Prosper it is!

Welcome to Prosper, Texas!

Well we did it! After months of internet shopping and one quick weekend in the North Dallas area house hunting we have found our new home! Emphasis on the NEW. As you can see there is no grass, blinds, or landscaping yet. We caught it just in time to put in updates (stainless steel appliances_ check, granite counter tops_ check, drop down sink_check, pullout faucet_ check, blinds installed_ check).

Well let me tell you...I have to start way back a few years ago when we were just dating and went to Petco. I had been trying to get Lance to get a black kitten and name it Shiloh. I talked about it all the time. One day we went to Petco and what do ya know! BAM a black cat named Shiloh was up for adoption. He did not adopt her but that's not important ;)

A few years later we are car shopping for Lance a new truck. If you know me you know I am impatient as all get out and I am super picky. Two things that make finding things nearly impossible. After a full day of no luck we are on our way to one more car lot in Moore, OK and Lance says okay so what would your idea of a perfect truck be..."Well off white say cream color, I'd like a truck bed cover, tan leather interior, all the works, heated seats, etc." We drive into the lot and BAM! There is my truck. I mean can you say weird?! So now it actually is our truck. 

When Brynlee was born I was in love with the new Norman Healthplex. She was the only baby born on that Sunday and it was quiet, clean, and we got a ton of attention. I told Lance that we needed to go back and stay again when I wasn't in any pain because it was so nice. This time getting my wish was not so great...BAM! Bryn was put under 48 hour surveillance because of a fever. All was well.

A few weeks ago my Dad and I went to an OU game. We sat next to 2 rather tipsy older men. One turned to me and said "you look like someone that can make things happen, can you give us a touchdown" I said actually you have no idea- I CAN! And BAM I did, touchdown that play. ;)

Well now on to our house hunt. I wanted the master down stairs with another full bedroom and bath for a nursery, and then at least 2 beds up stairs with a game room. I wanted a huge kitchen with granite and covered patio and vaulted ceilings. Lol. So Lance was getting pretty frustrated with me. But I will tell you that while shopping with our realtor she would show me homes she called me savvy. :D I guess she didn't expect us to really know what we wanted and pros and cons of buying a home.

 So finally on Friday at the end of our 9th showing she takes us to new construction. I nearly jumped on Lance because I was so in love with this house. It has 5 bedrooms! Master down and one other down with 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms up with bath, a game room, and what they call a media room (has no closet) but we will make it a playroom. He looked panicked like a deer in head lights. I tried to compose myself and put my game face on. 

The neighborhood is located in Prosper, TX. We are literally across the street from Aubrey, TX and just north and a little west of Frisco and McKinney. The area is not as taken over yet and so on the way out you pass farm land and we have a horse farm in our backyard. Literally horses sniffing our fence. I thought Lance (Mr. Farmboy) woulda wet his pants with excitement. NOPE. Everything I thought he'd love he was worried about. It's too far from work (10 miles), it's in the middle of nowhere, there are horses in our backyard! Lol I looked at him like WHA?! You don't like it!? I made this house and now you are complaining! After we left and went home so I could calm is butt down and convince him this was it he started to agree. Well it may have been those shots I started making him take every time he said something negative about the new house. :)

We went back Saturday to bring Bryn and Nana to see the house. Well... if the realtor and sales rep thought I was bad they were probably taken a back by Nana's questions. We finally struck up an agreement and they accepted our offer and all our upgrades. This is all contingent on our buyers following through on closing day. We close on our house Dec. 11 and we will be closing in Prosper on Dec. 12. We could not be more excited. 

Entry way

View from upstairs looking at dining room

Bryn in her new playroom

Kitchen (no granite yet)

Living room (no fence in back yet)

 Backyard patio (no grass yet)

After all this house hunting and my 4th creation Lance asked me to create him a boat. :-/ I told him my powers need to recharge then we can talk.

BRYN NEWS!!:

Check out the tab Growin' up Babe for videos on Bryn rollin over! and playing with her Shiloh.

4 Month Check Up

Miss Brynlee had her 4 month check up today! This Mommy does not like these appointments. 3 shots today...ugh. The nurse held her legs down this time (she did not do this last time). This in particular made her come unglued! Her poor little face turned Ariel's hair red. Poor babe. She calmed down pretty quick once Mommy picked her up; but she would relive the horror and whimper every once and a while.
She weighs 14 lbs so she is in the 44% for weight in her age group, 24.75 inches long 60% for age group, and a head circumference of 16 inches which is 49%. Overall our little punkin' is a growin' girl! No idea where she gets her height from- Lance is the shortest in his family and well I'm a munchkin :) BUT I was a super long baby too... maybe she'll get some height!

BREAKING NEWS!
Hers can roll over! That is when she is on her belly she can roll to her back. I posted a video on the Growin' Up Babe tab above.
Starting this week we are on to rice cereal! She will still be getting Momma's milk for her regular 3 hour feedings but twice a day we will try some cereal. After a few weeks of that we will be on to veggies. YUM. ;-P
Squeaks will also be moving to her crib for nighty night now. She has been taking a few naps in it during the day and is doing well. Momma tried to put her down in the crib for bed a few times and she woke rather quickly. Seeing as I just got to where I can sleep 5-6 hours straight I was in no mood to sleep train her in the crib. Buuuuuut Doc says do it now before she has attachment issues. So Daddy's getting a blow up mattress so Momma can sleep in the babe's room- as to avoid such long walks to replace a wubby. This will only last a few nights and will in no way be permanent :)

Bryn's first COLD WEATHER GAME DAY!

4 months!

Brynlee Kay is 4 months old today!

Favorite things: watching her moby (Ziggy is her favorite character), screeching, bath time, baby massages, dancin' before bedtime, cuddles with her Daddy and Mommy.

Hers is gettin' so big! She can put weight on her legs (which she has been able to do that for a while now). She is starting to say ba and ma. Daddy is ready for some da'das. She is getting so much better at riding in the car! Mommy got smart and bought a DVD player that attaches to the head rest. Her fav right now is Little Mermaid :) but what little girl doesn't love her some Ariel! When she gets bigger she'll be playing little mermaid in her pool...if your closer to my age you know what I'm talking about! Pushing out of the water and flippin' over that hair ;)
She WAS sleeping from 10-5 or 6am...well not anymore. She has gone back to a 2:30am feeding. Bummer for Momma. But it comes in waves we are told so fingers crossed for that feeding to be eliminated!
She is starting to grab more at things. She loves her ABC blocks and this crazy one eyed monster blanket that she likes to eat his antennas. Those are not the only antennas she loves to slobber on. She loves her some caterpillar wubby.

Today Bryn got her usual month photo shoot. It is October so she dressed up in her Halloween costume! :)

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Bryn's first pumpkin patch experience...

 You mostly see grass and sky here. Daddy is not such a good photographer...he was instructed on how to do better next time :)

Squeaks meets a babay cow

Considering doing the corn maze...ya no thanks.

There is a little Bryn located to the left of the diap bag- sleeping.

Picking out pumpkins is hard work.

Road Trippin' on a Long Weekend

Well anyone who has a new baby may be able to understand our decision to leave Norman for Houston at 7pm at night. If you know enough about Texas you know that means we did not arrive at our destination til 2am. Yeah crazy to some people- genius for 2 parents with a temper mental car rider. I do not use the word genius lightly. After an early bath and a feeding the babe went to sleep at 7pm and did not stir until 2am when taken out of her car seat upon arrival. Unfortunately we have not worked out the kink where she is wide eyed and bushy tailed from sleeping so long! After some laughs and a 2:15am bottle she was back down.

The next morning the babe and I went to her Nana's work to meet some more peeps. BUT Daddy and Papa went fishing in kayak's. Daddy was super excited about kayak fishing- Mommy not so much. Hello sharks, jelly fish, sting rays- need I say more!? Well after they got back and I was bored from sitting around I decided to try my hand at kayak fishing. They were super expensive Kobe Kayaks that my Dad rented for the day. The only way to do this is with these kayaks. They have pedals! Also there is a small handle you use to steer with which makes it so much easier. Well after a few Coors I figured it wasn't too scary and I decided I could make it to the Kemah bridge. I did make it but Lance failed to mention I had to go under the shortest bridge known to man. I'm claustrophobic and was about to just go back. I told him I was going to close my eyes and pedal for dear life til I reached the other side and he was to tell me if I was going to wreck. So I went for it and about half way thru he yelled and I heard the most awful noise. Well the DANG fishing pole was still up and scrappin along the bottom of the bridge. Scared the crap out of me. I did catch 2 fish! One hard head and one catfish. Neither of which we wanted to keep. Not important though the important part was I caught 2 and Lance caught none :)
He did catch this flounder with Dad... later he caught a much bigger one that we did keep and cook for dinner on Sunday. Yummy!

Lance and Dad

Lance's flounder caught in Clear Lake.

Bryn's first trip to Kemah, TX!

Daddy took Bryn to change her diapy in the family bathroom 

next to the bar area. He took a while and came back a little

shaken. Apparently poor babe screamed her head off in the

bathroom. Daddy was a little worried everyone heard and 

probably thought he was a horrible Dad. That's okay beb she just loves her Mommy changing her diaps ;)

Mommy won Bryn a finding Nemo stuffed animal at the "Guess My Age" booth. They guessed 19...ya Mom's still got it ;)

Saturday we made our way to Pearland to attend my cousin's baby's 1 year birthday party. It was so great to see everyone and Bryn got to meet all her Carouthers relatives.

Sunday before heading out we carved, well Daddy carved, a punkin for Bryn. It is staying at Papa's house but she looked super cute sitting next to it!

 

To my babe on your 3 month birthday

You are 3 months old today! I have not written down the exciting morning story of your birth yet...

On this day in June ( a mere 3 months ago) it was 3:30am in the morning and you were getting ready to make your debut. Your daddy was so excited. Mom flipped on the light to the bedroom and told him that you were ready. He jumped up and called the hospital immediately! They assured us since you had busted your water balloon house that you would be with us that day!!
Mom took a shower and slowly got ready :) You will appreciate that when you show your husband one day your birthday pictures and your mom doesn't look too much of a hot mess.
Off we went and we got to the Norman Healthplex by 4:30am. Love this place! We were basically the only people there. Mom held off for the epidural for a little while. Why...I have no idea. By 7:30 I wanted it :) Every move you made was pretty bold by this point. Mom got the good stuff. Oh was it nice. No pain. We watched Happy Feet 2 on the flat screen in our room while we waited for you to get situated. By 11am I was super sleepy and feelin' no pain. The nurse told Mom time to push! Dads job was to help hold Mom's leg. He kept putting it down and it would fall off the bed. He did not quit realize Mom had no control.
At 11:50am the doctor came in to help you enter the world! After a few pushes she told us one more and we'd have a baby. You came out and you didn't cry immediately. Mom looked and Dad had backed away from the bed. Where was he going!? He was so nervous until he heard you cry for the first time. We have been in love ever since noon on June 24. Your mom is nuts and always told your dad that I wanted you to be born on an even day. Well congrats little girl you did it. Sunday, June (6) 24, 2012 at 12 o'clock on the dot. You were the only baby they had that day and so you received much attention! You also aced your first test this day. A score of 10 on the APGAR test. My little genius.
We take way too many pictures of you and you are pretty spoiled already. But good news is you can't spoil a new baby...well at least til your 6 months old, then we hear that you will start to "play us". :)

So far you are growing leaps and bounds. You have discovered your hands and recently your fingers. You make these adorable sucking sounds when you put your fingers in your mouth. You have not found your feet yet. Can't wait for that. You rub your eyes when you are sleepy and you squeak when you are happy. You hate dirty diapers and want them changed immediately. You are currently around 11 pounds and you wear a size 1 diaper. You are wearing 0-3 clothing and sometimes Mom puts you in 3-6 months because those clothes are so cute I can't help it. Your favorite thing is your Wubby. You are spoiled to being able to push out your paci and suck it back in and you love holding onto the caterpillar attached to it. You also LOVE your mobi. There are 4 animals on it. A pink zebra we named Ziggy- he is your fav and you follow him with your eyes, 2 monkeys- Lyla and Penelope, and a green elephant name we named Pinkerton.
You have begun sleeping through the night mostly. You sleep in a bouncer next to Mommy and Daddy's bed. We still swaddle you because you throw your arms around still and it wakes you up. After you have your 2am-5am (depending when you wake up) feeding Mom usually puts you in the bed for cuddles. Some how you always manage to get right up in my face and want to have your hands on me. Some people would say it is not smart to put the baby in your bed...well we know that but it's only for a little bit and we love snuggling with you while you are still tiny. You had your first car trips this month. They went pretty well. You have not mastered it but that's okay. Your legs are super strong as are your neck muscles. We are guessing you will walk before you crawl. You pretty much are not a fan of tummy time. We are still working on it.
You love watching television. Football gets your attention the most. Daddy loves that. When you are super cranky we take you outside. The outside air seems to calm you. Mommy dances with you all the time. You love Turnpike Troubadours, Eric Hutchinson's Rock & Roll, Eel's Hey Man, and Old Crow Medicine Show- Wagon Wheel. We will have to switch over to baby songs when you can start to repeat words ;) Usually 3 songs puts you out. Every night around 7:30 you get a bath. You have started kicking and splashing around in the water. It's so much fun to watch you learn and experience new things. Can't get enough of it. You get a baby massage with coconut cooking oil afterwards. It's organic and you can eat it so you love eating your hands afterwards. You heart your baby massage. Daddy usually sits in their with us and watches you because you are so vocal and in such a good mood. At 8pm you get a bottle and usually you are out by 8:30 or 9.
Those are just a few of your favorite things :)
LOVE Your Momma

Please Do Not Grab My Baby

So after the babe turned 10 weeks old we decided she was now 2 weeks post shots and could attend church. After much consideration we decided that the west side, St. Mark's, was the better option. It has 2! cry rooms with 3 benches in each plus a row of chairs in the very back. Since our little Squeaks is pretty noisy- and most often demands to be held while standing- a cry room is the only way to go.
This was a little saddening because I love, love, love our church- St. Joseph's. Well last weekend we went to St. Mark's. All went well and we had a good experience.

Now this weekend we woke up Sunday morning and Lance checked the internet for church times just in case. What do ya know! St. Mark's new church time is too early for us. If you feed a babe you know how feeding schedules can really dictate your day.

So back to the drawing board. We decided to go back to our old church and risk the small, cramped, filled with moving boxes :-/ cry room. We got there early because we had noticed in the past people tend to sit in there who don't have a reason to be sitting in there except they are avoiding having to sit next to strangers... We arrive a whole 20 minutes early and are the only ones in there. SUHWEET! :)

Well it didn't take long after church began for stragglers to make their way in there with us. A mom and her (I'd guess around 12) son. So no biggie there's room enough for 5. I'm minding my own business- changing diapers, bouncing, and feeding the babe as usual. When I stand up to burp the Squeaks all of the sudden the woman stands up walks up to me and TAKES MY BABY!  I mean what is a mom supposed to do!? There was no- awwwwww your baby is cute can I hold her... or awww do you mind? I mean she just TOOK MY FRIGGIN BABY! I had no option- except I suppose I could have held on for dear life until she took a freagin hint. About this time she walks over to her chair and sits down with MY baby. Lance and I are about to have 2 big ol cows. I should tell you she did not speak english so we could not tell her this was sooooo not kosher to take a new mom's baby from her arms without asking! She proceeds to hold her and show her to her son. Then finally Squeaks begins to squeak. Thank goodness! The one time I am all for some whinny noise. Dad didn't give any time til he sprung up and politely said "oh here she's getting fussy" ;) She then mimics do us that the baby is hungry. Oh really...I'm sorry did you miss when I just fed her 5 ounces of milk!? I quickly plucked her back and was not about to let go again.
Needless to say we are going to Saint Mark's next Sunday...

Out N About

The Aquarium!

So we got to have our first outing/ road trip last Friday! We went to Tulsa to the aquarium. Well the aquarium is actually in Jenks. But who knows where Jenks is!? Let me tell you...it is just south of Tulsa. It was a cold and rainy day and these 2 parents wore shorts and were the only crazies at the aquarium in shorts. Lesson learned. Squeaks did amazing on the 2.5 hour trip there! She slept the whole time. She woke up for this picture in front of the turtle habitat. She was pretty impressed with all the creatures. Well I think she was.
Dad and Mom got to touch stingrays...

One of them kept jumping nearly out of the tank! The guy said she just wanted to get a good look at us...ya ok?
After the aquarium and lunch we hit up Utica Square. Awesome! Of course I found the Baby Gap and Pottery Barn Kids. Disappointed that PBKids does't have near what they have online. But what does it matter really- Daddy wouldn't have let Mommy buy anything anyway. I have to admit I have a slight obsession with Baby Gap clothing and might need some sort of shopping rehab to curb my addiction.
On the way home Bryn slept again. It helps when someone is in the back with her. But that leaves the question...what does one do when there is only ONE of you! Well let me tell you.

Rectifying Squeaks car seat phobia:

As I have said before we have a babe that hates her car seat. So before we invest in one of those DVD players that are installed in the back of headrests- we are trying this. This contraption usually hangs on her crib. It has always caught her attention; so yesterday I tried it out in the car. SUCCESS! It did keep her from crying on the way to Target.

The real test. We are going to the Dallas area this Saturday to attend my Grandmother's funeral service. My whole family will be attending and some of them have yet to meet the new addition to the Welch side. We are excited to get to see everyone. This means we have a 3 to 3.5 hour car trip on our hands. We will be putting this Fisher Price tv to the test. Fingers crossed :)

Ahhh. Fall weather...

For the first time we also got to sit on the patio in warmer clothing! I am so excited for fall. We already bought our groupon for going to the pumpkin patch with Squeaks and Niz. 

Baby Boomer

We had a busy weekend. For the first time in 12 weeks we were able to take little Squeaks out and about! She is 2 weeks past her shots and ready to mingle. Her first outing- a bridal shower. We packed up and headed out Saturday afternoon to Oklahoma City and she slept the whole way there. A major achievement for the babe. (If you can remember she strongly dislikes her car seat). Daddy went with us because Mommy was not sure that Squeaks could stay composed for the entire shower. Like a good hubby he dropped us off and went in search of a bar and grill that would be playing football.
Well as excited as I was to have her all worn out by that evening from the events of the day...she slept the entire shower! She was passed around from lady to lady and she just snoozed and snoozed. The shower was amazing and I was so happy to see my friend Jenni!! She is marrying Lance's good friend and we introduced them; so we are thrilled that they are gettin hitched! After the shower we headed back to Norman for tailgating!!

This was our first family tailgate and we were super excited. Even Dad wore Crimson and Cream! We had no baby melt downs and Dad's OU id paid off...he got us into the engineering building to use the bathrooms :)

Movin' On Up

Yes the Klements are packing it up and moving! This is a move we have long awaited and pondered over for several years now. We are so excited to have a bigger space and no more crazy weather, well less crazy. Lance has requested a transfer to Garver's Frisco office. We hope to make the move definitely before the new year- or basically until this high maintenance buyer finds a house.
We spent the entire Labor Day weekend repainting baseboards, doors, walls and basically just making the house looked unlived in. We had a lot of help from Nana. Now we have to keep it clean! That is actually not too hard for Momma, but Daddy has already begun making messes.
Now begins the daunting task of finding the new house...nerve racking. The thing this girl is most excited about...having a KROGER!! :) Oh how I have missed you. I would be remiss to say that I am also thrilled for my little Squeaks to grow up a Texas girl like her momma!

Riding in Cars with Babes

This photo is a rare moment for Squeaks. If one more person tells me to put her in her car seat and take her for a ride to get her to sleep I will make them come ride around town with her. That will teach 'em! It is an ordeal to say the least. Before leaving one must make sure the bebe has been fed. That would mean we can only leave the house between 10-11 and 1-4. Next one MUST ensure that the little one is falling asleep or actually sleeping. Once in the seat a quick round up of items and out the door we go. If I make it this far without her screaming I am doing good. Unfortunately after dropping off Daddy at work yesterday from a long afternoon at Lowe's the Squeaks wasn't sleeping. She then began whining and being a good mommy :) I pulled over and gave her the wubby. This lasted a good 2 seconds and she spit it out just so she could scream. We made it about 5 minutes and Mommy couldn't take it (imagining she must think she is abandoned and we don't love her) and pulled over into a parking lot. Once again giving the screaming babe a mouth full of wubby. It didn't last. Fast forward 2 minutes and we are in another parking lot. She is screaming and pulling at her car seat straps like they are on fire. It being 98 degrees outside I began looking for a place to go and walk her 'til she passed out. Luckily we were in the parking lot of a Wet Pets. That place is AMAZING and I want a salt water tank now. But I digress. SO I should say that I don't take this bebe anywhere because I am a germophobe... One would not expect a Wet Pets to be a hoping place on a Tuesday at 5...one would be WRONG. About 5 minutes of giving people dirty looks because they kept looking at the baby or coughing near me and this mommy was outta there. Thank goodness fishys put the screaming baby to sleep. Back to the car we went and carefully I put her in the seat (this time the wubby was in the seat belt too ensuring it's safety in Squeaks mouth) and drove home. Another outing down! To all you parents whose babes love their seats... :-P

Growing Up Baby

Bryn is already changing so much. She has recently found out that she has the most awesome built in toy...her hands. She loves, loves, loves, to lick them and put them in her mouth. The whole fist! She has not figured out that there are separate fingers on them yet.
2 weeks ago Mommy figured out how to make the little Squeaks smile. We can't get enough of it. Last Saturday she laughed in her sleep. We were so excited! Then this morning at 5am she did it again. We cannot wait until we get to hear it when she is awake. She mastered drooling early and has been doing that for about a month. We are pretty sure that means the is ahead of the curve ; )
Thankfully she has mastered day vs. night. It took several weeks for it to stick and a lot of late night/ early morning walks down the hall. We have a ritual of a bath every other night and a baby massage with coconut organic oil. Yes I lather my baby up in cooking cream. Come to find out you can't lather them up in lotion every night so Mommy had to think outside the box and google alternative options. Coconut seemed like something I wouldn't mind smelling like- so bingo! She loves the taste so it's perfect for us. A warm bottle after a massage and usually you can count on the babe snoozing in her Daddy's lap 'til we pop that bottle in at 10:30 and settle in for the night.
We have been in the house since she was born and I have braved taking her out about 4 times (outside of the Dr.'s office visits). We are getting excited because the 2 month shots are in place and in 2 weeks we can take her out and about!

My New Job

So I have officially bypassed the teaching life and my job as a new mom is well on it's way. The beginning was false advertising. She was brand new and slept all day and was up a few times at night. I got showers, did laundry, ate without holding a baby, nothing too hard!
Enter baby at 3 weeks of age...has to be held all day. We are still mostly on our schedule of waking at 7am eating, playing and crashing at about 9am. Then at 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm we repeat the cycle. At 10:30pm we try to feed completely in the dark so that the little one doesn't wake up and gets a tummy full and crossing our fingers doesn't wake until 5am. Which I am happy to say has happened TWICE now! I do not get showers in unless Daddy occupies the Squeaks while Mommy showers at 7:30am. Only to be spit up on all day...why did I shower again?
I am absolutely so grateful that the hubby is all for Mommy staying home with babe! It is the most amazing job I could not get paid for ; )

The Babes 2 Month Checkup

The little one went in for her 2 month shots yesterday. It went as well as it could. She was weighed and measured and who knows where she gets it but this little one is long! She is 23 1/4 inches long putting her in the 83% percentile for her age group. She weighed in at 11 lbs 10 ounces- 59% percentile. As you can imagine she cried when she was poked 3 times in her lil thighs. Mommy quickly scooped her up and popped a bottle in her mouth and she quieted down. Poor thing. Nothing compared to her spinal tap!!
As you can imagine a long baby means she has definitely outgrown the newborn clothes and we are well into our 0-3 month outfits. Even some 3-6 month! I have begun drying her clothes on a clothes rack to hopefully prolong their life span. This crazy Mommy has to dry them inside because she does not like the smell of dried outside clothes :)