Auntie Ann's Place in Florida

My sister, Ann, bought a townhouse in Florida. Even though she lives in the Middle East, she figured that this would be a great investment. She got a fantastic deal, and my mom and dad plan on enjoying it as part of their "snowbirding" in The Sunshine State. Phil and I have been taking care of some of the basic needs...since it would be a bit of a commute for Ann. Phil changed the locks, so now it's safe and secure.
Clare enjoyed a nap while mommy and daddy worked at the townhouse.
We used the fancy granite counter as a changing table. Thanks Auntie Ann! :)
I washed the dishes and tried to arrange them in logical places. I'm sure that Ann will make some adjustments when she gets here in December. She has TONS of storage space, and I was just a "tad" bit jealous of all the shiny, new appliances and special features.
We can't wait for you to be here, Auntie Ann!

World's GREATEST Hubby and Daddy!!!

I had a Discovery Toys booth on Sunday, and it was an hour away from home. Phil happened to have the day off, so he and Clare joined me for the day. It was SO NICE having him there because he significantly reduced my work load. We love spending time together...even if it means working at a D.T. booth.

We didn't realize that the booth was a special event for ladies. There were several vendors (make-up, Pampered Chef, purses, candles, massages, manicures, etc.), and it was a "Spa Day" for women. Phil was the ONLY testosterone in the whole place. I kept looking at him and thinking, WOW...my husband is amazing. He is spending his weekend in a house full of women, and he's doing it with a smile on his face. He took care of Clare as I took care of the booth, and I'm fairly certain that they received much more attention than my toys. I suppose I can't blame people for checking out my handsome hubby and adorable Chunky Monkey. I love you, PMH!


Clare Ann loves time with her daddy. He is SO, SO, SO GREAT with her, and it brings me such joy. Not only do I have the world's BEST HUSBAND, but Clare has the world's BEST DADDY!

Our Day On Tampa Bay!

Saturday was a VERY BUSY day for The Hillary Three! We went down to Ruskin for a day on the water, and it was GREAT. Clare spent many days on The Bay while in utero, but this was her first "out of body" experience. Much to my mother's dismay, we didn't have an appropriate sized life jacket for Clare. Phil and I have decided to start a book called, "How to Raise a Child Florida Cracker Style." This will be Chapter One: Bring your infant on open water without safety gear.
Chapter Two: Nurse your six-week old...on the water...without appropriate safety gear...while steering the boat with your feet (YES, I did that a time or two. I like to call it multi-tasking rather than poor parenting.)
Chapter Three: Bring a live shark into the boat with your infant...who isn't wearing appropriate safety gear.Chapter Four: Let your daughter (who is strapped to her carseat rather than appropriate safety gear) pet the shark that just about bit daddy's hand.
Chapter Five: Use the motor of a boat to soothe your six-week old into a sound slumber.

Chapter Six: Bathe your daughter, upon returning from the open water without age-appropriate lifesaving gear, in the kitchen sink...with hand soap (all of our "baby appropriate" soaps were at home...and she had spit up on her sweaty neck one too many times).

Chapter Seven: To be continued....

Phil pulled this chunk of sponge up with the anchor.

Phil capped off the evening with a box of oysters...one of his favorite treats!
Mmm...Mmm...GOOD!!! A box of fifty oysters was gone within twenty minutes.
This was a beautiful end to a wonderful day!

Three Cheers for Friday!

Clare and I are very excited that the weekend is finally here. Phil only has a traditional weekend every six weeks, and THIS IS THE WEEKEND! YEAH! He will have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off, and we can't wait to have some family time! Such a rough life...going from one place to another for naps. :)
Clare is a great model for Discovery Toys. This is the Flutter Fun Teether, and she likes holding on to it while sitting in her car seat.
Her body is clean, her belly is full, and life is GREAT! My camera is SLOW...but this was the tail end of a GREAT smile! :)

6 Weeks Old!

WOW! It's really hard to believe that Clare is already six weeks old. It's even harder to believe that I would be heading back to school next week if we hadn't made the decision for me to stay home. Even though some days feel long, the weeks are flying by. We're loving every stage of this new journey! Exactly how many chins does our little Chunky Monkey have???
I guess she needs a strong base to support those cheeks.
She hasn't quite learned how to say "cheese" for the camera yet.

Bath Time! - EDITED

Clare is really starting to love the bath. She smiles, wiggles, and "plays" in the water, and it has quickly become a special time rather than a dreaded time. YEAH!This is a picture of me, Corrie, in an early bath. Sorry that it's blurry, but you get the idea.
A mohawk for Lisa. :) Doesn't Clare look like she's shaped like a pear?
All smiles after the bath! I like to cuddle her up and then bring her back to the nursery for a clean diaper and clothes.
Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it from one room to the other. In a matter of fifteen seconds, this is what happened. We saved a diaper but ruined a towel.

After seeing the blog, Phil demanded that we "protect his daughter's innocence." He proceeded to edit the photo and re-create the blog.

Lost in Laundry!

People kept telling us that our laundry would increase with the addition of a baby. I kept thinking, How could such a little body add that much extra laundry? Now I understand. At first, Clare loved chillin' in the middle of the pile of clean, warm clothes... ...and then she DIDN'T!!!
This is Clare's "I'm about ready to cry" face. Her bottom lip quivers, and it's so cute. I hope you don't think that we're terrible parents for thinking that our daughter's "about to cry face" is adorable.
What is this little squirt thinking?
She moves her hands all the time...as if she's trying to do sign language. Phil attempts to decipher her letters, but I think that she's still working on her spelling. :)

Busy, Busy, Busy Weekend!!!

The last few days have been incredibly busy. Even though we haven't had time to post updates to our blog, we've still been taking lots of pictures of our little munchkin. The first picture captures the essence of our days...smiles and joy! On Friday, the three of us spent most of the day at IKEA in Orlando. That was, by far, the biggest adventure thus far in Clare's short life. We were looking for stuff to help my sister outfit her new townhouse, and it turned out to be quite an eventful day. Miss Clare was more of a trooper than her mother. I'm still learning how to adjust to all of the unexpected moments that come with parenthood. I love being a mother, and I love Clare more than I ever knew possible, but I'm still adapting to twists and turns that pop up on a daily basis. It makes me more and more grateful for my mom...a woman of patience, grace, flexibility, and unconditional love.
Yes, Clare, your dad is a HOTTIE!!! We're blessed to be "his girls."
Happy and content!
Play time!
Fully alert and flirty!

Time to eat!!!

Too early for sushi???

Phil and I LOVE sushi, and we think it's time for Clare to start enjoying it as well. Grandma Durham (who is back in Florida for the closing of my sister's new townhouse...long story) tempted her with a spicy tuna roll, but she wasn't too interested. Little does she know that she'll get some form of it in six to eight hours. Lucky girl! I don't know if Clare recognized me after I got four inches chopped off of my hair.
All smiles when daddy is with his little girl. :) What gesture is she making with her hand?

Cuddly Day

Clare LOVES the morning. She's such a happy little squirt after a good night's sleep, a filling breakfast of mommy milk, and lots of snuggle time. What a babe! Time for a nap. Even though she had only been awake for an hour, it was time to doze off again.
And AGAIN! Clare was in a VERY cuddly mood today, so I just hunkered down and snuggled up with my little peanut. I carried her in the Baby Bjorn until my shoulders ached, and then we relaxed on the couch until I could lay her down. Looks pretty rough, huh?
This is one of the thousands of funny faces that Clare makes throughout the day. Her nostril flare looks like something her mommy and daddy do as a joke.