Ketchup, please (but hold the mustard)

So the month of July has come and gone and I'm just now getting around to writing about it. Sorry folks, I know you're paying good money for this. So let's start at the beginning.

Ariel's first Independence Day was thankfully marked with cool weather. Every year, our subdivision hosts a celebration which includes a parade and bbq. Eric and Ariel walked in the parade, while Pazu and I took some amateurish pictures. Everyone thought Ariel was cute, and who could blame them! She's darling. Overall, we had a good time (Ariel slept through most of it). Next year, I think we'll get all decked out and decorated and actually compete for an award. We'll see.

Towards the end of July, I went home to Alamogordo. It was a great two-for-one deal as Ariel and I got to spend time with the 'rents and I was asked to judge a Miss America local pageant. In the local pageant, a girl or two is crowned and then competes for Miss New Mexico next June. Whoever wins then goes on to compete at Miss America. I actually competed for Miss NM back in 2003. While I didn't win (nor did I place in the top 10) I gave everything I had, so there are no regrets. Disappointments, but not regret.
Ariel with the Johnson Family Storytime with G-ma Cuddles with Crystal
So I drove the 8 hrs home with baby and puppy in tow. I was by myself and man I will never do this again. I failed to do a lot of planning, which created quite the adventure for me. Ariel did a lot of sleeping, Mommy did a lot of driving and Pazu did a lot of whining. What usually takes 8 hrs took me 10 and when someone had to go to the bathroom, we all went. Pazu was on the leash, Ariel was in the harness and Mom was trying to coordinated everything. I'll tell you that it was very interesting going to the bathroom with an infant strapped to your chest. You really only have time to pee, which sometimes is quite unfortunate. The one good thing was that Ariel started reaching and grasping at stuff on this trip. It was really cool to witness as she tried to put her car seat strap in her mouth.

Back to the pageant. It was interesting being on the judging side of things. It really was an inside scoop on how the whole thing goes down. But despite your best effort to judge fairly and make sure you do what you're supposed to, you still can't control the outcome (there are a total of 5 judges on the panel). It felt like being a contestant all over again. Sigh.

Ariel now is smiling, laughing, and "talking" quite a bit. She and Eric have the greatest time with each other in the morning. I get a little jealous as she saves the best for Daddy. But I get to see everything first, so I guess it evens out.

So there's July, wrapped up and ready to go.

Two Months and Counting

Ariel is now 8 weeks old and we've been having fun with the college inspired all-nighters and the hissy fits during medicine time. But we've had great moments where she smiles at us, or gives us a look that screams, "y'all are crazy." She's gaining weight like a champ and has started to develop a set of chubby thighs (so cute). Of course she won't think so when she still has them when she's 16. we go to the doctor on Monday and we'll update her stats. She'll also be getting her first set of shots. Yuk!

We've recently moved the bear mobile over her bassinet, Ariel loves to sit and watch the bears go round and round. It's become her new favorite past time. And when the music stops, she is quick to summon us to crank up the dance once more. She also enjoys listening "The Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. We have visual aids so she is well entertained. Ariel also loves dancing to the "Hokey Pokey." Aunt Vicki feels that an intervention is neccessary, as Ariel is quite addicted to it.

Here are some pics from the past 4 weeks.

super cute

i believe i can fly!

squeaky clean

mothra's beginnings

Slumber Land

I just realized that I didn't post pictures of the finished nursery-the teddy bear haven. Believe me, Ariel's room doesn't look like this anymore, as we have been living in it. It's "disorganized" on a regular basis, but nobody really seems to care, least of all Ariel and me.

Enjoy the pictures!

entrance (east wall)
back wall (south side)
west wall

Shout Out

I wanted to send a shout out to our friend who created Ariel's birth announcements.

Sara is the owner of Norwood's Arts, a company that specializes in custom design holiday greeting card, birth announcement, or invitations. She also made our Asian themed wedding invitations.

I highly recommend Sara, as she is a good friend of ours and the quality of her work is unsurpassed by anything you may find in retail stores.

Find some time to visit her website http://www.norwoodarts.com/.

As a baby shower gift, Sara sent us a "Countdown to Baby" box. It works like an Advent calendar, where 10 days before baby, you open a box a day until your due date. This was a lot of fun, especially since I was getting antsy that last part of the pregnancy. When Eric would come home at the end of the day, we'd open a box. Taking the theme from the Ten day of Christmas, I would sing, "On the 10th day of countdown to baby we received . . ." and then we'd open our gift for the day. Genius idea, I tell you. Genius.

Happy Father's Day

Since I haven't had time to go shopping for Eric's first father's day, I improvised. I bought a frilly, pink sundress for Ariel. Because Eric likes to see his girls dressed up, this was her gift to her daddy. I know it sounds lame, but it's the thought that counts and Eric just beams when he shows Ariel (and her outfits) off.

We started our day off with Coffee for Dad at a local coffee shop. It was a nice quiet morning and Eric and I enjoyed ourselves while Ariel caught a cat nap. Maybe we'll make this a tradition of ours.

After church, we drove up to Eric's parents house and had a nice afternoon of food and conversation. Jesse grilled the steaks and I made dessert (a lemon pound cake). Don't ask what time I had to do this. I honestly don't remember.

The grill master Pretty girls

We had a good day, but we may go to the reservoir and have a picnic lunch next year.

Life and Death

In the wake of death, there comes a sense of healing. Of new opportunities born out of the tragedy of losing a loved one.

On Monday, May 25th, my grandmother passed away from pancreatic cancer. It was not an unexpected death, but who is ever prepared to lose someone?

My mom's mother was a riot. When I was born, she told my mom that she was too young to be a grandma. So she would not answer to "grandma" but to her name, Carole. Yes, like a Christmas carole. While we only saw her very couple of years, some of my best memories were the summers we spent catching lightening bugs and pretending to be Transformers in the front yard.

Eric and I packed up the car and Ariel (who was only 2 1/2 weeks old) and made the 24 hour drive to Ohio. Ariel did great in the car. Thank goodness.

While I'll miss Carole an awful lot, something good has come from her passing. We were able to reconnect with cousins we haven't seen in 18 years. It was such a shame that so much time passed between us-- all because of miscommunication and misunderstanding. My sister and I even met family that we didn't know existed! The entire occasion was bittersweet.

The funeral service Carole was nicely done and Vicki even sang a song that brought everyone to tears. But despite our mourning, life continues. The reception felt more like a family reunion with laughing, picture snapping, and story swapping. I know my grandma was looking down on us and laughing at our jokes and glad that her family was reunited.

The McClendon Grandkids & Ariel

Grandpa and his girls (Vicki's shooting the pic)

If you are inclined to pray, please keep our family in mind, especially my Grandpa. I know that the upcoming holidays are going to be hard on all of us. Carole's spirit will never leave us, as we all carry a piece of her in our hearts.

One Month Birthday!

It's hard to believe that it's been a month since we brought our little princess home. Life has certainly been an adjustment and we're all doing the best we can (meaning we're up several time in the middle of the night).

At two weeks, Ariel went in for her first doctor's appointment. She weighed in at 6 lb, 9 oz and her height was 18 3/4 inches. I know that it seems like she had shrunk, but we think it's partially due to her head rounding out. Ariel is a great eater and her weight gain shows as much.

After our little road trip to Ohio, I took Ariel back to the doctor as she had been fussing an awful lot since our return. She weighed in at 7lb, 13 oz. That was the great part. the not so great part was that she was diagnosed with acid reflux. Oh boy. She's now on Zantac and the meds seem to be helping.

However, Ariel has now taken to a middle of the night marathon. She usually wakes 2-3 times in the night to eat, which is fine. But at least one of these wakings, results in a 2.5 hr period where she wants to do everything but sleep. She'll be changed, fed and otherwise ready for sleep, except that Ariel has other ideas. This is really starting to take its toll. If anyone has any ideas on how to keep her awake during the day and asleep at night, shoot me an email. I wish more parents talked about these kinds of things. I'm starting to feel like a special case.

Overall, we're doing ok. Keep us in your thoughts.