the hardest thing was claire started having more spasms the day we left. she has done such a big girl job of switching off formula and eating lots of solid foods. unfortunately, it seems her brain isn’t too keen on these changes and is letting the ugly spasm monster emerge with greater force. starting tonight we went back on the formula to see if it helps get things under better control. all those spasms meant i was a big ball of emotion for much of the trip, which always makes things not quite as peaceful and fun. but i really tried to keep calm and remember that this is not permanent and enjoy the time we had at our beach house. (this mantra also came in handy when our car almost broke down in el centro, california. a super hot, super small town in the  middle of nowhere. one hour and a big answered prayer later, it thankfully started back up!)

one of the best parts was a visit from adrian’s brother, eric, who lives in san diego. we already miss him and can’t wait until christmastime to see him again! of course i did not get many pictures, big surprise huh? it’s always so hard for me to remember that with everything else going on! i did manage to snap a few though so here they are:

our little sunkissed girl playing one morning.

the dad’s getting buried in the sand.

all covered up!

mommy and claire enjoying the nice weather.

you can’t tell but adrian is somewhere under that wave. it smashed him!

claire had the cutest bikini on. but she wouldn’t lay still and model for me. she was too busy rolling and trying to get in the sand!

fun football games in the FREEZING ocean! they didn’t seem to mind too much though. they stayed out there until they were shaking and bright red from being knocked around! i already wish i was sitting there watching them again. if only we could move to san diego full time! i wish!

below is the brunch buffet table. it included mini quiche, lemon whoopie pies, pineapple bars, banana bread pops and fruit cups. the banners are from the fabulous tomkat studio.

we also set up a lemon:aid area with information on blood:water mission and lemonade favors for the guests. (and a hunky guy is posing by it for you.)

here’s the birthday girl.

and her beautiful hands.

here’s our other little baby enjoying the party.

here’s some pictures featuring my pom madness. believe me, this is only half of it.

we also made little jingle bells to ring after we sang the happy birthday song. if you know claire, she LOVES bells!

and just a couple more pictures our claire bear.

we love her so.

seems innocent enough right?

wrong.

she’s become a little sassy pants.

and only wants to play. not eat.

if you were here, you would hear her little laughs right now.

she’s thinks this is all a joke.

and she is so cute and silly it is hard to be mad.

i gave up. and now she is saying “what? who? me? i am an angel. i promise.”

little stinker.

hi everyone! quick note to let you know about the new site where i am a contributor. it’s called Hey Little Birdie- check it out! my friends, jina, josie, and i have teamed up to find awesome products, people and shops to inspire you. i hope you love it as much as i do and become a regular reader! there are posts everyday and today my first feature post is up! it is all about some ideas i have for claire’s upcoming second birthday shindig. enjoy!

things have been up and down around our house. claire is still on the diet, still having seizures. don’t get me wrong, we have seen major improvements. there are many times she wakes up and doesn’t have them, but sometimes she still does and they can be pretty strong ones. she also has stopped tremoring periodically in her right arm and doing little “jolts” like she used to. she learned how to babble about 2 weeks ago and talks to us every day morning and night! she is also trying to sit on her own, she likes to try and i am very confident that someday she will get the hang of it. she has been super smiley especially in the mornings, which of course makes my day. overall, we are happy with the small changes we have seen and plan to stick to the diet. the doctor reccomended increasing her medicine to see if the combo of it with the idet will work better. so we increased in a few days ago and are hoping we see more improvements.

here’s something else claire has learned to do:

she likes to tell us when she is sleepy. so sweet.

and get ready here are LOTS of pics of just being cute. to catch you all up on the last month.

she likes making funny faces.

the following are pics adrian snapped of us having a girl talk.

she loves bath time.

until her paci falls out.

family pic at schnepf farms festival.

what a cute smirk!

my silly girl.

halloween night. she was a claire bear.

and wanted none of it.

she was not happy with us. and did not get to trick or treat. because she screamed instead. bummer.

at least one vender girl enjoyed her costume.

that’s it for now! congratulations on making it through this looong post! i’ll try to add the pictures to flickr soon so they link up and you can print them if you want!

our attempt at a self-portrait, sorry claire!

the family, aren’t matt and yasmine looking so cute?

my cute little cheerleader

snuggling with papa.

claire and her papa rich.

we attempted to capture her smile so many times but this girl would not sit still!

and here is a video of her having fun, this is only a tiny glimpse of her silly self!

rebecca minkoff, knocked up baby bag in leaf. $695. sold out.

i am obsessed. literally. i spied it in the newest Cookie magazine and i am head over heels smitten with it. can i afford this? absolutely not. but that doesn’t mean i can’t dream. i adore kelly green and i adore functional mommy bags that don’t scream “inside this bag are two wet diapers, a crusty bib and the snickers wrapper from my lunch.”

ugh. why do i torture myself?

then we walked around dowtown flagstaff and ate some amazing crepes on this cute little patio outside. nutella, ghiradelli chocolate, raspberry preserves and whipped cream? yes, please!

then we stopped by the famed macy’s coffee. my cappuccino was perfect!

after that we hung out at the hotel, played some pass the pigs with the olbinski’s and marveled at our 3 foot deep, reclaimed water, liquid/solid buttoned toilets. they were an experience to say the least.

the next morning we trekked back down to the heat with a little pit stop at the anthem outlets, yay!

it was a nice, restful weekend. claire was an angel on both car rides, was a little cranky at the hotel but then let us sleep most of the night. it was fun to get away with friends!

so to kick off, the theme is albums you have on heavy rotation right now.

here’s mine:

1. franz ferdinand, tonight. i have a serious love for rock music with a dance beat. if i need a pick-me-up, i play this album and boogie in the driver’s seat. yes, i car dance. and i am quite good at it.

2. shawn mcdonald, roots. this album has basically kept me sane for the last year and a half. the song winter captures exactly where my soul is right now and the song captivated is a constant reminder for me that there is beauty even when i feel pain.

3. justin timberlake, futuresex/lovesounds. do i even need to give a reason why? oh and claire may only be a one year old but i can tell she already has a jt crush too.

so there’s mine, what’s yours?