Baby Girl Good

So I thought it was about time to announce Baby Girl Good's name so we can start referring to her properly rather than using "she" and "baby girl Good". Some of you have already heard the name as we've been talking about this name since way before Caleb was even conceived. (Yes, we are planners.)

Anyway - her name will be Clara Marie Good.

Our little girl will not be the first Clara Good. Seth's great grandmother also carried the same name.

Marie is my middle name but we use it in honor of our mothers who both have Mary as a part of their name - Mary Ann Good and Mary Kathryn Wise.

I’m 25 weeks (I actually had to go count - second pregnancy is much different than the first!), and I’m feeling really good. I’m trying to soak up the energy surge before the exhausting third trimester begins. Our baby girl is very active. She is sitting much lower in my abdomen that Caleb did, so I get to feel her move and kick much more than I ever felt Caleb. I remember worrying about not feeling Caleb move enough, and I hardly go an hour without feeling her. I’m enjoying not worrying as much with this pregnancy!

I’m having fun thinking about her room, although finding time to actually work on the room is a bit challenging. And then there is Caleb’s big boy room and their bathroom. Will I really get all this done before she arrives?? 15 weeks to go!

30th Birthday Dinner with Friends

I turned 30 this past Monday. It didn't bother me too much - just a little weird to be out of my 20s. On the night of my birthday, my good friend Jackie got some of our friends together for a casual Mexican celebration. (Unfortunately she got sick and couldn't come - missed you Jackie!) I'm so happy to have such a good group of friends here in Hendersonville!

Birthday girl in her birthday hat - courtesy of the restaurant. Yes, they added the whipped cream mustache as well...

I'm feeling very blessed at 30 years old!

Birthday Weekend with the GrandWises

Mom and Dad came to visit last weekend weekend and we celebrated my 30th birthday.

The boys outside Caleb's favorite restaurant "Cacka Bay."

I've been craving Japanese forever so Mom and Dad treated us for a birthday dinner. Caleb wasn't so sure about the flames coming from the Hibachi grill. I love Mom and Dad's faces here.

Caleb and Grandaddy

Caleb and Grandma

Another catalog season complete – what will 2009 bring?

If you know me, you know that I can be hard to get a hold of from around November until January. This is the heaviest part of catalog season, which actually begins around August of each year. While in Anaheim, CA last week for an industry tradeshow, we received the 2009 catalog fresh off the press.

While, I’m thrilled to have completed a new catalog, I have to wonder what this year will bring. The buzz at the tradeshow was of course about the new regulations our industry is facing due to problems with lead and phthalates. While we all agree that we have to protect our children, the government is proposing unnecessary testing for small business such as Guildcraft. Basically we buy beads, glue, markers and other components that have all been tested and approved, and then we compile into kits that we sell to make craft time easier for teachers, camp counselors and such. Under proposed regulation, we will be required to retest these products using a third-party vendor. As a small business, we will not be able to afford this kind of testing on our products and may be forced to close our doors or change the nature of our business completely. Thousands of businesses nationwide face similar problems. Think of a stay-at-home mom that sews as a side business, she will be forced to test her goods. Think of all those house parties you are invited to that sell children’s clothes. If the maker hasn’t tested the clothes (even though the yarn, cotton, etc. has already been tested), they are breaking the law.

Fortunately, late Friday afternoon, a one-year stay was announced so we don't have to test the products until then. During that time, we are hoping for some revisions to this legislation. Basically we need to be able to rely on the testing done already done by manufacturer of the component. What do they think we are doing – sprinkling on lead as we compile the kit?

On top of that I’m saying my prayers for our nation as we continue in this down economy. It seems like everyone is talking about someone losing a job, facing a pay cut or having a hard time finding employment. This has of course affected church giving, and churches are Guildcraft’s biggest market. I’m hoping that churches will continue with VBS programming. What better time to get kids in church and learning about how faith gets us through tough times? Plus kids will probably be home more this summer due to families not wanting to take vacations. Hopefully parents will use VBS as a "staycation."

Just my current thoughts as I head into a new year of work. Hope job stability is good in your house!

Update

Caleb did great in his crib last night, so it looks like we can hold off the big boy bed for a couple of months. I spent more time than usual reading to him and singing to him before putting him down. When it was time to get in the crib, he pointed to his door and said, "dada?" I told him that he had to sleep in the crib because Mommy was home. He whined for a little while but then went to sleep!

Bye bye Pacifier! Hello Big Boy Bed?

This past Saturday, our little family was being lazy in our bed watching cartoons. Caleb still had his pacifier (he usually only gets it at nap and bed times), so I took the opportunity to take it for a moment. After snipping the top, I handed it to Caleb and told him it was broken. He got a big kick out of saying “broke” and throwing it on the ground. Then I told him we could throw it in the trash, and he got an even bigger kick out of tossing it in the trash can. He took his nap and went to bed that night without his pacifier and without any fuss. When he asked for it, we told him it was broken. He then said, “paci broke trash.” I was feeling pretty good about the situation.

On Sunday I was heading out of town on business. (It had not occurred to me the day before when I cut the pacifier that this week might not be the best time to get rid of the pacifier as there would only be one caretaker in the house.) Before I left, I put him down for his nap. Again he went down without the pacifier. After checking in at the airport, I noticed that Seth had called. When I returned the call, I found out that Caleb had woke up after an hour nap (he usually naps for 2-3 hours) screaming for his pacifier. Seth held out and didn’t give it to him, but Caleb of course screamed uncontrollably for 25 minutes.

On Sunday night, Caleb just screamed when Seth put him in the crib. Caleb has never done this; he has always gone down immediately without any fuss at all. Seth rocked Caleb and some how mentioned the idea of sleeping with Daddy that night. Caleb got down from Seth’s lap, went downstairs and stood at our bed until Seth arrived. After Seth put him in the bed, he went to sleep. We couldn’t believe he even understood what Seth was talking about. The last two nights have gone about the same – Seth starts him in the crib and Caleb eventually ends up in our bed.

I get back home tonight. I usually put Caleb down, so it will be interesting to see if Caleb gets back into the routine or has developed a new habit of sleeping in our bed. If that is the case, I think we’ve decided to start the process of moving him to a big boy bed rather than fighting him to sleep in the crib. We were planning on moving him in 2 months anyway to get ready for his baby sister.

A Couple of Cute Stories

I don't have any recent photos, but here are a couple of stories of things that have happened recently:

Gloves
Like most of the country, Nashville has had a really cold winter. After taking an interest in my gloves one morning, I put Caleb’s mittens on him. He then ran circles around the couch clapping his hands and yelling “gloves, gloves!” When Seth took him to school that morning, he wouldn’t take them off. All the other kids were jealous of Caleb’s gloves, so the teacher had to get out the gloves that they sometimes use for art. At some point that morning, the gloves were removed – I’m assuming not until snack time though. When I picked him up after lunch, I put the gloves back on him before heading outside. Once we got home, he didn’t want to take them off, so he had them on during his entire nap. I made him take them off after he got food all over them during his afternoon snack….

Ashes
We randomly played “Ring Around the Rosies” with Caleb a couple of weeks ago. Now he routinely grabs one of our hands, begins looking for the other parent and says, “hand? ashes?” He doesn’t like just playing with one of us. For example if Seth is at work, Caleb will grab my hand, look around and then say “Dada, hand, ashes?” When I say that Daddy is at work, he reluctantly plays ashes with just me. Ashes is just not limited to house play either. We met Jeremy and Mica at Buca di Beppo in Cool Springs last week (after Caleb’s dreaded haircut). After dinner, Caleb and I waited outside for Daddy to use the restroom before driving 45 minutes home. Caleb wanted to play ashes, so he settled for just a Mommy and Caleb game. When Seth came back out, all three of us held hands and walked around in circles, falling to our feet at the end. Don’t you wish you could have seen us? :)