My Dearest Claire...

It is now just before 1am on the day of your birth. I'm getting ready to go to bed as I am up WAY to late - as normal.

I just checked in on you, and saw you laying in your crib. Some how you managed to turn upside down and you look SO incredibly sweet lying on your side. Your little legs make me smile - they always have, and I was so tempted to give them a little squeeze. I think your pajama shorts made them look extra cute.

I suddenly started thinking about what I was doing 1 year ago today, and I'm actually pretty surprised at how emotional I feel. Okay - so maybe that's not surprising as I can cry at anything remotely sappy.

At 1 am on April 13th of 2007, your daddy and I were actually asleep. Your 'Aunty Krissie' selflessly stayed at the hospital for what we considered to be the hardest 'shift' ever! Your dad and I still say that we owe Krissie the world for that. Your birthmom, 'D' was in 'transitional labor' (you'll learn about that stuff later on in life) and was having a hard time. She was very uncomfortable as she had already been in labor for 25 hours and you weren't going to make your appearance for another 12.

Emotionally, I was drained. Spent. So, SO tired. I couldn't wait to see you, but I was so nervous at the same time. See, there were two mommys that loved you so very much. One made sure that you had life, and that you were healthy. And she wanted you to have the best possible life that she could imagine. And by God's grace and goodness, she thought that me and daddy could give that to you. I hope so badly that I will. I can't imagine any baby being loved as much as you were.

I remember being so nervous that I would pass out when you were going to be born. I held your mom's hand and just looked at her face the entire time. And then I heard you cry. And you know what? I cried too! After you got your bath, daddy and I came up to the nursery to see you. You were being fed, and all the nurses said that you were so beautiful. And if I'm being completely honest - then I have to agree. Seriously - you were the prettiest baby EVER. And you were so tiny! I was so afraid to hold you - to change your diaper, to feed you. But 'D' showed me how. She showed me how to swaddle you, to change your clothes, everything! So again, you had 2 mommys to make sure that you were taken care of.

And now - here you are, a year later! A whole YEAR! I can't believe how fast it went by. You are becoming such a little person, and I love it so much! I love hearing you say 'mama', and I love when you give me smooches. I love your silly faces, and I love how you say 'oh, wow!' when something excites you. I love every thing about you. Everything - all of it. I love you SO incredibly much.

Happy birthday little munchkin!

love,
Mommy

Good Bye to the Mullet

As many of you know, Claire has had this very interesting mullet for the majority of her little life. I usually put her hair in 2 ponies so that it hides it, but since the rest of her hair is now growing in rather nicely, the ponies aren't looking too hot either. So for purely vain reasons (we're getting her 1 year photos done in just over a week) I made the executive decision to cut the mullet off. So here are a few photos, to document Claire's first haircut. And no, I did not do it myself as I knew I would probably mess it up - so Traci (who also does a fabulous job on my own hair -thank you very much) was so kind to do it for me. I, of course, in typical 'Asian' fashion was snapping photos left and right. At least I didn't have the neck strap on.


Seeing this photo actually makes me kind of like the mullet. I think it looks super cute here. Granted, you can't see the top - and that hat is OH so cute!!



Claire was just making sure Traci completely understood what look she was going for. I think in the end everyone was cool with it.


Claire did a super job during the entire 5 minute process. She didn't throw a fit of any kind, nor did she cry. I do think it's pretty cute how she was hanging onto the chair arm. Can you see that lock of hair on the counter? That's part of the mullet.

All done. My little baby is really looking like a little girl!!!

Well this Easter was a great one. I remember last Easter going to the service held at the fairgrounds and seeing all the 'moms' and their kids. Some were in strollers, and some were walking around, and I remember thinking 'Wow. That is going to be ME next Easter.' And yes, it really was. Claire sat in her stroller pretty well, but towards the end got a little sick of it. But a HUGE shout-out to Colleen who offered to hold her!! Thanks dude!

Our Easter Meal (I'm not sure if it was technically lunch or dinner, and it was too late to be brunch) was consumed up in good ol' Apple Hill at my parent's house. The food was incredible (seriously mom - where DID you get that ham!) and of course I totally over ate. But I blame that on the creator of cream cheese. I mean - who would have guessed that mixing that stuff with potatoes (and creating 'twice baked' potatoes) would result in chemically altering one's ability to control their intake of food. It's really weird. Maybe they should do a 'study' on it.

And now, for a few photos - be prepared - I added quite a few.

And here is Miss Claire in her totally beautiful but completely impractical 'Easter Dress'. Yes, it's silk, and has to be dry cleaned only. Which mean I fed her in her pajamas then quickly put on the dress before heading to church, and then snapped a few pictures at mom and dad's and then changed her clothes again before giving her lunch. Good thing I'm going to have her wear that dress during her '1 year photos' - so at least it gets SOME use out of it. I know. Stupid purchase. (oh yeah - disclaimer on the hair - she was messing with it so it looks REALLY bad - but I didn't have time to fix it before our 2 minute photo shoot)

Claire has learned to clap. Super cute.
So here she is, ready to look for eggs and 'cheering' about it.
I wonder if she ever realized there was one just behind her.

Hmm. Looks like some other kid found that egg.
But hey - its a great day out. So there's still tons to clap about.

Oops. I guess those eggs are still there. Now if she can just lean forward a bit...

Yeah. It's gets pretty boring. I totally understand. But I have a feeling that if you just would have moved around a bit - it COULD have been a bit more interesting...

So in the end, we just gave her a few eggs. She was totally cool with it. But what I don't have a picture of, is Ty - when about 2 minutes later he walked up and took all her eggs. I think he thought he 'found' them. (the other eggs he found were hidden at the same level of 'difficulty')

Good Times with the Easter Bunny

So I was at the mall the other day and there just happened to be NO LINE for the Easter Bunny. Now, those of us who shop at the Galleria already are aware of the huge lines that can form for Santa, the Easter Bunny, and who knows what else they decide to stuff and sit in an oversized chair. Claire had on no shoes, no frilly dress, or anything else you might expect a child to wear when taking this monumental photo, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and do it anyway.

First, let me start off by saying that it was pretty clear that Mr. Easter Bunny pretty much hated his life. Claire has this 'thing' for bunnies so I figured that a HUGE bunny would be pretty exciting for her. I held her as we approached him saying 'Oh look! It's a bunny! Its the Easter Bunny!!!' And Mr. Easter Bunny sat motionless in his large, cardboard throne. Not even a slight turn of the head towards the precious, little child that was about to sit in his lap. No waiving of the polyester-gloved hand to spread some friendly aura to his visitors. Just a blank stare towards the camera - as if to say 'I'm ignoring you as much as I am legally able to without losing my job.'

I guess I can't really blame him for being bothered. I mean, white gloves went out in the 80's.

It's over, and I'm TIRED!

Okay. It's late, I feel like my body is literally shutting down, so I'll probably be brief on this posting. Or maybe not, I never really know what I'm going to say until my fingers magically type it out. Anyway, this is my booth. I was right inbetween 'Baby Sign Language' and some Scrapbooking thing. (the Scrapbooking ladies tried to nudge their table into my 10x10' space, so I put up the table on the right so they couldn't be in my booth. Greedy women.) And if I have have to hear the 'Potty Train' song one more time I'll freak out.

This is the vertical display I had my large bows on. On the table was my 'bargain basket' where bows and clips were only $3 (or $2 on Sunday) but you had to sift through it all to see what there was.

My friend Melissa made this display. I LOVE IT!
I didn't want to put the hooks in it so nothing could mess it up.

It could be a bit hard to tell, but the 2 neck busts are holding 'stretchy' headbands for those who don't have a ton a hair yet. The box held headbands I 'wove' ribbon around. And there's actually a picture of Claire on that big paperclip. But she kind of looks like a cat from a distance.

The 2nd board Melissa made. These were mix & match clippies.

Okay, so this is one of my FAVORITE things. I now do custom tutu's - but what I love, is the dress form. Thanks Pottery Barn Teen! (no - they did not donate, but they took my money and gave me that in return!) Weird story: I had a couple of adults ask if I could make tutu's for adults - to which of course I responded 'yes'. Then a lady asked if I could make one for a man. I still don't know if she was kidding or not.

I like these little spinning displays. I thought everything looked pretty cute.
(Can you see how close the Scrapbook ladies' wire spinning display is to my table?!?!)

So, now that this Baby Expo is all over, I can honestly say that I'm SOOOOOOO glad!!! No, I didn't make millions, nor did I even make thousands... but it was a great experience and I actually did a lot of networking. I have many new opportunities that I'm really excited about, and it's pretty amazing how this once little 'hobby' has now turned into a pretty cool little business. It was encouraging to get positive feedback from the 'public' since you feel like they're pretty unbiased. Although, quite a few moms from my 'moms group' came by to see me. But I wasn't counting them in that group.

Just so you know how hard I actually worked - here is an estimate on what I actually made:

500 - solid colored large bows
450 - solid colored small bows
250 - polka dot small bows
250 - small flower clips
50 - large flower clips
300 dragonflies
25 - woven headbands
30 - stretch lace headbands
5 - tutu's
too many to count - clippies

It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!

Yes, it's official. I'm now entering the final week before the big Expo. Ribbon is being cut and folded. Glue is being melted and molded, and fingers are becoming little cramped, claw-like nubs. Okay, so that last part is a bit of an exaggeration. But my fingers do become cramped from time to time.

Last minute supplies and newly ordered graphics are starting to arrive. It's almost like Christmas - except better! TOTALLY kidding on that one. But it IS fun to get packages. Plus, I sometimes forget that I ordered stuff, and then I'm SO happy to see that I didn't forget something that I really did need.

I'll be taking alot of photos at the Expo so be prepared to check them out.



On another totally random note, I thought I'd share some tips on a really important topic. So, I hope you find this helpful:

How To Lose Your Pride: 101

1) After you take a shower, opt out of blow-drying your hair. Let it 'air dry'. Not only does this save you time, but it also saves you from having anything remotely close to a hair style. Also, your 'fringe' (or 'bangs' as some would call them) will then dry at an angle that will resist any form of 'shaping' - unless you completely re-wash the hair. It is best to discover this about 10 minutes before you're supposed to leave for a night out. Nothing makes you feel more confident then when you think you might be mistaken for a man.

2)For a Valentine's Day date with your hubby, agree to go with 3 other couples bowling. And not just bowling, but a 'come-in-matching-Valentine's-day-T-shirts-because-this-
will-be-so-funny-and-a-great-time' night of bowling. And of course, get REALLY into it. So much into it, that you are determined to create the best cheesy T-shirts EVER. And then show up to the bowling alley with jackets over your prize-worthy shirts so that you can make a huge reveal and everyone will be so jealous at your amazing creativity, and skills with a glue-gun. But then find out that no-one does the 'cheesy' route, but more the 'matching' route. So now you and your husband look like you just escaped from a pink/red/white/Valentine's Day looney bin.

3) Now this is the most important tip of all. When you bowl, fall down. And I'm not talking about a little slip, or a short trip by the seating area, but a full blown on HANDS AND KNEES fall. It's best if you fall right by where your lane begins. That way, when both your hands slam onto the ground, you can be sure to place them on the waxy part. And I guarentee, that if your hands touch that magical wax, you will NOT be able to push off to get your self up. You'll probably slide forward a little more, you'll freak out in your mind that your whole body is going to end up sprawled out in wax (which would also result in ruining your shirt), and your husband will run up to you thinking that you really hurt yourself because you didn't get up right away, but actually you just CAN'T get up quickly, you have to go really slow to stop the natural forward motion that your body wants to move. (Oh yeah, chances are, your sister might end up sitting down because she might wet her pants from laughing so hard)

So to sum it all up, if you combine the bad hair day, with being the only one's wearing cheesy shirts, with falling on your face in front of ALOT of people at a bowling alley, I promise you, and can 100% guarentee, that you'll lose your pride.

Take it from me, I should know.

Working Hard... and Killing Time

As many of you know, I've been MIA for a while trying to get stuff ready for the Expo. So I thought I'd post a picture of SOME of things I've been working on. If you double click the picture, it'll come up bigger, thus resulting in it looking like there's MORE. Ha ha!

So here are some of the polka dot bows I'll have. I'm still working on the 'solid' colors, headbands, flower clips, and a ton more than I won't bore you with.

Of course one cannot hide away and produce large amount of bows forever. So what is the alternative?!?!? Why, dress your child up in a bathing suit of course!

I bought this swimsuit for Claire last summer and of course it was WAY too big for her. So I thought I might as well put her in it now, since she'll probably outgrow it by this summer. (At least I HOPING she'll outgrow it by then!)

Here's another 'shot' of Claire modeling the suit. I think it's interesting how she tilted her head to one side... almost as if she knows how to pose. Hmmm. Maybe all my watching of America's Next Top model is rubbing off on her...