Now I Know My ABCD's

Tornados and Potatoes

2009-06-14T22:40:00.004-05:00

Tornados
This past week we had a tornado touch down in Flower Mound. The kids and I were just sitting down for a nice dinner and waiting on Daddy to get home from work. Little did we know that Derek was stuck in traffic on his way home, and his cell service was down because a huge storm system was moving through town. We got a warning phone call from Doug to stay in the house because a storm was moving in soon. Not five minutes later, I heard the tornado siren sound and Doug called to tell me to get the kids into an interior room. So here I was with two kids and two dogs in the bathtub with NO husband. I was trying not to show Claire and Carter how freaked out I was because I didn't want them to get upset, but then the power went out. We all lost it for just a little bit. Thankfully, the siren stopped and the power turned back on. We made it through the Flower Mound tornado that had touched down just a few miles from our house. Derek finally made it home from work but not without driving through what he called, "a war zone." A UPS truck was overturned on the freeway, a power line exploded right next to Derek's car, and Derek had to zigzag down the street to avoid fallen trees. After a cold, but still nice dinner, Derek and I decided to check out our house and backyard. Three panels of our back fence were down, one of the trees in our backyard was down, our iron patio furniture had flown across the yard and landed on top of our overturned grill, and our metal patio umbrella broke in half and flew away. With the help of Derek's dad and grandfather, we managed to get it all cleaned up and put back together this weekend.

Our fallen tree and two downed fence panels

Our other downed fence panel

Our severed umbrella pole

Potatoes
This Saturday morning, I took Claire over to Derek's grandparents' house to work in the garden. His dad and grandfather have been looking forward to getting Claire into some overalls to pick vegetables and dig up potatoes. She had a blast discovering all the plants in the garden, and she got to bring home everything she picked. Tonight I cooked up some fried green tomatoes and grilled zucchini and squash.

Claire with her squash

She was so proud of her two onions

Digging up potatoes

Finding tomatoes with Dooj

Claire with her bucket of goodies

We're Ready for Pool Season

2009-06-07T15:53:00.004-05:00

As the weather in Texas starts to warm up, we begin to get the pool itch. I love the feeling of jumping into a cool pool on a 100 degree day, especially after chasing two kids around all the time. Well for Claire, once a week simply isn't enough. She wants to get the blow-up pool out in the backyard every day. She even puts her floaties on over her clothes just to try to convince me to get us in our suits and outside. Here are some pics of Claire in her swimming attire. I also took one of Carter in the baby pool for the first time.

Claire in her "ballerina" pose

Matching goggles...check

Getting anxious

NOW MOMMY!!!

Carter enjoying his first dip

Yay for Wall Decals!

2009-05-27T16:22:00.007-05:00

After the kids went down for their naps today, I got to work decorating Carter's cranial band. I bought a wall decal pack from Target. I think it turned out pretty cute...what do you think? I am probably going to order some more, slightly nicer wall decals and try another design in a few weeks. I think it will be fun to change it up every once in a while.

Define: Brachycephaly

2009-05-27T15:50:00.004-05:00

Brachycephaly refers to the condition where the head is disproportionately wide. Brachycephaly can result from the premature fusion of the coronal sutures or from external deformation (most commonly prolonged lying on the back -- a positional deformity). The head flattens uniformly, causing a much wider and shorter head. Increased head height is also common in children with brachycephaly.

For those of you who don't know, Carter was diagnosed with Brachycephaly at his two month appointment with his pediatrician. The flattening of the back of his skull (especially on the right side) is attributed to the five days he spent in the hospital with RSV at five weeks old. It certainly makes sense since I remember that he did not want to be held but wanted to lay on his back with his head turned to the right the entire time other than feedings. However, the pediatrician advised us to wait until his four month appointment before taking action (ie. getting a cranial band) because there was still a chance that his skull would correct itself.

At his four month appointment, it became clear that two months of straight tummy time and barely any time on his back had not changed the shape of his skull. Our pediatrician wrote a prescription for us to visit Star Cranial Center in Addison. After taking computer images of Carter's head, the center advised us to go ahead with a cranial band as well.

After much waiting (appointments are hard to come by) and a lot of red tape from the insurance company, we finally received his band today. I decided to go with blue so I can decorate it myself. So far, he only fusses when I am taking it off and putting it on again. Once it's on, he doesn't even notice that it's there. He's such a little trooper. By the end of this week, he will be wearing the band 23 hours per day. Yes, this includes naps and sleeping. He will most likely only have it off during bath time or if we go swimming. We're not sure how long he will have to wear the band as it all depends on how quickly he grows. The band doesn't physically shift the plates in his skull, but gives the skull more space or less space to grow in specific directions. It seems like four months is a pretty average length of time. However, Carter's brachycephaly is pretty mild, so you never know. Here are some pics of my little guy in his new head gear...

Doesn't the blue really compliment his eyes?!

From the back...

From the side...

Such a happy boy!

Videos from Claire's School Program

2009-05-22T10:35:00.003-05:00

The Last Day of the First Year

2009-05-22T09:40:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my baby finished her first year of school yesterday. It was so sad and exciting. I can't believe how fast she's growing up. Her school capped off the year with a wonderful program of graduation for the pre-K kids and singing and dancing from all the classes. The program was beach/summer themed, and Claire's classed danced with tie-dyed scarves to the song Wipe Out. Claire was doing all the dance moves. She was one of the only kids in the toddler group (the youngest class) that actually performed the dance moves and sang the words to the final song. She actually started singing this cute song at home, and I thought I would share the words with you...

"God made me, and I see that God made me to be a special me. There's no one just like me cause God made me to be a special me."

Isn't that the sweetest song?! The next post will be a video of her performance, but here are some pictures first...

Claire doing her best surf moves

Claire rockin' the upside down sunglasses

Claire waving her scarf with her class

Little Surprises Around Every Corner...

2009-05-22T09:32:00.003-05:00

I wish all toys were labeled properly. If I had known there was a page of stickers hidden in this My Little Pony coloring book, I probably wouldn't have bought and I most certainly wouldn't have let Claire have it without supervision. This is what happened on our way to the grocery store the other day...

She was covered in stickers and insisted on wearing them into the store.

Happy 30th Birthday Derek!

2009-05-22T09:06:00.005-05:00

Derek doesn't like a big "to do" about his birthday or anyone's birthday for that matter, but how could I ignore his 30th?! We kicked off the weekend with a trip to one of our favorite restaurants, Kenny's Wood Fired Grill. As usual, the food was awesome. I took along cards from me and the kids and a small gift bag. Little did he know how big the present inside was. I decided to get Derek a MacBook Pro laptop for his birthday. I knew it was something he would freak out over, and would absolutely love. Making it happen was a whole other story. Let's just say it took several failed attempts to make the purchase, and when it finally happened for me, it wasn't arriving until after our date night out. I now had to come up with an exciting way to give him his present without actually having the laptop. I knew the laptop wasn't the only thing Derek would be happy with for his 30th birthday, so I went online and printed out pics/info of a bunch of things that could be his possible present. I made him open each envelope, and each time he thought, "Either this is it, or she's getting me all of these. Which would be crazy...and expensive!" He just kept racking his brain the whole time. Each paper had a sticky note that said "lift here," and underneath them it said things like "yeah right, this isn't your present." Finally, he got to a wrapped box, and opened the paper with the pics of the laptop. Underneath the final sticky note it said, "Happy Birthday! Seriously! I'm not kidding!" He was so excited. It actually ended up working out really well because his laptop showed up at our house on his actual birthday! So, it seems like he had the perfect birthday - night out at one of his favorite restaurants with his favorite person and he got his ideal birthday present - but I wasn't done yet. The next day was Saturday, and Derek got to hang out with his dad all day - they played a round of golf, ate lunch, went to the movies, etc. When he finally got home that evening, all of his buddies were here for a surprise, all dudes poker party. Dustin (Derek's brother) helped me set up his ideal mini poker tournament with all of his friends. I disappeared to the inlaws with the kiddos and left the guys to have the ultimate guys' night. So as you can see, Derek had a great 30th birthday! Happy birthday honey. Thanks for being the best husband, friend and daddy we could ever ask for!

The first envelope...

According to Derek, a "badass" office chair from IKEA...

The new Rockband game with all the instruments...

The new Amazon Kindle...

What could be next?...

A GPS for his car because he is soooo directionally challenged...

A treadmill with a built-in TV and iPod dock...

Opening the final gift...

It's a brand new laptop!

Carter Learns to Splash

2009-05-11T17:11:00.004-05:00

Now that Carter's sitting up, I put him on the other side of his baby tub. Of course as soon as I did, he started splashing like crazy. Needless to say, we have moved his baby tub into the big bathtub now! Hope you enjoy this new video of our little guy splashing and talking. Oh, and there might be a little shot of Margot in here too :-)

New Easter Pics

2009-05-11T09:46:00.002-05:00

The club's photographer took these two pics and just sent them out.

Easter in Austin

2009-05-11T09:35:00.005-05:00

This Easter we went back to Austin to visit with Pops and enjoy the wonderful festivities at the golf club. They put on a wondeful show as usual - petting zoo, miniature horse rides and a magnificent egg hunt. We spent Easter Sunday enjoying a brunch at the clubhouse, then we changed clothes and headed out for a tour of the golf course. Pops got Claire her own set of clubs for Easter, and she enjoyed trying them out on the real golf holes.

Ok, Don't Kill Me

2009-05-11T09:18:00.003-05:00

I have no excuses. I could blame it on traveling for Easter and weddings. I could blame it on Swine Flu and our school district being closed (quarantining a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old is NOT fun for Mom). In all reality, I just don't have anything to blame. I've just been a super bad blogger lately. So much has happened since Parker's birthday!

Carter Update:
Carter had his six month appointment. He was in the 75th percentile for height and weight and his head circumfrance was in the 90th percentile (go figure - he has no chance with his Crabtree genes). He's sitting up beautifully, has two bottom teeth, eats solids like a champ, sleeps through the night, says "dada," "mama," "gaga," and "nana" and loves to laugh. He gets his star cranial band on May 27. His head will eventually be nice and round making it easier for him to breath. He has enough hair for trendy faux-hawks. Since his doctor's appointment one month ago, I recently weighed him. Our future football player has now reached the 20 pound mark and is moving into 12 month clothes.

Claire Update:
Claire is completely pottytrained!!! I can't remember the last time we had an accident. She even wears panties to school now. She gets smarter every day - which can be quite testing at times. She enjoys finding out what she can get away with every day. She's great with her baby brother. Mostly loving but occassionaly a little aggressive. For the most part, she's well behaved. She loves school - especially music time, puzzles and reading. She just started her first real gymnastics class and says that her favorite part is doing "donkey kicks." It's also pretty difficult to get her off the trampoline. School gets out in two weeks and we start summer camp in June. She'll do four different sessions at her school and fill in the weeks off with camp where she takes her gymnastics classes.

Derek Update:
Derek turns 30 today! Happy Birthday honey! Derek's studying for the GMAT and planning to apply to MBA schools this year. He's looking forward to building on his career.

Margot & Bella Update:
Margot is almost house trained. She's sweet and playful and loves to run outside. She loves Bella, and Bella could care less. She enjoys teasing Bella with bones, and Bella enjoys stealing bones from Margot. For the most part, she's well behaved. We just need to work on her table manners. I've never had a big dog before, so I have to remember that she can reach things on the table.

Hope you enjoyed my updates. I will now post pics from Easter and a video of Carter int he bathtub. I promise to start posting again regularly!

Happy 4th Birthday Parker "Peanut" Allen!

2009-04-01T22:54:00.005-05:00

A picture of Claire and Parker from about one year ago...they grow up so fast!

Today is my best friend Heather's little boy's fourth birthday! I can remember so much about "Peanut", some of it from before he was even born. Here are some of my favorite memories...

Derek and I were some of the first people that found out that your mommy and daddy were pregnant with you.

Nobody believed your mommy and daddy when they called from the hospital when she was in labor with you because we all thought they were playing an April Fool's joke on us. After you arrived, there was no doubting you were a little boy from the second you entered the world.

You were so ticklish from the very start. You laugh just as hard now as you did when you were 6 months old.

You LOVED your swing so much, your mommy would put you in it right up until your baby sister was born. I laughed so hard to see your little legs hanging way over the front of the swing, but it always seemed to put you to sleep eventually.

You came to visit me in the hospital with your mommy after Claire was born. I swear you pushed every button in that hospital room. Your curiosity hasn't dimmed a bit.

You were so sweet when your baby sister came home from the hospital. Even though she drives you crazy sometimes, you still love on her when we least expect it. I know you will be her protector forever.

I remember when you first started pretending. You went fishing and caught me a huge fish! Your imagination still amazes me. Whether you're fixing my car or taking me on a secret "gun" mission you never cease to surprise me.

I love how excited you get when you know that Claire, Carter and I are coming over for a visit. I love that you miss me when you think I've left but I'm really just following your mommy in my own car. I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're sad. I love you when you're angry. You always make me laugh.

I can't believe you turned four years old today. I am looking forward to many more years as your Aunt Annie, and I can't wait to see what you do next! Hope you enjoy this birthday message. Here's a little video message from Claire.

Carter is 5 Months Today!

2009-03-14T23:23:00.003-05:00

I can't believe our little man is five months already. He is developing such a personality. For the most part, he is a very easygoing baby. He's only demanding when he's hungry and gets especially upset when I have to stop and burp him. We have found that he is especially shy and irritable in a large group of people. Twice now he has erupted into heavy crying at the site of Derek's entire family around him. I am so not used to a baby that has a fear of many people or separation anxiety of any kind. Claire never went through these stages - perhaps due to the fact that we started Gymboree and playgroups at such a young age. Thankfully, he seems to settle down after a good thirty minutes and quickly learns to enjoy being passed from one person to the next. It seems to me that he has a lot of his Daddy's personality.

In other news, we are heading to the Starband Cranial Center at the end of the month to have Carter's head checked out. The doctor has been watching the shape of his head since he was two months old and decided that he should be fitted for a cranial band. We have learned that besides the obvious aesthetic reasons, the reshaping will also help with the development of his ear tubes and sinus cavities (this is especially important for our allergy-prone boy). It seems that Carter will be our allergy child. The doctor has prohibited solid food until six months due to his lactose intolerance. He also develops rashes rather easily. Who else knows what he will eventually be allergic to. He just completed a treatment of Augmentin for an ear infection. His ears checked out well this past week - hurray! He is also on an inhaled steroid twice a day, until he turns six months, to hopefully improve his breathing. Most of these crazy things are all tied into him having severe RSV at such a young age. Anyway, as sad as the band looks on such a small child, the cranial reshaping should be beneficial in the long run, especially if he develops asthma. And Heather's MOH is an artist and has agreed to paint his little helmet. Any cute ideas for a helmet theme, throw them our way!

So on a more positive note, Carter has been teething like a mad man. The doc suspects he will have his first tooth by six months. He teeths so much, that he has taken to chewing on his burp clothes which we now lovingly refer to as his "chewies." Can't leave home without one! He's also doing really well with his tummy time. He is pushing up on the palms of his hands and can turn around in a circle. He especially loves watching the dogs play. He really enjoys sitting up, whether it be in his Bumbo, Jumperoo or exersaucer. He stays in these toys for large chunks of time. Great for getting stuff done around the house. Carter wakes up such a happy boy and beams at me as soon as I walk in his room. He's still sleeping in his carseat - a move we made very early on to help with his labored breathing. He was sleeping through the night until a couple nights ago. We're not sure if he's waking up due to teething or due to hunger. He's downing a seven ounce bottle and quickly going back to sleep. He loves being tickled, taking a bath and babbling. He is such a joy to have around, and I can't wait to see how he progresses of the next five months. Here is a picture of our boy sitting up. He can sit up unassisted for a good length of time now. I know it won't be long before he's chasing us all around the house!

Claire Says the Darndest Things

2009-02-14T13:20:00.002-06:00

This morning during breakfast Claire and I were talking about how Carter is a little boy and Claire is a big girl. Who's bigger? Carter or Claire? I try to turn our conversations into learning games. I also enjoy directing our conversations into talks about potty training. I can't wait for the day my daughter decides she wants to wear big girl panties permanently! Here is the conversation we had this morning.

Claire: Carter's a little boy. I'm a big girl.
Mommy: But big girls go on the potty.
Claire: I'm not a big girl. I'm a cowboy!!!

Hilarious! I just had to share.

Our Family Welcomes a New Addition...Margot!

2009-02-14T13:03:00.005-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to me from Derek and to Derek from me. We got ourselves a joint gift this year. We are excited to announce a new addition to our family...Margot Louise. We're not really sure how it happened. I guess we decided we just didn't have enough on our plates. Somehow, we ended up with a chocolate standard poodle puppy. She basically looks like a smaller version of Bella right now, but before we know it, she will tip the scales at 40-50 pounds. She was the runt of a little of eight standard poodle puppies. Her brothers and sisters were white, cream, chocolate and parti (chocolate and white). Margot was the smallest and sweetest of them all, and Derek picked her out before I even got to see them. It was love at first sight for Daddy. To say that Derek and Bella don't really mesh is probably an understatement. He's always wanted a big dog to wrestle and run with. Bella has always enjoyed sleeping and sleeping. She is clearly not a playful dog. So basically, I will take care of Margot (clean up her poop and pee, feed her and train her) and Derek will be her playmate. Either way, she has turned out to be a relatively easy and easygoing puppy so far, and we are excited to watch her grow along side Carter. Hope you enjoy these pics of our new baby.

Margot's brothers and sisters

Miss Margot Louise

Claire loving on our new baby

Claire introducing Margot to her new cage

Claire decided that she liked Margot's way of potty training better than her little potty and proceeded to take off her pants and diaper and sit on the pee pad.

Margot snoozing in her cage

Margot and her big sister Bella having bones together

Margot with her first bone

Carter Douglas is 4 Months!

2009-02-14T12:50:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Today, Carter turns 4 months. I can't believe how quickly our little man is growing up. I took him to the doctor yesterday for yet another sick appointment. It seems like he has consistantly had a cough and or stuffy nose since contracting RSV at 5 weeks old. Luckily, that's all it is for now - just another mild little cold. Anyway, I love going to the doctor and having him weighed so I can see how quickly he's growing. I can't believe he is already 16 pounds! At this rate, he will surely be big and tall just like his daddy. Carter now enjoys touching my face while he talks and coos to me. He loves his exersaucer and is starting to figure out his jumper. He has finally discovered the dogs and laughs when they run around the yard. He eats a ton and sleeps very little, but he always seems to be in good spirits. He only cries if he's hungry, dirty or tired, and he doesn't get very worked up. So far, it appears that he's going to be a sweet and loving child with a mild demeanor. He is a sweet snuggle bug, and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. Here are some pictures of our sweet little man.

Mom, I Miss You More Every Day

2009-01-21T11:50:00.004-06:00

Dear Mom,
Your presence in our lives is greatly missed every day. So much has happened this year that you would have loved to experience. 2008 brought us heartbreak and sorrow as well as joy and excitement. Derek tried his best to help me pick up the pieces after your passing and during our swift move to Flower Mound. We have a beautiful new home in the neighborhood you loved. Claire has her own room and reached a milestone of her own by moving to a big girl bed this past summer. Shortly before the move we discovered I was pregnant. We decked out our little boy's room the way you would have done. We spent Easter back at Spanish Oaks with Leigh, Wayne and Lisa and their boys. Claire had so much fun at the petting zoo and egg hunt. Claire and I spent the summer traveling and visiting family. In Pennsylvania Claire enjoyed time with cousins and a family reunion. You were greatly missed at your 40th high school reunion. We made sure to see Leigh at least every two months. Claire enjoyed a summer of swimming and playing with friends. Our weeks went by fast with McKinney playdates and weekly visits with Heather, Parker and Peyton. With the fall came school for Claire - she goes two days a week and her teachers say she loves to learn. You wouldn't believe how verbal she has become. She has learned so much from shapes and colors to letters and numbers (and even a little Spanish). October was a busy month with birthdays and the birth of our son Carter Douglas. He arrived via surprise c-section and is the most beautiful boy we've ever seen. Aunt Nancy came down for a week and was a great help with Claire and the cooking. Claire even called her "Grams". It was wonderful to have her here and we surprised her by asking her to be Carter's godmother. Kathy came to visit next and even watched the kids while Derek and I went on a date to celebrate my birthday. Halloween was fun as Claire (Minnie Mouse) trick-or-treated from house to house for the first time while Carter (Little Monster) and I sat on the front porch. Novemeber was a tough month as Carter was admitted to the hospital for four days with RSV. We had a scare and I cried for you each night I was there by his side. However, I am happy to say that he is now a big, healthy boy who seems to smile all day long. Thanksgiving was hard since it was usually spent with you, but Leigh made it up to Dallas to spend it with the whole Crabtree family. The holidays were particularly hard on us all this year. It was our first year without you - the one who always knew just how to decorate and cook for a perfect season. You would be so proud of Leigh - he decorated the house in Austin and had so many fun presents under the tree for Claire. This Christmas we also lost our dear cousin Sharon after her long fight with breast cancer, but I rejoice in knowing that you two are now together in heaven. Many phone calls to Leigh, Aunt Nancy and Grandma got us all through the end of the year. I know you are looking down on us now and smiling. As you can see, we are surviving. Every day is a struggle, and we miss you so much. But I know you are in heaven. You are one God's angels now just as you were our angel here on Earth. I love you Mom.

Thank you to all of my friends and family who have helped me through this past year. I couldn't have done it without your love and support.

Carter 3 Months

2009-01-21T11:42:00.002-06:00

Our precious little boy turned three months last week. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by with him. I couldn't ask for a sweeter baby. I swear he smiles all the time and constantly looks at me with a look of wonderment. He's absolutely in love with his Daddy. He has started laughing out loud and reaching for things. Before I know it he'll be walking around terrorizing the dog just like his big sister. Now if I could just get him to sleep through the night...

Hope you enjoy these new pics of our little man.

Crabtree Family Christmas

2009-01-01T17:38:00.003-06:00

We've had a crazy Christmas, as usual, so it's taken me a while to find the time to post about our holidays. Christmas Eve was spent at Derek's grandma's house (Ranny's) where we had a casual evening opening gifts with family and playing Doug's annual horse race game. Claire was especially excited to finally be able to open some presents - she was taunted for weeks by the many presents under our tree. After we came home, Claire put out her cookies and milk for Santa and apples and carrots for the reindeer. After the kids went to bed, Derek and I had a nice evening opening our presents to eachother. This was the first year we did this, and we found that it was nice to be able to focus on eachother for once on Christmas.

The next morning, Claire was so excited to come out and see what Santa left for her. Santa got her an easel with all the accessories and Pops got her a kitchen. It was so hard to get her out the door after she opened all of her wonderful presents. Next, we were on our way to Derek's grandparents' house (Memaw and Papaw) where we have the "Crazy Crabtree Christmas." We opened tons of presents and played all kinds of crazy games and won all kinds of awesome prizes. Many of the prizes are gift cards or household items. I won't have to buy detergent for at least a year! This Christmas lasts hours, and just when you think it's almost over, we head down to Derek's parents' house for more. This is where we exchange with Derek's immediate family.

The next day we took a much needed breather and spent time organizing the house for the imminent cleanup. But just when you thought we were finally done, we jumped in the car Saturday morning and headed up to Austin to have Christmas with my stepdad. After Claire was done opening her presents there, it looked like the house was converted into a toy store! We left on Monday and had a couple days to regroup before living it up on Wednesday night for New Year's.

New Year's Eve we met our good friends Adam and Heather for dinner, a movie and a champagne toast. Derek's parents kept both kids overnight for the first time, and Carter only woke up once for 15 minutes in the middle of the night. I'm so proud of them both for being so good for their Nana and Dooj. We had a great time trying new foods (the restaurant was Korean and Japanese food). I fell asleep in the one movie I've wanted to see all year (Slumdog Millionaire), but woke up just in time to catch the ending and head back to the bar for a midnight toast. After another relaxing day with the whole family at home, it's back to the grindstone for Derek and back to school for Claire.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday season! We'll see you in 2009!

Baking Videos

2008-12-23T11:36:00.006-06:00

Here are two videos I took while Claire was making the Christmas cookies on Sunday.

Cookies for Santa

2008-12-22T09:52:00.002-06:00

This year, we decided to make cutout sugar cookies for Santa. Claire was so excited to help out. We cleared everything off the kitchen island and used it as our cookie making surface. Claire even has her own pink rolling pin that Nana got her for Christmas last year. Daddy really got into the cookie making and even let me put an apron on him. Claire finally let me put my Grandma's old Christmas cookie apron on her too. They both looked so cute, and everyone loved getting covered in flour and eventually icing! Even Aunt Hannah came over and joined in on the fun. Santa's going to have some yummy cookies at our house this year.

Daddy and Claire rolling out the dough

Claire and her cute rolling pin

Claire in my Grandma's apron

Daddy in his "candy cane" apron

Aunt Hannah and Claire decorating cookies

Carter is Two Months

2008-12-15T11:34:00.003-06:00

Carter Man, as we affectionatly call him, turned two months yesterday. He is such a big boy - at least 12 pounds, but we'll know for sure after his well visit on Friday. He LOVES to smile all the time, and appears to be as ticklish as I am. He's slowly figuring out his sleeping patterns during the night, and I am praying that he starts sleeping through the night as quickly as Claire did (she was 3 months). He's in his crib, and we find that we are sleeping much better now. He enjoys laying on the floor and watching big sister play and being carried facing forward so he can see the world. I absolutely love having a boy, and can't wait to see what the next few months bring! Here are some pictures I took on his two month birthday yesterday.

Picture Tag

2008-12-15T10:58:00.003-06:00

I know that nobody is going to believe me when I put this picture up. How is it possible that the BEST picture of Claire that's ever been taken ends up being the fourth picture in the fourth folder. I promise I did not cheat!

Derek took this picture on Claire's first day of school. I was so surprised that she cooperated and that he was able to get such a great shot of her. I can't believe how quickly my little girl has grown up. To think that just two years ago I was giving birth to my beautiful girl, and now I have another baby and my little girl is off to school. The way time passes just boggles the mind, but I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Pictures with Santa...almost

2008-12-08T12:37:00.002-06:00

Friday was my first trip to the mall with both kids. Exciting and scary at the same time, but made much easier by having Heather and her mom there to help. I was prepping Claire for Santa all week - praciticing what she was going to ask Santa for, looking at pictures of Santa and just talking about him as much as possible. I knew Parker would cooperate on Santa's lap, so I made sure Heather sent him up there before Claire. I forgot that Peyton would most likely cry though. Claire saw Peyton get upset, and it was all downhill from there. I don't think Claire would have been happy either way. She's not really into strange old men. I decided that it wasn't worth the torture and opted to get a pic of Carter with Santa sans Claire. I think it turned out pretty cute. The Santa at Willow Bend is always so nice looking. The rest of the day went as expected - the kids had a blast in the play area, feasted on Chick-fil-a and icecream, and got restless with the shopping. All in all we had a great time!

Tag...You're It!

2008-12-04T23:23:00.002-06:00

Since Carter and Claire have now officially been tagged by not one but two friends (thanks Mel and Heather), I have to do this survey for the kids. I have to admit...it is kind of fun!

8 Things About Claire

8 of my favorite things:
1. Teddy Bear lovie (the rest of the lovies no longer matter)
2. Monkey (a.k.a. Monk)
3. Books & Puzzles
4. Laundry & Cooking
5. Chocolate Milk & Macaroni and Cheese (a.k.a. Ronis)
6. School - especially Saku and Caroline
7. Minnie Mouse
8. Singing

8 things that happened today:
1. Went to school
2. Had my first practice for the Christmas program
3. Peed in the potty!
4. Helped Mommy stamp and mail Carter's birth announcements
5. Helped Mommy wrap birthday presents for my friends
6. Sang ALL the words to the Backyardigans theme song
7. Helped Mommy give Carter a bath
8. Went for a bike ride (but not for long...it was so cold!)

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Meeting Santa
2. Playing at the play area at Willow Bend tomorrow
3. Spending the night with Nana and Dooj this weekend
4. Making special cookies for Santa
5. My school Christmas program
6. My playgroup Christmas party
7. Josh's Mickey Mouse birthday party
8. Visiting Pops in Austin

8 Things About Carter

8 of my favorite things:
1. My big sister Claire
2. My swing (thanks Aunt Heather!)
3. Bath time
4. Christmas lights
5. My bottle
6. Sleeping in my carseat
7. Long talks with Mommy
8. Sleeping

8 things that happened today:
1. Went to the holiday market - slept
2. First visit to the post office - slept
3. Helped Mommy take things to the resale shop - grunted in my carseat
4. Dropped off donations at CCA - slept
5. Picked Claire up from school - awake and ready to eat
6. Bath time with Mommy and Claire
7. Layed on the floor with Mommy while she addressed envelopes for my birth announcements
8. Slept in my crib for the first time

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Crawling
2. Walking
3. Laughing
4. Talking
5. Christmas
6. Sleeping at the mall tomorrow
7. Spending time with Nana and Dooj this weekend
8. My next bottle

2008-12-01T13:13:00.004-06:00

It's always fun to decorate when you are in a new house to see how all your decorations work and where they will go. Here are some pictures of how our new house turned out this year. I was especially excited to decorate the banister and the dining room this year. There will be more pics of outside when it gets dark tonight.

The nativity set we got on our honeymoon.

The dining room mirror.

The mantel...Carter's stocking hasn't arrived in the mail yet.

Entryway table...I need another snowman baby. The tree is our new advent calendar where Claire found all the chocolates.

Our banister.

Our new Christmas tree. It actually looks a lot like a real tree.

Claire's Microphone

2008-11-25T11:03:00.004-06:00

I don't think these videos need much of an introduction...just enjoy the cuteness of a toddler's imagination. I'll have to remember these videos so I can use them as bribary when she's older!

Hershey's Chocolate...The Breakfast of Champions?

2008-11-25T10:36:00.004-06:00

Each morning when Claire gets up, she sits on the couch with her cup of milk to watch Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. She's usually so content, that Derek and I are able to stay in bed a little longer or hop in the shower while she camps out. This morning I came out of my bedroom after she had been on the couch for about 30 minutes only to find her rounding the corner covered in chocolate. I thought maybe she had tried to make chocolate milk by herself or something. Then I remembered that I had put chocolates in each door of the advent calendar, and Claire has taken to pulling her stool up to just about every piece of furniture to get at things on top. She had gotten into the advent calendar, removed every piece of chocolate and managed to consume at least four of them before I found her. She was a huge mess, but luckily none of it got on the furniture. Normally I would have been so upset and she would have ended up in the corner, but the whole thing was just so funny that I didn't have the heart to punish her. Here she is...SO proud of herself!

What do you mean I can't have chocolate for breakfast?

Just one more Mommy.

So happy to be covered in chocolate.

Carter Update

2008-11-24T21:26:00.002-06:00

Today I took Carter to his doctor for a follow up after our hospital visit. They deep suctioned him again and gave him a breathing treatment. He definitely sounded much better by the time we left. The bulb suction I've been doing at home just doesn't do the same job as the machines at the doctor's office and the hospital. I feel so bad every time I have to stick that bulb up his tiny nose because I know that his nose is probably sore and swollen. The doctor did give me a steroid nasal spray to help with the swelling though. She's also keeping him on breathing treatments every four hours through this Friday. We are to reduce the amount of breathing treatments per day at our own discretion after that. We return to the doctor next Monday for our next followup. She suspects he'll be much better by Friday, so let's keep our fingers crossed and keep praying.

On another note, Derek came home from work for a few hours this afternoon to watch Claire while I went to my doctor (my last checkup since my delivery) and Carter's doctor. Derek working late tonight seemed like it would be better on me and Claire than having a two year old who misses her daily nap. Claire was so good for me tonight. I think she was just excited to be having some one on one attention from Mommy. Of course Carter was awake, but I had to give her more attention than usually since Daddy wasn't here. We had to leave the house to pick up my perscription and drop off Carter's so I decided to take Claire for icecream. She was so excited and talked about it the whole way there. When we got home she was very eager to put on her new Christmas pajamas, and it was very easy to get her into bed. She really can be such a good girl. All it takes is me giving her just a little bit more attention and treating her like the big girl she is becoming.

Call Me Crazy

2008-11-23T13:33:00.004-06:00

Our four year old Christmas tree finally bit the dust this year, so I went out last weekend and got us a new one. We decided to go ahead and open it to make sure all the lights worked and to see where to put it in our new house. So for the past week, we have had a Christmas tree sitting in our family room, and I decided we mine as well decorate. Yesterday Derek and I got down all the Christmas stuff from the attic and proceeded to decorate the entire house. We are now Christmas from top to bottom including ornaments on the tree, stockings over the fireplace and lights trimming our roofline. The earliest I have ever started to decorate for Christmas is the first week of December, and usually that is even pushing it. I'm not sure what possessed me to get into the spirit so early this year. After my mom passed away in January, I wasn't so sure I even wanted to decorate at all. Maybe subconsciously I was afraid that if I didn't get it over with early, then I wouldn't do it. I just can't believe that my husband has been so supportive of this early decorating rampage. Claire has found it especially exciting. Last year, I didn't want her to break the ornaments on the tree and she was too young to understand "no touching," so I only decorated the tree with flowers and pinecones. This year she's not only old enough to understand our rules, but she's also old enough to appreciate the beauty of them. We let her hand all the unbreakable ornaments near the bottom of the tree, and she was so excited to be a part of the decorating. Now I just have to convince her that the ornaments are supposed to stay on the tree.

Yes, Claire was also wearing Christmas pajamas

She was very proud of her ornaments

Daddy and Claire were playing dressup with Mommy's boots while I was taking a nap

Nona's House

2008-11-10T14:37:00.004-06:00

Last night Derek had to work late, so the kids and I went to dinner at Robin's house (aka Adam's mom or Nona). She's from Louisiana, so we were treated to some authentic red beans and rice...yum-o! She also made homemade peanut butter cookies - my favorite! Claire had a blast playing with her BFF's and especially enjoyed bath time with Peyton. Nona was in heaven holding Carter all night. I also broke out my new little toy - the Flip - to take a video of the kids doing their "silly faces." The silly face is something Derek taught Claire a couple of months ago, and she taught her best friends how to do it too. Hope you enjoy the video of our kids being total goofballs. I've also posted a small clip of Carter and Nona loving on eachother.

Carter Update and An Awesome Birthday Gift

2008-11-08T16:50:00.003-06:00

Carter is now more than three weeks old! I can't believe how quickly everything flies by. He is the sweetest boy - I am so in love. It's amazing how much less he sleeps than Claire did. He stayed awake for 3 hours straight yesterday! I couldn't believe it. He wasn't fussing or anything, he just laid in his swing with his eyes open just checking out the world around him. Nights are proving to be a little more difficult. He lays in his pack 'n play grunting and groaning on and off for hours, and as many of you know, that does not make for a restful night for Mommy and Daddy. It's much easier to sleep through the little noises when the baby isn't resting in a bed right next to yours. These noises aren't so bothersome when heard over a monitor. So of course, I am a walking zombie right now. In the beginning, he was grunting and groaning in pain with bad gas through out most of the day, but we've now switched formula for the third time (from Gentlease to Soy) and he seems to be doing much better. It's only been a few days, so time will tell. Everybody keep your fingers crossed that this is the answer. Also, let me just give praise to the lord for the papasan swing! Aunt Heather loaned us her swing and Carter sleeps so well in it - it's my lifesaver during the day. Big sister Claire is adjusting well to the changes our little boy has brought. She either wants to help me with everything or she's just indifferent and completely ignores him. The only time she really acts up is when she gets impatient and needs my help with something. Patience is definitely a virtue she has not learned, but is slowly adjusting to life without Mommy's undivided attention. She absolutely loves her baby brother and enjoys kissing him, holding him in her lap and watching him get diapers changes. All in all, life is good and we're really enjoying our sweet angel. He's so beautiful and he has totally stolen my heart!

On another note, my husband got me the coolest present for my birthday. A small - about the size of a cell phone - video camera called a Flip. It has a built in USB that just plugs into the side of my computer to quickly download video clips. It's perfect for putting small videos up on my blog. I can't wait to post my first video. Stay tuned...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:05:00.004-05:00

Tonight, Claire Hailey went trick-or-treating for the first time. Her Aunt Hannah and Ethan came over to take her up and down the block. Daddy was in charge of going along and getting lots of pictures. Claire had a nice long nap today, so she was in excellent spirits and couldn't wait to get her Minnie Mouse costume on and head out to collect her candy. She even let me draw on her face with eyeliner! She was so good and said "Happy Halloween," "Trick-or-Treat," and "Thank You" at every house. Meanwhile, Carter and I sat on the porch and handed out candy to all the other little trick-or-treaters. He was so comfy in his Little Monster costume that Aunt Heather found for him, and he stayed awake for the entire time. After all the trick-or-treating was done, Claire snuggled up in her bed with her baby brother and insisted on more pictures being taken. Hope you enjoy these pics of our Halloween cuties! I am so proud of them both.

Carter in his Halloween owl outfit.

Miss Minnie Mouse

Getting ready to head out for trick-or-treating

Me and the kiddos

The first house

Both kids trick-or-treating with Mommy

Claire and Carter snuggling

Carter's Two Week Checkup

2008-10-31T20:53:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Carter's two week checkup. In just two weeks he has gone from 6.7 lbs. to 8.2 lbs. and from 19.75 inches to 20.25 inches. I was so surprised...I kept thinking he was at least 7 lbs., but over 8 lbs. was shocking! Overall, the doctor was very pleased with him. She put him on his stomach and he held his head up so well and almost rolled over right there on the exam table. She recommended starting tummy time at home for 5-10 minutes a couple times a day. Later in the afternoon, Carter was wide awake, and I decided to take our first try at tummy time. Within 30 seconds, my two and half week old baby rolled over from his tummy to his back! I couldn't believe it! His big sister didn't roll over until she was more than three months old. I made him do it over and over and even caught it on video because I thought for sure no one would believe me.

Carter Douglas Has Arrived

2008-10-22T10:49:00.008-05:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post on my delivery, but as you can probably imagine, things have been rather hectic around here. Carter Douglas arrived at 12:07pm on Tuesday, October 14 via an impromptu c-section. He weighed 6lbs. 7oz. and measured 19.75 inches long. So far it looks like he's going to have blond hair and blue eyes just like his big sister. He's so tiny and perfect. I can't get over how beautiful he is. So I'm sure you're wondering how someone who had such a perfect vaginal delivery her first time around could end up with a c-section, well here are the details...

We planned an induction for Tuesday, October 14 because my doctor was going to be out of town on his due date. I was already dilated to 5cm and 80% effaced when I arrived at the hospital that morning. He was still not fully engaged in the birth canal though. My doctor predicted we would have a vaginal delivery by lunch time. She broke my water and everything was going fine on the Petocin. My contractions were coming 2 minutes apart and his heart rate was staying steady...until the epidural. Once we kicked my mother-in-law and friend out of the room for the epidural, they were never allowed back in because my L&D nurse said that Carter wasn't staying stable with the epidural. His heart rate was dropping every time I would have a contraction - sometimes as low as 50. When my doctor came in, they turned off the Petocin and decided to see how he did with me contracting naturally a couple times. She said if there was only one thing going wrong, she wouldn't do a c-section but there were several things not going well at once. She thought he would have come by this time as it was already lunch time. I was dilated to 8cm and fully effaced, but he refused to engage in the birth canal. His heart rate continued to drop and stay low through the contractions even though they had turned off the Petocin. She thought he could have the cord around his neck. Basically, the nurse told me that my doctor likes to play it safe and would rather have a c-section than risk any other complications. My doctor called it "not an emergency c-section" but an "asap c-section." It was certainly scary as I was expecting to have an easy labor like I did with Claire. I had prepared myself for anything, but you never expect it to happen. Derek was amazing and calmed me down pretty quickly in the OR. Having a c-section is just the strangest feeling, and the recovery has been drastically different. In the end, Carter's cord was wrapped all around his body, and he was "sunny side up." Guess he was smart enough to know that wasn't the right way to come out.

Things are crazy at home adjusting to a newborn and a two year old, but I'm loving every minute of it. Claire is so sweet with her brother - giving him tons of kisses and telling him she loves him all the time. So far, both kids seem to be adjusting well - now if mommy and daddy could just catch up!

Just Arrived

All bundled up

Meeting big sister for the first time

Four Generations of Crabtree Men

Proud Mommy

Just finished feeding

See his beauty mark on his right temple?

Smiling

Big blue eyes

So tiny next to Daddy

Claire holding her little brother

Claire loved her big sister present from her "Aunt" Heather

Opening her presents

Our wonderful family

Doctor Appointments - Updates on Baby Carter and Claire

2008-10-08T10:31:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my 38 week exam at the OB. I am currently dilated to almost 4cm and am 75% effaced. The doctor went ahead and stretched my cervix manually (OUCH!!), but she says that Carter is still so high up in my uterus that I probably won't go into labor on my own this week. Looks like we will be making it to Tuesday, October 14 for my induction. It will be nice to have the weekend to make sure everything is ready for his arrival. I am so excited! I can't believe he will be here in less than a week! I can't wait to see his little face and hold him in my arms.

Today was Claire's 2 year checkup. She was such a good girl at the doctor. Her weight, height and head circumference were all in the 50-75% percentile range. Looks like she'll end up being just above average - just as long as she's taller than her 5'3" mommy. She let the doctor listen quietly to her heart and lungs, held her eye open for the light, and turned her head to the side to check her ears. The doctor said that Claire was the most cooperative patient she's ever had. She even sat still for them to spray the flu mist into both of her nostrils. I'm so proud of my big girl!

Happy Birthday Claire!

2008-10-05T22:25:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been two years since our little angel entered our lives and changed us forever. She amazes me as she grows and changes every day. I can actually carry on full conversations with her, she can tell me when she's happy or sad, she already bosses me around, and she gives the best hugs and kisses in the whole world!

Today she celebrated her second birthday with an early breakfast out with Mommy, Daddy and Pops. After our tummies were full, we headed to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch where Claire picked out 8 pumpkins ranging in size from itty bitty to 20 pounds! She had a blast carrying around her pumpkins and climbing on the hay bales.

We spent the afternoon at home getting ready for Claire's family birthday party. She was so excited when she woke up from her nap and found the house decked out in all Backyardigans, including two huge balloons of Uniqua and Tyrone. Claire had so much fun opening her presents, chowing down on pizza, cake and icecream, and going for a ride on her new tricycle. She really enjoyed having her whole family around and was still bouncing off the walls at bedtime.

Here are some pics of our happy birthday girl!

Claire's 2nd Birthday Party

2008-09-29T16:19:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday we had Claire's 2nd birthday party at Gymboree. At first, Claire was a little shy. I have come to find that she does not enjoy having all of the attention put on her. It took her quite a while to warm up and play with her friends, but by the end, she was begging Daddy to play some more. The kids played on all the equipment, sang songs, popped bubbles and played on the parachute. They all had a blast! And of course, the cake was a big hit too. It was definitely the perfect place for me to have a party at 9 months pregnant because the staff did everything for us. I didn't have to lift a finger, and everything went perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better party for our sweet girl. I can't believe how quickly she's growing up. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, and now we're about to bring home our second one!

Claire climbing on the obstacle course

Claire and Daddy

Peyton and her maracas

Claire with Mommy and Daddy

Claire "surfing"

The kids with the bubbles and parachute

Even Monkey and Duck joined in on the fun

Claire blew out her candle all by herself!

Mmmmm...cake...

Baby Carter 36 Weeks

2008-09-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

Today was the big appointment to determine if bedrest was helping to keep our little boy in my tummy longer. Hurray for good friends, family and especially Derek! We succeeded in keeping me from dilating any further this week. I have still been ordered to maintain bedrest for another week. As soon as I make it to next Tuesday, the doctor says I can "have at it." If I make it all the way to 39 weeks, we will be inducing on Tuesday, October 14 at 7:30am at Plano Presby. I can't believe we will see little Carter so soon! Thanks to all who have been helping us through this last month!

I Am a Robot

2008-09-20T08:25:00.003-05:00

On Thursday night, we decided to forgo our usual bath time for some Daddy and Claire play time. Claire was really enjoying climbing into the boxes we had from some recent deliveries, and Daddy decided that it would be even cooler if she was wearing the box. He honed his knife skills to create a one of a kind robot box for Claire. She was so excited with her new outfit. She ran around the house saying in her best alien voice, "I am a robot." Here are some pics I snapped of our night of playing.

Our little robot girl

Special Delivery for Mommy

Claire running around in her new outfit

It even turns upside down for a new look

Baby Carter Update - 35 Weeks

2008-09-17T09:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my weekly OB appointment. After discussing my progress and my previous pregnancy, the doctor and I decided to scheduled an induction for October 15 (if I make it that far). As of yesterday, I am 2cm dilated and 50% effaced at 35 weeks. I have been put on modified bed rest by my OB. Basically on the days Claire doesn't have school, I have to have someone else at the house to help out with Claire and other household chores. Our goal is to make it at least 2 more weeks. Derek and I are taking the bed rest to the extreme so that I won't end up on full fledged bed rest or hospitalized bed rest. Every time I get up from the couch or the bed, he wants to know where I'm going and what I'm doing. It's pretty funny since I'm not used to anyone waiting on me hand and foot. Everybody please keep baby Carter in your prayers, we just need to make it 2 more weeks for him to be considered fully developed and ready to enter the world.

On another note, Claire did one of the cutest things every yesterday! She got up at 6:40am which is unusually early for her (she's usually up around 7:15am). After breakfast I took her to change her diaper and she said, "Mommy, I'm tired." And I said, "Of course you're tired baby. You got up really early today. Why did you get up so early?" To which she replied, "Hmmmm. Think. Think. Think," while tapping her chin with her finger. The little things she does just melt me!

Sharkarosa Ranch

2008-09-09T13:21:00.005-05:00

This Sunday, we went to the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch near Sanger, Texas for her friend Mia's 2nd birthday party. It was a beautiful day, and the ride up there was an experience in itself. We passed many horse ranches and drove over the dam at Ray Roberts Lake. When we first got there, the kids were able to explore all the different cages of animals around the pavilion. There were many lemurs (including 2 babies), kangaroos, bobcats, mini donkeys (including a mini zonkey - zebra/mini donkey) and baby camels to name a few. After a while, one of the ranch workers brought out a baby albino kangaroo as well as two different kinds of lemurs and a Great Dane. Claire loved being able to interact with the animals. We then loaded the kids onto a John Deere tractor train for a little ride. Claire was totally chill while waiting in her train car for the ride to begin. Once they got going she was doing fine until they stopped to turn the train around. At this point, "Miss Independence" decided her ride was over and stood up in her train car. She was one of the only two kids who had to be returned on a four wheeler in the arms of a ranch worker. We then took a 45 minute ride on a tram around the entire ranch. Buckets of food were hooked to the sides of the tram so that the animals could stand right next to us and eat as we pet them. We saw many different kinds of horses (including a beautiful baby zorse - horse/zebra, camels (including an albino), deer, and many other types of wildlife. Overall, Daddy, Claire and I had a great time! I will definitely take her back for another visit. Thank you Mia for an exciting birthday adventure!

Claire petting the baby albino kangaroo

Claire petting a lemur from Madagascar

Claire and the ring tailed lemur

Claire riding the John Deere train

Elvis the baby zorse

Claire petting the camels

The albino camel

Daddy on the swing with Claire, Anna and Avery

Baby Shower #1

2008-09-09T13:10:00.002-05:00

This Saturday, my good friends Heather and Melody gave me a baby shower for Carter. We had the shower at my house which was wonderful because my family and friends got to see Carter's room. Heather decorated the house with primary colors and hung sea creatures in the windows (following the theme of his sailboat room). The girls had a yummy spread of food and we had so much fun playing the baby shower games. One of the games was a sheet of paper with Carter's name on it, and guests had to write snippets of advice to Carter or to me using each letter of his name to start the sentences. Some of them turned out so special, and I know we will read them for years to come. Carter got lots of great gifts and many cute outfits. Overall, we had a great time! Thanks so much to Heather and Mel for throwing me a great shower and thanks to everyone who came.

Me and Heather

Heather, me and Melody

Me and Ashli

Claire Knocks Out Daddy

2008-09-03T13:54:00.003-05:00

This morning, Claire found Daddy's kickboxing gloves and put them on. Mommy then encouraged Claire to punch Daddy. She loved it! Here she is hamming is up as usual.

Carter Douglas Is On His Way

2008-09-03T13:42:00.003-05:00

I had my 33 week doctor's appointment yesterday, and things are really moving along. While the nurse was weighing me and getting my blood pressure (which is back up to normal), she asked if I had anything to discuss with the doctor. I explained to her that I have been having some false labor contractions - similar to the Braxton-Hicks I have been experiencing over the last two months only much stronger and lower down on my stomach. She said she would pass the word on to Dr. W and have her "check me" (check my cervix for any possible dilation). Dr. W asked me to describe my contractions and sited them as simply a combo of Braxton-Hicks and round ligament pains - common pregnancy pains. She said that the uterus during the second pregnancy can be much more irritated and that I would be experiencing stronger/sharper pains due to this irritation. She said that she didn't think what I was experiencing would cause my cervix to change/dilate but she would do a check just to be sure.

...SURPRISE...

Dr. W was just as shocked as I was to find that I am already 1 to 1.5 centimeters dilated. Her concern was minimal since I was already 2 centimeters at 35 weeks with Claire. She thinks that I am probably moving along the same path. However, I now have to go in for weekly appointments, and she will be checking my cervix weekly for any changes. She has put me on some restrictions - no sex (hahaha! like that happens at the end of pregnancy anyway!), limit my exercise and just try to relax as much as possible. She said, "If he comes at 38 weeks instead of 39 like Claire, that would be just fine." Ummm...38 weeks!!! Does she realized that 38 weeks means October 7 - just two days after Claire's birthday and one day before our wedding anniversary. Could we possibly cram more things into one week of our lives?! I had a little talk with Carter after she left the room letting him know that the most important thing was to stay put so he will be as healthy as possible and so he won't ruin his big sister's birthday. Either way, I can't wait to see his precious little face. I am definitely going into nesting mode - packing my bag for the hospital and washing all of his clothes this week. Whew! So much for trying to relax!

Claire's First Day of School

2008-09-03T13:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Claire's first day of preschool. I was especially nervous because Daddy was taking her due to my doctor's appointment in the morning. The night before, I was like a mad woman rushing around the house packing her lunch and tote bag and making sure everything was ready to go.

Daddy made it on time with my camera in hand - hurray! At first, Claire didn't want to go into the classroom, so Daddy accompanied her and found her an Elmo book to read. Within seconds, she was distracted and Daddy slipped away. Easy as pie. She adapts so easily.

I went to pick her up four hours later, and she was so excited to see me. "Mommy, mommy, mommy," was all I heard as she approached my car. As soon as her teacher, Miss Frankie, put her in the car she began telling me all about her day. She was so wound up! Claire's first day report said that she was "Good" all day, but got a little sad towards the end due to sleepiness (school ends right before her nap time). She had goldfish and yogurt for a snack, and ate almost all of her lunch. Seems to me like we couldn't have asked for a more perfect first day of school. I hope Thursday goes just as smoothly.

Here are some pictures of Claire all dressed up for her first day.

Claire's crayon dress and fancy shoes.

Look at those blue eyes!

A little unsure - thank goodness for lovies!

The Elmo book that saved Daddy.

Our Little Cowgirl

2008-09-01T15:16:00.002-05:00

I just thought this was such a sweet picture of Claire. She insisted on wearing her cowboy hat all morning, and she really showed it off for the camera!

Parent Orientation at Claire's School

2008-08-31T11:16:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted a blog, but there just hasn't been much going on. Claire and I laid pretty low the past couple of weeks. I think I'm starting to enter the "nesting" phase of pregnancy, and for the first time in a really long time, I just want to be at home. Last week was our last Tuesday playgroup with all of Claire's friends since Claire will be going to preschool on Tuesday's and Thursday's from now on. I was so excited to get together with everyone, and for Claire to be able to play with all of her buddies. Many of these kids she has known since she was merely a couple months old. As we were walking up to the door of the house, my usually gregarious toddler nuzzled her head into my neck and said, "Mommy, I gonna be shy." And she was! She wouldn't let me put her down for the first 20 minutes or so. Eventually she warmed up, forgot about her little shy game, and had a blast with her friends.

This Thursday was Parent Orientation at Claire's preschool. Up until this point, I have been so excited to be putting her in school. She goes to the gym daycare 2 hours a day 4-5 times a week and seems to have fun, so she should really enjoy school, right? With Carter coming along soon, I thought it would also be a wonderful chance for me to bond with my newborn. But I started to have second thoughts...Am I doing this out of selfishness? Is Claire too young to start school? Could I teach her more at home? Is she going to feel abandoned? My answer to all of these questions was eventually, "No." Parent Orientation was a little nerve wracking, but her teacher's are wonderful and the school incorporates so many things that are important to child development - chapel, music class, art, playtime, outside time, etc. All of my fears were quelled on Friday when I took Claire for the open classroom time. She got to spend an hour meeting her classmates and teachers and exploring her classroom. Of course, she was my typical focused toddler. While all of the other children emptied toy bins and played with trucks, Claire sat at the table and put together puzzle after puzzle and read book after book and talked the entire time. She didn't get up from the chair until she decided that it was time to go bye-byes. This led her teacher to believe that Claire would do really well during the more focused art times. I was glad that her teachers got to see her developing personality. So this Tuesday is the big day, and I couldn't be more excited for her! Unfortunately, my doctor could only get me in for my weekly checkup in the morning, so Derek gets to take Claire for her first day (but maybe that will save me lots of tears). I guess in a way, Carter is already starting to infringe upon Claire's time with me.

Of course, with school starting, a doctor's appointment and a baby shower on the horizon, expect me to be much more involved in picture taking and blogging this week! Sorry it's been so long.

Carter's Nursery

2008-08-19T17:04:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you've all heard me say one thing or another about decorating Carter's nursery. It was a huge deal to me because I didn't get a chance to decorate Claire's room all girlie since Derek didn't want to know what we were having. This time, I wanted to go all out. While we were out of town visiting family earlier this summer, Derek secretly painted Carter's room lime green and set up Claire's big girl bed so he could move the baby furniture to Carter's room. I was so excited when I got back from our trip, that I immediately set to work ordering the bedding from Pottery Barn Kids and putting everything together. Since our rocker no longer matched the room, I went to Calico Corner and selected fabric for a slip cover. The fabric just arrived, so I took some pics of the room to share with everyone. I'm still waiting on the letters that go above his bed (they're hand-painted canvases that spell out his name), and my seamstress still has to sew the slipcover. Let me know what you think!

Happy Birthday Landon

2008-08-19T16:54:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, we took a family outing to Arlington for Landon's (Ashley and Chris Stark's son) second birthday party at the Little Gym. Claire hasn't been to the Little Gym since we moved to Flower Mound. She certainly discovered some new skills since being gone such as running down the giant blow up trampoline thing and swinging from the bars. We had a blast hanging out with some of our friends.

Claire loved the bars!

Getting a big swing on the bars!

She finally got Parker to join her.

Balance beam (her previous favorite) with Daddy.

Running down the blow up trampoline.

Waiting for cake with Parker, Melody and Jonah.

Art Time with Daddy

2008-08-15T10:38:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when Daddy participates in coloring time with Claire. Say hello to the new Tasha!

Preschool, Here We Come!

2008-08-15T10:17:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally got everything worked out with Claire's school. I left them a message several weeks ago and never heard back. I immediately started freaking out thinking that we weren't in the class and that I would have both kids on my hands 24/7. I was really looking forward to having Claire in half days of school two days a week so I could spend more one on one time with Carter and perhaps do things that are impossible to do with two kids (ie. grocery shop). I decided to call the school again on Tuesday and found out that the director had been replaced and the new director just started her job on Monday. At least now I knew why I hadn't heard back from anybody. Bad news was still to come - the Monday/Friday class had not made yet. In other words, they didn't have enough students signed up to make it worth their while to keep the class. So now I was thinking - how am I going to find another good school with an opening and get Claire enrolled before school starts in a couple of weeks? The director asked if we'd like to be on the waiting list for the Tuesday/Thursday class. Really?! That's the class I wanted her in from the very beginning. Claire was put at the top of the waiting list, and within an hour I found out that a spot opened up and Claire was in!!!! I have never felt such relief and excitement! My baby starts school on September 2. She'll be going every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:45am - 12:45pm. I took her up to the school so we could turn in her paperwork and pay the fees and tuition, and as we were walking down the hall of classrooms, Claire beamed up at me and said, "Mommy, this is my school!"

To conclude this blog, here are some pics of my very imaginative girl. She's really starting to get into dress up and pretend.

Claire put on her pajamas like a dress and told me that Daddy's Wii remote was actually her purse

Pretend tasting Bella's icky hamburger toy

Claire put down a changing pad (read: lovie) and brought in wipes and a diaper to change her mermaid baby.

Wiping mermaid baby

Cleaning mermaid baby's face

Putting a clean diaper on mermaid baby

Laura Visits the Mound

2008-08-09T10:07:00.002-05:00

One of my best friends from college, Laura, came to visit us this week. We had so much fun hanging out, spending time with Claire, and eating LOTS of bad food! We're both feeling extremely guilty, and we only made it to the gym one time! Last night, we ventured south of the loop and went to Trece on Knox/Henderson. I have heard so much about this Mexican food restaurant and let me tell you, IT WAS AWESOME! We ate waaaay too much and enjoyed every bite. If any of you ever venture down there, be sure to try the table-side guacamole (one of the best I've ever had) and the tortilla soup. Afterwards, we went to the bar at the Ritz. It's one of the most interesting places to people watch in Dallas - one word, hilarious! Unfortunately for Laura, I am completely inexperienced with the bar scene. I promised her I would spend just as much time researching where to go out afterwards as I do on finding good restaurants. Here are some pics of us in our "going out" attire as well as some pics of my growing belly.

3D Sonogram Pictures of Baby Carter Douglas Crabtree

2008-08-07T22:27:00.007-05:00

Well, the big day finally arrived. We got to see our sweet baby's face for the first time. We had a special family and friends outing with Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Mommy's friend Laura and big sister Claire to Stork Vision - a 3D/4D sonogram center in Frisco. During the sonogram, Claire wanted to know, "Mommy, whatcha doin' over here." I told her we were looking at pictures of her baby brother. She kept asking about baby Carter and trying to climb up onto "Mommy's bed" while they were performing the sono. For those of you who have never experienced it, the 3D sonogram is incredibly amazing. Claire's 3D pictures really gave us a clear idea of what she was going to look like. Sometimes, I look at the 3D pic we have framed in her room, and it's just as good a likeness of her as some of her first born pictures. It was so much fun to compare the pics of Carter to Claire's 3D pics. He definitely has a similar nose. His lips appear to be fuller like his Daddy's. Claire's sonogram clearly showed a pointy chin like Mommy's, but Carter's looks to be a little broader and more masculine like Daddy's. He was enjoying sucking his thumb during most of the first half of the sonogram. You can see his arms and hands in most of the close up pictures of his face. At one point, he was even snuggling up to my placenta like it was his own little pillow. Eventually, he crossed his arms in front of his face and refused to let us take any more pictures. Amazingly, he is already head down! I guess he'll be ready to come out on time just like his sister. The huge pushes and nudges I've been feeling on the upper right side of my uterus are his feet - he even stretched his legs the whole way out during the sono. Hope you enjoy these pics as much as we do!

Carter was sucking his thumb just like his big sister.

The next four, his hand was moving around his face trying to get that thumb in his mouth.

I love the next two pics because you can really see his sweet face. He is nuzzling into my placenta there on the right.

Two little feet that have been giving me so much trouble on my right side!

Snuggling Mommy's placenta.

You can see his two little arms crossing. They eventually came up in front of his face and blocked us from taking any more pictures.

His leg outstretched with his foot pressing hard into the upper right side of the uterus.

A Day at the Splash Park

2008-08-05T22:21:00.003-05:00

Today Claire and I met up with some of our playgroup friends at Celebration Park in Allen. If you've never been, you have to check it out. It has a huge splash pad with all kinds of fun misters, showers and squirters. It also has an amazing playground which I'm sure will be much more fun when it's not 100 degrees outside. I'd love to go back again when the weather starts to cool off. Claire and I had a great time with Leslie, Austin and Nolan; Maureen and Ayden; and Erin and Kendall. Claire was so tired when we got home that she ended up taking a 2 1/2 hour nap. I was too busy talking to get any good pics at the park, but I caught a few funny moments this morning.

As usual, Claire woke up this morning and came into our room hauling a pile of toys, blankets, lovies and pretty much whatever else she could find. This morning she also put on her sun hat and carried in one of her purses to inform me that she was going bye-byes.

This is a picture of Claire in her homemade fort. She started hanging out in this corner behind the chair, and Daddy positioned the curtain to make it into even more of a hiding spot. Now if I'm having a hard time finding something important (ie. my travel shampoo bottles for the gym, my water bottle, Claire's brush, etc.), all I have to do is raid the fort.

A Day With The BFF's

2008-08-04T20:43:00.005-05:00

Today we drove out to Wylie to spend a day with Heather, Parker and Peyton. The only way I could get Claire to cooperate at all this morning was by telling her that we were going to see them.

"Claire, it's time to put on your shirt."
"No."
"You have to put on your shirt if you want to go see Parker and Peyton."
"Otay."

Worked like a charm!

Claire had such a blast hanging out with her best friends. She especially loved Heather's lunch of bacon, cheese, chicken fried rice, buttered macaroni and fruit. She actually ate more than Peyton - which is almost impossible for even an adult to accomplish. Here are some pics from our day.

Peyton waiting for her snack

Heather filling Claire's snack bag with grapes

Claire helping her BFF

Afterwards, we met Daddy for a spaghetti dinner - Mommy's cravings were calling! Here are some pics of Claire driving Daddy crazy and covering him in spaghetti sauce.

Pulling Daddy's hair

Singing the ABC's while secretly putting spaghetti sauce all over Daddy's shirt

Daddy wiping sauce and drool off his face

Claire helped clean Daddy up

Stonebriar Shenanigans

2008-08-01T14:45:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned before, life is never dull with a toddler around. Today we made the long trek out to Stonebriar Centre in Frisco to hit up the Pottery Barn Kids. I finally got all of my baby bedding in the mail and wanted to go look at the different curtains to match. Well of course as a pregnant woman, the first thing I have to do after making the 30 minute drive is run to the ladies room. Since I had the stroller, Claire and I went to the "family restroom." For those of you that have never seen one of these before, it is usually a large restroom containing a toddler potty, a regular potty, a changing table, etc. and a lock on the door. As soon as I shut the door, Claire pointed to the toddler potty and said, "I na na (read: wanna) go on this one." I was so excited! I immediately stripped her down to her bare bottom and plopped her on the seat. So these seats are supposed to be made for little bottoms right? Wrong! As soon as I let go of her and turn my back, she starts freaking out cause her little butt has dipped down into the toilet bowl and is now touching (ew!) the water! At this point, she is none too happy to be sitting on the little potty. I pluck her off the potty and make a fatal mistake - I sit down to use the restroom myself while my toddler stands bare butt next to me. Before I know it, she is peeing all over the floor and her shoes (thank goodness for Crocs!) Eventhough she hasn't gone in the potty, I praise her nonetheless (she still didn't go in her diaper right?). I finally managed to get her and the floor cleaned up and put back together. This potty training thing is WAY more intense than I ever imagined, and it's been less than 24 hours! As a matter of fact, I was so stressed out at this point, that I left my purse in the public restroom. Thankfully a good samaritan turned it in - $3 cash and all! What a day...

Tinkle Time

2008-08-01T08:48:00.004-05:00

Claire and I had the most exciting night last night. Derek was working late (as usual) and didn't get home until 3am. Daddy is usually in charge of bath and bed time when he's home because that is part of the small amount of precious time he has with Claire. For some reason, Claire HATES bath time with Daddy. It takes much persuasion and occasional bribing to even get her near the tub. However, when Mommy does bath time, she practically runs to the tub. Last night was no exception. When I asked her if she was ready for her bath, she told me to "march" to the bathroom. Once in there, I started drawing her bubble bath and watched as she lifted the toilet seat, put her potty seat on and demanded that I sit her on the big potty. This is something Daddy has been trying to introduce her to for months. He usually strips her down and plops her on the potty while he runs her bath (the running water usually makes her pee on the floor, so why not in the potty?) and she throws a huge fit until he takes her off. This was the first time she actually wanted to sit on the potty. She asked me to turn on her Dora bubble machine - to which I slyly replied, "No Dora bubbles until you tinkle on the potty." Meanwhile we washed our hands several thousand times with bubbles from the tub. I fetched a book and read to her while she sat on the potty - a tactic I learned from an online potty training article. She had to have been sitting there for at least 5-10 minutes (refusing to get into the bath - "No Mommy, no bath. Potty.") when I finally hear the glorious sound of my little 22 month old going tinkle in the potty! I threw my hands in the air and praised her like crazy. She was so proud of herself. I then turned on the Dora bubbles and let her take the longest bath ever. I guess this means we jump head first into the world of potty training. Hopefully, she will be fully trained by the time the baby arrives. Here are some pictures of Claire acting like a goof ball yesterday afternoon. She removed the couch cushions and to her surprise found her prized Mr. Potato Head glasses. She immediately put them on and continued to wear them for the next half hour or so.

Bathing Suit Beauty

2008-07-31T13:35:00.003-05:00

It feels like forever since I last posted. So much happens in just a few days when you have a toddler to chase around all the time. Tuesday was playgroup day as usual. Claire was so excited to see all of her friends, but that didn't compare to the fact that we would also be swimming. Claire thinks she's an Olympic swimmer and constantly tries to free herself from my grasp. Tuesday, however, she was especially interested in the latest swimsuit fashions. While I was getting ready for the day, she sneaked into my closet and found one of my swimsuit tops in the laundry basket. She put the halter style top on over her head and wore it around the house like an apron saying, "Mommy's swim-moot. Like it!" She was all smiles when I asked to pose for a picture in it. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get her to take it off and get out the door for playgroup. Thanks to Leslie for an awesome time - we had a blast!

Pops Visits Flower Mound

2008-07-28T15:38:00.007-05:00

Yay! Finally Pops came to visit our family yesterday. He hasn't been since we moved into our new house. Sadly, he was only able to stay one night. It's so funny how comfortable Claire is around him. She is immediately at ease in his presence. Perhaps it helps that he arrives with yogurt treats, books and a puzzle in tow, but I think it's much more than that. She had no hesitations holding his hand as we walked into the restaurant for lunch yesterday. She showed off incessantly by singing, showing him all of her toys and puzzles, and bossing him around. She was so wound up at bedtime last night that she kept jumping up and down on her bed. She was up bright and early this morning, and instead of the usual cuddling with Mommy and Daddy in our room, she was playing and loading up her grocery cart with Pops. We were so happy to have him for the day and can't wait for him to come back. We love you Pops!

Claire and Pops enjoying a book together

Chloe's First Birthday Party

2008-07-28T13:36:00.007-05:00

Saturday was Chloe's first birthday. She's Alli and Brian's daughter - some of our good friends. Here are some pics of the kids playing and having a good time!

Claire checking out her goody bag

Me and Heather with the girls

All the ladies

Claire and Daddy

Claire and Mommy

Me and Stacy - the preggers. She's due September 29!

Claire playing with her boyfriend (Parker) in the bounce house

Claire "torturing" baby Jonah in the bounce house

Fun in Music Class

2008-07-25T23:01:00.006-05:00

Today, I took Claire to try the music class at Gymboree. The last time we went to a regular Gymboree class, she had no interest in climbing on the equipment and seemed to enjoy the music part the most. Today was interesting. She was unsure of the teacher - he was great, but she is unsure about most men other than Daddy. She was glued to my lap for the first ten minutes or so. Once the musical instruments came out, however, she was a lot more into it. At some points she was even smiling and laughing. After class, she immediately ran out into the main Gymboree room and started climbing all over the equipment. It took me ten minutes to get her out of there. Needless to say, I think we're going to try a regular Gymboree class again before we decide if we want to enroll. The great thing about these classes is how sleepy they make her. She passed out in the car before we even got half way home. She went down for her nap without even eating lunch (good thing I gave her a huge breakfast and a big snack before class) and was out for the count for two and half hours! Here are some pics of Claire playing with a variety of cool Gymboree instruments.

Claire looking just like her uncle Dustin

Notice the pink toenails!

Pretty In Pink Toes

2008-07-24T10:14:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to paint Claire's toenails pink for a while now, but I wasn't sure how Derek would react. He is anti doing anything out of the ordinary to our baby's body (ie. getting her ears pierced is White Trash and apparently equivalent to putting makeup on her). Yesterday afternoon, I finally decided that she simply needed to have her toes painted. At first, Claire was not so interested in the idea until I showed her the intriguing bottle of OPI pink. She immediatly climbed up onto my vanity stool and watched in awe as I dipped the little brush in the paint. I started to paint her big toe and all intrigue went out the door. She started jerking around and I practically painted the entire toe before I got it to look ok. Evidently, getting your toenails painted for the first time is a very strange feeling. After seeing how pretty her big toe looked, she held out her little toes to me and said, "Other ones." I knew she was a girly girl at heart! She patiently let me paint all of her remaining toes and sat very still while I used the hair dryer to quickly blow them dry. Then she walked around the house the rest of the afternoon checking out her toes, curling them under and releasing them so she could get a new look at her pretty pink nail polish.

The Mother In Me Honors The Mother In You - Namaste

2008-07-23T18:09:00.003-05:00

Tonight is my first night back to prenatal yoga, or any exercise at all, since going into the hospital on Friday night. I was having muscle pains from the right side of my uterus all the way up the side of my body and into my shoulder for about 12 hours on Friday until I finally decided that maybe I should be seen by a doctor. We spent four hours in the hospital's L&D wing being monitored by a fetal heart rate monitor, having blood drawn and finally being given some painkillers. The pain I was experiencing was thankfully and annoyingly assessed as simply strained muscles and perhaps some trapped gas in my stomach. Hip-hip-hurray for second pregnancies! Though the pain was much less throughout the weekend, I begged my way into my doctor's office for an early appointment on Monday afternoon. Once again she confirmed that pretty much, second pregnancies just suck. I'm just experiencing excruciating back pain - nothing out of the ordinary. Thank goodness for muscle relaxers and Tylenol PM! The past two days have been mostly pain free, so I feel that I am ready to reemerge and head back to the gym. Oh how I've missed the sweet stench of LifeTime Fitness.

Sadly, I still have to endure the oh-so-wonderful glucose test (a test given to check for Gestational Diabetes) tomorrow. For those of you who don't know, this consists of drinking the equivalent of Minute Maid Orange soda with an extra cup of sugar added to it, on an empty stomach. Then you sit around for an hour while you feel like you're going to pass out, only to have them draw tube after tube of blood from your weakened body. Woohoo! On a happier note, my next doctor's appointment is Thursday, August 7 followed by a 4D ultrasound! I'm so excited to see our baby's sweet little face.

Claire's Crazy Cute Comment of the Day: When I first introduced Claire to the uncomfortable wooden Potty Chair with removable plastic bowl dangling from the bottom, she acted like it was a pint size electric chair. She simply refused to go near it with her little booty. Since then, the chair has been replaced by a softer seat that fits atop the big toilet and the old wooden contraption was relegated to our huge pile of junk in the garage. Today I found Claire sitting on the potty chair in the garage, making grunting noises followed by a loud and satisfied AAAHHHH. To which I said, "Claire, what are you doing." She gave me the "duh face" and said, "I goin' potty."

My Very First Blog

2008-07-22T21:09:00.011-05:00

Well, I'm jumping head first onto the blog bandwagon. I have a couple of friends who have been successfully blogging for a couple months now, and I feel that I might be able to handle the task. If you know me well, you understand why this is huge for me. I am one of those ambitious people who generally sets a lot of goals, but only occasionally sees them through. In other words, I like to come up with the cool ideas and let somebody else handle the execution.

Here are a few examples: Claire's baby calendar (good thing I have a decent memory as I scrambled to fill in a month's worth of anecdotes all in one day). Claire's handmade Christmas stocking (I gave up on step #5 out of 75) - who knew sewing took so much concentration? Cooking at least five days a week (3 out of 5 ain't bad, right?).

I figure I spend enough time checking email, reading Perez and staring blankly at Myspace that I should surely be able to take 5-10 minutes out of each day to gush about my lovable and sometimes crazy family. Hopefully, you will all visit often and enjoy catching up with my "cast" (FYI Heather, this is what a group of crabs is called) of Crabtree's.

The Crabtree Family - Christmas 2006

Claire Hailey

Mom and me on my wedding day - October 8, 2005

Bella

Claire's Crazy Cute Comment of the Day: "Look Mommy, a vacuum," she says with a huge smile as she points to the man edging the lawn with a weed eater.