I'm no Einstein

Last Friday I was hanging out with T while Lee was at work. She was starting to seem bored with the same ol' toys, so I decided to put together her Baby Einstein Activity Center. Unfortunately for me... You have to be an Einstein to put that thing together! The directions don't have any words, they just have pictures. The whole endeavor took me about 2 hours. Here were some of my pitfalls:
* I put the seat cover on backwards.
* I put the seat cover on inside out.
* I put one of the support legs in upside down and couldn't get it out. (Lee had to fix this when he got home.)
* I took off 10 itty bitty screws in order to put some batteries in only to realize that wasn't where the batteries went. "Oh, here it is... Just one screw to undo."

At the end of it all, Taryn actually seemed to like it, so I guess it was worth the battle. Although, in the future, I will save this crap for Lee!

Changing Time

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Lee is starting work down in Lafayette tomorrow and I am starting back at school on Monday. Our commute to Lafayette takes an hour. But what REALLY sucks is that we lose an hour due to the time change. So, to get to Lafayette by 7am, we have to leave at 5am. Ouch. And to leave by 5am, we really need to get to bed early, but you feel like a total loser going to bed promptly at 9pm.

So, our family is officially on Eastern time now. I just went through the house and reset all of the clocks an hour ahead. We changed Lee's car and I am going to go change my car. The only clocks that will still be on Demotte time is the tv and our cell phones. Hopefully we don't get confused by those!!

So true...

"My daddy LOVES beer..."
"I hope he doesn't love beer more than he loves me!"

Taryn finally got to wear her Daddy Hearts Beer onesie today. This is kind of a special onesie to me because it was the first thing I bought for the baby while I was pregnant. Hard to believe that was way back on December 8th, 2008!

THREE Months Old!

On Thursday Taryn will be 3 months old. It really just sunk in today when I was at the Family Dollar (times are tough) and the cashier asked me how old Taryn was. I had to think for a second before saying "3 months?!?!"

Taryn doesn't have a doctor's appointment, so this months measurements were done at home. aka, NOT SCIENTIFIC measurements.

Weight: approx 15.5 lbs (this is Lee & I weighing ourselves and then ourselves with Taryn)
Length: approx 25 inches

Clearly this girl is growing fast. As you can see above, she is outgrowing her little bathtub hammock, but isn't quite old enough to move up to the side of the tub without head support.
Taryn is holding her head up a lot more and doesn't hate tummy time as much now. She is starting to try to roll over from her back to her stomach (even though the doc said she would do stomach to back first). It breaks my heart when she gets stuck on her side and starts to whimper. Taryn is starting to pick things up and hold onto things. She is also starting to laugh now which is pretty funny. It is giving Lee a big head though. He thinks he is hilarious. Taryn has discovered that she has control over her right hand. (Only her right hand.) She looks at it and brings it toward her mouth. It requires SO much concentration. She sometimes misses her mouth and hits herself in the cheek or nose. Taryn went on Lee's parents' pontoon for the first time on Sunday. She loved being outside with the wind in her hair. She didn't like the blinding sun or the heat though. She also didn't like dipping her feet in the chilly lake water. It did give her a chance to show off her bod in her swimsuit.

Things that Taryn likes:

The Today's Country channel on Comcast. She naps the best to that station!

Sitting up and standing with assistance.

Her Baby Einstein mat and her bouncy seat still.

Watching tv. It is enchanting.

When mommy or daddy comes in to get her when she first wakes up.

When people say "Hiiiiii" to her.

When we take her legs and act like she is running/jumping/biking/skiing.

Still loves the outdoors.

Being carried to go to sleep.

Ceiling fans, light fixtures and frames on the wall are still hilarious.

Baths are really starting to be fun, unless water accidentally gets in her eyes.

Toys are starting to be interesting.

She is also starting to notice cameras and cell phones and she stares at them. Now she just needs to learn to smile!

She is wearing size 2 Luvs diapers. About half of her 3 month clothing still fits. I just washed up her 6 month stuff. (Looking ahead, I'm a little nervous. 6 months is where most of her wardrobe ends.) Her hair is long enough that we can put a bow in it, which is hilarious. Her arms are getting longer and her stomach has stretched out a bit too. However, I think her thighs are chubbier than ever! She is starting to look a bit more like mommy's baby pictures, but her eyes are still 100% daddy. I am still anxious to see if her eyes stay blue. I always thought they would be green since Lee and I both have green eyes. But, so far her eyes are still blue!

Her personality is starting to show a lot more and it seems to be silly and dramatic depending on her mood. She grows and changes so fast and I can hardly wait to see what the next month will bring!

Busy doing what?

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In my 3 weeks off of school, I have been extremely busy. Although, when I stop to think back on what I have been busy doing... I can't come up with much. But, I do know I have not gotten nearly as many naps as I had planned in. Actually, I don't think I have had any naps! Boo!

Lee is starting work here soon. He is going to be working at McCutcheon High School helping out a student that is blind. I think it will be a pretty sweet gig, really. And maybe he'll pick up some of that high school knowledge that he missed the first time around.

We are probably going to be moving to Lafayette sooner than we thought. We were waiting to sell our house. But, with Lee working down there and me going to school down there, the cost of our gas is about as much as a mortgage payment on a house. So, as long as things go smoothly, we will be moving very soon. I will be extremely pumped to be back in Boiler Country. Not to mention not having to drive 2 hours a day with a 3 month old!

I am really excited for football season to be starting! I am not a fan of baseball, I find it pretty dull. So, I look forward to Purdue football, and OF COURSE, the Colts. I am interested to see how they do without Tony Dungy (tear).

Taryn starts daycare on Tuesday. It will be good for her to be around some other kids and other people in general. But, of course, I am dreading it. I'm just going to have to drop her off and bolt. If she starts crying, that'll be the end of me!

On Sunday night, we got back from the lake and our cats were acting INSANE! I think there had been a thunderstorm, but one was hiding under our buffet in the dining room and the other was under our bed. Darby refused to come out from under our bed for the entire night. Then the next morning, she was missing. We couldn't find her for the entire day! Lee had written her off and had decided she was dead and we were a single cat family now. Finally, in the early evening, we found her sleeping/hiding in a pile of blankets. She is finally acting normal again. That must have been some storm we had!

I have done Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred video twice now. The first time nearly killed me. I have done very little as far as working out goes in the last, um, long time. I felt so weak and winded. The only thing that made me feel somewhat better about myself was that Lee was feeling the burn as well. When we started, he asked if we were going to do all 3 levels of the DVD. 5 minutes into Level 1, he was winded. He had also planned to go running after doing the DVD, but changed his mind on that one too. I just did the video for the 2nd time today and it was a lot better. I'm nowhere close to "in shape", but it feels good to make a little progress.

Generations

This weekend Taryn got to see her Gpa Jeff from New Jersey again.

She also got to meet her Great-Grandma Mimi* and her Step-Great-Grandpa By from St. Louis.

Taryn is blessed to have 4.5 great grandmothers (the .5 is a step-great-grandma... my family is confusing.) She has now met 3 of them! Sadly, the one she hasn't met yet lives in West Lafayette, Lee's Grandma Klemme.

Here is our picture of four generations. Taryn was a great hostess all day. Until we went to Outback Steakhouse. She was done being sociable by then!

*If you are thinking that Mimi looks too young to be a great-grandma, listen to this. She became a grandma at age 38.

Any Ideas??

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I know many of my readers have already had their 10 year class reunion...

Did they do any sort of games/icebreakers?

I think my icebreaker will be a little game called "Drink the Beer", but some people need more than that.

Any ideas? Good things you've done at corporate outings?

Dumbo in a Bumbo

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I have mentioned before on this blog about how our cat Jasper thinks she is the baby... And all of Taryn's things are really hers. It is just getting out of hand now.

We didn't even put her in here. She got in on her own. She is ridiculous!

*Note, from my old blog post link of Jasper in the sling... Jasper liked the sling much more than Taryn.

Shot to the heart... And you're to blame...

Taryn got her 2 month shots yesterday. This was her second run-in with vaccinations. However, I wasn't around for the first time since it was in the nursery at the hospital right after she was born. (And at the time, I was dealing with my own trauma!)

I had been dreading this since I figured it would be heartbreaking to watch. Fortunately, Lee stepped up and held her during the shots. She had to get 3 of them. The first one went in and she didn't even whimper (I may have whimpered for her). The second one, she let out a little cry. The third one, she cried. But, as soon as Lee picked her up, she was fine.

Daddy makes everything ok! Now she has 3 bandaids on her chubby little thighs. She was a trooper though! And now we get two more months until the next round!

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Taryn says: "If you need insurance, go to Klemme Insurance in Otterbein."

Ok, maybe she says: "Mmmm, pen. Is this edible?"

Lee is turning into Anne Geddes...

August 8th

Next weekend we're going to DC's Country Junction in Lowell, IN. If anyone is interested in joining us, feel free to come on down!

We're planning to go right when it opens because Jamie's boyfriend Garret wants to be there for the line dancing lessons. I'm down with that since I will probably be drunk as heck* and ready for bed at midnight!

*Friday night I had 3 Bud Lights and was totally drunk. It was awesome! I haven't been this cheap of a date since high school!

Summer summer summertime!

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My summer classes are over! I now have 3 weeks to relax before starting my fall semester.

Things I plan to do in my 3 week break:
- Sleep
- Begin an exercise regime
- Get Taryn on a good sleeping schedule IN HER BEDROOM
- Lose those last 6 lbs
- Mentally prepare to take Taryn to daycare (tear)
- Hopefully find a place to live in Lafayette
- Get licensed to be a substitute teacher
- Did I mention sleep?