2011 December, Month of Change

 Normally I blog with a lot of pictures. But this one won't have any. I just don't have a picute for this.

December was great and hard at the same time. Rick quit KMPG at the end of Nov. and spent the last week of Nov. and first 2 weeks of Dec. at home. I loved it, Clare loved it and Tommy loved it. I wish he could do that every year. Then he started a new job with Manhattan Associates. It's a great job.

Durring his downtime we did some serious house hunting. Our favorite is at Heathland Ct and our 1st backup is Wexford Club while our second backup is... Oh I don't remember.

We also spent time getting Clare's digestive system checked out. I've been watch her grow skinnier and more skeletal for too long and Rick feels the same way. She needs help gaining wieght. We thought we were ready. We had a feeding tube placed the second week in Dec. This was the hardest hospital stay so far. Also the most difficult medical decision we've had to make for Clare so far. Rick did really well. Clare did really well. I had a break down. I couldn't even stay in the room long enough to talk to the nurses and learn how to care for her. It was terrible. I couldn't stop crying. And I won´t even begin to describe how horrible the nursing staff was. Lets just say I'm not likley to EVER let anyone admit Clare to that hospital again if I have any other option. Never again!

Green and Blue Cookies

In support of National Orgna Donation awarness I made these very good and very beautiful cookies. They turned out better than I thought they would.

Of course I forgot to submit the picture to the right site and enter the contest for the best looking green and blue. No big deal. I'll do something even cooler and tastier next year and of course win 1st place.

What Happened in September

Some months come and go like a sigh. In then out with so little realization that it has passed. These first couple of photots are August.

Now we get into September...

Hilton Head Island

The Last of August

Clare is a big fan of Temples. She just loves to see their pictures and ask about them. She was asking about the Salt Lake Temple where Mommy and Daddy got married and asked if we could go there. I told her we could when we're in Utah again. But we have a temple here in Atlanta we could go to today.

So we went over to the Atlanta Temple which is not far from us. We took pictures and walked around. It was really an enjoyable afternoon. It was hot too but we had a good time.

Clare likes to take picture too. So I told her the rules of holding our camera and let her snap a few. Here's one she took of Tommy and myself. I think she's go a good eye.

We've also been back to the park. Yay! I love taking her to the park where she can run around and climb and swing and slide.

I think for me the playground at the park represents care-free life returned to. For some it may just be a hot sweaty dirty lot of fun but for me it's a happy comfortable place that pulls you back time and again.

She Swimms!

Clare swam several times from the stairs in the deep end of the pool to Rick! Hurray. We've been working towards this all summer. At the begining of the summer seh was so nervous about the pool and the water I couldn't get her off the steps without her crying. A little peer pressure fixed that but she still had a long way to go.

We bought 4 weeks of swimming lessons. She never advanced to the next level. She still needed to jump in by herself and bob under the water. Of course in three days Grandma got her jumping in by herself and going underwater. Two goals of her swim class that she never reached in class.

After Grandma left Rick has been working with her every weekend and sometimes after work. and now she is starting to swim. She's excited and feels good about it and Rick and I couldn't be more proud of her. Good work Clare!

Paper Mache Piggy

Clare came to us really honestly upset one evening. She couldn't find her pennies. After a while of us telling her we'd help her find them and put them in a safe place she let us know that she needs a piggy bank. I wonder how long she'd been thinking this through.

So, I decided the perfect summer indoor activety fo rClare and I would be making a paper mache piggy bank. If you know Clare then you are already laughing. Clare hates and I really mean HATES to get her hands dirty. So, when it came to putting past onto paper strips and smoothing them onto a balloon she didn't get far. First I showed her what to do. Then she told me it was too messy. So I gave her a strip I had already pasted. Much to her credit she did put it on. But that was the last one she would touch.

So In the end I had a nice time making a pig and Clare got to play. When it was all over I was supprised how nice the little piggy looked. All I can say is, "Here's to you Mom, and all the Thanksgiving pinta making practice I got through the years. Thank you."

Cookies and Paper Airplanes

Had a great time this afternoon thanks to Clare.

She started begging to go out and play with her friends before lunch but I put her off. You see if she plays outside I have to go out with her and of course take Tommy. This is only a problem because it's so hot outside. I don't like it being so hot and Tommy just can't take it for long at all.

Then we had lunch and then nap-time. She didn't want to take a nap so she hid under her bed, of course laying still under her bed caused her to fall asleep. So, she took a nap under her bed today. I thought it was pretty funny so I got a flashlight out and took the picture.

I was in a baking mood I wanted to make cookies and bread and anything warm and delicious right out of the oven.Of course I had to feed Tommy first.

Next I put him in our baby carrier and started making my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I havn't made any since I was in Utah and was crossing my fingers in hopes that the altitude change wouldn't ruin them. (The altitude change makes a big difference on corn bread.)

Well, the cookies turn out great! I only wish I could munch on them all night.

When Clare got up she enjoyed a little cookie dough then asked if she could show the cookies to her friends. There was no way I could say no. Kids should go outside and play in the sun with thier friends and share cookies. I told her we could share our cookies.

We nocked on our neighbors door and everyone got a cookie. Funny thing, Clare didn't want any. But then they all played with chalk, then paper then on of the older kids folded an airplane. So I began to show Clare how to fold an airplane.

From there it morphed into five other children sitting just inside the door while I gave two lessons on how to fold a basic paper airplane. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoy having so many kids around. It will be a thing I miss and Clare will miss when we get a house again someday.

You know I really expected to stick my head out the door latter and see ten or so paper planes on the ground. But when I looked out the ground was miraculously clean. I'm always amazed at what these kids are excited about. Chalk, paper airplane, jumpropes, any and all balls.

Are all kids like this or is it just the ones who live near me?

1 Day Old Photos

Here he is at one day old.
The hospital allows a photographer to come in and offer to take your baby's and or family's picture.
So, we had these taken before he left the hospital.
They're a lot better than I had expected.
Of course we love our little man. He's cute!
This is his coming home outfit.

Here He Is....

Thomas Clay Davis

Born Thursday June 23rd at 3:15pm

20in long 8lbs 12oz

Our first day home and Thomas is only one day old. Grandma was there to take our first family picture. I want to thank my mom for being there and helping us with Clare as well as helping me pass time while waiting for Thomas to finally be born 9 days late. We really enjoyed your stay I hope you did too.

Clare just LOVES her sweet little brother. She's so excited to see him every morning and she wants to hold him and play with him all the time. She doesn't like that he sleeps so much.

Dady helping Clare feed Thomas with the bottle she gave him as a birthday gift. Mostly Mommy feeds him and Clare was getting jealous so I let her feed him with a bottle. She really enjoyed this for a couple minutes and then it got old and she was done.

Mama is doing great after the natural delivery. I would add my vote to recovery being faster and easier without an epidural. Of course delivery is 100% harder too. Pick your poision.

The little guy just sleeps everywhere all day and most of the night too. It's so cute. I know Clare did this too, but it was so long ago. I guess we just forgot. Of course it's been more than 3 1/2 years since we've had a new born and there are a couple other things we're having to remember too. Amount of diapers per day, spit up, how hot you get from cuddling with a baby, etc.

Adding the second child to our family is very different than adding the first was. The baby is very much the same but we were expecting more sleepless nights. The biggest difference is that we have a very energetic 3 yr old who needs attention. So instead of sitting on the couch and taking in every moment of his sleep filled day, we put him in bed to sleep and play with Clare.

We have also been in energetic 3 yr old mode where Clare is learning to swim, recognizing letters, just learned how to recognize words that rhyme and has a very extensive imagination. Newborns are quite a bit less interactive. That being said, we all love Tommy more than words can express and we are happy that he's an angelic sleepy newborn which allows us to keep up with Clare.

And of course our love for him crosses over into one of my favorite hobbies, photography. I took this one at the hospital. And I have so many more pictures that we could put up but we didn't want to over do it. We love you Tommy!

PS We chose his name June 22nd. I guess that was what he was waiting for.

Still Waiting.....

We've done a lot waiting for baby. From going to a Braves game after he was a week late to trying to hike through nature. I tried fried pickles and they are great. I also ate spicy kimchi soup, I love it! Then I tried to OD on chocolate by eating 8 truffles. I didn't feel too great after that but it still didn't work. I went on a 2 mile walk just before noon, and came back feeling better than ever and no closer to birth than sitting at home would have gotten me.

As you can tell we are having as much fun as we can waiting inspite of the fact that we're all ready for our baby to be born. Except we still need to give him a name. I guess we'll have to do that next.


So in trying to pass our time Grandma Jani, Clare and I went to the Dunwoody Nature Center. It was fun but we couldn't stay long because Clare disliked being out in nature so much. It was very strange to me because Rick and I love being out of doors, however when I thought about it we've never taken her out into nature with us. I think because she's never been in this setting before the sounds and feeling of it were uncomfortable to her. We'll have to go a lot more!


Clare was very good at knowing where she was. She wanted to go back to the car and we thought we'd be cleaver by taking the long way back on another trail. However when we passed the turn off she stopped at the correct place to turn and started to cry. She knew we weren't headed back to the car if we didn't turn there. Smart kid!

Clare took this one so it's a bit blurry. She doesn't hold as still as she needs to for a clear picture every time. But I think it's framed very well. She loves to take pictures.



While we made a Cake for babys birthday we also let Clare make her own little cake. Here she is dumping sprinkles onto it. She had fun making it and eating it for the next week. I have to admit it was a great tasting cake and the sprinkles only made it better.


Alright I did have this one finished before the due date but I forgot to post it. Clares new dress and it turned out so well. We even made a matching one for her doll. Pictures like this make me really appriciate Mom teaching me to sew.