8 & 9 months

I've been a terrible blogger, and I admit it. Life sometimes gets in the way, you know.

To catch you up, I've been immersed in work since CHA and trying to squeeze every ounce of Claire-time in between her naps and my crazy schedule.

So, here she is at 8 months....








Love those gums!

At 8 months, I did take notes so I wouldn't forget, Claire is:

• crawling EVERYWHERE! She's fast and scaring her mommy. It doesn't phase her daddy though....3 steps, no problem. He says "she's got it." uhhhh....sometimes you do, but sometimes you don't.
• Pulling up on anything you can get your hands on. Knobs are your favorite.
  
• completely toothless
• gags on baby-food with a thick consistency, we've been working on this.
• clicking her tongue. She's pretty much a one-trick-pony, but it's a cute trick and everyone loves it.
• loving the rocking-horse her Grammy and Papa got her for Christmas. It gallops, which sounds like a clicking noise and that makes her happy (and bouncy).
• wiggling her bottom when she hears music.
• loving water. She went swimming at Christine's and I've never heard so much squealing or seen so much kicking. She'll be a natural, I'm sure of it.

Onto 9 month photos.



My favorite photo right now. And, my favorite outfit of hers despite the cleavage when crawling.

Crawling is no longer fun anymore, she's all about climbing. She probably goes up and over the shelf under the kitchen table about 25 times each day. We climb the stairs about 15 times. Then, she has foam blocks that are constantly being climbed on. Claire's life is about climbing (and dangerous situations) now.

Oh, and all about soft stuffed animals. We now have 5 favorites:

• a tiny lamb that "baaaa's", which originally was white, but after Claire has mopped the floor with it, it's more of a gray, dingy shade.
• a monkey, which she's holding here. Some friends of ours got this for her last week and she loves his long tail and big eyes. I specified they not get her anything white and they complied.
• a black bear. From the same friends, after visiting the Smoky Mountains.
• Minnie Mouse -the pookalooz version, which she's liked since she was born.
• ugly doll - not sure the brand, but it's got long arms and legs with different fabrics on it.
  

Still climbing.

And still toothless.

Reading lots and lots.
She's loves looking at this book about Daniel. It's foam and has some puzzle pieces in it. One is a lion and sometimes mommy makes it jump out and get her, which causes her to fall into a fit of giggles.

Some more facts about 9 months:

• Definitely knows what "no" means, but doesn't always comply. Working on that one.
• Still gags with foods, but loves the Gerber puffy things.
• Has her pincer grasp almost mastered.
• Waves bye-bye most of the time.
• Has pooped in the tub twice in the last week. It's a good thing daddy has been here to help with that.
• Almost always sits quietly through worship service, either sleeping (Sunday morning) or looking at books (Sunday night & Wednesday night. I take 5 each time and rotate about once every other week).
  
• Loves Bible class. LOVES it! She's learning about Daniel now, and next week will start Baby Jesus.
• Going to restaurants is still a toss-up of whether mommy will get to enjoy her meal or not. But, now that mommy has learned about these Gerber puff thingies, I have an idea, we'll be on the upswing there.
• Pushes anything and everything around to "walk" where she wants to go. Sometimes it's her basket of toys, a laundry basket, her drum, or her highchair.
• Is getting brave at releasing while standing. Not often, but she'll stand for 3-5 seconds, but she definitely lets go and lunges.
• Loves riding in the side-by-side with her Papa. It's her favorite end-of-day activity.

I promise to be a better blogger, now that I've caught up :)

CHA Summer 2011

Back home from the CHA Summer Show and have barely had a second to catch my breath. By far, it's been our best CHA yet. The releases were well-received (personally, they're my favorite ever as well), the show floor was hopping, it's just been a crazy few weeks. Okay, it's been a crazy few months.

I had the chance to create lots of items for the booth, some of which are here and more will pop up later, didn't want to overwhelm anyone. I had my modest list of items to create, but I kept going and going with more projects that I hoped would showcase all our new items.

I will have a mini-tutorial on the SC blog soon to explain the confetti effect. It's super easy and I'm obsessed with confetti now, so I figured out a quick, easy way without hand-placing all those tiny dots.

(photo taken by Angela Crutcher)

The end result of this tag, I'm excited about. I created it for the Hero Arts booth & catalog and I had no idea what a talented stamper I was....kidding. This was really simple. I used the white Zing embossing powder with the cloud stamps, then used several ink colors with the ink-blending tool. That really made the clouds pop off the tag.

This layout uses the same stamp set as the tag above. Photo courtesy of Kelly Noel.

And, last but not least, my favorite layout. This one incorporates lots of techniques, but my favorite is the "&" mask in conjunction with the new Calico Shine Mister Huey. It's a really subtle effect, that you'd just have to see in person, which is why I'm giving away one to a commenter on this post. I'll post a winner on Sunday, so just make a comment here.

Be sure to stop by the Studio Calico blog for a list of other designers who will be participating in the blog blitz - you won't want to miss seeing some of the other fabulous projects that were in the CHA booth!

sneak peeks!

I'm so excited about August's kit, I can't even tell you. At Studio Calico, we've been working diligently to give you the newest releases in your kits, and I think you'll agree, the August kit is PACKED with them! Also, there's several exclusive items in the August kit that you won't find anywhere else:

• 2 Studio Calico patterned papers
• 2 Crate Paper patterned papers
• 1 SC + Hero Arts stamp
• 1 Sassafras mini sticker alpha
• 1 SC Chipboard alpha

Hopefully you can spot some of those items in my sneaks below.

This is the Tide Pool add-on. LOVED it! that Sassafras paper is a must have and I highly recommend getting the Add-on Patterned Paper kit because you'll want duplicated for sure!


This is my favorite layout that I've made in a long time. The mistable trim is AWESOME, but the reason I like this so much is that I felt clever using the main kit stamp on the ribbon. And, if you think I planned the size to match so perfectly....think again. It was a happy coincidence. I used the main kit ENTIRELY on this layout.

And, last but not least, another layout using the main kit alone (plus a shipping tag of my own). Do you love those exclusive Sass alphas as much as I?

Here's my list of mist (I like that title....it rhymes):

• Clover
• Lemonade (sold out right now, but it is returning)
• Piglet
• Orchard
  

SC + Hero Arts Blog Hop

I've been waiting for MONTHS to share with you this stamp release and I'm so glad that day is finally here. Studio Calico has collaborated with Hero Arts to bring you top-quality stamps that are perfect for cardmakers and scrapbookers alike. To our current customers, thanks for all the feedback on which stamps you've liked best and wanted to revisit. We've taken your advice and don't worry, if you don't see everything you wanted just yet, let us know! We may already have it in the works, and if not, we might put it in the works!

For this card, I used the new Autumn Press 6x6 paper pad along with the white Mister Huey's Mist and the new Calico Shine...obviously layered over the ampersand mask. Then, I stamped the phrase with staz-on. The cloud was made using white zing powder on white cardstock, then adding ink with my ink blending tool & punching with Fiskars Large Cloud punch.
This card was super simple. I used the Silhouettes set and the Alpha background. The Silhouette's pieces layer and are 3 different stamps so you can make the phrase, head, and patterned circle all different colors. LOVE THAT! After it was all said and done, I wish I would have thought to use Pink Glitter Zing for my girl there. (the buttons are chipboard and are from the new Memoir collection.)
This is my favorite stamped item...I was so proud of myself for this. Again, I used White Zing Embossing Powder, this time on a shipping tag. After that, I used 2 different color inks and my ink blending tool to create the orange look. Then, I stamped "hooray" and added the little bits and pieces. Wouldn't this look awesome on a birthday gift?

Be sure to return to the StudioCalico blog to enter your response there for a chance to win a fabulous prize. Also, be sure to come back tomorrow...begin at the SC blog...for another chance to win plus lots more fabulous designs using the SC + HA stamps!

sneaks!

I've been without my computer 2 whole days and I didn't like it one bit. I felt like my right arm had been chopped off.

I wasn't prepared for 2 days or else I probably could have dealt with it better. I'm on a brand new computer that was desperately needed, but also desperately put-off (my "n" key was worn away, and the mouse pad didn't work, plus I got blue-screen almost daily). I knew it would be such a hassle to transfer everything, but the "guru" told me it would only be 2 hours. Even at 2 hours, I scheduled it in on the least inconvenient day and planned to be away.

As soon as the guru started transferring all my pictures, he told me it would be overnight. I about panicked....we're leading in to CHA and emails are flooding my inbox constantly. Just to give you an idea, in 10 days, I had 1828 emails (of course 300 were sales at Gap, Banana, and zulily updates), but I still have to filter through them, you know.

So, here I am on my new computer, having survived the separation. Now, it's learning and getting the feel for everything all over again. Can't say that I'm enjoying it, but it was time.

Below are my last 2 sneaks that I was able to successfully transfer from my camera to this computer.

pulling up

It's officially time to lower the crib.

Then, I'll be able to sleep at night instead of worrying that Claire has somehow figured out a way to climb her bumper and propel herself over the edge.

She's very attached to this blankie. I believe one of our Studio Calico members gave it to her. A very generous gift that Claire absolutely adores. And, if she takes this to college, I'll be hunting you down! :)

Still, the tongue....ahhhhhhh.

Is it just me, or does she look Asian here?
Okay, maybe it's just me.

Does every kid in the world chew on their crib? I think so.


Here you can really tell she just woke up.





If you scrolled through all my massive photos, congratulations.

7 months

I almost forgot it was Claire's 7 month birthday earlier this week. It seems that this month has gone by faster than any other. She's so active and I really love this age.

She's almost at a crawl. She can scoot wherever she wants to go. She can sit and pull up, actually she pulled to standing at 7 months 1 day. I'd say she's pretty mobile, but I'm still quicker!

She is definitely preferring her mommy and has started crying when others try to take her from me. Of course her Grammy & Aunt Lorie are the exception to that rule. I secretly love that she does that. Makes me feel like an official mommy.

She eats just about anything, but peas are still a "no" in her book.

She loves reading and turning pages.

When she's crying, I sing almost anything and it makes her happy. Usually "The Green Grass" song wins out because I know all the words. Her daddy on the other hand usually goes with U2.

She got her ears pierced last week at the doctor's office. She was cute before and is still cute after.

She went swimming for the first time and LOVED it. That word is capitalized for a reason. She kicked and splashed and cackled. Then she came home and slept for 3.5 hours.

She is learning to wave "bye" and her personality has totally taken over my heart.

We certainly got our money's worth with her.


And, just a small peek at the July main kit MIND THE GAP and the PETROL add-on.
This is my favorite layout I've made in a while. Can't wait to share the full version on the 28th!

Natalee the Entertainer

I dare you to watch this video and not crack a smile. Double Dog Dare You. Let me know if you accomplish it.

A few things to note about this video that make me laugh even harder:

• Natalee asks Claire, "Do I look cool to you?" Definitely, Natalee, definitely. How cute is that?
  
• My mom noticed 50 seconds in to the video that the record light was blinking and thought something was wrong because a button was blinking. Love you, Mom. ;)
• It's 95 degrees outside and Claire is wearing socks.
  
• Notice my dark tan. I got sprayed the other day. And it reminded me about the HUGE bruise I had on my thigh from falling down the stairs. As I was being sprayed, I forgot to warn the girl spraying me and she said, "Whoa, that's some bruise." (It seriously is about 8x7"), to which I replied, "I fell down the stairs." Cool, April, cool. And, unlike Natalee, I didn't have to ask.
  

she falls at the end

(for those of you reading in your email, there's a video here, but you have to come to my blog to see it. This is mainly directed at my mom and my aunt, one of whom said, "you sent me a blank email today." That person shall remain nameless, but you have a fifty-fifty chance of guessing who it was. Love you, Mom.)

This is the table in Claire's room and she loves, with a passion, looking at it. And since her space heater is off-limits, she really likes the table. Yes, we have a heater in her room in June and it was 95 degrees outside today. It seems to be the only solution to keeping her from freezing at night no matter what we have the AC set on.

Anyway, she falls at the end of the video, but I my reflexes made me shut off the video in order to catch her. I'm telling you, I have cat-like reflexes lately....flinging centipedes & catching falling babies.

sitter & a crazy night

Overnight Claire learned to sit-up.

Seriously it was like a light bulb switched on in her brain and it all made sense. In a matter of minutes she went from sitting for 3 seconds to sitting for 3 minutes. And later that day she sat for 15 minutes straight!

I love this stage because she's so happy. She can scoot on her belly and sit up and look at things and still not move too quickly for me to be worried about her getting into something if I'm not looking for a milli-second.






Oh, and this tongue thing is new, too.
This I don't like so much, but oh well.




And as for the crazy night, I don't have a photo of it, thankfully.

Last night, Greg awoke to me saying, "Ah!!!! Something was on my neck and I flicked it onto you!" (accidentally of course, but it was my reflex none-the-less)

(we both scurry to get our glasses because we're blind as bats without them)

"I think it was a spider, it was definitely not a tick (which is the insect which usually finds it's way into our bed....). It stuck to my fingers and I had to flick it."

(Greg is loving this explanation)

We finally spot it on the quilt and it was not a spider.....what was it, you ask?

a CENTIPEDE (which at first I called a caterpillar, but it was 1:15am). It was 4 inches long, black, with tiny little legs.

It was dead still, so Greg left to get a paper to pick it up with. As soon as he left, that thing took off like a lightning bolt. I had no idea it could move so quickly, but Greg was nimble and caught him and threw him in the toilet, where all nasty little insects go.

Immediately, Greg went back to sleep and started sawing logs. Meanwhile, I was on my iPhone googling "centipedes" and learning all about them. At that point, I got nervous because they live in colonies, and I thought our bed might have become such. So, I wake Greg back up and make him get up so we can strip the bed and look everywhere for a colony. Poor guy, but if I hadn't done it, I would've been awake all night with the heebee jeebies, thinking bugs were crawling on me.

No colony and not a house centipede after my extensive research and investigation, so it looks like we're in the clear. Whew!