basket in the cart. :) I forgot my camera on Easter sunday. :( My SIL Heather took these pics and put them on facebook. I stole them. Thanks Heather. Claire loved running around putting eggs in the basket, as long as she didn't have to carry the basket. She also felt the need to wear both the bunny ears, the easter bunny brought, and the bunny mask Grandma and Grandpa got her. She loves them so much that she will randomly wear them for the day and tell me "Claire bunny".

Claire has decided she is a princess and will wear only dresses. Apparently princesses don't wear pants. It took an hour of crying the other day and me promising her levi's were "princess leggings" to get her to wear them. I am going to have to make sure she always has at least one dress clean. I have been sewing most of her dresses. Which means I take her to the fabric store and let her pick out the material her "princess" dress will be made out of. She then loves to sit on the table and watch over the sewing machine as I make her dress. Then she will immediately want to try it on. This is my favorite part as she smiles the biggest grin ever and says "Mama look at me LOOK AT ME!" I then tell her she is a beautiful princess and she will twirl around the room. Most of the time she twirls until she is too dizzy and tips over. I will sew her a hundred dresses just for that moment. It is a good thing she doesn't care that they are all the same dress made out of different material. I only have one pattern. Plus my sewing skills, while improving, are not at a very high level.

Our little Ella Jane will be arriving soon. I am so excited for her to get here. I feel like time is going slower. While I know 6 more weeks isn't that much longer, it feels like it is going to take forever to get here. We have her room ready. I sewed her some cute sheets and crib skirt to match her rug. I often just peek in there. We had a doctors appointment last week, and everything is going good. She is growing and developing right on schedule. While I am hopeful she will want to make her appearance a little early, not too early mind you, she will probably arrive the last week in May. I think we are ready for her to arrive. But we will probably be going to the store on the way home from the hospital to get a few things we have forgotten we needed. May can't get here soon enough.

crazy hair

You know it was a good nights sleep when she wakes up with hair like this.

I know, I know its been way too long since I update our blog. I'm such a slacker I didn't even put up a christmas update. I have thought about it regularly. Once in a while I'll log in with the intent to update, but then decide I didn't really want to. So let me give you a quick update on what has been going on.

Christmas came and was so fun. Mark and I were so excited to see how Claire would react this year. Mark and I were both up in bed around 6 am. Its like we were little again. He went and got Claire out of bed at the first peep she made. He brought her in with us. She snuggled up next to me. I told her it was Christmas and that Santa had come. I didn't think she would really understand, but I was wrong. As soon as I said that she jumped up she said "SANTA!! PRESENTS COME ON! LETS GO! DADDY PEAS PRESENTS" It was so fun to see her opening presents and loving them. We went to my parents for a christmas breakfast. Claire and her two cousins spent the the morning fighting over each others presents. We then headed over to Mark's parents house were we spent the rest of the day. It was so nice to be with family. For the next week every morning Claire would ask "Santa come? Presents?" It was hard to explain that chistmas only happens once a year. It was so cute.

Shorty after christmas I became sick. I got a nasty virus that was going around. I got so bad that I went in to the doctor who told me that because I was pregnant I couldn't have any of the medications. He told me to "be tough". I then spent the next 3 weeks trying to recover. Claire came down with the same thing shortly after I did, we took her in and got her on meds and she made a quick recovery. I'm glad she didn't have to suffer through it.

Claire is talking more and more every day. I have to watch what I say because she copies everything. The other day we were in the car and I was following Mark who was in front of us. I starting telling him to "GO GO FAST GO" then I hear a little copycat in the back seat start yelling "GOOOO DADDY GOOO FAST" Now when we drive in the car, I am constantly being told by Claire to "go fast mommy go go go"

We had our big ultrasound on Jan. 25th. Everything looks healthy. It was so fun to see her. I came home and compared the 3d pictures of her to Claires. They are definately going to look like sisters. The pictures were so similar I almost think they might look like twins. We have decided on a name. We had been going back and forth on it, when one day I asked Claire who was in my tummy her reply was " baby Ella" that decided it for us. Her name will be Ella Jane Hansen. I have entered the nesting stage and can't wait to decorate her room. I used pink for Claire, I wanted to give Ella her own unique room so we are going to use purples for her room. Mark thinks I am little crazy but puts up with it. Its a good thing he loves me a lot. We are counting down the time till little Ella comes. I can hardly wait.