Babies and Bluebonnets

Our Mom's group met at a park today so we could take pictures of the kids with the Bluebonnets. The weather was colder than I would have liked...I really wanted to put Claire in a cute sundress...but it didn't matter anyway because she was pretty grumpy the whole time and didn't feel like smiling. It's always fun to get together with the group and I got lots of good pictures!!!

Can you see it?

The infamous nose ring! Try not to look at all the lines on my face. A side note: I once had someone comment on my "Seagulls Necks"...he meant "Crows Feet" Ouch. Also, I need a tan!

Sand and Water

Today is the first day of spring and we had a gorgeous day! Claire and I were outside playing and I noticed how much she loved to play in the dirt. So I took her to Toys R Us and bought one of those water and sand play tables and 50 pounds of sand. Brad was able to come home early from work since he's been out of town so we put it together and she LOVES it! I am so excited because she really enjoys the sand so I think she will have a blast when we go to the Jersey Shore this summer! She only ate a little bit of the sand ;) Anyone want to come over and play with us?!

Ranch Reunion, Home to Houston and Nose Nonsense

I've been missing in action lately...we've been busy visiting family out of town. Luckily Claire is great on car trips so it was smooth sailing! Last Friday we traveled to Brady, TX to a ranch where Brad's cousin and her family live. We had a family reunion (Brad's Dad's side of the family). I think there were 25 of us. It was so nice...we stayed in the lodges that the deer hunters usually stay in when they go to hunt. Claire loved all of the animal heads on the wall. We also got to tour the home of the "Boss" of the ranch...gorgeous! We sat around a fire and roasted marshmallows and drove around the 85 hundred acres to see cattle, deer and horses. Very beautiful and Camille and Richard were wonderful hosts! We came home Sunday and Brad left for Illinois that night for a week. So I decided to take Claire to Houston so spend a few days with Grandmom and Pop-Pop! Claire LOVED running around the house...much more room there! We had a girls lunch and shopping trip with Aunt Alli, Grandmom, Me and Claire. So fun! I was in Houston on St. Patrick's Day and I wanted to do something fun...so after Claire went to bed I went and got my nose pierced!!! Alli went with me to hold my hand. Mom wasn't thrilled, but it's so tiny...just a little diamond. Nothing permanent...I can take it out and it will heal like it was never there, but I think I'll keep it for awhile. Claire loves sparkly things and since I'm not working I figured I would go for it. Brad is excited to see it when he gets home tomorrow. I will post pics soon, but it is so small I doubt it will even show up! Here are some pictures of Claire in front of the azaleas at my parents house!

The Plague and the Irish Festival

Well, we survived "the plague." One week after Claire got sick she is finally just about back to her old self. I still don't want her around any kids until Monday, but we figured it was safe to push her around in a stroller at the Irish Festival in Dallas. The first thing I did was get a Guinness! Nothing like a Mom pushing her baby in a stroller with a beer in her hand! We listened to Irish music, ate Irish food and shopped a little. I bought a t-shirt and almost bought a blanket with the McDermott coat of arms (my maiden name for those of you who didn't know). Claire was a good girl. While we were waiting for one of the shows to start we let her out to walk around and she was warming up the crowd. She would walk by everyone and wave...so cute! Also, apparently you can bring your dogs so she was in heaven...constantly pointing and smiling at all the dogs. It was a fun day...if only I could have convinced Brad to buy a kilt...

A trip to the ER

Today was a rough day for Claire. She has been throwing up since Sat. night so I took her to the Dr. this morning. She has no appetite, was not taking in any fluids and was pretty lethargic. So he sent me to Arlington Memorial Hospital for some tests to see how her electrolytes were. So we headed over to the lab around lunch and they drew blood from her finger. We went home and got the results around 3:00pm. They were low and we were then sent to Cook's Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth so she could get IV fluids. Luckily, Brad was home today because he had to work last night at a job site...but of course he is extra tired after being up all night and at the hospital all day. Claire's pediatrician (Dr. Raine) is the best...he called the ER at Cook's and was able to get us into a room so we didn't have to wait in the emergency room. The Dr. that treated Claire even said how great Dr. Raine is! So we are home now after 4 hours of being at the hospital. Claire felt better once she was hydrated and is now sleeping. I hope she is in the mood for some liquids and maybe even some food tomorrow so we don't end up back at the hospital! It seems to be a virus that is going around so be aware. I am exhausted...I'm just glad she isn't so limp and listless anymore. there is nothing worse than watching your baby suffer!

Cowtown

Another fun and busy weekend! My parents came up from Houston because my Dad ran the Cowtown 1/2 marathon! It was freezing and windy, but he had a great race and we had so much fun cheering him on! I was also able to see some of my Stroller Stride friends who ran the race...congrats girls, you did a great job! Sat. night we went to the Ft. Worth Stockyards for dinner. The meal was great, but as we were waiting for our car from the valet, Claire threw up everywhere! Poor thing, she is still feeling pukey today. We can't wait for Grandmom and Pop-Pop to come back next month!